Celebrate the lives of women who created other lives. Celebrate the lives of women who welcomed lives generated by other wombs. Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate the gift of life: this is the spirit of this day!
For both cases, love needs to be a decision and not a mere feeling. Love in the form of daily delivery for the creation and development of another human being.
Therefore, real motherhood does not correspond to an idealized, romanticized experience. In motherhood there is beauty, contemplation and fulfillment, yes, but there are also countless challenges, questions, uncertainties and fears.
However, in addition to the psychological and physiological challenges faced by mothers, there are several social challenges that enhance their vulnerability. Challenges that, unfortunately, are imposed by an unjust, unequal society that segregates, expels and kills.
On this special day we celebrate the lives of all mothers and remember those who are in a situation of social vulnerability; of abandonment, scarcity, in the midst of wars and in search of refuge.
IN BRAZIL
A brief timeline on the rights of pregnant women in Brazil, in addition to some sad realities faced by thousands of Brazilian mothers:
1943 – The right to maternity leave was regulated in Brazil, through the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT), initially entitled to 84 days.
1988 – With the creation of the Brazilian Constitution, women began to have guaranteed job stability before and shortly after pregnancy, in addition to having the period of maternity leave extended from 84 to 120 days.
1970 – In 1978, 26% of children under 5 years old and 32% of children under 1 year old died.
1995 to 2015 – The number of Brazilian households led by women increased from 23% to 40%. In these families, only 34% have a spouse.
2015 – Women had an average of 1.72 children and 6 years of schooling. Among the poorest, a large drop in the fertility rate was observed between 2001 and 2015.
2020 – For every thousand 15-19 year old Brazilian girls, 53 of them become mothers. Worldwide, the average is 41 girls out of a thousand. While in Latin America, 62 girls out of every thousand become young mothers.
Reference: Constitution of the Federative Republic of Brazil of 1988, Report Mães Reais/6510, UNFPA
IN SYRIA
After 11 years of war, Syria has more than 13 million people who have fled the country or are internally displaced.
The vast majority of these people sought refuge in neighboring countries, around 5.7 million people, in which the majority live in poverty.
The prospects are dire for the most vulnerable, such as single mothers, children living without care and people with disabilities. The situation is particularly difficult in Lebanon, where more than 90% of Syrians live in extreme poverty, along with a growing number of people from the communities that host them.
Children are dropping out of school to work. Early marriages are on the rise, especially among the poorest families. Improvements in access to education and health care are at risk of being lost*.
In addition to those who are internally displaced within the country, around 14.6 million people are in need of humanitarian and other assistance.
Since 2016, more than 2,000 people have come from Syria to take refuge in Brazil. Up until 2018, Syria occupied the first position of nationalities of refugees on national soil. However, since 2019, Venezuela has occupied the first place, leaving Syria in second place.
*excerpt from article Eleven years later, Syria remains the world’s biggest forced displacement crisis, UNHCR: March 2022
Reference: UNHCR, ACNUR
IN VENEZUELA
It is estimated that almost 3 million nationals of Venezuela have been displaced since 2014 due to the economic crisis in the country.
Brazil is home to the fifth largest population of displaced Venezuelans in Latin America. Today, about 300,000 are on national soil, but almost 700,000 have already passed through Brazil – from January 2017 to December 2021.
According to the Joint Analysis of the Needs of Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela in Brazil*, organized by the R4V Platform, 51% of this population is women and 26% of the family groups are composed of 1 pregnant and/or breastfeeding woman. In addition to 38% of the total number of people surveyed being children and adolescents.
*The survey included 800 respondents, who are in different Brazilian states.
Reference: UNHCR, R4V Platform, OIM
IN AFGHANISTAN
With the resumption of the Taliban in Afghanistan, around 3.4 million Afghans are displaced due to the conflict in the country.
An estimated 68% of Afghan women refugees in Pakistan and Iran fled with their children or other dependents, without the presence of adult men.
Reference: UNHCR, UN Women, Women Count
IN UKRAINE
Since Russia’s military attack on Ukraine in February 2022, nearly 5.7 million Ukrainians have taken refuge in other countries. Women and girls represent 90% of all those displaced by the war, while more than half correspond only to children and adolescents.
Reference: UNHCR, Unicef, UN Women
