After 9 in every 10 women in the public sector were estimated to have been sexually harassed, Tanzania has warned it's public officials that using their positions of power to extort sexual favors from women will no longer be tolerated. The women that make up Tanzania's public sector account for nearly 5 percent of the workforce, so when hundreds of them came forward complaining that they were becoming more and more susceptible to sextortion in the male-dominated system, it was cause for alarm. A women's based group TAMWA, recently reported that nearly 89 percent of women in the public sector have experienced some form of sexual harassment while seeking a job, promotion or service. The Ethics Secretariat's commissioner, Salome Kaganda, claims that sextortion is the product of an "erosion of morals." This sex corruption has even been present in the country's universities, as male tutors pressure their female tutees to have sex for good grades, claims student Catherine Olomi. The university officials, however,claim that there have been no reports of sexual harassment and there are very strict anti-sexual harassment regulations to ensure such measures.
In an effort to alleviate the issue, guidelines were issued this week by the independent Ethics Secretariat. They define sextortion as, "when an official exercises power to sexually exploit someone for a service in his or her authority." The guidelines establish a system for people to anonymously report sexual abuse to various public offices through letters, emails, or in person, if they so choose. They also highlight disciplinary measures to be taken against public officials who are convicted of such an abuse of power. These measures include written warnings, demotions, fines or jail.
It was also stated that although 'sextortion' was not recognized in any law, it included two crimes that were - corruption and sexual abuse. Both crimes are punishable by jail or fines of up to $2,500 (or 5 million Tanzanian shillings.) There is a need to amend the law, however, because sextortion is difficult to prove beyond reasonable doubt, due to the fact that it takes place in secrecy, and therefore, the anti-corruption law is too weak to have jurisdiction over the larger crime of sexual corruption. By amending the law so that evidence does not include having proof beyond reasonable doubt, this will give justice to many sextortion victims.
I feel that this is, yet again, the result of a male-dominated, patriarchal society. These women are tyring to better themselves, and improve their lives, but in order to do so they have to make their way through the hierarchy of men that rules over them. By having to ask the men for permission, or by going through them to find a job, these women must fall to the 'terms and conditions' that their male superiors lay out for them. By empowering women to have the ability to act separately, or without the permission of their male counterparts, the sextortion rate could decline greatly. The guidelines discussed above are a step in the right direction, and some corrective measures are better than none, but as the claims of the university played out, I feel that will continue for the rest of the public sector as well; these guidelines will be in place, but the sexual harassment will continue 'behind the scenes' and unreported, because these women need to make a place for themselves in society.
http://www.trust.org/item/20150424142957-0mjnj/?source=jtOtherNews1
Megan Wrench
4/24/15
12:59
Showing posts with label Megan Wrench. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Megan Wrench. Show all posts
Friday, April 24, 2015
Friday, April 17, 2015
Blog #9: South Africa: Sex in the Mother City Under the Spotlight
The South African Centre for Epidemiological Modeling and Analysis or SACEMA, did an in depth study of the sexual behavior of 878 citizens of several South African Countries. These include Wallacedene, Delft-South and Khayelitsha. In total, the participants in the study reported in being in 1130 relationships in the past year, with a quarter of these relationships overlapping with others for extended periods of time. The evidence has shown the researchers that the proportion of men and women having simultaneous relationships is higher that previously thought.
One of the questions the researchers sought to answer through the findings of the study included why HIV infection was higher in black communities than in communities of similar socioeconomic backgrounds of their colored counterparts. They found that, on average, colored communities had less condom use than black communities, suggesting that condom use was not an effective preventative against HIV unless used consistently. Without this consistent use, HIV levels will not drop in these communities.
Additionally, the study provided evidence that South African respondents reported larger numbers in the age gap between them and their sexual partners as compared to colored participants. It was found that two-thirds of black men, 45 years of age ad older were in relationships with women at least five years younger; nearly half of women ageds 24 and older were in relationships with men who were at least five years older than they were. When interviewing the women in the study, it was found that many find security in having an older man as a partner because there will be a lower risk of abuse - physical and verbal, and older men were more calm, understanding and supportive. While HIV campaigns warn about the age diparity in sexual relationships among the black population in African countries, a 2014 Africa Centre Study showed no correlation among women with older partners and an increased risk for HIV, when compared to women who were dating men their own age.
