International
Women's Day takes place on March 8th 2008 and
to mark the occasion, this news report illustrates
the importance of women's empowerment in ensuring
global human security. Women have a critical
contribution to make to solving the challenges
of today's troubled and insecure world, whether
as political leaders, outstanding achievers
in business, as professionals, academics, breadwinners,
grass roots activists or active citizens. They
need to be empowered to make that contribution.
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Dr.
Aman Kabbarah Chaarani -
National Committee for Follow-Up of
Women's Issues
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The
report begins in Beirut, Lebanon where
children are learning, for the first
time, about gender discrimination
and women's equal role in society.
The report looks at work ongoing in
Lebanon to ensure women's rights are
protected under legislation and profiles
the work of a female politician to
illustrate how women's participation
is key to ensuring equal rights are
implemented.
As
Dr. Aman Kabbarah Chaarani explains:
'we consider women as half of the
society and if you paralyse the capabilities
of half of the society it will never
achieve progress'.
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Women's
participation in decision-making is important
not only in times of peace but also in times
of war or conflict. In conflict, women are,
in many cases, the most vulnerable and the
first victims. Gender-based violence is
one of the most horrific and debasing human
rights abuses where women are systematically
raped as an instrument of war. But women
are also key to initiating and preserving
peace and security after conflict - a role
that is increasingly acknowledged through
support of UN Security Council Resolution
1325.
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International
law expert, Professor Christine Chinkin
tells us:
'it is women who have maintained
what fabric of society there is during
conflict… and this builds up …actions
very often across the lines of warring
parties and it just seems completely
one-sided to ignore that depth of
experience in favour of those who
have been away fighting.'
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Professor
Christine Chinkin
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There is an acceptance of the absolute interdependency
between women's participation and successful,
sustained development but much more needs
to be done to ensure that women are empowered
politically and financially to be involved
in decision-making. Women's voices must
be listened to in relation to other threats
to human security, such as lack of energy
security, poor health and education, terrorism
and climate change.
'In the world we have now, global warming
…(is) already affecting the poorest communities
and who bears the brunt, who has to try
and keep the family together who when they
have to flee as will increasingly happen
has to carry the babies - it's the women.'
Mary
Robinson, Human Rights Advocate.
In
its external and internal policies and initiatives,
the EU is dedicated to fighting for women's
empowerment - to ensure the protection of
women's human rights and to ensure we all
contribute to solving the challenges of
global human security.
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Empowering
Women, Ensuring Stability
Produced by Esras Films in association
with the European Commission.
Order this VNR>>
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Now
available as a 2 minute report or
an 8 minute report.
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