Over the past two years, Bolivia grappled with the global Coronavirus pandemic and political instability. However, another invisible challenge lay hidden underneath these precarious situations. Long stigmatized and overlooked by Bolivian society and government alike, the lack of proper mental health care in Bolivia is an invisible challenge.
The Data
Bolivia is a country in central South America and has a population of around 11 million. Mental health in Bolivia is an esoteric topic which the lack of official records on mental illness illustrates. Thus, there is no reliable data to indicate the number of Bolivians with mental illness. There are only 45 psychiatrists and 35 psychologists practicing in the nation. Therefore, few Bolivians have access to psychological resources.
However, the data accumulated from those that had the ability to see a mental health professional shows that many suffered from the abuse of substances, especially alcohol. Approximately 90% of patients in psychiatric hospitals struggled with alcohol. Psychotic disorders, mood disorders and depression were also common. According to Mental Health Atlas 2020, 6.82 out of 100,000 Bolivians committed suicide, although the actual count may be higher due to underreporting.
A Promising Start
Despite the current taboos and limited infrastructure toward mental health in Bolivia, the country developed one of the first mental health plans in South America. Bolivian authorities designed this plan to meet the principles enshrined in the 1990 Caracas Declaration. Delegates from across Latin America met in the Venezuelan capital to announce a watershed declaration that established human rights for those with mental illness and aimed to restructure mental health care across the continent.
In 2002, Bolivia passed its national mental health plan. However, it remained merely a symbolic piece of legislation because of the lack of government funding. Authorities revised the law in 2009. However, its provisions ceased to become a reality because of the continued dearth of financial support. In 2008, WHO reported that Bolivia earmarked 0.2% of its health budget for mental health, according to an article published in the International Journal of Mental Health Systems.
While expenditures hampered significant developments in mental health in Bolivia, two additional developments serve as a source of optimism. According to an article published in the International Journal of Mental Health Systems, first, in 2007, Bolivia shifted its health care system to the public sector. Second, in 2009, Bolivia amended its Constitution to explicitly protect the right to health.
Societal Stigma
Coupled with scarce federal funding, cultural stigma also limits access to proper mental health care. In Bolivia, people hide their mental illness, especially depression. Bolivian psychologist Aruquipa Yujra reported that many Bolivians simply view depression as a “bad mood” and not a mental illness. Yujra explained that this societal downplaying of mental illness leads many Bolivians to avoid seeking treatment.
Dr. Josue Bellot, the director of San Juan de Dios Centre of Rehabilitation and Mental Health in La Paz, Bolivia, also sees societal stigma as a problem for Bolivia. He stated that he believes that in Bolivia “there is this stigma that psychiatry relates only to ‘crazy’ people. The moment that a doctor refers a patient to a psychiatrist, the patient is labeled ‘loco’.”
Reason for Hope
Minimal government funding and societal stigma resulted in the concentration of much of Bolivia’s mental health care in La Paz. Because of this, it is out of reach for many of its citizens. However, Daniela Riveros, a dedicated UNICEF volunteer, harnessed the power of technology to reach these marginalized communities. In 2020, she launched a call center, Familia Segura (Safe Family), to assist people in crisis in rural households across Bolivia.
The hotline that Riveros implemented redirected calls to the appropriate destination, frequently to mental health professionals in La Paz. Additionally, if Familia Segura volunteers detected signs of violence, they contacted the authorities to intervene. Between April 2021 and July 2021, the hotline made approximately 13,500 calls to vulnerable Bolivian families.
Another transformative organization is Esperanza Bolivia. Rather than fielding calls from afar, in 2019, Esperanza Bolivia provided in-person psychological services at Eustaquio Mendez High School in Tarija, Bolivia in order to prevent violence stemming from the adolescent population. Jesús Cáceres, a teacher at the school, noticed a positive change in his students since the team arrived.
Steps for the Future
The humanitarian work that organizations like UNICEF and Esperanza Bolivia conducted does not neglect the need for more funding towards improving mental health in Bolivia. The Bolivian government and Western powers, especially the United States, must devote more money to mental health care so that Bolivians are able to attain accessible and equitable psychological treatment.
While the Biden Administration’s joint commitment with The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to deploy 500,000 new health workers to Latin America is encouraging, Bolivia needs a more comprehensive strategy to address mental health disparities. However, in recent years, Bolivia and humanitarian organizations have made great progress in addressing social and financial inequities. A hopeful future is on the horizon.
– Alexander Portner
Photo: Unsplash
Migration in Brazil
As one of the largest and most populous nations in the Americas, Brazil has long served as a safe haven for immigrants around the world. In fact, migration in Brazil includes people from Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. Immigrants in Brazil, in turn, have brought many economic and cultural benefits to the nation.
First Wave of Brazil Migration
Brazil’s first wave of non-colonial immigration began in the late 1800s; from 1870 to 1930, between 2 and 3 million migrants from Europe, Asia and the Middle East sailed to the nation in search of a new home. The abolition of slavery spurred the influx of foreigners. Landowners around the country believed that immigrant laborers would help Brazil form a wage-based economy similar to European countries. However, in 1891 Brazilian elites also sought to “whiten” their nation by enacting racist laws which welcomed European immigrants while banning those from African and Asian nations. Brazilians saw Japanese immigrants as an exception to this rule. They viewed Japanese immigrants as essentially European in their mannerisms and industrial habits. In 1935, a federal deputy commented, “The Japanese colonists are even whiter than the Portuguese.”
