SCEME - Social Change through Education in the Middle East

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The Princess that Tweets for Saudi Women: In this week’s Newsweek

You can read the whole article here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/30/princess-tweets-for-saudi-women-ameerah-al-taweel.html

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SCEME on Your Middle East

Check our the full article on http://www.yourmiddleeast.com/columns/article/the-women-left-behind_2259

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NOT MY LIFE: a film about Human Trafficking

The following was passed onto SCEME from a memeber of the International Bar Association and relates to a new film, entitled NOT MY LIFE, that portrays issues of human trafficking all over the globe.

“A film about slavery in our time. A story about the way the world is.

Not My Life is the first documentary film to depict the horrifying and dangerous practices of human trafficking and modern slavery on a global scale.

Filmed on five continents over a period of four years, Not My Life unflinchingly, but with enormous dignity and compassion, depicts the unspeakable practices of a multi-billion dollar global industry whose profits, as the film’s narration says, “are built on the backs and in the beds of our planet’s youth.”

While acknowledging that trafficking and slavery are universal crimes, affecting millions of human beings all over the world, Not My Life zeroes in on the fact that the vast majority of trafficking and slavery victims are indeed children. This fundamental truth, says the film’s director, Oscar® nominee Robert Bilheimer, raises profound questions about the very nature of our civilization. “What kind of society cannibalizes its own children?” Bilheimer asks. “Can we do these sorts of things on such a large scale and still call ourselves human in any meaningful sense of the term?”

Not My Life features dignified and inspiring testimony from survivors; depictions of trafficking, exploitation, and slavery in all parts of the world including forced labor in Africa; street begging and garbage picking in India; sexual trafficking in the United States and Southeast Asia; and various forms of child enslavement and abuse in both North and South America.”

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Middle East Designers shine as Dubai Fashion Week begins

Yesterday saw the start of Dubai Fashion Week (DFW), the most renowned celebration of fashion in the Middle East. The show has grown in popularity over the years and is now considered a fashion event of global importance. “DFW has enabled me to set a strong foothold across the Middle East market. It has provided me with a platform to showcase my brand and bring my outfits and designs to the luxury discerning Emirati women,” explained designer, Etka Singh in an interview to the Khaleej Times.

There are now over 100 fashion weeks across the globe and DFW dominates the Middle East, allowing for local designers to display their work on an international platform. “Overseas, fashion weeks often highlight regional talent and build the local economy,” reported the Wall Street Journal.

What is great about Dubai Fashion Week is that it is so widely international. Its models come from all over the world, from London to Algeria and its designers are equally as global.

DFW is an amazing way of celebrating the design talent coming out of the Middle East today and it is great to see that this year’s line-up includes so many women designers. The SCEME girls can’t wait to see what new designs DFW has to offer.

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ANTI-SLAVERY DAY

Today marks Anti-Slavery Day, a time when various communities throughout the world unite in order to remember those who died in the slave trade as well as raise awareness for the many people who still suffer at the brutal hands of modern-day slavery.

In addition to this, it is also EU Anti-Trafficking Day and yesterday an event was held in Austria in order to discuss the best ways to tackle global trafficking. Austria has made recent developments in the fight against human-trafficking worldwide, and the event that was organized by the Austrian government, acted as a platform from which people could voice their concerns. Government representatives were eager to discuss better ways that the victims of trafficking could be protected whilst coming up with more harsh punishments for traffickers themselves.

Emily Jupp of the Independent reported the sentiments of General William Lacy, Director of the International Organization for Migration who said: “For too long the belief has been that human trafficking can only be tackled in source countries…human trafficking is driven by the demand for unreasonably cheap labor and goods across the world, including in the UK.” He was eager to highlight that no country is free from Human-Trafficking; it is a global problem that needs to be addressed immediately.

This coming November, SCEME will release a report that shows the findings of our investigation into trafficking in the Arab world. We hope that today, people will spare a thought for those who continue to be victims of modern day slavery and feel that creating an active dialogue around this subject is vital if we are to fight against it.

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Inspiring Libyan Women demand a place in the future of their country

Women in Libya are refusing to take a back seat in the re-building of their country and are demanding full inclusion into the rebuilding process.

