On this important day honoring the invaluable role of women in the development of society, AFAD pays tribute to the strength and tenacity of the mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, aunties and grandparents of the disappeared who never wavered in their commitment to search for justice for their disappeared loved ones amidst challenges. It is through their strength that the Federation gets inspiration from in pursuing its advocacies for governments and societies in Asia and the world to end the practice of enforced disappearance.
AFAD also calls on governments especially in Asia to institute legal mechanisms of recourse for justice and restitution claims of women victims of enforced disappearance. The need to ratify the Convention and to enact domestic laws criminalizing enforced disappearance is imperative so that the crime is legally acknowledged and corresponding sanctions for perpetrators as well as preventive measures can be undertaken. Further, victims will be provided necessary relief legally, psychologically, emotionally and financially.
With the absence of laws acknowledging the crime of enforced disappearance, women victims are faced with numerous other problems. In South Asia for example, an estimated 1,500 Kashmiri women (from Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir) whose husbands disappeared but not officially declared as dead are labelled as “half widows.” This has implications on their claims for property rights and benefits, because a death certificate is required.
Most of the wives of the disappeared come from the marginalized sectors. The disappearance of their male breadwinners further weakens their socio-economic conditions . Given the generally prevailing culture in Asia where men are regarded highly than women, educational opportunities and other capacity building skills are most often elusive to women. Thus, women relatives of the disappeared who have to take on the role of provider face difficulties in employment opportunities especially if they have to compete with men.
The lack of economic sustenance not only affects the well being of the women but also the welfare of the children. Many children of the disappeared could not complete their education and their chances of getting better jobs in the future are also slim, contributing to the cycle of poverty.
Lastly, it is also important for governments, especially agencies focused on the promotion and protection of women’s rights to look into current cultural practices that impinge on the assertion of women’s rights and gender equality. Thousands of women around the world remain in various levels of powerlessness and inequality, making them more vulnerable to gender-based violence.
Indeed, there is greater need for all of us to be one with the call of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-mon “to work together for women’s rights, empowerment and gender equality because equality for women is progress for all.”
Signed and authenticated by:
MUGIYANTO
Chairperson
MARY AILEEN D. BACALSO
Secretary-General