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Examining the elimination of gender inequality

By Governance Village - 12 months ago

Representatives from various human rights organizations unite in conversation on the effects of understanding identity

BY HEATHER MACDONALD
GV CONTRIBUTOR

GUELPH - As part of a Gender Equality and Education Symposium held in Guelph, Ontario last month, various speakers from around the world shared their eye-opening experiences working with international gender issues.

The symposium was organized by the Guelph chapter of the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) and focused on the common goal of eliminating gender inequality and gaining a deeper understanding of individual and group identities.

Dr. Rozena Maart, one of four founders of Women against Repression in South Africa, opened a day of transparent conversation with her keynote address, speaking prominently on a global need for recognition of individual identities. Because of cultural differences, Maart explained, it can be difficult for Canadian travelers to understand the causes of discrimination. With a lack of basic knowledge about the cultural practices within a country, many people doing development work overseas are typically led to a state of culture shock, paralyzing the effectiveness of their projects.

She said that while many people around the world talk about history, gender and identity, Canadians are accustomed to discussing gender relations in terms of sexuality and "don't talk about identity in terms of who we are."

Maart expressed her concern that Canadians take for granted the privilege of not having to talk about their identity. For most people around the world, she said, "They have to think about it; they have to think about the fact that they have 12 children, that they probably live on a dollar a day and that they haven't seen the father of their children in a long time."

Her solution in working towards the elimination of gender inequality is to ask ourselves holistic questions regarding the makeup of our own identity. Maart's suggestion was to ask what it is that makes us Canadian, what contributes to the colour of our skin, our lifestyle, our gender, our religion, our age and the list could continue on. She wondered aloud how each person in the room identified themselves and more importantly why they came to their personal conclusion.

Mirwais Nahzat, a Program Officer with WUSC and founder of the Centre for Afghanistan Progress (CAP), transitioned from Maart's recognition of a need for global gender equality to a more specific education program in Afghanistan. After a brief history lesson, Nahzat told compelling stories about the women he has worked with in Afghanistan.

Nahzat explained that "Afghan women have always been instrumentalized." He said that when former President George W. Bush was asked why the US military was in Afghanistan, his answer was "To liberate Afghan women." Nahzat further explained that the Canadian government's website displayed photos, not of "a soldier with a gun" but rather, "of Afghan children and Afghan women [in order to] paint a picture of why they were in Afghanistan."

The western world often views Afghan women as victims of oppression because of their burkas but as Nahzat said, "Behind burkas, there is life." Through the work WUSC is doing in Afghanistan, women are engaged in a vocational training program for widows and their families, giving them the skills they need in order to make a living and allowing men and women to work together.

Nahzat said that although gender inequality has not been CAP's main priority, he wanted to reiterate the overriding theme of the day that "gender is not just about women but about equality between men and women."

Bailey Duller from the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) continued the conversation on gender equality, sustainable development and women's rights into the afternoon. AWID's mission statement is to "strengthen the voice, impact and influence of women's rights advocates, organizations and movements internationally."

The organization's main initiatives include, but are not limited to, working towards the funding of women's rights, a global education on women's rights and the AWID International Forum. The most recent forum, held in South Africa last November, launched a new initiative called Feminist Repsonses to HIV and AIDS.

Beyond these programs, Duller said, "we also like to go and get our march on," referring to a previous protest on domestic violence against women. Duller related this to recent events such as Jacob Zuma's rape trial, the bombing of Pakistani girls' schools and acid attacks in Afghanistan. Yet, among such atrocities, AWID has managed to challenge a "patriarchal society" through its international grassroots work.

WUSC dedicated the final portion of the day to opportunities for getting involved in various grassroots organizations. Laura Baer, a WUSC volunteer, told Governance Village that the symposium was the first of its kind in her recent memory and that WUSC is now hoping to organize one every year.

Maart had explained earlier on in the day that although it's important for everyone to become more engaged in such issues, "gender inequality, especially, [is] not just one of those things that we can go and fight, and work towards that [projected] elimination, it also becomes very closely linked to who we are."

Heather MacDonald is the International Editor at the Cord Weekly, Wilfrid Laurier University's student newspaper. She will be traveling to Uganda and Rwanda this summer on a volunteer trip with Future of Africa and Peace for All International. You can check out her blog here.

World University Service of Canada overseas development programs include education and health, vocational training and governance, as well as local projects like the Student Refugee Program which has allowed access to Canadian post-secondary education for over 700 refugees in the past 25 years.
 

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