Отстаивая права женщин любить и выбирать супруга: История иранского писателя-беженца

       3 марта Иранский писатель Мехрйар Мехрафарин поделился с нами своей захватывающей историей жизни. Родившись в Иране он нашел свою страсть в литературе, и уже в раннем возрасте написал около 25 книг. Тем не менее, в Иране существует правило по которому каждый желающий писать должен получить разрешение от правительства на то, чтобы писать книги, и на то, чтобы в итоге опубликовать их. Книги Мехрйара имели слишком спорный характер для государства, поэтому в 2001 году правительство приняло решение приговорить его к смерти. Только по счастливому случаю ему удалось бежать из страны вместе с его сыном, и после долгих скитаний найти приют в США.

        Став живым свидетелем насилия в отношении женщин в Иране, он стал защитником прав женщин. В своей книге “Союз Мехрафарин”, которую он и представил публике, он демонстрирует новую философию любви, основанную независимо от вероисповедания, национальности и политических убеждений. В этой книге он поднимает важный вопрос о защите прав людей свободно выбирать свою любовь и избранника - право, которое указано в статье 16 Всеобщей декларации прав человека. Однако, как автор подчеркнул, это право и по сей день не соблюдается во многих странах мира. В 2011 году в Пакистане 15-летняя девушка была убита своими родителями, потому что она отказалась выйти замуж за ее 52 летнего двоюродного брата отца. В 2010 году в Индии девушка была сожжена и разрезана на части по схожей причине. В 2008 году в США отец убил свою 22-летную дочь, потому что она влюбилась в афро-американца, в то время как ее отец хотел, чтобы она вышла замуж за индуса.

     Поэтому Мехрйар критикует ООН в том, что они не защищают права человека свободно любить. "Почему у нас войны, когда у нас есть ООН? Почему у нас столько голодных людей, если у нас так много еды? Почему, почему и почему?”, вопрошал он.

     В итоге писатель обратился к ООН с просьбой взять книгу за основу создании декларации по защите прав любящих, а также он попросил ООН о создании Комитета по правам любящих, который должен носить имя-Комитет союза Мехрафарин.

Роль трудящихся женщин в развитии сельских районов Судана

       3 марта представители Ассоциации трудящихся женщин (WWA) рассказали о деятельности своей организации, которая была создана в 1991 году с целью улучшения профессиональной и интеллектуальной компетентности всех работающих женщин в государственном и частном секторах. Важно отметить, что WWA получили статус ЭКОСОС в 2011 году и это была их первая презентация в рамках ООН и Комиссии по положению женщин. Тем не менее, у меня создалось впечатление, что их отчет была подвергнут цензуре и был под контролем правительства.

         Во-первых, потому что они придерживались общих фраз как- "мы промотируем гендерное равенство, работаем над улучшением положении женщин в обществе, организуем семинары и тренинги", практически избегая конкретной информации о том, как и что именно они делают, и какова реальная ситуация работающих женщин в сельских районах Судана. Во-вторых, после того как они закончили свое выступление и обратились за комментариями из зала, одна женщина из Судана, которая представила себя в качестве представителя Министерства финансов, вышла на сцену и говорила около 10 минут о том, как все прекрасно в Судане, и о том сколько всего они уже достигли в сфере улучшения условий для трудящихся женщин .

        Затем, когда другая представительница НКО задала вопрос об бюджете Ассоциации, докладчики начали обсуждать этот вопрос на своем родном языке с представительницей из Министерства финансов, и их окончательный ответ был очень неясным.

      В заключение, можно сказать, что нам было адресовано послание, что WWA и правительство Судана уже многое сделали в сферах улучшении условий для трудящихся женщин и достижении гендорного равенства, но у меня до сих пор возникают сомнения насколько видение докладчиков совпадает с “настоящим голосом” женщин из сельских районов Судана.

Defending the Women's Right to Love and Marry: Told by Iranian Refugee Writer

    The Iranian writer Mehryar Mehrafarin shared with us with his fascinating life story this Saturday. Being born in Iran he found a passion in writing, and in his early ages he already wrote about 25 books. However, in Iran there is a policy that you should get permission from the government first, to write, and, second, to publish and distribute books. Mehryar's writings were too controversial and in 2001 government decided to sentence him to death. Only by fortunate chance he was able to escape from the country with his son and become a refugee in the United States.

     After experiencing and observing abuse against women in Iran he became a defender of women's right. In his Union Mehrafarin book that he presented to the audience he is showing a new philosophy of love regardless religion, nationality, and political affiliation. By this book he is raising an important issue of defending humans right to choose whom to love and marry--the right that is stated in Article 16 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, as he emphasized this right is not protected in many countries. In 2011 in Pakistan 15 year old girl was killed by her parents, because she refused to marry her father's 52 year old cousin. In 2010 in India the girl was burned and cut into pieces. In 2008 in the US father killed his 22 year old daughter because she fell in love with African-American, while he wanted her to marry an Indian man.

     Mehryar is criticizing the United Nations for not protecting the human's right to love. "Why do we have war when we have the UN? Why do we have hungry people if we have so much food? Why, why and why?". Therefore, he appeals to the UN to take the book as the foundation in protecting rights of lovers, as well as he asks the UN to establish the committee of the rights of lovers which should be called the committee of Union Mehrafarin.  

The Role of WWA in Sudan

I decided to attend "The Role of the Working Women in the Development of Rural Societies in Sudan" panel event because Sudan was a country that I knew little about, specifically the role of women.  This event was presented by the Working Women Association (WWA), which is an international Non-Government Organization (NGO) that has consultive status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.  To give more of a background on this organization, WWA is considered as one of the largest women civil society association working to enhance the standards of work, patriotism among working women.   It aims to improve the vocational and intellectual competence of its membership, which includes all working women in both public and private sectors. As an NGO, WWA has internal branches all of over Sudan, which includes the federal, states, municipalities and grassroots level.  Its main efforts is turn a Sudanese women into a working class female, being able to take care of her own and play a positive and constructive role in the labor market.  Some of the objectives that the organization has is the following: -Create a work environment and recommend national sense to assume responsibilities -Study and review the laws related to the situation of working women -Promote economic and social role of women workers -Corporate with organizations and social forces concerned with gender issues at the local, regional, and international level Ways in which this organization attempts to complete their objectives is to hold lectures, seminars, conferences and celebrations, workshops and training courses in a variety of topics and fields.  They also print and hand out materials such as books, pamphlets, establishment of research, translation and documentation centers.  As the organization continues to grow since its existence in 1991, they hold on to their values and the desire to continue to educate all women on their privileges and capabilities as a person, which is not limited.

