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Meeting the challenges of discrimination against women from minority groups
07 March 2006
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7 March 2006
Statement on the occasion of International Women’s Day, 8th March 2006
By Gay McDougall, the UN Independent Expert on minority issues
All women share common bonds in the fight for equal rights. In every region and in every society, women are undervalued, face issues of personal insecurity because of violence in their homes and communities, and must wage a constant struggle for self-determination over their bodies and personal destinies. While some gains have been made in those battles, gender based discrimination remains a persistent and universal problem.
However, some women’s problems are compounded by their uniquely disadvantaged position in society as members of national, racial, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities that are targets of discrimination. The damage done to individuals, families, communities and societies by discrimination, exclusion and racism on these grounds is immense. Women from these groups must often fight the patriarchy within their communities along with the patriarchy and racism of the larger community.
On this, International Women’s Day, it is incumbent on the international community, to speak out in support for those women whose voices have been silenced and whose lives have been blighted by discrimination, intolerance, exploitation, violence and patriarchal ideologies. Addressing the situation of the most disadvantaged women is a challenge requiring the urgent attention of all of us.
Minorities are often restricted from participating fully or effectively in economic, social and political life. Yet it is women who belong to minority population groups whose choices, opportunities and life chances, are the most restricted, in both public and private spheres. Where minorities suffer poor access to education, health services and employment, it is often the women from those minority groups, whose needs are least recognized, and whose potential remains the least fulfilled. While minorities are the most frequent victims of conflict and genocide, it is the women of those communities who often suffer the most, supporting families under unimaginable conditions, or targeted for rape or killing, due to their status as the most vulnerable of minorities, and the bearers of a new generation. Overwhelmingly, the poorest of the world are disproportionately minority communities that have been subjected to on-going discrimination, yet it is minority women who often bear the greatest burden.
A Roma woman in Europe, for example, may experience complex multiple forms of discrimination, touching every aspect of her life, including her social interactions, her health and work. An Afro-descendent woman in Latin America is also more likely to be poorly educated, to live in the poorest quality housing, lack access to health care and other services, and to work in the lowest income employment. Women in communities affected by caste in some Asian or African nations are often severely disadvantaged and forced to perform the most degrading tasks in society. If such women happen to be unmarried, to have a disability, to be lesbian or a single mother, they may also face additional forms of discrimination.
Action must be taken at the community, national and international levels to address the discrimination and rights violations faced by women from disadvantaged minority groups. In the first instance, this requires recognition that such complex problems exist. It is often the case that we do not see the most disadvantaged, precisely because of the violations perpetrated against them. They are, in a very real sense, hidden victims.
Socio-economic data that is aggregated hides the problems that minorities face. The increasing practice of disaggregating data along gender lines is revealing the general inequalities between men and women. But only when that data is further disaggregated based on both gender and race, ethnicity or religion, will the problems of marginalized and disadvantaged women come into focus. In order for policies and programs to be effective, the gender lens must be adjusted to reveal the dynamics of colour, ethnicity and religion, so that the plight of these women can become visible through research and statistics.
While reinforcing a clear message of the value of cultural and religious diversity, we must not shy away from addressing those cultural, religious or traditional practices which impair or restrict the full range of choices that women, as humans, are entitle to as rights. Yet calls for the rights and empowerment of minority women should not be seen as a challenge to the cultural or religious identity or heritage of minority communities. The protection and promotion of the rights of women in disadvantaged communities provides a means to realize the full potential that exists within those communities as a whole, in the abilities and efforts of both their men and their women – equal in rights and in dignity.
These are not solely problems of the developing world. Minorities and women belonging to those minorities also face unique disabilities in the context of discrimination in the developed world. Trafficking of vulnerable women and girls, for example, many of whom are from disadvantaged minorities, is a manifestation of how the global economy can prey on those burdened with multiple forms of discrimination. These are problems in all countries and issues for all nations to confront together.
I believe that the problems faced by women from disadvantaged minority communities must be tackled both from within their communities and as it is manifested in the larger society. These are problems that must be confronted both by women themselves, and by men, whose attitudes and ideologies are often a root cause of discrimination and inequality. A new challenge exists for those organizations working on women’s rights, to fully and effectively address minority rights as they relate to women. Equally, those organizations working on minority rights must pay greater attention to the plight of women within minority communities and the broader society.
National legislation, sensitively conceived, actively promoted, and vigorously applied, can pave the way for social progress, and for real change to the lives of disadvantaged women. Access to effective legal remedies for women is an essential step on this path. Community based awareness raising and practical initiatives must go hand in hand with legal and judicial progress, and have a role to play in the empowerment of women to achieve their potential and to enable them to claim their rights with confidence. Crucially, girls and women from minority communities must have full and equal access to quality education. Education must extend beyond the classroom, to reach deeply into the fabric of society with a strong and pervasive message of human rights, equality and understanding, which enriches all lives.
As Independent Expert on minority issues, I believe that the issues of the rights of women from targeted minorities deserve particular attention under my mandate, and by the international community. Across the full spectrum of rights, civil and political, economic, social and cultural, minority women are often the most disadvantaged from birth until death. I will support campaigns to highlight the issues and to find effective and sustainable solutions, confronting the reality of the present unacceptable situation facing millions of women worldwide. True gender equality will only be achieved when it is achieved for all women, not simply the women in advantaged majority communities. And, the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities will be realized only when the women of those communities enjoy fully their human rights.
