Access to knowledge is vital at any time. This is
especially evident in times of emergency where a lack of knowledge can be
disastrous, as graphically illustrated during the Asian tsunami of 2004
when meteorological services were aware of an impending disaster, but were
unable to find channels of communication to warn affected communities. Also
graphic in this instance was the gendered nature of the disaster – in Aceh,
up to 80%1 of those killed by the
tsunami were women. Reasons given for this range from the nature of women's
clothing, that women were more likely to be at home at the time of the
tsunami and that women were more likely to put the safety of their children
before their own safety.
This is not an isolated case. Natural disaster statistics
are rarely disaggregated by gender, although anecdotal evidence suggests
that women are disproportionately affected. In addition, analysts argue
that disasters occur by design and that the impact of natural disasters
shows a bias towards the socially excluded. According to Elaine Emerson:
“On balance, those
most socially excluded and economically insecure in any society or
community are least
able to access or control resources needed during and in the aftermath of a
damaging cyclone or
lengthy drought. Women, the frail elderly and children, members of
subordinated
cultural or racial groups, the chronically ill, undocumented residents, the
pre-disaster
homeless, and other
socially marginalized populations are least likely to have the social
power,
economic resources,
and physical capacities needed to anticipate, survive, and recover from the
effects of massive
floods, long-lasting drought, volcanic eruptions, and other extreme
environmental events.”2
This has led to aid and relief agencies such as Oxfam attempting to counter
previous gender-blind policies that worsened the impact of disasters on
women. The lack of gender disaggregated information on the impact of
natural disasters is a key problem in addressing the gendered nature of
their impacts.
This article will compare two very different situations,
that of a comparatively developed nation in the Middle East and a nation
that has been ravaged by over a decade of civil strife and war. Jordan in
the Middle East has one of the lowest internet penetration rates in the
region, but almost a fifth of people have internet access3. The GDP per capita, in
purchasing power parity of Jordan is over 10 times that of DRC4.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has an average life
expectancy of just 45 and internet penetration of under 2 percent. While
urban areas are relatively safe from conflict, over 2 million people have
been displaced in the Eastern part of the nation, and violence continues to
claim around 1,200 people per day, either directly in conflict, or
indirectly through deaths due to a lack of clean drinking water or other easily
avoidable health problems.
The similarities between Jordan and the DRC are few. But
in both societies the status of women remains low, when compared with other
countries in the region, and internationally. The Global Gender Gap Report 2006 ranked Jordan as 105th
out of 115 countries in terms of closing its gender gap in economic
participation and opportunities5. , while there are few
Jordanian women in leadership positions in either politics or business, the
number of Jordanian women enrolled in ICT courses has outstripped men,
since the mid-00s6. Nevertheless, and despite
the Government's key role in ICT policy, women make up less than a fifth of
the core ICT workforce.
One of the main problems women have in accessing knowledge
is directly related to poverty and illiteracy. In both countries, the
interviewees said the problem of access to knowledge in an emergency
situation is only part of a general problem of women's access to knowledge
– although women's literacy rates in Jordan are among the highest in a
highly literate region.
This is further worsened when it comes to issues of sexual
and reproductive health due to cultural taboos surrounding the discussion
of sexual violence – issues that are particularly crucial in DRC where sexual
violence is increasingly seen as an acceptable method of subduing one's
perceived cultural or racial enemies. In one month in 2008, 1,200 women
were reported to have been raped.
Literacy and education
The main problems facing women who need to access information
in an emergency situation are those they are faced with daily. Key among
these is low levels of literacy. While in the short-term, such as in a
natural disaster, word of mouth or radio are usually key providers of
information; in the aftermath a lack of literacy can severely hamper
women's ability to respond to situations or absorb new information quickly
and effectively.
This is related to women's access to education. In DRC,
there are few women who attend university, and it is seen as an impediment
to making a good marriage – educated men prefer wives with little
education, according to Lulu Mitshabu. There are few educated role models
for women to emulate, either in government or private enterprise, and if a
family has the choice between spending resources to educate a boy child or
a girl child, the boy child will receive preference. In conflict areas,
children of both sexes are faced with the problem of losing several years
education due to displacement, and there are few facilities to help those
in such a situation – the already over-stretched aid agencies are
concentrating on ensuring the short-term survival of the refugees.
Considering both the long-term nature of the conflict and that there are no
apparent solutions in sight, this problem is acute. Ms Mitshabu also says
that the impact of this on access to knowledge is disastrous – not only are
children unable to read or write, this also hampers their ability to assess
information, making them vulnerable to manipulation, particularly dangerous
in a conflict that is fuelled by racial tensions.
In contrast, women's access to education in Jordan is
comprehensive. There are more girls enrolled in primary school and
secondary school7. Yet, according to Daoud
Kuttab, this disguises regional (and generational) differences in literacy
and access to knowledge. And while Jordan has made vocal commitments to
ensuring that it is considered a prime destination for ICT investors,
particularly those looking at outsourcing operations, there was nothing
that specifically addressed gender inequities in ICT access until May 2007.
