Projet de loi sur l¹asile
                    Même si toute personne conserve le droit de formuler une demande d¹asile, son admission au séjour (c¹est à dire la délivrance de documents provisoires de séjour) sera refusée si elle vient d¹un pays considéré comme " sûr " et la procédure sera " prioritaire " c¹est à dire accélérée. Les discriminations contre les femmes seront elles prises en compte pour déterminer si un pays est " sûr " ou non ?
                    Les persécutions provenant d¹acteurs non étatiques seront reconnues (ce qui est un point positif) mais seulement si aucune autorité (y compris des organisations internationales et des partis) ne peut accorder sa protection aux personnes menacées. Ces dernières pourront ainsi être protégées sur une partie de leur pays d'origine.
                    Il était déjà extrêmement difficile de faire reconnaître les persécutions et violences sexistes comme donnant droit à l¹asile, qu¹en sera t il dorénavant? l¹objet de la loi étant de restreindre l¹accès à l¹asile, la  plupart des demandes d¹asile étant considérées comme non fondées ou  un détournement de procédure, on ne peut que s¹inquiéter de la façon dont seront traitées les demandes d¹asile de femmes victimes de violences.

                    Projet de loi sur l¹immigration
                    Depuis longtemps les associations de femmes issues de l¹immigration et les associations de solidarité dénoncent la dépendance juridique des femmes obtenant un droit au séjour en raison de leur mariage avec un Français ou avec un résident : en cas de rupture de la vie commune, due par exemple à des violences conjugales, le  titre de séjour n¹est pas délivré, pas renouvelé, ou même retiré s¹il y a suspicion de fraude au mariage. Alors même que la loi déclare vouloir lutter contre les mariages forcés (notamment en assurant la présence des deux conjoints lors des mariages célébrés à l¹étranger dans les consulats), il accroît par d¹autres articles cette dépendance  :
                    - la carte de résident ne sera délivrée au conjoint de Français qu¹au bout de deux ans de vie commune au lieu de un an
                    - les personnes (parmi les adultes, c¹est au 3/4 des femmes) arrivant en France par le regroupement familial se voyaient jusqu¹alors délivrer la même carte que la personne qu¹elles venaient rejoindre (le plus souvent une carte de résident). D¹après ce projet de loi, elles ne recevront plus qu¹une carte de séjour temporaire, et cela pendant 5 ans (car aucune carte de résident ne  sera délivrée avant 5 ans de séjour sous couvert d¹une carte temporaire). Et  en cas de rupture de la vie commune, cette carte fera l¹objet d¹un refus de renouvellement
                    - enfin alors que la préoccupation vis à vis des mariages simulés et même dans certains cas des mariages forcés est présente, rien n¹est ajouté dans la loi pour permettre par exemple le droit au séjour des femmes ayant vécu en France et ayant du quitter la France dans le cadre d¹un mariage forcé, ce qui est une revendication des associations de femmes.
                    Par ailleurs une condition nouvelle est ajoutée pour la délivrance d¹une carte de résident " l¹intégration satisfaisante de l¹étranger dans la société française ". Comment sera t il jugé de cette " intégration " ? C¹est une porte grande ouverte à l¹arbitraire. Les attendus du projet de loi assurent qu¹il s¹agit notamment de lutter contre l¹enfermement et l¹isolement des épouses étrangères. Si on ne peut qu¹approuver le fait que des moyens soient accordés pour que ces femmes étrangères suivent des formations et des cours de langue, qu¹adviendra t il de celles qui pour des raisons diverses, dont précisément l¹oppression et l¹enfermement familial, ne pourront satisfaire à ces conditions ?

                    Aucune des revendications présentées par des associations de femme sont satisfaites, bien au contraire. Nous nous joignons à toutes les initiatives qui seront prises pour lutter contre ces deux projets de loi et nous  appelons tout particulièrement les mouvements de femmes et féministes à s¹engager dans cette action.
 

 From : RAJFIRE (Mai 2003) / http://maisondesfemmes.free.fr/rajfire.htm

Al-Abdul Kader has been toiling for the past four years to research a two-volume work in Arabic titled, “Women’s Advancement in Saudi Arabia: Its Components, Dimensions and Results — A study in Social History.” His manuscript is in the final editing stages before publication. Through his research, Al-Abdul Kader has set out to provide clear information related to Muslim women, as derived from the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah, and supplemented with historical evidence, in the focus areas of education, culture and work. He also wanted to give Saudi women the opportunity to disclose the reality of their lives in their own words.

