AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases caused more deaths worldwide in 2010 and 2011 than cancer, car accidents, and heart disease. To put this into better perspective based on percentages check out this list from the World Health Organization’s (branch of the United Nations) report.
Furthermore, what is tragic about many of these deaths is that many of the cases are largely preventable through the technology and medicine of this current day and age. However, because of the lack of awareness, resources, and distribution, particularly in poverty stricken countries, avoidable deadly diseases are contracted daily that fuel the unnecessary loss of millions of lives. The aftermath of the massacre caused by AIDS and other diseases every year creates one of the largest and most devastating spokes in the cycle of the orphan.
As the fourth leading cause for death in the world, AIDS cannot be ignored when talking about the most dangerous diseases affecting vulnerable orphaned children. There are currently 33.2 million people living with HIV with 22.5 million of those infected are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, 61% of which are female. The ONE Campaign estimates that 15.2 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS worldwide. Many HIV positive men will prey upon orphaned children, especially girls, out of the belief that having sex with a young virgin will cure them of their illness. In some cultures, it is thought that the younger the virgin the more likely a cure will ensue. Other orphans become infected as a result of being forced to prostitute themselves after being sold by their family, abducted by pimps, or voluntarily out of not knowing of any other way to survive. While other orphans or impoverished children will enter into sexual relationships with HIV positive men in order to be provided shelter, food, clothing, and other basic needs. All of these orphans eventually contract this fatal disease from these various situations that they are manipulated or driven to out of desperation, and the cycle continues.
An incredible organization called The ONE Campaign has made great strides toward breaking this spoke of the orphan cycle particularly through bi-partisan lobbying efforts in the United States government and other awareness efforts abroad. Both republicans and democrats alike have been able to unite to make an impact that will greatly reduce the number of people suffering from AIDS and other diseases in the future. According to ONE, both Bush and Obama have continued to keep the United States committed to tackling the disease since Clinton pushed it to the forefront in the nineties. The impact has been exponential as there are now 6.6 million people receiving treatment as opposed to a much smaller 100,000 in 2002. The ONE campaign has not relented in their determination as they note that, “…despite great progress, for every person who goes on treatment, nearly two more are infected. There are an estimated nine million people still in need of treatment.”
While it can be somewhat common to hear about the AIDS epidemic, there are other deadly diseases that are wrongly overlooked. One such disease is mosquito-borne malaria that runs rampant particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Americas. About one million deaths occur every year due to malaria. In Africa, it kills more children than any other disease. If the mosquitoes themselves do not get under your skin, this will- malaria is completely preventable. Bed nets and insect repellent alone would greatly reduce the risk of obtaining this sickness. Other control measures include spraying insecticides or draining the still water in which the mosquitoes breed. It can be extremely complex for impoverished peoples whom lack necessary resources or education needed to gain access to these simple protective devices. Children often become orphaned by loosing their parents to this illness and are more susceptible to also becoming infected because they no longer have someone to look after them or teach them how to protect themselves from it. Thankfully, many organizations are working to provide treated mosquito nets to needy families. One such organization is Nothing But Nets, who have been able to provide over four million life-saving nets to at risk families. Other organizations effectively meeting this need for many individuals are Netting Nations, Compassion International, and Nets for Life Africa.
Among other purely preventable killers are food-borne and water-borne diseases, which combined cause the death of 3.6 million people each year. About 2 million sweet babies under the age of five are taken all too soon because of acute respiratory infections and another 1.5 million to diarrhea-related illnesses. To a typical American mind, this magnitude of death due to food and water alone seems unfathomable. But the natural disasters, inadequate health care, wars and poverty that many other countries face all contribute to these devastating numbers becoming a reality. These are not just numbers. These millions are all God’s children that may be missing the knowledge of their Savior and a chance at an abundant life that God desires for each one of them.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Gender Inequality's Effect on the Orphan
Many people seem to be aware of gender inequality that exists Asian cultures. After all, it is common to hear of a little girl being adopted from China because male children are deemed more valuable than females as they are the ones to carry on the family name. But female discrimination is not solely an Asian culture cue. It is a worldwide issue that significantly contributes to the cycle of an orphan. Being treated as less than their brothers can be a minor problem in comparison to the challenges that arise from the devaluing attitudes that countless young women face in their daily lives.
One of the most devastating consequences of a patriarchal culture is that women do not receive priority for education like men do. An educated female is quite taboo in some cultures, which is not surprising when you look at the staggering 62 million girls who are being denied education worldwide. Out of the more fortunate girls who are able to receive some form of schooling in the underdeveloped world, only 43% will be able to attend secondary school. Expectations for a woman in many cultures tend to be limited to marriage, bearing children, and maintaining a household starting at very young age. Over a third of women between the ages of 20 and 24 in underdeveloped countries were married before their eighteenth birthday. While raising a family is an honorable endeavor, the issue lies in the attitude behind it- that raising families are all that women are capable of and therefore there is no point in investing in their education or in allowing them to be exposed to the world outside of their home.
This absence of information and education leaves women unaware and more susceptible to exploitation.
