WUNRN
NORDIC FORUM
FINAL DOCUMENT ON NEW ACTION FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS, GENDER EQUALITY
3 July 2014
- From 12 to 15 June 2014, almost 20 000 feminists met in Malmø, Sweden
during the Nordic Forum, to shape new strategies towards the realisation of
equality between women and men, in the framework of the discussions on the 20
years of the Beijing Platform for Action.
20
years after the first Nordic Forum "Women’s Life and Work - Joy and
Freedom" in 1994 in Finland, and 10 years after the Nordic seminar
"Equal opportunities - for WoMen", the event was initiated by the
nordic womens organisations and saw the participation of dozens of Nordic
organisations from all fields, dedicated to gender equality and women’s
empowerment, as well as representatives from numerous different sectors
including activist networks, government, academia and private enterprise.
During
4 days, women and men committed to or interested in women’s rights had the
opportunity to discuss with new partners, discover new perspectives, debate
issues, attend artistic performances, participate to the parade, call on their
national representatives and propose ideas and actions. All issues were
explored and addressed, following the 12 critical areas of the Beijing Platform
for Action, as well as new emerging issues such as migration, men, everyday
sexism, prostitution, arts or media.
The
Nordic Forum ended up with an outcome document, delivered to the Nordic
Ministers for gender equality during the closing ceremony.
“The
Nordic women’s movement is putting forward 63 points that we want our countries
to fulfill. It’s time for action… now ! But the work on gender equality does
not end there. Nordiskt Forum has been a fantastic meeting, with nearly 20
000 visitors. We’re convinced that all these people will be taking home new
ideas and strategies for the future. This is a united force that will influence
our public agencies, civil society, trade unions, municipalities and
businesses", says Gertrud Åström, Chair of Sweden’s Women’s
Lobby.
The
63 demands from the Nordisk Forum Final Document :
1. Feminist
economy - economic and social development
We demand that:
• The Nordic
countries’ national budgets, and municipal and regional budgets integrate a
gender equality perspective, so that gender equality is shown in financial
documents and decisions, and that the equality policy goals are systematically
followed up and used as a basis for new measures, and are included in the
Post-2015 agenda.
• Nordic
authorities promote women’s economic independence and rights, including access
to paid work and satisfactory working conditions, and observe the particular
needs of vulnerable groups.
• Nordic
governments implement tangible measures and follow up the work to reduce income
differences between women and men.
• Unpaid care
work is shown and reflected in economic models and is observed in social
planning.
• Global
financial crises are analysed from a gender perspective in terms of both causes
and consequences, and that welfare services are maintained to protect women’s
economic independence.
2. Women’s and
girls’ bodies – sexuality, reproductive rights and health
We demand that:
• Funding is
allocated to gender-specific research and knowledge of how illness affects
women, including menstruation and menstruation-related disorders, follow-up of
women with cancer diagnoses (particularly breast and uterine cancer) and
well-supported measures including preventive health care and treatment of
women’s disorders.
• The Nordic
governments and responsible authorities ensure equality between the genders in
diagnoses, investigation, treatment and follow-up of disorders in view of the
particular needs of different groups. Adapted health care for women with
disabilities is needed.
• Health care
and the legal system take women’s experiences of undesired sexual acts, assault
and violence seriously and with respect for the individual’s integrity and
legal rights.
• The Nordic
governments and responsible authorities guarantee obligatory sex education of
good quality, modern and accessible contraceptives, legal and safe abortions
and births, with respect for the woman’s wishes and needs.
• Nordic
authorities fulfill their important commitment to women’s sexual and
reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including questions of LGBT and
surrogate motherhood, in the health-related Millennium goals and in the work on
Post-2015.
3. Women in the
workplace, equal pay, education and career
We demand that:
• Women’s right
to equal pay is strengthened, and the opportunities for women to be financially
independent and self-supporting are improved considerably through tanglible
structural measures. The Nordic governments, employer organisations and trade
organisations work to promote working life that considers family life and
actual working environment and creates reasonable working conditions. The right
to full-time employment is increased by legislation or agreements in the
countries where women’s involuntary part-time employment is widespread. The
option of voluntary part-time employment is given. Uncertain employment
positions in the form of hourly-based work and fixed-term employment positions are regulated so that abuse is stopped.
• The Nordic
governments prioritise structural measures so that financial independence after
retirement is secured.
• The Nordic
governments implement a parent insurance system that leads to equal responsibility
of women and men for care of children, and to ensure that state-run child and
elderly care of high quality is guaranteed.
• Responsible
authorities ensure that educational materials are quality assured from a
gender-equality perspective, and that active work is carried out to break
gender-stereotypical educational choices and thereby to break down a
gender-segregated labour market.
