CSW 60 Thur17

Today's Reports

Humanitarian Summit/Refugees/Migration
USA

2016-03-17          Eirwen Pallant

Brief Summary of presentation of information made?
(NB: This section seeks to factually report what was said in the presentation. No inference should be drawn in terms of Salvation Army position or policy from this section)

Panel presenters- representatives from Oxfam, Action Aid, Australian Government, Mexican Government, Irish Government and UNHCR

•             Climate change and conflict have led to an unprecedented migration    

•             Women and girls are disproportionately affected

•             Women and girls are central to resilience and rebuilding.

•             Will be 7 round tables at WHS, 1 will be on women   

•             4 Commitments for WHS:-

         Role of women’s organization in humanitarian situations

         Ensuring availability and access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services        

         Protection of women & girls from gender based violence (GBV)

         Enabling women’s participation in decision making

•             GBV and sexual assault is used as a weapon of war and is devastating

•             Gender gap exists in provision of humanitarian aid

•             Evidence shows that if you get it right for women & girls you get it right

•             Need greater accountability across humanitarian work

•             Women’s involvement improves outcomes for families and communities

•             Evaluation has shown that there are delays in responses to women’s needs if you have to work through men

                1st Commitment – Increasing involvement of women’s groups

•             Women’s groups tend not to work as top down organisations

•             Action needs localization and to be community led to be owned. Community leadership needs to include women’s groups. ( Touch stone- if not owned by my mother not useful)

•             Communities are looking for long term solutions not short term projects

•             Women’s security is critical for them to be involved

•             Resources are needed to bring effective women to the WHS

2nd Commitment- Ensuring Sexual and Reproductive Health

•             People continue to have sex in crisis situations. Reproductive health needs continue

•             Reproductive health should be seen as right, not charity

•             Still need quality services

•             Intergenerational approach needed to cover all ages, especially adolescents and married adolescents

•             Accountability for resources- want 15% of humanitarian aid to go to resourcing gender equality and women’s issues initiatives

3rd Commitment – Combatting gender-based violence

•             Need a coordinated response to Sexual & gender based violence (SGBV)

•             Constant themes of necessities – empowerment, equality and community

•             Humanitarian response prioritises food, water, neighbourhood watch but needs IGA to strengthen against future GBV

•             Individual registration needed for women, not just recognizing families through men’s registration

4th Commitment- Enabling women’s participation

•             Accountability means accepting responsibility

•             To prevent SGBV need to promote gender equality

•             Gender inequality affects women & girls before, during and after crisis

•             Gender mainstreaming is agreed but is not a priority. It should be an accepted basic way of working

•             Culture must not be used as an excuse not to include women

•             If security for women is not present, other priorities are not important for women

•             Need to recognize that people in crisis are not a homogenous group, women and disbled have specific needs

•             Women’s engagement is needed at every stage for partnership

•             Links from humanitarian action to development, the SDGs and women’s peace and security agenda should be strengthened

What was of particular significance to share with The Salvation Army globally?
•             People in crisis are not a homogenous group and subgroups including women & girls and the disabled have specific needs that need to be addressed

•             The subgroups need to be able to speak for themselves

•             Combatting SGBV is a priority for women and girls

•             Humanitarian responses need to be community informed and community based
 

Weblinks for More Information
www.worldhumanitariansummit.org

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Gender equality in the Media:  Exploring Strategies for Change

International Assoc. of Women in Radio and Television

2016-03-17          Beth Twivey

Which SDG does this topic cover? 1st Speaker:  Colleen Lowe Morna from Global Alliance of Media and Gender made the comment that “…there is no reference at all in the SDG’s – and WHY is this?.” Here we are looking to the next 15 years with no intention around this. It is part of Goal 5 ? – Gender Equality – Colleen though was stating that she felt it needed to be clearer and more intentional in the language used in the SDG’s.

Brief Summary of presentation of information made?
(NB: This section seeks to factually report what was said in the presentation. No inference should be drawn in terms of Salvation Army position or policy from this section)

Media is a man’s world!

