babusyatanya (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
babusyatanya) wrote2014-07-17 01:55 pm
babusyatanya) wrote2014-07-17 01:55 pm
Entry tags:
IWHHR - Thought Question, Week 1
Please go to Annex I: The Beijing Declaration . Read the Beijing Declaration (pages 2-5), a document that emerged from the 4th United Nations Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995.
Almost every country in the world has signed on to this Declaration. As you read through it, take note of two or three of the commitments in this document that interest you.
What surprises you? Do you think the commitments are realistic? Do you have any other reactions?
Respond to this Thought Question in three to five thoughtful paragraphs
First of all I would like to put the article 29 of Beijing declaration of human rights in the context of social affairs in Russian Federation. The article says: Prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. RF signed up this document along with the rest of the world, however the rights of women to be protected from the everyday violence are not addressed properly, in fact situation with the domestic violence and crime against women (homicide) has been rapidly deteriorating during the last decade. To deal with this deterioration of human conditions within the country RF government has adopted a hypocritical approach: the official statistics for homicide and domestic violence is not part of responsibilities of the police. NGO could have be able to do monitoring of the situation, but in 2013 new legislation about NGO makes these organizations almost outlaw (foreign agents – “inostrannie agenti”), if they receive for their work any sponsor money from an international grant awarding agencies. I think, knowing that this particular article of Declaration is violated in the recent changes in RF legislation and practices of police work, can contribute to development of an effective strategy for establishing civil forms of resistance of this patriarchal Renaissance and rise of religious orthodox fundamentalism.
I also like the article 34: “Develop the fullest potential of girls and women of all ages, ensure their full and equal participation in building a better world for all and enhance their role in the development process.” This does not sound realistic to me, and that is why this one is particularly good: it serves as a guiding star. Lots of UN Resolutions and Declarations are lacking enforcement mechanisms. However, this gives people awareness about the desirable state of the civil world. Knowing that there are some people in this world who think that girls and women deserve to be granted a special attention, to ensure that their contributions are valued and taken into account and they are respected the way they are, as capable and unique beings – this gives people a sense of self esteem, which is utterly lacking in lots of girls’ and women’s lives.
In short, I think, these articles are primarily an indicator of a significant gap between the reality and the desired state of social affairs addressed globally. The text is important and its symbolic acceptance of all the states who signed it is important too, because it gives those who care the direction for action, it can serve as a mobilizing set of ideas for creating particular locally appropriate set of strategies for achieving the goals of social equality and human rights establishing and protection. It used to be a norm that literacy was only for elite, the majority of population was illiterate or had to pay with their labor and service for learning how to read and write, count, etc. Today the norm is universal free access to elementary education; in some countries all levels of education are accessible to the citizens as part of their human rights. To become a reality this once had to be formulated as a crazy idea. I want to believe that someday this document will be outdated and all its articles will sound boringly normal for every human community on the Earth.
Almost every country in the world has signed on to this Declaration. As you read through it, take note of two or three of the commitments in this document that interest you.
What surprises you? Do you think the commitments are realistic? Do you have any other reactions?
Respond to this Thought Question in three to five thoughtful paragraphs
First of all I would like to put the article 29 of Beijing declaration of human rights in the context of social affairs in Russian Federation. The article says: Prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. RF signed up this document along with the rest of the world, however the rights of women to be protected from the everyday violence are not addressed properly, in fact situation with the domestic violence and crime against women (homicide) has been rapidly deteriorating during the last decade. To deal with this deterioration of human conditions within the country RF government has adopted a hypocritical approach: the official statistics for homicide and domestic violence is not part of responsibilities of the police. NGO could have be able to do monitoring of the situation, but in 2013 new legislation about NGO makes these organizations almost outlaw (foreign agents – “inostrannie agenti”), if they receive for their work any sponsor money from an international grant awarding agencies. I think, knowing that this particular article of Declaration is violated in the recent changes in RF legislation and practices of police work, can contribute to development of an effective strategy for establishing civil forms of resistance of this patriarchal Renaissance and rise of religious orthodox fundamentalism.
I also like the article 34: “Develop the fullest potential of girls and women of all ages, ensure their full and equal participation in building a better world for all and enhance their role in the development process.” This does not sound realistic to me, and that is why this one is particularly good: it serves as a guiding star. Lots of UN Resolutions and Declarations are lacking enforcement mechanisms. However, this gives people awareness about the desirable state of the civil world. Knowing that there are some people in this world who think that girls and women deserve to be granted a special attention, to ensure that their contributions are valued and taken into account and they are respected the way they are, as capable and unique beings – this gives people a sense of self esteem, which is utterly lacking in lots of girls’ and women’s lives.
In short, I think, these articles are primarily an indicator of a significant gap between the reality and the desired state of social affairs addressed globally. The text is important and its symbolic acceptance of all the states who signed it is important too, because it gives those who care the direction for action, it can serve as a mobilizing set of ideas for creating particular locally appropriate set of strategies for achieving the goals of social equality and human rights establishing and protection. It used to be a norm that literacy was only for elite, the majority of population was illiterate or had to pay with their labor and service for learning how to read and write, count, etc. Today the norm is universal free access to elementary education; in some countries all levels of education are accessible to the citizens as part of their human rights. To become a reality this once had to be formulated as a crazy idea. I want to believe that someday this document will be outdated and all its articles will sound boringly normal for every human community on the Earth.