Vatican representative reminds UN: rural women face special problems

March 06, 2012

Speaking to a UN session on the status of women in New York on March 6, a Vatican representatives called special attention to the needs of women living in rural communities.

Dianne Willman, an attaché at the Holy See Mission, said that women in rural areas “oftentimes work in deplorable situations against odds that defy imagination: long hours of unpaid work, unhygienic situations, poor nutrition, lack of access to water, limited access to healthcare, discrimination and exposure to violence, including against pregnant mothers.”

Because rural women are frequently caring for children, the Vatican representative went on, the difficulties that these women face can often have adverse consequences for their families, and thus for their societies. She reminded the UN of the need for government policies that strengthen families, because of “the central role of the family for integral development.”

 

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Further information:

• Statement by the Holy See Delegation (Holy See Mission)