Après quatre années d'Intifada, de
plus en plus de jeunes Palestiniennes sont victimes de violences sexuelles
au sein de leurs propres familles. Des travailleurs sociaux tentent
de leur venir en aide.
Le petit Bachar ne connaîtra jamais sa mère. Elle
a été assassinée à l'âge de dix-huit ans, quand il avait tout juste six
mois. L'enfant, né à Bethléem, n'a pas été recueilli par sa famille
maternelle, des musulmans de Ramallah. A leurs yeux, Bachar, fruit d'un viol
incestueux, n'existe pas. Sa mère, abusée pendant plus d'un an par deux de
ses frères, avait tenté de rompre les liens avec ce milieu familial hostile.
Non sans courage, elle était venue, seule, accoucher dans un hôpital de
Bethléem. Puis, en dépit de l'aide qu'elle avait pu y trouver, elle avait
fini par céder aux promesses rassurantes des siens. Ils voulaient qu'elle
rentre à la maison ; elle y est rentrée. Mais ses frères l'ont finalement
étranglée pour "laver" la honte de cette naissance hors mariage. Ils n'ont
pas été poursuivis par la justice.
Même si de tels "crimes d'honneur"
sont moins fréquents dans les territoires palestiniens que dans les pays
arabes voisins, comme la Jordanie, les violences de toutes sortes qui
secouent la société palestinienne et ses 3,5 millions de personnes, ont des
répercussions flagrantes sur les femmes et les enfants. Victimes au
quotidien de l'occupation israélienne, peu protégés par les structures
officielles - elles-mêmes mises à mal par quatre années d'Intifada -, ils
subissent le durcissement des rapports sociaux et familiaux dans un contexte
d'impunité quasi totale, due à la situation
politique.
(...) "Officiellement, trente-six jeunes femmes ont été
tuées dans le cadre de crimes d'honneur, ces dix-huit derniers mois en
Cisjordanie et dans la bande de Gaza. Mais on peut penser qu'en réalité il y
en a eu trois fois plus", assure
Eskandar Andon, assistant social à l'hôpital de la Sainte-Famille à
Bethléem. "Sur les cas avérés, poursuit-il, moins d'une dizaine étaient des
prostituées. Les autres ont été tuées alors qu'elles avaient perdu leur
virginité ou qu'elles s'étaient retrouvé enceintes à la suite d'incestes."
S'il est difficile de chiffrer le phénomène, travailleurs
sociaux, psychologues ou responsables des ministères concernés s'accordent à
juger que les conditions économiques et sociales imposées à la population
ont favorisé les cas d'abus sexuels. Mais le sujet est tabou et les
victimes réservent leurs confidences à ceux qui les aident.
(...)
"Lorsque vous vivez à dix dans deux pièces et que votre ville est sous
couvre-feu plusieurs dizaines de jours par an [comme ce fut le cas dans la
plupart des grandes villes de Cisjordanie durant les deux dernières années],
il est difficile d'éviter les relations incestueuses et les tensions de
toutes sortes", constate M. Hajaj. A la promiscuité s'ajoute, dans bien des
cas, la précarité économique. Cette situation empêche les jeunes gens de se
marier et favoriserait les relations sexuelles au sein du cercle familial.
Parmi les nombreuses femmes dont les maris ont été tués ou emprisonnés au
cours de l'actuelle Intifada, certaines se retrouvent aussi à la merci de
leur belle-famille. "J'ai reçu les confidences d'une femme qui avait perdu
son mari lors d'une incursion israélienne ; recueillie par ses
beaux-parents, elle était abusée par son beau-père et son beau-frère. Elle a
refusé de porter plainte car elle dépendait entièrement d'eux pour sa
subsistance et celle de ses enfants", raconte Razan Eskandar, une
travailleuse sociale qui oeuvre principalement dans les camps de réfugiés
autour de Naplouse et organise des psychothérapies individuelles ou
collectives.
Plusieurs témoignages de victimes soucieuses de
rester anonymes font état des effets inattendus et ravageurs des nouvelles
technologies. La télévision par câble et l'accès à Internet ont introduit
dans les foyers des programmes et des sites pornographiques, jusque-là
interdits ou difficilement accessibles dans une société traditionaliste et
pudibonde. "Confinés à la maison à cause du chômage, les hommes, jeunes et
moins jeunes, passent beaucoup de temps devant la télé. Ce qu'ils y voient
leur donnent des idées et ensuite ils passent à l'acte en prenant ce qu'ils
ont "sous la main", leur fille ou leur soeur", résume Shaden Bustami,
directrice de l'Association de la défense de la famille (ADF).
Installé dans un immeuble discret de Naplouse, cet organisme tient
une comptabilité de la détresse féminine. Son bilan est alarmant. Le nombre
de personnes ayant eu recours à ses services a triplé entre 2000, début de
l'Intifada, et 2003. Victimes de violences psychologiques, physiques ou
sexuelles, plus de six cents femmes se sont tournées vers ses psychologues
et ses assistantes sociales. Parmi elles, plusieurs dizaines ont demandé à
rejoindre la "maison sécurisée". L'adresse de ce refuge est tenue secrète.
Placé sous surveillance vidéo et protégé par des hauts murs anonymes, il est
ouvert aux cas les plus désespérés. Dans cet immeuble calme et propre,
ouvert sur un jardin, les pensionnaires peuvent se ressourcer six mois
maximum dans des chambres fonctionnelles, au décor minimaliste. Entre les
séances de psychothérapie, l'apprentissage de leurs droits, les discussions
informelles, elles redécouvrent les rythmes et les gestes de la vie
quotidienne.
(...) Toutes les tensions familiales n'aboutissent
évidemment pas à de tels drames, mais l'Intifada noircit le
quotidien des femmes. "Pourtant, la femme palestinienne est l'une
des plus éduquées du monde arabe,rappelle Fatina Touqan, la responsable,
musulmane et très pratiquante, de l'ADF. Durant
la première Intifada [1987-1993], elle a connu une forme d'émancipation en
participant au soulèvement populaire et en sortant du cadre strict de la
famille. Aujourd'hui, c'est elle qui prend de plein fouet la violence que
subit la société." "Depuis plus de trois ans, à cause du
chômage, l'homme est mis en marge de la société. Le seul endroit où il peut
encore exercer sa domination, c'est à la maison : alors il bat son épouse,
l'épouse bat ses enfants et les enfants se battent entre eux", résume M.
Andon, de l'hôpital de la Sainte-Famille. "D'autres maris manifestent leur
autorité en exigeant qu'elles se voilent", précise aussi Mme Eskandar,
habituée à visiter les camps de réfugiés.
(...) "La place de l'homme
dans la société palestinienne aujourd'hui explique en grande partie la
dégradation de la situation des femmes et des jeunes
filles", analyse de son côté Emmanuel Digonnet, responsable
du domaine de la santé mentale pour Médecins du Monde à Naplouse. "Or s'il
existe de nombreuses structures d'accueil qui permettent aux femmes et aux
enfants de s'exprimer rien n'a été mis en place pour faire parler les
hommes, excepté les prisonniers victimes de torture." Par le biais de "cafés
littéraires", cette ONG souhaite donc créer des lieux de parole qui
inciteraient les hommes à venir se livrer.
(...) Quand les victimes
se confient à eux, les travailleurs sociaux et les psychologues sont
relativement démunis. La plupart du temps, elles viennent consulter dans le
plus grand secret et veulent éviter à tout prix que leur entourage ne soit
informé. Pour l'immense majorité d'entre elles, il est donc impensable de
porter plainte. "De toute façon, la police, quand elle existe, ne peut rien
faire, les refuges sont quasiment inexistants et même les travailleurs
sociaux ne veulent pas prendre de décisions telles que des mesures
d'éloignement du domicile, car ils seraient eux-mêmes en danger, en cas de
vengeance", explique M. Hajaj. Tout en reconnaissant que l'occupation
israélienne rend parfois difficile l'application des directives sur le
terrain, Mme Musa souligne les efforts accomplis pour lutter contre ce
phénomène. "Par exemple, précise-t-elle, une loi est en préparation pour
augmenter l'âge légal du mariage à 18 ans et prévenir le développement des
mariages précoces." Les difficultés économiques ont, en effet, remis au goût
du jour les mariages des adolescentes à 13-14 ans, ce qui les oblige à
quitter l'école prématurément.
