Brief summary of presentation of information made

Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (4 zones - Asia Pacific, Europe, Africa and Americas)

• 100 human rights groups below
• 70 are completely compliant with UN HR principles

Purpose of Session: Highlight the role of independent human rights institutions in the promotion of the economic rights and empowerment of women.

Karen – commissioner with commission of human rights (HR) for Philippines

• National Human Rights Institution created by 1987 Constitution
•  Mandated to advocate for women’s human rights, investigate violations even by private companies, and promote eduction
• Cannot being content with being ranked 7^th in country rankings for gender equality
• Need to consult with women and make their voices heard
• Enable transformative structural changes that will make gender equality possible
• 2016 undertook a National Inquiry on Reproductive Rights (RH)
  • Findings
    • Uneven implementation of IRH law and discriminatory practices
    • Interviewed and documented women who lacked access to RH services
    • Over worked and underpaid government health workers
• Submission to CEDAW
  • Called for more attention to violence against women
    • Violence in digital space
    • Hate speech towards women
    • Indigenous women
    • Economic violence seen through negative impact of social policies
• Elimination of existing barriers to women’s equality
• Migration
  • Feminization of migration policies  – needs to be a focus
  • Gaps in implementation of laws meant to protect women
• Work towards changing stereotypes that promote gender inequality
• Country facing many challenges that threaten HR
  • Misogyny among public officials
  • Reminding state of HRs
• Continue to work in exposing gaps but need better documentation of women’s situation
• National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) can act as a catalyst to governments to achieve gender equality and eliminate gender discrimination
• Need more participation by NHRIs in CSW

National Human Rights Council of Morocco

• Report published on State of Equality and Parity (2015)
  • Comprehensive assessment with indicators
  • Measures progress made in terms of policies and legislation
  • Courageous position taken by NHRI – working to fight against traditionally “taboo” subjects
  • Equality especially around the issue of inheritance
  • Calling attention to women’s participation in formal workforce
    • Education rate of women increasing but labour participation decreasing
• Women’s access to decent and paid work is a significant concern in Morocco
• Employment of women in general is the best guarantee to ensure children do not live in poverty and have access to education
• Justice – implies that men and women should be on the same footing and have access to the same rights/employment
• Economic empowerment of women facing normative challenges:
  • Patriarchal division of unpaid work
  • Ambivalence towards women’s paid work – socially experienced as a necessary evil, tolerated only when family needs income.  Not considered a right or component of social society.
• Promotion of Rights – opinion submitted to parliament on draft law on regulating status domestic workers (mainly women and girls)
• Public, social and political debate on the minimum working age for domestic workers
  • In past minimum age is 15
  • Recommendation to move to 18 given nature of dangers associated with the work
  • Result was raising age to 16 for transitional period of 5 years then will be 18 after

Carolyn Porters – UKNHRI

• NHRI have a unique role to play of bridging national laws with international standards
• Economic empowerment of women is an issue facing both developing and developed countries
• Standards and targets around women’s economic empowerment have been around for years but remains a significant issue
• Discriminatory norms remains one of the largest obstacles
  • Domestic work and unpaid care roles in household
• Unpaid care work not included in a consideration of GDP – saves UK  $132 million pounds annual
• Cuts to social services tend to impact women more than men
  • Policies must learn if going to change the reality for women
• Translate international standards into changes in behaviours and national attitudes:
  • Social protection for families
    • safeguarding women’s employment during and after pregnancy
    • Over 77% women in UK still experience discrimination during pregnancy, 1 in 9 lose job.
  • Fair Income
    • Pay gaps still substantial
    • 2016 18.1% pay gap in UK
    • Women not being able to attain higher paid work (educational barriers as well as many other)
    • Mandatory gender pay gap reporting now in place in England and Scotland
  • Women’s personal development
    • Still underrepresented in senior management and boards (despite growing rates in education and labour force)
• Trend towards casualization of labour a growing concern for women

What was of particular significance to share with The Salvation Army globally?

Why this is important to the Army: the work we are doing is making a difference and we need to continue speaking into local, national and international conversations around the rights and empowerment of women.  Experience in Morocco especially demonstrates that change can happen.

Tags: United Nations, SDG16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, SDG8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG5: Gender Equality