January 1, 2000 ESSAYS FROM THE EXPERT GROUP MEETING ON ELIMINATING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS – OCTOBER 3, 1998 EDITED BY HALEH VAZIRI PUBLISHED BY SISTERHOOD IS GLOBAL INST. 4343 Montgomery Ave., St 201, Bethesda, MD 20814
CONTENTS: Knowledge as Power: Educating to End Violence // Documenting Violations of Women’s Human Rights // Strategies for Safety: Raising Consciousness in Iran’s Islamic Republic // Preventing Gender Violence in Lebanon // Eliminating Domestic Violence at the Grassroots // Linkage Between the Local and the Global: Launching an International Campaign to End Gender Violence // Revisiting the Private and the Public // Appendices.
FROM THE PREFACE: Sisterhood Is Global Institute (SIGI), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program for Women (UNIFEM), convened an ‘Expert Group Meeting on Eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls’ at the American University’s Washington College of Law, October 1998. In attendance were forty-five academicians, activists and advocates from international, grant-giving and/or non-governmental organizations as well as universities worldwide. These experts sought to: define violence against women and girls, contextualize this violation of human rights and brainstorm about how to prevent, resist and/or cope with the aftereffects of the problem.
This edited volume reflects the data, experiences, insights and strategies shared during that meeting. By compiling the contributions for this volume, SIGI offers a platform for nine women from distinct cultural and professional backgrounds to strategize for safety – to consider the theoretical, empirical and practical issues surrounding the quest for women’s human rights and the effort to eradicate gender violence. . .
Specifically, this volume contains seven chapters divided into three parts. The first part, ‘Knowledge as Power,’ begins with a chapter by SIGI President Mahnaz Afkhami. She elucidates the theory and methodology underlying SIGI’s approach to the issue of violence against women within the context of its Human Rights Education Program and Knowledge Partnership Program. . . In chapter two, Regan Ralph provides another perspective on how knowledge may be a source of power. . .
The second part of this volume is entitled Strategies for Safety,’ in which five women share their field experiences in the movement to end violence against women and girls. In chapter three, attorney Mehrangiz Kar explains how the civil and criminal codes of Iran’s Islamic Republic violate the human rights of females at all ages. . . Chapter four features Afifa Dirani Arsanios who depicts her experience implementing human rights education among Lebanese Muslim women and girls. . .
In chapter five, Zainah Anwar, Pinar Ilkkaracan and Rudo Kwaramba – representatives of Sisters in Islam, Women for Women’s Human Rights, and Musasa Project, in Malaysia, Turkey and Zimbabwe, respectively – illuminate the strategies their non-governmental organizations use to prevent, document, punish and cope with the consequences of domestic violence in their societies. . .
This brings us to the third and last part of the book, ‘Linkage Between the Local and the Global.’ In chapter six, UNIFEM’s executive director Noeleen Heyzer describes how the United Nations Development Program for Women is launching an international campaign to eradicate gender violence. . . The seventh and final chapter by Thoraya Ahmed Obaid discusses the complex linkage between violence and patriarchy at the family, state and international levels. . .”
