Skip to top

February 2010
Volume 77
Who, What, Where
6 February: International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital
Mutilation
20 February - World Day for Social Justice
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/social/intldays/IntlJustice/
2010 - International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual
Understanding
February 2010
Volume 77
Who, What, Where...............................................................................................................................1
6 February: International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation ......................1
20 February - World Day for Social Justice...........................................................................1
2010 - International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding .............................1
In-house "cooking" :...........................................................................................................................4
Joint Biennial Workshop of the United Nations Interagency Network on Women and Gender
Equality (IANWGE) and the OECD DAC Network of Gender Equality (GENDERNET) ..................4
ILO - Global Employment Trends - 2010 - Women Workers.................................................4
Various ..............................................................................................................................5
What's new on the web.......................................................................................................................7
Women and the Media ........................................................................................................7
Cambodia Launches Digital Campaign Against Domestic Violence .......................................7
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN & HIV ......................................................................................8
New Specialized Website on Women and Politics in Maghreb - Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia......9
What are they doing? ..........................................................................................................................9
Sénégal : les femmes conductrices de taxi à Dakar, bilan d’une révolution laborieuse...........9
15-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
(1995) and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (2000)
10
Germany - Top Women's Magazine Trades Models for "Real" Women ................................11
Men and women in decision-making: highlights................................................................12
Off the press!................................................................................................................................... 13
Uganda bans female genital mutilation .............................................................................13
VATICAN/HOLY SEE: THE NEW UNDER-SECRETARY OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE
AND PEACE IS A WOMAN...................................................................................................14
Gender Issues................................................................................................................................... 14
Rape and the Plight of the Female Migrant Worker.............................................................14
UNITED NATIONS CHARTER - HOW WERE EQUAL RIGHTS OF WOMEN & MEN INCLUDED -
HISTORY ..........................................................................................................................15
FLASH!............................................................................................................................................... 16
The impact of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on the
achievement of the millennium Development Goals ...........................................................16
Food for Thought............................................................................................................................. 16
Poets’ Corner.................................................................................................................................... 17
CIUDADES ........................................................................................................................17
(4 de septiembre, Carmen de la Victoria) ........................................................................17
Gender Resources............................................................................................................................ 17
New Lessons: the Power of Educating Adolescent Girls ......................................................17
She Figures 2009 – Statistics and Indicators on Gender Equality in Science .........................18
International Training Centre of the ILO
2
February 2010
Volume 77
Challenges – The invisible face of child labour in Latin America and the Caribbean.............18
HARMFUL PRACTICES AGAINST WOMEN-GOOD PRACTICES IN LEGISLATION-UN..................19
Human Rights Education in the School Systems of Europe, Central Asia and North America: A
Compendium of Good Practice..........................................................................................19
GRANT/FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES ................................................................................................ 20
Open Society Institute & Soros Foundations Network .........................................................20
FILIA ................................................................................................................................20
On-going and/or coming Gender Programmes/ Conferences / Events: ................................... 21
Women's Worlds: 3-7 July 2011: “Inclusions, Exclusions, and Seclusions: Living in a
Globalized World”.............................................................................................................21
XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010), ...............................................................21
Triple Helix VIII ................................................................................................................21
40th Anniversary of the first Women's Liberation Conference in the UK1846 ......................22
VARIOUS ........................................................................................................................................... 22
THE ITALIAN CORNER: ......................................................................................................22
Uomini più intelligenti delle donne? No sono solo più sicuri..............................................22
Quote for the Day:............................................................................................................................ 23
JUST FOR FUN:.................................................................................................................................. 23
International Training Centre of the ILO
3
February 2010
Volume 77
In-house "cooking" :
Joint Biennial Workshop of the United Nations Interagency Network on
Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) and the OECD DAC Network of
Gender Equality (GENDERNET)
Simonetta Cavazza and Johanne Lortie
participated in this workshop, hosted by the
United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO), Vienna, on 1-2
February 2010.
The OECD/DAC Network on Gender Equality
and the United Nations’ Interagency Network
on Women and Gender Equality hold a
workshop every two years to exchange ideas
and share information on issues of mutual
relevance and interest. The two groups
represent the gender focal points and
advisors of the UN system, bilateral agencies
and the development banks. These meetings
seek to respond to emerging global issues by
exploring innovative approaches and
partnerships.
The 2010 workshop set out to address:
9 The role and challenges faced by
multilateral and bilateral agencies in
delivering on international commitments to
gender equality and women’s
empowerment.
9 New approaches to women’s empowerment
dimensions of accountability and
strengthening country ownership over
development.
9 Practical contributions of donors and
multilaterals to accelerate women’s
economic empowerment and improve aid
effectiveness.
The purpose and objectives of the workshop
were described as:
9 To explicit make the linkages between
accountability and/or national ownership
and women’s economic empowerment.
9 To deepen our understanding of “what
works” when donors and multilaterals
support economic empowerment; and
deepen our shared understandings about
accountability and ownership.
9 To identify examples which could be scaled
up or replicated in other countres or
regions, with regard to creating economic
opportunities for women, strengthening the
policy and legal environment, and ensuring
women’s participation in economic
decision-making.
