INDIA

INDIA|

60 MILLION MISSING GIRLS

Photo source: Saurabh Das, Israel Times

60 million. Thats roughly 2.5 times the Australian population. It’s also more than the population of  South Korea, Ukraine, South Africa, Spain, Columbia, Sudan, Argentina, Canada, Morocco, Cuba, Greece, Portugal, Belgium and Hungary- just to name a few. 60 million is also the number of “MISSING” women and girls in India. So imagine rounding up entire countries and killing them- everyone gone or “missing”. Would anyone notice? Would anyone stop it?

These women have either been aborted before birth, killed once born, died of neglect because they were girls, or perhaps murdered by their husband's family for not paying enough dowry at marriage. 60 million is not some random number plucked from thin air- but a matter of demographics. As far back as 1991, the economist Amartya Sen pointed out that Asia was missing 100 million women because of sex-selection (men being valued over women). In 2005, it was estimated at 50 million Indian women in the New York Times “were missing” however, that was 10 years ago. This isn't a new problem- it’s a consistent one. This is a problem deeply entrenched within a culture, this is discrimination against women which has led to the survival rates of girls hitting an all-time low. With parts of society regarding girls as little more than economic and social burdens, families are going to extreme lengths to avoid having daughters. Can you imagine, as a women, being born and ‘surviving’ to then realise there is minimal to no value on your life, let alone your hopes, aspirations and dreams?

In 1991, the Indian census showed a huge drop of women in the sex-ratio. After running tests to check whether women had been under-counted, they found that a massive explosion in sex-selection during the 80s had led to a sharp drop in the number of girls being born. A report by Action Aid in 2009 ("Disappearing Daughters") found that in some villages in the state of Punjab, there were as few as 300 girls for every 1,000 boys. Despite policies to address girls’ rights and improvements in women’s literacy, education and employment, the pressure to produce a male heir remains. 

“It was a girl and we wanted to abort it. We paid 1,200 rupees [$28] and got it over with. What would we 

have done with another girl?”| Couple responding to survey in Kangra 

In 2012, when a young woman was gang raped and then died from serious injuries, the prime minister said nothing about the incident until a week later, despite ongoing public protests. Imagine a crime such as this occurring in Australia, without any recognition from Australia's leader? What message would that send? Gender inequality is so deeply entrenched. Marital rape, for example, is still legal there. India and China alone represent nearly four out of every ten of all people on earth. Due to endemic sex-selection in both countries, the imbalance of women and men there is unprecedented in human history. In India, the overall sex-ratio for young children has fallen to 916 girls per 1,000 boys, and had consistently gotten worse over the last 60 years. In 2012, India was named the worst G20 country to be a woman in due to sex selection, infanticide and trafficking. “My husband and I fought over my desire to have an abortion. I told him that this society does not value girls and I do not want to give birth to another one. I told him that girls are a burden on the family. They have to face violence in all spheres of life. If the girl commits even a small mistake she and her entire family have to bear the burden. When I gave birth to my first daughter everyone pitied me. They all told me that I could not have a son. The taunts from society and from my in-laws that I would have faced for not having a son forced me to abort. I had no other option. Knowing the amount of harassment my baby would go through after her birth, I think it is much better to die.” *Renu, 25

Are you feeling grateful? You should. Are you feeling guilty? You shouldn't. We cannot change where we are born. But we can change what happens when we are. You should continue to read, learn and educate yourself. Commit to it, because it is people who change the world. 

#tendaystotellme #tellmeaboutIndia

BANGLADESH

BANGLADESH| PRIVLIDGE IS INVISIBLE TO THOSE WHO HAVE IT

Photo credit: Sergey Ponomarev for the NY Times

Credit

How many of you watched the film TAKEN with Liam Neeson? Its story line follows Neeson through parts of Europe trying to find his daughter who had been taken, with the intent of selling her on the black market. Well, this is not only a film script, but a reality for thousands of women (and men) around the world. 

