Does Gender Equality
Mean 'Identicality'?
Under the patronage
of Ms. Harriet Harman, MP, QC, Minister for Women.
Moderator: Ms Angie LeMar
Date: Wednesday 12th
November 2008
Venue: Portcullis House, Victoria Embankment, Westminster, SW1A 0AA
Time: 9am -12noon
At
the beginning of the 21st century, the UN drafted the Eight Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), with 18 targets to be met by 2015. MDG 3 seeks to:
‘Promote
gender equality and empower women’
The
rise of feminism as a key phenomenon of the 20th century, led to relatively
greater freedom for women in the western world and even in the developing
world. The gender war has not been
totally won, but significant strides have been made. There has also been the expectation that
younger generations would build on these foundations and take the quest for
gender equality further.
However,
there is growing evidence, and alarm, that we are regressing. In some parts of the world, some women and
girls are interpreting gender equality as being identical to men. They express this ‘identicality’ as the ability
to outdo men in drinking, drug-taking, over-working, bullying and joining gangs,
among other excesses. Elsewhere, migration
and allied socio-economic pressures of globalisation, food insecurity and
entrenchment of fundamentalist religions and social values are erasing decades
of hard-won rights for women and girls.
In
organising this conference, CfD and TAFF will bring together key women leaders
and activist to:
·
Conduct
an Audit of achievements in gender equality in the UK, and in Black and Minority
communities in particular, and the possibilities of meeting the UN’s MDG3
·
Assess
the current overall situation for women and girls in the UK, irrespective
of their communities, as well as the gender equality implications for being
ethnicity and or interest
·
Develop
strategies to raise more awareness about gender and development, and stem the current
tide, which has the potential to undo all the gains made by and for women and
girls, globally.
About
Connections for Development (CfD)
Connections
for Development (CfD) is a young but dynamic national organisation, which was
established in 2003 to provide a forum, network and platform to facilitate the
effective engagement of the UK's Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) civil society
with international development issues.
It was
founded through a collaborative effort involving BME civil society
representatives and the government, through the Department for International
Development (DFID),
out of the long standing need for sustainable BME-led organisation to mobilise,
network, inform, champion, and provide an umbrella framework to facilitate
their effective involvement and participation in international development
issues.
The vision
is to create an inclusive and stakeholder driven forum for mutual learning,
sharing experiences and collaborative working by BME civil society so as to
promote their productive involvement and participation in shaping development
policy and delivering processes throughout the developing world.
About
The African Families Foundation (TAFF)
The
African Families Foundation (TAFF) is a UK-based charity, which operates as a
network of self-help community-based organisations in the UK and Africa. TAFF is a founding member of CfD.
For further
information or to book a place please email:
