Women in Law & Development in Africa

Last updated
Women in Law & Development in Africa / Femmes, Droit et Développement
AbbreviationWiLDAF
Formation1990 [1]
TypeNon-profit, NGO
Headquarters Harare, Zimbabwe
Official language
English, French, Portuguese, Regional languages
Affiliations Crossroads International

Union européenne OXFAM International Land Coalition Communauté économique des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest

Contents

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Netherlands)
Website WiLDAF of West Africa

WiLDAF of Ghana

WiLDAF of Zambia

Women in Law & Development in Africa (WiLDAF) is a Pan-African women's rights organization and network which is non-profit and non-government (NGO) and contains 500 organizations, 1200 individuals and spreads over 27 countries. [1] [2] [3] Even though WiLDAF functions as a multi-regional/transnational organization, it pays close attention to the economical, social and historical differences between states and countries. [4]

This organization grew out of the "women's rights as human rights" movement, as a more assertive claim to rights for women than the previous rhetoric of "needs". [4]

WiLDAF centers around the principle that equality and empowerment are essential to a healthy society, and they focus their efforts on development and the law in relation to women to advocate for and educate people. [5] They believe that empowering women through education, workshops, communication and outreach around development and law is extremely valuable. [4] In addition, they work at national and regional levels to spur institutional planning, development and building international connections for added support. The organization also provides aid in the case of a violation of women's rights by providing Emergency Response Systems and facilitating centers for women who have been abused psychologically, physically or morally (and in such cases can shelter the woman and help her to take legal action) [2]

History

Women in Law & Development in Africa was established in February 1990 during a regional conference in Harare, Zimbabwe (with the theme of "Women, right and development: network for empowerment in Africa") [6] as a result of 6 women coming together with the idea for a pan-African organization after attending the World Women's Conference held in Nairobi, 1985. [7] This forum was also instrumental in the creation of WiLDAF because issues around women's rights became the topic of debate for the many African women participating in the forum.

The World Women's Conference was where the ideas around "women's rights as human rights" became a topic of debate. [4]

Another notable point in the origin of WiLDAF was where humanitarian organizations lobbied for the formal recognition of woman's rights during the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights, held in Vienna 1993. [4]

An additional conference that furthered the "women's rights as human rights" movement was the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, where this movement was further defined. [4] As well as providing a topic of debate around women's rights as human rights, the conference also spurred debate about empowerment through law. [8]

The three aforementioned meetings were sponsored by the "Women in Law and Development" project by a US donor agency called OEF International. [4] OEF International facilitated the growth of regional networks of organizations to combine their efforts and work at local levels to spread education and information around women's rights issues. [4] In addition to WiLDAF, OEF International supported the formation of Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) as well as the Comité de América Latina y El Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de la Mujer (CLADEM) in Latin America and the Caribbean. [4]

Structure

WiLDAF's head office is located in Harare, Zimbabwe. [9] As a transnational organization, WiLDAF contains national offices as well as local offices in specific regions; in certain regions local WiLDAF Advisory Committees and representatives function instead of local offices where there are none. [9] WiLDAF's meetings, agendas and decision-making are built on a "from the ground-up" philosophy around structure which begins at the local level and continues through to larger and larger structures including country, regional and international. [4] Member individuals and organizations are involved at many steps of decision-making and meetings. Surveys and reports are often part of meetings (see below "Surveys"). WiLDAF hold their General Assembly every few years to plan and prioritize for the future, reaffirm and add to their objectives as well as celebrate accomplishments. [4]

