Global Tide of Violence Against Women
Posted Tuesday, September 19, 2006 by Tom Wilson

AT THE UN, BAHA'IS HOST PANEL ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

UNITED NATIONS, 18 September 2006 (BWNS) -- Stemming the global tide of violence against women will require changes in deeply rooted attitudes that for the most part transcend culture and national borders.

That was the consensus of an 8 September 2006 panel discussion here on "Beyond Violence Prevention: Creating a Culture to Enable Women's Security and Development."

Hosted by the Baha'i International Community and the International Presentation Association, the discussion was held as part of the 59th Annual United Nations Department of Public Information/Non-Governmental Organization conference.

The panelists agreed that violence against women remains a severe problem in almost every nation and culture.

"We all know that at least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in their lifetime," said Letty Chiwara, a program specialist with the Africa section of the United Nations Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

In some places, such as rural Ethiopia, some 71 percent of women are abused, said Ms. Chiwara.

"Harmful traditional practices -- female genital mutilation, dowry murder, the so-called honor killings, and early marriage -- bring death, disability and psychological dysfunction for millions of women," said Ms. Chiwara.

Charlotte Bunch, executive director of the Center for Women's Global Leadership at Rutgers University, warned against a tendency to see violence against women as strictly a cultural problem.

"We are not just talking about the remnants of cultural practices in a few southern countries," said Ms. Bunch. "It is structurally central to all of the western world, as well as the rest of the world. Violence in general and violence against women is culturally accepted on a lot of levels."

Despite advances in legislation against violence against women, Ms. Bunch said, a lot of people seem to feel that "a little violence against women is no big deal."

Fulya Vekiloglu, who is a representative to the United Nations of the Baha'i International Community, said that those broad international frameworks that are designed to protect and advance women, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) must be bolstered by a new global social climate.

"It is evident that there is still major barrier between legal and cultural practices," said Ms. Vekiloglu, who moderated the discussion. "The challenge before the international community is how to create the social material and structural conditions that will foster the spiritual and physical development of women.

"Such efforts will not only involve deliberate attempts to change the legal political and economic structures of society but equally important the transformation of individuals in society," said Ms. Vekiloglu.

Joan Burke, a Catholic nun who lived and worked in various countries in Africa for 20 years, said she believes that long-standing cultural practices that harm women -- such as female genital mutilation -- can be changed if underlying values are addressed.

"Many such practices are in fact being perpetuated by pressure of women themselves, on other women, in the name of 'cultural values,'" said Sr. Burke. "The holders of those values -- in many case both men and women -- are beginning to re-examine and question them in the light of other deeply held values. I would expect that genuine change will only happen when there is a sufficient level of awareness, which eventually is shared across the larger group."

Layli Miller-Muro, a lawyer and the founder of the Tahirih Justice Center, a Baha'i-inspired women's advocacy organization in Virginia, said that often laws are not enough to address deep-seated attitudes.

She described the case of a 12-year-old girl who was raped by her step-father in retaliation for turning him in to the police for brutally beating her mother.

All the proper laws were in place, the girl had free lawyers, and she was surrounded by a sympathetic and trained police force, but none of these things could prevent the abuse of this child, said Ms. Miller-Muro.

"We had a system that worked on its face, but that cannot prevent someone from unleashing their own violent tendencies behind closed doors," she said.

Ms. Miller-Muro said that such attitudes can only be addressed by a spiritual transformation, both for societies as well as individuals.

"Religion has the capacity for good, to inspire, to motivate, to transform human behavior," said Ms. Miller Muro. "People are willing to change their behavior for a higher power, not for a World Bank loan."

-- by Veronica Shoffstall

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Baha'i Equality Initiatives
Posted Friday, December 31, 2004 by Tom Wilson

The National Spiritual Assembly (NSA) of the Baha'is of the United States (US);

In its current teaching plan, the US NSA has made gender equality a priority by asking American Baha'is to “champion” and “promote racial and gender equality”, and to pursue the “promotion of social justice ”.

In its approved school texts, a curriculum has now been put in place where the issue of gender equality is taught to all ages of Baha'i children and youth in Baha'i schools now, as it will be in each Baha'i school year from now on. Baha'i school materials do this in a sequentially more direct way, using stories, examples and direct references, from very young to older children. This material provides a spiritual context for gender equality.

The US NSA has a paid Liaison for Women's Issues, to interact with national government and non governmental organizations from an office in Washington, DC.

