Women's eNews (https://womensenews.org/tag/zambia/)
Traditional leaders adjudicate household violence and land inheritance for the majority of rural women in the developing world. Increasingly, human rights activists want them to give women a better shake.
A new report points to the extensive violence experienced by girls attending school in Zambia. But victims rarely speak up about the abuse, and a lack of clear policies fuel the cycle of violence.
Zambia’s effort to lower maternal mortality includes maternity shelters outside hospitals where rural women can wait for delivery. But as women in one shelter attest, the walks are long and the waiting is hard. Many still skip regular checkups.
A nongovernmental group in Zambia has reached out to 7,000 sex workers since 1992 and has helped many find new occupations. But other women in the impoverished country don’t think they can afford to quit. “I do this for my daughter,” one says.
Zambia has one of the world’s worst cases of HIV, and women and girls suffer a higher rate of infection. Health activists say harmful cultural practices – such as the myth that having sex with a virgin can cure AIDS – must be targeted by prevention programmers.
Zambia’s 14-percent female parliament makes it a regional laggard and leaves women in politics struggling against social disapproval, including by other women.
People living with HIV face an additional risk of getting tuberculosis because of weakened immune systems, poverty and malnutrition. HIV-positive women are especially susceptible because they care for TB patients here.
The latest Zambia Demographic and Health Survey revealed that not only is marital violence common here, but many wives also believe they deserve it. The Zambian parliament is discussing a bill to provide shelters for women and children fleeing abuse.
Zambia is receiving hefty U.S. funding for its anti-AIDS effort but is showing much less for it than nearby Rwanda. A comparison of the countries suggests two key ingredients of success: strong condom promotion and support of women’s rights.
NPR’s Anne Garrels was the voice of Iraq during the 2003 invasion and her reports from the war zone have been a highlight of the network’s coverage. Now she sees only bad options in Iraq but intends to cover the country as long as possible.