Userpress Alpha Feed https://www.wikigender.org Gender equality Wed, 07 Dec 2022 14:51:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8 “Auntie Stella”: A Best Practice Sexual & Reproductive Health Education and HIV Prevention Resource for Adolescents https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/auntie-stella-a-best-practice-sexual-reproductive-health-education-and-hiv-prevention-resource-for-adolescents/ https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/auntie-stella-a-best-practice-sexual-reproductive-health-education-and-hiv-prevention-resource-for-adolescents/#respond Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.wikigender.org/auntie-stella-a-best-practice-sexual-reproductive-health-education-and-hiv-prevention-resource-for-adolescents/ Table of Contents 1 Overview 2 Getting to Know “Auntie Stella” 2.1 Including Adolescents’ Voices in Sexual and Reproductive Health Education 2.2 Analysing AS 2.2.1 AS in Zimbabwe and the Southern Africa Region 3 See Also 4 Conclusion 5 References 6 Feedback Overview The importance of investing in adolescent girls’ is well documented, especially in […]

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Table of Contents

Overview

The importance of investing in adolescent girls' [Pagelink infos="education in Sub-Saharan Women and African Economic Development"] is well documented, especially in relation to the future socio-economic and health gains in their own and others’ lives. Skills such as [Pagelink infos="literacy"], numeracy and critical thinking, which are acquired through formal schooling, help a girl navigate and thrive in society. However, in order for education to truly be beneficial it should be comprehensive and cover all aspects of girls' (and boys') daily lives such as the socio-economic and cultural background and [Pagelink infos="gender"] relations. A particularly important aspect of the adolescent girl’s life is sexual and reproductive health (SRH), yet its inclusion in formal school curricula is controversial. This article presents the case for “Auntie Stella” (AS), a reproductive health education and [Pagelink infos="HIV/AIDS"] prevention resource used by schools and other entities internationally as a component of comprehensive sexuality education for adolescents.

Getting to Know "Auntie Stella"

[File file=Auntie Stella banner.JPG link=http://www.auntiestella.org/]
Auntie Stella (AS): Teenagers talk about sex, life and relationships is published by the Training and Resource Support Centre (TARSC), which is based in [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Zimbabwe"]. AS is a 42-card based question and answer activity which is available in hard copy and online and is based on the agony aunt concept. Agony aunt or helpline columns are popular fora for adolescents and the general population to engage with otherwise taboo or sensitive issues, which are difficult to discuss openly. This kind of forum appeals to adolescents primarily due to the anonymity and freedom, components, which allow them to discuss issues with their peers without fear of judgment or criticism by adults.

Including Adolescents’ Voices in Sexual and Reproductive Health Education

AS is designed for use with in-school and out of school for young people aged 12 – 19 in Southern and Eastern Africa, but it can be adapted for use elsewhere. Adult facilitators must be knowledgeable in adolescents’ SRH concerns and know where to direct them for resources/information. AS limits facilitators’ engagement in adolescents’ discussions so for instance, in a school class setting, a teacher would mainly organise sessions, encourage participation in an informal setting but can also disengage and only provide assistance, not answers when difficulties arise. Limited teacher engagement tackles issues of power-distance disjuncture based on the authority teachers have over students and creates a relaxed atmosphere where students’ self-censorship is less likely, which is optimal for peer-to-peer learning.

Cards are in the form of letters presenting issues adolescents might face. Topics covered include:

  • Reproductive development
  • Social and economic pressures to have sex
  • Gender roles
  • Forced sex
  • Communication with parents about romantic relationships
  • Depression
  • Wanted and unwanted pregnancies
  • Infertility
  • Cervical cancer
  • HIV and AIDS, and
  • Sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Card topic coverage is based partly on adolescents’ stories, experiences, and expressed needs as found by the Adolescent Reproductive Health Project (ARHEP) in 1997. All AS responses are checked for medical and cultural accuracy, a result of ARHEP’s collaboration with multiple actors involved in gender, reproductive health, youth and human rights and other related fields. Questions are read and discussed in small single and mixed-sex groups or individually. After discussing the questions, group members or individuals then read AS’s expert response. Each card takes about 30-45 minutes to complete, especially if used in a group setting.

