Rights

Citation:

Chaturvedi, Neilan S., and Orlando Montoya. 2013. “Democracy, Oil, or Religion? Expanding Women’s Rights in the Muslim World.” Politics and Religion 6 (3): 596–617. doi:10.1017/S1755048312000648.

Authors: Neilan S. Chaturvedi, Orlando Montoya

Abstract:

Of the 45 Muslim majority countries in the world, 42 have signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. While this does indeed signal a motive to improve women’s rights, there is wide disparity in terms of which countries expand rights and which do not. Social science literature suggests that in addition to economic factors like wealth and oil resources, or political factors like the quality of democracy in the country, Islamic culture may be at odds with the Western conception of women’s rights. We posit that Muslim countries are unique in this regard due to religious pressures that often conflict with conventional measures of human rights. Using data from the Cingranelli-Richards Human Rights Dataset and the Religion and State Project, we find that Muslim countries that restrict the influence of fundamentalist religion in the government and population improve women’s economic and social rights.

Topics: Democracy / Democratization, Economies, Extractive Industries, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Political Participation, Rights, Women's Rights Regions: MENA, Asia, Middle East

Year: 2013

Citation:

Charrad, Mounira M. 2009. “Kinship, Islam, or Oil: Culprits of Gender Inequality?” Politics & Gender 5 (04): 546-53. doi:10.1017/S1743923X09990353.

Author: Mounira M. Charrad

Abstract:

Gender inequality in the Muslim world has become the object of high drama on the international scene. Ghostlike images of women wrapped in burqas and begging in the streets of Afghan cities swept television screens in the United States following 9/11. The number of articles on Muslim women in English newspapers has increased exponentially in the last few years. Although the popular press and the media continue to emphasize seclusion and subordination in their description of Muslim women, scholars have written extensively and persuasively to debunk the myth of the Muslim woman as a victim, passively suffering the subordination imposed on her. Starting in the 1970s and continuing to the present, a rich literature has argued that as elsewhere in the world, Muslim women have not only resisted subordination but have actively shaped their own destiny (e.g., work by Leila Ahmed [1992], Nadje Al-Ali and Nicola Pratt [2008, 2009], Elizabeth Fernea [1998], Nikki Keddie [2002, 2007, 2008], and Fatima Sadiqi and Moha Ennaji [forthcoming]).

Annotation:

Quotes: 

“I have ascribed women’s subordination in the Muslim countries of the Middle East to the kinship/politics nexus. I have pointed to a form of kinship that relies on bonds among men. I have focused on a long history of “kin-based solidarities” in the political system (Charrad 2001, 2007a). This history has led to the development of powerful patriarchal networks that tend to perpetuate gender inequality in law, politics, and the economy.” (547)

“History suggests that the “atypically strong patriarchal cultures and political institutions” that Ross (2008, 107) attributes to oil in fact predate oil economies in the Middle East. Several oil-producing countries in the region have a long history of strongly patriarchal structures and political institutions. Examples include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Gulf Emirates, Libya, and Iraq. Oil was discovered in societies that were based on tribal or kin ties, with strong patriarchal networks invested in the control of women. These tribal or kin ties became the basis for the political system, and the oil economy later was grafted onto these social structures. In some cases, patriarchal networks were kept in place or were even reinforced by colonization, as in Algeria.” (548)

“The theory I have offered indicates that political systems that build their power on kin-based patriarchal networks tend to curtail women’s rights, whereas those that have historically evolved to be relatively autonomous from such networks tend to favor more women-friendly policies (Charrad 2001, 1–13 and 233–41; 2007a).” (548)

“Ross’s argument is not sufficient to explain the differences in the Maghreb... On the basis of a strict adherence to Ross’s pathway, one would expect Tunisia, where women have achieved greater political participation, to have a smaller oil industry than Morocco. However, this is not the case. In fact, while Tunisia has oil rents at the relatively low rate of $61 per capita, Morocco has none at all… Yet Tunisia has witnessed greater female political participation and ranks higher on the Gender Rights Index than does Morocco. Neither oil nor Islam explains this difference.” (549-50)

Topics: Economies, Extractive Industries, Gender, Women, Gender Roles, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Political Participation, Rights, Women's Rights Regions: MENA, Asia, Middle East

Year: 2009

Citation:

Zwarteveen, Margreet, and Ruth Meinzen-Dick. 2001. “Gender and Property Rights in the Commons: Examples of Water Rights in South Asia.” Agriculture and Human Values 18 (1): 11–25.

