Representation at the United Nations
Like a select number of other non-governmental organisations, the World Alliance of YMCAs has been granted consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and therefore has the opportunity to influence policy and agendas at the highest level of policy making. The World Alliance can for example present written and oral statements to the UN Commission on Human Rights, and the Commission on the Status of Women. The UN is interested in knowledge, experience, best practice and concerns from NGOs working on gender issues in the field. If you would like us to share your YMCA's experiences, best practice or concerns about human rights abuses in your country please contact:
jenny(at)ymca.int
See our magazine YMCA World on the issue of : "Empowering Women"
Celebrated on 8 March every year, International Women’s Day highlights the fact that peace, social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights will only be achieved when there is active participation and equality of women in all spheres of life. Many YMCAs around the world are actively working for gender equality and use the occasion of International Women’s Day, an initiative of the United Nations, to highlight this urgent issue in their communities.
YMCAs have a special role to play in promoting gender justice since we have both women and men in our membership. We are uniquely placed to encourage boys and men to work together with girls and women for meaningful and lasting empowerment of women.
Resources pages
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) : girl child in marginalised communities - 51st Session 2007 -
Statement of the World Alliance of YMCAs (cont...)
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) : Joint NGOs Statement - 51st Session 2007 (cont...)
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) - 50th Session 2006
Presentation (cont...)
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) - An Open Letter on Women and UN Reform (English) - 50th Session 2006 (cont..)
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) - An Open Letter on Women and UN Reform (Spanish) - 50th Session 2006 (cont...)
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 50st Session 2006 -
Statement of the World Alliance of YMCAs (cont...)
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 49th Session 2005 -
Statement of the World Alliance of YMCAs (cont...)
International Women Day, 8 March 2006 (cont...)
YMCA Programmes (cont...)
Written statement of the World Alliance of YMCAs
Theme : The elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child : focus on marginalised communities.
Submitted by: World Alliance of YMCAs, a non-governmental organisation in special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.
The World Alliance of YMCAs is a youth organisation with 45 million members worldwide, of whom half are girls and women. YMCAs are working in 124 countries and are advocating for and promoting the rights of the girl child.
Committed to empowering all, especially young people and the most vulnerable, the World Alliance of YMCAs is deeply concerned about the widespread forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child.
Committed to work in solidarity with the poor, dispossessed and oppressed, the World Alliance of YMCAs is particularly concerned about the plight of girls from marginalised communities, for example girls from indigenous and tribal communities, Dalit girls, girls living in poverty and refugees and immigrants. Millions of girls face double discrimination and increased risk of violence because of their marginalised status and their gender. Girls from marginalised communities are much more likely to suffer violence in all its forms, be denied access to education, economic independence and decision making, suffer from ill health, malnutrition, early death, early marriages and sexual abuse.
As a result of its work with marginalised communities around the world, the YMCA calls for state-parties and civil society to take urgent action to ensure that:
· Policies and strategies are designed and implemented to support girls to become aware of their rights and are empowered to overcome the culture of silence when their rights are denied and there is violence against them. Girls are supported to collectively raise their voices against all injustices done to them and to combat patriarchy in all its forms. That a special focus is given to girls from marginalised communities.
· Policies and strategies are designed and implemented for boys to become aware of the deep-rooted patriarchal systems of oppression, discrimination and violence against girls and women and are engaged to strive for equal relations between girls and boys, women and men.
· Governments ensure that structural systems promoting discrimination and violence against the girl child are dismantled; that schemes for the empowerment of the girl child are established such as free education and income generation programmes for parents in impoverished communities; that a clear national gender policy with special focus on the girl child is developed and implemented; that all who oppress the girl child are prosecuted. In all these efforts there should be a special focus on overcoming the double discrimination and increased risk of violence faced by girls from marginalised communities.
· The international community monitors the enforcement of the various conventions, protocols and legal systems in place to protect the rights of the girl child, especially the Convention on the Rights of the Child, with a particular focus on assisting girls from marginalised communities.