Aims and goals

WiLDAF grew out of the movement called "women's rights as human rights", which emphasizes that rights can be lobbied for, enforced and monitored as opposed to the language of "needs". It also moves away from manifestos and demands present in earlier feminist discourse. [10] Furthermore, Human rights does not take the standard as the rights of "men", therefore organizations can better address the reproductive, maternity, gender-based discrimination and domestic violence needs that women require. This movement advocated for women's rights in all spheres, including promoting private affairs to be under lawful scrutiny (such as domestic violence) in regions which traditionally separate the private and public domains and as a result call to reform "family law". [4] A distinction between the "private" and the "public" is made here as "private" laws tend to affect women in particular due to the fact that women tend to be relegated there by societal expectations. [11] The private is also traditionally (whether culturally, regionally or religiously) the place where the state does not extend, and therefore provides multi-layered hurdles for advocacy actions. [10] "Women's rights as human rights" is a movement to claim the rights women have and to empower women through education and an interconnectivity of local and global spheres. [4] An aspect of the "woman's rights as human rights" movement that remains in the aims of WiLDAF is an inter-connectivity between both local and global efforts to empower women through law and development as discussed below. [4] Communication between all facets of WiLDAF as well as local through to international communication is a main aim of the organization as they believe that transparent communication allows umbrella organizations and WiLDAF members to learn from one an others experiences. [9]

Development

Under their Development aims, WiLDAF facilitates women to seek knowledge and empowerment through increased and established access to resources (such as economic, health, societal). [4] This is done through a number of events notably training and workshops discussed below. Inter-connectivity is always underscored.

Law

WiLDAF's main aims under law are to provide education for women about the law, how to use law, to facilitate their participation in it, and encourage workshops to create communities of empowered women that have the skills and confidence to use their lawful rights. [4] [7] The aims around protecting and promoting women's legal rights revolve around instances and events at which time laws should be upheld to protect women's safety and health, notably around issues with violence against women, sexual harassment, property rights, marriage and inheritance. [4] There are many things that constitute violence against women including physical violence, rape, dowry deaths, genital mutilation or sexual slavery among many other acts. [4]

Further discrimination more broadly defined includes a women's economic, social, and political position in regards to her standing in society as affected by institution, her marital or dependent status (children), as well as her accessibility to education, healthcare and reproductive rights. [4] For example, one form of traditional discrimination against widows states that widows are to be locked up for 6 months after their husbands pass away and are often banned from many normal life activities such as making money. [2] In these circumstances, the women usually end up living in poverty and loneliness with no support offered to them. [2] Psychological discrimination such as widowhood practices often subordinates subjects and creates an environment that allows for the discrimination of those individuals in other ways as well. [12] Here too does the conversation of private/public pertain in regards to the private domain oppressing the woman through an immunity of law. [13] Psychological, cultural, economic, social and physical discrimination and violence are therefore interrelated because of a woman's vulnerable positioning in society, economy and politics. [4] Laws are often not upheld in certain regions due to long histories of women suppression and a lack of education and available resources.

Projects and efforts

WiLDAF has a number of projects and efforts it employs in accordance with their aims (some of which are briefly introduced above).

Advocacy, workshops and training

Advocacy is an important facet of WiLDAF, as they often facilitate sensitization, workshops, debate meetings and also lobbying for changes in law in order to speak about violence towards women, female genital mutilation, sexual harassment, forced or underage marriages, HIV/AIDS education and the treatment of widows. [2] WiLDAF uses many strategies to advocate their cause, including those above as well as the internet, news bulletins (WiLDAF News), publication, national surveys, medical services, aid, emergency response systems, and partnerships with other organizations in specific regions for localized needs. [3] In addition, WiLDAF has been at the forefront of thinking about and integrating services for disabled women in Africa with a policy of mainstreaming disabilities for increased acceptance, tolerance and services. [14]

Media campaigns

WiLDAF created and distributed media campaigns to spread the awareness about women's rights in addition to their training sessions. Under their media campaigns, they also have information against domestic violence to empower women to claim their rights, seek legal actions and not stay silent against their oppressors. [4]

