Gender Rights Research Articles

SOCIETY, TRAPPED VALUES AND FUTURE OF HUMANITY IN EUROPE: THE LESSONS FOR UKR

The article is devoted to the formation of European values in Ukraine in the conditions of social transformations. The author defines that values are the system-forming core of activity and inner spiritual life of a person, and the system of values is the link that unites society and the individual, involving them in the system of social relations. It has been found that the main European values, which are distinguished by the profile organizations and on which the European community is based, are the following: respect for human dignity; fundamental rights, including the rights of communities and families; freedom (expression of will, freedom of speech, freedom of the media); democracy; equality of all members of society, including minorities; rule of law; pluralism; non-discrimination; tolerance; justice; solidarity; responsibility; equal gender rights. By signing the Association Agreement with the European Union, Ukraine has committed itself to develop relations with the European Union on common values. European values as fundamental ones are reflected in the Constitution of Ukraine. It has been determined that in the European Union values perform various functions (political, aimed at ensuring democracy, development of the rule of law, anti-discrimination, civil rights and human freedoms; consolidating – the formation of the European community and common social and humanitarian space; society, preservation and dissemination of European values, legal – justice, guaranteed by an ombudsman, protection of human and civil rights, economic – the formation of a socially-oriented market economy, ensuring balanced economic growth, full employment, prosperity, well-being, guaranteed property, overcoming poverty; social – achieving social harmony, social security and social assistance, health care, support for the family, protection of vulnerable groups, cultural – preservation of traditions, freedom of religion, language policy support, development of education, culture; information and communication – providing access to documentation, interaction with citizens.

The Qualitative Research about Counseling Service Experiences Regarding Human Rights of Sexual and Gender Minority/Expansive Clients

The Qualitative Research about Counseling Service Experiences Regarding Human Rights of Sexual and Gender Minority/Expansive Clients

Displacement, humanitarian interventions and gender rights in the Middle East: Syrian refugees in Jordan as a case study

ABSTRACT The article focuses on a particular type of Islamic marriage, so-called imam marriages, which are not recognised by the Jordanian state but widely practised among and with Syrian refugees since their influx to Jordan in 2011. State institutions and feminist humanitarian organisations advocate a registration of these marriages on the basis of fulfilling UN conventions on gender and human rights protection. I, however, argue in this article that the enforcement of marriage registration and the implementation of a hegemonic moral order in Jordan give rise to the contradictory deployment of gender and human security protection these state and non-state actors claim to ensure. Imposed policies undermine the safety and social standing of Syrian refugee women in Jordan, in particular, by exposing them to increased public hypervisibility. This article analyses imam marriages within their multi-layered local and transnational socio-political contexts, highlighting thereby the wider complexity of power relations in which intersecting and, very often conflicting, structures place women in more vulnerable positions. The article provides new insights into the impact of humanitarian interventions on gender rights and the safety of displaced people in the Middle East by taking Syrian refugees in Jordan as a case study.

Da teoria à prática: as questões de género nos planos curriculares dos cursos superiores de comunicação

The inclusion of gender equality, intersectionality and human rights issues in the various spheres of action related to education and training is becoming a priority in the field of research and action, since it can contribute to a more inclusive society and promote greater social justice. Thus, in this article we focus on the Portuguese context and analyse the plans of higher education courses in the first degree of the communication area with the aim of understanding if there are curricular units that present contents related to gender, intersectionality and human rights issues and what is their importance in the design of the courses that train professionals in the various areas of communication. In line with other studies developed in other contexts, in this exploratory analysis we conclude that there are practically no curricular units that focus on the themes of gender equality, intersectionality and human rights. This absence shows that these issues are not considered as a priority in education and training agendas, which may have impacts on professional development in areas as central as those involved in the fields of communication.

