CSBR CSBR Activities, Statements

بيان من الكتلة العربية المشاركة في أعمال الدورة السابعة و الخمسين للجنة وضع المرأة

نعربُ، نحن، ممثلو الكتلة العربية االمشاركة في أعمال الدورة السابعة و الخمسين للجنة وضع المرأة؛ من افراد و منظمات، عن قلقنا البالغ إزاء دور قيادات بلادنا في المفاوضات المفصلية المتعلقة بقضية العنف ضد النساء و الفتيات. اذ قامت  حكوماتنا في هذه الجلسة و بشكل متزايد باستخدام حُججاً تستند إلى الدين، و الثقافة، و التقاليد، و القومية، لتبرير استمرار العنف و التمييز، واستمرار انتهاكات حقوق الإنسان دون محاسبة او عقاب. نحن نتحدث هنا عن العنف الذي يستهدف بنحو خاص النساء،  والفتيات،  والأقليات العرقية و الدينية، والأشخاص الذين يحيدون عن و يتحدون الهويات و الادوار المعيارية الخاصة بالجنس و النوع الاجتماعي .

إن المواقف التي أبدتها بعض البلدان العربية في هذا الاجتماع لا تمثل تطلعات المجتمع المدني و طموحاته، و لا تقرب الى الممارسات الفُضلى المتعلقة بالقضاء على العنف ضد النساء و الفتيات، في واقع الأمر إن قلقنا ينبع  من أن العديد من الحكومات تتبنى مواقفا من شأنها تقويض جوهر الإعلان العالمي لحقوق الإنسان، ألا وهو عالمية حقوق الإنسان وكونها غيرَ قابلةٍ للتجزئة.

إننا، كمنظمات غير حكومية، نخوض نضالاً يومياً من أجل تقديم خدمات الصحة الجنسية والإنجابية؛ وإصلاح القوانين التي تشرِّع التمييز وتنتهك حقوق الإنسان، كالحقوق الجنسية والإنجابية؛ و تقديم التربية الجنسية المتكاملة؛ كما نقاوم من اجل التصدي للعنف ضد النساء والفتيات، بما في ذلك الاغتصاب الزوجي والاعتداء الجنسي؛ ومد يد العون والحماية إلى الجماعات التي تواجه التهميش والإقصاء على أساس العرق،  والمذهب الديني،  والنوع الاجتماعي والهوية الجنسية؛ كما نعمل على كسر المحرَّمات الثقافية والاجتماعية المتصلة بالجنسانية.

إننا نؤكِّد بأن المحرَّمات الاجتماعية وعملية تسييس المسائل المتعلقة بالجنسانية إنما هي عقبات رئيسية في سبيل العدالة بين الانواع الاجتماعية المختلفة والقضاء على العنف ضد النساء والفتيات في بلادنا، كما أن إنكار حدوث ممارسات جنسية بين الشباب ما قبل الزواج، وانكار حدوث علاقات جنسية خارج إطار الزواج، وإنكار وجود عمالة جنسية، والممارسات الجنسية بين أشخاص من نفس النوع الاجتماعي؛ إنما هو تهديد خطير لسلامة مجتمعاتنا ومستوى الصحة العامة فيها. بالإضافة إلى ذلك، ومن خلال عملنا من أجل مجتمعات أكثر تقبلاً وعدالة ومساواة؛ فإننا نؤكد بأن التقاطعات بين العنف، والفقر، والعِرق، والأصل الوطني، ومفاهيمنا الجنسانية؛ يتعيَّن أن تكون أساس إطار عملنا، ومصدر خطابنا، والمرجع في المفاوضات المتعلقة بوضع النساء.

إننا قلقون من كون الصياغة التي اقترحتها بعض الحكومات إنما تدحض الغرض من هذا الاجتماع، بل تمثل في واقع الأمر رِدةً إلى الوراء بدلاً من أن تكون خطوةً إلى الأمام. كأعضاء وقادة في المجتمع المدني، فإننا نعتقد أن هدف اجتماع الأمم المتحدة هذا ينبغي أن يكون تعزيز الالتـزام وتقوية الخطاب المستخدم في هذا الميدان، و العمل على تعزيز حِراك المؤسسات والهيئات الحكومية ذات العلاقة في بلادنا.

إننا نرغب بأن تأخذ حكوماتنا في اعتبارها، أن اتفاقيات حقوق الانسان تبين بجلاء أنه حيثما وُجد صراعٌ مُفترضٌ بين التـزامات الدول المتعلقة باحترام حقوق الإنسان وحمايتها وتعزيزها؛ و بين الأعراف الاجتماعية والثقافية والدينية؛ أن الالتـزام باحترام حقوق الإنسان و حمايتها و تعزيزها ياتي أولا.

