Gender Equality and the Rights of Women and Girls
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Development. Copyright © 2001 The Society for International Development. SAGE Publications (London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi), 1011-6370 (200106) 44:2; 47–51; 017701.
Thematic Section
Gender Equality and the Rights of Women and Girls1 JOAN FRENCH
ABSTRACT Joan French lists key aspects of UNICEF’s approach to child rights and gender equality. She underlines that the rights of women and girls are inextricably linked and can only be achieved through complementary and collaborative action. KEYWORDS adolescence; discrimination; domestic violence; human rights; life cycle approach; mainstreaming; partnership; socialization
A gendered rights and life cycle approach
Gender discrimination is of central importance to human rights because it affects more than half of the human race: without women’s rights there is therefore no full recognition of human rights. The essence of a gender approach is the recognition of the structural inequalities between men and women, boys and girls, and the disparities in their enjoyment of rights. This implies implementation of policies to address such disparities. Gender discrimination is not the only form of discrimination, inequality and denial of rights faced by women and girls. Gender interfaces with other forms such as discrimination based on ethnicity, culture, class, tribe, caste and religion. In order to adequately address the rights and development needs of women, the interface of gender with other forms of discrimination needs to be addressed. For example, women’s right to income remains theoretical if investment in their communities is minimal because of racial, cultural or political discrimination. Differences such as those of class, race, economic and political power between populations and between women and girls themselves will influence both the definition of the problems to be addressed and the design of strategies to address them, even if the primary objective is to address gender issues. Groups of women who face multiple forms of discrimination require responses that recognize the interrelated transformations necessary for the effective exercise of their rights.
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Development 44(2): Gender Equality and Child Rights
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In relation to gender equality and the rights of women and girls, as in relation to all other areas of focus, the rights-based approach (adopted for UNICEF programming worldwide) implies expanding the programming approach to meeting needs not only by attending to immediate welfare, but also by ensuring the fulfilment of rights. This requires attention to the wider issues of social and economic policy and legislation that need to be addressed to ensure the universal expansion of the practical enjoyment of rights. In this process needs will of necessity be addressed, but as rights. This implies the recognition of rights, such as the right to participation, which, though central to development, are often not addressed in programmes which have an exclusively welfare approach. The rights approach requires the c
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