Women's Views on News |
- Next year ‘critical’ for women’s rights
- Democracy for everyone say Greens
- Change abortion link with aid
- Climate change and women’s lives
| Next year ‘critical’ for women’s rights Posted: 23 Sep 2014 08:24 AM PDT
Womankind Worldwide has called on next UK government after the upcoming 2015 elections to take advantage of an unprecedented opportunity and make progress on gender equality. In a briefing with the title ‘Delivering for women globally: Womankind's vision for the next UK Government’, Womankind Worldwide set out what the see as priority actions for addressing the persistent violence, inequality and discrimination experienced by women worldwide. Calling 2015 a 'critical' year for progressing women's rights around the world, Womankind calls on the UK to use its status as a global leader to 'take definitive, concrete action to ensure inclusive, stable and peaceful societies, in which women fully participate as equal citizens.' Womankind Worldwide is an international women's rights charity, set up by Sir Alec Reed of Reed Employment plc, working to help women transform their lives in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It also works collectively to influence the policies and practices of government and non-governmental organisations through sharing knowledge and experience. In 2015, the successor framework to the Millenium Development Goals (MDG) will be agreed, and a 20-year review of progress on the Beijing Platform for Action will be undertaken. Womankind points out that 'significant progress has been made in recent years,' and asks that the next UK government builds on that momentum to 'ensure that every aspect of the UK's internationally-focused work fully delivers for women.' Every action needed to increase gender equality has at its heart support for women's rights organisations, something that Womenkind says must be made explicit in every plan and programme, from the reduction of poverty to increased access to and inclusion in democratic processes and improved methods of achieving social justice. Commitments that Womankind Worldwide is asking the next UK government to make include supporting a stand-alone goal on women's rights, gender equality and women's empowerment in the framework that will replace the MDGs; agreeing a cross-Whitehall international gender equality plan within the government's first 100 days; and making tackling violence against women and girls a priority in all country-level work. Womankind recommends that the cross-Whitehall plan prioritises increased funding to women's rights organisations, and that the next government addresses 'the most common form of violence against women and girls: intimate partner violence.' Real change for women worldwide is possible. To help see it happen, please email your MP the briefing link. Thanks.  |
| Democracy for everyone say Greens Posted: 23 Sep 2014 06:10 AM PDT
In the wake of the Scottish referendum, the Green Party of England and Wales has published a paper called ‘Democracy for Everyone’ which calls for a People’s Constitutional Convention. This would consider a range of topics aimed at increasing public involvement in politics and to make the government more accountable for its actions. Their idea is that in a democracy, power should flow up from the people rather down from an over centralised state. The Greens are calling for: Greater powers for local and regional government; Electoral reform; Citizens recall for all elected politicians; Local referenda and citizen's initiatives; Replacing the House of Lords with a fully elected Upper House; The extension of the right to vote to all 16 year olds; and A written constitution. Kat Boettge, who represented the Green Party in this year’s European elections in May, said: “The people of Britain, wherever they live, feel disempowered and disillusioned with party politics. “The turnout in the Scottish referendum showed that people are very interested in how they are governed and that they do want, and now expect, to see changes. “The low turnouts in most elections is not through any lack of interest but because of a feeling that it makes no difference. “The Westminster machine will just carry on doing what suits it best, caring little for the real lives of the rest of us.” Green MP Caroline Lucas has written an open letter to the leaders of the three big Westminster parties urging them to make a genuine commitment to democracy. Lucas acknowledged that allowing the referendum was a brave political action that has sparked off real political debate across the UK, but now calls on all parties to follow this up by starting a full consultation with the people on the UK about how they are governed. Echoing this, Kat said: “I know that people care about what is happening around them. I see this in the members of protest groups, people at demonstrations, people in neighbourhood and community groups. “They are all frustrated by the remoteness of government, by the fact that they have to suffer the bad consequences of decisions over which they have no control. “That now has to change. “We are a democracy, the time has come for the government to listen to us.”  |
| Posted: 23 Sep 2014 04:45 AM PDT
The systemic use of rape as a tactic of war is horrifying, life threatening, and a war crime. For those girls and women victims who become pregnant, their suffering is exacerbated and prolonged by the near universal denial of abortions in humanitarian medical settings. In places where war rape is rife, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Sudan or Burma, the option of abortion could save the lives of many girls and women. The Global Justice Center (GJC) is launching a critical campaign to ensure that girls and women raped and impregnated during armed conflict are provided with comprehensive and non-discriminatory medical care, as guaranteed to them under the Geneva Conventions. Rapes that result in pregnancy have significant, sometimes deadly, physical, psychological and social consequences. Girls and women raped in armed conflict face increased rates of maternal mortality. Further, where women are denied abortions, they may resort to "non-sterile" or "non-medical methods" which can lead to death, infection, scarring or sterilization. The psychological consequences of rape and a resulting pregnancy are also severe. In fact, the denial of access to safe abortion for rape victims has been characterized as torture or cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment by various international human rights bodies. Women impregnated by rape are often ostracized by their communities, face spousal abandonment and physical violence