COSWL Cause

By Theresa Braine.WeNews correspondent.Tuesday, October 20, 2009

"To allow this to continue belittles the whole of humanity." That was the comment of one visitor at the U.N. opening of a touring photo exhibit about women who face gender violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

UNITED NATIONS (WOMENSENEWS)--Last summer, news in the United States
that Jaycee Dugard had been kept in captivity in Antioch, Calif., for 18 years and raped by her captor until her Aug. 28 rescue was widely
considered shocking.

But as an exhibit of 38 photographs here this month demonstrates,
women in the Democratic Republic of Congo have suffered similar
ordeals on a widespread basis during the 11-year-long, multi-party
conflict between government troops, rebels and bandits drawn to the
country's commercial mining opportunities.

The exhibit, "Congo: Women Portraits of War: The Democratic Republic of Congo," was co-produced by the Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media at Columbia College Chicago and Art Works Projects: Art and Design for Human Rights, a Chicago-based organization that addresses human rights issues through art and design. It was funded mainly by the United Nations Population Fund and Humanity United, a nongovernmental organization that provides grants to programs that aim to eliminate conflict and modern-day slavery by building community.

The exhibit showcases gender-based violence against women in the
Congo, with photos and essays that portray the women and illustrate
the context of their lives. Most of the shots were taken in clinics,
refugee camps and other facilities where those displaced in the war
have gone to seek help.
Rape: More Common Weapon of War

Thousands of women have been held as sex slaves and domestic workers
throughout the chaotic years of fighting. Still others were raped as
they simply went about their daily business--getting water for the
family, shopping in the market, walking home. More than in any other
place in the world, aids groups say, sexual violence is being used as a
weapon of war in the Congo.

The exhibit, in the north lobby of the U.N. visitor's area, has been
up since Oct. 1. It will move on to Yale University on Nov. 10,
finishing up at the Virginia Holocaust Museum at the end of April
2010.
"Congo/Women Portraits of War" Exhibit
Schedule:

United Nations, N.Y.: Oct. 1-Nov 2

Yale University, New Haven, Conn.: Nov. 10-Nov. 24

USAID, Washington, D.C.: Dec. 1-Dec. 12

Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Fla.: Approximately Jan.
2--;Feb. 21, 2010

United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland: March 3-March
26.

Virginia Holocaust Museum, Richmond, Va.: Approximately
April 1-;May 1.

The exhibit starts out by showing the context in which these women
live their lives. This stood in stark contrast to the comfortable
surroundings of the exhibit and the wine-and-cheese opening for
well-heeled visitors in mid-October.

"To allow this to continue belittles the whole of humanity," Paul Neville, a member of the Australian Parliament,in town on U.N. business, told Women's eNews at the exhibit opening."Action against this sort of violence and abuse should go beyond
the normal protocols. I knew of abuses in the Congo but this brings it
home graphically, in a one-on-one type situation where we're confronted with our own lack of engagement with these subjects. It's artistic in its dreadful message."

The exhibit collects the work of photographers Lynsey Addario, Marcus
Bleasdale, Ron Haviv and James Nachtwey, all award-winning journalists who have reported internationally for years.

Most Horrifying Experience

"It's the most horrific thing that you can experience,"
veteran photojournalist Bleasdale told Women's eNews, referring to the
women's ordeals. He said that in his more than 20 years of reporting and photographing abroad, the women's stories are the worst testimonies he had listened to. He, Haviv and Nachtwey photographed and interviewed the women during the course of their reporting for numerous media. Addario, a fellow with the ESB Institute, photographed the women in the Congo specifically for this project.

The exhibit includes multimedia elements, such as snippets from the
seven-part BBC documentary series, "Women on the Front
Line," which profiles gender violence worldwide and was first
broadcast in April 2008. There is also a haunting recording of
excerpts from women's accounts of their abuse, read by actress Cheryl Lynn Bruce.
Leslie Thomas, the exhibit's curator and co-director (along with
co-director and creative adviser Jane Saks) and a founder of Art Works
Projects, said the women's battles are unique. "Having a war fought inside you is not acceptable," she said.

"I will never stop advocating for these victims," United
Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the exhibit's opening,
which drew a few hundred people. "But let us remember: They are
not just victims. They are so much more than the rape they suffered or the ordeal they have overcome. They are mothers, sisters and friends. They should be part of the effort to rebuild their societies. They can lead great and productive lives."

Journalist Theresa Braine covers international issues from her base
in New York City.

Women are especially vulnerable regarding health care costs and coverage related to insurance as is reported in a number of reports. Perhaps this is why it has not received the attention it should get? See below the many ways women (and librarians?) are affected by this issue.

As the majority of librarians are women, this is a very important issue indeed for our membership. How well do libraries provide for insurance coverage? How affected are women librarians by inadequate or no health insurance? How does this compare to women as reported in studies below? How flexible are libraries in their health care policies? What solutions can ALA endorse and support for its members?

***************************************************************

Roadblocks to Health Care: Why the Current Health Care System DOES NOT Work for WOMEN -- http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/women/index.html
From Health Reform.gov

The current health insurance framework leaves too many women uncovered.

