PM Simpson Miller on dangers facing women and chil

**evanovitch** · 09-28-2012, 04:38 AM

Ja's Amb to UN add from March 1998...read n weep

Statement by Her Excellency Miss M. Patricia Durrant
Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Jamaica
to the United Nations in New York at the
Eighth Annual International Health Awareness Network (IHAN) Symposium: "The Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children"
Featured Presentation: "Empowering the Woman Against Abuse
and Violence".

Madam Chair, Dr Roshan,

Ambassador Chowdhury,

Panelists:
First of all, I wish to thank the International Health Awareness Network as well as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and other co-sponsors for having organized this Seminar.

As we look back over the past twenty-three years to International Women's Year in 1974, and the themes of Equality, Development and Peace, we can take pride in the fact that many of the issues which were brought to the forefront of the world's consciousness at that time have been addressed at the international and national levels; and that while much still needs to be accomplished, the norms and standards which have been adopted are now part of the mainstream of legislation in most countries.

At the international level, this is attested to by the number of countries which have become parties to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, and from the national reports submitted to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is timely for us to focus on an issue which as much affects women from developed as well as from developing countries - women in all walks of life from the field and the factory floor to the wealthiest among us.

Some have asked: Why should women be empowered against abuse and violence? Do they need to be empowered? Why should society - we - give so much attention to the issue of abuse and violence against women? In other words, is this really so much of a problem as some of us seem to suggest?

Many tend to see abuse or violence against women as a single act of a man beating his spouse in the privacy of their home. The real nature and pattern of abuse and its impact on the whole society is often lost to us. But abuse is not just physical. the Beijing Platform for Action gives a very extensive definition of "violence against women" to mean "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life." The Platform goes on to say that such violence encompasses, inter alia, that which occurs with in the family, the general community or perpetrated or condoned by the state, including sexual abuse; marital rape; violence related to exploitation; sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere. The Platform also stresses that "violence" or abuse includes not only the physical act itself, but the threat or fear of violence as well. In all societies, to a greater or lesser degree, women, including older women and girls, are subjected to physical, sexual and psychological abuse, which cuts across lines of income, class and culture.

What all of this means is that violence or abuse is widespread and has a widespread or "domino effect" on society as a whole. To begin with, the woman victim herself suffers from physical and mental health problems as a result of constant abuse. What this implies is that a significant portion of the female population is not healthy. And if we consider that the prevalence of abuse tends to be greater among poor and otherwise marginalised women, then this increases the number of abused women in poorer communities and nations.

Let us look at the implications of this information from another angle. in most, if not all of our societies, women play a central role as the nurturers of the society - primarily as mothers. Consider then, the tremendous effect on her children, of an abused mother, suffering from one or more of the ailments described above. Not only is she less able to care properly for her children, but they, in turn, are likely to grow into abusers or victims of abuse as adults. When such instances are multiplied several times over, then we have an entire society schooled in a "culture of violence". This is unacceptable, and is very difficult to eradicate once it has taken root.

From yet another angle, there is the woman as a significant part of a country's labour force. When there exists a situation, like that in the Caribbean, where women make up a large portion of the labour force, the impact of abuse as seen in the low and poor quality of their output, could have negative implications for a country's productivity.

From a more immediate point of view, however, society in general and governments in particular should be more concerned about the issue of abuse, considering its significant implications for a country's public health. It is indeed alarming when one takes stock of the amount of time, energy, resources, drugs and money spent by victims and medical personnel in coping with the direct and indirect manifestations of abuse.

So then, ladies and gentlemen, having established the frightening aspect of violence against women in all societies and in recognition of the fact that determine that gender-based violence is an intolerable socio-cultural phenomenon, we must find creative and effective ways of empowering women against abuse and violence. But what is empowerment? One good definition is the process of gaining access to power structures and gaining enough control to change them. And whereas the abuse of women globally leads to the creation of a violent world, it has been said that "the empowerment of women throughout the world cannot fail to result in a more caring, tolerant, just and peaceful life for all". Too often, however, empowerment is used to indicate power which is somehow 'given' to women in need of empowerment. I believe, however, that the capacity for empowerment lies within woman herself - all women - whether they are victims of abuse or not. Self-empowerment, if I may call it that, should be the first step towards emancipation from abuse. nevertheless, this is not an easy task, and the society at all levels (women and men locally, nationally and internationally) has an obligation to provide support for this empowerment.

It has long been proven that when women are more independent economically, they are less dependent on their male partners for their livelihood and for their children's survival. They therefore have a greater choice as to whether or not to remove themselves from an abusive situation. This also increases woman's self-esteem considerably, thereby improving her overall health and encouraging her to pass on this newfound strength to her children - both male and female, thereby hopefully breaking the cycle of dependence and violence.

Governments and local communities and civil society can help and support women in this venture, by promoting economic development and stability at the macro level, which would benefit the entire society, including marginalised women. More immediate and perhaps beneficial, however, would be the provision of income-generating projects and micro-credit facilities. The famous Grameen Bank for micro-credit in Bangladesh is a shining example of a successful innovation which has been copied in several countries. This is more than a bank - it is almost a movement - which inculcates a guiding philosophy which is strictly and proudly adhered to by the bank members, most of whom are poor women. Thus, the bank helps to empower women not only economically, but psychologically as well.

This last point is very important, but is often, unfortunately, overlooked. While economic advancement can be a vehicle for women's empowerment, it is frequently not enough and is sometimes one of the instigators of abuse. Male partners and/or other family members or care-givers can become jealous of a woman's economic success or independence and so abuse her, often stealing her earnings. Also, many economically powerful women still remain in abusive situations, because they are not emotionally independent.
This then, brings me to the issue of education and the need for women and men, governments and civil society to work towards reforming the educational system towards the holistic education of children as well as the general public.

