SEXISME et
DROITS des FEMMES / SEXISM and WOMEN'S RIGHTS : Bulletin 2003 -
23
Cher-e-s ami-e-s, dear
friends,
Ci-joint quelques courriers. There is some news.
Merci de
prévenir si vous ne souhaitez plus en recevoir;
Thanks for sending an e-mail
if you want to cancel :
mailing-liste-unsubscribe@sos-sexisme.org
Sororalement. Sisterly
yours.
Michèle Dayras
Mail : sexisme@sos-sexisme.org
URL : http://www.sos-sexisme.org
*
Forum / Newsgroup :
http://www.sos-sexisme;org/forum/BulletinBoard.asp
SEXISME et DROITS
des FEMMES / SEXISM and WOMEN'S RIGHTS : Bulletin 2003 -
23
1 - Solidarity ! Solidarité !
*Sign-circulate petition
for release of Suu Kyi
* Amina Laval
* APPEL-
APPEAL : Convention sur l'avenir de l'Europe - Convention on the future of
Europe
* Global Voices Campaign
* SOS SEXISME international
Campaign
2 - France
* Transmission du nom des femmes mariées à leurs
enfants
* A Douai, les conjoints auteurs de violence doivent
quitter le domicile conjugal
* Les député-e-s rallongent le délai de
prescription pour les victimes mineures des viols et délits à caractère
sexuel
3 - Italia : Dependen
hombres del consejo de sus madres...
4 - Swaziland : No room in heaven for
miniskirts
5 - South
Africa : Cape Town Consultations reveal immense burden of HIV/AIDS on
women and
households
6 - Pakistan :
International Labour Organisation's (ILO) first report on discrimination at
work
7 - Chile : Una jueza quiso prohíbir la
comercializacion de anticonceptivos en Cordoba
8 - Latin
America and the Caribbean : Extreme poverty affects women
more
9 - USA : Anti-choice Lawmakers Push "Fetal
Personhood" Over Women's Rights
10 - International : UN: Women Gain in
Political Clout, Lag in Schooling
11 - Conference / Meeting
* France
***
Séminaire : Violences sexuées et appropriation des espaces publics
***
Préparation de l'Assemblée européenne des droits des femmes du FSE
*** Groupe
de Travail sur les Retraites des Femmes (CLEF)
* U.K. :
Trafficking in Persons (27-28 Jun 2003)
* Slovenia : Seminar
to combat homophobia, sexism and xenophobia (On the 3-8th August
2003)
* Luxembourg : Congrès Mondial
"L'Egalité des Sexes dans les Sociétés Matrilinéaires, Matrifocales,
matriarcales" (du 5 au 7 septembre 2003)
* Autriche :
Conférence féministe internationale "Perspectives féministes sur la
mondialisation" (du 11 au 14 septembre 2003)
12 - Some Funds ... Des
fonds !
***
1 - Solidarity ! Solidarité
!
******************
*Sign-circulate petition for release of Suu
Kyi
Dear
Friends,
Aung San Suu Kyi's safety and health are
a grave concern.
Please click on the url to sign the
petition initiated by Amnesty International asking the military authorities in
Burma to immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin U and hundreds of other
political prisoners from detention : http://www.amnesty.nl/acties/myanmarpetitie0603.shtml
Background: Aung San Suu Kyi,
leader of the opposition party the National League for Democracy (NLD), is among
over 100 political activists, including monks and students who have not been
seen since a reported violent incident on 30 May. It is thought they are
being held in detention, and there are fears for their
safety.
******************
* Amina Laval
La Commission Femmes d'Amnesty souhaite
vous donner des informations sur le procès d'Amina Lawal qui devait se tenir
mardi dernier.
Prévu le 3 juin, le procès en appel d'Amina Lawal a été
repoussé au 27 aôut 2003 pour des raisons administratives. Le procès a été
reporté car le jury n'était pas au complet, deux des juges étant en effet
occupés dans des tribunaux locaux à la suite des récentes élections de mai 2003,
et le quorum n'était pas atteint.
A ce jour, Amnesty considère qu'il est
préférable de ne pas interférer dans le processus judiciaire car Amina est bien
représentée par son avocate et son procès se déroule donc dans des conditions
équitables.
Par contre Amnesty demande aux autorités de ne par retarder plus
longuement le jugement et elle demande au Président de la République Fédérale de
Nigéria au cas où il serait amené à exercer son droit de grâce de révoquer
toutes les condamnations à mort y compris dans le cas d'Amina.
Plus
généralement, Amnesty International exhorte les autorités nigérianes à éliminer
toutes les formes de traitement cruels, dégradant et inhumains encore présents
dans la législation du pays et dans le code pénal de la Charia
From :
comfemmes@amnesty.asso.fr <comfemmes@amnesty.asso.fr>
******************
* APPEL- APPEAL :
Convention sur l'avenir de l'Europe - Convention on the future of
Europe
Press release of the European Women’s
Lobby
CONVENTION
ON THE FUTURE OF EUROPE: CURRENT DRAFT MIGHT THREATEN ACCEPTANCE
BY WOMEN OF FUTURE EUROPEAN
CONSTITUTION
Once
again,
the European Women’s Lobby (EWL),
representing thousands of women across the European Union and beyond, joining
voice with women Parliamentarians, some members of the Convention, experts and
other NGOs, expresses its deep disappointment at the complete lack of
strengthening of gender equality in the new revised text.
