Male Counseling to Address Violence against Women

Violence against women (VAW) is one of the most pressing issues in Indonesia. A 2016 national survey on women’s life experience found that one in three women in Indonesia became a victim of physical or sexual abuse (UNFPA, 2017). In 2019, The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) documented 431,471 reported cases of violence against women, most of which were sexual abuse in personal and community spheres (Komnas Perempuan, 2020). Both government and non-governmental organizations have made several efforts to address this problem, including preventive and curative interventions. While most preventive interventions had involved men as one of the primary beneficiaries, very few curative interventions had been directed to assist men.

Rifka Annisa is one of the very few organizations that carry out curative interventions for both victims and perpetrators of violence. Rifka Annisa is a women’s crisis center located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Each year, it handles more than 300 cases of violence against women, primarily dominated by domestic violence and sexual abuse. Initially, it only provides psychological and legal assistance for survivors as well as a safe shelter for survivors in a threatening situation. In 2004, Rifka Annisa expanded its counseling service to assist male perpetrators to change their abusive behaviors. 

Source: http://rifka-annisa.org

The male counseling program is part of Rifka Annisa’s strategies to address violence against women. It draws from Rifka Annisa’s experiences in dealing with hundreds of domestic violence survivors who refused to leave their abusive husband. Instead of applying for a divorce, most victims chose to keep their marriage due to different reasons such as economic dependence.  As a result, the cycle of violence continued because the abusive husbands did not receive any intervention to change their offensive behaviors. Such a situation inspired Rifka Annisa to develop a program that can help families overcoming problems and eliminating abusive behaviors in their households. 

The male counseling approach is relatively different from the females. It seeks to transform toxic masculinities’ beliefs and values into positive ones and help them learn anger management, interpersonal communication skills, and conflict resolution. A male counselor is assigned to each male client to make them more comfortable during the counseling process. The counselors help the clients reflect on their experiences of being men and discuss how it shapes their perspective and behaviors. Aditya Kurniawan, one of the male counselors, explained some of his clients’ characteristics. It includes having low self-esteem, feeling not-respected as the head of the household, and having traumatic experiences (Rifka Annisa, 2020). Although most men often hesitated to share their personal stories, some of them who did could adopt positive masculinities such as being more respectful and supportive partners.

In a lack of male involvement in gender and development initiatives, Rifka Annisa’s male counseling program can provide insights into how we can engage men in addressing gender-related issues such as violence against women. As Carmen et al. (2017) and Agarwal and Panda (2007) suggested, gender norms grounded in hegemonic masculinities are one of the main factors that perpetuate gender inequities. Assisting men to overturn their negative masculinities may help to dismantle unequal gender norms. Therefore, we should stop seeing men as the problem and start seeing them as part of the solution. It is time to dismiss the women-only approach and start involving men in gender and development works, particularly in violence against women interventions. 

References

Agarwal, B., & Panda, P. (2007). Toward freedom from domestic violence: The neglected obvious. Journal of Human Development, 8(3), 359–388. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649880701462171

Logie, C. H., Daniel, C., Ahmed, U., & Lash, R. (2017). ‘Life under the tent is not safe, especially for young women’: Understanding intersectional violence among internally displaced youth in Leogane, Haiti. Global Health Action, 10(sup2), 1270816. https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2017.1270816

Komnas Perempuan. (2020). Catatan kekerasan terhadap perempuan tahun 2019 [PDF File]. Retrieved from https://www.komnasperempuan.go.id/file/pdf_file/2020/Catatan%20Tahunan%20Kekerasan%20Terhadap%20Perempuan%202020.pdf

Rifka Annisa. (2020). Konseling Bagi Pelaku Kekerasan; Jalan Lain Mengentaskan Kekerasan Berbasis Gender. https://rifka-annisa.org/en/news/blog/item/727-konseling-bagi-pelaku-kekerasan-jalan-lain-mengentaskan-kekerasan-berbasis-gender

UNFPA. (2017). 2016 national women’s life experience survey (2016 SPHPN): Study on violence against women and girls [PDF File]. Retrieved from https://indonesia.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/2016_SPHPN_%28VAW_Survey%29_Key_Findings1_0.pdf

Please Help, My Family is Violating Me!