“I found that there was no definitive source on the subject of Saudi women in education, culture and work in the Kingdom. Even though we have brilliant women who have contributed much to this society, few people know about them. Because of the dearth of available information, certain misconceptions about Saudi women are taking hold. This is unacceptable,” Al-Abdul Kader asserted. “We must support our women’s progress because both fathers and mothers are examples for the next generation. We must be proud of Saudi women and encourage their endeavors for only then can we reap the full bounty that God has given our nation.”

Relying on his background and experience as the former dean of library affairs and associate professor, College of Education, King Faisal University, and currently as a visiting scholar and a consultant in management and training, Al-Abdul Kader scoured the Kingdom for women who could be considered role models. Once word of his research became known, suggestions for possible candidates flooded his office. Eventually, the resumes of 27 exemplary Saudi women were compiled. While Al-Abdul Kader calls the contributions from these women resumes, they are in truth miniature autobiographies.

“These outstanding women were chosen from all over the Kingdom and from many different fields. Each woman was asked to write 10 pages on the highlights of her life. Those 27 resumes are included in the second part of the study and I assure you that they have been faithfully reproduced. Not one word was removed from them,” emphasized Al-Abdul Kader. “Since the resumes are in writing, I hope that they will become a historical record of the thoughts and achievements of the notable women of our time and give an impetus to expanding the role of women in Saudi Arabia.”  (...)

Naima Al-Ghannam, one of the women who submitted a resume for Al-Abdul Kader’s book, was passionate in expressing the reasons for her participation in this project.

“People have extremely distorted ideas about Saudi women and their potential,” she said. “I was in high school when I married, but I still went on to higher education and achievement. I earned a bachelor’s degree, became a mother and worked in the field of education. Ten years after finishing my first degree, I chose to earn a second one. I continued with my work and also studied in Bahrain and earned my master’s. Throughout all this time my husband has been supportive of my goals. I want everyone to know how important women are to Saudi society and the good that will result from the increased participation of women in many aspects of life in the Kingdom.”

Molouk Y. Ba-Isa, Arab News Staff
Arab News Features 2 May 2003 (http://www.arabnews.com/Article.asp?ID=25764)

Then came Ms. Zulu's in-laws. A month after the funeral, relying on tribal traditions that assign inheritance rights to relatives of deceased men, the out-of-towners swooped in and took everything, including Zulu's only sewing machine. The suddenly destitute widow scrambled to rent tailoring equipment and feed her family. "They don't even write or ask about the children," says the Livingstone resident. "They don't help you educate the children. So I have to struggle on my own." The tradition of "property-grabbing" has benign roots: Widows and children were once absorbed by a man's family along with his property. These days, however, with 80 percent of Zambians living on less than $1 a day, the in-laws usually just want the goods. Now this vestige of patriarchal society is illegal - nominally, at least - in most countries.

But as AIDS ravages much of sub-Sarahan Africa, opportunities have grown for illegal property taking. Experts say that unless governments get a handle on the age-old custom, it will continue to feed the cycle of poverty here, as widows and children are left not only without their main provider but also with little of the material support they may have had.

"For children, it's a double tragedy. It means orphans lose parents but also are deprived of the means of survival," says Muna Ndulo, a Zambian legal expert and professor at Cornell University Law School in Ithaca, N.Y. Preventing the loss of orphans' inheritances is particularly urgent in Zambia, where 17.6 percent of children have lost at least one parent, the highest rate in the world. By 2005, 1 in 5 Zambian children will be parentless, largely due to AIDS.

Statistics on property-grabbing are spotty, but the trend is clear. The US State Department called property-grabbing in Zambia rampant in a 2001 human rights report. Nearly 30 percent of Ugandan widows are stripped of property, the United Nations found. And in March, Human Rights Watch, an independent monitoring group, implored the Kenyan government to end widespread property-rights violations there.

In Zambia, both domestic and international statutes outlaw property-grabbing. A 1989 Zambian law forbids the practice, and as a party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women - adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979 and signed by more than 170 countries - the government is bound to prevent gender discrimination. But ancient custom often trumps modern law here, especially as the cash-strapped Zambian government lacks the ability - and, some women's groups say, the will - to enforce its mandates. Confusion surrounding the jurisdiction in property-grabbing cases is a problem as well.

The Zambian legal system integrates both African and European legal procedures. While the Zambian Constitution declares gender discrimination illegal, it also holds an exception for matters usually handled by customary law.

