WUNRN
FIAN - Fighting Hunger with Human
Rights
RIGHT TO FOOD - VIOLATIONS
FROM A GENDER PERSPECTIVE
Although formal gender
equality has been enshrined in international law and many national
constitutions and legislations, the de facto enjoyment of the right to food is
all too often gender biased. Where the human right to food is violated or
threatened, women and girls are often specifically or more severely affected.
The right to food is impaired for women by various factors: Limited access to and control over resources, lower salaries, insecure and unstable labour conditions, gender biased labour markets, discrimination in laws, regulations and programmes, limited enjoyment of the right to education, inadequate public health care, and exclusion from decision making processes. In addition, intra household food discrimination prevails in many regions of the world. The specific needs of women who require special protection are often neglected, e.g. through lack of protection of pregnant workers, insufficient maternity leave or discrimination in social transfer programmes. The struggle against all forms of discrimination, including gender discrimination, is integral part of FIAN's mandate. FIAN applies a dual track gender approach, aiming at both gender mainstreaming through different working areas and a focus on gender issues and on women's right to food in order to overcome existing inequalities.