لذا إنَّ هذا يتطلب أن تكف حكوماتنا عن مواصلة التأكيد على الخصوصية الدينية والثقافية وعلى مسألة النسبية في التعاطي مع حقوق الإنسان، وأن تقوم بدلاً من ذلك بتكريس جهودها من أجل ضمان سياسات تصحيحية شاملة تتسم بالعدالة وإشراك مختلف الفئات، كما تعترف بالفضاءات المتقاطعة، والهويات المختلفة، والخلفيات المتباينة التي تحيا في سياقها اؤلئك النساء و الفتيات.

و بالنظر إلى الالتـزامات والتحديات التي أُشير إليها آنفاً، فإنَّ الكتلة العربية المشاركة في أعمال الدورة السابعة و الخمسين للجنة وضع المرأة تدعو الحكومات إلى:

  • الكف عن استخدام الخصوصية الدينية  الثقافية والقومية وخصوصية التقاليد  من أجل منع تقدم القوانين على مختلف المستويات، بما في ذلك ما يتصل بالقانون الدولي و بالدورة السابعة و الخمسين للجنة وضع المرأة هذه، فلا بد من تحدي مثل هذه الذرائع، لأن العنف الذي تتسبب به غير مقبول و لا يمكن السماح به أو التسامح معه.

  • وضع حد لاستخدام الدين و التقاليد و الثقافة على نحو مسيء لحماية الممارسات التي تؤدي إلى استمرار ممارسة العنف ضد النساء و الفتيات.

  • التأكيد على الالتزام بالاتفاقيات والقرارات التي سبق توقيعها، والاعتراف بحقوق النساء و الفتيات التي تُحترم بالفعل في بلادنا، والسعي إلى تعزيز هذه الحقوق، لا الانتقاص منها.

  • تبني تعريف للعنف ضد النساء يشمل العنف الذي تواجهه النساء في جميع مراحل حياتهن، بحيث يشمل الفتيات.

  • الإدانة الصريحة لجميع الممارسات التي من شأنها إدامة العنف ضد النساء و الفتيات، بما في ذلك تلك التي تتخذ من التقاليد والدين والثقافة أساساً لتبريرها، والعمل على القضاء على تلك الممارسات، بما في ذلك الختان، الزواج المبكر و القسري، الاغتصاب الزوجي، قتل النساء، و عنف الشريك.

  • الاعتراف بالوضع الخطير والخاص للنساء والفتيات في البلدان التي تواجه وضعا انتقاليا  (مثل مصر، وتونس، وليبيا)، واتخاذ جميع الإجراءات الضرورية بالتعاون مع الفئات الفاعلة من المحليين لضمان احترام حقوق النساء و حمايتها خلال المرحلة الانتقالية.

  • ضمان قيام المجتمع الدولي و الحكومات بالتحقيق في جميع الانتهاكات التي تستهدف النساء و الفتيات، ولا سيما العنف المتصاعد خلال المرحلة الانتقالية, وبشكل خاص حالات النـزاع المسلَّح (كما هو الحال في سوريا و العراق)، و وضع حد لإفلات الجُناة من الحساب و العقاب، سواءٌ كانوا من العناصر التابعة للدولة أم من الأفراد.

  • الاعتراف بحساسية وضع النساء الفلسطينيات اللائي يعشن تحت نظامٍ الفصل العنصري في دولة فلسطين المحتلة وفي إسرائيل، وضمان تحمل المجتمع الدولي والحكومات مسؤولياتهما المتعلقة بالتحقيق في جميع الانتهاكات ضد النساء اللائي يعشن تحت نظام الفصل العنصري، ووضع حد لجميع أشكال إفلات مرتكبي هذه الانتهاكات من العقوبة.

  • الاعتراف بالعنف الممارس ضد المدافعات عن حقوق الإنسان ممن يواجهن مخاطر حقيقية بسبب النوع الاجتماعي الذي ينتمين إليه والعمل الذي يقمن به،  ذلك الموجه إما من قبل هيئات الدولة او الهيئات الفاعلة من غير أجهزة الدولة (مثل العائلة، وأفراد المجتمع، وجماعات برلمانية، والجماعات العسكرية، والجماعات المتطرفة، والعمل على حمايتهن من هذا العنف.

