mercoledì 23 marzo 2016

International Call



CSO-­‐NET   ECOSOC  civil  society  Network
NGO  CSW  New  York
 60°CSW-­‐New-­‐York  14  au  24  mars  2016


                                           


                          

                           The French Coordination for the  European Women's Lobby

                                                          INTERNATIONAL  CALL


                                        For  the  recognition  of  sexual  and  reproductive  rights
                                                        as  universal  and  inalienable  
                                          and  respect  for  the  physical  integrity  of  women


While  many  international  instruments  of  the  United  Nations,  such  as  CEDAW  in  1979  and  the  Beijing   Platform  in  1995  ,  provide  ambitious  and  effective  tools  to  make  for  the  delay  in  gender  equality  and   combatting   violence   against   women   ,   whereas   the   participation   of   women   and   youth   is   the   5th   priority  of  Ban  Ki  Moon,Secretary  General  of  the  UN)  second  term  ,  in  the  preamble  of  the  final   agreement   of   gender   equality   and   women's   empowerment   while   the   COP21   in   December   2015      ,   women's   rights   progressing   very   slowly   or   regressing   in   some   states   under   the   pressure   of   political   conservatism   and   religious   extremism   hostile   to   women's   rights.   It   is   now   recognized   that   the   issue   of   inequality   between   women   and   men   is   a   crucial   issue   in   all   States   and   is   a   major   challenge   for   sustainable  development  for  our  century.

   This   year,   the   60th   CSW   focuses   on   sustainable   development   and   women's   empowerment.   But   one   can't speak  of  these  without  addressing  the  issue  of  violence  against  them,  against  their  health,  their   physical  integrity  and  their  freedom  of  choice.  While  women's  rights  in  particular  include  the  right  to   education,  employment  and  decent  income,  women  can  become  economic  actors  in  their  own  right   only   if   they   are   able   to   choose   freely   to   control   their   fertility   and   choose   the   desired   number   of   children  and  when  to  have  them.  The  recognition  of  women's  right  to  control  their  fertility  including   recourse  to  abortion  is  essential  to  ensure  their  independence  and  dignity.    

   60   %   of   the   world␣␣   population   lives   in   countries   where   abortion   is   banned   or   severely   restricted.   Each   year   worldwide,   five   million   women   are   hospitalized   for   severe   complications   from   abortions   performed   under   unsafe   sanitary   conditions.   Every   nine   minutes   a   woman   dies   following   an   illegal   abortion.  This  represents  13  %  of  maternal  mortality  worldwide.  
  
70%   of   women   experience   violence   in   their   lifetime.   700   million   girls   worldwide   are   married   each   year   before   the   age   of   18,   often   against   their   will.   (WHO,   2014).   200   million   women   worldwide   are   victims   of   genital   mutilation.   Despite   the   medicalization   of   the   practice,   FGM   has   no   medical   justification,   and   affect   the   physical   integrity,   health   and   dignity   of   women.   FGM   has   serious   consequences   on   physical   and   mental   health   of   girls   and   women   (death,   hemorrhage,   urinary,   gynecological  problems,  infertility,  obstetric  complications,  stillborn  babies...).

   Accordingly,  as  legal  and  safe  abortion  is  not  accessible  to  all,  many  women  continue  to  be  exposed   to  the  risks  of  illegal  abortions,  risking  their  health  and  their  lives.   Despite   the   increasingly   sustained   attention   to   violence   against   women   and   girls   worldwide,   the   prevalence  of  violence  -­‐  gender,  sexual,  physical,  and  psychological,  within  the  couple,  female  genital   mutilation,   forced   marriage,   prostitution   -­‐   remains   high,   with   serious   consequences   on   physical   and   mental  health  of  victims.  This  is  intolerable.

   Because   we   believe   that   clandestine   abortions,   female   genital   mutilation   and   all   violence   against   women   are   incompatible   with   human   dignity,   physical   and   mental   integrity,   health   and   respect   for   fundamental  rights,

 Because  the  right  of  women  to  control  their  fertility  ,  including    abortion  ,  seen  as  essential  to  ensure   their   autonomy,   around   the   world   but   this   is   underestimated,   marginalized   or   even   excluded   from   the   matters   discussed   in   numerous   international   meetings,   under   of   cultural   ,   religious   and   geopolitical  pretexts,  and  that  without  this  recognition  there  can  be  no  sustainable  development  ,

We  call  for  all  women  to  freely  dispose  of  their  bodies  and  live  in  dignity,  with  respect  for   their  physical  integrity  and  without  violence  in  all  countries  of  the  world.   We   ask   that   all   women   have   access   to   family   planning   services,   contraception   and   information  about  sexuality,   We  ask  that  the  UN  recognize  as  universal  and  inalienable  sexual  and  reproductive  rights.   We  demand  the  decriminalization  of  abortion,  access  to  safe  abortion  and  the  abolition  of   female   genital   mutilation   in   all   countries   of   the   world   to   allow   women   to   fully   exercise   their  sexual  and  reproductive  rights,  immediately  and  unconditionally.
 
The French Coordination for the European Women's Lobby  with the support of the high Council  for  Gender  Equality  beetwen  women  and  men  (HCE),  the  Fondation  Jean  Jaures,  the   International  Alliance  of  Women,  Femmes  Solidaires,  Excision  Parlons-­‐en  !  and  the  European   Women's  Lobby.

 PLEASE SIGN THE CALL OF THE French Coordination for the European Women's Lobby  FOR  THE  RECOGNITION  OF  SEXUAL  AND  REPRODUCTIVE  RIGHTS  /  60th  CSW  /  March  14,  2016     


Organization  .......................................................Website.......................................................................

Contact email............................................................................................................................................


  La   CLEF   6   rue   de   la   Rochefoucauld   -­‐   75009   Paris   /   Tel   :   00   33(0)1   55   50   45   64   /   www.clef-­‐
femmes.fr  /  clef.femmes@gmail.com  /