To live in Algeria
Aicha Bouabaci
1988 marked the end of a uniform and dull period and announced turbulences which were meant by Algerians to result in a democratic life, helping them to forget the misery and the errors of a inacceptable regime. They did'nt dream of the violence of this gestation who does worry, but without killing totally the hope. This hope lies under all tears, all suffering and it manifests itself with all forms of resistence.
Today in Algeria, besides passivity of a part of the population besides clans who profitate of a very confuse situation to enforce their own privileges and gather more wealth, men and women struggle to avoid that Algeria falls into chaos. And more woman than men. And more in silence than in a loud outcry. Woman refuse to war the Hidjab, women pursue their profession despite being menaced, women do the prohibited gestures for their pleasure of saying No to the integrist's DIKTAT: those who normally were not wearing lipstick go out with a read line on their lips. Color and symbolic gesture. Just to tell that they are here, visible and shining, against the dullness of the past, against the injustifiable inferiority of their status as woman and citiziens. Against all political of the worst, against their systematic exclusion of the public life, an exclusion which began in the first years after independance, although the women's partecipation in the liberation war was far from being negligible, as I have described in a previous study.
They wanted to reduce women to procreation. And women have procreated without interruption... and this descendence has assembled by thousands in the streets of Algiers on 5 of Octobers 1988 to shout its indignation. Years ago, demographs had announced this explosion.
In 1897, 7 years after the french conquest, Algeria had 3.8 millions inhabitants, In 1965, 3 years after independance, there where 11.923 millions. In 1995 the population is estimated to 28 millions. It has to be reminded that this population is confined in the North of the territory which represents 5 times France.
The population more than doubled since independance. It could reach 40 millions in 2005, if the present rythm of birthrate, 1 birth every 40 seconds is maintained.
One has to note that the official previsions of the national Institute of Statistics (ONS) and of United Nations have been passed. The first institution announced 32.83 millions and the second in 1985, 35 millions for the year 2005.
Three quarters of the population are youngsters under 30 years. This is a highly explosive situation. The youngsters under 15 represent 44% of the total number. It is the highest rate in the Maghreb.
Why such a high natality?
The first explanation makes reference to the natalist reflex: Human losses during Liberation War are estimated to 18 the population. At Indipendance, there were 34 birth for 1000 inhabitants. In 1988, 788.749 birth for 118.069 death. The increase rate for the same year is of 27.30 for 1000. This rapresents a marked regression compared to the year 1981 where the increase was of 31.60 for 1000 inhabitants. This regression is due to the efforts undertaken in the framework of a policy of family planning worked out in 1966, but concretized much later.
Women and children, first victims of a slow degradation of health standards
The first campaign for the programm of a spacing births was launched in 1983. In 1984 two stru-ctures are provided inside two ministeries (Social protection and Public Health), in order to apply this program. It is respectively the Direction of Health Education and Prevention and the Direction of Family.
This program is taken in account in the National Program of action against Children mortality in 1986. These actions are reinforced in 1988 by the instalation of a National Comittee for The Family Protection, charged of the coordination, of the animation and of the evaluation of measures undertaken in order to regulate the demographic increase.
The Direction of the Family is placed in 1989 under the stewardship of the Health Ministry. Following year, this structure is reduced to Under-direction integrated to the Direction of Prevention. In 1993, a Secretariate of State is created for National Solidarity, attached to the Chief of the Government. Three women took successively its direction, probabily a concession to show that women were not discriminated.
The activities of the Under-secretaries can be followed on TV: visits to Elderly Institutions, to Abandoned Children, to the Handicapped - the victims of terrorism...Those visits show the interest brought to the problems of the family a family mistreated by a unacceptable but still valid family code...Family heads assassinated, mother of fathers, entire families killed orphans in very great numbers. What has been done for a effective and just fa-mily policy? What coherence is to be found when the change of the persons responsible of such a politic in an Algeria where the wind of integrism is blowing so strongly?
We must remind ourselves that the action of the institutions in charge of family planning has not always been facilitated by the religious authorities, even before the creation of the Islamic Salut Front (FIS) and of islamic parties. It was always necessary to obtain the prealable advise of those religious institutions. In 1982, a Fatwa has been pronunced on contraception by the Islamic Superior Council. By this Fatwa, Islam autorizes the birth control but not their limitation. The methods preconized to control thr birth are referring to natural methods like the prolonged lactation, preventing a new pregnancy. Although this Fawa has been pronunced, the Imams in the moskhighlight the reproductives role of the muslin woman, leged status of womes which is reinforced due to the number of her children. It must not be forgotten that in everydays life until this day, a sterile woman or a woman with few children is not well considered. One kows what awaits women who did "not now" how to fulfill this role of procreation : divorce of acceptation of a new spouse.
We will also not forget the situation of women who give life only to girls : repeated pregnancies until the arrival of a male heir. The predominance in families of boys over girls is still alive.