While the sex trade proves to be the biggest predator to vulnerable women and girls, and it is not the only threat to their well-being. As a result of the low regard to women in their society, over 39 million women in India are “missing” due to infanticide, the practice of killing unwanted children within the first year after their birth, and sex-selective abortions. Globally, over 130 million women have suffered horrendous acts involving female genital mutilation- most of them at an average age of seven. Every year, a further 2 million girls are at risk. The reasons that different cultures participate in FGM vary, however it can often be associated with power inequality of men over women and compliance of women to the customs of their community. Religion, preservation of virginity, increased fertility, family honor, and acceptance for marriage are among the justifications that societies make for this practice that puts women at risk for many short and long term health complications of which the lists are extensive. Another common fate for young girls in patriarchal societies is a life of a child domestic worker. More valuable and held in higher regard to carry on a family name, boys are less likely to be sold as domestic workers. In fact, the tendency to keep the boys and sell the girls is so significant that 90% of all child domestic workers are females between the ages twelve and seventeen.
Devaluing positions towards women negatively affect the men in a community as well. Young boys are taught that manliness is obtained through dominance over women, setting them up to have belittling and abusive mindsets towards the other gender for the rest of their lives. The cycle continues from generation to generation as the numbers of abused girls grows. One out of every three women in the world have been victimized by some form of abuse. Many of these girls believe that this is the way that things work and often do not cry out for help which is reflected by the statistic that between 55% and 95% of women who had been physically abused by their partners chose to never contact NGOs, shelters or the police for aid. How tragic that so many girls do not feel enough worth to even reach for a lifeline out. If only they could be taught how incredibly much their heavenly Father loves them and desires more for their lives. What a difference that could make. What a difference it does make as God’s people work to bring these truths to broken women.
After all, God himself made both men and women in His image (Genesis 1:26-27) and deems them both worthy of His approval at their creation. Just the fact that women are referenced and play significant roles in many stories of the Bible reveal his value for them in a time that it was considered disgraceful for a woman to even be mentioned in historical writing. Jesus often took time to sit and talk with women and show his appreciation for them. The woman at the well who was an adulterer (John 4), Mary and Martha who were considered Jesus’ friends (Luke 10), and the prostitute Mary Magdelene (John 11-12) deemed as the scum of the earth by the rest of society were all clearly precious to our Savior. As we strive to let Christ within us shine through, we must not forget that the way in which we view women does have a greater impact than what we often realize. Uplifting and rescuing downtrodden women will leave more mothers available to care for their children and young girls with a brighter future for educating themselves and others and paving the way for a break in the cycle of abuse and neglect for abandoned and orphaned girls.
One of the most devastating consequences of a patriarchal culture is that women do not receive priority for education like men do. An educated female is quite taboo in some cultures, which is not surprising when you look at the staggering 62 million girls who are being denied education worldwide. Out of the more fortunate girls who are able to receive some form of schooling in the underdeveloped world, only 43% will be able to attend secondary school. Expectations for a woman in many cultures tend to be limited to marriage, bearing children, and maintaining a household starting at very young age. Over a third of women between the ages of 20 and 24 in underdeveloped countries were married before their eighteenth birthday. While raising a family is an honorable endeavor, the issue lies in the attitude behind it- that raising families are all that women are capable of and therefore there is no point in investing in their education or in allowing them to be exposed to the world outside of their home.
This absence of information and education leaves women unaware and more susceptible to exploitation.
While the sex trade proves to be the biggest predator to vulnerable women and girls, and it is not the only threat to their well-being. As a result of the low regard to women in their society, over 39 million women in India are “missing” due to infanticide, the practice of killing unwanted children within the first year after their birth, and sex-selective abortions. Globally, over 130 million women have suffered horrendous acts involving female genital mutilation- most of them at an average age of seven. Every year, a further 2 million girls are at risk. The reasons that different cultures participate in FGM vary, however it can often be associated with power inequality of men over women and compliance of women to the customs of their community. Religion, preservation of virginity, increased fertility, family honor, and acceptance for marriage are among the justifications that societies make for this practice that puts women at risk for many short and long term health complications of which the lists are extensive. Another common fate for young girls in patriarchal societies is a life of a child domestic worker. More valuable and held in higher regard to carry on a family name, boys are less likely to be sold as domestic workers. In fact, the tendency to keep the boys and sell the girls is so significant that 90% of all child domestic workers are females between the ages twelve and seventeen.
Devaluing positions towards women negatively affect the men in a community as well. Young boys are taught that manliness is obtained through dominance over women, setting them up to have belittling and abusive mindsets towards the other gender for the rest of their lives. The cycle continues from generation to generation as the numbers of abused girls grows. One out of every three women in the world have been victimized by some form of abuse. Many of these girls believe that this is the way that things work and often do not cry out for help which is reflected by the statistic that between 55% and 95% of women who had been physically abused by their partners chose to never contact NGOs, shelters or the police for aid. How tragic that so many girls do not feel enough worth to even reach for a lifeline out. If only they could be taught how incredibly much their heavenly Father loves them and desires more for their lives. What a difference that could make. What a difference it does make as God’s people work to bring these truths to broken women.
After all, God himself made both men and women in His image (Genesis 1:26-27) and deems them both worthy of His approval at their creation. Just the fact that women are referenced and play significant roles in many stories of the Bible reveal his value for them in a time that it was considered disgraceful for a woman to even be mentioned in historical writing. Jesus often took time to sit and talk with women and show his appreciation for them. The woman at the well who was an adulterer (John 4), Mary and Martha who were considered Jesus’ friends (Luke 10), and the prostitute Mary Magdelene (John 11-12) deemed as the scum of the earth by the rest of society were all clearly precious to our Savior. As we strive to let Christ within us shine through, we must not forget that the way in which we view women does have a greater impact than what we often realize. Uplifting and rescuing downtrodden women will leave more mothers available to care for their children and young girls with a brighter future for educating themselves and others and paving the way for a break in the cycle of abuse and neglect for abandoned and orphaned girls.
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