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Secretary-General Puts "Gender Equality"
At Center Of UN Reform Proposal
By Samantha
Singson
NEW YORK, November 16, 2006 (C-FAM) - Last week, a high-level panel commissioned by Secretary General Kofi Annan released
a key report on UN reform. While the purpose of the report was to recommend ways to make the UN more effective, one of its
major recommendations is a sweeping overhaul of the UN in order to promote "gender equality" and "women's empowerment." Among
the top recommendations is the creation of a powerful UN "gender entity" that will make "gender equality and women's empowerment"
central to all UN activities in member states, including all development budgeting and programming.
Entitled "Delivering As One," the report calls for supporting "the integration of gender equality and
women's empowerment concerns in intergovernmental bodies for development, humanitarian assistance, environment, human rights,
peace-keeping and peace-building." The report continues, "The promotion of gender equality must remain the mandate of all
UN entities."
More countries have laws banning domestic violence, says UN women’s
rights official
22 November 2006 – The number of countries
with laws tackling the scourge of domestic violence has surged in the last three years, with 89 States now with some sort
of provisions, the head of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).
In 2003 only 45 countries had specific laws on domestic
violence, she said, but that number has now increased to 60, and in total there are 89 nations with some form of legislative
provisions that deal with domestic violence.
Funding for initiatives is also on the rise, with the
UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women – which is disbursed by UNIFEM – set to hand out nearly $4 million
this year, almost twice the amount of last year.
Noting that many countries still had a long way to go,
Ms. Heyzer said the key challenge is to help nations ensure that the laws and measures they have introduced are fully implemented,
enforced and monitored, especially at the local level.
She also said the rise in both anti-violence laws and
Trust Fund grants is no coincidence – many grants in recent years have gone to campaigns that push for legislation on
violence against women.
There has been considerable progress on this issue since
2002, led by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Task Force on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, which was established
in March of 2002. The Task Force is co-chaired by OCHA and UNICEF and comprises WFP, UNHCR, OHCHR, DPKO, UNOPS, UNDP, OSAGI,
InterAction and SCHR (Oxfam and Save the Children/UK). A large number of other humanitarian organisations provide input to
the work of the Task Force. The Task Force has met regularly over the past two years.
Not a day goes by without some form of violence
being inflicted against women. Be it incest/rape, a husband beating his wife, a female victim of snatch thief
or a manager sexually harassing his secretary –all these are examples of violence against women. The fact is that
these perpetrators are men who use violence to exert power and control over women.
This
type of gender based violence is what we call Violence Against Women (VAW). It can happen to any woman of any race, age, size
or social status. While physical violence like wife battering, rape or sexual assault is widely known and condemned,
other forms of violence like psychological and emotional violence can have an equally damaging impact on women’s lives.
Examples include wives who live under the constant fear of threats, husbands who control their wives movements/ finances and
constantly blame them when things go wrong are other subtle forms of VAW.
VAW happens when such
men see women as being their subordinates and feel they have a right to inflict harm and destroy women’s lives.
VAW is wrong and unacceptable.
more on....
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| Woman Crisis Centre |
In an attempt to access the residents' needs once they go
on to live independently, WAO conducted a survey on the ex-residents. This survey was conducted in 1998. The 25 women who
participated in this survey were all women who were abused, who sought shelter at WAO, and who are now living independently.
All of the ex-residents surveyed had children, except for one. Nearly half (12) of the mothers had between three to four children.
The women surveyed were thus not only survivors of domestic violence but also, except for one, single mothers. Even though this Needs Assessment Survey was based on a small sample (n=25) of domestic
violence survivors, we feel that the information gathered through this survey is of immense value. Ending an abusive relationship
often puts the women in a situation where they have to provide for themselves and their family. It was the case for all the
survey participants who all but one, were single mothers with children to take care of. We need to gain a better understanding
of the situation of the women that do decide to leave their abusive partner so we can offer them better support. WAO recommends continued research and analysis take place on
the needs of survivors of domestic violence and their family. Since all but one of the respondents were single mothers, some
needs identified might be common to the general population of single mothers as well. If we consider the fact that domestic
violence is a widespread problem in Malaysia and that the needs of survivors may join the needs of single-mothers in general,
we feel it to be necessary that Annual National Statistics on Women be collected and analysed by both governmental organisations
and NGOs. With continued effort and information acquisition, knowledge about survivors of domestic violence, their status,
their family, their health and their needs can be brought to the attention of the appropriate sources and their needs better
met.
Personal security and Future Relationships
All of the women interviewed were living independently at the time
of the survey. Most were doing so securely, but 24% (6) were still in hiding from their abusive husbands or partners. Although
the majority (17) of the respondents knew where their husband/abuser was living, 14 were not aware as to whether or not he
was looking for them or for their children at time of survey. We asked the women if they felt pressured to remarry. 22% (5)
of the respondents stated that they felt pressured by their family, and 29% (6) reported feeling pressured from society. They
went on to say that they felt that society perceived them as being courageous, brave, and a good mother. However, some also
felt that they were pitied and seen as a threat or as an embarrassment.
Moving Forward
While some women were still working through their emotions
and trying to survive on a day-to-day basis, most (20) were setting goals for the future. Women stated that they want to make
a home for their children (6), start their own business (5), get a good job (4), provide their children with a quality education
(4), have their children live with them (3), and further their own studies (2).
read more on...
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| Woman Crisis Centre |
Interregional Workshop
on Child Domestic Labour and Trade Unions
By ratifying ILO Convention No. 182, the countries commit themselves to take immediate action to
prohibit and eliminate the worst forms of child labour. This Convention is enjoying the fastest pace of ratifications in the
ILO's history since 1919. In parallel, ILO Convention No.138, setting forth a larger framework for the longer-term objective
of the effective abolition of child labour, has also been receiving a surge in ratifications. The increase in ratification
of these Conventions clearly demonstrates that support for the movement against child labour is growing very rapidly throughout
the world.
