{"id":212676,"date":"1998-03-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-12T20:28:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?p=212676"},"modified":"2019-03-12T20:28:22","modified_gmt":"2019-03-12T20:28:22","slug":"auto-insert-212676","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/auto-insert-212676\/","title":{"rendered":"CSW – Forty-Second Session – Press release"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Commission on the Status of Women
\nForty-second Session
\n5th Meeting (AM)<\/p>\n

\t\t<\/span>    NEEDS OF GIRL CHILD FOCUS ON PANEL DISCUSSIONS
\n\t\t\t<\/span>     AT COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN<\/p>\n

  The Commission on  the Status of  Women this  morning heard the plea  of a
\n13-year-old girl for greater access to  education, during a panel discussion
\non the theme of the girl child.
\n 
\n  Taking  the floor  following  the  presentation by  the  panellists,  Haja
\nKebbeh,  from  the  Gambia,  lamented  the  lack  of  education  of  so many
\nchildren. Citing  the example of the  female Vice-President  of her country,
\nshe said  her appointment was the result of her education.  All girls wanted
\nthe same opportunity.  She appealed to  adults to assist young girls.  Youth
\nand adults should join hands for the development of the world.
\n  
\n  The panel discussion was the second being held  during the current session
\non  four of  the critical  areas of  concern included  in the  Platform  for
\nAction  of the 1995 Fourth World  Conference on Women  held in Beijing.  The
\nthree other themes of  the panel discussions are   women and armed conflict,
\nviolence against  women, and  women and human  rights.  The  outcome of  the
\ndiscussions  will  form  part  of  recommendations  to  be  adopted  by  the<\/p>\n

Commission.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  One  of the  four panellists,  Sadig  Rasheed,  Director of  the Programme
\nDivision of  the United Nations Children's  Fund (UNICEF),  said States were
\nequipped,  through   international  human  rights   instruments,  with   the
\nframework for  making human-centred decisions in  the setting of  priorities
\nand  allocating resources  to  protect  girls.   At  the same  time, it  was
\nimportant for girls to be listened to, and be involved in, issues  affecting
\nthem.  The  United Nations had  tremendous opportunities now to  place women
\nand girls at the centre of the development process.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  The need to focus on the  girl child in rural areas was stressed by Paloma
\nBonfil  Sanchez,  Executive Secretary  of  the  Interdisciplinary  Group  on
\nWomen, Work  and Poverty (GIMTRAP),  Mexico.  It was  important to highlight
\nthe poverty in those areas  of the world  and to address the eradication  of
\npoverty,  especially of isolated communities.  The issue of multiculturalism
\nalso had to be  taken into account.   One could not empower  the girl  child
\nwithout  taking  account  of  the  reality  of  the  diversity  of  cultural
\ncircumstances in which women and girls lived.
\n  
\n  Another panellist,  Margaret Vogt, Senior  Associate, International  Peace
\nAcademy,  said girls,  as well as boys,  were forced to participate in wars.<\/p>\n

Because of the traumatic experience of  girls in such situations,  including
\nprostitution  and rape,  homelessness  and rejection,  they  needed  special
\nattention and care  to ensure their reintegration  into society.  While some
\ninitiatives had been taken  to deal with the problems of boy soldiers,  girl
\nsoldiers also needed specialized programmes.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Lina Bellosillo-Laigo, Secretary  of the Department  of Social Welfare and
\nDevelopment of the  Philippines, outlined  various measures  to improve  the<\/p>\n

condition  of  the  girl  child in her country, including crisis centres and <\/p>\n

hot-lines  to  respond  to  victims  of  abuse; sensitizing  communities  to
\nproblems related to child abuse; and the setting up of family courts.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Following  the presentation  by the panellists, many participants spoke of
\nnational efforts  to improve  the conditions  of the  girl child,  stressing
\nefforts  to open  up  access  to  education and  health  facilities, and  on
\nlegislation to combat abuses.  Some representatives  drew  attention  to the<\/p>\n

problems of girls and women in the rural areas and  urged action  to improve<\/p>\n

their  situation.   A  non-governmental  organization   representative  drew<\/p>\n

attention  to  the  phenomenon  of  child  domestic  workers  and  urged the<\/p>\n

