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Gambia among worst countries to be born a girl – Report
Thursday, 17 March 2011 00:36
JollofNews - A new report published this week identifies Gambia among the worst places in the Commonwealth to be born
a girl.The research conducted by the Royal Commonwealth Society and Plan UK was published to coincide with the Commonwealth's 2011 celebrations, on the theme: 'Women as Agents of Change'.
It shows that New Zealand is the best place in the Commonwealth to be born a girl, whilst Gambia, Pakistan, Sierra Leone and Nigeria are among the worst.
Sierra Leone occupies the bottom of the list, ranked jointly with Nigeria at 50th.
Six places away from the bottom of the table, Gambia is ranked 45 jointly with Pakistan, Solomon Islands and Tonga.
"Our Report Cards make for worrying reading. Even the countries at the top of the Commonwealth class fall short of true gender equality. I hope Commonwealth leaders will show the political leadership that is needed to promote women as agents of change,” said Director of the Royal Commonwealth Society, Dr Danny Sriskandarajah. “This year, the Commonwealth has the opportunity to be at the vanguard of the fight for gender equality."
This new report, 'Because You're a Girl: Growing Up in the Commonwealth', reveals that girls and women continue to be seriously disadvantaged compared to their male counterparts. It uses data on eight indicators that reflect various aspects of a girl's life cycle, from survival (e.g. life expectancy, nutrition) to achievement (e.g. athletes and medals at the Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Scholarships won).
The report also suggests that it is political will - and not economic wealth - which is most important in advancing gender equality.
Some of the poorest countries in the Commonwealth do relatively well against the eight indicators used in the report, while some rich countries remain a long way off gender equality.
Key findings of the report include New Zealand topping the chart as the best place in the Commonwealth to be born a girl, closely followed by Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.At the bottom of the chart are Nigeria and Sierra Leone. India and Pakistan (the latter jointly ranking alongside Gambia), score poorly, coming in 41st and 45th respectively.
Another point of interest is that despite decades of campaigning in Western Commonwealth countries, Rwanda and South Africa top the female political participation table, Rwanda ranking first in the world in this regard.
Gambia seems to have performed better in life expectancy, pay gap and education, scoring B grades in each, signifying average. The country did worst in political participation, sport and accessibility to scholarship, scoring C grades in each, signifying below average.
"Our research shows that in those Commonwealth countries that have shown bold political will, there has been great progress towards realizing girls' rights, lifting them out of poverty,” said the Chief Executive of Plan UK, Marie Staunton.
She added: “But my message to the Commonwealth today is that much more needs to be done. Globally 75 million girls remain out of school and robbed of a fulfilling future. Often undervalued and neglected, and held back by their gender and age, girls are prevented from contributing to the societies in which they live. This holds us all back.”
“Plan's 'Because I am a Girl' campaign challenges each of us to take practical action towards a Commonwealth and a world in which every girl can fulfil their potential," Staunton stressed.
Written by Kemo Cham
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