Subject: [fem-women2000 645] Youth Statement on Racism at the CSW
From: lalamaziwa <lalamaziwa@jca.apc.org>
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 21:34:17 +0900
Seq: 645
Forwarded by lalamaziwa <lalamaziwa@jca.apc.org> ---------------- Original message follows ---------------- From: kathy clarin <kathy@isiswomen.org> To: apgr-list@isiswomen.org Date: Mon, 26 Mar 2001 11:36:18 +0800 Subject: [APGR-list] Youth Statement on Racism at the CSW -- The APGR-list, an announce-discussion list Distributed by Isis International-Manila - linking women, sharing knowledge, engendering change -------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Youth Statement on Racism at the CSW source: lalaine_p_viado@yahoo.com date: 03.26.01 --------------------------------------------------------------------- This statement was drafted by the Youth Caucus of the 45th Commission on the Status of Women. Racial discrimination affects youth internationally. The Youth Caucus of the 45th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) fully agree that young women face multiple layers of discrimination based on the intersection of racial discrimination with all other identities, which includes but is not limited to gender, age, class, ethnicity, caste, culture, sexual orientation and religion. We also feel that it is critical for young women= to have the space and opportunity to speak locally, nationally, regionally and internationally on the racial issues that affect them directly. Realizing that the CSW is an international forum, we have incorporated the voices of young women and men= in the Youth Caucus to speak on the topic of racial discrimination based on= their personal and observational experience in their specific regions. From Africa African youth, especially girls and young women, suffer multiple forms of discrimination based on civil, religious, political, economic, environmental and social practices. Trafficking of young women for sexual and economic exploitation is rife - this is also aggravated by migration, rape as weapon of war, forced marriage and armed conflicts that engulf most= of Africa at the present time. Young women suffer from cultural practices like female genital mutilation that violates both their physical and psychological integrity. Youth are also affected by the impact of structural adjustment programs and= unemployment. Youth are vulnerable to all forms of discrimination including= slavery, servitude, being child soldiers, children in armed conflicts and child prostitution. From the Asia Pacific Migration and trafficking for prostitution are particularly targeting on the young people. Exposure to racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and= other forms of intolerance is high among them. Vulnerability to violence, sexual exploitation and violation of their human rights become ensuing realities as they become migrants and/or are trafficked. Caste-based discrimination is one of the many forms of discrimination that young women especially those from the lower castes experience. Particularly= those from the caste considered untouchables. Young women do not only suffer extreme poverty and deprivation, they are also vulnerable to sexual abuse and exploitation in the midst of their everyday life. Education and the mass media has become a tool for propagating racist ideologies among young people in the region. Textbooks, television, the internet and among others carry out stereotypes among groups of people as being the stronger race -- who are mostly the colonizers of their= countries -- the weaker race, being their own race. Arranged marriages and the dowry system have been linked to incidents of wife burnings and abuse. Young dark-skinned women are often more vulnerable= to abuse by family members especially if the dowry, which is often higher for dark-skinned women, is not met by the young women's families. From Europe Because the status of young women is linked to that of their husband's,migrant young women and girls who experience domestic violence, have difficulty accessing health care and other social services. Young women are more likely to be trafficked for sexual and economic exploitation= because of lack of opportunities as well as because of cultural factors within their community, feminization of poverty and unemployment. In recent years, young women and girls are more vulnerable to smuggling and= trafficking because of war and armed conflicts in the Balkan region. In Central and Eastern Europe, young Roma women are especially vulnerable to discrimination both within their communities and in the society at large= . Young people from minority backgrounds also face social exclusion and racial discrimination within their own specific countries. Examples include discriminatory and unfair treatment within the school system, discrimination within both the criminal justice and the mental health system and the targeting of young minority women for birth control without looking at the short and long-term effects on fertility. From North America In Canada, many of the schools in the major urban centers have a multilingual and multicultural student population. However, the promotion of multiculturalism in schools is not the same as eradicating racism. There= is a real need for anti-racist education from an anti-oppression framework.= The schools continue to teach a racist history, one that omits the systematic genocide of Aboriginal peoples, or neglects the contribution of immigrants, or the oppression of minority groups in Canada. US national and state legislation allocates more money for the criminalization of youth than it does to the education of youth. Young women from marginalized communities (young women of color, immigrant women,= poor women, lesbian, bisexual and questioning women and young mothers) in the United States are the fastest growing population within the criminal system. These young women end up in this system because of structural discrimination that includes police brutality, racial profiling, inadequate= legal council, racist drug laws and the effects of globalization. Young women are caught within the criminal justice system, which includes juvenile jails, adult prison, INS detention and mental facilities, due to lack of adequate programs, absence of true rehabilitation programs, harsh sentencing for minor crimes and the trying of youth as adults. Recommendations =b7 The Youth Caucus recommends a policy analysis based on intersectionalit= y in order to understand the multi-layered forms of discrimination faced by young women. =b7 Beyond a mere presence at the World Conference Against Racism, the Yout= h Caucus recommends that youth be placed on government delegations, that governments fund youth NGO's or NGO's committed to taking youth to the conference as well as insuring that youth are an integral part of the decision-making at all levels. =b7 The Youth caucus urges all governments to introduce legislation, polici= es and programs that consider migration, traffic, asylum, and refugee policy on a gender basis. =b7 The Youth Caucus recommends and believes that young women should have universal access to diverse and culturally appropriate healthcare. ---------------------------------------------------------------- APGR-list is a general announcement list created to facilitate information and resource sharing in Asia and the Pacific in line with the coming United Nations World Conference Against Racism. 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