ISO: BEL *************************************************************************** The electronic version of this document has been prepared at the Fourth World Conference on Women by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women Secretariat. *************************************************************************** AS WRITTEN ADDRESS BY HER MAJESTY QUEEN FABIOLA at the Fourth World Conference on Women Beijing, September 1995 Madam Chairperson, Mr. Secretary General, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Sisters of the world, I would like to join forces with all of you today, in the painful awareness that the dignity of woman is still so often spurned. We all hope that our meeting will contribute, in a decisive manner, to the greater respect of this dignity throughout the world. An Arab proverb says "Open your heart and your eyes shall also be opened". Three issues strike the eyes of my heart: * The situation of rural women, particularly in poorer countries. * The violence that women suffer around the world. * And the role that the family must play as the first learning place for the dignity and equality of woman. I would first of all like to address you in the name of the International Steering Committee for the Economic Advancement of Rural Women. A Declaration on the hardships and needs of these women was adopted at the 1992 Geneva Summit of wives of heads of state and government. It was subsequently endorsed by the Economic and Social Council and by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Our Steering Committee follows its implementation. On its behalf I make an urgent appeal to this Conference, requesting that priority be given to the rural women, especially to those in poorer countries. It is, in effect, amongst poor rural women that the most serious discriminations and injustices are carried out. They are exploited to varying degrees for hard physical labour from an early age, they work for the lowest wages, or for none at all, they are often excluded from education and health care, in many instances left alone to ensure the survival of their children who, with their mothers, are the first victims of malnutrition. They must, in addition, confront cultural, social and economic obstacles, and often cope with traditional practices which keep them bound in inferiority and which hinder their development. This leads to rural migration and the feminisation of poverty, which today affects more than 500 million rural women in the Third World. The inferiority of so many women is in itself a grave injustice. Yet the denial of their dignity harms society as a whole, as it penalises women who are making an essential contribution to the economic and social life of their country, playing a vital role in the r well-being of their family and of the community Improving their situation is not merely a question of human dignity, it is an indispensable condition for the ongoing development of their country. We recommend taking 5 concrete steps to encourage: * the access of rural women to education. This implies putting an end to the abusive chores imposed on young girls, so they can benefit from regular education from an early age, just like boys; * a range of training adapted to the specific needs of rural women, and particularly basic sanitary training, for the health of the whole family and the improvement of their socioeconomic situation; * equal access to health services, land ownership and credit, which requires changes to legislation and customs that so often discriminate against women; * the creation of non-governmental and independent women's associations to help women legally take responsibilities within their families, communities and nations; * active participation, through associations, in development projects which concern them. Two striking examples spring to mind: the Grameen bank in Bangladesh and the Aids Support Organisation or TASO in Uganda, both of which received the King Baudouin Prize for Development. The international community must also take certain concrete measures. * The rich countries must wipe out the public debts of the poorer nations, as some have done already, and increase their development aid. They must also increase and better coordinate the amounts given over to women's development projects, in particular those of rural women. * From the very outset of development projects, the specific problems of women and their families must be taken into account. And they must be systematically associated as partners in the elaboration of national and international strategies. To this end, it is important that statistics per sex be drawn up, on a national and international level. * Women should not be obliged to undergo structural adjustment programmes imposed by international organisations if they do not treat women equally. **** I would now like to turn to the issue of violence against women in the world. Last January, the United Nations published its first report on the subject. It notably mentions, "rape, enforced prostitution, sexual harassment, domestic violence and discrimination". It highlights the fact that the main cause of violence against women is the indifference and inactivity on the part of some governments when faced with these crimes. I could single out the countries where female infanticide is still widespread. Amnesty International recently also presented a major report on these forms of violence. It is indispensable that the United Nations and Amnesty International publish reports of this nature every year so as to increase the pressure of public opinion on governments. * I would particularly like to draw your attention to the women of developing countries and countries in transition who are lured into prostitution under false pretences, mainly in developed countries. This also occurs between very poor and less poor countries sometimes even between regions of the same country. This traffic which is increasingly organised by international mafia-type organisations must be fought at both a national and international level. It constitutes a new form of slavery. Last April, the Belgian Parliament adopted a law severely punishing this traffic, following an in-depth inquiry by a parliamentary commission. In this connection, I have three requests: * Firstly, that the countries concerned by this traffic who have not already done so adopt legislation that severely punishes these crimes. The Commissioner of the United Nations for Human Rights should, in his regular reports, pay particular attention to the fight against this form of slavery. Non-governmental organisations can also play an important role in this struggle. * Secondly, as suggested already by ECOSOC, that the General Assembly of the United Nations declare the 2nd of December a day to fight all forms of modern slavery. In December 1996, this day could be devoted particularly to the traffic of women and children. * Lastly, how can we not connect the traffic in people to the pomography which is financed and spread throughout the world from the West. It is a criminal aggression to the dignity of woman and children reducing them to sex objects. I request that the United Nations and other relevant organisations develop a code of ethics to be followed by all the media, including the information networks. Another example of violence is the situation of women refugees, whether or not they are in camps. Without means of subsistence, they form an easy and vulnerable target. After the pain and stress of exodus, they suffer shameless exploitation and sexual violence which can lead to physical wounds, psychological trauma, social exclusion and desperate loneliness. To add to the problem, many women are not recognised as refugees, as they are displaced in camps within their own countries. I therefore request that the Geneva Convention of 1951 concerning the international status of refugees be completed by a protocol or a declaration specifying the principles to be applied in assisting these persons. ***** I come now to my third point: the irreplaceable role that the family should play in the teaching of dignity and equality of women. It is within the family - from the earliest moments of life - that dignity and equality should be recognised to every one and exercised daily, and protected by a society which is democratic and respectful of individual rights. The dignity of man means equal chances for happiness and the complete development of the person, in other words the right to give and receive love with all one's differences and complementary characteristics. I am thoroughly convinced that the family cell which plays the decisive role in the education of children and where each member has an equal value, is the cornerstone on which all societies are built. It constitutes a common background of inestimable value, with a fundamental influence on economic, social and civic life. It is within the family that each child must come to terms with his own identity and recognise its value compared to others. The family, the haven where love and respect of others are learnt, should enable each young person to be responsible for his or her acts and open to others. Later, through the values learnt in the family, the adult will be able to resist the dangers of excessive individualism or of a social and cultural way of life, contrary to the liberty and dignity of man. Human dignity demands that the individual never be subordinated to the economic, political or traditional powers. Forgetting this leads to terrible individual and collective injustice. But we see glaring examples of such injustice stemming precisely from the non-respect of woman and the family. * How can a poor rural woman, who might often be the head of the family, also carry out all the roles of parent, teacher and economic provider? When alone, one of these roles must inevitably be carried out at the expense of the two others. * Where is the dignity of the woman who suffers violence in her own home or who has to live in the most atrocious conditions as a refugee? * Where is the dignity of the woman, victim of mafia traffic, or presented as a sex symbol by the materialistic Western media ? We must, together and in a spirit of dialogue, fight for the dignity of woman. Indeed, this fight is not just one for woman, but for society itself. Because a world where - already within the family - the dignity and the equality of woman will earn more respect will be a world which is closer to a more peaceful and harmonious place. My beloved King Baudouin, just before his death, reminded us of the absolute need to return to the basic values of our civilisation: solidarity, justice, tolerance, respect of the family and each individual. Every time society puts them aside, he said, it suffers and makes others suffer. All these values contribute to the human dignity. They constitute the truth and happiness of my life. I thank you for your attention.