FYI. This is lengthy, but might be of value to some members. It
has been cross-posted form femisa.
Stefanie Rixecker
ECOFEM Coordinator
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Wed, 02 May 2001 00:52:37 +0200
From: Nisswa and Development Organisation <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: NAD Regional Newsletters: Gender Issues. Volume 2 no. 5
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Dear Networker,
NAD produces various e-publications, free of charge, to inform its members
but also international and regional spheres on Arab issues related to
development.
__
NAD REGIONAL NEWSLETTERS
GENDER ISSUES
April 16 - 30, 2001
Volume 2, Issue no.5
A development e-newsletter that covers current Arab issues through up to
date press news, analytical articles, and activists/NGOs reports.
In Solidarity, please forward this e-mail to others, and the ones without
e-mail access who may find this information useful we kindly invite you
make print outs for them.
CONTENTS
1. EDITORIAL
The Seeds of Change: a space for debate.
2. NEWS
2.1 Egypt: Writer Nawal Al Saadawi Faces Lawsuit
2.2 Bahrain: Forum To Focus On Women's Rights And Laws
2.3 Yemen: Violence Among Women On The Increase
2.4 Jordan: Abused Women to Have Safe Haven Within Three Months
2.5 Cyprus: Banning the Veil (And Human Rights?)
3. FOLLOW UPs
3.1 Kuwait: Again Court Rejects Case for Women Political Rights
3.2 Iran: Women Status Update
4. GLOBAL
4.1 ILO: Women Workers and Gender Issues on Occupational Safety
and Health
5. FROM CIVILSOCIETY
5.1 Palestine: Political Violence and its Effect on Family Violence.
5.2 Egypt: Women and Parliamentary Elections
6. ANNOUCEMENTS
6.1 Book: Feminists, Islam, and Nation: Gender and the making of
modern Egypt
6.2 Roundtable Discussion: Images of the Women's Movement in
Egypt, 1900-1960
6.3 Fourth Regional Gender Training
* * *
1. EDITORIAL
The Seeds of Change : a space for debate.
Lamis al-Shejni - NAD President
The Arab Region is witnessing increasing attention on women issues, and
governments are calling ever more for the advancement of 'the other half of
society'. A situation that we would like to reflect on with our readers,
and thus we welcome your opinions.
Since the end of the eighties, and especially during the nineties, the
discourse on women issues went backwards as the world turned more
conservative, debates that were overpassed in the eighties came back to be
at the centre - like the debate on women's vesture (locally), women's
reproductive rights (internationally), and Beijing+5 risked to lose the
gains made in 1990. The collapse of the Soviet Union, and the growing
power of the United States, changed the ingredients not only of
international politics but also of local politics and certainly of sexual
politics.
However, lately, the Arab region seems to adopt women's advancement at the
core of its agenda as it moves toward greater democratization. And though
this may be viewed as 'lip service' in reply to international pressures,
there are some tangible achievements. The most rampant examples come from
the Gulf countries where women are moving toward more political and
economic rights, though the struggle is still long and hard, the path has
been drawn. Many governments in the region are insuring greater female
political participation and appointing women to decision making roles. The
'Arab Women Summit', held last October by the Spouses of the Heads of
States, seems to be the future vehicle that will lead governments to
address gender disparity. Part of the AWS is the currently engaged
regional forum on 'Women and Law' in Bahrain that will be discussing the
laws discriminating women , hence, state constitutions put both sexes on
equal foot but in practice the matter differs. In Egypt, the Family Law has
been revised after a long struggle of women and civil society, though the
law is still not optimal some advancements were made. The struggle of
Family Law is the major concern of Arab women in the different states, as
it is a fundamental factor in balancing women's status in society.
By this, it is not meant that Arab women are anywhere close to reaching
their goals but new paths for advocacy are opening and this cannot be
undervalued. The Kuwait Amiri decree of granting women full political
rights failed to be implemented, because a strong fraction of society is
not ready. However, the decree gave Kuwaiti women support to continue
their advocacy, and maybe allowed them to see a space that they were not
conscious of priorly.
The conservative mood that flourished and became better organised during
the nineties is still solid. Conservative political powers have made of
women the 'ID' of local culture, and thus in their struggle for the
preservation of traditions, women's body, status, and behaviour are the
first to be subject of debate. International media has and is still
enforcing this pattern of thought by its frequent representations of the
level of democratization and human rights respect in Arab countries through
the image of women's oppression under their local traditions. Thus, the
stronger the pressure is from international spheres concerning women's
rights, the greater is the rebellion of conservative forces who find a wide
audience in society that share many of their thoughts compared to foreigner
ideologies that sometimes still suffer from colonialist
thought. Governments, on the other hand, feel obliged to respond to
international accusations by clarifications of the wrong projection of the
media, promises for greater role and participation of women in public
domains, sometimes also concrete actions are taken. Civil society and women
organizations tend to play this game by inducing international pressures on
local governments to push for the desired change. However, governments are
also careful not challenge traditions and to achieve change without
upsetting the local conservative political powers. Adding to that, the
principle that dominates governments' will for change does not come from a
sincere belief of gender equality - women are still seen as mothers, wives,
and sisters before being persons.
The seeds for change that were mentioned here are all initiatives from the
'top', from the governments, and are enhancing the role of governments'
institutions in supporting women advancement, or at least that is the
intention. It is hoped that the Arab Women Summit will be different from
the fate of Beijing in terms of reaching local implementation, because it
will respond to local needs and since it is carried by state figures it
will succeed in pushing its agenda through governments' offices. Yet, we
know from the experiences of development from around the world that true
change cannot occur from the 'top', not only because it may create serious
problems forcing the population to adjust to undesired change but also
sometimes there is no proper implementation and we see change only at the
surface. Creating institutions and even passing laws is not enough. And
there are many questions concerning the mechanism of the AWS: how it will
set its agenda and choose its priorities? Why is civil society cut out from
the decision making room and present in venues ( not always) as a listener?
The AWS has taken on its shoulders an intricate task given the local
socio-political situation, and it has to be supported as much as criticized
constructively. On its part, civil society and especially the organised
women should manage to empower themselves through this experience by
gaining more credibility and by lobbying with the governments and creating
a new culture of productive engagement of civil society with local
governments. They must not expect that they will be given the space, so
they must conquer it and advocate for their understanding of gender
equality and for women's rights. Civil society are not a homogenous
society, thus, it is hoped that a democratic process can develop through
this new experience of coordinating women advancement regionally.
We look forward to receive your reactions, reflections on the matter and we
will see to publish them in our coming editions of Gender Issues.
******************************************************************************
2. NEWS
2.1 Egypt: Writer Nawal Al Saadawi Faces Lawsuit
Lawyer Nabih Al Wahsh filed the suit on Monday with the state prosecutor,
accusing Nawal Al Saadawi [Egyptian outspoken writer]of having "denied the
precepts of religion and scorned" Islam in an interview published on March
6, the family said.
The prosecutor will look at the lawsuit and decide what measures to take.
Saadawi conducts high-profile campaigns against female circumcision and
what she denounces as a misogynistic society, never hesitating to lash out
at public figures and respected conventions.
