25. Oktober 2012

 

Amnesty International (AI) erwähnt in einem Bericht vom Dezember 2009, dass Frauen überwiegend als Ehefrauen und Mütter geschätzt würden, insbesondere in ländlichen Gebieten. Unverheiratete Frauen würden als dem Untergang geweiht und wertlos angesehen. Auf Frauen werde durch die Gemeinschaft kultureller Druck ausgeübt, viele Kinder zu bekommen, da Kinder ein Zeichen von Wohlstand seien. AI erwähnt des Weiteren, dass Frauen mit kulturellen Hindernissen, wie der gesellschaftlichen Verachtung von vorehelicher Sexualität, konfrontiert seien. Frauen, die verdächtigt würden, vor der Heirat sexuelle Beziehungen eingegangen zu sein, würden als „dévergondées’“ (Dirnen, Verdorbene) eingestuft:

„Women are primarily valued as wives and mothers, especially in rural areas. Unmarried women are seen as ill-fated and of little worth. Married women without children face discrimination and are at risk of being abandoned or rejected by their husbands and in-laws. There are heavy cultural pressures from the community on women to have many children, seen as a sign of wealth. This is especially true in rural areas where the fertility rate is 6.9 children per woman, as compared with 3.7 in urban areas. The national average is 6.2.“ (AI, 31. Dezember 2009, S. 9)

“As well as lack of information, often giving rise to misplaced fears, there are cultural barriers, notably the opposition of husbands and the social condemnation of extramarital sexuality. In focus groups organized by Amnesty International, both married and adolescent unmarried women described women suspected of having sexual relations before marriage as ‘dévergondées’ (loose or debauched). There are other structural barriers: the inadequate quality of family planning services, the lack of availability and cost of contraceptive products and, at least until recently, a lack of funding by the government and the donors who had other priorities.” (AI, 31. Dezember 2009, S. 28-29)

Das US-Außenministerium (US Department of State, USDOS) berichtet in seinem Länderbericht zur Menschenrechtslage vom Mai 2012 (Berichtszeitraum: 2011), dass fallweise ältere, meist verwitwete Frauen, vorwiegend in ländlichen Gebieten von DorfbewohnerInnen als Hexen bezeichnet und aus ihren Dörfern verbannt worden seien. Die Frauen würden meist beschuldigt, die Seelen eines verstorbenen Verwandten oder Kindes „gegessen“ zu haben. Die Frauen hätten Zuflucht bei Einrichtungen der Regierung oder Wohltätigkeitsorganisationen in städtischen Zentren gesucht. Das Ministerium für soziale Maßnahme und nationale Solidarität habe fast 500 Fälle von der Hexerei beschuldigten Frauen verzeichnet. Im Jahr 2011 habe die Einrichtung „Delwende“ der römisch-katholischen Kirche 317 der Hexerei beschuldigte Frauen aufgenommen. Eine ähnliche Einrichtung, die von der Regierung betrieben werde, befinde sich im Gebiet Paspanga in Ouagadougou und beherberge etwa 100 Frauen:

„On occasion, vulnerable elderly women with no support, primarily in rural areas and often widowed, were accused of witchcraft by fellow villagers and banned from their villages. They are often accused of eating the soul of a relative or a child who had died. These women sought refuge at centers run by governmental or charitable organizations in urban centers.

The Ministry of Social Action and National Solidarity recorded nearly 500 such women accused of being witches who had fled their villages. During the year the Roman Catholic-operated Delwende center housed approximately 317 persons accused of witchcraft. The Ministry of Social Action and National Solidarity provides financial assistance to the Delwende center and is building another center nearby to relocate them in an area not prone to flooding. Another similar government-run center is located in the Paspanga area in Ouagadougou and houses approximately 100 women. The government and traditional authorities worked together during the year to stop such persecutions. In particular, the Ministry of Social Action and National Solidarity initiated specific awareness programs with ethnic Mossi villages and assisted with mediation efforts between suspected ‘witches’: and village elders. As part of an NGO-led sensitization campaign, women from the two centers demonstrated peacefully on March 6 in Ouagadougou. The Mogho Naaba, Emperor of the Mossi, was the sponsor of this event and wrote a letter denouncing the condition of these women and calling for an end to this practice.“ (USDOS, 24. Mai 2012, Section 6)