“We
believe that further neglect of this issue by the Convention would greatly
jeopardise the acceptance by European women, voters and citizens of a
constitutional text, which does not support the full realisation of their human
rights”, stated Mary Mc Phail, Secretary General of the European Women’s Lobby.
EWL is urging Convention members to fulfil two
fundamental demands of women:
·
Introducing equality of women and men as one of the values of the
European Union
and;
·
Integrating
a strong article on the elimination of sex discrimination in the first part
of the draft Constitutional
Treaty.
For more information, contact the Secretariat of
the European Women’s Lobby.
With more than
3000 member organisations in all EU Member
States, the European Women's Lobby is the
largest coalition of women’s organisation in the
EU.
*
Communiqué de presse du Lobby européen des
femmes
CONVENTION SUR L’AVENIR DE L’EUROPE: LE PROJET ACTUEL POURRAIT REMETTRE EN
CAUSE L’ACCEPTATION PAR LES FEMMES DE LA FUTURE CONSTITUTION
EUROPEENNE
Une
nouvelle fois, le Lobby européen des femmes (LEF), représentant des milliers de
femmes dans toute l’Union européenne et au-delà, joignant sa voix à celles de femmes parlementaires, de
certain-e-s membres de la Convention, d’expert-e-s et d’autres ONG, exprime sa
profonde déception que l’égalité des sexes n’ait pas été renforcée dans
le texte révisé par
rapport aux traités européens actuels.
« Nous pensons que si la Convention continue de
négliger cette question, cela risque de remettre sérieusement en cause
l’acceptation par les femmes européennes, électrices et citoyennes, d’un texte
constitutionnel qui ne permet pas la pleine réalisation de leurs droits
humains » Mary Mc Phail, Secrétaire Générale du Lobby européen des
femmes
Le LEF demande instamment aux membres de la
Convention de répondre aux deux demandes fondamentales des femmes:
· L’introduction de l’égalité femmes-hommes en tant que valeur de
l’Union Européenne
et;
·
L’intégration d’un article fort sur l’élimination de la discrimination
basée sur le sexe dans la première partie du nouveau projet de Traité
constitutionnel.
Pour de plus amples informations, veuillez contacter
le Secrétariat du Lobby européen des femmes.
Avec plus de 3000 organisations membres dans tous les Etats membres, le
Lobby européen des femmes est la plus large coalition de femmes dans
l’UE.
From : ewl@womenlobby.org <ewl@womenlobby.org>
******************
* Global Voices Campaign
Dear Ms. Dayras,
I am writing to see if you would be interested in providing stories about women's barriers to reproductive health
and/ or family planning services in your region. They can be stories from
women themselves, activists, researchers, or health clinicians and/or doctors.
Our organization, the Feminist Majority Foundation, is working to collect and
share stories so we can put a face on the women suffering as a result of
national or U.S. international family planning policies. One of the main goals
is to provide these stories to media and advocacy groups working to change U.S.
foreign international family policies, such as the global gag rule and cuts in
UNFPA funding. The stories can be about a range of issues such as HIV/AIDS,
Access to Contraception, FGM, Abortion, maternal mortality, childbirth, etc....
Please look at our site www.feministcampus.org/globalvoices to find out more about the project. You can
either directly post your story (click on the link where it says ("Share your
story") or you can send me the stories over email and I can post them. Keep in
mind that the stories can be pretty informal and they can be anonymous, as only
the first name of the person will be posted on the site.
Would it be
possible to pass this message to your network of organizations that could help
in this endeavor? Sharing these stories is very important for a global women's
movement for reproductive health and rights.The more stories we have, the larger
impact we can make.
If your respective organization does not deal with
women's reproductive issues specifically, we are also organizing an initiative
called the Global Feminist Federation or GFF. This project is focused on
establishing contacts with women's organizations across the globe and the
information of any additional organizations that you are aware would be greatly
appreciated.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Take care,
Caroline Marie
Eshman
Intern
Feminist Majority Foundation : www.HelpAfghanWomen.com | www.feminist.org
******************
* SOS SEXISME international
Campaign
******************
***
2 - France
* Transmission du nom des femmes mariées à
leurs enfants
Le gouvernement français vient de répondre
à notre REQUETE devant la CEDH : il s'agit d'une diatribe d'une trentaine
de pages (recto-verso!) pour défendre la nouvelle loi (Mai 2003) aussi
réactionnaire et misogyne que celle de février 2002 qui avait été publiée à la
suite du début de notre action devant la juridiction
européenne...
A notre tour d'agir
!
MERCI A TOUTES ELLES QUI SONT INTERESSES PAR CE COMBAT DE SOS SEXISME
de nous rejoindre, lors de notre réunion de travail du 21 juin prochain, à la
Maison des femmes de Paris, dès 15 heures.
Docteure Michèle Dayras
(Présidente)
*
* A Douai, les conjoints auteurs de
violence doivent quitter le domicile conjugal
En règle générale, quand une
femme est victime de violences, c'est elle qui, éventuellement sous la
protection de la police, quitte le domicile et doit se réfugier où elle peut,
famille, amis, centres d'hébergement (nous en savons quelque chose à SOS Femmes
Accueil ...).