Twenty-one million women and girls went without health insurance in 2007, and another 14 million relied on coverage through the individual insurance market.3
Women are less likely to be employed full-time than men (52% versus 73%), making them less likely to be eligible for employer-based health benefits themselves. In fact, less than half of women have the option of obtaining employer-based coverage on their own.4

Even when they work for an employee that offers coverage, one in six is not eligible to take it, often because they are part-time workers. They end up either covered through a spouse (41%), purchasing insurance directly through the individual market (5%), on public programs (10%), or uninsured (38%).5

And even among women with the option to get health coverage through their employer, they are twice as likely as men to go on their spouse’s plan (15% versus 7%).6

This dynamic has several effects. Single women are twice as likely to be uninsured than married women (24% versus 12%).7

Married women in the 55 to 64 age group are particularly vulnerable to a discontinuity of coverage as their spouses go on Medicare. Among this age group, there is a drop in dependent employer-sponsored coverage from 39% to 34%.8

When employer-based coverage is not an option, some women turn to the individual insurance market. In the 55 to 64 age group, the decline in employer-based coverage is coupled with a rise in the purchase of individual insurance from 5% to 8%. This trend is not seen with

Women and Health Coverage: The Affordability Gap -- http://www.nwlc.org/pdf/NWLCCommonwealthHealthInsuranceIssueBrief2007.pdf
Elizabeth M. Patchias and Judy Waxman
National Women’s Law Center

ABSTRACT: Although men and women have some similar challenges with
regard to health insurance,women face unique barriers to becoming insured. More significantly, women have greater difficulty affording health care services even once they are insured. On average, women have lower incomes than men and therefore have greater difficulty paying premiums.Women also are less likely than men to have coverage through their own employer and more likely to obtain coverage through their spouses; are more likely than men to have higher out-of-pocket health care expenses; and use more health care services than men and consequently are in greater need of comprehensive coverage. Proposals for improving health policy need to address these disparities.

National Report Card on Women’s Health: Women and Health Insurance -- http://hrc.nwlc.org/Spotlight/Women-and-Health-Insurance.aspx
From the National Women’s Law Center and Oregon Health & Science University

Many U.S. Women Short on Health Insurance -- http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/11/Many-US-women-short-on-health-insurance/UPI-24901242014460/

WASHINGTON, May 10 [2009] (UPI) -- The overwhelming majority of U.S. women are either uninsured or underinsured for health costs and have medical debt problems, a report says.

The study, "Women at Risk: Why Many Women Are Forgoing Needed Health Care," also says 52 percent of working-age women say they have problems accessing needed healthcare because of cost, compared to 39 percent of men who said so.
The study "Women at Risk: Why Many Women Are Forgoing Needed Health Care," based on data from Commonwealth Fund's 2007 Biennial Health Insurance Survey.

Reference -- S. D. Rustgi, M. M. Doty, and S. R. Collins, Women at Risk: Why Many Women Are Foregoing Needed Health Care, The Commonwealth Fund, May 2009.

Kaiser Family Foundation Study: Women and Health Care: A National Profile -- http://www.kff.org/womenshealth/whp070705pkg.cfm

A new national survey of women on their health finds that a substantial percentage of women cannot afford to go to the doctor or get prescriptions filled. Although a majority of women are in good health and satisfied with their health care, many have health problems and do not get adequate levels of preventive care. The report also examines women’s health status, health care costs, insurance, access to care, prevention, and their role in family health care.

Tell Congress: Support equal pay for women.
(From CREDO - http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/support_ledbetter/?rc=homepage )

Last year, the Senate failed to get the 60 votes necessary to force an up-or-down vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would mandate that women receive equal pay for equal work. Now, with a new session of Congress in place, the House is ready to take up the fight again.

With President-elect Obama soon to take office, we now have a real chance to pass this legislation that could do so much for so many American women. There will be a battle in the Senate, and the best way to come out of the gate strong is for the bill to pass by an overwhelming majority in the House.

Lilly Ledbetter worked 19 years at Goodyear before she learned the men at her level were earning far more. Eventually she sued, and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court where five male justices ruled her claim invalid because she filed it more than 180 days after the date when the discrimination first started.

Lilly Ledbetter and women across the country are paid less for doing the exact same jobs as men. The only difference between men and women in the workplace is women bring home less money to take care of their families - and in an economy as shaky as ours, the last thing we need is to make life even more difficult for 50% of the American workforce.

Women across America are counting on Congress - let Congress know that you're watching to make sure they come through. Sign this petition to tell your member of Congress to support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. This is a first and crucial step in this year's battle for equal pay - a battle that, for the first
time, we might actually be able to win.

Poet Elizabeth Alexander will read at Obama inauguration on 20 January 2009.

Elizabeth Alexander is a poet, essayist, playwright, and teacher. She is the author of four books of poems, The Venus Hottentot, Body of Life, Antebellum Dream Book, and American Sublime, which was one of three finalists for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize. She is also a scholar of African-American literature and culture and recently published a collection of essays, The Black Interior.