The Role of the Working Women in the Development of Rural Societies in Sudan

Panelists:

       On Saturday, Working Women Association (WWA) presented a topic on working women in rural Sudan. Mainly the speakers were focusing on the activities of their organization that was established in 1991 with the aim "to improve vocational and intellectual competence of  all working women in both public and private sectors".  It is important to mention that WWA got an ECOSOC status in 2011; therefore, it was their first time presenting at CSW. Nevertheless, my overall impression was that their presentation was censored and controlled by the government.

      First,  because they were providing general statements like "we are promoting gender equality, improving conditions of women, organizing workshops, and seminars"; hence avoiding concrete information on how and what exactly they are doing and what is the real situation of working women in rural areas. Secondly, after they finished their presentation and asked for the comments a lady from Sudan, who introduced herself as a representative of the Ministry of Finance, took the stage and talked for about 10 minutes on how Sudan is doing great in improving conditions for working women. While she was very excited her colleagues from WWA seemed to be very serious and somehow sad.

     Next, when another lady from the auditorium asked the panelists a question about their budget there was a minute of hesitation among the presenters, as they started to discuss the question in their own language with the lady from the Ministry of Finance, and their final answer was very unclear.

     To conclude, the main message that was delivered by the WWA and Sudanese government is that they are doing great in empowering women. However, I really have a doubt if they  represented a "real voice" of women in rural areas of Sudan.     

A lady from Ministry of Finance is making her comments

Rural Development: Immigration and Farm Workers

One of the major issues that has been a great deal to the United States has been illegal immigrants, particularly from Latin America.  The highest grossing number of Latinos crossing into U.S. soil is from our neighboring country, Mexico.  At the United Nations CSW event that I attended there was a woman who was born and raised in Colombia but migrated to the United States.  Her name is Alina Diaz and she is currently working on a Catholic Charities farmworker project in Ontario, NY.   Alina's job consists of going to different farm sites throughout the state of New York, speaking to thousands of farm workers and listening to their working conditions and their living situations.  From visiting so many sites she has compiled a list of farm workers, the majority being women, and noticed that 88-90% of the workers are immigrants with 55% of them being from mexico and the rest from Central America.   As of late she noticed that farm workers are now coming from other countries in the Caribbean such as Haiti and Jamaica.  A surprising fact that she presented during her speech is that the main income in the state of New York is agricultre.  This was news to me since a state that is located near the northest part of the United States and in which it begins to snow as early as November in Upstate New York, agriculture is a main source of income. As her speech continues, she comments on how she learned that a good portion of farm workers are illegal immigrants.  Due to the influx of illegal immigrants continually to come into this labor market these workers are not being paid.  Once the first couple of weeks past and paychecks are due to these workers, the owners would contact US Border Control and report the illegal immigrants, which allows them to save money by not paying the workers, essentially having free labor. Another great issue that she discussed was the sexual abuse that the female farm workers would face on a day-to-day basis.  In efforts to make a difference Alina contacted Poverty Central in hopes that she would be able to provide farm workers to speak about their experiences that they have encountered for a project called Shame In Your Place.  She was able to provide 25 workers who talked about their living and working conditions, demonstrating how they are currently being taken advantage of by the farm owners.  Listening to such stories and the information that Alina gave was quite startling,  Issues that we see as a national level is currently happening in the backyards of the United Nations.  In hopes that the Shame In Your Place project would go public and make people realize the issues that are currently happening.  One thing that stood out to me that was said is that these workers are human beings, even though they are not legal immigrants, they should still be provided for and not taken advantage of.

How Do We Know if Aid Programs are Working? An Innovative Tool to Measure Women's Roles and Empowerment in Agriculture

I was intrigued by the panel discussion led by U.S. Ambasador for Women's Issues, Melanne Verveer. It focused on a new index to measure progress on women’s roles, empowerment, and gender parity in agriculture She mentioned how “Feed the Future,” one of President Obama’s key foreign policy programs, has served as a catalyst to explore food security and agricultural issues. Although women are a vital force in agricultural development around the world, significant challenges continue to affect productivity and gender parity in this crucial area. While women make up 40% of the agricultural labor force internationally (up to 70% in sub-Saharan Africa), they represent only 3% to 20% of the world’s landowners. Why?

This side event provided an interesting discussion of how “sophistication and science” can be used to more effectively gauge the progress of international aid projects targeting rural women in agricultural settings. Ambassador Verveer said “aid effectiveness is a top development priority” and is directly tied to the empowerment of women and girls. She reiterated the importance of getting women involved in the protection and decision-making process as it relates to peace and security issues, including food. New gender guidelines will be outlined and implemented for all of the United States’ development programs. USAID Administrator, Rajiv Shah, spoke about women’s access to markets, technology, capital, and tools tied to agricultural productivity. He mentioned that Secretary Clinton has said “political will” is important, but not sufficient in measuring the success of aid programs for women.

The rest of the panel presentations and discussion focused on how this innovative agricultural index can provide a more specific measure of aid effectiveness, women’s empowerment, and gender parity. The index, for example, helps aid programs monitor women’s access to income, credit, assets, and leadership opportunities. Dr. Agnes Quisumbing, Senior Research Fellow for Health and Nutrition at IFPRI, helped the audience conceptualize the 5 domains of women’s empowerment in agriculture: production, resources, leadership, income, and time. Each of these 5 areas has specific indicators to measure progress. As women often have less income, access to resources, education, or land, Dr. Quisumbing discussed how these characteristics contribute to the gap in gender parity. The use of a “systematic index” will help to evaluate results and mainstream gender into international aid projects. It will also assist in reducing food security issues and food dependency in many parts of the world. The key will be to take these conceptualized domains and facilitate practical implementation of the index.

The final portion of the side event examined pilot surveys done in three different contexts: Bangladesh, Guatemala, and Uganda. Dr. Sabina Alkire, Director of the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, asked the question: How are women empowered or disempowered? The index is meant to be applicable across nations and cultures, but adaptable to local contexts. By capturing levels of empowerment, aid organizations and national policymakers can find different ways to address women’s progress in the agricultural sector, as well as gender parity in various places. While the index is not necessarily the answer, it will enable groups to move in the right direction toward food security and women’s empowerment.

Representatives from each of the three countries discussed progress and challenges in their respective nations. In some areas, women had been empowered and reached gender parity with men, while in others, they lagged behind. The context of each place also indicated similarities and differences. It was interesting to think about how this specific index will enhance the work of national and international aid programs in the future. While working recently in Nigeria and Cambodia, it made me reflect on the critical role of rural women in agricultural production, food security, and global health, and how these indicators could lead to increased empowerment and gender parity. I am certainly looking forward to seeing how this innovative tool will be expanded and used in a wider context in the hope of empowering women and girls throughout the world!

There are still people facing hardships in the U.S.

