Dharamsala, August 7 – As Dr. B. Tsering was on her way to New York to represent Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA), at the UN Conference on Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), due to start from today; phayul.com’s Correspondent, Phurbu Thinley interviewed her on 1st August on the subject and other wide ranging issues related to Tibetan women both inside Tibet and in exile.
Mrs. B. Tsering is presently serving her second consecutive term since she was first elected in 2002 as the President of TWA, headquartered in Dharamsala, India. Formerly a teacher of Tibetan Children’s Village for 20 years, Mrs. B. Tsering has a Doctorate’s degree from the University of Virginia, US.
Today, with over 13,000 members and 47 branches worldwide, TWA is one of the most prominent Tibetan non-governmental organizations committed to the Tibetan struggle for freedom and the only Tibetan organization dedicated to the issues of Tibetan women in exile.
Can you please outline the details of the forthcoming Conference on CEDAW and TWA’s program during the conference?
UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly and is often described as an international bill of rights for women. It is one of the series of conventions on weak and vulnerable groups concluded under the auspices of United Nations to protect the rights of women. The Convention came into force in 1981.
Consisting of a Preamble and 30 Articles, it defines what constitute discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.
To date, the convention has 183 States parties and, China signed it in 1980. China is presenting its periodic report on the 10th of August to the CEDAW.
The 36th Session of CEDAW will be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 7th to 25th of August.
How did the opportunity to participate in the Conference come about for TWA and what is the scope of your participation in the said conference?
TWA knew the fact that China will be presenting its 5th and 6th periodic report to the CEDAW this year at the 36th Session. Accordingly TWA updated its Alternative Report on the Status of Tibetan women in Tibet and had submitted to the CEDAW members well in advance so that they will have a chance to look at it before they actually come to the conference.
TWA made contacts with the International Women’s Rights Action Watch (IWRAW) Asia Pacific and through them we submitted our report.
I have been told that TWA is going to submit a comprehensive report on the Status of Tibetan Women in Tibet. What are the main concerns raised in the report?
The Alternative Report of TWA’s main concerns are Discrimination against Tibetan Women in general Human Rights, in Education, in Health, and Employment in Tibet. Under the above headings, we have sub-headings that cover issues such as rise in prostitution, religious persecution and lack of reproductive rights.
TCHRD no longer comes out with speculations about Tibetan women specifically denied of their rights and freedoms inside Tibet. Are there still incidences of gender specific violence and other forms of discriminatory policies being implemented in Tibet under the Communist Chinese administration where Tibetan women are specifically targeted and are facing oppression and denial of basic rights?
It has become very challenging for Tibetan NGOs to bring out reports on violation of Human Rights lately with China becoming very sophisticated in its policies. However, reports of poor Human Rights records in China are highlighted by many human rights watch groups. Special Rapporteur on Torture and Violence against Women has, time and again, mentioned their observation in Tibet in general. In any country, where the racial discrimination is prevalent, we can be sure that women go through double discrimination that is as race and gender.
We have interviewed new arrivals and have case histories of Tibetan girl children without any kind of basic education and life skills.
In recent times, among other things, the increasing rise in the population of prostitutes in Tibet has been a growing concern. How do you react to this?
TWA reacts to this fact very strongly. Tibet, which was once a land of a people whose main purpose of life is spiritual practices, has now the highest number of brothels in the world! Though it is seen that most of the prostitutes are Chinese, the number of Tibetans are also increasing. This is all due to lack of educational opportunities and life skills among girls mainly from rural areas. In China’s report to the CEDAW, it has mentioned that the Chinese government has come up with strong policies to curb this practice, but in a report in 2005, the flesh trade is in the rise in Tibet and Chinese officials are turning a blind eye to this fact.
Sometime back TWA organised a workshop on Gender Equality in Tibetan society. Was it an attempt to enforce more rights and freedom for Tibetan women within Tibetan society?
This kind of educational programs organized by TWA is an attempt to create awareness in our society, both men and women, the universal rights of women. Our attempt is to create this platform in our society to start talking about these issues without any element of threat or bias. If gender bias is absent in our society that too, our people must understand in order to appreciate it more. If it exists in some areas, we must start talking about it so that we can eliminate them. When we say gender, it means for both men and women, meaning men may be also discriminated in some areas too!! Before we speak against others, we must also look at ourselves.
Within Tibetan Society, do you personally feel Tibetan women are subject to any form of discrimination that deprive them of equally enjoying their rights and freedoms?
In the exiled Tibetan society, if women understand their rights and avail them, there are good opportunities, much better than the women in Tibet.
As the only Tibetan organisation in exile dedicated to women’s issues, does TWA feel there are areas within Tibetan community where in Tibetan women’s role, rights and freedoms need to be more seriously addressed and enforced by our Government in Exile?
TWA feels that Tibetan government can do more.
What is your greatest expectation from attending the Conference?
Having submitted the Alternative Report to the CEDAW members well in advance would have alerted the members to question China regarding the status of Tibetan women in Tibet. I am also taking bonded copies of our report to be given to the members in person and request them to pay attention to our issues. The very presence of a Tibetan woman at the conference will draw attention from many. This I have seen at the UN sessions in the past. I will also be trying to see if I can make an Oral statement like I did during the 61st Session of the Convention on Human Rights in Geneva.
I will be part of a program entitled ‘From Global to Local’, which will train us how to prepare an Alternative Report and present it. This program will be very valuable to us this time and in the future in our effort to reach out to a global audience through multilateral forums such as CEDAW as well.
One message that you would like to give to better empower Tibetan women both in and outside Tibet:
The best investment of any nation is in the Empowerment of women, because society begins from a woman. Gandhi has very rightly said that the standard of a nation can be judged from how it treats its women (something to that effect).
To know more about TWA and for the full copy of TWA’s, “NGO Alternative Report on the Status of Tibetan Women in Tibet”, log on to www.tibetanwomen.org.
