A Thought About Peace

http://chiefrabbi.org/ReadArtical.aspx?id=1616

This Sums It All Up.....

"When women are free to develop their talents, all people benefit: women and men, girls and boys. When women are free to vote and run for public office, governments are more effective and responsive to their people. When women are free to earn a living and start small businesses, the data is clear: they become key drivers of economic growth across regions and sectors. When women are given the opportunity of education and access to health care, their families and communities prosper. And when women have equal rights, nations are more stable, peaceful, and secure."
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton from her remarks at the UN Commission on the Status of Women http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/03/138320.htm

Vietnamese Women and Children Sold As "Sex Slaves"

The Vietnam government published a paper this week that documents statistics from 1998 to early 2010 showing that approximately 5,000 women and children have been taken against their will across the borders of Vietnam in the hands of sex smugglers.   Children are being sold in internet auctions to the highest bidder and women are forced off the streets at gunpoint. 

Recently photos of a young Vietnamese woman and two Vietnamese teens were posted on eBay’s Taiwan website.  They each had a starting price of $5,400 and were listed as “items” from Vietnam that would be shipped only to Taiwan to be picked up from there.  An eBay spokesperson responded to outraged activists that the company did not screen auction items before they went live on the site, but it usually halted products that were deemed inappropriate or illegal and reiterated that EBay strictly forbids the sale or purchase of humans, alive or dead

             The practice human trafikking  started in Vietnam in 1987 when Hanoi opened its borders and became a market economy.  Without regulation the opening of the borders  caused widespread corruption involving local authorities and middle class businessmen.    Intervention by NGOs and charities operating in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand has had little effect.

              In 2009, joint interventions by the Vietnamese and Cambodian governments led to the arrest of 31 traffickers and saved the lives of 70 victims that were about to be smuggled across the border into Cambodia.  While this was a sign of progress traffickers still smuggled 981 women and children to Cambodia or China to be sold as slaves.

              The greatest number of women smuggled is at the border between China and Vietnam.  Women are placed into the prostitution market,  sold as brides to the highest bidder or forced to do hard labor in unregulated factories.  Many of the women are taken across the border into Cambodia where they are forced to work as prostitutes.  Cambodia also serves as a transfer place for women to be given over to buyers from England, France and Germany.  In some cases, the victims  are brought to the Vietnam ports of Tan San Nhat and Noi Bai to be shipped off to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Macau or to  Europe, Africa and the USA.

              When the authorities in Thailand recently started to  crackdown on prostitution, especially child prostitution, Vietnam  became the new base for sex tourism industry in Southeast Asia.   The bars, discos and resorts in Vietnam offer a constant supply of unsuspecting young women for the traffickers to smuggle away.  

Anganwadi Workers In India - Women Teaching Women

Anganwadi work in rural India has proven to be a beacon of hope for women. Under the Integrated Child Development System, an Anganwadi worker is trained as a para-professional to provide children with basic health care, nutrition and pre-school education.  They do routine health check ups on children including administering immunizations.  They also teach women about proper nutrition, sanitation and childcare skills. 

In the Rajasthan region of India these government centers have motivated women to bring changes in the lives of their families and communities. Poverty, ignorance and a patriarchal mindset often leave women in rural India in despair and apathy. Learning to become an Anganwadi worker gives women a fresh start towards self-reliance and knowledge.

This is one story of the value of this system.  Becoming an Anganwadi worker not only saved Kalini’s life, but also helped her to make sure her children were educated and had a good future to look forward to.  Kalini became a young widow at 23.  She became the sole guardian and breadwinner for her family of three boys, the youngest a three month old. Tied down by sorrow and economic hardship, Kalini became an Anganwadi worker in her village to earn money.

Very soon she realized that being an Anganwadi worker was much more than just a job. It gave her the opportunity to meet other women and interact with them.  This support group helped her to overcome the grief over the loss of her husband.  Her new job helped Kalini to become self-assured, secure and experience happiness once again.

The Anganwadi training taught Kalini about health care, hygiene and sanitation.  The skills she learned helped the people in her village and also helped her to improve the standard of living for her family.  Kalini is proud of the responsibility that she carries and how the villagers respect her. 

WTW Celebrates Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month and to celebrate WomenTeachingWomen.org will introduce you to women from around the world who are working hard to change their lives and the incredible things they are doing: Today it is 'Women Farmers In Tanzania'

http://vodpod.com/watch/706322-women-farmers-in-tanzania