2. Imagine you were air-lifted into a village with one
of the problems Kristoff, Deif and others describe:
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Sex trafficking of children (India, Southeast Asia)
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Female genital mutilation in Africa
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Honor killings and gang rape as punishment of women in
Pakistan
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Education of women illegal under the Taliban
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Unequal legal rights for women under sharia law
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Fistulas and other damage due to problematic
pregnancies in Africa
What would be your approach as a global social worker?
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ReplyDeleteNicole Weinstein
ReplyDeleteHealy (2008) discusses four dimensions of global social work that I believe are crucial to integrate whenever international problems are present. The first dimension is global social work must involve “internationally-related domestic practice and advocacy.” In the case of sex trafficking of children in Southeast Asia, global social workers need to acknowledge that sex trafficking occurs internationally and affects both children and women. Global social workers must also consider where the children are being trafficked to and what policies are in place in both the country of origin and the country the children now reside in. The social worker would need to be acutely aware of cultural differences regarding values and norms, and will need to integrate this understanding to conceptualize the issue specifically for Southeast Asian countries. With that being said, there are many countries in Southeast Asia and each is very unique, it would be important that social workers acknowledge the differences and approach each country individually when addressing the issue of sex trafficking children. The second dimension is “using knowledge gained from other countries to improve practice and policy in the home country.” To do this, global social workers would evaluate the similarities and differences between Southeast Asia and other regions struggling with human trafficking. One example would be to spend time reading the 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report released by the U.S. Department of State; the document identifies countries that currently face issues with human trafficking. Third, global social workers “contribute to international development by working in international development agencies.” A global social worker could work for several non-governmental agencies that specifically work with trafficking of children in Southeast Asia; some NGO’s include End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT), Childhope Asia Philippines, and Children’s Organization of Southeast Asia (COSA). Lastly, global social workers must influence policy at an international level through advocacy and education. A social worker would want to work with people both locally and globally to communicate necessary information and create a strategy to target sex trafficking of children. It would be necessary to find local leaders within Southeast Asian countries and empower those leaders to create strong bonds with their local government and people.
The problem of pregnancies and fistulas are varies among African nations. As a global social worker needs to first discovered the causes of the problem, documenting all the causes and provide quick interventions to solve the problems. For instance, conduct a pilot discussion, interviews and asking questions from medical and healthcare providers, affected women and the villagers. Using Nigeria as a case study, the causes of fistulas are poverty, illiteracy, restriction of women's movement, Stigmatization, late report to the hospital during labor and ignorance etc. A global social worker collaborates with ministry of health, private and NGOs in the areas to take this following action.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, empowering the fistula patients economically, socially and reduce Vaginal Fistula associated stigma within the health care providers to allow the patients to come for treatment and surgery.
Secondly, encourage and motivate other untreated fistula patients to seek early treatment, provided additional assistance to help the families of the victims by promote awareness and acceptability of affected women among members of the family and community.
Thirdly, Organize community group health education on maternal health and personal hygiene, environmental sanitation, use of good water, the women and the communities to increase control over maternal and newborn baby healthcare service as well as to increase access to, and utilization of, health services available.
Fourthly, leadership training for the community leaders in promoting fistula awareness, prevention and treatment seminars and as well informing them that community involvement and participation is the key for maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity reduction.
Finally, Women living with fistula very often suffer stigmatization and discrimination and become social outcasts. The social worker makes the community to STOP stigmatization and discrimination related to fistulas and difficulties in pregnancy.
Hi David Seun,
DeleteThank you for posting about the problems of pregnancies and fistulas in African nations. I must admit I did not know much about this issue before class and I am glad you chose to discuss it. I like your idea about conducting pilot discussions and interviews to gain a better understanding about the causes of the problems. This is a good approach to begin, because someone being flown in may not know much about this problem or where to start. Even if they had some knowledge from reading about the issue, I am sure it will be different from how it is in person.
I also like your idea about encouraging and motivating women to seek treatment and assistance. I liked that you addressed how women may suffer due to stigma. I cannot say what it would be like to live in a culture with this problem, but I am sure there is stigma and discrimination associated with fistulas and difficulties in pregnancy. Even if resources are available, women may not feel comfortable seeking help, so addressing the stigma is a good idea.
Finally, I appreciated how you suggested community group health education. I think it is important for women to come together for support from other women going through the same things, and I also think groups are beneficial for women gain knowledge about their health and the health of their children. Thank you again for posting on this subject and furthering my education about this issue!
Hi Courtney,
DeleteI am pleased to know that you find my post educative. Thank you for reading.
Kristoff & WuDunn (2009) repeatedly highlight the importance of education in improving women’s situations across the world. The authors cited numerous examples, including Dai Manju in China, to demonstrate the transformative nature of an education. Education can be utilized in both prevention and intervention. For example, ensuring girls have access to education would be preventative, and educating people about female genital mutilation would be a way to intervene to hopefully diminish the prevalence. Increasing girls’ and women’s access to education would be an important element of my recommendation.
ReplyDeleteHealy (2008) describes FGM as a traditional practice and an example of violence against women, particularly in some African countries and immigrant communities. As a global social worker addressing female genital mutilation (FGM) in Africa, I would work with community leaders, both formal and informal, to understand the problem from their perspective and explore possible prevention and/or intervention programs. I believe this step is crucial to develop culturally relevant and appropriate solutions, unlike the cassava example where an intervention to get women out of poverty ultimately led to men taking over and putting women back into poverty (Kristoff & WuDunn, 2009). I would also want to understand why FGM is believed to be a good tradition – even though I do not agree with it, I would need to understand both sides of the argument to find a solution that will work. While liaising with community leaders, I would seek to understand local belief systems to determine prevention and/or intervention programs that would be feasible and acceptable within the community. Kristoff & WuDunn (2009) highlight how bribery has been used to expand education for girls, and my initial inclination is to see if there are any incentives that might be more powerful than the cultural norm of FGM, to decrease the numbers of women who experience FGM. This is a complicated issue and would require a lot of communication and collaboration, but I believe starting by talking with local leaders and influencers would be a useful starting place to develop appropriate prevention and/or intervention programs that would be effective at decreasing FGM rates.
It is not all that unrealistic that I may ever travel to a country with problems such as these. Injustices against women and children as this are an significant passion of mine, and I hope to someday face these problems at some point as a global social worker.
ReplyDeleteIt seems overwhelming to tackle some of these issues because they occur on the large on the scale of things. For example, it seems daunting to change the unequal legal rights for women under Sharia Law because of the religious implications. How can you change religious views that have been instilled for so long? Along the same lines for female genital mutilation in Africa or honor killings and gang rape in Pakistan, some of these are long-held traditions that have gone on for many years and they can be a part of their culture. How do you completely change cultures? It is unfortunate that some of these situations are not only accepted in communities, but some are supported by law. For example, Deif discusses the injustices in Egypt and their lack of legal rights to a divorce. This is just another example of injustice towards women and it needs to change. Culture, tradition, law and religion aside, the bottom line is these inequalities are are simply wrong, immoral, and dehumanizing and they need to be stopped.
My initial response to approach would be that of compassion. We live in a Western culture where I am not too afraid to speak my mind or demand respect from others. I cannot imagine what it must be like to live in fear for yourself and children by a man in some countries in the world. I also think that education is key to let these women know that some of these actions are completely unacceptable. I would, of course, have to approach this with sensitivity, but I think it is important that these women be empowered. These women may feel hopeless that things may never change, and I would also want to be in a role of support. These women may feel shame and I would approach this with utmost caution and consideration. Women have a courageous spirit and strength, and my approach would hope to bring this out in the women in these situations.
