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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
In this section:
Women Get Help in Stopping Violence and Defending
Their Rights
Women Get Help in Stopping Violence and Defending Their
Rights
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Iraqi women learn computer skills.
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From the conflict in Sudan to the recent devastation of
the Asian tsunami, women and children suffer most from displacement,
are more vulnerable to sexual violence, and face the harsh
realities of inadequate access to basic services, such as
health, education, and food.
USAID’s Office of Women in Development (WID) is taking
the lead on bringing attention to problems—and solutions—that
can affect women, men, and children who face complex emergencies.
“Addressing gender and development has been a U.S.
government priority for many years,” Administrator Andrew
S. Natsios said in a speech in March. “Our Office of
Women in Development…has played a critical role in the
Agency as the central point of technical leadership and expertise
on gender issues and social, economic, and political development.”
WID has worked for 30 years to help the Agency design, implement,
evaluate, and report on projects that take into account the
different roles of men and women, the relationships and balance
between them, and the institutional structures in societies.
“Attention to the significant role that women play
in societies and the necessity of their full participation
in decisionmaking has made development progress possible,”
said Katherine Blakeslee, WID director.
In 2000, USAID began requiring that gender considerations
be included throughout its projects.
Since then, WID has supported gender integration training
for approximately 1,000 USAID staff and partners globally,
answering a growing demand for gender integration from the
field.
Last year, with the assistance of WID, the Bureau for Africa
held three regional workshops on gender in economic growth
and agriculture.
In 2003, gender assessments became one of three mandatory
assessments for all USAID missions and operating units.
In Ghana, Ethiopia, and Jamaica, the Safe Schools Program
is cutting down violence against girls in schools. Gender
and Education Advisor Julie Hanson Swanson said that the Safe
Schools Program “offers an opportunity to make people
aware and generate solutions to this invisible but dangerous
threat to girls’ education.”
In Benin, Albania, and Guatemala, the Women’s Legal
Rights Initiative informs women about their rights to own
and inherit property.
Other successes over the last four years have included the
overturning of the conviction and death sentence against Amina
Lawal, the Nigerian woman whose prosecution for having a baby
outside of marriage garnered international attention. USAID
contributed funds and expertise to the legal team that presented
briefs before the Sharia Court of Appeals in Katsina.
Difficult issues remain, however. Nearly two-thirds of the
countries in which USAID works are affected by civil strife
and conflict. Violence against women and children in those
countries and in transition countries has emerged as a major
concern.
The Joint State/USAID Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2004–2009
lays out the U.S. commitment to supporting programs that deter
and address the consequences of violence against women.
“The Office of Women in Development takes a leadership
role within the Agency and in the international community
to advance these issues, which are critical to the success
of foreign assistance programs today,” said Blakeslee.
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