Statements by Member States Available
Statements by Member States at CSW 53 are available at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/53sess.htm#statements
Suggested Language from the Caucus on Girls
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))
Girls’ Statement
We the girl delegates of the 53rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women hereby recognize the human rights of girls and stand to address the needs of girls with respect to equal sharing of responsibilities, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS.
As girls we are often responsible for doing the majority of housework and caregiving. These responsibilities often force us to interrupt or abandon our education.
States must provide access to free quality and compulsory education for all youth from primary through secondary school. We believe that quality education includes: comprehensive sex education; care-related training for girls and boys; vocational training; women’s history; girls’ rights; and business training.
Governments must help subsidize the cost of lost labor when families send their daughters to school.
Increasing numbers of girls are forced to become caregivers because of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In addition, girls are increasingly infected with the HIV/AIDS virus due to our social, cultural, economic, and biological vulnerabilities.
Governments must invest in social services and infrastructure, which provide and support quality care for those living with HIV/AIDS in order to reduce the burden on girl caregivers.
Governments and community organizations need to recognize that men and boys must be educated in order to assume responsibility for their own sexual health, get tested for HIV/AIDS, and disclose their status to all partners.
We recognize that social norms and cultural traditions play a significant role in the marginalized status of girls worldwide. In addition, we believe that these practices often operate in ways that serve to control girls’ behaviors and hinder their physical and social mobility.
Girls recognize the need to construct safe confidential spaces where we can talk openly about our ideas and experiences and mentor one another.
We believe that governments and communities need to recognize the need to reevaluate social norms and cultural practices paying specific attention to the negative impact these practices have on girls and transforming these practices to promote gender equality.
Policymakers and people in positions of power need to recognize that girls are especially vulnerable in a variety of areas including but not limited to labor and sexual exploitation.
Community leaders must be educated about issues that specifically affect us, such as gender equality, HIV/AIDS, girls’ rights, gender norms and stereotypes, and human rights. These leaders must take an active role in educating communities about gender equality.
Girls must have access to speak with policymakers, in particular female lawmakers, and to lobby about the issues that impact our lives.
Girls’ rights must be recognized and the laws designed to protect our rights must be enforced. Particular attention must be paid to the many forms of gender-based violence that we face in our homes, communities, schools and workplaces.
Lack of social and economic power as well as education prevents girls from accessing health services.
We recognize the need for universal access to quality health care. For girls this includes having access to annual gynecological services, medical professionals who are trained to work with girls, sterile medical facilities, multiple forms of contraception, as well as STI and STD prevention, and feminine hygiene products.
We demand access to equal pay for equal work and recognition for the unpaid labor we provide.
Research and data collection has failed to focus on girls as primary subjects. As a result our sexual experiences are not taken into account when disease prevention policies are designed.
International organization, governments, NGOs, and the private sector must invest in research on HIV/AIDS focusing specifically on girls and young women.
We represent the women of tomorrow, but today we are girls. As girls, we have legitimate concerns that need to be heard. Our specific needs and experiences are distinct from women’s, and therefore must be recognized in order to achieve gender equality.
Caucus on Girls – Directions for Submissions
1. Use One of the Following Section Headings to Title Each Suggestion
- Norms and Policies
- Valuing and Measuring Unpaid Work
- Labour and Social Policies
- Provision of Services and Infrastructure
- Caregiving in the Context of HIV/AIDS
- Eliminating Gender Stereotypes
- Data Collection, Monitoring and Evaluation
- Other:
- Please Specify a Title for your New Section
- Tell us where you think it should be placed in the document
2. Additions
- Please make additions in RED and
- Show us exactly where it goes in the document
- Section
- Paragraph Number
- Paragraph Number and Letter
- Reference any Previous Agreement or SG Report, if you have used previously agreed to language—always helpful!
3. Please provide a brief rationale for your suggestion
- Label it RATIONALE
- Write a brief 2-3 sentence explanation to help convince delegates
- Tie your suggestions closely to the theme
- Cite precedents in previous UN Docs if possible
4. STRIKE THROUGH Suggested Deletions
5. Tell US Who You Are
- List the names, organizations and emails of those in your group
- Tell us who to contact if we have questions (a mobile number would help)
NB:
1. Suggested revisions are due Tuesday, March 3 by 12:00 noon
2. Please email your groups suggestions
- To: mstrain@cpprov.org
- Subject: Suggested Revisions to 19 Feb Draft
3. The revised document
- Will be posted on the caucus website http://caucusongirls.wordpress.com/ (hopefully by Tuesday–late afternoon)
- Please print it and bring it to the Caucus on Girls on Wednesday, March 4.
Useful Documents
Expert Group Meeting
The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS.
