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Brev til individuelle medlemmer av IAW om et internasjonalt møte 11-19 juni 2009 i Sveits:

To all Individual Members of the IAW

Dear individual members, The International Meeting of the International Alliance of Women is scheduled to take place in the small town of Heiden in a beautiful area of Switzerland. Our hostess Jessika Kehl-Lauff and her team of members of the adf/svf, an affiliate of the IAW, are extremely busy planning what promises to be a very interesting programme. Not only are we going to discuss the usual IAW-business, we will take the first steps towards a revised action programme, we will hear what the plans are for Congress in South Africa in 2010, and last but not least, our hostesses will take us on a “tour de Suisse féministe”. This tour will take us to Berne, Lucerne and finally Geneva. On the way we shall meet the president of the Swiss Parliament, be introduced to the national machinery for gender equality in Switzerland, and finally have a workshop in collaboration with WHO.

Why would individual members wish to come to the International Meeting? The International Meeting is a meeting, where the board of the IAW and its membership meet for consultations. The membership consists of both organizations and of individual members. At the International Meeting we naturally hope that many presidents of member organizations will come. However, individual members are more than welcome. We know that there is commitment, energy, expertise, experience etc. among our individual members.

And – as an individual member you have the opportunity of being directly involved in and thus having direct influence on the work of the Alliance.

There is more information to be found on our website www.womenalliance.org

If you are interested and perhaps will consider going to Switzerland, please contact IAW Secretary General Lene Pind – and she will send you the relevant documents.

Lene Pind iawsec@womenalliance.org phone +45 6596 0868

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Om IAW

IAW-logo

IAW er en internasjonal paraplyorganisasjon som består av 63 kvinneorganisasjoner fra hele verden. IAW er den eneste internasjonale kvinneorganisasjon som har likestilling mellom kjønnene som sitt primære, politiske mål.

IAW har konsultativ status 1 ved FN og FN's særorganisationer, dvs. en permanent representasjon ved FN's kontorer i New York, Geneve, Paris, Rom og Wien. IAW er videre representert ved Europarådet og i EU's kvinnelobby

IAW Secretariat: 9/10 Queen Street MELBOURNE Vic 3000 AUSTRALIA Telephone +61 3 9629 3653 FAX +61 3 9629 2904
e-mail: toddsec@surfnetcity.com.au

IAW DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLE

Women's rights are human rights. Human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated. The IAW affirms that full and equal enjoyment of human rights is due to all women and girls.

The IAW maintains that a prerequisite to securing these rights is the universal ratification and implementation without reservation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and urges its affiliate and associate organizations to pressure their governments to ratify the Optional Protocol to CEDAW.

The importance and value of women's contributions as equal partners has been acknowledged in the numerous United Nations world conferences held during the current decade. Of particular relevance for women is the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action, to which 189 member states have committed themselves. The IAW calls on its affiliate and associate organisations to monitor the fulfilment of these commitments.

The IAW identifies the following priorities for the years 1999 - 2002 :

CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS

The IAW, taking into consideration that the maximum participation of women in political life is a vital prerequisite of democracy for the realisation of gender equality in the political field and for the establishment of peace and social justice,

a) urges governments to

• achieve, by any means necessary, women's equal participation (i.e. a 50/50 per cent women/men) in all decision making positions of political power at all levels;
• consider women as an invaluable resource and take positive measures to enable women to participate in decision making, planning and in advisory bodies so as to ensure that women's perspectives are recognised;
• review, develop or establish national and international machinery to effectively enforce and monitor measures towards achieving civil and political equality for all.

b) urges its member organisations to

• inform women to be aware of their rights
• exert pressure on their governments to adopt and implement all provisions contained in international instruments pertaining to women's rights.

c) urges the mass media to

• recognise and discuss the importance of commitments made by governments and of monitoring the fulfilment of those commitments in accordance with UN Conventions.

EDUCATION FOR ALL - LEGAL LITERACY

Education is the basis for the empowerment of women in order that they may become and remain free, independent and self-reliant. The main objective must be to eradicate illiteracy among women all over the world and to overcome all prejudice regarding girls' access to school. It must include vocational and professional training to enable women to make full use of their potential. Basic education is a prerequisite for legal literacy. The IAW therefore

a) urges governments to

• establish universal, compulsory, primary education for all;
• establish open universities for women of all ages;
• allocate sufficient funds for the education and training of all women;
• promote gender sensitisation of education;
• promote human rights education;
• involve women in educational decision making at all levels;
• educate women and men in environmental issues and sustainable development

b) urges the mass media to

• increase programmes/articles with educational and human rights themes, value based

