Human Rights Council

‘Pressing Human Rights Issues’

26 June 2006: Morning

Submission by International Women’s Rights Action Watch (Asia Pacific)

Thank you Mme/ Mr. Chair,

My name is Janine Moussa, and I speak on behalf of the International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific (IWRAW Asia Pacific), an international organisation based in Malaysia that works for the realisation of women’s human rights through the lens of the CEDAW Convention and other international human rights treaties.

We thank the Chair for the opportunity to address the Human Rights Council regarding pressing human rights issues of today.

We are especially concerned with regression of women’s human rights in the name of culture and religion. Cultural and religious extremism is on the rise around the world, resulting in fewer rights for women. Increasingly, governments are choosing to apply more restrictive interpretations of culture and religion that violate the fundamental human rights of women. This is manifesting itself in, among others, harmful cultural practices against women and dual legal systems for muslims and non-muslims.

We urge the Human Rights Council to take note of the above with the utmost urgency. We recall the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Vienna Declaration which establish that all persons are endowed with universal, fundamental human rights, irrespective of class, ethnicity, religion or sex. And submit that the Council makes clear to governments that where culture and religion conflict with these fundamental rights, fundamental human rights prevail.

We also take this opportunity to support the renewal of the mandates of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, its Causes and Consequences and the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Everyone to the Enjoyment of the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health. Special rapporteurs perform important fact-finding activities and issue key reports identifying areas where States are failing in their obligations. We appreciate these Rapporteurs in particular for their continued efforts to incorporate the women’s rights perspective into the fulfillment of their mandates.

We especially commend the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women for noting in her recent report that States have a duty not only to respond to violence when it occurs but also to address the root causes in order to prevent violence against women. She further notes in her report the impact of the following key areas of women’s human rights: 1) the public/private dichotomy in international human rights law; 2) identity politics; 3) global restructuring.

Finally we note that this first year of the Human Rights Council is a particularly important year – where both short and long terms agendas are being shaped. Thus we encourage the Council to, at least in this first year, ensure that all stakeholders have the opportunity to input into this process, including civil society.

Thank you Mme/Mr. Chair.

This page was last updated on August 3, 2006

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