There are interesting questions on the margins of sensitive topics such as the consideration and reflection of the progress of women’s rights and in the contexts of the Middle East, doubly so when together. Sarah Mills, a friend, and colleague, and I write and reflect on this. Please find part 1 here.
By Sarah Mills and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
“Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible.” – United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner
Article 25.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection. – Universal Declaration of Human Rights
To make the case for the disproportionate implementation of women’s rights in the Arab League compared to other regions of the world, we need to define our terms. Our discussion implies some questions: What defines a right? What defines women’s rights? Which countries are the worst, and by what metric(s)?
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. It sets the common standard for all Member States to abide by in the treatment of their citizenry.
It’s thirty articles define human rights and freedoms in straightforward terms: freedom from oppression, including slavery; freedom of thought, speech, and religion; freedom from discrimination based on race, color, sex, and political opinion; equality of all before the law; the right to education and to work. Among the different stipulations, there are rights specific to particular groups. Mothers and children, for example, are entitled to “special care and assistance,” as stipulated in Article 25. Workers have the right to safe conditions and equal pay for equal work.
The overlap between countries in which there is a high risk of violations of both human rights and women’s rights is neither coincidental nor inexplicable. Sub-Saharan countries, for example, consistently hold their position as high risk due precisely to their high levels of sexual violence, among other factors.
The worst offenders are those that deny women their fundamental rights as humans. Those countries violate the inalienable right to enter marriage consensually, fail to ensure favorable work conditions, and legislate guardianship laws so extreme that women cannot vote freely.
These de jure violations are unspeakable, in and of themselves. What about the de facto restrictions imposed on women and girls? For example, the innumerable societal pressures and the constraints imposed by religion or custom? Or those that negate the freedoms women have under the law? What of the economic disadvantages do women face? What about the pressure to marry and start a family at a young age?
These can impede access to other fundamental human rights, such as the right to education, making attendance or completion impossible. News stories emerge at a consistent rate about Arab League nations and their violations of women’s rights. With the image of a women’s conference in Saudi Arabia making its rounds on the internet – women conspicuously lacking- we can reflect closer on the countries ranking the worst in their treatment of women.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) in article 25(2) – and throughout it.
Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960) in Article 1 and Article 2.
The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) in Article 3 and Article 13.
The Istanbul Convention in Article 38 and Article 39.
Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women(CEDAW).
The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993).
Beijing Declaration (1995), United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325(2000).
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (2000).
The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa or the “Maputo Protocol” (2003).
There is an international tradition devoted to women’s rights. Since 1948, at least, these documents have represented efforts to establish parameters for the equal treatment of women.
One general assertion is that the Arab League disproportionately violates women’s rights compared to other regions of the world. Before this can be argued for, or against, we must consider the facts through the analysis of metrics including the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Gender Gap Report and the Human Development Index.
The WEF’s Gender Gap Report “quantifies the magnitude of gender disparities and tracks their progress over time, with a specific focus on the relative gaps between women and men across four key areas: health, education, economy and politics.” In a total ranking of 144 countries, of the bottom 4 on the listing, 3 are in the Arab League: Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen, numbers 141, 142, and 144, respectively. The gender gap becomes even more pronounced when considered in the context of a country’s total development. The Human Development Index is a significant metric in this case as it can be used alongside the Gender Gap Report.
On page 3 of the 2016 Human Development Report, the Human Development Index is described as the integration of “three basic dimensions of human development. Life expectancy at birth reflects the ability to lead a long and healthy life. Mean years of schooling and expected years of schooling reflect the ability to acquire knowledge. And gross national income per capita reflects the ability to achieve a decent standard of living.”
When we take both metrics into consideration, the gap between the genders and the development of the citizens of the country as a whole are shown to be significant. Women’s rights fall behind. Take, for example, the case of Saudi Arabia. Although the Human Development Index for Saudi Arabia is improving, the GGR places it among the lowest on the ranking for its treatment of women. While Saudi Arabia ranks 38thout of 187 countries on the HDI, which is rather high on the rankings of human development, it is among the lowest in terms of gender equality.
Syria ranks 142nd out of 144 on the GGR, but only 149th out of 187 on the HDI. Life quality is poor for Syrians in general but is worse for women even in those circumstances. Yemen has the worst ranking in the Gender Gap Report. The Human Development Index ranks it 168th out of 187. While life quality may be poor in Yemen, it is, like the other countries we considered, predictably worse for its women.
These are extreme cases – the worst in the Arab League.
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Original publication on www.conatusnews.com.
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