POVERTY

The faces of poverty are many. They are one in every five. The majority of them are the faces of women. The globalization of trade and employment and the proposed World Trade Agreement exacerbate this problem. The IAW therefore

a) requests governments to ensure and facilitate

• action to review, adopt and maintain macro-economic policies, including social security measures and development strategies that address the needs and efforts of women in poverty;
• that women are participants at all levels of economic policy planning and decision making, as well as beneficiaries of such policies;
• equal access and pay for women in employment at all levels and in all areas;
• equal access for women to financial and economic resources;
• legislated minimum wages and minimum income for all;
• that all countries suffering from natural and man-made disasters and war have adequate disaster relief mechanisms in place, recognising that women and children suffer in all these situations.

b) urges governments and communities to

• recognise the economic value of women's domestic labour and unpaid work and to transform that recognition into social and other benefits for women, taking into consideration their multiple roles as breadwinners, mothers, nurturers, mediators;
• adopt measures aimed at the sharing of unpaid work between women and men;
• fully implement the ILO Convention on Paid Maternity Leave. c) urges its member organisations to
• ensure that private initiatives, such as Women's World Banking and other sources of low interest loans and grants, are widely publicised in order to enable women to acquire affordable finance in their own right.
• monitor governments' and states' achievements in eradication of poverty.

VIOLENCE

The IAW strongly urges the establishment of an International Convention on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Children on the basis of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (World Conference on Human Rights 1993). The IAW identifies the major issues to be dealt with in the current triennium :

a) Trafficking in women and children, which is becoming an international organised crime, and international sex tourism, must be effectively combatted.

The IAW therefore urges its member organisations to

• use mass media to increase public awareness, in particular in the case of mail order brides;
• work for the enforcement of existing laws and the adoption of new legal instruments where necessary;
• lobby for all child pornography to be banned;
• take appropriate measures to protect the girl child and her rights;
• work for the adoption of legal instruments whereby the perpetrators of international sex tourism can be punished in both the country of their residence and the country in which the crime is carried out;
• increase research into all aspects of sex trafficking;

b) Domestic violence should not be seen as a private family matter but as a crime, which is not tolerated by society and government. It encompasses physical, mental and/or sexual abuse, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women.

The IAW therefore asks its member organisations to urge governments to

• observe the 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women UN resolution A/48/104 and work with the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women;
• adopt measures to condemn rape and other violence perpetrated against women, children, elderly and disabled;
• implement measures to ascertain the extent of violence within families;
• support the establishment and funding of shelters, safe houses and crisis centres for women and girls.

The IAW urges its member organisations to work for

• increased awareness of this hidden crime of violence by national/local authorities by informing, sensitising and educating organizations like the police, legal system, media as well as the community at large;
• the protection and the genuine equality of the girl child;
• the establishment and funding of shelters, safe houses and crisis centres for women and girls.

c) Violence in General The IAW urges its member organisations to

• use the mass media to publicise all forms of violence including violence for reasons of sexual orientation;
• work for the protection of refugees and migrant workers against rape and other violence;
• sensitise officials to the gender aspects of violence and to the extent of violence against women in the society;
• work for the protection of women and children in times of war and conflict.

HEALTH

The IAW has identified healthy lifestyles for women throughout their life-span as a major issue to be promoted in the current triennium. The girl child should be as valued as the boy child in matters of nutrition and nurturing. The self-determination of women in matters relating to reproductive health must be recognised (using the World Charter on Sexual and Reproductive Rights of the IPPF as a guide).

a) The IAW therefore urges governments that

• reproductive rights be implemented for all women, especially the right to refuse unprotected sex, unwanted pregnancies and unwanted abortions;
• good quality pre-natal and post-natal care according to WHO standards be provided;
• predetermination of sex of unborn children for non-medical reasons be declared illegal;
• female genital mutilation be banned and abandoned everywhere;

b) In the field of nutrition, the IAW urges governments to

• provide basic nutrition on the basis of FAO and WHO guidelines;
• provide basic amenities like clean drinking water and sanitation services;
• protect the right to healthy nutrition for girls as well as for boys;

c) In the field of substance abuse, women are victims in a double sense: health deterioration due to self-consumption and violent behaviour of drug-addicted family members.

The IAW therefore urges governments to

• combat the abuse of alcohol, tobacco, psychotropic drugs and over-medication.
• to prohibit the export of expired medical drugs to developing countries. In all Health matters, the IAW urges its member organisations to
• lobby for the implementation of health legislation;
• lobby for adequate education;
• pressure relevant authorities to provide sex-segregated data;
• communicate about and assist in the distribution of information;
• promote women-specific counselling, research and therapies;

- encourage good quality medical care throughout the lifespan.

