women’s rights & sdgs: concepts, tools and practical action points

Women’s Rights & SDGs: Concepts, Tools and Practical Action Points

Ranjani K Murthy

Independent Researcher and Consultant

Objectives (three sessions)

At the end of the session the participants would be familiar with:

• Women’s rights

• A critique of gender-specific SDG Goal and gender specific SDG targets/indicators

• Tools for monitoring gender-specific targets/indicators at state and local levels

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

All rights spelled out by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and by the two Human Rights Covenants (on Civil and Political Rights as well as on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights) are the rights of every woman. The same applies to all other Human Rights treaties http://www.claiminghumanrights.org/women_definition.html.

http://www.claiminghumanrights.org/universal_declaration.html

Women’s rights Convention and Declaration

• 1979 Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (in force 1981)

-Four parts

• 1993 Vienna declaration

“Women’s rights are human rights” “Gender-based violence is a human rights violations”

Part I: What is discrimination and what needs to be done?

1. Discrimination is any exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect of impairing the exercise by women of their rights

2. States Parties condemn discrimination against women…pursue policy of eliminating same

3. States Parties shall take in all fields appropriate measures, including legislation, to ensure the full development and advancement of women

Part I: What is discrimination and what needs to be done?

4. States Parties adopting temporary special measures aimed at accelerating equality shall not be considered discrimination

5. a) Eliminate stereotypes of sex roles …. b) recognize the common responsibility of men and women in the upbringing of children

6. Stop all forms of trafficking and exploitation of women.

Part II-political and public life

7. Elimination of discrimination in political and public life (voting, contesting, policy form.)

8. Equal representation and participation of women at international level.

9. Equal right to nationality… states Parties shall grant women equal rights with men to acquire, change or retain their nationality

Part III: Elimination of discrimination: social economic field

10. Elimination of discrimination in education (equal access, same curricula, no drop out, career guidance, sports, no stereotype etc.)

11.Equal right to employment and elimination of discrimination (right to work, equality in recruitment, remuneration, occupational health, security, marriage and maternity protection)

12. Equal access to health care, including family planning; special care during pregnancy and lactation .

13. Elimination of discrimination in social and economic benefits- family benefits, sports/recreation, bank loans and mortgages.

14. Protection of rural women …. equal access to health, education, housing, sanitation, electricity, self help groups and cooperatives.

Part IVEquality before the law

15. Equality with men before the law and in civil matters (equal rights in contracts and to administer property, non

discrimination in such matters, and right to mobility and freedom of residence).

16. Elimination of discrimination in matters relating to marriage and family relations (1.same

right to enter into marriage, choose partners, contraception, bringing up children, guardianship/custody, property, name after marriage, 2. registration of birth and marriage etc.)

Ratification status –India

India• Signed; 30 July 1980, Ratified: 9 July 1993Declarations:

i) With regard to articles 5 (a) (elimination of prejudices/stereotypes) and 16 (1) of CEDAW- rights within marriage and family - will abide if in conformity with constitution

"ii) With regard to article 16 (2) of the CEDAW- registration of marriage-is not practical in a vast country like India with its variety of customs, religions and level of literacyReservation:

With regard to article 29 of the CEDAW , Indian government does not agree to another state questioning the interpretation of the state

Optional protocol• India – not ratified. No individual and group can complain to the

Committee

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (WITH MERCY KAPPEN)

Look back and ahead: MDG Achievement

Proclaimed to be achieved:

Reduce extreme poverty and hunger by half (Goal 1)

Universal access to safe water (part of Goal 7)

Combat malaria (part of Goal 6)

Achieve gender parity in primary education (part of Goal 3)

Proclaimed not achieved:

Gender parity -women in non agriculture and parliament (part of Goal 3)

Combat HIV/AIDS (part of Goal 6)

Reduce maternal mortality ratio by 2/3rd (Goal 4)

Universal access to safe sanitation (part of Goal 7)

Murthy with Kappen, 2017, Gender, Equality and SDGs: A training manual, Visthar, Bangalore

Why not achieved?

• Neo-liberal development paradigm

• Social norms and power relations not a target

• Conflicts and disasters

• From rights to development

SDGs

1) End poverty in all its forms everywhere2) End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture3) Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages4) Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all5) Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls6) Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all7) Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all8) Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all

SDGs

9) Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation10) Reduce inequality within and among countries11) Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable12) Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns13) Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts14) Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development15) Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss16) Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels17) Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development

Group exercise: 1

Break up into 15 groups.

Rate SDG and targets allocated to you:

• Women’s rights well integrated

• Women’s rights partially integrated

• Women’s rights not integrated

• Suggestions on targets from women’s rights lens

Sum up

– Gender issues are not included in the targets of 6 out of 16 SDGs (excluded SDG 5 on GEWE).

