The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) sessions are part of the UN structure that monitors the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and a forum for governments to address women's advancement. There are 45 elected member states. Each year the CSW takes on four priority themes until the year 2000 when a comprehensive review and appraisal of the PFA will be the focus.
After each session, a document of Agreed Conclusions is finalised where problems are identified and recommendations are made on the four critical areas. The final document is forwarded to the Economic and Social Council, which meets in July.
The topics for this session were violence against women, women in armed conflict, human rights of women and the girl-child. In addition, this session debated on the Optional Protocol, an instrument to the UN Convention Against the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
NGO ORIENTATION
In the UN world, an ECOSOC status allows non-government organisations (NGOs) to enter and partake (within limited boundaries) in most UN meetings. NGOs are provided an orientation on the first day of the CSW meeting. This year the meeting was hosted by Sudha Acharya, chair of the Committee for NGOs with ECOSOC status (CONGO), along with Patricia Flor, head of the German Delegation and the chairperson for the 42nd Session of the CSW, Carol Bellamy, executive director of United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), Angela King, director of the Division for the Advancement of Women (UN/DAW), and Elsa Stamatopolou, acting director for the High Commission of Human Rights New York office.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND THE MEDIA
Within the theme of violence against women, Isis International-Manila held two "media and violence" fora, as well as, an exhibit on best ads from Canada, China, Japan, the Philippines and the United States. This activity was done as a follow-up to the Regional Gender and Communications Policy Conference held in Antipolo, Philippines in July 1997. In addition, the results of the research project on violence against women and the media and the survey of media policies in the Asia-Pacific region and how they relate to the reportage of violence against women were presented. Contributing countries to the project were: China, Thailand, Fiji, Japan, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
Findings were that: media directly and indirectly contributes to the ongoing violence against women. Violence is perpetuated not only by the more glaring violence and subjugation of women, but also in the insidious manner of advertising and media reporting on issues of violence against women.
Panelists in the fora included Sarayeth Tive of the Women's Media Centre in Cambodia, Sita Aripurnami of Kalyanamitra in Indonesia, Midori Suzuki of Citizens Television Network in Japan, Sushma Kapoor of UNIFEM, Lilian Mercado Carreon of Isis International-Manila, Jennifer S. Butler of Global Women's Issues for the Presbyterian United Nations Office, Glory Dharamaraj of the United Methodist Church, and Donna Hughes of the Coalition Against Trafficking of Women.
Isis, in consultation with other media related groups, felt that it was time not only to raise the issue of media and violence but also to initiate the need to establish an international code of conduct within the context of freedom of speech. The hope being that this code will place responsibility on the media to not violate women's human rights.
The concept of an international code of conduct was well received at the CSW meeting. Most women recognised that the media does indeed play an active role in contributing to violence against women and at best minimises or sensationalises the violence women experience.
The research project also identified the need to develop an international instrument that measures and counterposes women's advancement to their images and treatment in the media. If a country rates high in the Human Development Index in terms of women's advancement but rates low in media portrayal and access, has it really advanced?
AREAS OF CONCERN
The four areas of concern for 1998 were areas which women around the world can attest and understand-the devastating effect violence has on the lives of women and girls. The conference was an opportunity to hear the conditions, survival strategies, gaps, and horrors that women go through. These include situations of armed conflicts, refugee women in host countries, ongoing aggression after peace treaties have been signed, the oppression under religions especially fundamental ones, and the increasing trafficking of women around the world. The conference also discussed the increased use of Internet to exploit women, ancient laws which discriminate against women and the difficulties women have in changing laws and attitudes.
There was also new information and analysis of issues:
Afghan women in refugee camps in Pakistan are in a state of crisis. Women and children suffer from basic illnesses related to malnutrition. Refugees are not allowed to seek medical attention. The camps lack security so it is common for Pakistani men to raid the camps and rape women and girls. The women have no protection against these ongoing assaults. Girls are being trafficked out of the camps into the cities for prostitution. Living conditions are horrible with no water, little food, no schoolhouses or medical care. Domestic violence is high in the camps and includes those committed by women who abuse their children. Drug use among the men is high.