I walked into the panel event today not knowing too much about rural development, particularly in the United States.  I had the impression that us Americans did not have any issues with this other than the natural disasters that affected us.  Theresa Isley from Family Violence and Rape Crisis center in Siler City, NC talked about the hardship that people in her community have been facing, particularly her family.

Theresa pointed out that she is currently the only one in her family that lives in the town, is working.  In the town jobs are limited and there is no public transportation, so if your family doesn’t possess a vehicle then getting to the grocery store becomes a mission.  When she was talking you can hear the disappointment with the economy and the country but yet the dreams of a better future.  She mentioned that the people in the town want to hold their head up with dignity, they did not ask to be “disenfranchise”.  Hearing such things opened my eyes because as I mentioned before I did not think that there were places like this, in which Americans are struggling as if it was a 3^rd world country.  America, a place a where people take pride in being a powerhouse country is still facing such issues that Theresa pointed out during the panel event. 

An interesting point that was mentioned while she was talking about the towns’ situation is that the kids who attend college end up leaving the town upon graduation and not returning home.   She pointed this out because as educated individuals the college graduates are capable of improving the community, but rather than doing so they are living in other communities.  The main issue that I grasp from her speech is unemployment, how much it is affecting the lives of those in her town and the hardships for the kids growing up.

Rural Development: Clearfork Community Institute

A couple of the panelists from Rural Development Leadership Network was from Tennessee and provided information in regard to the organization that they were representing.  Being from the Northeast I am not too familiar about states such as Tennessee so hearing Marie Cirillo and Carol Judy from Clearfork Community Institute talk was new and interesting to me.  They provided background information about their non-profit organization and what they have been doing and the issue that they face.  They offer support to families in the coal mining community which is located in the rural Appalachia area.   Some of the things that they have done is purchase and hold lands for local residents who might otherwise be landless.  The reason why Clearfork started was because a lot of corporations out of state and out of country purchase land in that region and families did not have places to live.   The institute is a place that teach those that do not know how to preserve the natural beauty of the mountains, they raise awareness and provide the necessary help.  The United States is known for being industrialized and these ladies wanted to remind people how important Mother Nature is and preserving the world.  They mentioned the importance of our natural resources since “people need a certain amount of water, air, and energy (food)”.  I agree with them and as global warming is becoming a greater issue people are beginning to Go Green in hopes that are natural resources do not diminish.

 

 Photo: Panelists from Clearfork

Photo: Clearfork

Challenges of Rural Women

My day started on the 11th floor of The Church Center for the United Nations, in a packed room full of women (and a few men) ready to discuss the challenges facing rural women in the United States, Africa, and Haiti. All of the speakers were passionate, and the audience participated by sharing their own stories during the question and answer period. It was great to see so many involved women that cared about the issues being presented.

The discussion started with a rousing presentation by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of the Third District in Connecticut. Along with Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, Representative DeLauro has co-sponsored the Equality for Women Farmers Act. She discussed systematic discrimination facing female famers in the United States, telling stories of loan applications denied and abuses of power by USDA officers. One woman, in applying for a small farm loan, was denied and told to return with her father or husband. In another case, a woman was asked to perform sexual favors in exchange for approval of her assistance application. Aside from the obvious erosion of dignity, these actions have led to woman holding smaller farms, and to women-run farms failing at a higher rate than the national average. Rep. DeLauro is calling for damages compensation similar to those announced for to African-American farmers in 2010. She noted that current compensation schemes in use by USDA for women farmers carry a higher burden of proof, and women are expected to file complaints with their local USDA office. Often this means filing with the same person that performed the abuse in the first place! The abuses of power and deep prejudice described by DeLauro was shocking, although judging from the audience reaction many of the women in the crowd could share similar stories.

The next speaker, Shirley Williams McClain, spoke on behalf of the Rural Development Leadership Network (RDLN), describing her own experiences growing up in poverty. According to their website, the RLDN is "a national multicultural social change organization founded in 1983, supports community-based development in poor rural areas through hands-on projects, education and skills building, leadership development and networking." McClain told of her own work in North Carolina, which involves legislative advocacy. Rural women are far from the centers of power, and many are even unaware that they have the right to attend local political meetings. She described African-American farmers being surprised that they could say their peace at a town council. One very cool activity performed by McClain and the RDLN is taking rural men and women to Washington D.C. to meet their Senators and Representatives face-to-face. Some of the participants have never spoken for themselves in public forum, and now they are expressing their grievances directly to their Federal representatives!

McClain, in discussing, the latest rounds of cuts to social programs said that rural women needed "A fair handshake, not a handout, but a hand up." In many ways this could serve as a theme for the entire NGO conference. (Here are some additional words written by McClain from last year's CSW.)

More on this session and other sessions later!

Rural Development and Cultural Imposition

I've noticed that absent in all of these panels and events is the issue of cultural difference. There certainly is discussion of culture, but it's used in a negative way to discuss the obstacles to progress. There seems to be a consensus that traditional roles are always forced on women and that it necessarily leads to their oppression. While I tend to believe that to be true myself in many circumstances, I also live in a country (Morocco) where I see traditional roles valued by both men and women for their ability to preserve families.

Even as I pursue development work myself, I sometimes wonder if we have a cultural superiority complex that looks only at the problems of poorer populations with a lens of despair. Why do we feel like we need to swoop in and save them? Are our lives that much better? When I get thinking like that, I look at the developed world and I think about the cost of individualization and self-advancement. We are often addicted to strive for success and independence, moving away from our families to "improve" our situations. We send our children off to day-care, work all day, and get very little vacation time in return. We are always working towards "bettering" ourselves, and wishing we had more time to spend with our families. Are many of our psychological and physiological problems a consequence of our "development"? Sometimes I even humor myself thinking about rural families forming international development agencies to teach first-world countries the value of communal living, sharing resources, and a solid family network.

Now I should point out that I don't necessarily think what I just said is the truth, but it is my cynical analysis when I'm in that mode of thinking. The fact is that I'm torn on the matter. My experience here in Morocco, and in particular, living in a large household complex that is made up of several nuclear families, has given me a glimpse into a living arrangement that was once the norm but that is virtually non-existent now in urban areas. What stands out to me most is that the family members with whom I live are very considerate towards each other, generous, and communally-oriented. Seeing how content they are makes me well aware of my need for privacy and my own personal space, which at times makes me feel spoiled dependent on independence.

Also, although the families function along traditional lines, the men and women show a lot of respect towards each other and seem just as happy or happier than many of the men and women in more modern arrangements in the US. I remember a conversation I had with one of our classmates with whose opinion I highly respect, and she expressed to me her belief that women make better caretakers. She suggested that some of our notions of feminism and women's rights have actually led to the breakdown of families. We can argue if that is true and if so, if that is a good sign (because it signals women standing up for themselves) or a bad sign (the implicated societal problems in that statement), but it still a very valid argument-- and one that was made by a very strong, educated women no less. I tended to disagree with her on a point by point basis, but I can see her point of view on the matter.