     Gender violence is a phenomenon in the Arab countries. The cases of violating females are increasing dramatically (Bateman, 2019). This violence is not associated with a specific religion, background, or class; it applies to everyone. Chelala (2019) said that 37% of women in these countries face domestic violence. Palestine faces violence from the Israeli occupation, and females are facing double the violence from males. Palestine has a high level of violence toward women (Bateman, 2019). According to the UN report, between 2014-2015, 200,000 women faced domestic violence in Palestine and Israel (Occupied Palestine).

    Unfortunately, there are no laws to protect these women, mainly in Palestine (Chelala, 2019). Moreover, if a female reported violence from her family, the police would not do anything in most of the cases. She will be advised to talk with relatives instead. Additionally, some of the females will be ashamed to discuss their domestic violence in public (Chelala, 2019).

    Honor killing is very common in the Arab countries and Palestine. Whenever a family or relative kills a female, they refer it to honor killing so they will not be in jail for too long if they are going to jail (GoPalestine, 2018). UN estimates that 5000 women are killed by their family members each year. Honor is an indefinite and vague manner. Some say that honor is critical in shaping gender identity, as honor was used to contain the social status of a person within the community (GoPalestine, 2018). The term “Ird” in Arabic is associated with a woman’s honor (GoPalestine, 2018). The person’s omission to remain by moral ethics will decrease his dignity. This crash will spread to his/her social status in society as well. The moral action of a lady will not alter her status in society, while her misbehavior will surely diminish her image in her society members’ eyes. Therefore, and considering that the action of a woman will threaten the honor and the social status of the entire family, it may generate a violent response, which might end her life (GoPalestine, 2018).

    Among the many cases of women that are killed under honor killing, I will briefly explain one of them. Israa Ghrayeb was a 21-year old, she is not only from Palestine, but she is also from my hometown Beit-Sahour (Bateman, 2019). She was a very successful person, studying at the university English literature, and a famous make-up artist (Bateman, 2019). Ghrayeb died on August 22, 2019 (Bateman, 2019). It was a huge shock for all the people, particularly her friends, who were not convinced that she passed away naturally. Her friends started publishing videos and conversations for Israa and claiming that her family killed her for honor killing (Bateman, 2019). The reason is that she went out with a man; who wanted to propose; to a public place (Bateman, 2019). Her family denied everything, but after forensic results, it was presented that she had beaten every day using a belt by her brothers, and brother in law (Bateman, 2019). Palestinian Attorney-General confirmed that Israa was a victim of violence and that she faced physical and mental pressure from her family (Bateman, 2019). Israa's relatives are in jail now, but only under investigation, as there is no physical evidence for their crimes. Moreover, her father waived her rights in court. It is unproved if Ghrayeeb passed away or murdered, but she did a significant improvement in women’s rights in Palestine (Bateman, 2019). After her death, many women started to protest and asking for new and updated laws (Bateman, 2019). They demanded laws to protect women from violence, then activists from all over the Middle East went out to support Palestinian women (Bateman, 2019). The video below will help readers to understand:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ohRz-v-ut8

    The provided example and the topic of honor killing match well with this week's readings about GBV. Agarwal and Panda (2007) addressed the violence from the family; they argued that to escape the violence, females need to be economically capable or own a house or land, but how to achieve this in the Palestinian case? If there are unemployment, occupation, corrupt government, etc. I know a woman who had a big amount of money as an inheritance from her family, her husband took the money and spent it all, and he is beating her. As Logie et al. (2017) argued, gender norms and masculinity are reasons for this violence, and part of the solution is to provide social support and opportunities for education and employment.

References:

Agarwal, B., & Panda, P. (2007). Toward Freedom from Domestic Violence: The Neglected Obvious. Journal of Human Development, 8(3), 359–388. https://doi-org.proxy.library.ohio.edu/http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/cjhd20

Bateman, T. (2019). Israa Ghrayeb: Palestinian woman's death prompts soul-searching. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-49688920  

Carmen H. L., CarolAnn D., Uzma A., & Rebecca L. (2017). ‘Life under the tent is not safe, especially for young women’: understanding intersectional violence among internally displaced youth in Leogane, Haiti. Global Health Action, 10(0). https://doi-org.proxy.library.ohio.edu/10.1080/16549716.2017.1270816

Chelala, C. (2019). Domestic Violence in the Middle East. Retrieved from https://www.theglobalist.com/middle-east-domestic-violence-gender-equality/

GoPalestine. (2019). Honor Killing in Palestine: The PALESTINIAN Center. Retrieved from https://gopalestine.org/honor-killing-in-palestine/

 

 

 

Inclusion and the HeForShe Initiative

The idea of inclusion that Bilgi’s piece reminded me of the HeForShe initiative of the United Nations. A solidarity movement for the development of gender equality. The aim of the program is to include men as partners to foster gender equality. Men speak out against negative stereotypes with the belief that gender inequality affects people socially, economically, and politically. The program strives for men to serve as collaborators and not to dominate the movement in the pursuit for gender equality for their sister’s daughters and mothers.