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DeleteCourtney, I was also touched by your post. I too, am passionate about the global injustice faced by so many women and children. To put yourself in the shoes of a frightened girl, unknown to her rights as a human being makes my stomach turn. The first step in any form of change is education. As sad as it is that sex trafficking is considered a phenomenon of this century, it's also a relief in a sense; I say this because that means the issue is so widely spread that awareness will take hold. You're right, these women need to feel empowered and understand that they deserve respect. Their lives are centered-around the idea that men "own them" and this is an idea that needs to be stomped on. It takes future global social workers such as ourselves to bring awareness to this issue.
Delete2. As a white American woman, the best I could do for a village or red light district in Cambodia struggling with the effects of sex trafficking is to get out of the way as much as possible while aiding the community as much as possible. The way to do this is through grassroots mobilization.
ReplyDeleteMolly Melching, founder of Tostan in Senegal seems to have learned how to tow that line effectively (Kristoff, 2009). She spent years living in Senegal, learning the language, the customs, the local gossip. It was only after this that she decided to start an education program that sought to change local habits that were damaging to women (Kristoff, 2009).
Her impact was large, not necessarily because she was a persuasive or charismatic person, but rather because she worked with the Senegalese people instead ofimposing an ideal on them. She seemed to tread lightly while still having a firm opinion: an art to be mastered by any international social worker. Her aim was simple: educate, then let them make their own decision. She, though not a social worker, seemed to herald the social work ideal of self-determination, believing that each individual and group deserved the freedom of choice. Paradoxically, it was in granting this choice that caused many more women to take a stand against female genital mutilation, an effort that was much more successful than overt “treetop” campaigns directly telling women to refrain from circumcision (Kristoff, 2009).
Knowing the local culture, and what moves it, gaining an intuitive knowledge of what will drive change, and then acting in tandem with that knowledge is the true work of an international social worker. Too often, Western aid, “puts an American stamp on” (Kristoff, 2009) something that will not work in a local context based on cultural concerns. Therefore, if I really wanted to change sex trafficking in Cambodia, I would have to know how and why it operates on a local level.
There may be payoffs, for families and the community at large, that need to be attended to before proposing the abolition of sex trafficking to a large group. The important thing is to get to know the community in order to know what those are and leverage interventions accordingly.
Melching found out that in Senegal, having a women’s rights lesson would immediately alienate the men. She also found out, by checking it out with the community, that all the men needed was to feel included in the process, and she still was able to teach women’s rights by teaching about people’s rights (Kristoff, 2009).
Melching also found out that having a whole community denounce female circumcision would ruin their daughter’s chances of getting married. Therefore, she decided not to have communities announce that publicly, and instead arranged non-circumcision communities to connect with other non-circumcision communities regarding marriage prospects (Kristoff, 2009). She was shrewd in the way she did this, always adjusting to the problems that arose by discovering a creative solution. That is the role I would like to play as a social worker dealing with the issue of sex slavery.
Rachel, I appreciate the example you used. Oftentimes I think we are perplexed by how we can make room for ourselves in another society that is violating human rights because our cultures vary so widely. I love that you discussed the amount of time Melching spent in Senegal before approaching the local people. It exemplifies the amount of dedication it takes to create an approach that works to educate the people while still respecting their self-determination. You also discussed the attention to necessary changes needed to create a successful approach—that she needed to adjust to problems and create solutions. I think she was able to make room for herself in a way that did not make the Senegalese people feel intimidated or become defensive. Best, Nicole Weinstein
DeleteOnce I know the purpose that sex slavery fulfills in the community, however base, I will have a clearer idea of the action to take and the people I need to reach in order to eradicate sex slavery. This means talking to the men that may use prostitutes, educating them on the realities that face prostitutes in the countries where they visit them. However, I think too, it is important to provide the social supports that these men need to help them deal with the feelings, often of isolation and shame, that cause them to visit prostitutes in the first place. Support groups would be just as vital for the men who visit the prostitutes as for the women escaping sex slavery if the problem is to be eradicated. This is something men need to talk to each other about, we may be surprised with the out come.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the most effective ways of attacking the issue, for, if there were no money in prostitution, there would be no sex slavery. Stopping it at its source would take away the need for a lot of other steps, such as rescuing the women from the brothels. Though at this point, this is a necessary step, the process of restoring these women to a sense of freedom would be much more feasible if they were not always worrying that their owner would find them while they are walking down the street.
Once there is less in the business of sex trafficking, and more women are let go, it will be time to work with the women who have experienced this hardship. From reading Kristoff(2009), I know that that these women have been completely degraded, broken of any will to pursue freedom. Therefore, offering the freedom of choice, as Melching did, would be essential. Psycho-education, about the psychological effects of sex slavery would be important. However, most important would be consistent efforts to help empower these women. This would be through group work to help build relationships and solidarity as well as guiding them to a vocation that they are interested in, and giving small loans to help them pursue that vocation. Since sex slavery is about money and power, giving the women both of these things will tip the scales, and begin to transform their lives.
While addressing the issues from both sides, as in Vieques (Torres, 2005), enough awareness and solidarity will be built to begin to make sex slavery taboo among those seeking its services, and to give women the courage to live new and unencumbered lives.
Answering the question of my approach as a global social worker in solving the issue of prohibition of access to education for girls in Taliban infected regions, I would first like to talk about the example of Malala that can be replicated by social advocates who fight oppression and injustice. Malala Youzsafi is a seventeen year old Noble Peace Prize winner who started her campaign on educating girls in the Taliban ruled village and raising awareness about the issue all over the world. In her interview with Ronan Farrow and in a number of other interviews, Malala stated that educating women is a very strong tool for fighting terrorism, since educating women leads to the education of the entire nation. According to Malala, education will lead the victims of Taliban oppression to critique and question any information including the legitimacy and norms of Sharia law independently, so then the terrorists will not be able to misuse the name of Islam and will not be able to fool and exploit local people.
ReplyDeleteFollowing Malala’s perfect example who called the leaders of the developed countries to contribute to the peace by sending more books and teachers to the countries controlled by the Taliban but not weapons and soldiers, I would promote systemic change through effectively implemented social protections and undertake several steps that would include reforms on macro as well as mezzo and micro levels.
Discriminatory practices against women described by Deif (2004), prevent women from accesses to such pivotal human rights like marriage, divorce and child custody is the example of targeted discrimination against women that lead to disempowerment and stagnation. The greatest tool to establish social justice and systemic change is to educate people, raise awareness and provide technical assistance to those in need.
According to Deif’s suggestion, I would start from lobbying in the governmental structures in order to promote legislative, judicial and administrative reforms to guarantee equal access to police protection, education and other social benefits. Having this law adopted in this particular village’s local legislation will equip the women with rights to seek justice from legal forces if a violation, such as prohibition from going to school, occurs. However, if the Taliban was able to invade the village, most likely the official governmental structure has little or no power within the region. In that case mezzo and micro level implementations will be a great supplementary assistance. As a part of social advocate team, I would develop and start a campaign of educating the village dwellers about the importance of educating girls. I would reach out to the local mosques leadership, asking them for assistance in raising awareness of this issue, through talking about this issue during their religious lectures and backing it up with citations from the holy scriptures. I would also ask for the permission to hold my educational lectures for the local people at the mosques after Friday prayers, which are usually attended by everyone. This will provide me an opportunity to reach out to as many people as possible within the village.
Through the lectures and workshops on raising awareness about educating girls I would hope to develop a team of supporters who would agree to lead classes for children and provide a safe space for such activities.
And finally I will continue to draw international attention to the terrorism issue, so that the global international organizations like the UN and the World Bank could help to strengthen local police structure by providing training and other type of informational support to arrest Talibs and other criminals without involving soldiers from Western countries.
Mukhayyo I really appreciate your response. In the Hugman et al. article, they ask "are social workers engaged in international social work exerting effective political pressures within their own nation state"(pg 631). So your strategy to include the government is exactly right. You state that government structure may not have that much power, but the act of putting pressure on the government is not just to promote change at that level. The very act of showing outside support can empower the people to stand together because there are outside people who care about them and are willing to fight with them. Then you having workshops and lectures would definitely help push the people to rally together. Great ideas. I definitely agree that it is much better to try to equip people with the tools that they need to fight for themselves rather than trying to fight everyone else's battles for them. I believe that is more harmful than helpful.