Analysing AS

Kirby et al. developed a matrix of characteristics of effective sex and HIV education programs, based on findings in 83 developing and developed countries.Kirby, D., Laris, B.A. and Rolleri, L. (2005, p27) 'Impact of Sex and HIV Education Programs on Sexual Behaviours of Youth in Developing and Developed Countries', Youth Research Working Paper Number 2, North Carolina: Family Health International http://www.ungei.org/resources/files/sex_ed_working_paper_final.pdf (accessed 27 July 2012) Although the programs evaluated focus solely on HIV and STIs preventive behaviour, when applied to AS, most of the characteristics in the matrix prove AS to be an effective program. Key characteristics include inclusion of multiple entities with expertise in different but relevant areas in curriculum design, evaluation of target group’s needs, sensitivity to community values in design, active participation of students in class activities, and obtaining buy-in from relevant authorities. The HIV and STI prevention programs Kirby et al. reviewed had a prescriptive tone with a focus on prohibitions. However, AS seeks to empower adolescents to hone their analytical skills and have access to information and resources in order to make sound decisions.

AS in Zimbabwe and the Southern Africa Region

A 2006 review on AS’s impact in [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Zimbabwe"] commissioned by the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) and the [Pagelink infos="United NationsICEF"]TARSC & CWGH (2006) Participatory Review on the Impact and Use of Auntie Stella in Zimbabwe, Harare: Training and Research Support Centre found the following:

  • Increased SRH knowledge among youth;
  • Improved communication among youth, their peers, and their parents; and
  • Improved confidence and ability to resist peer pressure and make informed choices curbing unhealthy and risky behaviour.

In fact, AS users in the CWGH programme described the imaginary “Auntie Stella” as “’a great friend’”. Additionally, other organisations that use AS value it for its content and participatory methodology that has at its core adolescents’ experiences and voices. The review found that AS is an important component in young people’s SRH in Zimbabwe. It is particularly important not only in combating [Pagelink infos="HIV/AIDS/AIDS|HIV/AIDS and AIDS"] but also for its “empowerment of young people and the enrichment of their health and well-being”.

In a review of “best practice” programs, SafAIDS adopting the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) criteria classifies AS a “Truly a Best Practice”.SafAIDS (2009, p54) 'Zimbabwean stories of "Best Practice" in mitigating the HIV Crisis through a Cultural and Gender Perspective' , Changing the River's Flow Series: Challenging Gender Dynamics in a Cultural Context to Address HIV, Pretoria/Harare: SafAIDS This achievement was based on:

  • Effectiveness (effecting behaviour and attitude change);
  • Cost-effectiveness (robustness of tool-kit materials; laminated cards housed in a canvas bag);
  • Relevance (e.g. through responding to new medical findings on the importance of circumcision in HIV prevention);
  • Ethical soundness (participatory, sensitivity to marginalized groups);
  • Replicability;
  • Innovativeness (adaptation of the agony aunt concept); and
  • Sustainability.

The applicability and adaptability of AS to different contexts is evident as AS is in use in countries as diverse as [Pagelink infos="Malawi"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Mozambique"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Tanzania"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in India"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Nepal"], [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Ethiopia"] and [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality in Sierra Leone"].

See Also

  • [Pagelink infos="Reproductive Category:Health"]
  • [Pagelink infos="Reproductive Rights"]
  • [Pagelink infos="Women’s Reproductive Category:Health"]

Conclusion

AS is an example of a tried and trusted resource for adolescents’ SRH education and HIV prevention whose success lies in its inclusion of adolescents’ voices and emphasis on their realities, its participatory design and facilitation of peer to peer learning, and sensitivity and adaptability in different settings. Ultimately, if adolescents do not receive comprehensive SRH and HIV prevention education, the other skills acquired in their formal education prove only partially useful for their successful transition to adulthood.

References

Feedback

[DoubleBrace]#widget:DISQUS |id=wikigender |uniqid=[DoubleBrace]PAGENAME[/DoubleBrace] |url=[DoubleBrace]fullurl:[DoubleBrace]PAGENAME[/DoubleBrace][/DoubleBrace] [/DoubleBrace]

]]> https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/auntie-stella-a-best-practice-sexual-reproductive-health-education-and-hiv-prevention-resource-for-adolescents/feed/ 0 “Literacy for Development” https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/literacy-for-development/ https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/literacy-for-development/#respond Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.wikigender.org/literacy-for-development/ Objectives The meeting is being jointly organized by UNESCO and the Federal Government of Nigeria from June 21-24, 2010. The aim of the Abuja meeting is to contribute to halving adult illiteracy rates by 2015 (Education for All (EFA) Goal 4) with a special focus on girls and women in both the E-9 countries (Bangladesh, […]

]]> [DoubleBrace]AddEvent |Date=24/06/2010 |City=Abuja |Country=Nigeria |Summary=“Literacy for Development” is the theme of the Eighth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting to be held in Abuja, Nigeria, from 21 to 24 June 2010. [/DoubleBrace]

Objectives

The meeting is being jointly organized by UNESCO and the Federal Government of Nigeria from June 21-24, 2010. The aim of the Abuja meeting is to contribute to halving adult illiteracy rates by 2015 (Education for All (EFA) Goal 4) with a special focus on girls and women in both the E-9 countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan) and in other countries which E-9 countries can support through South-South cooperation.  Making a measurable and positive impact on these population groups within the E-9 countries will also contribute to sustainable human development and poverty reduction.

