Rethinking Gender Equality: A Fresh Look from the Global South

The fight for gender equality in the Global South is complex. It's not just about giving women and girls equal rights. It's about understanding how current efforts might be doing more harm than good. Many programs focus on fitting into existing systems. These systems are often unfair and oppressive. They reinforce racism, capitalism, and patriarchy. This can make things worse for women and girls instead of helping them. A group of researchers looked at 17 programs. These programs were run by international NGOs. They found some big problems. First, these programs often ignore local knowledge. They value Western ideas more than those from the Global South.Second, they blame culture for violence. This is not helpful. It does not address the real issues. Third, they label work as liberating. But this ignores poverty and exploitation. Fourth, they talk about human rights in a way that fits Western ideas. This is not always relevant or helpful. The researchers suggest a new approach. They call for a decolonial feminist perspective. This means looking at the colonial influences in these programs. It means valuing local knowledge and addressing real issues. Without this, programs will not be effective. They might even do more harm than good.