Three global women leaders about inequality, discrimination and violence

Lakshmi Puri is the UN Women Deputy Executive Director. Last November she was in Brussels to present her first annual report: In Pursuit of Justice.

Margot Wallström is holding the post of Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. Prior to this, she served as a European Environment Commissioner and was vice-president for the European Commission.

Carolina Sánchez-Páramo is one of the main authors of the World Development Report 2012, the most important annual publication of the World Bank. Sánchez-Páramo was in Brussels last December, for the presentation of Gender Equality and Development.

One of the surprising conclusions after reading the recent reports on gender, equality and development, is that the World Bank is very plain about gender equality as a necessary condition for the development of women and countries as a whole. The Bank is never as straightforward when it comes to social inequality. In that case, the Bank maintains that there should be a system of equal opportunities, not equality. Carolina Sánchez-Páramo: ‘There is no reason why women should have less access to health care or education. And when we see that the poor are systematically excluded from proper health care, we should address their access to public services and rights. When it comes to economic possibilities however, there are far more parameters in play. Do people want to work or not? And why? And what job do they want? That’s not only a matter of rights, but also of choices.’

What about equal rights in practice?

Lakshmi Puri: ‘The real scandal is that violence against women still exists, in Europe as well. According to a report of the European Council, 45 percent of the European women have experienced violence by men. One in five women has been a victim of domestic violence. Every day, seven women die because of male violence. And the list goes on.’

In developing countries, the problem is worse because of widespread poverty, and because of certain traditions, customs and beliefs. Traditions and religions can never be an excuse to violate human rights, or to limit or discard the rights of women. The same goes for violence against women. There are a lot of cultures regarding women as inferior, which leads to a general cultural acceptance of domestic violence, or other forms of violence against women. From beatings and humiliations, child marriages, traffic in women and sexual exploitation to the observation that girls get less food than boys, reducing their chances for a better future, or even their chances of survival.

Carolina Sánchez-Páramo: ‘It’s true that we can’t avoid to talk about culture and religion. But it’s not the World Bank’s job to dictate a certain social or judicial system. Still, we have to acknowledge that hard facts and data prove that some gender-based approaches are more successful than others. During preliminary consultations, for example in the Middle East, we observed that this open attitude is very fruitful and musters positive responses in regions where gender equality is a problem.’

In Afghanistan, the war does not escalate in sexual violence against women, as it does in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Can cultural differences serve as an explanation here?

Margot Wallström: ‘This might well be an illusion. There’s a lot of domestic violence against women in Afghanistan, and it’s connected to the war. However, the isolation imposed upon Afghan women protects them from the dangers Congolese women encounter when they get water, gather firewood or work in the fields. They are in the frontline of the war. But human cruelty knows no borders, whatever the cultural tradition or political context. When Colonel Gaddafi ordered his troops to raid the houses, the soldiers knew very well that they were given a permit to rape and murder.’

Lakshmi Puri: ‘The most important thing is the empowerment of women: their presence in debates, their self-image, their economic situation. Our support of women’s organizations and movements is crucial. We think that at least a third of the representatives in peace negotiations should be female, to create awareness about the impact of the agreements on the lives and rights of women. Furthermore, every country should have laws that condemn rape, and that facilitate the prosecution of the perpetrators. But countries need institutions that allow women to tell their story just as well. We need to get rid of the culture of impunity.’

Where to start?

Margot Wallström: ‘Everything begins with politicians who see and acknowledge the problem, who talk about it and who provide women with the means to stand up for themselves. All too often I see an indifferent government, even when rape is used as a weapon in war. And when the conflict is over, women get to hear that the country needs to think about the future, and should let go of the past. Women can almost always forget about justice.’

Lakshmi Puri: ‘Conventions and laws definitely make a difference in the daily life of women, even in rural areas. On the condition that the government is able and prepared to enforce those laws. In countries that have laws against domestic violence, men think twice before they hit women. Women feel supported in their demand for redress. That’s where everything begins by the way, with changing the self-image of women. They have to realize that they are not born as victims, but as equals to men. That’s why creating awareness in boys and men is just as important. They have to realize that violence against women doesn’t make them machos or cool guys, on the contrary.’

Is there enough political will in Congo to tackle the rape issue?

Margot Wallström: ‘I think so. The change is noticeable. In Bukavu, soldiers, and even officers of the Congolese army, are being prosecuted for those kind of crimes. That’s promising. But it isn’t enough. The real responsible factors are being ignored. There wasn’t much attention for sexual violence during the campaign in the run-up to the presidential elections. I had hoped that more candidates would declare themselves openly against sexual violence, but to no avail. The political elite disappointed me. Women are voters as well, aren’t they?’