A Douai, grande première : après avoir donné des instructions
dès le 28 mars dernier aux commissariats, le procureur de la République Luc
Frémiot, conscient de cette injustice faite aux femmes victimes de violences
conjugales, a passé un accord avec un centre d'urgence de la Communauté Emmaüs
locale pour accueillir plusieurs jours les conjoints violents : désormais, dans
les cas de flagrant délit constatés par la police, les auteurs ne peuvent
réintégrer le domicile conjugal et sont placés quelques jours en centre
d'urgence. Une dizaine d'hommes ont ainsi passé d'une nuit à une semaine hors du
domicile depuis la mise en place de cette mesure qui a l'avantage de laisser du
temps à la victime pour prendre des décisions sans la présence et la pression de
l'auteur des violences ... ou de rassembler correctement papiers ou affaires
personnelles, ce qui n'est jamais le cas en cas de crise.
From :Bulletin
d'Information n°40 / sos.femmes@laposte.net
*
* Les député-e-s rallongent le délai
de prescription pour les victimes mineures des viols et délits à caractère
sexuel
Le 22 mai dernier, l'Assemblée Nationale a adopté un amendement portant à
30 ans à compter de la majorité le délai de prescription pour les viols commis
sur des victimes mineures et à 20 ans pour les délits à caractère sexuel,
prenant ainsi en compte le temps qu'il est parfois (souvent ...) nécessaire aux
victimes pour dénoncer leurs agresseurs et les faits.
Le texte sera soumis au
Sénat en juin.
Cette disposition répond aux demandes des associations
réclamant depuis longtemps un allongement des délais de prescription pour les
crimes et délits sexuels. La proposition actuelle ne concerne que les victimes
mineures .... mais c'est un premier pas dont nous nous félicitons et dont nous
attendons l'application avec impatience ...
From : [sosfemmes] Bulletin d'Information n°40 sos.femmes@laposte.net
***
3 - Italia
: Dependen hombres del consejo de sus
madres...
Para muchos es su musa
e impulsora
Dependen hombres del consejo de sus madres
Las grandes figuras masculinas del mundo de la política, la
empresa o el espectáculo, recurren con frecuencia en Italia al consejo de la
"mamma" como el más fiable y útil de todos, según revela un reciente estudio.
Siete de cada 10 de los hombres entrevistados piden la opinión de su madre para
tomar las decisiones adecuadas en su vida profesional y personal, según los
resultados de un sondeo que publica el número más reciente la revista mensual
Class. Las razones para ello es que consideran a la madre la persona que
encuentran más cercana, que mejor les puede entender e, incluso, en muchos casos
se trata de la "musa" de su éxito. El 31 por ciento de los hombres dice que la
madre les transmite seguridad, el 26 por ciento que les tranquiliza a la hora de
tomar decisiones difíciles y el resto afirma que la "mamma" les da fuerza para
seguir adelante. Las cualidades de esta figura femenina para los entrevistados
son principalmente cariño (65 por ciento), comprensión (58 por ciento),
fiabilidad (43 por ciento), sinceridad (39 por ciento) y sabiduría (28 por
ciento). No importa la edad o la posición social que se ocupe: el 33 por ciento
de los entrevistados considera que el juicio de la madre es indispensable para
lograr el éxito.
La madre es la persona de la familia en
la que más confían los hombres, por delante de la esposa o pareja, el padre y
los hermanos, hermanas y tíos, que ocupan los últimos puestos.
2003/MH/MEL
http://www.cimacnoticias.com/noticias/03may/03050904.html
***
4 - Swaziland : No room in heaven
for miniskirts
MBABANE, 30 May 2003 (IRIN) - King
Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch, has harshly condemned
women who wear modern clothes, and questioned the concept of women's
rights.
"The Bible says 'curse be unto a woman who wears pants
[trousers], and those who wear their husband's clothes' [sic]. That is why the
world is in such a state today," Mswati said at an Ascension Day prayer meeting
of religious leaders he hosted at Mbangweni royal village in the capital,
Mbabane.
A snap survey by IRIN, conducted in Manzini and Mbabane, the
kingdom's two main urban centres, found that trousers are the clothing of choice
among Swaziland's teenage girls and young women. However, non-traditional
women's apparel has always infuriated the nation's ruling authorities. King
Mswati's brother, Prince Bhekimpi Dlamini, and other chiefs have forbidden women
to wear trousers and miniskirts in their chieftaincies.
In a speech
broadcast over state-owned television, Mswati also slammed the human rights
movement and the concept of women's rights. The Times of Swaziland reported the
king as saying women were not only responsible for the ills of the world today,
but had the gall to "preach the gospel of human rights".
"What rights?"
Mswati asked. "God created people, and He gave them their roles in society. You
cannot change what God has created. This is an abomination before God," Mswati
said.
Trousers were not the only garments worn by women that Mswati said
bring God's disfavour. "Women who wear miniskirts will be barren," he
suggested.
Mswati's remarks came on the eve of a draft constitution
expected to be presented at the weekend, to replace a 30-year-old State of
Emergency under which Mswati governs the country, and which bans organised
political opposition to royal rule.