Overall, the study has shown that people do not make relationship decisions based on their risk for HIV, but instead, that sexual relationships are "complex phenomenon with many dimensions." Therefore, if HIV interventions are designed with all of these aspects in mind, it is likely to be much more effective.
Finally, there is a study that has proven that by incorporating the culture of the people into their intervention plans, it will make prevention and recovery efforts more effective. I think that by addressing the different aspects of African culture, which includes polygamy, and the right to have mulitple sexual partners, intervention efforts can be made more specific to the population. As I have studied in my cultural studies class for nurisng school, African culture values fertility in a woman, and it is very important that she have many children in order to keep her husband. Similarly, the man's family name is passed on by his sons, and the children that the man has will help expand his tribe, so it is very important that he father many children to carry on his legacy. Often times, this means that a man will leave his wife once she can no longer bear children, in search of a younger partner who is fertile, and whom he can continue to have children with. Also, many women seek out older men, or "sugar daddies," because, in such an impoverished country, their sexual relations with a man will get the woman and her children dinner for a night, or a week, or even simply point her in the direction of the resources she needs. By addressing all of the above issues and more, intervention plans can be made that will be more specific to this population and this culture. We will no longer be simply telling these poeple "you can't have unprotected sex," because clearly, it is getting us no where. By approaching them at a cultural level, and taking the time to understand why the African people engage in so many relations, I think they will be more receptive to treatment, and we will be more effective in providing it.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201504132136.html
Megan Wrench
4/17/2015
One of the questions the researchers sought to answer through the findings of the study included why HIV infection was higher in black communities than in communities of similar socioeconomic backgrounds of their colored counterparts. They found that, on average, colored communities had less condom use than black communities, suggesting that condom use was not an effective preventative against HIV unless used consistently. Without this consistent use, HIV levels will not drop in these communities.
Additionally, the study provided evidence that South African respondents reported larger numbers in the age gap between them and their sexual partners as compared to colored participants. It was found that two-thirds of black men, 45 years of age ad older were in relationships with women at least five years younger; nearly half of women ageds 24 and older were in relationships with men who were at least five years older than they were. When interviewing the women in the study, it was found that many find security in having an older man as a partner because there will be a lower risk of abuse - physical and verbal, and older men were more calm, understanding and supportive. While HIV campaigns warn about the age diparity in sexual relationships among the black population in African countries, a 2014 Africa Centre Study showed no correlation among women with older partners and an increased risk for HIV, when compared to women who were dating men their own age.
Overall, the study has shown that people do not make relationship decisions based on their risk for HIV, but instead, that sexual relationships are "complex phenomenon with many dimensions." Therefore, if HIV interventions are designed with all of these aspects in mind, it is likely to be much more effective.
Finally, there is a study that has proven that by incorporating the culture of the people into their intervention plans, it will make prevention and recovery efforts more effective. I think that by addressing the different aspects of African culture, which includes polygamy, and the right to have mulitple sexual partners, intervention efforts can be made more specific to the population. As I have studied in my cultural studies class for nurisng school, African culture values fertility in a woman, and it is very important that she have many children in order to keep her husband. Similarly, the man's family name is passed on by his sons, and the children that the man has will help expand his tribe, so it is very important that he father many children to carry on his legacy. Often times, this means that a man will leave his wife once she can no longer bear children, in search of a younger partner who is fertile, and whom he can continue to have children with. Also, many women seek out older men, or "sugar daddies," because, in such an impoverished country, their sexual relations with a man will get the woman and her children dinner for a night, or a week, or even simply point her in the direction of the resources she needs. By addressing all of the above issues and more, intervention plans can be made that will be more specific to this population and this culture. We will no longer be simply telling these poeple "you can't have unprotected sex," because clearly, it is getting us no where. By approaching them at a cultural level, and taking the time to understand why the African people engage in so many relations, I think they will be more receptive to treatment, and we will be more effective in providing it.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201504132136.html
Megan Wrench
4/17/2015
Friday, April 10, 2015
Blog #8: Swaziland: Rape and HIV a Common Reality for Young Swazi Women
Swaziland, Africa, is a small village located about 20km from Swaziland's capital, Mbabane. In this village, the prevalence of HIV among Swazi women aged 18-19 is 14 percent, compared to 31 percent for 20-24 year old women, according to the 2011 Swaziland HIV Incidence Management Survey or SHIMS. In contrast, men in these age brackets are reported as having a 1 percent and 7 percent prevalence of HIV, respectively. Also in Swaziland, according to a UNICEF report, one in three Swazi girls experience sexual violence before age 18, which greatly contributes to the HIV rates seen in this village. The connection between these statistics goes back to the patriarchal notion of the village, and the fact that women are viewed as being subordinate, and serving as property, or objects to be 'owned.'