Authors: Margreet Zwarteveen, Ruth Meinzen-Dick

Abstract:

In many countries and resource sectors, the state is devolving responsibility for natural resource management responsibility to "communities" or local user groups. However, both policymakers and researchers in this area have tended to ignore the implications of gender and other forms of intra-community power differences for the effectiveness and equity of natural resource management. In the irrigation sector, despite the rhetoric on women's participation, a review of evidence from South Asia shows that organizations often exclude women through formal or informal membership rules and practices. Women may have other ways to obtain irrigation services, but even if they are effective, these other informal ways of obtaining irrigation services are typically less secure. As resource management – and rights to resources – are transferred from the state to local organizations, ensuring women's participation is essential for gender equity in control over resources. Greater involvement of women can also strengthen the effectiveness of local organizations by improving women's compliance with rules and maintenance contributions. Further detailed and comparative research is required to identify the major factors that affect women's participation and control over resources, if devolution policies are to be both equitable and sustainable.

Topics: Civil Society, Gender, Women, Infrastructure, Water & Sanitation, Rights, Property Rights Regions: Asia, South Asia

Year: 2001

Citation:

Weeratunge, Nireka, and Katherine Snyder. 2009. “Gleaner, Fisher, Trader, Processor: Understanding Gendered Employment in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector.” Paper presented at the Workshop on Gaps, Trends and Current Research in Gender Dimensions of Agricultural and Rural Employment: Differentiated Pathways out of Poverty. Rome, March 31 - April 2.

Authors: Nireka Weeratunge, Katherine Snyder

Abstract:

Most research on gender difference or inequities in capture fisheries and aquaculture in Africa and the Asia-Pacific focuses on the gender division of labour. Emerging research on globalization, market changes, poverty and trends in gendered employment within this sector reveals the need to move beyond this narrow perspective. If gleaning and post-harvesting activities were enumerated, the fisheries and aquaculture sector might well turn out to be female sphere. A livelihoods approach better enables an understanding of how employment in this sector is embedded in other social, cultural, economic, political and ecological structures and processes that shape gender inequities and how these might be reduced. We focus on four thematic areas – markets and migration, capabilities and well-being, networks and identities, governance and rights – as analytical entry points. These also provide a framework to identify research gaps and generate a comparative understanding of the impact of development processes and socioecological changes, including issues of climate change, adaptation and resilience, on gendered employment. Without an adequate analysis of gender, fisheries management and development policies may have negative effects on people’s livelihoods, well-being and the environment they depend on, or fail altogether to achieve intended outcomes.

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Quotes:

“The livelihoods approach is particularly important to understanding gendered agricultural employment as the distinction between productive and reproductive activities is often blurred in rural societies. Thus, many of the gender disparities in employment (productive tasks) are linked to ideological underpinnings of gender roles linked to reproductive tasks, such as household chores and child care…. Productive tasks are often prioritized by men, whereas women are required to juggle the two types of tasks, shaping the differential benefits that each group derives from wage employment.” (6)

“Gender issues in the fisheries / aquaculture sector are often overlooked or misunderstood because of an analytical focus that looks at the sector in isolation and is concerned primarily with ecological and economic factors… Thus interventions have more commonly been directed at fishers involved in the production process and the aquatic environment, rather than at women engaged in post-harvesting and marketing on-shore, or interconnections between the two sets of actors and processes.” (7)

“Our analytical approach would be to study gender, rather than women (as was often the case in the past), and analyze gender disparities in rural employment, irrespective of whether these negatively affect women or men. Even though many of the case studies highlight disadvantages faced by women, it is important to take cognizance of those studies which point to advantages for women, such as control of fishing assets and financial resources (in several West African countries) or higher levels of education among girls, relative to boys (in several Asian countries), factors which can translate into better opportunities in fisheries or non-fisheries employment in the future.” (18)

Topics: Development, Displacement & Migration, Migration, Environment, Gender, Governance, Livelihoods, Rights

Year: 2009

Citation:

Zwarteveen, Margreet. 1997. “Water: From Basic Need to Commodity: A Discussion on Gender and Water Rights in the Context of Irrigation.” World Development 25 (8): 1335–49.

Author: Margreet Zwarteveen

Abstract:

This paper examines the implications of changing water policies for women's water rights and access to water in irrigation systems. With growing water scarcity and programs to increase the efficiency of water allocation and delivery, the allocation of water rights becomes critical. Although women often have informal means and mechanisms to obtain and secure access to water, in most systems studied there is no recognition of women's specific water needs, especially for production, as opposed to domestic consumption. Current policies to privatize and devolve management of irrigation need to increase responsiveness to specific women's water needs and interests if they are to address efficiency as well as equity concerns.