DeleteThank you for your valuable insight Nicole, I absolutely agree with you, and think that international community' assistance and trainings can indeed lead to the empowerment of the local population and help to eliminate "violence triangle", which is direct, structural and cultural (Weigert pg11) aspects of oppression. I strongly believe that by promoting universal education and gender equality, interdisciplinary peace building teams will be able to stop conflicts around the globe, within a decade or two.
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ReplyDeleteSubmission from Nicole Woodcox
ReplyDeleteIn the Hugman et al article, it is discussed how international social workers must use approaches that are “anti –imperial, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive,” approaches that do not that put social workers from the West in the position of expert (pg. 632). Effective International social workers, “presume that global issues are increasingly local” (Hugman et al. pg 630). With the presumption that global issues can affect everyone and the understanding that I as an American am not the expert social on how to help people of every culture, I can start to have the right amount of open-mindedness, compassion, and empathy (not sympathy) to work with locals to help them make changes in their communities. Having this understanding with help Westerns understand that international social work is not one sided, Westerns should not just give aid and leave unchanged. Kristoff & WuDunn share stories that show that the most effective type of helping relationships are those that provide transformation for both parties involved.
As an effective international social worker, I would approach sex trafficking in South East Asia by assisting the local organizations that already exist raise more funds, expand their services, and provide trainings that they feel would empower them and/or their clients. There are survivor led organizations that already exist all over South East Asia that are doing amazing jobs at not only rescuing ladies out of brothels but also empowering and restoring dignity in them with their services. Survivors of sex trafficking have experienced things that I could never imagine, so sometimes they are able to heal more holistically when they are able to see someone who has managed to come from a situation similar to theirs live an empowered life as a leader, not just a victim who was saved. I feel that I too, as an ally, can do amazing work with survivors of sex trafficking, but I would not have the same amount of street credibility or street sense to do the work as effective as a survivor leader. The other important reason why I would work with locals is because I wouldn’t know the type of prostitution that really exist in the area, meaning are almost all the women trafficked or is there a group of women who are doing it without a pimp/trafficker in order to provide for her family, because the two need to be approached differently. In summary, I would approach the situation in a manner that would bring about sustainable change, instead of merely doing something to make me feel good about myself.
2
ReplyDeleteCultural competence takes on a whole new role when looking at global social work. Up until this semester in my graduate career cultural competence has centered on the idea of trying to understand cultural identify as it relates to the “American way”. In this way we, the social workers, are the authority on how individuals should act within the American context and what challenges could arise as they assimilate. To client’s the social worker may represent members of the majority whereas their cultural identity may put them in a place of "otherness". However these roles reverse when engaging in international social work. According to Healy(2008) while many countries have worked toward developing an international code of ethics. Unfortunately many feel that these values of these documents reflect western values and therefore may not respect the values of other nations.
I imagine that working as a global social worker requires a great deal of humility. To recognize that you are the outsider and therefore lack certain cultural knowledge or what we discussed in class as “folk logic”. In any of the situations described in the question proposed, I can say with fair certainty that my gut reaction to witnessing or hearing about these atrocious acts would be outrage. I would want to tell people what they are doing wrong and try to prevent any further suffering. What I understand now is that while I may not agree with these practices, they may be part of cultural or religious traditions that have endured for generations. There are two topics from our readings that I hope would guide me in confronting ethical challenges in a global social work practice.
The first is to consider my own views on universalist versus relativist approaches to social work practice. Based on Healy’s (2008) writing it seems that what we as a profession are searching for balance between these two approaches. A totally universalist approach would result in a homogenous society where there is no safeguard for cultural and religious practices if they conflict with the recognized standards. On the other hand an entirely relativist approach can result in an “anything goes” society that can dismiss the violations of human rights as a culturally sanctioned act.
This leads me to the second topic that would guide my actions in global social work practice which is choice. Amartya Sen (1999) posed the question most succinctly by asking “how can we accommodate rights and liberties of persons while giving adequate recognition to their preferences?” Is female genital mutilation in itself a violation of a woman’s rights? If a woman was able to give informed consent, free of intimidation and coercion and was able to have the procedure done safely because she want to take part in a process that is valued within her culture then I would argue that this in fact was not a violation of her rights. Rather this process is an example of her ability to exercise her rights to make decisions about her body. However as discussed in Kristoff and WuDunn(2009) this is not the case. Women do not have the opportunity to make a choice, decisions are made for them by family members. They are denied access to education and healthcare. When one’s ability to choose is usurped then their rights as human beings have been infringed upon.
Ultimately I believe that when confronted with these issues in practice my role as a social worker is to observe, listen and learn about what it is like to live through these experiences and the mechanisms in place that have sustained their practice for so long. To confront these issues as a “crusader” and ignoring the cultural contexts in which these practices survive I am not only exerting my own imperialist attitude but may in fact deter women from sharing their stories or seeking help because my values may seem too radical. Rather by understanding the systems at work I may better help other clinicians, agencies and members of the community develop programs that can create systemic change internally.
Every global social worker who is working with clients from different countries, cultures, should firstly pay attention to that country's culture, customs, history, values and etc. According to Ahmadi (2003), „international social work can and should play an important role in consolidating democracy, social justice and the implementation of international conventions such as human rights, elimination of discrimination against women, rights of children and so on <...>“ (Ahmadi, 2003, p. 14). When a social worker has this knowledge, it is easier to understand other cultures and people. As a matter of principle a global social worker should follow international social work values.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the mutilation of women and girls is an international problem. It is strange, that not all countries have a law which prohibits the use of this procedure. One of the prevention tools of female mutilation could be to legally ban it in the rest of the world. In countries where circumcision is a tradition, it is not considered as a crime. This is a violation of human rights, safety, health and etc. So, a social worker should to be cooperate with other countries and try to initiate legislation prohibiting female genital injuries. However, prohibitions and laws cannot solve this problem. It is necessary to encourage communities to stop this tradition. Also, education could be one of the tools to solve this problem. Seipel (2003) affirms that education is one of the most effective ways to create wealth for individuals and society. Social workers and health care professionals should work together and try to provide information for communities about the consequences of female genital mutilation. Also, a social worker for families from countries where female genital circumcision is practiced should provide information on the possible health complications, explain the legal consequences. So, a social worker who is working together with doctors could help women at risk of becoming victims of female genital mutilation.
I would like to give you an example from Lithuania. In the Lithuanian mass media there appeared an article about the circumcised genital organs of a young girl. Grandmother of that girl was stressed about this situation. Her daughter got married to a man who was from Ethiopia. The father took his daughter on vacation to Ethiopia and there unknown to his wife, circumcised their three-year-old daughter. The mother of child felt confused and disturbed, because after the circumcision her child felt worse physically and emotionally. The girl’s mother did not dare to ask for help because she is afraid her husband. Also, they have a second daughter and her grandmother and her mother fear that her husband would do the same as he did to the other daughter.
In this case father violated his daughter rights. Also, in this situation I see potential for a social worker. The family should talk with a social worker, who can provide information and explain the consequences of genital circumcision and also talk about a possible daughter's choice in the future.
Sharia (Islamic law) deals with several topics including: crime, politics, and economics, as well as personal matters such as sexual intercourse, hygiene, diet, prayer, everyday etiquette, and fasting. According to Article by Farida Deif, we can see that the legal system is one for men, and one for women. If women want to defend themselves in court face a myriad of challenges and legal processes tend to last for a long time.
ReplyDeleteWe need to pay attention to the inequality of women and girls' access to education, which is the first step on the way to vivid life and challenging career. Possibility to learn is a fundamental human right, which gives the opportunity to grow, to protect their rights and achieve higher goals. Imagine that you have to fight the discrimination or defend yourself in a court. The truth is that education is a fundamental human right and it is necessary for all other human rights to be respected. Women's education is not only empowering women but also useful for the all society. Strengthening women's education contributes to poverty reduction, promotes economic development and solves pressing global challenges such as conflict resolution and health problems.
