Regional Forum on Women’s Citizenship December 8-10 2005 Port-au-Prince, Haiti

What citizenship for women ?
200 years after the first anti-slavery revolution in the Americas

The primary objective of this debate is to broaden the debate on citizenship, at national as well as regional levels. A comparison of the statutes of citizenship based upon the fundamental charters, legislative texts adopted by many countries, and practices related to women’s rights in the Caribbean and Latin America allows us to explore the status quo and share points of view and experiences of political, economic, social and sociological interpretation. 

Thus, the debate aims to promote reflection at national and regional levels on women’s citizenship in conceptual-theoretical terms, and in terms of the necessary struggle for effective respect for the statutes of women’s citizenship. Specifically, the debate will focus on the scope and the limitations of employing the concept of citizenship for the defense of women’s rights.

The realization of such a high-profile activity will bring the attention of regional women’s movements towards this unknown and misunderstood country, clarifying certain assumptions regarding the situation in Haiti. It is also an opportunity to disseminate the work of women’s groups in Haiti.

Expected Results

Institutional strengthening:

• Relationships and ties among different networks (associations, NGOs and other groups) working to implement and respect women’s rights will be strengthened at the Caribbean and Latin American level;
•  Haiti’s presence in women’s networks will be strengthened;
• The National Coordination for Advocacy on Women’s Rights (CONAP) will be strengthened;

Appropriation of the concept of citizenship:

• The state of women’s citizenship in the Region will be addressed;
• A conceptual analysis of women’s citizenship will be produced;
• The concept of women’s citizenship will be popularized;

Mobilization:

• A space for dialogue will be established, among different speakers and partners including the government, in the context of the struggle for equality of rights and respect for human dignity;
• The constitutive elements of a plan for action on women’s citizenship will be identified;
• The elements of an education campaign on citizenship will be defined;
• The basis for women’s participation in a National Dialogue will be developed;
• Actions to promote Haitian women’s participation in the next elections will be defined;
• An education booklet on women’s citizenship will be developed in Creole, based on the results