Commission to take up the issue.  Another said that for too long governments<\/p>\n

had acted without regard to the concerns of girls.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  The Commission will  meet again at 3 p.m.  today for a panel discussion on
\nthe theme of women and armed conflict.<\/p>\n

  Commission Work Programme<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  The Commission on  the Status  of Women met this  morning to hold a  panel
\ndiscussion on the girl child, one of the  four critical areas of concern  of
\nthe Beijing Platform for Action adopted by the 1995  Fourth World Conference
\non Women, which the Commission  is focusing on at the  current session.  The
\nother  three  areas  are  human  rights   of  women  (which  was   discussed
\nyesterday), women and armed conflict, and violence against women.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Panel Discussion<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  LINA BELLOSILLO-LAIGO, Secretary  of the Department  of Social Welfare and
\nDevelopment of the Philippines, outlined the  various measures put in  place
\nto improve the condition of the  girl child in her country.   Crisis centres
\nand hot-lines had been established to respond to problems of the victims  of
\nabuse. Communities were being taught to  identify problems related to  child
\nabuse. Protection measures were  being increased.   Bilateral agreements had
\nbeen signed by the Government with  some countries for technical  assistance
\nfor training of the  police, for instance, in handling cases involving young
\npeople.     Victims  crisis  centres  and   family  courts   had  also  been
\nestablished. A celebration of a girl-child week was  planned, and a national
\nplan of action on the girl child was being prepared.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  SADIG RASHEED,  Director of the Programme  Division of  the United Nations
\nChildren's Fund  (UNICEF), said there  could no  longer be silence  over the
\n"apartheid of gender", which  knew no age limit.   Progress in attaining the
\ngoals of the World Summit for Children had been slow.  Sixty per cent of 140<\/p>\n

million children of primary-school age not in school were girls.  Two-thirds<\/p>\n

of  the 100  million  school  drop-outs  were  girls.   Early  marriage  and
\npregnancies took  the  lives of  nearly  146,000  teenage girls  each  year.
\nAnother 2  million girls were subjected  to female  genital mutilation every
\nyear.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  In  most countries,  national plans of  action had been  prepared and were
\nbeing implemented  to follow  up on  global commitments,  but only a  few of
\nthose  plans focused on children,  he said.   With human rights instruments,
\nStates were  equipped with an essential  framework for making  human-centred
\ndecisions in  the  setting of  priorities  and  allocation of  resources  to
\nprotect  girls through  principles of  non-discrimination and  universality.
\nThey could  create opportunities for girls  and women  to obtain information<\/p>\n

and  participate in decision  making in  their communities and  beyond.  The
\nUNICEF  country  programmes  were  moving  in  the direction  of  countering
\ndiscriminatory attitudes  and practices  such as  female genital  mutilation
\nand  early marriage, and  to prohibit  sexual abuse,  violence against girls
\nand women, and trafficking.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  He cited  examples of  community action,  such as  the Malicounda  village
\nproject  in Senegal,  where there  had  been  dialogue involving  women with
\ntheir husbands, the imam and others  on female genital mutilation  resulting
\nin the  collective resolve of the  village to stop the  practice.  He  noted
\nthat  over the  years,  the Inter-African  Committee on  Harmful Traditional
\nPractices Affecting  the  Health of  Women  and  Children had  been  working
\nacross national boundaries and had built  national capacities.  Through  its
\nnational  committees, it  had emerged  as  a  powerful resource  network for
\nadvocacy and action in ending female genital mutilation in Africa.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

