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Women’s groups combine to teach women’s rights
By Dawn Roper, Freelance Writer
Jamaica ratified the UN CEDAW in 1984. It means Jamaica is legally bound to:
- “condemn discrimination against women in all its forms and work to end it.” (Article 2)
- “take all appropriate actions to ensure the advancement of women and to protect their rights on basis of equality with men.” (Article 3)
- “institute affirmative action programmes to ensure women’s advancement.” (Article 4)
- “eliminate cultural and traditional practices that perpetuate discriminate and gender stereotyping of women.” (Article 5)
- “work to eliminate trafficking in women and the exploitation of prostitution of women.” (Article 6)
- “eliminate discrimination against women in health care and provide equal access on the basis with men to health care services, including family planning.” (Article 12)
- “ensure that the particular needs of rural women are met in relation to access to services, training and employment opportunities, and social equity schemes.” (Article 14)
- “give women equality with men before the law, including rights to contract, administer property appear in court or before tribunals, and to choose residence and domicile.” (Article 15)
- “eliminate discrimination against women in all matters related to marriage and the family, including the right to choose freely the number and spacing of children and equal rights and responsibilities regarding ownership, management and disposition of property.” (Article 16)
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Kingston, 22 May 2006 (Panos) - Many Jamaican women do not know their rights and this is an issue that several local women’s groups have combined to address through a series of training workshops.
“They don’t know what their rights are… but I think this is a good start. You have a role to play. Use your privilege to empower the less privileged,”
said Dr. Glenda Simms, independent gender issues consultant while talking to the first set of women being trained at a workshop recently. The workshop was the first of five designed to teach Jamaican women about the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (UN CEDAW). It attracted 65 participants from all over the island.
“CEDAW is a serious treaty document and the government should be held accountable for what it does or does not do for you,” Ms Simms told the women, while speaking about the impact of co-ordinated activism by Jamaican women.
She praised the workshops’ organising committee for showing Jamaican women how to use CEDAW as a tool for change. The Women’s Resource and Outreach Centre (WROC), Coalition for Community Participation in Governance (CCPG), Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN Caribbean) and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) came together and launched the workshops. Pointing to problems of prostitution, human trafficking and the depressed conditions of rural Jamaican women, Dr. Simms stressed that they have a lot of work to do.
“What’s happening with Jamaican women today?” Linnette Vassell, WROC chairperson asked in her introductory remarks. “The workshops will explore the history of Jamaican women. What we mean by gender. What we can do to strengthen our organisations to advocate for certain things. What does CEDAW mean and what does it say. What does Millennium Development Goals have to do with Jamaican women?”
According to Ms. Vassell, too many Jamaican women are still in the dark about their rights through programmes such as the National Insurance Scheme, National Housing Trust and National Health Fund. The workshops will empower participants to teach other women about their CEDAW rights as well as economic and social benefits from the NIS and NHT.
At the same time Ms. Taitu Heron of DAWN Caribbean encouraged Jamaican women to be courageous and unified in order to have their rights respected. Her encouragement was set against the example of outstanding women in Jamaica’s history. She spoke briefly about the work of nurse Mary Seacole and post slavery activists such as Mary Clarke and Leticia Edwards.
The workshop included a full day of presentations, group discussions, and role-plays. The participants were introduced to the specific rights guaranteed by CEDAW and were encouraged to assess Jamaican life against these rights. Workshop participants spoke frankly about the following problems:
- Disabled women are “pushed back” and not given the chance to prove themselves.
- Women do not train their sons to treat women with respect.
- Women do not stand up for each other during domestic abuse. It is common for people to tell abused women to accept the abuse and not annoy the abuser.
- Rural women need specialised education to help them to add value to their products and resources. Rural women lack employment opportunities and need expertise on finding markets for their goods.
- Poor road conditions and improper or non-existent sanitary facilities plague rural communities.
- Jamaican women do not know about CEDAW.
- Rural and inner-city women in agriculture and other low paying occupations know very little about NIS, NHT, NHF.
- Employers are not co-operative in ensuring that their workers have access NIS and NHT.
The workshops will continue on June 3 and 10 at the University of the West Indies.
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