(...) "Il ne faut pas
voir ce regain de l'islam comme une forme supplémentaire d'oppression",
confirme M. Hajaj, musulman par culture, mais à mille lieux des "barbus".
"Si grâce à Dieu, elles se sentent davantage en sécurité et mieux armées
pour affronter la situation, tant mieux !" A Naplouse comme ailleurs, les
femmes voilées sont aujourd'hui majoritaires.
Stéphanie Le
Bars
Le Monde
(10.09.04)
Iran
* Exécuter les prostituées ? For
executing the "street women" ?
Une
parlemantaire iranienne estime qu'il faut exécuter les prostituées
!
Dans d'un discours prononcé au Parlement de la
République Islamique, la deputé de Tabriz a déclaré : "Il n'existe aucune
loi spécifique pour confronter les "péripatéticiennes " et si nous en
exécutions une dizaine, nous derions définitivement débarrassé de ce
problème";
Selon l'ILNA, une agence de presse officielle de la
République Islamique, Mme. Eshrat Shayegh, député de Tabriz, a fait cette
déclaration lors de la troisième Conférence des élues des provinces
islamiques, conférence qui s'est tenue à Téhéran. Elle a par ailleurs ajouté
:"Si un juge prétend qu'il n'existe aucune jurisprudence concernant les
péripatéticiennes, envoyez-le moi !" ... " Les femmes célibataires n'ont
aucune valeur et c'est la cas dans bien des cultures, elles sont exclues de
la société! Notre culture respecte la femme, ce sont les femmes
elles-mêmes qui ne se respectent pas !"
Mme. Shayegh a aussi déclaré
que le parlement ne peut aller à l'encontre des décisions prises par le
Guide Suprême et personne du gouvernement n'a le droit de faire pression sur
le parlement. Elle a enfin ajouté que les élus du 7eme Parlement Islamique
ont repris une assemblée où les attendaient d'épineux dossiers laissés
inachevés.
source : Iran Press News : http://www.iranpressnews.com/english/source/001386.html
Female
Parliamentary Member insists on executing the “street women”
WFAFI
Farsi News Monitoring
According
to a report by state-run news agency ILNA, Eshrat Shayegh, the female
parliamentary member (PM) of Tabriz, made an assertion about the rising rate
of runaway girls and homeless women in the streets, an issue known as
“street women”. She made her comments about the increased presence of
“street women” suggesting:”if any judge argues we have no laws to deal with
these women, I offer a solution myself.” She added: “If we execute 10 of
these street women, we will no longer face this issue.” She emphasized,
“Women have no value without their families…” Shayegh, the PM from Tabriz,
added: “the 7th parliament has come to a house of disarray and
full of problems” suggesting a much harsher treatment towards women. A
government’s atternoy, Mr. Reeyahi, in an interview with Iran Newspaper
replied to Shayegh’s comments by saying: “If these comments were made by
someone else, we would not pay much attention to it. However, since she is
speaking in the capacity of a parliamentary member who has legislative
power, we should pay very close attention to her comments…we should be
particularly worry about such comments now that it has been reflected in the
press”…Comments by Eshrat Shayegh sparked such an outrage among women’s
organizations inside and outside of Iran that she was forced to rephrase her
statement while blaming the press for misquoting her. However, she still
insisted that these women are at fault and should be “dealt with”.
(November
19-23, 2004)
* Violences envers les
femmes
La conclusion d’une enquête nationale effectuée dans 28 provinces
depuis 2001 sur les violences infligées aux femmes en Iran est enfin
publiée.
L’enquête révèle que :
Les phases les plus
violentes dans la vie des femmes sont : la première année du mariage,
la grossesse, après la naissance des enfants, les périodes des difficultés
financières et l’âge moyen...
Les reproches et les critiques permanentes, la colère et la
sévérité des hommes sont parmi les violences journalières les plus
citée
Les menance de tuer les enfants, de divorcer, de
prendre une autre femme, de vendre le bien familial, … et les insultes sont
également répandues comme violences
quotidiennes.
La violence
conjugale touche 66% des familles interrogées.
L’interférence de
« la première épouse » est considérée par certains hommes
l’élément essentiel qui perturbe la vie
commune…
Pour 64% des
interrogées, le mariage forcé est une violence
destructrice.
Tandis que les
violences physiques envers les femmes sont plus fréquentes dans les zones
rurales, les Iraniennes subissent davantage les violences sexuelles dans les
zones urbaines…
ISNA, 9 octobre 2004
From : azita geran /
afifem2001@yahoo.fr>
Egypt : Report "Divorced from Justice: Women's Unequal Access
to Divorce in Egypt"
"Y Egypt's divorce system
discriminates against women and undermines their right to end a marriage,
Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. In October, the
government established family courts but, like no-fault divorce introduced
four years earlier, these have failed to tackle ongoing discrimination
against women.
The 62-page report, "Divorced from Justice: Women's
Unequal Access to Divorce in Egypt" documents serious human rights abuses
stemming from discriminatory family laws that have resulted in a divorce
system that affords separate and unequal treatment to men and women.
Men in Egypt have a unilateral and unconditional right to divorce.
They never need to enter a courtroom to end their marriages. Women, on the
other hand, must resort to the courts to divorce their spouses, where they
confront countless social, legal and bureaucratic obstacles.
Women
who seek divorce in Egypt have two options: fault-based or no-fault divorce.
In order to initiate a fault-based divorce, which can provide full financial
rights, a woman must show evidence of harm inflicted by her spouse during
the course of their marriage. Even physical abuse often needs to be
supported by eyewitness testimony.
Since 2000, Egyptian women have
had the option of filing for no-fault divorce (khula). But to do so, they
must agree to forfeit their financial rights and repay the dowry given to
them by their husbands upon marriage. Adopted as a way to speed up the
divorce process, no-fault divorce still requires women to petition the court
to terminate their marriages.
"An Egyptian woman seeking a divorce
finds herself between a rock and a hard place" said LaShawn R. Jefferson,
executive director of the Women's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch; she
files for a fault-based divorce, she has to endure years of legal
uncertainty. To obtain a faster no-fault divorce, she must sign away all her
financial rights.
Regardless of which type of divorce a woman
chooses, male officials largely still control every step of the process.
Egypt has only one female judge on the bench, and the prosecutors who
provide advisory opinions in divorce cases are overwhelming male. In divorce
cases, women themselves are left with little decision-making
power.
In contrast, Egyptian law affords many protections for men.
Women seeking a divorce, unlike men, must submit to compulsory mediation. If
a woman leaves her husband without his consent, he can files charges under
Egypt gobedience laws that can result in her loss of alimony upon divorce.
The near-insurmountable obstacles confronting women in the divorce
process drive many women to relinquish their rights in an attempt to
persuade their husbands to divorce them.
The consequences of
this two-tiered system are often financially and emotionally devastating for
women. In some cases, they can be physically dangerous as well.
(...)
In October, the Egyptian government
established specialized family courts to streamline the divorce process by
consolidating all disputes into a single case heard by one court. While a
step forward in some respects, these new courts are implementing the same
discriminatory laws and practices as the previous system.
(...)
http://hrw.org/reports/2004/egypt1204/
China : Safeguard women's
rights
(...) As the country's most prominent
women's organization, it has set new priorities for women's issues in the
next five years, such as combating the continuing discrimination against
women in the workplace, making access to education possible for all girls
and raising literacy levels among rural women.
(...) Women are of great and unique value to
sustainable development. Women's advancement is something that can be
measured. The presence of more women in the administration of State and
social affairs speaks volumes for the improving status of Chinese women.
Securing the equality of women and men, in law and in fact, is the great
political project of the 21st century. A crucial role in the realization of
that project has been entrusted to the government and non-governmental
organizations, among which the All-China Women's Federation is the one most
well placed to represent half of the nation's population.
