Debt and gender equality: How debt-servicing conditions harm women in Africa
by Dinah Musindarwezo (Womankind Worldwide) and Tim Jones (Jubilee Debt Campaign UK)
Summary
Debt crises are increasing across the African continent, and debt-related policies continue to be designed with little or no regard for the realisation of human rights in general, and women’s rights in particular. To reduce the cost of public debt, we need to improve the international legal framework for the prevention and resolution of debt crises.
We need to reform the global financial system, ending the dominance of lenders in setting the rules, and leading to a reduction in the level of debt servicing demanded and the creation of favourable terms for borrowing and debt relief.