Issue Investigator

The main issue that was talked about throughout chapter 6-8 was obstructed labor and the lack of medical care during child birth. To sum that up, we would call it maternal mortality.

SCALE:

-Over half a million women die each year due to complications during pregnancy and birth.

-In 2000 worldwide, 529,000 deaths occurred due to maternal mortality.

-Women in Africa have a 1-in-20 chance of surviving pregnancy. In many other countries the risks are higher, like 1-in-10.

- For everyone woman that dies from obstructed pregnancies, approx. 30 more suffer injuries, infections, and disabilities.

-Most maternal mortality happens in Africa.

Some causes of maternal mortality:

-Hemorrhage, sepsis (very severe infection), unsafe abortions(13% worldwide), pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, prolonged or obstructed labor.

- Major issues would be: severe bleeding, infections, hypertensive disorders, an obstructed labor.

Prevention:

-74% of maternal mortality can be prevented if all women has access to interventions from preventing or treating pregnancy.

-Poverty, gender, lack of information, weak health system, lack of political commitment, cultural barriers are things that can be averted.

-Access to family planning and safe abortion.

Why women don't get care they need:

-No skilled heath worker during the pregnancy.

-No services in their areas.

-They cannot afford the services provided.

-Not using the serviced because they don’t like how they are ran.

-Services not delivering high-quality care.

Organization:

MPS- Making Pregnancy Safer

WHO- World Health Organization

It is not a right to be healthy, but it is a right to have services or facilities, good and conditions that promote and protect the highest standard of health.

- Tiffany Beaulieu

Summary 6-8

In Chapter 6 the author talks about Maternal Morality. A case was followed of Mahabouba Muhammad, a tall woman who grew up in western Ethiopia. These days, she has no problem talking about her story. Before, pain would be eminent, and still to this day, pain shines in her eyes from time to time. Mahabouba was raised in a village near the town of Jimma. She started working as a maid with her sister. Mahabouba was sold to another "owner" and was beaten and raped. She only thought she would be cleaning for the man. Jiad, had purchased her to be his second wife. Jiad and his first wife would never let Mahabouba out of the house as they feared she would run. However, Mahabouba got pregnant and after being seven months pregnant, finally got away successfully. Mahabouba tried to give birth but her pelvis hadn't grown large enough to accomodate the baby's head, common in girls her age. Unfortunately, after seven days of the baby not being able to come out, it died and realized she had no control over her bladder or bowels. She couldn't walk or even stand, a consequence of nerve damage that is a frequent by-product of fistula. Mahabouba escaped to a missionary. Soon, the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, where she was treated. 30,000-130,000 new cases of fistula develop each year in Africa alone. The WHO estimated 536,000 women perished in pregnancy or childbirth in 2005. 99% of which are from poor countries. MMR (maternal morality ratio) registers the number of maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births. The chapter also talked about Allan Rosenfield, a doctor who taveled from country to country, serving poor people who needed help.

In chapter 7, the author talks about the death of women during childbirth. Usually, eclampsia, hemorrhage, malaria, abortion complications, obstructed labor, or sepsis. The chapter talks about a women named Prudence Lemokouno. Prudence's cervix was blocked and the baby couldn't come out. After three days of labor, the birth attendant sat on Prudence's stomach and jumped up and down. That ruptured Prudence's uterus. However, when arriving at the hospital. The doctor wanted $100, they could only provide $20. After much time, the family paid up. Blood was needed for a transfusion and the videographer's both donated blood. The doctor finally operated after three days of waiting since she had gotten to the hospital. Three days after the surgery, Prudence died. This story, happens once in the world, every minute. Four major factors for a woman's death is biology, lack of schooling, lack of rural health systems, and disregard for women. Chapter 7 also speaks about Edna's hospital. Edna Aden built a maternal hospital. Everyone was shocked because it was a third world country.

In chapter 8, the author discusses family planning and the "God Gulf". Rose Wanjera, a 26 year old woman in Kenya showed up at a maternity clinic one afternoon. She was poor and couldn't afford care. She was unusual to this slum clinic because she attended college and spoke English. She was pregnant and an infection threatened her life and that of the baby. The doctor referred her to a same motherhood program. The issue that arose was that funds were cut for this program. All because Marie Stopes was helpoing to provide abortions in China. Instead of cutting a Chinese program, the givers cut funds to the Africa region. The USA withheld all $34 million dollars that had been allocated for the UNFPA.