9 To discuss new ways of working with and
supporting development actors in parter
countries, including governments,
parliamentarians, the private sector, civil
society and women’s organizations, in their
efforts to promote gender equality.
More info available at the GNDP.
ILO - Global Employment Trends - 2010 - Women Workers
Unemployment Reached Highest Level on Record in 2009.
The number of jobless worldwide reached
nearly 212 million in 2009 following an
unprecedented increase of 34 million
International Training Centre of the ILO
compared to 2007, on the eve of the global
crisis, the International Labour Office (ILO)
4
February 2010
Volume 77
said in its annual Global Employment Trends
report.
through strong convergence of public
policies and private investment”.
Based on IMF economic forecasts, the ILO
estimates that global unemployment is likely
to remain high through 2010. In the
Developed Economies and European Union
unemployment is projected to increase by an
additional 3 million people in 2010, while it
will stabilize at present levels, or decline only
slightly, in other regions.
Mr. Somavia added: “Each year, the global
labour market has expanded by 45 million
people therefore recovery measures must
target job creation for young men and
women entering the labour market for the
first time.”
The ILO also said the number of unemployed
youth worldwide increased by 10.2 million in
2009 compared to 2007, the largest hike
since 1991.
At the same time, the ILO report shows wide
variations in the employment impact of the
crisis between regions and countries as well
as in labour market recovery prospects.
The report says that coordinated stimulus
measures have averted a far greater social
and economic catastrophe; yet millions of
women and men around the world are still
without a job, unemployment benefits or any
viable form of social protection.
“As the World Economic Forum gathers at
Davos, it is clear that avoiding a jobless
recovery is the political priority of today” said
ILO Director-General Juan Somavia. “We need
the same policy decisiveness that saved
banks now applied to save and create jobs
and livelihoods of people. This can be done
According to the ILO, the share of workers in
vulnerable employment (Note 1) worldwide is
estimated to reach over 1.5 billion,
equivalent to over half (50.6 per cent) of the
world’s labour force. The number of women
and men in vulnerable employment is
estimated to have increased in 2009, by as
much as 110 million compared to 2008.
The report also says that 633 million workers
and their families were living on less than
USD 1.25 per day in 2008, with as many as
215 million additional workers living on the
margin and at risk of falling into poverty in
2009.
The ILO report says that it is urgent to
establish wide coverage of basic social
protection schemes to cushion the poor
against the devastating effects of sharp
fluctuations in economic activity.
Direct Link to 83-Page Report:
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/--ed_emp/---emp_elm/--trends/documents/publication/wcms_12047
1.pdf
Various
Julie Randriambololona, une de nos ex participante intervient dans un atelier sur "Le
genre à l'emploi et au travail" et traite des
différentes études et rapports constatent que
les femmes qui trouvent du travail sont
souvent confinées dans des secteurs de
l’économie moins productifs et dans des
groupes de situation d’emploi qui présentent
à la fois un risque économique plus élevé et
International Training Centre of the ILO
une probabilité inférieure à répondre aux
critères de travail décent : accès aux droits
fondamentaux au travail, à l’emploi et aux
revenus décents, à la protection sociale et au
dialogue social.
L’atelier et la conférence constituent des
cadres de réflexions et d’échanges pour
identifier les priorités de l’intégration du
genre dans le monde du travail, ainsi que les
5
February 2010
Volume 77
moyens d’actions au niveau du syndicat et au
niveau national (CES, par exemple). Voir
l'article ci-bas
Genre et emploi
Les syndicats se penchent sur les réalités malgaches et internationales
Réflexion et échanges sur le genre à l’emploi
et au travail. Des représentants de syndicats
sont invités à se pencher sur la question
depuis hier. C’est dans le cadre d’un atelier
soutenu par le FES (Friedrich Ebert Stiftung)
dont le but est d’enclencher un processus
pouvant aboutir à un plan national d’action
sur le genre face à une réalité qui, pour
l’instant, est loin d’afficher une équité en
matière d’emploi entre hommes et femmes.
Les réalités, tant mondiales que locales, font
état d’une pauvreté qui se féminise de plus
en plus. L’inégalité des chances à l’accès aux
ressources et leur contrôle, n’y est pas
étrangère. Or, il se trouve que cette
féminisation accrue de la pauvreté constitue
une entrave à tout développement, comme
l’indiquent diverses études menées à
l’échelle mondiale. Bien entendu, une
multitude de facteurs expliquent l’inégalité
constatée entre les sexes dans le milieu de
l’emploi et du travail.
Données fiables. « Les données sur le genre
et le travail à Madagascar restent très
insuffisantes et il pose parfois des problèmes
pour avancer », confie Julie
Randriambololona, l’un des intervenants à
l’atelier. En effet, les études sur la question
sont très rares et celles offrant des détails
spécifiques datent, pour la plupart, d’une
International Training Centre of the ILO
dizaine d’années. Sur le plan régional et
mondial, quelques données permettent de
situer Madagascar sur la question du genre et
de l’emploi. Ainsi, au niveau mondial, le taux
de chômage des femmes reste toujours plus
important que celui des hommes, bien que
dans l’ensemble, ce taux soit en baisse de
1997 à 2007. Avec la crise économique
mondiale de 2008-2009, ce taux risque
d’avoir connu à nouveau la courbe de la
hausse. En Afrique subsaharienne, le taux
d’activité des femmes reste bien inférieur à
celui des hommes : respectivement 64,1% et
87,4% en 1997 et 62,6% et 86,1% en 2007.