In Europe, some churches are petitioning to be exempted from some human rights legal requirements. Of course, many of these legal requirements protect women.
In Nepal, fathers are not obliged to support their daughters. Girls are provided for only if the father is benevolent enough to want to provide for her. Nepalese women have been trying to change this law for years but the legislators see no urgency in changing it.
There are no references on elderly women in the Beijing Platform for Action, yet elderly women are increasingly the main care providers of young children. This is true in Africa and Asia where migration, AIDS, and situations of armed conflict leave elderly women as the caregivers of young children. There were also reports of elderly widowed women being killed for their land. The issue of abuse from family members also puts many elder women at risk.
In Bosnia, the media used the rapes of the women as propaganda to fuel war. The media campaign became "the rape of one Bosnian woman is the rape of the nation."
Countries undergoing peace negotiations are seeing increased domestic violence. Men are hyped up to the point of aggression but without any identifiable enemy, they abuse women in the family and community. Rural girl-children have no chance to develop and survive unless the family structure is addressed. They live in hierarchical families that are exploitative and abusive. International agreements are meaningless unless culture and rural traditional practices, which hurt girls, are removed. Girls cannot avail of social services unless they are relieved of some housework. At the same time, housechores will not be seen as important unless women's work is remunerated and girls are given credit for their work.
AGREED CONCLUSIONS
CSW's 42nd session reaffirmed the Beijing Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Declaration on Violence Against Women, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It issued appeals and recommendations on four critical areas of concern, namely, violence against women, women in armed conflict, human rights of women, and the girl-child.
I. Violence Against Women
- "For State parties to CEDAW to take into account in their initial and periodic reports to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, General Recommendation No. 19 on violence against women and Declaration on Violence Against Women;
- "For State parties to international human rights treaties to compile information and report on the extent and manifestations of violence against women, including domestic violence and harmful traditional practices, and measures taken to eliminate it, for inclusion on reports under CEDAW, and include such information in reports to other treaty bodies.
- "Integrated, holistic approach: Formulate and disseminates comprehensive, multi-disciplinary and coordinated national plans, programmes and strategies to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls; full cooperation of governments, the international community and the media in taking measures against the projection of violence against women and children. Provide for targets, timetables for implementation and effective domestic enforcement procedures by monitoring mechanisms, involving all parties concerned, including consultations with women's organisations. Encourage the media to take measures against the projections of violence of women and children. Integrate effective actions to end violence against women into all areas of public and private life. Ensure that comprehensive programmes for the rehabilitation of rape victims are integrated into global programmes.
- "Provision of resources to combat violence against women: Provide adequate resources, help lines, crisis centers and other support services including credit, medical, psychological and counselling, as well as vocational skill training for women victims of violence which enable them to find a means of subsistence. Support the work of NGOs in their activities to prevent, combat and eliminate violence against women. Develop special programmes for women and girls with disabilities
- "Linkages: Create linkages and cooperation with regard to particular forms of violence against women through bilateral, sub-regional and regional agreements and through international enforcement agencies and national police forces to promote and protect the rights of migrant workers and combat all forms of trafficking in women and girls. Improve international information exchange on trafficking in women and girls by recommending the setting up of a data collection centre within the Interpol, regional law enforcement agencies and in national police forces.
- "Legal and social measures: Ensure gender sensitive development of an integrated framework including criminal, civil, evidentiary and procedural provisions which address the multiple forms of violence against women; provide adequate infrastructure and support services to respond to the needs of survivors of violence against women and girls; provide legal aid and assistance for violated women and girls. Investigate and punish all acts of violence against women and girls including those of public officials. Criminalise all forms of trafficking of women and girls. Develop and implement national legislation and policies prohibiting harmful customary or traditional practices that are violations of women's and girls' human rights. Ensure that women are safe at work, free from sexual harassment or other violence.
- "Research and gender desegregated data collection: For governments to promote coordinated research on violence against women aimed at its nature, extent and causes. Develop common definitions or guidelines and train relevant actors for the collection of data and statistics on violence against women.
