EMPOWERMENT OF SUGGESTED MARGINALIZED SECTOR OF SOCIETY IN THE MALDIVES

AS PREPARED BY: LEONARD AMATTEY

PROJECT LEADER: DR. BERTHA MO

Platform For Intervention

For the purposes of this document, the term "marginalized people" is meant to include the following two groups:  substance abusers and women in the Maldives.

Marginalized peoples are often victims of their environments.  For example, drug addiction in the Maldives is often the result of a lack of employment and other opportunities.  Since it is not always possible or effective (for cultural and other reasons) to physically remove people from destructive environments, it makes sense to improve the environment for the marginalized group where possible.  This would include:

1.  Identifying the suspect environmental factor(s).

2.  Ascertaining the feasibility of a sustainable removal of the victim from the suspect environment.

3.  Treating the victim’s lifestyle.

This would necessarily involve collaborating with the authorities who have some control over the environmental factors of interest.  Collaboration with the local authorities may include:

1.  Confirmation of the problem.

2.  Historical documentation on intervention agenda, if there are any.

3.  Assessment of the impact of the intervention measures.

A collaboration initiative would need to be directed towards the marginalized groups.   This would include:

1.  Their own opinions on the causes leading to their marginalization disposition, if they admit the
existence of a problem.

2.  Their own evaluation of the available treatments from the intervention measures.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is to understand the cultures of the above problems. 

DRUG ADDICTION PROBLEM INTERVENTION: The following model of intervention is being proposed.

1.  Appoint a project leader.

2.  Consult with local authorities as directed by our local partners to understand the scope and culture of the problem.

3.  Interview marginalized people to learn whether they believe they have a problem.

4.  Determine if current intervention measures exist/are effective.

THE INTERVENTION STRATEGY: Assuming the above preliminary measures of intervention suggest that there is a problem and our intervention is required, what treatment can we provide which has not yet been tested by past and current measures of intervention?  How long will the treatment take, and what is the estimated cost?

PROPOSED TREATMENT:  Canadian and American Medical Associations have concluded that drug addiction is a disease.  Therefore, providing drug addiction clinics is the simple, medical solution to the problem.   However, if the substance abuser is in denial about the existence of the problem, treatment is almost impossible.

Even when there is a cooperation between the victims and the administrators of the intervening measures, there may be other problems of concern.  For example, if the substance abuser's problems are induced by marital or employment problems, a different type of solution maybe required, such as referrals to professional marriage and employment counselors.

INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE: In the recent years there has been a dramatic increase in the awareness of drug addiction world-wide.  No country is immune to the destruction associated with drug addiction. 

Many countries, especially developed nations, have developed national programs for prevention and treatment of drug addiction illnesses.  There are full-time, self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA).  These groups receive funding from governments and other private organizations.

It is important to note that drug addiction affects the family, friends, co-workers, and employers of the victims.  It also affects health costs and government transfer payments.

Evidence suggests that self-help groups have a tremendous impact.

TAILORING INTERVENTION FOR THE MALDIVES:  Understanding the above framework is necessary in order to propose solutions to the problem of drug addiction in the Maldives.   Therefore, this should be the pivot upon which the project leader would model his/her intervention measures.

EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN : The empowerment of marginalized women appears to be a less complex problem compared to the empowerment of substance abusers because the former are motivated to improve their lives whereas the latter may not even acknowledge that a problem exists.

The marginalization of women is the result of traditional myth and cultural norms which believed in superiority of men over women.  In the Maldives, it is associated with factors such as

1.  Gender
2.  Employment
3.  Politics
4.  Religion
5.  Family Planning
6.  Cultural beliefs

SUPPORT FOR GENDER EQUALITY:  In recent years, many countries have made significant improvements with respect to gender equality, thanks to United Nations' proclamations legitimizing gender equality.  However, unless they are linked to specific actions, pronouncements and proclamations cannot change myth and cultural beliefs.  Therefore, our mandate is to collaborate with local authorities and agree on specific actions to empower women to have equal access to post-secondary education.

