Onsite at the UN
Eyewitness Impressions of CEDAW
Speech Given by Linda Ash to the United Nations, Disability Conference
By Cecil and Linda Ash
February 1, 2005
Mr. Chairman,
Cecil and I feel like we are finally settled in to our Manhattan apartment. . . 700 square feet of New York City is our home and we love it! Our apartment building is located just six and a half short blocks from the United Nations Building.
Last week, we reported to you how the Algerian delegation had been grilled by the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee. I don't know if they recognized how ruthless they had been, but this week the CEDAW committee softened its tone somewhat in discussions with delegations from Gabon, Paraguay and Croatia.
Gabon
I had no idea where Gabon is located. It's an African country located on the Gulf of Guinea, astride the Equator.
In Gabon, the man is considered the head of the household. As such, the husband can prohibit his wife from working outside the home if he sees that her absence is hurting the family. Abortion is illegal in Gabon. This state of affairs did not please the CEDAW Committee.
The committee actually stated that they want Gabon to change its constitution to read that both the man and the woman are considered equal and both are the head of the household.
As far as husbands prohibiting wives from working outside the home, the committee couldn't believe such chauvinism and wanted this changed immediately.
And not surprisingly, the committee strongly suggested that abortion be legalized to protect women's rights.
Dowries are an important custom in Gabon. The delegation had to defend the practice repeatedly as the committee asked question after question about this tradition that “belittles the woman.”
Unfortunately, the trafficking of children is a problem in Gabon. I found it interesting that when the delegation said that it made the crime punishable by death, one member of the committee voiced her opinion that this punishment was far too harsh. Go figure!
Offended by the pressure exerted by the committee, the madame minister of Gabon exclaimed, “The woman does have a very important role in the rearing of children. It's just a fact. For a woman, it's not just a matter of taking, it's also a matter of giving. We as women understand that.” I wanted to walk over and hug her! Instead, my husband and I wrote her a letter of encouragement.
Paraguay
To my bewilderment, the committee continued to insist that a Paraguayan law stating, “ equity between man and woman” be changed to say “equality between man and woman.” Personally, I didn't understand the big deal, but it was brought up over and over and over again.
Abortion is illegal in Paraguay. One member of the committee announced that more women per capita were in prison in Paraguay than any other country in the world. She suggested that they were there because abortions had been performed and had been reported to the authorities. The madame minister flatly refuted this allegation. “There are no women in prisons because of abortions.”
I found it interesting to learn that women in prison can have their children with them. The children attend neighborhood schools during the day, and then return to the prison and their mothers after school. Even infants stay with their mothers. The children are fed there and are protected by law.
Croatia
Croatia is attempting to join the European Union and is anxious to please the committee. The Croatians were told that in order to be accepted in to the European Union, not only did they have to harmonize their legislation with the European Block, but they have to strictly adhere to the laws of CEDAW.
The delegation was pushed to stop the stereotyping of men and women in their traditional roles (women in the home, men in the work force). Croatia assured the committee that textbooks were being rewritten to dispel such stereotyping.
We learned that in Croatia parents are obligated to care for their children up to one year after their secondary education has been completed. If the parents provide, then the children are obligated to take care of their parents in their old age. If parents voluntarily fail to care for their children, then the law does not require their children to care for them.
There has been a substantial decrease in abortions in Croatia over the past few years. The committee wanted to know why. The Croatian Delegation affirmed that it was because of education and better family planning methods.
Finally, to my utter surprise, a sane voice from the CEDAW Committee stated emotionally, “I have a dream that some day abortion will be a historical memory. Abortion is a demanding, painful intervention. It is terrible physically and emotionally for women. It is forced rhetoric on the part of feminist organizations that abortion is a 'choice.' No woman would 'choose' an abortion just to have the experience. I have friends who have had five, six, and more abortions. Unfortunately they use it as a means of birth control. Again I say, it is a terrible thing. Congratulations to you, Croatia, for its decline in your country.”
And my hope for at least one member of the committee went up 20 points.
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