It's not about the gender binary, it's about the gender hierarchy: A reply to “Letting Go of the Gender Binary”

2016 ◽  
Vol 98 (901) ◽  
pp. 275-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanne Ward
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Humanitarian Action ◽  
Gender Binary ◽  
Humanitarian Interventions ◽  
Gender Hierarchy ◽  
Letting Go ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Gender Based

The “Debate” section of theReviewaims to contribute to the reflection on current ethical, legal, or operational controversies around humanitarian issues.In its issue on “Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict” (Vol. 96, No. 894, 2014), theReviewpublished an Opinion Note by Chris Dolan entitled “Letting Go of the Gender Binary: Charting New Pathways for Humanitarian Interventions on Gender-Based Violence”. In light of the review process for the Inter-Agency Standing Committee'sGuidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Action(GBV Guidelines), Dolan argues for a shift in the conceptualization of gender-based violence (GBV)in humanitarian settings from an emphasis on gender equality to an ethos of gender inclusivity. This, he suggests, is essential to improving the situation of victims, furthering social justice and changing agendas.In this issue, theReviewpresents the view of Jeanne Ward, one of the lead authors of the revised GBV Guidelines. For Ward, attempts to shift away from a focus on gender equality in GBV programming represent a regression rather than an advancement for the GBV field, as a dedicated spotlight on the rights and needs of women and girls continues to be hard-won in humanitarian contexts. Instead, she suggests retaining a focus on women and girls in GBV work, while moving forward in partnership with those who wish to accelerate programming directed to men and LGBTI communities broadly.

Inclusive gender: Why tackling gender hierarchies cannot be at the expense of human rights and the humanitarian imperative

2016 ◽  
Vol 98 (902) ◽  
pp. 625-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Dolan
Keyword(s):  
Armed Conflict ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Humanitarian Settings ◽  
Gender Binary ◽  
Humanitarian Interventions ◽  
Gender Hierarchy ◽  
Gender Hierarchies ◽  
Letting Go ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Gender Based

The “Debate” section of theReviewaims to contribute to the reflection on current ethical, legal or operational controversies around humanitarian issues. In its issue on “Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict” (Vol. 96, No. 894, 2014), theReviewpublished an Opinion Note by Chris Dolan entitled “Letting Go of the Gender Binary: Charting New Pathways for Humanitarian Interventions on Gender-Based Violence”, arguing for a shift in the conceptualization of gender-based violence (GBV) in humanitarian settings from an emphasis on gender equality to an ethos of gender inclusivity. Jeanne Ward's reply, “It's Not About the Gender Binary, It's About the Gender Hierarchy”, was published in a later issue of theReview(Vol. 98, No. 901, 2016). Ward suggested retaining a focus on women and girls in GBV work, while moving forward in partnership with those who wish to accelerate programming directed towards men and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) communities broadly. In this issue, Dolan responds to Ward's position, pointing to empirical and practical developments that have advanced the understanding of how to effectively respond to GBV, including GBV perpetrated against men, boys and members of the LGBTI community. Dolan calls for the IASC Guidelines to be revised in 2020 to be the guiding text on preventing and responding to GBV in humanitarian settings, and explores what it means to do inclusive gender while also tackling hierarchies.

Letting go of the gender binary: Charting new pathways for humanitarian interventions on gender-based violence

2014 ◽  
Vol 96 (894) ◽  
pp. 485-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Dolan
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Gender Binary ◽  
Humanitarian Interventions ◽  
Letting Go ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Gender Based

Increasing acknowledgement in some quarters that women and girls are not the only victims of sexual violence, and that sexual violence is not the only form of gender-based violence (GBV), has yet to be adequately reflected in policy and practice in the humanitarian world.

scholarly journals Building Back Better, Gender Equality, and Feminist Dilemmas

IDS Bulletin ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sohela Nazneen ◽  
Susana Araujo
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Women's Voice ◽  
Response And Recovery ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Gender Power ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
Gender Specific

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected men and women differently, exacerbating existing gender inequalities across a range of areas including health, education, and livelihoods. Globally, the levels of gender-based violence have increased. Consensus exists in policy circles that emergency response and recovery plans should consider both the immediate and longer-term gender impact of Covid-19, and without effective measures, the progress made to date on gender equality will not be sustainable. But has this crisis led to a moment when gender power hierarchies in our economies, politics, and society can be renegotiated? In this article, we explore: what does building back better look like if gender equality was at its core? What kinds of feminist dilemmas arise with respect to how we frame women’s voice and agency as we advocate for transformative systemic change? We start with a vision for building back better with a gender lens; and move on to discuss the gender-specific impacts of Covid-19 that exacerbate the vulnerabilities of women and girls. In connection with the latter, we discuss the feminist dilemmas that arise with respect to discourse on women’s agency, representation, participation, and the key issues that we need to consider for transforming systemic gender power hierarchies.