• The Nordic
governments prioritise women’s opportunities for careers in research. Various
funding initiatives for centres of excellence must not divert funds from
women-dominated educational and research areas. Women’s educational choices,
regardless of specialisation, should be guaranteed equivalent resources.
4. Violence
against women and girls
We demand that:
• The Nordic
governments ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating
Violence and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (the
Istanbul Convention). The police and legal system is trained in matters of
violence against women, and resources are allocated to crime fighting and
prosecution.
• In every
Nordic country, an independent national rapporteur is appointed for trafficking
in human beings who works closely with civil society, and particularly with
women’s organisations.
• The Nordic
governments strengthen organisations that work for, and with, women’s rights to
freedom from violence, and allocate sufficient and predictable resources,
particularly to women’s support units/sheltered accommodation. Long-term action
plans based on a holistic view, with clear goals and adequate resources, are
needed to prevent and reduce men’s violence against women and to protect
vulnerable women.
• Nordic
authorities have greater focus on the basic causes of violence and assault. We propose
national campaigns with a preventive focus, where society shows zero tolerance
of violence and subordination of women, and work to counteract blame and shame.
This is to include fundamental causes of violence and assault, and causes of
women entering prostitution. Information about rights and support measures are
to be guaranteed to women subjected to violence. Rape is to be defined as lack
of consent.
• The Nordic
governments prepare legislation on prevention of violence against women and
girls, which involves criminalisation of sex purchasing where there is
currently no such legislation, strong exit strategies are developed to enable
women to leave prostitution, and capacity is strengthened in police and the
judicial system to prosecute sex purchasers, procurers and organised crime.
• The Nordic
governments draw attention to the special needs of particularly vulnerable
women subjected to violence and assault. Women with serious psychiatric and/or
drug problems who are subjected to violence lack equal access to women’s
support units, and women’s support units are not sufficiently adapted for women
with disabilities.
5. Environment,
climate and sustainable development
We demand that:
• Nordic
authorities help women to assume roles as players, innovators, organisers,
teachers, leaders and ambassadors for sustainable development. Climate- and
environment-directed aid must always, where relevant, include a gender
perspective.
• Women are
secured greater political participation and co-determination in the environment
and climate work, and that negotiations on climate and environment agreements
involve 50 percent women.
• Nordic
authorities guarantee the rights of the Sami, particularly Sami women, to be
heard on environmental matters concerning their areas.
• Nordic
authorities implement stronger measures, including legislation, to quickly
reduce harmful, often unnecessary and costly emissions, and the energy used
must increasingly be renewable and sustainable.
• Nordic
governments and authorities, together with the business community, take
responsibility for showing the consequences to society of environmental toxins,
chemicals and other emissions and discharges, and that consequences for women
are considered in legislation, in development of a green economy and green
workplaces.
• Women’s sexual
and reproductive rights are guaranteed in environment- and climate-related
crises, and violence against and trading of women and children in natural
disasters is demonstrated and measures taken.
6. Care work and
welfare society
We demand that:
• The Nordic
welfare model is particularly protected in the event of financial crisis. What
the objective is, what we can be proud of, and what can be improved are crucial
issues.
• The Nordic
governments prioritise good working conditions and the health of people working
in the welfare sector. Personnel with low levels of education and unqualified
personnel are given the opportunity of in-service training.
• The Nordic
governments emphasise the importance of increasing men’s participation in
health services and care, both in the unpaid work in the home and in paid work
in the health and welfare sector.
• Nordic
governments and authorities prioritise education and research on the democratic
trend of an increasing proportion of elderly people in the population, and that
they prioritise innovations, with both technical and organisational focus, and
set requirements for a gender equality perspective thoughout.
• Authorities
and other institutions are given the task of creating programmes for how
technical advances can be used to improve public health. Particular
consideration is taken to needs in particularly vulnerable groups and, on the
basis of considering the individual’s dignity, help them to live an independent
life as long as possible.
7. Peace and
security
We demand that:
• The Nordic
governments ensure women’s equal representation at decision-making level in all
peace processes, to prevent war, mediate in conflicts, monitor peace processes,
and participate in peace negotiations. The Nordic governments make demands in
the UN for a special representative, responsible for women’s rights as players
and decision-makers in peace and security issues.
• The Nordic governments
revise, make tangible, and consolidate their action plans for Resolution 1325,
earmark financial resources to emphasise the importance of participation of
civil society, particularly women’s organisations, and the Nordic co-operation,
to attain the goals.
• The Nordic
governments allocate funds to protect and train women refugees, and increase
their efforts to strengthen institutions and structures so that perpetrators of
sexual violence in war are prosecuted and punished and that victims are given
active support.
• The Nordic
governments include indigenous people and the environment in peace and security
issues.