Continued Brazil Migration
Brazil has aggressively sought out foreign workers to grow its economy. After World War II, for example, the government encouraged workers from Spain, Syria and Lebanon to move to the country, correctly assuming that the laborers would aid Brazil’s industrial sectors. By 1970, 115,000 Spaniards and 22,000 Syrian-Lebanese called Brazil home.
In the following decades, the nation saw a wave of Korean immigration. These families, like those before them, saw Brazil as a land of social mobility. They purchased cheap visas into Bolivia or Paraguay and used the relaxed border laws to enter Brazil.
Informality Supports Undocumented Immigrants
Brazil’s attitude towards immigrants stands out in its informality. While undocumented immigrants do not always receive encouragement to enter Brazil, there remain no current policies that discourage them. In addition, Brazil’s government has frequently created legalization programs that help unregistered citizens gain documentation. The three most recent of these programs gave more than 100,000 foreigners the right to permanent residency in Brazil.
More than 40,000 of those 100,000 foreigners originated from Bolivia. The country of 11 million has struggled for years financially, and as a result, many have flocked to the surrounding nations of Chile, Peru and Brazil. Currently, more than 130,000 Bolivians officially reside in Brazil, although the Brazilian Embassy in the Bolivian La Paz estimates that in total, more than a million Bolivians live within Brazilian borders. This leaves a vast majority of these immigrants undocumented and subsequently subjected to long hours and low pay in the clothing factories and sewing shops where they typically work.
Venezuela: The Largest New Immigrant Population
The largest immigrant population currently residing in Brazil, however, is not Bolivian but Venezuelan. Venezuela is currently experiencing the largest recorded refugee crisis in the history of the Americas, due to political turmoil and widespread poverty. Brazil’s government has been generally supportive of these immigrants. In August 2018, for example, when the state of Roraima requested to close its border with Venezuela, the Brazilian Supreme Court denied the request on constitutional grounds.
Currently, Brazil houses more than 260,000 Venezuelan refugees. The government has granted asylum to more than 20,000, and a two-year residency permit was made available to purchase in 2017 if certain applicants do not qualify for asylum. A 2020 program titled Operação Acolhida (“Operation Welcome”) funds more than 10,000 plane tickets to help Venezuelans travel to Brazil and is helping 50,000 to get to cities around Brazil.
Mutually Beneficial into the Future
Brazil has gained many cultural benefits from the enormous amount of immigrants living within its borders. School children and adults alike enjoy Japanese manga and anime; similarly, Brazilian jiu-jitsu would not have been possible without the sumo wrestling the Japanese brought. Kibe, a simple croquette that bars and street carts around Brazil sell, comes from the Middle East via Lebanese immigrants. Stores owned by Korean families provide many items in a typical Brazilian’s wardrobe.
Some organizations worry that as President Jair Bolsonairo continues to lead the country, Brazil will become less hospitable to migrants. One of the president’s first moves in office, after all, was to pull out of a United Nations migration accord that had been signed the previous month. “We will never withhold help to those in need, but immigration cannot be indiscriminate,” he wrote on Twitter. Still, it seems that the principles of migration in Brazil have generally stayed the same under Bolsonairo. The nation continues to house many from struggling Latin American countries; this February, it also became the first nation in the world to grant humanitarian visas to Ukrainians.
Migration in Brazil has been a symbiotic process for many years. Brazil has been hospitable towards immigrants, more so than most large countries; and those immigrants have repaid the nation through their work and their culture. One hopes this relationship is able to remain mutually beneficial long into the future.
– Finn Harnett
Photo: Flickr
New Colombian President’s Plan to Alleviate Poverty
Gustavo Petro was a candidate in the 2022 Colombian presidential election and a founder and leader of the Colombia Humana (Humane Colombia) party, ultimately winning the presidency. As a former mayor of Bogotá and longtime congressman, Petro advocates against corruption and inequality. Petro ran against 77-year-old Rodolfo Hernández, an independent affiliated with the League of Anti-Corruption Rulers, who has gained notoriety by campaigning through TikTok. Hernández had ambitious plans of tackling governmental corruption in his country. The two went head to head in the final round of the election on Sunday, June 19, which led to Colombia electing Petro as its president. Here is some information about Gustavo Petro as well as the Colombian president’s plan to alleviate poverty in Colombia.
Gustavo Petro’s Career
Gustavo Petro is from the Cordobá region of northern Colombia. In his youth, Petro became a member of M-19 (Movimiento 19 de Abril/April 19 Movement), a now inactive guerilla group known for stealing Simón Bolívar’s sword and kidnapping drug traffickers. In 1981, during his time in M-19, Petro held elected posts. Petro was the Ombudsman of Zipaquira in 1981 and the city’s councilor in 1984. Petro ended up in prison due to his involvement in the group just one year later, although he never met violence and advocated for peace in the organization. In 1991, he ceased participation with the group and became a member of Colombia’s House of Representatives. Petro lost his seat three years later and left the country before returning in 2002.
