MISUSE OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY FOR PORNOGRAPHY AMONG ISSUES ADDRESSED IN DRAFTS INTRODUCED IN STATUS OF WOMEN COMMISSION
Press Release
WOM/969
MISUSE OF ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY FOR PORNOGRAPHY AMONG ISSUES ADDRESSED IN DRAFTS INTRODUCED IN STATUS OF WOMEN COMMISSION
19970320 The Commission on the Status of Women would express serious concern about the unabating traffic in women and girl children and the misuse of advanced information technology for pornography and trafficking purposes, under the terms of one of nine draft texts introduced this morning.Under the provisions of other drafts introduced this morning, the Commission would:
-- Condemn violent acts in contravention of international humanitarian law against civilian women and children in areas of armed conflict;
-- Ensure that the preparations for the International Year of Older Persons include a gender perspective;
-- Request the Secretary-General to ensure that all United Nations- assisted programmes are formulated in such a way as to promote the full participation of women in all their aspects, including design, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation;
-- Welcome the convening of the United Nations Expert Group meeting on Violence against Women Migrant Workers in Manila, from 27 to 31 May 1996;
-- Encourage the Economic and Social Council to assess the achievements made and obstacles encountered in mainstreaming a gender perspective at the intergovernmental level; and
-- Recommend for adoption by the Economic and Social Council a text reaffirming that the Israeli occupation remains a major obstacle for Palestinian women with regard to their advancement, self-reliance and integration in the development planning of their society.
The Commission will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 21 March, to consider the drafts before it.
Drafts Introduced
Elchin Amirbekov (Azerbaijan) introduced, as orally amended, a draft resolution on the release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts (document E/CN.6/1997/L.5).
That text would have the Commission condemn violent acts in contravention of international humanitarian law against civilian women and children in areas of armed conflict. It would call for an effective response to such acts, including the immediate release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned in armed conflicts.
All parties to armed conflicts would be strongly urged to fully respect the norms of international humanitarian law in armed conflicts and to take all necessary measures for the protection of women and children, as well as for their immediate release. Moreover, all parties to conflicts would be urged to provide unimpeded access to specialized humanitarian assistance for those women and children. The Secretary-General and all relevant international organizations would be requested to use their capabilities to facilitate the release of those women and children.
That text is sponsored by Angola, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Georgia, Guatemala, Iran, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Mali, Namibia, Pakistan, South Africa, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, United Republic of Tanzania and Uzbekistan.
A draft text on older women, human rights and development (document E/CN.6/1997/L.6) was introduced by Radhia Msuya (United Republic of Tanzania), on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China.
According to its terms, the Commission would invite the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to pay particular attention to discrimination on grounds of age when evaluating national reports on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
The draft recommends that the Commission should ensure that the contributions and needs of women of all ages, including those of older women, are taken into account, and that the preparations for the International Year of Older Persons include a gender perspective.
Further, it would have the Commission invite the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women to develop analytical tools for identifying mechanisms for valuating the role of older women as important members of the social, economic, political and cultural spheres and
Women's Commission - 3 - Press Release WOM/969 13th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1997
for identifying the barriers to their participation in those spheres. The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) would be invited to assist developing countries to increase opportunities for older women's economic and social development by providing technical and financial assistance for incorporating their dimension into development at all levels.
The text would have the Commission decide that, at its forty-second session, it would consider the status of older women and the violation of their rights and make substantive recommendations thereon.
Also introduced by Tanzania on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China was a draft resolution on Palestinian women (document E/CN.6/1997/L.7), which is recommended for adoption by the Economic and Social Council. It would have the Council stress its support for the Middle East peace process and the need for full implementation of the agreements already reached between the parties.
Also, the Council would reaffirm that the Israeli occupation remains a major obstacle for Palestinian women with regard to their advancement, self- reliance and integration in the development planning of their society. It would demand that Israel, the occupying Power, comply fully with the provisions and principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Regulations annexed to The Hague Convention IV of 18 October 1907 and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949, in order to protect the rights of Palestinian women and their families.
Moreover, it would call upon Israel to facilitate the return of all refugees and displaced Palestinian women and children to their homes and properties in the occupied Palestinian territory, in compliance with the relevant United Nations resolutions. Member States, international financial organizations, non-governmental organizations and other relevant institutions would be urged to intensify their efforts to provide financial and technical assistance to Palestinian women for the creation of projects responding to their needs, especially during the transitional period.
The Commission on the Status of Women would be requested to continue to monitor and take action with regard to the implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women, in particular paragraph 260 concerning Palestinian women and children, and the Beijing Platform for Action. The Secretary-General would be requested to continue to review the situation and to assist Palestinian women by all available means.
Sharon Kotok (United States) introduced a draft resolution on humanitarian assistance: mainstreaming a gender perspective (document E/CN.6/1997/L.9). That text would have the Commission request the Secretary- General to ensure that the United Nations, including all its subsidiary bodies and agencies, designs and implements its programmes and assistance without discrimination against women, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, international human rights law and other principles relevant to the advancement of women.