Earlier this year many people came to learn about the severity of human trafficking, with media coverage showing shallow graves in Thailand near the Malaysian border, where smugglers abused and starved their victims, demanding as much as $3,000 from their families for their release. Boats were abandoned in the middle of the ocean, packed with people on the edge of starvation.

Southeast Asia has roughly 620 million inhabitants, across 11 countries with varying culture, history and diversity. These include: Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma (Myanmar), Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam (NIU, 2015).  Human trafficking is a reality often never faced by westerners, though is an ever-present occurrence in Southeast Asia. Human trafficking is commonly used for labor and sex work, with the sex industry in Southeast Asia estimated to be worth BILLIONS of dollars annually. Women are often trafficked for domestic work and to be sold within the sex trade and men are trafficked for cheap labour. It has been estimated that at least 225,000 women and children from Southeast Asia are trafficked annually which is a figure estimated to represent nearly one-third of the global trafficking trade. Trafficking is extremely hard to trace because of its illegal nature and often many of the victims are too scared to report it or are unsure how too. From the 45-50,000 women and children estimated to be trafficked into the US each year, 30,000 are believed to have come from Southeast Asia. 

“Can you imagine what will happen to these girls when they're 15 or 20? What will become of them? They'll have no education. They will be -- they will have been used and tossed away and ruined…" 

- Colin Powell.

Bangladesh is currently in the height of human trafficking. In Bangladesh, being a teenager is not viewed as a distinct phase of life; instead the onset of physical maturity is seen as an instant shift from childhood to adulthood. At puberty, girls’ freedom is often restricted, which limits their access to livelihood, learning and recreational and social activities. Bangladesh’s rates of child marriage and adolescent motherhood are among the highest in the world. Poor maternal health is the result of early marriage, women’s malnutrition, a lack of access to and use of medical services and a lack of knowledge and information. Most women give birth without a skilled attendant. Bangladesh’s maternal mortality ratio is one of the highest in Southeast Asia. Government figures estimate that there are 320 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, however UN estimates place the rate as high as 570 deaths per 100,000 live births. Are you feeling grateful? You should. Are you feeling guilty? You shouldn't. We cannot change where we are born. But we can change what happens when we are. You should continue to read, learn and educate yourself. Commit to it, because it is people who change the world. 

#tendaystotellme #tellmeaboutbangladesh

MALAWI

MALAWI | 

A CULTURE OF SILENCE| 

Photo credit: Lorna Genoud, 2015

Malawi (118,480 km2) is home to 16 million Africans, in a country that is 1/8 the size of New South Wales (809, 444 km2), or of a similar size to Pennsylvania in the U.S.  

But- Malawi has 16 million people, the state of NSW has 7.5 million. MALAWI HAS DOUBLE THE PEOPLE LIVING IN AN EIGTH OF THE SIZE.

Almost half the countries entire population are CHILDREN, 6.8 million children. Just over 500,000 children have lost one or both parents. Life expectancy is 51.4 for females- can you imagine? My Mum is 56, my Aunt 59 and my Grandmother 79- by these projections, if I were born in Malawi, these three people in my life would now be dead and I would have already lived half of my life span. 

For every 100,000 live births in Malawi, 675 mothers will die as result of pregnancy and childbirth related causes, an improvement from 807 in 2006. Diseases such as Malaria and HIV, poor nutrition and poverty contribute to one of the wordless highest maternal mortality rates. Malawi was hoped to reach the MDG 5 target, 155 material deaths per 100,000 by 2015- though this is unlikely. HIV is a leading cause of death, yet only 55 per cent of men and women know the three ways of preventing infection (fidelity, condom use and abstinence). A CULTURE OF SILENCE denies people access to correct information. We sit and wonder why HIV spreads and kills so fast in these countries- yet so many lack the understanding of what it is or how to prevent it.