scholarly journals Women’s and Girls’ Experiences of Security and Justice in Somaliland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Becky Carter
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Social Stigma ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
State Institutions ◽  
Promote Gender Equality ◽  
Government Organisation ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender

This rapid review seeks to provide an overview of the publicly available literature from the academic, donor, and non-government organisation sources on women’s and girls’ experiences of statutory and customary security and justice in Somaliland. In Somaliland women and girls experience poor security, with high rates of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and significant barriers to gender equality in the pluralistic legal system. The predominant clan-based customary justice system, along with conservative social norms and religious beliefs, discriminates against women and girls, while weak formal state institutions are not able to deliver accessible and effective justice for vulnerable and marginalised groups. Social stigma silences SGBV survivors and their families, with many rape crimes resolved through customary compensation or marriage. National and international organisations have undertaken various activities to promote gender equality in security and justice, with support provided to formal and informal security and justice institutions and actors at national and local levels, as well as initiatives to empower women and girls.

scholarly journals A qualitative research of humanitarian workers’ perceptions of preventing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps, Bangladesh

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-74
Author(s):  
José Navarrete
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Data Matrix ◽  
Refugee Camps ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Humanitarian Action ◽  
Qualitative Interview Study ◽  
Humanitarian Crises ◽  
Emerging Issues ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Gender Based

During humanitarian crises, there are priorities to solve immediately such as shelter, food and water. Overcrowding in make-shift settlements and rapid population movement in spontaneous settlements and refugee camps, challenge the capacity of humanitarian workers to implement initiatives to prevent GBV. Forms of GBV can be grouped into four general categories such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional and psychosocial abuse and economic abuse. GBV inflicts harm on women and girls. However, how and when GBV interventions take place? when, will, can those issues become a priority? The main objective of this research is to investigate the experiences of GBV interventions in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps, and how they are perceived by humanitarian workers from different sectors. This is a qualitative interview study, guided by a conceptual framework developed from a literature review on GBV in emergency settings, and the IASC guidelines for integrating GBV interventions in humanitarian action. The data was summarized in a data matrix based on the conceptual framework, and also including emerging issues.

Digital technologies and the violent surveillance of nonbinary gender

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jama Shelton ◽  
Kel Kroehle ◽  
Emilie K. Clark ◽  
Kristie Seelman ◽  
SJ Dodd
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technology ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Predictive Policing ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Gender Binary ◽  
Power And Control ◽  
Trans People ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Control

The enforcement of the gender binary is a root cause of gender-based violence (GBV) for trans people. Disrupting GBV requires that we ensure that ‘gender’ is not presumed synonymous with White cisgender womanhood. Transfeminists suggest that attaining gender equity requires confronting all forms of oppression that police people and their bodies, including White supremacy, colonialism and capitalism (Silva and Ornat, 2016; Simpkins, 2016). Part of this project, we argue, includes confronting the structures of GBV embedded within digital technologies that are increasingly part of our everyday lives. Informed by transfeminist theory (Koyama, 2003; Stryker and Bettcher, 2016; Simpkins, 2016; Weerawardhana, 2018), we interrogate the ways in which digital technologies naturalise and reinforce GBV against bodies marked as divergent. We examine the subtler ways that digital technology can fortify binary gender as a mechanism of power and control. We highlight how gendered forms of data violence cannot be disentangled from digital technologies that surveil, police or punish on the basis of race, nationhood and citizenship, particularly in relation to predictive policing practices. We conclude with recommendations to guide technological development to reduce the violence enacted upon trans people and those whose gender presentations transgress society’s normative criteria for what constitutes a compliant (read: appropriately gendered) citizen.<br /><br />Key messages<br /><ul><li>Violence against trans people is inherently gender-based.</li><br /><li>A root cause of gender-based violence against trans people is the strict reinforcement of the gender binary.</li><br /><li>Digital technology and predictive policing can fortify binary gender as a mechanism of power and control.</li><br /><li>Designers of digital technologies and the policymakers regulating surveillance capitalism must interrogate the ways in which their work upholds the gender binary and gender-based violence against trans people.</li></ul>

Advancing the Agenda of the Confederation of Trade Unions on the Prevention of Sexual Violence in the World of Work in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Atnike Nova Sigiro
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
The World ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Set Up