Im Jahr 2011 hätten Frauen weiterhin eine untergeordnete gesellschaftliche Position eingenommen und seien in den Bereichen Bildung, Beruf, Eigentum, Zugang zu Krediten, Leitung oder Besitz von Unternehmen und Familienrechten von Diskriminierung betroffen, so das USDOS. Frauen würden 45 Prozent der Arbeitskräfte im formellen Bereich stellen und würden großteils niedrig bezahlte, untergeordnete Positionen einnehmen. Viele BürgerInnen, insbesondere in ländlichen Gebieten, würden traditionelle Werte vertreten, die ein Erbrecht für Frauen nicht anerkennen und würden Frauen als Eigentum sehen, das nach dem Tod des Ehemannes vererbt werden könne:

„Women continued to occupy a subordinate position in society and often experienced discrimination in education, jobs, property ownership, access to credit, management or ownership of a business, and family rights. Polygyny is permitted, but both parties have to agree to it prior to marriage. A wife may oppose further marriages by her husband if she provides evidence that he has abandoned her and her children. Each spouse may petition for divorce, and the law provides that custody of a child may be granted to either parent, based on the child’s best interest. In practice, however, the mother retained custody until the child reached the age of seven, at which time custody reverted to the father or his family. Women represented approximately 45 percent of the general workforce in the formal sector and were primarily concentrated in lower-paying subservient positions. Although the law provides equal property rights for women and, depending on other family relationships, inheritance benefits, traditional law often denied women the right to own property, particularly real estate. This is exacerbated by the fact that 75 percent of marriages are defined as common law (religious or traditional ceremony) marriages and not legally binding. For example, in rural areas, land owned by a woman becomes the property of the family of her husband after marriage. Many citizens, particularly in rural areas, clung to traditional beliefs that did not recognize inheritance rights for women and regarded a woman as property that could be inherited upon her husband's death.“ (USDOS, 24. Mai 2012, Section 6)

Die Nachrichtenagentur Inter Press Service erwähnt im Mai 2012 in einem Artikel über Frauen, die der Hexerei beschuldigt werden, eine NGO namens Commission Justice et Paix (CJP), die solche Frauen unterstütze. Zudem wird in dem Artikel eine Mitarbeiterin der NGO Femmes et Droits pour le Développement zitiert:

“’It's generally women who are accused of witchcraft - and when it's men, they are able to move to other villages,’ said Gérard Zongo, from the non-governmental organisation Commission Justice et Paix (CJP), which recently launched a campaign to support women accused of witchcraft. […]

‘It's an excellent thing to have an action plan, but it's still not perfect,’ said Haridata Dacouré, president of the women's rights NGO Femmes et Droits pour le Développement.”(IPS, 7. Mai 2012)

Die Webseiten der oben angeführten Organisationen finden sich unter folgenden Links:

·      CJP - Commission Justice et Paix: Qui sommes-nous?, 2010

·      WiLDAF - Women in Law and Development in Africa/Femmes, Droit et Développement: Welcome to our website, ohne Datum

 

Das Population Reference Bureau (PRB) schreibt in einem Bericht zu Müttersterblichkeit vom August 2012, dass unverheiratete Frauen tendenziell zu den ärmsten zählten und sie mit den schwersten Konsequenzen bezüglich Geburtskomplikationen konfrontiert seien:

“Unmarried women, who tended to be the poorest, experienced the most severe consequences of surviving an obstetric com­plication. Twenty-five percent of the women in the study were unmarried and required assistance from their family to cover the cost of treatment. Many unmarried women became unemployed and lived in severe poverty for up to a year after giving birth.” (PRB, August 2012, S. 2)

