Safety First For Girls (SAFIGI)

Equality Culture in Hong Kong

2019-10-16T21:19:00.001+07:00

Podcast 10 by Ruby Lai Yuet Tung via UN Online Volunteers Service

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM HONG KONG

The culture we discussed was from Hong Kong. We focused on the traditional values towards female in terms of their gender role, e.g. family first, male more important than female and also how did the introduction of Western culture help to shape the public policies which promote gender equality.

LISTEN IN: Positive Aspects of Gender Equal Culture in Hong Kong

LISTEN IN: Negtive Aspects of Gender Equal Culture in Hong Kong

ABOUT EQUALITY CULTURE

Equality Culture is a podcast by SAFIGI Outreach Foundation (Safety First for Girls). The discussions on the intersection between Culture and Gender Equality build on SAFIGIs goal for SDG 5 - gender equality and equity, and SDG 11- safer cities. Safety of girls begins with a safe space to talk about what is working in our culture and what needs to be improved.

Culture and various traditions play an integral part of a people who share common everyday experiences. It is a unifying factor which gives each group an identity and sense of belonging detailing the rich history of where people originated from. Many fight and die to preserve their culture and traditions. With globalization, environmental changes and development consistently spreading globally, it has become apparent that some traditional practices promote equal thriving of human beings while others pose a threat to equality and the upholding of human rights.

The #EqualityCulture discussions from across the globe will challenge us to think critically about equality from views of different cultures, thereby creating a first step to a more equal and safer world while embracing our unique values.

This project also aims at bringing volunteers from across the globe to experience a cultural exchange and identify positive traditions as well as speak with one voice supporting the empowerment of females regardless of where you live or what you look like.

Equality Culture in India

2019-09-16T12:20:00.002+07:00

Podcast 9 by Meera Tenguria via UN Online Volunteers Service

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM INDIA

Within the context of India, we discussed menstruation, empowerment and education.

LISTEN IN: Positive Aspects of Gender Equal Culture in India

LISTEN IN: Negative Aspects of Gender Equal Culture in India (on Menstruation)

ABOUT EQUALITY CULTURE

Equality Culture in Singapore

2019-08-28T17:39:00.001+07:00

Podcast 8 by Devi Shree Malarvanan via UN Online Volunteers Service

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM SINGAPORE

Within the context of Singapore, we discussed education, workforce, how gender affects the concept of belonging in different societal spheres and gender identity.

LISTEN IN: Positive Aspects of Gender Equal Culture in Singapore

LISTEN IN: Negative Aspects of Gender Equal Culture in Singapore

ABOUT EQUALITY CULTURE

Equality Culture in China

2019-08-16T16:36:00.000+07:00

Podcast 7 by Muqing Li via UN Online Volunteers Service

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM CHINA

Chinese culture is discussed. We focused on the Chinese New Year custom (negative) and the changing family structure in cities (positive).

LISTEN IN: Positive Aspects of Gender Equality Culture in China

LISTEN IN: Negative Aspects of Gender Equality Culture in China

ABOUT EQUALITY CULTURE

Equality Culture in Nigeria

2019-07-26T06:17:00.000+07:00

Podcast 6 by Damaris Akhigbe via UN Online Volunteers Service

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM NIGERIA

The culture discussed was from Nigeria and focused on issues like female circumcision, prostitution and the plight of young widows in the country.

LISTEN IN: Positive Aspects of Equality Culture

LISTEN IN: Negative Aspects of Equality Culture

ABOUT EQUALITY CULTURE

Equality Culture in Spain

2019-07-12T06:24:00.000+07:00

Podcast 5 by Soumiya Drir via UN Online Volunteers Service

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM SPAIN

This podcast covered stereotypes of women in Spanish culture, wage gap, and religion. We also highlight some issues like early marriages and female genital mutilation in Zambia, and some aspects of US culture.

LISTEN IN: Positive Aspects of Equality Culture

LISTEN IN: Negative Aspects of Equality Culture

ABOUT EQUALITY CULTURE

Kenya, Burundi, USA, Hong Kong Equality Culture

2019-06-28T04:59:00.000+07:00

Podcast 4 by Prudence Hainga via UN Online Volunteers Service

Article by Steffica Warwick, SAFIGI Editor

LISTEN IN: Positive Aspects of Equality Culture

LISTEN IN: Negative Aspects of Equality Culture

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM KENYA, BURUNDI, USA, HONG KONG

Prudence talks to Shannon from Hong Kong, Jessica from the United States and Maxine from Burundi in Edinburgh about gender equality in their respective countries.

Overview of gender equality in each country:

In the United States there are positive steps towards gender equality, where women are encouraged to thrive in the workplace or at home. In Hong Kong, women have the right to carry out abortions in hospitals but they do not have all the rights that they need and deserve. In Burundi there is still inequality between the sexes ingrained in the culture, although the government are putting policies in place to promote gender equality.

Negative aspects of equality culture in each country:

In Burundi, the drums are only for men. Even when women want to play the drums, this is seen as a masculine instrument that women cannot take part in. Patriarchal norms are also normalised through traditional Christian teachings.

In the United States, sexist behaviour is normalised as ‘boys will be boys’ behaviour. Patriarchal religious beliefs are also used to justify policy decisions which benefit men over women.

In Kenya, women are not allowed to be the main breadwinners as it is seen to subvert gender normals in a damaging or negative way. This means that women cannot be empowered by running businesses.

What can individuals do to promote gender equality?

We can promote gender equality in the way that we raise our children. For example, parents can encourage both boys and girls to wash the dishes. They should also reach for higher positions, especially in government and leadership positions, and not shame other women for their choices.

Women should lead by example in all fields - in the home, in the workplace, in the community. Being good at a certain position works better than speaking out about the issues.

Those with gender equality biases should keep them to themselves, instead of spreading practices to their children. They can hold those opinions, but acting on them exacerbates outdated practices of gender inequality.

In summary, traditional beliefs have maintained myths about gender roles which promote gender equality in cultures around the world. This can be questioned and changed for the next generation with the power of individual action.

ABOUT EQUALITY CULTURE

USA, Ghana, India, Luxembourg Equality Culture

2019-06-14T00:20:00.001+07:00

Podcast 3 by Jillian Primicias via UN Online Volunteers

Article by Steffica Warwick, SAFIGI Editor

This podcast discussed the Ghanaian Fente tribe; queen mothers for women empowerment and mixing modernity with traditional systems; India- gender equity, female/ male/ third gender discrimination, patriarchal societies and matrilineal society, problems with rape, dowry, and changing society; Luxembourg- rape, education to close financial disparity, paid maternity leave, wage gap.

LISTEN IN: POSITIVE CULTURAL ASPECTS

LISTEN IN: NEGATIVE CULTURAL ASPECTS

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM GHANA, INDIA, LUXEMBOURG

Patriarchy embedded in the culture

It is very hard to overcome traditions established over many years. For example in Ghana, men are still seen as the stronger sex. In a traditional home, the females take care of the children and it is rare to find men doing traditionally female jobs. In India, men are taught to be the ones in power. This includes power over female sexuality, which can lead to rape.

Women and the patriarchy

Women also buy into these perceptions, and may not even apply to jobs as they don’t believe they have the skills. This leads to questions of equity rather than equality. Women also have a responsibility not to reinforce beliefs about gender norms, even as simple as ‘pink is for girls, blue is for boys’, for the benefit of men’s growth and expression as well as women’s.

Men and the patriarchy

There are men’s rights movements emerging which reveal that men are also not happy with this gender imbalance as it negatively puts pressure on them to act in a certain way. The #MeToo movement has been positive for giving women a voice, but in some cases it has taken the voice away from men. Men need to ensure that their voices are equally heard in creating a new and equal culture.

The impact of patriarchal beliefs on health and safety

In India, sometimes police do not take rape cases seriously as they buy into patriarchal beliefs of rape being a woman’s fault if she dresses a certain way. Stigmas around mental health mean that victims also do not get the support they need if they are suffering from depression from causes leading from gender equality. If the cultural mindset is not changed, no matter how many rules and laws you make, nothing will change.

Policy making for change

There are many cases where the law does not create an equal gender balance. For example in Algeria, women need a man’s consent for many business transactions, and in the United States, there is no paid maternity leave. We cannot expect to change human minds if the law still allows for gender inequality. In some ways, if the law starts, people’s minds will follow.

What role do men play in policy making?

Policy makers can and should incentivise men to advocate for gender equality. There is a Gender and Development Initiative for Africa being advocated for in Ghana, which is an award system for men who push for more gender equality in the workplace. This opens up more possibilities for how men can be involved in gender equality.

What role do women play in policy making?

Women are essential for policy making. The men cannot make decisions for women as they do not understand female problems and cannot create solutions for females. So there needs to be more women in politics and parliament.

How can NGOs and civic actors help?

Local NGOs have been linking up with the United Nations to reduce gender based discrimination in the workplace in India and provide support for rape cases. They have helped to classify transgender as a third gender and make known that homosexuality is not a crime. But it will take time for people to come to terms with the new legislation.

Education

Education is improving for girls and women in…

India:

In India, the government is making sure that every girl child is educated, and this is making a big difference. Previously, women have been shy to talk about menstruation, but in the cities and some villages, girls are speaking up more.

Luxembourg:

In Luxembourg, every student is given a certain amount of money for free to go study and can get loans. Education helps to reduce domestic violence in the home, as well as to reduce the gender wage gap.

Ghana:

In Ghana, females are gaining their voices more. There has been an increase in the number of Queen Mothers asking to be involved in decision making process. They are pushing for more girls education and they bring women together. In some regions of Ghana, the mother traditionally has to pay for the sins of their family, but the Queen Mothers have come together to abolish this practice, mixing modernity with a traditional system.

In summary, patriarchal beliefs are embedded in cultures around the world which put the health and safety of men and women at risk, as well as reinforcing an oppressive culture. Both men and women need to join the conversation at a political and community-led level to create change, and ensure the next generation is educated to take forth the mantel.

ABOUT EQUALITY CULTURE

Indonesia Equality Culture

2019-05-21T21:14:00.000+07:00

Podcast 2 by Namira Samir via UN Online Volunteers
Article written by Steffica Warwick, SAFIGI Editor

Recap on Equality Culture from India, Kenya and Sudan by clicking here.

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM INDONESIA

LISTEN IN ON: POSITIVE CULTURAL ASPECTS

LISTEN IN ON: NEGATIVE CULTURAL ASPECTS

Equality culture - Indonesia perspectives

Gender equality culture in Indonesia

In Indonesia, there is still a negative culture whereby men have control over women’s actions and decisions. This should be campaigned against, to show that women can do as much as men.

There is also the belief that girls do not need as much education as men, and that they should have their decisions made for them.

Other commonly held beliefs, such as that women are not as capable leaders as men, should be challenged at a cultural level. Women can work with their minds and their hearts simultaneously.

How women can be empowered

Women can be empowered in many different ways. What she lacks in one way (such as economic empowerment), she can be empowered in another way (such as education).