The objectives of the E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting are as follows:

  •   Facilitate the sharing of experiences and knowledge to better understand the relationship between literacy and development;
  • Identify issues, trends and challenges in providing literacy for out-of-school children, youth and adults, and ways of overcoming obstacles;
  • Explore strategies to improve and scale up effective literacy programmes;
  • Provide an arena for sharing time-lined national and collective commitments to scaling-up of literacy programmes for out-of-school children, youth and adults while improving literacy acquisition through non-formal education;
  • Encourage South-South cooperation in the field of literacy, as well as on EFA in general, among E-9 countries as well as between E-9 and other countries.

See the following for more information:

www.unesco.org/en/efa/international-cooperation/e-9-initiative/8th-meeting/about-the-conference/

www.unesco.org/en/efa/international-cooperation/e-9-initiative/8th-meeting/main-theme/

]]> https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/literacy-for-development/feed/ 0 “The gap widens”, by Shailaja Chandra https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/the-gap-widens/ https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/the-gap-widens/#respond Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/the-gap-widens/ “By and large the attitude of a man towards his wife is possibly worse than his attitude towards his buffalo.” Colin Gonzalves, Human Rights Lawyer The World Economic Forum and the Global Gender Gap Index The World Economic Forum, in a report titled the 2009, has quantified the magnitude of gender-based disparity in 134 countries. […]

]]> “By and large the attitude of a man towards his wife is possibly worse than his attitude towards his buffalo.” Colin Gonzalves, Human Rights Lawyer

The World Economic Forum and the Global Gender Gap Index

The World Economic Forum, in a report titled the [Pagelink infos="Global Gender Gap"] 2009, has quantified the magnitude of gender-based disparity in 134 countries. Appallingly, India ranks the very last on health and survival and is at the 114th position overall. Comparing Gender Equality derived from three National Family Health Surveys spanning 13 years, a report published by the International Institute of Population Studies (IIPS Mumbai 2009) also presents a miserable picture. Far from improving, the gender gap is widening.

