US joins Iran, Pakistan, Sudan and Libya.......

[jahawkin]

....to refuse to condemn violence against women.
Link

The American delegation joined with Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Libya and others in efforts to delete a phrase - included in previously agreed-upon UN statements dating back a decade - that calls on countries to condemn violence against women and "refrain from invoking any custom, tradition or religious consideration" to avoid the obligation to stop the violence.

Way to go guys, sure there's a great reason for this. I love it when a special interest group (the pro-life group) runs the foreign policy of our country.

Here's a nice quote that ends the report:

So, to figure out why our adversaries are sometimes allies, here is a good rule of thumb. They are members of the axis of evil when they endanger our geopolitical interests. But not when they endanger women's lives.

 

[Fencer128]

Hi,

I couldn't get your link to work.

Cheers,

Andy

 

[jahawkin]

ok, link should be working now....

 

[ConclamoLudus]

The US might not be so good with words, but we certainly did the women under the Taliban a favor.

 

[Fencer128]

Personally I do not agree with the official US view on that one. But then I'm most certainly not what you would call a "pro-lifer".

"refrain from invoking any custom, tradition or religious consideration" to avoid the obligation to stop the violence.

Is abortion illegal in the US.... I didn't think it was. In which case I don't see a problem with the above statement. Now, if abortion was illegal (due to a commonly shared morality of the citizens for example), then I could see why objections could be raised - as you may put a large proportion of the population at risk from defying the charter immediately.

...But then again - if it was a shared morality, you wouldn't need it to be illegal in the first place.

So, overall IMHO I think that the draft should be left as is and that the government has no grounds to change it (other maybe than to appease certain interest groups???).

Cheers,

Andy

 

[Fencer128]

Anyone out there who agrees with this?

Andy

 

[Fencer128]

Originally posted by: Fencer128
Anyone out there who agrees with this?

Andy

Any supporters at all?!

Andy

 

[alchemize]

From the tone of this article, it doesn't sound like the entire story is being told. It's so bad it is practically an editorial...and a poorly written one at that.

And besides, its a UN commission. Where else could you have "UN Commission on the Status of Women" that includes countries like Iran, Pakistan, Sudan and Libya.

 

[cpumaster]

Originally posted by: alchemize
From the tone of this article, it doesn't sound like the entire story is being told. It's so bad it is practically an editorial...and a poorly written one at that.

And besides, its a UN commission. Where else could you have "UN Commission on the Status of Women" that includes countries like Iran, Pakistan, Sudan and Libya.

And don't forget US govt too
at least at this time any UN commision or body appear to be more credible than this administration...
I can list all the "achievement" of this administration that has credibility of street gang in South Central (South LA now)
- earlier refuse and withdrawn from Kyoto treaty
- earlier pledge to withdraw troops from Bosnia and Kosovo because it's not our business
- withdrawn from ABM because it's outdated (maybe true but piss off alot of our friend and ally, and Russian&China)
- insisted on Missile Defense system while many people tell them it's a waste of spending to counter the new threat to our security, cover their ear and keep going on, right until 9/11 happened (you don't hear that program anymore today do you? don't want to get blame for not listening and focusing on wrong priority)
- toppled the Taliban and tried break up Al-qaeda, but until now the Taliban leader and Osama still out there and Al-Aqaeda still 50% operational
- go to war in Iraq over allegation of WMD and Al-Qaeda ties, after the war couldn't find any WMD and only shown shaky evidence of Al-Qaeda trail & ties to Saddam
- pissed off other ally and friends and after the war instead of trying to repair the ties, acted like we are the righteous brother and deserve to keep treating them like sh*t
- economy problem? Tax cut, jobless/lay-off solution? Tax cut, homeland security problem?tax cut, budget deficit? tax cut, SSN solution? tax cut, medical care solution? tax cut
- and on and on

 

[etech]

Originally posted by: Fencer128

Originally posted by: Fencer128
Anyone out there who agrees with this?

Andy

Any supporters at all?!

Andy

Andy, have you done any other research on this topic other than this the one article? the tone of the article jahawkin posted does not seem to match any other article on the subject that I have found.

Firm Resolve at the 47th Commission on the Status of Women

The 47th annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) convened from March 3-14 at the UN Headquarters in New York City. I had the honor of serving on the U.S. delegation led by Ambassador Ellen R. Sauerbrey, along with representatives from the U.S. Department of State and private sector delegates appointed by President Bush.