<p>This article was formulated based on interviews with 5 (five) trade union confederations from a number of confederations in Indonesia, namely: Konfederasi Serikat Pekerja Nasional (KSPN), Konfederasi Sarikat Buruh Muslimin Indonesia (KSarbumusi), Konfederasi Serikat Buruh Seluruh Indonesia (KSBSI), Konfederasi Serikat Pekerja Indonesia (KSPI), and Konfederasi Kongres Aliansi Serikat Buruh Indonesia (KKASBI). This article seeks to explore the efforts made by the trade union confederation in promoting gender equality - specifically in advancing the agenda for the prevention and elimination of sexual violence in the world of work. This article was compiled based on research with a qualitative approach, with data collection methods through interviews and literature studies. The results of this study found that the confederations interviewed had already set up internal structures that have specific functions on issues related to gender equality, gender-based violence, and women’s empowerment; although still limited and on ad-hoc basis. This research also finds that the role of the trade union confederation is particularly prominent in advocating policies related to sexual violence and gender-based violence in the world of work, such as advocating the Bill on the Elimination of Sexual Violence, and the ratification of the ILO Convention No. 190 on Violence and Harassment.</p>

scholarly journals The Sustainable Developments Goals and Buddha’s Teachings

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-79
Author(s):  
Sabita Dhakhwa
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Attitude Change ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Call To Action ◽  
Loving Kindness ◽  
Promote Gender Equality ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
The Buddha

 The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. The Buddha delivered several Dhamma discourses to diverse people in the various places for forty-five years; from the time he attained enlightenment until he entered into Mahaparinibbāna. These Dhamma discourses are related to non-violence, equality and peace. The elimination of all forms of gender based violence and promotion of equality are very much related with change of attitude and positive mind development. Moral conducts (Sila), Right speech, Right livelihood, Right understanding, practicing of loving kindness (Mettā, Saraniya Dhammas, etc are some of the Buddha’s teachings which can contribute to attitude change and positive mind development. The teachings of the Buddha are in harmony with the spirit of Gender equality goal of SDGs. Therefore, the article intends to throw light on the following aspects: What are the Buddha’s teaching for Gender equality? and how Buddha’s teachings can contribute to eliminate gender based violence and promote Gender equality which is one of the goal of SDGs.

scholarly journals Opinion Review of Socioeconomic Impact of COVID-2019 on Women's Health

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victory U. Salami ◽  
Stanley I. R. Okoduwa ◽  
Aimee O. Chris ◽  
Susannah I. Ayilara ◽  
Ugochi J. Okoduwa
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Maternal Complications ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Clinical Procedures ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Gender Based

The global battle to survive the onslaughts of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) started in December 2019 and continues today. Women and girls have borne the brunt of the hardship resulting from the health crises. This paper examined the effects of COVID-19 on women. Socioeconomic factors resulting from the pandemic, especially in relation to women's health, were discussed after studying published articles. They include gender specificity and COVID-19, the economic toll of COVID-19 on women, pregnancy and COVID-19, gender-based violence due to COVID-19, and health-care impacts of COVID-19. Making up the majority in the healthcare workforce, women were at higher risk of infection with COVID-19 due to their exposure as caregivers to infected patients. The pandemic took its toll on them as part of the greater population in the informal sector of the economy due to the lockdown directive, as many experienced severe monetary shortages and job losses. Pregnant women infected with COVID-19 were prone to severe diseases, maternal complications, and death due to their weakened immunity and exposure during clinical procedures. Gender-based violence was observed to have increased across the globe for women. The results of this review strongly indicate that women are disproportionately affected by the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis. This review will help health-care professionals and policymakers arrive at properly-thought-through decisions to better manage health crises. Governments and all key players should address the challenge by devising effective policies with a gendered view.

scholarly journals A Feminist Future for the Pacific

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Cliffe
Keyword(s):  
Sexual And Gender Minorities ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Gender Minorities ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Marginalised Groups ◽  
Essential Services ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender

The COVID–19 pandemic continues to devastate the lives and wellbeing of millions of people around the world; women and girls, people with disabilities, youth, older people, and sexual and gender minorities are most at risk of ‘being left behind’. While confirmed cases of COVID–19 are low in the Pacific compared with other regions, the threat of the virus remains and the wider social and economic impacts are already evident. Pacific Island countries grappling with pervasive inequality, sustainable development challenges and climate change now must consider their response to the COVID–19 pandemic. This paper envisions an inclusive and transformative feminist response focused on four key outcomes: preserving access to healthcare and essential services; promoting women’s economic empowerment; protecting women and girls from gender–based violence; and supporting vulnerable and marginalised groups to express their voice and claim their rights amid the pandemic.

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