a Sept. 14 front-page article in the The Washington Post about a Bangladeshi child television star who is being pressured to quit school and wed at the age 13.
NEWS
Fact Sheets | Press Releases | Speeches
2008
MAY
May 7, 2008
ICRW Highlights Adolescent Programs at Youth Conference in Abuja
ICRW recently participated in Youth Deliver the Future, an international conference focused on current research and policy trends on the health and development needs of young people in low-resource countries. Today’s generation of adolescents is the largest in history, yet their needs often are overlooked by the global development community.
The conference was a forum to discuss and formulate policy, program and research priorities for youth development. Its goal is to direct more resources and investments to youth-related programs at the international, national and local levels.
ICRW’s experts presented research findings from a variety of adolescent programs, such as work with young men to address gender-based violence; stimulating youth demand and access to sexual and reproductive health services; delaying the age of marriage for girls; and sexual agency among young married women.
The event was held last week in Abuja, Nigeria, and hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health housed at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Attendees included researchers, practitioners and youth from more than 40 international and national organizations.
APRIL
APRIL 25, 2008
Child Brides: Stolen Lives Receives Edward R. Murrow Award
Honored for Best TV Interpretation or Documentary on International Affairs
The PBS weekly newsmagazine NOW’s special broadcast on child marriage, Child Brides: Stolen Lives, has received the Edward R. Murrow Award for best TV interpretation or documentary on international affairs from the Overseas Press Club of America (OPC).
“Ambitious in a wholly different way than war or politics - and just as courageous - Child Brides: Stolen Lives does what the best international broadcast reporting is supposed to do: Introduce us to a world we don't know through vivid imagery, compelling storytelling and smart analysis,” according to the OPC, which honored the documentary at a April 24 ceremony in New York City.
In the hour-long documentary, NOW Senior Correspondent Maria Hinojosa takes viewers to Guatemala, India and Niger to explore stories of early marriage, including an illegal midnight wedding in India where children as young as 3 are married, and the courageous efforts of people campaigning to end child marriage in many of these communities.
Televised nationally in 2007, the broadcast raised the consciousness of millions of viewers and continues to educate online viewers around the globe. ICRW's longstanding research and advocacy on child marriage inspired and contributed to the documentary. Through ICRW-sponsored screenings and discussions in Washington and around the nation, the film is a valuable tool in our efforts to persuade Congress to increase U.S. support for programs to end this harmful practice.
Getty Images Honored
OPC also recognized Getty Images for its “dedication to quality international journalism,” and three of its photojournalists - Paula Bronstein, John Moore and Brent Stirton - garnered awards. ICRW is a beneficiary of in-kind support from Getty Images through the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC), an alliance of international companies dedicated to combating the AIDS pandemic. Recognizing the ability of photography to educate and affect change, Getty Images commits its resources and expertise to support the global movement against HIV and AIDS.
APRIL 24, 2008
Asia Regional Office Launches Gender Equity Movement in Schools
ICRW's Asia Regional Office recently launched its school-based initiative, Gender Equity Movement in Schools (GEMS), a comprehensive program to educate young men and women on issues of gender equity.
The April 11 event in New Delhi was the culmination of a two-day strategic planning meeting for practitioners, funders, international nongovernmental organizations and U.N. representatives from several countries in South Asia working on issues of gender equity and violence prevention with men and boys. The launch was hosted by ICRW's Asia Regional Office, UNDP - Asia Pacific Regional Center, and Save the Children Sweden Regional Office for South and Central Asia.
The event featured Kamala Bhasin, a leading women's rights activist, and local GEMS partners that will be implementing the program in three Indian states: (1) CORO for Literacy and Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Maharashtra; (2) Ritinjali in Rajasthan; and (3) Sangath in Goa.
The meeting highlighted the unique collaboration of three organizations – ICRW, Population Council and Instituto Promundo – in their efforts to design methodologies for working with young men and women on issues of gender equity. The event also marked the release of regional transcripts of group education training manuals, Yaari-Dosti and Sakhi-Saheli, published jointly by ICRW and Population Council. The manuals will be important tools in implementing GEMS.
APRIL 22, 2008
Financial Independence for Women May Be Key to Changing Social Norms and Help Fight Spread of HIV
Women
who control their own finances may feel more confident in negotiating a
partner’s change in behavior to avoid HIV infection, according to new
research on women and microcredit by ICRW’s Kim Ashburn, and authors
Deanna Kerrigan and Michael Sweat.
“This insight is important because it indicates that gaining financial independence is the crucial ‘empowerment’ factor, not just participating in microcredit programs,” Ashburn says.
The findings, based on research in the Dominican Republic, suggest that microcredit programs could better help women by expanding their focus on client recruitment and loan repayment rates to also include practical financial skills like accounting and business negotiations, which further strengthen women’s financial abilities.
The article, “Microcredit, Women’s Groups, Control of Own Money: HIV-Related Negotiation among Partnered Dominican Women,” will be published in the May edition of AIDS and Behavior.
