| Statement
by Viopapa Annandale
To the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women
On the Initial and Second Periodic Report of the Government of Samoa
17 January 2005
I will now discuss
the need for Temporary Special Measures on greater Political Participation
and Decision-making and women with disabilities. Following this
I will highlight the lack of effective health related policies and
the violations of rights of women living in rural areas.
Temporary
Special Measures
Political
Participation and Decision Making
Women in Samoa
are grossly under-represented in Parliament, in Government national
boards, commissions, and senior diplomatic posts and in church decision-making
forums. In villages, women’s main avenues for decision-making are
the women’s committees and women’s church fellowship groups. In
essence, women continue to be the supporters/ organisers for male
decision-makers and the campaign managers for male candidates entering
the political arena.
We call on Government
to:
- implement
nominal seats in Parliament for women;
- establish
quotas for the nomination of women to boards of Government Corporations
and other Government bodies and commissions and
- openly encourage
women to apply for these positions.
These measures
should remain until such a time they are sustainable and women are
fully mainstreamed.
Women with Disabilities
Women with disabilities in Samoa experience discrimination in interconnecting
layers that violate several articles of the convention simultaneously,
negatively compounding the impacts of discrimination. This is reflected
in low inclusion in education, income generation, marriage and village
activities. This is further compounded by a lack of access to healthcare
and a system of social welfare support. To date government has initiated
efforts in education to include children with disabilities however
enrollment numbers of both girls and boys with disabilities has
dropped because specialised teachers are being allocated to regular
classes. Government and NGO disability organisations collaborated
in completing a census on the adult population of people with disability.
Government is now in a well-informed position to initiate cross
cutting policies to address the identified issues. NGOs have supported
government in drafting a cabinet submission to establish a Disability
Action Task Force under the Ministry of the Prime Minister. This
submission has been in abeyance since January 2004 demonstrating
an apparent lack of political will. We recommend a Temporary Special
Measure for a period of two years to accelerate the development
of a disability task force. The role of the task force would be
to develop a National Disability Strategy that mainstreams women
with disability issues into national machinery.
Health Related Policies.
Important policies that impact on the health and welfare of women
and children have been developed but face difficulties in implementation
due to lack of commitment and inadequate resourcing for example:
- The lack
of implementation of The Infant and Young Child Feeding Policy
(1995) perpetuates discriminatory practices against women because
of their reproductive status by not providing for adequate support
and protection of breast feeding mothers and their infants. This
is a violation of Article 11 and 12.
- The National
Population Policy (1998) has not been adopted and consequently
a component on sexual and reproductive health in government educational
curriculums has been excluded. Young women are not given the necessary
education and services to protect them against sexually transmitted
infections and unplanned pregnancies. This is a violation of article
10 and 12.
- The Food
and Nutrition Policy (1996) if enforced would restrict the importation
of inappropriate foods that contribute to diabetes, high blood
pressure and gout which are amongst the highest identified causes
of morbidity for women in Samoa.
Young unmarried
women continue to be discriminated against when seeking information
and or assistance for contraceptive services. Young men on the other
hand have little difficulty procuring condoms.
We recommend
the urgent adoption, implementation and monitoring of these policies
by the State.
Rural
Women
Rural women
in Samoa suffer generally from a lack of access to quality infrastructure,
quality education in all spheres, income generating opportunities
and appropriate health care services, thus violating obligations
under article 14.
Rural women
participate at levels complementary to the status of their spouses
within a village. There is a minority of women involved as decision
makers at the level of village council (compromised of only of matai
(chiefly titleholders), which is the supreme law making body for
the village).
Some villages
prohibit women as matai, which is unconstitutional and further restricts
women in decision-making at the village level and from political
participation, as non-titled persons are ineligible for Parliamentary
candidacy.
Significant
advances have been made in the development of micro enterprise by
NGOs. The adverse effects on rural women of cash poverty, poverty
of opportunity and urban drift require that Government urgently
direct further resources to reduce the negative impacts on rural
women in line with their obligations under Article 14.
Furthermore
Temporary Special Measures should be considered by state to address
the serious shortage of teachers, doctors and nurses in rural areas
Madam Chair,
we submit this report in the spirit of cooperation with government
to achieve our common goal to eliminate all forms of discrimination
against women.
Thank you.
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