Keywords: water resources, irrigation, intrahousehold, water rights

Topics: Gender, Infrastructure, Water & Sanitation, Rights

Year: 1997

Citation:

Kameri-Mbote, Patricia. 2007. “Gender Issues in the Management of Water: An Analysis of Kenya’s Legal and Institutional Framework.” Paper presented at Legal Aspects of Water Sector Reforms, Nairobi, Kenya, April 20-21.

Author: Patricia Kameri-Mbote

Topics: Gender, Infrastructure, Water & Sanitation, Rights, Human Rights Regions: Africa, East Africa Countries: Kenya

Year: 2007

Citation:

Dworkin, Shari L., Christopher J. Colvin, Abigail M. Hatcher, and Dean Peacock. 2012. "Men's Perceptions of Women's Rights and Changing Gender Relations in South Africa: Lessons for Working With Men and Boys in HIV and Antiviolence Programs." Gender & Society 26 (1): 97-120.

Authors: Shari L. Dworkin, Christopher J. Colvin, Abigail M. Hatcher, Dean Peacock

Abstract:

Emerging out of increased attention to gender equality within violence and HIV prevention efforts in South African society has been an intensified focus on masculinities. Garnering a deeper understanding of how men respond to shifting gender relations and rights on the ground is of urgent importance, particularly since social constructions of gender are implicated in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. As social scientists collaborating on a rights-based HIV and antiviolence program, we sought to understand masculinities, rights, and gender norms across six high HIV/AIDS seroprevalence provinces in South Africa. Drawing on focus group research, we explore the ways that men who are engaged in HIV and antiviolence programming can often be simultaneously resistant to and embracing of changes in masculinities, women’s rights, and gender relations. We use our findings on men’s responses to changing gender relations to make suggestions for how to better engage men in HIV and antiviolence programs.

Keywords: masculinity, gender equality, women's rights, South Africa, HIV prevention

Topics: Gender, Men, Masculinity/ies, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Health, HIV/AIDS, Nonviolence, Rights, Women's Rights Regions: Africa, Southern Africa Countries: South Africa

Year: 2012

Citation:

Hepburn, Stephanie, and Rita J. Simon. 2013. HUMAN TRAFFICKING AROUND THE WORLD: HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT. New York: Columbia University Press.

Authors: Stephanie Hepburn, Rita J. Simon

Abstract:

An examination of human trafficking around the world including the following countries: United States, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Colombia, Iraq, Syria, Canada, Italy, France, Iran, India, Niger, China, South Africa, Australia, United Kingdom, Chile, Germany, Poland, Mexico, Russia, and Brazil. (WorldCat)

Annotation:

Table of Contents:

Introduction

Part I: Work Visa Loopholes for Traffickers
1) United States
2) Japan
3) United Arab Emirates

Part II: Stateless Persons
4) Thailand
5) Israel & The Occupied Palestinian Territories

Part III: Unrest, displacement, and Who is in charge
6) Colombia
7) Iraq
8) Syria

Part IV: Conflation
9) Canada

Part V: Conflicting Agendas
10) Italy
11) France

Part VI: Gender Apartheid
12) Iran

Part VII: Social Hierarchy
13) India
14) Niger
15) China

Part VIII: Muti Murder
16) South Africa

Part IX: Hard-to-Prove Criterion and a slap on the wrist
17) Australia
18) United Kingdom
19) Chile
20) Germany

Part X: Transparent borders
21) Poland

Part XI: Fear Factor
22) Mexico

Part XII: Poverty and Economic Boom
23) Russia
24) Brazil

Conclusion

*Each Chapter follows the following format with some variations:

Introduction
As a destination
Internal trafficking
Trafficking abroad
What happens to victims after trafficking
What happens to traffickers
Internal efforts to decrease trafficking

Quotes:

"Devestation from a natural disaster...creates a sudden high demand for low-wage and largely unskilled labor. Disruption of the traditional labor supply leaves room for illicit contractors to move in, and new workers can be brought in unnoticed." (19)

"There continue to be more criminal convictions of sex traffickers than of forced-labor traffickers [However, this number of individuals victimized by forced labor may be increasing]." (32)

"Many experts state that the yakuza (organized crime) networks play a significant role in the smuggling and subsequent debt bondage of women--particularly women from China, Thailand, and Colombia--for forced prostitution in Japan. Determining the exact extent of yakuza involvement is difficult because of the covert nature of the sex industry. Consequently, the yakuza are able to minimize people's direct knowledge of their involvement...The yakuza networks work with organized crime groups from other nations, such as China, Russia, and Colombia." (49-50)

Topics: Economies, Gender, Women, Men, Girls, Boys, International Law, International Human Rights, Multi-National Corporations, Rights, Human Rights, Women's Rights, Sexual Violence, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Sexual Slavery, Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Labor Trafficking, Sex Trafficking Regions: Africa, West Africa, Americas, Central America, North America, South America, Asia, East Asia, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Oceania Countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, France, Germany, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Niger, Palestine / Occupied Palestinian Territories, Poland, Russian Federation, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America

Year: 2013

Citation:

Devor, Camilla Pahle. 2013. “An Analysis of the Coninutation and Expansion of Transnational Organized Crime: The case of Human Trafficking in Mozambique.” Master's Thesis. Stellenbosch University.