Results and analysis

Child Sex ratio: Punjab and Haryana continue to have the lowest sex ratios in the country but surprisingly in the smugly superior South, all states, even Kerala, have registered an adverse child sex ratio. Jharkhand followed by three northeastern states have the best female child sex ratios countrywide which suggests that tribal societies recognise the need for a balanced sex ratio and gender equity. [Image infos="India_the_gap_widens.jpg|thumb|right"] Education and employment: The IIPS report shows that among married women from 25 to 49, only one out of five women had completed 10 or more years of education. So, despite the hype, every time a rare woman breaks into a man's professional preserve or cracks a cerebral examination, only 7 per cent of Indian women are employed in professional or managerial occupations; and the proportional increase has been just 1 per cent between each survey. A vast majority of women continue to be engaged in dead-end agricultural operations the proportion of which has grown in the last 13 years. Age of marriage: Comparisons over 13 years also show that the median age at marriage for women aged 25 to 49 was 16.8; about six years lower than that for men. In a period of one and a half decades, the age at marriage within this group had not gone up by a single year. This when the legal age of marriage has been 18 for decades! The National Population Policy 2000 had advocated that marriages should take place only after 18 and preferably after 20 years of age. How can a country continue to blatantly ignore its own policy and that too when the Supreme Court of India has directed that all marriages regardless of religion, must be registered? Unmet need for contraception: Since not even half the couples in the reproductive age group use any contraception, anaemic, adolescent girls and malnourished women continue to deliver underweight children, who either succumb or become prey to infancy and childhood diseases. The “cafeteria approach” to family planning has failed to prevent unwanted pregnancies or lower the fertility rate, substantially. Needed change: According to Prabhat Kumar, a former Cabinet Secretary, there was a downright refusal on the part of the key Central Ministry in charge of women's development to prepare a comprehensive gender policy even when directed to. The reason is not far to find. A policy paper would raise questions and ring uncertainty for bureaucracies and NGOs that have thrived thus long on repetitive, ineffective programmes. It is high time that drastic changes are made to scramble out of the quagmire that we have been stuck in for decades. There is a need to jettison jaded programmes that have failed to deliver. Simply crowding women into a room to learn the three R-s has not taken them anywhere. The ICDS supplementary feeding programmes for preschoolers and lactating mothers, after running for three decades, have not made a dent on women's anaemia levels or prevented severe malnutrition in children. Sex determination, far from being halted, has grown among the educated and affluent and quietly leeched into the hinterland also. Those in charge of enforcing the legal age of marriage have utterly failed to stop the marriage of minor girls. Even the few well-intentioned schemes to popularise the birth of girls and encourage school retention have remained symbolic, having had no impact on the enormity of inequality that persists. Something is going horribly wrong. India would do well to learn from a country like Korea which was a pitiable agrarian economy, way behind India in the 1960s but overtook us in just 20 years. This was largely possible because Korea placed a strong emphasis on creating opportunities for girls and women to become wage earners. The quest for family planning and literacy was an automatic by-product, largely self-driven. We need a white paper accompanied by a status report on failed outcomes of programmes related to women. Taking stock of the gender divide across states, the paper should enumerate laws that are needed to create opportunities and mainstream women into educational and employment avenues, on fast track. What should the policy contain? First, there should be a coercive law which reserves for women at least 10 per cent of all benefits given to entrepreneurs including bank loans, seats in vocational and industrial training institutions, all scholarships and all jobs cutting across the public and private sector for at least 10 years. The identification of specific jobs where women might be considered unsuitable should be left to a Commission to determine. Second, within the existing reservations for SCs, STs and OBCs, 50 per cent should be reserved for women, a step which is equally fair to both sexes and ought not to raise a battle cry from men. Third, the 2007 timorous law on prevention of child marriage should be replaced with a Draconian law that treats marriage of minors as a cognizable offence and jails parents and relatives that marry daughters before the legal age. Fourth, a completely new Ministry should be established to handle the subject of National Competitiveness and Gender Equality. The Ministry should be made responsible for framing and amending laws, in particular those that seek to promote reservations, grant property and land tenure rights to women, oversee female absorption in educational and employment avenues and monitor implementation of the laws and schemes introduced for bridging inequality. The Ministry should also have strong linkages with finance, education, vocational training, and small industry. Unless the Cabinet Secretary reviews the progress and reports it to a Group of Ministers, the subject will not get the attention needed.

Engaging civil society

Finally, a role has to be found to engage civil society in promoting gender equality. We already have excellent examples like the Pardada Pardadi Educational Society in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh which has nurtured a sense of self-reliance in local girls. Special programmes are needed and inducements, incentives and tax benefits offered to civil society organisations that contribute effectively to such initiatives that help instil self-confidence in rural women. If several radical measures are not taken now, India is doomed to remaining at the rock bottom when future measurements of gender equality are made. It is no longer a matter of women's rights. It is a question of how tall the country can stand in terms of economic growth and competitiveness. Strong corrective measures are needed because this nation's progress is clearly at stake.]]> https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/the-gap-widens/feed/ 0 “Unfinished business – Women and girls front and centre beyond 2015” (May 2013) https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/unfinished-business-women-and-girls-front-and-centre-beyond-2015-may-2013/ https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/unfinished-business-women-and-girls-front-and-centre-beyond-2015-may-2013/#respond Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.wikigender.org/unfinished-business-women-and-girls-front-and-centre-beyond-2015-may-2013/ Unfinished business – Women and girls front and centre beyond 2015 (May 2013) Gender equality and women’s rights are essential to achieving the unfinished business of the and accelerating development progress beyond 2015. matters in its own right as a driver of growth and as a prerequisite for improved development outcomes. Yet, there is no […]

]]> Unfinished business – Women and girls front and centre beyond 2015 (May 2013) [File file=Unfinished business OECD DAC graph.jpg|right] Gender equality and women’s rights are essential to achieving the unfinished business of the [Pagelink infos="Millennium Development Goalss"] and accelerating development progress beyond 2015. [Pagelink infos="Gender Equality"] matters in its own right as a driver of growth and as a prerequisite for improved development outcomes. Yet, there is no single country in the world where women have achieved full equality with men. That in itself should be enough to underscore the need to keep a strong focus on gender equality and women’s rights in the post-2015 development agenda by:
  • Retaining a standalone goal on gender equality and women’s empowerment; and
  • Integrating gender-specific targets and indicators into all other relevant development goals.