The palace has already indicated the
constitution will not fundamentally change the nation's political structure,
retaining and even strengthening traditional rule. But women's groups had hoped
that their own minority status would change.
"Women cannot own property,
take out bank loans or enter into contracts without a man's consent. But women
cannot remain legal minors without stifling national growth," Zakhe Hlanze, a
researcher with the Swaziland branch of Women in Law in Southern Africa told
IRIN.
Political observers said that when Mswati addressed conservative
church leaders, who are from "Christian Zionist" sects that combine
fundamentalist Christianity with traditional African creeds, he feels free to
speak of his core beliefs.
At an Easter service, Mswati thanked pastors
who said that God only recognises kings as national leaders, and condemns
citizens of democracies to hell because they have no legitimate leaders with
whom God can communicate.
"By custom, the Swazi king represents his
people before God, and speaks on their behalf individually and as a nation.
Mswati feels he can comment on issues like human rights and women with the
authority of someone who is close to God," Reverend Jabulani Dlamini told
IRIN.
***
5 - South Africa : Cape Town Consultations
reveal immense burden of HIV/AIDS on women and
households
SOUTHERN AFRICAN WOMEN LIVING WITH
HIV/AIDS
VOICE CONCERNS TO UNIFEM
Cape Town Consultations reveal immense
burden of HIV/AIDS on women and households
United Nations, New York, 19 May –
Women living with HIV/AIDS, home-based care-givers and women's NGOs from
Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, South Africa and Zimbabwe concluded a meeting in
Cape Town, South Africa, at which they voiced their needs and concerns as women
infected and affected by the disease. Despite the immense burden they shoulder,
in a region where the majority of people infected are women, they did not ask
for much, requesting only that their basic needs be met - clean tap water,
sanitation facilities, transport, a small stipend, and shared domestic
responsibilities with the men in their communities.
The Cape Town Consultation, organised
by the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in partnership with the Positive
Women's Network, and the Youth Against AIDS Network, aimed to give voice to
women's individual and collective experience with HIV/AIDS, and ensure that
these concerns are raised at the governmental level, so that they could be
included in prevention, treatment and support programs.
Noeleen Heyzer, executive director of
UNIFEM, listened to participants describing the endemic levels of exhaustion,
grief and depression amongst care-givers. They told of women who are expected to
cook and clean for their families, wash soiled laundry, bathe and feed the sick,
take ill family members to hospital, wait in queues to get medicine for those
who are too weak to do it on their own, collect firewood and traditional herbs,
and, on top of this, are still expected to tend to children, farm the land,
bring in money, and participate in community activities. Elibeth Mndzebele, a
Swazi participant who heads a team of community-based health workers explained,
“We were trained as nurses to take care of sick people and make them better.
Instead we are now discharging people into the morgue. It is very depressing.”
Participants also gave examples of the challenges faced by positive women, who
often have to endure sexual harassment and abuse when they are at their most
vulnerable – sick and in bed.
A unanimous plea was for more
assistance from men. "The potential of men to heal and care for their family
members is yet untapped. Women need their help. Domestic work can no longer be
only women's work. We need men to help clean, cook and care. The load is too
heavy not to share," said Sisonke Msimang, regional coordinator of the Youth
Against AIDS Network.
Noeleen Heyzer promised to ensure that
these concerns were submitted to the highest level of government
decision-making. "Without putting women at the center of the fight against
HIV/AIDS, the battle to control the disease will fail. Women have the
experience, skills and expertise needed to shape AIDS prevention and treatment
programs in ways that will address women's physical and cultural susceptibility
to the disease. Attention to their ideas and insights are long overdue," she
said.
From: unifem unifem@undp.org
***
6 - Pakistan :
International Labour Organisation's (ILO) first report on discrimination at
work
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: May 13 (PNS)
- Despite campaigns after campaigns and a variety of gender sensitization
measures, women are by far the largest discriminated group across the planet,
reveals International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) first report on discrimination
at work.
(...) Explaining the
types of discrimination, the report says :
a). Discrimination can occur at every stage of
employment, from recruitment to education and remuneration, occupational
segregation, and at time of lay-offs. Men and women tend to work in different
sectors of the economy and hold different positions within the same occupational
group. Women tend to be employed in a narrower range of occupations than men,
and are more likely to work part?time or short?term. They also face more
barriers to promotion and career development.
b). Export-led industrial development has opened up
many occupations to women, but inequalities remain in terms of pay, hierarchy
and promotion. Available evidence seems to show that occupational segregation
also persists in new areas of work related to information and communications
technologies - once hailed as a window of equal treatment and opportunities for
women.
c) In common with all forms of discrimination,
racial discrimination persists, the ILO report says, and affects migrants,
ethnic minorities, indigenous and tribal peoples and others vulnerable groups.