Furthermore, the poverty in this region contributes to the rampant spread of the disease, especially when 63 percent of Swaziland's population lives below the poverty line, and unemployment rates are at an estimated 40 percent. This economic disparity drives the HIV gender disparity, because women seek out "transactional sex" with men, where condom use is generally compromised. Younger women are more frequently seeking out older men for these sexual partnerships, seeking financial support in exchange for sex. The catch? Polygamy is not uncommon in Africa, and women are not empowered enough to say no or insist on condom use in these interactions. So, when these men have multiple sexual partners, they're more likely to have HIV. They transfer the disease to these younger women because, as previously stated, the women are not empowered to ask for such measures, and rumors about condom use paired with the lack of male education on how to use condoms makes such contraceptive efforts nearly futile.
Particularly, in this village, the issue lies in the legislation and lack of access to information to women. Despite the prevalence of sexual violence and the illegality of rape in Swaziland, the punishment of up to 15 years in prison is almost null-and-void when acquittal rates are high, resulting in light sentences. Efforts to pass the "Sex Offenses and Domestic Violence" bill, which defines rape and sexual harassment, have proven futile since 2006. Additionally, although women are the most vulnerable to HIV, given their conditions, there are very few programs geared towards girls and young women. This, in combination with the delay of sex education, it is restricted at school until girls are in their teens, has proven to be too late to make a difference for many young women.
Unfortunately for Swaziland, their reasons for the spread of HIV among their village is the same for much of Africa. The poverty level - which brings a lack of education, medical care, and prevention programs, along with the patriarchal society is a fatal combination for many women. To improve these conditions, it will take improving the structural and cultural causes that lie at the root of the problem. This includes women's rights, which would reduce gender based violence, along with issues such as poverty. The article did make mention of the decline of HIV rates since 2010, thanks to increased access to medical testing and outreach programs, along with the successful prevention of mother to child transmissions. This shows that things are slowly changing, but this change needs to continue and even improve, so that maybe in 10-15 years, HIV will be a historical event for this region, rather than their reality. Should this trend continue, the death rate of women and men in Africa would drop, and people could live longer, healthier lives as they improve their sustainability of Africa and especially Swaziland.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201504081741.html
Megan Wrench
4/10/15
4:59
Furthermore, the poverty in this region contributes to the rampant spread of the disease, especially when 63 percent of Swaziland's population lives below the poverty line, and unemployment rates are at an estimated 40 percent. This economic disparity drives the HIV gender disparity, because women seek out "transactional sex" with men, where condom use is generally compromised. Younger women are more frequently seeking out older men for these sexual partnerships, seeking financial support in exchange for sex. The catch? Polygamy is not uncommon in Africa, and women are not empowered enough to say no or insist on condom use in these interactions. So, when these men have multiple sexual partners, they're more likely to have HIV. They transfer the disease to these younger women because, as previously stated, the women are not empowered to ask for such measures, and rumors about condom use paired with the lack of male education on how to use condoms makes such contraceptive efforts nearly futile.
Particularly, in this village, the issue lies in the legislation and lack of access to information to women. Despite the prevalence of sexual violence and the illegality of rape in Swaziland, the punishment of up to 15 years in prison is almost null-and-void when acquittal rates are high, resulting in light sentences. Efforts to pass the "Sex Offenses and Domestic Violence" bill, which defines rape and sexual harassment, have proven futile since 2006. Additionally, although women are the most vulnerable to HIV, given their conditions, there are very few programs geared towards girls and young women. This, in combination with the delay of sex education, it is restricted at school until girls are in their teens, has proven to be too late to make a difference for many young women.