The YMCA is mobilising both girls and boys, women and men, at local, national and international levels to address these issues and welcomes further efforts to develop practical strategies and tools for a lasting end to discrimination and violence against the girl child.
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United Nations : Economic and Social Council
Commission for Status of Women
Fifty-first session
Relevant to the Theme of the Commission:
The elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child
Statement submitted by:
Equality Now, International Council of Women, International Federation for Home Economics, World Movement of Mothers, non-governmental organizations in general consultative status with the Economic and Social Council;
Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, UNANIMA International, Defence for Children International, Dominican Leadership Conference, Guild of Service, Miramed Institute, Pan Pacific and South East Asia Women's Association International, Peace Worldwide, Perhaps Kids Meeting Kids Can Make A Difference, International Presentation Association of Sisters of the Presentation, The Grail, School Sisters of Notre Dame, Worldwide Organization of Women, and the World Alliance of YMCAs, non-governmental organizations in special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council;
The Loretto Community, a non-governmental organization in roster consultative status with the Economic and Social Council.
We, NGOs working toward the realization of gender equality for women and girls and the elimination of all forms of male violence against the girl child, affirm the need to protect and ensure the human rights and equality of girls. To attain this goal, we must eradicate sexual violence and exploitation of girls.
One of the most severe, devastating, and escalating practices of gender-based violence is the commercial sexual exploitation of women and girls of all ages, including prostitution, sex trafficking, the Internet bride industry, pornography, and sex tourism.
The impact of commercial sexual exploitation on the girl child
Two million girls, aged 5 to 15, are initiated into the commercial sex industry each year. Trafficking, prostitution and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation are inextricably linked: the demand for prostituted girls and women is the engine that drives the worldwide crisis of sex trafficking. The demand is fueled by such factors as gender inequality and female poverty; the presence of the military in many parts of the world; racial myths and stereotypes; national and international economic policies favoring globalization; and countries in financial and political crisis. Under these conditions, the girl child is increasingly vulnerable to the growing reach of the global sex industry. Traffickers and pimps exploit girls seeking to improve their lives through employment, migration or other opportunities. They treat them as commodities to be bought and sold over and over, and to be repeatedly raped by the countless buyers they are required to "service" in prostitution.
The negative impact of sex trafficking on the health and human rights of girls around the world is enormous. Sexual violence is one of the leading factors of the spread of HIV/AIDS among girls. UNAIDS, UNFPA, and UNIFEM have identified gender inequality as the core cause of the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls, citing their inability to exercise control over their bodies and their lives. Demand for prostitution and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation of girls increases with the buyers' belief that younger girls are less likely to be infected with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Victims of prostitution often suffer severe health consequences including physical injuries from beatings, rapes, and unwanted sex; psychological trauma; HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases; and alcohol and drug abuse induced by pimps or by victims' attempts to self-medicate. Women and girls suffering from these severe and often long-term health problems are hindered in attaining and advancing their human rights.
Further, girls' education is disrupted when they are trafficked into prostitution or other sexually exploitative situations such as early marriages. Without access to school, girls fail to develop their potential, often perpetuating their sexual exploitation into adulthood. Without the knowledge and training available to other youth, prostituted girls grow up to be women with few opportunities to improve their lives. Moreover, while most governments recognize girls as victims of the sex trade, they often fail to see the harms they face when they continue to be exploited after they reach adulthood.
Rather than recognizing women's human rights, some governments have adopted development policies effectively normalizing and, in some places, even legalizing the sexual violence and exploitation of prostitution and pornography. Legal legitimation of prostitution gives men moral and social permission to purchase, use and abuse women and girls, which in turn increases the demand that fuels sex trafficking. As the demand for prostituted women and girls escalates, so does the risk of sexual exploitation for girls.
Governments' obligations to eliminate sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, particularly of the girl child
International law requires governments to protect the girl child from commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), for instance, which has been ratified by 192 countries, requires that States parties protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse, and take all measures possible to ensure that they are not abducted, sold or trafficked. (Articles 34 & 35). Further, the Convention's Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, to which over 100 governments are parties, provides more extensive requirements to end commercial sexual exploitation of children. The Optional Protocol recognizes that penalizing the demand for commercial sexual exploitation is important, since it requires punishment not only for those offering or delivering children for the purposes of sexual exploitation, but also for anyone accepting a child for such purposes. (Article 3). Additionally, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children supplementing the Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime recognizes that all children under eighteen who are sexually exploited are trafficking victims (Article 3).