Rising levels of global migration have significantly altered patterns of racial
discrimination against migrant workers, second and third generation migrants and
citizens of foreign origin. It is the perception of these workers as foreigners
– even when they are not – that may lead to discrimination against them. In
today’s world, older theories of the purported superiority of one racial or
ethnic group over another have been replaced by allegations that foreign and
"incompatible" cultures may have disruptive effects on the integrity of national
identities.
d). Discrimination against people living with
HIVAIDS is a growing concern, especially among women. This can take many forms,
including pre?employment testing leading to a refusal to hire, testing of
long?term foreign visitors before entering a country, and in some countries,
mandatory tests for migrant workers. Other forms of discrimination include
dismissal without medical evidence, notice or a hearing, demotion, denial of
health insurance benefits, salary reductions and harassment.
e). The number of people with disabilities,
currently put at some 7?10 per cent of the world’s population, is likely to grow
as the population ages. The majority live in developing countries, and
disability rates appear higher in rural areas than in urban areas. The most
common form of discrimination is the denial of opportunities, both in the labour
market, and in education and training. Unemployment rates for people with
disabilities reach 80 per cent or more in many developing countries. People with
disabilities are often trapped in low?paid, unskilled and menial jobs, with
little or no social protection.
f). Over the past decade, discrimination based on
religion appears to have increased. The current global political climate has
helped fuel sentiments of mutual fear and discrimination between religious
groups, threatening to destabilize societies and generate violence. Religious
discrimination can include offensive behaviour at work by co?workers or managers
towards members of religious minorities; lack of respect and ignorance of
religious customs; the obligation to work on religious days or holidays; bias in
recruitment or promotion; denial of a business licence; and lack of respect for
dress customs.
g). Concerns over discrimination based on age are
also growing. By 2050, 33 per cent of people in developed countries and 19 per
cent in developing countries will be 60 or older, most of them women.
Discrimination can be overt, such as age limits for hiring, or take more subtle
forms, such as allegations that people lack career potential, or have too much
experience. Other forms of discrimination include limited access to training and
conditions that virtually compel early retirement. Age discrimination is not
limited to workers nearing retirement.
h) Many people suffer from "multiple
discrimination". Indigenous and tribal people, for example, are among the
poorest of the poor, and women within these groups are even more severely
affected. The intensity or severity of the disadvantages they may confront
depend on how many personal characteristics may generate discrimination, and how
these interrelate. For example, one person can have several characteristics that
give rise to discrimination. People who suffer several forms of discrimination
tend to be over?represented among the poor, particularly the chronic poor, and
in the informal economy.
http://www.paknews.com/main.php?id=3&date1=2003-05-13
***
7 - Chile : Una jueza quiso prohíbir la
comercializacion de anticonceptivos en Cordoba
|
Una
jueza quiso prohíbir la comercializacion de anticonceptivos en
Cordoba
Con una
medida cautelar, la jueza federal Cristina Garzón de Lazcano ordenó
prohibir la fabricación y comercialización en todo el país de medicamentos
anticonceptivos que contienen drogas consideradas abortivas y de
dispositivos intrauterino (DIU). |
|
Así
planteado, el decreto judicial inhibe al 97 por ciento de los productos que
actualmente están en el mercado.
"La demanda fue presentada por una
organización católica nacida en Córdoba, la Fundación 25 de Marzo, cuyo titular
es el sacerdote y abogado Fernando Altamira. (...)
La Fundación 25 de marzo, entre sus
fines -apuntó Altamira-, plantea la defensa de los bienes y valores que siempre
ha defendido la Iglesia Católica: la sana moral y el derecho natural, La vida
desde la concepción, contra cualquier práctica abortiva. Entre nuestros
objetivos también están el de ayudar a las familias humildes, la niñez, la
adolescencia y la ancianidad, contra la prostitución y la pornografía".
(...)
Esta jueza ya había aceptado otras
presentaciones de organizaciones ultracatólicas. En 2001, a partir de una
presentación del grupo Portal de Belén, prohibió la llamada "píldora del día
después", que se usa habitualmente en los países de la Unión Europea. En febrero
de 2003 dictó una medida cautelar contra la aplicación de la Ley de Salud
Reproductiva, solicitada por el grupo ultracatólico Mujeres por la Vida. Pero el
19 de marzo pasado, la Cámara Federal de Córdoba revocó la medida de esta jueza
por "arbitraria e ilegítima".
Gabriela González Gass, de la Secretaría de Desarrollo Social porteña,
dijo que se trata de "un fallo hipócrita que está en contra de la igualdad de
oportunidades". Y agregó: "Con este tipo de medidas lo único que se hace es
generar más embarazos no deseados, más abortos clandestinos".
La
doctora Estela Cárcamo, presidenta de la Asociación de Mujeres Jueces de
Argentina, manifestó que las mujeres "tienen derecho a ser informadas y a
recibir del Estado la información que les permita planificar su familia, derecho
amparado por la Constitución".
El Centro Latinoamericano Salud y
Mujer (CELSAM), una asociación civil apoyada por las Naciones Unidas y con
filiales en toda América latina, dijo en un comunicado que el fallo "pone en
serio riesgo la salud de mujeres y niños al impedir que las parejas planifiquen
su familia". "En un
país donde se practican más de 500.000 abortos clandestinos al año y donde muere
una mujer por día a causa de las complicaciones relacionadas con la mortalidad
materna, prohibir los métodos anticonceptivos que más seguridad aportan
significa exponer a la población a un serio riesgo de vida", afirma la doctora
Diana Galimberti, miembro del comité científico de CELSAM en la Argentina.
