 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
WFS Philippines covered the Beijing+10 Review and Appraisal at the U.N. in New York from Feb. 28 to March 11. Olive Tripon reports: Gender
Issues in Post-conflict Situations
Gender
Issues in Post-conflict Situations New York, March 2 (WFS) - At the 49th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, which began February 28, the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action of the 4th World Conference of Women is up for review in the next two weeks. At a forum this morning organized by the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the United Nations, the non-governmental organizations namely the Mindanao Commission on Women and the Asia-Pacific Women Watch, speakers from Afghanistan, Cambodia and the Philippines spoke on "Gender Issues on Post-conflict situations" in their countries. Philippine Ambassador to the U.N. Lauro Baja Jr., announced that the Security Council recently passed a resolution recognizing women's role in peacebuilding. He said the council is putting together a gender training module which will include women in the training team. Dr. Masooda Julal, Afghan Minister for Women's Affairs had the distinction of being the only woman to run for president out of 18 candidates in her country. A pediatrician, she speaks in medical metaphors. "I am a doctor and a mother. I want to nurse Afghanistan to health," Dr. Julal said. Julal reported that in Afghanistan, women and girls are vulnerable because of their sex and social status. They suffered displacement, disabilities and all kinds of trauma. While women work to preserve family and social order to the extent possible, their peacebuilding role is unrecognized as peace educator in family and society. In conflict resolution women's role should have equal part in maintaining peace and must be well represented in decision-making. Chanthou Boua, author of "The Children of the Killing Fields" spoke about three gender issues in post-conflict situations: political space, access and control of resources and women's role in healing and reconciliation. Cambodia had three constitutions where women's rights and political participation were largely neglected. During its socialist government, the Women's association of Cambodia was organized from central to village level. However in practice, there was no budget. But after the collapse of the Polpot regime, this women's association was eliminated, for it was considered a propaganda tool. This was soon replaced by a male dominated bureaucracy. Boua added that in 1993 the elected government established a Ministry of Women and it was in 1995 with the Fourth World Conference on Women that gave a boost to gender discussions. Although the constitution guaranteed equal participation of women in politics, only 8 - 10% of women are in politics. Post-conflict scenario showed that women considered politics dirty; the women were not strong enough or many enough. She called on donors to give women a voice at peace negotiations and to provide leadership training, particularly to promote dialogue to build trust, a necessary ingredient in post-conflict resolution. Irene Santiago from the Philippines was the former Executive Director of the NGO Forum at Huairou, China in 1995. Santiago was also Asia-Pacific head of UNIFEM and now chairs the Mindanao Commission on Women and is a member of the negotiating panel of the Philippine government with the Muslim Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). She explained that the Philippines signed a peace agreement with the Muslim National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1996 which resulted in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). She said that the assessment of the "post-conflict" or post-signing in Mindanao showed that resources that poured into the ARMM went to commanders, mostly men. The women had to negotiate to be able to get some funding. Santiago's experience showed the way to raise the level of peace discussions to the national level was to appeal to all mothers for broad based support. Thus, she formed Mothers for Peace. "We started the campaign in May and there was a ceasefire in July," she said, noting its effectiveness. Santiago recommended non-violence training among male combatants in post-conflict areas. Gender inequality is the root cause of violence and it is a key concept that must be discussed as well as human security instead of national security.
New York, March 4 (WFS) - Ten years after the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, laws in 32 countries still discriminate against women. At the ongoing review of the Beijing Platform for Action here, Equality Now, a non-government organization based in the U.S. and Africa reported that out of 45 countries in 1995 found to have laws that discriminated against women, only 13 have repealed or revised those laws. "Why focus on the law? Although equality in law does not automatically translate equality in life, with discriminatory laws women will have no formal recourse to justice and are officially second class citizens," began Meryl Streep, member of Equality Now Advisory Council who moderated the panel discussion co-sponsored by the U.N. Division for the Advancement of Women. In Ethiopia, Guatemala, Uruguay and Lebanon, the criminal responsibility of the accused will be voided through the legitimate marriage of the victim with the offender. There is no such thing as marital rape in India, Malaysia or Tonga.Women cannot vote in Kuwait, can't drive in Saudi Arabia, can't work at night in Bolivia and Madagascar; women cannot own land in Lesotho. Men can kill their wives or sister committing adultery in Syria. These are just some of the laws that discriminate on the basis of sex. The Philippines is included in the list of Equality Now for its Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code which defines prostitutes as women only. There are several bills pending redefining "prostitute" to include any person, not just women. The law should also punish those who buy the services of prostitutes, already in House bill 471, pending with the Lower House Committee on Justice. Ten years ago, 189 countries pledged in the Beijing Platform of Action to "revoke any remaining laws that discriminate on the basis of sex." In 2000, at the 5-year review, the Outcome Document of the Special Session of the General Assembly established a target date of 2005 for revocation of all discriminatory laws. Equality Now calls on governments to honor this commitment by ensuring that all women are equal before the law. However, even if laws are nondicriminatory, implementation is another matter. Maha Abu-Dayyeh Shamas, founder and director of the Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling in East Jerusalem, revealed that in some countries, there are two justice systems. There's the legal system and religious laws. Although women can choose to work under the law, religious law says that if the woman's work is opposed by the husband, it can be a ground for divorce. Honor killings are allowed; vaginal penetration must be established to be considered rape. In Yemen, women are not allowed to leave home. Sapana Pradhan-Malla, founder and president of the forum for Women, Law and Development in Nepal asked, " Are we not human beings? Are we not citizens? Why give priority to sons? Why are daughters for give away?"