– Gender issues are excluded from targets pertaining to important sectors of energy (SDG 7), infrastructure (SDG 9), sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12), sustainable use of marine resources (SDG 14), sustainable use of terrestrial resources (SDG 15) and promoting peace and justice (SDG 16). Terms such as universal access do not ensure gender equality in outcomes

– Amongst the other 10 SDG, integration of gender equality perspective is strong in targets pertaining to SDG 4 on education, and weak within targets on poverty, hunger, health, water and sanitation, inclusive growth, clean energy, eliminating inequalities, promoting inclusive cities, climate resilience and global partnership.

– Additional targets required

SDG 5 Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women

1. End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

2. Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation

3. Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation

4. Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

5. Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making in political, economic and public life

SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

6. Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

5.a Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

5.b Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

5.c. Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

Critique of SDG 5

• Gender targets within SDG 5 are better than those in MDG 3. The only target pertaining to Goal 3 on GEWE was restricted to eliminating gender disparity in education, with an assumption that parity in education would help attain equality in parliament and gender parity in non-agriculture work.

• Nevertheless there are limitations of SDG 5 as it is set in larger neo liberal paradigm of development, inequalities between and within countries, does not seek to transform religious institutions or traditional councils, treats women as a homogenous groups, does not refer to issues of people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity, does not deal with attitudinal change, or promote work with men and boys on gender concerns.

Group exercise: 2

• Group 1: Target 5.1 and 5.2 and indicators



• Group 5: Target 5.a and indicators

• Group 6: Targets 5.b and 5.c and indicators

• Rate progress of your district/state towards targets/indicators and give reasons

Proposed SDG indicators

Target Indicator Comment on indicator

Rating of progress of yrdistrict (1-4)

5.1 End all forms of discrimination against allwomen and girls everywhere

5.1.1 Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce andmonitor equality and non-discriminationon the basis of sex

5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against allwomen and girls in the public and private spheres,

5.2.1 Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12

Higher the

better

Proposed SDG indicators: Goal 5


Rating on achievement1-4

5.2 continued 5.2.2 Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimatepartner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence

5.3 Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child,early and forced marriage and female genital

5.3.1 Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18

5.3.2 Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female




5.4 Recognize and value unpaid care and domesticwork through the provision of public services,infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within thehousehold and the family as nationally appropriate

5.4.1 Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and Location

5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective

5.5.1 Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments




5.6 Ensure universal access to SRHR as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Actionof the International Conference on Population andDevelopment and the Beijing Platform for

5.6.1 Proportion of women aged 15-49years who make their own informeddecisions regarding sexual relations,contraceptive use and reproductive health care

5.6.2 Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee women aged 15- 49 years access to SRH care, information and education



Rating of achievement1-4

5.a Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources,

5.a.1 (a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or securerights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure

5.a.2 Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control



Rating of achievement1-4

5.b Enhance the use of enabling technology, inparticular information and communicationstechnology, to promote the empowerment of women5.c Adopt and strengthen sound policies andenforceable legislation for the promotion of GEWE

5.b.1 Proportion of individuals who owna mobile telephone, by sex

5.c.1 Proportion of countries withsystems to track and make public allocations for gender equality andwomen’s empowerment

Critique of SDG 5 indicators

• Some indicators do not measure the target,

• Neglect of girls under 15

• Not capturing changes in gender division of labour

• Not capturing inter-generation changes

• Not addressing broader inequalities.

SDG MONITORING – A GENDER LENS

SDG 5 quantitative monitoring Example from Tamil Nadu

Nature of violence and

discrimination

Performanc

e

2005-6

Performance

2015-16

Rate of

improvement

2005-6

between

2015-16

Comment on

whether the

state is likely to

achieve target

of elimination

by 2030

Sex ratio at birth 896 954

Women age 20

24 years married before

age 18 years (%)

21.5 15.7

Female method of modern

contraception to total (%)

3.83% 1.52%

Births delivered by

caesarean (%)

20.3% 34.1%

Married women

experienced spousal

violence (%)

41.9% 40.6%

Participatory monitoringCaste and gender discrimination

mapping

Violence mapping

24 hour clock

http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org/resources/learning/mod5-online/edu-res/r1/r1.1

Gender and decision making matrix

Gender and diveristy aware social map

Body mapping/pictures

Gender and diversity aware resource mapping (TN)

Gender based control over resources (Overholt et al 1985)

What we can do?

• Negotiate nationally for better gender equality indicators (SDG 5 and others)

• Monitor nationally, provincially and district wise progress on SDG 5 and other gender indicators

• Facilitate monitoring by marginalisedwomen/groups

• Advocate what could contribute to SDG 5

women’s rights & sdgs: concepts, tools and practical action points

Government & Nonprofit