Petro ran for president of Colombia for the first time in 2010, placing fourth. The candidate achieved electoral success in 2012 when Bogotá elected him their mayor. The candidate succeeded further in the presidential bid in 2018, making it to the second round and surviving an assassination attempt.
Poverty in Colombia
Colombia has had a rocky relationship with poverty levels. The country’s poverty rate lowered by 3.2% from 2020 to 2021, after a 7% increase from 2019 to 2020. Food deficiency and poverty interconnect; Colombia’s poor often has trouble finding nourishment. A lack of peace and job security also allows for poverty to increase.
Poverty in Colombia is typically caused by poor infrastructure and authority while demands for better living conditions are often left unanswered. Additionally, the war in Ukraine has led to inflation and more poverty in the South American nation.
The Colombian President’s Plan
Gustavo Petro has many ambitious plans for his country’s potential future. The Colombian president’s plan to alleviate poverty involves expanding social programs and guaranteeing work and a basic income. Petro believes Colombia can prosper without reliance on oil and have a production-based economic structure. He believes that raising taxes on Colombia’s wealthy and printing money can fund anti-poverty programs. Petro likely received political support from citizens who were dissatisfied with former president Iván Duque’s policies, in addition to poverty and the wealth gap.
Regardless of whether Petro comes out of the 2022 Colombian election victorious or not, he and other individuals with his poverty-combatting ideals have the potential to lead Colombia to a brighter future.
– Sophie Buibas
Photo: Flickr
Rebuilding of Higher Education in Afghanistan
The health of higher education in Afghanistan is a product of invasion and civil war. The tumultuous nature of Afghanistan’s history has left obstacles in the path of educational institutions. This takes the form of many hindrances, such as the country’s current political stability or the ruling leader’s tendency for tradition. In the absence of education, economic instability and a lower standard of living may follow.
Turbulent Establishment
The establishment of formal modern education in Afghanistan didn’t exist until 1875. However, it was not until 1919 that the number of established institutions exceeded four. In 1929, during his nine-month rule, Habibullah Kalakany closed girls’ schools and stopped female students who went abroad from continuing their studies. Shortly after, Zahir Shah allowed girls once more the freedom of education. He also established the first small sign of higher education in Afghanistan, the Kabul Medical Faculty in 1932.
In the 1960s and ‘70s, Afghanistan’s educated class grew the strongest. However, the Soviet invasion in 1979 devastated the infrastructure of higher education in Afghanistan. An entire generation of the educated class disappeared, either killed or escaped. The Taliban occupation of Afghanistan further hindered the integrity of higher education. These disastrous conflicts rendered Afghanistan one of the most impoverished in the world.
Brain Drain
“Brain Drain” is a dire issue for the infrastructure and further human development of Afghanistan. This occurs when young Afghans receive degrees from institutes of higher learning and prefer job opportunities or the standard of living outside of their home country. Generally, when facing a crisis, the number of educated emigrants produced by a country will be higher than the number of educated citizens in that country.
The effects of brain drain directly impede further infrastructure development in Afghanistan, continually reducing the country to a state of stagnant reconstruction. The country’s condition of low development poses a threat to the advancement of higher education. According to a study by David J. Roof, in 2014, the higher education enrollment ratio in Afghanistan was around 5%, among the lowest in the world.
The World Bank suggests that Afghanistan could follow the strategies of other developing countries such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka in order to reduce the brain drain. This includes offering tenure tracks to young academics or encouraging studying abroad.
The Taliban’s Effects on Women’s Education
Many commonly think that in repressive regimes, the educated will bring the most opposition. The Taliban’s recapture of Kabul in 2021 initiated one of the world’s most critical humanitarian crises, leaving millions of Afghans starving and unable to collect salaries. However, young academics, specifically women, are being further barred from receiving higher education due to new Taliban decrees, which also restrict women’s freedom to work or leave the house.
In September 2021, the Taliban regime allowed women to continue studying in gender-segregated universities under strict dress codes. However, in March 2022, it banned the opening of schools for girls and women past the sixth grade.
This decision could divert international donations and deepen the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Foreign Aid
According to the U.N. Human Development Report, in 2020 Afghanistan ranked 169th of 189 countries based on the Human Development Index. An increase in foreign aid or grants focused on bolstering higher education would greatly benefit the country economically and politically by creating and filling jobs as well as providing a future for a more stable government.
In June 2021, the World Bank approved an $18 million grant to Afghanistan through the Higher Education Acceleration Transformation Project to bolster the infrastructure, quality and accessibility of higher education. A majority of this grant will help develop educational facilities, support teachers and improve curriculum and textbooks.
An additional goal of this grant is to empower women in higher education to pursue leadership positions, as only 30% of students of higher education in Afghanistan are women.
Due to gender disparities in higher education within Afghanistan, advocacy has mostly focused on increasing the accessibility of education to female students. The World Bank grant is a large step forward in opening up opportunities for Afghan women.
USAID has also drastically aided in the development of higher education in Afghanistan, focusing on matching universities and the labor market to cultivate 31 new degree programs for undergraduate and graduate students. In addition, the USAID PROMOTE scholarship will award up to 900 Afghan women the opportunity to seek both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees to diversify academia in Afghanistan.