Being realistic about the imperfect application of gender equal behavior in the lives of individuals today, the US NSA now provides training materials to believers and local Spiritual Assemblies throughout the US on gender equality and on Domestic Violence. The training materials help local Baha'i administrative bodies to become familiar with gender equality, identify domestic violence, to know how to appropriately respond to it administratively and how to help victims.

The US NSA UN Bahá'í office in New York, is encouraging local Baha'i communities throughout the US, to commemorate UN special days, including International Women's Day (March 8 each year), through an article in the February issue of "The American Baha'i", a monthly national Baha'i newspaper. As part of the American Baha'i's joining the commemoration of International Women's Day (see www.un.org/women-watch/features/iwd/), Baha'i's throughout the United States encouraged to collaborate with other's. Collaborate with religious groups, women's groups and UN Chapters, to host panels on the role of women in promoting peace or on the equality of women and men or some other event with performances and presentations on this years International Women's Day theme. If you have questions related to Baha'i support of UN events or activities, please contact usun-nyc@bic.org. Please notify the NSA's Liaison for Women's Issues, Baha'i Office of External Affairs (usnsa-oea@usbnc.org) of your gatherings.

Baha'is make materials available to Believers, that speak to the importance of transforming lives so that the behavior of Baha'i men and women and Baha'i marriages reflect our Faiths spiritual requirement of gender equality. Plans have been proposed to remind Baha'is to highlight the use of and attention to, the spiritual and practical gender equality materials our Faith provides, to achieve this needed transformation.

In response to the release of a statement on “The role of men and boys in achieving gender equality,” by the Bahá'í International Community, an informal request was made to the US Association of Baha'i Studies (ABS) to consider more fully, what this involvement by men and boys could or should be. In addition, a national grass root effort is also underway to consider this question.

The Bahá'í International Community (BIC);

*The BIC maintains a staffed UN Office for the Advancement of Women in New York. In 2004, this office offered a workshop called “The role of men and boys in achieving gender equality,” at the 48 th UN Commission on the Status of Women. URL http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/48sess.htm is for the session and URL http://www.bic-un.bahai.org/04-0312.htm is for the BIC statement the Baha’is submitted.

*The Office of Social and Economic Development, Baha'i World Centre, encouraged a gender equality training manual (Equal Wings) be created, so that there would be a more systematic approach to the enhancement of the status of women in Baha'i communities, world wide. This training manual has a personal transformation goal, with self awareness activities, which challenges participants attitudes, perceptions & beliefs, often deeply rooted in cultural practices and social norms.

The Prophet Founder of the Baha'i Faith made the equality of women and men a central tenant of the Baha'i Faith. The critical importance of establishing this equality is clear in Baha'i Scripture.

Role of Men and Boys in Achieving Gender Equality
Posted Thursday, December 16, 2004 by Tom Wilson

The role of men and boys in achieving gender equality

Written Statement Prepared for the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women at its 48th Session Item 3a of the Provisional Agenda
New York, U.S.A.
1-12 March 2004

The 1995 Beijing Platform of Action underlined the indispensability of the contribution of men and boys to achieving gender equality. Recent years have witnessed considerable advances in women's attainment of political and civil rights, but the implementation of full gender equality requires a profound shift in individual values, outlook and conduct, which will ultimately transform the underlying ethos of social institutions, making them more welcoming to women.
The teachings of the Bahá'í Faith offer a model of gender equality based on the concept of partnership between the sexes and the active support of men and boys for the achievement of equality.

Three basic elements underpin the Bahá'í approach:

• Bahá'ís are committed to an evolutionary social transformation of fundamental values, even in regions of the world where cultural traditions impose obstacles to women's development. Enduring change comes through cooperative activity of men and women rather than through confrontation. Hence, we call upon all members of society to encourage and support women to develop their full potential and to strive for their equality and human rights and we recognize that much more can be accomplished in the long run if men and women work together. Within the family, therefore, boys and girls alike are taught respect for all females and within the Bahá'í community, programs are conducted to educate men and boys concerning the status of women, and a variety of practical measures are instituted to foster their involvement in promoting gender equality as a shared community goal.

• The full development of men and boys is inextricably linked to the advancement of women. A society characterized by gender equality serves the interests of both sexes. It enables men and women to develop in a more balanced and multifaceted way and to discard the rigid role stereotypes so crucial to shifting family dynamics, and to accord women full access to the world of work. It also enables both sexes to recognize each others' needs, building an awareness vital to the resolution of issues associated with women's health. It also enables the replacement of unequal relationships and tendencies toward domination and aggression with genuine partnerships between the sexes characterized by collaboration and the sharing of resources and decision-making.

