On March 9th, 2013 the Bolivian government passed a comprehensive law to give the power to charge perpetrators of violence against women. The law allows crimes to be charged with up to 30 years in prison, when formally only a few days and community service discouraged violence. This law will give much more leverage for the law enforcement officers and non-profit employers that Ms. Kathy Johnson visited, one of the chapter’s invited speakers (Sanchez, 2013). The importance of law in the safety and health of women has been apparent in the discrimination of assembly and harvesting jobs, particularly in east Asian countries (Rana, 2009). Law passed for reproductive rights is another example of women gaining control in a sphere previously dominated by men (Woliver, 2009).
In 2012 Ms. Kathy Johnson visited Bolivian not-for-profit organizations that are dedicated to sheltering, protecting, and empowering women in La Paz and Cochabamba. Furthermore she hosted workshops for these professionals and law enforcement officers. One observation made by Ms. Johnson, which is particularly relevant to the other post, is that Bolivian law enforcement generally attributes infidelity as the root-cause of domestic violence. This observation exposes the difference in culture and gender. It is therefore very important for project teams, regardless of country, to analyze differences in culture and gender roles so that the effective implementation of projects. Hopefully the law passed will become effective very soon and will decrease gender discrimination and resultantly increase the overall quality of life. If you would like to get involved with InterAct of Wake, please visit: InteractOfWake.org/volunteer
Works Cited
Rana, S., (2009). Fulfilling Technology’s Promise: Enforcing the Rights of Women Caught in the Global High-Tech Underclass. In M. Wyer, M. Barbercheck, D. Giesman, H Orun Ozturk, & Marta Wayne (Ed.), Women, Science, and Technology (pp.50-56). New York, NY: Routledge.
Sanchez, M. (Reporter). (2013, April 24). Bolivia’s women protected by new abuse law. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com
Woliver, L. (2009). Reproductive TEchnologies, Surrogacy Arrangements, and the Politics of Motherhood. In M. Wyer, M. Barbercheck, D. Giesman, H Orun Ozturk, & Marta Wayne (Ed.), Women, Science, and Technology (pp.50-56). New York, NY: Routledge.