Transcript Bild 1 - Indevelop

OBSTACLES
Religion and tradition
• Women’s human rights are dismissed
as “ideas imposed from the west”.
• Slander is used to discredit women and
stops them from participating in public
life.
• Rising religious fundamentalism is
infringing women’s rights.
“Slander is a powerful suppression technique used
against women everywhere to diminish them.
What is said might not be true but simply a strategy to
silence women politicians or activists. The
international community should legitimize women
human rights defenders when others are trying to delegitimize them.”
Equal Power – Lasting Peace
From the Armenia Police website
•
The best guarantee for not becoming a victim of violence is to not trust the unknown men, or men with strange
behavior. Suspiciousness is a peculiar self-protective “instinct”, which sometimes forces the person to reconsider the initial
intention. It is necessary to apply a self-defense method only in cases, when you can expect other people’s help. The attack
could be prevented by unexpectedly throwing some items into the offender: a purse, a bunch of keys, etc. If you notice, that
you are chased, try to change the path, and prefer your known routes and crowded streets.
- At late hours, if you go out somewhere, ask somebody, if possible, to escort or meet you.
- At late hours make dates only in crowded and illuminated places.
- Going for a walk at late hours, put on an outfit, that wouldn’t limit your movements, your outfit shouldn’t attract wild
fanatic’s attention. For those having long hair it is advisable to gather your hair, as the hair, as well as necklaces, may be
used as a “tool” during the offender’s attack. Try not to busy your hands with purses.
- During the attack the resistance on the side of a woman sometimes irritates the attacker. It is more desirable for a woman
to start a “psychological attack”, since it is difficult for her to apply physical power, equal to man’s. It is advisable to win time
at any price, for example offering the attacker to go to some place, have something to drink, to talk; this tactics may provide
an opportunity to move the attacker into a crowded place. More cautiousness should be demonstrated, when the attacker is
armed. If the woman panics, cries and shouts, the criminal can turn to more dangerous actions.
- Sometimes women that were subject to violence do not apply to the law enforcement authority due to shame or other
reasons, thus creating an illusion of impunity for the criminal, which provides grounds for committing new crimes.
Political resentment
‘women should leave politics
and leadership alone…’
male leader of the largest
political party in Northern
Ireland
‘they (the Women’s Coalition)
must be a cult so they will
grow into each other and
disappear’…
male leader of a main political
party in Northern Ireland
Violence against women
• High rates of rape and sexual violence against
women.
• Widespread impunity of criminal acts of
violence against women.
• Lack of freedom of movement for female
activists.
”As women activists we get a lot of death
threats. Over the telephone, SMS, e-mail, or
they send someone to warn you.
All of us have received such threats. I have
been threatened by local politicians,
governors and members of parliament.”
Informant from DR Congo
“We cannot be silent if a woman is going to be killed.
The biggest problem here is that people practice traditions.
But they say it is religion. For example, a man kills a woman
and thinks it is a good job. We believe that society will not
be improved if we do not get rid of this violence.
We give examples of verses in the Koran what the Prophet
says and show the respect he treated his wives and
daughters with.”
Male informant from the Islamic Scholar Union, Iraqi Kurdistan about the cooperation
between women’s organisations and imams.
Where? When?
• ”Constables and plain-clothes men who were
in the crowd passed their arms around me
from the back and clutched hold of my breasts
in as public manner as possible, and men in
the crowd followed their example …. My skirt
was lifted as high as possible, and the
constable attemted to lift me off the ground
by raising his knee. This he could not do, so he
threw me into the crowd and incited the men
to treat me as he wished.”
Gender stereotypes
• The focus on women as mothers and as
more peaceful than men can open
doors for participation but also limit
women’s agency.
• Women are considered (by men and
women) not to have enough
knowledge of political issues.
• War and conflict are seen as issues
exclusively for men to discuss.
“We have a culture in Liberia where a
woman as a mother is respected and where
she is able to influence her role and cultural
status (...)
Our strategy was looking at our context as
mothers, as people who give birth. And
looking at all the warring parties as our
children.”
Informant from Liberia
Corruption
• Political positions are worth
money.
• Decisions are made in informal
and corrupt male networks.
• Criminal networks use power
structures in post-conflict for
human trafficking.
Excluding power arenas
• Female politicians are excluded from the
closed arenas in which decisions are made.
• Elected women experience difficulties in
pushing for women’s rights.
• International community does not include
women in peace negotiations.
• Women are not appointed by the
international community as mediators and
negotiators.
”The international community supported us
and pointed to our work as important. But
when it came to ’real’ decision making, we
were not recognised
as relevant players.”
Informant from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Legislation and state structure
• Mechanisms for gender equality are underfunded.
• Funding from national institutions to civil society organisations
includes conditions that makes it hard to develop an
independent civil society.
• Legislation concerning gender equality, domestic violence or
women’s rights is adopted with no funds nor political will to
implement.
• Women lack economic rights, including the right to inherit, to
ownership and access to financial resources.
”We will have one Shia court, one
Christian court, one Sunni court…
People will not be treated the same.”
Iraqui informant
Group work
• Obstacles for women’s participation
• List as many you can think of
• You have 30 minutes
Second groupwork
•
•
•
•
Chose one of the obstacle
Think of how to overcome it
Who do you need to convince?
What is the best strategy/plan to achieve
success?
• What is the message?
• What resistance do you think you will meet?
• Present it in any way you want!