Unfortunately for Swaziland, their reasons for the spread of HIV among their village is the same for much of Africa. The poverty level - which brings a lack of education, medical care, and prevention programs, along with the patriarchal society is a fatal combination for many women. To improve these conditions, it will take improving the structural and cultural causes that lie at the root of the problem. This includes women's rights, which would reduce gender based violence, along with issues such as poverty. The article did make mention of the decline of HIV rates since 2010, thanks to increased access to medical testing and outreach programs, along with the successful prevention of mother to child transmissions. This shows that things are slowly changing, but this change needs to continue and even improve, so that maybe in 10-15 years, HIV will be a historical event for this region, rather than their reality. Should this trend continue, the death rate of women and men in Africa would drop, and people could live longer, healthier lives as they improve their sustainability of Africa and especially Swaziland.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201504081741.html
Megan Wrench
4/10/15
4:59
Friday, April 03, 2015
Blog #7: World Banks Back Contraception, Sexual Health in Africa's Sahel Region
The World Bank has approved a budget of $200 million for a project supporting greater access to contraception and improving women's health in the conservative Muslim region of Sahel, Africa. Sahel is a region where the water levels have dropped forty percent per capita over the last twenty years, infant mortality has decreased by twenty-five percent over the last decade, and a quarter of women ages 15 to 19 are pregnant. The goal is to produce a "demographic dividend" in which there is a rise in living standards as a result of falling birth rates, leading to a larger working age population and fewer dependents. By increasing the supply and demand of contraceptives, the project hopes to reduce fertility in Sahel through the empowerment of the community's women. Another tactic is to reduce early marriage and childbirth, increase voluntary family planning and improving access to sexual education for women. Although the project is set to conclude in 2019, it is estimated that it will take ten to fifteen years "of targeted development to see a positive change." This is due in part to the fact that a rise in the working population will take time to achieve, especially in a region where nearly half of the population is under age fifteen.
The empowerment of women is really what it will take to make the project work. According to research I have taken part in in other classes, women's health in Africa is decided by the male figure in the family. Many of the medical clinics that are sent to Africa on mission trips have found efforts to provide women with contraception futile, because the men must approve medications and treatment for the women; if he does not approve of the contraception, the man will often take the birth control pills himself. Because there have been multiple incidences of this, it has been found that birth control shots and IUD's are more effective. Also, in Africa, womanhood is signified by her fertility. If a woman can no longer have children, her role in the community changes, and often the significance she has to her husband changes, as he will leave her to find a younger woman who can have children. Furthermore, because it is the man's duty to have children to pass on the traditions of the families and tribes, they often refuse contraception. So, the education and empowerment of women in these situations will be the most effective way for the project to prove successful, but I do not see that as an easy task, for it will take changing, or conforming, the mind set of many communities to a more sociological and medical perspective that varies much from their traditional views.
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/business/world-bank-backs-contraception-sexual-health-africas-sahel-region/
Megan Wrench
4/3/15
4:59
The empowerment of women is really what it will take to make the project work. According to research I have taken part in in other classes, women's health in Africa is decided by the male figure in the family. Many of the medical clinics that are sent to Africa on mission trips have found efforts to provide women with contraception futile, because the men must approve medications and treatment for the women; if he does not approve of the contraception, the man will often take the birth control pills himself. Because there have been multiple incidences of this, it has been found that birth control shots and IUD's are more effective. Also, in Africa, womanhood is signified by her fertility. If a woman can no longer have children, her role in the community changes, and often the significance she has to her husband changes, as he will leave her to find a younger woman who can have children. Furthermore, because it is the man's duty to have children to pass on the traditions of the families and tribes, they often refuse contraception. So, the education and empowerment of women in these situations will be the most effective way for the project to prove successful, but I do not see that as an easy task, for it will take changing, or conforming, the mind set of many communities to a more sociological and medical perspective that varies much from their traditional views.
http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/business/world-bank-backs-contraception-sexual-health-africas-sahel-region/
Megan Wrench
4/3/15
4:59
Friday, March 27, 2015
Blog #6: Ebola and Women's Health
As a result of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, women's health gains made prior to the event have been lost. As the epidemic swept the nation, fewer women sought out prenatal care, and even more ceased to seek care for the births of their babies. Although these services were provided free of charge in Guinea, African women were 'steering clear' since many of the health facilities that provided their OBGYN care were also harboring Ebola victims. The immunocompromised women did not want to expose themselves to an environment where the disease was running rampant. Furthermore, those who sought out healthcare entered many health facilities only to find that the healthcare providers had fled. Ebola is passed in bodily fluids, which makes childbirth even more hazardous for women and their healthcare providers. Because of this risk factor, women accounted for more of the total Ebola cases at 56 percent, compared to 44 percent of male cases. Women were also more likely to be infected because they were more likely to be healthcare providers, or simply tend to the sick in their own homes communities. Women were also more likely to be infected by their sexual partners, as gender violence and rape incidences increased with the epidemic, almost 4.5 percent. It was said that the women tried to be more health-conscious, but some of the men did not respect protocol for recovery, which included protecting their spouses and partners through protected sex. The female's unwillingness to have unprotected sex, and the male's dominance led to and increase in rape and transmission of Ebola through sexual intercourse.