Determination of Social Studies Teachers’ Opinions on Socıal Gender

Social gender is a concept built with life experiences. It distinguishes men and women through their biological differences. Social gender attributes behaviors and roles in accordance with the gender identity of the society to individuals. Social studies regard each student as a unique individual. Social studies students should be sensitive to these differences in their relationships and should respect each other. This is important for respect and equality between the genders. In this context, social studies teachers have an important role in conveying concepts such as gender, equality and human rights to their students accurately and effectively. The aim of this study is to examine social studies teachers’ perceptions of social gender equality in terms of various variables. In the research, qualitative and quantitative methods were used together and mixed structure was applied. The quantitative study group of the research consists of 112 female and 92 male social studies teachers in total. Participants were determined by using criterion sampling, one of the purposeful sampling methods. In the research, the qualitative study group was selected from the quantitative research group through simple random sampling. A total of 20 social studies teachers, 10 female and 10 male, working in 6 different schools were interviewed. In the study, quantitative data were collected with the “Social Gender Perception Scale” developed by Altınova and Duyan (2013). The semi-structured interview form prepared by the researcher was used to obtain qualitative data. The qualitative data of the research were analyzed by content analysis method. The quantitative data obtained in the study were analyzed in IBM SPSS 15.0 program. Social studies teachers’ views on social gender equality have also been evaluated in terms of curriculum literacy. At the end of the study, it was found that social studies teachers have high social gender perceptions. In the gender variable, it was determined that the social gender perception levels of female social studies teachers were higher than male teachers. In the qualitative findings of the study, it was found that teachers treated their students equally and fairly, regardless of gender, and avoided sexist discourse. It was determined that when sexist attitudes and groups were formed in the classroom, teachers directed their students to respect and empathize with each other. In addition, it was found that the teachers mostly explained gender equality in their lessons by linking with biographies. Recommendations are made taking the findings of the study into consideration.

Haunting juxtapositions: gender, Covid-19, and the conservative modern

ABSTRACT Feminist scholarship on the Middle East has often critiqued binaristic framings of gender rights which draw on Western-centric tropes of cosmopolitan modernity versus local backwardness. What I argue, through examining visual mediations of Covid-19 on Iranian social media, is that gender is reconfigured in this context as part of a nationalism that is both modernising and conservative. I particularly focus on how montage—a modernist visual genre—is utilised in the production of an Iranian national security imaginary which combines a rhetoric of modern, mixed-gender medical care with haunting resonances of male martyrdom and sacrifice during the Iran–Iraq war. While much has been written recently about Covid and national security, what is less discussed is how particularistic narratives of crisis can produce innovative reconfigurations of gender and modernity. Yet while Benjamin envisaged montage as a weapon in the destruction of aura, here, I argue, the deployment of aura supports the state’s “capture” of haunting affects as it seeks to re-shape national memory. What this suggests is that crisis permits a conditional shifting of gender roles, but this move is legitimated through the invocation of a redemptive history, wherein the nation re-emerges triumphant out of disaster.

Initiatives in primary school for the inclusion of a gender perspective

Abstract This reflective piece seeks to show how teachers of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in primary schools can include a gender perspective as a tool to promote and develop social transformation and reflection when integrating Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) in their lessons using different literary materials. The development of a gender perspective involves a critical examination of power and unequal relations between sexed bodies. In the case of Argentina, the passing of Law 26,150 created a National CSE Program, which enforces the teaching of a responsible sexuality education from a gender and human rights perspective. This article describes some of the literary materials and initiatives that we, two EFL primary level teachers, have designed and implemented for the development of such perspective in our lessons following a critical and dialogical pedagogy. We hope these initiatives can help other EFL teachers carry out similar practices according to their contexts.

Dispatches from the Edge of Empire

Abstract This essay about disaster, imperialism, and concepts of home comprises three parts. The first explores attempts to grapple with the meaning of centuries of colonization as it plays out even in the most minor, mundane details. The second engages relevant legal frameworks that can aid in understanding issues of race and gender within a neoimperial context. This section focuses on two legal cases associated with Adolfina Villanueva Osorio, a resident of Loíza, Puerto Rico, whom armed police and marshals attempted to force from her home based on a court order favoring the interests of the wealthy new owner of the land. In the process of the forcible eviction, which took place in 1980, the police murdered Adolfina in front of her family. In discussing these cases, I consider intersections of gendered bodies and property rights to better understand the ongoing effects of neoliberalism, and specifically how these impact concepts of home. The third part looks at the socially engaged work of the artists known as Las Nietas de Nonó, two sisters who have created a performance space in their grandparents’ former house in the Barrio of San Antón, in Carolina, Puerto Rico. As I discuss their interventionary, avant-garde work, I consider how art, colonial realities, and the law coexist in the details of everyday life.

A Feminist View of James Joyce's The Boarding House

The theories of feminism have global implications for the due rights of the female gender. Women are exterminated from political, economic, and social circles of life based on gender and they lack opportunities as well. This study aims to analyze James Joyce's The Boarding House against the backdrop of feminism. Joyce points out the sufferings and oppression of women in the male dominant society. Mrs Mooney is the protagonist of the story. Initially, she suffers because of her gender but later on, she achieves independence and emancipation from male dominancy. Thus the character of Mrs Mooney truly depicts the essence of feminism in the story. Similarly, the character Polly faces gender-based discrimination. This study analyzes the sufferings, subjugation, and oppression of women and recommends ways to abolish gender inequality. This study also calls for the emancipation of women and suggests ways to liberate them from patriarchy.

