Empowering women: More Education + Better Health Care = Less Poverty

A young girl from India in the fifth grade says goodbye to her classmates because she won’t be attending school anymore.  Her mother died recently and she  has to stay home to cook and bring lunch to her father in the field where he works. Her grandmother is very old and blind, but she scolds her son for withdrawing his daughter from school. The grandmother says that she will do the cooking and tries to make her son recognize how important his daughter’s education is.  Nonetheless, the father doesn’t understand….to him it is more important for his daughter to keep house for him than go to school.

Poor, overworked and illiterate--this is the profile of many adult, rural women in a majority of developing countries. Although more girls and women are entering school now than ever before, huge gaps still exist in women's education and literacy, especially among adult women ...the caretakers and providers for whom the ability to read and write can make a world of difference.

If women are to contribute effectively to their community and the development of their country, they must be sufficiently equipped to actively participate by receiving quality education that will prepare them to enter any field, expose them to science, technology and communications and stimulate their creativity.

Women's health and access to health care are also of major concern in developing countries.   The health of the people in a country is pivotal to its prospects for sustainable development.  Women suffering from poor health status typically lack knowledge, information, work skills and access to essential health services.  Despite the fact that women are the primary providers of health care for their families (and sometimes for an entire village), they often lack access to such care for themselves. Statistics show that in many countries there are fewer women than men receiving timely treatment for illnesses, hospital care if needed, and receiving prescriptions for medication.

Women comprise a disproportionate share of the world's poor. Over the past 50 years, the number of rural women in developing countries living in absolute poverty has risen by about 50%  versus 30% for rural men.  Female poverty is a persistent and unevenly distributed liability that threatens the sustainability of developing countries.

DID YOU KNOW? More Than 1 in 3 Native American Women Will Be Raped In Her Lifetime

Native American and Alaskan Native women are greater than 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than other women in the United States.  Making matters worse, there is a complex maze of tribal, state and federal legal systems that gives perpetrators of many of these rapes impunity and in some cases even encourages assaults.  Sexual violence against Indigenous women in the USA is widespread -- and especially brutal.   Some Indigenous women report they didn’t know anyone in their community who had not experienced sexual violence. Though rape is always an act of violence, there is evidence that Indigenous women are more like than other women to suffer additional types of violence at the hands of their attackers. Statistics gathered by the US Justice system show that in at least 86 per cent of the reported cases of rape or sexual assault against American Indian and Alaskan Native women the perpetrators are non-Native men. Sexual violence against Indigenous women is the result of a number of factors including a history of widespread and egregious human rights violations against Indigenous peoples in the USA.   There are many infamous historical events (including the Trail of Tears between 1790 and 1830) where settlers and soldiers  raped indigenous women. Such attacks were not random or individual, but were the tools used to take over and   colonize the west. The underlying attitudes towards Indigenous peoples that supported these human rights violations then continue to be present in society and culture today. They contribute to the present high rates of sexual violence perpetrated against Indigenous women and help to shield their attackers from justice. There are three justice systems -- tribal, state and federal --  that are potentially involved in responding to sexual violence against Indigenous women.  Before any action is taken,  there has to be a determination of which of these systems has authority in the case.  The main factors that determine which system has authority to prosecute such crimes are whether the victim is a member of a federally recognized tribe or not and whether the offence took place on tribal land or not.  The answers to these questions are often not self-evident and there can be significant delays while police, lawyers and courts establish who has jurisdiction over a particular crime. The result can be such confusion and uncertainty that no one intervenes and survivors of sexual violence are denied access to justice. Tribal prosecutors cannot prosecute crimes committed by non-Native perpetrators. Tribal courts are also prohibited from passing custodial sentences that are in keeping with the seriousness of the crimes of rape or other forms of sexual violence. The maximum prison sentence tribal courts can impose for crimes, including rape, is one year. At the same time, the majority of rape cases on tribal lands that are referred to the federal courts are reportedly never brought to trial.  As a consequence Indigenous women are being denied justice and the perpetrators are going unpunished. In failing to protect Indigenous women from sexual violence, the USA is violating the rights of these women.  Indigenous women’s organizations and tribal authorities have brought forward concrete proposals to help stop sexual violence against Indigenous women – but the federal government has failed to act.

In Honor of Cambodian New Year - Status of Khmer Women

Cambodian woman are often compared to the celestial goddesses on the walls of the great temples in Angkor Wat. The pleasant smile and distant gaze are symbols  representing  water and purity… virtues that are responsible for upholding the family name.  But after twenty years of war, genocide and suffering both Khmer society and its people have redefined the roles of women in the Khmer culture.  These new roles have proven challenging in many ways and makes it almost impossible  to preserve the traditional identity as Khmer women.

Traditional Cambodian gender roles have relied on a unique concept of "gender equality" which is quite different from the "equality" considered by American standards.  Khmer women's roles and their behavior are connected to and greatly affect the status of their husbands, sons, and fathers.  As described in Khmer literature, the Khmer woman, must remain virtuous to uphold the image of her family. She is required to speak softly, walk lightly and be well mannered at all times. It is required for her to stay at home and serve as the caretaker and preserver of the home. A Khmer woman must be a virgin when she marries and be faithful to her husband after marriage, even though he is allowed to have extramarital affairs. It is assumed that if a wife is virtuous, the husband will not need to look elsewhere for happiness. A wife must be clever and wise bringing greater wealth and status to her husband.  Heavy consequences exist for women who disobey Khmer social standards.  Khmer women who are not considered virtuous are often punished by rape or end their lives in suicide from shame.

This traditional role is enslaving and has caused extreme hardship to women living in the new Cambodian social structure.  Many Khmer women, especially single mothers, have suffered through tremendous atrocities.  During the reign of the Khmer Rouge, women were often viewed as being less threatening to the regime and their lives were spared while they faced the death of their husbands, sons and fathers. Many continue to carry these painful memories throughout their daily lives.  Many of the widows believe that if they remarry it would be a betrayal to their deceased husband.  Even the women who try to establish themselves in the Cambodian labor market, lead lonely and celibate lives continually grieving for their husbands.  For the fortunate Khmer women whose husbands survived the war life can be even more difficult.  In many cases the husbands remarried and try to maintain both wives.

Khmer traditionalists compare a Cambodian girl to white cotton. A boy is compared to a gem. It is said that when white is soiled, it can never be washed to the purity and cleanness it once had. Gems, on the other hand, can be cleaned to shine brighter.  The atrocities of war, the violence and the hardship have made it necessary for women to take responsibility for their children, earn a living and become financially independent.  The male traditionalists feel that empowering women makes them dirty.   These men also feel  their own power has been undermined by the  new roles women are taking on.

Unfortunately, the women, caught between the responsibility of fostering the Khmer identity for future generations and finding their place within the new Cambodian culture are blamed (and blame themselves) for the re-shifting of gender roles.

Khmer women who are eager to take advantage of new opportunities have yet to gain the recognition from their communities. They find themselves alienated from family, friends and neighbors because they have lost the traditional traits of Khmer women. They are regarded as defectors if they remarry or even take a job. They are considered antagonists if they voice their opinions within the community.

Slowly women in Cambodia are emerging as an economic power within their society. Many younger women are realizing the task ahead is to rebuild their country.   They know they must eliminate the gender barriers in order to have a viable labor force.  Many younger women are trying to get an education so that they will be able to take an active and meaningful role in rebuilding their country. After twenty years, Cambodia is just starting to emerge from the depths of war and destruction with the Khmer women leading the way.

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.