Posted by: Erin Chen
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Believe it or not: Libya, Iran and the U.N. CSW condemn Israel's treatment of women
The U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) passed a resolution condemning Israel for its treatment of Palestinian women. Other action by the CSW? None!
The Commission on the Status of Women: "... dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. It is the principal global policy-making body. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards andformulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide..."
Iran, Libya and the Democratic Republic of Congo
Let's make sure that we all understand. Iran, Libya and the Democratic Republic of Congo to name but three are all members of a Commission established to help protect women's rights, although all arelongtime violators of women's rights.
One more time so that we are absolutely clear on this. These three countries, poster children for the violation of women's rights, act as the arbiter for what is right and what is wrong around the world in this very area?
And as the arbiter of violations against women they obviously can only find violations committed by Israel and no one else?
If you did a double-take after reading all of this you are excused, as it is merely one more example of theblatant hypocrisy and double-dealing of the United Nations. Yet one more example of the fact that any relevancy this world body may have once had is certainly no more. Just one more U.N. imposed condemnation of Israel while the true perpetrators of crimes against women and humanity are ignored and given a pass.
The story of Iranian participation on the CSW goes back to last year (Libya a little further back than that), and it is one in which the United States had been a willing participant. In April of 2010, with no public objection offered by the United States or 12 other western democracies, Iran was given a seat. This despite the following letter having been sent as prior evidence, authored by 200 women's rights activists in Iran. This is part of the letter that can be read in its entirety here.
"... In recent years, the Iranian government has not only refused to join the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), but has actively opposed it. The Iranian government has earned international condemnation as a gross violator of women’s rights. Discrimination against women is codified in its laws, as well as in executive and cultural institutions, and Iran has consistently sought to preserve gender inequality in all places, from the family unit to the highest governmental bodies.
Iran’s discriminatory laws demonstrate that the Islamic Republic does not believe in gender equality: women lack the ability to choose their husbands, have no independent right to education after marriage, no right to divorce, no right to child custody, have no protection from violent treatment in public spaces, are restricted by quotas for women’s admission at universities, and are arrested, beaten, and imprisoned for peacefully seeking change of such laws..."
If further evidence of this international travesty were needed, consider this:
- On the subject of suntanned women, the chief of police in Tehran said the following: "... The public expects us to act firmly and swiftly if we see any social misbehaviour by women, and men, who defy our Islamic values. In some areas of north Tehran we can see many suntanned women and young girls who look like walking mannequins. We are not going to tolerate this situation and will first warn those found in this manner and then arrest and imprison them..." (The Telegraph)
- On infidelity and earthquakes, Ayatollah Zazem Sedighi had this to say: "... Many women who dress inappropriately ... cause youths to go astray, taint their chastity and incite extramarital sex in society, which increases earthquakes ... Calamities are the result of people's deeds..." (The Telegraph)
- In a comparing women to men, former Iranian president Rafsanjani said: "... The difference in stature, vitality, voice, development, muscular quality and physical strength of men and women shows that men are stronger and more capable in all fields. … Men’s brains are larger. … These differences affect the delegation of responsibilities, duties and rights..." (Pajamas Media)
One has to wonder, particularly as the United States is the major funding source for this failed institution, why we continue to uphold our end of the charade. In the 2011 U.S. budget over $500 billion was set aside for U.N. regular operations and over $2 billion for peacekeeping.
New York City foregoes untold tens of millions of dollars in property taxes for the United Nations and member countries. Forget about parking tickets or crime where diplomatic immunity is invoked.
Let's just call the experiment over and move on, taking responsibility for our own actions and solutions to global problems rather that counting on the U.N. to act as our proxy!
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