Recent quote by Amanpour “Women are not equal in media” (Oct. 2015)

Colleen Lowe Morna – from Global Alliance of Media and Gender

Journalist since the 1960’s – “so much has changed – so much is just the same”

With globalization we are bombard with up to 10,000 images a day but it is not a balanced view.

It’s not merely about increasing the numbers of females in the media.  “More women does not equal change.”

Journalism is increasingly moving toward an “armchair” style – journalists not getting out into the field.

Najiba Ayubi – Afghanistan

Writer / journalist / Media Manager / Press freedom activist

Instigated TKG (The Killid Group)

Acknowledge our journalists in Afghanistan are working in extremely dangerous situations.

? from audience “Why do you hang in there as a journalist there?”

“I believe in what I started out to do and I am very hopeful about the future. I won’t give up.”

Carolyn Byerly from Howard Media Group

Sisterhood truly is global – reflective in CSW – even this group

Women’s marginalization is a global problem – even in spite of 40 years feminism – in news stories – media – decision making women still are behind.

Need for refocusing on:-

•             Structural shifts

•             Company policies

•             National laws

•             Regional agreements eg EU

•             Court decisions

•             Advocacy

When we look at history – things have got better for women when there is a strong sense of feminism rising up.

What was of particular significance to share with The Salvation Army globally?
Don’t know enough about media policies in The Salvation Army to comment but interested.  I have done a small amount of media / writing.

Neuro science based Workshop to restore self protection, empowerment and worth for girls
SOAR Global Institute, Bridges of Hope Project, Int. Federation of Women in Legal Careers

2016-03-17          Beth Twivey

Brief Summary of presentation of information made?
(NB: This section seeks to factually report what was said in the presentation. No inference should be drawn in terms of Salvation Army position or policy from this section)

One speaker only for the Workshop – initial speaker not available?

Purpose of workshop:  To discover practical techniques for how you can resolve shame in your communities; your families and your own lives while cultivating greater acceptance, worth, belonging and confidence.

The AST model (Alchemy of Shame Transformation)

Shame can lead to us feeling ‘stuck’ in behaviour, illness, addictions and trauma

How can our body’s intelligence help us in these times.

Nervous system is wired to give us information - ? how well do we know our bodies.

Practical tool – Naval Exploration Exercise

Sharing from member of group:-

Two tools to use

-              The Breathe 2 Relax app

-              If working with children – bubble blowing

Other exercises suggested

-              Feeling what’s happening in the body –

-              EFT (Emotional Freedom Tapping)

-              Mirror Therapy – in front of the mirror – speak affirmations – speak to the God of your understanding

What was of particular significance to share with The Salvation Army globally?
What skills / resources / therapy models are we using across the Salvation Army world in regard to working with girls and women in the areas of homelessness / addiction services / trauma / trafficking etc.

Are effective measures in place for us to see outcomes that reflect our Kingdom values – our heart to see those we come alongside to come into a relationship with their Creator God.
Weblinks for More Information
Work of Louise Hay

Work of Robert Holden

Websites on ENDR therapy

Websites on EFT therapy

Advancing holistic and intersectional framework for addressing gender-based violence.
The Albert Schweitzer Institute

2016-03-17          Rachel Fejllman

Brief Summary of presentation of information made?
(NB: This section seeks to factually report what was said in the presentation. No inference should be drawn in terms of Salvation Army position or policy from this section)

Our cultural world view impacts how we see everything and infuses all things we do.  It is important for people in decision making/power positions to label their own cultural view.  We need to be careful how we label things to allow a true peer to peer cross cultural context. All forms of violence against women need to be included on the spectrum.  There is a health/medical response and then the legal/criminal justice response.  "We silo the responses to violence when there is a lot of overlap."  All nations have violence and need to consider how they look at the local context within the larger universal issue of violence.  Better training is needed for local experts enabling them to do their own research.

What was of particular significance to share with The Salvation Army globally?
Services need to be designed within the local cultural context. To best address the needs of consumers and the community.

