[women-rights] CSW 47th Session: National legislation, government bodies aimed at promoting gender equality

UNITED NATIONS
Press Release

Commission on Status of Women
Forty-seventh Session
4 March 2003
4th Meeting (PM)

Speakers Highlight Laws Targeting Harmful Cultural Practices,
Describe Creation of Ministries Dedicated to Women's Rights,
Development

Passing legislation targeting violence against women, educating
government officials, and establishing special governmental bodies
were vital in furthering gender equality, speakers stressed at a
high-level round table held this afternoon during the resumed
forty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

The round table, with some 27 participants, many at the ministerial
level, focused on national legislation, structures and activities
that countries had created to promote gender equality, particularly
regarding the Commission's two thematic issues for the current
session -- women's access to media and information and communication
technologies; and women's human rights and violence against women.

Concerning laws targeting violence against women, Nilofer Bakhtiar,
Advisor to the Prime Minister on Women's Development, Social Welfare
and Special Education of Pakistan pointed out that her country had
declared honour killings a criminal offence last year, and strict
penalties had been laid down for trafficking in women and children.
In addition, a million dollar programme was also underway to train
women judges and lawyers, so that they could give free and quick
justice to the women victims in Pakistan.

The representative of Ghana said laws had been enacted in her country
to prohibit such cultural practices as female genital mutilation,
which severely inhibited the physical and psychological development
of women. Angelique Ngomo, Ministry of the Family, Protection of the
Child and the Promotion of Women of Gabon, pointed out that women
were often at the active end of violence against women, of which
female genital mutilation was a prime example. Men were not the only
perpetrators of violence, she said.

With respect to educating government officials, Swedish Deputy Prime
Minister Margareta Winberg said that all ministers in her country
were trained in gender mainstreaming. Each must ask themselves before
taking any action -- how will this affect women?

Speaking about governmental bodies that had been set up to focus on
women's rights, Emilia Fernandes, Special Secretary for Women Rights
of Brazil, explained
that her Government had recently elevated its Secretariat on Women's
Rights to the ministerial level, which would allow it greater
autonomy and room for expansion. In addition, the country had a
Secretariat on Women's Policies to deal with gender issues at all
levels of government and civil society. That Secretariat was now
being viewed as the conscience of government agencies.

In describing its Ministry for the Advancement of Women, the
representative of Burkina Faso said that body implemented programmes
for the socio-economic improvement of woman together with other
agencies. It had set up programmes to educate women and girls,
promote reproductive rights, and evaluate the activities of
non-governmental organizations and other groups. Cuba's
representative said each of the ministries in her country had offices
to create policies for women, a practise that had become increasingly
institutionalized.

In strengthening women's rights, speakers also stressed the
importance of women on electoral lists, campaigns to raise awareness,
and programmes to combat poverty and illiteracy. They also
highlighted budgetary concerns in promoting gender equality, as well
as ensuring that existing international conventions and tools to
promote gender mainstreaming objectives were implemented.

Also participating in the round table discussion were: Jean
Augustine, Secretary of State, Status of Women, Canada; Elizabeth
Querol de Aranda, Vice-Ministra de la Mujer del Ministerio de la
Muyer, Peru; Abdul Aziz Hoesein, Deputy Minister in Society's Role,
State Minister for Women's Empowerment of Indonesia; Jeanne Francoise
Lekomba, Secretaire d'Etat aupres de la Minsitre de l'Agriculture, de
l'Elevage, de la Peche et de la Promotion de la Femme of Congo; Lily
Caravantes, Secretaria Presidencial de la Muyer of Guatemala; Jackie
Kelly, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister of Australia;
Mominat Omarova, Deputy Chair of the State Committee on Women Issues
of Azerbaijan.

Also speaking were: Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Minister of Women Affairs
and Child Welfare of Namibia; Faizah Mohd Tahir, Secretary-General of
the Ministry of Women's Affairs and Family Development of Malaysia;
Laura Isabel Velazquez, Special Representative for Gender Issues,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina; Dubravka Simonovic, Head of
Division for Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Croatia;
Sub-Hye Kang, Director of International Relations Office, Ministry of
Gender Equality of the Republic of Korea; and Ellen Sauerbrey, Bureau
of International Organization Affairs, Department of State of the
United States.

Also: Gladys Zalaguett, International Department National Machinery
of Chile; Marion Thielenhaus, Deputy Head of Department, Federal
Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth of
Germany; Flora van Houwelingen, Acting Director of the Department of
Gender Affairs, Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment of the
Netherlands; and Patricia Espinosa, Director, Institute for Women of
Mexico. The representatives of Tunisia, Japan, and Greece (on behalf
of the European Union) also spoke.

The Commission will meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 5 March, to
continue its general discussion.

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