Gender discrimination must end: UN report

Gender discrimination must end: UN report

Extreme poverty cannot be done away with unless discrimination against women the world over ends, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) report.

The report urges governments to work towards liberating the female population from poverty and unwanted cultural barriers that keep them from being a vital element of society in a lot of countries.

At the report launch, UNFPA's executive director, Thoraya Ahmed Obaid pointed out the prejudice against women pertaining to violence and curbing of their social, cultural, economic, and political rights.

UNFPA findings say that over 500,000 women lose their lives while giving birth to a child every year. Further, more than 76 million women become pregnant just because they are not exposed to contraceptives. Number of abortions taking place in a year is a whopping 19 million. More gory is the revelation that a high amount of these child killings take place in unhygienic street side hospitals which only amount to more women deaths.

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Likewise, literacy figures too are numbing. Illiterate female population is dangerously high at 600 million in contrast with the male illiteracy of 320 million.

The UNFPA study feels that providing education and empowering the female populace will only better the standard of living as literate women can make a living for themselves apart from performing the household chores. They will also be enlightened regarding the population explosion, danger of AIDS and safe use of contraceptives.

UNFPA report has unraveled more astonishing essentials. Prime among them is that over 1.7 billion females are in their reproductive years (aged 15-49). As such, it is of utmost importance that they are literate and mature enough to decide when they want the child. This will definitely go a long way in bringing down the ever growing population, according to the report.

The report substantiates its claims regarding prejudice against women by pointing out the amount of atrocities committed against the female populace. On an average, one in three women falls prey to physical, sexual or mental abuse during her life span; almost 50% among those subjected to sexual abuse are in the age group of 15 and under.

Moreover, in the developing countries, rural women play a major part in food production and even so, the governments in such countries do not permit women to either possess or sell off land without her spouse's approval.

Empathizing with the pitiable state of women today, Ms Obaid recommends that big steps need to be taken to release suffering women from the bondage of discrimination.

In 2000, the UN had agreed to eight Millennium Development Goals, which include gender equality and women empowerment by 2015.