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| Regional Meeting on Women Rights in HIV Context |
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Thirty societal leaders and Arab activists attended the workshop. Religious leaders; men and women, human right activists, media community members, NGOs representatives, and women rights activists were among the participants. The participants worked on drafting the outlines of the necessary training plan to spot out the major underlying causes behind AIDS spread , which in turn resemble the causes that led to Arab Women deprivation of rights in the Arab Region.. The participants discussed various methods and tools that can help mobilizing and enabling civil society’s organizations, and other leading institutions to respond to both HIV and women rights in the Arab Region, and highlighting the vital role those national partnerships can play in this regard. Complete and All-encompassing Training Guide
She emphasized the significance of this guide which will be inclusive and complete. She said:” We want to create a guide that will include the points of view of both Islam and Christianity, and the social and psychological dimensions based on HARPAS obtained experience in this context, it will not be a right-based guide only “. On the other hand; Dr. Ehab El Kharrat went over the agenda of the meeting to explain all its items throughout the three days of the workshop, then he asked the participants to come up with key points of which moving forward with the guide becomes possible in the next stage. He said:” We aim at making this guide an effective tool to bring about change, to make it inclusive of all important issues, and to make it simple. We also want to use it to reach out as far as we can and to draw the outlines of which we will move forward in the next stage”. Dr. El Kharrat emphasized that this guide is not tackling AIDS separate from other societal issues; on the contrary, it intersects with all other relevant issues like female intravenous drug users, and the wives of intravenous drug users, commercial sex workers, and women in armed conflict regions, and natural disastrous areas. It also goes hand in hand with the millennium goals. Debates and Suggestions
It has been statistically confirmed that Arab women are more likely than men to get infected with HIV, because of their lack of negotiation right inside marriage , along with the traditional heritage that limit their choices, and their early exposure to FGM, early marriage, deprivation of their inheritance, and their lack of education opportunities . Women and girls now make half of PLWH numbers in the Arab Region, compared to 40% in 2001. Girls whose age ranges from 15 to 24 are twice as many as boys are in terms of possible HIV infection in the Arab Region. Let alone that Arab Region comes at the bottom of the list in terms of enabling women compared to other countries across the world, which reflects what women endure especially those who are HIV positive , who suffer stigma and discrimination. Dr, Basma Mousa; a human rights activist, and assist professor in Cairo University – faculty of dentistry, elaborated that:” Women’s pursuit of their human rights as equals of men is a main millennium goal, and this pursuit is the only way to achieve development. It’s not imaginable that human rights , and peace will ever grow in a society that violate some or all women rights who make half of the entire society. This guide’s birth is another step in UNDP’s efforts to effective HIV response in a women rights’ context in our Arab Region”.
Due Rights Participants stressed that women rights also mean men rights, based on the fact that men and women are partners; they also considered that women rights in a society is an indicator of its progression.
With regards to women deprivation of rights in name if religions, Father Bolous Suroor of the Orthodox Coptic church in Egypt said:” Woman in Christianity is of a very important significance according to the Holy Book that taught us that (At the beginning, GOD created them male and female). Father Suroor added that:” When GOD created eve, he made her Adam’s companion and helper, and his equal in everything. Jesus Christ said (I came so you would have life, and you get what is best), so this is the best that GOD wanted for us, so if women became subjects of wrongdoing and abuse, this won’t be the correct thing to do. We - in the 21st century -must work together to dignify women, and win her rights back after it has been taken away unjustly”. Dr. Ridha Kammoun; a Sexual Transmitted Diseases’ professor, and the President of the Tunisian organization for STDs and HIV emphasized the previous meaning by saying:” I as a man, was born in a society that believes in women rights, and I am used to see that women rights are very important for men to enjoy their lives, so it’s not only important to women, but to men as well. Women make the 1st school in life, and she is everything”. Dr. Kammoun also argued that the guide should include women right to productive health. Common Traditions Sheikh Sayed Sabbah; An Imam in the ministry of Religious Affairs of Egypt , pointed out that in spite of the fact that there are many legislations and modern laws that guarantee women rights in some Arab countries , there still a missing link between law and enforcing the law. Many try to go around the law in many regards, like the case in minors’ marriage in some Arab States, where minor girls will be forced to marry older men regardless of the criminalizing laws. He suggested that the guide should include both enlightened religious and legal evidences for each right, so the beneficiaries of the guide can base their defense on.
