Sexism in 3rd World Africa: Shouldn’t we do something?

If there is one area which I feel needs the most intervention on the behalf of the feminist community, I feel that it would be the sexism in the impoverished, developing nations in Africa. Although it is not often listed among the plights suffered by this region, sexism is widespread and often extreme. While this is not at all to say that the issues of poverty, corruption, and racial tension are overblown, (they are quite the opposite) we should still have enough compassion left in our hearts to pay attention to the Ethiopian woman who has to climb up a mountain just to fetch water just so that the men have something to make an alcoholic beverage from, or the young girls kidnapped by the LRA insurgency and forced to serve as sex slaves to the soldiers.

Currently, this section of the world already has heavy intervention from other organizations to deal with the other problems. The UN has its peacekeepers there, and the conservationist groups have also thrown their lot in as well. Doctors Without Borders and the Red Cross have been established for a while. But there is one group that does not seem to be present to a large extent is the women’s rights movement.

While there is little that I as an individual can do to fufill my little rant (Oh, the hypocrisy) I do feel that perhaps more women’s rights organizations should set up camp in Africa. Surely, its presence could cause no harm to the other causes. In fact, as each cause indirectly helps the other causes, I am quite sure that the feminist organizations would be welcomed by the other NGOs. After all, human rights, feminism, and poverty often intersect.