This idea is certainly not new - at the international level, similar ideas were expressed in the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, adopted in 1993, which was the culmination of united nations efforts since the adoption of the Nairobi forward-looking strategies (19 ) to address the issue. The Declaration formed one of the bases for the Beijing Platform for Action, which recommended specific actions to be taken by governments to address the reform of countries' educational systems, with the aim of promoting "self-respect, mutual respect and cooperation between women and men".

The UN Secretary-General also made a recommendation in this regard, in his report (E/CN.6/1998/5) to the 42nd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Drawing upon regional studies conducted by the UN on violence against women, the secretary-general, in addressing the efforts needed to accelerate implementation of the Beijing Platform and to have a substantive impact on the elimination of violence against women; stated that, "Government should support the development of school programmes aimed at enhancing awareness among girls and boys of gender-based violence and its links with discrimination on the basis of sex. Programmes of peer mediation and conflict resolution for children should be developed, and special training for teachers to equip them to teach cooperation in the classroom should be introduced. Such programmes and training should be monitored for effectiveness and routinely shared among Member States. Education and training for all disciplines should incorporate non-violent conflict resolution and mediation skills."

In many countries and throughout the Caribbean region, governments have already heeded the example set at the international level and have introduced educational reforms as well as public awareness campaigns for the wider education of the general public. In Jamaica, mounting concern about the level of violence being perpetrated among students (boys and girls) led to the institution of the pals (peace and love in schools) programme in 1994. This programme, which works with teachers and students to promote harmonious relationships in schools and communities, teaches, inter alia, constructive dispute-resolution techniques and conflict mediation. A recent evaluation has indicated that the programme is having a considerable impact on the students involved, with a large percentage of the teachers involved in the programme reporting a decrease in the hostility and overall aggressiveness of their students. Together with this initial success, however, has come a clear message from the children themselves. During this year's observance of "peace day" (a joint initiative of PALS and the Jamaica Teachers' Association), the recurrent theme of the special performances and assemblies was the need for parents to become peacemakers in their homes. As a result of this heightened concern, the pals programme will embark on a new thrust to educate parents about conflict resolution.
These are positive signs and they and similar initiatives, should be welcomed and supported, as they will go a far way in addressing the issue of violence against women. Additional actions which could be taken by governments to eliminate violence against women are the inclusion of the concept of gender in the curricula of all training institutions; increased public awareness campaigns to educate the general public and women in particular that abuse must not be tolerated and of the right to protect themselves. Campaigns could also make greater use of slogans to convey messages on violence against women. Private sector companies and other enterprises should be encouraged to participate more actively in the various programmes to combat this problem. They could be encouraged to develop counselling facilities for their workers and training in conflict-resolution, as well as to sponsor various programmes and activities in this area. This is particularly critical in developing countries, where resources are generally scarce, and the sustainability of programmes often poses a great challenge.
We must also reform education so that the curriculum and teaching of methodologies reflect the needs, aspirations and positive self expressions of girls and women.
We must provide facilities for battered women and children so that those who currently need these services can be accommodated.
Also important is the training of all members of the judiciary, including the police forces, so that incidents of violence against women are dealt with sensitively and appropriately.
Legislative and legal measures must be put in place to ensure that violence against women is punishable under the criminal code.
Rehabilitation facilities for the perpetrators of violence against women are necessary if attitudes are to be changed.
I would like, if I may, to spend a few moments on the global aspect of this issue; to highlight what the international community has been doing to address the issue of violence against women.
Perhaps the greatest contribution which the UN has made to this issue was to place it on the international agenda as a legitimate issue of concern for the world community. Indeed, the UN has, from its very inception, sought to raise significantly the levels of consciousness of the peoples - and women - of the world, about all issues affecting women in general. The convening of four global conferences is evidence of the high priority given women's issues, beginning with the first conference in Mexico in 1975 (international women's year) which adopted the world plan of action for the UN Decade for Women (1976-1985). The subsequent conferences in Copenhagen and Nairobi carried the movement further along, culminating in the most recent conference in Beijing and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Since Beijing, the UN and the international community have continued to build upon the recommendations of the conference. Activities mainly include the further development of legal measures and strategies to address gender-based violence against women.
Within the UN family, the CSW is in the process of formulating an optional protocol to the CEDAW, Convention on the Elimination all Forms of Discrimination against Women, which will allow women the right to seek redress for violations of their human rights. In 1996, a trust fund was established within UNIFEM to support actions to eliminate violence against women (and Ms. Heyzer has shared with us, some information on the successful work of this initiative). Last year, the General Assembly adopted the Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence against Women in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. The Model Strategies, which build on the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women, seek to establish de jure and de facto equality between women and men, as well as equal access for women to justice.
The energetic pace set by the international community has certainly stimulated a similar response at the national level, by governments as well as "ordinary citizens", as we have all observed.
Finally, Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to emphasise that, although I have spoken of the empowerment of women for the benefit of the whole society and the global community, I believe that it is also very important for every woman to be empowered - for her own sake. This reaffirms the fact that a woman should not be seen simply as an "appendage", but is a unique individual, whose goal in life should be not only to live for her children and family and community, but to live, quite simply, quite selfishly and quite rightly - for herself.
I believe that the point at which a woman fully understands this, is the point at which she becomes truly "empowered".
I thank you for your attention.

PM Simpson Miller on dangers facing women and chil

PM Simpson Miller on dangers facing women and chil

Comment

ads