It has taken a long time for Africa to make the gains that we have recently seen in women's health. They still had a long way to go, but this Ebola epidemic has set them even further back in their progress. However, I think that their recovery will be much easier since they have already had some experience in making these gains - now they know how to go about making plans and enforcing them, along with providing health education to the population. As far as the male violence, I am not surprised, as African societies tend to be patriarchal and contraception is generally shunned. I do think that the hazards of unprotected sex may not have been stressed enough in the education of the recovery protocol. It could be possible that the African people did not understand that unprotected sex was transmitting the disease to their loved ones, which continued to infect and sicken their people, if it did not kill them. Although I am unsure of the educational practices that occurred in the recovery protocol, I feel that this is a large factor in saving people's lives. The better educated they are, and the more they know, the safer they can be.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/18/us-health-ebola-women-idUSKBN0ME30520150318
Megan Wrench
3/27/2015
3;28
It has taken a long time for Africa to make the gains that we have recently seen in women's health. They still had a long way to go, but this Ebola epidemic has set them even further back in their progress. However, I think that their recovery will be much easier since they have already had some experience in making these gains - now they know how to go about making plans and enforcing them, along with providing health education to the population. As far as the male violence, I am not surprised, as African societies tend to be patriarchal and contraception is generally shunned. I do think that the hazards of unprotected sex may not have been stressed enough in the education of the recovery protocol. It could be possible that the African people did not understand that unprotected sex was transmitting the disease to their loved ones, which continued to infect and sicken their people, if it did not kill them. Although I am unsure of the educational practices that occurred in the recovery protocol, I feel that this is a large factor in saving people's lives. The better educated they are, and the more they know, the safer they can be.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/18/us-health-ebola-women-idUSKBN0ME30520150318
Megan Wrench
3/27/2015
3;28
Friday, March 20, 2015
Blog #5: 'Forced' Sterilization of HIV Women Violates Rights
Three women's advocacy groups, including Her Rights Initiative (HRI) and the Women's Legal Centre (WLC) have filed formal complaints with the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE), stating that the ongoing forced/coerced sterilization of women living in South Africa with HIV is a violation of human rights and state policy. The complaint is based on forty-eight documented cases of HIV-positive women, who were sterilized without giving consent, or were forced into giving consent, occurring in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal between 1986 and 2014. It has been reported that many women are coerced into giving their consent for sterilization while in labor. This usually happens because the doctor will refuse to proceed in helping the mother deliver unless she grants consent to be sterilized. According to the Sterilization Act implemented in Africa, healthcare providers must explain to patients the processes, risks and benefits of the procedure before the consent form can be signed; because none of this is occurring the consent forms are not at all legal, contrary to popular belief. The largest problem is that forced and coerced sterilizations are taking place despite the fact that there are antiretroviral drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV throughout pregnancy, the birthing process and while breastfeeding. When asked, people say this push for the sterilization of these women comes from the motive of there being no one to take care of their babies once the mother is dead. However, once these mothers are on treatment, and if they adhere to their treatments as prescribed, their lives will be just as long as anyone else's.
Personally, I think this form of treatment is unethical. From a standpoint on modern healthcare, it is not fair, much less ethical that the HIV infected women are being forced/coerced into sterilization, when women who are not infected would not be given the same consent forms, unless requested. The unethical factors that play into this scenario are that patients are being treated with a different standard of care based on their medical conditions. They're being provided with a procedure that may change their lives in many ways. From research done in my nursing class, African women are not seen as adults until they have given birth. If they are deprived of this ability, then they lose their place in society. These women most likely lose their husbands, because they can no longer supply him with children, and they lose a sense of self due to the loss of their womanliness and changes in hormones due to the procedure. With all of the impediments this procedure leaves on a woman, it is a decision that should be made after much consideration and only after being thoroughly informed; it is not a situation that one should ever have to be forced or coerced into, just because others are uncomfortable with your state of health.
