[LAF] {Disarmed} FW: [londonfeministnetwork] Why is progress so slow?

[Joy Wood]

To: londonfeministnetworkFrom: sue.mayerDate: Sat, 5 Jan 2008 14:35:28 +0000Subject: [londonfeministnetwork] Why is progress so slow?




I was sorting some old e-mails and came across my attempts in 2004 topersuade British humanists & secularists to support the UN CampaignAgainst Violence Against Women - rooted as it is in the male supremacism ofthe patriarchal religions. It got no support (So unlike the support theygave to gay men whose problems stem from the same source!)Looking again at the webstes of the UNHRC division on the Status of Womenand Violence Against Women, in the light of the current resurgence offeminism I see how little has changed and possibly why.What stood out, for me, was the absence of the 'R' word or any the history, origins andcurrent role of religion in maintaining - sexism and misogyny.IMO until this denial of the major cultural reasons for women's inferiorstatus and subservience is confronted and challenged we will neverovercome these deeply engrained attitudes that subvert all our efforts.Why? Because the mass of the population think (even if they don't say it) that it is 'natural' for women to be servile because they they are intrinsically weaker and therefor inferior to men. As I tried to convey in the video - it is 'The Elephant in the Room'.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnLsBr1rohISueUN Division for the Advancement of WomenDepartmen of Economic and Social AffairsMission Statement:-"Grounded in the vision of equality of the United Nations Charter, theDivision for the Advancement of Women (DAW) advocates the improvement of thestatus of women of the world, and the achievement of their equality withmen -as equal actors, partners, and beneficiaries of sustainabledevelopment, human rights, peace and security. Together with Governments,other entities of the United Nations system, and civil society, includingnon-governmental organizations, DAW actively works to advance the globalagenda on women's rights issues and gender equality and ensure that women'svoices are heard in international policy arenas."UN Human Rights commission on the Status of Womenhttp://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/index.htmlViolence against womenhttp://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/vaw/indexnew.htmConvention the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Womenhttp://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/index.html*UNHCR = UN Human Rights Commission
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