Surveys

One way in which WiLDAF maintains the international eye on women's rights in Africa is by publishing reports, or "country reports", on regions about various topics including common and customary law. [4] They include anecdotal evidence from women survivors of violence, try to express the current standing of laws, express observations made in the region. [9] This has also led to a study by WiLDAF into governmental accountability, [9] and to explore the theories of government accountability used by the international human rights movement, established during the conference in Beijing. [4] [10]

Many African states today differ in their law make-up, and numerous operate in tiered manners including state-laws, customary and religious laws in regions of significant Muslim population. [4] One of the ways in which WiLDAF uses these reports is to highlight areas of customary/religious laws which oppress women, and urge states to challenge these laws in light of international human rights agreements. These reports can take the form of shadow reports to highlight and support governmental reports in order to provide more information or show areas which the governmental reports may have not reported; they may also keep track of how legal reforms and laws have been integrated and enforced in specific regions. [4] They publish these reports widely and internationally which invites the international eye in respect to regional goals around human rights and women participation in law, urging regions to improve their human rights laws.

Emergency response system

WiLDAF's Emergency Response System was organized in an effort to provide immediate relief and support in the event of serious human rights violations against women in the countries they represent. [4] It is to be called upon when those countries and its citizens feel powerless to the situation or require international support; such situations could be proposals for laws that go against human rights, infringement of goals set by states to offer women more resources or opportunities or direct violence on women. [4] On average the Emergency Response System is used once a year. This program is in support of WiLDAF's aim to offer aid and advocacy in areas of conflict and conflict situations. [9]

Lobbying

Lobbying is an important role of WiLDAF which has been improved and strengthened by international treaties, one of which notably is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), passed in 1980. [4] CEDAW in particular views rights, as WiLDAF does, through a gendered outlook by expanding rights for women rather than just granting those that men have. [10] Through these treaties and their provision of legal mechanisms, organizations such as WiLDAF and women themselves are able to lobby for the implementation and revision of laws, as well as report response to CEDAW, by pressuring local governments. [4] Lobbying takes place at the government of a specific region to reform current laws. [4] Lobbying for rights has been made difficult by the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAP's) due to the programs governmental restructuring and opening to international corporations; this has caused a lack of faith in citizens of some regions on account of the state leaving basic services to be taken care of by other means. [4]

16 days of activism against gender-based violence

16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence is an event is adopted by WiLDAF as a series of 16 days between International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25 and International Human Rights Day on December 10. [10] The annual project features many events such as projects, campaigns, or workshops that each region can plan independently with respect to their local needs. [4] The activities are geared towards education and promotion of awareness through the regional inter-connectivity of these events.

Ghana

Since 2007, Women in Law and Development in Africa - Ghana division - has been partnering with Crossroads International to educate and bring awareness surrounding the law and justice system to men and women. [15] In addition to this, they provide support for women who have endured violence with their "Access to Justice Program". [15]

Related Research Articles

Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Development Fund for Women</span>

The United Nations Development Fund for Women was established in December 1976 originally as the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women in the International Women's Year. Its first director was Margaret C. Snyder. UNIFEM provided financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies that promoted women's human rights, political participation and economic security. Since 1976 it supported women's empowerment and gender equality through its programme offices and links with women's organizations in the major regions of the world. Its work on gender responsive budgets began in 1996 in Southern Africa and expanded to include East Africa, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central America and the Andean region. It worked to increase awareness throughout the UN system of gender responsive budgets as a tool to strengthen economic governance in all countries. In 2011, UNIFEM merged with some other smaller entities to become UN Women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Commission on the Status of Women</span> Advisory board

The Commission on the Status of Women is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the main UN organs within the United Nations. CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide. In April 2017, ECOSOC elected 13 new members to CSW for a four-year term 2018–2022. One of the new members is Saudi Arabia, which has been criticised for its treatment of women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">World Conference on Women, 1995</span> United Nations conference

The Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace was the name given for a conference convened by the United Nations during 4–15 September 1995 in Beijing, China.

The International Federation for Human Rights is a non-governmental federation for human rights organizations. Founded in 1922, FIDH is the third oldest international human rights organization worldwide after Anti-Slavery International and Save the Children. As of 2020, the organization is made up of a federation of 192 organizations from 112 countries, including Israel and Palestine, including Ligue des droits de l'homme in over 100 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violence against women</span> Violent acts committed primarily against women and girls

Violence against women (VAW), also known as gender-based violence and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), are violent acts primarily or exclusively committed by men or boys against women or girls. Such violence is often considered a form of hate crime, committed against women or girls specifically because they are female, and can take many forms.

Equality Now is a non-governmental organization founded in 1992 to advocate for the protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls. Through a combination of regional partnerships, community mobilization and legal advocacy the organization works to encourage governments to adopt, improve and enforce laws that protect and promote women and girls' rights around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OutRight Action International</span> LGBTIQ human rights organization

OutRight International (OutRight) is an LGBTIQ human rights non-governmental organization that addresses human rights violations and abuses against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people. OutRight International documents human rights discrimination and abuses based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics in partnership with activists, advocates, media, NGOs and allies on a local, regional, national and international level. OutRight International holds consultative status with ECOSOC.

International Women's Year (IWY) was the name given to 1975 by the United Nations. Since that year March 8 has been celebrated as International Women's Day, and the United Nations Decade for Women, from 1976 to 1985, was also established.

The Beijing Declaration was a resolution adopted by the UN at the end of the Fourth World Conference on Women on 15 September 1995. The resolution adopted to promulgate a set of principles concerning the equality of men and women.

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity charged with working for gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women is charged with advocating for the rights of women and girls, and focusing on a number of issues, including violence against women and violence against LGBT people.

Tuvalu is a small island nation in the South Pacific, located North of Fiji and North West of Samoa. The population at the 2012 census was 10,837. Tuvalu has a written constitution which includes a statement of rights influenced by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. While most human rights in Tuvalu are respected, areas of concern include women’s rights and freedom of belief, as well as diminishing access to human rights in the face of global warming. The latter has played a major role in the implementation of human rights actions in Tuvalu given its geographical vulnerability and scarce resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Kurdistan Region</span>

Human rights in Iraqi Kurdistan refer to the human rights issue in the autonomous area of Kurdistan Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Benin</span>

Women in Benin have gained more rights since the restoration of democracy and the ratification of the Constitution, and the passage of the Personal and Family Code in 2004. These both overrode various traditional customs that systematically treated women unequally. Still, inequality and discrimination persist. "Girls from the age of five or so are actively involved in housekeeping, sibling care, and agriculture." Society could think about of a woman's role are a housemaid, caretaker, or babysitter. A woman's role is to be a housemaker and nothing at all, but women have much potential to be more than a housemaker. With laws taking charge of what a woman can be as a career of how they are being useful more in the house than in a men's job position. Moreover, these rules apply to women by their gender that has not changed for a while. And there has been inequality based on being the opposite gender which these rules should immediately change if the society wants to get better to have equality for the female race.

The Norwegian Women's Lobby is a feminist policy and advocacy organization in Norway and works for "the human rights of girls and women in all their diversity, to eliminate all forms of discrimination against all girls and women and to promote a gender equal society." It is described as the country's "main, national, umbrella organization" for women's rights. NWL understands women's human rights and discrimination in an intersectional perspective and works to represent the interests of all those who identify as women and girls. NWL is funded by the government over the national budget. The mission of the organization is to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls on the basis of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Beijing Platform for Action and other fundamental international agreements relating to women's human rights. It works to integrate women's perspectives into all political, economical and social processes.

