Abolish user fees?
The girl-child and government service provision
Government service provision continues to discriminates against the girl child
Authors:
L. Gray; Z. Kimambo; H. Ear-Dupuy; A. Whaites; World Vision: Cambodia; World Vision: Tanzania; World Vision: Costa Rica; WVI
Publisher:
World Vision International Resources on Child Rights, 2004
This report uses three case studies to highlight the problems facing girls in relation to key social services, education and health, despite significant progress in terms of both provision and access. The report is divided into three country case studies, Cambodia, Tanzania, and Costa Rica, and an analysis of the World Development Report in relation to girl-child service provision.
The papers show that despite improved school enrolment there continues to be a considerably larger drop-out rate for girls than boys, girls have few opportunities for play and sports during their school day, and girls are encouraged to adopt a low level of expectation in all areas related to services. They are often disempowered in relation to their normal daily encounters with service-provision providers, and are also psychologically disempowered in terms of their aspirations.
The reports suggest that recognition must also be given to the wider social and economic problems that have a disproportionate impact on girls. For example, the impact of user fees on the attitude of families towards health provision and their ability to utilise those services.
The evaluation of the 2004 World Development Report finds that although the World Bank discusses the importance of changing power relations between service providers and their customers, it fails to outline mechanisms that might empower the poor in relation to providers and transform the situation of those who are most comprehensively disempowered.
The main recommendations of this report, aimed at national policy makers and international institutions such as the World Bank, include:
- aggressively pursuing public education and awareness programmes that promote the opportunities that are available for girls in learning and careers, and instituting national plans to overcome the low expectations of girls in relation to services
- promoting the principle that families should seek to enable all siblings to make the most of their educational opportunities by achieving the division of household tasks that gives the fairest chance to all
- encouraging governments to undertake consistent and intentional inclusion of children’s participation, including girls’ participation, in all new social-sector programmes and initiatives.
