Let dawn come
A high-level Arab women's meeting pledged commitment to the cause of women in armed conflicts.
Dina Ezzat reports from Beirut
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Clockwise from top left: Egyptian First Lady
Mrs Mubarak, wife of Lebanese President Mrs Lahoud, Syrian First
Lady Mrs Al-Assad and Queen Rania
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"Both as a Palestinian and as a woman I feel that things have always been decided for me. Somehow I feel that I never have control over even the most personal things in my life. In 1967 [with the Israeli seizure of the West Bank, Gaza, the Sinai and the Golan Heights] for example, I did not make a personal decision to leave the West Bank. My father told me that we were going for a day or two to Amman."
This was the testimony of a Palestinian woman at the Arab Women's Forum, which convened on Monday and Tuesday in the Lebanese capital to discuss the issue of women in armed conflicts. Almost four decades later, this Palestinian woman is still a refugee in Jordan. She is one of millions of refugees around the world, 80 per cent of which are women.
Her appeal for justice and peace was echoed in the final communique issued by the forum on Tuesday evening. The statement condemned the Israeli occupation of Arab territories, and called for an end to the suffering and misery imposed upon Palestinians under occupation, especially women. The communique also reflected on the suffering and misery of Arab women in other military conflicts, including Iraq and Sudan. It called for peace and the prevention of armed conflicts, in which women and children tend to be the hardest-hit victims.
Held under the slogan of "Together to serve justice ... Together to serve peace", the two-day meeting was headed by Lebanese First Lady Andre Lahoud. Along with host country Lebanon and Egypt, home to the meeting's sponsor, the Arab Women's Organisation, some 13 other Arab countries and the Arab League were represented. Other first ladies taking part in the event were Suzanne Mubarak of Egypt, Asmaa Al-Assad of Syria and Queen Rania of Jordan.
For two days, participants discussed a host of political, economic and social issues related to women in armed conflicts. They came to a consensus that the armed conflicts in the region have stemmed largely from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with separate wars in Sudan and Somalia arising from ethnic strife and economic disparity. Papers presented to the forum threw light on the harsh psychological, socio-economic and political price that women pay as a result of war.
The Syrian delegation offered a detailed account of the suffering that women in the occupied Golan Heights have to go through as they have been separated from family and community for close to four decades during the Israeli occupation of these territories. Women in the Golan are denied access to visit their motherland even for brief repatriation. And when women from unoccupied Syria marry in the Golan, they also become hostage of Israeli occupation that denies them a right of return visits.
"This is only part of the sad story of Syrian women living under the Israeli occupation in Golan. But these women are not giving up. They are standing firm. Still, they need our support," commented Bouthaina Shaaban, the Syrian minister of immigration who took part in the meetings.
Algerian participants could recall very well the suffering that they had to go through in the early 1990s when women were victimised by the political-turned-military conflict between the state and radical Islamists. "Women received hate mail from both sides. If they were unveiled and liberal, it was the radicals, and if they were veiled and sympathetic with the Islamists, it was sometimes from some elements of the army who felt that even sympathy with the Islamist was a threat to state security," commented one Algerian.
The trials and tribulations of Iraqi women, who were not represented in this event, were very vividly recalled. Under the rule of toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Iraqi women had to worry about family members disappearing. During the wars launched by Saddam's regime against its neighbours, Iraqi women saw a generation of their sons killed or maimed in over a decade of nearly continuous warfare. Then, under 13 years of strict UN-imposed economic sanctions, Iraqi women struggled to feed their children and provide them with hard-to-find medications. Today, the suffering of Iraqi women is far from over. With the unstable security situation during the Anglo-American occupation, Iraqi women are now threatened with rape and other forms of violence. Many have quit schooling for this reason.
Obviously, the memories of the massacres overseen by the Israeli army in the Lebanese refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila were vivid in the minds of everybody. In and out of the meeting rooms, participants were still recalling the sad destiny of Lebanese and Palestinian women who demonstrated for an end to the bombardment of the Sabra and Shatila camps, only to be taken hostage by the Israeli army. Over 25 per cent of the 1,000- 3,500 people killed in 1982 in Sabra and Shatila were women.
"The story of women in armed conflict, particularly in this part of the world that has gone -- and is still going -- through one armed conflict after the other, is a tormenting story that has yet to receive adequate attention," said Mervat El-Telawi, secretary-general of the Egyptian Socio-Economic Committee for West Asia (ESCWA). "Sufficient studies on this matter have to be conducted so that sufficient and detailed information on the matter is made available. And as much as we honour the suffering and contribution of the soldiers in war we also have to honour and recognise the suffering and contributions of women in war," El-Telawi added.
