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Don't look a gift-horse in the mouth

By Ilse Bulit

As our birthday or any other anniversary approaches, we often wonder: will we get any present?

There are people who, either subtly or openly, show their preferences and wishes without thinking twice about the actual possibilities of other people. They simply put them on the spot.

If we manage to keep our ability to be amazed as we grow, we will value the gesture rather the gift. A card accompanying it is as important as the present itself and usually says: "I love you", "we will never forget you" or "we all admire you".

Any of these messages is filled with valuable information. There are expensive and cheap presents that hide phrases like: "I had no other choice" or "we have to stand you here anyway".

The wisest thing to do in both cases is to grab hold of indirect messages. Appreciating the presents given to express true love and accepting the other ones while wondering why so much hatred or lack of understanding. We may well have something that needs to be amended.

Family members are fully aware of our preferences and needs; the decision to buy us a present will only depend on the amount of money they have available.

Those passionately in love should be very careful: the most beautiful presents given in exchange for erotic complacency are extremely harmful, just as are those used to pay for favors and decisions.

When good intentions prevail, however, presents are always seen as playing at guessing riddles.

What is really unforgivable is to forget a birthday or an anniversary. This leaves a terrible mark and makes anybody feel ignored, marginalized, excluded.

A hug, a kiss or just a "happy birthday" is more than enough to show affection. There is absolutely no need for a sophisticated pocket diary to write special dates down or a lot of money for this purpose.

A flower, a card, a few lines written on a piece of paper will certainly be appreciated. Any mother or father will always remember the first card scribbled by a child learning to read and write.

A comparative study

By Sara Más

Cuban and Mexican women face similar situations that have resulted from patriarchal culture and tradition.

The statement was made by Mexico's Olga Bustos and Cuba's Lourdes Fernández Rius at the 7th Iberian-American Congress on Science, Technology and Gender. The event was held on February 18-21, in Havana.

They have been working on a comparative study at the Mexican Autonomous University and the University of Havana.

They have interviewed several scholars aged 57 to 70 in both countries. Family life and historical roles assigned to women at home have posed an obstacle to their academic progress.

While they have met most of their professional aspirations, the cost involved has been higher for them than for men.

The study also showed that women are often affected by stress because they have to conciliate professional and family life.

They also have to work additional time, can not be with their families as long as they would like to and suffer from loneliness, guilt and exhaustion. A participant in the study confessed that she had fallen asleep on a bathroom carpet at a family house where she had been invited for dinner.

Mexican women scholars involved in the project come from rich families. Although both fathers and mothers are university graduates, most mothers have devoted themselves to the family after they got married.

"On the other hand, Cuban women academicians come from poor families and are the first university graduates at home", Fernández commented.

"The study also corroborated that women in the two countries are not fully aware of how much segregated and discriminated against they have been, because local culture legitimizes traditional behavioral standards", she added.

A Mexican participant said that women are taking positions that involve a lot of responsibility, but they are away from decision making.

"When my husband helps me at home, he thinks he is doing me a favor. There is no true cooperation or shared responsibility", another one remarked.

Both Cuban and Mexican women scholars have persevered until they have achieved their professional goals, have sought support for this purpose and plan to keep on studying and working rather than retiring.

Most Mexican women scholars involved in the study have got divorced after 20 years of marriage and have not married again. Their Cuban counterparts, however, have married on two or three occasions.

"Serial monogamy", as Fernández Rius put it, is very much present in the island. "Women here do not like to be alone", she concluded.

A meeting on violence

By Raquel Sierra

Latin American and Caribbean women scholars, jurists and writers met in the Cuban capital to discuss gender violence and its different forms of expression.

Sponsored by Casa de Las Américas, the meeting was held on January 18-22 and its theme was Violence and counter-violence in regional culture.Luisa Campuzano, director of the Women's Study Program at the cultural institution, highlighted the significance of the theme because violence has affected this continent since the colonizers arrived centuries ago.

Speaking to delegates from Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, Campuzano indicated that gender violence has been a characteristic feature of patriarchal societies. "Women have developed various instruments and forms of representation to face this scourge", she explained.

In her paper, Clotilde Proveyer, a professor at the University of Havana, revealed that the issue is now being exposed and considered a social problem.

