Paragraph 24 for the Beijing Platform for Action, Chapter II: Global Framework
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2018/09/11
24. Religion, spirituality and belief play a central role in the lives of millions of women and men, in the way they live and in the aspirations they have for the future. The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion is inalienable and must be universally enjoyed. This right includes the freedom to have or to adopt the religion or belief of their choice either individually or in community with others, in public or in private, and to manifest their religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching. In order to realize equality, development and peace, there is a need to respect these rights and freedoms fully. Religion, thought, conscience and belief may, and can, contribute to fulfilling women’s and men’s moral, ethical and spiritual needs and to realizing their full potential in society. However, it is acknowledged that any form of extremism may have a negative impact on women and can lead to violence and discrimination.
Beijing Declaration (1995)
Freedom of religion is one of the most cherished and vital rights for so many people around the world. To most of the world, the idea of a transcendent reality means a lot and is believed to be true. The belief systems that amount to total worldviews and suggested practices can comprise the entirety of an individual’s life.
Indeed, this makes the freedom of religion a non-trivial thing. Its associated principle of freedom from religion remains important too. It is in these contexts that we can find the general right for the non-religious or the secular to live their lives without the imposition of religion as well. The benefit to all parties from this right is a sense of respect for the other individual to live their life and believe as they wish, as a fundamental human right.
This, the statements in the first parts of paragraph 24 are true. In fact, they seem unassailable on the issue of the issues of human rights, which means the millions of men and women around the world have the right to believe and live within this belief structure as they deem necessary (full stop).
This incorporates the other freedoms of thought and conscience, in public or private and in community/as an individual. The fundamental right of individuals to enjoy these rights is important, as women, as already with men, should garner more support in their individual rights to believe as they see best for them.
For the forms of ethical, edificative, and spiritual fulfillment desired by many people around the world, these rights are integral to the maintenance of not only women’s rights but human rights in general. Because without the respect for one of the rights for one person while only respecting your own rights. Does this not reject the principle of universality, where everyone can enjoy them?
The ability of free human choices is salient and relevant here because of the specific indications of the rights of persons to believe, think, and worship, or not, as they see best for them. The Beijing Declaration, with an emphasis on the rights of women, is reiterating these fundamental rights. Women have the right to disagree with, for example, religious or belief-based reasons given for the discrimination and violence against women – or in the denial of fundamental human rights.
The forms of extremism around the world, religious or secular, harm women. They cause damage to peaceful discourse, dialogue, and debate necessary for, at a minimum understanding of where other people are coming from. Indeed, the forms of violence against women can come from secular state entities and formal religious organizations bound by purported transcendant law.
The basis for moderating the extremist affects are through conversation and solid measures stated in rights documents about what is and is not a right, and how these rights conflict and balance with one another.
–One can find similar statements in other documents, conventions, declarations and so on, with the subsequent statements of equality or women’s rights:
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the Preamble, Article 16, and Article 25(2).
- Convention Against Discrimination in Education (1960) in Article 1.
- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) in Article 3, Article 7, and Article 13.
- International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966).
- Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979).
- Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984).
- The Declaration on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (1993).
- Beijing Declaration(1995).
- United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000).
- Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (2000).
- The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa or the “Maputo Protocol” (2003).
- Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence or the Istanbul Convention (2011) Article 38 and Article 39.
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