{"id":14673,"date":"2018-12-18T12:47:31","date_gmt":"2018-12-18T17:47:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=14673"},"modified":"2026-01-28T18:51:51","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T17:51:51","slug":"amnesty-international-oppressive-sexist-policies-galvanize-bold-fight-for-womens-rights-in-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=14673","title":{"rendered":"Amnesty International: Oppressive, sexist policies galvanize bold fight for women\u2019s rights in 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

… . HUMAN RIGHTS … . <\/p>\n

An article from Amnesty International<\/a><\/p>\n

Women activists around the world have been at the forefront of the battle for human rights in 2018, Amnesty International said today [December 7] as it launched its review on the state of human rights over the past year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nPhoto copyright REUTERS\/Vincent West<\/center><\/p>\n

The human rights group also warns that the actions of \u201ctough guy\u201d world leaders pushing misogynistic, xenophobic and homophobic policies has placed freedoms and rights that were won long ago in fresh jeopardy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2018, we witnessed many of these self-proclaimed \u2018tough guy\u2019 leaders trying to undermine the very principle of equality \u2013 the bedrock of human rights law. They think their policies make them tough, but they amount to little more than bully tactics trying to demonize and persecute already marginalized and vulnerable communities,\u201d said Kumi Naidoo, Secretary General of Amnesty International.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it is women activists who have offered the most powerful vision this year of how to fight back against these repressive leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n

The findings are published in \u201cRights Today\u201d, a major review analysing the human rights situation in seven regions around the world: Africa, Americas, East Asia, Europe and Central Asia, Middle East and North Africa, South Asia and South East Asia. The launch marks the 70th\u00a0anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights \u2013 the first global bill of rights, which was adopted in 1948 by the world\u2019s governments.<\/p>\n

2018: Women rise up<\/strong><\/p>\n

The burgeoning power of women\u2019s voices should not be underestimated, notes the review. While women\u2019s rights movements are well established, female activists have dominated the biggest human rights headlines from the past year. \u00a0And women-led groups like Latin America\u2019s\u00a0Ni una menos\u00a0have galvanised mass movements on women\u2019s rights issues on a scale not seen before.<\/p>\n

In India and South Africa, thousands took to the streets to protest endemic sexual violence. In Saudi Arabia and Iran respectively, women activists risked arrest to resist the driving ban and forced\u00a0hijab(veiling). In Argentina, Ireland and Poland, demonstrators rallied in vast numbers to demand an end to oppressive abortion laws. In the USA, Europe and parts of Asia, millions joined the second #MeToo-led women\u2019s march to demand an end to misogyny and abuse.<\/p>\n

(Article continued in right column)<\/p>\n

(Click here<\/a> for a Spanish version of this article or here<\/a> for a French version.)\n<\/div>\n

Question(s) related to this article:<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
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What is the state of human rights in the world today? <\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Abortion: is it a human right?<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(Article continued from left column)<\/p>\n

However, the report notes that we cannot celebrate the \u201cthe stratospheric resurgence of women\u2019s activism\u201d without addressing the driving force behind why so many women have mobilised to demand change.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen\u2019s rights have consistently been placed a rung below other rights and freedoms by governments who believe they can pay lip service to these issues while doing little in reality to protect the rights of half the population\u201d said Kumi Naidoo.<\/p>\n

Rights Today\u00a0points to a growing body of policies and laws designed to subjugate and control women, especially around sexual and reproductive health. These include a push from Polish and Guatemalan law-makers to advocate for stricter abortion laws, while in the USA, funding cuts to family planning clinics have put the health of millions of women at risk.<\/p>\n

Women activists have risked their lives and freedoms to bring to light human rights injustices. They include Ahed Tamimi, a Palestinian child activist who was unjustly imprisoned for daring to stand up for her people; Loujain al-Hathloul, Iman al-Nafjan and Aziza al-Yousef, three activists who are now detained in Saudi Arabia for campaigning on women\u2019s rights; and Marielle Franco, who was brutally murdered in Brazil earlier this year because she fearlessly fought for human rights.<\/p>\n

2019: A landmark year to turn the tide on women\u2019s rights<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kumi Naidoo noted that the anniversary of the international bill of rights for women in 2019 \u2013 the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women\u00a0(CEDAW) \u2013 will be an important milestone that the world cannot afford to overlook.<\/p>\n

The bill, which will turn 40 next year, is widely adopted. Yet many governments have only adopted it under the condition that they can reject major provisions that are designed to secure women\u2019s freedoms, such as pursuing a national policy to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women in law and practice and committing to eliminating discrimination against women in marriage and family relations.<\/p>\n

Amnesty International is urging governments to take action to ensure that women\u2019s rights are upheld \u2013 this includes not only commitments to international standards, but changes to harmful national laws and proactive measures to empower women and protect their rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that so many countries have only partially accepted the international bill of women\u2019s rights is evidence that many governments think protecting women\u2019s rights is just a PR exercise to make them look good, rather than a priority they need to address urgently,\u201d said Kumi Naidoo.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll around the world, women on average earn far less than their male peers, have far less job security, are denied access to political representation by those in power, and face endemic sexual violence that governments continue to ignore. We have to ask ourselves why this is. If we lived in a world where in fact it was men facing this kind of persecution, would this injustice be allowed to continue?<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to acknowledge that Amnesty International can and should do more on women\u2019s rights. As we enter 2019, I believe now, more than ever, we must stand firm with women\u2019s movements, amplify women\u2019s voices in all their diversity and fight for the recognition of all our rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

… . HUMAN RIGHTS … . An article from Amnesty International Women activists around the world have been at the forefront of the battle for human rights in 2018, Amnesty International said today [December 7] as it launched its review on the state of human rights over the past year. Photo copyright REUTERS\/Vincent West The … Continue reading Amnesty International: Oppressive, sexist policies galvanize bold fight for women\u2019s rights in 2018<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[76,13],"tags":[11],"class_list":["post-14673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-global","category-human-rights","tag-global"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14673"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38312,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14673\/revisions\/38312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}