الموقعون:

الائتلاف من أجل الحقوق الجنسية والجسدية في المجتمعات المسلمة CSBR،

نسوية الدولية، لبنان

منظمة القوس، من أجل التعددية الجنسية في المجتمع الفلسطيني، فلسطين

الرابطة التونسية للنساء الديمقراطيات ATFD، تونس

المبادرة المصرية للحقوق الشخصية EIPR، مصر

الجمعية المصرية للنهوض بالمشاركة المجتمعية، مصر

جمعية النساء التونسيات للابحاث التنموية AFTURD، تونس

جمعية النساء العربيات AWO، الاردن

محامون من اجل العدل و السلام LJP، مصر

اتحاد مناهضة العنف ضد المراة FAVAW، مصر

منتدى المراة و التنمية FWID، مصر

الداعمون:

Sisters in Islam, Malaysia
Aliansi Remaja Independen (Independent Young People Alliance), Indonesia
Women’s Health Foundation, Indonesia
Youth Interfaith Forum on Sexuality, Indonesia
Drag it to the Top, Pakistan
Pilipina Legal Center, The Philippines
Women for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR) – New Ways, Turkey
Rural-Urban Women And Children Development Agency (RUWACDA), Ghana
Clóset de Sor Juana, México
Venezuela Diversa Asociación Civil, Venezuela
Sexuality Policy Watch, Brazil
Shirkat Gah – Women’s Resource Centre, Pakistan
Women’s Research and Action Group, India
Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML), International
Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), International
Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Justice (RESURJ), International
Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), International
International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), International
Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL), Rutgers University
Secularism Is a Women’s Issue, International
Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP)
Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), International
Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), International

CSBR CSBR Activities, Statements

A Call from the Arab Caucus at the 57th Commission on the Status of Women

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, as represented in the Arab Caucus at the 57th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), are deeply concerned with the role of the leadership of our countries in the negotiations on the crucial issue of violence against women and girls. At this session, our governments are increasingly using arguments based on religion, culture, tradition, or nationality to justify violence, discrimination and allow the violations against human rights and continue with impunity. This violence is particularly targeted against women, girls, ethnic and religious minorities, people who dissent from or challenge normative gender identities and sexualities.

The current positions taken by some Arab governments at this meeting is clearly not representative of civil society views, aspirations or best practices regarding the elimination and prevention of violence against women and girls within our countries. We are in fact concerned that many of our governments are taking positions, which undermine the very basis of the UDHR, which is the universality, and indivisibility of human rights.

We, as non-governmental organizations, struggle on a daily basis to provide sexual and reproductive health services, reform laws that discriminate or violate human rights, including sexual and reproductive rights, provide comprehensive sexuality education, combat violence against women and girls, including marital rape and sexual abuse, reach out to and protect groups who have been marginalized and minoritised on the basis of their ethnicity, religious sect/and or sexual orientation and gender identity, and break the cultural and societal taboos associated with sexuality.

We underline that the taboos and politicization of issues around sexuality are major hindrances to gender justice and the elimination and prevention of violence against women and girls in our countries. The denial of the existence of youth and premarital sexuality, extra-marital sexuality, sex work and same sex practices constitutes a dangerous threat to the well-being and public health in our societies. As well, as we work towards a more inclusive, just and equitable societies, the intersection of violence, poverty, race, national origin, and sexuality must be at the center of our social justice framework, language and negotiations on the status of women.

We are alarmed that the language proposed by some governments severely compromises the very intention of this meeting and in fact takes us a step back rather than forward. As members and leaders of civil society, we think that the goal of this UN meeting should be to further strengthen the commitments, language, discourse and action of many institutions and government entities in our societies.

We would like our governments to take into account that where there is any perceived conflict between States’ obligations to respect, protect, fulfill and promote human rights and social, cultural or religious norms, human rights instruments clearly state that the obligation to respect, protect, fulfill and promote human rights takes precedence.

This requires that our governments move away from an emphasis on religious and cultural specificity and relativism, and instead put their efforts to ensure restorative justice, inclusivity, and holistic policies that recognize intersectional spaces and identities women and girls of different backgrounds exist in.