Se
destacó también la falta de asidero científico de los fundamentos del fallo
judicial. "Las pastillas anticonceptivas actúan impidiendo la ovulación. Es por
ello que son tan efectivas ya que al no haber óvulo, no puede haber embarazo",
dijo la doctora Alicia Figueroa, otra integrante del CELSAM en el país.
http://www..sentidog.com.ar/nsen/nacionales/91-061.htm
***
8 - Latin America and the Caribbean : Extreme
poverty affects women more
Extreme poverty in Latin America and the
Caribbean, an area where 220 million people live under these conditions,
increased 44 percent, and women are the most affected, Rebeca Grynspan, the
director of the
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
(ECLAC), stated today. Grynspan, who is in charge of Central America, Cuba, the
Dominican Republic and Haiti, revealed that this statistic is higher than it was
during the 1980s' crisis. "That is to say, the advances in the fight against
poverty that we have made since 1997 have been reversed. ECLAC calls it the lost
half-decade, from 1997 and 2002."
Interviewed by Cimacnoticias within
the framework of the international conference, 'Best Practices in Social
Policy,' organised by the Secretariat of Social Development (Secretaría de
Desarrollo Social, Sedesol), Grynspan noted that despite this, in terms of
poverty and programs oriented towards women, there have been advances.
Yet,
the vulnerability of single mother homes without a second income is great. This
comes, in a large number of the countries, from an extreme regional poverty and
fewer opportunities to successfully overcome it, Grynspan continued.
As
head of the ECLAC sub-regional office, Grynspan also stated that programs have
been developed and implemented successfully in terms of knowledge transfer and
opportunities for women and spearheaded by women. That said, the main problem
continues to be segmentation and access to the labour market. On the last
point, Grynspan said that accessing labour markets is currently the principal
preoccupation in Latin America in order to overcome female and domestic poverty,
since economic deficits in the female population are not only reflected on
women, but on their families as well. Recognition is needed for the achievements
promoted by the extensive women's movement to foster actions intended to
decrease poverty indices in the region. "The achievements that have come from
government have been induced by organised women in Latin America," she affirmed.
That said, she continued, the Latin American reality is far from
obtaining [gender] equality, since if you analyse any of the indicators or
studies that have been completed on this aspect, inequalities are
there.
For example, Grynspan stated, in the political arena, advances of
women in political leadership in the countries are very unequal. "We are not
able to say that many of these achievements are sustainable, because there have
been retrogressions." She recognised that in government social programs there is
a much greater awareness of the issue of gender. But despite the fact that
effective inclusion mechanisms have been designed, they are not present in the
programs created for women. There is still much work to be done for the true
inclusion of gender-related issues in the most general programs, instead of
being
treated as separate programs, oriented towards women but excluded from
the rest of the social programs, she concluded.
http://www.cimacnoticias.com/noticias/03may/03050904.html
9 May 2003 - Roman Gonzalez Article (translated by ICDA from Spanish to
English)
***
9 - USA : Anti-choice Lawmakers Push "Fetal
Personhood" Over Women's Rights
(...) On May 7, anti-choice
lawmakers introduced the "Unborn Victims of Violence Act" (S. 1019, H.R. 1997),
or UVVA, which would amend the federal criminal code and the Uniform Code of
Military Justice to create a new, separate offense if an individual kills or
injures a "child in utero." This
legislation would mean that a fertilized egg or zygote, an embryo, and a fetus
could be deemed a "victim" of crime, independent of the pregnant woman who
suffers the physical injury.
"We believe that every individual
should be protected from violence and we fully support legislation that punishes
acts of violence against women that harm or terminate a wanted pregnancy," said
Priscilla Smith, the director of the Center for Reproductive Rights' Domestic
Legal Program. "But by treating a fetus as a separate crime victim, this
legislation is a dangerous step towards eroding a woman's right to control the
fate of her pregnancy and her own body."
UVVA was introduced in Congress
in 1999 and 2001. On April 26, 2001, the House of Representatives passed the
bill with a vote of 252 to 172. The bill has never reached the Senate floor, but
with the new anti-choice leadership now controlling the Senate, it is expected
to act on the bill this year.
On May 22, Representative Zoe Lofgren
(D-CA) introduced the "Motherhood Protection Act"
(H.R. 2247), which would increase the penalties for individuals who perpetrate a
crime against a woman that jeopardizes or terminates her pregnancy, without
treating a fetus or zygote as an independent crime victim.
This
anti-choice strategy is not limited to legislative initiatives. In February
2001, the Bush Administration announced that states could classify a fertilized
egg as an "unborn child," eligible for coverage under the State Children's
Health Insurance Program. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy
Thompson, described prenatal care as healthcare for the fetus-leaving the woman
out of the equation altogether.
The attempt to vest fetuses with independent
"personhood" reveals an anti-choice movement that is hedging its bets and
counting on the Supreme Court and the lower federal courts to endorse a reversal
of Roe v. Wade. The Bush Administration's nominees for federal judgeships have
consistently shown hostility towards reproductive rights, lacking even one
abortion rights supporter among its nominees for the federal courts, according
to NARAL Pro-Choice America.