Gaps in the protection of athletes gender rights in sport\u2014a regulatory riddle

This paper examines the regulatory gaps in the protection of athletes’ gender rights in sport. The regulation of human rights in sport is increasingly being scrutinised and at the same time, the societal parameters of sex and gender identity are shifting. Together, these current developments present a regulatory riddle when determining how to balance the interests of sport with the protection of non-conforming athletes’ rights, who may not strictly fit into the binary categories of sport. Despite a strong human rights framework protecting gender rights, the complex relationship between law and sport leaves athletes in a vulnerable position, with limited accountability of sports bodies and restricted access to a legal remedy. Drawing upon existing recommendations, this paper offers original insight for resolving the riddle, such as the establishment of an anti-discrimination in sport unit to enforce human rights in sport.

Gender discrimination as a barrier to high-quality maternal and newborn health care in Nigeria: findings from a cross-sectional quality of care assessment

BackgroundPoor reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health outcomes in Nigeria can be attributed to several factors, not limited to low health service coverage, a lack of quality care, and gender inequity. Providers’ gender-discriminatory attitudes, and men’s limited positive involvement correlate with poor utilization and quality of services. We conducted a study at the beginning of a large family planning (FP) and maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health program in Kogi and Ebonyi States of Nigeria to assess whether or not gender plays a role in access to, use of, and delivery of health services.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional, observational, baseline quality of care assessment from April–July 2016 to inform a maternal and newborn health project in health facilities in Ebonyi and Kogi States. We observed 435 antenatal care consultations and 47 births, and interviewed 138 providers about their knowledge, training, experiences, working conditions, gender-sensitive and respectful care, and workplace gender dynamics. The United States Agency for International Development’s Gender Analysis Framework was used to analyze findings.ResultsSixty percent of providers disagreed that a woman could choose a family planning method without a male partner’s involvement, and 23.2% of providers disagreed that unmarried clients should use family planning. Ninety-eight percent believed men should participate in health services, yet only 10% encouraged women to bring their partners. Harmful practices were observed in 59.6% of deliveries and disrespectful or abusive practices were observed in 34.0%. No providers offered clients information, services, or referrals for gender-based violence. Sixty-seven percent reported observing or hearing of an incident of violence against clients, and 7.9% of providers experienced violence in the workplace themselves. Over 78% of providers received no training on gender, gender-based violence, or human rights in the past 3 years.ConclusionAddressing gender inequalities that limit women’s access, choice, agency, and autonomy in health services as a quality of care issue is critical to reducing poor health outcomes in Nigeria. Inherent gender discrimination in health service delivery reinforces the critical need for gender analysis, gender responsive approaches, values clarification, and capacity building for service providers.

Educating on Sexuality to Promote Health: Applied Experiences Mainstreaming the Gender and Human Rights Approach.

In the articulation between research and health intervention, we see the need to situate comprehensive sexuality education in the triangle formed by the salutogenic approach, the mainstreaming of gender and human rights, and the development of competencies in health promotion. For this purpose, we present a set of investigations carried out in Ecuador and Spain through a qualitative methodology with the respective health interventions that seek to obtain significant results of the teaching–learning process on sexuality. The field work contemplates situations of violence as a health problem, orienting the intervention in health empowerment toward pleasure. The health education experiences implemented allow us to conclude that comprehensive sexuality education reinforces the competencies of health personnel to attend to diversity. These findings, and the results expected in ongoing research, allow us to form a competency framework aimed at specifically improving medical education so that medical professionals can generate health processes with a cross-cutting approach to gender and human rights.

State Obligations in Relation to Gender Identity and Rights of Same-Sex Couples

277Human rights — Gender identity — Rights of same-sex couples — State obligations concerning recognition of gender identity and rights of same-sex couples — American Convention on Human Rights, 1969 — Right to equality and non-discrimination of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons — Article 1(1) of American Convention on Human Rights, 1969 — Whether sexual orientation and gender identity protected categories under Article 1(1) — Right to gender identity — Right to a name — Whether States under obligation to facilitate name change based on gender identity — Whether failure to establish administrative procedures for name change violating American Convention on Human Rights, 1969 — Whether name change procedure under Article 54 of Civil Code of Costa Rica complying with American Convention on Human Rights, 1969 — Right to equality and non-discrimination — Right to protection of private and family life — Right to family — Whether States obliged to recognize patrimonial rights arising from a same-sex relationship — Whether States required to establish legal institution to regulate same-sex relationshipsInternational tribunals — Jurisdiction — Inter-American Court of Human Rights — Advisory jurisdiction — Whether advisory jurisdiction restricted by related petitions before Inter-American Commission on Human Rights — Admissibility — Whether request meeting formal and substantive requirements — Whether Court having jurisdiction