Women need more opportunities to be empowered, and this does not necessarily mean with a career. It means being able to do things for herself and for her family. Women can empower themselves by doing things or making small changes, such as actively using their social media. If women see problems, they need to take steps towards changing them. This also means speaking their minds.

Policies in Indonesia

The gender pay gap does not exist in Indonesia. There is also maternity leave, which some countries do not have. The Ministry of Finance have acknowledged the role of women in the economy, and progress has been made at a political level towards gender equality. But in order for justice to be fair and more equal, there must be female judges and reforms in education. Education is the best way to empower a woman, and make her useful for her community, environment and society.

In summary, there is much room for growth for gender equality in Indonesia. Women can take steps to empower themselves, to make way for the next generation of female leaders.

ABOUT EQUALITY CULTURE

India, Sudan, Kenya Equality Culture

2019-05-11T23:38:00.001+07:00

Podcast 1 by Reel Faisal Elsayed via UN Online Volunteers
Article by Steffica Warwick, SAFIGI Editor

In this Equality Culture podcast, we discussed two cultures. The Indian culture, in which we discussed education and the female labour participation rate; and the African Culture (Sub Saharan Africa), where we focused on education, health care access, as well as the physical and sexual violence that threatens females' safety in the region.

LISTEN IN ON: NEGATIVE CULTURAL ASPECTS

LISTEN IN ON: POSITIVE CULTURAL ASPECTS

EQUALITY CULTURE PERPECTIVES FROM INDIA, SUDAN AND KENYA BRIEF

Reel Faisal Elsayed from Sudan mediates a discussion with Singhita from India and Lillian from Kenya about gender equality culture in their respective countries. All three of them live in Dubai.

EDUCATION

In India, the disparities in gender equality can be seen in systems of education and labour participation. On average, only 30% of females attend primary school and 26% upper school. So even in most oppressed regions, the probability of girls attending school is 42% lower than their male counterparts, according to the UN.

What are the obstacles to girls receiving an education?

These problems start from birth. They have been socialised into discrimination. Cultural barriers stop women from taking advantage of their education. Primary school enrolment is 90%, and attend in roughly equal numbers to boys. But this gap widens as they grow up, for reasons like needing to serve their husbands or families. Child marriage is another thing about India.

There is a reluctance in Indian parents to invest in their daughters as opposed to their sons - they don’t think it is worthwhile to invest in girls. Because of this there’s a pressure to drop out, and this affects labour participation.

Government funded education courses and systems for women and girls

Policies put in action toward education for girls creates an environment that encourages society and culture to invest in their girls and to give them the opportunities that they deserve, and in turn change society’s minds on how they treat girls and boys – this will help to meet literacy targets and the UN’s global goals of focusing on better future for our future generations – investing in them and ensuring that they get the best education and opportunities which will carry on throughout the next generations

This will also impact on society’s attitudes toward women and girls – sex-selective abortion is a million-dollar industry in some regions of the world– with government funded courses, this investment will help to change societal beliefs and views of women and girls and reduce the 30% gender gap in primary school education.

SAFETY

There’s also a safety issue - girls are afraid. Some walk for three hours just to get to school, risking rape and abuse on the way.

Transport funding can improve girls safety

It is essential that girls are able to get to school in a safe manner – a safe transport system would mean that the main factor stopping girls from attending school in remote and rural areas, sexual harassment and rape, would be wiped out and a higher percentage of girls would be able to get the education that their male counterparts take for granted – this is essential for rural parts of India and Sub-Saharan Africa

This would also help to reduce Africa’s maternal debts, as the percentage of healthcare needed by women who experience sexual harassment, rape and violence would reduce if they were kept safe on their trips to and from school.

HEALTH CARE

Patriarchal societies promote virginity of women. Their mobility is restricted outside of their homes. Man is the judge and jury maker of the family, and women struggle in traditional male dominated jobs. Therefore, women end up in lower paid jobs.

Economy and infrastructure of war-hit regions are also affected. This makes access to healthcare much more difficult.

Healthcare funding to relieve maternal debt

It is essential for women and girls to receive healthcare designed specifically for them – half of the world’s maternal debts are in Africa, women don’t have access to family planning or basic healthcare and this needs to be made a priority for African healthcare systems

If women had access to basic healthcare, and were educated on it, and their safety prioritized, then the maternal debts and spend would be lowered

In summary, helping and investing in women is not only beneficial to women, but to society as a whole. Women are the at the heart of every society across the world, and if women were invested in and given the same opportunities as men, then the whole of society would benefit.

ABOUT EQUALITY CULTURE

2019: Equality Culture

2019-02-05T00:12:00.002+07:00

In 2019 SAFIGI Outreach Foundation (Safety First for Girls) is collaborating with volunteers across the globe to host a podcast focused on gender, culture, and equality. We have shared our call to action on UN Online Volunteers.

Applications close on 8th February 2019.

TASK

Volunteer will hold a chat with two or more females on an audio recording about gender equality. The volunteer will hold two separate discussions. The first discussion on record will be about culture in the interviewed society that promotes gender equality and human dignity of women. The second discussion on record will be about problematic gender norms in the inverviewed local traditions and steps that can be taken to resolve this. Volunteers can come from any region in the globe and must be willing to interview females with different tradition and culture. SAFIGI will select the participant according to their initiative's guidelines. The discussions must be between 10 and 15 minutes. These discussions will be shared on our podcast titled 'Equality Culture' throughout the year 2019, with one recording shared per week. As indicated in the Copyright & Terms of Use, UNV name can't be used during the discussions.

Apply on UN Online Volunteers by 8 February 2019.

Safety Education In America

2018-10-26T04:50:00.003+07:00

In 2017 SAFIGI Foundation undertook a data analysis on core issues affecting safety for girls in the developing world. We surveyed thirty people in Oregon, USA, to find out the level of Safety Education they had growing up.

Safety Education is the practice of internal and external safety; internal safety being peace of mind, heart, and emotions. External safety being the protection of the body, other person, and environment (SAFIGI, 2017).

The findings were evaluated by Dr. Christina Sisti below.

Written by Dr. Christina Sisti

The work performed by the researchers at SAFIGI (Safety First For Girls) was comprehensive. The choice to use a small, diverse group of people from Oregon was important to the outcome. Oregon’s median mirrors the United States median in age, gender, and education. The responses in this research study reflect the views of the average person in America.

The findings in the study are relevant to the needs of the society. Americans have a rudimentary understanding of safety. Education cognizant of the types of violence, how to report and protect, and cultural forms of violence will lead to a decrease in misinformation. Violence and evil are housed in ignorance. Creating a curriculum focused on creating an awareness of safety boosts a society’s overall health.

A society which is robust prospers. Prosperity is rooted in economic, social and education equality. Safety education is the foundation of equality because once all members of society are safe, then all members are productive. Vulnerable members of society who live in fear, are discriminated against, or lack access to safety education remain in a sub-class.

Once the barriers to safety and equality are removed those in vulnerable populations can be a part of society by sharing their culture and abilities. Innovation comes from those who are free to think differently.

Read our Safety Report by clicking here and see more of our Educational Resources.

Machismo and Sexual Assault in Latin American Gangs

2018-10-07T00:08:00.001+07:00

Photo by Aaron Mello on Unsplash

‘being strong, bringing home money, being a protector, having power, being respected, being a womaniser, a chauvinist, macho, brash will earn you respect’

Latin America‘s gang culture thrives mostly in the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA), comprising of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. It is difficult to quantify exactly how many people belong to gangs in Central America, but recent estimates show it could be between 100,000 and 500,000 members.

Gangs are a product of their environment, thriving on the culture of violence and high levels of poverty that come hand in hand with rapid urbanisation, flawed democratic development, state-led repression and destructive civil war. The biggest and most renowned gangs are the rivals La Mara Salvatrucha, known by its initials MS-13 and La Mara Dieciocho, known as M-18.

The presence of gangs in the countries does not directly correlate to the levels of violence and death rates in the NTCA. But they do employ violence in their practices to initiate new members, intimidate non-members, settle scores or punish.

MACHISMO CULTURE IN GANGS

Adam Baird, a researcher focusing on youth gangs in Latin America, claims that ‘although masculinities alone cannot account for gang membership, it is clear that processes of male socialisation are central to understanding why gangs persist’. He explains that in an environment which struggles economically and aspires for social improvement, ‘being strong, bringing home money, being a protector, having power, being respected, being a womaniser, a chauvinist, macho, brash will earn you respect’. And all these characteristics are inherent in gang culture. Being a gang member is a refuge from poverty. It is a way of avoiding emasculation, preserving dignity and raising social status.

The protective, macho exterior which gang members adorn themselves with often necessitates violence when this exterior is threatened, meaning gang members often carry around weapons for intimidation. Baird explains that ideas of respect are often conflated with fear. So when a gang member wields a knife or gun, a symbol of masculine capital, the fear that the other members show is interpreted as respect, helping to generate the self-worth of the weapon holder, develop a macho identity and reduce feelings of low self-esteem.

In essence, machismo and gang violence have a mutually reinforcing relationship, as gangs reproduce and entrench local machismo and patriarchy as a whole. To rise up in the ranks and earn respect, you must eschew any traces of femininity or non-hegemonic masculinity, and adorn yourself with a tough exterior.

VIOLENCE, RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT IN GANG RELATIONSHIPS

This sense of entitlement to sexual pleasure can often lead to rape and sexual assault if the girlfriend of a gang member does not want sex. One victim of gang rape in a Medellin-based gang in Colombia writes:

‘The gang did a lot of damage to me. I met this guy in my neighbourhood, a well-known guy [infamous for being a gang member]. Supposedly it was love, a beautiful love, an eternal love, but him and his friends raped me’.

She goes on to describe that her clothes were also taken away from her as punishment for resisting, so that she had to walk home naked through the streets.

Such incidents are not isolated. Numerous testimonies point to the prevalence of gang rape of female members, with up to 30 men involved in one reported case in Brazil, as well as forced sexual relations with gang leaders as a prelude to teenage girls’ recruitment. ‘It‘s unbelievable how violent they can get…how they treat their wives and mothers. They don‘t need to carry a weapon to behave as brutally as they do’, said a former B-18 female gang member. Another victim explains, ‘The whole reason I was in danger was because I was a woman. A man feels like he is entitled to physical and emotional power over you’.

The reality of dating a gang member, then, is far different from the idealised image, and a girlfriend of a gang member never truly gains status. Jody Miller, through researching the dynamics of females within gangs, asserts that experiences of victimisation may increase chances of further assault in future.

She writes that ‘sexual victimisation leads to perceptions of sexual availability or can present victims as weak, and therefore easy targets’. This paints a bleak picture of the role of females within gangs, where the cycle of sexual assault is endless and their levels of dignity and respect is set on a downward spiral against their will.

This article is extracted from the Research paper titled 'Silent Voices: violence against the female body as a consequence of machismo' by Steffica Warwick in the Safety Report by SAFIGI Outreach Foundation 'Safety First for Girls'.

ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT

The Safety Report by SAFIGI is a two-fold Open research on 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls in the Developing World.' The first part of the Safety Report is a Research Paper. The second part is a detailed Data Analysis.