A workers’ consultation on Child Domestic Labour was held in the International Labour Office in Geneva
on February 1st to 3rd 2006. Chaired by Sir Roy Trotman, Chairman of the Workers’ Group of the ILO Governing Body, trade
unionists representing domestic workers, teachers unions, national and regional trade union federations met to examine the
role of workers’ organizations in the struggle against child domestic labour. During the workshop, the participants
shared their experiences in combating child domestic labour and identified specific strategies workers’ organizations
can undertake in this field in line with their comparative advantages. The final statement is attached
more on....
In Senegal, Executive Director sees community
action to end female genital cutting
By Nisha Bakker
KEUR SIMBARA, Senegal, 13 November 2006
– On a visit to Senegal, Executive Director Ann M. Veneman has witnessed firsthand how UNICEF and its partners are using
a community-based approach to empower women and children – notably on the issue of female genital mutilation, or cutting
(FGM/C).
Along with representatives of the non-governmental organization
Tostan, Ms. Veneman travelled to Keur Simbara, a village 70 km outside Senegal’s capital, Dakar. Tostan and UNICEF are
working together to help the villagers – women and girls in particular – understand their rights, speak up and
make decisions for themselves.
Sitting in the shade in the village centre, local
residents gathered to share their stories with Ms. Veneman and Tostan Executive Director Molly Melching. Among them was Duusu
Konate, a local woman who has becoman active member of the community through the UNICEF-supported programme
read more ....
A one-woman war on injustice
AMukhtar Mai, a former Glamour Woman of the Year, helps every abused woman who comes to her door.
Now, thanks in part to donations from readers like you, she’s opened a crisis center. Is this the world’s next
Mother Teresa?
By Carla Power
Meerwala, Pakistan, is not a place where you’d expect to see the stirrings of revolution. Our
car judders over dirt roads to reach the village, which is just a few groups of houses huddled in green fields three hours
from the nearest city. Boys bathe in the brown canal. Men loll under mango trees. Farmers tend sugarcane, as they’ve
done for centuries. But in one compound, a minor miracle is under way.
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Woman and AIDS
Almost half of the adults living with HIV and AIDS today are women.
Over the past two years, the number of women and girls infected with HIV has increased in every region of the world, with
rates rising particularly rapidly in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America. In sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls already
make up almost 60% of adults living with HIV.
Launched by UNAIDS in early 2004, the Global Coalition on Women and
AIDS works at global and national levels to highlight the effects of AIDS on women and girls and to stimulate concrete
and effective action to prevent the spread of HIV. Coalition partners seek to address some of the fundamental gender inequalities
that fuel the epidemic. Efforts are focused on preventing new HIV infections, promoting equal access to care and treatment,
ensuring universal access to education, addressing legal inequities, reducing violence against women, and valuing
women’s care work within communities.
read more.......
1 December - World AIDS day 2006
Women in Action on World AIDS Day
Many World AIDS Day activities focus
on women, particularly the connection between violence and HIV and AIDS.
16 Days against Gender violence is an
annual observance now in its 16th year. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world will take part in actions raising
the visibility of violence against women as a human rights violation. The observance starts on 25 November (International
Day Against Violence Against Women), and runs to 10 December (International Human Rights Day), encompassing World AIDS Day
on 1 December.The Global AIDS Alliance (www.globalaidsalliance.org) has prepared a toolkit for World AIDS Day showing the
critical links between violence against women and HIV and AIDS.
read more......
This World AIDS Day, lets Unite for Children
World AIDS Day this year carries the
theme of accountability, under the slogan, "Stop AIDS - Keep the Promise". Leaders have made a number of promises to combat
AIDS, including the goal of providing universal access to AIDS services by 2010, and this is an effort to hold them to account.
The World AIDS Campaign, a campaign uniting a number of global constituencies, ranging from the positive networks through
to the youth movement, provides a space where campaigners can unite within the theme of accountability. Children have the
most to lose when leaders do not deliver. This World AIDS Day, lets Unite for Children, and tell leaders to Stop AIDS - Keep
The Promise.
read more.......
Living with AIDS now
Twenty-five years since the first cases
made headlines, many young Americans believe HIV/AIDS is no longer a threat. That’s dead wrong, say three women who
battle the disease daily.
By Kimberley Sevcik
Every woman has a sexual experience she
occasionally looks back on with regret, but Jennifer Jako is reminded of hers every day. Fifteen years ago, after a night
of drinking, she tumbled into bed with a friend. He’d pressed the issue of having sex, and Jako gave in, despite her
reservations. “I remember that it hurt, then saying no, but I didn’t fight him,” says Jako, who was 18 at
the time. It was a distressing enough experience that Jako, now 33 and living in Portland, Oregon, made a conscious decision
to retreat from sex for a while. When she felt ready to end her period of celibacy, she went to a clinic for a routine panel
of STD tests, fully expecting to get a clean bill of health; she’d had a total of six partners and assumed that all
of them were STD-free. Two weeks later a doctor delivered mind-blowing news: Jako was HIV positive. “I didn’t
hear anything after that,” she says. “My eyes blurred, I couldn’t hear sounds.” She went home and
cried for three days. “It felt like my life was over.”
Is Your Guy
A Genius? Beware.
The smarter he is, the more likely he to cheat, says DESMOND MORRI. It’s
all in his genes.
When Mr Right Turns Into Mr Wrong
You’ve got it all – good looks, cool friends, great career. But does your
man belong in your perfect world? JOANN CHIA gets frank with women who think he’s not good enough.
Read more.....
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