Striving for equality in developing countries

Research shows that the treatment of women as a subservient class that has little or no rights feeds poverty, domestic violence, the spread of HIV/AIDS and environmental damage in developing countries.

A full-day symposium, Saturday, February 10, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the SFU Harbour Centre campus, will explore that premise. Three graduate students from SFU will be among more than 100 participants and speakers presenting their research on gender inequality in developing countries. BC Council for International Cooperation is sponsoring the symposium.

Sherri Brown, a political science doctoral candidate, will talk about how sexuality, domestic violence, discrimination, education and poverty of women in Ghana, Kenya and Uganda are linked to HIV transmission. She'll also discuss how these factors are impacting sub-Saharan African women's ability to live with AIDS.

Ana Maria Bustamante, a master's student in Latin American Studies, will look at how displacement, as a result of civil war, and gender inequality are making Columbian women and minors vulnerable to HIV transmission.

Master of public policy student Jennifer Hove will look at the relationship between gender, access to energy and poverty globally. She will also discuss barriers to girls' secondary school participation in rural Bangladesh.