I know this seems like a tangent, but my point in all of this is that I think any conference that addresses rural development and women's rights has to be aware of its own cultural footprint. I am in no way denying the many obstacles and problems faced by women in the countryside, and in fact, have devoted much of my graduate work to reaching disadvantaged and vulnerable populations, including but not limited to girls and women. However, I do think we should be careful about how we approach the issue of culture and not inadvertently impose our own values on others. Development, I think, should start with access to services and extreme poverty social nets, ensuring that the basic needs of the community are met, and giving traditional women a door to new roles and opportunities for them to open if they choose to without pushing them forcefully through it.

Trafficking: the Modern Day Slavery

The last session I’ve attended today was about human trafficking worldwide. Although it was a heavy topic, more than 70 people turned up and some of them were just standing at the back due to the room capacity. Apparently, the issue is becoming a global concern and happening at many levels like within developing countries, within the US or cross countries.

There were 2 speakers invited to talk about their thoughts and experience regarding human trafficking. Dr. Susu Thatun who has been involved with the research topic for 10 years and gave a brief lecture about 3 key perspectives(institutional, individual and social culture) on how to exam this problem and interventions we should take. However, I felt like her presentation was too academic, like torturing graduate students about how to do a research paper about human trafficking. For example, she used an amount of formal words like “root cause”, “3 pillars, paradigm shift ” or even “discourse” and “3R approach” where I am not quite sure if it is appropriate to target the audience this way  who are just concerned about this issue but may not understand all those terminologies or methodologies.

Another brilliant speaker Ms Kris wade, in my eyes, is a very brave and legendary woman. She was a victim of woman trafficking and was sold to the US from Mexico when she was 18 years old and forced to become a sex worker. She turned out to be elegant now and told her sad story smoothly, so it is hard to believe this tragedy had ever happened to her. She is now devoting herself to helping the victims of sex trafficking and labor trafficking who are considered as financial commodities. Her first-hand experience is an important source for audience to learn more about this serious social problem. She also pointed out that the drug suppliers/dealers could be main fascinators to contribute to buyers. Those women who were trafficked suffered constantly from being abused and many of them were murdered without being noticed. So it should bring people’s attention to how to prevent this problem and how to protect victims and survivors.

Unlearning Gender Stereotypes and Recreating a Sustainable Environment

​The parallel session titled "Ethics, Rural Ecology, and Poverty" was held by The Temple of Understanding; this New York based, interfaith NGO advocates for global citizenship and peaceful coexistence. While the panel of women was quite diverse, (Dr. Pam Rajput and Rucha Chitnis from India, Maame Yelbert-Obeng from Ghana, and Nina Simons from New Mexico) the issues they discussed all revolved around the hope that women are for re-creating a healthy, sustainable, thriving environment. Different contextual examples from each speaker were given on how women are positively impacting their environment; some of these included collective farming, biodiversity training programs, and BIO-SUN water filtration systems. 

 ​It is clear that women are working to address some of the most dire environmental problems. The greatest tragedy however is that many women do not see themselves as change agents. Despite doing 80% of all the agricultural work in India, women are still not considered farmers and have no access to land titles. Rucha Chitnis told a story of an agricultural training program for rural women in India where other women from the region served as the instructors. At the beginning of the program the women were asked to draw a picture of a farmer; after posting all the pictures on the wall, they quickly noticed each drawing depicted the farmer as a man. The gender stereotypes were so prevalent and internalized that despite being women farmers themselves, these women thought of farmers as being male. ​

Maame Yelbert-Obeng told a similar story of women working in Ghana to help build a school. As these women were mixing concrete the female students were shocked and surprised to see women working as masons. She spoke of the importance of changing women's mindsets so that they acknowledge all they are already accomplishing as well as all that they are capable of. The girls of Ghana should not be shocked when they see women working as masons, carpenters, and engineers. Mrs. Yelbert-Obeng ended the panel with another story of a woman in Ghana that was training other women how to mix concrete and breastfeeding her baby at the same time. "Women are holding it down!" exclaimed Mrs. Yelbert-Obeng. This image stuck with me and seemed to serve as a glimpse of hope. In a previous parallel session hosted at Lehigh University, Dr. Peggy Kong and Dr. Yuping Zhang mentioned the marriage/motherhood penalty that many women are faced with; this is the notion that women often must pick a family or career. As more women begin to find their place in sectors often reserved for men as a result of our patriarchal society, I think these gender stereotypes will decrease...or rather hold less of a claim over women. As the speakers noted, it is important first and foremost for women to be confident and believe they can hold these power positions and affect change in their communities; it is time to unlearn the gender constricted roles society has placed on women. It is important for women to believe in the other women who are doing great things around them as well. Lastly it is important to note, as Mrs. Yelbert-Obeng did, that we cannot leave the men out of this equation. A truly sustainable world needs both men and women working together.  

1000 Days, Improving the Nutrition of Rural Women提高农村妇女营养水平1000天计划

全球4名儿童中就有一名营养不良。这个巨大的隐患对世界数百万人的寿命造成影响。每年有350万的儿童由于营养不良而导致死亡。发展中国家有半数的孕妇在怀孕期间缺乏维生素等所需营养。这些数字触目惊心，所以大会提出提升妇女的营养水平是解决问题的关键。营养不良对儿童的身体和智力造成极大伤害。会议中主讲人展示了一张照片，其中一名7岁的墨西哥儿童因为营养不良个子还不及边上一名来自美国的3岁的营养均衡的小朋友。研究表明从母亲怀孕起到儿童2岁期间的1000天的时间段是对儿童的健康起到了关键性的作用。这段时间摄入充足的营养让儿童能更好成长，接受教育，提高智力水品以及将来摆脱贫困，也决定了社会长远稳定和繁荣发展。

另一方面提高对于营养健康知识的水平也很重要，印度儿童营养不良人数居全球之首，5岁以下儿童死亡率最高。但是印度90%的妇女没有营养不良相关方面的知识。大会还举了日本的例子，说明营养和提高国民健康的关系。我们知道二战前，日本人身高都不高，但是战后在学生中推行牛奶计划，在全国中小学生中免费提供牛奶，结果平均升高增长了12厘米。