Further, the Secretary-General would be requested to ensure that all United Nations-assisted programmes are formulated in such a way as to promote
Women's Commission - 4 - Press Release WOM/969 13th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1997
the full participation of women in all aspects of those programmes, including design, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, as well as increase the number of female beneficiaries and participants.
Ruth Limjuco (Philippines) introduced a draft resolution on violence against women migrant workers (document E/CN.6/1997/L.10). That text is also sponsored by Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Namibia and Paraguay.
By that text, the Commission would welcome the convening of the United Nations Expert Group meeting on Violence against Women Migrant Workers in Manila, from 27 to 31 May 1996. It would decide to consider the report of that Expert Group Meeting, as well as the reports/recommendations of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on violence against women, and of the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, including its Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery.
In addition, the Commission would decide to consider the reports and recommendations of concerned agencies and bodies of the United Nations system and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations on the issue of violence against women migrant workers. All the above reports would be considered at its forty-second session, and recommendations thereon would be submitted to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session.
Ms. Limjuco (Philippines) also introduced a draft resolution on traffic in women and girls (document E/CN.6/1997/L.11). By its terms, the Commission would express serious concern about the unabating traffic in women and girl children and the misuse of advanced information technology for pornography and trafficking purposes.
Also by the text, the Commission would call for the acceleration of the implementation of the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, 1995) by governments of countries of origin, transit and destination, and by regional and international organizations through such measures as considering the ratification and enforcement of international conventions of trafficking in persons and on slavery.
Further, the Commission would call on them to take appropriate measures to address the root factors that encourage trafficking in women and girls for
Women's Commission - 5 - Press Release WOM/969 13th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1997
prostitution and other forms of commercialized sex, forced marriages and forced labour. It would call on them to strengthen existing legislation with a view to providing better protection of the rights of women and girls and to punish the perpetrators, including customers, through both criminal and civil measures.
In that regard, it would call for: stepping up cooperation by all relevant law enforcement authorities with a view to dismantling national, regional and international networks in trafficking; and for allocating resources to provide comprehensive programmes designed to rehabilitate into society victims of trafficking. That could be done through job training, the provision of legal assistance and confidential health care, as well as by taking measures to cooperate with non-governmental organizations to provide for the social, medical and psychological care of the victims of trafficking.
The Commission would also encourage governments, relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to cooperate with one another so as to facilitate the development of anti-trafficking measures. Further, it would calls upon all governments to take appropriate measures to prevent misuse by traffickers of such economic activities as the development of tourism and the export of labour and the use of information technology, including cyberspace.
The holding of an international conference on trafficking and all forms of sexual exploitation would be encouraged by the Commission, which would decide to remain seized of the matter and examine it at its forty-second session.
That text is sponsored by Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mongolia, Namibia, Paraguay, Philippines and South Africa.
Kirsten Mlacak (Canada) introduced a draft resolution on mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes in the United Nations system (document E/CN.6/1997/L.14).
By that draft, the Commission would reaffirm that mainstreaming a gender perspective is integral to the empowerment of women and to achieving gender equality. It would stress that particular attention should be paid to the need to intensify cooperation and coordination efforts to ensure that the equal status and human rights of all women and the girl child are integrated in the United Nations system-wide activities.
Further, the need to ensure that reports of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences are brought to the attention of the Commission would be stressed. The Commission would also stress the need for steps to integrate a gender perspective into human rights
Women's Commission - 6 - Press Release WOM/969 13th Meeting (AM) 20 March 1997
activities and programmes. Also, it would request the Secretariat, in the context of its review of the system-wide medium term plan for the advancement of women, to give specific attention to mainstreaming.
The Commission would encourage the Economic and Social Council to assess the achievements made and obstacles encountered in mainstreaming a gender perspective at the intergovernmental level. Further, the Council would be encouraged to suggest practical tools and methodologies for regularly monitoring progress in mainstreaming, especially at senior levels.
The Council would also be encouraged to stress the importance of strengthening expertise on gender issues generally and in specialized areas, through assessment of the impact training. Moreover, it would be encouraged to stress the need to draw on the considerable expertise within the Division for the Advancement of Women and other gender/focal points to encourage efforts to enhance cooperation between those units and other parts of the system.
The Council would also be further encouraged to call upon United Nations departments and bodies to mainstream gender perspectives into their programmes, and to call for sufficient human and financial resources within the regular budget of the United Nations, including resources for the Division for the Advancement of Women, in order to carry out all tasks foreseen in the Beijing Platform for Action.
That text is sponsored by Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
In addition, Commission Vice-Chairperson, Ljudmila Boskova (Bulgaria) introduced two draft decisions: one on the programme of work for the Division for the Advancement of Women for 1998-1999 (document E/CN.6/1997/L.16, to be issued); and the other on functional commissions (document E/CN.6/1997/L.18). By the latter text, the Commission would recommend that the Economic and Social Council decide that every effort should be made to ensure that there is no overlap between the sessions of the functional commissions engaged in the follow-up to the United Nations conferences.
* *** *