(ANSAmed) - DOHA, FEBRUARY 13 - The Third Ministerial Meeting of
the Non-Aligned Movement on the advancement of Women has started
in Doha. More than 500 delegates from 80 different countries
participate in three days of discussions on questions like
gender equality, the elimination of all forms of discrimination,
the promotion of access to resources, education and healthcare
services, which could result tomorrow in the signing of the
Declaration of Doha, a binding document for members of the
movement.
The draft of the declaration holds 80 clauses divided in 10
sections. It is the result of the work done by experts of the
movement's bureau in New York. The clauses include concrete
commitments like increasing women participation in high decision
making levels to 50 percent, particularly in politics, and
assigning 0.7% of GDP to the development of economic policies
towards women.
But it is becoming clear from the meeting that started yesterday in Doha that often the problem women have is not a lack of laws to protect them, but problems related to the cultural tradition of a country. ''The government is not the problem, the problem is the people with their traditions and customs,'' said Samha Saeed, who works for the Ministry for Social Affairs of Saudi Arabia. She is in Doha for the event as member of the Saudi delegation. Many Saudi fathers still force their daughters to marry at the age of 11, based on the Islam, Saudi Arabia's official State religion. ''Another problem is domestic violence against women. The king is doing all he can to ban this form of aggression, but these laws need time because the traditions are saying something different and deep down we are still tribes,'' said Majda Ibrahim AlJaroudi, professor at the King Saud University and member of the Saudi delegation at the meeting in Doha. ''The people are the problem,'' she summarised. Both Saeed and AlJaroudi believe that Saudi Arabia has made progress in the protection of women's rights, also through the appointment of a woman as Education Minister. The video of a woman who filmed herself while driving, still forbidden in the kingdom, is still available on YouTube. ''We have problems that are much more important that driving cars. Many women have had no education and don't know their rights, they don't work because working is seen as shameful for women... and this too is an issue of traditions and customs,'' AlJaroudi added.
In other Arab countries too the problem of women's rights does not appear to be a lack of legislation, but a lack of their implementation. ''With Gaddafi we had many rights to protect women, but they were not implemented,'' said Naima Etaher, member of the Libyan delegation. Many Gaddafi supporters were responsible for mass rapes as systematic war instrument. ''We don't want personal revenge, we want the government to implement the laws against sexual violence,'' said Etaher. All participants are convinced that signing the Declaration of Doha will bring change in their countries, because of the pledges that are made on government level and to change the male chauvinist tradition that is still dominant in the Arab world.
(ANSAmed)
But it is becoming clear from the meeting that started yesterday in Doha that often the problem women have is not a lack of laws to protect them, but problems related to the cultural tradition of a country. ''The government is not the problem, the problem is the people with their traditions and customs,'' said Samha Saeed, who works for the Ministry for Social Affairs of Saudi Arabia. She is in Doha for the event as member of the Saudi delegation. Many Saudi fathers still force their daughters to marry at the age of 11, based on the Islam, Saudi Arabia's official State religion. ''Another problem is domestic violence against women. The king is doing all he can to ban this form of aggression, but these laws need time because the traditions are saying something different and deep down we are still tribes,'' said Majda Ibrahim AlJaroudi, professor at the King Saud University and member of the Saudi delegation at the meeting in Doha. ''The people are the problem,'' she summarised. Both Saeed and AlJaroudi believe that Saudi Arabia has made progress in the protection of women's rights, also through the appointment of a woman as Education Minister. The video of a woman who filmed herself while driving, still forbidden in the kingdom, is still available on YouTube. ''We have problems that are much more important that driving cars. Many women have had no education and don't know their rights, they don't work because working is seen as shameful for women... and this too is an issue of traditions and customs,'' AlJaroudi added.
In other Arab countries too the problem of women's rights does not appear to be a lack of legislation, but a lack of their implementation. ''With Gaddafi we had many rights to protect women, but they were not implemented,'' said Naima Etaher, member of the Libyan delegation. Many Gaddafi supporters were responsible for mass rapes as systematic war instrument. ''We don't want personal revenge, we want the government to implement the laws against sexual violence,'' said Etaher. All participants are convinced that signing the Declaration of Doha will bring change in their countries, because of the pledges that are made on government level and to change the male chauvinist tradition that is still dominant in the Arab world.
(ANSAmed)