We must note that ths statute confered to the spacement of birth in the health service has favoured in a distinct way the accessibility of those services : health centers of family planning: 745 in 1984 they are 1400 in 1986, 1872 in 1987 and in 1955 in may 1988. 30 % of those centers implant sterilets. There exists one center for 2970 women in childbearing age, although in the rural southern wilayate, it is 1 for 15.400 women.
Positive aspects of the policy of spacing births: access in 2000 structures to contraceptive products; the formation of qualified personnel; effort by the concerned persons themselves; above the fecondite.
In 1987 10 millions of plaquettes and 104.000 intra-uterine devices are noted in the national register of medicaments. The United Funn for Population supports the project of producing contraceptive pills in Algeria itself although this investment has been labelled as not rentable by a recent study.
From 1980 to 1987 5000 agent have been formed, rural midwifes, technicians and superior health techniciansfor obstetric help. In the paramedical schools a module of 20 hours is devoted to the spacement of birth. The concerned personnel has undergo recycling formation.
The above described action have supported a mental progress inside the towns, already noted by a survey in 1966 by the Algerian Society for demographic and social Research: 44,5 % of women and 65 % of the men knew al least of one contraceptive measure.
In 1980 a national survey showed that only 11% of the woman used contraceptive devices. In 1984 a survey of the National Office of Statistics among households showed higher number : 23% as a mean value 31 % in the Algiers region 15% in rural area.
From a survey undertaken by the National Centre of Studies and Analysis for the Pianification in a sample of 5300 households show for the northern part of Algeria, is possible deduct a very clear decline of marriage age and of marriage numbers.
In 1966 50% of womes were married before 20 years of age. The number single women between 20 and 24 years was 10%. 20 years later this number amount to 50%. The mean age of marriage is 27,2 in men and of 23,7 in women. The housing crisis and the economic difficulties have largely contribuited to the protracted marriage age. Many men and women over 30 even 40 are not married and live with their parents. Sometimes they are "married" on paper only, with a civil marriage whose consummation is defered, until the time when the couple find housing.
Drop of the fertility rate.
In 1992, the mean value for a woman married since the age of 15 to 50 was 11 children. This drop of 80.000 birth as compared to the previous year. The brute birth rate dropped of 0,4% from 1986-87 despite as brute increase of marriage rate of 3,49%.
Progression of the contraceptive method.
35 % of married women in childbearing age utilise contraceptives. In the towns the double is found, with instruction a women out of two utilises contraception. 38.1 % of the total number of women have never heard about contraceptive measures. As to the methods utilised the preference is clearly for the pill (73,2 %). 6.2 of the women chose intra-uterine devices, 3,3 % sterilisationand 17,3 % other methods. In most cases prescriptions are made by private medical consultation.
But facing the increase of the population, this policy of family planning has not been efficient. Why?
Must we attribute this to the feable progress of the health services in this domain? As a fact women are more and more approaching the private sectror, although the public sector has more infrastructures and manpower. Women may appreciate the quality of the private standarts, the quality of listening and the diponibility to communication. This fact has broght the health specialist to rethink the redynamisation of the public sector such as home visits with a new approach of the relations between the familiar cell and the health personnel. Those specialists call also for a better integration of the private sector in the public health objectives.
Another prejudiciable element to the progress of the spacement of birth is the lack of contraceptive products. This happens fairly often for important medical products. This shows the bad gestion of stocks. Women stop the contraceptive process undertaken.
How has the demographic problem been aborded?
In 1976, in the socialist faith, a National Charta has been worked out and adopted after referendum : this Charta announced that it was necessary to solve in a positive manner the demographic problem, in substituting to the objective of reducing the number of citiziens, the formation of productors and to give the society adapted policy, to permit to 100 millions of people to live in Algeria, has now been replaced by a policy of control of demographic increase, considered to be the cause of a under-development. The birth control is considered as well as an economic as a socio-cultural necessity.
The Ministry of Health has taken in its hands the totality of the problem of spacement of birth since 1980. Its medicalisation bring Dr. Khiati to declare that the spendings should be rationalized when resources are scarce and that it must be recongnized that the family planning is before all a personal problem of the couple itself and that this couple has the right to exert its liberty in this domain. The physician declares also that birth spacement cannot be decreted. He centered the problematic on the religious ground, reminding that birth limitation is prohibited by Islam and that Algerian society is ruled by Islamic values. We must recall declaration not only of men but also of women, for whom a child is a gift from God, and for those who pose the economic problem he responds "He who can feed 2 children can feed 10". This means that no regard is given to the children right: What projects does one have for its child? A beeing who lives grows and dies in a frozen society or beeing called to move independently according to his own personnality and its own aspirations? And for this to be possible, do we not need the capacity to feed him? Is it sufficient to feed the body? Is it not necessary to give them the education to liberate them from their ignorant environment? Here the sanitary services should act: inform by all disponible means and in all directions. The same structures should be present to respond to the expressed need of the population and this implies a listening and this would spare very dramatic, even tragic situations.