In her interview with the independent weekly Al Midane, Saadawi took aim at
the pilgrimage, the wearing of the veil, male inheritance rights awarded by
the Quran as well as other issues. "The pilgrimage is a vestige of
paganism" because it amounts to turning around the Kaaba, a cube of stones
built by Abraham to worship God, she wrote.
Saadawi also said "the Quran mentions no obligation to wear the hijab," the
headscarf worn by many Muslim women.
She also says women and men should have equal rights in inheritance. "Our
media serve to reduce Egyptians to ignorance, because an ignorant people is
easy to lead, hit, exploit and govern by a dictatorship," she concluded in
the article.
The mufti of Egypt [the highest rank religious figure in the country] ,
Sheikh Nasr Farid Wassel, wrote a rebuttal in the same edition, saying
Saadawi "rejected the teachings of religion, straying from the circle of
Islam."
But he did not ask for her to stand trial. "We do not need to pursue the
author for her perverse and aberrant thoughts, because it is clear her goal
is to contradict to gain attention," he said.
� 2001AFP
* *
Bahrain: Forum To Focus On Women's Rights And Laws
Women's rights, legislation concerning them and gaps that need to be filled
in areas involving women will come under spotlight at a major forum in
Bahrain next month, writes Ahdeya Ahmed.
The First Arab Forum under the theme 'Women and Law' will be held under the
patronage of Her Highness Shaikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of
His Highness the Amir, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, on April 28 and 29.
Head of the media committee Mohammed Al Banki said the forum initiates
major steps towards a better future for women in the Arab world in general
and in Bahrain in particular. He said there are better days to come for
women in the region based on plans and policies of the leadership.
Dr Bahiya Al Jishi said this forum complements the first Arab women summit
held in Cairo and attended by HH Shaikha Sabika.
"This participation reflected Bahrain's efforts to enhance the role of Arab
women in society. A major decision made was the announcement of the year
2001 as the Year for Arab Women. Another recommendation was about
organising an Arab women's summit every two years in addition to organising
forums that highlight women's role in politics, law, social issues and
others and these should be organised before the main summit in November
2001." "This forum comes at a time Bahrain is moving towards major changes.
The theme of this forum is of great importance as we all know that without
certain legislation and laws women cannot take another step forward so this
forum will highlight this issue and find the gaps that need to be filled,"
she said.
Dr Al Jishi said: "We will also discuss the law that can be amended to
enhance women's role. Bahrain today witnesses the fact that women have been
given a lot of rights. Women have been playing an important role for
decades and deserve to be given what she has so far received.
It has always been a dream to have a high council for women to lay down
strong foundation to enable us to more active and this dream will soon come
true with the establishment of the council." Dr Nada Hafadh said that the
progress of any nation is based on the nature of legislations and laws that
govern women. "This is of major importance to the role women play in their
communities. This forum focuses on the legislative principles that give
women their rights based on international charters and constitutions. The
forum also aims to review the current legislation and consider its
implementation according to international charters. The forum will also
study the personal laws in the Arab nations and compare them to find out if
they meet women's requirements and protect their rights. We will also see
if there are gaps that need to be filled and if there are any nations that
do not have such a law. The forum will also study women's rights in the
sharia and how they are implemented in Islamic nations." Lawyer Lulwa Al
Awadhi said that enhancing women's role means the development and progress
of the entire society.
"This forum is a contribution to campaigns that raise awareness in the Arab
nations on the stronger role women can further have. The papers that will
be presented will highlight issues that will be of great help in enhancing
women's role in our society." More than 200 delegates will take part in the
forum and discuss eight papers in three sessions.
"The papers will centre on national legislations related to women,
international agreements, legal cases and the relation between legislative
texts and actual practices." Fatima Jawad said that the opening session
would be held on April 28, and be headed by Dr Rafea Ghabash. It will
discuss two papers on the rights of women in International and Arab
constitutions.
She said that the forum aims to provide comprehensive information through
discussions on the obstacles facing the Arab women and the ideal solutions.
* *
Yemen: Violence Among Women On The Increase
Mohammed Hatem Al-Qadhi
A recent social study on the situation of women in prisons has pointed out
the rise of crime among women. It said that the crime statistics soared up
dramatically to 2877 cases in 1999.
The study confirms that there is a number of social and economic factors
embedded in the traditional fabric of the society which are behind
incidence of violence among Women in Yemen during the last few years.
Poverty and impoverishment of people comes at the top.
The number of people below the poverty line has increased dramatically. It
has soared up now to 35% in comparison with 19% in 1999. The European
Commission report pointed out that there were 3 million people in 1996
without food security. This number is bound to accelerate to 8 million in
2010. Unemployment growth rate is put at 35% of the total labor force,
while women constitute 18% of them.
The population growth rate, the fastest in the world, stands at 3.7%. The
role of women in the economic drive of Yemen is conspicuously absent.
There are, of course, other reasons behind the rise of violence among
women. The study shows that the rise of new values, alien to Yemen's
conservative social structure, contribute to aggravation of the problem.
These new values spread like a fire due to considerable economic, social,
political, and cultural changes Yemeni society has been going through
during recent years.
This new trend has shocked the existing edifice of values, strongly
permeating the social fabric.
The media, spread of weapons in the society, internal immigration from the
countryside to the cities, accompanied with a cultural shock to
conservative families, and the expansion of influence of their cultures -
all have escalated the crime in the society, particularly among women.
The study targeted 6 governorates in which there are women prisoners and 14
other in which there are not. The results of the study displayed the
categories of crimes like adultery, harassment, fraud, drinking,
manufacturing wine, murder attempts and others.
The study touched upon the agony of women prisoners. It said that some of
these prisoners were victims of their families and their fossilized
traditions. They are also deprived of their legal rights and don't enjoy
the protection of relevant laws.
They are put in prisons without trial. If sometimes the trial takes place,
women are forced to stay in prison despite the completion of their term in
prison. This is because these women are thought of as bringing shame to
their families.
Such women are even put into prison by their own relatives and they have no
option but to spend their lifetime there.
The study concluded that the government must take care of this section of
the society and give them a good education, as well as provide a place to
live so they can be brought back into the mainstream of the society. This
will allow them to be active and contributing members of society. �2001
YemenTimes
* *
Jordan: Abused Women to Have Safe Haven Within Three Months
Rana Husseini
Ministry of Social Development officials on Wednesday said abused women
will have access to a long-promised safe haven within the next three months.
�The government is committed this time to establish the centre as a
temporary solution to help abused women, and we are in our final stages,�
said Director of the Social Defence Department Musa Safi.
Safi told the Jordan Times that premises have already been rented, which
will provide safety, housing, rehabilitation and legal, social and
psychological help for abused women, and preparation for the centre is in
its final stages.�
He declined to give the location of the house, citing the need to maintain
confidentiality, privacy and security of the women to be housed there.
But he added that the facility, which will house between 20-30 women, will
not receive women held in prisons for protective custody.
Instead, he maintained that �the ministry will study the cases, and mainly
we might admit women who have completed their custody terms but are still
in prison.�
The project was initiated in 1998 by former Minster of Social Development
Mohammad Kheir Mamser, but was delayed by successive ministers who all
pledged to get the shelter up and running.