Libyan women have been at the forefront of protests across the Arab world and though they “may not have been visible on the streets with guns… they have played an equally important role, displaying courage and strength that has been invaluable to the success of the country’s revolution” said Farah Abushwesha in her article of Women’s News Network.

Francisco Leong/AFP

It was through various Facebook, Twitter and YouTube campaigns, that women could join the protests from their own homes. They also aided the revolution through providing medical care to injured opposition fighters and food to frontline protestors.

Women have always played a vital role in peace-building and social justice groups in the country are calling for an active participation in any future talks that relate to the re-building of their society. Women’s News Network reported that women in Libya are calling for “aid to be ring fenced to support women’s rights; financial aid to be accessible to civil society and grassroots initiatives set up by women, for women; and negotiations and meetings on the future of Libya to be inclusive of all tribes and regional representatives, which should include sufficient numbers of women.”

The main group behind this movement is Women for Libya, founded by Sara Maziq, who believes that women must be included on all levels and need to be given positions of power in any new constitution.

It is wonderful to see the courage and determination of these women and we hope that they obtain their rightful place in Libya’s future and developments.

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Women in the Arab World take the Lead in Haute Couture

It seems that now more than ever, Arab women are at the forefront of high fashion. From designers, to buyers, Arab women from across the Middle East have an in-depth relationship with high fashion that is only getting stronger.

As recently reported in The Telegraph, Arab women, especially those from the Gulf, are the driving force behind the high fashion market. And these women are not willing to settle for anything, they are looking for unique and vibrant pieces that will make them stand out from the crowd whilst being respectful of their traditions.

What is even more exciting is that Arab women are becoming some of the best known designers in the world. For example, Hanna Touma’s ornate and vibrant wedding gowns have placed her at the forefront of the design world. Reem Acra has similarly made an impact, the Lebanese designer has taken America by storm and now has stores across the world.

At SCEME, we believe that fashion can undoubtedly empower women and we want to hear your stories, so if you have a favourite Middle Eastern designer, tell us about her and what you like the most about her designs! You can Tweet us on @SCEME_MENA

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Women take the lead in the Nobel Peace Prize

The SCEME team was overjoyed by the annoucnements of this year’s Nobel Prize Winners. They are amazing and brave women who have overcome huge challenges to promote values of peace and equality. In particular, we would like to give a shout-out to Tawakul Karman – who helped raise the voices of Arab women across the world.

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David Cameron to Push for the Rights of Arab Women

British Prime Minister, David Cameron has confirmed that during his upcoming appearance at the U.N General Assembly in New York, he will stress the vital need for the development and implementation of women’s rights across the Arab world.

UK Prime Minister, David Cameron

A statement that came from No.10 Downing Street on Wednesday morning, showed the PM’s forthright attitude to the cause – “Let’s be honest, it’s not just the men of the region who want a job and a voice – the unemployment rate for Egyptian women is more than three times that for men.”

His statement went on to acknowledge the significant and crucial role that women played during uprisings in Egypt, “look at the crowds in Freedom Square and we see it’s the women too finding their voices, showing clearly that they want to play a part in building their future.”

Cameron stressed the important need for women to have a more valuable role in society “In this historic period, when the voice of this region is finally being heard, there is now a unique opportunity for women to fulfill their ambitions too.”

The PM also emphasized that it is absolutely impossible to develop “strong and open societies” without the inclusion of women.

At a time, when women across the Arab world are being pushed out of new constitutions, SCEME welcomes the sentiments of the Prime Minister and hopes that his words materialize into something more substantial on the ground.

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Breaking the Taboos of Breast Cancer

Rima Dandachi, Head of the May Jallad Foundation with SCEME’S Jessica Sarhan

At present, breast cancer is the leading cancer among women in Lebanon and constitutes 21% of all cancer cases. However, despite relentless awareness campaigns taking place throughout Lebanon and the Arab world, there still exists a culture of shame surrounding breast cancer, especially in rural communities. Rima Dandachi, President of the May Jallad Foundation, explained that this stigma is part of a difficult cultural mentality; “People just don’t talk about it. They used to call it The C Disease or The Other Disease, they couldn’t even mention it.” Nancy G. Brinker, founder and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure urged that whilst the U.S faced a culture of shame and silence regarding breast cancer thirty years ago, “this problem is still a very grave and intricate one in the Middle East.”On asking breast-cancer patients if they would be confortable speaking about their experience, many declined, insisting that they did not want their neighbors to know of their illness. One woman refused to speak publically as she had not yet told her mother that she had breast cancer.

