Sign on to Say NO to safeguarding “traditional values” over
women’s human rights!
SIGN HERE BY 5 APRIL 2012
STATEMENT OF FEMINIST AND WOMEN’S ORGANISATIONS ON THE VERY LIMITED
AND CONCERNING RESULTS OF THE 56
TH SESSION OF THE UN
COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
[1]
We, the undersigned organisations and individuals across the globe,
are alarmed and disappointed that the United Nations Commission on the
Status of Women (CSW) failed to adopt agreed conclusions at its 56
th
session. This failure has diminished the considerable work, energy,
time and costs that women all over the world invested on the 56
th
session of the CSW. The advancement of women’s human rights should not
be put on hold because of political battles between states. We say NO
to any re-opening of negotiations on the already established
international agreements on women’s human rights and call on all
governments to demonstrate their commitments to promote, protect and
fulfill human rights and fundamental freedoms of women.
We are particularly concerned to learn that our governments failed
to reach a consensus on the basis of safeguarding “traditional values”
at the expense of human rights and fundamental freedoms of women. We
remind governments that all Member States of the United Nations (UN)
have accepted that “the human rights of women and of the girl-child are
an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal human rights”
as adopted by the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna.
Governments must not condone any tradition, cultural or religious
arguments which deny human rights and fundamental freedoms of any
person. After more than 60 years since the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (UDHR) was embraced and adopted by the UN, the relationship
between traditional values and human rights remains highly contested.
We affirm the UDHR as not only ‘a common standard of achievement for all
peoples and all nations’ but a common standard of assessment for all
traditional values. The UDHR is an embodiment of positive traditional
values that are universally held by this community of nations and are
consistent with the inherent dignity of all human beings. We remind
governments that under the Charter of the United Nations, gender
equality has been proclaimed as a fundamental human right. States
cannot contravene the UN Charter by enacting or enforcing discriminatory
laws directly or through religious courts nor can allow any other
private actors or groups imposing their religious fundamentalist agenda
in violation of the UN Charter.
“No one may invoke cultural diversity to infringe upon human rights
guaranteed by international law, nor limit their scope. Not all
cultural practices accord with international human rights law and,
although it is not always easy to identify exactly which cultural
practices may be contrary to human rights, the endeavour always must be
to modify and/or discard all practices pursued in the name of culture
that impede the enjoyment of human rights by any individual.” (Statement
by Ms. Farida Shaheed, the Independent Expert in the field of cultural
rights, to the Human Rights Council at its 14
th session 31
May 2010)
Amongst other things, it is alarming that some governments have
evoked so-called “moral” values to deny women’s sexual and reproductive
health and rights. Sexual and reproductive rights are a crucial and
fundamental part of women’s full enjoyment of all rights as well as
integral to gender equality, development and social justice. Social and
religious morals and patriarchal values have been employed to justify
violations against women. Violence against women, coercion and
deprivation of legal and other protections of women, marital rape,
honour crimes, son preference, female genital mutilation, ‘dowry’ or
‘bride price’, forced and early marriages and ‘corrective rapes’ of
lesbians, bisexuals, transgender and inter-sexed persons have all been
justified by reference to ‘traditional values’.
We remind governments that the CSW is the principal global
policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and
advancement of women with the sole aim of promoting women’s rights in
political, economic, civil, social and educational fields. Its mandate
is to ensure the full implementation of existing international
agreements on women’s human rights and gender equality as enshrined in
the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women, the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action and the International Conference on
Population and Development Programme of Action as well as other
international humanitarian and human rights law.
We strongly demand all governments and the international community to
reject any attempt to invoke traditional values or morals to infringe
upon human rights guaranteed by international law, nor to limit their
scope. Customs, tradition or religious considerations must not be
tolerated to justify discrimination and violence against women and girls
whether committed by State authorities or by non-state actors. In
particular, we urge governments to ensure that the health and human
rights of girls and women are secured and reaffirmed at the coming
Commission on Population and Development and the International
Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). Any future
international negotiations must move forward implementation of policies
and programmes that secure the human rights of girls and women.
We call upon the member states of the UN and the various UN human
rights and development entities to recognise and support the important
role of women’s groups and organisations working at the forefront of
challenging traditional values and practices that are intolerant to
fundamental human rights norms, standards and principles.
ASIA PACIFIC FORUM ON WOMEN, LAW AND DEVELOPMENT (APWLD)
ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN DEVELOPMENT (AWID)
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S HEALTH COALITION (IWHC)
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTION WATCH ASIA PACIFIC (IWRAW ASIA
PACIFIC)
WOMEN LIVING UNDER MUSLIM LAWS (WLUML) / VIOLENCE IS NOT OUR CULTURE
CAMPAIGN
YOUR NAME HERE
This will be submitted to UN Member States, CSW and other relevant UN
human rights and development entities.
Endorse here. The deadline 5 April 2012.
More information:
Download the statement here:
Statement
from Women’s Organisations on CSW
Click here to read statements from
Norway
and the EU supporting women’s human rights
Click here to read UN Women’s Michele Bachelet
“Impasse at CSW deeply regrettable”
For the statement in
French
For the statement in
Spanish
សមាគមសិទ្ធិមនុស្សអាដហុក រកឃើញថា
នៅក្នុងឆ្នាំ២០១១ កន្លងមក រដ្ឋាភិបាលកម្ពុជា
បានផ្តល់ដីសម្បទានសេដ្ឋកិច្ចទៅឲ្យក្រុមហ៊ុនឯកជន
ចំនួន៣កន្លែង លើសពីច្បាប់ភូមិបាលបានកំណត់ ។
