Subject: [fem-women2000 684] Women's GlobalNet #175: Gender and Racism
From: iwtc <iwtc@iwtc.org>
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2001 20:56:27 +0000
Seq: 684

IWTC WOMEN'S GLOBALNET #175
Initiatives and Activities of Women Worldwide
By Anne S. Walker, Kirsten Isgro and Aliya Karmali

August 9, 2001

THE BEIJING AGENDA: GENDER AND RACISM

UN World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia 
and Related Intolerance (WCAR), Durban, South Africa,  28 August-7 
September, 2001.

1. BACKGROUND:
In the period between 1973 and 2003, the UN designated three decades for 
action in the fight to combat racism and racial discrimination. As part 
of these decades, world conferences against racism were held in 1978 and 
1983. 

In the months leading up to third UN World Conference Against Racism 
(WCAR 2001), several contentious issues have emerged, with the US 
threatening to pull out of the conference over two of these, namely the 
issue of reparations for the trans-Atlantic slave trade, and the 
inclusion on the conference agenda of Zionism as racism. As columnist 
and activist Molly Secours has written: "Reparations raises disquieting 
questions for many countries (not just the US) about the origins of 
wealth, the residual effects of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and 
accountability for continued racial injustices inflicted on people of 
color around the world." With regard to the issue of Zionism as racism, 
Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, says that this 
issue was resolved 10 years ago when the UN repealed a resolution 
equating Zionism with racism. 

For more information about plans and preparations for WCAR 2001, visit 
the web-site of the World Conference Secretariat at: 
http://www.un.org/WCAR/ or contact: World Conference Secretariat, Office 
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palais Wilson, Geneva, 
Switzerland.  Tel: (41-22) 917-9127: E-mail: wcr.hchr@unog.ch. 
Web-site: <http://www.unhchr.ch/html/racism/index.htm>

2. WOMEN担 HUMAN RIGHTS:
WCAR 2001 will highlight a number of important women痴 human rights 
issues. Experience has shown that the following facts are key in any 
discussion around women痴 human rights concerns. Women already know 
that: 
race and gender are not mutually exclusive forms of discrimination.  
multiple discriminations can occur when gender, class, race and 
ethnicity intersect. 
minority, immigrant and indigenous women disproportionately face 
racial and/or ethnic-based  violence, sexual abuse/trafficking, and 
limited or no employment opportunities.

3. WCAR WOMEN担 CAUCUS: 
This caucus was formed by more than 40 NGOs representing all world 
regions who participated in the First Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) of 
WCAR from May 1-5, 2000.  The main goal of the caucus is to represent 
the interests of women and girls who are victims of racism and/or racial 
discrimination. The caucus has pushed hard for gender, age, class, 
sexual orientation, and economic status to be included in any analysis 
undertaken by WCAR. For more information,  visit the Women痴 Human 
Rights Network website at: <http://www.whrnet.org/wcar.html>. 

4. NGO FORUM: The NGO Forum will take place parallel to WCAR and 
regional planning meetings have been held in every world region. Central 
to the discussions has been the determination that there be time and 
space for the real voices of people suffering from discrimination to be 
heard.  For further information about the NGO Forum, contact Moshe More, 
SANGOCO (South African NGO Coordinating Organization) at: 
<moshe@wcar.sangoco.org.za>. Tel: (27-11) 403-7270. Fax: (27-11) 
403-5531, or visit the NGO Forum website at:  
<http://www.racism.org.za/index.html>. Also visit the web-site of the 
Conference of NGOs (CONGO) at: 
<http://www.conferenceofngos.org/txt/index.html>.

5. REGIONAL AND GLOBAL WOMEN AND YOUTH ACTIVITIES
Many youth and women痴 human rights groups are planning major activities 
at WCAR and the NGO Forum, and some have set up listserves and 
e-bulletins/bulletin boards so that people worldwide can be part of the 
planning process. 

PLEASE NOTE:  Where dates are given for activities, please be aware that 
these may change. Always check the final programme. 

ASIA/PACIFIC
South-Genderlist at <south-genderlist-en@isiswomen.org>. To subscribe 
to this listserve, contact Susanna George at <susanna@isiswomen.org>.

Asia Pacific Gender and Racism-List (APGR-List). To subscribe to this 
list, contact: <Majordomo@isiswomen.org>.  An archive for this list is 
kept at the isis International/Manila web-site at: 
<http://www.isiswomen.org/womenet/lists/apgr-list/archive/>.

WCAR Watch! an online bulletin board, accessible through the 
e-newsletter WE! To subscribe, contact Kathy Clarin at 
<kathy@isiswomen.org>.

Asian Human Rights Commission/Hong Kong (AHRC). Write to: 
timgill@ahrchk.org.

The Asia Migrant Centre (AMC), a mechanism for advocates on Asian 
migrantshuman rights. Contact:  <amc@pacific.net.hk>.