Social barriers that form the basis of gender inequality still exists. According to UNICEF gender equality and gender education questions must be discussed in a world scale discussion.
I would like to quote the words of one woman with whom I agree 100%. „If we invest in girls, we invest in our humanity“, Hauwa Ibrahim. Hauwa Ibrahim, 2005 Sakharov Prize winner, who became the first woman lawyer in Nigeria. Today, Hauwa protects people who are illiterate and therefore has no access to justice. Most of them are women who are accused of adultery and sentenced to death under Sharia law.
Many courts have generally ruled against the implementation of Sharia law, both in jurisprudence and within a community context, based on Sharia's religious background. Whereas groups within a number of nations are actively seeking to implement Sharia law, in 1998 the Constitutional Court of Turkey banned and dissolved Turkey's Refah Party on the grounds that "Democracy is the antithesis of Sharia", the latter of which Refah sought to introduce.
DeleteZala Košak
ReplyDeleteAs a future social worker I was shocked how little knowledge I have about following problems, that is why I firstly needed to do my personal research. I read a lot of articles about honor killings and gang rapes as punishment of women in Pakistan. As I read further I was disgraced about things that're happening in the world under the name of religion. I know that you can not change the culture or religion, but in my opinion I think that the law (as a Sharia law) shouldn't tell people how to live, what to do and also who you should or shouldn't fall in love with. Women have been suffering from discrimination and inequality through all the periods of history and I think that in 21 century we're that progressive that we shouldn't allow those kind of things anymore. When speaking about international problems we could use Healy's (2008) theory of 4 dimensions of global social work. First of all, global social work must involve »internationally-related domestic practice and advocacy«. In the case of honor killings and gang rape, global social worker should acknowledge that the problem is international and considers everybody. Second dimension is »using knowledge gained from other countries to improve practice and policy in the home country.« In this case, global social workers should evaluate the differences and similarities between other countries solving similar problems. As we could say, I would check examples of good practice and try to present it to people who are concerned. Third, global social workers »contribute to international development by working in international development agencies«. In this case I would try to find some non-governmental agencies or organizations or even invent them if there are not. And lastly, global social workers must »influence policy at an international level through advocacy and education«. Despite the fact that there is no reliable solution I believe that we're all trying to find solution for horrific things that are happening behind the closed doors.
Zala, I also was shocked by how little I knew about the various issues that affect people around the world. It is easy to focus on one's own country and issues and forget how interconnected our world is, and how issues in one country may impact another country. You mentioned needing to do personal research to learn more about global issues - to me this highlights how important it is for social workers to engage in ongoing learning and education, so that we are always informed about issues our clients are facing and how they impact their well-being. I appreciate how you linked Healy's theory of four dimensions of social work to honor killings and gang rape. Your description was very clear and well thought out and helps me see various ways to address this important issue.
DeleteZala, I also was shocked by how little I knew about the various issues that affect people around the world. It is easy to focus on one's own country and issues and forget how interconnected our world is, and how issues in one country may impact another country. You mentioned needing to do personal research to learn more about global issues - to me this highlights how important it is for social workers to engage in ongoing learning and education, so that we are always informed about issues our clients are facing and how they impact their well-being. I appreciate how you linked Healy's theory of four dimensions of social work to honor killings and gang rape. Your description was very clear and well thought out and helps me see various ways to address this important issue.
DeleteVesna Husić
ReplyDeleteUnequal legal rights for women under sharia law
Human rights and fundamental freedoms are an important element of every human being as an individual. They are universal and equal for every individual, belong to all people, they are inalienable and cannot be take from an individual. Human rights are absolute, but the sphere of their protection is just as wide as individuals and the autorities truly observe them and to what extent these rights are secured for those citizens upon whom they have been infringed.
Arab countries are characterized by direct or indirect discrimination against women in everyday life and business. Islamic law does not reject equality between men and women, but it is interpreted in different ways. The Koran says that women have just as much rights and resposibilities as men, but men are one step higher then them.
Domestic abuse against women, including rape in marriage, are a big problem. Many women, victims of rape and sexual abuse, are facing the possibility of prosecution, instead of geting help by the state authorities. The law also prohibits the marriage of Muslim women with non-Muslim men.On the basis of the government's interpretation of Sharia law, women inherit less than men, women can divorced from their husbands with paying the compensation.
Women employed in the private sector do not usually receive equal wages and are faced with discrimination. When I was reading this Sharia law I was shocked. Firstly I didn't knew that this law is so strictly telling people what can they do in their lives. I heard about this law but I didn't know that so many people and with this I mean mostly women are dealing with so many problems. I think that definitelly we should talk more about this and raise public awareness. We are in the 21th century, and women have been suffering from discrimination and inequality for too long. We should stop punishment, humiliation and deprivation of basic human rights in such way as commands Sharia law. A global social worker should acknowledge that the problem is international, it is a problem of all of us.
By Francesca Scalise
ReplyDeleteI have chosen to focus on the topic of female genital mutilation in Africa, because in my opinion such problem epitomizes the absolute barbaric violation of women's rights. Through this practise, rooted in gender inequality, women are denied the most elemental rights in the name of tradition: the right of physical and psychological integrity, the right to the highest attainable standard of health, the right to be free from all forms of discrimination and, in extreme cases, the right to life. Female genital mutilation leaves scars on different levels. During the operation women can suffer infections, fever, hemorrhages, shock, blood poisoning, tetanus, often leading to death. After the operation, genital mutilation is often cause of painful sexual intercourse, as well as painful and irregular menstruation. Other problems involve difficult childbirth, specifically labor, with complications for the baby or even abortion. Moreover, the damage caused by genital mutilation is irreversible: there is no way to compensate for a clitoridectomy, or to restore sensitive erogenous zones.On a psychological level, women might experience anxious and depressive symptoms. And the list of horrors could continue. As for the policies adopted in regard of this matter, there are no laws supporting such practices, which are rooted in religious beliefs, but it is nonetheless very difficult to eradicate them. In many African countries criminal laws against mutilation do exist, but they are either applied too late or prove themselves useless, because the ritual takes place in secret. Furthermore, although the number of women who openly do not support this practice is increasing, many prefer to suffer in silence rather than becoming the object of social stigma, as genital mutilation symbolizes the virginity, purity and fidelity of women. What to do to challenge this vision? I personally believe that to deal with this problem, we should operate first on a multi-level approach, relying on the cooperation of various professional figures, given the diverse consequences arising from this practice. Regarding, more specifically, the method of intervention, I believe that social workers should focus particularly on prevention and awareness. Contrary to what several groups might advocate, I do not believe that simple prohibition would be an effective strategy. I rather think that mere prohibitionism, as with all social issues, would only cause further distance, without erasing the root of the problem. Politics based on prohibition, already applied in some countries, have only increased illegal practice.
I believe that the global sex trafficking of women is an issue that is often “put on the back burner.” Kristof puts into perspective the seriousness of the issue, and the lifestyle so many women endure without choice. As with many issues, it starts with awareness. There can’t be change if awareness isn’t made on a macro level. Society is selfish, issues that they don’t want to face, they just don’t explore, leaving so many women without “help.” An issue (sex trafficking of children) that has been a lifestyle for so many decades won’t “just go away.” It needs to be faced head on. As Kristof (2009) explains, the stories told by survivors “offers a glimpse of the brutality inflicted routinely on women and girls in much of the world, a malignancy that is slowly gaining recognition as one of the paramount human rights problems of this century.”