Despite these and other mandates under international law to protect victims of sex trafficking and prostitution, many States parties frequently abdicate their obligations. For instance, the prostituted and trafficked girl child is routinely arrested for prostitution or other related offenses and treated as a criminal, while her trafficker, pimp and buyers remain free and unpunished.
Recommendations
In order to ensure the human rights of the girl child, governments and civil society must take action to eradicate sexual violence and exploitation of girls. We urge government policy and action in the following areas:
· Implementation of preventative measures such as public education campaigns which describe the risks of trafficking, prostitution, and related forms of sexual exploitation to potential victims, and which challenge the attitudes and practices of potential perpetrators of sexual exploitation and confront the social tolerance and acceptance of prostitution and the sex industry;
· Development of educational curricula, including in the lower grades, that raise awareness about the harm of gender stereotypes and sexual objectification of women and girls;
· Elimination by governments of structural and patriarchal factors that push women and girls into trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation such as poverty, systematic violence against women and girls, gender discrimination, harmful traditional practices, and other forms of discrimination such as racism;
· Increased support and holistic services for survivors of both international and domestic sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation;
· Promotion and implementation of effective laws against trafficking, prostitution, sex tourism and related forms of sexual exploitation, including provisions criminalizing the demand for trafficking and prostitution and prosecuting buyers for extraterritorial offenses such as sex tourism abroad;
· Development of training programs for government bodies such as law enforcement to hold perpetrators, including traffickers, pimps and buyers, accountable rather than criminalizing victims;
· Strong and effective prosecution of perpetrators of gender-based violence, including buyers and sellers of women and girls in prostitution and related practices of sexual exploitation. In all cases involving the girl child, buyers must be recognized and penalized as child abusers and rapists under applicable local laws;
· Rejection of government policies promoting prostitution, whether through legalization, decriminalization or tolerance of the sex industry;
· Rejection of the dangerous use of the misguided term "sex worker, " which minimizes the abuses and exploitation of prostitution as if it were an ordinary job, particularly when referring to sexually exploited children and youth;
· Effective monitoring and prosecution of the sellers and buyers of sexual exploitation of the girl child via the Internet and other media;
· Ratification and implementation of the Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others; the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women; the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography; and the Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.
The effects of commercial sexual exploitation on women's and girls' education, health and work are severe and long-lasting. Sexual exploitation of girls is a violation of their fundamental human rights and all governments must take action to eradicate these destructive practices. Governments and civil society must recognize that the commodification and sexualization of the girl child has a profoundly negative impact on human dignity and the achievement of human rights and equality.
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World Alliance of YMCAsRepresentation at the 50th session of the Commission on the Status of Women - 27th February - 10th March 2006, New York
This year, Dana Penrod (YMCA Greater New York) and Helga Serrano (YMCA Ecuador) represented the World Alliance of YMCAs at the 50th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
The 50th session of the CSW considered the following two themes:
> Enhanced participation of women in development: an enabling environment for achieving gender equality and the advancement of women, taking into account, inter alia, the fields of education, health and work.
> Equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes at all levels.
Discussions and debates were held at three levels:
> Official government meetings where NGOs can participate as observers and present position statements on the issues. NGOs can also lobby their respective governments on certain issues discussed at official meetings.
> Regional or thematic caucuses, where NGOs meet to share and disseminate information.
> Parallel events organised by NGOs and UN bodies, that provide information, debates, exchange of experiences.
