Press Release Strike out “public morality” from the AHRD draft, SEA women urge AICHR Erturk, CEDAW experts ask AICHR to integrate women's human rights

MEDIA RELEASE
16 July 2012, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact details:
Cambodia: Thida Khus, thida_khus@silaka.org, +85512838464
Indonesia: Rena Herdiyani, rena_herdiyani@yahoo.com, +628129820147
Thailand/ Secretariat: Nina Somera, nina@apwld.org, +66811621073 (for interviews with resource persons)

Strike out “public morality” from the AHRD draft, SEA women urge AICHR
Erturk, CEDAW experts ask AICHR to integrate women's human rights  

A coalition of women’s organizations and networks in Southeast Asia asks for the deletion of “public morality” in the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD).

“Morality is very subjective, that it has often been used to curtail even the basic human rights of women and girls. On many occasions, morality is defined based on the dominant political and religious groups as well as dominant cultures that are harmful to women and girls,” Rena Herdiyani, a member of the Southeast Asia Women’s Caucus on ASEAN and Kalyanamitra in Indonesia. 

Based on the consultation that ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) with selected civil society organizations, it appears that “public morality” is still being considered as a limitation of human rights. Although the term is mentioned in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), “public morality” has never been defined in international human rights standards.

In its recent submission to AICHR, the Women’s Caucus explained, “‘Morality’ can also render certain gender identities transgressive, especially for sexual minorities. It can also deflect attention from seeing sexual violence, for example as a crime against person, rather than honor.” The submission is available in http://womenscaucusonasean.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/addendum-final.pdf

“The AHRD must go beyond the UDHR and add value to existing international human rights standards. ASEAN must set the bar higher for the AHRD, drawing from its own experience of human rights violations,” Thida Khus of Silaka, a women’s network in Cambodia pointed out.

Internationally known feminist human rights and legal experts such as United Nations former Special Rapporteur Yakin Erturk, one of the first drafters of CEDAW Senator Leticia Ramos-Shahani (Philippines), past and present CEDAW Committee members Sjamsiah Ahmad (Indonesia), hanthi Dairiam (Malaysia), Saisuree Chutikul (Thailand), Anama Tan (Singapore), Heisoo Chin (South Korea) and Milena Pires (Timor Leste) earlier asked AICHR to take into account the gains made by women’s movements.

In a statement, they said, “The AHRD must not shy away from the important gains and struggles of women’s movements around discrimination, the rights to bodily integrity, sexual and reproductive health and rights, sexual orientation and gender identity, rights in marriage and family life and freedom of movement and citizenship, especially in a region that is marked by migration, whose dangerous consequences and difficult circumstances have been borne by women and girls.” The statement which is also getting the support of more than 300 individuals and organizations can be found here: http://www.change.org/petitions/asean-intergovernmental-commission-on-human-rights-aichr-women-s-human-rights-are-asean-women-s-human-rights
“As an ASEAN woman, I cannot stand apathetic without supporting the plight of fellow [ASEAN] women,” said Ofelia Sy from Philippines, one of the 379 signatories. Meanwhile, Sachumi Mayoe, Thailand asserted, “We are women, we are sex workers and we are part of the ASEAN community. We want to participate in the development of ASEAN women's human rights for all women of ASEAN.”

The tightly-guarded AHRD draft is now with the ASEAN foreign ministers for review. Despite calls for the public release of the draft and a series of public consultations, AICHR expects the draft to be approved by November 2012 in time for the ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh in Cambodia.

Joint Statement from CSO on the AHRD Process

MEDIA RELEASE

“Cambodian Civil Society’s View towards the Drafting Process of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration” Phnom Penh, July 06, 2012

Contact details:
SILAKA: Thida Khus, thida_khus@silaka.org, +85512838464

We, the Cambodian Civil Society Organizations, who have closely monitored the development of the drafting process of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD), urge the ASEAN members to develop an AHRD that meets international human rights stands. The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), under the ASEAN Charter and its Terms of Reference (ToR), is mandated to draft an AHRD that is then to be reviewed by ASEAN Foreign Ministers and to be adopted by ASEAN Heads of States and Governments, scheduled on the 21st Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

We welcomed the opportunity to have been consulted by Cambodia’s AICHR Representative on the 3rd of July 2012. However, we were at a loss due to the fact that the current draft version of the AHRD was not made publicly available for a meaningful dialogue. Numerous national NGOs were not present due to the complicated registration procedure and given the short notice, which unfortunately left their comments unnoticed. In the mean time, at least four other countries in ASEAN have not yet conducted any consultations with their constituencies, while five countries had publicly provided consultations. It is unfortunate that in the absence of the draft AHRD, which will be the first and most important human rights document in the Southeast Asian Region once adopted, only the NGOs attending the consultation meeting were able to give their inputs on what we would like to have in the draft document.

The CSOs believe that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent, interrelated and of equal importance. Thus, we would like to convey our aspirations of the Cambodia’s CSOs for AICHR and ASEAN leaders to (a) adopt whole articles in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), (b) add value to the existing human rights standards, and (c) address the current issues in human rights in order to safeguard the economic, political and security impact of the rights of ASEAN people. With that in mind we strongly support the declaration and assurance of AICHR chair that the final declaration should not fall below the internationally accepted UDHR, the Vienna Convention and Programme of Actions and other International human rights instruments. We also insist that, to guarantee the rights of the ASEAN people, the member states of ASEAN must have the obligations and duty to promote, to protect and to fulfil hum rights, free from any form of violation by Official State Agencies and or any third party. We uphold the view that is is important to open more space for vibrant civil society engagement and cooperation, and should therefore be included into the AHRD.