�There were many factors that delayed the project, and it mostly concerned
the partners who were involved in this state of the art project,� Musa
explained. �But now we have a clearer picture and we know where we stand,�
added Safi who is the coordinator of the committee which will be in charge
of the house.
Mamser told the Jordan Times on Wednesday that when he came up with the
idea after learning of around 45 women who were in prison without any
charges for their own safety, he faced resistance. �Many did not want to
work with me although I was dedicated to open the shelter back then, and I
think that it was later delayed because it is a huge project that needs a
lot of work and support,� Mamser said.
According to Safi, the shelter will be run by a committee comprised of
officials and specialists from the ministry, the United Nations Development
Fund (UNDP), the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the Public
Security Department, and the Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI).
Minister of Social Development Tamam Ghul told a gathering at Abdul Hameed
Shoman Foundation on Tuesday to �rest assured that the shelter will be
opened soon and that project will be implemented gradually.� �There was a
delay in applying this project, but this does not mean that it was
cancelled or postponed,� Ghul added.
The most recent study on violence against women in Jordan was conducted in
1994 by the Public Security Department (PSD) for the Fourth World
Conference on Women in Beijing. The study indicated that a total of 4,962
cases of domestic violence against Jordanian women were registered with
police between 1991 and 1992.
But several women and human rights activists have been calling for the
speedy creation of a women's safe haven in the past few years, believing
the incidence of domestic abuse � against women and children � to be on the
rise.
An average of around 40 women are being held in the newly-built women's
prison located in Jweideh, south of Amman, most of them held without
charges, and for what the state terms as �protective custody.� The
facility was opened in the beginning of 2000 by the PSD and gathered around
200 female inmates from various prisons around the Kingdom.
The PSD allocated a separate floor for the women, most of whom are detained
to protect them from their families for indefinite periods. Prison
officials said these women enjoy more freedom than other inmates because
they are isolated in their own special section, have their own kitchen and
enjoy more freedom of mobility.
Families of women suspected of being raped, pregnant out of wedlock or were
alleged to have been involved in �immoral behaviour� usually refuse to
release their daughters because of shame. Women who are bailed out are
usually bailed out by their families in order that the family would have
access to kill the woman and �cleanse the family's honour� of her alleged
�immoral� activity.
Annually between 20 to 25 women are killed in reported honour crimes in the
Kingdom. So far this year, four honour-related cases have been reported by
officials. � 2001 JordanTimes
* *
Cyprus: Banning the Veil (And Human Rights?)
Ayse, a 21-year-old journalism student, left college rather than take off
her headscarf when Turkish Cypriot universities banned students from
wearing Islamic dress on campus.
'If I do not have the right to judge someone for what they wear, I should
not be judged'
The ban was a spillover onto the Mediterranean island of the strict
secularism of the Turkish "Motherland" that forbids such attire in public
offices and colleges. For many, it is something alien in Cyprus's more
tolerant and relaxed climate.
"Covering my head is a personal choice," said Ayse, who asked that her real
name was not used. "If I do not have the right to judge someone for what
they wear, I should not be judged."
Ayse is one of dozens of devout co-eds who have walked out of classrooms
after administrators this month ordered students to take off their
Islamic-style head scarves or face expulsion.
The ban meets guidelines set by the Ankara authority that oversees Turkey's
universities.
As islanders struggle to assert an independent identity before the world,
the head scarf ban underscores the limits of independence when it comes to
Turkish Cypriots' relations with their ethnic cousins in mainland Turkey.
Only Ankara recognizes the breakaway region of 200,000 people and provides
hundreds of millions of dollars in aid each year to offset the effects of
an international embargo in place since the Turkish invasion.
Problem brought from outside
Women in Turkey demonstrating against what they call a violation of their
religious freedom
"This [the ban] is a problem that has been brought from the outside," said
Senol Bektas of Nicosia's Near East University. "[We] have always been more
tolerant of this situation."
The ban in Cyprus has not touched off the emotional protests seen in
Turkey, where thousands of women have demonstrated against what they call a
violation of their religious freedom.
For many Turks, whether secular or Islamist, the scarf bears the political
undertones of friction between the role of Islam in the mainly Muslim
nation and the constitutional secularism instilled by the republic's
founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Turkey's powerful generals, self-appointed guardians of the secular order,
have championed the two-year-old crackdown on Islamic headscarves on
Turkey's campuses.
The politics of the headscarf may be lost on Turkish Cypriot women,
however. Mesut Ayan, rector at Lefke European University, said his students
had complied with the order and removed their scarves.
"Some are wearing wigs, but we consider that to be acceptable," Ayan said.
"This happened in Turkey, and there were protests," said Ayse, from a
Turkish town on the Black Sea. "A protest will yield no results."
Some not affected
The headscarf ban does not apply to students from countries other than
Turkey or Cyprus, said Near East University's Bektas.
Some 20,000 mainly Turkish and foreign students attend north Cyprus's five
universities. No exact numbers were available, but administrators estimated
that several hundred students cover their hair for religious reasons.
"Some say they feel naked without the headscarves they've been wearing
since they were children," Bektas said. "We will listen to them and try to
co-operate with their positions."
Mahmut Pirhan of Girne American University in Kyrenia took a harder line.
"Students cannot apply to the university (if they) wear a headscarf," he
said. "We do not accept students with headscarves into the university."
Pirhan said Girne American has followed all Turkish university codes since
its establishment.
Some teachers privately rue the ban. "It is causing a great deal of
heartache for staff who always viewed the education system as being more
tolerant to these students," said one instructor, who declined to be named.
For Ayse, the ban has been a lesson in her own identity. "I may not have
earned a diploma...but I have learned to live independently," � 2001 Reuters
******************************************************************************
3. FOLLOW UPs
3.1 Kuwait: Again Court Rejects Case for Women Political Rights
Kuwait's highest court on Saturday rejected a case challenging a national
election law that forbids women from voting or running for office.
Judge Abdullah al-Issa, the court's president, said the lawyer for the two
female plaintiffs who filed the case did not have proper authorization to
represent them in the Constitutional Court. Attorney Abdul-Karim Haidar
said he will respect the ruling but could not understand the reasoning
behind the decision (Diana Elias, Associated Press/Nando.net, 21 Apr).
"It looks like a smart excuse," said Luluwa al-Mullah, who presented the
case with fellow female activist Hind al-Shalfan. She characterized the
ruling as "just an excuse to delay the issue by looking for loopholes even
when there are no holes. Our case was solid," al-Mullah said.
The Constitutional Court has dismissed similar cases, including one in
January, for failing to meet procedural requirements.
"Our next step? We will continue in our task. God willing, we will secure
our rights," said al-Mullah about her quest to gain political rights for
women in Kuwait (Reuters/CNN.com, 21 Apr).
Kuwaiti women, unlike others in the region, can drive, work and travel
without permission from their fathers or husbands. Some have held senior
government posts. In 1999, however, the Parliament voted down a decree by
Emir Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah and a bill by liberal lawmakers to give women
political rights (Elias, AP/Nando.net).
Of an estimated 825,000 Kuwaitis and 1.4 million expatriates living in
Kuwait, only 113,000 Kuwaiti men are eligible for suffrage
(Reuters/CNN.com). �2001The National Journal
* *
3.2 Iran: Women Status Update
According to the latest reports of the International Labor Office (ILO),
women comprise 40 percent of the world's work force, however only 3 percent
of them hold management posts.