• The Nordic
governments promote peace initiatives, reduce military expenses, stop selling
arms that largely affect children and women, and appoint disarmament
ambassadors, and strengthen their active work to abolish nuclear weapons.
8. Political
participation and development
We demand that:
• The Nordic
governments set up clear goals for women’s real opportunity to exercise their citizenship,
showing the needs and measures relating to vulnerable groups. Authorities
prioritise work against Internet-hate and harassment of female politicians and
other women in the public sphere.
• Political
asssemblies and government, regional and municipal committees, commissions,
working groups and delegations ensure, for example through a quota system,
equal representation for women and men.
• Public
authorities, muncipalities, media and businesses commission women as experts
without being steered by gender-stereotypical perceptions, and that women in
minority groups are heard as experts.
• There are
women at local level in the horizontal decision-making in all sectors,
including the financial and business sectors.
• Labour market
organisations are responsible for ensuring that there are more women in
executive positions, in trade unions, and employer organisations and their
member organisations.
• All employment
procedures, election committees and other selection situations use clear
criteria that do not discriminate against women, and that political mentorship
programmes are initiated to increase women’s participation in politics and to
reduce the number of drop-outs.
9. Gender
mainstreaming and gender equality in organisations
We demand that:
• The Nordic
governments clarify division of responsibility for gender mainstreaming, and
anchor and specify gender mainstreaming, including the right of appeal in
national laws, ordinances and processs in all policy areas, and decide on and
finance specific measures for effective implementation of gender mainstreaming.
• Authorities
and other public enterprises are given the task of including a gender
perspective in all their activities, and that gender mainstreaming is included
in a correct way, which involves training of all personnel concerned, a gender
equality perspective in budget and other policy processes, gender and equality
analyses, and mechanisms and procedures for follow-up.
• The Nordic
governments draw up action plans contain guidelines, criteria, indicators,
performance indicators, and information and statistics by gender. Regular
follow-ups are carried out, and they are reported and published.
• The Nordic
governments use equality mainstreaming in all international involvement,
including the Post-2015 agenda and sustainable development goals, SDG.
• Private sector
employers integrate a gender perspective in their organisations.
10. Asylum and
migration
We demand that:
• The Nordic
countries recognise women’s grounds for asylum, and become role models in
protecting women through clear gender-sensitive information about women’s
grounds for asylum. All women who are in need of protection will be treated
equally. Information will be given about women’s rights, and about where women
can seek help in the event of vulnerability.
• Women with
family links are to be granted their own residence permits that are not linked
to the man. Deportation of women subjected to violence is stopped. Women who
are subjected to trafficking in human beings are given protection and help,
regardless of whether they can or will witness in criminal proceedings.
• Nordic
governments and authorities apply a human refugee policy, with particular
consideration to women in accordance with the UN Convention Relating to the
Status of Refugees.
• Governments
and authorities improve integration and training of women born in other
countries with poor education levels, and illiteracy is prioritised in the
education system.
• Migrant
workers and labour force immigrants are guaranteed the same pay and working
conditions as native labour.
11. New
technologies and media
We demand that:
• The Nordic
countries develop annual media barometers that document participation in media
in terms of recruitment, leadership, content, perspective, etc.
• State-run
media is given the task of creating gender equality by implementing a model for
participation and non-stereotypical representation that can also be used by
privately-owned media.
• School
authorities and educational programmes with focus on media, and teacher
training programmes, implement initiatives so that young people in the Nordic
region become socially aware media consumers, because media skills are vital
for active citizenship.
• In Nordic
legislation, a ban on gender-discrimination in advertising is implemented, and
the advertising sector is demanded information on airbrushing of pictures,
since advertising pictures that are based on and reinforce gender-stereotypical
roles have a negative effect on, in particular, young people.
• The Nordic
governments draw up more effective prosecution of violation in social media,
and set up an independent complaints procedure for discrimination against women
and girls in media.
12. Feminism in
the future in the Nordic region and the organisation of the women’s movement
We demand that:
• The Nordic
governments ensure that women’s organisations are included more in the
development of a transparent gender equality policy with a holistic view, as
dialogue partners, critical reviewers, and agents of change. We want to
participate more in long-term work for sustainable development, both at
national and global level.
• The Nordic
governments fund the women’s movement organisations and co-operate at Nordic
level, at least on the same level as other organisations in civil society, so
that feminism makes an impact and genuine gender equality is attained in
society.
• In accordance
with the Women’s Convention and Platform for Action Plan from Beijing, the
women’s organisations and networks in civil society are given financial and
societal opportunities to participate in political deliberations at local,
national and international level.
• The Nordic
governments finance a commission to the women’s organisations to make the
Women’s Convention and Platform for Action from Beijing known to the general
public and to show the consequences for tangible policies.
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