New York , March 5 (WFS) -- The mood was palpably expectant. The participants of the 49th session of the Commission on the Status of Women to appraise and review the implementation of the ten-year Beijing Platform for Action, came to hear two Nobel Prize winners -- Wangari Mathai of Kenya and Rigoberta Menchu of Guatemala, in a session organized by the UN Environment Program on Women, Peace and Environment at the U.N. last March 4. The moment Mathai and Menchu walked in, they filled the room with warmth and wit. There was no denying that these women really inspire. Both women admitted that they were just doing what had to be done. For Mathai, it was to plant trees, the Greenbelt Movement which she started in 1977 and just grew and grew. She encouraged the women to plant trees and empower themselves. She was the first woman to earn a doctorate degree in West Africa. In 2002, she joined Parliament and was appointed assistant minister of environment, a position she holds until now. In 2004, she won the Nobel prize for sustainable development and peace. For Menchu, it was to defend the rights of the indigenous people (IP). Her mother and brother disappeared while her father was burned alive. She fled to Mexico but continued to fight for her people despite threats to her life. "Indigenous peoples have rights - to land and to participate (in political life), she said. Menchu has written two books and was given honorary PhDs. In 1992, she won the Nobel Prize. Mathai was secretary-general of the Fourth World Conference on women in Beijing in 1995. She reminisced about the First Women's Conference for the advancement of Women in Mexico in 1975. She said it was Peg Snyder who proposed a voluntary fund for women which is now UNIFEM. "Stop saying nothing is happening. Much has happened. Congratulate ourselves!" Mathai said amidst a thunderous applause, not only for the two women leaders, but for all women. According to Mathai, Mexico focused on rural women's concerns - food, water, fuel and income. Today, water is still of great concern with the threat of drought and climate change. She warned that patenting of seeds threatens food security. People are dying, not because there is no food, but because they are too poor to buy food. Menchu added that in Nairobi in 1985 the women put IP rights in the UN Agenda. If women are half the world, IPs are even worst. They are minorities. "Winning the Nobel is not easy. People expect a lot... for you to solve problems; many people want us to speak. I think the Nobel is a punishment...but a nice punishment because we can help people who everyday dream many dreams that can never come true. I'm happy to be here with my sister Mathai. If one can make one thing, can you imagine what two of us can make?" she said . Mathai said that environment has not been given much emphasis lately. However, the good news is, the UN has started the Decade of Education for the Environment. The two women leaders gave parting words of wisdom -- Invest more in peace so we can manage resources sustainably and share these resources equitably. We can't have peace without the three pillars of environment, peace and democracy, said Mathai. To the women, Menchu said, "I wish you self esteem. You can define your life and your work. If you are a model for all, no need for Nobel. "Let's go ahead. Everything has been said about rights of women. We have statements, investigations, resolutions. We need now action!" Menchu urged.
