SETTINGFEMINISTSTANDARDSTOMONITOR

SUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENT

SivananthiThanenthiran,ARROW

PresentedatthePost-2015Women’sCoaliGon

StrategySessioninMarch2016

FeministStandards

1)  Whatistheworldwewant?2)  Whatdowehavenowtoget

there?3)  Whatwouldyouchange?

FeministStandards

Dowemonitorwhatgovernmentshavesetastargets?Weshouldmonitorthesegoalsagainstourownstandards,ourownfeministstandards.

FeministStandards

SomeofourissuescanbemonitoredwithintheSDGs.ButanothersetofissuesfalloutsideoftheSDGsbutarecriGcalforfeministpoliGcs.

FeministStandards

SomeoftheissueswithintheSDGs•  Violenceagainstwomen•  Gender-basedViolence•  Climatechange•  EducaGon•  Health•  Women’spoliGcalparGcipaGon•  Land,accesstoland

FeministStandards

IssuesoutsideoftheSDGs•  PeaceanddemilitarisaGon•  Macro-economics•  GlobalcorporaGsaGon•  WomenHumanRightsDefenders•  MigraGon•  Refugees•  Democracydeficitandshrinkingspaces•  Statesponsoredviolence

FeministStandards

Whatarefeministstandards?Arethereanywecanagreeon?Dotheyexist?Iftheyexistwhatwouldtheylooklike?Doweneedaprocessofconsensusbuildinginordertoarriveatthis?

FeministStandards

ThereareexisGngfeministstandardswhichwecallourownandholddearlyto.Thesearederivedfromthe•  BeijingPla\ormforAcGon(BPfA)

•  CEDAW

FeministStandardsLet’stakeGoal3onHeathasanexample:CoversmaternalmortalityraGoreducGon,universalaccesstoSRH,universalhealthcoverage,reducGonofdeathsduetoHIV/AIDs,malaria,tuberculosis,trafficaccidents,etc.

FeministStandardsWhatdoesBPFAmenGononhealth?Paras89-105,para106onacGonstobetakenBPfAlocateshealthin:•  Women’srighttoenjoyhighestacainable

standardofhealth,•  Theanalysisthatinequalityisthebarrierto

enjoyinggoodhealth,unequalaccesstoanduseofhealthresources,perpetuaGonofgenderstereotypesinhealthpolicies,tacklesprivaGsaGonofhealth,sexualandreproducGvehealth,sexualityofwomen

•  Thehumanrightsofwomenincludetheirrighttohavecontroloveranddecidefreelyandresponsiblyonmacersrelatedtotheirsexuality,includingsexualandreproducGvehealth,freeofcoercion,discriminaGonandviolence.

•  Mentalhealth

FeministStandardsPara106–talksofacGons1)  Reaffirm,protectandfulfilltherighttohighest

acainablestandardofhealth–reviewexisGnglegislaGononhealth

2)  GendersensiGvehealthservices3)  Women’sequalaccesstosocialsecurity

systems,andwhetheruniversalhealthcoveragecoversSRHservices

4)  Affordablehealthcare5)  Upholdprivacy,confidenGality,non-coercion6)  EnableaccesstosafeaborGon7)  Girls–differenceinneo-natalmortality,infant

mortality,childmortality,nutriGonalstatus8)  Non-discriminaGonbasedonage,ethnicity,

disability,income

FeministStandardsWhatdoesCEDAWmenGononhealth?CEDAWArGcle12:12.1–negaGveobligaGon,nottodiscriminateagainstwomen12.2–posiGveobligaGon,laythefoundaGonforwomen’sreproducGveautonomy/choices-StatesparGesshallensuretowomenappropriateservicesinconnecGonwithpregnancy,confinementandthepost-natalperiod,granGngfreeserviceswherenecessary,aswellasadequatenutriGonduringpregnancyandlactaGon12.1–non-discriminaGon–DirectdiscriminaGon-accessdependentonmaritalstatus,differenGaltreatmentbasedonbiologicaldiff,IndirectdiscriminaGon–systemicprioriGsaGonof‘male’diseasesoverfemale,healthsystemsrespec\ulofnorms,butnotperpetuateharmfulculturalnorms,12.2–layfoundaGonforwomen’sreproducGveautonomy–16.1e-marriageandfamilylife,10h–infooncontracepGon,14b–equalaccesstohealthcareservices

FeministStandardsGeneralComment24•  Healthlawsandpolicies,•  Disaggregateddata,•  HealthcondiGons,hazardouscondiGonsaffecGng

women•  Provisionofreprohealth,conscienGousobjecGon,

referral•  Specificbiologicalfactors–pronetoHIV;socio-

economic–violence;psycho-social–post-partumdepression,anorexia,bulimia

•  ConfidenGality•  Spousalconsent,parentalconsent•  Lawsthatcriminalizemedicalproceduresonly

neededbywomenpunishwomenwhoundergothoseprocedures.

