Posted Monday 28 May 2007
The Mothers’ Union has a new increasingly effective weapon in its armoury, writes Margaret Sherwood of the Glasgow & Galloway Mothers Union.
Through work in social policy, the Mother’s Union (MU) can identify problems affecting people and work to create positive changes for families in society.
Society is based on relationships, but politics is an area where the well being of society is created. Experience of the work and balanced views of MU has encouraged political bodies, at the UN, in national governments and in the Scottish Parliament, to seek consultations from MU on a huge variety of issues, during their formulation of new laws.
Recently MU has contributed to the Pensions Bill, the ongoing Cohabitation Bill, to redressing the gender pay gap and launched a Flexible Families Campaign to fit care round children.
High in the list of priorities in the MU Social Policy is the empowerment of women. Activity here is expressed at the moment in three areas: literacy in the third world, discrimination against women, trafficking and slavery.
Across the world, women and girls have less access to nutrition, physical and health care and education; and enjoy fewer rights, fewer opportunities and fewer benefits than men and boys. Yet when women are able to read, their farmland is more productive, there is more money, more food and children are educated too. Empowerment of women is of supreme importance.
In March 2007 MU was at the UN discussing discrimination and violence against girls. The elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child is crucial. Such discrimination lies at the heart of greater vulnerability to violence. It reinforces gender hierarchies throughout life and even in this country. Trafficking and slavery of both men and women is related to this theme.
When is a child working willingly a benefit to his family and when is it slavery? Many work for their families in terrible conditions as bonded workers.
From Asia and Eastern Europe, children and young women fall prey to deceptions of criminals, who traffic them to affluent countries as sex prisoners. All these cases result from the depressing reality of desperate poverty being at the root of slavery and trafficking. The demand for cheap services, for sex, the vulnerability of the victims and the poverty from which they come drives this worldwide criminal business.
On the 8 September at 2pm, members of MU and all denominations of Glasgow churches will meet in George Square, Glasgow, to raise awareness of slavery and trafficking to a wider audience. Come join us in an afternoon ‘Celebrating Freedom in Christ’. Please do help us to raise everyone’s awareness and promote conditions in society for stable family life in a better world.
Category: Mother's Union
