Rights & Democracy Women's Rights Projects for 2005-2006
A Call for Women’s Rights within National Justice Systems
Level of action: International
This is a three-year project supported by Rights & Democracy which
involves the participation of many groups within Canada and internationally. It
involves the analysis and promotion of strategies for nations to adopt within
their justice systems, resulting in a basic concept of women’s rights which
exist irregardless of religious law. As an example in this struggle for women’s
rights within national justice systems, Rights & Democracy has opposed the
occurrence of faith-based arbitration. The government of Ontario, Canada had
unexpectedly proposed the use of religious law to settle family disputes among
Muslim Canadian families. Muslim women activists world-wide voiced their concern
about the gender implications of such a precedent. On February 15, 2006, Ontario
put an end to the ambiguity surrounding the possibility of using the Arbitration
Act to settle family matters. By adopting legislation that stipulates that all
family law arbitration must be based solely on Canadian law, the government has
resolved a situation that sparked heated criticism both in Canada and abroad. In
support of the coalition coordinated by the Canadian Council of Muslim Women and
supported by hundreds of organizations and concerned individuals, Rights &
Democracy participated in several events aimed at raising the awareness of
parliamentarians, NGOs, the media and the general public regarding the
devastating consequences of faith-based arbitration in family matters for
women’s rights in Canada and throughout the world. For example, we published a
brochure entitled Behind Closed Doors: How Faith-Based Arbitration Shuts Out
Women’s Rights in Canada and Abroad.
Asia/Indonesia: Supporting Indigenous Women in Civil Society
Level of action: Regional
In 2005, the teams of the Democratic Development and Indigenous Peoples’
Rights themes started working together in Asia and specifically in Indonesia,
adapting the educational kit “Indigenous Women of the Americas” in order to
produce one entitled “Indigenous Women of Asia.” Rights & Democracy is
working in close cooperation with the Asian Indigenous Women’s Network, based in
the Philippines, to produce and disseminate this kit. The first edition of
“Indigenous Women of Asia” will be published in Indonesian and will include
specific fact sheets on indigenous women in Indonesia. Rights & Democracy
also conducts important advocacy activities on Indonesia in Canada, specifically
as a founding and active member of the Canadian Advocacy Group on
Indonesia.
China: Supporting the Growth of Democratic Spaces
Level of action: National
Upon invitation from the Political Science and Law University of China,
Rights & Democracy conducted a first exploratory mission to
China in March 2006, in order to lay the groundwork for
programming, which will be carried out on two levels. The first level, in
cooperation with Chinese institutional partners, aims to establish dialogue on
democratic development with the new generation of Chinese
decision-makers. The second level, in cooperation with civil
society partners, aims to encourage citizen participation by supporting Chinese
civil society movements. As part of a pilot project, Rights & Democracy will
help build the capacity of environmental NGOs which are very active
in China through regional workshops and case-by-case assistance. In
Canada, Rights & Democracy coordinates a coalition of a dozen
Canadian NGOs involved in the human rights situation in China.
As well, Rights & Democracy continues its engagement in labour
rights advocacy and programming in China. A case intervention
project developed by the China Labour Bulletin provides legal and practical
assistance to Chinese workers seeking the resolution of labour disputes and
conflicts. We also support civil society initiatives on behalf of women working
in the informal sector.
Democratic Republic of Congo: Supporting the Transition to Democracy
Level of action: National
Rights & Democracy supports Congolese civil society on several fronts.
In March 2006, Rights & Democracy held a five-day training workshop in
Kisangani on international and African regional mechanisms dealing with the
protection and rights of victims and witnesses to crimes, especially with
respect to violence against women. The workshop also focused on the struggle
against impunity and the process for peace in the DRC. One purpose of the
workshop was to train NGO members to enable Congolese organizations to document
sexual violence against women, particularly in eastern Congo. The initiative was
funded by Foreign Affairs Canada’s Human Security Fund, and organized with the
support of Groupe Lotus and la Coalition congolaise pour la justice
transitionelle, two human rights NGOs. During the training, participants
focussed on capacity building to enable NGOs to bring crimes perpetrated
specifically against women before the International Criminal Court (ICC). Rights
& Democracy became involved setting up the training programme following an
announcement by the ICC of an inquiry into crimes of sexual violence, and at the
request of Congolese NGOs. Stemming from the practical training session,
participants submitted the Kisangani Declaration to the Prosecutor of the ICC,
urging him to take sexual violence into account in their investigations and to
ensure victim protection throughout the process. This initiative is the result
of an intensive work by the Coalition for Women’s Human Rights in Conflict
Situations, a coalition created and coordinated by Rights & Democracy.