Protecting Rights Rights and NGOs activists demanded that many rights that have been won in the past few years in the Arab region must be protected, and insisted that missing rights must be regained as well. They stressed that activists in this area bear a great responsibility in accomplishing this in a way that rights can be manifested on the ground. Olfat Allam; an Egyptian Psychiatric and a guide’s contributor said:” By being involved in women rights and enabling them to get their freedom of work and choice, I am obliged and committed to these rights”. She adds:” I am hopeful that this guide can be applicable on the ground, and to be simple, understandable, and handy where it can reach out to everybody in the Arab Region”. The uniqueness of Arab Societies Many Participants demanded that this guide should acknowledge the uniqueness of individual Arab Societies separately. They demanded that the guide must not be boxed in typical and traditional outlines; rather it should be easy to be customized into adjusted versions according to each country’s needs. Fatima El Qaysi; a Morrocon lawyer and human rights activist, demanded that some expired issues in the Arab Societies must be disregarded. She also argued that existing diversity in the region should be recognized. She gave an example of Female Gentile Mutation is not an Arabic phenomena, but it is just practiced in a few Arab States.
The Contents of the Guide Based on previous information, the guide is decided to tackle gender issues, power conflict between men and women, means of HIV prevention among women and its relevance to violence against them. It will also tackle women rights to protect themselves from getting infected and all relevant issues, such as minor’s marriage, and women who need protection inside marriage as well.
The guide stresses women societal rights which granted by all Abrahamic faiths, and international conventions, like the right to health, treatment, work , and many other rights which will support women in their quest for facing challenges that lead to HIV infection and the feminization of the disease. On the other hand, this guide also tackles the most vulnerable groups outreach methods like female intravenous drug users, wives of intravenous drug users, commercial sex workers, female prisoners, and female refugees who were forced to seek asylum or migrate because of armed conflicts or natural disasters. Guide’s general framework The guide’s general structure consists of four main components for each chapter. Each chapter will contain scientific facts, historical background, Developmental analysis relevant to HIV and women rights, legal and legislative aspects, and religious justification of the content for each chapter. Each chapter’s subject will be linked to real life Arab women stories and experiences. At the very end of every chapter , questions and leadership exercises will be included as well, which will be disseminated by the trainer to be discussed with his/her trainees. Participants were divided into four working groups based on their assigned tasks, so they can begin drafting the general outlook of the guide at its final stage. The guide will be tested in small national workshops in cooperation with some NGOs in this field before it gets publicized, or widely used. See also:
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Tunisia: UNDP/HARPAS organized a regional consulting meeting, to draft a training guide on women rights responding to challenges that contribute to AIDS spread. The meeting focused on HIV response as one of the most important developmental challenges, and human rights challenges that women face in the Arab Region.
Dr. Khadija Moalla; HARPAS Regional Coordinator said:” We seek to design a training plan to shed the light on the causes that fuel the spread of HIV, including depriving Arab women from their basic rights”. She added:” We also need to find ways to mobilize and enable the institutions of the civil society and all leading organizations to respond to HIV through the use of this training guide “.
Debates during the workshop, came along to raise many questions, in addition to numerous suggestions for developing the guide and making it effectively used. The suggestions did not overlook the necessity of which this guide must be disseminated to reach out to all vulnerable groups especially illiterate women, and women who live in remote areas in several Arab regions. This will happen depending on HARPAS partnerships and via workshops on the ground, and along with the good marketing of the guide in both new and traditional media.
In this context, many religious leaders explained how Abrahamic faiths dignified women, and raised their statuses, and how the religions condemned all women rights violations regardless of any justification. They assured that there are false interpretations and wrong practices in this regard. All participants agreed that they are against sexual and physical abuse against women inside marriage, but they understand that tackling this issue in wider circles is not an easy job at all.
Dr. Zohra Soliman; an Islamic preacher from Libya argued that:” People from preaching community play a significant role. Islam granted women many rights, but some traditions took it away, and became obstacles to applying these rights in real life. It is regrettable that these traditions would put on the garment of faith, but faith is innocent of such traditions. Rights must be declared; the more women are aware of their rights, the less it’s taken away by others. It also prevents women from getting infected with HIV”.
The participants agreed that this guide must be suitable for both women and men, taking into consideration the uniqueness of the Arabic Culture. They also agreed that this guide must be supported with scientific facts, religious backing, and developmantal analysis in a simple and appealing fashion.