Chez les jeunes, le chômage est plus
important, avec, ici encore, un taux
légèrement plus important chez les femmes
jeunes : 13,9% contre 13,6% chez les
hommes jeunes.
Les syndicats qui participent à cet atelier qui
se tient à l’Astauria Antanimena sont issus de
divers secteurs d’activité et sont, pour la
plupart, représentés par des femmes. Au
terme des deux jours de rencontre, tous les
participants se trouveront autant que
possible sur un même niveau d’information
concernant la problématique du genre et de
l’emploi, et auront examiné la question sous
toutes ses facettes.
Hanitra R.
6
February 2010
Volume 77
What's new on the web
Women and the Media
The United Nations Department of Public
Information would like to invite you to an online discussion on “Women and the Media”,
one of the 12 critical areas of concern
identified in the Beijing Platform for Action in
1995. It is scheduled to take place from 1 to
28 February 2010.
It is part of a series of United Nations on-line
discussions dedicated to the fifteen-year
review of the implementation of the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action (1995)
and the outcomes of the twenty-third special
session of the General Assembly (2000); and
is hosted by WomenWatch
(http://www.un.org/womenwatch), an interagency project of the United Nations Interagency Network on Women and Gender
Equality (IANWGE). WomenWatch is a unique
electronic gateway to web-based information
on all United Nations entities’ work and the
outcomes of the United Nations’
intergovernmental processes for the
promotion of gender equality and women’s
empowerment. These discussions will be a
contribution to the 54th session of the
Commission on the Status of Women, which
will take place from 1 to 12 March 2010.
Cambodia Launches Digital Campaign Against Domestic Violence
Cambodians are no strangers to violence: for
years they suffered the cruelty of the Khmer
Rouge regime. Lesser known is the violence
perpetrated against women, which has
endured for many generations, because of a
rigid social order that places women well
below men. As well as violence in the home,
new forms of violence or abuse of women are
evolving as Cambodia rapidly embraces new
media and technology.
Many Cambodians regard domestic violence
as a private affair. The business of families
and not something that outsiders should
interfere with. Kekalebru is president of
rights group Licadho, which provides legal
assistance for victims of domestic violence.
Alarmed at the spread of negative sexual
images, videos and impressions of women on
the internet and through mobile phones,
NGO’s and civil society groups have recently
launched a campaign to raise awareness of
domestic violence in Cambodia.
“Men consider that domestic violence is a
private affair, a family matter. So the
authorities and community should not
involve themselves. The [traditional] code of
behavior says women are not equal to men.
We should really avoid this code and teach in
schools that women have the same
rights. Women are also human being. If
women understand their rights, may be
women can exercise their rights.” (…)
Organisers say they are using the internet to
promote positive images of women and
stimulate conversations about violence.
In Cambodia, women are traditionally seen as
inferior to men. This is reflected in
traditional codes of conduct such as the
International Training Centre of the ILO
7
February 2010
Volume 77
Chbab Srey or Women’s Law, which says
women must be subservient to men…. (….)
In 2008 the ministry of women’s affairs
reported that as many as one-quarter of all
women in Cambodia have experienced
domestic violence. A law aimed at preventing
domestic violence was adopted in 2005. The
government has attempted to raise
awareness of the problem in television
campaigns. But Cambodian NGOs and civil
rights group have become increasingly
concerned about a different form of abuse:
the spread of highly sexual and often
insulting images of women on the internet
and mobile phones.
To raise awareness of the problem they too
are using Information Communication and
Technology or ICT, launching a campaign
called,‘Take Back the Tech’, to reach out to
internet and mobile phone users through
chat rooms and social networking sites.
Chim Manavy is the executive director of the
Open Institute.
“Some people use Information
Communication and Technology for other
purposes that are against human rights. For
example they spread pictures or make copies
and sell sex CDs. This is a kind of new form
of violence against women that we can see
and we encourage and call upon people to
use ICT to fight against violence against
women.” Throughout the campaign, the
Institute is inviting people to have online
discussions about domestic violence and the
image of women on the internet.
Chim Manavy from Open Institute again: “Yes
we can say that access to ICT is still limited in
Cambodia, particularly for those who live in
the remote areas. Any way they also use
telephones. I just say telephones are
booming in the city”. She hopes that the
message will also reach many in isolated
areas through mobile phones. And that this
information will be passed on by word of
mouth. The Open Institute is also printing tshirts to be distrbuted to in remote areas.
These will carry the message loud and clear:
violence against Cambodian women is not
acceptable.
Full text here:
http://www.asiacalling.org/index.php?option
=com_content&view=article&id=989%3Acam
bodia-launches-digital-campaign-againstdomesticviolence&catid=97%3Acambodia&Itemid=385
&lang=en
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN & HIV
“Towards a Just and Healthy Life for All:
Seven Things the World Can do to End
Violence Against Women”, is a new Fact Sheet
on violence against women and HIV
developed by the World AIDS Campaign, the
Women Won’t Wait Campaign, the
International AIDS Women’s Caucus, and the
International Women’s Health Coalition.