If one takes in account that the death of the mother during pregnancy, during childbirth or just after it influences the social development of a country what can one say of a phenomenon showing 130 mothers out of 100.000 who died during the period 1986-87. Those death happened because of the dificulty of access to health care. All women do not have their children in hospitals. Specialists are in favour of the amelioration of the prevention systems by a surveilance of the mother from the beginning of the pregnancy to the childbirth. The private sector whotakes care of a growing part of the mothers could reinforce the systems.
One of three persons dying now in Algeria is a child under 1 year of age. One in two times, it is a child less a month of age, premature child or children whose intrauterine growth has been retarded.
Althogh this point is mentioned in the program to cure the childrens mortality, it has not been studied. This can be explained by the difficulty of undertaking actions in the field of follow up of mothers of medicalisation of birth and of the implantation of specialised health centers.
Following the rural exodus (urban population rapresents the half of the total) considerable efforts have been undertaken to keep a good health standard: drinking water supply, drainage. But those installations have grown old, draught has imposed to the population severe restrictions in drinking water. The water is temporarly or durably restricted and this has transformed the life of the population. Children go long ways with plastic recipients to find water, instead of going to school. The population already crushed by the costs of daily life is obliged to buy its drinking water. In Oran for instance, a desalinisation plant is planned. Women are obliged to fetch water at the closed taps during daytime and to wash by hand because water supplies do not permit to wash in the machine...when there is one. Lack of water is also the fear of epidemics : meningitis or cholera. Every summer one prepares itself for those fears of those realities... aggravated by the promiscuity in which people are forced to live.
The housing politic has revealed its deficiencies : the room are overoccupied, this favours illnesses but also a terrible thing, the incest. Tabous do disappear since the social explosion of 1988 the press talks of it but the victims of those incests, other form of sexual agressions of the girls, sisters in their own home, are they speaking out? Sometimes tabous explose in the medias and in specialists meetings, but they stay alive in the families and in this opacious body, the society. Women and children are the permanent hostages of those tabous synonyms of fears and violences.
We have devoted to sexual violence a long study in january 1993, including incest, sexual harassment, rape. As to rape we have studied in another article the horrible crimes performed in Bosnia Herzegovina against women, inscribed in an atrocius strategy fo giving birth by force to serbian children in place of a natural bosniac child for the glory of a Grand Serbia.
The terrorism who strikes now Algeria aims at keeping women behind her veil, the terrorism kills women an children NOW.
"Behind the Veil the Virus" is title from an article by Marie Muller, special envoy of the Nouvel Obswervateur in Marocco. Marocco or Algeria or Tunisia, the tabous are the same, in those Magreb countries united by culture, language and religion. In Islam territory, AIDS, because that is the most terrible tabou of all. The hypocrisy reigning over sexuality does not know borders. It is everywhere the same. In Algeria, men and women have revealed it to the public in a terrible TV show: the great misery of the AIDS patients of this time and the terrible menace on everybody. Figures have been revealed: men and women are contaminated : more men than women, concealed faces speak and speak, with a broken voice. The last one, who has travelled recommends to youngsters of this age not to do like he did, he is ashamed. This one is ashamed, but the other men, will they be ashamed, and what will they be ashamed of.
In Marocco, a woman, Hakima Himmich, diagnosed in Casablanca in 1986 the first case of AIDS. In Casablanca, masculine prostitution has been discovered. Homosexual practices have been exposed. In Islamic society, homosexuality is favoured by a rigid society, with many tabus. Himmich explains that Maghereb homosexual men have to organise themselves to combat AIDS, as do others in the word, this subject beeing tabu. This monstrous hypocrisy of tabu leads to seropositivity in women and children, without their knowledge: husbands do not speak to their partners, who discover their tragedy at childbirth, when their baby is found seropositive.
In 1986, Himmich found no women among her patients. In 1992, women represent one third of her patients, with 80% contaminated inside the family. A woman underligns rightly that men ask a certificate of virginity from their future spouse. As regards women, they are entitled to nothing similar. After the lie of their partner the offer their assistance once the disease has been discovered. If the husband dies, his family turns against her, "the one which is the cause". As always, women are the cause of the all bad things. Then rotten women transmits. Since the beginning of time, men cannot trasmit the evil. Seropositive women are divorced by the man who contaminated her, and abandons her with a virgin girl, who will help him to get back his health. Those creeds are still alive, but they are vain.
The survey reveals that immigrant families to France send their divorced or seropositive sons home and marry them to woung healthy girls, able to expell the evil born in bad conduct, that is practized in western towns.
How is it possible to design a policy of prevention of AIDS in this close atmosphere? Only women know, only women help..