• Bahá'ís view the advancement of women as an ongoing organic process aligned with forces of social transformation and the movement towards the recognition of the oneness of humanity. We recommend making a start, however modest, by educating boys from the earliest stage of their social development in initiatives along the lines of those outlined above, and by engaging the support of men in this process, in order to foster a more conscious awareness that the interests of men and boys are linked to those of women.


In light of the experience and contribution of the Bahá'í community in 182 countries towards the implementation of these principles, Bahá'ís remain optimistic about the achievement of gender equality and the progressive involvement of men and boys in achieving this goal.

BAHA'IS CO-AUTHOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS PUBLICATION
Posted Friday, September 17, 2004 by Tom Wilson

WASHINGTON DC, United States, 8 July 2004 (BWNS) -- A newly published handbook demonstrates the leading role played by the Baha'i community of the United States in advocating the ratification by the US government of an important international treaty on women's rights.

The handbook, which outlines the importance of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, was co-authored by Leila Rassekh Milani, a spokesperson for women's issues for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States.

For more than a decade, a representative of the US National Spiritual Assembly has co-chaired the coalition, which is known as the Working Group on Ratification of CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women).

The convention is an international "Bill of Rights" for women. It addresses the political, cultural, economic, and social dimensions of human rights for women around the world.

The United States was active in drafting the convention and was one of the first nations to sign it. However, the United States is the only industrialized nation that has failed to ratify the treaty, lacking the necessary votes in the US Senate.

The handbook, "CEDAW: Rights that Benefit the Entire Community," was launched in a Senate hearing room under the sponsorship of Senator Joseph Biden, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. More than 100 attended, including representatives of the UN, NGOs, and Congressional staff.

"The treaty on women's rights is a key instrument in promoting the equality of women," said Sean Moore, a spokesman for Senator Barbara Boxer, one of the key supporters of the convention in the Senate.

"This handbook is an important educational tool to gain the 67 votes needed for Senate ratification."

Working with Ms. Milani on the book were Sarah Albert of the General Federation of Women's Clubs and Karina Purushotma, of the US National Spiritual Assembly's office in Washington.

Ms. Carolyn Hannan, director of the UN Division for the Advancement of Women, said US ratification of the convention would strengthen the treaty around the world.

An electronic version of the book can be downloaded and a way for you to help is available at http://www.womenstreaty.org/.

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American Baha'i Gender Equality Action Ideas
Posted Monday, July 7, 2003 by Tom Wilson

The damaging effects of gender prejudice are a fault line beneath the foundation of our national life. The gains for women rest uneasily on unchanged, often unexamined, inherited assumptions. Much remains to be done. The achievement of full equality requires a new understanding of who we are, what is our purpose in life, and how we relate to one another – an understanding that will compel us to reshape our lives and thereby our society.” National Spiritual Assembly; Two Wings of a Bird, page 2

“The objectives of the National Assembly are to promote full recognition and acceptance of the principle of gender equality and foster the development of ever more refined models of behavior in keeping with Baha’i standards of conduct.” National Spiritual Assembly; Addressing Domestic Violence in the Context of Baha’i Beliefs. Guidelines For Spiritual Assemblies on Domestic Violence. A Supplement to Developing Distinctive Baha’i Communities.

A. To achieve 5-Year Plan goals, individual believers need to come forward and need to be supported to become trained champions to help achieve the equality of women and men.

*Individual believers need to sign up for or use available gender equality materials, new, expanded and modified gender equality training materials that help us examine inherited gender assumptions, leading to personal transformation. Individual believers need to become increasingly aware of the “Relationship of Gender Inequality to Domestic Violence”, in order to achieve the equality of women and men.

*As more training classes and workshops on the equality of women and men are offered, the help of Baha’i institutions will increasingly be needed to speak about the importance of taking these classes and workshops.

*As training is increasingly taken resulting in many more Friends becoming involved in personal transformation, resulting in the equality of women and men being increasingly promoted and realized, it is likely that the Regional Equality Committee will be more able to act as a clearinghouse of Baha’i equality activities and resources.

B. To meet the Baha’i goals on the equality of women and men communities are encouraged to take advantage of resources available to educate the community about gender equality.

