<<<<<<<<<<<<forwarded message>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 13:04:21 -0400 From: PAR-L Moderators <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Women's economic, social,and cultural rights From: S Day <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Dear Parleuses, I am sending this message from a grand high-ceilinged, marble-floored room in the library at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. There are computers here for students and others to use, and so I am surrounded by intent young women and men searching for information, perhaps about human rights violations. Yesterday 8 Canadian NGOs made presentations to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Committee is reviewing Canada's third periodic report, and the NGOs concentrated on the impact of the cuts and social program restructuring of the last five years. The NGOs presenting were: the National Anti-Poverty Organization, Low-Income Families Together, the Grand Council of the Cree, the Canadian Council on Refugees, the Ad Hoc NGO Committee on International Trade and Investment Agreements, the Charter Committee on Poverty Issues, Parkdale Community Legal Clinic, and the National Association of Women and the Law, whom I am here to represent. NAWL rushed to put together a brief in about 9 days. In that short time, we got help and advice from NWAC, NAC, DAWN Canada, the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses, CASAC, Sharon McIvor, Marilyn Buffalo, barbara findlay, Martha Jackman, Gwen Brodsky, and others. Thanks to them for the help. NAWL has asked the Committee to look specifically at the conditions of women when making its assessment of Canada's compliance with its Covenant obligations. By signing the Covenant, Canada agreed to progressively realize the rights to an adequate standard of living, to the continuous improvement of living conditions, to food and housing, to health, to education and to just and favourable conditions of work. We have argued that they must look specifically at Article 3 of the Covenant which guarantees women the equal enjoyment of these rights, and at Article 2(2 which guarantees no discrimination based on race,age,etc. in enjoyment of the rights, and assess compliance with each right through this women's equality lens. This is necessary and practical, because poverty has a gendered character; women are not poor for the same reasons that men are poor. Women are poor because they bear and raise children and have been assigned the role of unpaid caregiver. Secondary status and income go with these roles, and women's poverty cannot be addressed effectively unless this is acknowledged. We have also argued that signatory countries to the Covenant cannot satisfy Article 3's guarantee to women of the equal enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights 1) if they take "retrogressive measures" that have a disproportionately negative impact on women; 2)if, when women and men are compared as groups in relation to a particular right, women are more disadvantaged. The undertaking to progressively realize the rights in the Covenant cannot be interpreted to mean that men will realize these rights sooner or more fully than women. The progressive realization of rights requires an egalitarian distribution of social and economic benefits at any point in time; and 3)if they do not specifically identify the inequalities in women's economic and social conditions and take steps to address those inequalities. We have asked the Committee to find that Canada is in violation of its Covenant obligations to Canadian women because of the retrogressive measures Canada has taken recently. The Committee process is not easy. The Committee members sit around a square table in a high-ceilinged Committee room. We petitioners sit at a table in the middle of the square, facing each other, not them. At first it was not clear that we had their attention. One Committee member read his newspaper. However, by the end of our presentations, they were alert. The Canadian NGOs were all very good, very well-prepared, and there is remarkable consistency in the basic message, though each presentation offered a different perspective - women, Aboriginal people, homeless people, the impact of trade agreements, etc. However,I understand that we have already been criticized just for being here in a National Post editorial. I am hoping for a separate section in the Committee's concluding observations on women. There is a lot of work still to be done here. I will be away for a few days then back to hear Canada make its report on the 26th. NAWL's brief has been posted on the POVNET website. http://www.web.net/povnet The email address for POVNET is [EMAIL PROTECTED] I can be reached until November 30 at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Best to all. Shelagh Day ------------------------------ Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List As vilified, slandered and attacked by One Nation mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