Key Outcomes from the offical government meetings
a) Enhanced participation of women in development
The CSW urged governments, UN systems and other actors to take action in:
> Education: through policies aimed at preventing violence and harassment of girls and women; provide training for teachers on gender stereotypes; eliminate gender bias in curricula, methodologies and teaching practice that perpetuate gender inequalities and develop materials on gender quality for boys and girls; increase the access of girls and women to education and training on science and technology
> Health: Incorporate gender perspectives in health sector reforms; develop strategies to increase women's involvement in planning and implementing health policies and programmes; develop a comprehensive health sector response to the various impacts of violence against women; ensure that health education addresses women's needs and priorities.
> Work: eliminate occupational segregation and gender wage gaps; develop strategies to enhance women's participation in managerial positions; ensure access by women entrepreneurs to resources.
Many speakers also addressed the need for women to have access to, and control over, productive resources. The FAO (Food and Agricultural,Organization) shared relevant statistics from Uganda and Kenya where 80% of those who work and cultivate the land are women, while they make up only 5% of all landowners.
b) Equal participation of women and men in decision-making processes at all levels
The CSW reaffirmed the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which emphasises that without the active participation of women and the incorporation of women's perspectives at all levels of decision making, the goals of equality, development and peace cannot be achieved.
Key Outcomes from NGO Meetings
Our representatives felt that the NGO meetings were not as effective as they could be due some important limitations: NGOs based in New York are predominantly North American, with few Asian, African and Latin American representatives. Meetings were conducted in English, which further excluded representatives from other regions. Nevertheless, some important gains were made. The NGOs prepared and signed an Open Letter to UN Secretary General in which they expressed concern about the weakness of mechanisms for the participation of women in decision making at the UN, as well as the decrease in women's representation in key posts. The full document is below in English and Spanish - it was signed by 300 NGOs including the World Alliance.
Conclusion
For our representative Dana Penrod, the words of the Pakistani delegate really stood out - "the CSW provides a platform to chalk out a safe and bright future for women and is keeping the torch alive." Nevertheless, Dana felt that as the CSW convenes for its 50th year it is clear that despite advancements made to increase awareness and address challenges facing women of the world, there is still much work to be done.
Next Steps
The World Alliance's representatives were informed that an in-depth study on all forms of violence against women will be conducted by the CSW, and NGOs with consultative status with UNESCO are invited to send their input. The World Alliance of YMCAs does have consultative status and will be sending one of its publications on violence against women. If you would like the World Alliance to also share your YMCA's ideas, experiences, or programmes on violence against women please contact: jenny(at)ymca.int
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The World Alliance of YMCAs was one of 300 NGOs who signed this letter
For more than six decades, women's groups and others from around the world have been strong supporters of the United Nations. We have actively shaped the UN's work on peace, human rights, development, security and environmental issues, and, of course, on gender equality. The UN is at a critical juncture. In the 2005 World Summit, women's organizations successfully advocated for greater commitments on gender equality and expected to see these commitments implemented in the UN reform follow-up.
We are disappointed and frankly outraged that gender equality and strengthening the women's machineries within the UN system are barely noted, and are not addressed as a central part of the reform agenda. Again, we must ask how it can be that more than ten years after the commitment to gender parity at the Beijing Conference, the UN is still offering only token representation of women on critical committees, high level expert panels and in senior positions within the organization.
Women welcomed Paragraph 59 in the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document, in which governments undertook to "strengthen the capabilities of the United Nations system in the area of gender." This commitment made by world leaders will not be met unless gender equality issues and women's machineries are an integral part of the UN reform process. Yet, mechanisms and processes dealing with UN reform have failed to display a consistent and visible commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment. For example, the new High-Level Panel on UN system-wide coherence in areas of development, humanitarian assistance and the environment has only 3 women out of 15 members. We urge that additional women be added to the panel and that gender equality issues be explicitly considered under each theme. Furthermore, the panel should be mandated to hold consultations with civil society groups, especially those working on women's rights, in order to ensure consideration of the impact on women of any proposed reforms.
Women's groups call for serious consideration to be given to the implications of the current reforms on the women's equality agenda. We reiterate the call made at Beijing +10 and the 2005 World Summit for the Secretary General and Member States to significantly strengthen, upgrade and better resource the systems and mechanisms, including the UN women's machineries, through which gender equality can be advanced at the international and country level. This could be a lasting legacy.
