Introduction
Pervasive gender inequality limits women’s rights, choices and opportunities within the household, workplace and broader community and leaves women at risk of exploitation that reinforces and thrives off the structural inequalities which make them vulnerable. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the major contributors to inequality and adopt strategies to mitigate their risks. Women living in developing countries face disproportionate challenges to equal participation in their communities, labour forces and economies. Multiple factors contribute to this disparity, with the most significant being poverty, unsafe migration, gender-based violence and discrimination and a lack of access to education. Despite these issues being pervasive in many developing communities, mitigation strategies exist which can help to breaking down gender inequality and empowering women to recognise and avoid exploitative situations.
Poverty
Poverty is a major risk factor to exploitation and a lack of access to decent work to support their families forces women into risky employment in unregulated or informal settings. This means that during times of financial hardship, women are vulnerable to forced marriage, trafficking or bonded labour, and in many areas women are less likely to hold formal identification, access higher education or receive formal skills training. Even within the workplace, women are paid less than men and are subject to harassment and abuse. While programs offering skills training to women can be beneficial, these often focus on domestic skills such as sewing, jewellery making or cosmetic services, which can steer women into low-paid work and exacerbate existing stereotypes and pay gaps. Moreover, initiatives that help women start small businesses can also be counterintuitive.This can increase vulnerability to economic shocks and fail to provide the necessary stability and security of regular paid employment. Therefore, frontline initiatives should actively challenge existing stereotypes regarding ‘female’ work, while market research into local labour needs can benefit the efficacy of skills training to better position women for sustainable employment. Furthermore, government services must help women obtain formal documentation while ensuring women receive adequate access to financial services and equal wages in the workplace.
Unsafe Migration
A further contributor to inequality is vulnerability to unsafe migration, as refugees can be unable to gain nationality or work permits and are therefore forced to enter unregulated and often exploitative labour situations. Women migrating abroad for domestic labour are often cut off from support or assistance, with their passports confiscated and no access to phones or other modes of communication. Cultural gender norms, discrimination and limited access to education cause women to be more likely to pursue unsafe migration. Those who return home often face social stigma and a lack of targeted support, increasing their risk of re-exploitation and preventing them from obtaining legitimate employment. In response, governments must take responsibility for protection through laws enabling safe migration and agreements between origin and host countries. Governments should also ensure that legal channels of migration are affordable and accessible, therefore discouraging irregularities. Moreover, women should receive adequate education regarding financial literacy and the risks of migration in order to better inform their choices.
Domestic Violence and Abuse
Violence and abuse in a domestic context is a form of executing control over another person and therefore is inherently linked with exploitation. Violence against women and girls is often ignored, tolerated or even enabled by families and communities, which leads to a cultural acceptance of exploitation such as domestic servitude, sex work or forced marriage. Girls in domestic work are particularly at risk, with employers often seen as ‘benefactors,’ with domestic work seen as a positive work environment for children, especially girls, in which case it can be viewed as ‘training’ for adulthood and marriage. To prevent the cycle of abuse, women and girls should have access to specialist services to deal with trauma and overall health, while initiatives to raise awareness within at-risk groups and communities is crucial to educating girls about their rights and normal and respectful relationships. Awareness-raising initiatives can benefit from engaging survivors to speak to women. Those with firsthand experience can appear more trustworthy while hearing from peers with similar shared experiences can emphasise the importance of knowledge and awareness. Further initiatives can promote sexual and reproductive rights while teaching girls self-protection skills and attitudes can be crucial to preventing or mitigating abuse. Furthermore, governments must be pressured to implement and enforce regulatory frameworks to address violence, with frontline intervention accompanied by multi-sectoral support for women suffering from exploitative situations.
Lack of Access to Education
The final key risk factor contributing to inequality is a lack of access to education, with girls who drop out of school facing higher rates of abuse and trafficking. Dropout rates can also reinforce cultural perceptions of women as uneducated, while a lack of education also limits individuals’ job prospects. Trends show that when parents in developing countries can’t afford to send all of their children to school, they prioritise boys, further increasing girls’ risks of child marriage or forced labour. Adequate education can substantially lower the risk of abuse and exploitation by increasing girls’ confidence and self-worth, while knowledge and formal qualifications can help secure better jobs and a more stable income. Skills training can also provide girls with routes out of continued exploitation or re-trafficking by empowering them to pursue their ambitions. Equality of education is crucial, with schools able to educate girls to recognise and avoid exploitative situations while also providing multi-faceted support such as physical and mental health services and the provision of sanitary and hygiene materials. Furthermore, education on gender and sexuality-based upon the promotion of equal rights for all and progressive conceptions of gender can be vital to empowering girls to pursue their ambitions and avoid exploitative labour.
Conclusion
Understanding the factors contributing to inequality and how these can lead to exploitation is a crucial first step to helping ensure girls’ safety. However, it is necessary to use this knowledge to develop mitigation strategies applicable in a real-world context and can help break down the barriers girls face and pursue equality. These strategies take time to implement, but with increased awareness and support, cultural norms can shift, and policies can be enforced more quickly and effectively.