The Safety Report Research paper is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls in the Developing World.' The paper starts with an abstract before focusing on subjects in the key regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. A total of 7 Research papers make up the safety Report (sans the introduction and conclusion), including:

The psychological effect of mass sexual harassment on girls in Egypt (P.24) by Heba Elasiouty.
Safety concerns in relation to social media: Growing up female in an increasingly digital world (P.45) by Karin Temperley.
Psychosocial challenges faced by parents raising children with physical disabilities in Oshana region (P.68) by Misumbi Shikaputo.
Gender-based violence and subsequent safety challenges experienced by Rohingya women (P.119) by Shucheesmita Simonti.
LGBT policies and overall safety in Brazil (P.141) by Alinne Lopes Gomes.
Silent voices‘: Violence against the female body as consequence of machismo culture (P.177) by Steffica Warwick.
America‘s Public Policy on Sexuality: The Repression of Girls in Vulnerable Populations (P.208) by Dr. Christina Sisti.

The Safety Report Data Analysis is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls. Results and Outcomes based on Zambia, Egypt, USA, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Namibia.'

SAFIGI Outreach Foundation Ltd, a volunteer-based and youth led NGO registered in Zambia, implemented the Safety Report in order to understand the multifaceted concept of safety and how it applies to the female gender in diverse settings. And therefore, further prove safety is intrinsic, and that vices in society stem from an intimate level of the human being before its manifestation. This way, when we create safety solutions, whether it be in a developing nation, conflict zone, refugee camp, or patriarchal society, the problem is resolved from a deeply rooted cause. Such that, we treat the disease itself and not mere symptoms.

This study is as a result of collaborative effort pursued in the spirit of volunteerism via UN Online Volunteers.

The Role of Females in Latin American Gangs

2018-09-25T13:48:00.000+07:00

By Steffica Warwick

Photo by Lasaye Hommes on Unsplash

‘The difference in Guatemala between the death of a man and the death of a woman is that the woman is raped before she is killed, she is mutilated…This does not happen to men’

FEMALE VICTIMS CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE
However dangerous being involved with a gang may be, often girls have no choice.

‘Having a partner in a gang can be perceived as something that is much safer than being on the street alone. Girls do it out of fear’, said Alejandra Colom, Senior Program Director at the Population Council in Guatemala.

To strengthen their protective forces, some girls go so far as to enter into marriage with gang members. But whereas being coupled with a gang member may give the girl and her family some level of protection from one gang, it may leave them more vulnerable to rival gangs. Girlfriends, sisters, and mothers are often targeted by rival gangs as a way of getting through to their male connections. Female relatives of imprisoned gang members often make easy targets for revenge killings, as the male cannot protect them.
What is more, as ‘possessions’ of male gang members, they are open to attack from fellow gang members if their partner is being punished.

Central American gangs operate through a code of honour, whereby if a member betrays or abandons his own gang then their most vulnerable ‘possession’ is attacked. This usually means the rape or murder of his sister or wife. The same rule applies if a female gang member has sexual relations with anyone except her husband or partner – an honour killing or revenge killing would not be unusual.

But the mass murder of females is not necessarily quick and clean. The often-studied case of Mexico‘s city of Juárez, which saw 400 femicides between 1990 and 2005, is illustrative the symbolic nature of these killings. The murdered women in Juárez were found to have undergone torture, rape, mutilation, especially of the sexual organs and breasts, and decapitation. Guatemala's Attorney General Thelma Aldana stated that these brutal tactics employed in organised crime are an expression of misogyny.

‘The difference in Guatemala between the death of a man and the death of a woman is that the woman is raped before she is killed, she is mutilated…This does not happen to men…It is clear to see how misogyny is present up until the moment of a woman's death’.

ACTIVE FEMALE ROLES IN GANGS
Joining a gang can also give girls a new sense of purpose. They may join to escape a life of domestic drudgery, poverty and violence, including sexual abuse. Sometimes they follow the footsteps of another family member to gain access to the gang.

However, although an estimated 20-40% of gang members are women, seldom can they occupy senior positions. Young women do not typically engage in more masculine activities such as fighting and committing crime, mainly because they are not permitted to. Instead, they are used for menial tasks.

Within organized crime, patriarchal structures and traditional gender roles continue to be reproduced, meaning that women will cook, clean and do domestic work to nurture the gang.
But because women are generally less suspicious, they are often used in more dangerous activities such as smuggling illicit goods and weapons into prisons, or gathering intelligence on rival gangs. But this work as a mula or drug mule is an expendable role. It can often lead to poisoning or death if the drugs enter the woman‘s bloodstream, or she could be killed by the gang if she gets caught.

Even though research on female gang involvement has expanded in recent years, little is still known and more comprehensive research on the female role needs to be explored. But one thing is certain: living in a gang is hard, and leaving it behind can be just as difficult.

This article is extracted from the Research paper titled 'Silent Voices: Violence against the female body as a consequence of machismo' in Chapter 4 of the Safety Report by SAFIGI Outreach Foundation 'Safety First for Girls'.

ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT

The psychological effect of mass sexual harassment on girls in Egypt (P.24) by Heba Elasiouty.

Safety concerns in relation to social media: Growing up female in an increasingly digital world (P.45) by Karin Temperley.

Psychosocial challenges faced by parents raising children with physical disabilities in Oshana region (P.68) by Misumbi Shikaputo.

Gender-based violence and subsequent safety challenges experienced by Rohingya women (P.119) by Shucheesmita Simonti.

LGBT policies and overall safety in Brazil (P.141) by Alinne Lopes Gomes.

Silent voices‘: Violence against the female body as consequence of machismo culture (P.177) by Steffica Warwick.

America‘s Public Policy on Sexuality: The Repression of Girls in Vulnerable Populations (P.208) by Dr. Christina Sisti.

The Safety Report Data Analysis is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls. Results and Outcomes based on Zambia, Egypt, USA, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Namibia.'

This study is as a result of collaborative effort pursued in the spirit of volunteerism via UN Online Volunteers.

The Stigma Against Reporting Abuse

2018-09-24T19:36:00.001+07:00

By Steffica Warwick

"Machismo may allow men to be the dominant gender, but it does not allow for expressions of victimisation"

Photo by Fernando @cferdo on Unsplash

Another key barrier to progress is the lack of reporting about abuses from female victims. One study estimated that only around 5% of adult victims of sexual violence in Latin America reported the incident to the police.

According to estimates by Ipea, a government-led think-tank, only 10% of sexual attacks in Brazil are reported to the police. Another study finds that only 14% of Colombian women report the incidents of rape or sexual assault. Many women and girls do not report instances of abuse due to fear of retaliation, lack of faith in the system, and acceptance that this is just the way it is.

Reporting also depends to a great extent on the receptiveness of the state institutions that receive the reports, such as the police, public prosecutor‘s office, defensoría del pueblo (ombudsman offices) and medical institutions.

A keen proactiveness to help is not always guaranteed, primarily because the system absorbs and perpetuates myths about female sexuality. As just one example, up until 1999, women in Chile had to have a good reputation in order for their rape claim to be considered. This means that millions of women and girls in Latin America are at risk of HIV/AIDS, Post Traumatic Distress Order, physical injury, unwanted pregnancy, and suffer through it in silence.

Many young girls also do not report their experience to adults. This is mainly due to the belief that they will not be taken seriously by adults if they do, and a feeling of shame which stems from the perception of girls going through puberty as provoking sexual encounters.

This is in line with the double standard according to which women are often blamed for the promiscuity of men. Indeed, it was revealed in a survey questioning 3,809 households in Brazil that 58.5% of people surveyed believed that if women knew how to behave, there would be less rape.

In some cases, young girls do not realise that the abuse they are receiving at home is not acceptable. A recent survey of violence against teenagers in the NTCA showed that ―there are issues that remain silenced, ignored, made invisible, and are not being addressed. Girls, boys, teenagers and young people are abused by their brothers and their fathers and they regard it as normal. Particularly for young girls whose only interpretation of the world is through the eyes of their family, normalisation is particularly dangerous.

STIGMA AGAINST NON-MACHO MEN

In battling against a machismo culture, the population needs to become comfortable with an alternative: non-macho men. However, the stigma against men who do not adhere to society’s cultural norms is great, and many men are afraid to appear anything less than the strong, dominant and virile sapiens they are conditioned to be.

In one interview with a Brazilian man, the interviewee explains:

‘social standing is determined by how much humiliation you can brush off. I‘ve felt sexually harassed on various occasions, by women and men. Cat calling, and groping on occasion - sometimes by superiors at work. But it‘s not an issue that‘s really seen to. I mean, I‘ve never talked to anyone about this before’.

In the same way that females refuse to come forward about their experiences, men are also afraid to display weaknesses. Machismo may allow men to be the dominant gender, but it does not allow for expressions of victimisation. As the interview described, it affects a man’s ‘social standing’ to not police his own ability to adhere to the culture of machismo. Thus far from being solely a structure which benefits men, the culture of machismo and the reign of the patriarchy is just as repressive to men as it is to women.

Equidad, a Mexican organisation promoting gender equality through policy proposals, analyses evidence of violence against men in Mexico. According to statistics gathered by Equidad, a certain growth in statistics shows how women‘s violence toward men is increasing, although not by very much. A representative of the organisation, Ben Wadham, shows how abuses perpetrated by men against men can collaborate with the structure that silences most cases;

‘The fact that most of the research on domestic violence predominantly reports male violence against women, it is not a personal attack against men, but a representation of how male violence threatens the safety of women and men. […] Men who are abused by women may not report these attacks due to shame and tensions with ideas they have about masculinity, or because a police-man could laugh at a man who reported violence because ‘a real man would never let a woman hit him’’.

Not only would a man not divulge his experience to a police officer, but it is also unlikely that he would seek out professional therapy to analyse and root out the emotions and traumatic feelings which stem from abuse. Research suggests that men are far less likely to go to the doctor for treatment relating to mental health issues than women.

They are also unlikely to seek treatment for diseases such as HIV/AIDs, which challenge notions of hetero-hypersexuality. And in the same way that male-to-female abuse is rooted in misogynistic attitudes toward women, female-to-male abuse uses the same stereotypes to oppress men, exploiting the idea of the capable and dominant macho figure by shaming any part of a man that does not live up to that ideal. In this way, the culture of machismo serves to inhibit both genders.

But whereas women do play a part in upholding notions of gender roles, violence against males is overwhelmingly carried outby other males, working to prove themselves more worthy in a society whichpersists to value machismo and the aggression it contains.

ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT

The psychological effect of mass sexual harassment on girls in Egypt (P.24) by Heba Elasiouty.

Safety concerns in relation to social media: Growing up female in an increasingly digital world (P.45) by Karin Temperley.

Psychosocial challenges faced by parents raising children with physical disabilities in Oshana region (P.68) by Misumbi Shikaputo.

Gender-based violence and subsequent safety challenges experienced by Rohingya women (P.119) by Shucheesmita Simonti.

LGBT policies and overall safety in Brazil (P.141) by Alinne Lopes Gomes.