APRIL 21, 2008
ICRW Announces New COO
The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) is pleased to announce that Sarah Degnan Kambou, previously vice president for health and development, has been promoted to chief operating officer, effective April 4.
APRIL 11, 2008
Guide for Community Assessments on Women's Health Care
Building awareness of health issues among community members, parliamentarians in Africa
A
new how-to guide from ICRW, designed to help organizations facilitate
community assessments on women's health care, is now available for
download. The Guide for Community Assessments on Women's Health Care outlines practical and effective ways to assess women's access to
health care, particularly in communities hard-hit by the AIDS epidemic.
The guide includes step-by-step exercises in developing programs appropriate for your audience that will help community members and government leaders understand the importance of addressing women's health care needs to stop the spread of HIV.
MARCH
March 25, 2008
Time Magazine Quotes ICRW President
ICRW President Geeta Rao Gupta was quoted in the recent Time magazine article, “Women's Work,” which discusses the need for microfinance initiatives to provide management training for women in addition to capital.
“For any business to grow, in addition to a loan, you also need skills," explains Rao Gupta, "Microloans are not enough. Women are getting stuck."
That message is being heard. Management training for women is increasingly available through initiatives by development agencies including the World Bank and for-profit companies such as Goldman Sachs.
March 5, 2008
Senate PEPFAR Reauthorization Bill Moves Closer to Helping Women, Girls
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved legislation March 13 to reauthorize the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, to $50 billion for fiscal years 2009 to 2013, which will significantly bolster the reach and effectiveness of the U.S. global AIDS program.
ICRW commends the Senate for including provisions to strengthen PEPFAR's priority to women and girls and laying out stronger measures to hold PEPFAR accountable for the gender focus. ICRW also applauds the Senate committee's decision to eliminate the requirement that one-third of funds be directed toward programs promoting “abstinence and be faithful” behavior, which will allow countries more flexibility to tailor prevention efforts to local needs.
Nevertheless, ICRW is disappointed that the Senate committee remained silent on the important issue of integrating HIV/AIDS information and services into family planning programs and retained the requirement that PEPFAR recipients pledge their opposition to prostitution.
Read ICRW's full position statement .
March 5, 2008
ICRW Awards Gala Honors Global Leaders for Advancing the Well-Being and Economic Progress of Women and Girls
Salud y Género, Standard Chartered Bank Honored
for Their Work to Improve Women’s Lives
On the eve of International Women’s Day, the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) has issued a challenge for U.S. and world leaders to take a stand, listen to the needs of women and girls, and use their influence to implement the “right solutions” to advance the progress and opportunities for women and girls in impoverished nations around the world.
FEBRUARY
Feb. 29, 2008
PEPFAR Reauthorization Must Protect Women From HIV Risks by Integrating HIV/AIDS Services Into Reproductive Health Programs
ICRW President Geeta Rao Gupta commends House Committee for adopting HIV prevention strategy for women and girls, but adds reproductive health services are key to strategy
The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) commends the House Foreign Affairs Committee for the recent bipartisan agreement to develop a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy for women and girls as part of the U.S. global AIDS plan reauthorization legislation.
Foreign Policy Magazine Runs ICRW President's Letter to the Editor
No cheap fix for realizing gender equality
ICRW President Geeta Rao Gupta 's letter to the editor was published in the most recent issue of Foreign Policy, the premier, award-winning magazine on global politics and economics. She responded to an essay that includes the assertion that reaching the goal of gender equality “will not cost a dime.”
“Achieving gender equality will require a commitment to implement effective programs and policies,” her letter states. “That costs money.”
Feb. 28, 2008
Worldview of Chicago's Public Radio
Worldview of Chicago's Public Radio recently interviewed students who participated in ICRW's Week of Action to help stop child marriage in Mali.
Feb. 8, 2008
Get Involved!
Week of Action on Child Marriage:
Feb. 25-29
ICRW is launching a Child Marriage Week of Action Feb. 25-29. Working with partners like you, we hope to raise awareness about the child marriage, especially among members of Congress, and to persuade them to support pending legislation that could help millions of girls go to school and prevent them from marrying too young. Please join us.
The good news: 45 legislators are supporting the child marriage bills. And we need only two more members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee to co-sponsor for the committee to consider taking up the legislation. We need your help.
Legislators that we speak with say they would be willing to co-sponsor the legislation if they heard from constituents. Phone calls, letters and faxes from you are powerful tools for moving legislation. Please contact Congress during the week of Feb. 25-29 and make a difference in a girl's life today.
Talking points and background information that you can use in a phone call or a letter can be found on our Web site.
Other methods to reach policy-makers include writing a letter to the editor or submitting an op-ed to your local newspaper. Our Web site has tips for that, too.
Please contact Dan Martin if you have any questions or need assistance. And let us know if your organization has grassroots networks and would like to get involved in the Week of Action.