The phenomenon knows no social standing or educational level and has resulted from gender inequality and women's subordination to men.

"Gender inequality here and elsewhere is at the core of any form of abuse against women", she added.

Teresa Fernández de Juan, a Cuban professor working at the Northern Border College in Tijuana (Mexico), dealt with music therapy for abused women.

She conducted a study over 14 abused women and represented their relationship with the victimizers through beatings of drum.

This therapy helped them overcome depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. As some of them continue to be abused, they are still being followed up by the specialist.

Fernández announced her plan to replicate the experience in the island, where domestic violence cases are now being recognized.

Martha Monzón, representative of the Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History, presented a paper on the impact of men's migration on indigenous families.

Wives are often abandoned and have to support their families on their own. Their husbands just go away and come back 25 years later, if they do.

Many women believe that they should not complain about it because their husbands leave the country to help them economically. "They usually live alone when their children get married", she said.

"Located in isolated areas, most indigenous communities are excluded from federal and state programs", she commented. Venezuelan lawyer Violeta Godoy submitted a paper on a 2007 law guaranteeing women's right to live in a violence-free society. This piece of legislation was like "a ray of light at the end of the tunnel", she emphasized.

Cuba's Ena Lucía Portela and Argentina's Marta Lynch discussed the approach to violence in Latin American and Caribbean literature.

Campuzano announced that the next meeting in 2009 will deal with women in urban areas and that of 2010, with women and the environment.

Television soap operas and daily life

By Dixie Edith

Social phenomena like male chauvinism, alcoholism and drug addiction are being portrayed by Cuban television soap operas today.

A mature woman getting back to the labor market despite her husband's opposition, a teenager making his debut in drug consumption and sale, and a group of young fire-fighters representing hegemonistic masculinity at its best are some of the stories shown every other day on Cubavisión TV channel.

"It was time for television to reflect everyday life", said Dayamí Morales, a 27-year-old lawyer living in Havana.

Representatives of the Cuban Television Drama Department told local reporters that the audience had often asked to take contemporary issues to the screen.

"I had not watched any soap opera on television for three years. I did not see the first part of The hidden face of the moon a year ago. I am following them now!", she added.

Broadcast in 2006, this production was popularly called the soap opera on AIDS because it featured five different stories of HIV-positive people. It was followed by a debate that is still going on about the relevance of showing "tough" social problems on television.

The hidden face of the moon sparked controversy on sexual diversity and intolerance toward homosexuals. After the production was over, an additional 22,000 people went for HIV tests.

The National STI/HIV/AIDS Prevention Center received 4,256 telephone calls through its Help Line and over 750 e-mails. A really high rating showed that the opera had not gone unnoticed.

Production director Rafael (Cheíto) González told local media representatives: "We should not wander off the point if we want to convey an effective message".

The opera was followed by a televised debate seeking to pave the way for future projects.

Right after Oh, Havana! soap opera ended, two discussion forums were held. One involved the general public and the other one was intended for experts who analyzed the script minutely. They highlighted the fact that the production had dealt with rarely tackled problems like family violence, male chauvinism, alcoholism, early sexual relations, pregnancy in teenagers, and sexual harassment at workplaces.

Julio César González Pagés, a History professor at the University of Havana and coordinator of the Iberian-American Network on Masculinity, indicated that the presence of this phenomenon in Cuba was very well approached.

"The production reflected a wide range of views, but focused mainly on hegemonistic masculinity positions adopted by rock musicians, athletes, radio commentators and even criminals", he stressed.

"It included different profiles and did not seek to present exceptional, but ordinary people", he added.

Not all critics, however, agreed with him. Journalist Rufo Caballero attacked those who participated in the debates after the production ended.

Every time a soap opera goes off the air, a dubious survey is conducted. Behind the sociological analysis there is evident support for television productions. "The message that is conveyed is more or less the following: notwithstanding what critics think, we made it", Caballero commented.

On the other hand, González Pagés indicated that local television is actually changing. It is dealing with complex issues. Many people do not like the idea of watching something on television that is very similar to real life. "They just want to get away from daily hardships", he added.

Unlike González, Caballero focuses on artistic quality rather than social impact.

