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Summary: NGO's report form the field on progress
since the fourth world conference on
women Beijing China
Prepared for the 42nd session of the
commission on the status of women ,
March 1998NGO's report form the field on progress since the fourth world
conference on women Beijing China
Prepared for the 42nd session of the commission on the status of
women , March 1998
Introduction and Contents
FOREWORD
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, United States of America
INTRODUCTION
Girls, a Presence at Beijing
ABOUT THIS REPORT
FROM WORDS TO DEEDS
Government Commitments and Progress
Government Cooperation with NGOs
GLOBAL TRENDS AND PROGRAMMES
Problems and Progress
Education
Violence
Health and Nutrition
Economic Exploitation
Negative Cultural Attitudes and Practices
"Poverty and Patriarchy" NGO Approaches
Participation and Empowerment of Adolescent Girls
Education, a Key that Unlocks Many Doors Closed to Girls
Commercial Sexual Exploitation, Cross-cutting Strategies
Gender Equality, a Man's and Boy's Issue as Well
THE REGIONS: PROBLEMS, PROGRESS AND PROGRAMMES
Asia and the Pacific
Sub-Saharan Africa
Middle East and Narth Africa
Europe, CEE/CIS and the Baltic States, and North America
Latin America and the Caribbean
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Recommendations Related to Section 1
Education
Violence
Economic Exploitation
Data Collection and Analysis
Participation Other Recommendations
Building a Network
ABOUT THE WORKING GROUPS ON GIRLS
LIST OF RESPONDENTS
INTRODUCTION: GIRLS, A PRESENCE AT BEIJING
The UN Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing,1995, marked a
tuming point for girls. A powerful new presence, their
voices were heard, their needs and rights recognized in speakouts and
on the daily agenda of the Conference. Even more significant was the
inclusion of a separate section on girls, Section L, in the Platform
for Action (PFA). Section L represents a public and global
acknowledgment by governments of widespread "discrimination against
girls from the earliest stages of life, through their childhood and
into adulthood': It represents society's commitment to wide-ranging
actions that will put an end to that discrimination and "prepare
girls to participate actively and equally with boys at all levels of
social, economic, political, economic and cultural
leadership':Section L also represents the culmination of along, hani
campaign to address women's rights throughout their entire life
cycle. Spearheaded by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and
member states from Africa and Asia, the campaign gained the support
of other delegations as they recognized the obvious truth on which it
was founded
Section L soldered the link between women and girls and authenticated
the assertion that progress lix one cannot be achieved without
progress fbr the other; they are both stages in the life of the same
human being. Section L, therefore, refers to both the Convention on
the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against women (CEDAW)
and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
Section L reflects the understanding that girls are bom with the
inherent and inalienable rights of all human beings, in addition to
the unique rights of childhood to healthy development and to
protection from all lbrms of abuse and exploitation. In supporting
the PFA, virtually all governments have obligated themselves to
"ensure" and "respect" these rights,without discrimination, equally
lbr all children at all ages. But promises are not enough. Moving
from woids to deeds requires the passage and implementation of laws,
the commitment of resouites, programmes and policies and, most of
all, the three and persistence of political will to give credibility
to government commitments.
Based on the experiences and insights of 248 NGOs from 87 countries
and areas (see Annex) who responded to the survey designed and
disseminated by two NGO Working Groups on Girls (WGGs)- one based in
NewYork, the other in Geneva-this Report attempts to assess progress
by governments on behalf of girls. It reflects the energy, commitment
and achievements of many organizations and individuals, working
tirelessly to bring meaningful changes to the lives of
girisAcollective description of their work is an inspiring reminder
of the enormous scope and energy of NGO activity and a sober reminder
of the scope of problems facing girls What keeps them going may be
best summed up by one NGO from Asia who said: "In their heart of
hearts people are looking lbr ways to rescue their communities from
the clutches of female infanticide and other abominations facing
girls': We offer this Report as a contribution to the badly-needed
documentation of the situation of girls worldwide, as a tribute to
the excellent work taking place, and as a reminder of the long haal
work ahead. It is,we hope, clearing a path fbr girls.
Mary Purcell, Kate Katzki
Co-chairs,WGG, NGO committee on UNICEF NewYork
Dorothy Davies
Convenor WGG, committee on the Status of Women, Geneva
ABOUT THIS REPORT
Seeking answers to questions about progress for girls in individual
countries since Beijing and based largely on the Strategic Objectives
outlined in Section L of the Beijing PFA, the WGGs sent a detailed
survey to nearly 1000 NGOs.This included members of the International
Network for Girls (INfG) established at Beijing by the WGGs,
headquarters of international NGOs who distributed the survey to
their local affiliates and other national NGOs working with or for
girls.
The survey asked for information about government commitments to
girls and progress on these commitments. It inquired about specific
areas of education, health, negative traditional practices,
protection against violence and economic exploitation referred to in
Section L . It asked NGOs to state "the most serious problem" in
their countries and where the "most" and "least progress" had
occurred.The survey also sought comments in any and all of these
areas.
The 248 respondents represented primarily wotnen's, children's,
religious and human rights organizations, intergoverntnental agencies
and governments.The vast majority represented developing or middle
income countriesAlmost all the international affiliates, as well as
national NGOs, work at the grassroots/community level; their program
mes vary from country to country, and even within countries,
accotding to the expressed needs of the local communities.
Most of the responses came from Asia and the Pacific (88) and Sub-
Saharan Africa (50), with the smallest number from the Middle East
(6), and none from North Africa. 40 NGOs responded from Latin America
and the Caribbean. 64 NGOs responded from industrialized countries in
Europe, CEE/CIS and the Baltic States' and North America The number
of responses from countries varied from one to twenty-four.A total of
four representatii~es from governments and intergovernmental agencies
responded.
This Report attests to the level of government action, NGO programmes
and overall progress for girls since Beijing. On the one hand, it is
a small and geographically uneven sample, unable to demonstrate the
broad diversities within regions or countries. As one NGO from India
stated, the country is "so vast, so culturally and economically
diverse that generalization about almost any issue is misleading': On
the other hand, while not a statistical document, this Report
reflects a qualitative expression of abundant and authentic insights,
experiences and views. The energy and conviction of NGOs who
responded create a cumulative reality about trends and a frank
assessment about where we stand and where we need to go in regard to
the situation of girls. In addition to the English, French and
Spanish versions supplied by the WGGs, surveys were spontaneously
translated by NGOs themselves into German, Korean, Portuguese, and
Russian. And finally, over and over again, they conveyed their
feelings of isolation and their strong desire to be part of a Network
through which they could be in contact with other NGOs working in
their regions.