Girls have particular experiences, needs and concerns which are most often overlooked if they are simply grouped either with women or children.
The Caucus on Girls meeting at the 53rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women asks the Commission to urge governments to keep promises made to girls and to develop legislation, policies and programs to end the burden on girls created by the unequal sharing of responsibilities which deprive girls of their right to:
- Education and health services to improve their mental and physical health; and
- Protection from violence and exploitation
We invite the Commission to consider the following suggested revisions to the 19 February Draft presented by the Bureau.
Commission on the Status of Women
Fifty-third session, 2– 13 March 2009
Agreed Conclusions
Suggested Language from the Caucus on Girls
The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including care-giving in the context of HIV/AIDS
3. The Commission reaffirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and The Commission reiterates that the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as other Conventions and treaties, provide a legal framework and a comprehensive set of measures to promote the equal sharing of responsibility between women and men. (based on the agreed conclusions on the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child, 2007, para 3)
Norms and policies
c. bis Promote the ratification and implementation of international Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families including Migration Employment Convention (Revised) (ILO No 97) as a way to integrate the rights of the migrants into the discussion of paid and unpaid work; (New Text)
d. Take all appropriate measures to eliminate de jure and de facto discrimination against women and girls, in relation to marriage, family, inheritance property laws, (based on E/CN.6/2009/2, para 78 (c)) food allocation, education, forced marriage, violence, female genital mutilation; (based on E/CN.6/2009/13 para 38)
d. bis Encourage all human rights treaty bodies, especially the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, to invite States parties to ensure that their reports explicitly address the situation of the girl child (based on the agreed conclusions on the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child, 2007, para 15) and report on projects and programmes which successfully address girls’ needs and protect their rights; (based on E/CN.6/2007/3 para 46)
e. Mainstream gender perspectives into all legislation, policies and programmes, and incorporate gender-responsive budgeting processes across all policy areas, to promote the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS; (based on the agreed conclusions on the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child, 2007, para 14(15)) Governments should practice due diligence and take all measures necessary to ensure the protection of girls; (based on A/63/425 para 9, page 4.)
Valuing and measuring unpaid work
f. Promote greater recognition that care work should be shared between women and men, as well as between the State, the private sector, civil society and households; and strengthen dialogue and coordination between all relevant stakeholders, including Governments, employers, civil society, including women’s and girls’ organizations and trade unions, and donors in this respect; (based on E/CN.6/2009/2, para 78 (e))
Labour and social policies
i.bis Elaborate and implement comprehensive gender-sensitive poverty eradication strategies, including legislation, that address the social, structural and macroeconomic causes of high care burdens for families and communities; (based on E/CN.6/2006/15)
k. Ensure the protection of workers with flexible working arrangements with regard to wages, social protection, and other benefits; and target such measures to all workers (based on E/CN.6/2009/2, para 78 (h))including the prevention of the worst forms of child labor; (Based on CRC and ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor)
l. Ensure that both women and men have access to maternity and paternity leave, parental and other forms of leave, and provide incentives to men to avail themselves of this leave, including inter alia through earmarked entitlements for fathers; (based on E/CN.6/2009/2, para 78 (g)) and other incentives suited to the specific economic contexts of individual countries; (New Text)
p. Take measures to address the special needs of girls, including migrant girls, girls employed as domestic workers and of those performing excessive domestic chores in their own households, and develop measures to prevent their labour and economic exploitation and sexual abuse and ensure that they have access to education and vocational training, health services, food, shelter and recreation; (based on the agreed conclusions on the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child, 2007, para 14.6 (b))
p. bis Ensure the protection of all girls from child trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation and bring to justice those who profit from exploiting others, including human traffickers, brothel owners, corrupt officials in enforcement, immigration and the judicial system, and those who keep traffickers in business. Based on UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.