由世界拯救饥饿组织和1000天计划等机构在全球发起的这项活动旨在促进妇女儿童的营养水平，宣传母乳喂养，重视食品生产和加工环节的，争取让更多的孩子健康成长。这项活动也得到了美国国务卿希拉里的支持。20年的成果对比数据推广这项计划还可以节省患病儿童的治疗费用，对于国家经济发展有利，让跟多的过会或议会中的政策制定者意识到这样计划的重要性。世界范围内农村地区的女性是最弱势的群体，受教育程度和更低，整体对艾滋病防御知识少，所以更要得到额外关注。大会提出了很多向柬埔寨，南非，印度等贫困地区的措施，比如利用当地学校作为健康中心促进信息分享，创办小额经济，25岁健康检查体系。在当地，全国和全球范围内一起推动这项计划保证儿童获取充足的营养。大会也提出在一些国家由于政治，文化的原因，有些宣传活动受到阻碍。所以还有很长的路要走。

Violencia hacia las mujeres y niñas en las zonas rurales: Experiencias y soluciones

El panel de discusión que asistí en el Church Center fue sobre la “Violencia hacia las mujeres y niñas en las zonas rurales: Experiencias y soluciones”, me pareció que es un tema muy interesante porque es un problema actual y que las mujeres no sólo en las zonas rurales sino también en las zonas urbanas están viviendo. En este panel hablaron de la situación en el Salvador en donde las mujeres sufren violencia por parte de los hombres, así como otras mujeres compartieron las experiencias que viven en sus países. Las causas por las que se presenta esta situación son por: La falta de autoridad, la cultura y las tradiciones de la familia, falta de educación. Mencionaron que el Salvador es un país muy peligroso y que no se cuenta con el apoyo suficiente en cuanto a servicios para canalizar a las mujeres por lo que es importante crear esos servicios dentro de las comunidades. Una de las situaciones que comentaron fue sobre la importancia de que las mujeres estén informadas y educadas para evitar que sean víctimas de la violencia y sobre todo que las mujeres tengan las herramientas necesarias para resolver este problema. Una de las participantes dijo algo muy interesante, esta persona mencionó que hay una cultura del silencio y por tal motivo las mujeres víctimas de violencia callan por miedo o por sumisión.  

Por lo que distintas organizaciones no gubernamentales presentes en la sesión, dieron distintas opciones de intervención y solución para las zonas rurales. Una de ellas fue a través de la educación informal en donde participen toda la comunidad en diferentes actividades los hombres, las mujeres y los niños; educar a toda la comunidad pues no sólo las mujeres deben ser educadas sino también los hombre; así como la implantación de políticas en donde las personas tengan conocimientos de ellas y de que existen para su seguridad.

Summary:

This panel of discussion was about “Violence against women and girls: Experiences and solutions”. They talked about the situation in the Salvador and also many women shared their experiences in their countries. They mentioned that violence against women is not only a problem in rural areas but also in urban areas. Some of the causes of violence are: Lack of authority, cultural traditions, lack of education.  There is a culture of silence where women in this situation don’t say anything about it.

Some examples for intervention and solution in rural areas are: Non-formal education for the community, women, men and children; counseling the family system, educate the whole community; legislation are needed and have to be implemented and it is also important to inform the community about these legislations.

女性和时尚创业 Empowering talented rural women through fashion entrepreneurship

今天早上会议的主题很特别，是由澳洲BPW, Belmont BEC 和环球TCF几家联合发起旨在帮助女性实现自己的创业梦想，教授处于地理环境劣势地区的有手工才艺的女性如何创业，帮助她们搭建贸易平台和网络，让她们的手工服饰有机会赢得更多人的喜爱。主席台上琳琅满目地铺满了来自非洲，柬埔寨等地的印花围巾，做工精美又不失民族风。全球有无数从事家庭作坊式制品的女性，虽然拥有出众的才华，擅长制作精良的手工服饰制品，但是因为气候，地理位置等原因，常常周围人迹罕至，她们苦于无法找到合作伙伴和顾客，商品等不到推广，着实可惜。所以如何同她们取得联系，提供培训课程和技巧，提高女性收入，实现经济地位的平等，这些都刻不容缓。有趣的是，会上还请来了时尚网站的资深编辑，介绍当今流行趋势，目的是提醒创业者也要把握潮流脉搏，跟上时代的步伐，将市场需要和自身产品与众不同的个性相结合，才能更好地全球市场中占一席之地。来自尼日利亚的工作人员还介绍了在当地成功举办的时装周，将世界的目光更多关注非洲精美的传统女性服饰，也推动了当地很多女性加入了服装设计制造的行业。

会上还提到去年BPW在中国重庆成功将从事瓜果蔬菜种植的一批女性引进成为沃尔玛的供应商。我认为今天的议题很有启发意义。中国地大物博，拥有56个名族，很多女性，特别是有些地处偏远的少数民族地区，虽然能够设计制作很精美的民族首饰服装，但是不擅于商业渠道的拓展和开发，无法真正实现商品的价值。如果能帮助她们开展市场推广，不仅可以增加她们的收入，实现自给自足，也能让世界更好地了解中国文化。帮助贫困地区的女性提高社会地位，可以从提升她们的经济地位开始。在日益全球化的今天，中国也应该有相关公益创业者或者非盈利性组织积极借鉴国外成功经验，开展一对一的深入发掘工作，将有才华的女性设计师的作品早日推上国际舞台，这条道路任重道远

Proactive Strategies to Eliminate and Prevent Violence against Women and Girls

I listened to a fascinating discussion on the proactive strategies countries are using to confront the issue of violence against women and girls. Representatives from Ghana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe described different mechanisms in their respective countries currently in place to prevent and address gender-based violence. Intervention plans such as clear and effective government policies, the implementation of community forums and response systems, and creating dialogue among different groups is a step toward uniting key stakeholders and developing sustainable solutions. The Ghanaian speaker highlighted her nation’s efforts at educating men, women, boys, and girls through school programs (such as anti-domestic violence clubs), utilizing media to raise awareness, and foster community activism and outreach. I was really interested in how they are using popular musicians to educate others through songs. It seems like another creative way to connect this issue to young people in society.

The discussion also focused on the topic of culture and its particular impact on the elimination and prevention of violence against women. The representative from South Africa, who was moderating the conversation, spoke about efforts in her country to engage traditional leaders with regard to gender specific cultural practices that negatively affect women. She reiterated the need to reinforce positive cultural practices that teach respect and dignity for all. Many of the speakers, including one from Zimbabwe, discussed the need for a regional and/or international conference on this topic. This would be an opportunity for individuals and groups to share experiences and strategies across national contexts. It reminded me of the importance of creating meaningful partnerships to solve common issues. Reliable funding was mentioned as well. Efforts to eliminate and prevent gender-based violence must be adequately supported. Some of the speakers talked about the development of men’s organizations and the role they can play in educating young boys. Creating dialogue (among families, communities, and local/national/international actors) and relevant action will contribute to real progress in this area.

I was definitely inspired by the work being done in each of these countries (with much more to be done). As a high school humanities teacher, I am looking forward to presenting this issue (and discussion) to my students. It will be very interesting for them to examine what is being done (especially in rural areas) to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls, the challenges that exist, and how they can actively contribute or participate in transformative and meaningful ways!