Rights & Democracy also supports notably, the Congolese NGO Solidarité
féminine pour la paix et le développement intégral (SOFEPADI), which is a
local group focussed on the defence and promotion of human rights within the
DRC, and ESSAIM, a network of 40 women’s organizations promoting dialogue and
action for the defence of women’s rights.
Rights & Democracy also supported Congolese civil society throughout
the process leading up to the elections scheduled for July 30, 2006. In
particular, we are working with the Centre national pour le développement et
la participation populaire (CENADEP), so that it could pursue its
activities to promote free and transparent elections, and the rule of law. This
support aimed as well to ensure that information on voting practices is better
disseminated throughout the population. To this end, Rights & Democracy has
also supported the work of Women as Partners for Peace in Africa (WOPPA), and
Ligue nationale pour les élections libres et transparantes
(LINELIT).
Ideaccess: with Access to Information, the Sky’s the Limit
Level of action: Regional
Access to knowledge is essential for everyone to live in security and to
build free and fair societies. It is the one necessary condition for developing
critical thinking and changing the world we live in. With that premise, Rights
& Democracy and Etana Press, a publishing house based in Syria, initiated
the Ideaccess project. Using a gender-sensitive approach, Ideaccess is an
information and exchange network combining translation, printing, dissemination
and accessibility, and aimed at citizens, activists or women’s rights advocates
in the Middle East and Central Asia. The network provides documents on human
rights and women’s rights, translated by professionals into Dari, Farsi, Pashto,
Arabic, Tadjik, Uzbek, Urdu or Russian. It also promotes and distributes these
resources by setting up community libraries. During its first year of activity,
the handbook entitled Investigating Women’s Rights Violations in Armed
Conflicts, published by Rights & Democracy,was translated into Russian
and Farsi, and three other documents, Only Silence will Protect You,
Women & Peacebuilding and the handbook Documenting Women’s
Rights Violations by State Agents, were translated into Arabic. In the
coming year, 30 publications will be translated into one of the eight languages
of the project. For more details or access to these resources.
Responding to Rising Fundamentalisms
Level of action: International
Rights & Democracy invited members of several organizations devoted to
advocating and protecting human rights to an international meeting from May 12
to 14, 2005, in Montréal.
Organized by the Women’s Rights team, the meeting provided an opportunity
to examine the phenomenon of rising fundamentalisms, define how to defend and
promote women’s rights and protect them from fundamentalist efforts to turn back
the clock and to conceive ways to work together on these issues. According to a
number of the people attending the meeting, the obsession with security can
become an obstacle to human rights discourse, insofar as any objection to,
criticism or questioning of increased national security measures is often poorly
received. One of the current priorities of women living in countries where
fundamentalist movements are particularly powerful is to find a way to establish
the direct accountability of non-state actors within the framework of human
rights law. The report of this meeting is posted on our Web site.
Strengthening the Work of Women Indigenous Members of ONIC in Colombia
Level of action: International
Rights & Democracy invited Victoria Neuta, a member of the Women’s
Commission of the Organización Nacional Ind?gena de
Colombia (ONIC) and a member of the Continental Network of Indigenous
Women, Enlace, for meetings in Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal in August
2005. The goal of the visit was to raise awareness among the media, government
representatives, NGOs and the public about the human rights situation in
Colombia, particularly with regard to indigenous peoples, and to present their
peace-building strategies. The conflict, which has lasted for more than 45
years, has had a disastrous impact on the indigenous peoples of Colombia. While
the Colombian constitution is one of the most progressive in terms of indigenous
rights, the implementation of its provisions is far from being a reality. For
example, according to the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights
and fundamental freedoms of Indigenous Peoples, several indigenous peoples are
in danger of extinction as peoples.
