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Hard-Headed Practicality at the Brisbane Social Forum's Human Rights Seminar

NOTE: This is comment, not straight instance, the Convention on Elimination
reporting. I am trying to faithfully of All Forms of Discrimination against
report the ideas and attitudes of each Women (CEDAW) (now there's a catchy name)
speaker, but I have chosen many terms provides the only legal basis for
because they made better reading. Australian human rights law entering the
Especially please do not assume that any 'private' areas of the market and the
speaker has seen, or approves of, this home.The CEDAW committee at the UN is
report, or what I have said about them or looking closely and radically at women's
their ideas.The Brisbane Social Forum productive and reproductive labour at the
2006 was better than last year's, which moment. Lambert's work in New York was
was also good.While there are some about pushing this further, and
on-going faults that should be looked at, especially encouraging the UN to not look
I heard a lot of people who stood out just at the written law, but the
because they were NOT just there to practical, day-to-day effects of policy.
parrot the same old conservative-left* To take an extreme example, a woman's
line.The Saturday morning session I right to vote is meaningless if no girls
attended was about human rights. I was ever go to school.A woman who works at a
skeptical, because I am not going to give shelter for female victims of violence
my energy to help to pass a law that I raised the same point that had been in my
think will have little or no effect. But head - can words, laws and documents
the people who spoke, even the one who really protect people? Kilroy replied
had spent a lot of time with the UN human that it was just one more way to get
rights process, all seemed to not be abuse noticed, and solve a few real
fooled by the idea that just passing a problems for people.Pate said that
new law will solve any real problems.The sometimes you have to prove you have
first speaker was Kim Pate, from the exhausted the legal solutions before
Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry moving onto direct action - and made the
Societies, who spoke mainly about the crucial point that people on the ground
20th anniversary of equality provisions need to know that someone is fighting for
in the Canadian Human Rights Charter. them. She went on to describe the work
Many, she said, were not being protected her group is doing to teach female
by this law, even though the law says prisoners to be advocates for other
they are protected. She was skeptical of prisoners.Lambert explained that while
courts - she thought that 'half the time' she sees the work with the UN as
they are not the place to argue (for a important, the most important thing is
start, lawyers are expensive, and they building a culture that produces
don't like informed clients) - but still, 'rights-claiming individuals', instead of
they are often the only place to get even human rights being something that
half a chance at justice for the female activists 'do' to victims of abuse.After
prisoners she works for.And she spoke this discussion, the final programmed
very tellingly of the reaction from those speaker, Serina McDuff spoke briefly, but
prisoners when she suggested that court time was running out. I only have brief
challenges and so on were not the right notes on two comments that she made:
way to go - THEY insisted that she carry She'd like to see an expansive Bill of
on with her legal work. Obviously the Rights/Human Rights Act in place now, and
women she works for thinks it's that the Government is very good at using
useful.Pate also spoke about pushing Human Rights law to SAY it is doing good
academics to do the sort of research that things, without actually doing them. That
the powerless need, and about forming was a pity, because her resume sounds
links with other organisations for interesting:"Serina McDuff is currently
nation-wide campaigns.Next to speak was the Executive Director of the YWCA of
Deb Kilroy of Sisters Inside.She talked Brisbane and is the youngest woman to
about a government report on systematic lead the organisation. Since she began 18
discrimination against women prisoners in months ago Serina has repositioned the Y
Queensland that her organisation had to in Brisbane to advocate and respond to
push hard for - in fact the Queensland women's issues...Serina's activism is
Anti-Discrimination Commission's first centred on ensuring women's and young'
reaction was to deny that there was any people's rights are on the agenda for
systematic discrimination. The report action, and advocating for systemic
finally got done, but the government has change."Well, time for lunch. The Student
disowned it. Sisters Inside is trying to Union's pizza cafe was open, so I had a
get female prisoners to lodge formal double-garlic, cheese, cheese, cheese,
complaints about their treatment - but cheese (mozzarella) and cheese (fetta)
the fear of retaliation is a big rock in pizza, washed down with a small bottle of
their way.Kilroy was keen to see a Human Beez Neez honey beer. Damn, we activists
Rights Act passed here in Australia, not do it tough.Next in this series: The
because it will end any battles at all, media workshop after lunch, crammed with
but because it will give people like her useful how-to
one more tool to use when pushing for the information.*"Conservative-left" = a term
rights of female prisoners. She was quite I am using to describe those who are
prepared to wait for the right sort of thought of as 'radical' by the average
law though. Apparently there is a feeling person. That is to say, 'Resistance' in
among many who want a Bill of Rights, Australia, the Socialist Workers Party in
that 'if we just pass any law we can even the UK, most 'anti-globalists', and so
if it is not very good, we can amend it on.I think these people are conservative
later'. Kilroy disagrees - if the because their angry speeches are usually
government will not do the right thing about being 'anti' this or 'anti' that,
now, why would they do it in the and they personalise their opposition to
future?The third speaker, Lillian Holt, a the system (They blame 'Howard', 'Bush',
vice-chancellor's fellow at the or whoever, instead of talking about what
University of Melbourne, said much that I the ruling class is doing. They also
don't agree with, and also said many often talk as the ruling class as a
things that made me think that she is conspiracy (which it is not)). There also
very good at shocking people out of old, appears to be an undying hatred of the
boring ways of thinking. She is USA, which means they fail to understand
Aboriginal, and my favourite thing that its motives, and a rejection of modern
she said was that over 30 years, the society.This sort of thing encourages
'empty rhetoric' of 'motherhood people to believe that the system cannot
statements' about self-determination had be changed at all.Radical-left thought,
turned into 'motherf****r' the opposite of conservative-left
statements.Holt went on to make the point thought, encourages people to study the
that the rhetoric of tolerance is not world as it really is, coolly and
about changing society, it is about clearly, and asks people to think about
getting the victims of discrimination to how they would solve the problems of
accept the society that has victimised taking over and then running society. The
them. She is also against political revolution will be the easy bit - after
correctness - she wants to know if she is that we actually have to run
dealing with a racist, instead of having things!Radical-left thought talks about
to guess. (And she said she may even get the ruling class as it is, not as some
on well with the racist, once they get conspiracy that plans attacks on its own
over that hurdle).Next up was Caroline cities.Radical-left thought is proud of
Lambert of the Women's Rights Action this modern world that workers have built
Network of Australia (WRANA).She spoke with their own hands and skill and power.
about how she had lobbied the UN's human We are not going to destroy it, we are
rights officials, and while she is going to take it over and make it better.
brutally aware of the limitations of the And it is now better than it has ever
system, still thinks that at least some been before.
work needs to be done there. For




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