Nepal, a Himalayan country situated in South Asia, is one of the poor country because of undeveloped resources. It has suffered from political instability and has had undemocratic rule for much of its history. There is a lack of access to basic facilities, people have superstitious beliefs, and there are high levels of gender discrimination. Although the Constitution provides for protection of women, including equal pay for equal work, the Government has not taken significant action to implement its provisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's political participation in India</span>

The term 'political participation' has a very wide meaning. It is not only related to 'Right to Vote', but simultaneously relates to participation in: decision-making process, political activism, political consciousness, etc. Women in India participate in voting, run for public offices and political parties at lower levels more than men. Political activism and voting are the strongest areas of women's political participation. To combat gender inequality in politics, the Indian Government has instituted reservations for seats in local governments.

Gender inequality has been improving a lot in Bangladesh, inequalities in areas such as education and employment remain ongoing problems so women have little political freedom. In 2015, Bangladesh was ranked 139 out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index and 47 out 144 countries surveyed on the Gender Inequality Index in 2017. Many of the inequalities are result of extreme poverty and traditional gender norms centred on a patrilineal and patriarchal kinship system in rural areas.

Dorcas Ama Frema Coker-Appiah is a Ghanaian lawyer and women's rights activist, and the executive director of the Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre, also known as the "Gender Centre", in Accra, Ghana. She has had important roles in several organisations promoting women's rights at national, regional and international levels.

Foreign aid for gender equality in Jordan includes programs funded by governments or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that aim to empower women, close gender based gaps in opportunity and experience, and promote equal access to education, economic empowerment, and political representation in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

References

  1. 1 2 "Women in Law and Development - West Africa".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Courants de Femmes".
  3. 1 2 "Women in Law and Development - West Africa, History". Women in Law and Development in Africa - History.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 Hodgson, Dorothy L (Summer 2002). "Women's rights as human rights: Women in law and development in Africa (WiLDAF)". Africa Today. 49 (2): 2–26. doi:10.2979/AFT.2002.49.2.2 . Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  5. ↑ Butegwa, Florence (1992). "Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF)". Agenda: Empowering Women for Gender Equity (14): 74–76. JSTOR   4548001.
  6. ↑ "Women in Law and Development in Africa".
  7. 1 2 Müller, Christine (2015-07-31). Local Knowledge and Gender in Ghana. Bielefeld. ISBN   9783839403785.
  8. ↑ Manuh, Takyiwaa; Akua Anyidoho, Nana (July 2015). "'To Beijing and Back': Reflections on the Influence of the Beijing Conference on Popular Notions of Women's Empowerment in Ghana". IDS Bulletin. 46 (4): 19–27. doi:10.1111/1759-5436.12152.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Butegwa, Florence (1–4 August 1995). "The Human Rights of Women in Conflict Situations in Africa: A Key Concern for WiLDAF". UNIFEM-AFWIC Conference on women in conflict situations in Africa, Addis Ababa, Ehtiopia: 1–4. Retrieved 20 March 2018.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Kelly, Liz (1 December 2005). "Inside Outsiders: Mainstreaming Violence Against Women into Human Right Discourse and Practice". International Feminist Journal of Politics. 7 (4). doi:10.1080/14616740500284391. S2CID   143985481.
  11. ↑ Bentley, Kristina A. (July 2005). "Are the Powers of Traditional Leaders in South Africa Compatible with Women's Equal Rights?: Three Conceptual Arguments". Human Rights Review. 6 (4): 55–57. doi:10.1007/s12142-005-1010-3. S2CID   144215562.
  12. ↑ Sossou, Marie-Antoinette (July 2002). "Widowhood practices in West Africa: the silent victims". International Journal of Social Welfare. 11 (3): 201–209. doi:10.1111/1468-2397.00217.
  13. ↑ Higgins, Tracy (April 1, 2006). "A Reflection on the Uses and Limits of Western Feminism in a Global Context". Thomas Jefferson Law Review. 28 (3).
  14. ↑ Abu-Habib, Lina (1 January 1997). Gender and Disability: Women's Experiences in the Middle East. Oxfam GB. ISBN   9780855983635.
  15. 1 2 "Crossroads International, Speaking up and speaking out: Access to Justice for all".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.