In Half the Sky, Ethiopia was mention in Chapter 6...

Ethiopia is located in Eastern Africa and lies west of Somalia. The size is slightly less than twice the size of Texas in the U.S. The climate can be described as tropical, and three major crops that originated in Ethiopia are coffee, grain sorghum, and the castor bean. The population is just over 73 million people and the life expectancy is around 49 years old. The birthrate is on average 5.3 per women. Ethnic Groups consist of Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigre 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar 4%, Gurange 2% and other 1%. The religion is mostly Muslim 45-50% and among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained their freedom from colonial rule. Ethiopia’s poverty economy is based on agriculture, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The agriculture sector suffers from drought and poor cultivation. Coffee is an important factor in exporting, in which $156 million was made in 2002 from exporting. Under Ethiopia’s land system, the government owns all land.

Ethiopia adopted a new constitution that established the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) in 1995. The federal government is responsible for national defense, foreign relations, and general policy of common interest and benefits. The Ethiopian government is headed by a constitution president and an executive prime minister who is responsible for the people’s Representative. An example of a piece of the Ethiopian constitution:

· Fundamental rights and freedom
All persons are equal before the law and are guaranteed equal and effective protection, without discrimination on grounds of race, nation, nationality, or other social origin, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion property, birth or other status. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and the freedom, either individually or in community with others, and in public or private, to manifest his/her religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching. Every person has the inviolable and inalienable right of life, privacy and the security of person and liberty.

http://www.mfa.gov.et/Facts_About_Ethiopia/Facts.php?Page=General_Profile_3.htm

An organization that is devoted in helping out Ethiopia is the International Rescue Committee (IRC). This organization helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933, requested by Albert Einstein, the IRC provides lifesaving care and life-changing assistance. In Ethiopia, the IRC delivers aid to over 100,000 refugees who fled to Ethiopia helping over 500,000 Ethiopians from drought. Recently in September 15, 2011, the IRC provided clean water and sanitation services in the camps of Ethiopia, and served 82,000 refugees from the ongoing drought.

http://www.rescue.org/ethiopia

Chapter 3-5 Organization Response

In chapters 3-5 the Global Fund for Women was mentioned for helping girls and women reach their full potential as human beings after being a victum of rape. This non-profit organization supports grants to organizations working at the local, regional, and national levels. This group strives to create an equal world for people of all classes, gender, age, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual oriantation, and physical abitity. The envision everyone living free of poverty, violence, and all forms of discrimination. Women everywhere will have a voice, a choice, and will be able to reach their goals and dreams within their society.

This fund was formed by women from California; they dreamed of a way to connect people and ideas from around the world. Anne Murray, Frances Kissling, and Laura Leader believed that women's human rights and dignaty were important when it came to the advancement of global change (social, political, and economic). In 2010 alone, the fund reached 125,000 women and girls.

This organization has done many things to improve the lives of women and girls around the world; they have traveled to many different countries and set up camps and programs to help them deal with their insaqurities with themselves and their societies. They assist with pregnant youth and help single mothers find work along with empowerment.

The Global Fund for Women has over 20,000 supporters; both individuals and other organizations that believe in advancing the rights of women and girls. During the 2009-2010 year, the fund managed to award over 650 grants that totaled more than $8.5 million.

Chp 3-5 Issue Investigator

One of the issues mentioned in this section of the reading was rape. According to the Nemours Foundation (2011) rape is defined as forced, unwanted sexual intercourse. In India, women and children are sent to nations of the Middle East daily. They are forced into prostitution where they are tortured, held in imprisonment, sexually abused and raped. Currently, rape is the fastest growing crime in the country.

In 2006, the Home Ministry’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) showed that every hour 18 women become victims of a rape crime alone in India. The number continues to increase, and since 1971, when rape cases were first reported, rape cases have increased nearly 700%. (Hindustan times, 2011)

Rape cases happen all around the world. In, Half the Sky it was stated that 21% of Ghanaian women reported in one survey that their sexual initiation was by rape, 17% of Nigerian women said they were raped by the age of nineteen and 21% of South African women reported they were raped by the age of fifteen.