   He said the  NGO Working Group on Girls  of the NGO  Committee for UNICEF
\nhad  expanded  to  become  an  international   network  of  more  than   300
\norganizations in 85 countries, and through  its outreach programme the Group
\nhad prepared  a report on implementation of the Beijing  Platform for Action
\nwith respect to girls and the  role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
\nin furthering that.   Girls should be  listened to, and involved in,  issues
\naffecting them, he stressed, adding that  girls participating in the session
\nshould be involved in the drawing  up of recommendations which might emanate
\nfrom it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  PALOMA  BONFIL  SANCHEZ,  Executive  Secretary of  the  Inter-disciplinary
\nGroup on Women, Work  and Poverty (GIMTRAP),  Mexico, said her focus was  on
\nthe girl child  in rural areas because of  the need to highlight the process
\nof pauperization in those areas  of the world.  The issue of poverty was  of
\nparamount  importance.   To  change the  situation of  the  girl  child, the
\nprocess of her impoverishment and that of the teenager had to be  addressed.
\nThe  focus  must be  on  eradicating  the  poverty,  especially of  isolated
\ncommunities.  Another  important  factor   that  had  to   be  analysed  was
\nmulticulturalism.   One  could not  empower  the  girl child  without taking
\naccount  of the reality of the diversity of  cultural circumstances in which
\nwomen and girls lived. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Governments' plans and  programmes would fail if they did not take account
\nof the  problem of  inferiority of  the girl  child, she  said.   Inequality
\ninherent in the  family must also be highlighted,  since the family was  the
\nfirst context in  which violence and unfair treatment  in the life of a girl
\nchild might be encountered.   The impact of the family  as a system  in such
\ninstances should  be analysed.   While strong  links between the  family and
\nthe  community  were  important,  there  was   need  to  unleash  a   girl's
\nindividuality as  a means of empowering  girl children and  teenagers.  Such
\nan approach  would not be easy because of the intimate nature of the family.
\nAs part of the  process of improving  the situation  of the poor rural  girl
\nchild  in Latin America,  the value of girls'  contribution to domestic work
\nhad  to be  recognized as  important.   Indicators had  to be  developed  to
\nmeasure their contribution.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  On  the  issue of  multiculturalism,  she  said  many  ethnic groups  were
\nendangered —  "if not by  genocide, by ethnocide".   The  problems of those
\ngroups should  be highlighted, and the  more vulnerable  within those groups
\nshould be empowered.   Indigenous and rural girls  should be able to  pursue
\neducation, and in their transition to  adolescence they should be  empowered
\nto  have control over their bodies and their  reproductive rights.  Bringing
\nsuch thinking and action  into a rural area required unique approaches  that
\nwould minimize the negative impacts on  the traditional structures in  which
\nthey lived.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  The  girl  child  had  little  or  no  control   over  her  body  and  the
\nreproductive  aspects of her life,  she said.  Girls  and adolescents should
\nbe empowered to take  decisions that affected their fate.  Even though  they
\nmight be  sensitized through workshops,  there were  no follow-up mechanisms<\/p>\n

to deal with their situation.  Such mechanisms should be put in place.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  MARGARET VOGT, Senior Associate, International Peace Academy, focusing on
\nthe  impact of  war  on  the girl  child,  said since  the proliferation  of
\ninternal conflicts  since the end  of the cold  war had an  impact on  civil
\nsociety, particularly  on the  girl child.  While  international conventions
\nexisted  to  govern  war between  States and even treatment  of prisoners of
\nwar,  that was  not  the  case for  internal  conflicts.   A  phenomenon  of
\ninternal conflicts was  the targeting of the civilian population,  including
\nthe girl child.   The militia in the  conflicts abducted girls and boys  and
\nforced  them  to  participate  in  warfare   —  changing  their  lives  and
\ndestroying the  family system.   "The  lucky girls"  in such societies  were
\nleft alone  to take care of their  families in the absence of parents.  "The
\nunlucky ones"  found themselves behind  the military lines  as cooks  and as
\nintelligence gatherers. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

