Beyond Beijing Committee meeting in Kathmandu 19th-20th June 2004
Beyond Beijing Committee meeting in Kathmandu 19th-20th June 2004
A Report on The Girl Child Component
by Asha Chandra (aiwefa)
The National Consultation on Beijing + 10 was held in Delhi on May22-23, 2004 as part of the India Country Process leading to the South Asia B+10 NGO Consultation at Kathmandu. The Discussion Paper for the National Consultation, quoting the Government of India’s Commitments made at the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing (1995), mentioned women and girls in the context of increase in investment in education. The declining sex ratio in the 0-6 years age group figured the girl child and she was there by inference when mention was made that half of Indian children are malnourished.
It was significant that despite forming nearly half of the female population, the girl child linkages were absent from discussions around the MDGs and she continued to hold an isolated twelfth position in the framework of commitments by the Member States towards the Beijing Platform for Action.
It was hoped that through this window of opportunity that was offered to the Girl Child, the process of her integration into the BPFA could be commenced through lobbying at the Kathmandu Consultation. Furthermore, based on the commitments made by State Parties in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, BPFA would provide a platform where her representations could figure.
As the Secretariat of India Alliance for Child Rights (IACR), Women’s Coalition received a sponsorship from UNICEF for a representation at the Kathmandu Deliberations. Ms.Asha Chandra, Strategy and Planning IACR, a founder member and Secretary of a Founder Member Organisation (AIWEFA) was nominated to participate in the South Asia B+10 NGO Consultation at Lalitpur.
Pre-Consultation—The Girl Child
On June 18, a day before the Consultation was due to commence, Ms.Chandra met Ms.Anjana Shakhya at the Beyond Beijing Committee Office, Lalitpur, Nepal. Ms.Shakhya spoke about the Nepal Consultations and said that her opening statement at the Consultation would make a strong case for the inclusion of the Girl Child across all the twelve critical concerns. She also felt that there was a need to integrate the CRC with the girl child issues in the context of BPFA.
On the same evening contact was also made with some representatives of the Sri Lankan delegation. Though their main focus was on the concerns of the plantation workers and aging women, they agreed there was a need to focus on the South Asian Girl Child.
Day 1. The Plenary --The Girl Child
In response to Anjana Shakhya’s opening address asking for the inclusion of Girl Child issues across the BPFA critical concerns, speakers from Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh endorsed the stand in acknowledgment of the fact that the under 18 age-group formed a large proportion of their female population.
SRI LANKA: Though the willingness to integrate the girl Child issues was present, the reporting was made from the viewpoint of women alone. The need for a feminist perspective, recognition of women’s rights as human rights, women and poverty, equal wage for equal work were covered, but no mention was made of the impact of the conflict on the girl child, their movement into free-trade manufacturing zones or the human rights of the girl child.
INDIA: Dr. Ruth Manorama mentioned the passage of the Domestic Violence Bill and the need for globalisation with a human face. She reiterated that the GIRL CHILD issues would cross-cut all BPFA areas. She said that if the condition of women was bad, then the condition of the girl child was worse. She brought the attention of the delegates on malnutrition as she read from the IACR discussion paper “Childhood anaemia is reported to affect 75 per cent of all young children. Anaemic incidence among the 6 - month to 35- month group is higher than that for women in the in the age-range of 15-49 years. …National Family Health Survey data 1998-’99 showed three-fourths of all children in the 0-3 age group afflicted with anaemia. ..Has anyone found out –or enquired-- how many of these are girls?”
NEPAL: The emerging trends were Sexual harassment , Trafficking, Starvation, Widows (terrorism), Violence against women in affected areas. Disaggregated data on the under 18s, however, was not given.
BANGLADESH — This was the only country that has integrated the MDGs in the programmes. Despite of a patriarchal society where 61.5 per cent men felt wife beating was justified, the strong women’s movement was the catalyst for change and where the media was sensitive to women’s issues. With 10,000 to 20,000 women being trafficked every year and rising adolescent pregnancies, the need for access to information regarding the reproductive rights of adolescents was highlighted.
PAKISTAN
The delegates reported that the Government was stressing on the need to integrate the Millennium Development Goals , the NGOs were doubtful that they (MDGs) would divert attention and funds from BPFA. While no mention was made of the Girl Child, concern areas were the need for Gender Reforms, Family Law amendments, a new framework for Domestic Violence Bill and a rise in honour crimes.
SOUTH ASIA CRITICAL CONCERNS—Day II.