WLDI – WOMEN, LAW & DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL 1350 Connecticut Ave. NW St. 407. Washington DC 20036. Fax: (202) 463-7480 “WLDI gives women the information and advocacy skills needed to stand up for their own rights in their own nations. WLDI teaches women how to investigate and document human rights violations, how to use legal systems to protect women and how to lobby governments and the United Nations for better laws and policies. . .WLDI has published studies on violence against women, empowerment through legal literacy, basic rights education and gender bias in economic systems.” For information and a newsletter or contact with their regional groups in Asia, Africa, LatinAmerica, pl. write to the above. 150 MILLION GIRLS AND WOMEN MUTILATED IN AFRICA-MIDDLE EAST The number of mutilated women and girls in Africa and the Middle East is increasing steadily due to population growth, according to the latest estimates published by WIN NEWS.(See country tabulation) But internationally financed population, health and safe motherhood programs ignore Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and have failed to implement effective preventive education. The mutilation most often performed is CLITORIDECTOMY or EXCISION — cutting off, without anesthetic, the clitoris and most of the external genitalia. This is practiced in a bread area from the Red Sea to the Atlantic Coast. The most dangerous operation, INFIBULATION or PHARAONIC CIRCUMCISION, is customary in Sudan, Somalia, Northern Kenya, parts of Ethiopia and all along the Red Sea Coast as well as in West Africa in parts of Mali and adjoining areas (see Map). After the clitoris is excised and all external genitalia are carved away, the bleeding raw edges of the large lips are held together by thorns or other fastening devices — until a scar forms to close the entrance to the vagina. The legs of the little girl are tied together for several weeks until the wound heals; a tiny opening is created by inserting a splinter of wood — to allow urination. Thus virginity — which is considered especially important by Moslem men — can be proven before the bride price is paid to the father. These dangerous operations result in permanent health damage: hemorrhage and shock, which may be fatal; many infections including tetanus; scarring which obstructs normal childbirth and may result in death of both mother and baby; infertility due to infections. The operations are performed on children only a few days old up to puberty – depending on the ethnic groups. They cause urinary and menstrual problems, frigidity, painful intercourse and obstructed labor: the highest childbirth mortality is recorded in areas where FGM is practiced. FGM has been cited by WHO (World Health Organization) as a major public health problem. At the WHO Seminar in Khartoum on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (1979) the nine African and Middle Eastern countries which participated formulated four groundbreaking recommendations for abolishing FGM, urging that health education and health training programs should be organized. Fran P. Hosken, who was temporary adviser on FGM to the WHO Seminar documents in The HOSKEN REPORT: Genital and Sexual Mutilation of Females case histories from most African countries where FGM is practiced, including the South of the Arab Peninsula. In Malaysia and Indonesia a less drastic operation is performed by some Moslem population groups. In 1984 at a conference in Dakar to follow up on the WHO Seminar the Inter-African committee (IAC) on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children was organized by African women to prevent and eradicate FGM. The IAC, a private organization with offices in Addis Ababa and Geneva now has affiliates in more than 24 African countries and sponsors many activities as well as education programs to stop FGM. Recently FGM has been prohibited in Kenya by President arap Moi, and by leaders of many West African countries – but no preventive actions followed, except in Burkina Paso which started a national campaign in 1988. The UNIVERSAL CHILDBIRTH PICTURE BOOK – CBPB – with Additions to prevent Excision and Infibulation were developed in support of the WHO Seminar recommendations by Women’s International Network. The CBPBs in English, French and Arabic are distributed all over Africa. Recently a Somali translation was published. More than 70,000 of these graphic teaching materials have been distributed in Africa to explain reproduction in pictures regardless of language or literacy. WIN NEWS, a quarterly journal, has covered women and development around the world since 1975., regularly publishes information and news about FGM. Fran P. Hosken, the editor and publisher, is encouraging open discussion of FGM and urges more support for African women working for eradication of FGM. She is available for interviews and has lectured at conferences worldwide. As reported in WIN NEWS, immigrants from Africa/Middle East continue to perform the mutilations on their daughters in Europe, North America or wherever they go: in France several little girls from West Africa died as a result of the mutilations done in Paris. In England special legislation was passed to prohibit FGM and education programs were publicly funded. Most European countries have taken steps to prevent FGM which is classified as criminal child abuse in most of the world and cited as a human rights violation. In Canada FGM is prohibited under child abuse laws. In 1993 special legislation to prohibit FGM in the US was introduced in Congress. Women’s International Network is distributing free CBPBs to local Community and Women’s Groups, Clinics, Midwifery Schools and Training Programs all over Africa to all who are willing to work for the eradication of FGM. This successful grass roots program which is regularly reported in WIN NEWS, urgently needs sponsors and support. Contributions to WIN are tax-deductible in the USA.