Das Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) berichtet in einem Artikel zu Schwangerschaften von Jugendlichen vom Jänner 2008, dass Familien meist nichts mit jungen Müttern zu tun haben wollen, weil sie Schande über ihre Familie gebracht hätten. Die Familien würden die Mädchen aufgrund ihrer soziokulturellen Überzeugungen nicht mehr aufnehmen:

„Another NGO Mercy for All (UMPT) tries to give young mothers longer term help by giving each a loan of US$90 to help them support themselves once they have given birth. Often families want nothing to do with the young mothers because of the shame they have brought on them, Etienne Zombra, a coordinator at UMPT told IRIN, so mediation is needed. So far, they have succeeded in reuniting 130 of the 164 girls they have received. ‘Families often don’t accept the girls back because of their socio-cultural beliefs. In cases of incest it is even more difficult for girls and parents will refuse to see the baby forever.’“ (IRIN, 17. Jänner 2008)

Das United Nations Association International Service (UNAIS) verweist auf seiner Webseite auf verschiedene NGOs in Burkina Faso, darunter AES Burkina, die sich unter anderem für die Rechte von Frauen einsetzen würden. Des Weiteren wird auf die Organisation Kabeela verwiesen, die das Ziel habe, die Lebensqualität von Frauen in der Region Central Plateau zu verbessern. Frauen seien eine der am stärksten marginalisierten Gruppen der burkinischen Gesellschaft. Kabeela helfe den Frauen mithilfe von Ausbildung in wirtschaftlichen Fertigkeiten, Landwirtschaft, Alphabetisierung, Gesundheit und sexueller Gesundheit:

“AES Burkina (Action pour l'enfance et la santé au Burkina – Action for Childhood and Health in Burkina)

AES Burkina is an NGO based in the capital Ouagadougou that promotes the rights of vulnerable groups - particularly women, orphans and vulnerable children, and those living with HIV/AIDS. Founded in 2001 with the help of Save the Children Netherlands, AES has a strong partnership with UNICEF and is also endorsed by Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Health. AES supports many local, community organisations working with vulnerable groups on projects such as IT training, business development, and sports programmes. ICS volunteers will support AES with this work, and help strengthen AES’s fundraising, documentation, and monitoring systems.” (UNAIS, ohne Datum)

“Kabeela

This organisation aims to improve the quality of life of women and reduce poverty in 85 villages throughout the Central Plateau Region of Burkina Faso. Women are one of the most marginalised groups in Burkinabe society; they have little say in terms of their rights, and little impact over family and community decisions. Kabeela help women through training in business skills, agriculture, literacy, health and sexual health. Volunteers will support Kabeela in developing their fundraising abilities, how to manage the activities they undertake, and how to develop their administrative and financial processes.” (UNAIS, ohne Datum)

Die Webseiten dieser Organisationen sind unter folgenden links zu finden:

·      AES Burkina: Présentation générale, 2012

·      Kabeela: About Us, 2010

 

Quellen: (Zugriff auf alle Quellen am 25. Oktober 2012)

·      AES Burkina: Présentation générale, 2012

·      AI - Amnesty International: Giving Life, Risking Death Maternal Mortality In Burkina Faso, 31. Dezember 2009

·      CJP - Commission Justice et Paix: Qui sommes-nous?, 2010

·      IPS – Inter Press Service: Burkina Faso: Action Plan to End Banishing of 'Witches' in Burkina Faso, 7. Mai 2012

·      IRIN – Integrated Regional Information Network: Burkina Faso: Concern about rise in unwanted teenage pregnancies, 17. Jänner 2008

·      Kabeela: About Us, 2010

·      PRB - Population Reference Bureau: Beyond Maternal Mortality: Surviving an Obstetric Complication in Burkina Faso, August 2012

·      UNAIS - United Nations Association International Service: Placements in Burkina Faso, ohne Datum

·      USDOS - US Department of State: Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 2011 - Burkina Faso, 24. Mai 2012 (verfügbar auf ecoi.net)

·      WiLDAF - Women in Law and Development in Africa/Femmes, Droit et Développement: Welcome to our website, ohne Datum