The representatives of Chinese women are
meeting to take that great enterprise forward: to consolidate the legal
advances, to build on the political understanding and to commit themselves
to action. The Outline for Chinese Women's Advancement (2001-10) aimed at
charting women-friendly policies that will integrate gender issues into all
areas, sectors and programmes is one achievement of that new spirit. Our
country is looking forward - not simply to achieving economic prosperity,
but to building a better future as well. The recognition of the dignity and
worth of women, and the essential contribution of women, on an equal basis
with men, to life in all its aspects, is to be an essential element of that
better tomorrow. The interpretation and implementation may vary from region
to region given that conditions and development differ.
Women's problems will not disappear
automatically when the economy progresses rapidly. Equality of dignity is
far from being achieved, with discrimination on the basis of gender still
widespread. Prejudice against women, like an invisible chain, fetters the
hearts and minds of millions. Poverty still has a woman's face in many parts
of China. Employment for women remains limited to relatively few fields, and
there is only a tiny percentage of women in management positions. Many women
are victims of unequal pay for equal work. Establishing women's legal rights
has been high on the agenda of the government. Today, the challenge is how
to make the laws take effect in the daily lives of the women. Real and
concrete steps are still required - to ensure equality of opportunity in
education, and equality of access to health systems, to jobs and to
political power.
There is a long way to go before we have
equality between women and men in senior decision-making posts. Women -
their lives, their roles, their aspirations - are the key to development in
every dimension. Equality, opportunity and development must reach every
woman in our country. There is growing awareness that attitudes as well as
behavior - both of individuals and of institutions - must change to take
account of the real rights and real needs of women. Together, we must follow
our words with our deeds.
( 2003-08-22 10:35)
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/2003-08/22/content_257315.htm
Cambodia : Crusader Takes
on Criminals to 'Rescue' Sex Workers
(...) The
39-year-old Legros says he is up against the might of an organised criminal
network that has spread its tentacles in that South-east Asian nation. In
particular, he asserts, it's the ''Malaysian-Chinese mafia.'' His fear was
demonstrated Tuesday, when he appeared in Bangkok to speak out against an
unprecedented attack last week on a shelter in Phnom Penh that provided
protection for girls and women who had previously worked in brothels and
massage parlours.
(...) The ''rescued'' women were among nearly 200
karaoke and massage girls that offer sex at the Chai Hour Two hotel, said
Aarti Kapoor, legal advisor for AFESIP. ''Up to half looked under 18 years,
but that is not based on scientific evidence,'' she told the media. This
hotel, which has six floors and 25 karaoke rooms, is known for more than the
sex on offer to male clients who pay between 10 to 50 U.S. dollars per night
for a girl. ''The selling of virgins has been identified as one of the
hotel's main features,'' said Kapoor. ''One 17 year-old girl said she had
sold her virginity there.'' The death threats came soon after, said Legros,
international director of AFESIP, a Spanish-funded organisation. ''We have
received lots of death threats,'' he said here Tuesday. ''If I speak (about
the attack on the shelter) in Phnom Penh, I'm not sure if I can live long.
My family has eight bodyguards.'' ''Organised crime is applying pressure on
the (Cambodian) government and the police not to go further with the
investigation (about the attack),'' he asserted, adding that the police had
warned AFESIP against initiating more raids on brothels. ''The police said
if we go ahead we will be dead,'' revealed Legros. (...)
''If Cambodia doesn't (do it), organised
criminal gangs will feel the risks are minimum in this region,'' she told
IPS. What also weighs against Phnom Penh is the unprecedented nature of such
an attack on a shelter. According to child rights activists, there is no
parallel in countries that make up the Mekong River region. It has,
consequently, brought attention to a troubling side of this poverty-striken
country - the rampant spread of child prostitution. ''Cambodia has the worst
record for seekers of virgin girls in the Greater Mekong Sub-region,'' said
McCoy. Evidence of that prevails in the karaoke bars, nightclubs and
brothels in urban centres like Phnom Penh and tourist destinations like Siam
Reap. Surveys conducted by the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF)
reveal that over a third of Cambodia's estimated 75,000 prostitutes are
below 16 years. Since it began work in 1996, AFESIP has rescued over 3,000
girls and women from Cambodia's sex industry. ''Till we were forced to close
the shelter in Phnom Penh last week, we had five refuges in the country,''
Kapoor said in an interview. ''We had 200 girls and women at any one time in
those shelters.'' (...)
''We are used to (receiving) death
threats for raiding brothels, like phone calls from the pimps. My wife had a
gun pointed to her head twice.'' But as he admitted Tuesday, Legros intends
to carry on with his work and fill AFESIP's shelters with child victims
because there are at least 20 hotels in Cambodia where ''you can find 100 to
200 girls available for sex.'' What empowers his organisation is the new
climate shaped by increased international awareness towards girls and women
trafficked into the sex industry and the commitments made by the Cambodian
government to fight such abuse, he told IPS. Yet he acknowledges the main
obstacle in the way of success. ''If we want to fight against the commercial
sexual exploitation of children we need to fight organised
crime.''
http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=26668
Algérie : Des jeunes filles et des femmes sont violées et
sauvagement assassinées
Alors que des jeunes
filles et des femmes sont violées, torturées et sauvagement assassinées, les
organisations des nations unies et les diverses instances internationales
gardent le silence et assistent en spectateurs à cette tragédie. Des femmes,
des sœurs et même des mères continuent toujours de subir les actes de
sauvageries de leurs époux, de leurs proches et parents et n’osent même pas
se plaindre. Pire encore, des jeunes filles et des femmes sont sauvagement
assassinées dans plusieurs pays, pour la simple raison d’avoir eu des
rapports sexuels où simplement soupçonnées d’adultère. Que se soit en Iran,
en Arabie Saoudite, au Nigeria, au Pakistan où en Afghanistan, les femmes
continuent à être lynchées dans l’indifférence totale. Les auteurs de ces
sauvageries qui se sont auto-proclamés, défenseurs de l’Islam et du Coran,
n’arrêtent pas d’assassiner lâchement les malheureuses femmes sans défense.
Ces choses là arrivent, alors que le monde entier sait que le bon Dieu n’a
jamais mandaté quiconque de le défendre ou de tuer en son nom. Amnesty
international est la seule organisation qui réagit à ces massacres, mais
n’arrive pas à stopper ces criminels qui continuent de faire leur sale
boulot.
Dans son édition du 23 août dernier, Amnesty international a
condamné l’exécution d’une jeune fille, âgée de seize ans, Ateqeh Rajabi.
Cette dernière a été pendue publiquement le 15 août 2004, dans une rue du
centre de Neka, une ville de la province de Mazandaran, au nord de l’Iran,
pour «actes incompatibles avec la chasteté» (amal-e manafe-ye ofat). Selon
certaines informations, Ateqeh Rajabi souffrait de problèmes mentaux et à
aucun moment elle n’aurait été assistée d’un avocat. L’exécution d’Ateqeh
Rajabi est la dixième exécution d’un mineur en Iran, répertoriée par Amnesty
international, depuis 1990. L’organisation a exhorté les autorités
judiciaires iraniennes à mettre fin aux exécutions de mineurs (les personnes
âgées de moins de dix-huit ans au moment de l’infraction), de manière à
rendre la législation et la pratique judiciaire de l’Iran conforme au droit
international, relatif aux droits humains. Afin d’échapper aux atrocités de
leurs bourreaux, des dizaines de femmes trouvent le moyen de s’immoler. Les
organisations, telles que les nations unies et autres instances
internationales doivent avoir honte de garder le silence, alors que des
femmes et des jeunes filles continuent d’être sauvagement agressées, violées
et atrocement assassinées.
Qui arrêtera ces bourreaux ?
Quotidien Algérien d’information -
La Nouvelle République
(9 novembre 2004)
Sudan :
Violence Against Women and girls
(...) According to the information received, on 30 November 2004, 7
female IDPs - one of which was pregnant - were attacked by an armed militia
group allegedly in military uniform, near the Deraij
camp.