The window of opportunities for the Girl Child opened wider as strategies and action plans commenced from creating awareness through educating in the schools.
The five issues that emerged from country overviews were:
· PEACE & SECURITY
· GLOBALISATION
· VIOLENCE
· WOMEN & GOVERNANCE
· INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS
WORKING GROUPS FORMED IN EACH AREA TO IDENTIFY ISSUES, FORMULATE STRATEGIES AND PREPARE AN ACTION PLAN.
PEACE & SECURITY
ISSUES:
· Discrimination
· Lack of consultation in problem solving
· Poverty
· Lack of equitable distribution of Resources
· Lack of participation in decision making at all levels
· Lack of implementation of laws
· Lack of women in peace building process
· Erosion of values
· Imbalance between spiritualism and materialism.
STRATEGY:
· Negotiation
· Budget for peace education
· Formation of pressure groups
· Local level women to ensure peace
· Co-ordination between all groups
· Develop IEC for Peace Education
· Peaceful reconstruction across borders
· Participation of women in media
· Relief programmes—Income Generation, Psychological, Schools
· Employment Generation
· Post and during conflict rehabilitation
· Peace Building
· Health Education
ACTION PLAN:
· Education programmes for peace building
· SAARC NGO women activation
· Formation of pressure groups
· Women’s participation from every section
· Support Programmes for women
· Rehabilitation and Reconciliation
· Transparency in resources, implementation and programme implementation
· Anti corruption measures
GLOBALISATION – The Girl Child figured nowhere
ISSUES:
· Intensification of Poverty
· Joblessness
· Violence
· Legal protection
· Labour Rights
· Weakening Formal structure
· Transnational corporations
· Sex Tourism
· Food and security erosion
· Marginalisation
· Urban centric development
· Environmental degradation
· Imposed technicalities of donors
· Privatisation of water
· Protection of women workers in free trade zones
· Accessibility to loans
ACTION PLAN
· Women’s watch
· Protection of people not profit sole motive
· Mobilisation against negative impact of globalisation
· Marginalised people
· Regional role to be stronger
· Debt monitoring, reduction and cancellation of loans given to women
VIOLENCE –The Girl child—one of a group.
Issues:
· Patriarchy
· Domestic Violence
· Rape
· Land rights and discriminatory laws
· Culture of violence
· Sex harassment
· Honour killing
· Disabled women
· Child abuse
· Incest
· Trafficking for sex trade
· Sex tourism
STRATEGY:
· Awareness raising
· Gender sensitization
· Reforms and Non- discriminatory laws
· Policy
· New legislation with proper implementation
· Establishment of Family Laws
· Strong networking within countries and neighbours
· Disabled women, girl child, dalits, minorities, marginalized, disadvantaged
· Advocacy and Lobby
· Media policy on monitoring of violence
ACTION
· Dissemination of information
· Documentation of new laws
· Pressure Groups formation and budget resources
· Training programmes for capacity development
· Networking
· Advocacy Lobbying with Government regarding international commitments
· Development of monitoring mechanisms at all levels
· Access to medical, legal and other aid.
WOMEN & GOVERNANCE
ISSUES:
· Lack of adequate representation of women in decision making
· 33% reservation implementation
· All parties to nominate women and implement
STRATEGY:
· Compliance by political parties
· Women’s Groups, MPs—dialogues and collaborations
· Media sensitization
· Encourage women to vote and build vote bank
· Networking of potential candidates
· Networking with Women Parliamentarians in SAARC countries
ACTION PLAN:
· 25% quota for women in all public sector jobs
· Reservation for women in decision making positions—Corporate, Governments and in Ministries like Finance, Home, Defense
· NGOs presence in high level teams
· Cadre of Trainers and capacity building—allocation of funds
· Encourage women to stand for elections
· Addressing criminalisation of politics
INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS—The Girl Child—one of a group.
ISSUES:
· Implementing and Monitoring Mechanisms
· Ensure State accountability
· Ensure implementation of ratified international instruments—CEDAW, BPFA, OD, CRC and others
· Girl Child, Disadvantaged, Disabled, Dalits, Minorities, Aging women
· Lack of political will
· Poor governance
· Capacity Building
STRATEGY:
· Age disaggregated data collection
· Data Collection and analysis on the basis of Development Indicators
· Women’s Study Centres to be involved in developing and testing indicators and research methodology
ACTION PLAN:
· Improve data collection
· Revive SAARC Technical Committee
· Ensure NGO participation in SAARC process
· Regular deliberations amongst SAARC countries
· Easing of visa facilities for South Asian countries