Higher education in Afghanistan is unfortunately a framework of feeble institutions that heavily rely on foreign aid. Foreign aid has become the most important factor in the development of education infrastructure in Afghanistan, and actions by the World Bank and USAID have alleviated some of the negative effects of brain drain and gender inequality.
– Caroline Zientek
Photo: Flickr
How Shoes Can Eliminate Preventable Diseases
Wearing shoes protects feet from more than just scratches and heat. Shoes can eliminate preventable diseases, many parasitic infections, epidemics and dangerous bug bites. While adults can wear a pair for years, this is not the case with growing children. Because children have a much higher demand for shoes than adults, a few inspiring projects are providing impoverished children with shoes.
Soil-Transmitted Disease
Soil-transmitted diseases are most prevalent among those who cannot afford shoes. By giving shoes to those who are most in need, epidemics that can eventually lead to death can decrease entirely. Many diseases are due to contaminated soil and involve parasites that can cause slow development, organ damage, amputation and even death if left untreated. South America and Sub-Saharan Africa suffer the most from these diseases, and some communities in these areas can be difficult to reach. NGOs and charities similar to Samaritan’s Feet have started to tackle these epidemics at their root. Shoes can eliminate preventable diseases by creating a barrier between contamination and bare feet. By preventing disease instead of medically treating it, the solution and work are cheaper, less invasive and eliminated entirely with enough effort.
Shoes = Opportunity
Infections and parasitic jigger fleas, which require painful treatments, are common in children who do not wear shoes in certain areas. Sometimes a lack of self-confidence or cleanliness can be an even more painful barrier. Shoes can eliminate preventable diseases, offer a safer ability to walk and give many the ability to take the first step in creating a better life. Buckner Shoes for Orphan Souls is a project within Buckner International that understands how being barefoot can prevent many children from attending school and can affect their self-worth.
By providing a pair of shoes for children, family workshops and job training programs for parents, many will eventually no longer rely on the donation program. In addition to the big picture, Buckner believes that a more hopeful future can arise through its program. Children can find a way out of poverty if they have good shoes and the opportunities that come with them.
Innovation and New Solutions
One pair of shoes provides a child with opportunities and foot protection for as long as the shoes fit. By finding a way to lessen the demand for new shoes every time a child grows, this large concern can shrink to one-fifth of its size. The Shoe That Grows™ is a type of shoe that can expand by five sizes so that children can have a single pair of shoes for a longer period of time than usual. The Because International website has stated that “Over 1.5 billion people suffer from soil-transmitted diseases worldwide,” showing the necessity of having good-quality shoes.
Every time children outgrow shoes, the potential of disease exposure increases. However, The Shoe That Grows™ provides shoes that have a longer wear time than other shoes, subsequently taking away the burden of purchasing shoes once a year. The project distributed more shoes for Christmas 2021 than any other year and is looking to continue making the shoes more durable and create jobs with the company’s manufacturers. The Shoe That Grows™ can save families and organizations time and money, providing a better chance of helping more children.
Looking Ahead
Shoes are an unexpected solution to a deadly problem that faces the poorest of the poor. With simple and innovative solutions to bring people the protection they need, this deadly issue has an end goal in sight. Children’s continuous growth can cause difficulties, many organizations are effectively helping these children with a need that will bring physical protection and future opportunity.
– Karen Krosky
Photo: Flickr
Mental Health in the Maldives
Many best know the Maldives, a nation of islands in the Indian Ocean, for its beautiful beaches that draw many travelers. However, the sunshine and sparkling water often overshadow many Maldivians’ issues. For instance, mental health in the Maldives is a topic that not everyone knows about. Yet, many people in the Maldives have struggled with mental health for a long time. Furthermore, the link between mental disorders and poverty makes these struggles even more concerning.
A Unique Layout
Since a chain of islands across more than 900 kilometers forms the country of the Maldives, the cost of delivering health and social services is higher. In addition, the unique geographical nature of the island has resulted in a widely dispersed population, with some of the islands becoming too densely populated to sustain their communities due to rising sea levels. All of these factors have contributed to mental health problems in the Maldives.
Lack of Strategy
Coordinating a unified effort to combat increasing rates of mental disorders in the Maldives has been an issue. With evidence showing that mental health disorders are on the rise, Maldivians are in need of an effective mental health system. However, mental health services in the Maldives are limited and poorly organized. Since most mental health services reside in the capital, Malé, few resources exist on the outer islands. Additionally, psychiatric medication is inconsistent and institutional facilities deal with overcrowding.
Another barrier to implementing a strong mental health policy in the Maldives is social stigma. There is significant stigma and discrimination toward people with mental disorders in the Maldives, with many openly expressing negative attitudes about mental health, according to an article published in SAGE Journals.
Mental health disorders pose many risks, including the threat of increased poverty. Since there is a link between mental health and poverty, the rising rates of mental health disorders in the Maldives present a significant threat to the already high poverty gaps in the country.
New Reason for Hope
A promising new future in improving mental health in the Maldives lies in the National Mental Health Policy (NMHP). According to the Ministry of Health, some of the objectives of the NMHP include a new structure for mental health care with proper financing, mental health services that integrate community-based and general health services, promotion of mental health in collaboration with relevant stakeholders and advocacy for improved treatment of individuals with mental disorders.