Empowering Women in Migration: Development Justice and Government Accountability for SDGs
Women on Migration, National Network for Immigrant & Refugee Rights/NNIRR, RESPECT Network Europe, United Methodist Women, World YWCA

2016-03-17          Jane Paone

Brief Summary of presentation of information made?
(NB: This section seeks to factually report what was said in the presentation. No inference should be drawn in terms of Salvation Army position or policy from this section)

Video 'The Road to development justice' shown.

Migrant women: who are they?

- want to remain at home, but are forced because of natural disasters, war, climate change, violence against women

- want to stay but forced to migrate with husbands.

- in transit at borders

- engaged in different kind of businesses

- women in detention (big group)

- contractual labour

-irregular status (undocumented)

- trafficked women (deceived in process of migration)

- in communities (women left behind, doing all the work whilst rest of family have migrated.

- family members are separated.

Various stories (case studies) were distributed to working groups in order to discuss what issues were present in the story, what specific SDGs address this person's needs, and what would be a specific demand of government to fulfill that development goal - concrete suggestions.

What was of particular significance to share with The Salvation Army globally?
TSA will be in contact with migrant women since there are so many in so many different countries.  This is an opportunity to reach out to offer practical and spiritual support in situations of vulnerability. Huge demographic changes are taking place and TSA needs to be ready to rise to this occasion - training is needed, along with compassion and knowledge of the rights of migrants, direct them where to access holistic care.

Weblinks for More Information
www.peoplesgoal.org    www.wgmwg.org

 

Re-conceptualising Faith Based Advocacy for Gender Justice & Women's Empowerment at the UN
Faith & Femeninism Working Group to the UN

2016-03-17          Heidi Bailey

Brief Summary of presentation of information made?
(NB: This section seeks to factually report what was said in the presentation. No inference should be drawn in terms of Salvation Army position or policy from this section)

The purpose of meeting together was to try to answer 3 questions:

1.  What role can people of faith and feminists play together to deconstruct patriarchal structures?

-Deconstruct the justification for patriarchal societies

-Remember that: "All women are not with us, and that all men are not against us"

 

2.  What challenges have you seen or experienced in bridging the faith & feminism divide?

-While faith can be uniting, faith can be excluding

-Faith does not have a common entry point

-The word "feminist' can be marginalizing

-Perceptions of faith and feminism is varied

-The UN does not see human rights through a faith lens.  They see faith as the antithesis of human right and have been very careful in opening the way for faith to be a part of discussions.

-95% of faith based leadership is still male

-Financing is a problem, as most supporters are volunteering their time for the cause

-Rhetoric has improved but structures have not

-Media representation of women has not changed, and has gotten worse in some places

-There are silo problems among different faiths

-There can be manipulation of religious principles for control/power in the faith based world

-The church is lagging behind in being a leader for gender equality, ie:  equal pay, positions, etc.

-Trends are promoting uncritical thinking and/or blind following

 

3. What is the contribution faith communities can make to collective efforts to advance gender equality?

-Have a ground swell to show the worth of advocacy at the top level (UN)

-Remain connected (the groups represented in the workshop)

-Brainstorm with people (organizations) who have one foot in each camp...faith and feminism.

-Build alliances among groups in women's movements

What was of particular significance to share with The Salvation Army globally?
At the risk of sounding simplistic, and in light of the challenges expressed in this workshop, (which were far more numerous than faith based contributions to date), it seems that the church's challenge today, and indeed The Salvation Army's challenge today, is to continue to  provide inclusive places of grace in the communities where they serve, places where suffering humanity is served, and places where the Lord is honor.

How do we do this? 

- We must be approachable, if we are to be bridge builders

- We must be respectful, if we are to be bridge builders

- We must be compassionate, if we are to be bridge builders

- We must offer God's grace, not our judgment if we are to be bridge builders

It was clear to me that The Salvation Army must continue to be more and more visible, if our voice is to be heard for those who have no voice.