From : Reproductive Freedom News
<RFN@reprorights.org>
***
10 - International :
UN: Women Gain in Political Clout, Lag in Schooling
| UN: Women Gain in Political Clout, Lag in Schooling |
| Run Date: 05/30/03 |
By Ginger Otis
WeNews correspondent |
|
A new report by the United Nations
indicates that women are gaining political power around the world, while
they continue to suffer unequal access to education and
employment. |
|
(WOMENSENEWS)--The number of women in high-level
legislative positions around the world has jumped significantly in the
past two years, according to this month's report by the United Nations
Development Fund for Women, or UNIFEM. However, the same study indicates
that women continue to lag behind men in access to education and
employment and are still more likely to be illiterate then men.
"There's some good news, but we've still got a long way
to go," says Diane Elson, professor of Sociology and Human Rights at Essex
University, in northern England, and principal author of Progress of the
World's Women 2002: Vol.2. "After compiling data from all over the world,
I can say this isn't simply a case of poor countries lagging behind rich
countries. There isn't a country anywhere that meets our requirements for
full gender parity and female empowerment."
Progress of the World's Women 2002 tracks improvements
made toward women's empowerment within the context of a set of eight goals
created at the U.N. Millennium Summit in September 2000. By creating a
framework for all to follow, the international community hopes to be able
to end poverty, hunger, and inequality by 2015. Number three on the list
is "Promote gender equality and empower women," with a target date of 2005
for achieving full parity between the sexes in access to education. This
report assesses the world's progress during the past two years.
Only seven countries met Elson's criteria for "high
levels" of gender equality and they're all in Northern Europe: Sweden,
Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Netherlands and Germany. Although none
of these nations has achieved a perfect ratio, they do have nearly even
numbers of girls and boys enrolled in primary, secondary and tertiary
schools. The illiteracy rates among women aged 15 to 24 is comparable to
men in that same age group and wages are generally equal between the
sexes. And--perhaps most importantly--women hold at least 30 percent of
parliamentary seats in each country, which Elson says is crucial for
affecting real change. (...)
http://www.womensenews.org/index.cfm |
***
11 -
Conference / Meeting
* France
***
Séminaire : Violences sexuées et appropriation des espaces
publics
Journée de
l'ANEF - samedi 14 juin 2003 :
Violences sexuées et appropriation des
espaces publics -
Université Paris 7-Denis
Diderot Site Montréal 103 rue de Tolbiac 75013 Paris (Métro Tolbiac)
Amphi 46,
rez-de-chaussée
From : anef@mail.univ-tlse2.fr
*** Préparation de l'Assemblée
européenne des droits des femmes du FSE
FSE - ASSEMBLEE EUROPEENNE DROITS DES FEMMES :
12 Novembre 2003
Les réunions de préparation de FRANCE, auront
lieu le mardi 20 mai de 18h à 22h à la Bourse du Travail de Paris,
rue du chateau d'eau, métro : République
Réunion pleinière de 18h à
20h
Réunion des groupes de travail à 20h :
- Groupes Violence
- Groupe Immigration/solidarité internationale
- Groupe
pauvreté/précarité/travail
- Groupe Liberté de choix/avortement-contraception
- Groupe : Démocratie/Charte des droits/future Convention Européenne
(à redéfinir)
Pour tout contact :Marche mondiale des Femmes
<marche-paris@ras.eu.org>
*** Groupe de Travail sur les Retraites
des Femmes (CLEF)
Nous créons un nouveau Groupe de
Travail sur les Retraites des Femmes.
La réunion aura lieu le lundi 16 juin à 18h30 à la C.L.E.F., 6 rue Béranger,
75003 Paris.
Merci de signaler votre participation à abbeloos.jeannine@wanadoo.fr
le plus rapidement possible.
From : Bernice DUBOIS <clef.femmes@wanadoo.fr>
*
* U.K. : Trafficking in Persons
(27-28 Jun 2003)
Human Rights Law
Centre, University of Nottingham
This two-day
conference will offer academics and practitioners concerned with trafficking a
forum to exchange information and ideas on the spectrum of issues which
trafficking in persons raises. In particular of the conference will seek to
identify best practice by states, IGOs and non-governmental actors concerned
with trafficking whether from a migration, criminal justice, gender or more
general human rights perspective.
The central aim of the conference is to
facilitate discussion on steps taken/required at national and international
level against the backdrop of developments such as the UN Protocol and regional
initiatives. In assessing progress in this sphere by relevant International
organisations and states, the conference will seek to further the debate on the
application of a human rights framework to trafficking, including analysis of
root causes as well as law enforcement and judicial responses at point of
origin, transit and destination. The conference is aimed at law enforcement
agencies, NGOs, academics and others involved in formulating policy on the
subject. Selected papers will subsequently be publishd in the Human Rights Law
Review in Autumn 2003.
*
* Slovenia : Seminar to combat homophobia, sexism and
xenophobia (On the 3-8th August 2003)
On the 3-8th August 2003, International Debate
Education Association (the Netherlands) and Za In Proti (Slovenia) are
organizing a seminar dedicated to exploring the ways in which academic debate
can address and combat the problem of three types of discrimination:
discrimination against homosexuals (homophobia), discrimination against women
(sexism) and discrimination against foreigners (xenophobia).
The seminar will
take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia and it is opened to international
participants.