The
women and girls were fetching firewood outside the camp in a place called
Momo, 2 km north of the Deraij IDP camp when they were reportedly attacked,
beaten with guns on their chests and heads. The 7 IDPs were then stripped,
after which the armed militias forcibly took 3 of them (names withheld) to a
nearby abandoned hut where they were raped; the other 4 women and
girls,
Kaltoum Adam Mohamed,
Meryem Idrees Adam, Zahra Issa Jar Alnabi and Asha Mahmoud
Abdalla,
escaped and returned to the camp.
According to SOAT, all of the 7 women and girls were seriously
injured. They initially
received medical treatment at the Amel Centre for Rehabilitation of Torture
Victims, a SOAT partner in Nyala. Due to the seriousness of the
injury sustained, one of the victims was transferred to the Nyala hospital
where she miscarried.
Furthermore, on 2 December 2004, the
Janjaweed attacked 8 other women and girls from the same IDP camp, while
they were also fetching firewood, in Torkong (north of the camp). While all
of them were severely beaten, including Mastoura Ibrahim Ahmed
(25 years), Hawa Ahmed Ali (30 years) and Husnea Ibrahim Ahmed
(25 years) and two girls, Jawahir Abdella (10 years) and Safa Adam
Ali (11 years), 3 of them, aged between 18 and
25, including one
girl, from the Massalit and Fur tribes (names withheld) were raped.
All 8 women and girls were refused
medical treatment at the Nyala hospital because they did not have Police
Form Number 8 (a form allowing for treatment for injuries caused by a
criminal act), a requirement in Sudanese
Law.
These
two incidents have been reported to the police forces in Nyala. However, the
police refused to file the second case. The International Secretariat of OMCT is gravely concerned for the psychological
and physical integrity of the above mentioned persons. More generally, the
deteriorating situation of internally displaced women and girls arouses
special preoccupation as according to information, this group is
increasingly being subjected to sexual violence and abduction near IDP camps
(see OMCT Case SDN 161104.CC.VAW) while these crimes fail to be adequately investigated, prosecuted and
punished. (...)
Please
write to His Excellency Lieutenant
General Omar Hassan al-Bashir, President of the Republic of Sudan,
President' s Palace, PO Box 281, Khartoum, Sudan. Fax: + 249 183 783223
urging
him to:
i.
Take
all
necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of
the above mentioned women and girls;
ii.
Guarantee that all victims be provided with medical
treatment;
iii.
Order a thorough and impartial investigation into the
circumstances of their rape and ill-treatment in order to identify all those
responsible, bring them to trial and apply the penal and/or administrative
sanctions as provided by
law;
iv.
Guarantee
that adequate reparation and protection are provided to
the victims;
v.
Guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental
freedoms throughout the country in accordance with national laws and
international human rights
standards.
From :
omct@omct.org
Nigeria : Under
Islamic Law, Rights Still Unprotected
If the Shari’a courts had respected the due process rights
enshrined in Nigeria’s constitution, many of these sentences
would never have been imposed. 
Peter
Takirambudde
Executive Director of Human Rights
Watch’s Africa Division | |
|
The 111-page report, entitled “‘Political
Shari’a?’: Human Rights and Islamic Law in Northern Nigeria,” documents human rights violations since Shari’a was introduced to
cover criminal law in 12 northern states. Since 2000, at least 10 people
have been sentenced to death and dozens sentenced to amputation and
floggings. The majority have been tried without legal representation. Many
sentenced to amputation were convicted on confessions extracted under
torture by the police. Judges in Shari’a courts, most of whom have not
received adequate training, have failed to inform defendants of their
rights.
“If the Shari’a courts had respected the due
process rights enshrined in Nigeria’s constitution, many of these sentences
would never have been imposed,” said Peter Takirambudde, executive director
of Human Rights Watch’s Africa Division.
Some of the
human rights violations documented in the report—such as police torture and
corruption in the judiciary—are not peculiar to Shari’a. Indeed, they are at
least as widespread in cases handled by the parallel common law system.
“State governments and Shari’a courts have not only
failed to respect international human rights standards. They have also
disregarded what many Muslims argue are key principles of Shari’a itself,”
said Takirambudde. “They have concentrated on the harsh aspects of Islamic
law while ignoring its principles of generosity and compassion.”
The report highlights discrimination against women
within the Shari’a legislation introduced by the 12 states. Women have been
especially affected in cases of adultery or extramarital sex, where
standards of evidence differ for men and for women, and pregnancy is
considered sufficient evidence to convict a woman. Judges have also failed
to investigate allegations of rape made by female defendants in adultery
cases. The imposition of Shari’a has corresponded to increased restrictions
for women in their day-to-day life, affecting their freedom of movement and
association as well as their style of dress. Women have been harassed by
Shari’a enforcement groups, known as “hisbah,” set up by state governments.
The hisbah have also carried out abuses against suspected male offenders,
particularly those suspected of drinking alcohol.
As
domestic and international concern over the harsh sentences has increased,
the momentum for Shari’a has waned in the past year or two. Harsh sentences
have become rarer, and several death sentences have been overturned on
appeal. However, the legislation providing for these punishments remains in
place, and fundamental abuses continue.
In northern
Nigeria, many Muslims who had initially supported Shari’a have become
disillusioned with the manner in which it has been implemented. They told
Human Rights Watch that this was not “real Shari’a” but “political Shari’a,”
but are fearful of being labeled “anti-Islamic” if they say so publicly.
“State governors have championed Shari’a simply to boost
their popularity. These officials have been willing to sanction serious
abuses to enhance their political standing,” Takirambudde said.
However, as popular opinion has shifted, state governors
have now become hesitant to carry out the death sentences and amputations
that have been handed down. However, they are also not prepared to oppose
such punishments. As a result, dozens of people are now facing prolonged
periods of uncertainty in detention while an amputation sentence hangs over
them. Some have been in prison for more than two years.
The Human Rights Watch report called on federal and
state governments in Nigeria and judicial officials to amend provisions of
the Shari’a state legislation that violate human rights—particularly
provisions for death sentences, amputations and floggings—as well as
provisions that discriminate against women. Nigerian officials should stop
handing down and executing such punishments. Human Rights Watch also called
for due process to be respected in Shari’a trials, and for legal
representation to be mandatory in all trials where the offense is punishable
by death or amputation.
Human Rights Watch also urged
the international community to extend its concern about Shari’a to other
human rights issues in Nigeria.
“In parts of the country
where there is no Shari’a, grave human rights problems persist,”
Takirambudde said. “In recent years, thousands of people have been killed by
the Nigerian security forces or in ethnic conflicts. The international
community needs to turn its attention to these problems too.”
Sierra
Leone : No End to Rape
During Sierra Leone's brutal civil conflict
of the 1990s, rape was systematically used as a weapon of war. The
conclusion of the conflict in January 2002 did not spell an end to this
crime, however. In fact, some allege that rapes are becoming more frequent
in Sierra Leone.
”Rape has steadily been on the increase since the
end of the civil war two years ago, with our centre servicing hundreds of
cases in the eastern province as well as the western area,” says Amie
Tejan-Kellah, programme officer for the Rainbow Centre.
(...) ”In most of the rape cases reported
here, children between the ages of six and 15 are the victims - and 40
percent of them have previously been abused,” says sociologist Michael
Tommy. ”The perpetrators have mostly been adults who prey on children by
luring them with candies, petty cash or just bullying. I think harsher
measures must be taken against these heartless people,” he adds. The social
welfare ministry is also lobbying for tougher laws as far as children are
concerned. Its child welfare department is currently working with the Law
Reform Commission on ways of strengthening legislation concerning children's
rights.
For his part, Sierra Leone's outgoing chief
justice, Abdulai Timbo, has called for more consistent sentences to be
handed down to those found guilty of rape. In addition, he has highlighted
the need to expedite rape trails.
Now, the United Nations Development
Programme has agreed to provide funding for 13 magistrates as well as
transportation in an effort to have alleged rapists tried more quickly.
