MUSLIM HATE IN GUINEA-BISSAU
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau has had a troublesome history starting with liberation war against Portuguese colonial powers, turning into civil war and various oppressive and cleptocratic dictatorships. After a military coup d'état a rupturing but short civil war was ended only by a Senegalese intervention in 1998. Since that, a democratically elected government is working on rebuilding the country, but instability remains. Poverty is widespread. Violence and discrimination against women are problems. Female genital mutilation is widely practiced. Each women in Guinea-Bissau averagely gives birth to 5.27 children (2000 est.)
Social
data
Life expectancy:
Total population:
49.04 years; male: 46.77 years; female: 51.37 years (2000 est.)
Infant mortality: 112.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Literacy rate: Total population: 53.9%; male: 67.1%; female: 40.7% (1997
est.)
Medical services: 64% of the population have access to medical services.
(5.555 persons per doctor)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female;
15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female; total
population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Religious data: Muslim 37%, traditional African religions 51.3%, Christian
11.7%
Family
and tradition
Infibulation, the most extreme and dangerous form of female
genital mutilation (FGM), is practiced by members of Fula ethnic groups,
particularly those in rural areas. Due to tradition, women are responsible for
most of the work in these areas. Among certain ethnic groups, women cannot own
or manage land or inherit property. Wife beating is an accepted mean of settling
domestic disputes.
Gender
sensitivity in society
The Constitution and law prohibit discrimination on the basis of
sex, race, and religion. However, in practice, the Government does not enforce
these provisions effectively. Discrimination against women persists, although
officially it is prohibited by law. Women are responsible for most work on
subsistence farms and have limited access to education, especially in rural
areas. Women do not have equal access to employment. Among certain ethnic
groups, women cannot own or manage land or inherit property.
Health
data
Access to potable water:
43%
Medical services: 64% of the population have access to medival services.
( 5.555 persons per doctor)
Maternal mortality rate: 910/100.000
Infant mortality: 112,25 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM): FGM is widely practiced within certain
ethnic groups, especially the Fulas and the Mandinkas. The practice is
increasing as the population becomes more Muslim, and is being performed not
only on adolescent girls, but also on babies as young as 4 months old. Female
genital mutilation (FGM), which is widely condemned by international health
experts as damaging to both physical and psychological health, is widely
practiced within certain ethnic groups. The Government has not outlawed the
practice. However, it has formed a national committee, which is conducting a
nationwide education campaign to discourage it. International NGO's, including
the Swedish group Radda Barnen and Plan International, as well as several
domestic NGO's, such as Friends of Children and Sinim Mira Nasseque, are working
through the national committee to eliminate FGM. The efforts of both domestic
and international groups, largely suspended after the outbreak of fighting in
June 1998, resumed in many parts of the country in February.
Violence
against women
Physical violence, including wife beating, is an accepted means
of settling domestic disputes. Although police intervene in domestic disputes if
requested, the Government has not undertaken specific measures to counter social
pressure against reporting domestic violence, rape, incest, and other
mistreatment of women.
Main sources: U.S. Department of State, CIA, UN, Mundo negro