CSW68 Event Report
Dr. Priscila Izar, Centre for Urbanism and Built Environment Studies (CUBES), School of Architecture and Planning, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, Session Moderator
“This event will continue to build on previous dialogues we’ve had in parallel sessions of the CSW and also other spaces about fulfilling the rights of women, looking particularly at the territorial perspective. And in this event today, we’re looking specifically at conflicts of war and the effects of war and violence on women and marginalized communities”.
Opening remarks -“Framing of the conversation: Care, Territories and Violence’
Ana Falu, Executive Director Ciudades Feministas (CISCSA), Feminist movements representative to the HIC Board
“In the present context of violence, wars, economic crisis, hunger of the majority, as well as an environmental crisis that is taking place in very concrete territories, we are living in a very challenging situation in the world, particularly for women. Particularly for women because women are the poorest among the poor. Women are still taking care and being responsible for reproduction and their dependents. And they are in the lowest conditions of employment, or in the informality without security.
So what I want to emphasize is this is the result of a patriarchal model of a patriarchal model, which, together with the neoliberalism, the racism, the discrimination, makes up the most perverse equation on which the society is being built. We are pushing the agenda of the role of care to advance toward gender equality as a priority.
Panel 1: Land rights: intersection between gender and violence
Maha Ahmed, Director, Egyptian commission for Rights and Freedoms
“I will speak about two regions, Palestine and Sudan. There are more rates of violence against women and children, particularly in such regions of war, and conflict, and sexual violence is a tool to use or to control and oppress women. Women are the ones responsible always; so she is responsible and she loses also, in cases of war. Palestinian women have been subjected over many decades to many multifaceted violence. In terms of discrimination, the Israeli occupation deprived them of the right to self determination. There is also the violence that women are subjected to in Sudan including human trafficking.
Women, when they lose their home, they lose their work, livelihood and the environment that they are used to, whether working in agriculture, in hunting or any vocation. When women are forced away from their house or where they live or where they can fulfill herself and protect their economic and social rights, unfortunately, they start to lose.
Effective interventions
Our role is to protect these women from this violence and to protect their economic rights and social rights provide shelters that protect them, and as civil society and governments to mention the problems that women face in the context of these words, whether environmental impacts and as well as the poor areas, including in Egypt as well, Sudan, Syria, Iraq, all these countries women are more impacted and more vulnerable to the changes and impacts that women suffer from, whether in war or under environmental change.
Our role is to have plans for women, for both men and women, in order to not lose their housing, to provide alternatives in cases of wars or environmental impacts. To have alternative housing that is appropriate to protect women from violence, trafficking, rape and losing her economic rights or losing her livelihood.”
Desmond Chieshe, Africa Regional Coordinator, Habitat International Coalition
“Gender based violence during conflict disproportionately affects women, leading to displacement and loss of property. This also increases vulnerability for women in sub saharan Africa. In Nigeria, for example, in the northeastern part of the country, you find that there is a continuous conflict that happened. And the people who suffer most of these are the women and children.
Effective interventions
First, we need to promote women’s access to common land. We should also ensure gender equality and rights under customary and statutory law. Second, we must promote knowledge generation, information sharing, networking at all levels in order to promote policies that are sensitive to specific needs of women. We also facilitate dialogue on women’s land rights issues in view of rising awareness and importance of addressing related challenges that hamper socioeconomic development and peace and security. We also advocate for women’s land rights in the context of land policy and implementation, and indeed in the context of implementing programs that are land based and sectors in the African economy. We also coordinate and facilitate capacity building at all levels to support women’s land rights in the context of land policy development and implementation. We also develop monitoring and evaluation tools in support of addressing women’s land rights issues in land policy development and implementation.
Nyokabi Njogu, Discussant, KELIN-Kenya.