- "Change attitudes: For governments and civil society, including NGOs to create violence-free societies by implementing participatory educational programmes on human rights, conflict resolution and gender equality for women and men of all ages, beginning with girls and boys, promoting comprehensive public awareness campaigns, and creating positive images of women and men as crucial actors in preventing violence against women. Encourage the promotion of positive images of women and men in media portrayals as cooperative and full partners in the upbringing of their children, and as cooperative and crucial actors in preventing violence against women. Promote the responsible use of new information technologies particularly the Internet, including encouraging measures to prevent the discrimination against, violence against and the trafficking in women.
II. Human Rights of Women
- "That the Commission on Human Rights give particular attention to the economic and social rights of women in any discussions it may have at its 54th session on the question of the appointment and mandate of a special rapporteur on economic, social and cultural rights, and that the United Nations Secretary General report in 1999 to the CSW on decisions taken by the Commission on Human Rights on the issue.
- "For governments and other concerned groups to create and develop an environment conducive to women's enjoyment of their human rights and raise their level of awareness to these rights.
- "For governments to guarantee the existence of a national legal and regulatory framework, including independent national institutions that ensure the full realisation of all human rights of women and girls on the basis of equality and non-discrimination.
- "That governments ratify, accede to and ensure implementation of the CEDAW by the year 2000 and limit the extent of any reservations to the Convention.
- "Create channels of communications for information exchange between national institutions.
- "Ensure that the International Criminal Court (ICC) integrates a gender perspective in its Statute and functioning.
- "Support, encourage and disseminate research, and collect gender and age disaggregated statistics on factors and multiple barriers that affect the full enjoyment by women of their economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights.
- "Develop and implement national legislation and policies prohibiting customary and traditional practices that are harmful to women and are violations of their human rights.
- "Ensure that indigenous and other marginalised women's special conditions are taken into full consideration within the framework of the human rights of women.
- "Guarantee the existence of a national legal and regulatory framework, including independent national institutions that ensure the full realisation of all human rights of women and girls.
- "Enhance the cooperation, communication and exchange of expertise between the CSW and other functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council."
III. Women and Armed Conflict
The CSW reaffirmed the chapter on Women and Armed Conflict of the Beijing Platform Action, taking into account the commission's conclusions on Human Rights of Women, violence against women and the girl child. The following are proposals by the CSW in order to accelerate the implementation of the strategic objectives of chapter IV.E or chapter on the Women and Armed Conflict.
- "Ensure gender sensitive justice. Ensure that national legal systems provide accessible and gender sensitive avenues of redress for victims of armed conflict. Integrate a gender sensitive perspective in international laws and domestic legislation, including for the protection of women and girls in armed conflict. Support efforts to create an International Criminal Court that integrates a gender perspective in its Statutes and functioning, enabling a gender sensitive interpretation and application of the Statute. Provide and disseminate to the public in local languages, information on the jurisdiction and procedures for accessing the ad hoc war crimes tribunals, human rights bodies and all other relevant mechanisms.
- "Promote a gender balance and gender expertise in all relevant international bodies.
- "Reaffirm that rape, systematic rape and sexual slavery in armed conflict constitute war crimes.
- "Ensure that where crimes of sexual violence are committed in situations of conflict, all perpetrators, including those among United Nations and international peace-keeping and humanitarian personnel, are prosecuted.
- "Specific Needs of Women Affected by Armed Conflict. Take account of the impact of armed conflict on all women's health and introduce measures to address the full range of all women's health needs.
- "Refugee women should receive special attention, to cover the proper design and location of camps and adequate staffing of camps. Provide adequate access to their right to return to their countries of origin. Refugee women should participate in the committees responsible for the management of camps.
- "Take steps to assist household economies including the social and economic conditions of women-headed households and of widows.
- "Provide refugee victims of sexual violence and their families with adequate medical and psycho-social care, including culturally sensitive counselling and ensure confidentiality.
- "Mainstream a gender perspective into national immigration and asylum policies, regulations and practices. Mainstream a gender perspective into humanitarian responses to crises and armed conflicts and into post-conflict reconstruction activities.
