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Many women were in a precarious situation
before the latest war, and now, as a result of recent hostilities, their situation
has deteriorated even further. It will take years before women will reach
the standard of living and access to services that they experienced before
the first Gulf War in 1991. The challenge at this point is to provide Iraqi
women the assistance they require so that they can begin to reclaim the rights
and access to services that have been denied them in the past 13 ears.Reproductive health is a critical
component of any emergency program. In Iraq the situation is not receiving
the same attention as other emergency programs
such as food, water, and electricity. Although data for Iraq is poor, available
statistics suggest a desperate situation for
women's health. Due to inadequate nutrition and limited pre-natal care, between
50-70 percent of pregnant women are
estimated to be anemic, and roughly 23 percent of infants are born with low
birth weights. According to the UN Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA),
sincere are reports of increased numbers of stillbirths and complicated
deliveries, and the psychological impact of the war on women's health, while
still unknown, is a potentially serious problem. Anecdotal evidence of high
levels of miscarriages, birth defects, and cancer suggests possible environmental
contamination. A thorough assessment of women's health must be undertaken
immediately to identify the greatest needs.Before 1991, female literacy rates
were among the highest in the region, and Iraq had achieved nearly universal
primary education for both girls and boys. Because of war and sanctions, the
younger generation has been deprived of quality education and has not enjoyed
the same opportunities as their parents, giving rise to the term "sanction
generation." After 1991, adult female literacy rates and girls' enrollment
rates decreased, and in 2000, it was estimated that 31 percent of girls were
not attending school, nearly twice the number of boys who were not in school.
UNICEF officials attribute this decrease mainly to poverty and inadequate
education infrastructure rather than attitudes opposing education for girls,
although these attitudes still persist. Informal "catch up programs"
will be necessary in order to raise the level of education of the "sanction
generation."Education is one of the best ways to protect children. If
children are in school, they are less vulnerable to banditry, sexual exploitation
and landmine incidents. A UNICEF official expressed concern that the lengthy
process of curriculum revision and "de-Ba'athification" of educational
materials may take precedence over the quick return of children to school.
While purging the curriculum of Ba'ath influence is a critical mid-term project,
Iraqi children should not be asked to wait for this effort to be fully completed.
The biggest priority should be encouraging children, particularly girls, to
return to school as soon as possible.Despite the obvious importance of education,
the appeal from UNICEF, the lead agency on education, is only 30% funded.
The U.S. strategy is to revitalize the education sector through a large Agency
for International Development (AID) contract with a U.S.-based private sector
consulting firm. How closely the AID contractor will coordinate with UNICEF,
the internatThe raids, the result of a two-year investigation, took place in California, Nevada, Arizona, Washington and Alaska, and involved federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, Kincaid said in a statement.
"This joint operation is just one small part of ATF's ongoing, collaborative efforts to reduce violent crime, particularly as it relates to gang violence and firearms-related violent crime," his statement said.
Those arrested were taken into custody for alleged violations of narcotics trafficking, firearms violations, possessing stolen explosives and various other crimes, the ATF statement said.
Authorities confiscated about 50 firearms, narcotics and stolen explosives in the raids in the Western states.
existent.
Under the Saddam regime, the Ba'ath party General Federation of Iraqi Women
was the most active women's organization with a membership of around 1.5 million
women, but the government did not tolerate the existence of women's NGOs.
Such organizations will no doubt spring up in the coming months, but they
will require nurturing to become effective advocates and service providers
for Iraqi women. |
Title: PtIndy