In addition, we are deeply concerned that the position of women in high-level UN posts has stagnated. The list of candidates for the position of the executive director of UNEP contains no women at all. This is unacceptable. At the very least, the UN should set an example of gender balance in all high-level decision making positions.
The pattern of publicly adopted commitments and statements followed by lack of implementation sets a disheartening precedent which retards the work and reputation of the United Nations and impedes the urgently-needed progress of gender equality worldwide. We urge you to take the opportunity in your address to the CSW on International Women's Day to announce concrete proposals for advancing gender equality and strengthening gender machineries in the context of UN reform. In addition, we urge Member States to explicitly address gender equality concerns in all aspects of UN reform.
March 6, 2006
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Carta Abierta sobre las Mujeres y la Reforma de la ONU presentada al Secretario General y los Estados Miembros de la ONU por parte de las ONGs presentes en la 50 Sesión del Comité del Estatus de la Mujer - New York - 6 de marzo de 2006
Durante más de seis décadas, los grupos de mujeres y otros alrededor del mundo han apoyado decididamente a las Naciones Unidas. Hemos aportado al trabajo de la ONU sobre la paz, los derechos humanos, el desarrollo, asuntos de seguridad y ambientales y, por supuesto, en el tema de igualdad de género. La ONU se encuentra en una coyuntura crítica. En la Cumbre Mundial de 2005, las organizaciones de mujeres abogaron exitosamente por mayores compromisos sobre la igualdad de género y esperaban ver la implementación de dichos compromisos en el proceso de seguimiento y reforma de la ONU.
Lamentamos y estamos realmente indignadas que la igualdad de género y el fortalecimiento de la maquinaria a favor de la mujer en el sistema de la ONU pasan casi desapercibidos, y no se los considera como elemento central de la agenda de reforma. Nuevamente debemos preguntarnos cómo después de mas de diez anos del compromiso a la igualdad de género asumido en la Conferencia de Beijing, la ONU todavía ofrece solo representaciones simbólicas de mujeres en los comités más importantes, los paneles de expertos de alto nivel y los más altos cargos dentro de la organización.
Las mujeres acogieron el Párrafo 59 en el Documento de Resultados de la Cumbre Mundial del 2005, en el cual los gobiernos se comprometieron a "fortalecer las capacidades del sistema de las Naciones Unidas en el área de género". Este compromiso efectuado por los líderes mundiales no se podrá cumplir a menos que los temas de la igualdad de género y la maquinaria para la participación de las mujeres formen parte integral del proceso de reforma de la ONU. Sin embargo, los mecanismos y procesos que abordan la reforma de la ONU no han podido demostrar un compromiso consistente y visible con respecto a la igualdad de género y el empoderamiento de las mujeres. Por ejemplo, solo hay 3 mujeres de 15 miembros en el nuevo Panel de Alto Nivel para la Coherencia del Sistema ONU en las áreas de desarrollo, asistencia humanitaria y el medio ambiente.
Pedimos que se incluyan más mujeres en el panel y que los temas de igualdad de género sean explícitamente considerados bajo cada tema. Además, el panel debe tener el mandato para mantener consultas con grupos de la sociedad civil, especialmente aquellos que trabajan en los derechos de la mujer, con el fin de asegurar que se considere el impacto en las mujeres de cualquiera de las reformas propuestas.
Los grupos de mujeres hacen un llamado para que se considere a profundidad las implicaciones de las actuales reformas en la agenda de igualdad de las mujeres. Reiteramos el llamado realizado en Beijing + 10 y la Cumbre Mundial 2005 para que el Secretario General y los Estados Miembros significativamente fortalezcan, actualicen y equipen de mejor manera los sistemas y mecanismos, incluyendo la maquinaria de la ONU con respecto a las mujeres, por medio de la cual se puede progresar en la igualdad de género a nivel internacional y de cada país. Esto podría ser un legado duradero.
