The Advantages of Micro-credit Lending Programs and the Human Capabilities Approach for Women’s Poverty

Reduction and Increased Human Rights in Bangladesh- An example of Contextual Feminism

Dr. Kazi Abdur RoufSocial Economy CentreUniversity of Toronto

Paper presented

Interdisciplinary Graduate Symposium 2012

Global Education: Towards New FrontiersFriday, May 4, 2012

Concordia University

Montreal, Canada.

Problems/Lack of Human Capability Services• Human capability services: education, health and skills development

services are not generated

• Money lenders exploitations

• Lack of access to financial services especially access to credit • • No income generating programs for rural women

• Gender inequality: Inequality in family space and community space

• Lack of equality in family/kinship resources

• Inequity in wages

Problems/Lack of Human Capability Services

• Forced marriage, dowry marriages and teen marriages • Women trafficking

• Depend on male partners income

• Violence against women

• Affects the basic human rights of these women

Consequences• Poor women suffer most in poverty , which s increasing• Depend on others to survive• Patriarchal domination through culture, norms, values, customs,

traditions and religion.• Lack of physical, social security and diversity; no social safety net• Lack of physical mobility, economic, cultural and social mobility • Living in miserable and unhygienic conditions• Suffering from injustice and exploitations• Resulting inequality of women human rights

External factors•Post-colonization effect•Globalization•Free market economy•Structural adjustment•Legal laws and systems: court, police and other judicial agencies•Religious fundamentalists customs •Weak civil society•Lack of good governance •Patriarchy

Factors effecting women human rights

Factors effecting women human rights

Internal factors

Gender inequality in family values• No decision making power• Subordination of male members of the family• No self-actualization

• Islamic sharia law•Religious family laws

•Customary heritage laws• No land property rights• Patrimonial customs• Dowry

Factors effecting women human rights, continue-2

Internal factorsPurdah•Discouraged them from working outside of the home•Discourage their physical mobility outside of home, visit markets and other public places•Traditional family values•Gender preferences•Stereotyping mindset• Isolated from community networking

Western Feminism• Western women human rights are about women’s equality in their

family space and public space with males

• Inequity in wages

• Fight for against patriarchy for their equality rights for votes and for equity in the workplace

• Consciousness raising Strategy

• Women sit together and discuss their daily life violence experiences

• Gender socially constructed

Western Feminism -2

• Gender discrimination

• Mainly focus on dismantling of patriarchy

• Share sufferings stories in groups regarding unequal status, voices and choices in the society compare to males

• Share their sufferings from male torturing, battering, sexual abuse and

male subordination.

Bangladesh Feminism Perspective

• Bangladesh 75% rural women human rights sufferings are about fulfilling their survival needs and dowry

• Fulfilling basic need services: food, shelter, clothing, education, health and safety

• Focus on massive human rights adult extension education

• Poverty reduction

Example of Contextual Feminism in Bangladesh • Collateral free group based micro credit scheme for disadvantaged women

• GB Sixteen Decisions: inclusion of socio-economic & environmental education

• Women form mini-cooperatives

• Creates opportunities for these women to earn themselves, educate themselves and overcome poverty

• Makes a platform for these neighborhoods women

• Husband and wife, bothers/sisters, mother and father together involved in income generating activities and solve the family problems

• Act for fulfilling their family members basic needs, and for their economic and social liberation

• Become economic actors, community actors, social/civic actors in the family and in the community

Comparison Western Feminism vs Contextual Feminism

• Consciousness raising strategy vs local dialogue process

• Story telling vs group-based mini-cooperative (a platform creation)

• White middle and upper class western women vs target marginalized women

• Women individual development vs family focus development

• Dismantling patriarchy vs holistic development

Alternative approaches

•WIB approaches•WAD approaches•GAD approaches •EAD approaches •CAD approaches

Conclusion: Comparison of Western Feminism and Contextual Feminism

• Women liberation strategies should not be uniform for all women

• Western feminism and Bangladesh women human rights development strategies are different

• It needs to be contextual, place and time specific and

• Act on situation and community perspective

Suggestions•Facilitate link between women micro borrowers with other community development agencies/women advocacy programs in Bangladesh

•Form taskforce committee at the National, District and Sub-district level •Women socio-economic development program through

• Department of Women Affairs, • Palli Karma Shahauk Foundation (PKSF) • Credit Development Forum (CDF)• Taskforce action programs through different organizations

•Direct legal actions violence against rural women in Bangladesh•Law enforcement at the village level•Post-follow up of the consequences of the legal actions• Set up victims centers at the District and Up-zilla (sub-district) levels

Questions/Suggestions

Thank You