World development: Elimination of violence against women necessary
Barring a few in-your-face displays of brutality, the gnawing violence against women does not make the headlines. The atrocities women face in and outside their homes rarely become criminal matters for the State. Even the economy does not seem to grudge squandering the potential of half its workforce.
It is time the world recognised that the development agenda will never be complete without the elimination of violence against women. Pitching gender as a standalone objective in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are likely to replace the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals next year, many countries, including India, have agreed that all-round development is impossible if women are denied their right to movement, education, healthcare, employment, sexual and reproductive choices.
The inter-governmental discussions to include gender as a standalone goal in the SDGs are on. Civil society groups participating in the discussions argue that in the Indian context, geographic, social and economic disparities could pose a major challenge in meeting the targets. Violence against women is a big concern.
Despite legal reforms announced after the December 16 gang rape, the recording of cases of crimes against women remains slack, except in a few pockets in the big cities. Stricter laws and fast-track courts have little meaning for a victim of sexual violence if she can't get past the first hurdle of getting her complaint registered.
Even in big cities, slums and fringes remain blind spots. A large number of homeless and destitute women do not count at all. As a group, they are, probably, the biggest victims of sexual abuse.
Domestic workers form the largest sector of female employment in the cities. In most states, there is nothing to ensure the basic welfare of a domestic help.
It gets worse for the rural women from lower castes because they bear the triple burden of caste, class and gender. Their tormenters enjoy a sense of entitlement and atrocities meted out to them almost never make it to the crime registers.
The patriarchal attitudes that perpetuate violence against women are hard to break overnight but the government can make a beginning by trying to determine the scale of the problem. Mere registration of cases won't be enough. The authorities need to work on achieving better conviction rates by strengthening the investigation.
The State should also conduct dedicated, population-based surveys to map gender violence and discrimination to frame targeted policies and laws. To make sure that none of marginal groups such as the Dalits, tribals and minorities go under the radar, the government will have to go beyond mere consultations with civil society groups. They need to include the voices of the marginalised not just in planning but also in implementation and stocktaking of all future frameworks.
Empowering women in agriculture
Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
7 March 2014, Rome – Reducing gender inequality is fundamental to eliminating hunger and developing more sustainable food systems, FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva told a gathering of international experts and country representatives at an International Women's Day gathering in Rome."This year we are celebrating Women's Day against the backdrop of the International Year of Family Farming," Graziano da Silva said. "Family farmers are the dominant force in global food production. And, at the same time, they are among the world's most vulnerable people. Much of the future of global food security depends on their realizing their untapped potential. Rural women are an important part of this, not just as famers but also in processing and preparing food, and local markets," he added.Representatives of United Nations and partner organizations were gathered at FAO headquarters for a panel discussion on the theme, 'Closing the gender gap in agriculture'. The dialogue was jointly organized by FAO, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); the World Food Programme (WFP); the International Development Law Organization (IDLO); the International Food Policy Institute (IFPRI); and, the World Farmers' Organisation (WFO). Participants discussed the challenges faced by rural women in developing countries, who are highly dependent on subsistence agriculture to feed their families, but who often get caught in a cycle of poverty and hunger due to lack of access to adequate land and water, agricultural inputs, credit, technologies and training, often keep them caught in a cycle of poverty and hunger. The FAO Director-General recalled how, in 2003, it took a court case to defend the decision by the Brazilian government to channel the bulk of cash transfers in that country's Zero Hunger Program to women recipients, based on the premise that they played a "dominant role in family food management.""Equality for women is progress for all," Graziano da Silva said.Gender and sustainabilityKeynote speaker Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and currently head of the Mary Robinson Foundation - Climate Justice, said problems brought on by gender inequalities and lack of access to resources in agriculture were compounded by the unpredictable consequences of climate change."For global development to be sustainable, the issues of climate change, gender equality and food security must all go hand-in-hand," said Robinson, who is also a member of IDLO's International Advisory Council and a former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights."By actively linking human rights, development, climate change and gender equality in your work, you will empower yourselves and your organisations to break out of the 'boxes' that constrain policy making and implementation, and engage in a new model of truly sustainable development.""It is vital that at the UN Climate Summit in September, the interlinked issues of gender equality, agriculture, the rule of law, sustainable development and climate justice are addressed in order to achieve an effective framework for the future of our planet," Robinson added. Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director, WFP and Michel Mordasini, Vice-President, IFAD joined the FAO Director-General in opening the event. Speakers and panelists included representatives of the various organizations involved, in addition to Tehmina Janjua, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and experts from the World Bank's Inequality and Poverty Team.
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