options, she underwent the ceremony, during which she lost
so much blood that her mother thought she was dying. These
memories inspired Rhobi‘s commitment to save other girls
from a similar fate. Her passion propelled her to become an
anti-FGM activist and to establish HGWT.
YOU ARE INVITED TO LEARN MORE BY VISITING THE
FOLLOWING RESOURCES:
• Join Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania on Facebook.
• See the video S.A.F.E (Safe Alternatives for FGM—Female
Genital Mutilation - Elimination).
Congratulations and thank you all for your support!
Equal Rights, No Flowers!
BY JOANA M.-O’N. AND CAROL H.
LFR REPRESENTATIVES
The Landesfrauenrat (LFR, or Women‘s Council of Hamburg)
has always worked to draw attention to persistent gender
inequalities in Germany, and now they are pointing out
how much more apparent these are during the COVID-19
pandemic. Although the monthly LFR membership meetings
came to a screeching halt in March, as have so many activities
in our lives, LFR board members in particular have continued
to beat the drum for gender equality by using social media
and by strengthening their alliances with other Hamburg
organizations.
In May, together with 18 other Hamburg-based associations
and organizations, the LFR presented a catalogue of
demands to Hamburg’s governing coalition. The demands
aim to ensure that the billions of euros in stimulus funds that
the government has pledged to fight the corona crisis are
distributed equitably. The funds should be used specifically
for a gender-equitable
social and ecological
restructuring of society
and the economy.
„
to balance family life and career, and they suffer as a result.
Even before the pandemic crisis, the Hamburg equality
monitor (Gleichstellungsmonitor https://www.hamburg.de/
gleichstellungsmonitor/) showed that 29% more women in
Hamburg are employed in part-time positions as compared
to men. Now, after weeks of COVID-19 isolation juggling home
everything (office, school, childcare, housework) in addition
to all the other responsibilities of a mother or caregiver, the
situation is becoming unbearable and unmanageable.
The LFR demands that childcare and family responsibilities
become a political priority in our society. Parents and
guardians must have a say in whether there is an “urgent
need“ for care of their children or other family members in
times of crisis.
The LFR welcomes efforts at the national level to provide
What was already a problem before corona is even more so
during corona and will remain so after corona.
„
- Cornelia Creischer, LFR chairwoman
Of special concern is
providing help for family caregivers. In a recent press release,
the LFR pointed out that the primary burden of family
caregiving continues to fall on women. The work performed
is generally unpaid, often unrecognized, and receives little
support. Studies such as those conducted by the Social
Science Research Center in Berlin repeatedly confirm that
women are more likely to sacrifice their work when trying
financial compensation that will benefit mothers and other
family caregivers. But this is not enough. The current crisis
shows the extreme importance of establishing a permanent,
diverse, and all-inclusive dialogue between the family
caregivers and political decision-makers. It is imperative that
all social classes, occupational levels, and city districts are
included in the dialogue.
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