Since the movement started in 2014 by UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon with UN Global Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson, who hopes to raise awareness for gender equality in the arts. There has been 2.1 million men and women who have taken the pledge for the HeForShe initiative.

In January 2015 UN Women, which is defined as the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women introduced a HeForShe initiative of Impact 10x10x10, to further gender equality and women’s empowerment at the 2015 World Economic forum in Davos. The initiative advocated for 10 world leaders,10 CEO’s and,10 university presidents to confront gender issues within their environments. Some of the NGO’s and companies that support the HeForShe movement are Price Waterhouse Coppers, the World Bank, Mckinsey & Company. Also, former President, Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven of Sweden, Paul Polman CEO of Unilever, Justin Trudeau Prime Minister of Canada, and Bruce Cleaver, CEO of De Beers Group. 

The HeForShe movement clearly has a strong following the only criticism I found was that the name of the movement excludes non-binary individuals. Although, the movement has been recognized for representing LGBT issues.

Some of the goals or programs HeForShe is involved in are ending child marriage in Malawi, redefining masculinity in Jordan, confronting gender stereotypes in Iceland. A bicycle rally in  Pune, India that challenges society to balance genders, and talks in Cameroon for school children to make public promises to respect their future wives.

The HeForShe movement for the most part is motivational because it takes on many goals to end gender inequality. One of the speakers for the arts in the movement indicated in his speech, which I found interesting, the issue of, ‘crisis of masculinity’ as Chant and Gutmann mention. Men are trapped in these gender normative roles in which they are unable to express their emotions for not being the sole provider. A macho normative culture where it is not the norm for them to show their feelings, their failures. The shame men keep hidden inside manifest into other negative outlets or behaviors, such as anger and fear. Throughout the talk a question resonates, ‘What does it mean to be human?’ It is to realize that we all feel, and acknowledging these feelings is the practice of gender equality. The HeForShe promotes for all genders to be liberated because men and women share the same struggles and goals in the journey of life. They are interdependent and therefore the collaborative approach of men in development can only lead closer to gender equality.

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_V3cP7_YM20

https://www.heforshe.org/en/movement

https://www.heforshe.org/en/wheels-change

https://www.heforshe.org/en/promise-healthy-tomorrow

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeForShe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZptgM-jhZo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnI8iNYWJjA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Wm4U7kzKD4&t=62s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je2q8ZNfWnE

 

TEARS IN MY EYES

This post is by Fatou!  She is having trouble accessing the blog.

I grew up in the neighborhood where hard work was next to every woman’s name. As a child, I saw my foster mom wake up at 4.30,5am latest, when she was late. Immediately, she would light the stove, and, in most cases, we had to use firewood for cooking. My sister and I would rush to sweep or to fetch water in a jerrican, trekking more than 300 meters. I had always preferred sweeping the compound despite the size combined with continuous bending, to demonstrate my seriousness and dedication to work. I remember hiding the brooms from my sister so that I would not fetch water from such a long distance, if you are lucky, without the endless queue. Oh, how we cried on our way to school after doing so much work at home, without tasting even a pinch of bread from the breakfast prepared for all because it was not ready in time. Oh, my x’aleel ya, was a tough one!  Do you want to know about our foster mom? Washing clothes took her about nine hours every seven days. Oh, do you doubt me? Ask me what I used to do during weekends.  

At 12 years of age, I already knew how to sew clothes. I learned it from the old pedaling sewing machine which was almost my age at the time. The children in our neighborhood would compete for who came first or who brought me fruits from their backyards to mend their torn school uniforms or dresses. It was even worse during Eid and Christmas because I had to help my foster mom to take care of some sewing that would not generate any income. When she was tired, she would wake me up in the middle of the night to complete some darap(bedsheets) because that was her expertise. She was a seamstress! Despite these years of hard work, our foster mom died from protracted illness. We could not afford to pay for her medication or provide her with adequate medical services.   