Statement on the occasion of International Women’s Day, 8th March 2006
By Gay McDougall, the UN Independent Expert on minority issues
All women share common bonds in the fight for equal rights. In every region and in every society, women are undervalued, face issues of personal insecurity because of violence in their homes and communities, and must wage a constant struggle for self-determination over their bodies and personal destinies. While some gains have been made in those battles, gender based discrimination remains a persistent and universal problem.
However, some women’s problems are compounded by their uniquely disadvantaged position in society as members of national, racial, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities that are targets of discrimination. The damage done to individuals, families, communities and societies by discrimination, exclusion and racism on these grounds is immense. Women from these groups must often fight the patriarchy within their communities along with the patriarchy and racism of the larger community.
On this, International Women’s Day, it is incumbent on the international community, to speak out in support for those women whose voices have been silenced and whose lives have been blighted by discrimination, intolerance, exploitation, violence and patriarchal ideologies. Addressing the situation of the most disadvantaged women is a challenge requiring the urgent attention of all of us.
Minorities are often restricted from participating fully or effectively in economic, social and political life. Yet it is women who belong to minority population groups whose choices, opportunities and life chances, are the most restricted, in both public and private spheres. Where minorities suffer poor access to education, health services and employment, it is often the women from those minority groups, whose needs are least recognized, and whose potential remains the least fulfilled. While minorities are the most frequent victims of conflict and genocide, it is the women of those communities who often suffer the most, supporting families under unimaginable conditions, or targeted for rape or killing, due to their status as the most vulnerable of minorities, and the bearers of a new generation. Overwhelmingly, the poorest of the world are disproportionately minority communities that have been subjected to on-going discrimination, yet it is minority women who often bear the greatest burden.
A Roma woman in Europe, for example, may experience complex multiple forms of discrimination, touching every aspect of her life, including her social interactions, her health and work. An Afro-descendent woman in Latin America is also more likely to be poorly educated, to live in the poorest quality housing, lack access to health care and other services, and to work in the lowest income employment. Women in communities affected by caste in some Asian or African nations are often severely disadvantaged and forced to perform the most degrading tasks in society. If such women happen to be unmarried, to have a disability, to be lesbian or a single mother, they may also face additional forms of discrimination.
Action must be taken at the community, national and international levels to address the discrimination and rights violations faced by women from disadvantaged minority groups. In the first instance, this requires recognition that such complex problems exist. It is often the case that we do not see the most disadvantaged, precisely because of the violations perpetrated against them. They are, in a very real sense, hidden victims.
Socio-economic data that is aggregated hides the problems that minorities face. The increasing practice of disaggregating data along gender lines is revealing the general inequalities between men and women. But only when that data is further disaggregated based on both gender and race, ethnicity or religion, will the problems of marginalized and disadvantaged women come into focus. In order for policies and programs to be effective, the gender lens must be adjusted to reveal the dynamics of colour, ethnicity and religion, so that the plight of these women can become visible through research and statistics.
While reinforcing a clear message of the value of cultural and religious diversity, we must not shy away from addressing those cultural, religious or traditional practices which impair or restrict the full range of choices that women, as humans, are entitle to as rights. Yet calls for the rights and empowerment of minority women should not be seen as a challenge to the cultural or religious identity or heritage of minority communities. The protection and promotion of the rights of women in disadvantaged communities provides a means to realize the full potential that exists within those communities as a whole, in the abilities and efforts of both their men and their women – equal in rights and in dignity.
These are not solely problems of the developing world. Minorities and women belonging to those minorities also face unique disabilities in the context of discrimination in the developed world. Trafficking of vulnerable women and girls, for example, many of whom are from disadvantaged minorities, is a manifestation of how the global economy can prey on those burdened with multiple forms of discrimination. These are problems in all countries and issues for all nations to confront together.
I believe that the problems faced by women from disadvantaged minority communities must be tackled both from within their communities and as it is manifested in the larger society. These are problems that must be confronted both by women themselves, and by men, whose attitudes and ideologies are often a root cause of discrimination and inequality. A new challenge exists for those organizations working on women’s rights, to fully and effectively address minority rights as they relate to women. Equally, those organizations working on minority rights must pay greater attention to the plight of women within minority communities and the broader society.
National legislation, sensitively conceived, actively promoted, and vigorously applied, can pave the way for social progress, and for real change to the lives of disadvantaged women. Access to effective legal remedies for women is an essential step on this path. Community based awareness raising and practical initiatives must go hand in hand with legal and judicial progress, and have a role to play in the empowerment of women to achieve their potential and to enable them to claim their rights with confidence. Crucially, girls and women from minority communities must have full and equal access to quality education. Education must extend beyond the classroom, to reach deeply into the fabric of society with a strong and pervasive message of human rights, equality and understanding, which enriches all lives.
As Independent Expert on minority issues, I believe that the issues of the rights of women from targeted minorities deserve particular attention under my mandate, and by the international community. Across the full spectrum of rights, civil and political, economic, social and cultural, minority women are often the most disadvantaged from birth until death. I will support campaigns to highlight the issues and to find effective and sustainable solutions, confronting the reality of the present unacceptable situation facing millions of women worldwide. True gender equality will only be achieved when it is achieved for all women, not simply the women in advantaged majority communities. And, the rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities will be realized only when the women of those communities enjoy fully their human rights.