ReplyDeleteKristof (2009) writes, “because they know nothing else and are too stigmatized to hold other jobs.” The reality is that society stereotypes sex trafficking and prostitution as a “choice” made by females who needs money, the truth is, millions of women and young girls are enslaved and forced to enter such situations as the “way of life.” As global social workers, it starts with providing more opportunities to these countries so they don’t feel as if sex trafficking is their only choice. Kristof (2009) states, “A starting point is to be brutally realistic about the complexities of achieving change” and “the best way to save them is to prevent them from being trafficked in the first place, which means keeping them in school (pp. 17).” Generations moving forward need to be given opportunities for life abroad, as Kristoff explains, this will teach them the realities of the daily living in countries other than their own. When addressing the issue of sex trafficking of children, global social workers need to work towards more education for the women of these countries and helping today’s generations become more aware of the reality that exists, so as adults, they can continue to make change. “It is a change that is already taking place, and change that can accelerate if you’ll just open your heart and join in (Kristoff, 2009).”
To remain true to its professional commitments, social work must tackle the challenge of redefining its role and mission in relation to the globalization of social problems. Only in this way can social work contribute to promoting peace, social justice, equity and democracy at both the national and the international level (Ahmadi, 2003).
ReplyDeleteThe United Nations has described human rights as those rights which are inherent in our nature and without which we cannot live as human beings, but according to UNICEF, 125 million girls and women have undergone genital mutilation or circumcision. Western society unanimously agrees that any female genital mutilation is equivalent to violence against women and human rights violation and is considered a serious form of discrimination against women. The World Health Organization confirms that in the African and Middle Eastern countries, widespread practice violates the human right to health, safety, physical integrity and freedom from torture. Genital mutilation procedure causes damage to women's health and is usually caused by long-term consequences, such as.: persistent pain, stress, depression, prolonged bleeding, bacterial infections associated with an increased risk of birth complications and others.
This year, on 22 July, UNICEF issued report "Female Genital mutilation/Cutting: a statistical overview and exploration of the dynamics of change". The study included the twenty-year period, data from twenty-nine African and Middle Eastern countries where Abbreviation - FGM/C practices still exist, despite the fact that in December 2012, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on female genital mutilation termination. Following the publication of the UNICEF report it became clear that, according to surveys carried out by female genital mutilation and circumcision practices in support of the majority of African and Middle Eastern countries between men and women is weakening, but about 30 million girls in the next decade can still become victims of this horrible tradition. Somalia, Guinea, Djibouti and Egypt remains the countries where the practice of circumcision receives the strongest support.
UNICEF notes that the mere laws and bans will not help to solve the existing problems. For this reason, it is necessary to encourage open communication and cooperation between communities in order to stop the brutal tradition. Also, education is emphasized as a necessary tool for effective results. UNICEF research shows that educated mothers exposed their daughters to a smaller risk of becoming genital mutilation and circumcision victims.
I agree with UNICEF to submit its report to the next steps in dealing with communities and education, effective information about female genital mutilation/circumcision and the consequences of these actions and dissemination of publicity and further data collection and planning. Increasingly appearing in public history, revealing painful personal experience of women and girls, and public actions and campaigns are signs that allow to believe that, speaking openly and loudly will save at least part of the 30 million girls who can still suffer from these violent cultural traditions, which undoubtedly is a rough violation of human rights.
(Education of women illegal under the Taliban) I really remembered „It is also difficult to find another government or would-be government in the world that has deliberately created such poverty by arbitrarily depriving half the population under its control of jobs, schooling, mobility, and health care. Such restrictions are literally life threatening to women and to their children. PHR’s researcher when visiting Kabul in 1998 saw a city of beggars — women who had once been teachers and nurses now moving in the streets like ghosts under their enveloping burqas, selling every possession and begging so as to feed their children“ (The taliban’s war on women, Physicians for Human Rights, 1998). In this country, not only the problem of education, are generally not subject to human rights for women. At one extreme is the view that social work is a single entity, with skills, knowledge and values that can be defined across national bounderies. At the other extreme is the welfare regimes in any particular state (Payne and Askeland, 2008, p.153). However, the social worker must be particularly well-versed in the country's legislative base and of course know the religious context which is especially important in this country.
ReplyDeleteEven before the war feminists argued that women were the first victims of the Taliban, so the new posttalibaniniame Afghanistan women can and should be a key factor in forming civil society. Non-governmental women's organizations recorded the Taliban women's rights violations and tried to draw the attention of world public. I think it is necessary to continue to develop influential non-governmental women's organizations, such as the Feminist majority, the pressure groups European Women's Lobby," Equality Now "," V-Day, Strategic women Initiatives Center efforts „fight“ for women's rights. Global social worker has to contribute to the activities of NGO, especially the woman in those at risk for life. 2002. 17 January. Afghan Prime Minister Hamid Karzai signed the Afghan Women's Declaration of Fundamental Rights. Acceptance - a sign that women's rights will be truly respected. Required in all possible ways to achieve this declaration be carried out, here and probably is a global social worker competence to fight for women's equal rights not only to education, but also for other inhumane restrictions. The Ministry of Women's Affairs so far is the only ministry that does not have permanent funding. There is a wide area of the development of social work too. Global social worker could contribute to the social policy, ensure that women have access to education. „In each situacion there are important question about the way in which social worker respond to people who are marginalized by social structures and relationships. In particular, in each of these issues it can be seen that gender and age often crucial factors. Women, children and other people are all identified across the range of issues as having particular interests and needs that have to be recognized and addressed“ (R. Hugman, 2010).
2. Afghanistan has long had one of the poorest education records in the world, with a low rate of school attendance and a high percentage of illiteracy. Between 1996 and 2001, under the Islamic group the Taleban, the educational situation in Afghanistan worsened. The school curriculum was restricted, schools were destroyed and Afghan females were banned from all educational life. After the Taleban fell from power in late 2001, an international effort to reconstruct the educational system ensued. Record numbers of students enrolled in school, including the highest percentage of female students in decades. Despite the progress, authorities in Afghanistan recorded a series of attacks on girls' schools by suspected Taleban sympathisers. It will take a long time to turn around male attitudes towards women, but my as social worker approach should be advocate girls’ right to learn and study. Social worker can contribute building project of girls' learning cooperation with the ministry of education and other institutions.
ReplyDeleteI agree Rasa, that in countries with a long history of male dominance it will take time to change the attitudes men have towards women. However, your idea to advocate for the right of girls to learn and study is exactly how those ideas will change. I like the proposal of building a project that encourages the education of girls. I am wondering what that would look like. When thinking of your proposal I think of building a school for girls, creating special tutoring programs in communities for girls, and encouraging integration of girls into existing schools with special programs to encourage empowerment in a male dominated society. I also think it is important as Kristof and Wudun point out in Half the Sky (2010), to educate the community on how the education of girls can lead to stronger economies and healthier communities. I believe it would be very difficult in a community like this to create change if there is not male buy-in to the programs, as you seem to agree. Educating men of the facts about women involvement could help create approval of these programs and create a shift in power dynamics, allowing quick implementation and overall program success. Being that the issue is also religious based, I am thinking it could be helpful to have community meetings to discuss religious tradition and the accuracy of societal beliefs compared to religious doctrine.
Delete“It appears that more girls have been killed in the last fifty years, precisely because they were girls, than men were killed in all the battles of the twentieth century. More girls are killed in this routine “gendercide” in any one decade than people were slaughtered in all the genocides of the twentieth century” (Kristof, 2004). There is no longer a way to escape how pervasive gender inequality is, nor is there way to deny how truly globalized this issue has become. Kristof contends that India has more modern slaves, in conditions like those found in brothels, than in any other country. Of the 2 to 3 million prostitutes in India, some of them are paid but a significant share of them entered the sex industry unwillingly. The girls that end up in this sort of slavery have most likely been deceived and coerced by a job offering that they felt they needed to risk taking because of the economic conditions they were already living under, only to find themselves being traded as commodities by businesses looking to make a profit. Both sides of the business, the business owners and the women themselves, either choose the industry or end up in it because of the appeal of an income, that in many cases may be a desperate attempt at bringing in an income. Therefore, if any sort of lasting progress is to be made that combats the sex trafficking of children, any program or campaign that is aimed at eradicating this social problem needs to also be viewed in terms of it’s economic dimensions.