As for the obstacles in the way of women's progress at the management
level, the TEHRAN TIMES interviewed two women representatives of the
Islamic Consultative Assembly (Majlis).
Fatemeh Rake'i, a Tehran representative in the Majlis, elaborated on the
obstacles which prevent women from being promoted to management posts,
saying that the refusal of certain men to encourage their wives is one of
the reasons for this.
She said that due to the culture of patriarchy in some families, obstacles
are put in the way of the spiritual and intellectual growth of women in
these families.
Referring to the fact that there should be no discrimination between men
and women, Rake'i said that the participation of women should be promoted
in every field with regard to their talents and potentials, adding that the
Majlis should approve bills according to which women's rights are
guaranteed in the family, too.
The Tehran representative also said that intellectuals of the theological
schools should revise those parts of the civil law about women and family
that date back to 80 years ago and change every type of law which leads to
discrimination between men and women.
Rake'i emphasized that in order to pave the way for women's cultural and
social progress, the necessary cultural measures should be taken and the
Majlis should allocate the funds for this progress and to present a proper
image of women.
In conclusion, Rake'i said that since women comprise 50 percent of the
society's population, efforts should be made to promote their social,
political and cultural growth.
Meanwhile, Elaheh Koolaee, a Tehran representative in the Majlis and a
member of the Foreign Policy and Security Committee of the Majlis, said
that unfortunately, in the past very few women became managers, adding
that, however, the United Nations is seeking to change this situation
through encouraging governments.
She said that considering the fact that government plays a decisive role in
raising women's status in society, appointing women to high positions in
the cabinet can greatly encourage them. She, however, said that more steps
should be taken by the government to create the ideal situation.
In conclusion, Koula'ei said that in order to create this ideal situation,
the existing women-related laws should be revised, and some wrong beliefs
about women should be eradicated from society. �2001 TehranTimes
******************************************************************************
4. GLOBAL
4.1 Information Note on Women Workers and Gender Issues on Occupational
Safety and Health
by Valentina Forastieri - International Labour Office
ILO action in this field is undertaken through its Global Programme on
Safety and Health at Work (SAFEWORK(1)). The main objective of the
Programme is to increase the capacity of Member States to protect workers'
health, to prevent and reduce occupational accidents, injuries,
occupational and work-related diseases, through the improvement of their
working conditions and working environment.
The primary objectives of SAFEWORK are:
To create worldwide awareness of the dimensions and consequences of
work-related accidents, injuries and diseases;
To promote the goal of basic protection for all workers in conformity with
international labour law;
To enhance the capacity of ILO member States and industry to design and
implement effective preventive and protective policies and programmes.
SAFEWORK promotes an integrated multi-disciplinary approach which takes
into account the physical, mental and social well-being of men and women
workers. Conceiving the working conditions and the working environment as a
whole, the prevention and control of work-related factors and their
multiple and cumulative effects are taken into account including
psycho-social and organizational aspects. In the development of national
preventive action programmes, special attention is given to particularly
hazardous sectors, industries and occupations (such as construction, mining
and agriculture); specific categories of workers who may be in a vulnerable
situation due to gender or age (such as women workers and elder workers);
or who lack fundamental social and health protection (such as informal
sector workers, agricultural workers, migrant workers and child labourers).
The long-term objectives of the ILO programme of activities in the field of
occupational safety and health aim essentially at:
reducing the number and seriousness of occupational accidents and diseases;
adapting the working environment, the working conditions, equipment and
work processes to the physical and mental capacity of all workers;
enhancing the physical, mental and social well-being of men and women
workers in all occupations;
encouraging national policies and preventive action programmes on
occupational safety and health and supplying appropriate assistance to
implement them to governments and employers' and workers' organizations.
KEY GENDER ISSUES IN THE FIELD OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
Are there special occupational hazards for women workers?
Women around the world have moved into industry and the service sector in
increasing numbers. In the past 15 years, they have become almost 50% of
the workforce in many countries. While women are entering occupations
previously closed to them, the labour force is still highly segregated on
the basis of gender. A significant proportion of women is found in certain
types of occupations in the services sector, in the informal sector and
particularly in agriculture. In industry, they predominate in
micro-electronics, food production, textile and footwear, chemical and
pharmaceutical industries and handicraft workshops. In the service sector
they are mainly engaged in teaching, office work, hospitals, banks,
commerce, hotels, domestic work.
Women in agriculture, like many other rural workers, have a high incidence
of injuries and diseases and are insufficiently reached by health services.
Women 's role in agriculture has been traditionally under-estimated. Today,
women produce almost half of the world's food(2)
. The average earnings of rural women engaged in plantation work are less
than those of men(3)
. Many women in the agricultural labour end up doing jobs that nobody else
would do, such in the mixing or application of harmful pesticides without
adequate protection and information, suffering from intoxication and in
some cases death. Heavy work during crop cultivation and harvesting can
have a high incidence of still-births, premature births and death of the
child or the mother. Some studies have showed that the workload of
traditional "female" tasks, such as sowing out, picking out, and clearing,
is a little higher than the workload of males due to the fact that the
latter are assisted by mechanical means during irrigation, ridging and
farming(4)
Women also represent a large proportion of workers employed in health care
services. Health care workers receive low remuneration and face difficult
working conditions and numerous occupational safety and health hazards
including work-related diseases of a complex multifactorial nature such as
musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, psychosomatic and
mental health disorders, occupational cancer, respiratory diseases,
neurotoxic effects and other illnesses caused by chemical agents. Radiation
exposure can result from portable x-rays, other diagnostic tests or
therapies using radioactive sources or waste; they can provoke mutagenic
and teratogenic effects including occupational cancer.
Women, as health workers, are also in a special situation concerning work
overload as most of the time they are taking care not only of their
full-time jobs, but also of a large share of housework. Often nurses and
hospital helpers are found in precarious forms of employment.
Most women have few choices as to where they can work. They end up doing
work that can be heavy, dirty, monotonous, low paid and which involves long
hours of work with no access to health services. This is particularly the
case of those working in the informal sector where women represent a great
proportion.(5) Women are caught in a vicious circle whereby the majority
lack opportunities for education or have few qualifications, especially
those from the lower economic levels.
Women workers' health and human variability
Working conditions and the working environment are sources of health
hazards for both men and women. In general terms there is no great
difference between men's and women's biological response to physical,
biological or chemical hazards. The average strength of men is not so
different from that of women, some women can be even stronger than men.(6)
Gender-based criteria for the division of work are supported by traditional
cultural assumptions. The approach to women's health is based on a
biomedical model(7) and conventional postulates on health and human
capabilities. Consequently, very little attention has been paid to the
social or environmental aspects of women's ill health.
Health hazards of women workers have been traditionally under-estimated
because occupational safety and health standards and exposure limits to
hazardous substances are based on male populations and laboratory tests.(8)
When sex differences have been explored, the focus has been on the physical
differences between the male and female reproductive systems, or on assumed
differences between men's and women's psychology. Only in the last 15 years
gender-oriented research on health aspects has been developed demonstrating
that differences among working populations are mainly based on individual
human variability rather than on biological differences between sexes.(9)
The differential response of women to health hazards is essentially due to
the various work-related risks that women face according to the specific
type of work they do and on the multiple roles they have in society.