http://mg.co.za/article/2015-03-19-forced-sterilisation-of-hiv-women-violates-rights
Megan Wrench
3/20/15
12:57
Personally, I think this form of treatment is unethical. From a standpoint on modern healthcare, it is not fair, much less ethical that the HIV infected women are being forced/coerced into sterilization, when women who are not infected would not be given the same consent forms, unless requested. The unethical factors that play into this scenario are that patients are being treated with a different standard of care based on their medical conditions. They're being provided with a procedure that may change their lives in many ways. From research done in my nursing class, African women are not seen as adults until they have given birth. If they are deprived of this ability, then they lose their place in society. These women most likely lose their husbands, because they can no longer supply him with children, and they lose a sense of self due to the loss of their womanliness and changes in hormones due to the procedure. With all of the impediments this procedure leaves on a woman, it is a decision that should be made after much consideration and only after being thoroughly informed; it is not a situation that one should ever have to be forced or coerced into, just because others are uncomfortable with your state of health.
http://mg.co.za/article/2015-03-19-forced-sterilisation-of-hiv-women-violates-rights
Megan Wrench
3/20/15
12:57
Friday, March 06, 2015
Blog #4 - International Women's Day: Delivering comprehensive obstetric care for mother's in Nigeria
Teenage mothers in northern Nigeria account for sixty percent of patients at the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) obstetrics unit in Jahun Hospital. The MSF unit aims to reduce neonatal and maternal mortality among young mothers in Nigeria. The majority of patients are adolescents, ages 15 to 19, who come into the clinic seeking care for conditions such as anemia, malaria and eclampsia, which is characterized by high blood pressure and weight gain in the pregnant woman. Miscarriage is also more prevalent in this age group, with seventy percent of miscarriage patients occurring with these women. One of the biggest problems seen in the obstetric unit are fistulas. This condition consists of a hole, usually in the vaginal wall, which causes incontinence, either urinary or rectal. The constant drainage that results causes social rejection of the young mother, by her husband, family and friends. This usually happens because young mothers suffer prolonged labor, presumably because their birth canals and pelvis are not fully developed, which in addition to a fistula, can also result in death of the newborn. Delayed obstetric care is also a common problem, as women often don't have access to medical care, or have financial constraints that prevent them from seeking adequate medical care; this, along with giving birth at home with traditional birth attendants as a means of being seen as a strong woman in the community, increases the chances of neonatal and mother mortality which the MSF obstetrics unit is greatly trying to reduce.
The goals of the MSF obstetrics unit in Jahun Hospital I think will be very effective in time. Obviously, this clinic can not change the customs of the Nigerian women. Many of these women have been giving birth at home for generations as part of their tribal traditions. The goal is not necessarily to change the minds of the Nigerian women about the safest birthing practices, instead, it is to educate them on the safest birthing practices for their babies, and provide them with the obstetric care they need beforehand, so that if they do choose to deliver at home in the company of a traditional birth attendant, then the woman's pregnancy has at least been monitored up until that point. There's also the possibility that with additional education, women who are high risk pregnancies, may in time choose to be in the company of professional medical care when delivering their children, which would reduce neonatal and mother mortality even further.
http://www.msf.org/article/international-womens-day-delivering-comprehensive-obstetric-care-young-mothers-nigeria
2:22
Megan Wrench
The goals of the MSF obstetrics unit in Jahun Hospital I think will be very effective in time. Obviously, this clinic can not change the customs of the Nigerian women. Many of these women have been giving birth at home for generations as part of their tribal traditions. The goal is not necessarily to change the minds of the Nigerian women about the safest birthing practices, instead, it is to educate them on the safest birthing practices for their babies, and provide them with the obstetric care they need beforehand, so that if they do choose to deliver at home in the company of a traditional birth attendant, then the woman's pregnancy has at least been monitored up until that point. There's also the possibility that with additional education, women who are high risk pregnancies, may in time choose to be in the company of professional medical care when delivering their children, which would reduce neonatal and mother mortality even further.