•  TreaGngviolenceagainstwomenthroughhealthcaresystem

FeministStandardsGeneralComment24•  StatesshouldhavenaGonalstrategiesfor

women’shealthcoveringlifecycleofwomen•  Allocateresources•  GenderperspecGveinpolicy-making,

programmedevelopmentparGcipaGonofwomeninpolicymakingprogdevelopment

•  RemovalofbarriersespeciallyonSRH•  PrioriGsereducGononunintendedpregnancy

throughaccesstofamilyplanning,sexeducaGon,safemotherhoodservices,enableaccesstosafeaborGon–repeallaws,enforceposiGvelaws

•  Rightstoautonomy,privacy,confidenGality,informedconsentandchoice

FeministStandardsDerivingfromthesetwodocumentshowcanwearriveatfeministstandardsforhealth?Whatrightsarepartofthehealthgoal?SomesuggesGons:1)  Rightofwomentoenjoythehighestacainablestandard

ofhealththroughoutthelife-cycle(enshrinedwhere,how,forwhom?)

2)  RighttoaccesshealthservicesandinformaGon(impairedbybarriers–genderspecific,structural)

3)  Righttoprivacy,confidenGality,informedconsentanddecision-making

4)  Righttonon-coercion5)  Righttonon-discriminaGoninhealthcare(i.e.states

needtoprovideaccesstoserviceswhichonlywomenmayneed)

6)  Righttonon-discriminaGon(principleofequality)7)  Righttoseek,receive,impartinformaGon

FeministStandardsNowlet’slookattheSustainableDevelopmentGoalsSDG33.7By2030,ensureuniversalaccesstosexualandreproducGvehealth-careservices,includingforfamilyplanning,informaGonandeducaGon,andtheintegraGonofreproducGvehealthintonaGonalstrategiesandprogrammes3.7.1PercentageofwomenofreproducGveage(aged15-49)whohavetheirneedforfamilyplanningsaGsfiedwithmodernmethods

FeministStandards3.7.2Adolescentbirthrate(aged10-14;aged15-19)per1,000womeninthatagegroup•  RighttoaccesshealthservicesandinformaGon

(impairedbybarriers–structural,financial,legal),•  Righttoprivacy,confidenGality,informedconsent

anddecision-making,Righttonon-coercion,non-discriminaGon(maritalstatus,spousal,parentalconsent)

•  Righttonon-discriminaGon(onprincipleofequality)–onearlymarriage,endingdetrimentalculturalpracGces

FeministStandardsAKainmentofnumbersinaccordancewithaKainmentinrightsCaseStudy:Bangladesh•  AdolescentbirthrateinBangladeshreducedfrom157

(1994)133(2004)128(2009)118(2011)•  SGllveryhigh,andslowprogressonreducGonover20

years•  AnaGonalpolicyonAdolescentsReproducGveHealthwas

onlyintroducedin2007,recognizesrighthighestacainablestandardofhealth

•  TalksaboutaddressingdiscriminatorypracGces•  WeakbecausefocusesacGonsoneffecGvedisseminaGon

oninfo,massmedia,communitymobilisaGon•  Onlaws–awarenessraisingonlaws,mobilising

communiGesonlaws•  PolicysilentonrecogniGonofadolescentrights,thatlaw

onminimumageofmarriageisnotimplemented,ageofconsentis14,noregisterofearlymarriages,notpunished.

FeministStandards•  Medianageofmarriageforwomen15.8,formen24.2;•  65%ofwomenmarriedbeforeage18(minimumageof

marriage)–Righttonon-discriminaGon(equality)basedonsex,andonculturalnorms

•  RighttoaccesshealthservicesandinformaGon(impairedbybarriers–structural,financial,legal),Righttoprivacy,confidenGality,informedconsentanddecision-making,Righttonon-coercion,non-discriminaGon(maritalstatus,spousal,parentalconsent)

•  Policyreinforcesroleofgatekeepers–ratherthanindividualrights–righttoaccesshealthservicesandinformaGonimpairedbythis,thoughgatekeepersamtudesneedtobetransformeditneedbetransformedbyrecogniGonofadolescentrights

•  Studyshowedproviderswereonenjudgmental,imposedunnecessaryprecondiGonssuchasspousalorparentalconsent,refusedservicesonreligiousgroundsanddeniedMRservicesatpublicfaciliGessothattheycouldprovidethesameprivatelyattheirhomes.

•  StudiesalsoshowlackofprivacyandconfidenGality.Adolescentbirthrate,analysedfromalsocondiGonsofpovertyneedtoworkearly,lackofeducaGonalopportunity(secondaryeducaGonunchanged)

FeministStandardsSemngfeministstandardscallsforanintersecGonalanalysisAdolescentbirthratehastoalsobeanalysedthrough:•  condiGonsofpovertyresulGnginenteringthe

workforceearly•  lackofeducaGonalopportunityincreased

fundamentalismlimiGngwomenandgirls’bodilyautonomy(mobility,dressing)includingsexualandreproducGverights

•  policycontextthatisincreasinglyinfluencedbyfundamentalistgroups

FeministStandards

ForissuesthatfalloutsideoftheSDGs,butareessenGalforfeministpoliGcsandgenderequality,somesuggesGonsinclude:1)  Scholarship–wriGngofproblem

analysis,perspecGves,jusGficaGons,alternaGvesbasedonafeministvision

2) Movementbuilding–workingwithwomen/feministsindifferentmovementstoprovidethescholarship

3)  Advocacy–tothelargerworld

FeministStandards“Itisnevereasytodemandthemostfromourselves,fromourlives,fromourwork.Toencourageexcellenceistogobeyondtheencouragedmediocrityofoursociety.Butgivingintothefearoffeelingandworkingtocapacityisaluxuryonlytheuninten?onalcanafford,andtheuninten?onalarethosewhodonotwishtoguidetheirowndes?nies.”—“UsesoftheEro?c,”SisterOutsider