Propuesta de intervención: Talleres con perspectiva literaria de formación en género y derechos humanos en clave intercultural

El proyecto parte de considerar la importancia de producir condiciones institucionales para que los derechos humanos en sentido amplio, no queden relegados a meras declaraciones retóricas, y en este sentido, procura aportar a la realización de un trabajo teórico y político pedagógico, que desde una epistemología crítica dispute las construcciones de sentido hegemónicas y avance en la transversalización, institucionalización e integralidad de este campo en la universidad pública. Los enfoques de género y derechos humanos en clave intercultural en la enseñanza práctica del derecho, vienen siendo debatidos en tanto se configuran en una vacancia en la formación docente y socio-profesional, aun cuando existe una producción teórica y política al respecto. Esta situación exige ser problematizada desde una interlocución interdisciplinaria que permita producir desplazamientos significativos que pongan en tensión enunciaciones tradicionales y aporten a la construcción de miradas inclusivas y democratizadoras de los espacios educativos.

GENDER POLICY AND LEGISLATION DURING THE FIRST 20 YEARS OF DEMOCRACY

1. Introduction South Africa's progressive legal framework, which provides for both the protection and promotion of the rights of and attempts to address their historically disadvantaged and subordinate position, has been hailed by both politicians and scholars as one of the country's success stories. Central to this is the South African Constitution (Act 108 of 1996), which gives unprecedented rights, particularly in its Bill of Rights (chapter 2). In addition, the Constitution makes provision for a Commission on Gender Equality (chapter 9) to promote the attainment of and respect for gender equality. (1) Numerous laws have also been promulgated to ensure that proactive measures are taken to protect women's constitutional rights. (2) Labour laws are specifically 'women-sensitive'. The Labour Relations Act of 1995 (section 203(2)) makes provision for Codes of Good Practice. Such a Code on the Handling of Sexual Harassment Cases was issued in 1998 by the National Economic Development and Labour Council. The Basic Conditions of Employment Act of 1997 (amended in 2002 to include the domestic worker sector) guarantees, among other things, maternity leave, job security during pregnancy, minimum wages, housing and health care for previously excluded groups, such as domestic workers, while the Employment Equity Act of 1998 includes as a 'designated group' to which affirmative action measures apply. In addition, the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act of 2003 (2) demonstrates its commitment to black in its aim to increase the ownership and management of existing and new enterprises and increasing their access to activities, infrastructure and skill straining. In the socio-personal realm, important legislation includes the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act of 1996 (which recognises women's right to abortion without the consent of another person), the Maintenance Act of 1998, the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act of 1998, and the Domestic Violence Act of 1998 (which defines violence as encompassing various forms of abuses and gives broad power to courts to shape the conditions of a protection order). The introduction of gender machinery (structures in the state mandated with monitoring legislation and policy for gender equality in line with the Beijing Platform for Action, article 201), championed by the National Women's Coalition (NWC) in the early 1990s, has also been noted as a significant milestone in the quest for women's rights in South Africa's early years of democracy. Hailed as one of the most advanced and integrated structures in the world (Gouws 2006: 143), it consisted of a set of which the Office of the Status of Women (established in 1997 and located in the President's Office) formed the apex with Gender Focal Points (GFPs) in National and Provincial Departments at the operational level. The Commission for Gender Equality and the Parliamentary Joint Monitoring Committee on the Improvement of the Quality of Life and Status of Women (JMC) formed the other components of the 'gender machinery'. However, although placing equality on the statute book does serve a normative function, it does not inevitably lead to a change in lived experience. Thus, despite the above robust legal achievements, actual implementation of these measures has not readily occurred (Fester 2004). Notwithstanding women's empowerment on paper and the removal of de jure inequalities, economic and social injustices have to a large extent remained deeply entrenched within the broader societal framework (Hames 2006: 1317). In addition, it has been argued that despite the nuanced gender rights 'culture' on paper, still comprise the majority of the poorest and most marginalised in South Africa, and that patriarchal power underlies the marginalisation of women (Bentley 2004: 248). Several scholars have also pointed to the potential tension in the Constitution in which the Bill of Rights (chapter 2) on the one hand preserves gender equality, but simultaneously guarantees the protection of chieftainship and respect for traditional authority (chapter 12). …

RoMoMatteR: Empowering Roma Girls' Mattering through Reproductive Justice.