- "Increase the participation of women in peace-keeping, peace-building, and pre- and post-conflict decision-making. Increase women's participation, including through measures of affirmative action, and leadership in decision-making and in preventing conflict. Recognise and support women's NGOs, particularly at the grassroots level, in preventing conflict, including early warning, and peace-building. Regional research and training institutes should carry out research on the role of women in conflict resolution and identify and analyse policies and action programmes. Enhance the role of women in bilateral preventive diplomacy efforts.
- "Ensure that the participants in humanitarian missions and in peace-keeping operations, both military and civilian, are given specific gender-sensitive training. Increase the participation of women in peace-keeping operations and invite the Secretary-General to analyse their effectiveness in the reports on peace-keeping operations.
- "Preventing conflict and culture of peace. Ensure that education including teacher training promotes peace, respect for human rights and gender-sensitivity, tolerance for diversity, including cultural and religious diversity and pluralism.
- "Incorporate relevant international humanitarian law principles into national legal systems.
- "Enhance the culture of peace and the peaceful settlement of armed conflicts, including through mass media, audio and video.
- "Disarmament measures, illicit arms trafficking, landmines and small arms. Support programmes for the rehabilitation and social integration of women victims of anti-personnel land mines. Provide land mine awareness campaigns.Work towards the objective of eliminating anti-personnel land mines.
- "Join international efforts to elaborate international policies to prohibit illicit traffic, trade and transfer of small arms. "Work towards general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control including disarmament of all types of weapons of mass destruction.
IV. The Girl Child
The CSW reaffirmed Chapter IV.L on the Girl Child of the Beijing Platform for Action, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the Convention on the Elimination on all forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Commission proposed the following to accelerate the implementation of the strategic objectives of Chapter IV.L.
- "Human Rights of the Girl Child. Prevent and eradicate the sale of children, child prostitution and pornography. Conduct awareness-raising campaigns and gender training targeted at law enforcement and justice system officials, giving special attention to the girl child.
- "Eliminate traditional and customary practices which constitute son-preference through awareness raising campaigns and gender training. Promote non-discriminatory treatment of girls and boys in the family.
- "Education and empowerment of the Girl Child. Ensure universal enrollment and retention of girls in schools. Ensure the continued education of pregnant adolescents and young mothers. Provide gender-sensitive training for school administrators, parents, and all members of the community, such a s local administrators, staff, teachers, school boards and students. Review teaching materials to promote the self-esteem of women and girls through positive self-images. Develop programmes on gender sensitisation for indigenous and rural girls.
- "Make visible girls' and boys' unpaid work in the household.
- "Involve the girl children as full and active partners in identifying their own needs and in designing, planning, implementing and assessing policies and programmes to meet those needs.
- "Health Needs of Girls. Protect the girl child from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse. Eradicate all customary or traditional practices that are harmful or discriminatory to women and girls. Make counselling to adolescent girls and boys widely available, on human relationships, reproductive and sexual health, sexually transmitted diseases and adolescent pregnancy which emphasises equal responsibility of girls and boys. Enact laws concerning the minimum age for marriage and raise the minimum age for marriage where necessary.
- "Girls in Armed Conflict. Protect the girl child in situations of armed conflict against participation, recruitment, rape and sexual exploitation. Address the special needs of girls in refugees camps and in resettlement and reintegration efforts. Create and respect zones of peace for children in armed conflict. Establish recovery programmes for children who have been abused or sexually exploited.
- "Trafficking in Children. Enact and enforce laws that prohibit sexual exploitation including prostitution, incest, abuse and trafficking in children. Prosecute and punish persons and organisations engaged in promoting the sex industry, sexual exploitation, acts of pedophilia, trafficking in organs, child pornography and sex tourism, while ensuring that children victims are not penalised. Ratify and implement international agreements that are designed to protect children.
- "Labour and the Girl Child. Pay special attention to girls in the informal sector such as domestic workers. Actively contribute to efforts at the 1998 ILO Conference to draw up a new international convention to eliminate the most abhorrent forms of child labour.
- "The Secretary-General should report on the girl child to the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) prior to the five-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform of Action.