Además, expresamos nuestra profunda preocupación sobre el hecho que se ha estancado el número de mujeres en altos cargos en las Naciones Unidas. La lista de candidatos para la posición de Director Ejecutivo/a de UNEP no contempla ni una sola mujer. Esto es inaceptable. Por lo menos la ONU debería ser un ejemplo de igualdad de género en todos
los altos cargos de toma de decisiones.
El patrón de la adopción pública de compromisos y declaraciones seguido por la falta de implementación establece un precedente desalentador que retrasa el trabajo y la reputación de las Naciones Unidas e impide el progreso urgentemente requerido para alcanzar la igualdad de género a nivel mundial. Le pedimos que aproveche su oportunidad de dirigirse al Comité del Estatus de la Mujer en el Día Internacional de la Mujer para anunciar propuestas concretas que permitan avanzar en la igualdad de género y en el fortalecimiento de la maquinaria en género en el contexto de la reforma de la ONU. Además, urgimos a los Estados Miembros que explícitamente aborden los temas de igualdad de género en todos los aspectos de la reforma de la ONU.
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New York, 27 February - 19 March 2006
The World Alliance of YMCAs is a youth organisation with over 40 million members worldwide, of which half are women. YMCAs working in 125 countries are advocating for and promoting the rights of women.
As the YMCA seeks to empower all, especially young women and men, it is deeply concerned about women's continued under-representation in decision making processes at all levels and the urgent need to create an enabling environment for the enhanced participation of women in development.
Through its work with communities around the world to engage women in development, the YMCA recognises that urgent action is needed to ensure that:
· Public policy recognises the close links between the areas of women's health, education and work, and integrates these areas more effectively.
· Mechanisms are established to put an end to stereotypical attitudes and discriminatory practices that undermine important gains in the fields of health, education and work by restricting women's mobility, property rights, participation in decision making and access to economic and other livelihood opportunities.
· Government entities and civil society organizations provide training for women to develop the necessary skills for social, economic and political empowerment, including income generation.
· Mechanisms are established to produce a process of serious socio-cultural change.
· There is a gender-awareness monitoring and evaluation system of existing development programmes.
Through working with communities around the world to engage women and girls in decision making at all levels, the YMCA recognises that urgent action is needed to ensure that:
· Men and boys are engaged in initiatives designed to promote gender equality in decision making and that there is an end to the discriminatory practices which engage women to fill quotas but give them no real influence in decision-making and outcomes. If boys are engaged in such initiatives from an early age, this will help to break such practices.
· Education and sensibilization mechanisms are established to provide increased awareness that gender equality is good for men and boys as well as for women and girls.
· Girls and young women are equipped with the skills and confidence to participate effectively in decision-making, for example through youth advocacy and civic empowerment programmes
The YMCA is mobilising both men and women members, young and adults, at grassroots, national and international levels to address these issues and welcomes further efforts to develop practical strategies and tools for meaningful and lasting implementation.
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Written and Oral Statement of the World Alliance of YMCAs
United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
28 February - 11 March, 2005
The World Alliance of YMCAs is a youth organisation with over 40 million members worldwide of which half are women. The YMCA seeks to empower all, especially young women and men, to assume leadership at all levels and to work towards a more equitable society. YMCAs working in 125 countries are advocating for and promoting the rights of women and upholding the rights of children.
As a member of the community of peoples that stand for justice, the YMCA is concerned about the current status of women, especially young women and girls, who are being excluded from exercising their full political, economic, cultural and social rights.
In its review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and based on its experience as a worldwide grassroots organisation, the YMCA continues to see injustices against women, despite government commitments. The YMCA considers that the Beijing + 10 Review can only be seen in the context of examining the global forces which are affecting women and impede the achievement of the Platform, including militarism, fundamentalisms and globalisation.
The YMCA considers that a chief obstacle to fulfilling the twelve critical areas of the Platform for Action is the predominance of the neo-liberal model which accords priority to economic growth over people's welfare, through the implementation of economic policies that have devastating consequences for women.
The YMCA stresses that women's perspectives should be incorporated in all areas of global and regional policy of the United Nations and multilateral institutions, otherwise the gender impacts of policy choices will continue to be ignored. It is also important to integrate a gender perspective in the implementation and review of the Millennium Declaration.