Cambodia, as the chair of ASEAN this year, has ratified many international human rights treaties as clearly indicated in its 1993 Constitution. Its commitment to promoting and respecting human rights through the signing and ratification of these international human rights treaties is very much appreciated. Therefore, the prominent role as the Chair of ASEAN for Cambodia is very significant to bring together common voices of the ASEAN people and to persuade the other member states to adopt an AHRD that is internationally acceptable for our ASEAN region.

The Cambodian Government and Cambodia’s AICHR Representative should:

• Not accept any AHRD that falls below the UDHR and other International Human Rights Standards or treaties;

• Ensure that the process of drafting AHRD before its adoption is more inclusive and transparent with the participation of all relevant stakeholders;

• Make sure that this Declaration follows and adopts the key principles and articles in the UDHR;

• Encourage other state members to conduct meaningful consultations at their national level with their constituencies, in particular by those AICHR representatives that have not yet done so;

• Continue wide-range and inclusive consultations, at both national and regional levels, in order to discuss the latest drafts of the AHRD. AICHR, particularly the Cambodia’s AICHR Representative acting as Chair, should seriously consider submissions from CSOs, national human rights institutes and other stakeholders, and provide them with feedback;

• Translate drafts of the AHRD into national languages and other local languages of the ASEAN countries in order to encourage broader public engagement in the region;

To ASEAN leaders:

• In the upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting, ASEAN Foreign Ministers should not finalize the draft AHRD to AICHR for enabling more consultations as openly as possible, with the latest draft version of AHRD to be openly disclosed at least 2 months before the ASEAN 21st Summit ;

• The ASEAN Heads of States and of Governments should make sure that the AHRD is made in accordance with the UDHR standards, the Convention on the Elimination of all Form of Discrimination to Women, CEDAW, and the Convention of the Rights of the Child, Labor rights standards and includes more value-added, which will be a human rights document that promotes and protects the rights of the 600 million ASEAN people as proclaimed in the ASEAN Charter.

This Press Release is endorsed by Cambodian Civil Society Organizations:

1. Cambodian Defenders Project (CDP)

2. Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC)

3. Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC)

4. Cambodian Labor Confederation (CLC)

5. Cambodian Volunteers for Society (CVS)

6. Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL)

7. Committee to Promote Women Participation in Politics (CPWP)?

8. Coordination of Action Research on AIDS and Mobility (CARAM-Cambodia)

9. Khmer Youth Association (KYA)

10. Legal Aid of Cambodia (LAC)

11. People Center for Development and Peace (PDP-Center)

12. SILAKA

13. Star Kampuchea

14. Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO)

Press Release: Press Conference on AHRD from the Cambodian Women’s Perspective on Women’s Rights and the CSO’s View

SILAKA

#6S Street 21, Sangkat Tonle   Bassac, Khan Chamkmon, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Phone (855) 23 217 872/210 902 Fax (855) 23 213 108 Mobile: (855) 12 79 23 79

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

7:00 PM July 4, 2012

Contact: Mrs. Aum Borany
Phone: 013 883 536, 023 217 872

Press Conference on ASEAN Human Rights Declaration (AHRD): 
Cambodian Women’s Perspective on Women’s Rights and the CSO’s View

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, JULY 4 2012:  Cambodian Women Caucus(CWC) and the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC) are honored to inform members of the press that civil society organizations involved in protecting and promoting women’s rights and human rights in Cambodia are working together to organize a Press Conference on our view on the ASEAN Declaration on Human Rights (ADHR). The press conference will highlight key messages of Cambodian Women Caucus(CWC) as well as those of the CSO in Cambodia in close collaboration with the Regional Women Caucus on the drafting process of the ASEAN Declaration on Human Rights.

 ASEAN Charter has a mandate to develop an ASEAN Declaration on Human Rights (ADHR)for the region. ASEAN has commissioned the Intergovernmental Human Rights Commission, AICHR, to draft ADHR targeted to be ready for the 21^st ASEAN Summit in November 2012 to approve. So far, the process of drafting the document has been less than transparent. Cambodia has organized a consultation with civil society on 3 July 2012 at the National Education Institute, without sharing a draft version of the declaration.

 ADHR is a political declaration of ASEAN and is supposed to be foundation and aspiration for other binding documents for ASEAN in the protection of human rights of the 600 million people in the country.

 In 2012, the Kingdom of Cambodia assumes the rotating chairmanship and will host the ASEAN Summit. The theme for 2012 is “One Community, One Destiny as ASEAN community”. The Cambodian Women Caucus, a member of the Southeast Women Caucus on ASEAN is taking this opportunity to provide a voice for Cambodian’s women in this important process. Cambodian Women Caucus has opened up this platform with Cambodian Human Right Action Committee to have other CSOs to share their view on the process and of what CSO aspiration for AHRD.

On ASEAN Human Right Declaration (AHRD), Cambodian women’s perspective on women’s rights and the CSO’s view will be held on July 6, 2012 at Imperial Garden Hotel from 8.00 am to 12:00 pm.

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