Niger

(The World Factbook, April 25 2011)
The location of Niger within Africa

Hello again! I've decided to take a look at Niger today, another country that I really don't know much about. I'm realizing that's a trend with me, I never seem to know anything about the countries I examine. I think that's a good thing though, this way I learn more instead of simply reiterating information about countries I already know lots on. So yes, as I said my topic today will be Niger.

Niger is a land locked country in Africa, surrounding it is Algeria, Libya, Mali, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Nigeria (Google Maps, 2011). I'm going to quickly run through some background information on the Niger government, and then take a look at the newly elected President and Prime Minister, along with my regular information on education and gender equality. Buckle up, I feel like this will be another long post.

A small village in Niger
(AmericanDiplomacy.org, Aug 8 2005)

In 1960 Niger became independent from France (1960! That's not very long ago) and until 1991 citizens of Niger experienced single party and military rule. In other words, an unfair government. From 1991 to 2010 there were a series of military coups which led to a suspension of the constitution and the cabinet being dissolved. Clearly there has not been a stable government for quite a while (The World Factbook, April 25 2011). Just recently Niger elected a new President and Prime Minister, Mahamadou Issoufou and Brigi Rafini. The Prime Minister was appointed by the President and will share some executive responsibilities with him (News24, April 21 2011). I was happy to see the word "elected" when I was doing my research, as this means that the citizens of Niger were able to vote for their leader(s) instead of simply being appointed one. After more research I found that when a President is elected he or she is elected for a five year term, and is then eligible for a second term (The World Factbook, April 25 2011). I was also thrilled to see that there are six women in the new Presidents government. I wasn't actually expecting to see any women in the government. I know I shouldn't make assumptions like that, however, in many of the underdeveloped nations I've been introduced to through school and this blog it is not common to see women in government positions. Non the less it's wonderful! I hope that this government will be stable, as Niger needs to get back on its feet after so much instability.

A problem I can foresee for the new President and Prime Minister is the fact that Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, and they do not have much money to fund their government (The World Factbook, April 25 2011).

There is a lot more that I need to learn about their government, but in the interest of getting all three topics covered I'll be moving on to their education system now. Instead of simply telling you how Niger's education system is structured like I usually do, I'm going to focus on the improvements Niger has been able to make in the past few years. In 1999 84% of the adults in Niger were illiterate, and 64% lived in poverty. However thanks to the government and donors through the World Bank Group Niger's education system has greatly improved. In 2001the enrollment rates in school was a mere 37 percent, but in 2002 it rose to 42 percent. Another amazing figure is that the number of girls going to school rose from three percent to 33 percent. I think that is really, for lack of a better word, awesome (The World Bank Group, 2011). Niger still has a long way to go though, for the Sub-Saharan average for school enrollment is 78 percent, while Niger's is only 42 percent (The World Bank Group, 2011).  Still, in these situations, when a country is so poor and lacking in resources it's really important to focus on the good instead of the bad.

While I was doing my research on gender equality in Niger I came across some really disturbing information, sadly though, it didn't really surprise me. I have yet to come across an underdeveloped nation that treats women with a high degree of respect and equality. Hopefully I find one soon enough! What I found is that marriage is certainly not in the woman's best interest. The Civil Code sets the minimum marriage age at 15, which I understand, because families need more children to produce more hands for labour. Thus marrying at a young age will give the family a chance to have more children. But I also find it completely unfair for such young girls to be getting married. Just think, here in Canada girls that age are arguing over who they like better, Edward or Jacob. Yet in Niger they're getting married? That's not right. Many women in Niger are often in a polygamous marriage, as Islam allows polygamy and 80 percent of the people in Niger practice Islam. Women are also not well protected under the law, and violence against women is unfortunately very common. Women who are abused can report this to an official court, but they usually don't for fear of being stigmatised or being abused further by their husbands. Furthermore, women often aren't aware that they can report abuse. Female slavery is also common in Niger, which is just so sad, something really needs to be done. I'm hoping that with six women the government they will be able to enforce the laws that concern violence against women to a higher degree (Social Institutions and Gender Index, 2011).

I would really suggest that those of you reading this take the time to read more about Niger, as there is really a lot of information that I wasn't able to cover in this short post. By now I can see a trend within underdeveloped nations, the government had some instability (or a lot of instability), the education system really needs some work and many people are illiterate. However it seems that the enrollment rate is rising in some countries, like Niger. Also, there is not a high degree of gender equality, which is something that really bothers me. I think once I finish this project I'll look into some organizations that support gender equality. Then again, why wait? I should start looking into these organizations right away; the women and girls in these countries need a voice, and it is my sincerest wish that they soon get one.