Women Archives | Elizabeth May

Protecting Women’s Work and Civil Society in Aghanistan

Elizabeth May — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 16:05:00 +0000

Elizabeth May and Mike Morrice signed onto this open letter to address the impacts of the Taliban’s order to suspend women employees from working in local and international NGOs in Afghanistan.

Strategic Advocacy Human Rights (SAHR) is a peer-led network of human rights defenders fueling a worldwide movement of women and diverse human rights defenders working to end gender-based violence through law and policy reform.www.sa-hr.org

For more information about the letter, click here.

Click here to read the Open Letter to Muslim and International Communities.

From SAHR:

“It was painful to tell our female staff not to come to work the following day. We immediately called for an emergency meeting to deal with the operational impact of the ban. It changes everything for us,” said one of our colleagues, an Afghan human rights lawyer.

The NGO sector in Afghanistan was ultimately the last remaining safe place for women to be sustainably employed in. Tens of thousands of Afghan women were employed as educators, advisors, mediators, aid workers, surveyors, midwives, doctors and first responders.

The Taliban’s decree essentially forced women to a state of permanent unemployment and poverty.

“Few months ago, when I was in court helping my client, I got into a discussion with a Taliban judge about women’s work. I challenged him and said: if women cannot work, how are we going to feed our children? He said: either get married, or ask for zakat (charity) but women cannot work,” said one of our colleagues, a human rights lawyer.

Despite international condemnation, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid indicated no sign that the ban would be reconsidered or lifted:

“All those institutions wanting to operate in Afghanistan are obliged to comply with the rules and regulations of our country. We do not allow anyone to talk rubbish or make threats regarding the decisions of our leaders under the title of humanitarian aid.”

Kabul and other major cities were under high-security and surveillance after the decrees were announced.

“I had a drive around the city today morning to assess the changes and security surveillance. There are small groups of Taliban surveillance moving in the city watching women’s movements in the roads, streets and localities,” said one of our colleagues in Afghanistan.

Our colleagues are affected mentally as they are experiencing an unexpected and sudden change. But the current constraints push us to be more committed, motivated, courageous. We are prepared to work harder and to work with a vision. Such challenges and limitations should not stop us from supporting the women in our community who are the most affected and marginalised in the country.

We are calling on the international community for a more serious coordinated response against the systematic violence and gender persecution of women in Afghanistan and to pressure the Taliban to reverse their decision.

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Elizabeth May pays tribute to the two female Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli military

Elizabeth May — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 18:51:52 +0000

Speaker: Ms. May Time: 14/06/2022 14:00:14 Context: Statements Ms. Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands, GP): Madam Speaker, Shireen Abu Aqla. Ghufran Warasneh. Say their names. Women Palestinian journalists killed while doing their jobs: covering what was going on before their eyes. They were killed by the Israeli military and somehow even more shocking, their funerals were attacked by the Israeli military. The pallbearers were blocked as they tried to take them to their place of eternal rest. The Vatican representative in Jerusalem denounced it as brutally violating decades old agreements to hold Jerusalem sacred to the three main theist religions for whom all find spiritual significance in Jerusalem. We must, in this country, say something. We must do something. We call for an independent inquiry into the killing of these two brave, women Palestinian journalists. Canada must step up.

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Green Party Exposes Worsening Conditions for Canadian Women

Craig Cantin — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 22:26:05 +0000

As the world prepares to mark International Women’s Day tomorrow, March 8, the Green Party is celebrating the valuable role of women in Canadian society. It also notes their worsening status and living conditions under the Harper Conservatives.

“Canadian women in a wide variety of roles, jobs, and lifestyles across the country deserve to be recognized for their courage, determination, and sacrifices,” said Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, MP Saanich-Gulf Islands.

The list of changes affecting women negatively since the Harper Conservatives came into power in 2006 includes:

In 2006, Stephen Harper’s first policy announcement as prime minister was to cut Canada’s year-old, $5-billion national child-care plan, supported by all provincial governments, despite protests from child-care advocates and the provinces.
In 2006, Status of Women Canada (SWC) funding was temporarily cut by $5 million, forcing the closure of 12 of its 16 regional offices; changing the SWC Women’s Program mandate to exclude “gender equality and political justice;” redrafting funding criteria so that advocacy groups and women’s service providers, such as rape crisis centres, are ineligible for funding.
In 2007, offices for the National Association of Women and the Law, a well-respected organization that had made valuable contributions to improving women’s human rights in Canada, were closed. Funding was also eliminated for other women’s organizations like the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW).
In 2009, the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act allowed public sector employers to consider “market demand” when setting compensation levels – preserving the policy of paying men more than women for equal work
In 2010-2011, Status of Women Canada spent just over $10 million on violence against women – an inadequate response to a serious problem which directly affects an estimated one in six Canadians and costs the economy nearly $7 billion dollars a year in missed work, medical, policing, and justice expenses. Advocates have called on the federal government to work with the provinces and territories to develop a national strategy and action plan to combat violence against women.
The challenges facing First Nations women are particularly worrying. Sisters in Spirit, supported by the Green Party and others, have demanded an open, public inquiry into the alarmingly high rates of murdered and missing aboriginal women – without success.

“Not only have key programs and organizations been cut or eliminated in recent years, but there has been little or no progress in reducing violence against women and girls across Canada,” said Rebecca Harrison, Green Party Women’s Issues Critic. “There have been few initiatives to deal with other issues facing women, including poverty, poor health, inadequate housing, and too few full-time jobs.”

In its October, 2012, gender gap ranking, the World Economic Forum revealed that Canada had slipped three spots compared to 135 other countries in terms of gender equality. In fact, we have dropped from the world’s Top 20 countries mainly because of low female representation in politics. Canada is now 21st – behind the Philippines, Latvia, Cuba and Nicaragua.

“As we celebrate the women of today, we should also confront the fact that, with cuts to Old Age Security and Employment Insurance, for example, women of the future will know even greater insecurity,” said May. “Our best gift to them is to fight to protect and restore our social programs and create a more egalitarian society.”

Note: Our media advisory for Ms. May’s International Women’s Day event in Vancouver.

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