“I think we resonate a lot with what the panelists have shared in the context of women’s rights, in the context of conflict, in the conflicts of a changing world that is plagued by violence, both external violence in the context of war, as well as internal violence. We work primarily in Kenya, although we do some regional work.
Many women in Kenya do not own land. Less than 20% actually have access to titled land, however, the majority of women actually make their living on the land. And whenever there’s internal conflict, that means there’s displacement. This, of course, subjects them to additional forms of violence, especially sexual and gender based violence.
At KELIN, we undertake legal and policy reforms, as well as undertake social reforms that challenge the system, that is, systemic patriarchal notions prevalent in Kenya. We work directly with the government to try and address the law on a question of substantive equality. Borrowing the language in the conventions, like one of the panelists has said that the conventions do give us a good starting point, and trying to demonstrate that while the conventions are giving us a good starting point, we need to be able to translate this to actual law.
Panel 2: The role of care in promoting peace and women’s rights.
Maite Rodriguez Blandon, Coordinator, Red Mujer y Hábitat America Latina y Caribe.
“In the Latin and Caribbean women network, we don’t speak on behalf of women, but we allow women, grassroots women to participate actively. The network provides alternatives to make life livable and or cities to be safer, and the spaces where social protection flourishes.
The central aspects for advancing gender agenda include the care agenda, laws, knowledge production, organized groups, and efforts with the local governments. The network advances this through grassroots women
Peace is not only absence of war: peace is a complex process that requires a lot of effort to be invested and grassroot women need to be at the heart of these efforts”.
Maria Fides Bagasao, Community Organizers Multiversity, (Co-Multiversity) Huairou Commission, Philippines.
“In our recent work as Community Organizers Multiversity, we have highlighted the term care, not just for the women, but also for the community. We must really organize the women, grassroots women and their partners to be able to be in the decision making and in the policy making
In the case of our work in the rebuilding of the role of women, many of whom are former combatants, we organized with grassroots organizations to address the basic requirements of survival, of going back to their territory and poverty. So the grassroots women groups, both the men and women, have already done a lot of engagement with civil society, with the government to address their basic needs about food, security and peace, livelihood and mediating in conflicts around land disputes.”
Ernestine Ronai, Head of the International Observatory on Violence against Women and Girls
Main Topic: Poverty and Violence against women in France and Africa, with a focus on empowerment and education.
“We need to fight against violence against women. This is something that we need in every single agenda, in every single instance, in every single international organization and in all territories. Fight against violence against women needs to be at the core of all our advocacy work, locally, nationally and globally.
Violence against women is something that we can see every single day and that women face every single day. And so, therefore, violence against women will have an impact on their children, too. It will have an impact in the entire world, because women will not be able to have and will not be able to be a part of political life in society”.
Maria Helena Langa, Mayor of Mandlakazi (Mozambique) and Vice-President of REFELA for Southern Africa.
“The Network of Local Women Elected in Africa (REFELA) adopted in Banjul the Banjul Declaration, which recommended zero tolerance against violence, promotion of girls education, and that the issue of gender equality is a priority for everyone. It is my desire that once this event is concluded, we leave here united in favor of ending violence against women and for a united society and we can say that the world is made up of women and men and everyone together has the right to be part of it.
Our solidarity goes out to all women who experience situations of violence, especially those at war and victims of domestic violence. It is important to materialize and enforce international rules that defend human rights. We must continue to promote women’s empowerment and more solidarity among women”
Yolande Hendler, HIC Secretary General: Closing and Conclusion.
“As all the speakers mentioned, we’re up against extremely difficult systemic challenges being the combination of patriarchy, neoliberalism, and discrimination. What has stood out for me is throughout the various contributions, that there are sort of four aspects that are really central to advancing the gender agenda and gender equality, particularly in the context of violence and conflict.