Rural Widows’ Needs and Roles: Inheritance, Land Rights; Food Security; Widows in Conflict Areas

This panel discussion was the last one I attended for the day and the structure was quite different from those I previously experienced.  After Margaret Owen, director of Widows for Peace and Democracy gave a brief background explaining the current movement for getting the word widow in the draft agreed conclusions, and the clarification that women are not homogenous and that widows exist of all ages, she presented the challenges existing in addressing the rights of widows such as the lack of available data, illiteracy, and patriarchal law in rural villages.

There was also presentation by WHR (Women for Human Rights) from Nepal.  The organization showed a brief clip of the types of work they do and what help they provide for widows such as organizing and mobilizing rural women, lobbying for widows’ rights, and advocating for legal and policy changes.  The organization asks the question that how can women who are subject to subordinate rules placed on them by a patriarchal society survive without a husband. 

Dr. Eleanor Nwadinobi, Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Chair of the United Nations NGO/DPI Executive Committee, then made the interesting statement that the meeting would not go any further into the problem but rather finding a solution and that the resolution must happen collectively.  Dr. Nwadinobi is an inspiring and accomplished woman.  I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Nwandinobi speak in a more intimate setting the day before the event.  She came to Lehigh University and gave a presentation to my Global Health Issues class about the social and health implications of violence and abuse of rights against widows.    

Recommendations that were agreed upon by the audience included education of women and men to provide empowerment, projects around data collection which generate widows talking about themselves, the importance of obtaining land for economic independence and self assurance, and the criminalization of actions which deprive widows of inheritance. 

During the open discussions for recommendations a woman from Rwanda spoke about the current situation and status of women after the genocide.  Her words silenced the room as women nodded in approval and appreciation for what the women from a war torn country have accomplished.  The speaker relayed that the women of Rwanda rebuilt their society, rebuilt their country, and rebuilt themselves.  I wanted to make sure that I mentioned that segment because I believe success stories regardless of size or nature are essential for the continued hope that conditions for women especially in rural parts of the world will improve. 

Unfortunately we ran out of time to continue collaboration on suggestions and recommendations, however, Margaret, asked for our support and agreement on the “(Suggested) Recommendations From Rural Widows’  Roundtable” that she would present to the Deputy Secretary General.  The suggestion/recommendations included:

  To:  UN, International Community, Governments, and CEDAW

·         Appoint a Special Representative on Widowhood

·         Commission a Special Report on Widowhood in Developing/Conflict afflicted countries

·         Adopt a UN Resolution on Womanhood

·         UN to endorse the WIDOWS’ CHARTER as a UN Document

To:  Governments and UN Women

·         Mainstream widowhood  issues in all gender/equality/Human Rights policies and laws

·         Ensure implementation of International and modern laws to eliminate discrimination against widows takes precedence of discriminatory customs and traditions

·         Support widows’ to “band together” to form their own associations

To:  CEDAW; BPFA; UN SCR 1325; MDGs

·         Criminalize actions that deprive widows of their inheritance, property, and land rights

·         Develop special “land allocation” schemes, and registration of title to ensure rural works can own and cultivate land for food security

·         Protect widows from physical , sexual, and psychological violence

The list of recommendations I have provided above are not a comprehensive list and are a mere sample of the multitude of suggestions that will be presented to the Under Secretary General on widows’ behalf as well as the behalf of any individual or organization interested in or concerned with the rights of  widows.  During the panel a statement was uttered that I believe not only to be true but of also vital importance for the addressing and resolving of the current situation.  A woman stated that widowhood is not a women’s issue but rather a societal issue affecting society as a whole, for instance with the expansion of poverty across generations, and needs to be addressed accordingly.      

Listen Before You Help

The session on “Rural Women in Food Security” appealed to my interest in environmentalism and the role of women’s involvement in sustainable development.  I was in for a pleasant surprise, however, as the topic quickly changed from educating girls in order to decrease illiteracy and dropout rates to issues such as migration, trafficking, and the need for African women to help themselves.

I was utterly inspired by the director of Nation to Nation Networking, an Ethiopian NGO.  Her passion and devotion manifested itself differently than appeared in the other women present at the event.  Throughout the entirety of the session she remained composed and reserved.  She acknowledged and congratulated the passion of each woman who approached the microphone and commended them for their work.  She spoke of the issues in Ethiopia concerning migration and security.  Although she did not raise her voice or call for a rally of agreement, no one doubted how deeply she felt about the issues concerning her people.  The issue of migration was particularly interesting because they called for the help of the United States (a melting pot) to help Africa learn how to adequately deal with the diversity resulting from migration.              

 The session eventually turned into more of a forum for discussion opening the floor to any person who wanted to speak about an issue important to them.  Issues of empowering women, corruption, and listening to the needs of women were areas of particular importance and energy.  There was a conversation between an attendee and a panelist, Mary, from South Sudan.  Mary’s response to the commonly asked question of what can NGOs do was that organizations need to include African women in the solution and that if an organization wants to interfere internationally - they better do so properly. 

Another problem that was addressed was the issue of corruption in Africa and where the development money goes.  The audience and panelists agreed that the issue of corruption needs to be on the agenda of the UN Women.  Mary, however, wanted to bring attention to the Sudanese belief that if problems exist with their leaders that Africa should be able to handle the issue in their own way.    

An important lesson I took away from the panel discussion was the necessity of NGOs to listen to the needs of the people they want to help.  A representative from the NGO Mothers to Mothers spoke of how she personally will sit down with an individual and learn what actions or resources will most directly and effectively help their situation.  This notion goes back to Mary and the director of the Ethiopian NGO for the empowerment of women to allow them to better their own situation.  The Ethiopian NGO director ended with a challenge to the audience suggesting “If you can help the NGOs on the ground-do it.  You are the funders, resources, voices.”   

Fight Abortion-Not Women

The panel on the “Reproductive Rights of Women and Sexuality:  Between Traditions and Modernization” consisted of four women panelists from Russia holding various titles from gender researcher to feminist to journalist to political activist.  They discussed the reproductive rights of women in Russia in the face of a regressive movement.

The panelists cited the fall of the Soviet Union, a major Russian Orthodox religious comeback, and a focus on the family as a unit fundamental to society as underlying causes of the regressive movement for women’s reproductive rights.

During a comeback of traditionalist and nationalist movement, women in Russia are charged with solving the demographic crisis of a decreasing population.   In order to correct the declining population, the government has passed laws limiting abortions and women are encouraged by the government as well as the church to have as many children as possible regardless of financial situations.  In addition, sex education was completely removed from schools creating a lack of access to reproductive information.    

