The Gender Impacts of Debt and the IFIs

Gender Action will hold this education session on gender, debt and the IFIs as part of Jubilee USA's National Lobby Day for debt cancellation. At the event we will discuss how the often illegitimate and unpayable debt burden of poor countries disproportionately falls on women and girls. Indebted governments are forced to prioritize payments to rich country creditors over spending on essential services such as healthcare, education and clean water. Women and girls must make up for the shortfall, for example, by quitting their jobs to care for sick family members when public health services are reduced. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund require indebted countries to implement painful reforms such as water privatization. When water becomes unaffordable, women's time spent collecting water increases. Another common IFI reform requires poor countries to impose user fees for basic services such as education. Girls are the first to be taken out of school when fees are imposed. We will also highlight debt relief successes, such as how Kenya and Uganda abolished user fees for primary school after receiving partial debt relief, which led to an immediate increase in girls' enrollment!
RSVP to Mercedes Mack at Mercedes@jubileeusa.org or call +1-202-543-0692.