By Black Star News
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
In the Sahel region of Africa, the safety and development of African women is being negatively impacted by the epidemic of violence and poverty that is plaguing the region.
The problems these women in the Sahel face are numerous including: abductions; child marriages; and exclusion from schools and public life.
Recently, the Executive Director of UN Women, Sima Bahous, told the UN Security Council that “In the Sahel, where the world’s gravest concerns converge, women and girls bear the brunt…violently and disproportionately – on their bodies and their futures.” Bahous also spoke about abductions saying, “Abduction is not a by-product of terrorism in the Sahel – it is a tactic.”
The head of the UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Leonardo Santos Simão, warned of the dangers that the jihadists present to the security situation in the Sahel and spoke about the region’s economic problems. “The region’s economy remains highly vulnerable to external shocks. Although macroeconomic indicators show improvement, rising debt levels continue to constrain governments’ capacity to provide essential services,” Simão, said.
In the conclusion of her speech, Bahous said the women of the Sahel must not be abandoned.
“We cannot abandon the Sahel – whatever the politics, whatever the funding landscapes, whatever the geopolitical headwinds,” Bahous said. “Let us stand with the women of the Sahel – not out of charity, but in recognition of their power to shape a better future.”
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