How about Aisha, my cousin in the village who at 10 was already an expert in her own right in farming. She was not fortunate like sister Mariam and I; we had the opportunity to go to school. When she lost her mom around the age of 12 or 13, Uncle Sulayman said, his friend’s brother in the neighboring village wanted to marry her. After three years, one fateful morning during Harmattan, we heard our aunt screaming, Allahu Akbar uuuuu. Shocked neighbors rushed to our door. In tears, our aunt managed to utter, “Ais, Aisha, Aisha is dead during her second childbirth a week ago.” Later we realized that the man who asked for our house that early morning must have told her such a piece of sad news.  

We all struggle every day but differently, trying to add value to what we do. Some of the things we do are considered as our traditional responsibilities as women and girls. We are expected to do house chores every day and it is even worse when you are a young girl. You cannot say no to your seniors. In a worst-case scenario, three elders could send you on an errand within the same timeframe: “Bring me a cup of water.” “Bring along the stool.” “Don’t forget to check if the baby is still sleeping.” Despite all the endless labor, you don’t have the agency to demand financial compensation. 

For centuries in Africa, housework and childcare have been performed by women. With all these forms of labor, domestic work is erroneously seen as having less value. Women’s work either homebased work, or as is the case in my neighborhood, factory work, whether in formal or informal sectors, have always been characterized by inequalities. The notion that women have unlimited resources of time and energy has always exacerbated exploitation and diverse inequalities. This question of women’s paid work or unpaid labor has attracted a considerable number of debates around women’s work. Chant (2007) notes that about 70 percent of the global poor are female, arguing that the generalization of women’s poverty is problematic due to inadequate data to determine poor women’s statistics,  which category, and how they become or remain poor. Additionally, the dualistic comparisons between female heads of households and male heads of households to assess poverty is also a problem. 

To McKinnon et al. (2016), unpaid labor can reinforce inequality and deter change. To that effect, attributed the continuous failure of women’s unpaid labor to different factors. These include the seeming persistence of the status quo, combined with the notion that combining childcare and paid labor is in the middle-class' best interest. Hence, insignificant for poverty alleviation strategies and the promotion of human rights. This unpacks how inaccurate it is to again erase the significance of balancing work and childcare for lower income. Thus, it is an illustration that the conversation around inequality is multifaceted. In that regard, Pearson (2007) argues, despite that poor women need money, mere increases in wages would not affect women’s status whether they are less poor or more powerful. What this means is that there is considerable need for collaborative actions in order to bridge such gaps to address the plight of women, including women in my neighborhood.  My neighbors' plight is caught in a vicious cycle: their situation has not changed much; the women are still doing their daily routine by waking up at 4 am while girls not only running on an errand but looking for help.

Do you think states and international agencies are considering the unpaid domestic labor of women especially, in Sub Saharan Africa? 

Chant, Sylvia. 2007. “Dangerous Equations? How Female-Headed Households Became the 

Poorest of the Poor: Causes, Consequences, and Cautions.” Pp. 35-47 in in Feminisms in Development: Contradictions, Contestations, and Challenges edited by Andrea Cornwall, Elizabeth Harrison, and Ann Whitehead. New York: Zed Books.

McKinnon, Katharine et al. 2016. "Gender equality and economic empowerment in the Solomon Islands 

and Fiji: a place-based approach." Gender, Place and Culture 23, no. 10: 1376-1391.

Pearson, Ruth. 2007. “Reassessing Paid Work and Women’s Empowerment: Lessons from the 

Global Economy.” Pp. 201-213 in Feminisms in Development: Contradictions, Contestations, and Challenges edited by Andrea Cornwall, Elizabeth Harrison, and Ann Whitehead. New York: Zed Books.

Period Poverty: Tale of the Nigerian Girl

 

Period poverty is a situation whereby an individual cannot afford sanitary products such as pads and tampons during mensuration. In Nigeria, young girls faced with economic hardship miss school because they could not access mensural care, safe sanitation, and hygiene facilities. When access to sanitation facilities is limited, women are at a much greater risk of contracting illnesses and infections than men ((Trauger & Fluri, 2019). This issue causes the exclusion of girls and women from several opportunities including education. From my experience, I have witnessed instances where girls had to improvise with toilet rolls, old pieces of clothes, and napkins in place of the sanitary pad during their period. Despite that, we have seen girls who could not actively participate in school when they use either toilet rolls or napkins because of the fear of staining their uniforms. These alternatives might seem effective for a while but they are not safe and hygienic because it can increase the vulnerability of these women and girls to several forms of infection.

