General information

Call No.:

392-2-12:1/1

Part of series

HU OSA 392-2-12 Video Recordings of WITNESS: WITNESS Partners' Raw Footage: Women's Caucus for Gender Justice

Located at

DVD-ROM #1 / No. 1

Digital ver. identifier

HU OSA 392-2-12_001

Date of production

1999-12-15

Date

1999

Level

Item

Primary Type

Moving image

Language

English

Duration

56 min.

Content

Form/Genre

Raw material

Contents Summary

The Women's Caucus for Gender Justice, New York filmed a panel discussion, organized by the organization in December 1999, as part of the 3rd Preparatory Commission of the International Criminal Court. Four panelists - Vahida Nainar, of the Women's Caucus; Hawa Ghaus, associate for Global Programs at the Feminist Majority Foundation; Giti, a woman from Afghanistan, who is translated by Zieba Shorish Shanley of the Women's Caucus; Asma Khader, tithe president of MIZAN, a law group on human rights in Jorda; and Jan Perlin, of the Intl Human Rights Law Clinic and the Guatemala Truth Commission, present and discuss the issue of crimes against women, giving various examples, and explain that and why crimes against women have to be considered as crimes against humanity.

The Women's Caucus was formed in February 1997, to intervene in the ongoing Preparatory Committee meetings for the establishment of an International Criminal Court at the United Nations. Women realized that without an organized caucus, women's concerns would not be actively defended in the documents and process of creation of an International Criminal Court. The legal issues in the ICC are complex and sensitive. They require people from different legal systems and cultures to arrive at a consensus on specific issues that may challenge local traditions or beliefs. The gender-related issues are particularly sensitive, as they are not as well understood. Gender-related crimes are often perceived to be private or individual crimes that do not rise to the level of international human rights law, or that are perceived to be taken care of by a "neutral" statute. However, the experience of women has been that neutrality usually results in leaving out crimes against women and the ways that women, because of their socially constructed roles in society, are disproportionately affected. It was these concerns that the Women's Caucus sought to address in the process of creation of an International Criminal Court. By advocating the codification of crimes of sexual, reproductive and gender violence, and inclusion of gender sensitive processes and criteria for personnel, the Caucus tried to ensure that the Court has capacity to implement justice for women.

Context

Associated Names

WITNESS (Copyright holder)

Women's Caucus for Gender Justice (Copyright holder)