Because most Zambians still marry under customary law, which is generally less favorable to the rights of women and children, women who seek relief from property-grabbing in customary courts usually leave empty-handed.

"Ours is a principally customary society," says Clement Mudenda, director of the National Legal Aid Clinic for Women, Zambia's only such resource. "But customary law courts are presided over by men, and their judgments have been unfair for the most part." (...) "A lot of property is gone right after burial, it just disappears and it's very hard to get it back," Mudenda says. "If the parties appeal, then it can take months. A lot of women just throw up their arms." (...)

 For their part, Zambian government officials say they are making national education about property-grabbing a priority. (...) "Yes, Zambia has a law. But now widows are living in a society which is not accepting those laws." (...) "You can have beautiful laws on the books. But you need to enforce the law and educate society that children will benefit from this."

Meanwhile, back in Livingstone, Zulu has rebuilt her tailoring business. She now has six sewing machines and makes uniforms, bedspreads, and traditional clothing at her stall at the city market.

By Geraldine Sealey, Special to The Christian Science Monitor : http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0513/p07s02-woaf.html

The Government has made gender equality a policy objective since 1949. The Constitution states that women enjoy equal rights with men in all spheres of life. The 1992 Law on the Protection of Womenís Rights and Interests provides for equality in ownership of property, inheritance rights, and access to education. Women's economic and political influence has increased. Nonetheless female activists increasingly are concerned that the progress that has been made by women over the past 50 years is being eroded and that women's status in society regressed during the 1990's.

They assert that the Government appears to have made the pursuit of gender equality a secondary priority as it focuses on economic reform and political stability. Social and familial pressure also has grown for women to resume their traditional roles as wives and mothers. A recent study of how women are portrayed in the media revealed that images of a woman's worth increasingly are linked to her ability to attract a wealthy husband and be a good mother.

According to official figures, in 1995 there were 145 million illiterate persons above the age of 15. Women made up approximately 70 percent of this total. A 1998 Asian Development Bank report estimated that 25 percent of all women are semi-literate or illiterate, compared with 10 percent of men. The Governmentís Program for the Development of Chinese Women (1995-2000) set as one of its goals the elimination of illiteracy among young and middle-aged women by the end of the century. The main priority was to increase the literacy of rural women, 80 percent of whom are wholly or partially illiterate. However, some women's advocates were skeptical that the Governmentís goal could be attained given the lack of resources.

While the gap in the education levels of men and women is narrowing, men continue to constitute the majority of the relatively small percentage of the population that receives a university-level education. According to figures released by the All-China Women's Federation, at the end of 1997 women made up 36 percent of all university students, and 30 percent of all graduate students. However, educators in the large cities have reported that there is a trend toward greater gender balance in universities. Some academics have reported that in some departments women are beginning to outnumber menóeven in some graduate schools. However, women with advanced degrees report an increase in discrimination in the hiring process as the job distribution system has opened up and become more competitive and market driven Women have borne the brunt of the economic reform of state-owned enterprises.

 As the Governmentís plan to revamp state-owned enterprises is carried out, millions of workers have been laid off. Of those millions, a disproportionate percentage are women, many of whom do not have the skills or opportunities to find new jobs.

 A December 1998 Asian Development Bank report noted that almost 70 percent of the 23 million persons who could lose their jobs as a result of state-owned enterprise reform were women, even though they only constituted 36.4 percent of the work force.

A 1998 All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) report estimated that 80 percent of those laid off from state-owned enterprises in Heilongjiang Province were women. Women between the ages of 35 and 50 were the most affected, and the least likely to be retrained. In addition female employees were more likely to be required to take pay cuts when a plant or company was in financial trouble. There have been reports that many women have been forced or persuaded into early retirement as well. Discriminatory hiring practices appear to be on the rise as unemployment rises. Increasingly companies discriminate by both sex and age, although such practices violate labor laws. Many employers prefer to hire men to avoid the expense of maternity leave and childcare and some even lower the effective retirement age for female workers to 40 years of age (the official retirement age for men is 60 years and for women 55 years). Lower retirement ages have the effect of reducing pensions, which generally are based on years worked.

The law promises equal pay for equal work. According to a 1997 World Bank report, women's salaries, on average, were 80 to 90 percent of the salaries of their male counterparts. However, a recent Government survey found that women were paid only 70 to 80 percent of what men received for the same work. Most women employed in industry work in lower skilled and lower paid jobs.

 From : http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/new.htm