According to a study conducted by UNICEF, one out of 10 girls in Africa miss school because of their periods. This study reveals that most Nigerian high school girls encounter several challenges because of their inability to manage their menstruation. Hence, they are forced to either missing class or drop out of school. For instance, a pack of a sanitary pad in Nigeria costs about a dollar yet most people cannot afford it because they earn below a dollar daily. This shows the economic condition that prevents most women and girls across the country from accessing sanitary products. Period poverty has not been effectively explored in Nigeria neither has the government supported programs related to it because it is perceived as a topic not appropriate for public discussion. International agencies like UNICEF, individuals, and NGOs have intervened in several ways to reach out to women and girls most especially in the rural areas to render solutions.

UNICEF established the Menstrual Health Management (MHM) program to educate women and young girls on how to use menstrual materials and make provisions for disposing of the menstrual material. Also, some NGOs provide mensural hygiene education and distribute reusable pads for women and girls that cannot afford to buy every month. Individuals that have had the first-hand experience with high school students that could not afford sanitary pads have voluntarily distributed disposable sanitary products in schools every month to keep the girl child in school. There is a little these organizations and agencies can do because the bulk of the work still lies on the government to take on the obligation of making sanitary pads accessible. If free condoms can be easily accessible in public places then free pads can also be accessible. Period poverty must receive more attention to provide initiatives and participation from the government and secure the health of women and girls in the country. The videos attached show the intervention of the Sanitary Aid Initiative in Nigeria and UNICEF in providing reusable pads and educating women/girls about mensural hygiene.

Sanitary Aid Initiative in Nigeria

UNICEF

Reference:

Trauger, A., & Fluri, J. L. (2019). Engendering development: capitalism and inequality in the global economy. Routledge.

https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/stories/malumfashi-community-sustaining-menstrual-hygiene-management-through-peer-peer-mentorship

'I’m Not Lazy After Childbirth’; My Body Needs to Rejuvenate.

For many people, raising a family is one of their top-most priorities. In many cases, it takes two people – a man and woman to raise a family, yet women are most vulnerable in the process. They are sometimes granted maternity leave without pay and in extreme cases, risk losing their jobs after getting pregnant or giving birth.  Pregnant and nursing mothers require special attention, but it seems that is only gotten at home and not from employers as it is supposed to be.

Many people have mistaken the stay-home period of some new mothers for laziness, but this is not the case. Imagine a 4.5 kg baby being pulled out of a body that has been carrying this same baby for nine months. You do not want to imagine the hormonal changes, the stress, and even the fears associated with the whole process. It is only understandable that women are given some time off work to rest while taking care of their newly delivered babies. This period is normally referred to as maternal leave.

Maternal leave is “a period of absence from work granted to a mother before and after childbirth.” This is different from the annual leave enjoyed by all employees. Maternal leave is to enable the new mum some time to ‘heal’ before resuming work.  This leave is widely understood to be central in retaining women in the workforce, as well as avoiding the problems of a declining population (Trauger, 2019). While some are lucky to enjoy maternity leave with pay, unfortunately, other mothers must forfeit their salaries during their maternity leave.

According to F. J. Dy-Hammar, Chief, ILO Conditions of Work Branch, "in all parts of the world, working women who become pregnant are faced with the threat of job loss, suspended earnings, and increased health risks due to inadequate safeguards for their employment." This is a worrying situation as Psychologists have established that maternal leave with pay prevents depression and influences the well-being of both mother and the new baby.

Maternity leave varies from country to country and even differs depending on one’s place of work. The leave days usually range between 12 weeks to a year and a half. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the countries that offer the most paid maternity leave by law include Czech Republic – 28 weeks; Hungary – 24 weeks; Italy – 5 months; Canada – 17 weeks; Spain and Romania – 16 weeks each. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden offer broad paid leave which may be taken by either parent, although a greater percentage is reserved for the mother. Why is it difficult for other nations to implement a similar thing for pregnant and nursing mothers?

In many societies around the world, cultures are changing, and women are also taking care of the family just like men do. We are not oblivious of the fact that financially stable women make a happy home. Hence, in current times where both men and women strive to cater for their families, maternity leave with pay must be part of employers’ policies.  This is where I agree with Moser’s article about third world policy to women in development, where equity was an approach to help women in development by reforming some policies that do not favor women.

