PLATFORMS AND OPENINGS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY AND REDRESS FOR WOMEN’S ESCR 

Prepared by WLB

Welcome Remarks • ATJ work of WLB (enabling environment, participation, political economy of

VAW)• ESCR as a JUSTICE ISSUE: accountability and redress• Intersectionality – to address the nature of inequalities and discrimination

experienced by women and marginalised groups of women

Towards • movement building

The inequality in the lives of women that is deeply embedded in history, tradition and culture affects women’s access to and enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights. To ensure women’s enjoyment of these rights, they must be implemented in a way that takes into account the context in which women live.

• Identify openings, strategies and potential collaborations in increasing women’s engagement in various platforms for accountability and redress of women’s ESCR

• Shadow reporting is one platform, HR report to AICHR and Beijing platform for action +20

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Guide Questions:•What is the impact of trade liberalization, economic cooperation and investments on the ESCR situation of women and poor communities? How does it disproportionately affect women (i.e., in disaster/ political security situation, labor, and VAW)?• Gains ba?•What is the role and obligation of the state and private sectors (corporate accountability) and the need to hold the private sector, such as the trans/ multi-national corporations (MNCs) accountable to provide redress to ESCR violations•What are the openings, strategies and potential collaborations to seek accountability and redress for women’s ESCR (at the national, regional or international level)? How can women’s engagement and participation in various platforms be increased?

Accountability and Redress to Women’s Human Rights

ASEAN AND THE MULTI-TREATY APPROACH

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ASEAN Charter - One Vision, One Identity, One Caring and Sharing Community

ASEAN Community

POLITICAL - SECURITY Blueprint

(APSCC)

·Rules-based, shared norms and values·Cohesive, peaceful, stable, resilient with shared responsibility·Dynamic and Outward looking

SOCIO-CULTURAL Blueprint

(ASCC)

·Human Development·Social Welfare and Protection·Social justice and rights·Environmental Sustainability

· ASEAN Identity

ECONOMIC Blueprint

(AEC)

·Single Market and production base·Competitive economic region·Equitable Economic development·Integration into global economy

ASEAN Integration 2015

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ASEAN • The AEC, which will come into effect at the end of 2015, will allow a freer flow of skilled labor services, investment and goods among 10 ASEAN member countries.

•By 2015, high-skilled jobs are projected to grow by 14 million (41

percent) while medium-skilled and low-skilled jobs will grow by 38

million (22 percent) and 12 million (24 percent) respectively.

•The report predicts, however, that skills shortages and skills

mismatches are likely to worsen due to the inadequate quality and

availability of education and training.

• - See more at:

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/08/20/decisively-managed-aec-offers-major-benefits-r

eport.html#sthash.9feK01V3.dpuf

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Impact • The study, entitled “ASEAN Community 2015: Managing integration for

better jobs and shared prosperity”, reveals that the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) could accelerate economic growth and structural change and double productivity in some ASEAN economies and could generate 14 million additional jobs and create new opportunities for prosperity for around 600 million women and men living in the region

• “The gains will not be distributed evenly between countries, economic sectors or between

women and men. Unless it is decisively managed, regional integration could increase

inequality and worsen existing labor market deficits, such as vulnerable and

informal employment, and working poverty,” said the study prepared by the

International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

• - See more at:

http

://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/08/20/decisively-managed-aec-offers-major-benefits-report.htm

l#sthash.9feK01V3.dpuf

Prepared by WLB

Valuation of Women’s Contribution to ASEAN• ASEAN’s recognition and valuation of women and their role in the economic growth of the region and the in the respective ASEAN Member States cannot be found in the AEC blueprint, nor in any-related declarations or documents of the AEC. • The practices under AEC such as flexibilization of labor and contractualization of workers result in low wages and poor working conditions that put women at risk of violations, including discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Source: Brunei Council on Social Welfare. Kalyanamitra, and Women’s Legal and Human Rights Bureau. Compliance with Women’s Rights Standards

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• Intra-ASEAN migration increased from 1.5M to 6.5M between 1990 and 2013 (UN 2013). Data shows that in 2010, top source countries for international migration were the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos PDR, and Cambodia.

Source: Brunei Council on Social Welfare. Kalyanamitra, and Women’s Legal and Human Rights Bureau. Compliance with Women’s Rights Standards

Prepared by WLB

•Women have greater difficulty in accessing safe, legal migration channels because they tend to have less money and access to resources, lack credible and gender-responsive information on regular modes of migration, and encounter more restrictions in freedom of movement prior to migrating in some countries. Migrant women, especially those who are undocumented, face more severe barriers to accessing services because of linguistic and cultural difficulties, exclusion from services and minimal contact with support networks.

Source: UN Women. Managing Labor Migration in ASEAN: Concerns for Women Migrant Workers. (Bangkok: UN Women Asia Pacific Regional Office, 2013)

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Philwomen on ASEAN •Network of women, migrants, rural women, LBT, women with disability, workers in the formal and informal economy, IP women organisations in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao) • Focused on various issues facing women in the context of ASEAN • Intersectionality – makita natin ano ang specifity ng issues ng mga kababaihan • Equality – access, opportunities and results•Critical engagement

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Halimbawa na ginamit ang multi-treaty approach sa ibat ibang gawain ng WLB at ng Philwomen on ASEAN

•UPR: Women’s Access to Justice (2011)• Compliance with Women’s Rights Standards: Filipino and Indonesian Domestic Workers in Brunei (2013)• Beijing +20 Report on Women’s Human Rights and Access to Justice (2014)•Women’s Human Rights Report to AICHR (2014)• Implications of the ASEAN Integration on Women Migrant Workers’ Rights (2015)

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Gains• Use ASEAN as a platform to surface women’s issues at the regional level• Highlight the intersectionality of issues and rights of women• Ensure meaningful participation of women at the national and regional levels• Ensure women’s voices

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Challenge of ESCR Advocacy Work • Neoliberalisation is a product of patriarchy •Resulting to multiple and compounded inequalities• Intersectionality – to address the nature of inequalities and discrimination experienced by women and marginalised groups of women• Inclination to set standards (standard-setting) • Inability to look at the gendered aspect/nature of globalisation •Concepts and language is intimidating and not easily understood by marginalised groups of people esp women • Promote ESCR as a JUSTICE ISSUE: accountability and redress

• Making corporate accountable: Gender Ombud (CHR)

Prepared by WLB

Multi-treaty Approach in Shadow Reporting

ESCR Rights of Women

CEDAW CRPD CMW Yogyakarta Principles

Declaration on HIV AIDS

Non-discrimination

Equality

Obligation of the state

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Commonalities and intersections

• Equality• Non-discrimination• Protection for the marginalised groups of people • Right to life and dignity • Promote the full realisation of human rights

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Why multi-treaty approach?

• Singular focus might be retrogressive

Because multi-treaty approach recognises the intersectionality of rights, issues and contexts of women• Use of one treaty may not be able to capture nor address the multiple forms/layers of discrimination•We are advocating for a stronger human rights standards and protection for women. • Platform for redress and accountability (national-regional-international)