*The National Spiritual Assembly, through it’s Office of Assembly Development offers several resources to assist with educating the community about aspects, related to the equality of women and men. In particular, four of the 18 Assembly Development Module Workshops ("The Equality of Women and Men, Part 1, A Shared Responsibility, The Equality of Women and Men, Part 2: The Assembly's Role in Fostering Partnership," "Advanced Practices in Administering Justice- Focus on Domestic Violence" and a companion workshop for individuals called "Domestic Violence and the Baha'i Community") address the topic either directly or indirectly. A fifth workshop covers other equality issues: "Fostering Racial Unity." Any of these materials can be offered in a workshop or used in a Study Circle setting. All of these materials are available from the Baha'i Distribution Service and most can be downloaded at no cost at www.usbnc.org. Facilitators for the workshop are also available and their contact information can also be found on-line or directly from the Office of Assembly Development or the Central States Regional Baha'i Council’s Assembly Development Desk, Mana Derakhshani at e-mail address mana@saintmarys.edu and Vicki Abel at e-mail address abel@isunet.net.

*Core Curriculum Equality of Women and Men training may be offered in two intensive weekends, or in a study circle format according to the needs of the participants. To identify trained facilitators in your area, you may contact the National Teacher Training Center at Louhelen Bahá'í School at nttc@usbnc.org. The course addresses a study of the Writings on the principle of equality, the example of Abdu'l Bahá, how to prepare talks and host firesides on the principle of equality, encouraging girls and women to develop their full capabilities, empowering men to attain 'the honor that might be theirs', fostering equality, unity and peace, learning to answer difficult questions from seekers; applying the principle of equality to family and community life; and participating in the national teaching plan.

*There is a video available, “Speaking of Gender” that comes with a fireside outline. Individuals and communities have the “Two Wings of a Bird” NSA statement and the “Advancement of Women” book to study as well.

*The National Baha'i Education Task Force (NETF), consider's the feedback about Core Curriculum materials.

*The Core Curriculum materials for the spiritual education of children and junior youth address the equality of women and men within the strand titled: The Principle of Oneness. Each Lesson Planning Guide will ultimately be accompanied by a fully illustrated storybook for children.

D. Other Ideas that may help.

*As allowed by new NSA guidelines, individuals and institutions can ask all RTI's to seek out and offer other kinds of workshops, that specifically address gender equality and not limit themselves to using Ruhi or even the individual 7 core training programs, each in their entirety. This will allow RTI’s to offer a more diverse curricula then before.

*Individuals and institutions can follow the encouragement of the (National) Domestic Violence Workgroup to ask men (especially Baha’i men) to seek out ways to engage in ending violence against women and children, such as by visiting www.endabuse.org and the “Founding Fathers and Coaching Boys into Men” initiatives, for action ideas.

*An institution or another (Regional or otherwise) committee may wish to work with Louhelen to sponsor a conference (perhaps annual) on the equality of women and men (perhaps including race?).

*If Gender Equality and Race Unity are twin pillars, then individuals and institutions may wish to encourage National to name a gender equality day as they did by naming a race unity day a number of years ago.

*Individual believers and Institutions can speak to their delegate to our National Convention. Our ability to achieve the unity that will allow us to attract entry by troops may just require us to first overcome aspects of our existing personal behavior. Aspects that unintentionally limit and hurt others (both within and outside of our Baha'i community) because of our inherited distorted race and gender ideas. All of us interact with someone of the opposite gender, everyday, while only some of us interact with a person of another race with regularity. We could ask our delegates to National Convention, to ask to have measures of activity created so we can check our progress towards a deeper unity, measure the involvement by men, as measured in both of these issues (gender and race), at each national convention. If we could make measured progress in identifying and overcoming our less visible inherited gender assumptions, we then would be much more skilled and able to better to see and address our remaining racial limitations that many of us have fewer opportunities to face.

*Devotional Meetings- The URL is http://www.bahaidevotions.org/, for one source of devotional programs. First time users need to register (for free), once registered, type in the username and password you selected and then chose devotional meetings, the Carolina Devotions have a program on women. Another site is the Planet Baha'i newsletter web site ( http://www.planetbahai.org/library/lbwomena.html ). Sylvania, Ohio, makes origami cranes, with man written on one wing and woman written on the other. They also ask students in their classes make folded paper airplanes, then all or some of one wing is cut off and the student is then asked to make the paper airplane fly, which it can’t with only one complete wing.

Regional Contacts on the Equality of Women and Men.

Regional Baha’i Council Of The Central States (RBC-CS)
Secretary@rbcc.usbnc.org