Globally, 39,000 children will become BRIDES EACH DAY. Malawi’s child marriage rates are among the highest in the world, with one out of two girls married before they turn 18 (watch a documentary here). Parents and guardians arrange most child marriages in Malawi.   However, Malawi is taking important steps to change this. A new Malawi law that sets 18 as the minimum age for marriage is an important step toward preventing child marriage. The Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Act (Marriage Act) of 2015 became law earlier this year, though, under Malawi’s constitution, girls and boys ages 15 to 18 may be married with parental consent. The constitution also does not specifically prohibit the marriage of children under 15, but merely directs the government to “discourage” such marriages. Nineteen-year-old Elina V. was 15 and in school when her grandmother forced her to marry a 24-year-old man. “I had to look after my husband, do housework, deal with in-laws, and work on the farm,” she said. “My worst time was when I was pregnant. I had to do all this and deal with a pregnancy while I was just a child myself.”

"They dream about being doctors, they dream about being pilots, but the environment that they live in does not always enable those dreams to come true". 

Are you feeling grateful? You should. Are you feeling guilty? You shouldn't. We cannot change where we are born. But we can change what happens when we are. You should continue to read, learn and educate yourself. Commit to it, because it is people who change the world. 

#tendaystotellme #tellmeaboutmalawi

UGANDA

UGANDA|

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE HEALTH OF THE CHILDREN|

WRITING BY LORNA GEOULD | 

Photo credit: Lorna Genoud, 2015

Lorna, a graduate from the University of Sydney in Public Health, recently spent three months in Africa. She lived and worked in Iganga, Uganda where she met many  children, women and men- and one in particular was two year old Zarika.

This is Zarika. She is a beautiful two year old girl from a small village in the district of Iganga in Uganda. She is cheeky and full of life and loves playing with her friends and being cuddled. Although Zarika is only two, she still faces struggles on a daily basis. She is one of five, her mum still only in her 20s. Her older brothers and sisters take care of her as her mother is too busy with her new baby. Zarika often has to help with the farm work and physical chores required by her mother. Zarika's older siblings do not attend school and it is unlikely that she will. Being a girl in this rural village is challenging, she will most probably be MARRIED OFF and have many children from a young age, just like her mother. Her husband will probably have OTHER WIVES and many children as polygamy is very prevalent in this community. These circumstances will cause Zarika to use her young children for work to survive and will prevent them from attending school just as she has been. The cycle of poverty and a lack of education is likely to continue. 

Lorna will be talking to me in a lot more detail in the coming weeks about her time in Uganda, but for now- here is a short snippet:

Rachel:

I'm actually tearing up from reading 

Thank you for sharing- thank you thank you!

It's something real that I think it will help people relate 

Lorna:

Hahaha don't cry 

She's the best  

Rachel:

She is beautiful 

That village- I can't imagine being there everyday and that being my home…

Lorna:

Yeah it's crazy hey

Look through my photos if you have time

You'll see her, she was my baby

Rachel Blackburn:

Thanks again Lornsie

Lorna:

She told her mum I was her mum haha I used to wash her face everyday and feed her vitamins

Rachel Blackburn:

I remember seeing photos of you and her

       She did???? What did her mum say??

       Did she understand you?

Lorna:

The boys translated for me a lot 

        I miss her so much

Rachel Blackburn:

Who looks after her on a daily basis?

I'm sure you miss her 

Lorna:

She like walks around by herself... goes out in the fields and works

Rachel Blackburn:

But she looks like a baby?

The fields!!!?

Lorna:

She is a baby…

As soon as they can work, they're independent 

Yeah- she worked in the fields 

Rachel Blackburn:

And what does she do for work?

Lorna:

She picks corn with her mum

Rachel Blackburn:

And what else does she do?

Lorna:

Walks to the trading centre 

Rachel Blackburn:

What is that? Where is that?