Silent voices‘: Violence against the female body as consequence of machismo culture (P.177) by Steffica Warwick.

America‘s Public Policy on Sexuality: The Repression of Girls in Vulnerable Populations (P.208) by Dr. Christina Sisti.

The Safety Report Data Analysis is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls. Results and Outcomes based on Zambia, Egypt, USA, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Namibia.'

This study is as a result of collaborative effort pursued in the spirit of volunteerism via UN Online Volunteers.

The Aftermath of Sexual Harassment in Egypt

2018-09-17T17:17:00.000+07:00

By Heba Elasiouty

Photo by Larm Rmah on Unsplash

“It’s like she’s floating inside of herself, in the dark, and whatever hasn’t already emptied inside her is emptying now…”
― Daniel Abbott, The Concrete

However, it becomes clear that sexual harassment is a crime that decays the souls of its victims; the psychological abuse caused by harassment is wide and fluctuates according to the severity of the incident and the emotion condition of the victim who bears it. It corrupts the state of mind of the harassed and alters her life pattern.

Sexual harassment is an act of bullying and the obligation of one's desires upon another without approval or permission. The weight put over the harassed is massive, complicated and can vary from one person to another.

The signs of psychological harm are both passive and aggressive. With social tolerance for sexual harassment and degrading the harassed girl, there is no actual talk about the consequences of this unwanted molestation upon the female's overall health in Egypt. Sexual harassment is a chronic complication and with the nonstop violence and abuse, it exceeds the limit of trauma or a misfortunate incident.

According to the UN research, 43% respondents feared going out after their incidents, and others thought of using harmful tools for protection, while the rest experienced suicidal thoughts and hate to their bodies. The manifestation can be violent to the extent of revenge and passive responses including self -doubt and self-blame.

Sexual harassment deprives the girl from her right to decide or approve; she is forced to be part of something done to her body, breaching her own entity and opening the door to many health problems on the psychological and the physiological levels. Live Science's health view on the effect of sexual harassment on women (Rettner, 2011) points out six major health complications caused by sexual harassment to the harassed girl.

In addition to psychological manifestations and physiological complications, women become victims before the hateful incident. Six major health problems are associated to the strained relationships the harassed women undergo with other male co-workers, and this can also extend to the entire social environment.

The first impact of harassment which is highly emphasized is depression. "In a recent study of 1,000 youths, Blackstone found that people sexually harassed in their teens and early 20s can experience depressive symptoms into their 30s."

The long-term effect of sexual harassment affects mental health. Depression is dangerous and can damage the life of the female and others without noticing the cause. The constant exposure to forced molestation precipitates the mind of the young girl, and grows within her to influence her daily life and her relations with others. Depression is not solely a feeling of sadness but an emotional loop of self-doubt, self blame, and self-destruction.

Not only does depression affect the mind and perception of the person but it can also manifest in physical complications. Chronic pain and muscle aches are correlated to depression which causes a decrease in the overall physical activity of the depressed person. Depression is more of a slow death.

Post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD is the second complication highlighted (Live Science health). Re-experiencing the incident and fright when dealing with people in a similar context, and forced silence towards the harassers by family or spouse or officials, increases the psychological impacts of sexual harassment. Proper treatment can save victims from mental health problems for years to come and aid in establishing a healthier environment.

In addition to long-term psychological impacts, there are also some serious physiological health problems resulting from sexual harassment such as cardiovascular disease. A study (2008) links sexually harassment in the workplace to elevated blood pressure for women, with stress which can contribute to further cardiovascular problems.

Aches and muscle pains are also manifested after harassment. Stress affects the physiological process more than mental health. Physical pain can be a symptom to psychological pain, and sexually harassed victims must seek consultation from a psychiatrist to ease long-term complications in order to prevent added mental health problems that can lead to consequences such as suicide. It has been proven that many victims develop suicidal thoughts subsequent to sexual harassment. Harassed persons are therefore in need of undivided attention and immediate help.

Victimized girls are not the only ones to suffer the aftermath of sexual harassment, society is also impacted. Females, no matter how a patriarchal culture may try to prove otherwise, are great influencers of their environments. The study (Cost of Violence) shows the influence women have in society.

"Violence may result in aggressive women whose aggression adds to the social losses they already endure or passive and submissive women who transfer this attitude and plant it in their children who become forlorn as well."

Violence generates violence and abuse will come afterall since the dynamics in life permit so. The cost of sexual harassment is beyond calculation, and the consequences are severe.

This article is extracted from the Research paper titled 'Psycological Effect of Mass Sexual Harassment in Egypt' in Chapter 2 of the Safety Report by SAFIGI Outreach Foundation 'Safety First for Girls'.

ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT

The psychological effect of mass sexual harassment on girls in Egypt (P.24) by Heba Elasiouty.

Safety concerns in relation to social media: Growing up female in an increasingly digital world (P.45) by Karin Temperley.

Psychosocial challenges faced by parents raising children with physical disabilities in Oshana region (P.68) by Misumbi Shikaputo.

Gender-based violence and subsequent safety challenges experienced by Rohingya women (P.119) by Shucheesmita Simonti.

LGBT policies and overall safety in Brazil (P.141) by Alinne Lopes Gomes.

Silent voices‘: Violence against the female body as consequence of machismo culture (P.177) by Steffica Warwick.

America‘s Public Policy on Sexuality: The Repression of Girls in Vulnerable Populations (P.208) by Dr. Christina Sisti.

The Safety Report Data Analysis is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls. Results and Outcomes based on Zambia, Egypt, USA, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Namibia.'

This study is as a result of collaborative effort pursued in the spirit of volunteerism via UN Online Volunteers.

Barriers to Progress for Gender Equality

2018-09-01T17:55:00.000+07:00

By Steffica Warwick

Photo by Zeyn Afuang on Unsplash

BARRIERS TO PROGRESS FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN LATIN AMERICA

A lack of education about safe sex and consent serves to exacerbate the problems of rape and sexual assault.

SEX EDUCATION

One barrier to progress lies in the education of both males and females in Latin America. In spite of the oversexualisation of females in the media, and the prevalence of sexual assault, sex education in most countries in the region fails to give adequate teachings about practicing safe and respectful sex.

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay are the countries which have come closest to the concept of comprehensive sex education. However, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Peru tend to place emphasis on abstinence and birth control methods, paying particular attention to spiritual aspects of sexuality, the importance of the family, and the need to delay the start of sexual activity. But many Latin Americans start having sex at a young age.

A 2010 survey revealed that one in four Latin Americans are sexually active before the age of sixteen.

And the consequences can be dire. A lack of education about safe sex and consent serves to exacerbate the problems of rape and sexual assault. It can lead to unwanted pregnancies; Latin America is the second highest region in the world for teenage pregnancies (next to sub-Saharan Africa), with 38% of girls becoming pregnant before the age of 20. In the first half of 2012, 1448 young girls between the ages of 10 and 14 gave birth in Guatemala. And in Bolivia, the teen pregnancy rate increased by 25% between 2008 and 2011.

A lack of education can also leave young people exposed to sexually transmitted diseases. United Nations data shows that approximately 68,000 adolescents are infected with HIV/AIDS. Contrary to traditional thinking among teachers in Latin America, that talking about sexual relations will encourage children to engage in them, the data shows that young people will engage in sexual relations anyway. Emphasis, then, should be placed on safety and consent, and to tackle the existence of rape culture.

GENDER EDUCATION

School can also serve to perpetuate myths about gender roles. Lewis and Styco’s writing highlights how boys are taught in school to grow up to be tough and self-sufficient. They are taught not to show emotion, to complain, and are not expected to receive affection apart from via other females, such as their mother. The same can be said for girls, who are conditioned from an early age to expect to enter the domestic sphere, and not to match their male peers in terms of ambition.

Misinformation about gender and biology are also widespread in the region. According to one study, young people surveyed believed that violence has a biological connection with masculinity, and is to be expected. Participants of the survey also said that males were biologically incapable of controlling their passions, including sexual desire, anger and jealousy. For Latin Americans, the belief is that all males are intrinsically disposed to be this way.

On the outside world, some onlookers of Latin American culture have also described natives to the region of intrinsically being this way.

The most prominent pioneer of spreading the myth that Latin Americans are biologically disposed to sexual aggression is U.S. President Donald Trump, who frequently referred to Mexicans as criminals and rapists throughout his campaign.

Thus it can be seen that educational reforms need to be implemented both inside and outside of Latin America, to dispel any myths about Latino biology and change the expectations of behaviour of males growing up.

POVERTY

Another significant barrier to progress is levels of poverty. One in five Latin Americans lives in chronic poverty. But poverty is not equally distributed in the region; at around 10% of the population, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile, have the lowest rates of chronic poverty. In Santa Catarina, southern Brazil, chronic poverty stands at around 5%. This is lower than the national average of 20% and close to that of Uruguay, the best performing country in Latin America.

But in Ceara, a northern region of Brazil, around 40% of the population is chronically poor, comparable to Honduras, which has one of the highest incidences in the region. In fact, broadly speaking, the northern areas of Latin America have much higher levels of poverty than in the south, with the NTCA having the highest level of poverty throughout rural and urban areas.

It is impossible to omit poverty from the discussion of violence and male to female relations, particularly in a region such as Latin America with its strict code of conduct around gender performance. Indeed, there is a lot of academic literature which demonstrates the correlation between poverty and violence, particularly against women.

One article by Bron B Ingoldsby on the Latin American family and machismo describes how men with lower incomes ―suffer from job insecurity and compensate for their feelings by exaggerating their masculinity and subordinating women. As masculinity is a performance and not an inherent trait, it must be constantly proved and upheld. The Latino macho man is the head of the house. He is the provider and dominant figure. When he cannot be, he may turn to other forms of dominance such as domestic violence to assert his masculinity and preserve his pride.

Poverty is a huge contributor to the existence and longevity of gangs. As unemployment is a shameful position, any kind of money-earning position is preferable to having no job. In an interview with one gang member by the World Peace Foundation, one man said;

You‘ve got to be able to support the family, your kid an‘ all that. You need to have a job in a business or something like that so the community doesn‘t see you like a tramp, an undesirable who does nothin’, that‘s shit. It would be cool to have a good job.

But the idleness and frustration of not having a ‘good job’ can lead to interpersonal conflict and domestic violence. Other studies have shown that as well as high unemployment, alcohol abuse, stress levels, and the unwillingness of a wife to have sex with her husband are also related to increased domestic violence rates.

For women, high unemployment leads to greater economic dependency on men, which in turn led to an increase in domestic violence. For communities, the more assets they can acquire, the less vulnerable they are.

This article is extracted from the Research paper titled 'Silent Voices: Violence against the female body as a consequence of machismo' by Steffica Warwick, which is Chapter 4 of the Safety Report by SAFIGI Outreach Foundation 'Safety First for Girls'.

ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT

The psychological effect of mass sexual harassment on girls in Egypt (P.24) by Heba Elasiouty.

Safety concerns in relation to social media: Growing up female in an increasingly digital world (P.45) by Karin Temperley.

