| Carrying the burden |  |
| Carrying the burden | |
Over the past century, women in both the South and the North have campaigned for many of the same freedoms; access to political power, economic independence, equal rights within the family. Some women, in some parts of the world, have seen great progress. Yet women still make up 70% of the world's poor. [1]
One of the most formidable obstacles to equal rights for women worldwide is the debt crisis. For women in the South, debt prevents progress towards equality, with repayments diverting resources away from services that could address women's disadvantage.
In Ethiopia, where only 16% of women receive antenatal care, debt repayments total four times as much as public spending on health. [2] In Niger, where less than 20% of young women are enrolled in schools, more is spent on debt repayments than on education and health care. [3]
As well as blocking progress for women, the debt crisis is actually increasing the inequalities that women face. Structural adjustment programmes (SAPs), imposed on debtor countries by international financial institutions as a `solution' to the debt crisis, impact particularly heavily on women. SAPs mean reductions in public spending, the introduction of fees for public services and cuts in subsidies for essential items.
When families cannot afford hospital fees, it is women who have to care for sick relatives at home. When SAPs create rampant inflation it is women who have to cope with the problem of how to feed their families. When families cannot pay for all their children to be educated it is usually girls who lose out. In Zambia, where parents have to meet 80% of education costs, the World Bank has observed, 'Parents are reaching their limit, and serious drops in attendance have been observed, disproportionately affecting girls.' [4]
Many women's organisations are already active in Jubilee 2000 coalitions all over the world. However, there are plenty of opportunities to bring more organisations on board and get more individuals to support the campaign by signing the petition.
Here are some of actions you could consider:
- You could contact local women's organisations with copies of the petition and information about why debt is a women's issue. Your local council may have a women s officer or an equalities officer who will be able to give you the addresses of local women's organisations or maybe even include your information in one of their mailings.
- Lots of organisations including political panics, students unions, trade unions and churches have women's branches or sections, or a women's officer. They might be willing to circulate the petition or have a speaker. If you can interest them in the issue, they may be able to get their organisation to join Jubilee 2000
- You could organise a Jubilee 2000 event for international Women's Day (8 March). Some local councils, churches, students, Unions and other organisations also organise special events around International Women's Day, where you might be able to have a stall.
The YWCA has leaflets (free) and posters (£10 a set) about women and the debt crisis which are available from the Campaigns Officer, YWCA, Clarendon House, 52 Cornmarket St, Oxford OX1 3EJ. Tel: 01865 304 213
Mothers Union, Mary Sumner House, 24 Tufton St, London SW1P 3RB Tel: 0171 222 5533
A new pack called "The Impact of Debt on African Families" has been produced. It is a very colourful resource Pack including posters, stories from Mothers Union partners and ideas for action.
Footnotes
[1] Women: Platform for Action and the Beijing Declaration, UN, 1996
[2] Poor Country Debt Relief: false dawn or new hope for poverty reduction? Oxfam, April 1997
[3] Poor Country Debt Relief: false dawn or new hope for poverty reduction? Oxfam, April 1997
[4] Alarming data on data and death, EURODAD, 1996
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