Taking into account the above commitments and challenges, the Arab Caucus at the 57th Commission on the Status of Women calls upon governments to:

  • Stop using justifications based on religion, culture, tradition or nationality to block the progress of laws at all levels, including in the sphere of international law and at this 57th session of the CSW. These justifications must be challenged. The violence they cause is unacceptable and cannot ever be condoned or tolerated.
  • End the harmful use of religion, tradition, and culture to safeguard practices that perpetuate violence against women and girls.
  • Reaffirm past agreements and resolutions and recognize the rights of women and girls already existing in our countries, and work on enhancing those rights, not undermining them.
  • To adopt a definition of violence against women that encompasses violence against all women across their life spans, including girls.
  • To clearly denounce all practices which perpetuate violence against women and girls, including those which are justified on the basis of tradition, culture and religion and work on eliminating them, like female genital mutilation, early and forced marriages, marital rape, feminicide, and intimate partner violence.
  • To recognize the serious and particular situation of women and girls in countries of transition (like Egypt, Tunisia and Libya) and to take all necessary actions in cooperation with local actors to ensure that women’s rights in transition are respected, protected and fulfilled.
  • To ensure that the international community and governments investigate all violations against women and girls, in particular the escalation of violence during transitional periods and in situations of armed conflict (such as in Syria and Iraq) to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators, both state and individual actors.
  • To recognize the sensitive situation of Palestinian women living under apartheid in the occupied state of Palestine and in Israel. And To ensure that the international community and governments will take responsibility to conduct investigation on all violations against women living under apartheid and stop all kinds of impunity for the perpetrators.
  • To include recognition of, and recommendations to address violence against women human rights defenders who are at particular risk, from both State and non-state actors (such as families, community members, paramilitary groups and extremist groups) because of their gender as well as the work that they do.

Signatories

  • The Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies (CSBR), International
  • Nasawiya, Lebanon
  •  Collective for Research and Training on Development – Action (CRTD.A), Lebanon
  • alQaws, for Sexual and Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society, Palestine
  • Muntada: The Arab Forum for Sexuality Education and Health, Palestine
  • Association Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates (ATFD), Tunisia
  • Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), Egypt
  • The Egyptian Association for Community Participation Enhancement, Egypt
  • Association des Femmes Tunisiennes pour la Recherche sur le Développment (AFTURD), Tunisia
  • Women and Development Association in Alexandria, Egypt
  • Arab Women Organisation, Jordan
  • Lawyers for Justice and Peace (LJP), Egypt
  • Federation Against Violence Against Women (FAVAW), Egypt
  • Forum for Women In Development (FWID), Egypt

Supporters

  • Sisters in Islam, Malaysia
  • Aliansi Remaja Independen (Independent Young People Alliance), Indonesia
  •  Women and Youth Development Institute of Indonesia (WYDII), Indonesia
  • Women’s Health Foundation, Indonesia
  • Youth Interfaith Forum on Sexuality, Indonesia
  • Drag it to the Top, Pakistan
  • Equal Rights Now – Organisation against Women’s Discrimination in Iran, Iran
  • Pilipina Legal Center, The Philippines
  • Women for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR) – New Ways, Turkey
  • Rural-Urban Women And Children Development Agency (RUWACDA), Ghana
  • Clóset de Sor Juana, México
  • Venezuela Diversa Asociación Civil, Venezuela
  • Sexuality Policy Watch, Brazil
  • Shirkat Gah – Women’s Resource Centre, Pakistan
  • Women’s Research and Action Group, India
  • Institute for Women’s Empowerment, Hong Kong
  • L’Association Nationale de Protection des Femmes et Enfants Haitiens (ANAPFEH), Haiti
  • Women and Law in Southern Africa, MOZAMBIQUE 
  • Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC), Canada
  • Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML), International
  • Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), International
  • Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Justice (RESURJ), International
  • Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), International
  • International Civil Society Action Network (ICAN), International
  • Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL), Rutgers University
  • International Alliance of Women/ Alliance Internationale des Femmes, International
  • Secularism Is a Women’s Issue, International
  • Women’s Learning Partnership (WLP), International
  • Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), International
  • Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID), International
To add your organization’s signature to this statement, please write to coordinator[at]csbronline.org.
CSBR Statements

Say NO to safeguarding “traditional values” over women’s human rights!

STATEMENT OF FEMINIST AND WOMEN’S ORGANISATIONS ON THE VERY LIMITED AND CONCERNING RESULTS OF THE 56TH SESSION OF THE UN COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN[1]

We, the undersigned organisations and individuals across the globe, are alarmed and disappointed that the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) failed to adopt agreed conclusions at its 56th session. This failure has diminished the considerable work, energy, time and costs that women all over the world invested on the 56th session of the CSW.  The advancement of women’s human rights should not be put on hold because of political battles between states.  We say NO to any re-opening of negotiations on the already established international agreements on women’s human rights and call on all governments to demonstrate their commitments to promote, protect and fulfill human rights and fundamental freedoms of women.