The session continued with the showing of a documentary depicting the life of a rural woman Russia in order to illustrate not only the trials and tribulation experienced by a marginal population but also the strength and voice they find within themselves to create a life worth living. 

The woman in the documentary was sold by her mother for marriage in exchange for two bottles of vodka.  Her life that followed was filled with obstacles that to me seem unimaginable and unbearable.  She recounted one of the 7 times she gave birth.  Her husband was too drunk to drive her to the hospital so she was forced to hitchhike down the highway where she was picked up by a truck driver who made her wait until after he was done with his deliveries.  The baby, however, was not willing to wait.  She started giving birth and the man pushed the baby back inside of her. 

The women in the documentary explained how she was not allowed to get an abortion and was forced into having 7 children.  She eventually found the strength and divorced her husband who was an alcoholic and abused her.  She now works as a dairy farmer and serves as the head of household for herself and her family.  I was inspired by her message as she spoke not with anger or regret but rather conviction.  In a social space where resources were unavailable and support nonexistent she created a home that appeared to me to be filled with mutual love and respect. 

After the showing of the documentary, one of the panelists spoke about a campaign entitled “Fight Abortions-Not Women.”  The purpose of the campaign was to address the reproductive rights of women through picketing, demonstration, lobbying, and generation of public awareness.  One of the major ideas of the movement was that the issue of focus should be on decreasing abortions that are a result of unwanted pregnancy due to a lack of education and family planning. 

The panel seemed slightly disheartened as the results of the campaign were not as successful as they would have hoped.  Their efforts were commended, however, by the audience members as one woman stood up and declared that they were doing everything right by starting at the grassroots and progressing towards larger movements such as lobbying and directly reaching out to the government.  The panelists agreed that although the campaign might not have achieved the intended resolution of discrimination against the reproductive rights of women, there was at least a buildup of a women’s movement. 

Empowering and Educating Rural Women

As I attended briefings in New York yesterday at the Church Center, I was struck by a theme that seemed to come up during every briefing.  While the empowerment and education of rural women is key, many of the discussions came back to how we are living in a patriarchical world, where men are the ones in power and charged with making the decisions. 
If women are to be empowered and educated, men need to see the dire need to change the cultural norms and customs that locate women behind men.  Men need to realize that more progress can be made if women are given an equal voice in every discussion.  Treating women as second-class citizens or pieces of property can no longer be tolerated anywhere in the world.  Everyone is in the battle to make the world safer, more sustainable, and better suited for our future.
But how do we make men see this issue?  How do we take the power from men and redistribute it equally?  Many cultures, histories, and religions designated men to be the leaders.  How do we refocus the lense so that internationally, men can see where they have been wrong and see where they have disrupted progress by denigrating women?

Panel 2 : The Role of Gender-Responsive Governance and Institutions for the Empowerment of Rural Women

Among the most pressing issues in rural areas is the presence and effectiveness of institutions and governance. Coming from Mali, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, and Moldova, the panelists spoke about the problems they face in each of their countries and the solutions that they are working towards. The presentation by the representative from Moldova, Victor Lutecno, an adviser to the Prime Minister, resonated the most with me. He described his country's efforts to put together the Joint Information and Services Bureau (JISB) to serve rural women and vulnerable groups. This office brings together 10 service providers (chamber of commerce, rural extension services, etc.) into one physical building situated next to the weekly market. This creative strategy saves rural women and villagers the time and resources spent on traveling back and forth between distant administrative offices by making everything easily accessible in one conveniently located place. The project was initially launched as a pilot in a few districts, but because of its success, it is now being rolled out to a large area of the country.

Rural development challenges require new and unique ideas. Moldova's JISB certainly fits that criteria and it struck me as being the most concrete solution discussed during the panel. Another panelist, Lilly Be'Soer from Papua New Guinea, similarly spoke about her organization's efforts to collaborate with national and local service providers to increase access and networking with rural communities. However, while I think her work is desperately needed and well-valued, it seemed to me that her approach requires external monitoring and could collapse in her absence. The JISB, on the other hand, is institutionalized, physically situated, and is positioned to sustain itself independently in the future with the appropriate support and funding. Other institutional solutions that were presented that could have a big impact include Mali's National Gender Policy which was enacted as an implementation tool in the fight against poverty and South Africa's Commission on Gender Equality that is charged with ensuring that other governmental departments adhere to gender provisions and is empowered with the authority to investigate issues of inequality.

The Women's Consortium of Nigeria, a representative of the NGO table, made an important point about the need for transparency. She said that poverty and gender programs are often terribly underfunded, they lack adequate monitoring, and many beneficiaries are not even aware of them. From my experience, not only is this true, but it seems that implementing parties are often looking for a success that they can show to their funders and as a result do not share formative evaluation reports with necessary stakeholders and only highlight the positive aspects of the programs. Another NGO representative made an inspiring comment about building bridges between the government and civil society, public and private sectors, family and work, and men and women. She noted that this is not a competition and in fact, collaboration is needed. I think that creating a stakeholder map of governmental and non-governmental organizations and the work they are doing at the district level could help foster transparency and communication. It seems to me that there are too many cooks in the kitchen who do not have the faintest idea of what the others are doing. For that reason, institutionalizing a system of cooperation could be the best best way to bring about efficiency and long-term sustainable results.

Empowering Rural Girls

Today, Thursday March 1, UNICEF House was the meeting place for several hundred participants and a panal entitled-  Rural Women: From Invisibility to Agency, including Dr. Michelle Bachelet. Her words, "No work done concerning women without women. No work done with girls without girls" were passionate.
3 Panelists were young rural girls: Theresa (Sierra Leon), Elizabeth (Malawi), Marian (Pakistan). Each one were young "ambassadors" for the cause of equal access to education, free from violence and discrimination.
What a joy for me to meet 3 different French-speaking African women today. Aissa from Cameroon, Christiane from Cote d' Ivoire, and Faye Marie from Senegal. I am curious to become a member of an organization FEMNET which is an NGO that organizes effort of women in English and French West Africa, my home for many years.
When I inquired by email to RSVP this side event to the UNCSW they responded with a first come first serve invitation. I was so pleased that I went and surprised that even lunch was served at no charge.

I left feeling like a real stakeholder invited to be an "actor" in the process. We all do what we can...but we cannot do anything without inviting rural girls and women to the process of their own empowerment.