The first one is the centrality of care. Secondly, there are various legal conventions and laws that are critical for us to be monitoring as well as to be following up with. Thirdly, the critical importance of knowledge production around the various faces of poverty and that we are not speaking only of economic poverty, but looking at the multiple facets that various conditions reflect in everyday lives. And then lastly, the power of organized groups, that is, the power of what can be achieved through grassroots organizing, and, of course, the power and the immense contribution of organized local and regional governments.
The challenge for us as a group that has been collaborating together, that is sharing conversations, and that is really grappling with these intense challenges, is how do we organize and prepare ourselves ahead of the next CSW and the sort of moment of reflection that comes with Beijing plus 30. So the conversation certainly does not stop here. Let’s take it forward. Let’s look at how we can advance these various elements”
Summary of reflections from the event
Women’s safety and well-being are critical for achieving gender equality. Speakers emphasized the need for addressing poverty and inequality, social protection, and care systems. They highlighted the importance of legal frameworks, grassroots organizing, collective power and global dialogues to address gender-based violence and discrimination. In discussing the intersections of gender equality and conflict, speakers highlighted the disproportionate impact of war and violence on women and marginalized communities, emphasizing the need for a more inclusive and diverse understanding of gender equality. They stressed the importance of addressing the root causes of violence and discrimination, such as patriarchal and neoliberal structures, to achieve true gender equality.
Opening remarks by Ana Falu: “Framing of the conversation: Care, Territories and Violence’
“We are living in a very challenging situation in the world. Particularly for women because women are the poorest among the poor. Women are still taking care and being responsible for reproduction and their dependents. And they are in the lowest conditions of employment, or in the informality without security. So what I want to emphasize is this is a result of a patriarchal model which, together with neoliberalism, makes up the most perverse equation on which the society is being built.
Panel 1: Land rights: intersection between gender and violence
- The conversation centered around the need for effective interventions to ensure women’s access to land and control over their assets, while challenging patriarchal notions that perpetuate gender-based violence.
- Speakers discuss violence, war, and the economic crisis’ impact on women, particularly those in marginalized territories.
- Need for a central role of care in advancing gender equality and addressing violence against women.
Maha Ahmed: Gender dimensions of violence and war impacting women’s rights in the Middle East.
- Women in Sudan, Palestine, and Syria face violence and displacement due to war and environmental change: They also face loss of economic and social rights, and lack of secure housing.
- Women face violence in personal status laws, including deprivation of custody and inheritance.
- Laws that discriminate against women, including inheritance rights and child custody.
- Emphasizes the importance of involving women in peacebuilding efforts.
- Highlights the importance of addressing systemic issues to promote women’s rights and peace.
Desmond Chieshe: Gender dimensions of violence and war impacting women’s rights in Africa.
- Women are disproportionately affected by violence in Sub Saharan Africa, leading to displacement and loss of property.
- Women’s land rights and access to land are neglected in conflict situations, leading to violence and exploitation.
- Women and girls must be empowered to access land and resources.
Interventions as proposed by Desmond.
- Promote women’s access to common land
- Promote equal rights for men and women under customary and statutory law.
- Promote knowledge generation and information sharing on policies sensitive to women’s specific land rights needs.
- Facilitate dialogue on women’s land rights issues to raise awareness.
- Advocate for women’s land rights in land policy and program implementation contexts.
- Coordinate efforts and partnerships towards effective synergies to address women’s land rights.
- Develop monitoring and evaluation tools to support addressing women’s land rights issues
- Provide technical support and advisory services to integrate women’s rights in policies.
- Mobilize resources to support efforts addressing women’s land rights.
- Involve women in decision making processes and leadership roles regarding displacement during conflicts.
- Emphasizes the importance of resource mobilization and data collection to support women’s land rights.
Nyokabi Njogu, Discussant, KELIN-Kenya.
- Highlights gender and land rights challenges in Kenya, and that KELIN advocates for legal and policy reforms.
- Partnered with communities to challenge gender-based violence and promote equal access to land and property.
Panel 2: The role of care in promoting peace and women’s rights.
