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Women's Program 1998-1999
Program Coordinator: Gulnara Mamedova
Developed through a broad participatory process, the Women's Program promotes the advancement of women's rights in Azerbaijan. The program areas of concern include human rights, education, trafficking of women, violence against women, and gender integration. The purpose of the Women's Program of the Soros Network is to promote the advancement of women's human rights, equality and empowerment as an integral part of the process of democratization. The program serves as a resource, partner and consultant body for OSI-Azerbaijan.
Mission:
The program encourages, promotes, and initiates gender-inclusive projects that seek to:
- Give new and wide opportunities to Azeri women to achieve internationally recognized standards in all spheres of life
- Promote the advancement of women's human rights, equality and empowerment as an integral part of the process of democratization.
Women and Education
According to the Constitution of the Azerbaijan Republic, women have equal rights to education with men. These rights are even confirmed by the Law on Education, however, the literacy rate amongst women is steadily declining indicating reduced access to education for women.
Initiatives:
Full access for women and girls to all available educational opportunities now and in the future
Gender-sensitive and equitable policies and practice at all levels of education-among staff and administrators, and its curriculum
Gender Integration
Gender Integration in the National Foundation context calls for an ongoing process of increasing gender awareness among the foundation' staff, boards, grantees and collaborators. There is a necessity in Azerbaijan to design specific gender integration strategies relevant for our organizational, cultural and programmatic needs.
Initiatives:
The main initiative of the Gender Integration program is to work in collaboration with the Network Library Program to provide comprehensive sets of classic and advanced books on women's rights. Libraries have been placed in the OSI Education and Information Centers in Baku and regions.
Women's Participation in Public Life
In Azerbaijan, the decision making power is one of the most male dominated aspects of life. Elections testify to the negative dynamics of the present situation as they represent biased, unfair practices. Intensive development of the legislative basis of women's equality on the one hand, and their subordinate position in real life on the other, creates a false impression of their well being. The goal of this program is to redefine national, regional, and global politics so that it becomes inclusive, participatory, transparent and fully respectful of women's human rights.
Initiatives:
Coordinate a series of Human Rights Advanced Leadership training seminars for Women.
Translation, publication and distribution of "Women's Human Rights Step by Step" : A Practical Guide to Using Human Rights Law as a Mechanism to Defend Women's Human Rights
Support pilot projects created by participants (or trainers) of the Human Rights Leadership Training for Women: a small grant follow-up program to support the international human rights advocacy strategies at the local, national, regional and international levels.
Information, Documentation and Media
The program promotes information exchange, documentation of women's issues and activities, and widespread distribution of women's rights information. In addition, it aims to build and sustain local, national, regional, and international women's NGO communities.
Initiatives:
To create a WEB-page for Azeri women providing all women's related rights issues
To provide and distribute the OSI Network Women's Program Newsletter and Women's Web-site information
Women's Health
Health is universally valued, and women's health assumes ever-greater importance in the context of society's appreciation for its future. However, within the hierarchy of Azerbaijan's national values, health does not occupy a high place. Radical changes in economic and social spheres in the country and the military conflict have seriously affected the health of citizens. The right of citizens in Azerbaijan to lead healthy lives regardless of sex, which was guaranteed by the Constitution, cannot be realized fully.
The program develops prevention programs that both hold the government and medical systems responsible for providing appropriate care for women's unique health issues.
Initiatives:
To educate women about women's health, reproductive and sexual rights
To empower women to take charge of their own bodies and health
To provide the necessary data to work out the national program of activities.
- 1998 Program Expenses: USD 61,813
- 1999 Program Expenses: USD 111,366
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