Which policy areas?

Increased investments in the following five policy areas will have catalytic effects on the lives of women and girls, and help to achieve gender equality, women’s empowerment and development objectives well beyond 2015.
  1. Keep girls in school to complete a quality secondary education
  2. Improve reproductive health, including access to family planning
  3. Increase women’s control over and ownership of assets
  4. Support women’s leadership and influence
  5. Stop violence against women and girls

See also

  • [Pagelink infos="Gender_Stories#Women_and_the_post-2015_agenda:_Unfinished_Business_of_the_Millennium Development Goalss_and_the_post-2015_framework|Gender stories, key facts"]
  • [Pagelink infos="Network on Gender Equality/GENDERNET"]
]]> https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/unfinished-business-women-and-girls-front-and-centre-beyond-2015-may-2013/feed/ 0 “Unmet Need for Contraception”, by Shailaja Chandra https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/unmet-need-for-contraception/ https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/unmet-need-for-contraception/#respond Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.wikigender.org/unmet-need-for-contraception/ Holding India back The unmet demand for contraception is the highest in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Together with Madhya Pradesh, these States produce the maximum underweight, stunted and wasted children born to under-aged mothers Were it not for the Hindi-belt States, India might well have been another country. Girl’s married before the legal age, […]

]]> Holding India back The unmet demand for contraception is the highest in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Together with Madhya Pradesh, these States produce the maximum underweight, stunted and wasted children born to under-aged mothers Were it not for the Hindi-belt States, India might well have been another country. Girl's married before the legal age, high fecundity of adolescents, recurring childbirths and absence of birth spacing make tedious reading. But when the findings of the National Health Survey-3 are read alongside the Ministry of Human Resource and Development and National Population Commission data, a few surprises and some shocks emerge. First, Orissa has crawled out of the BIMARU (now EAG) stranglehold. It has among the lowest annual growth rates (2001-2010) projected for the country -- just a shade higher than Kerala and Tamil Nadu. As far as the age of marriage and adolescent fertility are concerned, Orissa is lower than Gujarat and Haryana. Female drop-out rates from classes' I-X are better than the All-India average and far better than neighbours Assam and West Bengal. High infant mortality, however, pulls back other achievements. Let's move over to Himachal Pradesh. The female dropout rate from class I-X stands only slightly above Kerala. HP also has the lowest percentage of women married before 18 -- far ahead of Kerala, Tamil Nadu or any other State. As a natural outcome the percentage of women that started childbearing before 19 was just 3 per cent compared with 27 per cent in Jharkhand and 25 per cent in Bihar and West Bengal. No wonder that the fertility rate of Himachal Pradesh is equal to that of Kerala. This also blasts the belief that only the Southern States have the commitment to propel population stabilisation. Another shock is how poorly West Bengal performs when it comes to the age at which girls start childbearing. The State is at the level of Bihar on this index with 62 per cent of girls married before 18, belying lofty claims that women's welfare has pervaded the proletariat. In terms of educational attainment, the class I-X female dropout rates are worse than even Madhya Pradesh. When it comes to the use of contraceptives, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab come out the best. Predictably the unmet demand for contraception is the highest in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, with the gaps in contraceptive cover resulting in high fertility and appalling levels of maternal, infant and child mortality. Together with Madhya Pradesh these States also produce the maximum underweight, stunted and wasted children in India. Ultimately, faster development cannot take place unless fertility rates come down much sooner. Much as education, electrification, safe drinking water and toilets are necessary, absence of these can hardly be an alibi for denying reproductive rights, now. Pushing up the age of marriage as exemplified by Himachal Pradesh is a single achievable goal which can make the biggest difference. If we could simply ensure that girls do not get married before the legal age of marriage, up to 3.4 million births each year could be averted. That is 12 per cent of the total annual births in the country. Is it too much to ask Governments to ensure that marriages are stopped before the legal age? The road to population stabilisation need not be preceded by citing the education first approach all the time. Important as education is, Himachal Pradesh and Orissa have shown that other things too can make a difference to fertility and population growth. The new Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 was notified on 10th January 2007. With its enactment, the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 was repealed. Legally and administratively no law exists today to restrain or stop child marriages in States that have failed to notify the rules that accompany the Act. In effect no cognisance can be taken of those who marry off their daughters before 18. According to information available with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, only Rajasthan, Karnataka, Kerala and Manipur have enacted the rules which are necessary for enforcing the Act. This despite a lapse of nearly 20 months and repeated exhortations to speed up the process. Chief Ministers need to be confronted with their perfunctory attitude to an all important subject which directly affects the health and well-being of mothers and children. Laws apart, when did the Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chattisgargh, and West Bengal last review early marriages or order an audit into high levels of maternal mortality? What directions did they give? With what result? None that is apparent from any published work. Laws alone will not change the face of India. But in the absence of law and with more than 65 per cent of the girls in several States being married before 18 it is shocking that Chief Ministers can ignore what is happening. A year ago on the World Population Day, 500 adolescents were brought to Delhi to be sensitised about population issues. It was a sad commentary on the prevailing situation when they stepped on the stage to castigate their Chief Ministers for incentivising more and more deliveries by offering saris and other goodies to reward every birth. If only Chief Ministers cared to listen to what the youth of this country seeks, election manifestos may start caring about fulfilling population goals and reproductive rights.    ]]> https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/unmet-need-for-contraception/feed/ 0 “We Can’t Wait”: a report on sanitation and hygiene for women and girls https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/we-cant-wait-a-report-on-sanitation-and-hygiene-for-women-and-girls/ https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/we-cant-wait-a-report-on-sanitation-and-hygiene-for-women-and-girls/#respond Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.wikigender.org/we-cant-wait-a-report-on-sanitation-and-hygiene-for-women-and-girls/ Download the full report. Table of Contents 1 About 1.1 The report 2 Outline 3 See also 4 References 5 External links About The international community acknowledged the importance of sanitation by including targets in the Millennium Development Goals. Yet with the 2015 deadline fast approaching we are still far from addressing this global crisis. […]