International Training Centre of the ILO
Website has English, Spanish, & Portugese
translations of Full 5-Page Fact Sheet for
download:
http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/en/Towa
rds-a-Just-and-Healthy-Life-for-All-SevenThings-the-World-Can-do-to-End-ViolenceAgainst-Women
8
February 2010
Volume 77
New Specialized Website on Women and Politics in Maghreb - Algeria,
Morocco, Tunisia
New technologies are key to women’s
empowerment today. Therefore, UNINSTRAW and CAWTAR are proud to present a
new, innovative project website to promote
access to information, the exchange of
experiences, ideas and good practices and
give visibility to the issue of women’s
political participation in Algeria, Morocco and
Tunisia.
The project "Strengthening women's
leadership and participation in politics and
decision-making in Algeria, Morocco and
Tunisia” is currently being implemented by
the United Nations International Research
and Training Institute for the Advancement of
Women (UN-INSTRAW) and the Center of
Arab Women for Training and Research
(CAWTAR) and is financed by the government
of Spain.
The project’s new website
www.womenpoliticalparticipation.org has
been created with a participatory vision and
is available in Arabic, English and French. The
use of new information and communication
technologies such as videos, podcasts, key
statistics, SMS, and interactive spaces such as
quizzes, polls, social networking sites such
as Facebook and discussion forums, will
promote sharing of information and active
participation in updating and expanding
website content and in compiling good
practices.
What are they doing?
Sénégal : les femmes conductrices de taxi à Dakar, bilan d’une
révolution laborieuse
Depuis tout juste un an, neuf femmes
sillonnent Dakar au volant d’un taxi flambant
neuf. Intronisées par le président Wade à
travers un projet d’entreprenariat féminin,
ces Taxi sisters expérimentent un nouveau
métier jusque-là dévolu exclusivement aux
hommes.
Ça tient presque du miracle lorsqu'on en
aperçoit une dans le capharnaüm automobile,
place de l'Indépendance, à Dakar. Des hordes
de vieux taxis jaune et noir, âgés en
moyenne de 15 ans, débouchent des quatre
coins de cette artère centrale et crachent des
volutes de fumée qui s'évanouissent dans la
moiteur de l'air. Quelques scooters teigneux
ouvrent une percée dans ce dédale de
véhicules, tandis que quelques piétons se
International Training Centre of the ILO
fraient courageusement un chemin au milieu
de cet enchevêtrement de tôle.
C'est dans ce joyeux foutoir automobile
qu'une 'Taxi sister' surgit pleine de grâce.
Aérienne. Apparition presque surréaliste, tant
elle détonne avec l'environnement brouillon
urbain. C'est une Chery QQ, pimpant petit
véhicule chinois d'à peine quatre mètres de
long, nouvellement introduit sur le territoire
sénégalais. Sa conductrice Mama Sakho n'est
pas peu fière.
Il faut dire que la vie de cette jeune femme a
radicalement changé depuis l'inauguration en
grande pompe par la Première dame du
Sénégal, Viviane Wade, du projet Taxi Sisters,
le 18 septembre 2007. Ses yeux pétillent
encore lorsqu'elle se remémore l'événement
9
February 2010
Volume 77
et quelques dreadlocks espiègles s'agitent
défense organisés par le fond et Espace Auto,
comme des stars. Les gens se penchaient
toutes les chances de leur côté et réussir ce
autour de son visage : 'C'était fort, on était
pour s'assurer qu'on était bien des femmes.'
Dans cette aventure, elles sont neuf à avoir
été sélectionnées par le Fonds national pour
la promotion de l'entreprenariat féminin, en
partenariat avec le concessionnaire Espace
elles n'ont reculé devant rien pour mettre
pari. 'Je veux prouver à tous les taxis
hommes qu'une femme est capable d'être au
volant d'un taxi, et d'être son propre patron',
ajoute Mama Sakho.
Auto (Groupe Ccbm), pour devenir les
Changer les mentalités, améliorer la
propriétaires de leur véhicule. Avec un but :
c'est aussi ça, le projet Taxi Sisters. Alors,
F Cfa qui leur a été consenti par le fonds,
Aliou Ndiaye, responsable des taxis
premières femmes taxis au Sénégal et futures
rembourser en cinq ans le prêt de 7 350 000
pour acheter leur taxi.
Cette initiative soutenue par le ministère de
la Famille espère 'favoriser l'insertion des
femmes dans le tissu socio-économique',
précise Abdoulaye Seck, chargé de mission
auprès du Fnpef. Formation à la conduite,
cours de gestion et même leçons d'auto-
condition et la perception de l'emploi féminin,
qu'est-ce qu'en pensent les hommes ? Pour
stationnés devant le Novotel du Plateau, 'les
Taxis sisters nous ont fait perdre la moitié de
nos courses, car elle bénéficient de places
privilégiées devant le hall de la sortie de
l'hôtel. Nous, nous sommes derrière la
barrière C'est de la concurrence déloyale !'.….
http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/20081006105
1.html
15-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and
Platform for Action (1995) and the outcomes of the twenty-third
special session of the General Assembly (2000)
The Inter-Agency Network on Women and
Gender Equality (IANWGE) invites you to
participate in online discussions on the
Critical Areas of Concern as a contribution to
the 15-year review of the implementation of
the Beijing Platform for Action at the 54th
session of the Commission on the Status of
Women from 1-12 March, 2010. Similar
online discussions were organized by
IANWGE in preparation for the 5-year and
10-year review processes in 2000 and 2005.
