Download whuhts - Illinois Holocaust Museum

WOMEN HOLD UP HALF THE SKY
KEY POINTS
•
Co-presented by Illinois Holocaust Museum and YWCA Evanston/NorthShore
•
Inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s book Half the Sky: Turing Oppression into
Opportunity for Women Worldwide
•
Women and girls are less likely than men and boys to receive health care, obtain education, or gain
financial independence. Solutions exist, and women are often at the heart of the most successful
changes.
•
60-100 million girls and women who should be alive today are “missing” because of violence and other
forms of discrimination.
•
Maternal Health, Trafficking and Gender Violence
•
Asia, Africa, South Asia and the Middle East | Local Focus – EverThrive, Chicago Alliance Against
Sexual Exploitation (CAASE)/ Brenda Myers-Powell and YWCA Evanston/NorthShore
•
The Power of Story – Individual and Organizations
•
Learn, Share, Advocate, Give
MATERNAL
HEALTH
Maternal Health
Key facts
• Every day, approximately 830 women die from preventable causes
related to pregnancy and childbirth.
• 99% of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries.
• Maternal mortality is higher in women living in rural areas and among
poorer communities.
• Young adolescents face a higher risk of complications and death as a
result of pregnancy than other women.
• Skilled care before, during and after childbirth can save the lives of
women and newborn babies.
• Between 1990 and 2015, maternal mortality worldwide dropped by
about 44%.
• Between 2016 and 2030, as part of the Sustainable Development
Agenda, the target is to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to
less than 70 per 100 000 live births.
Source: World Health Organization
TRAFFICKING
Key Facts
• Trafficking women and children for sexual exploitation is the
fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. This, despite the
fact international law and the laws of 134 countries criminalize
sex trafficking.
• At least 20.9 million adults and children are bought and sold
worldwide into commercial sexual servitude, forced labor and
bonded labor.
• About 2 million children are exploited every year in the global
commercial sex trade.
• Almost 6 in 10 identified trafficking survivors were trafficked for
sexual exploitation.
• Women and girls make up 98% of victims of trafficking for sexual
exploitation.
Source: Equality Now
VIOLENCE AGAINIST WOMEN
Key Facts
•
It is estimated that 35 per cent of women worldwide (1 in 3) have experienced
either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or sexual violence by a
non-partner at some point in their lives. However, some national studies show
that up to 70 per cent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual
violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime.
•
Worldwide, up to 50 percent of sexual assaults are committed against girls
under 16.
•
An estimated 150 million girls under the age of 18 suffered some form of
sexual violence in 2002 alone.
•
More than 125 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to
female genital mutilation across countries in Africa and the Middle East. Over
60 million girls worldwide are child brides, married before the age of 18,
primarily in South Asia (31.3 million) and sub-Saharan Africa (14.1 million).
Sources: UN Women and WHO
ECONOMIC
EconomicEMPOWERMENT
Empowerment
Key Facts
•
Where women's participation in the labor force grew fastest, the economy
experienced the largest reduction in poverty rates.
•
When women farmers can access the resources they need, their production
increases, making it less likely that their families are hungry and malnourished.
•
When women own property and earn money from it, they may have more bargaining
power at home. This in turn can help reduce their vulnerability to domestic violence
and HIV infection.
•
When women have access to time-saving technologies – such as a foot-pedaled
water pump or a motorized scooter – economic benefits can follow. ICRW research
has found that technology helps women increase their productivity as well as launch
income-generating pursuits and entrepreneurial ventures. Those kind of outcomes
empower women to become stronger leaders and to more effectively contribute
financially to their families, communities and countries.
Source: International Center for Research on Women