Psychosocial challenges faced by parents raising children with physical disabilities in Oshana region (P.68) by Misumbi Shikaputo.

Gender-based violence and subsequent safety challenges experienced by Rohingya women (P.119) by Shucheesmita Simonti.

LGBT policies and overall safety in Brazil (P.141) by Alinne Lopes Gomes.

Silent voices‘: Violence against the female body as consequence of machismo culture (P.177) by Steffica Warwick.

America‘s Public Policy on Sexuality: The Repression of Girls in Vulnerable Populations (P.208) by Dr. Christina Sisti.

The Safety Report Data Analysis is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls. Results and Outcomes based on Zambia, Egypt, USA, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Namibia.'

This study is as a result of collaborative effort pursued in the spirit of volunteerism via UN Online Volunteers.

Machismo: Violence Against Female Body

2018-07-13T18:47:00.001+07:00

By Steffica Warwick

Image Credit: Germain Greer, Quote Fancy

"We are convinced that gender equality is the foundation of sustainable peace and development and that gender-based violence needs to be addressed head-on as part of the efforts to build peace." - Isabella Lovin

'Silent Voices: Violence Against the Female Body as a Consequence of Machismo Culture in Latin America' links violent acts, in particular sexual violence, committed against females to the region's culture of machismo.

'Silent voices' refers to the idea that girls in gangs and females who have been trafficked are on the fringe of society, and not often heard. It also makes reference to the tradition of silence around sexism in Latin America, and the stigma against reporting instances of sexual abuse.

Machismo is discussed as one facet of the patriarchy, in which women are seen as passive and subservient to men, who are dominant figures both in the home and in society. The culture of machismo is a threat to the safety of both genders, but the essay focuses solely on the effect for females. It will explore the cyclical and multifaceted nature of how ideas are circulated, and reinforcing factors such as poverty and the media.

OVERVIEW

Latin America has a relatively high rate of rape and sexual assault compared to some other parts of the world, such as Western Europe. The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) report that one in three Latin American women are sexually assaulted in their lifetime.

However, it is difficult to get a clear picture of exactly which regions fair the worst in terms of rape and sexual assault. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) collects statistics about rape from every country around the world, but many countries do not report figures of rape or assault to the UNODC at all. Even if the figures were reported, they would not be truly representative. In Belize, a report from United Nations Women (UN Women) revealed that rape suspects often bribe the authorities to keep the case quiet.

In Nicaragua, which is estimated to have some of the highest rates of rape and sexual assault, victims face hostility from the authorities if they report the crime.

Furthermore, many countries differ in their definition of rape and sexual assault. Rape during marriage has not been part of the legal definition of rape in several countries until the late nineties, and it only became an illegal practice in Mexico as late as 2005. There is also equivocation in whether to account for the number of times a person has been raped if they have been raped multiple times, or to simply count that as one rape.

Even without the full and accurate figures it is still evident that rape and sexual assault is still a thriving problem in Latin America that has not been solved.

CULTURE OF SILENCE

Coupled with the culture of violence at work in Latin America, there is also a culture of silence which serves to preserve spaces where abuses take place. For example, the family home is a space which is considered private and intimate in Latin America. When abuse takes place, more often than not, it will be kept within the confines of the family.

Females who are victim to gang violence and trafficking are silenced by the circles which oppress them. To speak up against crimes committed could lead to further abuse, or death. There are also social taboos which act as silencers. Men and boys feel unable to speak out against the violence of their peers, or the oppression they may feel for having to embody the character of a macho man. Shame is also a factor, particularly in feelings of inadequacy for being unable to live up to the expectations of their gender.

For females, shame may spring from feelings of guilt at having been sexually abused, and fear about how authorities will treat them if they speak up, with authorities also being responsible for silencing victims' claims.

A factor which underpins all the above is normalisation, which at the most promotes an unquestioning respect for traditional values, and at the least a sense of apathy and resignation in the face of change.

(Article extracted by Dr. Christina Sisti)

ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT

The psychological effect of mass sexual harassment on girls in Egypt (P.24) by Heba Elasiouty.

Safety concerns in relation to social media: Growing up female in an increasingly digital world (P.45) by Karin Temperley.

Psychosocial challenges faced by parents raising children with physical disabilities in Oshana region (P.68) by Misumbi Shikaputo.

Gender-based violence and subsequent safety challenges experienced by Rohingya women (P.119) by Shucheesmita Simonti.

LGBT policies and overall safety in Brazil (P.141) by Alinne Lopes Gomes.

Silent voices‘: Violence against the female body as consequence of machismo culture (P.177) by Steffica Warwick.

America‘s Public Policy on Sexuality: The Repression of Girls in Vulnerable Populations (P.208) by Dr. Christina Sisti.

The Safety Report Data Analysis is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls. Results and Outcomes based on Zambia, Egypt, USA, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Namibia.'

This study is as a result of collaborative effort pursued in the spirit of volunteerism via UN Online Volunteers.

Sexual Assault in Media

2018-07-11T08:24:00.000+07:00

By Steffica Warwick

'She likes to be hit hard and eaten' Photo Credit: Alejandra Hernandez, Upworthy

The world is a complex place, and the influence of the media in its representation and its power of communication and interpretation is a remarkable amplifier of emotions, and of illusions. - Tariq Ramadan

The way that sexual assault is portrayed in the news is also significant. Before the explosive global prevalence of the World Wide Web, reports of violence against women were rarely reported. Nowadays, in the modern age, abuses against women are reported almost daily in the media. In both cases, it is perceived by the public as so common that either it is not worth reporting, or that people become ambivalent to the surge of stories about violence against women. It becomes seen as a natural way of life.

The correlation between the sexualised way that women are presented in the media, compared to their other depiction as victims, is also noteworthy. One North American journalist wrote of visiting Peru:

―I was wandering around a main street in Lima and perusing the newspaper stands, when a front page caught my eye. It was a tabloid, and on one side of the page there was the ubiquitous picture of a semi-clad woman. On the other side of the page, there was another graphic image of a naked woman, except she was dead, in a ditch after being raped.

And I asked myself the question..."Is there cause and effect?" It reminded me what can be dismissed as casual sexism can potentially have very serious consequences.

The media‘s presentation of females as either sex objects or victims is problematic. It sets expectations for what girls can grow up to aspire to, and what boys can grow up to expect from women. It also exhibits a sinister glamourisation of sex and violence, normalising instances of sexual violence.

The advertising industry is also an example of the trivialisation of sexual violence in the media. In one campaign for Skol, a popular alcoholic drink, an advertisement with the strapline ―I forgot 'no' at home was released, just before the nation‘s national party event, Carnival. During carnival, reports of sexual assault typically peak as the alcohol fueled environment promotes free behaviour. The advertisement received a wave of complaints, and a photo of two girls by the strapline ―I brought my 'never' went viral in revolt. However, Brazil‘s $10b advertising industry continues to use sex as a method of selling products and services, and as a byproduct, disseminating dangerous messages which promote sexual violence.

However, perhaps the biggest perpetrator of perpetuating sexual violence is the music industry, and there are a plethora of examples to support this claim. In Jiggy Drama‘s Contra La Pared music video, the Colombian rapper poses as a police officer and orders all the women at a house party to stand against the wall.

―We‘re going to search you all, you know, he says in Spanish with a laugh. He brandishes the police baton at one woman. ―Si sigues en esa actitud voy a violarte hey he raps, translating to: ―If you keep up with that attitude, I‘m going to violate you.

Similarly, ―La Groupie‖ by De La Ghetto featuring Ñejo, Luigi 21 Plus, Nicky Jam & Ñengo Flow employs lyrics which are sexually threatening to women. The song goes, ―Darte como una perra, como una cualquiera, jalarte por el pelo, agarrarte por el suelo, usarte como escoba, aulla como loba. This translates to,

―Hit you like a dog, like a tramp (or anyone), pull you by your hair, grab you by the floor, use you like a broom, howl like a wolf.

The lyrics perpetuate the rhetoric of machismo, where the male dominates the latina female, comparing her to an animal and violently controlling her body.

These are not underground artists who receive little attention. They are well-established, well paid musicians at the top of their game in the industry, whose songs are played on television, radio, throughout shops and in the street, and their messages are being absorbed by the whole region.

To demonstrate just how graphically violent some reggaeton lyrics are, Alejandra Hernandez, a Colombian graphic design student at Bogota's Panamerican University, has used art to depict some of the messages in reggaeton lyrics. In a campaign called 'Use reason, make sure music does not degrade your status. '

She uses photography to stage the scenes of violence described in reggaeton lyrics and pastes the lyrics over them. For example, one photograph shows a man standing over a beaten and bruised woman in the kitchen with what appears to be an iron rod, to depict the Raga & Mackie Yanks lyric, ―En la cocina voy a darte table‖ or ―I'm going to beat you on the kitchen table‖. Another is captioned ―A ella le gusta que le den duro y se la coman or ―she likes to be hit hard and eaten‖, showing a woman being literally eaten alive by a man.

Reggaeton lyrics can be compared to hip hop music typically produced in the United States, which is often criticised for its violent and sexist lyrics about women. However, the difference lies in the prevalence of the reggaeton music in Latin American society. Walking through the streets of Colombia, Bolivia, Guatemala or most countries in the region, reggaeton can be heard from cars on the street, in buses, in shops and other public spaces.

As Bernadette Marie Calafell writes, reggaeton is not just a genre of music but a way of life which unites Latin American people. The unfortunate thing, is that whereas the genre captures the ideas and feelings of the people, it also proliferates messages about gender roles which are damaging for consumers.

Unless the core messages are changed, the media, and in particular the music industry, serve as a barrier to the progress of gender equality and violence against females.

(Article extracted by Dr. Christina Sisti)

ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT

The psychological effect of mass sexual harassment on girls in Egypt (P.24) by Heba Elasiouty.

Safety concerns in relation to social media: Growing up female in an increasingly digital world (P.45) by Karin Temperley.

Psychosocial challenges faced by parents raising children with physical disabilities in Oshana region (P.68) by Misumbi Shikaputo.

Gender-based violence and subsequent safety challenges experienced by Rohingya women (P.119) by Shucheesmita Simonti.

LGBT policies and overall safety in Brazil (P.141) by Alinne Lopes Gomes.

Silent voices‘: Violence against the female body as consequence of machismo culture (P.177) by Steffica Warwick.

America‘s Public Policy on Sexuality: The Repression of Girls in Vulnerable Populations (P.208) by Dr. Christina Sisti.

The Safety Report Data Analysis is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls. Results and Outcomes based on Zambia, Egypt, USA, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Namibia.'

This study is as a result of collaborative effort pursued in the spirit of volunteerism via UN Online Volunteers.

The Reality of Sex Trafficking

2018-07-09T09:12:00.000+07:00

By Steffica Warwick

Photo by Mike Wilson on Unsplash

"Imagine all your freedoms taken away, being forced to work against your will, and constantly living under the threat of violence - in short, being forced to live as a slave. Sadly, this situation is a reality for millions of children, women, and men each year as part of the global human trafficking industry." - Bill Flores

In the sex trafficking industry, victims are known as 'merchandise' and 'furniture'. In one 2014 interview with a sex trafficker, he describes victims newly recruited into the industry as 'fresh meat for the lions‘. And this is how they are treated in the sex trafficking industry - as tradeable objects, and consumable meat.