Շրջանային քննրակումներու բացման օր, 56-րդ հանրային քննարկում

56-րդ տարեկան Հասարակական կազմակերպութիւններու «CSW» հանրային քննարկումը սկսաւ հետաքրքրական բացման արարողութեամբ մը Փետրուար 26, 2012-ին։ Ձեռնարկին ներկայ էին ՄԱԿ-ի ներկայացուցիչներ, միջազգային հասարակական կազմակերպութիւններ, եւ քաղքացիական հասարակութեան զանազան անդամներ։ Տեղական նիւթերուն նուիրուած քնարկումի մը ժամանակ, աշխարհի տարբեր կողմերէն եկած ներկայացուցիչները բարձրացուցին կանանց դիմագրուած բազմազան հարցերը, որոնցմէ է կանանց մասնակցութիւնը ւաղաղութեան կերտման մէջ, կանանց եւ փոքրերուն հանդէպ բռնութեան կանխարգիլումը, եւ կառավարական պաշտոններուն մէջ կանանց թուաքանակի աւելացումը: Այս քննրակման ընթացքին ՄԱԿ թիւ 132 որոշման մասին զանազան ակնարկութիւններ տեղի ունեցան: Խորքին մէջ, այս որոշումը տարբեր շրջաններէ եկած կանանց ընդհանուր մտահոգութիւնները կ'արտաձոլէ: Այս որոշումը, որ ՄԱԿ-ի Ապահովութեան Խորհուրդի կողմէ ընդունուած է Հոկտեմբեր 31, 2000-ին, ՄԱԿ-ի անդամ երկիրներուն կոչ կ'ուղղէ որ ՄԱԿ-ի Կանանց Օրուան առթիւ զանազան մակարդաներու վրայ կանանց իրաւունքներու
պաշտպանութեան: Ատենախոսներէն մէկը նշեց թէ ցարդ միայն երկու երկիրներ (Ֆիլիբբին եւ Նէբալ) ՄԱԿ-ի թիւ 1325 որոշման սատարման համար երկրի մակարդակին գործնական ծրագիրներ ընդունած են: Մինչ զանազան այլ երկիրներ,
ինչպէս Ավստրալիա եւ Ինտոնէսիա, արդէն իսկ օրինագիծները սկսած են մշակելու: Ատենախոսները նաեւ նշեցին թէ շարք մը երկիրներ այս ծրագիրները սատարելու համար տարբերակներ կը փնտրեն արդէն: Քննարկումը արձանագրեց թէ մասնակցող շրջանները բաւական հեռու են իրենց նպատակներուն հասնելէն, ինչպէս նաեւ «վերջին 12 տարուայ ընթացքին կանայք այս (ՄԱԿ-ի) որոշումը կրցան ողջ պահել:»

The 56th Annual NGO CSW Forum kicked off this year’s program with an exciting opening ceremony on 26 February 2012. The event was attended by UN officials, international NGOs, among many other members of civil society. During a panel discussion focused on regional issues, representatives from the different regions throughout the world brought up many challenges women face in the regions including the need to increase women’s participation in the peace process, preventing violence against women and children, to increasing the number of women in government positions. During this panel on several occasions there was reference made to the UN Resolution 1325. In essence, this resolution captures the general concerns of the women from all regions. Adopted on 31 October 2000 by the Security Council, this resolution calls upon member states in light of UN’s Day for Women to take action on protecting women’s rights across a number of levels. One speaker noted that only two countries (Phillipines and Nepal) have adopted national action plans to support UN Res. 1325 while many other countries have drafted their national action plans like Australia and Indonesia. Speakers also noted that many other countries are looking at alternatives of implementing laws to support the initiatives. The panel noted that their regions are far from reaching these goals and that “Women have kept the resolution alive for the last 12 years." panel noted that their regions are far from reaching these goals and that “Women have kept the resolution alive for the last 12 years.”

The Gender Gap and Education Development in Rural China and Kenya

Going to this Parellel event at Lehigh which focused on the educational development and the status of Kenya and China was a very informational as well as inspiring session to listen in on!  Being an undergraduate Gender Studies major,  there are many different thoughts and ideas I have which stem from this parallel session which I will most likely split up into separate posts.

 It is great to hear that education for girls in these rural areas are now being taken more and more seriously over time and have improved so much from just ten years ago!  In the past,  education for girls has been seen as being a luxury instead of a priority, not just in the rural areas discussed  but all over the world.  It is great to know that the steps and work implemented to improve this problem are finally starting to be seen!  It is amazing to think that in an area such as rural China where once illiteracy was a growing problem, there is now free education being offered for all children (kindegarten to 6th grade)!

  In addition to this growing educational development and access to young women in these parts,  I was also very happy to hear that gender equality is growing as well!  With more and more young girls  enrolling in schools,  there is a greater chance for more young women to then be able to attend and graduate college.  Sometime I feel as though I take my own education for granted,  either complaining about the papers I have to write or studying.  It is good to be reminded of how lucky I am to have the education I have gotten, knowing that many other young women throughout the world are just fighting for their rights to attend middle or high school.  Going to this session definitely reminded me of how lucky I am to have graduated college and hopefully this access will just keep improving for all women around the globe!

Panel 1 – Economic Empowerment of Rural Women

I am more accustomed to reading news and post-conference reports than actually watching political events live. So watching the CSW panels has been a learning experience for me. It was interesting to see the format that the event took. The panelists from Algeria, Pakistan, Finland, Kenya, and IFAD (an international organization) each presented on the projects and efforts that their governments or organizations have undertaken and raised many of the concerns and issues of economic disparity for rural women.

Ms. Malika Abdelali-Martini, from Algeria and representing the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas, had one of the most informative presentations, raising the main points and findings from the Expert Group Meeting on enabling women's economic empowerment. She pointed out the contrasting results of microfinance systems which, on one hand, give women access to credit and increase their decision-making abilities, but on the other hand, can lead to debt problems, conflict between spouses, and increases in domestic violence. She also discussed the importance of land, not only as an economic and productive resource, but as a source of access, security, status and recognition. She brought up a number of recommendations including investing in off-farm care services for children, elderly, and person's with disabilities to free up family dependencies on male incomes or female caretaking in those circumstances, establishing awareness education programs so women know their rights, and creating quota's for women's participation in work and government.

The panelist from Pakistan, Ms. Shanaz Wazir Ali from the Office of the Prime Minister also had some interesting comments to make. She spoke about the land program her government has put in place which grants cultivatable land to women who have not previously had access to credit or owned land. She also mentioned that Pakistan offers microfinancing loans at interest rates that are lower than traditional ones and stressed the importance of access to financial education, agricultural services, and crop and health insurance that should come along with these credit opportunities.

Country and NGO representatives had the opportunity to make comments and raise questions after all the panelists spoke at which point a women from an NGO in Trinidad and Tobago talked about her organization's work to establish a regular mango festival. This got communities working on producing and selling products and foods related to mangoes in an effort to boost the local economy. The representative from Swaziland also made a memorable comment when he brought up his government's effort to create a women-only bank. Many other informative and productive thoughts and recommendations were offered throughout the session, setting a positive tone and direction for the many panels to follow!