This year, the CSW focused on two important themes: Violence Against Women, and Women?s Access to Media and Information Communications Technology (ICT). I was asked to assist Ambassador Sauerbrey in negotiations on violence against women and trafficking in persons. Mrs. Melinda Farris and Ms. Sheri Dew, the other private sector delegates, participated in the ICT negotiations.
....
The Commission was unable, however, to reach final agreed conclusions on Violence Against Women within the two-week session. Delegations were called back on March 25, but the vice chair chose not to reopen negotiations. The United States and other countries held firmly to the principled position that the Commission must reach agreement within the allotted time on how states should, as Ambassador Sauerbrey put it, "end the scourge of trafficking, domestic violence, rape and other horrific acts of violence to which women are subjected."
"


Ambassador Ellen Sauerbrey United Nations Commission on Human Rights 59th Session, April 2003
...
It is my honor to represent the United States in forums that address the social, educational, economic, and political status and concerns of women. Women make up over half the population in countries around the world. But in too many places, they remain oppressed, subject to violence, and denied the education and economic opportunities necessary to improve their lives. The United States is committed to the principle that women and girls must have equality of opportunity for success.

Strong communities, strong economies and progress towards true democracy depend on the full participation of women. Families are better served and children better nourished and educated when women's equal rights and fundamental freedoms are secure.

President Bush has repeatedly said that respect for women is a non-negotiable demand of human dignity and a foreign policy imperative. Respect for women is not only in keeping with the deeply held values of the American people, it is -- as Secretary Powell has emphasized -- strongly in the U.S. national interest.
...
Women and their children have the best chance to thrive in societies where fundamental freedoms, human rights, property rights, equality, and freedom from violence are ensured. As a delegate to the UN Commission on Human Rights and as the U.S. Representative to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, my mission is to strive to ensure that women - who in many countries are horrendously oppressed - have full access to economic, social and political rights. These rights, which we take for granted in free societies, allow all individuals to go as far and as fast as their energies and talents will take them.
"
I tend to agree with alchemize. Something is not being explained well in the first article of which the purpose seems only to distort and not inform. If you or jahawkin can find other articles that explain the position of the US a little better and what actually happened then we may have a discussion.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: cpumaster


And don't forget US govt too
at least at this time any UN commision or body appear to be more credible than this administration...
I can list all the "achievement" of this administration that has credibility of street gang in South Central (South LA now)
- earlier refuse and withdrawn from Kyoto treaty

we were never in that treaty, so we couldn't have withdrawn.

- earlier pledge to withdraw troops from Bosnia and Kosovo because it's not our business
- withdrawn from ABM because it's outdated (maybe true but piss off alot of our friend and ally, and Russian&China)

while it may be a mistake, so is calling russia a friend and ally

- insisted on Missile Defense system while many people tell them it's a waste of spending to counter the new threat to our security, cover their ear and keep going on, right until 9/11 happened (you don't hear that program anymore today do you? don't want to get blame for not listening and focusing on wrong priority)
- toppled the Taliban and tried break up Al-qaeda, but until now the Taliban leader and Osama still out there and Al-Aqaeda still 50% operational

and we're still looking for them

- go to war in Iraq over allegation of WMD and Al-Qaeda ties, after the war couldn't find any WMD and only shown shaky evidence of Al-Qaeda trail & ties to Saddam

iraq violated the terms of the cease fire

- pissed off other ally and friends and after the war instead of trying to repair the ties, acted like we are the righteous brother and deserve to keep treating them like sh*t
- economy problem? Tax cut, jobless/lay-off solution? Tax cut, homeland security problem?tax cut, budget deficit? tax cut, SSN solution? tax cut, medical care solution? tax cut
- and on and on

obviously bush thinks we're on the wrong side of the laffer curve

 

[exp]

The U.S. should never have joined this UN Commission on the Status of Women in the first place. No, if America truly wanted to help women it should have boycotted this farcical conference. C'mon people, a quick once-over the list of member nations involved should tell everyone exactly how serious this commission is about actually improving women's welfare around the world.

The UNCSW is no different than the other spin control projects, including the infamous Disarmament and Human Rights commissions, with which the UN tries to justify its existence ("Look at us, we're doing something!"). Even if all countries had approved of this resolution, so what? Yet another scrap of paper would be issued that no nation would feel obliged to respect; the status of women in those arab states in question certainly would not change one iota. The latest UN statement would simply provide more ammo for habitual human rights abusers to defend themselves with, as they could point to their signing on to that condemnation as "proof" of their commitment to women's rights. What an utter waste of time and money...