Feb. 5, 2008
Girls Count in Fight to End Poverty
Gaisu Yari was just a child when a tribal warlord, eager to claim Gaisu as his bride, killed her father. Threatened with kidnapping and forced marriage, with no education, economic opportunity or freedom, Gaisu says she faced a future of domestic slavery and violence. With the help of friends and relatives, she fled to the United States.
At the launch last week of Girl's Count: A Global Investment and Action Agenda, Gaisu described her childhood and how her experience is similar to many other adolescent girls in developing countries who without an education, employment opportunities and sometimes the assurance of basic human rights, cannot break out of the poverty cycle, much less contribute to their countries' economic growth. The report shows how detrimential girls' marginalization is to fighting poverty and achieving broader international development goals.
Researchers, policy-makers and development officials who attended the launch discussed how to get the message out that girls count in international development. For example, girls who receive one year of education more than the current average boost their eventual wages by between 10 percent and 20 percent, according to the report. They also discussed how to shift the international development agenda so that it includes targets for adolescent girls.
ICRW Director of Population and Social Transitions Margaret Greene, co-author of the report, participated in the panel, which included representatives from the Center for Global Development, Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, Population Council, UNFPA, UNIFEM and the U.N. Foundation. Several other authors, as well as other ICRW researchers, contributed to the report.
JANUARY
JAN. 28, 2008
Voice of America Discusses High Costs of Child Marriage
ICRW's Margaret Greene and Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) recently spoke with Voice of America's foreign policy series, On the Line, about the high costs of child marriage to international development and the opportunity Congress currently faces to help curb child marriage worldwide. Policy analyst Farhana Ali from Rand also joined the discussion.
Legislation before both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives would mandate that the U.S. State Department report on child marriage in its annual Country Reports on Human Rights as well as empower the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to integrate child marriage prevention efforts, such as education for girls, into existing programs and implement pilot programs to reduce the prevalence of child marriage. Without additional congressional support, the bills will not move forward.
Currently some 51 million girls in the developing world are married. In several countries, more than half of girls are married before they reach their 18th birthday. The United States spends millions of dollars every year on international development assistance, money that is less effective due to the negative consequences of child marriage.
JAN. 22, 2008
NEW REPORT
Girls Count: A Global Investment & Action Agenda
ICRW Director of Population and Social Transitions Margaret Greene contributed to a new report, Girls Count, which illustrates the benefits and means to empower adolescent girls in developing countries to reduce poverty, and offers targeted recommendations for national and local governments, donor agencies, civil society, and the private sector.
In addition to Greene, several other ICRW researchers, working on adolescent issues, contributed to this report.
The problem of global poverty can only be addressed through a comprehensive approach to promote the empowerment of adolescent girls. Investing in their health and well-being will unleash their power to transform their individual circumstances. Unfortunately, issues related to adolescent girls remain invisible to many policy-makers. Without substantial investments in girls' well-being, the international community cannot achieve its objective to reduce global poverty.
The Center for Global Development published the report.
The authors of the report will present their findings and policy recommendations Jan. 30, 2008.
Location:
Hilton Washington Embassy Row
Ambassador Room
2015 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Light breakfast provided.
JAN. 22, 2008
ICRW Meets with Girl Scouts to Discuss Child Marriage
ICRW's Saranga Jain recently met with a group of Girl Scouts in Springfield, Mass., to discuss their thoughts on child marriage after viewing the NOW on PBS documentary, Child Brides: Stolen Lives. The girls, ranging in ages from 14 to 18, shared concerns about the health and social consequences of marrying too young, and made connections between the lives of adolescent girls in developing countries and their own.
“I learned a lot from these girls,” says Jain, the lead researcher of the report, New Insights on Preventing Child Marriage. “So many of the aspirations and hopes for the future that these girls expressed are similar to those of girls in South Asia.” For example, Nepalese girls in an ICRW study reported aspirations of finishing secondary school, going to college, getting a job, falling in love and getting married, activities which they hoped would occur in their 20's. The reality for many girls in Nepal, however, is marriage and childbearing before they have reached adulthood. This often means an end to all other future hopes, including education and earning an income.
The Jan. 21 film showing with the Girl Scouts coincided with a screening in Long Island, N.Y. Afterward, experts at each location led a discussion about child marriage, followed by a live video-teleconference between the two sites.
JAN. 10, 2008
A CALL TO ACTION:
Gender, Sexuality, Violence Concerns Help Shape HIV Policy Debates in India
ICRW's Regional Asia Office and Oxfam Great Britain, with support from the European Commission, recently joined forces in India to help inform national policy aimed at curbing gender- and sexuality-based stigma, discrimination and violence against people at risk of and affected by HIV.
ICRW and Oxfam organized a national “Call to Action” consultation, with various stakeholders, to discuss changes needed in national HIV policy.
Recommendations – ranging from convening a gender and sexuality advisory group to addressing damaging gender norms in programs and messages – have been forwarded to national policy-makers and are outlined in the conference report, Gender, Sexuality and Violence in the Context of HIV and AIDS: A Call to Action.