I care about the efforts of this organization - PlanUSA.org.
This email quiz came through my private email this morning, and I thought it was worth sharing here because the questions were so interesting. According to PlanUSA.org, 90% of the people who take this 'now or then' quiz get this first question wrong. That is a lot of people. It is also a quiz against the backdrop of culture wars in congress by Republicans and other conservatives against women.
Please take this quiz, and if we have managed to pique your interest, then please look at the page "Because I am a Girl" at PlanUSA.org afterwards.
BECAUSE I AM A GIRL: NOW OR THEN?
1. At which time in India could a girl as young as 8 years old be forced into marriage?
Today
1920
Both now and then
(I will post the answers from PlanUSA at the bottom of this post - DG.)
2. A shocking 1 in 10 girls born in this time and place would not be expected to survive past their first birthday:
Today in Sierra Leone
1950, in Brazil
Both now and then
3. When might a girl be kidnapped and SOLD to work in a wealthy household?
Today in Nepal
1850 in the U.S.
Both now and then
4. Though many of their brothers may have access to education, 62 million girls growing up in _______ are not enrolled in school.
2011, Worldwide
1980's, South Africa
Both
5. In what time and place would most girls be unable to read?
Today in Niger
1780 in Amsterdam
Both now and then
Answers:
1. 1920; child marriage is no longer legal in India, but thousands of girls under 18 are forced into marriage. Child marriage is still legal in some countries, and an estimated 100 million girls under 18 are expected to marry in the next decade.
2. While Brazil has drastrically improved infant survival rates, Sierra Leone has one of the highest infant mortality rates, and 70% of these deaths are caused by malaria. Plan's programs in Sierra Leone are directly benfitting 7000 children in 1,126 communities across that country.
3. Slavery in the U.S. wasn't abolished until the 13th Amendment in 1865; girls in Nepal are still sold into bonded labor, sometimes by their own families, sometimes as a result of kidnapping off the street. These girls are vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse; some are trafficked to brothels in nearby countries, including some which promote sexual tourism. Plan has helped rescue over 2,000 girls in Nepal from bonded labor since 2005.
4. 2011 Worldwide; more than 62 million girls are not in school, limiting their potential and contributing to the cycle of poverty. An extra year of primary school education increases a girl's future potential wages by 10-20%. Plan is working to give thousands of girls an education by building girl-friendly schools, providing supplies, and training teachers.
5. Today in Niger; in 18th century Amsterdam approximately 2/3 of girls could read. Less than half of the girls in Niger today are taught to read. Plan is working on 68 school projects. We take skills, like reading, for granted. We shouldn't.
Just curious, have you contacted your Senators advocating the approval of the CEDAW treaty ?
ReplyDeleteIt's a tragedy that the United States has not approved the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
CEDAW defines discrimination against women and calls for action in education, employment, health care, law, politics, trade, and domestic relations. It is the most comprehensive international agreement seeking to support the advancement of women.
The United States is both the only western country and the only industrialized nation that has not ratified CEDAW. The other seven are Iran, Tonga, Qatar, Somalia, Nauru, Sudan and Palau ... not a stellar group that the US has joined. CEDAW was transmitted to the Senate 30 years ago. Twice, in 1994 and 2002, a bipartisan majority in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reported the treaty to the Senate floor, but the Senate has never voted on CEDAW. It has primarily been members of the Republican Party who have opposed CEDAW because of concerns about abortion rights.
This is a stain on the record of Joe Biden who chaired the Foreign Relations Committee that should have forced the vote. In 2008, I wrote to both Minnesota Senators about this issue in the past ... Senator Amy Klobuchar expressed her support but did nothing while Senator Norm Coleman never responded (heck, he wouldn't want to have to express his opinion on something that his Foreign Relations Committee has done nothing on.)
The last word that I heard on this was when Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) held a hearing in the Judiciary Committee on November 18, 2010. Since both Senators Klobuchar and Franken sit on that committee, they could push it forward.
BTW, retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court, supports ratifying CEDAW and here is what she says:
"The Senate's failure to ratify CEDAW gives other countries a retort when U.S. officials raise issues about the treatment of women, and thus our non-ratification may hamper the effectiveness of the United States in achieving increased protection for women worldwide."
America needs more clear-thinking leaders like Justice O'Connor. She is a bellweather for me ... she has spoken out on judical elections, health isssues, etc. and I find myself agreeing with her.
Yes I have contacted both senators!
ReplyDeleteI haven't looked lately, but my best bet is that the Republicans are again actively against anything promoted by the United Nations - which is a shame. And of course the Right in Congress at least, and with the apparent support of their partisan collegues in the senate, have been waging an aggressive and ugly culture war on women instead of doing anything more constructive on behalf of the country and the economy.
There is no good excuse for us not ratifying the CEDAW.
Since you prompt me however, I shall write both MN senators for an update on the progress of treaty approval, and post the responses here. I've been very pleased with the prompt responses I've received from both of them to inquiries.
Another informed and erudite comment - thanks Mac!
FYI : New Commentary on the MN Political Roundtable which notes a recent court ruling that empower women to be able to “choose” where they can sit on a bus … and thoughts on the proposed Minnesota Constitutional Amendment Question defining marriage.
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