Geneva, Switzerland
6 – 9 October 2008
Commission on the Status of Women
53rd Session
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Let Girls Be Girls!
The New York based Working Group on Girls of the NGO Committee on UNICEF represents more than 100 organizations around the world and is committed to promoting the rights of girls in all areas and stages of their lives, advancing the rights and status of girls and assisting them to develop their full potential.
Promises Made
Promises have been made to girls that must now be kept. The Beijing Platform for Action:
- Pledges to eliminate all forms of discrimination against girls, specifically addressing violence, education, economic exploitation and harmful cultural attitudes and practices;
- Promises to strengthen families and to promote girls’ participation in their societies;
- Calls attention to the need to overcome the gender stereotypes that exist in many societies in order to allow girls to develop their full potential;
- Recognizes that the advancement of women is not sustainable without attention to the rights of girls.
The 53rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women offers a unique opportunity for Member States to accelerate programmes designed to fulfill previous promises and to ensure the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men—girls and boys—including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS.
Consequences of Gender Inequality for Girls
Cultural norms, social roles, and the gender stereotypes associated with them determine household roles and as a result, girls bear a disproportionate share responsibilities and caregiving. The consequences for girls are devastating and include:
- Denial of their right to the education necessary to prepare for the responsibilities of full participation in society and in the family;
- AIDS frequently forces girls to withdraw from school to fulfill caregiving duties and to help compensate for lost family income.
- 79 percent experience disrupted schooling when parents die of AIDS.
- Limited time for play and other creative pursuits so essential to their personal development of children;
- Girls spend more time than boys on the cleaning and upkeep of the household.
- Up to 90 percent of the care due to illness is provided in the home by women and girls. This is in addition to the many tasks they already perform, such as taking care of children, cooking, cleaning and, in subsistence areas, fetching water and fire wood.
- Limited opportunity to develop peer relationships and leadership skills;
- Girls spend twice as much time as boys on cooking-related activities.
- Girls spend 33–85 percent more time per day working at home and in unpaid market work than do boys of the same age.
- Limited time to take care of themselves.
- Almost 25 percent of girls ages 15 – 24 in some countries are HIV positive.
- Girls in families affected by AIDS overwhelmingly have lost their right to recreation.
Root Causes of Gender Inequality
Cultural norms, gender roles and gender stereotypes are at the root of gender inequality that privileges men and boys and continues to burden women and girls. We know that:
- Gender role development is socially constructed and learned from birth;
- Strict enforcement of prevailing norms forces young girls and boys into strict gender roles;
- Prevailing gender stereotypes and less valued social roles associated with the more marginalized status of women heightens the vulnerability of girls;
- Race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, rural/urban residence, migrant/refugee status, disability have profound effect on the inequalities experienced by girls.
Recommendations
- Launch a global campaign to transform attitudes, norms and gender stereotypes. A worldwide campaign to encourage positive attitudes and behavior to combat gender inequality and eliminate stereotypes that prevent full partnership in the household and in the public sphere would help to eliminate prejudices and customary practices which are based on the notion of girls’ inferiority.
- Promote the competence and resilience of girls through education and training. Effective strategies to achieve gender equality must include the social, political and economic empowerment of girls through education programmes and job training to prepare them for their critical roles in their families and communities.
- Promote the participation, visibility, and empowerment of girls. The creation of safe spaces where girls can speak, voice their concerns and obtain assistance will ensure that all girls, especially those from disadvantaged groups, can enjoy full gender equality.
- Provide resources and funding for gender equality and empowerment of girls. States must develop gender-responsive budgeting that explicitly allocates monies for: girls’ health programs, including adolescent and HIV/AIDS issues; programs that offer opportunities to girls and end human trafficking; programs to end all forms of violence against the girl child, including genital cutting, incest, prenatal sex selection and infanticide; and education at all levels.
- Partner with families and communities to address the needs of girls heading households and children without parental care, including in the context of the HIV/AIDS. Programmes which address the needs of girls heading households and children orphaned by AIDS must be holistic and include measures to increase men and boys’ responsibility for home-based care in order to address the disproportionate burden borne by girls.
- Collect, analyze and disseminate data on girls, disaggregated by sex, age, socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity. Institutionalizing the collection of disaggregated data in critical sectors inter alia health, education, labor and protection will help to create an inclusive gender perspective for the planning, implementation and monitoring of government programs and for benchmarking across nations and communities.
- Strengthen the role of civil society and of organizations for girls’ participation and empowerment. Tackling gender stereotypes, empowering girls to participate more fully in their families and communities, increasing educational and training opportunities for girls, and expanding data collection and dissemination will require the active involvement of civil society groups.