There is no demand as to playwriting. There are poorly enunciated and/or told stories. "Directors have to do a real juggling act to keep everyone happy", Caballero commented.

But audiences, social scientists and critics agree on something: these audiovisual productions have sparked a controversy that had not been seen in the island for many years.

"These productions have been worthy of attention and have prompted audiences to express opinions, including insolent erudite and easy-going, witty people", Caballero emphasized.

According to experts, public debates over the media provide a valuable tool to identify and solve social problems.

Film, radio and television serve to portray a specific period of time. Although local soap operas are not educational by nature, they do help reflect on human relations in Cuba today

Sexual abuse: Revealing the most destructive secrets

By Sara Más / Photo: Dalia Acosta

A boy plays with a soft toy, but he barely raises his head and speaks in a very low voice.

In the same comfortable room, a specialist talks to him slowly and inspirationally. Initial tensions go away and the boy begins to answer his questions, revealing his secret: he tells him about everything a male friend and neighbor did to him on more than one occasion.

This is one of many interviews recorded at the Child and Adolescent Protection Center in Havana. Under the umbrella of the National Minors' Division at the Ministry of the Interior, this facility provides specialized care to sexually abused minors.

These exploratory tests are recorded to clarify events. Children are interviewed only once not to victimize them again, said Niurka Ronda, a forensic expert who is the Center's director.

The idea behind this procedure is to produce documentary evidence that is submitted to court so that abused children do not have to be physically present when cases are discussed.

"These children find it extremely difficult to communicate and are often absent-minded and anxious", stressed Grether Ortiz, a specialist working at the Center.

"Games, plays and pets help them dilute tensions and speak freely", she added.

Opened three years ago, the institution had not been visited by local and foreign media representatives until late January, when a Regional Conference on Child Protection was held in Havana. "The idea is to establish similar facilities in the eastern and central provinces of the country", she announced.

Thanks to the cooperation of UK's Child Protection Development Trust, the institution is equipped with state-of-the-art technology that makes it possible for experts, defense lawyers and attorneys to monitor interviews from an adjoining room.

"Interviews are very important, especially in lascivious-abuse cases. There is no evidence other than the child's testimony", Ronda indicated.

Sexual abuse has to do with forcing or persuading a boy or a girl to get involved in adult sexual relations, for which the child is unable to give informed consent.

The Cuban law defines it as any sexual contact between an adult and a sexually immature child for the purpose of seeking sexual gratification, involving the use of force, threat or deceit.

The Criminal Code includes these acts in its section entitled Sexual Crimes against Children and Youth. It establishes a number of distinctions, namely sexual aggression, abuse and harassment, and exhibitionism. It also covers other categories like sexual exploitation and corruption of minors.

Government officials indicated that 34 percent of these cases involve children aged six to 10, and 31 percent, children aged 11 to 13. Over 75 percent involve girls.

Sexual-abuse cases account for less than five percent of reported criminal actions. Around 90 percent of abusers are identified, prosecuted and condemned to four-30 years in prison. The death penalty is imposed under special circumstances.

Many cases, however, are never reported. Most children hide the abuse from parents and other relatives because they are threatened, fear that their families will not believe in them or just feel guilty.

People tend to associate sexual violence only with rape by unknown individuals, in isolated places, and away from the public eye.

Contrary to what many people believe, child sexual abuse occurs where boys and girls live and/or study, and usually involve people they know. This came from studies recently conducted in the island.

Cristóbal Martínez, head of the National Group on Child and Youth Psychiatry, highlighted the need to do prevention work and provide protection from potential abusers through affection, reciprocity and interaction.

"We should teach children to develop social skills and never use violence in conflict resolution", he stressed.

"The most important thing is to put an end to abuse. It if it is not reported, it will go on and on. Society tends to put the blame on the victim. Many people find it difficult to speak about these acts out of fear or loyalty", he added.

"We must trust and support children. We must also help them value their bodies because, when they are abused, they tend to feel that their bodies have no value", he explained.

"Listening to them is enough in some cases, but therapy is necessary when we deal with dysfunctional families", he concluded.

The Women's News Service from Latin America and the Caribbean, International News Agency, offers this weekly service. No reproduction without authorization. Any comment o suggestion please contact us: semlac@redsemlac.net