David Letterman mastered the top ten list. I enjoyed him poking fun at the different people and their situations. Letterman did not craft this top ten list, The Worst Countries for Women. There is nothing funny or entertaining about this list. This Top Ten List documents the misery, suffering, and death for the millions of women in those countries. I want to get Congo off this list!
Link: TheStar.com | World | Ten worst countries for women.
So widespread are the disadvantages that it's hard to pinpoint the worst places in the world for women. Some surveys rate their problems by quality of life, others by health indicators. Human rights groups point to countries where violations are so severe that even murder is routine.
Literacy is one of the best indicators of women's status in their countries. But Amnesty International Canada's women's rights campaigner Cheryl Hotchkiss says building schools alone doesn't solve the problem of equal education.
"There's a huge range of barriers women face to getting an education," she says. "It may be free and available, but parents won't send their daughters out to school if they can be kidnapped and raped."
Health is another key indicator, including the care of pregnant women, who are sometimes forced into disastrous early marriage and childbearing, as well as infection with HIV/AIDS. But again, statistics fail to show the whole, complex story.
REFLECTION:
International Women Day was observed on Saturday, March 8. It was a time to reflect on state of women in the world. It does not matter where a woman lives, in a rich country or a poor country, they are not equal and are oppressed or repressed in some way. However, the plight of woman in a poor and a conflict-ridden country is extreme and some cases deadly.
In Congo, thousands of women are victims of brutal and systematic rape. They are preyed upon by government soldiers, militias, and other rebels while trying to take care of their families.
Also, many women die during child birth due to lack of access to adequate health care. Their deaths are mainly due to malaria, and pre/post birth complications. Congo has a very high "maternal mortality rate". And its "infant mortality rate" is very high, too.
Finally, the illiteracy rate for Congolese women is 46 percent. But the illiteracy rate for women in the rural areas could possibly be almost double or approaching 90 percent.
The top tier of the ten worst countries for women is Afghanistan, Congo, Iraq, Nepal, and Sudan. The other significantly worse countries are Guatemala, Mali, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Somali.
PRAYER: Dear God. For the thousands of women and girls who are victims of rape in the Congo. Lord, have mercy. For the thousands of mothers and mothers-to-be who suffer and die during child birth and pregnancy. Lord, have mercy. For the thousand of women who are illiterate and cannot read or write for themselves. Lord, have mercy. We, along with these oppressed women, praise your name. We ask for your grace and mercy. In the name of Jesus Christ, your son, AMEN.
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