The secretary-general of ESCWA also called for the full implementation of ratified legislation, both on the national and international levels, on the rights of women during armed conflicts. The Egyptian delegation called for a concerted effort at the international level to increase awareness of the sufferings and rights of women during armed conflicts. The women from Algeria argued for a decision to be taken by governments to cut on military spending in favour for an expanded social budget. The Kuwaiti delegation proposed raising the awareness of students in military academies on the rights of women in armed conflicts.
These and other similar ideas were included in a set of recommendations that were issued by the forum on Tuesday evening. The forum also recommended that the Arab Women's Organisation and the Arab League give more attention to the issue of women in armed conflict.
The Beirut forum saluted the steadfastness of Arab women in armed conflicts, especially in Palestine and Iraq, and called for a peaceful settlement to all armed conflicts in the region.
A tribute to dedication
The efforts of Mrs Suzanne Mubarak were celebrated this week in Lebanon
"I believe that we have a great task ahead of us: we need to keep working for peace and development in our Arab world. Women have a major role to play in bringing about a better future for themselves and their communities. The Arab Women's Organisation will have an important role to play on this front," Mrs Suzanne Mubarak said on Tuesday.
Speaking at the headquarters of the Lebanese Medical Centre for Children, Mrs Mubarak was on the third day of a trip to Lebanon during which she headed the Egyptian delegation to the Women's Arab Forum and the first meeting of the Higher Council of the Arab Women's Organisation.
"I believe that the Arab countries have so much to learn from each other. Here in Lebanon I learned much about the social, cultural and health services. In Egypt, we also have our own experience that we can share," Mrs Mubarak said. According to the Egyptian first lady, the forum and other meetings that she held with some participating presidential wives and leading Lebanese and other Arab NGO activists, offered an excellent opportunity for an exchange of information and ideas on the Arab agenda of women's rights.
"There is so much that we want to do. We want to provide women in the Arab world with adequate education, health care, legal rights, economic privileges and political participation. Together we can succeed," Mrs Mubarak said. Despite the fact that Arab women still have much work to do before they accomplish their legitimate socio- economic, cultural and political ambitions, "we have to admit that we have gone a long way," she added. Meanwhile, she praised the accomplishments of Arab women across the region in the areas of education, access to decision- making and economic development.
The success that has been achieved and the work that still needs to be done, she said, are always the outcome of a joint effort by civil society and the state. "I believe in the value and rewards of partnership. There is not a single government that can attend the demands of the nation all by itself. There is always room, much room, for input from non-governmental organisations," she said.
The Arab Women's Organisation should play a leading role in encouraging the coordination of government and non- governmental efforts across the Arab world. "The headquarters in Cairo are ready and the plan of action is being drafted," she said. Guidelines for the plan of action of the Arab Women's Organisation are inspired by the outcome of the Beirut meeting this week, along with other forums held during the past four years since the launching of the organisation in Cairo in 2000. "The forums of the past four years covered a wide range of issues related to women rights. So we have quite a number of ideas that we will be working on," she said. "I believe that the Arab Women's Organisation could offer an excellent panel for Arab women. This organisation will work to serve women's rights and to enhance women's participation in the development of their societies."
The rights and suffering of women in armed conflict will be a key issue on the agenda of the Arab Women's Organisation, Mrs Mubarak promised. "This is a central issue for our region. We have to make sure that women and society as a whole are spared the agonies and misery that war and conflict bring about. We have to work towards peace and make it a reality," she said. "To do this we have to spread the culture of peace." This is a main task for the Suzanne Mubarak Women's Movement for Peace. While in Lebanon, Mrs Mubarak took the opportunity to inform leading Lebanese NGOs about the activities and mandate of this movement and to call for their support. Positive results have been reported.
During her visit, Mrs Mubarak was also offered several tributes for her efforts to promote socio-economic rights in Egypt and for inspiring an active movement in the Arab world, at the level of first ladies, that aims to secure the rights of Arab women. "Back in the year 2000 when it was difficult for Arab countries to agree, Mrs Mubarak managed to inspire the creation of the Arab Women's Organisation that brings together Arab countries through the women's cause," Bahiya Al-Hariri, head of the Hariri Foundation, said. "Today, she seems as committed as ever to spread the word on women's rights, not only in Egypt but across the Arab world," said Mrs Randa Berri, another leading figure in Lebanese society. Similar recognition of Mrs Mubarak's dedication to women and children's rights was expressed by other Lebanese figures. For her part, Mrs Mubarak promised her continued dedication.