Segregation by occupation leads to exposure to particular occupational
health and safety hazards. The type of health risks women face are
associated with their specific working conditions. Certain health disorders
are related to occupations or industries which employ large numbers of
women workers. For example, a high proportion of back injuries of women
working in the health sector is related to the nature of the work and the
concentration of women workers in nursing.
Due to the multiple roles they have in society, women workers have special
needs concerning nutrition, lifestyle and reproductive health. Women have a
dual reproductive and economic role as unpaid workers at home and in the
fields, and as paid workers outside the household. A woman works an average
of one to three hours per day longer than a man in the same society.(10)
Many women suffer from excessively long hours of work and they usually have
to do the predominant share of the housework as well. Special health
problems can arise from this situation including stress, chronic fatigue,
premature aging and other psycho-social and health effects.
Ergonomic factors and human variability
Manual handling injuries represent one of the main source of back injury
and musculoskeletal disorders for workers. In the 1960s the maximum
permissible load to be carried by a woman was suggested to be fixed between
15 and 20 kgs which was approximately half of the recommended limit for
male workers. These specifications are still used in the legislation of a
number of countries. However, it is not clear based on which scientific
assumption it was decided that the maximum permissible load for women
should be half of that established for male workers. The presumption may
have been based on the perceived weakness of women at the time. Later
studies which estimated the predicted limits for lifting and carrying in
female and male working populations, based on anthropometric data(11) of
white Anglo-Saxon workers, have shown that the capacity range for both
groups was very similar.(12)
Mechanical equipment injuries account for a high proportion of all
work-related injuries in all occupations. The design of machinery and
equipment has demonstrated to be a major cause of injury when is not
conceived or not used properly, particularly in the manufacturing industry.
In the design of equipment and tools the anthropometric data used do not
always reflect the characteristics of the working population who will use
it. Most of the personal protective equipment and tools used worldwide are
designed based on male populations from Germany and the United States.
Significant variability exists among these two working populations and
those from other countries, this means that many workers cannot perform
their duties adequately. Women workers and those workers who are not in the
upper levels of height and weight, as for example Asian workers, are
therefore not properly equipped for their protection.
Working environment and work-related hazards
Reproductive hazards
Ionizing radiations have teratogenic and mutagenic effects(13) and can
provoke harm to both men and women. Male exposure to radioactive sources
can lead to sterility and mutagenic effects. There is an even greater
danger to the foetus as female exposure can have teratogenic and other
harmful consequence. Most protective legislation has oriented protection to
women during reproductive age and pregnancy. However, not enough concern
has been paid to the effects of exposure on the genital organs and
reproductive faculties of men during the period prior to conception.
Stress
Stress is a work-related disease of multicausal origin. It can be defined
as a physical or physiological stimulus which produces strain or disruption
of the individual's normal physiological equilibrium. The most frequent
disorders range from chronic fatigue to depression by way of insomnia,
anxiety, migraine, emotional upsets, stomach ulcers, allergies, skin
disorders, lumbago and rheumatic attacks, tobacco and alcohol abuse, heart
attacks and even suicide.
One of the major causes of stress is fear of unknown situations and lack of
control over the duties to be carried out and over the organization of
work. Occupational stress affects those workers whose duties are modified
or phased out by the introduction of new technologies; those workers who
are deprived of personal initiative and doomed to monotonous and repetitive
tasks. Stress can be aggravated by the fear of losing a job, relationship
problems, sexual harassment, discrimination, or other non-occupational
factors, such as family problems, multiple roles, health anxieties,
commuting and financial worries.
Women often hold less qualified jobs, at lower wages than their male
counterparts, in activities not linked to decision-making. Typical women's
jobs have much less control over decision making than typical men's jobs.
The type of job that women perform in many cases is an extension of those
tasks that they develop at home, for example caring for others such as
teaching, nursing, social work, food production, etc. In various occasions
they are oriented to tasks which require less strength, more agility, more
speed, attention and precision; characteristics socially associated with a
female personality.
The concentration of women in these types of jobs, their specific working
conditions, including being more frequently subjects of sexual harassment
and discrimination, as well as their major responsibility for family care
and household work might determine the higher prevalence of stress-related
disorders in women.(14)
New technologies
New changes in economic structures and technologies have created new
hazards and needs for different working populations. In industrial work, a
large number of comparatively well-paid manual jobs held by men in
industrialized countries have become low-paid, exploitative jobs for women
in developing countries. This is particularly evident in the case of the
micro-electronics industry where women are over represented. These women
are exposed to hazardous chemicals which have carcinogenic and mutagenic
effects in the semi-conductor manufacture; many electronic assembly
processes involve rapid, repetitive motions of the wrist, hand and arms
which can provoke repetitive trauma disorders and other musculoskeletal
health impairments.(15)
PROGRESS AND ACHIEVEMENTS IN ADDRESSING THESE ISSUES
Protective legislation
Out of concern to protect working women, many countries adopted special
measures of protection which included prohibition of night-work,
underground work and other activities considered dangerous to women and
their reproductive health including exposure to certain agents. Other
measures limited the weekly number of hours of work and overtime work and
were oriented to protect women's role as mothers and wives.
In recent years, such measures have been increasingly questioned because in
some cases protective legislation has had discriminatory consequences
reducing women's opportunities in access to employment; but even worse,
women have been excluded from hazardous occupations as a working group,
instead of removing the risk from the workplace for the protection of all
workers health. An example of this approach is the prohibition of women to
work with lead, at the beginning of the century. There is no significant
difference in the toxicological response between sexes, women were more
exposed because of the type of work they undertook. With this measure women
were excluded and men remained unprotected.
Women's participation in health promotion
The general move towards health promotion policies has a great potential
value for women workers. Empowering people through creating a healthier
environment, more effective support networks and better training and
education programmes, have been a priority in the promotion of workers'
health since the late 1970s. However, the particular needs of women have,
so far, received very little attention in the establishment of health
promotion policies as women are under-represented in this bodies.
For example, women workers are under represented in decision-making bodies
such as national safety councils, occupational health services and
enterprise level safety and health committees. There are instances in which
the priority afforded to certain hazards or workplace changes is often
decided, and where there is frequently little awareness of the working and
living conditions of women for whom decisions are being made. Access to
training and skill development is also limited as compared to male workers.
However, current research in three main areas of women's lives:
reproduction, domestic work and paid work, is beginning to be carried out
by sociologists, anthropologists and psychologists, to explore the numerous
factors influencing women's health. This approach moves beyond a
traditional medical concern based on women's biological characteristics, to
examine the effect of women's roles as wives, mothers and workers on their
health and illness. These three areas are very important in the formulation
of effective health promotion policies.
