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Righting Wrongs for Women of African
Descent
“They suffer racial discrimination as black people; they
suffer gender discrimination as women; and, as they are often poor, they suffer
discrimination on the basis of their economic status,” says Viola Plummer, a
human rights activist with the December 12th Movement, speaking of women of
African descent.
More than 150 years since the transatlantic slave trade
ended, people of African descent continue to face multiple forms of
discrimination and denial of their human rights.
The Durban Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted in
2001 as a global framework to combat racial discrimination, recognises
enslavement as a crime against humanity with enduring consequences on the
victims, particularly people of African descent.
Helen Felter of the Black European Women’s Council cites the
case of non-white women in
The problem, according to Felter, is compounded by
institutionalised discrimination against people of African descent, including
in the media, which renders them invisible to policy makers and the general
public.
“They will write about the work [of a woman of African
descent] but they will not have her picture on the article…. On TV, they would
rather interview a white woman about the work of a black woman, than the black
woman herself,” says Felter. One consequence of this, she adds, is to deny
girls of African descent role models.
UN Human Rights chief, Navi Pillay, emphasizes that despite
years of discrimination and exclusion, women of African descent continue to
make significant contributions to society.
“It is worth underlining the importance of our history books
fully reflecting these achievements so that they may serve as a source of pride
and inspiration for young girls and all people of African descent,” she
says.
Verene Shepherd, a member of the UN Working Group on People
of African Descent says women of African descent made a “fundamental
contribution” to the anti-slavery movement. Among others, she cites Cecile
Fatima of
The International Year for People of African Descent 2011,
proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2009, has among its aims
“the promotion of a greater knowledge of and respect for their diverse heritage
and culture” and “their participation and integration in all political,
economic, social and cultural aspects of society.”
Paula Marcela Moreno, the former Minister of Culture in
“If they are not at the table where decisions are made,
their situation will not change,” she says.
As part of their activities to mark the International Year
for People of African Descent, the UN Human Rights office and the UN Department
of Public Information launched at the UN headquarters in