ReplyDeleteFor the business owners, and the ones that market young girls in to the sex trade industry, new business models or areas need to be developed to help switch the appeals of going in to the industry into a different, more socially acceptable industry. Analyzing why the executives in this industry choose it can allow for other industries to be developed that would fit their needs. For example, if this type of preventative research would show that some of the reasons that people choose to go in to this industry include, ease of access, appeals to fast money, power dynamics, etc., then we can start to develop other channels for people to get those same needs met or help them to brainstorm other ways of providing economic stability. In addition to offering other options to the business owners or salesmen/saleswomen, laws and policies and organizations need to be established that adequately address any illegal acts of sex trafficking. Because there have been reports of corruption between local officials and the brothels themselves, a third organization should be utilized that oversees this interchange to make sure that each institution is performing to it’s expectations. In short, there should be oversight and transparency between those industries and personal that are established to prevent the illegal sale of children for sex.
ReplyDeleteThe other, and potentially more important side to promoting the long-term eradication of children being sold into the sex industry, would include education programs for children and their families. Children and their families should be provided with educational trainings that teach them about the sex trafficking industry and how to recognize and prevent being deceived into the industry. Young girls should be given consistent training on recognizing threats or potentially coercive job opportunities. It might be helpful to also incorporate some sort of mobile phone interchange that would allow girls to text or post potential threats to a group text or group network so that other girls can be aware of threats as well. A similar idea would be compared to “Amber alerts” in the US, where a mass text is sent out to all mobile phones alerting those in the area of potential child kidnapping threats or emergency situations
Young girls and their families also need to be taught about other options for building economic stability. With an program that is being implemented to address sex trafficking of children, economic programs also need to be developed so as to lessen the appeal of the sex trade industry. There are many economic programs ideas, but whatever the program is needs to be conducive to the community and sustainable. Some ideas that one could start with would be micro-lending programs, where small groups of women, men, or young adults could buy in to a loan together to help build their own businesses and establish income security. Again, whatever economic program is attempted needs to be built from within the community and should be back up with follow-up trainings for the business owners so that they have support going forward to continue to grow their businesses.
ReplyDeleteIn sum, both sides of the sex trafficking of children industry need to be address from both social and economic perspectives. The business owners need to be provided with other options as well as deferred away from the industry by stronger and more accountable laws and policies. In addition, young girls and their family members need to be provided with education and training opportunities to learn about risk and safety measures when it comes to the sex trade industry. This can also be followed up with community support in the form of mobile alerts about potentially risky job opportunities. Young girls and their families also need to be provided with economically focused and business development trainings so that they learn about other income generating options. As Larry Summers, a former chief economist of the World Bank once said, “investment in girls’ education may well be the highest-return investment available in the developing world” (Kristof, 2004).
2. (Female genital mutilation in Africa). I think that only bans or laws will not help to solve the existing problems. It is therefore necessary to encourage open communication and cooperation between communities in order to stop the brutal tradition. Knowledge is a necessary tool for effective results. Mothers who are aware of this damage will not make their daughters to become genital mutilation and circumcision victims.
ReplyDeleteEfforts are being made to include the dissemination of the most influential members of the community - group leaders, teachers, mothers, midwives, doctors and men.
Stories increasingly appearing in public, which reveal painful personal experience of women and girls, and public actions and campaigns are signs which allow to believe that, speaking openly and loudly will save at least part of the 30 million girls who can still suffer from these violent cultural traditions, which undoubtedly is a rough violation of human rights.
2 . Question
ReplyDeleteImagine you were air-lifted into a village with one of the problems Kristoff, Deif and others describe. Unequal legal rights for women under sharia law.
The shariah is way to water '; 'religious law' - the holy Islamic law, Islamic law. Sharia is investigating Fiqh (religious jurisprudence). Muslims firmly believe that Sharia basis - it is divine revelation comes from four major sources. Divine revelation, as Muslims believe, comes from sources such as: Koran - the Muslim Holy book. Suna - stories about the Prophet and the work consists of a collection of sayings Hadise. Idžma - the Muslim community or the general consensus of the wise scholars. Greek - analogous deduction derived from the first three sources.
As it is known, that Sharia law is an Islamic legal system which provides an alternative to Islamic Secular models of governance. Women in societies governed by Shari'a have far fever rights than women in the West. Islam gave women the right to choose for themselves spouse. Replacing the local environment customs. Islam has introduced the girls consent the need to marry. Be addition, Islam gave women political rights, such as voting or official occupation of public posts. It is generally recognized. However, in developing the West countries, these rights were recognized only in the twentieth century. Islamas also gives women the right inherit the land, money and property, by the time you the world has not yet had. It also granted the right to property.
So, if you should deal with the problem in a small village it is important to identify the key for both men and women's rights. Such as that Lithuania should be to ensure the implementation of the Republic of Lithuania Constitution of the men and women equal rights, and prohibit any discrimination on grounds of sex, especially when it comes to family or marital location. The problem principal that women do not have as many rights as men this could be solved by establish an association of women's rights. Also is important that women will be in government. I think these thinks can help solve this problem in small village.
Inga Žalnerauskienė. I got interested in the problem of „Fistulas and other damage due to problematic pregnancies in Africa“. I tried to find articles about this problem on the internet and I found interesting website „GIRLS NOT BRIDES“. There I found the article „Fistula, a silent tragedy for child brides“ (http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/fistula-a-silent-tragedy-for-child-brides/). I read there about this issue more. The main thing why this problem arises in Africa is the fact that small girls become the brides and give birth. In this article it is said that „Fistula is 100% preventable. So is a child marriage. Until we can guarantee the human rights of our girls and women, we, as Africans, and our governments are only paying lip service to development.“ I agree with that and I think that women's education and training in Africa about their rights has to be implemented.
ReplyDeleteOne of the ways to solve the problems of poverty and education, as mentioned in Article „Nobel lecture“, is social assistance to the poor, as for example, the establishment of the Grameen bank. The article „Organizing, educating, and advocating for health and human rights in Vieques, Puerto Rico“ says that „the tenth CHE commitment, "Work of social justice", brings us back to the role of community health educators as organizers advocating social, behavioral, and environmental changes essential for health and wellbeing. The Viequenses experience not only provided an effective model for campaigning for a new US policy that demilitarized the islands but also bolstered the existing evidence that health as a fundamental human right is inextricably linked to equity and justice“. There are many international organizations which could carry out this mission. These organizations and activities that should be carried out and referred in article „Fistula, a silent tragedy for child brides“. „Civil society, community and faith-based organisations, businesses, multinational organisations, schools and individuals must play a role too. This is why some of us are working tirelessly with partners such as Girls Not Brides to raise awareness of these social illnesses that plague our women and to prioritise adolescent girls. We partner with the Fistula Foundation to raise funds to pay for free fistula surgeries, train African fistula surgeons, and to support and implement fistula prevention and reintegration programmes worldwide“.
I think community plays main role in these activities, because foreign social workers can understand cultural, religions and other diferences, and only people who live in this country can help to undertsand all those issues and we can better comunicate with people who need suport and help.