by family members. Unfortunately, this group is denied complete medical care when the service providers tasked to treat them in humanitarian medical settings are unable or unwilling to provide them with information about or access to abortions. The denials violate their rights under the Geneva Conventions and customary international humanitarian law. For more information on this please see the Global Justice Center's brief ‘The Right to an Abortion for Girls and Women Raped in Armed Conflict: States' positive obligations to provide non-discriminatory medical care under the Geneva Conventions’. The US is the largest donor of humanitarian aid globally and a major reason for the near universal omission of the option of abortion for impregnated rape victims in conflict. This can be attributed to the blanket abortion restrictions the US places on all its foreign assistance, including humanitarian aid. These US restrictions contain no exceptions for rape or to save the life of the woman. Thus, all foreign governments, NGOs and humanitarian aid providers receiving US funds are prevented from providing the option of abortions to girls and women raped in armed conflict. Furthermore, funds provided by the US government often get commingled with funds from other donors for humanitarian assistance programs and can have the effect of subjecting the entire pool of funds to the US abortion restrictions. The current US administrative policy, adopted in 2008 (seeUSAID AAPD 08-01) is far more restrictive in practice than what is statutorily required (see the Helms Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1973) and violates US responsibilities under international law. The policy constrains states and numerous organizations directly providing services to victims of rape during armed conflict. These restrictions are unaffected by the lifting of the "Global Gag Rule" by President Obama, because the executive order revoking the gag rule explicitly keeps all other US abortions restrictions firmly in place. To comply with its international obligations, the US must modify its policy and practices. The GJC is coordinating a letter writing campaign to President Obama, urging him to issue an executive order lifting these restrictions on humanitarian aid in situations of armed conflict. Let our leaders know that you believe girls and women raped in armed conflict deserve complete medical care. Urge the President to lift abortion restrictions on US humanitarian aid. Please sign the petition. Thanks.  |
| Climate change and women’s lives Posted: 23 Sep 2014 01:09 AM PDT
Writing on her UNWomen blog, UN Women's executive director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka says one example of this is found in a survey conducted by Oxfam in Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami found that in the worst impacted village, up to four women died for every male. Lack of access to information and resources, cultural restrictions and entrenched inequality make women and girls even more vulnerable to climate risks than their male counterparts. Declining crops and rising food prices are already impacting the world's poor. Women and girls, and female-headed households are taking the hardest hit. In developing countries, women and girls bear the primary responsibility for water collection. They have to walk farther and work harder to collect water and fuel. In sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls spend an estimated 16 million hours fetching water every day. The time spent on gathering water, fuel and food keeps women and girls from accessing education. Making climate change is an issue of human rights, equity and justice. Women and men are experiencing, and will continue to experience, climate change differently. But women can be the game changers in reducing the impacts of climate change. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the international roadmap on women's rights adopted by world leaders in 1995, recognised the critical role that women play in protecting the environment. Women have proven skills in managing natural resources sustainably and adapting to climate change, and are crucial partners in protecting fragile ecosystems. Indeed, if we are serious about tackling climate change, we must ensure that women are equal partners and drivers of environmental decision-making. The UN Climate Summit on 23 September is a chance to change our stance on climate change, once and for all. We need bold actions, ambitious new targets to reduce emissions and strong political will to combat climate change. We need to recognise and strengthen women's contributions to climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience. At the summit, UN Women and the Mary Robinson Foundation are co-hosting a "Leaders' Forum on Women Leading the Way: Raising Ambition for Climate Action," to highlight women's leadership in climate action and to open a participatory inter-generational dialogue on climate change between women leaders and youth. For while it impacts everyone, climate change especially disrupts the lives and livelihoods of girls, boys, women, indigenous peoples, migrants and refugees, and inhabitants of environmentally vulnerable areas, including small island States. The very same people who continually struggle against poverty, discrimination and marginalization across all walks of life are also on the front lines of climate action. "Voices from the Climate Front Lines," is one of the four thematic sessions of the UN Climate Summit 2014. It aims to give a voice to the experiences of children, young people, women, indigenous peoples and other groups in building resilience and contributing to climate solutions on the ground. This session, organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UNICEF and UN Women, will highlight existing climate inequities, the implications of climate solutions on present and future generations, and showcase those who are demonstrating leadership as agents of change. The panel speakers are: Mary Robinson, UN Special Envoy for Climate Change and President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice; Ronan Farrow, MSNBC host, writer, human rights lawyer, former diplomat and UNICEF youth advocate; Sylvia Atugonza Kapello, climate and development expert, Uganda; Christina Ora, youth volunteer with the Honiara Youth Council, Solomon Islands and Alina Saba, young Mugal indigenous woman, Nepal. Femi Oke, international broadcaster and journalist, will be the moderator. The event will be webcast live on 23 September, from 5.15-6.30pm New York time. Click here to watch it live.  |
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