http://www.msf.org/article/international-womens-day-delivering-comprehensive-obstetric-care-young-mothers-nigeria
2:22
Megan Wrench
Friday, February 20, 2015
Blog #3: The Right to Abortion Care May Be One Step Closer to Reality for African Women
The Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa gave African Women the right to abortion, on paper, in 2003. Fifty-four "member states" of the African Union have adopted this protocol, and many have ratified it since; the problem has been that African Women still lack access to contraception, face high risks of sexual violence, and maternal mortality. Many of these deaths are due in part to unsafe abortion practices, with African women comprising 62 percent of deaths from unsafe abortion worldwide back in 2008. To improve the conditions of women's reproductive healthcare, the African Commission on Human and People's Rights adopted General Comment No. 2 which provides guidance on aiding the government in implementing the articles of the protocol - guaranteeing the right to obtain abortions, allowing women to control their fertility through contraception, and access to family planning and other health services. The General Comment states that these services must be made accessible, of good quality, and advised removing barriers to such care, including third-party consent laws. In the end, making these services available to the women who seek them, in accordance with the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, involves the decriminalization of women who seek the services, making the services readily accessible and of good quality, and allowing these women to take their healthcare and futures into their own hands in a safe, responsible and dignified manner.
I view the lack of these services to these women as an injustice. It's simply unfair for the service to be legalized, yet political and legal barriers are implemented to restrict their access to these services. I feel that the General Comment will be effective, because it gives the country an outside or neutral perspective on the situation. For example, it really stood out to me that many facilities require a third-party consent in order for the abortion to take place. The fault in this is that women seeking abortions are doing so in the hopes that their husbands or fathers will never have to know; however, when they have to have the consent of the people they want to avoid knowing, they seek other ways to eradicate their problem. This is where the coat hanger method of abortion becomes more prevalent and more of an issue, leading to the high rates of maternal morality in Africa, even after the enactment of the Protocol. Since the General Comment was just adopted last year, I hope that it will soon turn around the injustices these women have been facing for the last twelve years since the implementation of the Protocol, and soon allow more equitable access to female reproductive healthcare.
http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2015/02/19/right-abortion-care-may-one-step-closer-reality-african-women/
Megan Wrench
2/20/15
4:47pm
I view the lack of these services to these women as an injustice. It's simply unfair for the service to be legalized, yet political and legal barriers are implemented to restrict their access to these services. I feel that the General Comment will be effective, because it gives the country an outside or neutral perspective on the situation. For example, it really stood out to me that many facilities require a third-party consent in order for the abortion to take place. The fault in this is that women seeking abortions are doing so in the hopes that their husbands or fathers will never have to know; however, when they have to have the consent of the people they want to avoid knowing, they seek other ways to eradicate their problem. This is where the coat hanger method of abortion becomes more prevalent and more of an issue, leading to the high rates of maternal morality in Africa, even after the enactment of the Protocol. Since the General Comment was just adopted last year, I hope that it will soon turn around the injustices these women have been facing for the last twelve years since the implementation of the Protocol, and soon allow more equitable access to female reproductive healthcare.
http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2015/02/19/right-abortion-care-may-one-step-closer-reality-african-women/
Megan Wrench
2/20/15
4:47pm
Friday, February 13, 2015
Blog #2 - UK Professionals Face Dismissal for Failure to Report Child FGM
In London this week, it has been proposed that teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers and the like will be required to report all cases of female genital mutilation, within a month of discovery, that occur under age 18, whether discovered or reported by the victim. This legislation comes after FGM was made a criminal offense in 1985, and following legislation in 2003, which made the maximum prison sentence fourteen years, and made female genital mutilation illegal whether carried out in the homeland or sought abroad.
This proposed law comes about after a case earlier this month, when attention was brought to FGM after the way a physician stitched a woman after giving birth. This has caused uproar in the medical community, because practicing physician's claim they will now be afraid to treat and help women already affected by female genital mutilation for fear of being made out to be the scapegoat. However, Mary Wandia, who is the Female Genital Mutilation program manager at the women's rights organization Equality Now, assures us that it's not about sending those at fault to prison, it's about getting help for the women affected.
What's most important about this law is seeking help for the girls who have been affected or are at risk. As of now, it almost seems as if there's a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. However, enacting the law would provide justice for those who deserve it most. The sooner the law goes into effect, then open treatment and prevention for these girls can be sought. Early detection and prevention can lead to early treatment of infections as a result of this debilitating procedure, and maybe, if early enough detection occurs, we could eventually reverse the damage done, with the aid of plastic surgery; not for cosmetic purposes, but to better the lives of these women - to aid with successful natural births and reducing the risk of maternal death, aiding in menstruation, and providing counseling for the psychological effects the procedure has on it's victims.