If detected at the early stages, breast cancer survival rates are as high as 98%, however, vast numbers of women continue to live in fear of admission of their illness anddo not seek help until the later stages of the disease when it becomes fatal. Princess Ghida Talal of Jordan, an advocate of breast cancer awareness in the Arab World, explained that women are failing to open up about their disease for “fear of being ostracized by their society and even sometimes their own families. They decide instead to avoid or delay diagnosis or treatment with the inevitably tragic consequences for the woman and her entire family”.

On asked why she feels this taboo exists, Anne Frangie, President of Faire Face, a Lebanese organization that sets out to raise awareness and funds towards breast cancer, explained that; “There is a fear of mastectomy. Women feel that there will be no future for them without breasts. I think women in Lebanon and the Arab world are especially afraid that if they lose their breasts, maybe their husbands will not want them or will divorce them. And for young women, it is the fear that they will never get married.” Tragically, Dandachi concurred, stating that divorce is incredibly common amongst couples where the woman is a breast cancer sufferer.

In addition to cultural stigma, women continue to be reluctant to get treatment due to the severe financial burden that comes with breast cancer. The costs of cancer treatment, which can go on for years, are staggering. “It is an expensive disease, with an expensive and long treatment. Even in remission, you still have to take your medicine. It’s a big burden, emotionally and financially,” urges Dandachi.

Whilst the Ministry of Health does cover up to 85% of treatment costs, patients are expected to pay the remaining 10-15%, which can still be thousands of dollars, leaving women from impoverished backgrounds unable to fund themselves through their illness. “There are so many associations and NGO’s here in Lebanon, that work towards prevention and awareness but nobody is really working for those who already have the disease” explains Dandachi, “I have seen so many families forced to sell their cars and they take their children out of school – the way people are pushed into poverty by paying for cancer-treatment is unacceptable.” This is why the May Jallad foundation is committed to helping with the costs of treatment and work closely with the Makassed Hospital to ensure that patients get the care they need.

There remains the issue of myths surrounding mammograms. In 2006 it was reported that 71% of women over the age of 35 in Lebanon have never had a mammogram despite the recommended bi-annual check-up for all women over 40. Women remain under the false impression that mammograms are painful and many are simply in denial – scared to know the reality of whether they have the disease or not.“Though most women recognize the importance of early breast cancer detection, the vast majority are still reluctant to get a mammogram for various reasons including fear or difficulties in accessing a center” explained Dr. Salim Adib, a leading epidemiologist andmanager of public health at the Health Authority in Abu Dhabi.

However, despite these setbacks movements are being made towards breaking taboos and the death rate from breast cancer in women has been gradually decreasing since 1990. “This mentality is changing,” insists Dandachi. “It’s changing because people are accepting the facts and becoming more open about breast cancer.”

Faire Face prides itself on its Mobile Mammogramprogram. Organized by the Lion’s club and funded by Faire Face, this program allows a vehicle, containing all the necessary equipment to conduct a mammogram, to travel around rural parts of Lebanon and provide women with free-check-ups and almost immediate results. It has proved incredibly popular, with women from the most remote communities eager to make use of its facilities. In addition to this, Faire Face is continually organizing conferences and visits to medical centers where oncologists are committed to showing women the benefits of early detection and break the myths surrounding mammograms.

“The results are more and more encouraging,” explains Frangie, “because of television, the internet and the campaign, a dialogue is being created about breast cancer. Women who have breast cancer are now talking about their experiences and how important early detection is. So things are changing.”

In October, The Ministry of Health will commence a three month program that will provide half price mammograms in private hospitals and free ones in governmental hospitals throughout Lebanon. Hopefully with movements such as these, Lebanon and the Arab world can strive towards a society where breast cancer is free from any social stigma.

You can check out the Faire Face Website: http://www.fairefacecancer.org.lb/ And the May Jallad Foundation: http://mayjalladfoundation.com/