Support to Women Living Under Muslim Laws
Level of action: Regional
Rights & Democracy continues to support extensively the work of the
International Solidarity network, Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML), a
partnership begun between our two institutions in 1993. WLUML aims to strengthen
women’s individual and collective struggles for equality and their rights,
especially in Muslim contexts. In the past year, the Network continued to expand
its information services, a key strategy in endorsing plurality and women’s
voices in articulating cultural and religious meanings which structure their
lives. The website, which has experienced double the hits it received last year,
newsletter, and published dossiers are reaching more women and women’s groups
around the world. WLUML also organized several international meetings among
recognized scholars, activists and women to discuss issues such as the role of
secularism within Muslim law, comparative international family law, and the rise
of fundamentalisms.
Supporting the Work of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women
Level of action: National, Regional, International
Rights & Democracy continued supporting the work of the United Nations
Special Rapporteur on violence against women. The project, which began in 2004,
included organizing a regional consultation between the African Commission’s
Special Rapporteur on women’s rights and the UN Special Rapporteur on violence
against women, as well as with African women’s NGOs, in order to strengthen
regional and international protection mechanisms.
The Continental Network of Indigenous Women Continues to Weave Links
Level of action: Regional
Rights & Democracy, Enlace ? the Continental Network of
Indigenous Women – and Québec Native Women continue to strengthen their ties to
increase cooperation among indigenous women in Canada and Latin America. Thanks
to funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), a
four-week internship is offered to four indigenous women, two from Canada and
two from Latin America, to give them experience in international forums. The
interns (one a young woman and the other an experienced activist), from
organizations in Canada and Latin America, will spend a month with their
co-interns’ organization to learn more about their respective situations and
cultures. This training programme focuses on the situations of indigenous
peoples in both the North and South.
Cooperation among Canadian and Latin American indigenous women is
deepening, and Enlaceis working to consolidate this fact. Following a
strategic planning exercise in 2004-2005, the network acquired greater
operational autonomy. Over the past year, it has redesigned its Web site, put
together a virtual library and increased its representation activities with
various networks to strengthen ties with several partners.
Women’s Rights in Afghanistan
Level of action: National
In August 2005, Rights & Democracy enthusiastically inaugurated the
Women’s Resource Centre in Kandahar, funded by the Women’s Rights in Afghanistan
Fund (WRAF) supported by CIDA. On August 16, 2005, the only independent space
for meeting and activities for women in southern Afghanistan opened its doors. A
number of figures, notably Canada’s ambassador to Afghanistan, the Governor of
Kandahar, as well as several members of the local and international media,
including the BBC, were there to highlight the opening of this centre in what is
considered to be Afghanistan’s most conservative region and the cradle of the
Taliban. The Resource Centre, which includes a library, conference room and
Internet space, gives women the opportunity to meet and to find out more about
their rights and their issues of concern, and to use the space for organizing,
learning and mobilizing.
WRAF also continues to provide core funding to two free legal-aid clinics
in northern Afghanistan, in the Jahzjan and Shirbirghan regions, providing the
only legal services for women in the region. These clinics provide professional
legal advice and services, as well as free information sessions regarding
rights, resolving cases of divorce, domestic abuse, inheritance and other family
law issues.
Zimbabwe: Supporting Litigation against Human Rights Abuses
Level of action: National
Land seizures, torture, housing demolition and massive evictions: these are
some of the offences committed in Zimbabwe by President Robert Mugabe’s regime.
In September 2005, the Association of Canadian Journalists for Freedom of
Expression (CJFE), in collaboration with Rights & Democracy, invited Gabriel
Shumba, a Zimbabwean lawyer forced into exile in South Africa in 2003 following
death threats, to bear witness to this mass destruction and violation of human
rights. Mr. Shumba’s tour of Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal was the starting point
of a partnership between Rights & Democracy and the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum
(ZEF), led by Mr. Shumba. In November 2005, Rights & Democracy’s support
made it possible for two victims and their lawyer to testify before the African
Commission on Human and People’s Rights regarding the violations they had
suffered. Subsequently, a resolution adopted by the African Commission
criticized the human rights violations perpetrated in Zimbabwe. Encouraged by
this decision, the Zimbabwe Exiles Forum now plans to gather 1200 testimonial
accounts, particularly from women, some of which will be submitted to the
African Commission. In order to support this initiative, Rights & Democracy
organized a training workshop in Pretoria in March 2006 on integrating a
gender-sensitive approach into the documentation of human rights
violations.