Even further, NMHP will ensure that welfare assistance is available to those with significant disabilities relating to mental disorders, alleviating some financial burdens in order to counter poverty, the Ministry of Health reports.
The NMHP has a long history of development. The Ministry of Health first initiated the policy in June 2005 in the wake of the 2004 Asian tsunami. Still, work on the policy remained untouched until 2011, when the Ministry of Health revised the policy. However, political changes hindered its endorsement. Later, in 2015, the process started again when the World Health Organization (WHO) assisted in the policy’s revision. Now, the NMHP is in effect until at least 2025.
According to the Ministry of Health, new changes from the NMHP include:
The implementation of the NMHP is a long-awaited step in the right direction for the people of the Maldives. People are dealing with a disorganized mental health system as well as a social stigma for so long. However, the NMHP offers up the prospect of a more positive future for those in the Maldives who are struggling with mental health.
– Sarah DiLuzio
Photo: Pixabay
Supporting Women’s Rights in Ukraine
Reports of human rights violations against Ukrainian populations have steadily mounted since Russia invaded the country in February. Russian troops’ indiscriminate use of violence against Ukrainian civilians has grown more extreme as the conflict drags on. As with many conflict situations, violence against Ukrainian women and girls has increased drastically since Russia’s invasion. Several women’s rights groups operating in Ukraine recently brought the issue of sexual violence to the attention of the U.N. Security Council. The council heard from several community leaders and nonprofit founders, including Ukrainian Women’s Fund Co-founder, Natalia Karbowska. Countless U.N. members reasserted their commitment to end conflict-based sexual violence, vowing to center humanitarian relief efforts on the experiences of women and girls.
The U.N. Security Council meeting raised international awareness of the plight of women and girls in conflict-ridden areas. Despite this, women in violent regions across the world continue to be vulnerable to sexual violence as the use of rape as a tactic of war remains prevalent. The recent Security Council briefing on the rights of Ukrainian women and refugees has provided a step in the right direction although there is still much that Ukraine needs to do to address the issue.
Support from Women-Led Organizations in Ukraine
Luckily, countless locally based, women-led organizations in Ukraine are working tirelessly to protect those most vulnerable to acts of conflict-based sexual violence. These organizations have the best ability to attend to the needs of women who the conflict most affected due to their geographic and cultural proximity to affected populations. Large multi-national entities such as U.N. Women work to bolster the resources available to local women’s rights organizations in Ukraine and the surrounding region. In addition to the United Nations, a multitude of international non-profit organizations are also rallying behind women-led civil groups operating in and around Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Women’s Fund
The Ukrainian Women’s Fund (UWF) leverages long-established partnerships with local civil society organizations to aid Ukrainian women in crisis. The UWF has provided financial, information and consultation support to civic organizations and women’s rights groups in Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus since the organization’s establishment in 2000. The toll of the Russian invasion on Ukrainian women and girls led the UWF to adopt emergency measures in an effort to support women’s rights in Ukraine. The UWF implemented a series of rapid response grants to women-led civil societies and nonprofits operating in every region of Ukraine shortly after the conflict broke out.
The UWF was able to provide 37 grants ($300,000) to women’s organizations throughout Ukraine before the 30th day of the conflict. These rapid response grants work to provide food, water, shelter and other necessities alongside emergency psychosocial and transportation services. The UWF additionally receives support from Prospera, the International Network of Women’s Funds. Prospera ensures that the UWF can mobilize resources effectively to support rapid response grantees. All UWF donations go into rapid response grants for locally-led women’s foundations operating in Ukraine.
Women’s Perspectives
Women’s Perspectives is a Ukraine-based feminist organization that is dedicated to upholding women’s rights and supporting equal rights. Since its establishment in 1998, the Lviv-based nonprofit works to address issues of gender-based violence within Ukraine. With the current prevalence of conflict-based sexual violence against Ukrainian women, Women’s Perspectives took on several emergency measures to provide support to Ukrainian women. The organization created several safe haven shelters for women still stranded within Lviv. The shelters provide women with food, hygiene products and health care while also providing asylum resources and psychological support.
Women’s Perspectives works with local businesses as well as civil societies in other regions of Ukraine to bolster its’ outreach and support of Ukrainian women. Additionally, Women’s Perspectives is a vocal advocate for women’s rights in Ukraine both locally and internationally. The organization’s research on sexual violence within the context of the Russian war was key to the report that the U.N. Security Council reviewed in early June. Women’s Perspectives has also organized several women’s rights marches within the city of Lviv, reinforcing the will of Ukrainian women involved in the conflict. Donating to Women’s Perspectives will directly help women affected by the conflict while supporting an organization that amplifies the experiences and needs of women.
The Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Rights
The Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Rights initiated a rapid response grant system aimed at supporting women and other marginalized populations at the outset of the war in Ukraine. Since its establishment in 1997, the Urgent Action Fund has addressed the immediate needs of those in the conflict by providing grants for emergency resources and services. Additionally, the Urgent Action Fund remains committed to protecting frontline women-led organizations and activists who are braving the threat of violence to provide direct support for those who remain within conflict zones. As of April 12, 2022, the Urgent Action Fund had provided 30 grants to women-led organizations throughout Ukraine.
