RI told to ratify conventions on women workers<\/p>\n
By Santi WE Soekanto and Carla Bianpoen<\/p>\n
BEIJING (JP): The International Labor Organization (ILO)
\nyesterday singled out Indonesia among major exporters of labor
\nfor failing to ratify world conventions on the protection of
\nwomen migrant workers.<\/p>\n
ILO Deputy Director General Mary Chinery-Hesse told the press
\non the sidelines of the ongoing UN World Conference on Women that
\nIndonesian workers sent abroad are vulnerable to abuse and
\nmaltreatment.<\/p>\n
\"These workers provide a large portion of the country's
\nincome, but they are in very vulnerable positions,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government should be morally pressured to
\nratify the conventions, she said, warning that Jakarta will face
\ncontinuous international political pressure unless it does so.<\/p>\n
The fate of women migrant workers has also been widely
\ndiscussed at the parallel non-governmental organization forum on
\nwomen being held in Huairou, 50 kilometers from here.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, representatives of 40 Asian NGOs staged a
\ndemonstration demanding better protection for women workers in
\nvarious countries. An Indonesian worker spoke at the rally,
\nrecounting abuse she had suffered at the hand of her former
\nemployer in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, at the UN conference, the two working groups
\ndeliberating on the documents to be adopted at the end of the
\nmeeting reportedly made progress yesterday.<\/p>\n
Spokesman John R. Mathiason said the groups, deliberating
\nbehind closed doors, had been able to \"unbracket\" at least two
\nparagraphs in the contentious Draft Platform for Action.<\/p>\n
He justified the wrangling, saying that \"these are
\ngovernment documents, and they are words which the governments
\nmust be able to live with domestically.\"<\/p>\n
Once adopted and ratified, governments are bound by the
\nstatements, he said, which is why a great deal of care is going
\ninto the formulation of language and wordings.<\/p>\n
Of the 362 paragraphs in the Platform for Action, 171 are
\ncurrently still within brackets, signifying a lack of consensus
\namong participating countries, he said.<\/p>\n
The Platform will be the world's blueprint for efforts to
\nadvance women and ensure their \"equality.\"<\/p>\n
Debates have been frequent over the choice of phrases, such as
\n\"family structure\" versus \"family structures.\"<\/p>\n
\"This is a very slow process. We are far behind schedule,\"
\nMathiason conceded.<\/p>\n
In Huairou, the NGOs were already putting the last touches on
\ntheir documents, including a 149-page Global Platform for Action
\nwhich they plan to issue at the end of their forum.<\/p>\n
Most representatives of Asia and the Pacific dwelled primarily
\non what had been done in their regions to date, but China and
\nVanuatu were specific in defining action plans and making
\nstrategic suggestions.<\/p>\n
Quan Minziang of China gave a perspective for the status of
\nChinese women by the turn of the century. She said that the
\nAction Program had been promulgated on the eve of the NGO Forum.<\/p>\n
Produced by the All-China Women's Federation, its highlights
\ninclude equal rights in all aspects of life and the promise that
\nthe state will take care of child-bearing expenses for women
\nworkers through special programs.<\/p>\n
Hilda Lini of Vanuatu made suggestions relevant, not only to
\nVanuatu, but to other countries in the regions. The former
\nminister of health of Vanuatu suggested that a post-Beijing
\ngovernment\/NGO forum be convened to help interpret some of the
\noutcomes of the current meeting.<\/p>\n
She pointed out that only four countries in the Pacific have
\nratified the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination
\nAgainst Women, which she said could be of guidance in formulating
\ncomprehensive national plans of action in countries which have
\nnot ratified the convention.<\/p>\n
For other Pacific countries, Hilda warned that women should
\nnot be led apart by their disputes and differences, but should
\nrather seek to develop united strategies and agree on
\nfundamental issues that affect women's rights.<\/p>\n
Lini, who is now a member of Vanuatu's parliament, said
\nwomen's organizations must coordinate all programs for the
\nmobilization and advancement of women, communities and nations.<\/p>\n
She also said that governments should also coordinate the
\nformulation of national action plans, allocate resources and
\ncoordinate the implementation in various sectors.<\/p>\n
\"National women's bureaus should interpret women's visions and
\nperspectives into government policies,\" she urged. \"Parliaments
\nand legislatures should enact laws and women, as political
\nleaders, should ensure that women's aspirations and perspectives
\nare included in their party policy platforms.\"<\/p>\n
Poor women -- Page 16<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-told-to-ratify-conventions-on-women-workers-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }