G8 Leaders- Women are Key to Solving World Hunger

(Originally written for Feminists For Choice)

For three days this week the Group of Eight (G8) economic and political powers will be discussing policies that affect world affairs. Global security, climate change, and alleviating poverty are supposed to at the top of the agenda. Specifically, hunger will be a central topic during poverty talks. As it should be with the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimating the amount of people going hungry every day has exceeded a billion. One-sixth of the people on this planet aren’t getting enough to eat.

On Wednesday, the seven male and one female leader of the G8 got down to business in earthquake stricken L’Aquila, Italy, while the wives (not sure about the husband) were in Rome. They were treated to a three-course lunch, tours of landmarks and a World Food Programme (WPF) presentation about women’s role in the hunger crisis. My question is why wasn’t this program part of the main event in L’Aquila and presented to everyone?

Women are disproportionally affected by hunger. According to the FAO, approximately 7 out of 10 of those going hungry are women. Many hungry women are sacrificing a decent meal so their children will not starve. Even more critical to the G8 talks is how women are key in solving the world hunger problem.

Many studies show the great communal value of supporting women in efforts to eliminate poverty and hunger. If women are given better access to resources, such as food and water then entire household health improves. This paves the way for increased physical and intellectual development among children and communities as a whole.

In addition, it is estimated that women produce between 60 to 80 percent of the food in developing countries. Despite the fact that women work much of the land, they own almost none of it. Governments should begin investing more resources into increasing women’s access to land, water, fair credit lines, and training. This would show a real and sustainable effect on the hunger problem.

Instead, it seems free trade and new technologies are more the focal points at the G8 summit. These potential solutions miss the bigger picture on hunger. Free trade seems logical in that it would allow more food to be shipped into countries and competition might lower prices. However, it makes small local farmers unable to compete and many lose their livelihood resulting in a weaker economy and less money to buy the imported goods. New technology seems like a great idea too, but it would do little to help if the right people weren’t afforded access to the equipment or proper training.

Hunger is a serious problem that has gotten worse due to rising food prices and environmental factors. It is vital that our global leaders wake up to one of the world’s most valuable resources: women. This may be the only way to truly make a positive impact on this devastating problem.

Speaking of Human Rights

I was not confronted with the notion that human rights shouldn’t automatically be considered a universal truth until I was 27 years old.

In my kitchen, I was having a conversation with a young man with a silver spoon and a business degree. We began to talk about the world and economic exploitation. He was ok with it and I wasn’t. At one point in my frustration, I simply said “What about human rights?” He seemed puzzled by the question and responded with another question “Do you actually believe everyone is entitled to human rights?” Now it was my turn to be puzzled. My mind was swimming because it had never occurred that human rights shouldn’t be universal. So, I simply answered “yes.”

Now, a few years later I still believe human rights are universal. It is complicated and when I argued in the kitchen I understood that cultural imperialism and policing world were not good things. However, I never questioned the idea of human rights.

Some intellectuals see the western view of human rights as an infringement on group rights and cultural freedom. Also, governments have marched into war in the name of human rights even though most people understand that isn’t their true motivation. So there is no denying the complexity of this issue.

However, I think as rational beings (for the most part) we know what is fundamentally right and wrong. Therefore when a cultural perpetuates human rights abuses, (such as female genital mutilation, honor killing, apartheid, etc.) that part of the culture should be changed. Even understanding my position as a woman who grew up in the United States, I hold firm in the belief that there are some rights that are indeed universal.

What are those rights is another question. One that I hope to explore further, as well as solutions to stopping economic exploitation and other human abuses.

Stoning of Soraya M

Women in the U.S. still have a lot of progress to make and to deny horrible human rights abuses happen here is just plain naive. In fact, just a few months there was a probable honor killing of a woman in Buffalo. A husband murdered his wife for seeking a divorce.

However, it can not be denied that women in the U.S. are lucky in many ways. One of those ways is that we do almost always have freedom of speech. In addition, the due process system in the U.S. does typically prevent us from being murdered for using our voices.

This weekend the movie The Stoning of Soraya M. hits limited theaters. The women in this film are not so lucky. The human rights and empowering story unfolds in a brutal yet beautiful film. I encourage everyone who can to go to the theater and support this movie. Click Here to find a theater near you where showing it.

The Right-Wing Lost, right?

It seems the Obama administration needs to be reminded that conservatives lost the election. I understand that it isn’t very feasible for a president to dive head first into political hot button issues, even a president with high approval ratings.
But the Justice Department memo in support of the Defensive of Marriage Act (DOMA) is an overt pandering to the right.

DOMA allows states and prevents the federal government from recognizing marriages and unions between same-sex couples. This means that if a couple gets married in Iowa and moves to a state that doesn’t recognize them as a married couple then they can be refused hospital visitation, estate planning becomes trickier, and basic dignity goes out the window.

President Obama expressed in campaigns that he did not support DOMA, but the actions of his administration seem to counter this position. Due to the response by the LGBTQ community and allies the White House offered this quick rebuttal:
White House spokesman Shin Inouye said "The President has said he wants to see a legislative repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act because it prevents LGBT couples from being granted equal rights and benefits. However, until Congress passes legislation repealing the law, the administration will continue to defend the statute when it is challenged in the justice system." –LA Times
This seems like a bit of a cop out and it shows that the administration plans to do nothing in an effort to progress gay rights in this country.

Perhaps this is isn’t the most critical issue when people within our borders and beyond are facing poverty in the face. However, it is an issue of principle and civil rights.
Ironically, I found an Obama quote that expresses why it is important to show outrages over this issue.

“As a state Senator, I have taken on the issue of civil rights for the LGBT community as if they were my own struggle because I believe strongly that the infringement of rights for any one group eventually endangers the rights enjoyed under law by the entire population.” -Windy City Times 2-11-2004

Wake up and smell the oppression people!

A Suggestion for the President

Last week, President Obama addressed an audience in Cairo to speak about Islam. (See bottom of this post)
He covered several issues, but tended to concentrate on those of more political “value” such as war, Israel/Palestine and economics.

There was a small a glance at women’s rights, but much much more should be said.
“I reject the view that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality.”
This sentence contains issues that are hot button issues with some activists. The head covering is something to examine, because the key word in this statement is chooses. Does coercions create that choice or is it done completely at free will? This is indeed an important distinction.

However, the hajib (head covering) and even the more obtrusive burqa are among the less concerning issues for women in some Islamic communities. As is quoted, women’s access to education in some areas is nonexistent, which leads to illiteracy and lack of economic opportunity. Both make women more dependent and less likely to attain equality.

Although President Obama talked extensively about violence, it was not raised in the paragraphs about women. I find this to be a significant fault in this nearly hour long speech. Extensive violence against women in Islamic countries continues to be a tragic routine. Acid being thrown on women seeking an education, women being beat for showing too much skin or killed for looking at a man the “wrong” way. These dangerous events occur everywhere, but desperately need to be addressed in Muslim communities where the culture sometimes lends itself to oppressive patriarchal control of justice.

This is evident in the new film, The Stoning of Soraya M. I encourage the President to watch this film and perhaps next time he addresses leaders in the Middle East violence against women will be a more central topic.

To quote President Obama, violent oppression of women “is a stain on our collective conscience.”

I look forward to exploring the idea of “collective conscience” with the release of this film and the conversations that follow.

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