Global social work is only possible, and certainly only effective, if it is carried out in cooperation with social workers cross-nationally, as the bounds of geography no longer contain social problems. Keeping in mind that “the economic and political globalization of the world implies also a globalisation of social problems,” (Ahmadi, 2003, p. 15) I am aware that mutual, egalitarian partnerships need to occur between international social workers and other change-agents through all stages of change, starting with the earliest stages of brainstorming and continuing through the final processes of project maintenance. As a global social worker confronting honor killings and gang rape as punishment of women, the Taliban’s prohibition of female education and unequal legal rights for women under sharia law stem from the same solution—building kinship with women locally and globally. My inclination to tackle these societies that commonly subjugate women does not come from a desire to unfairly group them, overly generalize problems, or ignore the complexities and nuances of each respective situation. However, I approach this question with a similar view to Amnesty International’s addition of women’s rights to their agenda—confronting varied reports concerning different issues in many countries with widespread concern yet much too little action, too late in the game. Following a resolution for greater attention to women’s human rights in 1989, Amnesty International issued various reports over the next decade that elucidated injustices such as political detainees in Syria, women under sharia law in Afghanistan, and honor killings in Egypt, among others (Gallagher, 2005). For a firm foundation, I would build upon Kristoff and WuDunn (2009)’s emphasis on the importance of female education, with the added caveat of kinship building. Jesuit priest Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries in L.A., a successful and innovative rehabilitation program for former gang members, “Kinship—not serving the other, but being one with the other.” (Boyle, 2010, p. 188).
ReplyDeleteInitially, Amnesty International did not take human rights violations against women seriously until a “massive tribunal” where “women from around the world gave very personal and emotional testimonies of what they had suffered” showed up unexpectedly at the United Nations conference in Vienna in 1993 and demanded attention—here, they received warranted attention because they were one with one another (Gallagher, 2003). The same power of women gathering together to do the unexpected is illustrated by the Gulabi Gangi in India, a group of local women activists who parade peacefully in the streets of their villages in solidarity to rebel against the rampant rape crisis. When I first viewed the Vice News episode, “Pink Gang Rebellion & Genetic Passports” (VICE, 2015), I was confused by the work of the “pink gang”; watching them walking, wearing the same color and holding up signs, I arrogantly wondered, “is that it?” My admittedly small-minded, privileged Western view of success as marked only by tangible change or the production of goods did not match with these women being empowerment through walking together. Now, I see what I had initially overlooked—the tremendous accomplishment of being able to walk in public in solidarity with other women, brandishing weapons that are symbols of power, protection, and independence, but choosing not to use them. The women had formed kinship with each other and that made all the difference, a small step towards being heard by doing the unexpected and receiving attention on a global scale. For me, I would start a kinship building movement much like Fr. Boyle did, yet on a global scale instead of local. Although I cannot conceptualize yet how to operationalize this large-scale project, it might start simply with a conversation amongst international women sharing their struggles through books like Half the Sky (Kristoff and WuDunn, 2009), yet written by the women themselves, offering the dual purpose of gaining power through telling their stories, and gaining power for women’s rights worldwide by educating others and sharing the invitation to engage in solidarity.
ReplyDeleteIf I was air lifted to a village that struggle with child sex trafficking I would do the following. First, I would observe my surroundings. Observing my surroundings and identifying the atmosphere would give me the opportunity to assess the area. The last thing I would want to is walk into a situation blind not understanding the cultural dynamics of the India and Southeast Asia. I have gone through sex trafficking training and I know how dangerous it can be to approach potential person(s) of interest.
ReplyDeleteAfter observing the area, I would then start to identify potential people of interest. I know that I cannot simply just approach someone and ask them if they are being trafficked. Most victims would avoid prolonged contact with a person that was asking questions in regards to trafficking. I also understand that their Pimp or Trafficker is most likely in close proximity, if their Pimp caught them speaking to someone that was not a suitor it could result in them getting be abused.
Next, I would compare the children trafficking culture in American to India/Southeast Asia to identify similarities and differences. This would help me formulate my approach in addressing this issue. I want to understand the cultural dynamics before I attempt to help. I want to know the languages people speak and how their culture affects their decision making. I would work with community informants to help bridge any gaps in my understanding of the area.
Finally, I would want to provide a drop-in center where child trafficked victims could seek medical attention and mental health services. I would want the location to be undisclosed to keep any workers, their families, the community, and the clients safe. There would outreach teams, as well. People to go out in the community and give the identified people of interest information. The outreach team would give the survivors hotlines to call or meeting places just in case they cannot make it to the drop-in center or are if the survivors are afraid the trafficker would find out. Anonymity is key to helping the survivors escape their situation.
It was interesting to read how you found solution deal with child sex trafficking problem. I really liked that you mentioned observation in first place. Most of social workers want to come and solve the problem. But it is really important to watch and get more information about situation, people and their culture. It could be made harmful decision to solving problem if you don't have knowledge about culture.
DeleteAlso, I really liked that you mentioned medical attention and mental health services. It is very important not just make prevention but also give a help. Thank you for your interesting approach.
As a global social worker faced with the problem of sex trafficking of children, I would first use the community as a resource in combating and preventing the act of trafficking (Stevenson, 2005). Combining community resources such as medicine, shelter, legal assistance, and psychological support, with NGOs support, can enhance the ability to combat sex trafficking (Stevenson, 2005). As expressed in the article by Stevenson, I would try and empower the community and educate the community on sex trafficking so that everyone is better able to spot it at an early stage (2005).
ReplyDeleteFirst, as discussed in the Stevenson article, we must identify who the target population of sex trafficking is (2005). I would look to more impoverished areas, where the women who would typically get involved with these traffickers are preyed upon. It is not so much that there is a specific target population to reach out to, as Stevenson points out, but that these women being preyed upon are letting another individual make a life altering decision for them (2005). Empowering women, rather than seeking out a specific target population would be key in developing the necessary tools in combating this issue. Empowering both the community and the women would help to combat sex trafficking. I would try and establish programs that will educate the community on the warning signs of sex trafficking and how to move forward in stopping it. Ultimately empowering the individuals who are susceptible to sex trafficking is what will succeed. Establishing individual plans and resources to empower the individual to make their own life choices and prepare them for success.
Most trafficking activity is fueled by traffickers taking advantage of the opportunity of employment that these women seek (Stevenson, 2005). The trafficker “runs the tab” on them it soon becomes the case that the women are in too deep to get out. As a global social worker I would try to establish a coalition of organizations that could produce educational tools for these women, to enhance their knowledge of employment opportunities. This can be set up with resume workshops and cover letter workshops, or mock interviews to give them the skills necessary to seek safe employment. Another strategy I would employ was discussed in the Stevenson article, and dealt with changing the role models of the women (2005). The article discussed the history of who women admired, going from heroines to glamorizing prostitutes (Stevenson, 2005). I would try and develop a program that would empower the women and try to change their mind on the capabilities of women.
As the Stevenson article discusses, it is time to start employing gang tactics of our own as social workers. These traffickers establish networks, like gangs, to establish their trafficking scheme. We as social workers need to establish our own network of support to combat these traffickers’ schemes.
As a global social worker airlifted into a village in Africa where women experience fistulas and other damage due to problematic pregnancies, there would be a lot of work to be done. In order to combat this problem, first I would learn as much as I can about the phenomenon and research what has worked to combat this in the past or currently in other places. It is important to be aware of the entire situation in order to properly work to change it. Upon researching, I would find that 130,000 women in Africa suffer from fistulas each year due to a lack of medical care (Kristof & Wudun, 2010). Fistulas are the cause of nerve damage, incontinence, paralysis and other problems, and leave many African women uncared for by their communities. However, fistulas are 100 percent preventable and, or treatable with proper medical care (Kristof & Wudun, 2010). Early intervention in obstructed labor is the key factor.
ReplyDeleteUnderstanding the issue on a large scale, I would first educate the community about fistulas and the preventative measures one can take to prevent them from occurring. A training in order to recognize signs and symptoms would be given, and community members would be able to get certified in order to work and receive compensation for their skill. Engaging community members with a positive reward will help to promote their role and importance of the cause with other people in the community. I would coordinate a collection of funds to provide appropriate equipment and training materials.