Background
International Training Centre of the ILO
At its fifty-fourth session, the Commission
on the Status of Women decided to review
implementation of the Platform for Action
and the outcome of the twenty-third special
session of the General Assembly,
emphasizing the sharing of experiences and
good practices, with a view to overcoming
remaining obstacles and new challenges,
including those related to the Millennium
Development Goals. The review will also
focus on how the implementation of the
Platform for Action contributes to the full
achievement of the Millennium Development
Goals.
10
February 2010
Volume 77
Purpose
The online discussions provide a forum for
individuals, groups and networks not able to
attend the Commission on the Status of
Women to contribute to the review. They
allow a range of stakeholders to share
information on achievements, measures
taken and good practices developed at
national and regional levels; and identify
gaps and challenges requiring further action.
The online discussions will take place from November 2009 through February 2010. Find the
discussion schedule, as well as links to individual discussions, on the left-hand side of the page
http://www.un.org:80/womenwatch/beijing15/. Click the title of a discussion to join!
Germany - Top Women's Magazine Trades Models for "Real" Women
Germany's top-circulation women's
magazine, Brigitte, has started the New Year
with a new concept: replacing professional
models with real women. It's a response, they
say, to what the modern woman wants.
Brigitte is the fashion and lifestyle bible for
the German everywoman. Women flicking
through the January issue will see just what
they were expecting: diet tips, man-advice
and models advertising clothing brands and
accessories.
But a closer look reveals a subtle change. The
women wearing the clothes are not
professional models, but everyday women.
There is Franca Cuneo, a restaurant owner
from Hamburg, Didda Jonsdottir, a 44-yearold singer from Rekjavik, saleswoman Chiara
Cappellini and so on.
"There's been a change over the last couple
of years where fashion is concerned and what
International Training Centre of the ILO
women want from their role models,"
Brigitte's joint editor-in-chief, Brigitte Huber,
told Deutsche Welle.
Following in Dove's footsteps
"On the one hand there has been a change in
the way trends work. It isn't the big designers
defining the scene any more, it's people off
the street, actresses, politicians. And women
have changed. They don't need unnamed
models defining how they are supposed to be
living," Huber said.
Brigitte is not the first to come up with the
concept. In 2004, Dove beauty products
launched their own hugely successful
"Campaign for Real Beauty," and they've been
using laypeople as models ever since…..
http://www.dwworld.de/dw/article/0,,5093457,00.html
11
February 2010
Volume 77
Men and women in decision-making: highlights
The latest update of the database on women
and men in decision-making includes a
quarterly update for the political domain
(data mostly collected between 9th and 20th
October) and an annual update for all other
domains (data collected at different times
during the second half of 2009 – see note at
end of each table).
The Lithuanian parliament (Seimas) is now
presided over by a lady speaker, Irena
Dugutiené, who took office on 15 September
2009. On the other hand, women leaders of
parliament were replaced by male colleagues
in Hungary (Orszaggyulés) and in the
Netherlands (Eerste Kamer) over the autumn
period.
The list below gives a selection of highlights
from the update.
Business and finance
Politics
The recent elections in Germany, Portugal
and Greece had little impact on the gender
balance amongst members of parliament. In
the lower house of the German parliament
(Bundestag), there are currently 33% women
and 67% men, whilst the share of women in
the Portuguese parliament (Assembleia da
republica) and the Greek parliament remain
around 30% and 17% respectively.
Angela Merkel remained chancellor after the
September elections held in Germany, and is
one of just three female heads of government
throughout Europe, the others being in
Croatia and Iceland.
In Greece, the new cabinet appointed on 7
October 2009 has 31% of women compared
to 11% previously. In Portugal too, the share
of women in the cabinet increased
significantly from 13% to 29% when the new
government was appointed on 22 October
2009 following the September elections.
International Training Centre of the ILO
The central bank of each country across
Europe is led by a male governor and more
than four out of every five members of key
decision-making bodies are men. It is only in
Hungary (33%), Sweden (41%) and Serbia
(38%) where women account for at least one
in three members.
In business, women account for an average
of just 3% of the presidents of the largest
quoted companies in each of the EU Member
States in 2009 and less than 11% of board
members. Sweden and Finland are the only
two EU countries with more than 20% women
on boards (27% and 24% respectively).
Norway stands out as being the only
European country where large companies
have boards with anything approaching
gender equality (42% women and 58% men).
Public administration and the judiciary
In 2009, the top two levels of the civil service
in each of the EU Member States comprised
68% men and 32% women. In Slovenia and
Bulgaria there are actually slightly more
women than men (53% and 51% respectively)
12
February 2010
Volume 77
and in Sweden, Latvia and Slovakia there are
between 44 and 45% women.
the Czech Republic, Austria, Romania and
Finland.
Women account for nearly one in three (31%)
judges of supreme courts at national level
and preside over the courts of Luxembourg,
http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?langId=
en&catId=89&newsId=661&furtherNews=yes
Off the press!