]]> Download the full report.

About

The international community acknowledged the importance of sanitation by including targets in the Millennium Development Goals. Yet with the 2015 deadline fast approaching we are still far from addressing this global crisis. United Nations Member States this year unanimously adopted a resolution to designate 19 November as World Toilet Day as a means to raise awareness about this very concrete and pressing issue. By highlighting the direct impact of poor sanitation on people throughout the world, World Toilet Day can help generate action to make sanitation for all a global development priority. The UN High Level Panel report, published in May 2013, outlined a vision for the post-2015 development agenda. The UN Global Compact – the world’s largest corporate citizenship initiative – fed into this report through a series of 43 consultations incorporating the views of over 1,700 of the world’s leading companies.

The report

Following the 2012 Toilets for Health paper, this year there was collaboration with international NGO WaterAid and with the UN hosted organisation the Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), two of the world’s leading organisations working in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector. This paper is a joint contribution to raise awareness of the impacts of poor sanitation on women across the world and a call for a concerted effort on a different scale from all levels of government, business and civil society. As we near the end of 2013 there are still 2.5 billion people, or over one third of the world’s population, without access to adequate sanitation. Basic sanitation is now recognised as a fundamental human right, the deprivation of which affects the social, physical and economic well-being of societies world-wide. Poor sanitation has significant impacts on the safety, well-being and educational prospects of women. Girls’ lack of access to a clean, safe toilet, especially during menstruation, perpetuates risk, shame and fear. This has long-term impacts on women’s health, education, livelihoods and safety but it also impacts the economy, as failing to provide for the sanitation needs of women ultimately risks excluding half of the potential workforce.

Outline

  1. The global sanitation crisis and why we can't wait
  2. Why poor sanitation is a women's issue
  3. Girls, sanitation and education - toilets spell success
  4. Menstrual hygiene issues
  5. A crisis far too big to solve alone
  6. Conclusions and recommendations
 

See also

World Toilet Day Toilets for Health

References

http://worldtoiletday.org/ http://worldtoiletday.org/ http://worldtoilet.org/]]> https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/we-cant-wait-a-report-on-sanitation-and-hygiene-for-women-and-girls/feed/ 0 “Young women and political participation: institutional and informal mobilization paving the way to future actions” https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/young-women-and-political-participation-institutional-and-informal-mobilization-paving-the-way-to-future-actions/ https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/young-women-and-political-participation-institutional-and-informal-mobilization-paving-the-way-to-future-actions/#respond Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.wikigender.org/young-women-and-political-participation-institutional-and-informal-mobilization-paving-the-way-to-future-actions/ File:Logo_cawtar.JPG|Cawtar logo File:Logo_IDRC.JPG|IDRC logo Table of Contents 1 « Young women and political participation: institutional and informal mobilization paving the way to future actions» 1.1 1/ The Research / knowledge production aspect 1.2 2/ Participation/ appropriation aspect 1.3 3/ Action aspect 2 « Jeunes femmes et participation politique en Tunisie: mobilisation informelle et participation institutionnelle […]