From there, I would encourage access to medical treatment for all people, but still with a focus on the importance of special care for pregnant women. It would be important to educate the community about the importance of female involvement in society. This would help create a healthier society overall where women have the rights and freedoms to be cared for, and also participate. This is important to do for the longevity of the medical care program to prevent and treat fistulas because medical treatment is important. A human rights approach will allow community members to find a need for a medical care program. Educating patriarchal societies on the importance of involving and investing in women will allow this conversation to take place. Programs with these premises have been found to work in Ethiopia and Niger, along with many others (Kristof & Wudun, 2010).
Taliban regime rules prohibit girls education, which has more than 8 years to go to school, but in reality the rule is strengthened often and girls from all over are forbidden to attend school. Taliban regime deprives girls of one of the fundamental human rights, the right to education, which is the basis for women's rights. In this way, the girls are sealed into the circle of poverty and ignorance in which they are completely dependent on a man and a man of family. A ban on women learn the Taliban regime, trying to introduce as ethnic tradition formed over the centuries for nomadic and warlike tribal way of life. In turn, women which underfloor schools after school sewing shelter and so on. One of the most striking examples of this fight is Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist for female education and Youngest Nobel Prize winner. Malala example defines all the key social worker attitudes faced by social workers in international social work field. Women's Rights, Globalisation of consciousness, conflict prevention, peace building and consciousness-raising is the basic concept of describing the challenges faced by the social worker in the global social work, dealing with the ban on female education in the Taliban regime. This problem has to be addressed in all three micro, messo and macro levels, to organizations that fight for women's rights, voluntary initiatives, inovative education programs and etc.
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goes by,i will always weep because at that time i was really down.
Even though my wife tried to always be by my side,only time would
tell as we couldn't cope with pressure coming from friends and she had to leave
me for another man. I was now left to face my problem alone even
though my mom would always talk to me and console me on phone. Things
went from bad to worse when i was sacked from the private organization
i was working because been happily married was a criteria that was
needed and that i was now lacking owing to my failure to have a child that has made my
wife leave me for another man leaving me single. I kept on
searching and hoping i would find a solution to my problem but there
wasn't any coming. I contacted lots of spell caster as i saw them on
the internet but all were scams as they demanded money from me
frequently and nothing happened. i had to relocate from Texas city
United state to Jamaica where my mom was residing and also because i
became racially abused because of my color .I spent 4 months with my
mom and together we kept on looking for solution still to no avail.
There came a faithful day when i met my high school mate who knew i
was happily married and living in Texas city United state with my
wife and had to ask why i flew back to Jamaica. I explained my
problem to her and with sincere desire in wanting my problems solved
she led me to DR JAMIN ABAYOMI. Although i was doubtful but soon as i
explained my problem to him,he laughed and gave me a maximum of
72hours for my wife to come back and for she go give birth. I
did all i was asked to do which included me traveling back to Texas
city United state. I traveled back to Texas city united state,on my
arrival during the early hours of the morning,my phone rang and guess
who?it was my wife who called asking for my forgiveness and saying
she was coming back home. She came few hours later and on her knees she
pleaded for forgiveness. Although it was a tough decision for me to
make because of all the pains i have been through. I love her and
needed her back so i had no option but to forgive her. We sat together
and while she was resting her head on my chest we had romantic
conversation and talked about things that we have never spoken about
and like husband and wife the urge came to have sex and we had sex for
a very long time that day. The next day which was still within the
72hours given by DOCTOR JAMIN ABAYOMI she felt something different in her
body and immediately she went for a check up and to our greatest
surprise,she was pregnant. How possible could this be but it happened
and am very thankful also my skin color that made me racially abused
was changed to the preferred and now we are now happily married again
and no racially discrimination. All thanks to DR JAMIN ABAYOMI for his
solution.
ARE YOU FACED WITH SIMILAR PROBLEM OR ANY KIND OF PROBLEM.PLEASE KNOW
THAT DR JAMIN ABAYOMI isn't on the internet so kindly contact him via
EMAIL:drjaminremedy@outlook.com
DO YOU NEED A SPIRITUAL HELP SUCH AS: 1. Getting your lover or husband back 2. Spiritual bulletproof 3. Training 4. Money spell 5. Long life spell 6. Prosperity spell 7. Protection spell 8. Get a job spell 9. Becoming a manager spell 10. Get a huge loan without paying any fee spell 11. Getting your scam money back 12. Child spell 13. Pregnancy spell 14. Freedom spell 15. Love spell 16, vanishing spell 17. Invisible human spell 18. Success or pass spell 19. Marriage spell 20. Avenging spell 21. Popularity spell 22. Killing spell 23. Cancer spell 24. Supernatural power spell 25. Madness spell 26. Free house loan spell 27. Production spell of films and movie 28. Hiv/aids spell 29. Tuberculosis spell 30. Loose weight and body spell IF INTERESTED EMAIL:(sadumalovespellhomme@gmail.com)
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ReplyDeleteI am laura lsabella; I want to share a testimony of my life to everyone. i was married to my husband George Morgan, I love him so much we have been married for 5 years now with two kids. when he went for a vacation to France he meant a lady called Clara, he told me that he is no longer interested in the marriage any more. I was so confuse and seeking for help, I don't know what to do until I met my friend miss Florida and told her about my problem. She told me not to worry about it that she had a similar problem before and introduce me to a man called DR.ALLI who cast a spell on her ex and bring him back to her after 3days. Miss Florida ask me to contact DR.ALLI I contacted him to help me bring back my husband and he ask me not to worry about it that the gods of his fore-fathers will fight for me. He told me by three days he will re-unite me and my husband together. After three day my husband called and told me he is coming back to sought out things with me, I was surprise when I saw him and he started crying for forgiveness. Right now I am the happiest woman on earth for what this great spell caster did for me and my husband, you can contact DR.ALLI on any problem in this world, he is very nice, here is his contact (allispellhelp@gmail.com)or(allispellhelp@yahoo.com or you call hem +2348149158514
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteDO NOT SUFFER YOUR SELF FROM ANY BREAK DOWN,CURSE OR ANY KIND OF SPIRITUAL SET BACK. COME TO DR NOBLE FOR YOUR HELP. NEVER HIDE YOUR PAIN AND SICKNESS BECAUSE IF YOU DO, YOU WILL NEVER HAVE SOLUTION FOR SUCH PROBLEM. ALWAYS ASK PEOPLE QUESTION AND ALWAYS GO FOR WHAT YOUR MIND TELLS YOU IS GOOD FOR YOU.
1. HUSBAND / WIFE IN ILLICIT RELATIONS
2. MOTHER - IN - LAW / DOUGHTIER - IN-LAW ILLICIT PROBLEMS
3. GET YOUR LOVE BACK
4. LOVE MARRIAGE SPECIALIST
5. SON / DAUGHTER OUT OF ORDER 6. GET SUCCESS IN JOB & PROMOTION. 7. FAME, HEALTH & CAREER 8. FOREIGN TRAVELING ALSO DEAL MANY OTHER PROBLEMS
9. LUCK IN POLITICS AND SPORT
10. SPELLS TO WIN COURT CASES
11. SPELLS TO GET RICH
12. SPELLS TO WIN LOTTERY AND GAMBLING
13. DO YOU NEED A POWERFUL GAY LOVE SPELLS?
14. FIND AND KNOW YOUR SOUL MATE BY CASTING EASY LOVE SPELLS
15. MARITAL FERTILITY SPELLS AND MANY MORE
16. SPELLS TO CONTROL YOUR WEIGHT
17. SPELLS TO AVERT DEATH
18. SPELL TO DISAPPEAR
19. SPELL TO CONTROL OTHERS
20. SPELL FOR VENGEANCE ETC...
DR NOBLE gives you 100% guaranteed results for all kind of spells till date. I solve lot of cases with the power of my gods. All problems solve by power of DR NOBLE. I need your faith & trust. every thing will work out for your good. remember my spell cast have no side effect and you don't need to do any blood sacrifice before you can get what you need.
CONTACT: templeofjoyandprosperity1@gmail.com call or whatsapp +2348145643630 you are welcome