For these reasons, laws must be enacted at country levels to pay attention to the needs of pregnant and nursing mothers and protect them from losing their jobs or being granted maternity leave without pay. If not for anything at all, let’s not forget that they didn’t sign up to be women in the first place. They as well did not subscribe to be the carriers of unborn children. Nature made it that way and the only thing we can do to support is to make the journey to recovery a less stressful one. Maternity leave with pay should not be a privilege, but a right!

 

Reference 

International Labor Organization. (1998). More than 120 Nations Provide Paid Maternity Leave. https://www.ilo.org/global/abouttheilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_008009/lang--en/index.htm. [Accessed 10^th October 2020].

Mawuena, O. (2019). Maternity Leave in Ghana. Retrieved from https://thebestofafrica.org/content/maternity-leave-in-ghana-6monthsmaternityleave. [Accessed 10^th October 2020].

Trauger, A., & Fluri, J. L. (2019). Engendering development: capitalism and inequality in the global economy. Routledge.

Women's situation in pre and postconflict societies

Women pay a high price in post-conflict societies.  They face a high level of mental and physical violence. War forces women to move from valuable economic roles and segregates them from the social sphere. To understand women's situation in conflict- and post-conflict societies, UN Security Council Resolution or UNSCR 1325 was adopted in October 2000, pushing parties to include women and consider gender perspective when conflicts occur. This resolution aims to recognize the additional suffering of women and girls in violent contexts, armed conflicts, and post-conflict situations with an emphasis on the essential role of women in the prevention and resolution of disputes, peace talks, peace negotiation, peace keeping, humanitarian response, and in post-conflict reconstruction.This resolution interlinking with SDG 5 (equality and empowerment of all women and girls) and SDG 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions). Women are excluded not only from decisions and overt structural discrimination in pre-conflict situations during conflicts, they are also subjected to additional burdens of being economically vulnerable and socially excluded. Due to these extra burdens, women often endure more harm from conflicts than men. Women suffer from pre-conflict legacies of inadequate investment in the gender-equal economic and social development of education, health, food security, water, property, employment, and land rights. Therefore, according to UN women, to protect women in and after the conflict, the international agencies and other organizations must design "gender-responsive financing planning and budgeting programs." Hence, in 2010, the UNSC committee dedicated 15 percent of UN funds to support women's empowerment in conflict zones and advance gender equality. Although it is recognized that the investment in women's economic empowerment has not received sufficient attention in post-conflict contexts and that when speaking of the budget dedicated to this aim, less than 5 percent of proposed funding targets gender equality or women's specific needs. Furthermore, It is important to note that women are often marginalized from professional opportunities in favor of men, which results in unfair redistribution of resources once conflicts subside. Following the cessation of violent conflicts, men who returned from war and demobilized soldiers often take upon these opportunities that women had previously developed. (Perianes, 2018)

 

 

 

In 2012, in partnership with UN Women, the Finnish government launched the "Women's Economic Recovery program" to teach women skills so they can one day establish their businesses and participate in the location decision-making.

 

Documentary link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJjKfX_c-3c&feature=emb_logo

 

 

 

Ana Perianes. ( November, 2018). The significance of women’s economic empowerment post-conflict. https://impakter.com/significance-womens-economic-empowerment-post-conf

Dove campaigns and projects, who is the biggest winner?

    This week's discussion on Galvanising girls for development brought to mind a series of Dove (Unilever) advertisements from years ago that I found interesting. I really thought that these two; Dove's Mother's Day:  https://youtu.be/Q-7ShlPfWBg and Dove Project #Show us: https://youtu.be/GOZSc7FuRgo  were the most interesting for they showed how Dove really cared for its consumers and thought about their well-being, and did not just see them as consumers of their products. How noble of Dove and Unilever!

    On the surface, the consumers are at the centre of everything and Dove not only cares for their feelings but their self-image and perception as well as others' perception of them. Dove is taking the lead of subverting hegemonic standards of beauty that are harmful and continuously exclusionary. Their targets, the young girls, women, and people in minority groups, who are the most left out by the ridiculous standards of beauty that are both extremely unattainable and exclusionary, are empowered by the projects in the advertisements. These groups are being encouraged to take the lead in defining their own beauty standards, and so are the target audiences of these advertisements. 