Author: Camilla Pahle Devor

Abstract:

In 1992, warring factions in Mozambique put an end to 15 years of violence and instability. By signing the General Peace Accord in Rome, the civil war was officially over, and postconflict reconstruction could begin. The post-conflict state has been struggling with high poverty, weak infrastructure and the burden of returning refugees as well as internally displaced people (IDP’s) in the aftermath of the war. Moreover, in recent years, increasing domestic activity on the part of transnational criminal syndicates has become a major national and regional security dilemma.

In this study, Mozambique, as a post-conflict state has been examined to identify the most important factors that lead to the increase and continuation in transnational crime in terms of human trafficking. Using prevailing state theories and post-conflict theories within the field of Political Science and analyzing Mozambique from the conceptual theoretical lenses of Max Weber, Charles Tilly, Shmuel N. Eistenstadt, and several other scholars, it is argued that there are numerous elements present within the state that have led to an increase in crime. These are first and foremost the (neo) patrimonial features of the state, corrupt state-officials, the state’s pluralist legal-system and a general lack of public trust in the legitimacy of the government.  Incomplete post-conflict reconstruction efforts, resulting in lack of public goods, such as health-care, schooling and jobs along with a culture of exploitation and objectification of women and deep-rooted gender-inequality in Mozambique is argued to provide criminal syndicates with an opportunity to capitalize on organized crimes such as trafficking of humans.

In recent years, positive developments manifest themselves through the international recognition of human trafficking and domestic ratifications of international laws and protocols to combat human trafficking. While Mozambique has ratified “The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children” this study reveals state factors that make the elimination of the crime of human trafficking in Mozambique difficult. The findings of the study are symbolic of a globalized problem. Combating transnational crime does not depend solely on international, regional and domestic cooperation through laws and regulations; it also necessitates increased national efforts in dealing with the root-causes of trafficking and to increase the political and public awareness in the country towards this human rights violation.

Topics: Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Globalization, Governance, Post-Conflict Governance, International Law, Post-Conflict, Post-Conflict Reconstruction, Rights, Human Rights, Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Sex Trafficking Regions: Africa, Southern Africa Countries: Mozambique

Year: 2013

Citation:

Deane, Tameshnie. 2010. “Cross-Border Trafficking in Nepal and India—Violating Women’s Rights.” Human Rights Review 11 (4): 491-513.

Author: Tameshnie Deane

Abstract:

Human trafficking is both a human rights violation and the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. This article examines cross-border trafficking of girls and women in Nepal to India. It gives a brief explanation of what is meant by trafficking and then looks at the reasons behind trafficking. In Nepal, women and children are trafficked internally and to India and the Middle East for commercial sexual exploitation or forced marriage, as well as to India and within the country for involuntary servitude as child workers, domestic servants, circus entertainment, and factory workers. Nepal and India are both signatories to international conventions and bound by domestic law to combat trafficking, and yet, this scourge continues. There are many laws in place, both in Nepal and India, which regulate the trafficking and prostituting of girls and women. This article looks at how effective these laws and regulations actually are and will look at the reasons for the continuation of trafficking. Despite the formal recognition of girl trafficking as a major problem and the existence of laws to curtail it, trafficking continues. The major problem with Nepal’s and India’s domestic laws is in the lack of enforcement. Finally, this article will look at ways to fight trafficking and make the governments of India and Nepal more effective in their fight against trafficking.

Keywords: Trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, slavery, sale of humans, human rights

Annotation:

• Article is mostly devoted to descriptive coverage of the specific international conventions, international and domestic (Nepal & India) laws, and protocols that relate to trafficking as well as penalties and the failures of the Indian and Nepalese governments to appropriately comply and implement international standards.

Topics: Corruption, Gender, Women, Girls, Governance, Rights, Human Rights, Sexual Violence, Sexual Slavery, Trafficking, Sex Trafficking Regions: Asia, South Asia Countries: India, Nepal

Year: 2010