Victims are raped, starved, beaten and drugged with their children held hostage, often as leverage to prevent the girls escaping. They are raped by individual customers who visit their rooms, by customers staying in specific hotels, they are abused and gang-raped by large groups of paying customers, or when standing on the street to attract clients, under the overseeing eye of their pimp. One ex-victim of sex trafficking, now a human rights activist speaking out against sex trafficking, counts the number of times she was raped at 43,200.

Traffickers often maximise the time and use of their victims by preventing them from sleeping. One victim describes how she was only allowed to sleep for one hour per day, in between seeing 40 clients.

Clients are not enforced to use contraceptives, leaving victims open to life threatening transmitted diseases such as HIV-AIDS and tuberculosis, often with limited access to healthcare. Victims are also forced to take hard drugs in some cases, which they might willingly do to numb the pain.

There is rarely a time that the woman's victimisation ends. Even if they manage to escape, a lack of education, work experience and opportunities means that they often fall back into the sex trade as prostitutes, it being the only thing they have known in their adult life.

Very little is known about the clients of the trafficked sex workers. Due to the secret nature of the transactions, it is difficult to determine whether there are any common characteristics which would lead a person to purchase sex, and whether they know the victim has been forcibly taken there.

Although we are unable to observe the psyche or reasoning of clients of trafficked victims in Latin America, one unique study interviewing clients of prostitutes in the UK may give us some idea of the mentality of those who pay for sex. When asked why they visit prostitutes, the clients gave the following responses;

1. No big deal, it‘s just like getting a beer.

2. Lots of men go to prostitutes so they can do things to them that real women would not put up with.

3. Prostitution is a last resort to unfulfilled sexual desires.

4. It should be legalised over here. This is the way God created us. It is being human. If you don‘t have a partner then you have to go to a prostitute.

5. She looked at me with the look of a puppy dog in the Christmas window.

6. My favourite experience in prostitution was when she was totally submissive.

7. If you go to the wrong one, you might as well be in a morgue, there‘s a slab of flesh there.

The assertions that can be drawn from this cross-section of statements are that it is easy, normal and mundanely transactional to purchase sex, that satisfying the male sexual appetite is a natural necessity and a god-given right, that men are, or should be, dominating and women submissive, that prostitutes are not 'real women' and can be likened to animals or 'slabs of flesh'.

These assertions are similar to what we have already learnt about the culturally devalued status of women in Latin America, and the power imbalance of the macho Latino male and submissive female. It recalls the language of the traffickers, where victims are labelled 'furniture' and 'lions meat'.

We are unable to determine whether clients are aware that the women they purchase sex from may have been forcibly taken and enslaved. But, given the prevalence of the business of trafficking in areas such as Mexico‘s Tlaxcala, and the general attitude that women in the sex trade are not real women, it is unlikely that clients would care.

EXISTING LAWS, POLICIES AND ACTIONS

In June 2016, the U.S. government released its latest edition of the flagship annual publication on international human trafficking, the Trafficking in Persons Report. The report is widely used by not-for-profits to assess how well the governments in each country are dealing with the abolition of human trafficking.

The report uses four tiers to categorise government effort: Tier 1 (best), Tier 2, Tier 2 Watch List and Tier 3 (worst). Most Latin American countries fall somewhere in the Tier 2 category, with the exception of some Caribbean countries which hold a lower rank.

The Bahamas, Chile, and Colombia are the only countries on Tier 1 from Latin America. Colombia, for example, has convicted 31 traffickers, appointed 14 new prosecutors to handle trafficking cases, and reinforced its internal coordination to battle trafficking.

Countries on the Tier 2 Watch List include Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. Belize, Venezuela, and Haiti are the only Latin American countries identified as Tier 3. Venezuela‘s ranking was mostly due to unclear data from the government on its efforts against trafficking. However, Venezuela has reportedly made some efforts since the report‘s publication to arrest those involved in human trafficking.

It is often difficult to measure success when it comes to battling human trafficking. As it is a secretive operation, an accurate account of the number of women operating in the market are unknown. And although there has been an increase in workshops and conferences held and initiatives and campaigns launched to battle trafficking, concrete actions taken, such as arrests made for guilty offenders are not well documented and monitored.

There also necessitates an adjustment to legislation concerning trafficking; Mexico‘s federal anti-trafficking law defines human trafficking too broadly, thereby diluting the crime of trafficking. Costa Rica defines trafficking only as a movement-based crime. As countries where human trafficking is most prevalent, much more needs to be done to squash out corruption in authorities and work towards the abolition of human trafficking.

(Article extracted by Dr. Christina Sisti)

ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT

The psychological effect of mass sexual harassment on girls in Egypt (P.24) by Heba Elasiouty.

Safety concerns in relation to social media: Growing up female in an increasingly digital world (P.45) by Karin Temperley.

Psychosocial challenges faced by parents raising children with physical disabilities in Oshana region (P.68) by Misumbi Shikaputo.

Gender-based violence and subsequent safety challenges experienced by Rohingya women (P.119) by Shucheesmita Simonti.

LGBT policies and overall safety in Brazil (P.141) by Alinne Lopes Gomes.

Silent voices‘: Violence against the female body as consequence of machismo culture (P.177) by Steffica Warwick.

America‘s Public Policy on Sexuality: The Repression of Girls in Vulnerable Populations (P.208) by Dr. Christina Sisti.

The Safety Report Data Analysis is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls. Results and Outcomes based on Zambia, Egypt, USA, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Namibia.'

This study is as a result of collaborative effort pursued in the spirit of volunteerism via UN Online Volunteers.

Is Refugee Experience Gendered in Nature

2018-06-01T04:52:00.000+07:00

By Shucheesmita Simonti

Photo Credit: AP / Santi Palacios

Global News: Female Refugees endure sexual violence and exploitation

I've seen mothers and children really being vulnerable in the refugee camps; it's supposed to be temporary, but they end up having children who have grown up in refugee camps. Alek Wek

According to literature generated by scholars and field practitioners, refugee experiences are gendered in nature as women often face challenges that men in the camp would not, and in many situations, the refugee men are the privileged ones in the camp as they have the authority to practice power and dominance over women. Asha Hans (2012) reflected:

―From a woman‘s perspective, the home and homeland converge as both are political spaces. The home has always been linked to women‘s bodies where the boundaries are set by the patriarch. The homeland then is the expanded 'home' where boundaries are again set by the patriarch-the state. They are dominated and controlled by the patriarch at home and the dominant majority within the state. For women, life is a political battle within the home and society and in the camps to this binary is added to the state…. Gendering takes place as per local socio-cultural environment and women‘s positioning within it….

Furthermore, Hans (2012) describes the camps as gendered spaces where the geography and infrastructure often lead to increased vulnerability for women and advocates the need to acknowledge and address this issue: ―One needs to deconstruct the geography and the sociology of the camps to fully understand the gendered nature of displacement and the resultant trauma‖. Issues such as lack of sanitation, latrines being located in dark and on one end of the camps also often lead women to being sexually assaulted while they venture out, especially at night, to avail of these facilities.

Likewise, Gawher Nayeem Wahra (1994), a development practitioner based in Bangladesh observed from his work with Rohingya refugees that gender-issues are often neglected while designing programs, and that gender-component is largely ignored. Most of the time the aid workers were men who worked in collaboration with leaders, or Majhis, who were mostly male; and attempts to improve the situation of women refugees were often resisted.

Chaloka Beyani (1995) stressed that it is important to incorporate a gendered perspective into existing human rights framework as the specific abuses and challenges faced by refugee women are often limited to women only, and thus gendered in nature:

―The violent break-down of order removes social and institutional safeguards and protective structures of society, thereby exposing women to most barbaric forms of unrestrained male behavior. Women seeking refugee status in their own right and not in association with their husbands, fathers, brothers or uncles, are often subject to sexual demands in return for refugee status. Women who breach refugee camp regulations in certain circumstances are offered sex by male camp officials in lieu of punishment.

Rita Manchanda (2004) argued that often aid programmes end up assisting in recreating the ―local patriarchy as the aid workers, in their attempts to gain the trust and support of leaders of the community, who are mostly men, end up transferring the power to them and let them dictate and influence the implementation of the aid programme.

As a result, the re-establishment of local patriarchy of the homeland denies the refugee women from benefitting from these aid programmes, even if they are in a host country where women in general are empowered and have the right to work, to receive education and to receive justice if faced with violence or discrimination.

UNHCR (1991)‘s Guidelines on the Protection of Refugee Women acknowledges the gendered dimensions of refugee experience and advocates that:

―….international protection of refugee women must be understood in its widest sense. Refugee women who are vulnerable to feed, clothe and shelter themselves and their children will be more vulnerable to manipulation and to physical and sexual abuse in order to obtain such necessities.

Refugee women who are detained among strangers and/or where traditional social protection systems no longer exist, will face greater dangers than those living among family and friends. Refugee women who must bribe guards to obtain firewood, water or other essential goods will be more susceptible in sexual harassment. Moreover, refugee women who formerly had a means of expressing their views in the community may find themselves unable to do so in the camp management committees established by assistance organization.

The guidelines prepared by UNHCR are thorough and provide solution for a number of gendered problems.

This article is extracted from the Research paper titled 'Gender Based Violence and Subsequent Safety Challenges experienced by Rohingya Women' in Chapter 3 of the Safety Report by SAFIGI Foundation 'Safety First for Girls'.

ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT

The psychological effect of mass sexual harassment on girls in Egypt (P.24) by Heba Elasiouty.
Safety concerns in relation to social media: Growing up female in an increasingly digital world (P.45) by Karin Temperley.
Psychosocial challenges faced by parents raising children with physical disabilities in Oshana region (P.68) by Misumbi Shikaputo.
Gender-based violence and subsequent safety challenges experienced by Rohingya women (P.119) by Shucheesmita Simonti.
LGBT policies and overall safety in Brazil (P.141) by Alinne Lopes Gomes.
Silent voices‘: Violence against the female body as consequence of machismo culture (P.177) by Steffica Warwick.
America‘s Public Policy on Sexuality: The Repression of Girls in Vulnerable Populations (P.208) by Dr. Christina Sisti.

The Safety Report Data Analysis is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls. Results and Outcomes based on Zambia, Egypt, USA, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Namibia.'

This study is as a result of collaborative effort pursued in the spirit of volunteerism via UN Online Volunteers.

Direct and Indirect Forms of Violence

2018-05-30T00:23:00.002+07:00

By Shucheesmita Simonti

Photo Credit: CFR (Council on Foreign Relations)

Sexual, racial, gender violence and other forms of discrimination and violence in a culture cannot be eliminated without changing culture. Charlotte Bunch

Johan Galtung (1969) was one of the founding scholars who developed a typology of violence. He made an elaborate list of activities under each category and argued that violence is not merely the ―intentional use of force….against one or more others '…to inflict injury or death', and it is not necessarily goal oriented and intended to ―achieve some particular or general purpose. (Galtung, 1969).