Lorna:

Haha where people by all their stuff, she walks there

Photo credit: Lorna Genoud, 2015

Life expectancy was for those born in Uganda is 59. In Australia, it’s 84. Zarika is from a small village, the population in 2014 was just over 53, 000. Do you remember KONY 2012? It was the campaign started to find and arrest Joseph Kony of the rebel group, The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), well this group was founded in Northern Uganda. Though thankfully, they have now been driven out by the Ugandan army and are now scattered throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Central Africa Republic (CAR) and souther Sudan.  

Are you feeling grateful? You should. Are you feeling guilty? You shouldn't. We cannot change where we are born. But we can change what happens when we are. You should continue to read, learn and educate yourself. Commit to it, because it is people who change the world. 

#tendaystotellme #tellmeaboutuganda 

Democratic Republic of Congo

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC)| CHILD WITCHES

Photo Credit: Roland Hoskins

For every 1000 children born in DRC, 146 will die before they reach the age of 5. In Australia, that number is 4. Life expectancy at birth, for females in DRC is 51. In Australia, it's 84. A Congolese woman has a 30 year life expectancy difference FROM THE DAY SHE IS BORN! Feeling grateful to be born in Australia? You should. 

Over 50,000 children are living on the streets of Kinshasa (the Capital), all abandoned after being accused of witchcraft. That's the equivalent of filling the Sydney entertainment centre 4 times over or Madison Square garden 2.5 times with school aged children and telling them to go and live on the streets, to feed and fend for themselves. 

The belief of witchcraft is widespread and children have the opportunity to be 'cured' by priests, but those who are not are exiled from their families and sent to live on the streets. Poverty is a major force behind the trend of 'child witchcraft' and carers, whether extended family or immediate who can longer afford to care for them often resort to this. Remy Mafu, of the street children charity REEJER, explains that "every development within the family – a death, unemployment, bad school marks, and an unexpected pregnancy – demands an explanation". But, of course, some things cannot be explained and that leads families to turn away from reason, and look to the spirits. 

As you can imagine, these children are homeless, without education, food, income or contraception, and as a result, unplanned pregnancies are high. Two babies are born on the streets of Kinshasa every day to girls who have been condemned as child witches. Their children are considered witches by inheritance and the cycle continues. UN's new 'global goals' hope that the drivers of this tradition, poverty and a lack of education, will be completely eradicated in the next 15 years.

The nation was also given a seriously low score on the Daily Beast's ranking of best countries for women: just 13.6 out of 100. Iceland ranked number 1 with 100, Australia 88.2, America 89.9, New Zealand 87.2, and the U.K 85.

Are you feeling grateful? You should. Are you feeling guilty? You shouldn't. We cannot change where we are born. But we can change what happens when we are. You should continue to read, learn and educate yourself. Commit to it, because it is people who change the world. 

#tendaystotellme #tellmeaboutthecongo 

LETS BE HONEST

I THINK PERFECT IS A STUPID WORD|

WRITING BY GEORGIE GAFF |

Georgina Alice Gaff, as I like to call her- is a force to be reckoned with. She’s a newly 20 year-old young Australian woman. A smile from ear to ear and a heart that’s bigger than many. She was born and raised in outback Australia (I won’t name where, because there’s truly a long list of stations she’s lived on- but really, how cool is that?). She became a ‘city’ girl when she moved to Sydney as a border from years 7 to 12, and she’s now pursuing her education as an aspiring primary school teacher. Please welcome Georgie as a #WOMANBEHINDTHEMOVEMENT 

GEORGIE, 20 | AUSTRALIA

The very first definition of beauty by google is “a combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight”. It’s not until you scroll through to the third or fourth definition that you find a small sentence touching on beauty as being an INTERNAL QUALITY. No wonder people strive for 'perfect' in looks instead of IN themselves. We are surrounded by false advertising of the true meaning of beauty. I think perfect is a stupid word and I believe everyone needs to accept that they are imperfect in some way. What is perfect? Google suggests perfect is being complete, absolute and having all required or desired qualities. But let's be honest, nobody is complete or possesses all desired qualities, not in their looks or in their ambitions, there is always something missing. I think this something is our desire to be just like the person on the front of the magazine; successful, good looking, ambitious, empowering. Therefore, we overlook what we have within ourselves. So, to find beauty in imperfection we need start by looking WITHIN ourselves. 