On the street, views concerning rape are
sharp and uncompromising. ”They (rapists) should be castrated. It is a
wicked act. I think no bail should be granted to rapists when taken to
court,” remarks Musu Mansaray, a mother of two whose 12-year old daughter
was raped in Freetown. Adds Bassie Sesay, a school teacher: ”The only place
for rapists is the maximum security prison. We've had too much of this
menace around. During the war, it was forceful seizure of our children by
rebels. Now that there is peace, the authorities must act tough.”
(...)
http://ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=26666
Canada : Pressions
sur le Québec en faveur d'une cour islamique
(...) Ces démarches surviennent au moment où l'Ontario s'apprête à
rendre public un rapport sur la légitimité d'une loi datant de 1991 qui
permet la mise sur pied de tribunaux d'arbitrage basés sur des principes
religieux, qui, contrairement au Québec, sont appelés à trancher des litiges
familiaux. De tels tribunaux existent déjà dans la communauté juive et un
groupe de musulmans attend les conclusions du rapport pour faire de même.
Au Québec, le projet va bon train, alors qu'un noyau du Conseil de
la charia est déjà constitué. Y siègent sept membres, dont des imams très
connus des musulmans montréalais. Il s'agit, entre autres, du cheik Soufiane
Omar, de la mosquée al-Oumma, du cheik Abderrahman Ibrahim, lauréat de
l'université de Médine, en Arabie Saoudite, de Mohamed Houssam, imam de la
mosquée Attawhid, et de Salam Elmenyawi, lauréat de l'Institut des études
islamiques du Caire et imam de la prière du vendredi aux mosquées des
universités McGill et Concordia. Selon ce dernier, le futur Conseil de la
charia pourrait même avoir recours aux avis d'islamistes très actifs sur la
scène politique du Proche-Orient, tels ceux de l'Égyptien cheik Youssef Al
Kardaoui. Maintenant installé au Qatar, ce dernier a dans le passé lancé une
fatwa appelant à «une guerre totale contre les juifs, où qu'ils soient»...
Salam Elmenyawi affirme que son projet est conforme à la législation
québécoise : «Nous prononcerons des décisions qui ne deviendront
définitives qu'une fois entérinées par un juge des tribunaux du Québec»,
explique-t-il, sans préciser comment le Conseil s'y prendra pour respecter
les lois canadienne et québécoise en matière d'égalité homme-femme, où il
serait illégal d'attribuer à une femme une part d'héritage inférieure à
celle d'un homme par exemple... Une présence féminine au sein du Conseil de
la charia est envisageable, selon lui : «Elles feront la médiation sur
des questions dont les hommes seront gênés, par pudeur, de parler avec les
femmes.»
Ce projet s'inscrit dans la lignée de ce que font déjà les
tribunaux rabbiniques au Québec, les beth din. Ces «maisons de la loi»
peuvent dissoudre des mariages religieux et agir comme médiateurs dans des
conflits sur la garde de l'enfant ou le partage des biens, par exemple. Les
décisions n'ont pas force de loi mais peuvent être ensuite entérinées par la
Cour supérieure s'il n'y a pas de contestation. (...)
USA
* RU
Ashamed ?
On Nov. 19, the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorial board commented on the new "black box"
warning labels placed on Mifeprex (also known as "the abortion pill" or
RU-486), stating, "The FDA must avoid shaping its future handling of RU-486
to fit political whims."
Since its approval in the United States in
2000, Mifeprex has been used by 360,000 women and indirectly linked to the
deaths of three. Recently, the government issued a statement assuring the
public that Mifeprex will remain on the market. As we look closer at the
anti-choice movement's cry to ban this safe drug and all abortions, we must
also look deeper at the social context in which these women are living and
navigating their choices.
As a doctor who performs abortions, I am
committed to helping women and to providing the safest health care possible.
I am deeply affected by any woman's death and certainly these three deaths
are a tragedy. It is my job to do whatever is possible to prevent further
deaths or serious complications. It is also my duty to practice
evidence-based medicine to ensure that society has access to medicines and
procedures that are proven to be safe and effective.
So what are the risks of taking the early
abortion pill? There is a large body of scientific research as well as a
history of use by millions of women worldwide since 1988 that proves
Mifeprex is extremely safe. According to recent information
provided by the FDA, the adverse event rate for Mifeprex is a remarkably low
0.02 percent and the death rate is 0.008 percent. Evidence shows us that
legal abortion is one of the safest medical procedures performed. There can
be no argument that it is infinitely safer than illegal abortion.
It is clear to me that the stigmatization of
abortion markedly affects the safety of abortion care. It does so both by
isolating the woman and by limiting the amount of training physicians
receive to care for any unusual outcomes they may encounter. The political
climate around abortion and the lack of adequate training for doctors in
this specialty of women's health is appalling.
Often, women come seeking abortion care
completely alone. They do not feel safe to disclose their decision to those
around them, so in the rare instances when problems do arise, they are often
trying to navigate them alone. As a provider of compassionate, respectful
abortion care, I am concerned with bringing the abortion experience out of
the closet and into public discourse where women and their experiences
belong. Almost half of all women in this country have an abortion at some
point in their lives. Why are we as a society forcing our sisters, our
friends, our mothers and our daughters to experience this in an isolating
and stigmatized way?
Blaming a drug for society's inability to
truly discuss the deeper issues women face is an equation for disaster.
Mifeprex was not the culprit in these women's deaths but lack of
communication may very well have been. Stigmatization of abortion gets in
the way of safety by isolating the experience and cutting off a woman's
ability to talk about what is happening with her and her body.
We must allow women to discuss their abortions
and their abortion experiences in an open, supportive and non-judgmental
way. This is the key to ensuring that abortion remains a safe and viable
alternative for women faced with an unwanted pregnancy. Banning the abortion
pill will not help women. That would only reduce the safe options available
to women as well as make abortion more difficult to obtain. The true answer
lies within all of us to discuss abortion openly and honestly.
By Claire Barnett, (December 2, 2004). Claire Barnett,
M.D., is the medical director of Aradia Women's Health Center in Seattle.
This article was first published by the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/20646/
* Most Female Prisoners are
Black
Black women are three-fourths
of the record-setting number of females in state and local prisons,
according to a criminal justice expert.
“The penetration of the
prison system into the black family is extraordinary,” Vincent Schiraldi, of
the Justice Policy Center, told BlackAmericaWeb.com
Monday.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 101,179
women were in state or federal prisons by the end of 2003, the first time
the number of females behind bars exceeded 100,000. In 1990, there were just
44,000 women in state or federal prisons.
Black women are
being imprisoned at rates far outweighing women of other races, said Paige
M. Harrison, a Bureau of Justice statistician who co-authored the
report.
With an incarceration rate of 185 per 100,000 women,
black females were more than twice as likely as Hispanic females and nearly
five times more likely than white females to be in prison in 2003.
Ironically, the largest share of these black women are
imprisoned in “red states” – those states in which a majority of voters
backed George W. Bush in last week’s presidential election.
According to exit polls, Bush’s pledge to defend their values
and traditional family structure resonated with many people in these “red
states,” which include of the South and many Western
states.
Three of these states – Mississippi, Oklahoma and
Louisiana – imprisoned more than 100 of every 100,000 female residents,
Harrison said. Rhode Island, considered a traditionally liberal Northern
state, had the lowest female incarceration rate: with 10 per
100,000.
“The Southern region has had higher rates of arrests,
convictions, and incarcerations,” Harrison said. “This isn’t anything new.
Tougher sentencing ultimately affects who and how many people go to prison.
Schiraldi, the Justice Policy Center’s executive director, said the
high number of black women in state and federal prisons is “having a
profound impact through the black community in a way that’s just not so
within the white community.”
The Bureau of Justice Statistics
said that while the incarceration rate of men has grown at a slower rate in
recent years, the growth of female inmates has increased over the last
decade. From 1990 to 2000, the average annual growth rate for women was 7.6
percent and just 5.9 percent for men, said Harrison.
A majority
of women of all races, Harrison said, were imprisoned for illegal drug
offenses, with smaller percentages having been convicted of violent offenses
such as murder, manslaughter and assault or fraud.
