User:Whoseverpower2/Women in Benin

Experiencing Discrimination and Abuse[edit]
Women who have experienced discrimination or abuse keep their own thoughts silent until someone starts a change. They then see how women can be more than a weak gender but, an opportunity to create a change for them and for the next generation for women empowerment. Women can seek assistance from Women in Law and Development-Benin, the Female Jurists Association of Benin (AFJB), and the Women's Justice and Empowerment Initiative through Care International's Empower Project. A 2012 U.S. report commended Benin for establishing the National Council for the Promotion of Gender Equity and Equality.

'''Up to 70% of women suffer from GBV in some form which equates to approximately 4.5 million women in a country with a population of about 13 million people. GBV takes a heavy toll on the society as many women who are affected lose their chances of getting an education. In many instances, young girls are pulled out of school to protect them from GBV leaving them to grow up without an education. '''

'''In 2021, a new law was enacted that widely expanded the meaning of gender-based violence (GBV) as well as increasing or creating punishment for GBV crimes. Additionally, in 2022, medical certificates required for persecution in GBV cases were made free, so survivors of such crimes no longer have to pay to document a GBV crime. These changes have marked a significant advancement in the rights of GBV survivors and act as a new precedent for future laws regarding the persecution of GBV crimes. '''

'''Education can improve women’s lives in many ways, including decreasing tolerance to abuse. Being educated can actually lower their chances of IPV (intimate partner violence) because it improves their decision making, even in choosing a spouse or partner. Women who experience intimate partner violence can have many affects from it. Statistics show that women who have experienced this are more likely to have an abortion. Vicentia Boco, who served as president of the Institute national pour la promotion de la femme between 2009 and 2021, called on the government to enhance education of women as a result. (Moved from Education and Intimate Partner Violence section)'''

'''In Benin, there are three One Stop Care Centers which are facilities established by the government of Benin and are financed and supported by USAID. These centers act to provide medical and psychological care as well as legal aid to GBV victims. The hope is to encourage more victims to come forward in order to reduce stigma that prevents women from speaking out about GBV crimes. One Stop Care Centers will continue to receive USAID support and advocacy with the purpose of expansion as their ability to aid individual victims will help reduce GBV crimes overall in Benin. By reducing stigma surrounding GBV, more women will be able to reach out about the violence they experience which will in turn cause GBV violence rates to decrease. In addition, by providing legal aid to GBV survivors, the One Stop Care Centers help persecute people who commit GBV crimes which, in addition to the harshened legal punishments, will help to reduce the steep number of GBV crimes committed in Benin. The efforts made by One Stop Care Centers have aided over 2,000 GBV victims with their aid being used in the conviction of GBV perpetrators and will continue to expand as the largest nonprofit aid organization for GBV survivors available in Benin. '''

Education
'''Education for women in Benin is hindered in many ways. Several factors such as poverty, illness, illiteracy, and violence towards women impede availability of education for women. High costs of education in Benin paired with high levels of poverty cut off a large portion of the population from receiving an education. Additionally, as the world becomes more driven by technology, literacy becomes more important overall and low levels of literacy greatly impede the advancement of Benin. There is also a shortage of teachers and very little resources allocated to managing the education system. These difficulties prevent a high a percentage of women from being able to receive adequate education.'''

'''Benin women are especially impacted by the shortcomings of the education system as they are hindered by traditional gender roles. The gendered division of labor in Benin generally calls for women to provide domestic labor leading to a widespread belief that education is unimportant for women. On top of this, child marriage and early pregnancy impedes many women from every being able to receive any education. This leads to a high imbalance in literacy rates between boys and girls with a roughly 55% literacy rate in boys aged 15 to 24 in comparison to a roughly 30% literacy rate in girls of the same age group. Additionally, only 59% of girls complete the primary education cycle which is notably lower than other countries within the region. '''

'''Former Benin president Yayi Boni took steps to improve the education system for women. between the years 2006 and 2013, he enacted measures that aided women in affording enrollment fees for women in the industrial science and technology fields. World Education has also begun working in Benin since 2003 to help improve literacy rates and education among women. They've instated programs that monitor girls' school attendance and help them overcome obstacles that impede their ability to attend school. They also provide support for vulnerable girls and advocate against child marriage and gender-based violence which impede education. They work directly with school directors to ensure that girls are allowed as much participation in class activities as boys are. These changes have been the largest contributing factors to relieving the common issues that obstruct women's education and have greatly helped raise the low education rates among the women in Benin. '''

Health Issues[edit]
Anaemia is a health issue that largely affects women across Benin. However, there are many aspects that go into anaemia. A study “found that incomplete immunization, stunted growth, recent infection, absence of a bednet, low household living standard, low maternal education and low community development index increased the risk of anaemia.” Over 50% of Benin women will develop anaemia during pregnancy with between 5% and 10% developing a severe case of anaemia which greatly raises mortality rates among mothers and infants. In Benin, the age range of women with the highest rate of anaemia is 20-39 years old. In many cases, the high rates of anemia are caused by poor nutrition due to a high poverty rate among women as well as a prevalence of various infectious diseases that are difficult to treat without access to proper medical care due to poverty.

'''HIV and AIDS have become a large issue affecting women's health. Due to a presence of sexual networking in the Benin Market, many women have sexual relations with strangers. Some women also engage in extramarital sex due to economic implications and potential gain. These open sexual practices of the market women have caused an alarmingly high spread of HIV, AIDS, and other STDs. Many of these women don't receive adequate treatment for such illnesses which makes them potential carriers of pathogens as well as increasing risk of future infertility. Lack of education surrounding these issues further exacerbates the problems as many individuals don't know where and how to seek out proper treatment for these issues. There is also a shortage of resources and services to treat HIV and AIDs available to women within Benin. '''

'''As of 2017, the First Lady of Benin has launched programs to expand and aid healthcare for women in Benin to help HIV and AIDs patients. They have improved HIV testing in pediatric health centers and are working to reduce discrimination that women with HIV face. These programs have helped reduce mother-to-child transmission of the disease and have given women more access to important antiretroviral medications. With these improvements, One in Two HIV positive pregnant women will have access to services that prevent HIV transmission to their children in birth. These changes have been Benin's most significant advancements in public aid for women who suffer from HIV and AIDs. '''

Women in the Workplace[edit]
In Benin, many women work in the service industry. They tend to occupy lower positions that have less power. They tend to choose work that is less of a time commitment as many have to tend to the home and their children as well. Many of them make money through the open markets selling vegetables and other items. Many feel as though working helps them in different ways, even outside of the economic benefit. Some aspects of life that it helps are gaining respect, being able to raise a family comfortably, and achieving their own goals for themselves. However, on the other side of this, women do experience violence and sexual harassment in the workplace. There are many organizations that can assist in aiding these women.

'''Women perform a large amount of the agricultural work that makes up 40% of Benin's total GDP. Women are responsible for 60% to 80% of the agriculture in Benin with 70% of women living in rural areas. They are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because their roles are often defined as wives and mothers, so they have little agency in decision making.'''