WUNRN
FORMER UN SR VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
STATEMENT AGAINST STONING FOR UN PANEL
Message from Yakin Ertürk on the occasion of the “Stop Stoning Globally” panel at HRC Session 20
Dear friends and colleagues,
It was not possible for me to join you at the panel discussion on ‘stoning’ during the current session of the Human Rights Council. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to reach out to you with this short statement.
Over the years we have shared many moments of celebration, moments of despair and moments of hope in our common quest for the universal application of human rights principles and standards. The momentum enjoyed by the human rights movement of the 1990’s, which provided a legitimate ground for civil demands and a renewed understanding of state accountability, is on the decline. Human rights are increasingly under siege and women’s human rights are encountering a global backlash which clearly reveals an “alliance of (un)civilizations” across the globe. While this is a consequence of the destabilization of patriarchal hegemony in the face of the achievements of the global women’s movements, it is also caused by competing paradigms in determining state priorities.
The global political environment following 9/11 has placed
the security discourse as a priority item on the agenda of all states. National
security and public safety concerns in the context of migratory flows or
terrorism, notions of public good and public morality all act as strong
justifications for instituting laws, policies and other measures that
contradict the essence of human rights protection. Security agenda entails militarization and
fear politics to subdue the public. Such trends are naturally misogynous,
racist and conflict-ridden. Militarized agendas promote distorted budgets, hard
masculinity and domestically defined femininity, thus sustaining patriarchy and
empowering the powerful.
Control over women’s lives, particularly their sexuality and reproductive
capacity has been at the core of discrimination and violence against women.
Women’s sexual and reproductive rights have long been under attack, not only by
archaic forces but also by elected governments that have pledged at
international platforms to act with diligence in promoting and protecting
women’s rights. In this regard, the recent declaration of the Prime Minister of
Turkey that “abortion is murder” has been mind-boggling, particularly
considering that abortion has been legal in the country since 1983 and the
current government has been in power for the past 10 years. It is also
noteworthy that this very government undertook many commendable measures in
support of women’s rights. Apparently when the “common good” is at stake there
is no need for governments to be consistent! Turkish women, who feel that their
body has been transgressed, have been on
the streets protesting; they have encountered imprisonment, police brutality
and insolence from hard liners.
The most extreme expression of the “war on women” continues to be
femicide; including murder in the context of intimate partner violence,
sexually motivated murder, killings of prostitutes, killing in the name of
honour, female infanticide, and dowry deaths etc. While, murder in itself is
brutal, its gravest form is stoning to death. Despite the many successful
campaigns women’s groups have launched over the years to stop stoning, it is
still practiced legally and illegally to punish women. Women accused of moral
deviation or adultery are sentenced to death by stoning by courts or local
power entities. Intisar Sharif Abdalla, a young woman believed to be less than
18 years of age, is one such recent example. She has been sentenced to death by
stoning on 22 April 2012 by a court in Sudan. As a non-Arabic speaker she had
no interpreter or a lawyer in the courtroom.
The conviction was based only on her coerced confession, while the man
alleged to have committed adultery with her denied the charges and was
released. The case, which clearly presents gross violations of both domestic
and international law, fortunately has been dropped. While the news of Intisar
being released unconditionally and without further charges as of 21 June is of
great relief, the damage caused will never be forgotten!
The war on women that takes different forms
and intensity in all parts of world indicates that women’s individual and
collective struggle against misogyny must continue. In this respect, we need to be vigilant in confronting
repressive regimes and minds with our human rights demands, promote the
organizing and solidarity of women through innovative modalities and develop strategic alliances with other
progressive movements.
I wish you a fruitful session. In solidarity,
Yakin