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Table of Contents

« Young women and political participation: institutional and informal mobilization paving the way to future actions»

The January 14, 2011 revolution constitutes a historical turning point in Tunisia, particularly with the emergence of youth as vital actors in the political sphere. We witnessed an incredible shift from the disaffection of youth with politics before the revolution to their potential for change, which has become an obvious truth. The situation’s drastic change raises questions about the role that may have been played by young women in the revolutionary process as well as transformations at the level of forms and modalities of their political participation. The promotion of young women’s political participation in Tunisia appears then to be an action priority during the democratic transition phase. This is the reason why CAWTAR launched a research project called “Young Women and Political Participation in Tunisia: informal mobilization and institutional participation pacing the way for future actions” funded by the Canadian IDRC (International Development Research Center). The two-year long project is part of a regional initiative including Egypt, Tunisia, Sudan and Ethiopia. Coordination between the four countries has already been established taking in consideration similar political contexts and aims at exchanging results of analyses and interpretations. This research project has three main objectives that can be summarized as follows: 1. Knowledge : produce and share knowledge about young women’s participation in political life in Tunisia; 2. Participation/Appropriation: Encourage responsibilities and active participation of various stakeholders contributing to the promotion of young women’s political participation in Tunisia; 3. Action: provide strategic inputs for immediate actions targeted towards the future in order to promote participation of young women in Tunisia’s political life.

1/ The Research / knowledge production aspect

Guided by the following components:
  • Know the reasons accounting for young women’s active engagement in Tunisia’s political life: analysis of their (i) motivation and (ii) variables including the social, economic, political, family and organizational contexts / institutional allegiances, political assets, third parties’ considerable influence, and education impacting motivation;
  • Know how women engage and contribute in political life: analysis of (i) the different forms of participation: formal participation versus informal participation through contribution to event-related protests; (ii) characteristics of young women’s participation in politics compared to men’s participation; (iii) ) characteristics of young women’s participation in politics compared to the participation of more experienced political women; (iv) cultural influences on modalities or strategies of political activism; (v) factors determining sustainability of young women’s engagements with time.

2/ Participation/ appropriation aspect

The project is meant to be participatory, reflecting real participation of actors in the project’s activities in order to reinforce their knowledge about the issue of young women’s participation in politics as well as their commitment towards this subject.

3/ Action aspect

The project will not be limited to the production of knowledge, but aims at reaching beyond, by implementing positive actions increasing young Tunisian women’s political participation. Three actions will be implemented:
  • Elaboration of a policy brief: By translating research results into recommendations, this project will go beyond the research’s traditional role to serve as a policy changing tool. The policy brief that will be designed aims at informing decision makers about the situation and at enhancing their knowledge about ways to overcome obstacles hindering young women’s political participation and mechanisms that need to be adopted to favor their participation.
  • Organization of Mentorship Workshops: based on the hypothesis that mentoring senior women and men in politics favors involvement in roles, training sessions about coaching will be organized to favor transmission of political know-how between generations.
  • Launch of video-contests: Media visibility is identified as a fundamental mechanism in reinforcing political action in general. Women, and primarily young women, prove to be the least favored in this domain. This why we decided to adopt an innovation communication approach creating emulation: Video-contest. The idea is to launch a video contest between politically active women in the form of self-portraits turned by means of amateur video cameras, where young women would speak about their experience in politics and explain their representations and visions about political participation. By uploading these videos on the dedicated website (http://politiqueaufeminin.org), we will offer participants an access to media visibility. On the other hand, the winner will receive 2000 dollars and winning video will be posted on CAWTAR’s web site www.cawtar.org.

]]> https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/young-women-and-political-participation-institutional-and-informal-mobilization-paving-the-way-to-future-actions/feed/ 0 #HowICare Campaign June 18-24 2020 https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/howicare-campaign-june-18-24-2020/ https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/howicare-campaign-june-18-24-2020/#respond Thu, 18 Jun 2020 07:18:20 +0000 https://www.wikigender.org/?post_type=userpress_wiki&p=25260 The SIGI shows that women undertake 75% of the unpaid care and domestic work worldwide, and more must be done to recognise, redistribute and reduce this time burden on women. The #HowICare Campaign Promundo and Oxfam’s #HowICare Campaign is an opportunity for a wide variety of voices to demand, together, a transformation of the gendered dynamics […]

]]> The SIGI shows that women undertake 75% of the unpaid care and domestic work worldwide, and more must be done to recognise, redistribute and reduce this time burden on women.

