Measuring Gender-Based Violence among Rural Women

This CSW parallel event- Beyond the Hashtags: Measuring Gender-Based Violence among Rural Women was sponsored and organized by Women for Women International (WfWI), South African Medical Research Council and George Washington University’s Global Women Institute. This discussion surrounded the ethical and methodological ways that field researchers collect data on gender-based violence in non-conflict and conflict/ humanitarian settings. The panelists spoke about the challenges that are faced in the field when collecting data and how these challenges have been addressed over the years to make data collection smoother both for the field researchers and the study participants.

The first challenge addressed was the safety and well-being of the field researchers and the participants. South African Medical Research Council along with the World Health Organization (WHO) developed a set of ethical guidelines to guide the training of the field researchers to ensure that both researchers and participants are protected. Research found that there is a higher disclosure rate when the researchers are more trained. The organization also made provision for a counselor to accompany each field team for the emotional and psychological needs of the members of the field team and the research participants who are often women and children who have gone through gender-based violence in both conflict and non-conflict settings.

Another challenge that has been addressed is the chaos that mars the research that has been done on gender/race–based violence in conflict settings as this is a relatively recent area of research. This challenge was addressed by the George Washington University’s Global Women Institute who brought together researchers in the field of conflict/ humanitarian settings and gender-based violence to develop a unified methodological and conceptual understanding and approach to how field work ought to be carried out in conflict/ post-conflict settings.

The Women for Women International (WfWI) which is an organization that works to empower marginalized women in conflict-affected areas takes a different approach by not focusing on the numbers or data of violence-affected women but rather focuses on how to build these women up to ensure that they are economically independent which reduces the risk factors of gender-based violence. They do this by organizing a 12-month curriculum with cohorts of 25 women where they teach them about their rights, health and value. These women are paid about $10 a month and bank accounts are opened for them as the first step to financial freedom. During and after the program, these women have a strong peer support base. It is obvious that these organizations are impacting and improving the lives of rural women.

For more information, visit: Women for Women International- https://www.womenforwomen.org/

George Washington University’s Global Women Institute- https://globalwomensinstitute.gwu.edu/

South African Medical Research Council- http://www.mrc.ac.za/

Teenage Girls Breaking Stereotypes

One of the parallel events organized by CSW62 was titled, "Rights, Voice, Dreams, and Friendship: How Teenage Girls Achieve Empowerment". A group of teenage girls from Chechnia and the leaders of the organization Young Women Development Program (YWDP) came to share their experience,  challenges and the changes they bring.

The girls have presented how hard it is to live in their hierarchical and patriarchal culture, where women do not have enough voice to express their needs, where young girls cannot stand up for themselves. The girls shared how hard it was for them to live in their culture, be accepted by the society while trying to develop their own careers.

One of the girls said: "I am blessed to have the right family, where the education is valued. My parents motivated me to pay attention to my future and seek a degree. Unfortunately, not a lot of girls are as fortunate as I am. A lot of them, especially those living in the rural areas, even do not finish their school. They drop it and get married since it is what the society and family expect them to do. It is hard to go against this cultural mentality. People may not understand you in the right way. That's why it is important to have supportive individuals next to you".

Another adolescent girl shared her challenges when she wanted to pursue a degree in the department of architecture. She said: "All the teachers, professors, classmates, men I knew were telling me that I had a very bad idea and should not pursue a degree in it. All of them were saying that the profession of an architect was not for women and that I would not be able to find a job in the future. However, with the help of YWDG, I could improve my self-esteem, believe in my skills and abilities and follow the call of my heart. As a result, I am in the second year of the department of architecture and I believe that I will be a good architect."

The organization has carried out a number of projects, worked with a number of girls, and made a great amount of impact on the lives of a lot of teenagers. It was breathtaking to hear how women are helping, motivating and inspiring each other to raise, fight for their rights and dreams, and be empowered."

Women and Environment in Nigeria

The final day of the Commission on the Status of Women conference offered just as powerful messages as the first day. It was fitting to end the conference knowing that the next generation is actively working towards the sustainable development goals. Lehigh’s United Nations Youth representatives, De’Anna Daniels and Lyasha Bishop, ’16, presented on behalf of the Center for Women’s Studies and Intervention (CWSI) based in Abuja, Nigeria. This NGO educates women in Nigeria about world problems and how to create change or be part of the solution. Daniels’s and Bishop’s presentation, called Women and Environment in Nigeria, discussed the ways in which women can be part of the solution to the organization’s goal of sustainable development. Daniels pointed out that Nigerian women are absent from all levels of policy making, and one goal of the CWSI is to address this gap. “This presentation will present a strategic action plan needed for sound environmental management that will require involvement of women,” Daniels said. The CWSI began work in 1999 in Abuja, Nigeria on social and legal rights, specifically women’s rights and the elimination of gender based violence and training.

The presentation for the CSW focused on the strategies for action for Nigerian women to be active in policy conversations with a critical role of woman and as stewards of the environment. Daniels and Bishop addressed the strategies by categorizing each issue and solution based on the SDGs. The main focus being SDG#15, Life on Land. Due to gender divisions of labor, women in many parts of the world shoulder responsibility of agricultural work, water, and fuel collection in order to provide food for their families. Environmental degradation and lack of access to, and control over natural resources, have consequently, had an especially severe impact on women.

The United Nation’s charge on the environment calls for women to play an import role, given that they are the ones that have a hand in the ecosystem and access to resources. Women’s contribution as a critical determent for the implications of the environmental policies, as noted in the the first World Conference of Women in 1975 in Mexico City and conference there after have brought up these issues. The conversation continues to points towards the need to step up gender equity in environmental decision making like water collection, especially in areas heavily affected by HIV AIDs given that the lack of water expedites deaths.

Daniels and Bishop shared six specific ways Nigerian Women are affected by environmental problems by grouping them with the sustainable development goals,in order as presented:

-       The principle fuel for cooking in rural areas in Nigeria is wood. Such extensive reliance on wood causes erosion and changes in microclimate, this is a concern of SDG#7 Affordable and Clean Energy.

-       Deforestation, the illegal logging and clearing of forest has depleted the forest in Nigeria and large scale construction were women primarily engage in agricultural activity and depend on the resources, without regard of environmental effects, this is a concern of SDG#15 Life on Land.

-       Decertification, or coastal entrenchment and erosion this has resulted in migration, dysfunctional family loss of villages, conflict, lose of livelihood and internal displacement, cultivation of land in inappropriate places, this is a concern of SDG#14 Life below Water coastal environment.

-       Lack of information on environmental issues, so many Nigerians are unaware of environmental issues and very few women are involved in natural disaster management this is a concern of SDG#4 Quality Education.

-       Absence of gender mainstreaming and environment, Nigerian women are absent in all levels of policy formulation and decision making in discussions on policies including environmental issues such as pollution and population explosion, this is a concern of SDG#16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.

-       Exploration of solar minerals has led to loss of land property decline in economic activity, particularly affecting women, changes in social life of women, increase of poverty level, this is a concern of SDG#12 Responsible Consumption and Production.

The strategies for action put fourth by CWSI are holistic, multidisciplinary, and intersectional approach.

-       Awareness creation, education is key in order to understand environmental issues and take action

-       Government and civil society action need to play a large role

-       Funding alternative energy sources for cooking, as a direct action

Overall, the presentation laid out the issues women in Nigeria currently face, where those issues concern the sustainable development goals, and specific strategies for action. The call for action is clear, and our youth seems well equipped to take them on.