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Minister Bussemaker: religion and culture can never be an excuse


Today Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science Jet Bussemaker delivered her speech at the CSW57. Please click here for the English version of the text. And for the real fanatics, there's a soundrecording here. 

Very interesting is the press-release of the Dutch Ministry accompanying the statement. You can read it here below - in Dutch. Bussemaker makes a strong point that neither culture nor religion can ever be an excuse to look away form violence against women and girls. She scrutinizes stigmatization, violation of women's rights, and impunity. 

"Our societies must also be willing to look at underlying causes of violence, to the systems that facilitate this and to the factors that makes women - particularly migrants, refugees and women in conflict - vulnerable. Such as financial and social dependence, no access to education, and forced marriage.''


Bussemaker: Cultuur of religie geen excuus om weg te kijken

‘Geweld tegen vrouwen ontwricht hele samenleving’
Nieuwsbericht | 06-03-2013
Culturele of religieuze identiteit mag geen excuus zijn om weg te kijken bij geweld tegen vrouwen. Dat heeft minister Bussemaker gezegd tijdens een toespraak voor de VN-commissie voor Vrouwenrechten (Commission on the Status of Women) in New York. "Het is niet te tolereren dat slachtoffers van geweld niet durven spreken over wat hen is aangedaan uit angst voor stigmatisering; dat vrouwen geen aanspraak kunnen maken op hun rechten; en dat daders niet gestraft worden. Geen enkel land mag op culturele, economische of religieuze gronden wegkijken van dit probleem", aldus Bussemaker.

Systematisch

De gevolgen van geweld tegen vrouwen strekken vaak verder dan de kleine kring waarbinnen het geweld wordt uitgeoefend, zei Bussemaker. Niet zelden neemt geweld tegen vrouwen systematische vormen aan, waardoor het hele samenlevingen aantast.
,,Geweld tegen vrouwen kan ontstaan waar economische, politieke en sociale ongelijkheid tussen vrouwen en mannen heerst. Daardoor zien we geweld niet alleen in thuissituaties en binnen relaties. Het is ook een instrument waarmee in politieke conflicten en burgeroorlogen macht en onmacht wordt getoond’’, aldus Bussemaker.

Generatie op generatie 

,,Geweld treft vrouwen, maar niet hen alleen. Ook vaders, moeders, broers, zussen, echtgenoten en kinderen lijden mee. Zowel dader- als slachtofferschap wordt vaak van generatie op generatie doorgegeven. Geweld tegen vrouwen vergiftigt en ontwricht daarmee uiteindelijk een hele samenleving.’’
Regels en wetten alléén lossen dit niet op, zei Bussemaker. ,,Onze samenlevingen moeten ook bereid zijn om te kijken naar achterliggende oorzaken van geweld, naar de systemen die dit faciliteren en naar de factoren die vrouwen – in het bijzonder migranten, vluchtelingen en vrouwen in conflictsituaties – kwetsbaar maken. Zoals financiële en sociale afhankelijkheid, geen toegang tot onderwijs, en huwelijksdwang.’’

= Joni van de Sand =

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Unknown said…
Mooi dat jullie tevreden zijn met de Minister. De vraag is: wat wil je dat ze doet om krachtig beleid mbt VAW te promoten?
March 7, 2013 at 6:58 PM
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