The #HowICare Campaign

Promundo and Oxfam's #HowICare Campaign is an opportunity for a wide variety of voices to demand, together, a transformation of the gendered dynamics of unpaid care work. In particular, the campaign aims to "aims to shed a light on the realities, difficulties, and disparities of providing care – specifically in caring for children, in order to advocate for additional support for caregivers – including the parents and care workers who are most impacted – during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond." The #HowICare campaign is part of a global call for:
  1. Universal access to paid sick and family and medical leave.
  2. 100% paid leave. 
  3. Equal, fully paid, non-transferable parental leave for parents.
  4. Action to ensure childcare infrastructures survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
  5. A challenge to harmful norms and sexist beliefs.
  6. Flexible working hours and conditions.
  7. Social protection programs to support caregivers and recognize care as work.

How to Participate?

When? 18 June - 21 June 2020 Where? On Twitter using the hashtag '#HowICare' and tagging @MenCareGlobal as well as @Promundo_US, @Oxfam, and @OxfamAmerica How? Messaging guidance available here.]]> https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/howicare-campaign-june-18-24-2020/feed/ 0 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Philanthropy for Gender Equality https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-philanthropy-for-gender-equality/ https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-philanthropy-for-gender-equality/#respond Tue, 21 May 2019 08:26:44 +0000 https://www.wikigender.org/?post_type=userpress_wiki&p=19886 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Philanthropy for Gender Equality Women Deliver | Vancouver, Canada 6 June 2019 | 12:00 – 13:30 Room 306, level 3   About Philanthropy’s role in advancing sustainable development and in particular its support for gender equality attracts a lot of attention. However, few figures are available to date on […]

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10 Things You Didn't Know About Philanthropy for Gender Equality

Women Deliver | Vancouver, Canada

6 June 2019 | 12:00 - 13:30

Room 306, level 3

  About Philanthropy’s role in advancing sustainable development and in particular its support for gender equality attracts a lot of attention. However, few figures are available to date on the volumes, patterns and features of philanthropic flows supporting gender equality. To address this lack of reliable and comparable data, the OECD Global Network of Foundations Working for Development (netFWD) and its Gender Working Group, chaired by Fondation CHANEL, produced the Policy Note “Insights on Philanthropy for Gender Equality”. The Policy Note calls into question long-held assumptions about the volume, nature and potential of foundations’ engagement in developing countries, and the role they can play to support the SDG 5. This event will present the data and fresh perspectives on how to optimise philanthropy’s role in support of gender equality. Speakers
  • Miren Bengoa, Executive Director, Fondation CHANEL
  • Anna Rose Miller, Manager, Strategy & Learning, MasterCard Foundation
  • Bathylle Missika, Head of Division, Partnerships, Networks and Gender, OECD Development Centre
  • Tulika Srivastava, Executive Director, Women’s Fund Asia and Board Co-Chair, Prospera
For more information, please contact Ewelina Oblacewicz (ewelina.oblacewicz@oecd.org). ]]> https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-philanthropy-for-gender-equality/feed/ 0 100 words for equality https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/100-words-for-equality/ https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/100-words-for-equality/#respond Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/100-words-for-equality/ European glossary “100 words for equality”, , 1998 The European Commission “100 words for equality – A glossary of terms on equality between women and men” is a tool to bring gender issues closer to people and provide short explanations for technical terms (some of them are specific to the European Union). It is an […]

]]> [Image infos="100_palabras_para_la_iguald.gif|right"]European glossary "100 words for equality", [Pagelink infos="European Commission|European Commission"], 1998

The European Commission "100 words for equality - A glossary of terms on equality between women and men" is a tool to bring gender issues closer to people and provide short explanations for technical terms (some of them are specific to the European Union). It is an important tool for "having the right words" in the sensitive field of affirmative and positive actions or explain the differences between "[Pagelink infos="Maternity Leave|Maternity Leave"]", "[Pagelink infos="Parental Leave|Parental Leave"]" and "[Pagelink infos="Family Leave|Family Leave"]" or [Pagelink infos="Equity"] and [Pagelink infos="equality"]. It's also usefull to explain or tranlate metaphor as "[Pagelink infos="Glass ceiling|glass ceiling"]" or "[Pagelink infos="Gender blind|gender blind"]" in eleven languages (ES IT DA NL DE PT EL FI EN SV FR).

Ten years later it would be very interesting to update it in a wiki.

"100 words for equality", European Commission, 1998" PDF files (ES . IT . DA . NL . DE . PT . EL . FI . EN . SV . FR) htm file: (ES)

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