Women, unfortunately, have been very discriminated against, even in this century. Women are so cruelly thought of that now, women see nothing wrong with mental and physical cruelty towards them. Since the status of women in Africa, is so low, it has caused many men to overpower women...physically. More and more women are being beaten and thinking that it is okay because the women think men are superior to them. A frightening fact is th

Women are taught in their tribes and cultures that it is all right for men to mistreat them. This is not helping women realize that they don't have to be treated the way they are. Tribal women are brought up thinking it's okay for them to be men's slaves. Once an African woman said "I came to the conclusion that part of our problems with men...is that we were brought up to see out lives incomplete without them. We were taught to consider man as our superiors, the absolute rulers not only of our home but of our lives too." Geli said "Customs and tradition told us it was normal for men to lie and abuse to cheat and domineer..." Geli's mom was abused by her husband as well as her Grandmother was abused and so was she. Geli grew up think it wasn't wrong for men to hit women. She Grew up thinking it was all right for her husband to hit her. It wasn't till American groups came and told her what her husband did was illegal, after that, she left him "Women were told we were duty-bound, to remain steadfast and faithful; to our husband no matter what they did do to us or how undeserving of our affections they were" If women keep growing up thinking that it is right for men to overpower then women will never be equal to men.

For many many years, generations of girls would and will give up their education for their brother because he getting an education is more important than her getting one. Lindy Mieza once said, "If you look at our country, it is the women who are the first to dropped at school to give places to their brothers." Girls in Africa get a second class education. Many girls have dropped out of school because they were raped and need to take care of their babies that have no fathers. "I once went to school, but then I was raped and had a baby." A fourteen year old girl told a reporter. Women should be able to go to school just like men but, "Only the wealthiest girls are able to obtain an education." , There are 52 million boys who do not go to primary school. But their are 77 million girls who don't go to school where one learns the two most important things, reading and writing. Because women are that last ones in schools and the first ones out, obviously they are the ones who can't read. If one took out nine hundred illiterate people, women would out number men two to one. In Africa, 68.3% of the women can not read. If women aren't educated then they won't get jobs and will have no way for a secure future.

The S.O.F.A.W. is going to set up meetings with counties all over Africa. In our meetings we will try to coax the government to change laws so men and women are equal. Then we would help them enforce the laws. If the laws are equal then the women will soon be equal.

Poverty is a problem because most children who grow up in poverty, die there. They don't necessary get shot or killed, they end up not being able to climb out poverty and get a decent job, especially women. Women in Africa are forced to be prostitutes because they need to support their family. When women do this they end up having a bigger family. Women live in poverty in a disproportionate number. "My mother lived and died in poverty and so did her mom, one day I will too because I have no food or money." "Why have women become so much poorer? There is no one reason. In countries like Kenya and India, cut backs resulting from the International Monetary Fund's and Structural adjustment policies (SAP's) have affected women most because they are the main recipients of education and health." There are more women than men in poverty. Out of the 4.3 million displaced 80% of them are women. In a study carried out over 20 years the number of rural women in poverty has increased by 50% reaching an awesome 565 million. "Poverty has influenced women's lives more than any factor over the last decade." If women are in poverty they will not be able to help fight to gain their rights.

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Approximate Word count = 2967
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)