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Suriname

Considered a Caribbean country, Suriname is actually located in South America. A former Dutch colony, Suriname declared itself an independent republic in 1975 and in 1991 democratically elected its first president. Its population of 493,000 is multiethnic and multicultural; however, 70 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Legally, women in Suriname have equal access to education, employment, and property, yet traditional social customs often prevent women from taking full advantage of their rights. Sex trafficking is a significant problem for Suriname, which further compromises women's rights and status.

With its many ethnicities and cultural influences, some Suriname cultures are matrifocal, while others are patriarchal. In some areas, custom has families marrying off their daughters at age 15, which prevents the girl from finishing her education. While a free education is open to all, girls who live in the cities have a much greater chance of going to school. About 85 percent of urban children attend school, but only 50 percent of rural children have the opportunity.

Discrimination and Violence against Women

In the workforce, women experience wage and employment discrimination. Women earn less than men for the same jobs, and 60 percent of women work in traditionally feminine jobs, such as administrative and secretarial work. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as the National Women's Movement and Women's Business Group have tried to help women develop their own businesses to further women's economic opportunities.

Violence and sexual abuse is a major issue for women. There are no domestic violence laws. The NGO Stop Violence Against Women reports that violence against women is a common problem, and the organization is working to develop networks with police and local communities to address the needs of the victims and arrest the perpetrators. A 2003 Trafficking in Persons Report explained that sex trafficking goes largely ignored by the government, which makes Suriname a popular destination for sex traffickers. Both Suriname women and migrant women are victims of the sex trade. Poverty forces families to sell their children into the trade, or send them to work in the cities, where they are promised a real job but are kidnapped and forced into prostitution.

Suriname's Foreign Affairs Minister Lygia Kraag-Keteldijk (right) is welcomed by her Brazilian counterpart Celso Amorim.

None
  • Suriname
  • violence against women
Monica D.FitzgeraldSaint Mary's College of California
http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412995962.n816
See Also:

Further Readings

Mohammed, P. and C.Shepherd, eds. “Gender in Caribbean Development.” Papers presented at the Inaugural Seminar of the University of the West Indies Women and Development Studies Project. Kingston, Jamaica: University Press of the West Indies, 2002.
Momsen, JWomen and Change in the Caribbean. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993.
Sedoc-Dahlberg, B., ed. The Dutch Caribbean: Prospects for Democracy. London: Gordon and Breach, 1990.
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