The Virgin Islands National Policy for Gender Equity and Equality
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FIRST submission THEVIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL POLICY FOR GENDER EQUITY AND EQUALITY Prepared for the Government of the Virgin Islands April 2011 Consultants: Institute for Gender and Development Studies University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago Developed by Professor Patricia Mohammed - Lead Consultant Deborah Mc Fee - Researcher Professor Jane Parpart - Professor in Political Science Gaietry Pargass - Attorney at Law 1 | P a g e TABLE OF CONTENTS Message from the Minister ……………(To be inserted in the VI final version) Executive Summary……………………………………………………………. 4 List of Acronyms………………………………………………………………...6 Chapter 1 Principles, Vision and Aims……………………………...7-13 1.1 Guiding Principles 1.2 Vision Statement and Policy Goals 1.3 Key Concepts and Definitions Chapter 2 The Local and International Setting……………………..14-19 2.1 Background 2.2 National Environment and Gender Machinery 2.3 International and Regional Initiatives and Commitments 2.4 Interrelationship of the International, Regional and Local Context Chapter 3 The Policy Formulation Process………………………… 20-23 3.1 Participation and Consultation 3.2 Research Diagram 1 Overlapping levels of Participation and Consultation in the Formulation of the National Gender Policy Diagram 11 The Process of Consultation, Formulation and Presentation of Policy Chapter 4 A Situational Analysis of the Virgin Islands from a Gender Perspective………………………………..24-36 4.1 Demography 4.2 The Economy of VI 4.3 Labour Force Participation 4.4 Education 4.5 Health 4.6 Domestic Violence 4.7 Gender and Leadership in Society 2 | P a g e Chapter 5 The National Policy for Gender Equality and Equity……37-56 Introduction 5.1 Legislation 5.2 Education 5.3 Family life, Sexual relations and Gender Based Violence 5.4 Economic Activity, Agriculture, Employment/Unemployment and Labour Practices 5.5 Health and Medicine 5.6 Gender Ideologies: Religion, Media and Culture 5.7 Gender, Political Participation and Political Decision-Making Chapter 6 Coordination and Implementation of the Gender Policy….57-63 6.1 Major Strategies to be employed 6.3 Penalties for Non-Compliance with CEDAW 6.2 Collaboration, Networking and Foundation for further Policy- making in Gender Chapter 7 Action Plan and Indicator Matrix (Attached as separate document) APPENDICES …………………………………………………………………… 64-69 Appendix 1 Ministry Officials and Technical Support Committee Members Appendix 2 List of Consultations, Meetings and Interviews Appendix 3 Selected List of Reports, Documents and References consulted Appendix 4 Legal Sector Study of the Virgin Islands – prepared by Gaietry Pargass (Attached as separate document) Appendix 5 Capacity building workshops and tools - Manual Prepared by Deborah Mc Fee with Consultant Team (Attached as separate document) Photographs Patricia Mohammed 3 | P a g e EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The human and social development of the citizens of the Virgin Islands (VI) has long been a central pillar of the VI Government. Much has been achieved in terms of development and the VI is one of the most prosperous and peaceful societies in the Caribbean. Yet problems exist and many are gendered. For example, the VI Social Sector Report and Implementation Plan (2010) and the 2008 evaluation of the Millennium Development Goals have identified on-going issues such as the involvement of many young males in crime (particularly the area of drug trafficking), underachievement in schools, domestic violence and child sexual abuse. These issues, which form important challenges to the advancement of the VI society, are experienced differently by males and females throughout the society. In providing a relevant national governance response that takes on board these and other gendered development challenges, increasingly, there is a need to ensure that consideration of the ways in which males and females and different groups of males and females experience and position themselves within the national development process form a pivotal aspect of governance structures. The Virgin Islands possesses no articulated policy that addresses the imbalances or areas of discrimination that exist in gender and related areas, although many of its legislative reforms and initiatives through the Office of Gender Affairs have moved the society to a greater recognition and awareness of key gender issues. The present policy has been developed through a rigorous process of consultation and research and reflect the fundamental areas of development that need to take place during the life of this policy and its implementation which is viewed as a period of five years from the date of its acceptance. This First National Gender Policy for Equity and Equality for the Virgin Islands is