The Urgent Action Fund remains dedicated to centering female leaders in future reconciliation efforts, a peacebuilding strategy that has proven highly effective in reaching lasting cooperation. In the future, the Urgent Action Fund seeks to further bolster women’s rights in Ukraine by partnering with activists and organizations in the countries bordering Ukraine. Donations to the Urgent Action Fund’s Ukraine will be distributed towards technical support, such as survival training, evacuation assistance, legal, financial and medical support and access to shelter and communication channels.
A Look Ahead
Charities and foundations similar to those listed above are working to support the rights of women affected by the conflict. A minimal monthly donation to any of the organizations will help in the fight against conflict-based sexual violence and gender-based violence.
– Mollie Lund
Photo: Flickr
Analyzing Mental Health in Bolivia
Over the past two years, Bolivia grappled with the global Coronavirus pandemic and political instability. However, another invisible challenge lay hidden underneath these precarious situations. Long stigmatized and overlooked by Bolivian society and government alike, the lack of proper mental health care in Bolivia is an invisible challenge.
The Data
Bolivia is a country in central South America and has a population of around 11 million. Mental health in Bolivia is an esoteric topic which the lack of official records on mental illness illustrates. Thus, there is no reliable data to indicate the number of Bolivians with mental illness. There are only 45 psychiatrists and 35 psychologists practicing in the nation. Therefore, few Bolivians have access to psychological resources.
However, the data accumulated from those that had the ability to see a mental health professional shows that many suffered from the abuse of substances, especially alcohol. Approximately 90% of patients in psychiatric hospitals struggled with alcohol. Psychotic disorders, mood disorders and depression were also common. According to Mental Health Atlas 2020, 6.82 out of 100,000 Bolivians committed suicide, although the actual count may be higher due to underreporting.
A Promising Start
Despite the current taboos and limited infrastructure toward mental health in Bolivia, the country developed one of the first mental health plans in South America. Bolivian authorities designed this plan to meet the principles enshrined in the 1990 Caracas Declaration. Delegates from across Latin America met in the Venezuelan capital to announce a watershed declaration that established human rights for those with mental illness and aimed to restructure mental health care across the continent.
In 2002, Bolivia passed its national mental health plan. However, it remained merely a symbolic piece of legislation because of the lack of government funding. Authorities revised the law in 2009. However, its provisions ceased to become a reality because of the continued dearth of financial support. In 2008, WHO reported that Bolivia earmarked 0.2% of its health budget for mental health, according to an article published in the International Journal of Mental Health Systems.
While expenditures hampered significant developments in mental health in Bolivia, two additional developments serve as a source of optimism. According to an article published in the International Journal of Mental Health Systems, first, in 2007, Bolivia shifted its health care system to the public sector. Second, in 2009, Bolivia amended its Constitution to explicitly protect the right to health.
Societal Stigma
Coupled with scarce federal funding, cultural stigma also limits access to proper mental health care. In Bolivia, people hide their mental illness, especially depression. Bolivian psychologist Aruquipa Yujra reported that many Bolivians simply view depression as a “bad mood” and not a mental illness. Yujra explained that this societal downplaying of mental illness leads many Bolivians to avoid seeking treatment.
Dr. Josue Bellot, the director of San Juan de Dios Centre of Rehabilitation and Mental Health in La Paz, Bolivia, also sees societal stigma as a problem for Bolivia. He stated that he believes that in Bolivia “there is this stigma that psychiatry relates only to ‘crazy’ people. The moment that a doctor refers a patient to a psychiatrist, the patient is labeled ‘loco’.”
Reason for Hope
Minimal government funding and societal stigma resulted in the concentration of much of Bolivia’s mental health care in La Paz. Because of this, it is out of reach for many of its citizens. However, Daniela Riveros, a dedicated UNICEF volunteer, harnessed the power of technology to reach these marginalized communities. In 2020, she launched a call center, Familia Segura (Safe Family), to assist people in crisis in rural households across Bolivia.
The hotline that Riveros implemented redirected calls to the appropriate destination, frequently to mental health professionals in La Paz. Additionally, if Familia Segura volunteers detected signs of violence, they contacted the authorities to intervene. Between April 2021 and July 2021, the hotline made approximately 13,500 calls to vulnerable Bolivian families.
Another transformative organization is Esperanza Bolivia. Rather than fielding calls from afar, in 2019, Esperanza Bolivia provided in-person psychological services at Eustaquio Mendez High School in Tarija, Bolivia in order to prevent violence stemming from the adolescent population. Jesús Cáceres, a teacher at the school, noticed a positive change in his students since the team arrived.
Steps for the Future
The humanitarian work that organizations like UNICEF and Esperanza Bolivia conducted does not neglect the need for more funding towards improving mental health in Bolivia. The Bolivian government and Western powers, especially the United States, must devote more money to mental health care so that Bolivians are able to attain accessible and equitable psychological treatment.
While the Biden Administration’s joint commitment with The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to deploy 500,000 new health workers to Latin America is encouraging, Bolivia needs a more comprehensive strategy to address mental health disparities. However, in recent years, Bolivia and humanitarian organizations have made great progress in addressing social and financial inequities. A hopeful future is on the horizon.