In the field of occupational safety and health new trends have shown that
there is an increasing recognition of the need to consider the protection
of workers' health based on individual vulnerability, independently of age
and sex. In particular, in the eleventh session of the ILO/WHO Committee on
Occupational Health,(1992), it was recognized that there were specific
occupational health needs of workers because of age, physiological
conditions, gender, communication barriers and other social aspects among
other factors. The Committee advised, as a priority field of action, the
development of activities in which such needs be met on an individual basis
with due concern for the protection of all workers' health at work, without
leaving any possibility for discrimination.(16)
The Resolution on equal opportunities and treatment (ILC 1985), makes
reference to the fact that women and men should be protected from risks
inherent to their work in the light of up-to-date scientific knowledge and
technological changes. It also mentions that measures should be taken to
extend special protection to women and men for those types of work which
have proved to be harmful to them, particularly concerning their
reproductive function(17)
RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW TO INTEGRATE THE GENDER PERSPECTIVE IN THE FIELD
OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND
HEALTH
1) An Occupational Safety and Health Policy
If health promotion policies are to be effective for women or for men, they
must be based on more accurate information about the relationship between
health and gender roles. Women workers are particularly disadvantaged by
out of date workforce structures, workplace arrangements and attitudes.
Health promotion policies for working women need to take into account all
their three roles: as housewives, as mothers and as workers. The effects on
health of each role have to be looked at separately and the potential
conflicts and contradictions between them need to be examined. A broad
strategy for the improvement of women workers safety and health has to be
built up within a National Policy on Occupational Safety and Health,
particularly in those areas where many women are concentrated.
A coherent framework should be developed to ensure a coordinated national
approach.(18)
The concentration of women workers in particular occupations leads to a
specific pattern of injury and disease. General measures directed to all
workers not necessarily achieve the desired benefits for women workers. The
effects of gender on health needs to be more carefully explored to develop
a better understanding of the relationship between women 's health and the
social and economic roles of women. The findings need to be incorporated
into policy-making.
The Policy should include the specific protection of women workers' safety
and health as a goal. Providing guidance to enable employers, trade unions
and national authorities to identify problems, make the appropriate links
with general safety and health activities for all workers and develop
specific programmes to ensure that the needs of women workers are taken
into account in occupational and industrial restructuring processes at the
national level, particularly in the areas of legislation, information and
training, workers participation and applied research.
2) Targeting at the enterprise level
Industries and occupations which have an impact on the health of women
workers should be key targets for change. Therefore specific preventive
programmes should be implemented. At the level of the enterprise, measures
should be taken to control occupational hazards to which women workers are
exposed. For the effective prevention and control of these hazards, special
action programmes should be developed for work-related hazards within each
occupation, including psycho-social and organizational factors, taking into
consideration the physical, mental and social well-being of women workers.
Revision of work practices and job redesign to eliminate or minimize
hazards; job classifications, up-grading skills, provision of new career
paths in occupations where women are predominant should receive priority.
3) Targeting at the individual level
There is a need to focus on women's occupational safety and health
protecting their well-being through occupational health services.
Preventive programmes need to be established to maintain a safe and healthy
working environment. Work should be adapted to the capabilities of women
workers in the light of their state of physical and mental health, for
example by reducing women's workload promoting appropriate technology, by
reassignment to another job according to the worker needs and by providing
rehabilitation when necessary.
Special measures for performance of physical tasks during pregnancy and
child-bearing are still necessary; in particular, the protection of
pregnant women for whom night-work, arduous work and exposure to radiation
might present unacceptable health risks. However, the approach should be
the equal protection from hazards in the workplace to all workers,
encouraging more equal-sharing of the workload between women and men in all
spheres, including child care, domestic chores and work outside the home.
4) Ergonomic considerations
The concept of maximum weight to be manually handled by women and the
design of personal protective equipment need to be revised in the context
of current technical knowledge and socio-medical trends. Intra-sex
variations need to be taken into account.
National standards for manual handling should move away from regulating
weight limits which differ between women and men workers and adopt a non
discriminatory approach based on individual risk assessment and control.
Australia, Canada, and the USA are some of the countries which have
introduced this criteria in their own standards.
With the worldwide massive migration, it is becoming more and more evident
that anthropometric standards need to based on human variability more than
on "model" populations, as different racial and ethnical morphological
characteristics can be found among the workers of any single country.
5) Planning for human variability
Broad generalizations about women's physical capacities should be avoided
and the vulnerability and needs of male workers should be realistically
taken into account as well. Individual capability of workers independently
of age and sex should be the parameter for the performance and demands to
be placed on the individual worker. Therefore, standards at national level
should be adopted to provide adequate protection (for any hazard) for the
most susceptible or vulnerable workers of any age or sex.
Single standards of exposure to physical, chemical or biological agents
would avoid discrimination and guarantee protection of all workers health.
Special legal protection for women should not be invalidated but should be
extended to male workers where appropriate; for example, in the case of
radiation protection and reproductive health.
6) Research
Existing epidemiological research(19) must be critically assessed to find
any systematic bias in the way investigation is done when studying women's
health and illness patterns, to avoid assumptions based on traditional
cultural values; (for example associate certain cervical cancers with
certain female occupations). Evaluating real differences between sexes and
avoiding erroneous judgements about women's lives is the only way to
succeed in producing knowledge beneficial to women's health.
7) Data Collection
Similarly, national statistics on occupational accidents and diseases of
women are deficient, knowledge about women's health is still insufficient.
Most countries continue to emphasis official statistics on maternal
mortality, which is still a very important indicator of the general health
of women in developing countries. However, many women work only part-time
or are employed as home-workers to be able to deal with their family
responsibilities contributing at the same time to the economy of the
family. This situation excludes them from statistics on injury compensation
or on absence from work because of illness. Domestic and household work is
also unlikely to be recorded in any statistics. Women's occupations are
often missing from medical reports or death certificates as in the case of
many workers.
The development of national statistics on occupational accidents and
diseases by gender would contribute: to determine priorities for action
through preventive programmes; to the development of a national information
strategy to collect and disseminate information on occupational health and
safety of women workers; to the development of national standards, national
codes of practice and other guidelines on specific hazards faced by women
workers.
8) Women's participation
Women should be better represented and more directly involved in the
decision-making process concerning the protection of their health. Women's
views as users, care givers and workers; their own experiences, knowledge
and skills should be reflected in formulating and implementing health
promotion strategies. They should have a greater participation in the
improvement of their working conditions, particularly through programme
development, provision of occupational health services, access to more and
better information, training and health education. The support of women
workers to organize themselves and participate in the improvement of their
working conditions should be reinforced at the national and enterprise level.
For further info and references notes
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/gender/womenwk.htm
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5. FROM CIVIL SOCIETY
5.1 Palestine: Political Violence and its Effect on Family Violence.
PWWSD
The Palestinian Working Women Society for Development held a panel under
the title �Political violence and its Effect on family violence �.The panel
was held at Birzeit University in Kamal Nasser Hall on the26th of April at
11:00am.
Itidal Giriry Counseling Program Director at the PWWSD started by
introducing the guests .She vividly summarized the role of women during
the 1987 Intifada and the great sacrifices she had to make hand in hand
with men in fighting the occupation .She also spoke of the effects of the
Israeli aggression on the psychology of the Palestinian people and the
problems the bombing and closures have created in the Palestinian society
.She also spoke of the importance of raising the issue of violence at these
critical times due to the pressures and the lake of knowledge on how to
deal with these pressures , also to help raise the awareness on how to
direct these feelings .