conceived as a foundation for anchoring a greater gender sensitivity and understanding of the impact of gender on society, at all levels. It establishes the need for sex disaggregated data gathering and analysis to ensure that programmes and actions are rationally determined and executed on the basis of evidence. It proposes additional legislative reform that builds on the existing legal framework pointing to areas such as labour code oversight and the vulnerability of immigrant populations. It points to the need for legal literacy in an increasingly urbanized and sophisticated population. This document outlines a framework for the Co-ordination and Implementation of the Policy urging that recognition be given to the value of the work of the Office for Gender Affairs in the development process. The Policy presents a full Action Plan and Indicator Matrix outlining actions, expected outcomes and responsible agencies for the deliverables within the time bound period. Seven main sectors are selected for direct policy intervention. These cover broadly the spectrum of social, political and economic sectors that come under the governance system. These are: 1. Legislation 2. Education 3. Family life, Sexual relations and Gender Based Violence 4. Economic Activity, Employment/Unemployment and Labour Practices 5. Health and Medicine 6. Gender Ideologies: Religion, Media and Culture 4 | P a g e 7. Gender, Political Participation and Political Decision-Making. In thirty two (32) policy recommendations laying out the infrastructure for gender interventions, planning and management of change now and in the future, several key areas have been signalled for careful attention, among these the education of young males, the impact of teenage pregnancies on the future of young girls, the attention to difference in male and female health needs and health seeking behaviours and the need for ‘modern’ approaches to changing the discourse and practice of gender equality especially among young people. This work builds on the valuable work already done in the VI on gender based violence and seeks to strengthen and monitor existing protocols, national, regional and international commitments in the area of gender and development. The policy is guided by the philosophy that gender and human rights are indivisible and have the same goal, but that human rights must itself be gendered. It does not advocate for cosmetic change in this or that Ministry or agency or for a numbers game in gender and leadership, but aims for a deeply embedded transformation of ideas and practices that will infuse itself at all levels of the society over time. The policy recognises that due to the relative smallness of the size of the native VI population, the base of existing gender problems are exacerbated by incoming groups on whom labour depends. It proposes a vision and a plan that anticipates the impacts of the present gender disequilibria. If accepted and implemented with sufficient political will and resources, it will move the VI towards a gender just society that may hold itself up as a model to other nations, globally. 5 | P a g e LIST OF ACRONYMS AIDS Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome BDPoA Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action VI Virgin Islands VIHSA Virgin Islands Health Services Authority CARICOM Caribbean Community CAREC Caribbean Epidemiology Centre CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women CDB Caribbean Development Bank CPA Country Poverty Assessment CSME CARICOM Single Market and Economy DPU Development of Planning Unit, VI FSN Family Support Network GDP Gross Domestic Product GM Gender Mainstreaming HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus IGDS Institute for Gender and Development Studies ICT Information and Communication Technologies MDG Millennium Development Goal MH&SD Ministry of Health and Social Development, OECS Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States OGA Office of Gender Affairs SIDS Small Island Developing States UK United Kingdom UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNFPA United National Population Fund UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women US United States (of America) USVI United States Virgin Islands UWI University of the West Indies 6 | P a g e CHAPTER 1: Principles, Visions and Aims 7 | P a g e 1.1 Guiding Principles The development of a national policy on gender is in keeping with the strategic objectives of the Government of the Virgin Islands to support and promote the rights and equality of all its citizens regardless of gender. The policy is developed in accordance with The Virgin Islands Constitution Order of 2007 that came into force on 15th June 2007. The Constitution, developed through a consultative process and negotiations with the Foreign Commonwealth Office, focuses on a distinctive identity for the VI and contains