– Alexander Portner
Photo: Unsplash
Countries Fight Period Poverty in Europe
In 2020, several countries in Europe took a stand against period poverty that inspired current efforts in other European countries. The United Nations Population Fund defines period poverty as “the struggle many low-income women and girls face while trying to afford menstrual products.” The term also refers to the lack of access to water, hygiene and sanitation (WASH) facilities necessary to properly manage menstruation.
While some women have limited access to period products, others have none. According to the French organization Rules Elementary, an estimated 500 million women experience period poverty across the globe. The inability to manage menstruation through the necessary products pushes girls and women to miss school and work. In fact, around 100 million girls “miss up to one week of school a month” because they lack period products. In Europe, the average woman spends €27,000 on period products in a lifetime. According to European Waves, “the data [on period poverty in Europe] is fragmented, and in Europe as [a] whole, there are no official numbers on the issue.” However, “in individual countries, estimates all fluctuate around 10%, meaning [one] in 10 menstruators experience period poverty.”
Scotland and France’s Early Efforts
In November 2020, Scotland became the very first nation on the globe to provide free period products to all its residents. Women in need of period products can find them free in public places such as “community centers, pharmacies and youth clubs.”
The French Institute for Public Opinion has found that 1.7 million women experience period poverty in France. Furthermore, in a survey of 6,500 females in France, 13% stated that, at some point in their lifetimes, they had to choose between purchasing period products or purchasing an essential item, such as food. The government of France pledged €1 million to go directly to schools to provide free period products to students. France also announced plans for an initiative to begin in October 2020 “to set up free, organic hygiene product dispensers in 31 French high schools.”
Period Poverty in Belgium’s Prisons
In a November 2020 article, The Brussel Times reported on a survey by Caritas Vlaanderen, known for its humanitarian work in Flanders, Belgium. The survey found that, at times, 12% of females ages 12-25 did not have the financial means to purchase period products. Looking at period poverty figures among girls who live in poverty in Belgium, the numbers rise to 45%.
As part of Belgium’s efforts to make period products available to all women, the nation announced on May 17, 2022, that period products would be free for its female prisoners. The 500 prisoners in Belgium will receive 300,000 tampons and pads for free. In the past, only prisoners without a source of income had access to menstrual products. Meanwhile, “Other detainees, who worked within prison or benefitted from allowances” could order menstrual products, but paid higher costs (compared to the industry standard) for these menstrual products due to the price of shipping. As of 2020, the Belgian government committed €200,000 to address period poverty in the nation.
Value-added Tax (VAT) in Europe
Although essential to women, many countries in Europe do not consider period products an essential item. Menstruators in some European countries pay a VAT of about 22% on menstrual products, which is equivalent to the VAT on “luxury items.” In comparison, vegetables and fruits, as essential items, typically have a VAT of 4%. In 2018, Belgium reduced its VAT on menstrual items from 21% to 5% to combat period poverty in Europe.
Before 2022, Spain deemed menstruation products luxury items taxable at a VAT rate of 10%. However, Spain considered viagra an essential, taxable at just 4%. This year, Spain dropped the tax for period products to the level of essential items.
The United Kingdom, which formally left the EU on January 31, 2020, was able to abolish its 5% “tampox tax” after the separation. The Treasury found that abolishing this tax saves the average woman £40 across a lifetime. This change opens the door for other countries to redefine period products as essential items and not luxuries.
Spain is looking to give women paid sick leave for extreme period pain, opening the path for other countries to follow suit.
Looking Forward
Providing free products to schools, communities and prisons is a step in the right direction to ending period poverty. Education plays an equally important role in reducing period poverty in Europe. Information on good practices and knowing how to ask for help are imperative for young girls’ health. As more girls attend school, education will pave the path to securing skilled employment opportunities and higher-paying jobs in the future. With access to products in adulthood, fewer women will miss work and pay due to their periods.
Period poverty impacts women in developed and developing nations, but governments are slowly paving a path around the world to end period poverty.
– Sara Sweitzer
Photo: Wikipedia Commons
The Current State of Poverty In Scotland
After the steady decline of poverty in Scotland throughout much of the 1990s and through the 2000s, the current state of poverty in has been rapidly increasing within the last decade. According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundations (JRF) report, even before the COVID-19 pandemic “around a million people in Scotland were in poverty, living precarious and insecure lives,” with 230,000 of those people being children.
Families Facing Poverty
Between 2016 and 2019, at least a quarter of the children living in Scotland endured poverty, according to the JRF report. Many factors, that are partially or wholly outside parents’ control and completely outside of children’s control, exacerbate poverty. Many attribute poverty to inadequate social security, minimal income from employment and high costs of living.
Without the finances to afford higher education, the attainment of which could open doors to higher-paying, skilled employment opportunities, the poverty cycle continues for many families living in Scotland. People living in poverty are also at risk of poor health and social outcomes, among other risks.
The Economy
These effects were greatly intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic with the nation facing the deepest and fastest economic contraction in the history of Scotland. The Scottish economy contracted by 19.4% between April to June 2020, marking Scotland’s steepest fall ever in a quarterly GDP.