The YMCA further recognises that urgent action is needed to obtain commitments from governments and the United Nations to more targeted and time bound indicators and measurable goals for the implementation of the Beijing Platform, as well as adequate resources and technical support. The YMCA ratifies its support to the NGO Committee on the Status of Women position that called for no renegotiation of the agreed text of the Beijing Platform for Action.
In relation to the challenges for the advancement and empowerment of women and girls, the YMCA recognises that urgent action is needed to ensure that:
· the current patriarchal system is changed through educating boys and men that gender inequalities are an abuse of human rights and through mobilising boys and men to advance women's rights and gender justice
· mechanisms are set in place to increase participation and access for young women in United Nations processes
· laws recognising women's equal rights and opportunities are created and, where they already exist, that they are enforced.
The YMCA is mobilising both men and women members, young and adults, at grassroots, national and international levels to address these issues and welcomes further efforts to develop practical tools for implementation.
The YMCA also welcomes cooperation among women's organisations, NGOs, UN bodies and governments in addressing gender inequalities and reaching gender justice.
Written Statement of the World Alliance of YMCAs
61st Session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
14 March - 22 April 2005
Agenda Item 12
Integration of the Human Rights of Women and the Gender Perspective
The World Alliance of YMCAs is a youth organisation with over 40 million members worldwide of which half are women. As a member of the community of peoples that stand for justice, the YMCA is concerned about the current status of women, especially young women and girls, who are being excluded from exercising their full political, economic, cultural and social rights through acts of violence. YMCAs, present in 125 countries, are advocating for the rights of women and for an end to violence against women and girls.
The YMCA endorses the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the UN Resolution on the Elimination of Violence against Women and commends the work of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur for Violence against Women.
However, in its review of the Beijing Declaration and the above Resolution and based on its experience as a worldwide grassroots organisation, the YMCA continues to see acts of violence committed against women and girls, despite government commitments.
The YMCA considers that a chief obstacle to the successful implementation of the above is a lack of will and determination on the part of states. Governments must be held accountable for their commitments to ending violence against women. States must provide a robust legal and policy framework for women and girls to prevent, investigate and punish all acts of violence. Where such policies and laws already exist states must implement them in a pro-active way to end the gap between policy and practice. Failure to do so is an abuse of human rights and perpetuates the immense suffering of multitudes of women and girls worldwide.
The YMCA stresses that states must address social and cultural practices that continue to promote violence against women and hinder women from exercising their full potential. Physical and psychological abuse, rape, forced marriage, human trafficking, dowry related killings and female genital mutilation are among a host of practices that are often culturally acceptable although they endanger women's lives and have far reaching consequences for these women, the children they raise, and society as a whole.
The YMCA stresses that violence against women in all its forms has serious implications for women's ability to protect themselves from HIV infection. During forced or coerced intercourse a woman is made more vulnerable to infection. Even when sex is consensual, a woman is less likely to insist on condom use, or discuss safer sex practices with her partner if she is afraid of a violent reaction.
It is only through promoting gender equality that women and girls can be empowered for a more hopeful future. Therefore, the YMCA recognises that urgent action is needed to ensure that current patriarchal systems are changed through educating boys and men that gender inequalities are an abuse of human rights and through mobilising boys and men to advance women's rights and gender justice. This will also release men and boys from conforming to violent behaviour due to cultural and social expectations.
The YMCA is mobilising men and women members, youth and adults, at grassroots, national and international levels to address these issues and welcomes further efforts to develop practical tools for implementation.
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Around the world, International Women's Day, 8th March, marks a celebration of the economic, social, cultural and political achievements of women. The idea of an International Women's Day first emerged in the early 1900s amidst rapid industrialisation, population growth and radical ideologies; it is a now an important tradition that represents over a century of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.
