What happened to the lost girls?
In most of the narratives about the lost children from Sudan the focus is placed mostly on the boys. But what I was curious about is what happened to the few lost girls also placed in the United States. How did they adapt to life in the US? The main reason that boys are the focus in these documentaries is that Sudanese women are taught to be quiet and to not be outspoken. Veronica Abbas, a lost girl, explains Sudanese women further, “In our culture, freedom is not for girls, Girls are polite and keep quiet. It is hard to have a good life when you think you don't have a voice." And also there is not as many girls that came over through the refugee program. In 1999 4,000 boys came to the US, while only 89 girls came. Many of the lost girls were placed in foster homes in Africa and were eventually sold for a valuable bride-price and were lost track of. One of the lost girls placed in a foster home was Aluel. She was raped in her room one night and became pregnant. She is now a single mother and is considered an outcast from society. Kofi Marble, the head of a UN refugee agency does not hold high hopes for the lost girls, “We have lost them... they are completely lost", Mr Mable says regretfully, "They have lost that status of lost girls. Some of them are mothers. They are married...There's nothing I can do - or anyone else can do” Many of the lost girls who did manage to find a way to the US have united and are trying to help other women in the same situation. Southern Sudanese Women's Association was founded by Harriet Dumba, Agnes Oswaha, and Veronica Abbas. This association provides free counseling and education to Sudanese children. This shows that things are looking up for the lost girls but they still have much more work to do to try to help a woman’s place in Sudan be better and without fear.
In most of the narratives about the lost children from Sudan the focus is placed mostly on the boys. But what I was curious about is what happened to the few lost girls also placed in the United States. How did they adapt to life in the US? The main reason that boys are the focus in these documentaries is that Sudanese women are taught to be quiet and to not be outspoken. Veronica Abbas, a lost girl, explains Sudanese women further, “In our culture, freedom is not for girls, Girls are polite and keep quiet. It is hard to have a good life when you think you don't have a voice." And also there is not as many girls that came over through the refugee program. In 1999 4,000 boys came to the US, while only 89 girls came. Many of the lost girls were placed in foster homes in Africa and were eventually sold for a valuable bride-price and were lost track of. One of the lost girls placed in a foster home was Aluel. She was raped in her room one night and became pregnant. She is now a single mother and is considered an outcast from society. Kofi Marble, the head of a UN refugee agency does not hold high hopes for the lost girls, “We have lost them... they are completely lost", Mr Mable says regretfully, "They have lost that status of lost girls. Some of them are mothers. They are married...There's nothing I can do - or anyone else can do” Many of the lost girls who did manage to find a way to the US have united and are trying to help other women in the same situation. Southern Sudanese Women's Association was founded by Harriet Dumba, Agnes Oswaha, and Veronica Abbas. This association provides free counseling and education to Sudanese children. This shows that things are looking up for the lost girls but they still have much more work to do to try to help a woman’s place in Sudan be better and without fear.
I wondered too what became of the "lost girls". Your report was interesting to learn. I also found some info about why the "lost girls" were not being brought to the US. I found this answer on youtube through a Q&A panel for a documentary about the "lost boys". They said that the reason why women were not being brought to the US is because in Sudan the girls are raised to get married, not fight in the army, therefore they were not a threat. On the other hand, the boys would grow up to be strong and able to fight, so they were a threat to the government. That is why they were killing off the boys above all and so the boys were the priority to be brought to the US. I can understand this, but I believe the "lost girls" need/ed to have that same right. I think it is a bit unfair. Now looking at the info that you found about the "lost girls" makes me mad. At least the "lost boys" got help, but the "lost girls" didn't and now we see the outcome of that through your findings. I feel that they should have brought the same amount of "lost girls" as they did "lost boys". It should have been equal participation from both sides.
ReplyDeleteI think this might have to do with religious values of the group. In the book, Valentino was catholic but his dad was not and had multiple wives. The value of women in each tribe is different due to religious / tribal beliefs. So, it could be that the women were not allowed to go to America.
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