    On the surface level, these groups of people are given visibility, positive airtime, and a sense of purpose that most people crave for. Isn't that what a perfect world should be like? A place where there is beauty in diversity and where each voice is included?

    Looked at shallowly, all these sounds liberating. Too good to be true. However, is that the case? What is the catch for Dove? As part of a huge multinational company, why would Unilever support such projects? Is it out of the goodness of their hearts or is there a big picture? Again, who benefits the most?

    Maya Angelou once said that people would forget what you said, what you did, but they would never forget how you made them feel. Seemingly, companies like Dove are putting this quote to good use by incorporating memorability into their marketing. As research from the Independent University of Dhaka reinforces, companies are increasingly using marketing strategies that stay longer in people's memories, and how do they do this? they create catchy advertisements that are easy to remember and have several emotional components. These, do not just get them new followers, it helps them change people's perceptions and attitudes towards their brands while strengthening brand loyalties.

    On a deeper level, as Chant (2016) posits, it is Multinational Companies(MNC) like Unilever that benefit the most from these projects and initiatives, in the form of smart economies. As big businesses, they engage in projects that explore any existing gaps to expand their markets. In the Dove project # Showus for instance, the targets are the members of the LGBTQ community, differently-abled people and people of colour. By highlighting the struggles and the vulnerabilities of these groups, the company is investing, expanding, and diversifying its market base. Dove is also attracting donors and organizations that are interested in self- image and social change which is also good for publicity and business. They are additionally strenghtening their brand and making it dominant in the market, obviously increasing their profits. Furthermore, by engaging with consumers firsthand, Dove is able to get immediate feedback regarding their products and services while engaging in market research for new products.

To conclude, I cannot agree more with both Traugler (2019) and Chant (2016) who endorse that the involvement of MNCs in campaigns and projects such as these is problematic because, in addition to many other things, it shifts the focus away from the fact that these MNCs are part of the problem to making them part of the solution. Additionally, just like with the girls in smart economics, the solutions to large structural problems are delegated to groups who can do very little to change or solve them. In the end, it is Dove and Unilever who are the best winners.

References.

https://www.abacademies.org/articles/a-study-on-the-influences-of-advertisement-on-consumer-buying-behavior-7177.html

Chant, S. (2016). Galvanizing girls for development? Critiquing the shift from ‘smart’to ‘smarter economics’. Progress in Development Studies, 16(4), 314-328.

Dove's Mother's Day:  https://youtu.be/Q-7ShlPfWBg

Dove Project #Show us: https://youtu.be/GOZSc7FuRgo 

Trauger, A., & Fluri, J. L. (2019). Engendering development: capitalism and inequality in the global economy. Routledge.

 

    

    

    

Human Transport: The ‘Kayayei’ Story!

 

‘Kayayei’ is one of the few menial jobs done by most women and girls who have migrated from the highly impoverished parts of Northern Ghana to the South in search of Greener pastures. Their work involves carrying loads of goods in the marketplaces for few Ghana cedis which is not even equivalent to the kind of work they do. This is to say that there is no wage solidarity. Many of these women have fled to the South as a result of climatic changes, abuse, gender, cultural and patriarchal norms, among others that characterize their respective communities. They move to the South for a better life. However, life becomes more difficult as they are met with harsh conditions. With no roof over their heads, many of them sleep on the streets and consequently end up being raped by men and suffer from different forms of abuse. Teenage pregnancy is very high as the majority of the people are within their teenage.  Infant mortality is also at the peak due to their poor living conditions as well as nutritional needs. Their health and labor are exploited.

