Sub Saharan African Women

 by Devin Deane

Sub Saharan Africa is home to some the richest natural resource deposits, but it baffling how many of these nations suffer through extreme poverty.  Liberia, Nigeria and Democratic Republic of the Congo all lacked a stable corruption free form of government for all long time. This period of instability these nations experience stunted a nation’s growth and hurt its people.

    In all these countries agriculture is the largest labor force and it is mostly made up of women. The problem with this is when the economy is hit hardest; people of rural areas are effected first and the most. This explains why 70 percent or more of the population is below the poverty. Since women experience severe poverty most can’t receive a formal education, only 2 percent or less of the GDP goes towards education that is only enough to provide free primary school. Due to the lack of funding of public education only about 60percent or less of the female population in these countries are literate.

    Other dilemma women of Sub Saharan Africa face is act of violence against women.  In Liberia there has been a backlash to women empowerment in the area. There is an obvious rise in rapes and sexual assaults. The tragic fact is the most vulnerable females are targeted, 50 percents of rapes and sexual assault victims are under the age of 15. In Democratic Republic of the Congo women face the threat of various armed groups that raid towns and subject women to rape, abuse and mutilation.

    The United Nations has keep Sub Saharan Africa on the radar, one the pressing issue that they have address is the armed groups in Democratic Republic of the Congo. The U.N has called for swift neutralization of the Rwandan FDLR that terrorize the people the Congo and the Great Lake region.