Harrison
believes the growing number of female inmates has more to do with tougher
sentencing than individual behavior. That could be a leading reason why the
states with the highest rate of female inmates are in the South, which has a
reputation for being tough on crime.
“Democrats, in some
respect, have punted on this issue, while it’s been the Republicans who’ve
been tough on crime and more willing to experiment with solutions,”
Schiraldi said.
“Part of it is just being tough on crime,” he
continued. “But in some respect, it’s part of the legacy of Jim Crow laws.
African-Americans have gone from being enslaved to being
imprisoned.”
http://www.blacknews.com/enews/?http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?e227478393&f=2500000392431
Chile :
The "Chilean Marriage Law"
|
Despite opposition from the Catholic
Church and conservative groups, Chilean President Ricardo Lagos signed
the "Chilean Marriage Law" granting Chileans the legal right to
divorce. Chile was the last country in South America where divorce was
still illegal.
According to the Santiago Times, under the new
law, couples can divorce after being separated for one year if both
spouses agree to split and after three years if one spouse wants to
divorce. In addition, a divorce can be obtained at any time if a
spouse is found guilty of violence against a family member, abandons
the house, homosexuality, drug or alcohol addiction, infidelity, or a
criminal conviction.
Maria Victoria Torres, one of the first
Chileans to file for divorce, based her request for divorce on the “25
years of continued violence” she endured from her husband, reports the
Associated Press. After filing for divorce, Torres asserted “there
were many people filing for divorce today, but my case was the most
emblematic. I’ve been humiliated by my husband for 25 years, and now I
feel incredibly happy. This is a victory, a tremendous law that
protects us women greatly.”
According to the government agency
in charge of promoting equal rights and opportunities for women in
Chile, “a huge number of women are victims of domestic violence
perpetrated by their husband or partner,” reports the Santiago Times.
80,000 women report cases of abuse in Chile annually, with estimates
that for every one reported case there are five that go unreported.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brazil : Youths Abused in Rio's Detention
Center
The 70-page report, “‘Real Dungeons’: Juvenile Detention
in the State of Rio de Janeiro,” documents that youths in Rio de Janeiro’s
detention centers are often beaten and verbally abused by guards. Most
complaints of ill-treatment are never investigated by the state’s Department
of Socio-Economic Action (Departamento Geral de Ações Sócio-Educativas, or
DEGASE), the authority responsible for juvenile detention facilities.
Administrative sanctions against guards are rare and usually take the form
of transfers to other detention centers; no guard has ever faced criminal
charges for abusive conduct.
More than one-third of
youths arrested in the state are charged with drug offenses, including drug
trafficking. Strategies to address youth involvement in the drug trade
include improved access to education, vocational training, and job programs
to offer real alternatives to drug trafficking.
But many
youths receive no education whatsoever while in detention. Nor do they
receive vocational training, the rehabilitative service that they and their
parents most often identified as one of their top priorities.
“State authorities in Rio are missing a key opportunity
to rehabilitate youths and make their communities safer,” Bochenek said.
Health and hygiene are also serious concerns in
detention centers. Youths wear the same clothes for days or weeks before
they are laundered. Many share tattered foam mattresses, and others sleep on
the cement floor. They may not be able to bathe for days at a time, and they
must depend on their families to bring them soap, toothpaste and toilet
paper. When Human Rights Watch toured the detention centers in July and
August 2003, most youths and some staff were infected with scabies.
Under Brazil’s federal structure, each state administers
its own juvenile detention system. But the federal government provides much
of the funding that enables states to maintain detention centers, hire
guards and provide services to detained youths. Under the presidential
action plan announced last year, the federal government committed additional
funding to expand states’ capacity to investigate and punish cases of
torture, violence and other abuses in juvenile detention centers.
Human Rights Watch called on the federal government to
fulfill the commitments it made in the presidential action plan. DEGASE
should establish a complaints system with independent monitoring, and state
prosecutors need to exercise greater oversight of juvenile detention
centers.
The report is based on interviews with dozens
of detained youths, government officials, lawyers, healthcare professionals,
detention center guards, parents of youths in detention, and representatives
of nongovernmental organizations. Human Rights Watch inspected five juvenile
detention centers in the state, including the state’s only detention center
for girls.
Australia : Women's rights can
sometimes be wrong
RIGHT-TO-LIFERS call them 100,000 murders. Pro-choice
feminists call them 100,000 women's choices. For those uncomfortable with
either extreme in the abortion debate, we are caught between that feminist
rock and a hard place. Feminism's slick slogan of "my body, my
choice" won't always cut it. Somewhere in there is the death of a
baby. And it has taken a pro-choice film-maker to force a reality check on
feminism's holy grail. (...)
Yet we are now at that other
extreme, where a woman's right to choose abortion prevails. So a woman who
conceives twins through the marvels of in-vitro fertilisation chooses to
abort one because she feels unable to cope with two children. Another woman
chooses to abort a baby with a cleft palate at 28 weeks, an age when that
baby could survive outside the womb.
Reconciling the rights that attach to two
heartbeats in one body is a tough one. But if a baby is viable outside the
womb, does a mother have a right to demand that this new life be cut short?
In Britain David Steel, the former Liberal leader who introduced the bill
that legalised abortion in 1967, is pushing for a change to the UK's 24-week
limit.
The Australian reported last month that
founding members of the Women's Electoral Lobby, Wendy McCarthy and Eva Cox,
support a debate about late-term abortions. Yet when this paper reported
that Health Minister Tony Abbott suggested a "political constituency may
even be starting to emerge to ban abortions after 20 weeks", Cox shot off an
angry letter. She says she will not support any change in legislation to set
time limits on a woman's right to an abortion. It seems when push comes to
shove, the doctrinaire retreat. So here we are. Back to square one. A
woman's right is trumps. No mention of baby.
Too many are crippled by the 1970s politics of
abortion and a modern values system increasingly based on the "me"
philosophy. How else to explain that adoption has been dumped in favour of
abortion? In 1980-81, more than 1500 local children were adopted. Last year,
just 78 children were adopted. And we know its not for lack of demand.
(...)
( August 11,
2004) http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,10405635%255E32522,00.html
Europe
* La situation des
femmes s'est dégradée
Dix ans après le
sommet de Pékin, les femmes en Europe ont encore plus de mal à concilier
leurs obligations familiales et professionnelles, a estimé mercredi la
Commission économique des Nations unies pour l'Europe (CEE-Onu).
Le «double fardeau», professionnel
et familial, des femmes s'est alourdi dans la plupart des pays de la région
européenne, a expliqué à la presse le secrétaire exécutif adjoint de la
CEE-Onu, Patrice Robineau. «Leur participation au marché du travail a
augmenté en dix ans, mais pas les structures leur permettant d'assumer en
même temps les tâches familiales», comme les crèches ou les aménagements
d'horaires, a souligné M. Robineau. «Il reste beaucoup à faire pour réaliser
les objectifs fixés il y a dix ans à Pékin», a-t-il conclu. Il présentait
les résultats d'une réunion régionale préparatoire tenue à Genève mardi et
mercredi en prélude au sommet de mars 2005 à New York qui doit faire le
bilan dix ans après Pékin. Pour M. Robineau, il faudrait augmenter fortement
les capacités d'accueil des jeunes enfants, aménager les horaires scolaires,
les transports et les logements et généraliser les congés de paternité.
Selon la CEE-Onu, un autre facteur de discrimination à l'encontre
des femmes est la persistance de fortes inégalités de salaire et de
retraite. En moyenne, les femmes ont des pensions de retraite de 60% à 75%
inférieures à celles des hommes. D'une manière générale, note la CEE-Onu,
les systèmes de retraite pénalisent le travail bénévole, le travail à
mi-temps et les personnes qui interrompent leurs carrières, donc en premier
lieu les femmes. «Et l'égalité entre les sexes n'a été prise en compte que
de manière marginale dans les réformes» des régimes de retraite et de
protection sociale entreprises en Europe ces dernières années, note la
CEE-Onu dans un communiqué. «La situation est telle dans certains cas que
(...) le profil-type du pauvre en Europe sera bientôt la femme seule âgée de
plus de 46 ans». L'inégalité salariale s'est également accrue dans les pays
d'Europe de l'est ces dix dernières années: la différence est désormais de
25% en moyenne entre salaires masculins et féminins dans les pays de la
Communauté des États indépendants (CEI).