Several interventions have been put in place by various governments as well as other non-profit organizations to help improve upon their livelihoods but all of them have proved futile. Humanitarian needs such as the provision of food, sleeping mats, accommodation, head pans, family planning strategies, and other necessities most often are provided by the government and through the benevolence of others, yet their conditions remain the same. For instance, last year witnessed many celebrities sharing food to ‘Kayayei’ people as part of their humanitarian interventions. One of these people is a feminist, an author, and an award-winning media personality, Oheneyere Gifty Anti. Through the help of some donor agencies and other individuals, she provided hot meals to about 1000 ‘Kayayei’ people on the streets of Accra. This act was widely publicized on the various media outlets as a way of appreciating the efforts of the philanthropist. It is important to establish that, even though this act of kindness to a certain extent satisfies a need, it does not challenge the socioeconomic class backgrounds that these women found themselves in. It could also be described as an act of tokenism and false generosity. The kind of intervention given does not take them away from the conditions they face rather it reinforces their position and situates them in the space of perpetual dependence. The act only pushes the celebrity to the limelight. Just as stated in the readings for this week, such intervention commodifies the celebrity and leads to what is considered celebrity self-branding (Trauger & Fluri, 2019). It also exemplifies what is termed as “star/poverty space. Every year we see the number of ‘Kayayei’ increase, as well as but not much is done to stop the trend. This is because the interventions fail to acknowledge the various interlocking social markers such as climatic conditions, patriarchal norms, gender, and class, among others that have pushed these women and girls into their current situations. They failed to look at the socio-cultural as well as the historical backgrounds of these women and importantly, do not include their voices in the intervention projects. Worthy to note, ignoring such an intersectional approach obscures the different oppressions these women face, reinforces inequality, and prevents us from accessing a better approach to improving their lives (Trauger & Fluri, 2019).

The videos attached tells the story of the various forms of struggles that a ‘Kayayei’ goes through in her daily struggle.

 

The 'Kaya' Struggle

Reference:

Trauger, A., & Fluri, J. L. (2019). Engendering development: capitalism and inequality in the global economy. Routledge.

 

The Hypocrisy of Development!

 

This week’s reading on the various chapters of the book Engendering Development brought a lot of things into perspective for me. In the various sections read, we see how development and humanitarianism entrenches the already existing gap between the global north and the global south and consequently widening the inequalities that exist. Evidently, this occurs because of the form development takes which is being rooted in imperialist, colonialist and capitalist orientations. Development in this sense is about economic growth, industrialization, and free trade among others. As established in the book this form of development is a form of neocolonialism designed to enroll governments, natural resources and labor into the circuits of capital so that the very wealthy may continue to benefit from accumulation by dispossession (Trauger & Fluri, 2019). It is also coupled with poverty and inequality.

Essential to this form of development which I want to emphasize is the giving of micro-finance and micro-credit which comes in the form of small loans to people, mostly to women in deprived communities in an effort to provide them access to credit and by extension improving their lives and livelihood. Using Ghana as an example, the past decade has witnessed a massive growth in the establishment of micro-credit firms and microfinance in almost all the 16 regions in the country. Mostly, this credit is to support existing small-scale businesses. It is important to establish that even though these credits given are for a good course, majority of them come with conditionalities, high interest rates and short time schedules for payments.  Most people are not able to satisfy these conditions, and this results in them facing harsh treatments from lenders. Many people have fled their homes, and some have committed suicide because of their inability to defray their debts. Another strategy used by microfinance/credit agencies is also about savings. They encourage people to save with their agencies with the aim of gaining loans to expand their businesses in future. In Ghana, this is known as “Susu” and there are lot of people both men and women who are engaged in this venture. Most often, the loosing side in this venture is the many poor who have given up their resources with the hope for the future. A lot of microfinance/credit institutions have eloped with the monies of their clients in the name of investment while others have for a very long time now refused to give their customers their what is rightfully due them. Thus, the monies of the impoverished many become concentrated in the hands of wealthy few and the consequences of this is grave inequalities and poverty. Many people in Ghana today protest the streets of Ghana charging the government to come to their aid.  The very intervention that was meant to improve their lives have rendered them impoverished; many with their businesses collapsed and others in huge financial debts. Evidently, microfinance/credits work within capitalist frameworks while attending to or assisting poor individuals by providing access to credit and fair wages.

Customers of some microfinance companies in Ghana protest the streets of Accra over their locked up money.

 

Will COVID kill globalization? 

The process is just starting, and although the flow of information is largely free outside of China, movements of people, goods, and capital are not. Consider people first. The Trump administration is opposing legal immigration further, arguing that jobs should go to citizens rather than foreigners. Other countries will likely do the same. Travel is restricted, limiting the opportunity to tour factories, inspect production, and request orders. About 90% of people live in countries with closed borders. Many governments will open up only to countries with similar health protocols: one such "travel bubble" includes Australia and New Zealand, along with Taiwan and Singapore. The airline industry is signaling that the disruption of travel will last for some years. Airbus has reduced its production by a third and Emirates, which symbolizes globalization, anticipates no complete recovery until 2022. ( The Economist, Para. 5 )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJhlo6DtJIk

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/05/14/has-covid-19-killed-globalisation