Provision of services/ infrastructure
q. Develop and/or expand the provision of quality, and affordable care services, including community-based services, for children, girls and boys, the elderly, the sick and people living with disabilities; and ensure that such services meet the needs, including the psychosocial needs, of both caregivers and care-recipients in terms of proximity, opening hours and reduced cost, to allow access to effective treatment; (based on E/CN.6/2009/2, para 78 (k))
r. Increase investments in quality and affordable public services, including schools and health and mental health care services; (based on E/CN.6/2009/2, para 78 (l))
r. bis Introduce, where appropriate, temporary special measures, including financial incentives and stipends and nutrition programmes in order to improve enrolment and retention rates for girls at all educational levels; (based on the agreed conclusions on the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child, 2007, para 14.2 (e)) and non-formal education including mentoring and vocational opportunities.
s. Invest and increase access to public infrastructure, such as transportation, water, sanitation and energy, in particular in rural and slum areas, to reduce the care burden on households; (based on E/CN.6/2009/2, para 78 (l))
s bis. Promote inter-sectoral partnerships with caregivers to create home-based projects and cottage industries for income generation utilizing micro-finance models to empower women and girls. (New Text)
Caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS
u. Significantly scale up efforts, in the context of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, towards the goal of universal access to high quality comprehensive prevention programmes, treatment, care and support by 2010 for all, including the girl child, and ensure that those efforts promote gender equality and take into account the caregiving responsibilities of both women and men; (based on (E/CN.6/2009/2, para 78 (m); and A/RES/60/262 Annex, para 20)
v. In full partnership with young persons, parents, families, educators and health-care providers, (based on CSW 50 E/CN.6/2006/15) strengthen and improve public mental and physical health care services to alleviate the current demands on women and girls to provide unpaid care services in their households and communities in the context of HIV/AIDS, including in rural areas; (based on E/CN.6/2009/2, para 78 (o))
y. Identify and address the needs of girls heading households in the context of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, for, inter alia, protection, inheritance rights, access to financial resources, access to health care and mental health care and support services, including HIV/AIDS testing and prevention programs and affordable HIV/AIDS treatment and ensures an end to discrimination relative to HIV/AIDS; (based on the agreed conclusions on the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child, 2007, para 14.5 (e))
y. bis Ensure that, in all policies and programmes designed to provide comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support, particular attention and support is given to the girls at risk, infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS, including pregnant girls and young and adolescent mothers; (A/RES/62/140 para 25)
Eliminating gender stereotypes
z. bis Promote gender-sensitive, empowering educational and training processes and teaching materials by, inter alia, reviewing and revising, as appropriate, school curricula, formal and non-formal educational and training materials and teacher-training programmes (based on the agreed conclusions on the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child, 2007, para 14.2 (f)) to accelerate socio-cultural change towards gender equality and eliminating harmful perceptions and attitudes regarding male and female roles; (based on agreed conclusions on the role of men and boys in achieving gender equality, 2004, para 6 (f))
z. ter Elaborate policies and programmes of zero tolerance for violence against girls, including female genital mutilation, and further integrate a comprehensive understanding of the causes and consequences of such violence against girls into education and training curricula at all levels; (based on E/CN.6/2008/L.2/Rev.1 para 8 )
aa. Encourage decision-makers at all levels, including those with responsibilities for policies, legislation, programmes and allocation of public resources, as well as parents, caregivers, religious and traditional leaders educators and employers, to play leadership roles in challenging and eliminating stereotypical views of women and men and girls’ and boy’s roles and promoting increased sharing of paid and unpaid work between women and men; (based on the agreed conclusions on the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child, 2007, para 14.3 (a-b))
bb. Create and improve training and education programmes including the use of inclusive language to promote change and to enhance awareness, and knowledge and responsibility among men and boys of their roles as parents, legal guardians and caregivers and the importance of sharing family and caring responsibilities; (based on agreed conclusions on the role of men and boys in achieving gender equality, 2004, para 6 (c))
cc. Encourage men and boys through training, education and peer programmes, to participate fully in the care and support of others, including older persons, persons with disabilities, sick persons, children and other dependants; (based on agreed conclusions on the role of men and boys in achieving gender equality, 2004, para 6 (n))
Data collection, research, monitoring and evaluation
dd. Conduct research and collect sex- and age-disaggregated data, to inform policy making, measure progress in the sharing of responsibilities between women and men and girls and boys, including in the context of HIV/AIDS, and identify the barriers men face to assume increased caregiving responsibilities due to stereotypical expectations; (based on E/CN.6/2009/2, para 78 (t))
ee. bis Increase consultation with women, girls and young people and strengthen their access to decision-making in policies and programmes designed to support caregiving, including in the context of HIV/AIDS. (based on E/CN.6/2009/2, para 78 (v))
