“Development
cannot happen without focusing on women, but women are always an afterthought!”
–Purnima Mane.
I arrived at
7:30 and met Ms. Lesak in the lobby of the Standard Club. We were ushered into
a room with a bunch of tables for organizations. I spoke to a representative
for the “Restoring Family Links program” which the Red Cross is involved in. It
is a global program that works to reconnect families with lost members, they
pay for sending letters and work to find loved ones. Services are provided to
families separated by international disasters as well as those affected by
international migration.
It’s a really
incredible program, and especially applicable to women who have lost sons and
fathers in wars.
“Healthy Food
for a Healthy World”
Next was a
keynote panel in a large room with breakfast. I am not hugely interested in
nutrition, so I didn’t love this part of the symposium. Although, there were
some terrifying statistics mentioned. For instance, ¼ of children in the world are
malnourished, and in India 40-45% of children are malnourished. As mothers are
usually the primary procurers of food, it’s important to educate women around
the world in how to get the most nutrients with the least money.
The most
interesting thing I took from this panel was the point that other countries
around the world are desperately trying to build this welfare safety net that
provides food and care for citizens, while in America, the valuable safety net
is under constant attack! The Greater Chicago Area Food Depository gives out
70,000,000 lbs. of food every year, so clearly there is still a need for
welfare.
“Global Mental
Health”
This topic
interests me more than nutrition and the speakers were really fantastic. For
whatever reason, women are more likely to suffer from depression than men. As
mental illness is heavily stigmatized, especially in the nonwestern world, women
face an unusually difficult disadvantage which is worsened by the fact that
around the world, women are more likely to endure abuse, sexual, physical, or
mental. In the Middle East, women who have survived rape, are often punished.
It’s terrifying.
In war-torn
regions, PTSD is widespread, and small, remote communities lack the information
on what PTSD is and how to treat it. A hypothetical presented by Scott Portman
was especially insightful; he said, (paraphrased) “Two siblings come home, both
having faced torture. One has developed severe PTSD with flashbacks and night
terrors, but the other is fine. The one with PTSD is outcast because the
community cannot understand why she isn’t persevering like the other is.”
Mental illness is illness, the sufferer cannot necessarily control it.
An audience member
asked a valuable question. Since throughout history women have been viewed as
crazy, (note the evolution of the word hysteria from the Latin word for womb)
is it wise to feminize the issue of mental health?
Both speakers
disagreed, although conceded that it is important to stay aware of the history
of women with mental illness. Portman talked about how in Columbia, women are
often left with the burden of dead male family members. But unlike most other
countries, it’s expected for them to struggle with the deaths. They aren’t
stigmatized or “feminized in a negative way.”
“Smart
Economics: Women’s Reproductive Health”
The three
speakers in this breakout group were incredible, especially Priya Agrawal, the executive
director of Merck for Mothers. The refrain of the hour was “ It is both the
smart and the right to do to provide women with reproductive health services.
They deserve it.”
I was sure of
this before the hour began, and militantly sure by the end. The usual argument
for women’s reproductive services is a sob story, motherless children, drawn
out death during childbirth, shockingly low life expectancy for women etc.
While that absolutely should be an
adequate argument, given the lack of support for this cause, it clearly is not
effective enough. So instead, the speakers attacked the issue from an economic
standpoint. Women with access to birth control and care have children later in
life and ultimately have less children and healthier children. Healthier
children means more effective workers, women having them later in life means
more productive years, more time for education. It’s estimated that $15 billion
is wasted in lost productivity due to inadequate women’s reproductive
healthcare. $1 spent towards reproductive health can generate up to $120 in
benefits.
In case you’re
interested in Merck for Mothers and the value of private sector healthcare: http://www.merckformothers.com/index.html
Two especially
interesting articles on the economic effects of reproductive care: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/dec/04/spending-on-women-healthcare-save-millions-guttmacher-institute-unfpa-sexual-reproductive-health
WOMEN ARE THE
FASTEST GROWING INVESTMENT!
My special nametag
Priya is in the middle, sitting down.