Megan Wrench
2/13/15
5:03
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/13/us-britain-fgm-law-idUSKBN0LH1AR20150213
This proposed law comes about after a case earlier this month, when attention was brought to FGM after the way a physician stitched a woman after giving birth. This has caused uproar in the medical community, because practicing physician's claim they will now be afraid to treat and help women already affected by female genital mutilation for fear of being made out to be the scapegoat. However, Mary Wandia, who is the Female Genital Mutilation program manager at the women's rights organization Equality Now, assures us that it's not about sending those at fault to prison, it's about getting help for the women affected.
What's most important about this law is seeking help for the girls who have been affected or are at risk. As of now, it almost seems as if there's a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. However, enacting the law would provide justice for those who deserve it most. The sooner the law goes into effect, then open treatment and prevention for these girls can be sought. Early detection and prevention can lead to early treatment of infections as a result of this debilitating procedure, and maybe, if early enough detection occurs, we could eventually reverse the damage done, with the aid of plastic surgery; not for cosmetic purposes, but to better the lives of these women - to aid with successful natural births and reducing the risk of maternal death, aiding in menstruation, and providing counseling for the psychological effects the procedure has on it's victims.
Megan Wrench
2/13/15
5:03
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/13/us-britain-fgm-law-idUSKBN0LH1AR20150213
Friday, February 06, 2015
Blog #1: Female Genital Mutilation on the Rise in the U.S.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or otherwise known as female circumcision is the act of cutting away the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons, but with beliefs that it will keep the girls pure, "sexually chaste," and loyal to their husbands. The Population Reference Bureau is releasing the first data on female circumcision for the U.S. in a decade to bring more attention to the United Nations International Day of Zero Tolerance - taking place today, and meant to educate and draw awareness to the dangers of Female Genital Mutilation. The PRB counts nearly 513,000 women living with FGM in the United States today. The catch? Female Genital Mutilation is not occurring among what we may refer to as U.S native women. Instead, African immigrants from Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt are participating in the procedure. Some are shipping their daughters back over to their homelands, where doctors or midwives are performing the procedures, and operation known as "vacation cutting." In other situations, the families are having the doctors and midwives sent here. Preventative measures are being taken, the first with the illegality of FGM in the U.S since 1996, but it wasn't until 2012, when Democratic Representative Joe Crowley aided in making an amendment, to shut down the loophole of "vacation cutting."
Female Genital Mutilation needs to be addressed on an international level. The women who are forced to experience this procedure face a life of complications. After this procedure, urination and menstruation often occur from the same orifice, making both very painful and often causing multiple infections. Childbirth for these women is often life threatening for both the woman and child, often causing hemorrhaging for the woman, and a birth canal much to small for the child to pass through. In the United States, these issues can be addressed because of our advanced medical technology. Contrarily, in the countries where FGM is most prevalent, these complications may often result in death for both mother and child, because the technology isn't available to serve them with proper treatment. The eradication of this procedure will be hard to come by, considering it is valued in these communities, for the women to be "pure" and "sexually chaste," asking people to change their beliefs will not be easy. I believe this approach will have to be taken as the article said, and work on the people's conviction's in the communities. It's all about educating them, and teaching them that this procedure is harmful; it doesn't reap the benefits that they so strongly think it does.
Megan Wrench
2:21
2/6/2015
Female Genital Mutilation needs to be addressed on an international level. The women who are forced to experience this procedure face a life of complications. After this procedure, urination and menstruation often occur from the same orifice, making both very painful and often causing multiple infections. Childbirth for these women is often life threatening for both the woman and child, often causing hemorrhaging for the woman, and a birth canal much to small for the child to pass through. In the United States, these issues can be addressed because of our advanced medical technology. Contrarily, in the countries where FGM is most prevalent, these complications may often result in death for both mother and child, because the technology isn't available to serve them with proper treatment. The eradication of this procedure will be hard to come by, considering it is valued in these communities, for the women to be "pure" and "sexually chaste," asking people to change their beliefs will not be easy. I believe this approach will have to be taken as the article said, and work on the people's conviction's in the communities. It's all about educating them, and teaching them that this procedure is harmful; it doesn't reap the benefits that they so strongly think it does.
Megan Wrench
2:21
2/6/2015
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
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