Aim: To present a protocol study directed at tackling gender discrimination against Roma girls by empowering their mattering so they can envision their own futures and choose motherhood only if—and when—they are ready. Background: Motherhood among Roma girls (RGM) in Europe impoverishes their lives, puts them at risk of poor physical and mental health and precipitates school dropouts. Overwhelming evidence affirms that the conditions of poverty and the social exclusionary processes they suffer have a very important explanatory weight in their sexual and reproductive decisions. Methods: Through a Community-based Participatory Action Research design, 20–25 Roma girls will be recruited in each one of the four impoverished communities in Bulgaria, Romania and Spain. Data collection and analysis: Desk review about scientific evidences and policies will be carried out to frame the problem. Narratives of Roma women as well as baseline and end line interviews of girl participants will be collected through both qualitative and quantitative techniques. Quantitative data will be gathered through reliable scales of mattering, socio–political agency, satisfaction with life and self. A narrative analysis of the qualitative information generated in the interviews will be carried out. Expected results: (1) uncover contextual and psychosocial patterns of girl-motherhood among Roma women; (2) build critical thinking among Roma girls to actively participate in all decisions affecting them and advocate for their own gender rights within their communities; and (3) empower Roma girls and their significant adults to critically evaluate their own initiatives and provide feedback to their relevant stakeholders. Conclusions: Roma girls will improve their educational aspirations and achievements and their social status while respecting and enhancing Roma values.

Privileged Minorities: Syrian Christianity, Gender, and Minority Rights in Postcolonial India. SonjaThomas. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2018. 224 pp.

Privileged Minorities: Syrian Christianity, Gender, and Minority Rights in Postcolonial India. SonjaThomas. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2018. 224 pp.

Gender equity, labor rights, and women’s empowerment: lessons from Fairtrade certification in Ecuador flower plantations

Certification programs seek to promote decent work in global agriculture, yet little is known about their gender standards and implications for female workers, who are often the most disadvantaged. This study outlines the gender standard domains of major agricultural certifications, showing how some programs (Fair Trade USA, Rainforest) prioritize addressing gender equality in employment and others (Fairtrade International, UTZ) incorporate wider gender rights. To illuminate the implications of gender standards in practice, I analyze Fairtrade certification and worker experience on certified flower plantations in Ecuador, drawing on a qualitative and quantitative field research study. (1) I show how Fairtrade seeks to bolster the wellbeing of female workers, addressing their workplace needs via equal employment, treatment, and remuneration standards and their reproductive needs via maternity leave and childcare services. My research demonstrates that for female workers, addressing family responsibilities is critical, since they shape women’s ability to take paid jobs, their employment needs, and their overall wellbeing. (2) I show how Fairtrade seeks to bolster the rights of women workers through individual and collective capacity building standards. My findings reveal how promoting women’s individual empowerment serves as a precondition for collective empowerment, and how targeting traditional labor rights is insufficient for empowering female workers, since their strategic choices are curtailed largely outside the workplace. While Fairtrade certification bolsters the wellbeing and rights of female workers in and beyond the workplace, much still needs to be done before women can claim their rights as workers and citizens.

Petition for a Comprehensive Law against Gender-Based Violence in Cuba

Petition for a Comprehensive Law against Gender-Based Violence in Cuba

Navigating paradox: Towards a conceptual framework for activism at the intersection of religion and sexuality

At the intersection of religion and sexuality, this article explores how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) people navigate dynamics of inclusion and exclusion within faith-based settings. Situated in a postcolonial setting, and with a specific focus on South Africa, the article delineates the oppressive dynamics at work at this intersection, along with how these are resisted through contemporary forms of activism. Grounded in a feminist analysis of relevant literature and of the field of activism in question, and supplemented by interviews with key informants, the research offers a conceptual framework to advance transformative inclusion for LGBTIQ people within, and against, the dominant institutions, discourses and practices of faith.Contribution: This article contributes to the field of scholarship that concerns activism on sexual and gender rights in faith-based settings. It straddles theory and practice, offering an epistemological grounding for political action that advances the rights of LGBTIQ people. In bringing practitioner insights into academic discourse, the article adds to the burgeoning academic enquiry in this area, and offers a conceptual approach for supporting existing and new initiatives against marginalisation, exclusion and violence at the hands of faith.