Uganda bans female genital mutilation
In some countries FGM is seen as a way to ensure virginity
Ugandan MPs have voted to outlaw female
genital mutilation - also known as female
circumcision.
Anyone convicted of the practice, which
involves cutting off a girl's clitoris, will face
10 years in jail, or a life sentence if a victim
dies.
The BBC's Joshua Mmali in Uganda says it is
not officially condoned but is still practised in
several rural areas.
Rights groups welcomed the move, but urged
awareness campaigns to ensure the
centuries-old practice stops.
Genital mutilation is seen in some countries
as a way to ensure virginity and to make a
woman suitable for marriage.
“It's cruel, it traumatises people, it's led
children to drop out of school, it's a health
hazard”, MP Alice Alaso
Our reporter says it is still practised by the
Sabiny, some Karamojong sub-groups and
International Training Centre of the ILO
the Pokot in eastern Uganda and the Nubi
people of West Nile.
"This is a warning signal - whoever dares
practice female genital mutilation will be
subject to the law."
Another MP, Lulume Bayiga, said the law
would liberate both men and women - who
often face being ostracised for shunning the
custom.
"Women will start for the first time to enjoy
sex and it's going to do away with various
diseases," he told the BBC.
According to the UN, about three million girls
each year in Africa are at risk of genital
mutilation, with more than 91 million girls
and women living with the consequences of
the procedure.
These include bleeding, shock, infections and
a higher rate of death for new-born babies.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8406940.
stm
13
February 2010
Volume 77
VATICAN/HOLY SEE: THE NEW UNDER-SECRETARY OF THE
PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE IS A WOMAN
Flaminia Giovanelli was appointed by the Holy
Father as Under-Secretary of the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace, where she has
previously worked as an assistant. Ms
Giovannelli is the only lay woman to hold
such a position at the Vatican.
Interviewed by Vatican Radio, she
commented on the role of women in the
Church: “it is growing, perhaps visibly I would
say, but it has always been there. Those who
know the life of the Church and her
institutional mechanisms will certainly
acknowledge that women have always played
a very important role. Now this role is
growing visibly, I would say”. “I believe – she
added speaking about her job – there is no
other job as rewarding as the one we are
doing here, where we do experience the
world’s joys and suffering minute by minute.
It is truly enriching from this point of view.
As for the challenges the Vatican has at
heart, Ms Giovannelli mentioned “the great
problems facing Christians in the Middle
East, in the Holy Land as well as in the East”,
the issue of religious freedom and the
disasters occurring every day. “In those days,
our thoughts are turned to the people of
Haiti”, she said.
http://www.catholicweb.com/media_index.cfm?fus
eaction=view_article&partnerid=24&article_id=426
4
Gender Issues
Rape and the Plight of the Female Migrant Worker
By Mark Schliebs, Jakarta
No one knows if 1-year-old Yunus will ever
see his mother again. Like 6 million other
Indonesians, she traveled far from home to
find employment. She was hired by a wealthy
family in Saudi Arabia. But one day, while on
her boss's property, she went to check on
some goats and, according to what is known
International Training Centre of the ILO
of her tale, was raped by two men. Yunus was
conceived of that assault.
The two women raising the boy hope he
never learns about his mother — let alone his
real father. The stigma of such a birth is so
heinous that Yunus' mother gave him up to
Normawati, 50, and her close friend Ibu
Herlina, 53, who describe themselves as
14
February 2010
Volume 77
Yunus' adoptive grandmother and mother,
respectively. However, the child's situation is
not unique, and Normawati (who like many
Indonesians goes by a single name) is not
unused to it. Indeed, the campaigner for
migrant-worker rights and her daughter are
raising several children of half-foreign
parentage who were abandoned by raped
migrant mothers. There are dozens of
children of similar backgrounds in Jakarta
and its environs. While globalization has
turned much of the world into a wide-open
labor market, it has also created complex
human and societal dramas. Women account
for up to 50% of the world's 100 million–
strong migrant-worker population — and
there is no effective entity to protect their
rights and dignity. In 2008, Indonesians
working abroad, commonly as domestic staff
in the Middle East and parts of Asia,
contributed about $6.8 billion to their
national economy via remittances, according
to the World Bank. And while statistics are
difficult to come by, there are increasing
reports of many who are physically abused,
raped and — in some cases — killed by their
employers.
While cases of death at the hands of overseas
employers are relatively rare, Normawati says
she has seen countless pregnant Indonesians
coming through the gates of Jakarta's
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after
working abroad. She says the most
disturbing of experiences can be heard again
and again from the lips of different women:
"The boss tells the woman, 'You must be with
me.' Then rape."
The story behind Yunus' conception isn't
even exclusive in his new home, which is not
far from the airport. His adopted sister Nadia,
who celebrated her first birthday on Nov. 1,
was born following the rape of her mother in
Kuwait. Both children were born in Jakarta
and were almost immediately placed into Ibu
Herlina's care. Their adopted mother points
out that the children share "Arab" facial
features, in contrast to most of their siblings,
who have "Asian looks." Her home, consisting
of a modest house and a dormitory-like
shelter, is filled with 10 children who were
abandoned by migrant workers. Only a few of
the biological mothers have made contact
with their children.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8
599,1937707,00.html.