To do so we must first understand the education profile of the female population.   It is estimated that 53% of the Maldives population is female.  In 1999, Ministry of Education statistics suggested that a total of 101,081 students were enrolled in the country’s pre-primary, primary and secondary schools. Of this number, 49,687 are female and 51,294 are male.

These numbers indicate that the Maldives government has successfully implemented its education policy by which all children are given equal opportunity to primary and secondary education regardless of gender.  The policy also makes enrollment in school compulsory.  At this level, the question of marginalization of women in education does not arise.

WOMEN ACCESS TO post-secondary EDUCATION:  The opportunity for women to access post-secondary education in the Maldives is not as good as that for men. There are a number of reasons for this.

1.  Family responsibilities: The acceptable marriage age for female in the Maldives is low.  As a result, marriage breakdowns are high.  When marital breakdowns occur, the female inherits the responsibility of caring for the children. This ties the female to intensive domestic activities reducing her chances for post-secondary education.

2.  Lack of funding:  Taking care of the children at home often prevents women from accepting high paying jobs. As a result it is difficult for women to afford post-secondary education.

3.  Unequal educational facilities.  The population of the Maldives is divided into administrative sectors called ATOLLS. The quality of educational facilities on the mainland is high, but quality of the facilities on many of the islands (ATOLLS) is comparatively low.  In some cases, they are not available at all.  Approximately 80% of the female population requiring education lives on the islands.

4.  Cultural/Familial expectations:  Many parents are reluctant to allow their female children to migrate from the islands to mainland Malé.  The protectionist tendencies exhibited by parents on their female children exacerbate the problem.   Religious obligations and other cultural beliefs may also contribute to the problem of inequality of gender post-secondary education opportunities.

In order to improve post-secondary education opportunities for women, the above constraints must be addressed.  These constraints can be categorized as "external" and "internal" constraints.

EXTERNALLY INDUCED:  Constraints one through three in group one are considered to be externally induced.

This group is more likely to support the intervention measures being proposed to empower them to exit from the marginalized sector of society. This group may not therefore require any special program to convince them of the benefits associated with the intervention measures.

INTERNALLY INDUCED: Constraints four and five in group two fall into this class.

This group may not believe in the necessity of the empowerment measures. As a result, they may require special programs to convince them of the benefits associated with the empowerment measures.

The empowerment programs must be tailored to address specific cultural peculiarities of the constraints to permit members of this group to exit from the marginalized sector of society.

EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMS: In our modern society, the lack of economic, educational, and political power marginalizes people.  Education that provides social and employment benefits to these people will empower them.  Our focus in proposing empowerment programs will therefore involve

1.  Providing a supportive learning environment which will enable programs for marginalized women to be offered at a lower fee. 

2.  Providing fee reductions for women on low income (especially single parents) in consultation with the Maldives Ministry of Education.  Women in the marginalized sector of society should not be denied access to special programs if they are willing and able to go to school.

3.  Designing a customized program of training that considers the recipients’ mobility opportunities to the delivery sites of programs and training.

4.  Offering courses that lead to local employment and location-free, electronic business opportunities (such as E-commerce).

IMPLEMENTATION OF PROPOSAL: The project leader’s immediate task is to review the above platform of intervention and fulfill the following obligations.

1.  Determine the feasibility and functionality of the proposed platform, and suggest an alternative platform or modification to the proposed platform if necessary.

2.  Determine what other general treatment options may be necessary independent of the treatment options discussed in the platform for the drug addiction victims.

3.  Create a program to help convince marginalized people of the need for intervention where necessary.

4.  Decide what intervention measures are most suitable for helping marginalized women.

5.  Develop a program to convince marginalized women of the benefits of empowerment programs.

It is our policy to make an attempt to reach those who need our intervention measures the most. As a result, our minimum standard intervention measures will include:

1.  Computer literacy training, at least beyond the level of functionality for all members of the marginalized sector.

2.  Internet literacy training, leading to e-commerce job opportunities.

The above intervention measures should open home-based employment opportunities for those who, as a result of family and other domestic obligations, cannot accept jobs outside their homes.