International
Women's Day at the U.N. New York, March 8 (WFS) - Thousands of women from all over the world marked International Women's Day at the United Nations today. In many of the sessions, both at official and side events, many women panelists acknowledged the role of the U.N. as the only public space and mechanism whereby women waged their struggle for equality, development and peace in the past 30 years. The very first women's conference was held in Mexico in 1975. This was followed five years later in Copenhagen in 1980. Former Senator Leticia Shahani from the Philippines was secretary-general of the Third World Conference on Women in Nairobi in 1985. The last world conference was held in Beijing in 1995. In the past week until March 11, the Commission on the Status of Women is in the process of reviewing the implementation of the Platform of Action in various countries. Last week, the body reaffirmed the Beijing Platform for Action despite an attempt by the United States to open the Platform and change the language. Many felt that a lot of time was lost in the past week reaffirming what had been reaffirmed five years ago, instead of strategizing on implementation. During the UN observance of the International Women's Day, Mr. Shashi Tharoor, Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information said that the 60-year-old institution "will not rest on its laurels until women enjoy full and equal rights." He moderated a panel entitled "Gender Equality Beyond 2005: Building a More Secure Future." Jessica Neuwirth, president of Equality Now, an international NGO, expressed frustration, "Reaffirming is not progress. We could have used the opportunity to move forward." She said the 50/50 gender balance campaign failed to meet the target last 2000. The UN itself has never had a woman secretary-general. Many countries who promised to revoke discriminatory laws in 2005 have not done so. "Words are not enough," she said. Nafis Sadik, formerly with the UN Population Fund, now a member of the High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, revealed that governments spend about $900 Billion for weapons and a measly $3 Billion on women. Moreover, the UN support system for women is inadequate in terms of budget and staffing. The UN Development Fund for Women or UNIFEM, which was proposed in Mexico, is still under UNDP and has no voice or autonomy. Other international organizations such as the International Labor Organization (ILO) are becoming increasingly involved in women migrant labor, a phenomenon where majority of migrant workers are women. Since the beginning of this review, women who brought reports on the status of women in their countries ten years after Beijing, have questioned the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) which tended to make women invisible. The MDGs were formulated by the UN General Assembly in 2000 targetting eight specific time-bound goals, among them reducing poverty, maternal mortality and HIV AIDS. In other sessions, women saw the absence of sexual and reproductive health and refer to it as the ninth MDG. Sadik echoed what other women had observed -- that reduction of poverty cannot be achieved without women empowerment. That gender will be mainstreamed in the MDGs "means it is nowhere," she added. Women and girls have special needs, especially in conflict situations even in natural disasters that peace building institutions should reflect that reality, Sadik said. Sadik
recommended rationalizing UN institutions for women and allocate
adequate funding and staffing, including access to high level discussions.
While gender mainstreaming is the ultimate goal, specific programs
such as protection of women in armed conflict, natural disasters,
maternal deaths, against trafficking and all forms of violence,
or even keeping girls in school must be targetted. Lastly, she said,
Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka, Executive Director of UN Habitat said that water and sanitation, land and property rights and women's right to inherit are the main targets of Habitat. "Living without sanitation means a life without dignity," she said. In the afternoon session today, 2004 Nobel peace laureate Wangari Maathai addressed the women who came to hear a panel of women leaders "Reflecting on women's progress: protecting our gains; accelerating change." She remembered other women warriors like Bella Abzug who passed away and reminisced with those in the panel like Peggy Antrobus and Leticia Shahani who were in Mexico 30 years ago. Perhaps knowing how sometimes the struggle for women's rights can be overwhelming, Maathai told a story about the hummingbird in a forest fire. The animals didn't know what to do. The hummingbird flew to the river, brought water in her beak and dropped it on the raging fire. The other animals ridiculed her efforts. "What do you think you're doing?" they asked. The hummingbird answered, "I am doing what I can." On that note, Shahani asked the women "to tap their inner resources and offer a quality of leadership", indefatigable as the hummingbird to protect our gains.
New York, March 9 (WFS) - At a panel discussion on the 49th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the synergies between two international instruments, the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action and the Convention for the Elimination of All Kinds of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) were highlighted. CEDAW, accepted by 179 countries is the principal treaty protecting women's human rights. "However, CEDAW and other human rights treaties have not been adequately used to ensure action by states in line with the commitments adopted at Beijing and at its five year review in 2000," said Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights at a session last March 3. In December 2004, 25 years after the adoption of CEDAW or the Women's Convention by the General Assembly, 12 member states, including the United States, have not yet ratified this comprehensive treaty on women's equality and non-discrimination, said Rosario Manalo, Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. "The Platform for Action...had called for universal ratification of the Convention by the year 2000 - we did not achieve this goal." A significant number of states parties retain reservations to many of the provisions of the Convention, particularly Article 2 which obligates them to repeal or abolish existing laws as well as customs and practices which are discriminatory to women. At the Beijing review of 2000, governments were supposed to remove all discriminatory provisions by 2005. "The co-existence of multiple legal systems where customary and religious laws governing personal and private life prevailing over positive law and even constitutional provisions of equality remains a great cause for concern," said Manalo. Arbour illustrates this with the HIV AIDS pandemic. Recent statistics reveal that in every region of the world, the number of women with HIV/AIDS has increased. She cited a UNAIDS report that in Sub-Saharan Africa 76% of HIV positive people are young women aged 15 to 24. Forced and early marriage constitute serious and common human rights abuses. These practices increase girls' vulnerability to HIV, as husbands are often older and more likely to have been exposed to the virus through former sexual partners. Prevention strategies have stressed the use of condoms, putting safe sex in the control of men. Rape victims, including during conflict situations, are susceptible to infection. In many countries women cannot inherit. This can be a risk factor. Without economic autonomy, women may have to trade sex to ensure their survival and that of their children. "Women's sexual and reproductive rights are at the heart of ensuring protection against this pandemic," said Arbour. "Comprehensive sex education has been proven to reduce vulnerability to the virus, yet it is often denied to girls because of gendered assumptions about sexuality - the view being that girls do not need to know about sex because they should not be having sex," she added. "Women
are often unaware of the rights they have under the law, and they
may not be empowered to claim them effectively," said Manalo.