In the United States, 1 out of every 6 American women has been a victim of an attempted or completed rape. According to RAINN.org (2011) 17.7% of women raped are white, 18.8% are black, 6.8% are Asian Pacific Islander, 34.1% are American Indian and 24.4% are mixed race.

The effects of Rape include:

Post traumatic stress disorder- the victim may experience severe feeling of anxiety, stress and fear, 6 times more likely to suffer from rape

Substance Abuse -victims turn to alcohol or other substances, wanting to relieve their emotional suffering, 13 times more likely to abuse from rape

Self-Harm/Self-Injury- the victim may inflict personal harm on herself, 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide from rape

Stockholm Syndrome- the victim has an emotional “bonding" with their abuser

Depression- the victim experiences many emotional and psychological reactions, 3 times more likely to suffer from rape

Sexually Transmitted Infections - causes the victim complications and possibly could lead to death

Sleep disorders/ Eating disorders- victims suffer from sleep disturbance and possibly stop eating or eat too much

Pregnancy- there was 3,204 pregnancies as a result of rape during 2004-2005 in the U.S.

www.rainn.org

Issue Investigator

One of the topics in Chapter two is: sex trafficking

What is Trafficking?

ü  The Oxford English Dictionary defines, traffic as ‘trade, especially illegal (as in

drugs)’. It has also been described as ‘the transportation of goods, the coming

and going of people or goods by road, rail, air, sea, etc. The word trafficked or

trafficking is described as ‘dealing in something, especially illegally (as in the

case of trafficking narcotics)’.

In India, a large number of children are trafficked not only for the sex ‘trade’ but

also for other forms of non-sex based exploitation that includes servitude of

various kinds, as domestic labour, industrial labour, agricultural labour, begging,

organ trade and false marriage.

Trafficking in children is on rise, and nearly 60% of the victims of trafficking are

below 18 years of age (NCRB, 2005).

According to NHRC Report on Trafficking in Women and Children, in India the

population of women and children in sex work in India is stated to be between

70,000 and 1 million of these, 30% are 20 years of age. Nearly 15% began sex

work when they were below 15 and 25% entered between 15 and 18 years

http://www.india.gov.in/allimpfrms/alldocs/12262.pdf

ü  The United Nations estimates that 700,000 to 4 million women and children are trafficked around the world for purposes of forced prostitution, labor and other forms of exploitation every year. Trafficking is estimated to be a $7 billion dollar annual business

ü  Victims of trafficking are subject to gross human rights violations including, rape, torture, forced abortions, starvation, and threats of torturing or murdering family members.

ü  Nearly every country is involved in the web of trafficking activities, either as a country of origin, destination or transit. Countries of destination include Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, France, India, Israel, Japan, The Netherlands, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and the United States

ü  Traffickers recruit women and children through deceptive means including falsified employment advertisements for domestic workers, waitresses and other low-skilled work. Traffickers include those involved in highly sophisticated networks of organized crime and may be as close to home as a relative to the victim.

ü  Traffickers are … family members and friends of the trafficking victim. A six-year-old boy, Mohammad Mamun, was taken from his poor Bangladeshi parents by a neighbor, and ended up in a foreign desert land being exploited as a camel jockey. Mamun is one of hundreds of young Bangladeshi boys who are trafficked into the United Arab Emirates (UAE) either after being abducted or sold by impoverished parents to human traffickers

Close to Home in the USA

ü  – 50,000 women and children are trafficked into the United States from no less than 49 countries every year. As many as 750,000 women and children have been trafficked into the United States over the last decade.