ENVIRONMENT AND HABITAT

The deterioration of natural resources results in detrimental effects on the health, well-being and quality of life of the population at large. Women's role as environmentalists is essential because, as consumers and producers, caretakers of their families and educators, women play an important role in promoting sustainable development. Women have been natural-resource managers for centuries, yet remain largely absent from decision-making and training and too often have their experience and skills marginalized.

a) The IAW recognizes the importance of the protection of the environment and threatened eco-systems for survival and asks its members to urge their governments to take immediate action at all levels to deal with the following problems:

• pollution of air, water and soil;
• transport and disposal of toxic and nuclear waste;
• biopiracy; - land acquisition for negative development purposes;
• noise, sight and light pollution; by concentrating on programs for
• sustainable rural and urban development;
• biodiversity;
• renewable energy sources;
• water conservation and management.

b) The IAW urges member organizations to monitor the enforcement of treaty obligations that refer to the environment and implement the following UN instruments:

• Agenda 21 of UNCED
• the Beijing Platform for Action K regarding Women and Environment;
• Habitat Agenda;
• World Plan on Aging regarding Housing and Environment;
• environmental health programs of WHO.

Vold mot kvinner

IAW ber innstendig om utarbeidelse av en internasjonal Konvensjon om avskaffelse av vold mot kvinner og barn på grunnlag av Wien-deklarasjonen og Handlingsprogrammet fra FNs verdenskonferanse om menneskerettigheter 1993.

IAW mener de viktigste utfordringene de neste tre åra blir:

a) Vold i nære relasjoner er ikke et privat anliggende, men en forbrytelse som ikke blir akseptert verken av samfunnet eller myndighetene. Ulike maktforholdet mellom kvinner og menn er årsaken til menns vold mot kvinner (nytt det siste). Volden innbefatter fysisk, psykisk og/eller seksuelle overgrep, omskjæring / kjønnslemlestelse og tradisjoner som skader kvinner. Vold mot kvinner fører til redusert bevegelsesfrihet og tap av inntekt, samt sykdom, invalidisering og død (nytt det siste). IAW ber medlemsorganisasjonene å arbeide for å

• ta i bruk tiltak for å forebygge all vold mot kvinner og jentebarn
• hindre kjønnslemlestelse av jenter (ny)
• ta i bruk tiltak for å stoppe menns vold mot kvinner
• lære menn ikke-voldelig atferd (endret)
• arbeide for at kvinnen skal kunne bo hjemme, mens den voldelige mannen må flytte ut (ny)
• tilby voldsalarm for kvinner og gi besøksforbud for menn (ny)
• å etablere og gi økonomisk støtte til krisesentre for kvinner og jenter (endret).
• arbeide for å styrke lovgivningen for å beskytte kvinner mot vold og straffeforfølge voldsmenn (nesten ny)

b) Vold i samfunnet IAW ber medlemsorganisasjonene å

• øve press på massemedia til å rette søkelys mot alle former for vold mot kvinner og barn, og påse at voldtekt omtales som vold, aldri som sex (ny)
• opplyse myndighetspersoner, politiet, lærere, helse- og sosialarbeidere om kjønnsspesifikk vold og om utbredelsen av vold mot kvinner i samfunnet (utvidet)
• bekjempe all normalisering av prostitusjon og pornografi
• arbeide for å forby alle former for barnepornografi
• gi kvinner alternativer til prostitusjon (ny)
• økt oppmerksomhet mot skjult kriminalitet overfor kvinner hos nasjonale og lokale myndigheter (endret)
• ta i bruk virkemidler for å beskytte jentebarn og deres rettigheter
• ansette voldskoordinator i hvert politidistrikt (ny)
• øke forskningen om alle former for kjønnsspesifikk vold (ny)
• påvirke myndighetene til å utarbeide kjønnsoppdelt og sammenliknbar statistikk på alle områder hvor kvinner blir utsatt for vold (ny) c) Internasjonalt IAW oppfordrer sine medlemsorganisasjoner til å
• håndheve Deklarasjonen om avskaffelse av vold mot kvinner fra 1993 (FN resolusjon A/48/104) og samarbeide med Spesialrapportøren av vold mot kvinner og Spesialrapportøren for handel med kvinner (nytt det siste)
• arbeide for å beskytte kvinner og barn i krig og konfliktområder - arbeide for å styrke lovverket slik at internasjonal sexturisme kan bli straffet både i forbryterens hjemland og der forbrytelsen har skjedd
• gi trafikkerte kvinner oppholdstillatelse og behandle dem som offer for en kriminell handling (ny)
• kriminalisere kjøp av sex for å bekjempe prostitusjon, internasjonal sexturisme og handel med kvinner (ny)
• arbeide for at etiske retningslinjer skal gjelde for ansatte både i private og offentlige virksomheter (ny)
• bekjempe samfunnets patriarkalske maktstruktur hvor kvinner er underordnet menn (ny)
• arbeide for bekjempelse av alle former for vold mot kvinner