Speakers were
1. Mr. Ibrahim Al-Masri (Consultant for Defense for Children
International). Mr. Masri spoke talk about the Opinion Polls on violence
conducted by the PWWSD; and the study heconducted on Violence against
Women and family violence in general. Mr. Masri stressed the importance of
attending to 20,000 families who were directly affected from the Israeli
aggression,for example martyrs families ,the wounded , wounded with
permanent disabilities , families who's homes were destroyed.
2. Mrs. Rana Nashashibi (Director Palestinian Counseling Center) will talk
about the relationship between political violence and family violence. She
defined the term political violence as a violence practiced by a group of
people or its leaders on another people in order to prevent them from
attaining their rights .She also spoke of the positive and negative effects
of this violence on Palestinians and their normal lives .The positive and
not many ,the strength the
oppressed feels when being able to stand solid and strong while being
oppressed.But the negative aspects and many ,one of them the feeling of
helplessness to fight bake and attain the rights creates anger that is
directed to the weaker sectors in society ,women and children.
3. Dr. Arij Ode (Legal Advisor at Ramallah Governorate ) .She talked about
the facts of political violence on family violence during the Intifada, and
the recent cases in which the Governorate had to interfere. She also
emphasized the importance of implementing the status law and expanding this
law in order for the law to be the basic reference for
people .She also spoke of the increasing assault cases coming to their
offices since the beginning of the Intifada and mostly women. She called
for the creation of a whole system that is able to deal with the issue of
violence from all its angles ,the implementation of the law, the role of
Women groups and NGO's in raising awareness in the society, and the
cooperation of the government and its support.
* *
5.2 Egypt: Women and Parliamentary Elections 'The Present Situation and
Perspectives for the Future'
Gender and Governance - British Council
The Egyptian Centre for Women's rights in co-operation with the British
Council and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, with support from the UNDP
and the UNESCO office in Cairo held a 2-day conference on Women and
Parliamentary Elections: The Present Situation and Perspectives for the
Future in March 2001. The conference which was inaugurated by Dr.
Farkhonda Hassan, Secretary General of the National Council for Women on 28
March, had 6 sessions where papers were presented by 30 different political
and social scientists and members of parliament tackling the following topics:
� Analysing the Performance of Women in the Parliamentary Elections 2000
� Egyptian Women in Politics
� Paper 1: Women in Political Parties
� Paper 2: Women in Professional syndicates and Institutions
influencing general policies and in decision making associations
� Legal and Economic Influences on the Participation of Women in Politics
� Paper 1: Election lists system: Does it help improve Women's
Participation in Parliamentary Elections
� Paper 2: Women's Economic Status: Does it affect their abstention
from working effectively in the political arena?
� Media & Cultural Influences on the Political Participation of Women
� Paper 1: Political Participation of Women in Egyptian Cartoons
� Paper 2: Impact of Visual media on Political Participation of Women
� Paper 3: Image of Women in Education Curricula
� Do Women Institutions contribute to the active Political
Participation of Women? General Vision
The general discussion of the above-mentioned topics led the conference
participants to present the following recommendations:
To: Mr. President of the Republic
Use the tools/mechanisms of the constitution and the law to enable women to
appointments in the judiciary, presidency of universities and other such
positions of leadership and responsibility that can affect change.
To: The National Council for Women and other institutions interested in
promoting the political participation of women.
Acknowledging the active and effective role that the National Council for
Women has played to support the political participation of women in
political life in general and in the parliamentary elections in particular.
And also taking into consideration the many serious efforts by NGOs and
research institutes that are concerned with women political participation;
The conference recommends the following:
1. The creation of a source of funding to cover the expenses of an
election campaign that women elect to participate in either based on the
recommendation by the political party to which she belongs or trade union
local committee or professional syndicate or chamber of commerce or
non-governmental organizations.
2. The creation of a base of information to collect/track all the
different kinds of discrimination against women, including tracking her
progress in participating in representative councils and the suggestion of
practical ways and able to be implemented to fight discrimination against her.
3. The encouragement of the Ministry of Administrative Development to
consider women's political participation as one of the aspects of job
evaluation even if the participation was in the form of labour union
committees, or in local government councils, or popular committees in the
governorates, or local village councils, making sure that her political
participation is not in contradiction with the her executive duties
especially if the conditions of her political work demanded her taking time
from her job during work hours.
4. The request from the administration to take into consideration the
improvement of her economic situation especially working conditions, wages,
benefits and allowances in the production sectors of the public sector,
government agencies, ministries, and other government bodies and local
government.
5. The importance of developing a long-term plan with the goal of
providing assistance and training workshops and preparation of cadres to
participate in the upcoming elections in 2005.
6. The importance of preparing political programs to clarify political
understanding and terminology and political education for women in a clear
and easy manner and also to explain to women their legislated political rights.
7. The holding of training sessions for women leaders in the different
political parties and in all the governorates to raise their standard of
knowledge of national women's issues and to improve their organizational
skills to recruit women to join the political parties.
8. The need to always introduce new faces/new women and to avoid the
centralized group of leaders to always be present and to allow new groups
of women to re-juvenate the council's work and the women's political
movement. In this respect, we request of the Council to include all the
women who ran in the parliamentary elections last year as members of the
Council and to encourage to run in future elections again.
9. To look into new ways/mechanisms where the Council's role can be
enlarged and to become a pressure/lobby group in favour of women's issues.
And also for its branches to become pressure groups in the locality for
women's issues.
10. The necessity of assisting candidates to join councils of
professional syndicates and to encourage many of them to run for a position
within those organizations. There has to be a greater interest in the
professional associations/syndicates which constitute with the political
parties an important column (part) in civil society and through which
women's skills and abilities can be made known i.e. knowledge and practice.
11. Funding should be made available for current female members of
parliament and women political leaders to improve their skills in their
work. This will help public opinion to review their opinion of women in
the issue of their ability to handle responsible representative positions
and thus to be nominated for such positions.
12. A careful review of the female farmer situation and where she
helped relieve the land reform from its worst conditions yet has no voice
in the current female political leadership or in its struggles.
13. Development of the critical female speech which does not just
support her femininity but also critically analyses details and assists in
the clarification of the women's movement with a "talk" that takes it forward.
To: The Social Development Fund
The Conference reiterated the important and pioneering role of the Social
Development Fund. Hence, it recommends the Administrative Board of the Fund
to adopt the following:
1. Allocate funding resources to be invested in fighting the plague of
unemployment among women, and prioritising their requests for loans and
credits: to finance their small projects, to support family production
projects, associations providing assistance to working women, as well as
supporting training sessions for women on small businesses management,
servicing environment, economic, financial and managerial awareness in
order to guide women as to investments milieu and its regulations, methods
of democratic administration of economic activities, interaction with the
surrounding environment s and social activities.
2. Use the funds from the Social Development Fund and its projects to
eliminate disparities between the economic situation of rural and urban
women on one hand, and the maritime and tribal aspects on the other hand.
This requires the usage of modern techniques that would concentrate on
improving women's situations in rural areas and within the tribal culture
more than any other women-oriented activities in the other State areas.