The new policy says “Government notes the importance of the ICT sector with
respect to women’s role in Jordanian society and the Jordanian economy.
Accordingly, Government will work with stakeholders to ensure the
continuous promotion of women’s participation in the IT sector through the
support of women’s empowerment.”8
This does not mention any specific commitment to not only
ensuring women have access to ICT education, but also that there are
appropriate job opportunities for them once they leave tertiary education.
Infrastucture
In both Jordan and DRC, a lack of infrastructure was seen
as a key impediment to the generalised lack of information dissemination.
In DRC, for example, in the earlier days of the conflict, one of the key
means of transmitting information was via community radio. Community radio
was key in informing people of possible attacks and in providing
information on rehabilitation after attacks.
In addition, the ability of people to receive radio
signals has been severely eroded. Many refugees have been forced to flee
their homes repeatedly. In many instances, a person with a radio may become
a hub for a community anxious to learn news.
Lulu Mitshabu says that community radio was particularly
important to women, as it was not only more interested in the concerns of
women than state-sponsored media, it gave women a chance to be heard on
radio. This was an effective means of empowering women, and helping women
leaders in the community to spread information. However, given the scarcity
both of transmitters and receivers, this is no longer an effective means of
transmitting information.
Even less effective is internet and computer technology –
even in the comparatively developed state of Jordan. In both countries, the
technology is confined to an urban elite. In DRC, single women may access
the internet through cafes, mainly to communicate with relatives overseas –
but even this is curtailed by their husbands once they are married. In both
countries, access to the internet in remote areas, and in DRC in the
conflict areas, is severely limited, both by the infrastructure and by the
levels of computer and internet literacy.
It is an area of policy development that has been lacking,
not just in Jordan but in the region. While Jordan both hosted the World Association of Community
Radio Broadcasters (AMARC)'s Ninth General Assembly and has approved
community radio licences within university campuses, AMARC has recommended
improving legislation to allow more community radio licences9. Daoud Kuttab says it is
the best way to help women take control of information, “A community radio
station in Jordan is the perfect communication tool that will provide
people of all ages and social backgrounds of vital information that they
need whether it be related to daily needs or farming needs.”
Credibility of information
In DRC, the ability to disseminate vital information
rapidly is also hampered by the skepticism of recipients of information.
Having been victims of conflict for over a decade, people will only believe
information from trusted sources, often those known to them personally such
as village chiefs. Women's subordinate position in society and their lack
of education can limit their effectiveness as providers of information,
reinforcing men in their position as gatekeepers of information.
This tendency for men to be gatekeepers is a situation
that has been worsened in the conflict years in DRC. This in turn means
that information that could save women's lives, such as simple information
on hygiene and health-care, is often not transmitted to the women who need
it, as men do not see the transmission of this information to women as
being important.
However, when educated women return to their villages,
they can play this role – but few choose to do so. According to Lulu
Mitshabu, this is partly because of the limited opportunities at the
village level and partly due to migration of educated women overseas, where
they are more likely to find educated marriage partners and greater
opportunities.
Effective Technology
Unfortunately, the experience in DRC seems to indicate
that all effective means of accessing knowledge are controlled by men. In
Ms Mitshabu's experience there are two major effective ways of
communication, that can help in disaster preparedness and recovery. The
first is mobile phone technology. The infrastructure for mobile phones is
difficult to target, and has been largely unaffected by the conflict. SMS
messages can be used to effectively disseminate information to a large
audience in a short period of time. Unfortunately, mobile phones are
largely the province of the men. There is no perceived need for women to
own a mobile phone, and even if they did, the low literacy rates make SMS
services largely useless.
The second way of effectively transmitting information is
through traditional leadership roles – chiefs spreading information on how
to deal with potential or existing threats. Once again, this largely
excludes women from a role in either disseminating or receiving
information. However, it is useful in ensuring that information transmitted
is perceived as credible. This is also a network that has proved resilient
in the face of conflict. It has the major downside of reinforcing existing
gender roles.
Ways forward
In Jordan, where the Government is behind an initiative to
put a computer in every home, emphasis needs to be given to making sure
relevant information is available and to improve women's computer literacy.
However, Daoud Kuttab emphasises that this is not enough. He says, “Women
need to take charge of the entire informational cycle that affects them
from the source of information to the platforms that are available in which
women are in editorial and senior managerial positions as well as ownership
in the case of community media.”
He also points out the need to undo the impact of the
filtering process of the male-dominated media and policy.
In DRC, Lulu Mitshabu says the need is to focus on
low-tech solutions to disseminating knowledge, such as using posters and
t-shirts. These need to be highly pictoral to ensure that they are
effective regardless of literacy rates. In terms of emergency information,
she stresses the need to set up parallel structures to mirror the informal
networks that exist among men, helping to cultivate leadership among women
and to encourage educated women to return to their communities to take up a
leadership role. The main problem in the DRC remains not just that aid is
provided in a gender-blind fashion, but also that there is not enough aid
to provide for the humanitarian disaster of the region.
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