La situation est encore
plus dramatique dans certains pays de l'Est qui ont particulièrement
souffert de la restructration économique: en 2001, les salaires des femmes
étaient tombés à 46% de leur niveau de 1989 en Ukraine et à 33% en Moldavie.
Les résultats des discussions de Genève alimenteront la rencontre au niveau
mondial organisée par la Commission de la condition de la femme de l'Onu
(CSW) à New York en mars 2005 (Pékin +10). La CSW fera le point sur la mise
en oeuvre du plan d'action adopté à Pékin en 1995 par les États membres de
l'ONU.
AFP - Genève / http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actuel/article/article_complet.php?path=/actuel/article/15/1,4230,0,122004,868302.php
* THE NEW SOCIAL POLICY AGENDA /
LE NOUVEL AGENDA POUR LA POLITIQUE SOCIALE
LES
PROPOSITIONS DU LOBBY EUROPÉEN DES FEMMES CONCERNANT LE NOUVEL AGENDA POUR
LA POLITIQUE SOCIALE (2006 – 2010) – Le
Lobby européen des femmes a distribué ses propositions concernant le nouvel
Agenda européen pour la Politique Sociale (APS) aux personnes en charge de
la rédaction de l’APS, aux membres du LEF ainsi qu’aux principaux
intéressés. L’Agenda pour la Politique Sociale (APS) est un instrument
important qui englobe les différentes initiatives et objectifs européens
dans le domaine de la politique sociale. Pour connaître les propositions du
LEF, voir: http://www.womenlobby.org/Document.asp?DocID=824&tod=175258
From
: Marie-Anne Leunis <file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Administrateur/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.IE5/O3JZAG9T/>
International
* No more broken
promises on girls' education
Acknowledging that HIV/AIDS, conflict and
deepening poverty have eroded gains in enrolling more girls in school in
many countries, UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy today called on
nations to respect promises made to ensure that girls and boys receive the
same educational opportunities. Bellamy outlined a strategy to achieve a
“radical breakthrough” in these countries.
“Experience shows us that the usual pattern of
planning and investment will not do the trick,” Bellamy said, speaking here
at the high-level meeting on Education for All convened annually by UNESCO
and partners. “We must not allow the promise of education for all to
become another broken promise,” she said. ”We come up with a plan of
action to make a radical breakthrough in countries where efforts are
failing, and we must implement them as rapidly as possible.”
UNICEF said that eliminating gender disparity
in primary and secondary education by 2005 is an essential step toward
education for all children, and will be the first test of the Millennium
Development Goals, agreed to by all the UN Member States in 2000. Worldwide,
121 million primary-school-age children are currently denied schooling. More
than half of them are girls. (...).
Bellamy outlined a specific five-point action
agenda:
-
Sending supplies and services to those
countries where enrolment levels have been stagnating for decades.
-
Urging governments to abolish school fees
and other costs where deepening poverty combines with a rising populating
of children orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.
-
Establishing standards for quality
experiences and quality learning as an integral part of the new education
systems, so we do not have to continue fixing schools without water or
toilets, schools that do not provide the necessary resources for teachers
and learners, or schools that fail to create a welcoming environment for
quality learning.
-
In countries that are sliding towards
crisis, are actually in a state of emergency, or in transition from
emergency to development anticipating and pre-empting crisis, as well as
addressing emergencies and dealing with post-conflict situations.
-
Identifying countries which appear to be
doing well but in which national averages mask pockets of serious
discrimination; and give rise to complacency in the form of wider gender
discrimination in society. These countries need more in terms of
quality education and empowerment of girls and women.
(...).
Bellamy participated in the international
meeting convening Ministers of Education, international co-operation, heads
of development agencies and civil society representatives.
(...).
Structures of dominance pervade the
organisation and philosophy of most of the major world religions.
Consequently, religious fundamentalisms are particularly inimical to the
human rights of women in that they explicitly challenge women's right to
bodily integrity by calling for the control of women's bodies, reproductive
lives, and sexualities. All forms of religious fundamentalism oppose women's
right to sexual freedom and pleasure, the right to make their own decisions
with respect to abortion, and, importantly, the right to occupy positions of
power and decision making either within their religious communities or in
the wider society. Clearly, this has very concrete implications for women's
human rights.
When fundamentalist political forces and
ideologies are on the rise, governments, even as they attempt to restrict
such forces in the struggle for political power, tend to acquiesce to them
in matters relating to women. In the process, their different political
interests collude with sexist male interests in denying women's human
rights. They do so by enforcing family codes that discriminate against women
in matters of sexuality, marriage, polygamy, divorce, repudiation, alimony,
custody and guardianship of children, and inheritance. In particular, when
fundamentalists organise politically to prevent women's access to
reproductive health services, government officials and policymakers -- who
are generally men who are educated within and benefit from such patriarchal
religious traditions -- are more willing to accept fundamentalist claims as
grounded in tradition and therefore legitimate. In contrast, more liberal
perspectives are viewed with distrust as "new" or "foreign" and therefore
not legitimate.
There are many examples of oppressive
practices and polices, targeting women’s reproductive and sexual lives,
which are perpetuated in name of religion. For example, in Pakistan women
are killed by male relatives when they are suspected of "immoral
activities." Such "honor killings" are tacitly or explicitly condoned by
families and the government as part of an understandable process to
re-establish "family honour." In the US, Christian religious fundamentalists
use terrorist tactics to prevent women from having abortions; clinics that
provide abortions have been bombed and some doctors who carried out legal
abortions have been murdered. In Nepal, there is an absolute prohibition on
abortion resulting in hundreds of women serving prison terms -- including
rape and incest victims who have sought abortions. In the Republic of
Ireland, a similar prohibition ensures that only the well-off and better
educated can avail of abortions by travelling in secret to neighboring
Britain. In doing so, they risk intense social stigma and possible medical
complications due to the absence of routine follow-up care back at home.
These laws, policies, and practices are
frequently said to flow from the imperatives of religious faith. However, in
the case of Islam, for example, there is considerable variation in actual
laws and policies from one Muslim country/community to another. For example,
across the Muslim world, policies on fertility regulation range from a total
ban on contraception to forced abortion and sterilization, depending on the
political interests that dominate at the moment. What is similar across all
the Muslim world is the use of Islam as justification of such dissimilar
policies.
Ultimately, all fundamentalist movements,
whether religious, economic, scientific or cultural, are primarily about
gaining political power. They thrive in societies where diversity is denied
and violence is condoned to repress opposition from groups and individuals
who reject their values. In order to overcome fundamentalisms, it is
important to underline that no religious, ethnic or cultural community is
monolithic. Within each community, where there are repressive tendencies
there will also be more liberating counter tendencies. There is no
"religious" reason why governments should accept and encourage the
fundamentalist forces within a religious, cultural or ethnic community
against progressive, pro-human rights voices in the same community. When it
comes to women's reproductive health, it must be recognised that the Holy
See or Iran, for example, are not advancing theology; they are asserting
political power and control over women's lives. (...)
However, at the Beijing
Conference in 1995, and throughout the Cairo+5 and Beijing + 5 review
meetings, sexual and reproductive rights were repeatedly challenged by both
Catholic and Muslim fundamentalist movements. Some conservative states and
their allied NGOs attempted to weaken the existing agreements by blocking
consensus in areas such as unsafe abortion, the explicit inclusion of
language on sexual and reproductive rights, and measures to prevent
discrimination based on sexual orientation. Furthermore, ongoing North-South
debates on Development Aid, reduction of debt, and globalization often
over-shadowed consideration of women's concerns make negotiations to advance
the rights of women very difficult. The challenging global political climate
outlined here highlights the particular need to sustain global solidarity
among groups in their struggles to combat fundamentalisms and to ensure
ongoing information exchange and collaborative strategizing across countries
and regions affected by different forms of fundamentalism.