To: The Egyptian Parlament
The Conference considered with a certain relief the environment surrounding
the latest elections and the participation of the Egyptian woman as they
showed a considerable increase in the political participation of women in
the elections: the number of independent candidates reached 75 women, with
a percentage of 1.76%, in comparison to 49 women and 1.23% registered
during the elections of 1995. The present experience was also the launching
point of a true change whereby women candidatures covered 25 governorates
instead of 23 in 1995, as they ran for election in two new governorate that
were beyond their reach: Suhaj and Al Wadi El Jadid. Consequently, we call
upon the Parliament to realize the following:
1. Finalize its constitutional form so as to request from the
Government the completion of elections in the districts where they were
halted. The Conference is confident that Egyptian women will be present in
Parliament, represented by Ms. Jihane Helfaoui, the eighth elected woman to
Parliament.
2. The Conference appeals to the Members of Parliament to present a
proposal of law for the adoption of a system incorporating parties' rolls
with individual election. This system may be of help in increasing the
representation of women and would reflect their true role in political
participation.
3. The Conference appeals to the Members of Parliament to present a
proposal of law compelling political parties, professional syndicates,
representative councils in general to designate a number of their seats to
women, as per their initiative in the system assigning a number of seats to
youth.
4. Determine a number of important Parliament hearings to be presided
by the Council's Secretary, Dr. Amal Othman, in such a way to prepare the
public opinion and present proofs on the scientific and political
competencies of Egyptian women, qualifying them to hold and manage critical
positions in the country.
5. Create a new parliamentary commission: the Commission to Improve
the Situation of Women. It will collaborate with the National Council for
Women as well as specialized organisations and institutions; create a
lobbying group within the Parliament to take part in approving legislations
and supporting opinions that help achieving women's political aspirations.
6. Review the Unified Labour Code before approving it, so as to
guarantee women's rights as per equal working opportunities, terms and
conditions, with a special emphasis on the situation of women-farmers and
other marginalized groups unprotected by the project.
To: The Ministery of Information
The Conference invites the Ministry of Information to:
1. Increase and improve programs targeting the community in a way to
raise awareness on women issues, and consider these issues critical
components in the developing of the community as a whole.
2. Examine the different values consecrated in women programs
presented through audio-visual communication means on national channels.
Are these values commercial or productive? What is their link to the
priority values for women, and how do they influence the way community
regards them?
3. Design special programs focusing on women's mental capacities and
recall the historic role of Egyptian women in community service.
To: The Ministery of Education and Culture and the Ministery of Higher
Education
1. Amend the content of academic curricula and link it to the students
and their daily concerns, inciting them thus to discuss and critique
different issues. Hence, students become participants in the educational
process instead of passive recipients.
2. Change the teaching methodology from transcription to dialogue and
discussion, offering the students the chance to participate and interact
freely and democratically, without submitting them to restrictions and
dictatorships.
3. Restore extra-curricular activities, student bodies, autonomy
systems as well as free election opportunities, nominations and
representation to students unions.
To: The Ministery of Youth
The Conference regards highly the attempt of the Ministry of Youth to
designate seats for women in the Administrative Boards within the Youth
Centre. Therefore, we call upon the Ministry of Youth to adopt a joint
project with different NGOs active with women in order to build the
political capacities of young girls/women from ages 15 to 18 years old,
rendering it possible for the future generation to participate in a
political life for which they received training.
To: Local and International Funding Institutions
1. Encourage collaboration between the Egyptian Government and its
NGOs in order to upgrade the situation of Egyptian women, cleanse Egyptian
laws and legislations from all texts that may infer gender inequality or
confer gender-based advantages and rights in leadership positions,
regardless of competencies.
2. Allocate more funds and provide more attention to fact-finding and
field researches that assist in uncovering the real problems of women, and
the causes denying them access to leadership or decision-making influential
positions.
3. Provide more support to the capacity building of local women
leaderships, especially those programs that work on improving their
capacities to negotiate and constitute lobbying groups.
4. Support youth-oriented programs in pre- and university stages that
develop their ideas on gender equality and fight their gender-based
discriminating behaviours.
5. Give more attention to studies dealing with developing legal
structures leading towards the institution of complete gender equity.
6. Provide attention and appropriate financial and technical support
to develop women programs, whether led by the Government or NGOs.
The Conference believes that the political participation of women is the
cause of a community that will not progress without the participation of
both men and women in building its future.
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6. ANNOUNCEMENTS
6.1 Book: Feminists, Islam, and Nation: Gender and the making of modern Egypt
Written by Margot Badran, Professor of Women Studies and History. The book
studies the women of Egypt in the first half of the century, exploring the
raise of feminist thought and how it developed to organize women in
society. It presents rich documentation and vivid experiences of these
women who actively participated in the remaking of their own country.
Cross-cutting colonisation and nationalism, the book is a reference for the
study of the Egyptian women 'movement' emergence and development.
The book is a Princeton University Press Publication.
The Arabic Edition is now available through the Council of Culture -Egypt.
* *
6.2 Roundtable Discussion: Images of the Women's Movement in Egypt, 1900-1960
April 29, 6-8:30pm in the Rare Books Library, AUC
Come and join us for a roundtable discussion and photographic exhibition
exploring Daughters of the Nile: Photographs of Egyptian Women's Movements,
1900-1960 (AUC Press), the forthcoming photographic collection compiled by
Hind and Nadia Wassef of the New Woman Research Centre.
6:00-6:10
Introductory Remarks:
Hala Shukralla, New Woman Research Center and Soraya Altorki, Institute for
Gender and Women's Studies
6:10-6:40
Martina Rieker (Department of History, AUC) will speak on the Social
History of Visual Representation
Hania Sholkamy (Department of Anthropology, AUC and Population Council)
will speak on Readership and
Consumption: The Politics of Feminist Knowledge Production
Randa Shaath (Al-Ahram Weekly and Independent Photographer) will speak on
The Aestetics of the Photograph
6:40-8:30
Discussion led by Huda Lutfi, Department of Arabic Studies, AUC.
* *
6.3 Fourth Regional Gender Training
The Machreq/Maghreb Gender Linking & Information Project will convene its
fourth regional workshop in Rabat - Morocco from 24 to 26 April 2001
inclusive. The workshop theme will be �Gender and Advocacy: Advocacy on
Gender� and will be organized jointly with the Association Democratique des
Femmes du Maroc (ADFM), MACMAG GLIP�s in-country focal point in Morocco.
This regional workshop is part of MACMAG GLIP�s overall effort to promote
local knowledge and skills on gender and development in the Arab world
whilst focusing on understanding and teasing lessons from local
experiences. Participants represent local development NGOs and women
groups from Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine Syria, Tunisia and
Yemen.
The objectives of the workshop revolve around the following:
Dissect and learn from local experiences of advocacy on gender,
particularly using local examples (e.g. The National Action Plan for
Integrating Women in Development in Morocco, other advocacy initiatives for
legal reforms in favour of women Arab countries)
Introduce components of advocacy strategy (tools, methods & mechanisms)
Promote active collaboration amongst participants around collective
advocacy agenda on women, gender and development.
Develop a collective local guide for advocacy on gender within the context
of Arab countries.
_________________________________________________________________________
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Dr. Stefanie S. Rixecker, Senior Lecturer
Environmental Management & Design Division
Lincoln University, Canterbury
PO Box 84
Aotearoa New Zealand
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Fax: 64-03-325-3841
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