Read more:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8
599,1937707,00.html#ixzz0WjN4RCkT
UNITED NATIONS CHARTER - HOW WERE EQUAL RIGHTS OF
WOMEN & MEN INCLUDED - HISTORY
The UN Charter was a pioneering document
in the area of women's rights. This most
probably would not have happened without
the involvement and active lobbying of
women's organisations. They were clear
about their aims and knowledgeable about
international collaboration. They had access
to the intergovernmental meetings and were
experienced in dealing with official
International Training Centre of the ILO
representatives. In spite of the war, women's
organizations in different parts of the world
could and did exert an influence – putting
pressure on governments to include women
in the delegations and lobbying to obtain
support for women's requests.
Direct Link
http://www.iknowpolitics.org/files/FDS-0108-Art-Skard%20-%20official.pdf
15
February 2010
Volume 77
FLASH!
The impact of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and
Platform for Action on the achievement of the millennium
Development Goals
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/impact_bdpfa/index.html
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/impact_bdpfa/EGM%20Report_BPFAMDG_FINAL.pdf
Food for Thought
International Training Centre of the ILO
16
February 2010
Volume 77
Poets’ Corner
CIUDADES
Ciudades que recuerdan a ciudades
Como una canción recuerda a otra
Un olor que recuerda a una ciudad
Como una ciudad recuerda a una persona
Ciudades que recuerdan un beso
Ciudades que nos recuerdan a nosotros
Ciudades que nos olvidan
Y ciudades que nos recuerdan
Hay ciudades que habitan en nosotros
Hay ciudades que habitamos
Hay ciudades que te encarcelan
Hay ciudades que rompen tus grilletes
Hay ciudades para vivir
Hay ciudades para soñar
Hay ciudades que nos dan la vida
Y hay ciudades para el descanso eterno
(4 de septiembre, Carmen de la Victoria)
Gender Resources
New Lessons: the Power of Educating Adolescent Girls
Many factors contribute to gender inequity,
but enhancing the quality and relevance of
learning opportunities for adolescent girls
can prepare and empower them. Education
International Training Centre of the ILO
prepares girls for a range of adult
responsibilities beyond the traditional roles
of homemaker, mother, and spouse.
Education benefits both the girls and their
17
February 2010
Volume 77
families and communities. New Lessons: The
Power of Educating Adolescent Girls,
published by the Population Council,
demonstrates that education for girls during
adolescence can be transformative.
She Figures 2009 – Statistics and Indicators on Gender Equality in
Science
What is the proportion of female and male
researchers in Europe and how is this balance
evolving over time? In which scientific field
are women better represented? Do the career
paths of female and male researchers follow
similar patterns? How many senior research
positions are held by women in Europe?
Published by DG RTD in 2003, 2006 and
2009, She Figures is an ongoing work to
present statistics and indicators on women in
science from tertiary education to the job
market. Along with the 27 EU Member
States, She Figures covers Croatia, Iceland,
Israel, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.
You can download the publication at:
http://ec.europa.eu/research/sciencesociety/index.cfm?fuseaction=public.topic&i
d=126
Challenges – The invisible face of child labour in Latin America and the
Caribbean
Direct Link to Full 12-Page Document: http://www.crin.org/docs/challenges-8-Web.pdf
International Training Centre of the ILO
18
February 2010
Volume 77
HARMFUL PRACTICES AGAINST WOMEN-GOOD PRACTICES IN
LEGISLATION-UN
Direct Link to Full 45-Page Document:
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/egm/vaw_legislation_2009/Report%20EGM%20harmful%20p
ractices.pdf
Human Rights Education in the School Systems of Europe, Central Asia
and North America: A Compendium of Good Practice
Direct Link to 239-Page 2009 Publication:
http://www.unesco.org/education/wtd2009/finalcompediun.pdf
International Training Centre of the ILO
19
February 2010
Volume 77
GRANT/FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Open Society Institute & Soros Foundations Network
OSI awards grants, scholarships, and
fellowships on a regular basis throughout the
year. Applicants can determine their
eligibility and view relevant initiatives and
application guidelines.
View a sampling of grants, scholarships, and
fellowships awarded over the past few years
by OSI initiatives.
View and manage active grants using Grant
Tracker. Request a copy of a grant letter,
submit grant reports, and update grant files.
http://www.soros.org/grants
FILIA
What does filia support?
9
filia fosters social change on behalf of
women and girls.
9
filia supports the activities of women's
groups in Central and Eastern Europe and
in Germany.
9
In addition cross-border, international
women's networks and conferences can
receive support from filia.
Regrettably women's projects from other
regions of the world cannot apply to filia for
support. Please seek out the women's
foundation that operates in your region
under www.inwf.org
Women's Funds Program: filia supports the
development and activities of the women's
funds in the International Network of
Women’s Funds (INWF) www.inwf.org.
filia supports women's projects and
organisations whose activities target
International Training Centre of the ILO
sustainable structural change in society for
the benefit of women and girls.
We are particularly committed to women and
girls exposed to multiple discrimination – on
the grounds of their gender and skin colour,
origin, ethnic group, sexual orientation etc.