Is a strong and well-governed state essential for equal rights for women?

Carolina Sánchez-Páramo: ‘The importance of a good legal framework is clear: international treaties and agreements, constitutional revisions and domestic laws. The past decades the world turned a lot more equal on paper. New laws were devised, but not always enforced. That’s not always a matter of unwillingness or bad governance, sometimes it’s just a matter of how things work in the field.’

Can you give an example?

Carolina Sánchez-Páramo: ‘Based on local evidence, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has calculated that the profits of agriculture would increase with two to four percent if women would enjoy equal access to land, fertilizers, credit, or other means of production. Which would have a large impact on hunger and food security. But even in countries where men and women have equal rights to land possession, we see that only one person owns the land on paper. The law doesn’t say it has to be the man, but in practice it almost always is. To tackle that problem, you don’t need a revolutionary change, you need an administrative revision, so the land can be registered in name of both spouses.’

On the other hand, even big international campaigns like the Millennium Development Goals don’t result in real progress regarding development for women.

Lakshmi Puri: ‘Before you can handle the first Millennium Development Goal, eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, you have to handle the third: promote gender equality and empower women. So we have to aim for at least thirty percent of female presence in every organization where policy is being made. This makes a real difference. In India, one million female representatives are involved in local government councils, the panchayats. Now it’s a matter of politically educating those women, so they transform their position into real power, to create real change. In Rwanda and Liberia, the large representation of women in parliament resulted in women-friendly laws, regarding maternity leave for example.’

Carolina Sánchez-Páramo: ‘More wealth doesn’t necessarily mean more gender equality. Which means that you can improve gender equality even when the economic situation is bad, but also that wealth doesn’t guarantee equal rights for women. However, based on local evidence, we observe that a higher participation of women in social and economic life leads to more development.’

What is the impact of the financial and economic crisis on women?

Carolina Sánchez-Páramo: ‘It’s not easy to simplify various different contexts into some general statements about development and gender equality in this crisis, because, among other things, a lot depends on the previous employment of women. In 2008, men were affected more, because they worked in the “cyclical sectors”, like the construction industry. When the crisis hit the service industries as well, a lot of women lost their job. And in the end, the informal sector, in which women are overrepresented, wasn’t spared either. In the informal sector people keep on working because they don’t depend on large employers, but they do sacrifice pay.’

Is the exclusion and discrimination of women a form of violence?

Carolina Sánchez-Páramo: ‘I don’t know if I would use the term “violence” so easily when it comes to all forms of exclusion and inequality. It’s clear that there’s a lot of active discrimination, in the legal system for example, or in the economic attitude of employers toward women. In those cases, we have to take severe action. But other kinds of daily discrimination don’t necessarily happen on purpose. They demand a more subtle and creative approach, because you have to get to the bottom of the mechanisms of discrimination.’

Margot Wallström: ‘A war can justify things, like large-scale rape and brutal violence against children, in such a way that these practices continue long after the end of the hostilities. The social price for the loss of family values and social cohesion is enormous. What we need right now is a study that calculates the costs of sexual violence in times of war. Women are afflicted for years, or even for life, which heavily affects the economic life of a village or country.’

The West usually has strong opinions on women’s rights, but taking action against the arms trade is of lesser concern. Wouldn’t that have a stronger impact on the protection of women’s rights and lives?

Margot Wallström: ‘That’s correct. There are too much economic interests at stake. In Ivory Coast, I heard that women are scared of what’s to come, because there has been no disarmament, violence can flare up anytime. If that happens, women will be the first victims. Sexual violence is used to hit the political opponent in many West African countries, from Ivory Coast to Guinea-Conakry to Sierra Leone.’

What can Europe do?

Margot Wallström: ‘Europe should take active action against the arms trade and the so-called “conflict minerals”. Europe still turns a blind eye to the sale of raw materials to fund armed conflicts, while the US has at least created a legal framework to prevent that. The European Parliament and the European Commission carry an enormous responsibility, but the companies that mine, produce and process the minerals should take responsibility as well. Why should they act all innocent instead of making choices? Conflict minerals are at the root of brutal violence in many countries , corporations should take responsibility. Even you, as a consumer, must acknowledge that the cellphone you carry in your pocket is partly Congolese. You’re not outside the conflict.’