By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, July 30 -- When the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) session ended on July 29, Inner City Press asked a number of the rapporteurs for the countries reviewed what impact detailed filings about human rights violations would have. Video here, from Minute 16:25.
Regarding Ethiopia, Inner City Press asked about the 2009 Charities and Societies Proclamation and how it impinged on the work of human rights, including women's rights, groups. Pamila Patten responded that the law bars NGOs that receive more than 10% of their funding from outside of Ethiopia, and that CEDAW has asked the Meles Zenawi government to unblock the assets of some NGOs.
Inner City Press began asking how CEDAW and the UN seek to get such action -- when for example the UN is taking and paying an Ethiopian only battalion on Abyei in Sudan, and maintains its Economic Commission on Africa in Addis Ababa.
In some sort of response, the chair Silvia Pimental spoke about how much respect the CEDAW committee gives to NGO filings. But still: how does the UN seek to enforce these recommendations?
Regarding South Korea, Inner City Press asked about the treatment of female migrant workers. The rapporteur Barbara Bailey from Jamaica said that issue "hadn't come up," rather nationals had been focused on, their job classifications.
They did touch on international marriage brokers and sexual abuse. "We urged the state party to look at the Marriage Brokerage Control Act." Who knew?
Regarding Zambia, Inner City Press asked about the treatment of women prisoners. Rapporteur Violet Awori of Kenya said that hadn't really "come up in the constructive dialogue," but rather constitutional provisions in Article 23(4) permitting discriminatory laws including polygamy and "sexual cleansing."
On Singapore, rapporteur Zou Xiaoqiao of China said the issues were about reservations that Singapore took: "we urged the state party to withdraw these reservations." Substantively, they spoke about foreign domestic workers, who are not allowed to marry Singaporean men.
On Italy, rapporteur Violeta Neubauer of Slovenia spoke about "politicians" projecting sexist images -- but did not once say the name "Berlusconi." She spoke of the plight of Roma women.
CEDAW found something to criticize in each country. But how does it prioritize and seek to enforce? We'll have more on this.