We  are particularly concerned to learn that our governments failed to reach a consensus on the basis of safeguarding “traditional values” at the expense of human rights and fundamental freedoms of women. We remind governments that all Member States of the United Nations (UN) have accepted that “the human rights of women and of the girl-child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights” as adopted by the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna.   Governments must not condone any tradition, cultural or religious arguments which deny human rights and fundamental freedoms of any person.  After more than 60 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was embraced and adopted by the UN, the relationship between traditional values and human rights remains highly contested.  We affirm the UDHR as not only ‘a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations’ but a common standard of assessment for all traditional values.  The UDHR is an embodiment of positive traditional values that are universally held by this community of nations and are consistent with the inherent dignity of all human beings.  We remind governments that under the Charter of the United Nations, gender equality has been proclaimed as a fundamental human right.  States cannot contravene the UN Charter by enacting or enforcing discriminatory laws directly or through religious courts nor can allow any other private actors or groups imposing their religious fundamentalist agenda in violation of the UN Charter.

“No one may invoke cultural diversity to infringe upon human rights guaranteed by international law, nor limit their scope.  Not all cultural practices accord with international human rights law and, although it is not always easy to identify exactly which cultural practices may be contrary to human rights, the endeavour always must be to modify and/or discard all practices pursued in the name of culture that impede the enjoyment of human rights by any individual.” (Statement by Ms. Farida Shaheed, the Independent Expert in the field of cultural rights, to the Human Rights Council at its 14th session 31 May 2010)

Amongst other things, it is alarming that some governments have evoked so-called “moral” values to deny women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. Sexual and reproductive rights are a crucial and fundamental part of women’s full enjoyment of all rights as well as integral to gender equality, development and social justice.  Social and religious morals and patriarchal values have  been employed to justify violations against women. Violence against women, coercion and deprivation of legal and other protections of women, marital rape, honour crimes, son preference, female genital mutilation, ‘dowry’ or ‘bride price’, forced and early marriages and ‘corrective rapes’ of lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and inter-sexed persons have all been justified by reference to ‘traditional values’.

We remind governments that the CSW is the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women with the sole aim of promoting women’s rights in political, economic, civil, social and educational fields.  Its mandate is to ensure the full implementation of existing international agreements on women’s human rights and gender equality as enshrined in the Convention on  the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action as well as other international humanitarian and human rights law.

We strongly demand all governments and the international community to reject any attempt to invoke traditional values or morals to infringe upon human rights guaranteed by international law, nor to limit their scope.  Customs, tradition or religious considerations must not be tolerated to justify discrimination and violence against women and girls whether committed by State authorities or by non-state actors.  In particular, we urge governments to ensure that the health and human rights of girls and women are secured and reaffirmed at the coming Commission on Population and Development and the International Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20).  Any future international negotiations must move forward implementation of policies and programmes that secure the human rights of girls and women.

We call upon the member states of the UN and the various UN human rights and development entities to recognise and support the important role of women’s groups and organisations working at the forefront of challenging traditional values and practices that are intolerant to fundamental human rights norms, standards and principles.

 

ASIA PACIFIC FORUM ON WOMEN, LAW AND DEVELOPMENT (APWLD)

ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN DEVELOPMENT (AWID)

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S HEALTH COALITION (IWHC)

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTION WATCH ASIA PACIFIC (IWRAW ASIA PACIFIC)

WOMEN LIVING UNDER MUSLIM LAWS (WLUML) / VIOLENCE IS NOT OUR CULTURE CAMPAIGN

COALITION FOR SEXUAL AND BODILY RIGHTS IN MUSLIM SOCIETIES (CSBR)

WOMEN’S AID ORGANIZATION (WAO)

WOMEN FOR WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS (WWHR) – NEW WAYS

ASSOCIATION TUNISIENNE DES FEMMES DEMOCRATES (ATFD)

PILIPINA LEGAL RESOURCES CENTER

MUNTADA – ARAB FORUM FOR SEXUALITY EDUCATION AND HEALTH

 

This will be submitted to UN Member States, CSW and other relevant UN human rights and development entities.Endorse here. The deadline 5 April 2012.

More information:

Download the statement here: Statement from Women’s Organisations on CSW

Click here to read statements from Norway and the EU supporting women’s human rights

Click here to read UN Women’s Michele Bachelet “Impasse at CSW deeply regrettable”

For the statement in French

For the statement in Spanish

[1] Drafted by Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Association For Women’s Rights in  Development (AWID), International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC), International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific) and Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML)/ Violence is Not Our Culture Campaign.