Galtung distinguished between two kinds of violence- direct and indirect, or 'structural', as he noted:

―We shall refer to the type of violence where there is an actor that commits the violence as personal or direct, and to violence where there is no such actor as structural or indirect. In both cases, individuals may be killed or mutilated, hit or hurt in both senses of these words, and manipulated by means of a stick or carrot strategies. But whereas in the first case the consequences can be traced back to concrete persons as actors, in the second case this is no longer meaningful. There may not be any person who directly harms another person in the structure. The violence is built into the structure and shows up as unequal power and consequently as unequal life chances.‖ (Galtung, 1969: 170-171)

Galtung‘s conceptualization of violence, however, excludes the notion of gender as pointed out by Catia C. Confortini who pushes for a gendered theory of violence by analyzing Galtung‘s conceptualization of violence: ―Galtung's theory would benefit from an understanding of gender as a social construct that embodies power relations, rather than as a synonym for sex.

Gender-based violence can be defined as violence targeted to a person because of their gender, or that affects them because of their special roles or responsibilities in society. (Benjamin and Fancy, 1998; Kusakabe and Akhter 2014). Likewise, El-Bushra and Lopez (1993) defined gender-based violence as ―violence which embodies the power imbalances inherent in patriarchal society. Though it is not necessarily carried out by men against women, this is overwhelmingly the form it takes.

El-Bushra and Lopez (1993) also identified three levels of analysis for gender-based violence: Personal, Household and Public. They also observe that in times of war and conflict where people are forced to flee their homelands, the women refugees are more vulnerable.

With regard to vulnerabilities faced by women refugees, Rita Manchanda(2004) observed:

―The woman refugee/IDP represents the epitome of marginalization and the disenfranchisement of the dislocated. Her identity and her individuality are collapsed into the homogeneous category of victim and community, devoid of agency, unable and incapable of representing herself, powerless and superfluous.

Rita Manchanda (2004) also discusses how the aid programs end up reproducing the local hierarchies by adopting the 'going through the men' approach whereby the male leaders in the refugee camps become stakeholders and influence the way the projects are carried out in the camps. In this process, the women are often voiceless and marginalized and the male leaders are often found to exploit the women in camps.

The field study carried out by Kyoko Kusakabe and Shamima Akhter (2014) bears testimony to the argument. Shamima Akhter & Kyoko Kusakabe (2014) conducted a study on Gender-based violence among documented Rohingya refugees living at the Kutupalong Camp located in Cox‘s Bazar district in Bangladesh through conducting in-depth interviews.

These interviews reveal the gendered dimensions of refugee experience. The women refugees, the interviews demonstrate, were not only vulnerable outside the camps, but they were exploited within the confines of the camp too. Women were often subjected to domestic violence, and sexual exploitation by Majhis inside the camp and by employers outside the camp.

It is also crucial to understand the nature of the 'space' or the camps as demonstrated by Asha Hans (2012) who deconstructed the geography and sociology of refugee camps to reveal their gendered implications on the displaced population, especially women.

ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT

The psychological effect of mass sexual harassment on girls in Egypt (P.24) by Heba Elasiouty.

Safety concerns in relation to social media: Growing up female in an increasingly digital world (P.45) by Karin Temperley.

Psychosocial challenges faced by parents raising children with physical disabilities in Oshana region (P.68) by Misumbi Shikaputo.

Gender-based violence and subsequent safety challenges experienced by Rohingya women (P.119) by Shucheesmita Simonti.

LGBT policies and overall safety in Brazil (P.141) by Alinne Lopes Gomes.

Silent voices‘: Violence against the female body as consequence of machismo culture (P.177) by Steffica Warwick.

America‘s Public Policy on Sexuality: The Repression of Girls in Vulnerable Populations (P.208) by Dr. Christina Sisti.

The Safety Report Data Analysis is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls. Results and Outcomes based on Zambia, Egypt, USA, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Namibia.'

This study is as a result of collaborative effort pursued in the spirit of volunteerism via UN Online Volunteers.

Refugee Status Determination: Rohingya Crisis

2018-05-28T21:14:00.001+07:00

By Shucheesmita Simonti

Photo Credit: The New York Times

Abject poverty, political instability, torture, and other abuses push thousands across our border. There is not a deterrent imaginable that equals the conditions that force their migration. Greg Boyle

What are the challenges to implementation of non-refoulement in case of boat people?

One of the major challenges in implementing the principle of non-refoulement in case of irregular maritime migration in South-East Asia has been the identity of the people stranded in the boat. Another challenges is the process of prima facie.

The identity of boat people: Rohingya's or Bangladeshi's?

Of some 62,000 irregular departures from the Bay of Bengal in 2014, 58,000 are estimated to have departed from the Bangladesh-Myanmar maritime border, a 12 per cent increase over 2013, and nearly triple the number of departures estimated in 2012.

Approximately 130,000 people have departed irregularly by sea from this border area since January 2012. At least 4,000 people also embarked from the Sittwe area in Myanmar in 2014. Irregular maritime departures from the Bangladesh-Myanmar maritime border most frequently embarked from Teknaf, Bangladesh, and from Maungdaw, Myanmar. Many people who ultimately embarked from Teknaf had travelled there from Myanmar either over land or by crossing the Naf river.

According to UNHCR, 40-60% of these people are Bangladeshis while the rest are Rohingyas (Persons of Concern to UNHCR) and point of embarkation of the latter group can be Cox‘s Bazar of Bangladesh or Myanmar. As a result, the states may breach the principle of non-refoulment while trying to restrict the influx of economic migrants. In this dilemma arising out of mixed maritime migration, the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection observed:

―State measures to control irregular maritime migration can, and do, often clash with humanitarian considerations inherent in multiple international legal instruments that are activated in relation to irregular maritime migration, including in relation to non-refoulement… Irregular maritime migration presents an undeniably visual manifestation of irregular migration and as such triggers some fundamental political and policy concerns relating to States‘ international protection obligations, sovereignty, border control, security, and as such demands the attention of government.

Given the cultural and linguistic similarity between Bangladeshis and Rohingyas, it can be hard to differentiate between them. One question that arises here is why Rohingya refugees residing in Bangladesh are opting to migrate elsewhere.

Why the Rohingya refugees opting to migrate from Bangladesh?

According to UNHCR, as of August 2015, a total of 2,31,855 refugees were registered in Bangladesh, out of whom 31,759 were Rohingya PoCs. However, only 10% of them receive assistance from the government while the rest live in abysmal conditions, in crowded makeshift camps. Moreover, as influx of Rohingya refugees have increased over time, not only has the government refused entry to the refugees, but hostility from locals towards refugees who are already living in Bangladesh, is also another factor that motivates Rohingyas to migrate elsewhere. Saiful Huq Omi (2011) in his article titled 'Fleeing Burma' described the plight of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh:

―the Rohingya receive virtually no support and live in often sub-human conditions. It‘s common for 16 or more to live together in a single room of barely 30 square feet. Many suffer from chronic malnutrition. As stateless people, their movements are sharply restricted….Unable to leave their squalid refugee camps, they are prevented from seeking employment or engaging any activities on the outside. Formal schooling is banned in the camps, though recently the Bangladeshi government has allowed some schools to be opened there. Women are often gang-raped or forced into marriage with Bangladeshi thugs.

Therefore, it is the denial of basic rights to employment, education and safety which is acting as trigger factors behind Rohingya refugees residing in Bangladesh to attempt to migrate, even if the journey is perilous.

MASS INFLUX AND THE CHALLENGES OF RSD

Given that there were thousands of people stranded in the boat, another challenge was to carry out the process of Refugee Status Determination, or RSD—the legal act which examines why an individual has fled his/her country of origin, if there are well-founded fears of persecution, if the prospective refugee has committed any crimes against humanity or not, and therefore where h/she needs international protection under the ambit of 1951 Geneva Convention and its 1967 protocol.

Regarding refugee status determination in the case of a mass influx, the UNHCR Handbook on Procedures and Criteria for Determining Refugee Status states:

―While refugee status must normally be determined on an individual basis, situations have also arisen in which entire groups have been under circumstances indicating that members of the group could be considered individually as refugees.

ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT

The psychological effect of mass sexual harassment on girls in Egypt (P.24) by Heba Elasiouty.

Safety concerns in relation to social media: Growing up female in an increasingly digital world (P.45) by Karin Temperley.

Psychosocial challenges faced by parents raising children with physical disabilities in Oshana region (P.68) by Misumbi Shikaputo.

Gender-based violence and subsequent safety challenges experienced by Rohingya women (P.119) by Shucheesmita Simonti.

LGBT policies and overall safety in Brazil (P.141) by Alinne Lopes Gomes.

Silent voices‘: Violence against the female body as consequence of machismo culture (P.177) by Steffica Warwick.

America‘s Public Policy on Sexuality: The Repression of Girls in Vulnerable Populations (P.208) by Dr. Christina Sisti.

The Safety Report Data Analysis is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls. Results and Outcomes based on Zambia, Egypt, USA, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Namibia.'

This study is as a result of collaborative effort pursued in the spirit of volunteerism via UN Online Volunteers.

Concept of Safety and Security

2018-05-22T19:23:00.000+07:00

By Shucheesmita Simonti

Image source: QuoteFancy

The term 'security' is more pronounced in international organizations and international legal instruments. Generally, late economist Mahbub-ul-Haq (1994) is considered to have founded and outlined the concept of human security in his paper, ―New imperatives of human security (1994).

Mahbub-ul-Haq (1994) is considered to have founded and outlined the concept of human security in his paper, ―New imperatives of human security‖ (1994).

Concept of human security advanced by Mahbub-ul-Haq

According to Haq (1994), the notion of human security can be classified into the following categories:

1. Economic Security: Economic security requires an assured basic income.

2. Food Security: Food security means that all people at all times have both physical and economic access to basic food.

3. Health Security: ―While poor people in general have less health security, the situation for women is particularly difficult. One of the most serious hazards they face is childbirth.‖

4. Environmental Security: The environmental threats are a byproduct of degradation of local ecosystems…In developing countries, water crisis is one of the common forms of environmental security.

5. Personal Security: According to the report, the threats ―take several forms:

 Threats from the state (physical torture)

 Threats from other states (war)

 Threats from other groups of people (ethnic tension)

 Threats from individuals or gangs against other individuals or gangs (crime, street violence)

 Threats directed against women (rape, domestic violence)

 Threats directed at children based on their vulnerability and dependence (child abuse)

In case of personal security, Haq (1994) also draws attention to gendered dimensions of personal security:

Among the worst personal threats are those to women. In no society are women secure or treated equally to men. Personal insecurity shadows them from the cradle to the grave. In the household, they are the last to eat. At school, they are the last to be educated. At work, they are the last to be hired and the first to be fired. And from childhood, through adulthood, they are abused because of their gender.

6. Community Security: Community security threats can arise within the community or from rival communities. Community security threats are, despite the source, as a result of affiliation to a particular religious or ethnic community.