Debate as a tool of advocacy
Academic debate is a
contests of reason in which two (or more) teams present arguments in support or
against a given resolution. International
Debate Education Association and
its members (see www.idebate.org) have used debate as a tool to
educate young people and general public on a variety of social issues. In many
of the EU Accession Countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania,
Poland and Slovenia) secondary school and university students have run a series
of public debates on the benefitsand disadvantages of the EU accession as well
as policy solutions aimed at facilitating the process of unification. In
Moldova, university students involved in debate program use debate to educate
young girls about the dangers of trafficking. In Macedonia, leaders of Roma
women's organizations use debate to empower Romani women and change the public
attitudes about sexuality and freedom.
(...)
The seminar is open to international
participants aged 20-30. Priority will be given to participants who are members
of NGOs or community based organizations whose mission is to combat one of the
forms of discrimination which is the subject of the seminar; human rights
groups; local governments; youth centers, etc. Previous involvement in advocacy
would be an asset but there is no formal requirement regarding participation and
experience in academic debate.
(...) The deadline for submitting the
application form is the 1st of July. All the application should be submitted to:
<tolerance_education@yahoo..co.uk>.
If you
should have any questions about IDEA or ZiP, please do not hesitate to contact
Marcin Zaleski at <marcinzaleski@hotmail.com>
*
* Luxembourg : Congrès Mondial "L'Egalité des Sexes dans
les Sociétés Matrilinéaires, Matrifocales, matriarcales" (du 5 au 7 septembre
2003)
Organisé par
Internationale Akademie Hagia du 5 au 7 septembre 2003 à Luxembourg,
Centre des Congrès, 1 rue du Fort Thünge, Luxembourg-Kirchberg.
- Le
congrès permettra pour la première fois la prise de contact et des échanges
entre les scientifiques engagé-e-s dans la recherche sur les sociétés
matrilinéaires, matrifocales, matriarcales. Cette nouvelle science est une
recherche qui traverse toutes les idéologies.
-
Jusqu'à présent, un nombre encore bien trop faible de personnes a eu accès aux
connaissances que la recherche moderne sur les sociétés matrilinéaires,
matrifocales, matriarcales découvre progressivement. Voilà pourquoi, pour
la première fois, le congrès présentera cette nouvelle science à un large
public.
- Il
mettra en évidence le fait que les femmes en particulier ont eu une histoire
riche, mais trop peu de personnes y ont encore accès.
- Le congrès
contribuera à l'entente interculturelle mondiale et spécialement à la
compréhension de nombreuses minorités matrilinéaires,
matrifocales, matriarcales contraintes de vivre en marge de la société. - -
- En même temps, il soulignera l'actualité de cette recherche qui est
en mesure de proposer des alternatives concrètes et des solutions
réalisables aux problèmes sociaux et politiques non encore résolus
aujourd'hui.
****************************
* The purpose of this World Congress is to initiate and
encourage multi-cultural scientific exchange, networking, and collaboration
between scholars occupied with non-ideological research on what can be described
as matrilineal, matrifocal, and matriarchal societies. While „matrilineal“
and „matrifocal“ are clearly defined anthropological terms, the
significance of „matriarchal“ as a specific cultural complex will be
explored.
* The knowledge brought to light by a scientific study of
„matriarchal cultures“ is not commonly known or accessible to many people. The
World Congress will provide the first major forum for exploring the existence
of such balanced societies.
* A major intention of the Congress is to
foster worldwide awareness and appreciation for the many marginalized and
threatened ethnic groups that have preserved matriarchal patterns to the
present day.
* Women have always been creators of culture although this great
history is often invisible. The Congress celebrates women’s multi-dimensional
contributions to culture – past, present and future.
* The relevance of this
research will be emphasized in order to generate concrete alternatives and
practical solutions toward the creation of societies today in which women are
considered equal citizens and their
cultural contributions are
encouraged and respected.
http://www.congress-matriarchal-studies.com/
*
* Autriche : Conférence féministe internationale
"Perspectives féministes sur la mondialisation" (du 11 au 14 septembre
2003)
Conférence féministe internationale : Mythes et
réalités - Perspectives féministes sur la mondialisation
Du 11 au 14
septembre 2003, à Graz Autriche
Karl-Franzens University, Resowi
Center
Langues : allemand/anglais
Cette conférence traitera de la mondialisation néolibérale à
partir d'une perspective féministe. Cela inclut le fait de rendre visible les
contributions des femmes à l'économie et de prendre en considération les
relations de genre dans le contexte des politiques économiques. Nous créerons
des espaces pour partager les analyses et les expériences, pour développer des
alternatives et constituer des réseaux d'échange.
Une dynamique doit être
apportée contre le discours dominant en faisant la part nécessaire à la critique
et la créativité. Notre objectif est de faire une analyse critique des relations
économiques et de les relier à
la vie de tous les jours. De là, les
inter-relations deviennent plus claires, ouvrant des espaces pour le
militantisme politique et encourageant les actions personnelles comme
collectives.
Information et inscription : : fem-congress@attac-austria..org
Pour
les mises à jour du programme, les formulaires d'inscription et autres
informations, voir le site : www.attac-austria.org
***
12 - Some Funds ... Des fonds
!
***
SOS SEXISME