   In  situations  of  internal  conflict,  many   girls  were  forced  into
\nprostitution, and even raped.   The trauma that the girls experienced needed
\nspecial care  and attention.   Many of  them had no  place to  go after  the
\nconflict was  over.   They were rejected  by their families,  and many  were
\neven  refused  marriages  because  of  their  experiences.    That situation
\nreinforced  the need for specialized programmes to  ensure the reintegration
\nof those girls into society.   Some initiatives had been taken to deal  with
\nthe  problems  of boy  soldiers.    Girl  soldiers  also needed  specialized
\nprogrammes.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  An important  preventive measure  would be  the drafting  and adoption  of
\nconventions governing internal  conflicts and protecting civil society,  she
\nsaid.  That would ensure that militia and non-formal armies did not  violate
\nthe rights  of civil society  or "they would  be brought to  book".  At  the
\nmoment, there  was  a  sense  of impunity  since  there  were no  such  laws
\ngoverning the  action of militias.   It  was time for the  United Nations to
\nmove to the  community level to  seek the  imposition of  penalties in  such
\ncircumstances and to popularize existing human rights laws.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  The  operations  of  international  organizations,  including  the  United
\nNations,  should be  nuanced to  recognize the  peculiar needs  of the  girl
\nchild,  she  continued.   Peacekeeping  operations  should  formulate  their
\noperating  procedures to  take account  of the  problems of the  girl child.
\nThe personal conduct of peacekeepers and  the international personnel on the
\nground in conflict and post-conflict situations,  and the perception of them
\nby the  young people, also needed  to be  highlighted.  They were  seen as a
\nticket  and  a  way  out  of  poverty  for  children  in  those  situations.
\nInternational   personnel  must   be  educated   to  understand   that   the
\nexploitation of  the girl  child  must not  be  condoned.   Their  codes  of
\nconduct must be enforced  to ensure that they  did not further undermine the
\nproblems of  the girl  child.  Adequate mechanisms  must be put in  place to
\npolice the codes  of conduct.   Specialized training  on how  to handle  the
\nsensitive  situation of the girl  child was also essential for personnel who<\/p>\n

would be called on to deal with their problems.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Comments and Observations<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Following   the   presentation  by   the   panellists,   a  representative
\nhighlighted the poverty of  girls and boys in  southern Italy and the action
\ntaken by  the Italian  Government to  address the  problems of children  and
\nadolescents, including  combating  sexual  exploitation and  trafficking  in
\nchildren.   The problems of girls  in distress,  including the disadvantaged
\nposition  of Arab  girls  in Israel,  was raised  by  another delegate.    A
\nrepresentative focused  on the promotion of  the civil  and political rights
\nof women and  girls as a  means of empowering  the girl child  and women  in
\nUganda.   She asked  what the  advantage was of  putting the  issues of  the
\ngirls and women into  the system of governance  and the impact  of different
\nsystems of  governance on the situation of girls and women. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Other issues  raised by another representative  included the  need for the<\/p>\n

girl child to have  equal access to education; to address literacy and other
\nproblems  experienced  by  the  girl  child  both  inside  and  outside  the
\nclassroom; and the elimination of discrimination of girls in health services.<\/p>\n

He asked for examples of instances in which the girl child had been involved
\nin  programmes  affecting them  and what lessons  could be learned from such<\/p>\n

programmes.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Many participants spoke of national efforts  to improve the conditions  of
\nthe girl  child, stressing efforts  to open up  access to education,  health
\nfacilities  and legislation to  combat abuses.   An  NGO representative said
\nprejudice  had  prevented girls  from  expressing  themselves for  years and
\nwelcomed  the opportunity to do so now.  For too long, governments had acted
\nwithout regard  to the concerns  of girls.   Some representatives  also drew
\nattention  to the problems of girls  and women in the rural  areas and urged
\naction to improve their situation.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Some participants  called for  expansion  of  data on  the girl  child  to
\nensure appreciation of their needs and  public education about their rights.
\nAn   NGO  representative   stressed   the  importance   of   education   and
\nsocialization of  education within  the family.   She said  her country  was
\npreoccupied  with the circumstances  of vulnerable  girls, as  well as boys.
\nEqual value should  be given to their roles.   A representative spoke  about
\nan affirmative action programme introduced in  her country to ensure that 40
\nper cent of women were involved in decision-making in government.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  An NGO representative drew attention to  the phenomenon of child  domestic
\nworkers who were  mostly girls in the  Philippines, and urged the Commission
\nto take up the issue.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  For  the first time  at meetings  of the Commission, a  13 year-old school
\ngirl from the  Gambia spoke on behalf of  the girl child.   HAJA KEBBEH said
\nmany children suffered from lack of  education, and appealed for educational
\nassistance  for them.    The  Vice-President of  her country,  a  woman, was
\nappointed to  the post because of her  education.  All  girls wanted to have
\nthe same opportunity.   Children needed adults just  as adults needed  them.
\nThey should join hands together for the development of the world.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Response by Panellists<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Mr.  RASHEED,  Director  of  UNICEF  Programme  Division,  emphasized  the
\nimportance  of adopting a holistic  approach to the development  of the girl
\nchild.  The girl  child should be involved in decisions affecting their well
\nbeing  and  future.     The  UNICEF  involved  a  lot  of  partners  in  its
\nprogrammes, and at the country level it had  been listening to children  and
\ninvolving them in project design.  He noted that problems  of the girl child
\ncould  not be fully addressed without account being  taken of problems faced
\nby women.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Ms.  BONFIL  SANCHEZ,   Executive  Secretary  of  GIMTRAP,  Mexico,   said
\nmechanisms for positive action were  now required to enforce  the many human
\nrights instruments.  It  was not enough for those instruments to declare the
\nequality  of the  rights of  women and  men.   Governments  must incorporate
\nthose   instruments in  domestic  laws and  enforce  them.   She  also  drew
\nattention to  the problems  of rural  women and  girls and  urged action  to
\novercome them.
\n    
\n  Further Comments\n<\/p>\n