She urged governments to raise awareness about CEDAW and use it
as a binding human rights instrument and the basis of the elimination
of discrimination against women. When combined, the Convention and
the Platform provide multifaceted tools for developing comprehensive
measures to work for women's equality.
New York, March 10 (WFS) - "Sex and the Hemisphere: the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sexual and Reproductive Health in Latin America and the Caribbean" was launched today at a symposium organized by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). Carmen Barroso, regional director of the Western Hemisphere Region, explained the linksof sexual and reproductive health and rights to poverty and development. To illustrate, she ran down figures where in Latin America and the Caribbean, the wealthiest 20% get 60% of the income while the poorest get only 3% of the income. Yet among the rich the demand for contraceptives is 60% while, among the poor, 30%. In Guatemala, teen pregnancies among young women 15-19 is 3% among the rich and 23% among the poor. 98% of rich mothers are attended by professional medical care but only 20% poor mothers. She reminded the audience that poverty should not only be measured in terms of income, but also in terms of discrimination, violation of rights, access to health services, even loss of hope. Less than 40% among the 20% of the poorest have no access to prenatal care, sex education for HIV prevention. "Break the spiral of poverty by spending more on sexual and reproductive health and rights information and services," Barroso said. Nina Puri, IPPF president said that the absence of sexual and reproductive health as a stand alone goal in the MDGs is cause for concern because it is essential to attain the MDGs. Inequality is the greatest challenge in eradicating poverty while the existing economic system with its intelectual property rights creating a monopoly lacks investments in poverty reduction. She said activism is essential to policy change and that IPPF will strongly recommend sexual rights and reproductive health in the MDG review in September. Albania Villaroel, youth board member from Venezuela said that young people know what's going on and they have a clear agenda. They want the youth to have a voice in this debate since sexual and reproductive rights among the youth include many factors - age, religion, sexual preferences and perspectives. They realize that decisions at UN meetings will affect billions of people around the world. How to guarantee the participation of the young people? She urged the goverments to open its delegation to the youth. They want a separate target for sexual and reproductive health Naana Otoo-Oyote of IPPF London shared a research on young women, gender and the MDGs, charting the youth in 147 countries. She said young women are not mentioned in the MDGs except in the context of HIV/AIDS and education. They have collected data from the UN, Population Reference Bureau, UNICEF to name a few sources. There are gaps due to lack of disaggregated data and also data for young women below 15, while the rest are lumped in the age group 19-49. Some key findings: the best place for young women to live is Sweden where the sexual and reproductive health and rights are recognized; while the worst places are Iraq, Lebanon and Sudan. Only half of the 147 countries have provided information to young women 15-19 years of age. Education has another context in developing countries. Due to lack of access to sanitary pads, young women stay home for 3 or 4 days when they have their menstrual periods. In some places, school is several hours walk away. In Ethiopia, young women are abducted, raped and even forced to marry the perpetrators. She cited that 60% of new HIV infections are on young people 15-24 years old with more young women than boys. The preventive "ABC" (A for abstinence, B for Be faithful and C for condoms) were found to no longer work. In Africa, condom usage is only 4 condoms a year per male due to lack of access. In the case of abstinence, young women don't have a choice. Sexual violence against young girls are growing with 50% sexual assaults worldwide; 2.2 million girls are trafficked while 82 million girls aged 10-17 are forced to marry. What is sexual health? According to Barroso,the World Health Organization (WHO)defines it as not the absence of disease but protection from infection, from unwanted sex which includes celibacy, if that was the choice, and also the right to enjoy sex. She explained that IPPF is not against big families but respects the choice of women. A doctor from the audience who worked with WHO shared that the B part also does not work since the faithful wives may be monogamous, but their partners are not. Villaroel explained that the youth run their own center in Venezuela and Puri revealed that 20% of IPPF board members are young people under 25. They also work with men and boys to effect change. Puri explained that IPPF looks at five A's in dealing with sexual health: advocacy, access, adolescents, abortion and AIDS. In India where she comes from, they have to deal with child brides 10-14 years old, who make up 30% of marriages. The
story of sex and young women is not at all like "Sex in the
City" which is set in New York, where this review and appraisal
of the Beijing Platform is taking place. Sex and the young women
is nevertheless provocative due to its worrisome aspect of ignorance
and lack of choice and rights.
|
||