Maite Rodriguez Blandon, Coordinator, Red Mujer y Hábitat America Latina y Caribe
Main point: Poverty, social protection, and care systems in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Highlights central aspects for advancing gender agenda: care, laws, knowledge production, organized groups, and local governments. The network advances this through grassroots women
- Network provides alternatives to make life livable and or cities to be safer, and the spaces where social protection flourishes.
- Importance knowledge production in women habitat networks.
- Peace is not only absence of war: peace is a complex process that requires a lot of effort to be invested; grassroot women need to be at the heart of these efforts.
- Violence is patriarchal, absence of care and conditions of poverty
- Importance of safety and care in cities, particularly for women and children
Maria Fides Bagasao: Maria Fides Bagasao, Community Organizers Multiversity, (Co-Multiversity) Huairou Commission, Philippines.
Main Topic: Women’s roles in peace, security, and care in the Philippines.
- Shares the work of Community Organizers Multiversity (CO-Multiversity) network; It is a capability building institution that has a broader perspective on the empowerment process. The organization aims to respond to the difficult challenges faced by the marginalized communities to address the impact of poverty due to the globalization process.
- A number of legislation processes that the network participated in, in regards to peace agreements and negotiations.
- In rebuilding the role of women, work with grassroot organizations to organize on food security, peace security, livelihoods and mediating in land disputes.
- Organizing grassroots women’s groups in Muslim region for peace and security.
- Organizing grassroot groups to contribute and participate in ongoing processes.
- Speaker 3 emphasizes women’s role in peace and security, facing challenges in the Philippines.
Ernestine Ronai, Head of the International Observatory on Violence against Women and Girls
Main Topic: Poverty and Violence against women in France and Africa, with a focus on empowerment and education.
- Discusses violence against women, highlighting its impact on children and society.
- Women lack economic rights, husbands creates hindrances to these economic rights
- Economic violence is a common violence, it is a public violence- it is a part of violnce in the world.
- In the case of violence against women, impact on the lives of women especially for the poor, they are stuck in a cycle of violence as they have no economic means to leave the violent situation, i.e. poverty makes women a target for violence
- Impact on children and the society at large-women are not able to be a part of political lives
- Fight against violence against women needs to be at the core of all our advocacy work, locally, nationally and globally.
Maria Helena Langa, Mayor of Mandlakazi (Mozambique) and Vice-President of REFELA for Southern Africa.
- Expressed solidarity to all women who experience situations of violence especially those at war and victims of domestic violence.
- It is important to materialize and enforce international rules and conventions that protect human rights
- We must continue to promote women’s empowerment, education and solidarity among women.
- Highlights that the Network of Local Elected Women in Africa (REFELA) adopted the Banjul Declaration that captures the commitment of local and regional women leaders to end violence against women, as well as calling on all levels of government to scale up and take action.
- Called all the participants to leave the CSW event united in the fight against violence agaianst women
- The issue of gender equality should be a priority for everyone.
Yolande Hendler, HIC Secretary General: Closing and Conclusion.
- Challenge of systemic challenges being the combination of patriarchy, neoliberalism and discrimination
- Highlighted four aspects that came out through the discussions and are central to advancing the gender agenda and gender equality, particularly in the context of violence and conflict.
These include:
- Centrality of care: care and care systems have been a critical point of conversation during this CSW.
- Secondly, there are various legal conventions and laws that are critical for us to be monitoring as well as to be following up.
- Thirdly, critical importance of knowledge production, around the various phases of poverty and that we are not speaking only of economic poverty, but looking at multiple facets that various conditions reflect in everyday lives.
- The power of organized groups- the speakers shared really poignant examples of the power of what can be achieved through grassroots organizing and of course, the power and the immense contribution of organized local and regional governments.
Yolande concluded by posing the question, ;How do we organize and prepare ourselves ahead of the next CSW? with the request to participants to advance this conversation forward together.