  In further comments, one  representative said the "cry of the girl  child"
\nshould be heard.   Mechanisms were  required to  protect the  rights of  the
\nchild  and to monitor  their violations.   Another  representative asked for
\ncomments  on the impact  of globalization  on rural  economies in developing
\ncountries. Awareness  programmes were  required to inform  the public  about
\nharmful effects of some customary laws, said another.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Governments and  NGOs  should be  encouraged  to  ensure that  girls  from<\/p>\n

infancy received the same attention as  boys, a representative said,  adding
\nthat  the youth  should be  involved  in  the evaluation  of programmes  and
\nprojects affecting  them.   Governments should  also take  measures to  deal
\nwith child labour and child prostitution within and outside their borders.<\/p>\n

  Closing Statements by Panellists<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Mr. RASHEED,  Director  of the  Programme  Division  of UNICEF,  said  the
\n"rights approach" he had referred to was a  means of securing the fulfilment
\nof the rights  of children by families.   Resources had to be committed  and
\npriority given to attaining those rights for  children.   He called for  the<\/p>\n

establishment of  more  NGO  networks  to  combat specific  problems such as<\/p>\n

sexual exploitation.  The United Nations system had tremendous opportunities<\/p>\n

now to place women and children at the centre of development.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Ms.  BONFIL  SANCHEZ,   Executive  Secretary  of  GIMTRAP,  Mexico,   said
\ndelegations must  think globally  and act  globally.   Initiatives taken  by
\nwomen  and  teenage girls  to draw  attention  to  their problems  should be
\nencouraged, and the media involved in campaigns to educate  the public about
\nthe rights of children.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Ms. BELLOSILLO-LAIGO,  Secretary of the Department  of Social Welfare  and
\nDevelopment  of  the  Philippines,   called  for  comprehensive   programmes
\nfocusing  on problems  of  women  and children.    She also  called for  the
\ninvolvement of the girl child in advocacy programmes.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

  Ms. VOGT,  of  the International  Peace  Academy,  stressed the  need  for
\neffective mechanism  and effective  partnership between  the United  Nations
\nand NGOs to promote observance of international  human rights instruments.  
\n <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span> * *** *<\/p>\n

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Commission on the Status of Women Forty-second Session 5th Meeting (AM)     NEEDS OF GIRL CHILD FOCUS ON PANEL DISCUSSIONS      AT COMMISSION ON STATUS OF WOMEN   The Commission on  the Status of  Women this  morning heard the plea  of a 13-year-old girl for greater access to  education, during a panel discussion on the theme of the girl child.     Taking  the floor  following  the  presentation […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[1329],"document-source":[1809],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1841],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-212676","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-press-release","document-source-commission-on-the-status-of-women-csw","document-subject-women","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/212676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/212676\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=212676"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=212676"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=212676"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=212676"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=212676"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=212676"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=212676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}