Eye Openers
Our eye-opener this month is from Ecuador
In Ecuador there is high risk of abuse and child marriage.
*Who Knew: Reports indicate that a large percentage of indigenous girls face severe abuse by age 14 with many forced into marriage between the ages of 11 and 13 resulting in teen pregnancy. The highest percentage of Mothers are under the age of 12.
*Good news: in 2006 Ecuador Hope House was opened and it began working to make a difference in the lives of the local women and children. Hope House offers a secure space to live and learn skills to help them in the future, healing from trauma and empowerment through opportunities for the girls to use their education and personal growth to positively impact their surrounding communities .
*Why don’t you: contact Ecuador Hope House on ecuadorhopehouse.com or hopefoundationecauador.org or maybe just contact them through google and leave a kind message or a small donation.
Eye opener
According to UN Women, in Togo, 24.8% of women aged 20 to 24 were married before the age of 18. The teenage birth rate is 79 per 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 (2016), a slight decrease from 2015. Women hold only 18.9% of parliamentary seats (2024 ). In 2018, 12.7% of women reported experiencing partner violence, and in 2017 only 39.6% had access to modern family planning methods.
Who knew
In 2007, Togo introduced a law banning sexual assault, forced and early marriage, exploitation, female genital mutilation, and sexual harassment. However, many women still have limited knowledge of their legal rights, contributing to the continued prevalence of marital rape and domestic violence despite these protections.
According to the World Bank, women in Togo have fewer economic opportunities and remain underrepresented in leadership roles. This has wider impacts on the country’s development. The International Labour Organization has highlighted that increasing women’s participation in the workforce can help drive economic growth. Although Togo has legislation requiring equal pay for equal work, women’s rights activists say it is not always enforced. Many women also continue to face barriers to accessing financial services and economic opportunities.
Good news
There is some positive news for women in Togo. More girls are attending school than in previous generations, and awareness of women’s rights is gradually improving. The government and charitable organisations are working to reduce child marriage and support girls’ education. Efforts are also being made to improve healthcare for women and girls, including access to family planning services.
Women are also becoming more active in public life. While representation in politics and leadership remains low, more women are raising their voices in their communities and taking on leadership roles. Although significant challenges remain, these developments offer hope for a brighter future.
Why don’t you …
Take a look at the following page to learn more about some of the women we support through Lend with Care. Our loans help women entrepreneurs from low-income countries start or expand their businesses, enabling them to work their way out of poverty with dignity and create opportunities for themselves, their families, and their communities.
Eye Opener: This month we will look at Thailand, commonly known to most as a holiday resort but also notorious for its sex trade.
Who knew:
94% of the population are Theravada Buddhist whose view is ‘a being is born as a woman because of bad karma or lack of sufficient good merit’.
Superstition remains common and it is said that many men even today believe their destiny can be jeopardized by circumstances such as walking under a row of laundry containing women’s skirts or underwear.
Thai tradition has defined a kulasatrii (“virtuous woman”) as proficient and sophisticated in household duties; graceful, pleasant. Most contemporary Thai women wholeheartedly endorse the kulasatrii notion without resentment, regarding it as a sign of dignity and honour, a sense of cultural identity in which they can take pride.
Despite prostitution being illegal since 2007, sex trafficking is a huge issue. It is estimated 100-200,000 Thai women and girls have been trafficked to other Asian countries while many from other countries being trafficked into Thailand for the sex trade.
Good news:
Despite strong traditional cultural expectations of the role of women, 90% of girls are in secondary education while 60% of university graduates are female.
Thai Women generally have pretty high status. They retain property rights and can own land.
Entrepreneurship is strong with 30% of registered businesses being owned by women.
Women in Thailand were among the first in Asia to be granted the right to vote in 1932 and their constitution specifies that ‘men and women shall enjoy equal rights’.
In 2000 the country signed up to CE DAW (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women) which is more than we have achieved in Guernsey.
Women are now a substantial part of the workplace, especially nursing and teaching.
Why don’t you:
Find out more about this interesting and complex country?
https:I ldata.unwomen.org/countzyMailand
Lend with Care:
The SIG International Committee have supported Wanatee in Thailand, an entrepreneur selling noodles at her cafe.