Women in Foreign Policy: Women’s rights and gender equality are now one of the world’s fault lines
Women in Foreign Policy: Women's rights and gender equality are now one of the world's fault lines Duvar English
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Social Media Violence and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Social media violence was on the agenda even during Eid al-Fitr. Another racist and sexist attack. Başak Demirtaş is the target again. The incapable, who cannot tolerate the sight of strong women, have again embraced the policy of threatening sexual assault.
Support for Başak Demirtaş
On April 11, online news outlet Bianet published a news article titled “Reaction to sexist attack on Başak Demirtaş: We condemn”.
“On social media, a man named A.T. published a sexist post targeting Başak Demirtaş” Bianet said and reported the support messages for Başak Demirtaş from many prominent women and women’s organizations.
Most importantly, it provided a lesson on the principled attitude that should be observed when providing support to women who have been attacked and reporting on incidents. For this reason, it is worth bringing the news to the attention of media members, writers, illustrators and reporters. The simple but humane approach of refraining from sharing sexist remarks and images should become widespread.
The Rise of Authoritarianism and Sexism
Yes, Başak Demirtaş is not alone in two senses. Both because there are many who support her and stand by her side. And unfortunately, she is not alone because of the similarity and prevalence of attacks against women all over the world. Authoritarianism and religionism are on the rise around the world. Racism and sexism, as twin sisters, have immediately entered into an alliance with these regimes. Fueled by militarism, they set out to build an anti-woman world. Violence is the only policy they know and gender-based violence is their most important political tool. Let us follow the subject from the experts because they are watching the whole world for us and recording it in academic articles. As every year, on March 18th, the 2023 Almanac was published by the Women in Foreign Policy Initiative.
The Sustainable Development Goals and Gender-Based Violence
The World’s Fault Lines
The foreword written by Zeynep Alemdar shows that the world is heading towards sexism: “2024 came with its own challenges. Women’s rights and gender equality now constitute world’s fault lines. Protecting the rights of women and girls and all marginalized groups during conflicts is no longer a generally accepted norm. On the contrary, authoritarian, populist and conservative governments do not shy away from discriminating women’s rights. The abortion bans in the USA, the anti-LGBTI stance in some EU member states and Russia, the Istanbul Convention, which is being discussed not only in Turkey but also in some Council of Europe and EU member states through a disinformation campaign, are the most obvious indicators of this anti-gender trend.”
The International Criminal Court’s Policy on Gender-Based Crimes
In addition to these realities that we observe in life, being informed about new developments and studies makes it possible to strengthen the hope of struggle. For example, Tuba Bayar’s article “The International Criminal Court’s Policy on Gender-Based Crimes” in the Almanac covers an important development. The International Criminal Court used not to deal with gender-based crimes of violence, but this has now changed. Women and girls being subjected to violence simply because of their gender and because of gender inequality is now a matter of interest to the Court. In addition to women and girls, it can be said that we have a new international mechanism in the fight against violence against marginalized groups, LGBTI+ individuals, as well as all social segments that go beyond the narrow patterns established by patriarchal gender roles.
The Role of the International Criminal Court
As explained in Article 25 of the preamble to the Rome Statute (1998), the main role of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is to combat impunity and establish individual criminal responsibility. Article 54(b) states that the duty and competence of the Prosecutor is to “take into account the nature of the crime, in particular where it involves sexual violence, gender violence or violence against children.” Under the definition of the four international crimes mentioned in Part 2 of the Rome Statute, gender-based crimes are variously specified. For example, the definition of crimes against humanity includes persecution against any distinct group or community, including gender (Article 7b). Under both the definitions of war crimes and crimes against humanity, sexual crimes such as sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced sterilization are covered (Article 7.1(g), Article 8.2 (b.xxii), Article 8.2 (e.vi).
The author states that despite the legal background I quoted above, the Court (ICC) took steps to develop a policy on sexual and gender-based crimes after the erroneous Katanga decision in 2014 in order to prevent such a mistake from happening again. When Prosecutor Kharim Khan shared the policy document in December 2023, the Court’s commitment to the world to prevent impunity and accountability for gender-based crimes was strengthened. Considering the difficulties in the implementation of national laws and international conventions on sexual and gender-based crimes and the reluctance of practitioners, it should be known that there is still a long way to go for the realization of the ICC commitment. But the existence of a mechanism that has taken shape is priceless. It will be possible to transform this mechanism, which was shaped by the struggle of international women, into a well-functioning system through women’s struggle.
Feminism and the Struggle for Equality
The Power of Women’s Struggle
It is women’s responsibility to put the world back on the trajectory of gender equality when it is running wildly against equality. If the last three hundred years of the world are examined, it will be seen that the power to reshape the world is inherent in women’s struggle. The history of feminism is also the last three hundred years. And even though it is understood to be specific to the West, I have no doubt that we will succeed with the power we get from our “witch” grandmothers, who we know from the stories of their extermination that they exist in every culture and in every age. But today, but tomorrow, but one day for sure, the world will be put back on the orbit of equality through feminist policies and struggle
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 5: Gender Equality
- SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
The article discusses issues related to sexism, gender-based violence, and the struggle for gender equality. It also mentions authoritarianism and the rise of conservative governments, which are relevant to peace, justice, and strong institutions.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- SDG 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
- SDG 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in public and private spheres
- SDG 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere
- SDG 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory, and representative decision-making at all levels
The article highlights the need to address discrimination and violence against women and girls, which aligns with SDG 5. It also emphasizes the importance of inclusive decision-making processes, which relates to SDG 16.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Number of reported sexist attacks against women
- Number of support messages for women who have been attacked
- Number of countries with discriminatory laws or policies against women’s rights
- Number of cases prosecuted for gender-based crimes
- Level of awareness and adherence to feminist principles among organizations and individuals
The article mentions the occurrence of sexist attacks and the support received by women who have been targeted. These can be used as indicators to measure progress in addressing discrimination and violence against women. The presence of discriminatory laws or policies and the prosecution of gender-based crimes can also serve as indicators. Additionally, the level of awareness and adherence to feminist principles among organizations and individuals can be measured to assess progress in promoting gender equality.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 5: Gender Equality | 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere | – Number of reported sexist attacks against women – Number of countries with discriminatory laws or policies against women’s rights |
| SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions | 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere | – Number of cases prosecuted for gender-based crimes |
| 16.7: Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory, and representative decision-making at all levels | – Level of awareness and adherence to feminist principles among organizations and individuals |
Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.
Source: duvarenglish.com
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