REPORT:  WORKSHOP B3

Global Citizenship and Gender Justice

 

 

Facilitator: Carol Anonuevo

Presenters: Fatima Pandy, Maria Bonino and Sofia Valdevilesco

 

I.          Countries of Participants: Uruguay, Ireland, USA, Jamaica, Thailand, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Barbados, Zambia, Spain, Senegal, Algeria, Philippines, Guyana, Israel, Germany/Phils, India/UK, Norway and Switzerland.

 

2.         Participants’ Expectations:

 

(1)    identify practical ways of moving forward

(2)    improve one’s work on gender euqality

(3)    share and network with others

(4)    learn from others’experiences

(5)    learn more about gender issues

(6)    generate / articulate links with international advocacy

 

3.         Workshop Flow:

 

(1)    Introductions

(2)    Presentation of GEO and its major projects on a. book; b. advocacy, and c. indicators

(3)    Sharing of participants’ experiences and areas of work

(4)    Discussion on conference incident of intolerance and discrimination

(5)    Feedback on the GEO statement for WCAR

(6)    Forward steps

 

4.         General issues, concerns and strategies shared by participants:

 

(1)    How to share information for advocacy on migrant women’s rights and welfare.

(2)    How do we continue supporting women empowering activities in the light of limited funding opportunities?

(3)    Bringing women together to share their stories is an empowering process that we should continue to do.

(4)    There is a need to address gender relations in institutional settings, not just to limit discussion on women.

(5)    There should be a clearer linkage between equality and equity issues.

(6)    A strategy of using “question methodology” in literacy classes was found to be encouraging of women to search for anaswers, become critical, and analyze their condition.

(7)    Profession women sometimes do not recognize that they too experience gender issues – what do we do with this?

(8)    We need to continue working on violence against women in all forms.

(9)    Both men and women will gain from understanding the construction of gender identities and the hierarchized gender relations between them but how do we get the men to listen without being defensive?

(10)We need to address homophobia and issues around sexuality.

 

5.         Concerns raised on incident of intolerance and discrimination:

 

(1)    The group recognized that sexuality has been invisibilized within ICAE even while there are long-time ICAE members and newer but active ICAE members that are gays and lesbians and bi-sexuals. Thye noted that the incident was an opportunity to raise the issue of intolerance on the basis of sexual orientation, at the organizational level. It was further noted that this was being done at a world assembly where for the first time GEO itself was being given its platform.

 

(2)    The group recognized the right to be different as a human right, and agreed to propose the inclusion of this phrase or its spirit in the conference declaration.

 

(3)    In future world assemblies of the ICAE, the security of everyone from discrimination and intolerance must be guaranteed.

 

(4)    The group thanked the person involved in the incident for being with them at the workshop and reassured him of their support.

 

6.         Feedback on GEO statement for WCAR

 

(1)      A paragraph on the impact of economic globalization on women and on consumption (as this is also interlinked with education) should be put in.

 

(2)      The link of language with learning must be highlighted.

 

(3)      It was recognized that the group did not have enough time to read through the document more carefully.

 

7.         Forward steps to take:

 

(1)    There was a clear desire for the women and men in the workshop to stay in touch. For this, a list of participants’ names, addresses and emails, was put together. The participants were assured that their email addresses will be added to the GEO e-newsletter called Voices Rising. It was made clear that individual women and men may link up directly with GEO without having to pass through their national chapters.

 

(2)    The participants noted the need for attending to the need for translation not only for this workshop or future discussions, but also for the future world assemblies of ICAE.

 

(3)    There was a need to establish a mechanism by which to link GEO with the regional offices for greater collaboration.

 

(4)    In terms of gender mainstreaming, the group recognized the need to have further discussions on the following:

 

a.       How do we really view women’s / gender issues? What is our discourse?

b.      How do we get the leadership’s support for gender mainstreaming?

c.       How do we ensure that gender mainstreaming is linked with and does not overturn work on women’s empowerment?

d.      How can we bring in sexuality education and linkl this with gender relations?

 

(5)    It was agreed to use other international conferences in which gender and gender mainstreaming are topics, for the group’s sustained linking and discussions. Immediately there is the WIDE Meeting in Madrid, Spain on 4 – 7 October where a small group of participants, possibly led by Sofia and Carol, could meet and from their discussion, draw up a concept / working paper on gender mainstreaming within the ICAE.

 

(6)    The idea of a global or international workshop on gender mainstreaming in which we will share our experiences was flagged.

 

(7)    It was suggested that those behind GEO look into the possibility of changing its name from Gender Education Office to Gender and Sexuality Education Office.