ü  Women and children as young as 14 have been trafficked from Mexico to Florida and forced to have sex with as many as 130 clients per week in a trailer park. These women were kept hostage through threats and physical abuse, and were beaten and forced to have abortions. One woman was locked in a closet for 15 days after trying to escape.

http://humanrightsteam.org/educational-information/human-trafficking-facts-figures/

--Amanda

Intro-Chap 2 Summary

The introduction in, Half the Sky begins with a story about a young girl named Rath. Her family runs out of money so she decides to get a job as a dishwasher in a Thai restaurant, along with four of her friends. A job agent takes the girls into deep Thailand and hands them off to gangsters. The girls are mistaken and are forced into prostitution, working 15 hours a day. They are abused, neglected, and barley received any food. The story continues on about the experience Rath encounters, and concludes with the author discussing how this very incident happens all around the world to women of all ages. The author warns the readers about the intensity of the stories, but encourages reading with an open heart and mind. The focuses of the stories are on sex trafficking, forced prostitution, and gender-based violence.

Chapter one discusses sex trafficking in India and begins with a story about a girl named Meena Hasia, whom is prostituted in a brothel run by the Nutt in India. Meena tells her terrifying experience in the brothel and how it all began when she was only eight years old. She explains how when she refused to give sex to a client the owners would beat her horribly and even threatened to kill her is she ever refused again. Meena wasn’t allowed to leave the brothel, nor was she paid. When the clients wanted sex they could choose to not use a condom, which put Meena in risk of AIDS or even pregnancy. Meena ended up pregnant, and felt as if she wouldn’t be a good mother because her life was wasted away. The owners of the brothel took Meena’s baby away and threatened that if she tried to escape they would hurt her baby. Meena knew that she needed to escape so she did. Meena then married and had two more children. The story continues on about Meena’s fight to get her children back and how she ended the brothel she was at. The authors inform the readers about sex trafficking and how there are 2 to 3 million prostitutes alone in India. In China there are more prostitutes, which estimate around 10 million or more. The author’s also explain that it’s difficult to estimate the number of voluntary and involuntary prostitutions.

Chapter two continues discussing about sex trafficking and slavery, but focuses more towards the law and political aspect. An officer is asked if the police monitor illegal prostitution. The officer doesn’t take the discussion seriously and says that, “prostitution is inevitable.” The chapter explains how many organizations are taking action. DMSC encouraged the use of condoms, and how they can protect ones health. After DMSC campaigned, condom usage rose 25% and HIV cases decreased, amounting to only 9.6%. The author’s continue explaining how prostitution in many countries were being cracked down. In Sweden, the number of prostitutes dropped by 41% in the first five years. Congress even became involved; in 2000 the state department was required to put out an annual Trafficking in Persons Report, which lead to other countries passing laws, which crackdown prostitution immediately. Even though action has been taking place, prostitution won’t disappear completely. Neth, a young woman who experienced the brothel of prostitution, expressed that anywhere, anytime a good difference can be made.

Intro.-Chapt. 2 blog: Country Post

In the introduction to Half the Sky, the country of Thailand is used as an example of one of the stories that will be covered throught the book.

Thailand is located in Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand. It covers an area that is slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming. It is the only country in Southeastern Asia that has never been taken over by a power force in Europe. It has a tropical climate and tends to be warm and rainy from May until September as well as dry and cool from November until March. The temperature usually ranges from 66 to 100 degrees. Thailand has an overall population of 66,720,153 with 9.6% of its people being below the poverty line.

People from Thailand are known as Thais, and they refer to their country as "the land of the free". Their Government is a constiutional monarchy. The people elected a Prime Minister to be the head of the government and a Thai King to be the head of state. The economy is based on exports, however they are challenged by trying to spread the wealth to the poorer areas. The country exports computers, clothing, rice, seafood, and transistors. Thailand also relys on tourism, agricultural procssing, and tobacco as a form of income for their people.

The population is mostly ethnic Thai people, most of which (94.6 %) practice Buddhism. Other religions that can be found within the country are Muslim and Christian. More than 92% of the population speaks Thai or one of its regional languages but English is understood throughout much of the country. Many (9.7 million) people live in the city of Bangkok; the city capital is decorated with gold, beautifually landscaped, and is home to many giant Buddha statues.

Thailand uses the Thai Baht as their form on currency; it comes to them in the form of a coin and a banknote form.

Thailand is a beautiful area that has many beaches and different islands , over 100 natioal parks, and is very diverse in plant and animal life.

http://www.tourismthailand.org/about-thailand/
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/countries/thailand-facts/
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/th.html#

Tester :)!!

Tester

LA LA LA LA LA LA LA