When I was at boarding school, most of the parties were in the middle of winter on a 2 degrees, rainy evening. We would all wear dresses or skirts and run to the bus screaming “BEAUTY IS PAIN!” But by 'pain' we meant, being cold for half an hour until we were on the dance floor and could warm up. I have since come to realise that those three words are much more powerful. I believe it remains true, beauty is pain, but the pain is caused by suppression, the burn of remaining silent, a hunger for power or to empower, a need to do or be better or the length of the journey to some form of success.  It is our individuality that makes us beautiful and I believe there is no such thing as perfect. How can women (or men) strive for the same idea of perfection when we are all so different? Beauty is INNATE. It is not just about looking pretty or staying fit. I believe beauty is as simple as being a good role model, helping an elderly person with the groceries, donating to the poor, empowering yourself and others or holding the door open for the person behind you. 

The mastermind behind the Miss Venezuela Beauty Factories admits that "there is no such thing as perfect". However, he encourages (I use italics to emphasise that this so-called encouragement comes from a do or die perspective and is not the type of encouragement you would receive from the side of the soccer field) women to strive for his idea of perfection. Women in this competition are naturally gorgeous, but their desire to leave poverty overrides their power as women and they fall victim to the mental and physical pain inflicted upon them in the competition. Situations like this are not uncommon in developing nations and we need to do something right now to change them.  I live in a world where I am lucky enough to be able to express myself, WHEREVER AND HOWEVER I WISH. Women in developing nations do not have this luxury. We need to push our busy routines to one side for a moment and take the opportunity to utilise our power and fight for women who cannot fight for themselves. People need to commit to educating themselves on these issues so women and men can strive to overcome stereotypes associated with beauty and perfection in both developed and developing nations. This will allow us to strive for a more balanced and realistic perception of what it means to be beautiful. 

Margaret Atwood said "in the end we'll all become stories", so let's make ours a good one!

#BEREAL because #ITSCOOLTOCARE

#LETS BE REAL | 

WRITING BY CHLOE BOREHAM | ACTRESS

Chloé | Actress | Sydney/Paris 

Chloé Boreham is a bilingual French-Australian Actress and has played leading roles in Film, Theatre and Television in both english and french speaking roles. Chloé has also strong ties with the fashion, art and music worlds having been co-Artistic Director and lead actress of her own Live Art Company in Melbourne for three years before starring in Australian TV shows such as Offspring (2012), The Dr Blake Mysteries (2013), Upper Middle Bogan (2013).Chloé been backing other wonderful campaigns such as #HeForShe, #IAmThatGirl and #BringBackOurGirls and decided she would love to be #AWOMANBEHINDTHEMOVEMENT. 

I have for a very long time been interested in the plight of women, and have only just realised that part of being an actress and part of making films has been about giving a voice to the IMPERFECT WOMAN – her suffering, her courage, her strength, her capacity to love, her determination, her fears, her wants, her desires. 

I have always been much more drawn to making films about COMPLICATED WOMEN who are complex, imperfect, raw, full of flaws...human! 

I question this notion of perfection that we see on billboards hanging over our heads, in magazines piled on top of one another at the doctor’s clinic, in TV ads lurking at us. We are told to pursue this fantasy of the perfect woman, yet the truth is that a woman in her rawest, most authentic form is true beauty. There have been significant positive campaigns around the globe pursuing this reality promoting raw beauty and empowering women to stay true to who they are. Let’s continue this trend and continue to #BeReal because #ItsCoolToCare x