November 17, 2010
By Mary
Robinson and Lakhdar Brahimi *
GAZA-PALESTINE - BLOCKADE
SILENCES VOICES OF WOMEN
We have just visited the Gaza
Strip where we met many courageous people trying to live relatively normal
lives despite the crippling effects of the illegal Israeli blockade. The
blockade was imposed to punish the Hamas-led government, but it is women and
children who are paying the highest price.
In our conversations with a range
of women, we learned that despite the apparent "easing" of
restrictions by Israel and Egypt,
important socio-economic indicators such as poverty, malnutrition, unemployment
and family violence are getting worse. Women in this conservative society find
their domestic responsibilities made all the more difficult and time-consuming
by the blockade -- and they bear the brunt of society's frustration and anger
in such trying times.
Equally disturbing are the
creeping restrictions on women's freedom imposed by Hamas activists. These
restrictions are not being imposed through the introduction of laws, but rather
through party-led initiatives that are enforced without any system of
accountability. For example, there is no legal decree stating that all
schoolgirls must wear a headscarf, yet those who don't wear it are harassed.
Women are punished if they smoke in public, while their male compatriots are
allowed to do so. And at the beach, Gaza's
main source of fun and entertainment, women and men are strictly segregated.
The erosion of women's freedoms
is compounded by their lack of participation in politics. In Gaza,
women already struggle to be heard. The absence of women from politics in turn
fuels perceptions of women as passive; they are seen as victims of the ongoing
conflict, rather than active participants in shaping opinions and political
processes. Despite the extremely challenging circumstances in which they live,
it was therefore encouraging to meet a remarkable group of women in Gaza
who are working hard to counter prevailing stereotypes. They are doing it in
particular through a UN mechanism called 1325.
Ten years ago, the United Nations
Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, which recognized that sustainable
peace could not be achieved in any conflict without the full participation --
and protection -- of women. We were impressed to see that women's groups in Gaza
are working hard to mobilize support for the democratic principles of
Resolution 1325. At the heart of this resolution is the conviction that women,
like men, have a right to participate as decision-makers in all aspects of
governance: Women have a right to a voice in institutions that are democratic
and accountable, including those that govern peacemaking.
Women's groups in Gaza
told us that they are doing their best to raise awareness about Resolution 1325
among local leaders. They have provided training to women on the ground in how
to exercise their political rights. They have documented human rights
violations and violence against women, and they participated in the UN
investigation, led by Judge Richard Goldstone, to establish whether war crimes
were committed during the devastating Israeli attack on Gaza
in December 2008/January 2009. However, they don't feel that there has been any
positive improvement in the lives of Gazan women.
Women activists are clamoring for
help from beyond Gaza: "What
we do ourselves is not enough", they told us. "We need help to make
sure that our voices are heard in the outside world." These women are very
keen to join networks worldwide who are working on Resolution 1325 and women's
rights more generally; They want to stand in solidarity with women around the
world and feel that they are not alone. They want to reach out to the wider
international community, but they are penned in -- the blockade prevents them
from doing so.
This is one, largely
unrecognized, price of the blockade of Gaza:
It is hampering women's efforts to cooperate and build a movement that can
effectively advance gender equality. The effect extends beyond politics; the
disempowerment of women hinders post-conflict reconstruction, reduces the
likelihood that it will be sustainable, and prevents any meaningful progress on
development.
As Elders, we call for the
immediate and complete lifting of the blockade on Gaza.
The ongoing siege is a denial of dignity; it is the denial of rights of a
people, particularly its women, who yearn to be free.
*Lakhdar Brahimi and Mary
Robinson are both members of The Elders.
Mary Robinson was the first woman President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997 and
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002. Lakhdar
Brahimi is a distinguished diplomat and mediator. He was Foreign Minister of
Algeria from 1991 to 1993 and has led UN missions in South Africa, Iraq and
Afghanistan.