For the first time, gender equality has been on the G8's agenda this year, under Germany's presidency. Women's rights and women's role in development have been championed by Bundesministerin Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in collaboration with civil society and in official discussion forums prior to the G8 summit of 6-8 June 2007.
A copy of this letter is being sent to the G8 leaders and representatives
t local, national and international levels, in gatherings and via the internet, women have been coming together to develop one collective voice for greater impact and to create democratic spaces through which their voices can be heard. So openDemocracy invited some of those women to blog in our Women's openSummit, to discuss matters of concern for women worldwide, and to challenge the G8 leaders to consider a women's perspective. As the summit itself approaches, this open letter puts their key points to the G8.
1. Tackle structural economic exclusion
Comprising 70% of the world's poor, women continue to suffer marginalisation and discrimination within the current free market model. Globalisation increases inequalities not only in purely economic terms but also in the social, political and private spheres. The World Bank has put micro-credit on the agenda, as the answer to women's economic empowerment, but the solution is not so simple. The reality of women's lives is the intersection between lack of education, poor health, lack of choice, exclusion from decision-making, lack of citizenship, the effects of civil conflict, and enforced migration - all of which contribute to their economic and political exclusion.
2. Fight climate change - support sustainable development
Climate change poses a fundamental threat to the world economy. Its greatest impact is on the poorest and most vulnerable, exacerbating inequalities, increasing women's workload and placing even more demands on their role as societies' shock absorbers. As the incidence of natural disasters rises, development money is diverted into emergency relief and humanitarian aid. Conflict is triggered and exacerbated by the increasing scarcity of resources like oil and water (Iraq, Darfur). In the face of such major challenges, we need a holistic approach to development, from the grassroots upwards, which involves self-management by communities themselves. One productive area of focus is renewable sources of energy - locally produced, owned and managed - good for reducing women's workload and enhancing their involvement in decision-making.
3. Reverse women's marginalisation
Women are one of the world's most precious resources, at the heart of family and community resilience. But often they are not valued. Women urge the leaders of the G8 to acknowledge the fact that gender equality is critical to development and that women's continuing marginalisation must be reversed. The G8 have the power to support equitable economic development in Africa. Evidence from women suggests that including emerging economies such as India and China in three-way partnerships with Africa is not a model leaders should adopt - as economic reforms in those countries have further marginalized women workers in addition to worsening their labour conditions. They demand governance bodies' commitment to equitable budget disbursement and proper accountability to ensure that international goals set for the improvement of the status of women are achieved. This requires a different approach to development, a different view of the world. Women's empowerment depends on a web of strategies and support mechanisms, and on collective action. Real democratisation needs to obtain to policy making at all levels, including international trade agreements, so that women's voices are taken into account.
4. Combat gender-based violence
The devaluing of women reaches an extreme in India, where female foeticide brings the sex ratio to 927 girls to 1000 boys. An estimated 1 billion female human beings worldwide are victims of violence. Gender-based abuse, according to the UN definition, includes rape, female genital mutilation, sexual exploitation, forced marriage, and sexual harassment at work. Immigrant women living within G8 countries can be particularly vulnerable - isolated, not speaking the language and unaware of their rights. Laws in G8 countries against female genital mutilation need to be mirrored by ratification and implementation of the same laws in African countries. Gender-based violence is a form of discrimination and a gross human rights violation, which undermines women's struggle for economic and social empowerment, and is also exacerbated by conflict. Violence and the denial of rights are key factors in the spread of HIV/Aids: without recognising this, G8-led strategies to combat the pandemic, especially in Africa, will continue to be unsuccessful. The fight against gender-based discrimination and violence must also take in sexual orientation. Homosexuals continue to be subject to violence and intimidation, often forcing them to lead lives of fear and secrecy. In Zimbabwe (unbelievably just selected to chair the United Nations commission on sustainable development) Mugabe has said that homosexuals have no rights at all.
5. Educate populations about women's and gender rights
Serious investment needs to be made in education about women's and gender rights, both for women and men. An increase in women's status enhances community well-being, and can give women an equal role in tackling commonly held problems. Men's groups in different continents have taken responsibility themselves for raising awareness about violence against women and the everyday challenges faced by women - why not the G8 leaders (or at least seven of them)?
Call to action
Women have waited long enough, and the world itself is running out of time. On behalf of our openSummit participants, we urge the G8 to take up this challenge. The 2007 summit in Heiligendamm provides an opportunity to make a real commitment to addressing gender inequality: in other words, to make a real difference to our shared future.
In their own words
When water or fuel wood become harder to find, women put in the additional hours walking to find it and carry it home. When children or spouses fall ill when water quality goes downhill, it is women who care for them. Women do without or with less when food is scarce. Not only do women suffer the brunt of scarcity, they are often blamed for it. As trees and grasses available on family farms are overtaxed, women are forced to tap into protected sources, which further erodes the land. Women are likely to be both the hardest hit by climate change, but are also the keys to community resilience.
Sundra Flansburg and Natalie Elwell
Our reproductive justice training had been done before in five different cities, but we knew this would be entirely different. We were unsure of the politics of these women. They were all mothers, mostly amas de casa, most likely religious. Day one ended with the worst nightmare for a pro-choice activist: a really frank and predominantly anti-choice discussion about abortion. We worried we would alienate them, and half of us expected to show up to an empty room on day two. But everyone returned, ready for more, with a continued desire for dialogue. While abortion itself continued to be a point of contention, we found significant common ground: around contraception, sex education and gynaecological cancer prevention.
At least one in every three women on the planet have been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. With odds like this, it could be you. Or your mother, your sister, your daughter, or your friend.
India's hugely skewed sex ratio is due to advanced pre-natal diagnostic techniques. Educated people are more likely to kill their female foetuses, not less. Two generations of girls in India have already been murdered in the womb. This is not "family planning". This is organized genocide, aided by medical technology. Mostly, it is because of pressure from the husband and in-laws. Women are scared of facing anger at home; scared of being thrown out of their houses; tired, defeated and trapped by the need to retain a modicum of peace in their domestic lives. It is tragic that in a country where God is often female, there is no place for girls in the home. Dowry is part of the problem, but so are issues of lineage, family name, inheritance, social attitudes and the ingrained belief that women are inferior.
During the time that I edited the gay and lesbian newsletter my offices were raided by police claiming that I was housing pornographic material. After rifling through every drawer they left with their "evidence" - a booklet listing worldwide gay, lesbian and bisexual support groups. Since then, as both a gay and political activist, I've spent many nights making my own bonfires. Burning materials which are informative, useful and inspiring, yet which the authorities would seek to harass me for. I'm angry about this. I'm angry because gay and lesbian people shouldn't be made to feel ashamed, or be made to hide who they are and what they read.
The blog: read on...
Last year I wrote a critique of the top-down approach adopted in Tony Blair's Africa Commission and the Gleneagles G8 commitment to aid. Basically the message was: if you want to know how to support development in Africa, ask the women. Well, nothing has happened in the meantime, except an increase in conflict, poverty and HIV/AIDS.
So, this year openDemocracy is covering the G8 process from a women's perspective. We are running this blog as a platform for women activists, academics and journalists from a variety of organisations worldwide. With openDemocracy we have the technology to address G8 and challenge their views. We should take full advantage of this. As part of the struggle to reform the world, we can also help to reshape the news.
Patricia Daniel