At the United Nations, International Women's Day 2006 will be commemorated with a focus on the theme of "Women in Decision-Making". This is especially relevant to the YMCA movement, which seeks to empower women, and to build partnerships between men and women. The World Alliance of YMCAs therefore encourages all YMCAs to commemorate International Women's Day by organising activities to celebrate women's contributions to society and to address key issues such as the under representation of women at senior levels of leadership and decision-making in public, professional and economic life. To share these activities with the world YMCA Movement please contact :
jenny(at)ymca.int
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· YMCA Programmes
YMCAs are mobilising young men and women all over the world in action to end violence and discrimination against women, and to raise awareness of the stereotypical attitudes and socio cultural patterns that exacerbate gender injustices. Below are a few examples of how YMCAs are engaging with the issue of the gender justice.
Japan: Miriam Gender Programme
Since 1990, the Student YMCA of Japan has been co-ordinating a programme to raise awareness and understanding of gender issues. Groups of students, both male and female, meets two to three times a year to discuss issues such as patriarchy and sexual discrimination, HIV/AIDS, and domestic violence. There have been lectures and workshops on feminist theology, and the role of women in development. This year, as part of the National YMCA and Student YMCA Annual Seminar, the students are planning a workshop on gender equity - "From the point of view of Asia and Female".
East Jerusalem: Vocational training for women
East Jerusalem YMCA provides pioneering and meaningful vocational training for young women to increase their opportunities for employment and income-generating activities. Few young Palestinian women are vocationally trained, and nearly all vocational training offered to women reinforces traditional gender roles. There is little provision for women in industrial secondary schools or universities. The YMCA gives young women access to non-traditional vocational training courses, such as graphic design and computer maintenance, in addition to career counselling.
Peru: Women's Development
YMCA Peru supports a programme for the development of women in the Independencia province. Main activities include workshops on self-esteem, technical training, and community micro-credit schemes, with a view to increasing their family incomes. In Winchanzao - Trujillo, the YMCA is helping women in situations of extreme poverty to increase their family incomes and their participation in democractic processes, through leadership and vocational training for business management, and community credit schemes.
Zimbabwe: Skills development and income generating activities for women
Zimbabwe YMCA is supporting a project to improve the socio-economic status of disadvantaged rural women from four villages in the Nkayi and Lupane districts by enabling them to benefit fully from a local community-led credit scheme. Women, men and community leaders have participated in awareness raising seminars on gender discrimination, women's rights, tradition and culture, and women's contribution to the community. Women undergo training to develop the necessary skills for income generating and social interaction related to participation in the credit scheme.
· World Council, 2006
"Challenge 21" (adopted in 1998), called on all YMCA members to focus efforts on empowering all, especially young people and women, to take increased responsibilities and assume leadership at all levels; on working towards an equitable society; and on advocating for and promoting the rights of women. As part of the upcoming World Council 2006 meeting, the World Alliance of YMCAs will be leading an evening session devoted to the theme of Gender Justice, with the hope of motivating and equipping leaders to take up gender justice as an integral part of their YMCA programmes and structures. For more information please see World Council - South Africa 2006
· World Council, 2002
The 15th World Council of YMCAs took place in Oaxtepec, Mexico, July 2002, on the theme, "Building Community - Transforming the World." Unlike many previous occasions, theirs was a concerted voice on a whole range of social questions, as well as the vital question of women's leadership and participation in the YMCA. A pre-Council event brought together a representative group of women from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, and the USA, on the issue of violence against women. For more information please see World Council - Mexico 2002
· Other ways to get involved
International Women's Day 2006
Around the world, International Women's Day, 8th March, marks a celebration of the economic, social, cultural and political achievements of women. The World Alliance of YMCAs has encouraged all YMCAs to commemorate International Women's Day by organising activities to celebrate women's contributions to society and to address key issues such as the under representation of women at senior levels of leadership and decision-making in public, professional and economic life.
To commemorate International Women's Day, the YMCA of Greater Montreal organised a Conference on 'Equality... Achieved ?' Questions for discussion included: Do women really enjoy equality in the workplace, in education, and with regard to their sexuality? Are women really free from sexual discrimination? How do we explain the culture of pornography, women's role in politics, and the prevalence of acts of violence against women?
To share your YMCA's activities with the world YMCA Movement please contact : jenny(at)ymca.int
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