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[1996] HRD 15
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Womens Issues: Major Focus at Recent UN Commisison on Human Rights
By Jane Corpuz-Brock
Womens issues were a major focus at the recently concluded 52nd session of the
UN Commission on Human Rights (CHR). The present report reviews NGO activities
during the session, and summarises a selection of reports and resolutions of
the Commission.
NGO Activities
The International Alliance on Military Sexual Slavery gave a briefing on the
outcome of the two-day Fourth Asian Women Solidarity Conference on Military
Sexual Slavery by Japan, held 28-29 March 1996 in Manila. Ms Nelia Sancho
reported that the conference rejected Japans collection of US$ 1.5 million from
the Japanese public as a solution of the issue. The three-page resol-ution,
signed by 150 women delegates, as well as comfort women states: (WE) reaffirm
that the Asian Womens Fund is not the solution to the war crimes committed
against the comfort women, but a ploy of the Japanese government to hide its
crimes and avoid its legal and moral responsibility to the survivors.
Ms Sancho announced that womens groups are convening a world public hearing on
the crimes committed against the women who were forced into sex slavery by
Japan during World War II. She emphasised that this public hearing is a bid
to contest the prevailing framework of analysis on the human rights of women.
With increasing incidents of violence against women, this framework is
inadequate.
On 16 April, the Sub-Committee on the Status of Women, through its Working
Group on Women and Development, held an Open Meeting with International Labour
Office experts and the UN Centre for Human Rights Focal Point on Women. The
meeting considered a number of questions: (a) What concrete measures have
been planned to implement the Beijing Platform of Action?; (b) how is
main-streaming of women applied?; (c) how is the implementation of the
Beijing Platform of Action viewed in the context of the financial crisis facing
the United Nations?; and (d) how can UN bodies and agencies and NGOs work
together to implement the Beijing Platform of Action?
Jane Youyun Zhang, ILO Adviser on Women Workers Question, presented the
commitments of the ILOs Governing Body to specific follow-up. The three areas
of priority are: Productive employment, improved working conditions and
international labour standards. Mme Zhang announced that her office has
started to prepare a briefing package and training course on gender to help
institutions in main-streaming women in their programmes. Late this year, the
ILO has scheduled a Forum on Women and Entrepreneurship. Consultations with
members of the Governing Body and national constituents will produce a strategy
for follow-up and capacity building on gender issues in the world of work.
Womens Caucus
During the CHR session, women NGO participants met each morning to discuss and
prepare for various agenda items. They also discussed follow-up to the Fourth
World Conference on Women, as well as the 1993 World Conference on Human
Rights. The caucus was a market place of ideas. Women shared insights on
different aspects of womens rights, widening horizons in campaign and lobby
work. The women in the caucus sought the support of NGOs for the findings of
the Special Rapporteur on the Causes and Consequences of Violence against
Women. They lobbied government representatives to take concrete action.
With respect to main-streaming the human rights of women in all aspects of the
UN system, women called upon all UN agencies and organizations to re-assess and
mod-ify their methodology and standards through gender-sensitive prog-rammes.
Mr Jose Ayala Lasso, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, received the
following plea from various womens organizations: All officials and staff
members of the Centre for Human Rights and other United Nations personnel
involved in the UN human rights activities should receive training in the
recognition of the human rights of women and the application of
gender-sensitive perspectives to all human rights practices. A training plan
with concrete time-line for this is needed. The Commissioner on Human Rights
should take the lead in promoting system-wide coord-ination and collaboration
on the human rights of women within the United Nations. This includes
promoting a gender perspective on human rights aspects of, inter alia ,
peace-keeping operations (DPKO), humanitarian assistance (DHA), refugees
(UNHCR), development (UNDP), economic policy and planning (IMF/World Bank),
reproductive health services (UNFPA), labour (ILO) and education (UNESCO).
Women NGO participants also expressed concern over mounting cases of violence
against women migrant workers. Socio-economic conditions in sending countries
were said to be the main push factor in the out migration of women, aggravated
by the effects of structural adjustment programmes imposed by the
intern-ational financial institutions (IMF/World Bank) on labour sending
countries.
Some Selected Reports
- Report of the 4th Workshop on Regional Human Rights Arrangements in Asia and the
Pacific, Kathmandu, 26-28 February 1996: This Report outlines moves towards the development
of a framework for regional arr-angements in the Asia-Pacific region. The promotion of the
right to development is said to be an important area for discussion at future
workshops.
- Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the Implementation of the Plan of
Action for the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education 1995-2004: This Report
notes that in response to the appeal of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, five
countries will set up national focal points and centres for human rights education.
- Report of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on his visit to Indonesia and East
Timor, 3-7 December 1995: The Report of the High Commissioner refers to the achievements of
Indonesia in the area of socio-economic and cultural rights. He also exhorts the Government
of Indonesia to rectify human rights violations in East Timor: With respect to the incident
that occurred in Dili on 12 November 1991, the High Commissioner asked the Government of
Indonesia to pay compensation the families of the victims. He stressed the need to
continue the search for the disappeared and dead [and]... a continuing investigation of the
incident, as new elements emerged.
The Report of the High Commissioner calls on Indonesia to consider (a) the
transfer of a number of Timorese prisoners ... from the Semarang prison in
central Java to the Dili prison; (b) the repeal of the anti-subversion law; (c)
an end to the transmigration of Indonesians to East Timor; (d) the reduction of
troops in East Timor; (e) clemency for all civilians convicted for publicly
expressing political dissent or revealing facts relating to the incident in
Dili and other more recent demonstrations.
- Report of the Secretary-General on the Situation in East Timor: The Report of the UN
Secretary-General calls on all concerned parties to persist in seeking a just,
comprehensive and internationally acceptable solution to the question of the East Timorese
people. Through the good offices of the Secretary-General, the following steps have been
taken: an all-inclusive intra-East Timorese dialogue (2-5 June 1995), with a second round
scheduled in March 1996, continuing talks and confidence-building between the Indonesian
and Portuguese Governments.
- Report of the Expert Group on the Development of Guidelines for the Integration of
Gender Perspectives into Human Rights Activities and Programmes: This Report discusses a
number of theoretical issues and proposes a framework for the app-lication of gender
perspectives, beginning with human rights treaty bodies and other mechanisms and programmes
which play a central role in the international human rights system.
- Report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, its Causes and
Consequences: Special Rapporteur Radhika Coom-araswamy reports on the problem of violence
in the family and outlines existing national legislation concerning domestic violence. Her
analysis of legal mechanisms in selected countries provides a starting point for
governments considering the adoption of a legislative framework.
The Report raises the case of Sarah Balabagan, a Filipina who claimed she was
raped by her employer in the United Arab Emirates and killed the employer in
self-defence. Ms Balabagan was later convicted of murder, and subjected to
whipping in jail. Many NGOs expressed appreciation of the Special Rapporteurs
efforts in this case. Similar cases of violence against migrant women workers
were reported on in sessions of the Commission.
Some Selected Resolutions
- Violence against Women Migrant Workers: This resolution of the Commission on Human
Rights calls on States, particularly those sending and receiving women migrant workers, to
hold regular consult-ations in order to identify problem areas, including in the promotion
and protection of the human rights of women migrant workers, provision of basic health,
legal and social services, and the establishment of an accessible mechanisms for the
implementation of policies, programmes and support measures. The resolution emphasises the
desirability of a social environment of harmony and tolerance between women migrant workers
and the population of receiving States.
- Effects on the Full Enjoyment of Human Rights of the Economic Adjustment Policies
arising from Foreign Debt and, in particular, the Implementation of the Declaration on the
Right to Development: In this resolution, the Commission emph-asises the following: a) that
foreign debt is a major barrier in the realiz-ation of the right to development of poor
countries; b) that greater transparency is needed in the activities of international
financial institutions; and c) that an integral process of dialogue should be started with
the objective of restructuring the international economic order and achieving equitable and
fair relations among all nations of the world.
A draft resolution concerning alleged human rights violations by the Chinese
government was defeated. The Chinese Ambassador to the UN in Geneva stated: For
six years, that superpower and some Western countries have kept launching
vehement attacks against China in this Commission ... The reason for their
ceaseless slander is simple: They dont like the mode of development the Chinese
people have chosen. Instead of accepting their prescription of shock therapy
and the like, we have adhered to our own path ... Let me warn those who persist
in sponsoring anti-China draft resolutions: You may do it six times, or even
sixty times, but you can never prevent the Chinese people from following their
path.
Jane Corpuz-Brock, NGO Working Group on Women and the International Economic
System.
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