Who can apply for support?
filia promotes projects that are initiated and
run by women and girls and in which women
and girls are the actors. Grants are preferably
awarded to initiatives that either originate
with the women and girls affected or include
them as decision makers. Under the German
law governing foundations, we can only
support organisations that are recognised as
public benefit associations or officially
registered as NGOs.
http://www.filiafrauenstiftung.de/index.php?id=676&L=1#c
1543
20
February 2010
Volume 77
On-going and/or coming Gender Programmes/
Conferences / Events:
Women's Worlds: 3-7 July 2011: “Inclusions, Exclusions, and
Seclusions: Living in a Globalized World”
Ottawa-Gatineau, CANADA, Website in English, French, Spanish
Daily Themes
At each of the four major plenary sessions of
Women's Worlds 2011, a diverse panel of
fascinating women - some you know, others
you might not - will share their analysis and
perspectives on the theme of the day. These
sessions are intended to do more than simply
open each morning - they will set the tone
and framework within which the
conversations and activities of the day are
situated.
In keeping with the principles and objectives
of WW 2011, a key aim will be for the plenary
sessions to survey the ways in which both
academia and activism are working to break
cycles, ceilings, barriers, and ground; as well,
what each can offer the other in terms of
knowledge development and solutions.
http://www.womensworlds.ca
XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010),
XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010), to be held in Vienna, Austria, from 18 to 23 July
2010.
http://www.aids2010.org/
Triple Helix VIII
20-22 October 2010 in Madrid, Spain
Systems and Triple Helix
"Triple Helix in the development of Cities of
Knowledge, Expanding communities and
Connecting Cities". Thematic workshops on
Gender in Innovation Policy, Innovation
More information can be found at the
following web address:
http://www.triplehelix8.org
International Training Centre of the ILO
21
February 2010
Volume 77
40th Anniversary of the first Women's Liberation Conference in the
UK1846
12th-13th March 2010, Ort: Ruskin College,
Oxford
In 1970, 500 women came together at the
first UK Women's Liberation Conference
organized at Ruskin College Oxford. The
conference built on existing feminist and
women's activism and formulated the first
four demands of the Women's Liberation
Movement. Were you at the original
conference? Want to share your story with
delegates for the 40th Anniversary
conference?
In 2010, 40 years on, the Women's Liberation
Movement @ 40 Conference will celebrate
and explore the intervening period, feminist
work and changes within society. The
conference aims to bring together feminist
and women's activists across borders (spatial,
generational, political and demographic and
others) to engage in debate and discussion
around contemporary issues.
More info:
http://www.wlm40conference.org.uk/
VARIOUS
THE ITALIAN CORNER:
Uomini più intelligenti delle donne? No sono solo più sicuri
Lo sostiene una ricerca britannica che ha analizzato i risultati di 25 studi
Gli uomini credono di essere più intelligenti
delle donne, ma in realtà sono solo più sicuri
di sé. Mentre il sesso maschile si considera
brillante, quello femminile si sottovaluta. Lo
sostiene una ricerca britannica dell'University
College London, che ha analizzato i risultati
di 25 studi sulle differenze tra il quoziente
intellettivo maschile e quello femminile.
Secondo la ricerca, è emerso un concetto già
noto: l'arroganza contraddistingue l'uomo e
l'umiltà la donna, dimostrando che la
differenza intellettuale tra i due sessi è solo
una questione mentale. Stando allo studio, il
gentil sesso ritiene che il proprio quoziente
intellettivo sia inferiore a quello reale, mentre
gli uomini tendono a sopravvalutare il potere
della propria materia grigia. Questa sicurezza
maschile è utile nei colloqui di lavoro e negli
esami. Se poi gli uomini siano veramente
intelligenti o no è un altro discorso».
International Training Centre of the ILO
DIFFERENZE BEN NOTE - Ciò che ha sorpreso
è che entrambi i sessi credono che i più
intelligenti siano gli uomini: secondo gli
intervistati il nonno era più acuto della
nonna, il padre più brillante della madre e il
figlio più sveglio della figlia. Tra uomini e
donne, c'è comunque una differenza
intellettuale. Gli uomini sanno orientarsi
meglio, guidano bene e sono bravi con la
matematica e i numeri in generale. Le donne,
al contrario, emergono per l'intelligenza
correlata alla sfera emotiva e per la capacità
di espressione: sviluppano un ampio
vocabolario prima degli uomini, usano
costruzioni linguistiche complesse e leggono
con più attenzione. Infine sembra che gli
uomini e le donne abbiamo la stessa quantità
di quoziente intellettivo, solo che tra i primi è
mal distribuita: ci sono uomini molto stupidi
e altri molto intelligenti e tra le seconde
sarebbe omogeneamente ripartita. l “Corriere
della sera”
22
February 2010
Volume 77
Quote for the Day:
“To live is to choose.
But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for,
where you want to go and why you want to get there.”
~ Kofi Annan~
JUST FOR FUN:
You are encouraged to share with us any information or material
you think may be of interest for the next issue.
Also, do not hesitate to share this newsletter widely with your colleagues and
networks.
This newsletter is not an official document of the ITC/ILO. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of
the ITC/ILO. The designations employed do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the ITC/ILO
concerning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its
frontiers.
17/02/2010/CB
International Training Centre of the ILO
23