Asia-Pacific NGO Coordinating Committee (APNGOCC), a mechanism to 
promote the Asia-Pacific NGO position on racism-related issues. Visit 
their web-site at: http://www.hurights.or.jp/wcarasia.htm

"Women of Dalit Communities: Breaking the Culture of Silence": 
Organized by the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development 
(APWLD) and the National Federation for Dalit Women (NFDW).  This event 
will be held at the NGO Forum on 29 August 2001. Five Dalit women from 
India, Nepal and Sri Lanka will share their lives, their challenges and 
achievements. For further information, contact APWLD at: e-mail 
<alison.gita@apwld.org>, web-site <http//www.apwld.org> 

AFRICA
*WomensNet CyberCafe: The CyberCafe will offer training courses to women 
on: 1) using information and communication technologies for lobbying and 
advocacy; 2) strategic use of the Internet; and 3) basic Internet/e-mail 
training. For more information contact: Jenny Radloff, APC and African 
Gender Institute, University of Cape Town.  E-mail: 
<jradloff@agi.uct.ac.za>. Women'sNet is a network set up for South 
African women to keep them informed around women痴 human rights issues.  
Contact: PO Box 31 Johannesburg 2000, South Africa. Physical location: 
13th Floor Longsbank Building, 187 Bree St., Johannesburg, South Africa. 
Tel: (27-11) 838-6943/4. Fax: (27-11) 492-1058. 
E-mail:  <women@wn.apc.org>. 
Web-site: <http://www2.womensnet.org.za> 

Youth Summit: The South African Youth Task Team, in collaboration with 
SANGOCO and an International Youth Committee, is undertaking a Youth 
Summit on August 27, 2001. Some 200 young adults are expected to discuss 
issues concerning young people worldwide and to draft a joint youth 
statement that will be presented to WCAR. For more information, contact 
the Youth Task Team in South Africa at the following e-mail addresses: 
Major Kobese at e-mail: <major@wcar.sangoco.org> or Mokoka Seshabela at 
<saayc@sn.apc.org>.

LATIN AMERICA/CARIBBEAN
柊ndean Forum for Diversity and Pluralism: Held in Quito, Ecuador, 
November 2000 in preparation for WCAR. The forum  was attended by 
representatives from Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru and Bolivia. 
This was a civil society sub-regional meeting , and in addition to a 
main Declaration, there were other declarations concerning: 1) Gypsies: 
Declaration of Quito; 2) Indigenous Peoples; and 3) Racism. For more 
information, visit the Web Community of Social Movements at: 
<http://movimientos.org/>

Forum of NGOs and Civil Society Organizations of the Americas. Held in 
Santiago, Chile, December 2000. The forum resulted in a Declaration 
Against Racism, Xenophobia, Intolerance and Discrimination.  See the Web 
Community of Social Movements at: <http://movimientos.org/>for more 
details.

GLOBAL
"Women at the Intersection of Race and other Oppressions: A Human 
Rights Hearing." The Center for Women痴 Global Leadership (CWGL) is 
facilitating this hearing on Thursday, August 30, 2001 from 1:00-5:00 
p.m. at ML Sultan Technikon, 41/43 Centenary Road, Durban, South Africa 
as part of the NGO Forum. The goal is to give voice and visibility to 
women痴 experiences of discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, 
class, caste, sexuality, age and other realities.  For more information, 
contact CWGL at: Fax: (1-732) 932-1180 or e-mail: <cwgl@igc.org>. For a 
schedule of topics and testimonies at WCAR, visit the CWGL website at: 
<http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/wc/index.htm>. Also visit the web-site of 
Women痴 Human Rights Network at: <http://www.WHRNet.org>

World Court of Women Against Racism. The Asian Women's Human Rights 
Council (AWHRC) and El Taller International, with partner organizations 
in South Africa and worldwide, will hold a "World Court of Women Against 
Racism" on Thursday, August 30, 2001, 8.45 a.m. -7.00 p.m. at the 
Christian Centre, Durban, South Africa. Testimonies will be heard on the 
violence of colonialism, on cultural genocide, on militarization and 
nuclearization and on contemporary forms of racism. Visit the AWHRC and 
El Taller web-sites at: <http://www.awhrc.org> and 
<http://www.eltaller.org> for more details. 

"Breaking Through the Vicious Cycle of Humiliation: Strategies for 
Racial Justice through Human Rights Education." The People痴 Decade for 
Human Rights Education (PDHRE), will be hosting this  workshop, 
tentatively set for 2 - 3 September, 2001 at the NGO Forum. The workshop 
will look at patriarchy as the system that triggers other forms of 
supremacy, hierarchy and exploitation.  PDHRE has offices and affiliates 
in Africa, Asia/Pacific, Latin America/Caribbean, Europe and North 
America.  For more information, contact PDHRE at e-mail: 
<pdhre@igc.apc.org>. Web-site: <http://www.pdhre.org/wcar.html>

UNIFEM GENDER  AND RACISM PUBLICATION 
"Connecting Across Cultures and Continents Black Women Speak Out on 
Identity, Race and Development" (1995).   89 pages. ISBN 0-912917-35-0. 
WE173Z US$9.95, by Achola O. Pala (Ed.). This collection of essays 
presents a cross-cultural multi-disciplinary critique of racism both as 
a development issue and as a challenge to the international women痴 
movement. It provides a thought-provoking analysis of black women 
worldwide. Available from Women, Ink.

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WOMEN, INK.
For quality, cutting-edge publications on women and development by, for and about women worldwide, see Women, Ink's 2001 catalogue at : <http://www.womenink.org>. 

Or contact Women, Ink. at 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA.  Tel: Yasna Uberoi (1-212) 687-8633 ext 212 or Mary Wong (1-212) 687-8633 ext 204. Fax: (1-212) 661-2704. E-mail: <wink@womenink.org>

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