* AIDS
DEATHS AMONG WOMEN UNNECESSARY
“The stark truth is: millions of women and girls are dying
unnecessarily on our watch. They are dying because they are unable to
protect themselves from the AIDS virus, and when infected they can’t get
proper nutrition to prolong their lives or anti retroviral drugs when these
become necessary. It is a scandal which we can no longer tolerate,” said
Mary Robinson, former United Nations Human Rights Commissioner and President
of the Republic of Ireland, on the release of the latest UNAIDS report
revealing that the number of women living with HIV has risen worldwide over
the past two years.
Robinson’s organisation, Realizing Rights: The
Ethical Globalization Initiative, has joined forces with three leading
international women’s organisations working on HIV/AIDS, to raise awareness
of the issues facing women on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2004. With women making up nearly half of
the 37.2 million adults living with AIDS, the group aims to mobilise women’s
leadership through their combined global outreach of 54 million women and
girls in 150 countries. It
includes the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW),
the World YWCA and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
(WAGGGS). (...)
Alice
Welbourn, Chair of ICW, an international network striving to raise the
voices and issues of the 19 million HIV positive women worldwide, said that
“AIDS challenges us to tackle the greatest taboos facing humanity, no matter
where we live on the planet. These are sex, race, religion, poverty and
death. The task before us is extraordinary, but then so are many of the
groups of people who are facing it. They are creating innovative ways of
thinking and working and, in the process, reshaping the world for the mutual
benefit of all. The responsibility for the rest of society is to provide the
support and resources they need."
Lesley Bulman,
Chief Executive of WAGGGS, believes that greater attention needs to focus on
young women and girls: “with young women making up 76% of young people
living with HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, preventative education and
support services need to start early. Young women can play a crucial role in
educating their peers about HIV and changing attitudes of entire
generations”. WAGGGS delivers
peer education programmes in over 50 countries designed to educate and
inform members about HIV and AIDS.
“We
call on women leaders at every level around the world to get engaged and
take action urgently. Let us show that working together we can make a
difference”, said Robinson.(...)
From : lwright@social-profit.org
*
REQUEST FOR RELIABLE INFORMATION REGARDING HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS OF
WOMEN
(...) In light of these considerations, with a view
to improving the communications’ gender sensitivity, the following
suggestions have been identified:
1. Always indicate the sex of
individuals
2. Try to report on less “traditional” cases of
human rights violations which might happen in less “public” contexts such as
in communities and homes and might affect women in particular.
3. Locate broader sources of information, such as
women’s community based organizations and grass-root organisations,
disseminate among them information on special procedures and how these are
relevant for human rights violations affecting
women.
3. Explore the possibility of
reporting cases of legislation (in force or to be adopted) and policies that
might affect the enjoyment of women’s human
rights.
4.
When
violations are committed by private individuals or groups (rather than
government officials), information is needed which might indicate that the
Government failed to exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate, punish,
and ensure compensation for the violations.
(...)
From: ngo_csw_ny@hotmail.com
Conference
* United Nations / Nations unies
: The 49th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of
Women
Dear Friends,
The NGO Committee on the Status
of Women is inviting you to place a message in our 49th
Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women meeting
handbook. The message maybe from an individual or organization addressed to
the other participants at the CSW.
The NGO Committee will provide
this handbook free of charge to more than 1000 delegates coming to
New
York the first two weeks of
March 2005 to attend the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
conference.
The NGO Committee on the Status of
Women, NY supports the UN CSW and works to support women’s rights and
advancement worldwide advocating on important global events and through
being a pertinent part in civil society and in the UN Community.
Members of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, NY
are representatives of organizations that actively
participate at the UN events in New
York. The NGO Committee on
the Status of Women is a 501(c)3 charitable corporation founded in 1972 in
the State of New
York.
Our membership comprises national
and international non-governmental organizations and individuals who promote
the status of women internationally by working at local, national, and
international levels issues addressed by the United
Nations.
Again, we invite you to contribute
to our handbook and to help us provide an important service to those
attending the UN meeting in March.
Sincerely yours,
NGO Committee on the Status
of Women : ngo_csw_ny@hotmail.com
* El Salvador : the VIII FECAMU
CONVENTION
Dear friends,
We would
like you to participate the VIII FECAMU CONVENTION (Federación
Centroamericana de Mujeres Universitarias), to be held in the city of San
Salvador, El Salvador, from the 10th to the 12th of February,
2005.
In this convention we will have the participation of the
regional Associations of University Women (Central American countries and
Panamá) and we expect visitors from the U.S., México, the Caribbean, as well
as an IFUW representative. (...)
We are pleased to send you the Programme
and are looking forward to have the privilege of your presence for the
event. We will send you pending information as soon as possible,
hoping that you will be interested to attend, do not hesitate to invite
other members, you will all be wellcomed.
Hoping to see you in February
we send you our best wishes.
Miriam Bessie Siu, President
From :
ngo_csw_ny@hotmail.com
* Sweden : 37th World Congress of the International Institute
of Sociology
37th World Congress of the
International Institute of Sociology Stockholm, Sweden, 5-9 July
2005
Call for papers for the
Session "Transitions to Parenthood"
The conference
of the International Institute of Sociology is a large and wide-ranging
conference that attracts scholars from around the world. For the session
â?oTransitions to Parenthoodâ? articles are welcome on a range of topics
including but not limited to decision-making about childbearing, pronatalist
pressures, infertility, medical and other encounters before, during and
after pregnancy, pregnancy taboos, the assuming of new identities, parental
leave, new parentsâ?T experiences at work, and respective parental
involvement with newborns.
Book /
Livre
* "PENWOMANSHIP’’, A MAGAZINE FOR THE
CREATIVE WOMAN WRITER will be launched in April
2005. Do you have short
stories or poetry looking for a place to be published? Do you have something
to say or to share in a personal essay but can't find a place to share
it? See: http://www.penwomanship.com/
« PENWOMANSHIP », UN MAGAZINE POUR LA FEMME
ÉCRIVAINE CRÉATIVE sera lancé en avril 2005.
Vous possédez des nouvelles ou de la poésie qui n’attendent qu’à être
publiées ? Vous avez quelque chose à dire ou à partager dans un essai
personnel mais vous n’avez nulle part où le publier ? Voir : www.penwomanship.com
From
: Marie-Anne Leunis <ewl@womenlobby.org>
* A
feminist magazine
Digitall Future, a
quarterly International Feminist Magazine, will know its first publication
on December 1st 2004. This 16 page bilingual paper aims to provide issues
related to international relations with a feminist perspective, in English
and French. Digitall Future is an initiative by European and North American
Women Action (Enawa/enawa.org)
To order or help distribute copies of Digitall
Future, please contact renc@penelopes.org
Website / Site
Internet
* Des voix pour la
paix / Voice for peace
* A new
website
Querida/o
amiga/o,
Te comunico que al entrar en la web de la RCE: file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Administrateur/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.IE5/O3JZAG9T/, ya está activo el apartado de los
enlaces.
Te ruego nos comuniques si no figura tu web para insertarla en
dicho apartado
Dear friend,
I inform you that at
entering in the RCE’s: www.redciudadanas.org web, the links
are now active.
Could you please tell us if your web has not been included to
be able to insert it.
Cher(e)
ami(e),
Je te communique qu'en
entrant sur le site web du RCE: www.redciudadanas.org, les liens sont
actifs.
Pourrais
tu nous communiquer si ton site web n’y figure pas afin de
l’inclure.
Cordialemente / Cordially / Cordialement
Gaëlle
Paredes Dudek / file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/Administrateur/Local%20Settings/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.IE5/O3JZAG9T/
* Discussions en ligne...pour
2005
D’octobre 2004 à janvier 2005, WomenWatch héberge une
série de discussions en ligne sur les domaines stratégiques de la
Plate-forme d’Action de Pékin et autres questions importantes, afin
d’alimenter la révision et le processus d’évaluation. Vous pouvez apporter
votre contribution à ces discussions en ligne, qui seront synthétisées et
soumises à la CSW ( Commission du statut
de la femme ONU) en février 2005.
