WUNRN
Women's Empowerment in Muslim
Contexts - WEMC
‘Culture’, Women, Violence |
No Excuses for Violence Against Women! |
Violence
against women is condemned by the international community as a violation of
women’s basic human rights, regardless of whether such violence is
perpetrated by the State or by family members, whether in public or private
spheres. But despite the international consensus on the need to end violence
against women, violence against women persists in many societies. A key
reason for this persistence is the misuse of ‘culture’ to justify violence
against women. Through this misuse of ‘culture’, violence against women is
legitimised and thereby perpetuated. |
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The
Research Program Consortium on ‘Women’s Empowerment in Muslim Contexts’
(WEMC) sees violence against women as a mechanism of control used by
patriarchal forces to disempower women. The use of ‘culture’ to excuse
violence against women is part of these processes of control and
disempowerment. Various forms of violence against women studied by WEMC
include: |
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These
and other forms of gender-based violence make it dangerous for women to
exercise agency as autonomous persons. Nevertheless, despite such risks,
women in diverse contexts have long negotiated for their rights through
indigenous strategies, contrary to spurious claims that women’s empowerment
is alien and illegitimate. Most, however, have struggled alone, their
strategies largely undocumented, their endeavours muted by violence justified
as ‘tradition’ or ‘religion’. |
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WEMC
documents women’s choices, discourses and strategies to assert their rights
in the face of violence used as a mechanism of control in China, Indonesia,
Iran, Pakistan, and cross-border contexts. As a mechanism, violence is not
only inter-personal, but systemic and structural. We examine the potential of
legal, political and social systems to be either obstructive or supportive.
We also analyse how women themselves access and use resources that can
protect them from violence. WEMC explores whether alternative mechanisms of
redress exist and whether these reinforce or reduce gender-based violence. In
Indonesia and elsewhere, we examine tensions between secular laws and
interpretations rendered by local Sharia courts and institutions. In
Pakistan, we explore government responses to inter-personal violence and how
these may be made more effective. Across all sites, we focus on how women
make empowering choices in the face of disempowering forces. |
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WEMC’s
Strategy Paper Rejecting ‘cultural; justifications for violence against
women is intended as a contribution to global efforts to end violence
against women. This Paper focuses on how to reject ‘cultural’ justifications
for violence against women, discussing two ways of doing this: |
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1. |
By
strategizing around key opportunities that have emerged in the UN system |
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2. |
By
countering ‘cultural’ justifications for violence against women at micro,
meso and macro levels |
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