In addition to the economic contraction, Scotland saw a jump in the number of households with insufficient funds to cover basic living costs. These financial difficulties have led to displacement. Between the months of April 2020 and March 2021, Shelter Scotland received 33,792 homeless applications and assessed 27,571 households as homeless. This is the equivalent of a household becoming homeless once every 19 minutes.
Shelter Scotland
Organizations such as Shelter Scotland have played a key role in Scotland’s recovery post-pandemic. Shelter Scotland is an organization that strives to ensure safe, secure and affordable homes for all.
Since its creation in 1968, the organization has been supporting and advising people who experience homelessness, fighting for house policy changes at all levels. It is also using research to better advocate for those affected by poverty in Scotland. In 2018/19, the organization assisted 41,192 needy households.
Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)
Another organization that is a key contributor to reducing the imprint of poverty on Scotland is the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG). CPAG in Scotland raises awareness of the impact poverty has on children in Scotland, working to maximize families’ incomes by ensuring eligibility for benefits and campaigning for positive policy changes to end poverty.
The organization secured £292.6 million in assistance for low-income families during the pandemic. It also helped as many as 100,000 families through legal action in court.
Government Action
Although organizations such as these are leaving their footprint in the fight against the current state of poverty in Scotland, the nation still has a long way to go. Both the Scottish and U.K. governments must take drastic action.
One of the main implementations the government has made is keeping the income lifeline offered to recipients of Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit beyond April 2021 and extending it to those receiving other legacy benefits. Estimates have stated that as many as 1.3 million people in Scotland will benefit from this, according to the JRF report.
While the current state of poverty in Scotland is dire, this does not have to define the future of the nation. With a proper approach from the government and a sufficient amount of assistance, the future of Scotland can appear much brighter.
– Austin Hughes
Photo: Flickr
Improving Women’s Rights In Pakistan
A gender-based violence crisis in Pakistan is depriving millions of women in Pakistan of legal protection and leaving them fearful for their rights and livelihood. According to the Women, Peace and Security Index, Pakistan is ranked 167th out of 170 countries in terms of women’s health and wellbeing. In recent years, women in Pakistan have been engaging in protests to speak out against inequality and violence and demanding action from the government to improve women’s rights in Pakistan.
Domestic and Economic Abuses
Women in Pakistan suffer an alarmingly high rate of domestic violence. The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) estimates that 28% of women in Pakistan face some kind of physical violence in their lives before the age of 50. Because of the constant threat of violence against women, many women have to labor as domestic workers and often receive little to no wages as a result.
Women account for 49% of the Pakistani population but receive only 18% of its labor income, according to the USIP. The Pakistani government often denies legal protection and social security to women of low social classes, particularly home-based workers. The crisis of women’s rights in Pakistan is especially evident in environments like education and health care, where women cannot access social protections and face threats of violence.
In 2018, the U.N. reported that only 48.6% of Pakistani women had their reproductive health care needs satisfied by the resources available to them.
Because of these inequalities and injustices against women, women in Pakistan are more likely to live in poverty than men, while also carrying the burden of domestic work. Gender-based discrimination in education forces women at a social disadvantage. In 2021, the USIP found that women had a 22% lower literacy rate than men.
The relationship between social disadvantages, threats of violence and poverty is a vicious cycle for the women living in Pakistan. Because they experience discrimination in education and face threats of violence from men in power, they have to labor domestically and receive low wages, which keeps them in poverty.
Government and International Initiatives
The good news is that global organizations like the United Nations are not ignoring the crisis of women’s rights in Pakistan. In 2017, the U.N. initiated a three-year project called ‘The Economic Empowerment of Women Home-Based Workers and Excluded Groups in Pakistan.” The purpose of the initiative was to allow women, home-based workers, to effectively contribute to and benefit the economy of Pakistan.
This initiative benefited the private sector, the state, the women of Pakistan and the organization of the United Nations. Additionally, in 2020, the Pakistani Government passed an anti-rape ordinance that promised harsh punishments for those who commit sex crimes. This ordinance offers a higher degree of protection and security for women facing domestic violence.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pakistani government has made small but essential improvements for victims of domestic violence including shelters, psychological support and national helplines. In 2021, USAID assisted the Pakistani government in providing counseling services to about 61,000 female survivors of domestic violence, improving the system of maternal health care and training public defenders on how to protect women’s rights in Pakistan under law.
Women Speaking Out
Women in Pakistan have not been silent in recent years about the injustices against them. In 2018, Pakistani women held the Aurat March on International Women’s Day. Thousands of women rallied across Pakistan to demand an end to the gender-based violence that has been sweeping Pakistan for decades, USIP reported. The march became an annual tradition and women have gathered to collectively use their voices and fight against gender and class-based oppression for the most recent four International Women’s Days.
These marches ensure that the public hears the voices and demands of the oppressed women in Pakistan. However, they also present an escalated threat of violence against women from the Taliban. Pakistan’s Taliban criticized the march, accusing it of being a “western agenda.”
The fight for women’s rights in Pakistan is not over and is making significant improvements year by year despite worrying reactions from the Pakistani Taliban. Pakistani women have organizations like the United Nations and the United States Institute of Peace fighting for social, political and economic justice. Equity and gender equality are necessary for Pakistan’s long-term development as a democracy, as well as its fight against violent extremism.
Photo: Flickr