Soon after arriving in Kuala Lumpur I approached NGOs that I had interviewed in 2008 and asked about volunteering. My first project was to gather information on gender-based policies in South Africa, Kenya, Indonesia and India. Today I finished an essay pulling the information together.
Despite the limitations of my expertise, relying on Google, and on-line availability of information, I learned a lot. I was introduced to CEDAW (UN Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) and its impact - countries have paid attention.
So not to bore you with all I learned here are a few observations and resources.
1. All the constitutions prohibited discrimination based on gender. Kenya & South Africa also include pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, color, age, disability, conscience, belief, culture, language. South Africa was the first constitution in the world to include sexual orientation.
2. Indian critics of a proposed amendment requiring gender quotas asked: Who would benefit? Would it diminish Muslim or Dalit representation? Would the women candidates be related to powerful men? How does reserving seats for women address inequities associated with caste, religion, and ethnicity? On the other hand India requires gender and tribal quotas for rural governing bodies: a NGO had a 5 year program to train elected women.
3. On employment - the lack of protections for domestic workers is unnerving. South Africa has enacted a Domestic Worker's Act, not perfect but far better than the lack of similar policies elsewhere.
4. On family law: a hugely complex area. Each country has policies that accommodate the laws of religious communities and ethnic groups. A valuable resource is “Sex Equality in Family Law: Historical Legacies, Feminist Activism and Religious Power in 70 Countries.”
5. On gender identity: Policies are evolving; currently outside of South Africa gay, lesbian, and transgendered persons do not have guaranteed rights or protections. A valuable resource is an article linking the Yogyakarta Principles to human rights law.
6. On refugees: For me reading the number of refugees in Kenya (over 400,000) has a greater impact than pictures. I came across an article that suggests refugee policies have a gender bias - still have to read it.
This was a good retirement project for me - it certainly charged my brain cells and the group I have been working with have made us feel like Malaysia is our second home.
Despite the limitations of my expertise, relying on Google, and on-line availability of information, I learned a lot. I was introduced to CEDAW (UN Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women) and its impact - countries have paid attention.
So not to bore you with all I learned here are a few observations and resources.
1. All the constitutions prohibited discrimination based on gender. Kenya & South Africa also include pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, color, age, disability, conscience, belief, culture, language. South Africa was the first constitution in the world to include sexual orientation.
2. Indian critics of a proposed amendment requiring gender quotas asked: Who would benefit? Would it diminish Muslim or Dalit representation? Would the women candidates be related to powerful men? How does reserving seats for women address inequities associated with caste, religion, and ethnicity? On the other hand India requires gender and tribal quotas for rural governing bodies: a NGO had a 5 year program to train elected women.
3. On employment - the lack of protections for domestic workers is unnerving. South Africa has enacted a Domestic Worker's Act, not perfect but far better than the lack of similar policies elsewhere.
4. On family law: a hugely complex area. Each country has policies that accommodate the laws of religious communities and ethnic groups. A valuable resource is “Sex Equality in Family Law: Historical Legacies, Feminist Activism and Religious Power in 70 Countries.”
5. On gender identity: Policies are evolving; currently outside of South Africa gay, lesbian, and transgendered persons do not have guaranteed rights or protections. A valuable resource is an article linking the Yogyakarta Principles to human rights law.
6. On refugees: For me reading the number of refugees in Kenya (over 400,000) has a greater impact than pictures. I came across an article that suggests refugee policies have a gender bias - still have to read it.
This was a good retirement project for me - it certainly charged my brain cells and the group I have been working with have made us feel like Malaysia is our second home.
An article reported a 40% increase in reports of crimes against women since gender quotas were introduced in India. Re - with more women in leadership other women more comfortable reporting. See http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/asia-pacific/indian-women-now-reporting-more-violent-crime-study-shows/article2153523/
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