7. Political Security: Political Security threats often arise due to inter-party conflict, due to one‘s political ideologies, or conflict within or between state(s).

ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT

The psychological effect of mass sexual harassment on girls in Egypt (P.24) by Heba Elasiouty.

Safety concerns in relation to social media: Growing up female in an increasingly digital world (P.45) by Karin Temperley.

Psychosocial challenges faced by parents raising children with physical disabilities in Oshana region (P.68) by Misumbi Shikaputo.

Gender-based violence and subsequent safety challenges experienced by Rohingya women (P.119) by Shucheesmita Simonti.

LGBT policies and overall safety in Brazil (P.141) by Alinne Lopes Gomes.

Silent voices‘: Violence against the female body as consequence of machismo culture (P.177) by Steffica Warwick.

America‘s Public Policy on Sexuality: The Repression of Girls in Vulnerable Populations (P.208) by Dr. Christina Sisti.

The Safety Report Data Analysis is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls. Results and Outcomes based on Zambia, Egypt, USA, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Namibia.'

This study is as a result of collaborative effort pursued in the spirit of volunteerism via UN Online Volunteers.

Causes of Rohingya Conflict

2018-05-19T19:46:00.000+07:00

By Shucheesmita Simonti

Photo Credit: Reuters / Danish Siddiqui

Asia Correspondent: Israel Refuses to Stop Arms sales to Burma

History shows that where ethics and economics come in conflict, victory is always with economics. Vested interests have never been known to have willingly divested themselves unless there was sufficient force to compel them. B. R. Ambedkar

In the case study of Rohingya, two root causes have been identified: ethnic and religious dispute. This section briefly discusses the religious and ethnic dimension to the conflict.

In India, UNHCR issues a refugee card and provides medicine supply. As I the researcher found out through the field interviews, in the Kalindi Kunj slum occupied by Rohingya refugees, the land belongs to Zakat foundation.

Most of the men made a living by selling vegetables or as vendors, whereas the women confined themselves to their tiny cramped rooms, reluctant to venture out. Mohd.Shah also narrated in his interview that in Myanmar they were issued a Mehman card which stated them to be Bengali Muslims and while leaving Myanmar, that card was confiscated by the government and their names were removed from the list of Mehman card holders. As their Mehman card is seized, it implies they cannot return to Myanmar again.

ETHNIC CONFLICT

With regard to definitions of ethnicity, varying opinions exist amongst scholars. One definition of ethnicity is―either a large or a small group of people, in either backward or advanced societies, who are united by a common inherited culture (including language, music, food, dress, and customs and practices, racial similarity, common religion, and belief in common history, and ancestry and who exhibit a strong psychological sentiment of belonging to the group)‖ (Taras, R. & Ganguly, R., 1998; Phadnis, U. & Ganguly, R., 2001).

To understand the source of ethnic conflict, one needs to understand 'what constitutes a nation' and the extent to which it is in contradiction with the concept of ethnic nationalism. Benedict Anderson (1983) defined a nation as ―an imagined political community-and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign…It is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion.

Thus, a nation is a limited sovereign territory which is limited by geography and gives a collective identity to its inhabitants. In contrast, ethnic-nationalism is a sense of belonging derived from shared past and cultural roots; as argued by Smith(1999): ―a central theme of historical ethnic-symbolism is the relationship of shared memories to collective cultural identities: memory, almost by definition, is integral to cultural identity, and cultivation of shared memories is essential to the survival and destiny of such collective identities.

In contrast, Vamik Volkan (2006 cited Karl & Steffan 2010) approaches the concept of ethnicity from a psychoanalytic perspective and argues that people form images about themselves and others through symbols such as flags, icons, memorials, groups of people with whom they may have positive or negative connotations, which is similar to Calhoun (2007)‘s argument which asserted that ―The translation of ethnicity into nationalism is partly a matter of converting the cultural traditions of everyday life into more specific cultural claims.

Thus, in context of the nature of the most modern nation-states where the collective identity is derived from the geographically confined territory, it can be asserted that the concept of ethnic nationalism transcends geographical boundaries and is derived from the notion of an imagined historical homeland.

Across the world, it is the struggle between the ethnic identity and the collective identity that leads to the rise of ethno-nationalist secessionist movements. Glatzer(2002) hinted at the prehistoric significance of ethnic and tribal identity, who argued: ―Due to its inherent primordial connotations, ethnic and tribal identity is connected with strong emotions and therefore easily leads to particular aggressiveness when conflicts arise.

This prehistoric significance of ethnic identity is often associated with the notion of a shared past, of a historical homeland that once belonged to the ethnic group.

Given the socio-cultural context of Myanmar, it can be deduced that people‘s perception towards the Rohingya community is based on negative connotations, as they have been considered as outsiders. With regard to memory, they are considered as Bengali Muslims owing to migration and porous border in earlier times and thus the Buddhist Burmese found it difficult to consider them as part of ―Burmese identity.

Linguistic divide plays a role too in this conflict, as the Rohingyas have their own distinct language which is a mixture of Arakanese, Bengali and Urdu. Arakan province got integrated into Burma only in 1785, and thus the community does not have shared glories to feel a sense of kinship with the mainstream Burmese.

As asserted by Ross (2007), culture and identity play a dominant role in any ethnic conflict. In case of Rohingyas, the identity crisis imposed upon them can be observed. As narrated by Kulsum Khatoon, a 31-year-old refugee residing in Kalindi Kunj with her husband and 4 children, ―The Buddhists told us we are outsiders. We are Bengali Muslims, we don‘t belong here. But my heart still yearns for Arakans; this is where I was born, I grew up. If the conflict is ever resolved, I would like to go back there.

However, the protests that took place earlier demanding that the voting rights of Rohingyas be revoked on the ground that they are not citizens of Myanmar and can never be, it can be assumed that the process of reintegration is indeed a blood mammoth task.

RELIGIOUS DIVIDE

Apart from ethnic divide, the major factor that triggered the conflict in Arakan state is the religious divide, since about 85% of people in Myanmar practice Buddhism and the Buddhist clergies play an important role in promoting nationalist movements which is often intertwined with religion.

According to Benedict Anderson, a nation is an imagined community because, ―regardless of the actual inequality and exploitation that may prevail in each, the nation is always conceived as a deep, horizontal comradeship. Ultimately it is this fraternity that makes it possible, over the past two centuries, for so many millions of people, not so much to kill, as willingly to die for such limited imaginings. (Anderson,1991).

However, in context of Rohingyas, over centuries, the community has never been considered a part of the ―Burmese community‖; they have always been considered to be outsiders. As narrated by several refugees, they have been obstructed from practicing their religion; the Burmese army demolished the mosques and tried to stop them from praying. According to Sultan Ahmad, who was once a rich farmer in Arakan state, ―The Buddhist seized our mosques, dishonored the holy places.

There was no freedom of religion. Abdullah who assumes an influential position amongst the refugee families too asserted that they were dehumanized by the Myanmar government due to religious divide.

ABOUT THE SAFETY REPORT

The psychological effect of mass sexual harassment on girls in Egypt (P.24) by Heba Elasiouty.

Safety concerns in relation to social media: Growing up female in an increasingly digital world (P.45) by Karin Temperley.

Psychosocial challenges faced by parents raising children with physical disabilities in Oshana region (P.68) by Misumbi Shikaputo.

Gender-based violence and subsequent safety challenges experienced by Rohingya women (P.119) by Shucheesmita Simonti.

LGBT policies and overall safety in Brazil (P.141) by Alinne Lopes Gomes.

Silent voices‘: Violence against the female body as consequence of machismo culture (P.177) by Steffica Warwick.

America‘s Public Policy on Sexuality: The Repression of Girls in Vulnerable Populations (P.208) by Dr. Christina Sisti.

The Safety Report Data Analysis is titled: 'Core Issues Affecting Safety of Girls. Results and Outcomes based on Zambia, Egypt, USA, Tanzania, South Sudan, and Namibia.'

This study is as a result of collaborative effort pursued in the spirit of volunteerism via UN Online Volunteers.

Safety First For Girls (SAFIGI)

Equality Culture in Hong Kong

Podcast 10 by Ruby Lai Yuet Tung via UN Online Volunteers Service

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM HONG KONG

Equality Culture in India

Podcast 9 by Meera Tenguria via UN Online Volunteers Service

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM INDIA

Equality Culture in Singapore

Podcast 8 by Devi Shree Malarvanan via UN Online Volunteers Service

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM SINGAPORE

Equality Culture in China

Podcast 7 by Muqing Li via UN Online Volunteers Service

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM CHINA

Equality Culture in Nigeria

Podcast 6 by Damaris Akhigbe via UN Online Volunteers Service

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM NIGERIA

Equality Culture in Spain

Podcast 5 by Soumiya Drir via UN Online Volunteers Service

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM SPAIN

Kenya, Burundi, USA, Hong Kong Equality Culture

Podcast 4 by Prudence Hainga via UN Online Volunteers Service

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM KENYA, BURUNDI, USA, HONG KONG

USA, Ghana, India, Luxembourg Equality Culture

Podcast 3 by Jillian Primicias via UN Online Volunteers

Article by Steffica Warwick, SAFIGI Editor

EQUALITY CULTURE PERSPECTIVES FROM GHANA, INDIA, LUXEMBOURG

Indonesia Equality Culture

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Podcast 1 by Reel Faisal Elsayed via UN Online VolunteersArticle by Steffica Warwick, SAFIGI Editor

LISTEN IN ON: NEGATIVE CULTURAL ASPECTS

LISTEN IN ON: POSITIVE CULTURAL ASPECTS

EQUALITY CULTURE PERPECTIVES FROM INDIA, SUDAN AND KENYA BRIEF

ABOUT EQUALITY CULTURE

2019: Equality Culture

TASK

Safety Education In America

In 2017 SAFIGI Foundation undertook a data analysis on core issues affecting safety for girls in the developing world. We surveyed thirty people in Oregon, USA, to find out the level of Safety Education they had growing up.

Written by Dr. Christina Sisti

Machismo and Sexual Assault in Latin American Gangs

MACHISMO CULTURE IN GANGS

VIOLENCE, RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT IN GANG RELATIONSHIPS

The Role of Females in Latin American Gangs

By Steffica Warwick

The Stigma Against Reporting Abuse

By Steffica Warwick

The Aftermath of Sexual Harassment in Egypt

By Heba Elasiouty

Barriers to Progress for Gender Equality

By Steffica Warwick

Machismo: Violence Against Female Body

By Steffica Warwick

Sexual Assault in Media

By Steffica Warwick

The Reality of Sex Trafficking

Is Refugee Experience Gendered in Nature

By Shucheesmita Simonti

Direct and Indirect Forms of Violence

By Shucheesmita Simonti

Refugee Status Determination: Rohingya Crisis

By Shucheesmita Simonti

Concept of Safety and Security

By Shucheesmita Simonti

Causes of Rohingya Conflict

By Shucheesmita Simonti

Podcast 1 by Reel Faisal Elsayed via UN Online Volunteers
Article by Steffica Warwick, SAFIGI Editor