03) ANTI-WOMEN AGENDA OF HARPER TORIES SEEN AT U.N.

 

By Kimball Cariou

 

            Canada's federal government faces sharp criticism for its weak positions at sessions of the UN Human Rights Council dealing with sexual violence against women.

 

            The episode reveals the anti-equality ideology of the Harper Tories, even as they hypocritically use Bill C-36 to pose as defenders of the rights of women. That legislation, which the Tories claim is intended to protect women by banning the purchase of sexual services, actually criminalizes sex workers while providing a tiny pittance to help them leave the industry.

 

            Despite its rhetoric, the Harper government stubbornly rejects the growing demands for a public inquiry into the murders and disappearance of hundreds of Aboriginal women in recent decades. And while Harper keeps the most virulently anti-choice members of his caucus on a short leash (apparently fearing a voter backlash), his government is waging a stubborn fight against women's sexual and reproductive rights on a global scale.

 

            One of the leading organizations concerned with these issues, Action Canada for Population and Development (ACPD), has participated in the UN sessions. As the ACPD reports, "Governments and civil society organizations are once again calling into question Canada's leadership on the Violence Against Women (VAW) resolution at the UN Human Rights Council."

 

            At the June 2014 session of the Council, Canada chaired the negotiations of a resolution titled "Violence against women as a barrier to women's political and economic empowerment".

 

            "Due to Canada's actions," says the ACPD, "the final resolution once again fails to guarantee access to a comprehensive package of sexual and reproductive health information, goods and services to women and girls. This not only represents a barrier to women's health, rights and well‑being, but also to their ability to freely participate in political and economic activities."

 

            At the session, Canada consistently declined proposals to strengthen the resolution from numerous states, including the annual resolution's traditional co‑sponsors.

 

            The ACPD notes that "The concerns raised by Canada's traditional allies arose initially when Canada tabled a weak first draft, which did not contain any references to sexual and reproductive rights and health. States continued to express disappointment in the process as Canada repeatedly disregarded their constructive proposals.... which aimed to meaningfully integrate sexual and reproductive rights and health into the text. Canada blatantly ignored previously agreed upon sexual and reproductive rights‑related language, in favour of watered‑down text."

 

            The final text includes the recognition that "respecting and promoting sexual and reproductive health, and protecting and fulfilling reproductive rights in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development, the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences is a necessary condition to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women." It also calls on states to reduce "barriers to women's social, economic and political empowerment, including by promoting and protecting sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights."

 

            But these references were the result of efforts by countries such as France, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and Uruguay, among others. Canada would not have voluntarily proposed even these weakened versions of previously agreed upon language.

 

            Canada's traditional allies delivered a joint statement expressing deep concern regarding Canada's approach to facilitating consensus on the resolution.

 

            The United States said the "resolution should have contained specific references to sexual and reproductive health services which ... are crucial because the risk of pregnancy is also an important possible outcome of rape."

 

            Other international documents recognize the need for survivors of violence to have access to emergency contraception, safe abortion, and post‑exposure prophylactics for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

 

            On numerous occasions, South Africa raised with Canada its concerns about the lack of "tangible interventions" to address violence against women in the resolution.

 

            As a result, only about 80 out of 193 United Nations member states co‑sponsored the resolution, showing the Harper government's growing isolation from the international community, in contrast to its single-minded focus on pro-corporate investment deals.

 

            The ACPD concludes, "it is time for Canada to consider relinquishing its role of chair of this annual resolution should it continue to block reference to effective strategies to eliminate all forms of violence against women."

 

(The above article is from the September 1-15, 2014, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading socialist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)