newsLETTER75-Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights
Pınar Ilkkaracan
April 2002

Only two weeks after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, nineteen women, academics, representatives of womens NGOs and international organizations from the Middle East and the Mediterranean came together in Istanbul between September 27 and 30, 2001, to discuss pivotal womens human rights related to sexuality, sexual rights, power and gender roles in the region. The women attending the conference were from Algeria, Egypt, France, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and Yemen. The meeting was organized by a feminist NGO based in Turkey, Women for Womens Human Rights (WWHR) NEW WAYS.

The conference, which was a first in the region, had been in works for more than a year. We, as the members of the WWHR NEW WAYS, had worked very hard to make it possible. We were very well aware that the instability, the political tensions and the on-going military and political conflicts in the region constituted a constant obstacle and threat to the realization of such a conference, as it has been the case in the past decades and as we personally experienced in 2000 as we first tried to convene such a meeting. Yet, we were determined to overcome them, as we believed that issues related to sexuality are pivotal to gender roles and power in the region. Sexuality is not only at the root of many practices which constitute wide-spread violations of human rights of women, but also "central to social and political struggles and solutions in the region," as our dear friend Evelyne Accad had analyzed a decade ago in her book Sexuality and War: Literary Masks of the Middle East. Although we were very afraid of a new upheaval in regional conflicts, which could force us to postpone the meeting, little had we anticipated that a world crisis would break down which created utmost feelings of threat and insecurity in the regionjust two weeks before the conference!

Living in Turkey, a country which has suffered a lot under armed conflict, political instability and insecurity, military power, and terror for decades, all vigorously reinforcing the so-called "masculine" values in the society and creating an atmosphere where womens issues and demands are put at the bottom of the agenda, we knew by personal experience how womens issues and especially issues around womens sexuality fall victim in such a political climate. With that experience, we were afraid that the political implications of the September 11th would also once more mean that our efforts "to claim our rights over our sexuality" had to be postponed once more! One after another we were receiving the news that several international conferences were being postponed due to the "recent political developments" and "security concerns." People were afraid of an imminent military escalation as well as a US military attack in the region. Although as "organizers" we were carrying the main responsibility, we decided that we should decide all together if we should hold the meeting or not despite the imminent threats to the security of all participants in their travel to/from and their stay in Turkey. The answers we got were overwhelming! Although we had expressed that unfortunately we could not take over the responsibility for the security of the participants, all of them, except for one, expressed their strong wish and belief that the meeting should not be delayed and they would be most willing to attend it despite the present atmosphere of threat and insecurity, in their words, "as we need the solidarity more than ever" and "we can't let fear permeate our lives."

Why a regional meeting?
There is no question that the control of womens bodies and sexuality as a powerful tool of patriarchy remains a universal phenomenon and a most difficult and important area of resistance and activism for women all around the globe, transcending national borders as well as realor constructednorth/south or east/west dichotomies. Several forces on local, national or international levels are at work and eager to join forces to create powerful and complex mechanisms that prevent us to exercise our rights over bodily integrity and sexual pleasure as well as to silence women openly seeking these rights: The state; political parties; religious institutions; the educational system; the legal and criminal law systems; the community; and the family, just to name a few, and the list goes on and on!

The recent UN conferences, such as the ICPD in 1994, the Beijing World Conference on Women in 1995 and the "Beijing Plus Five" progress review in 2000, which became the arena of vigorous debates on sexual and reproductive rights of women demonstrated the zeal of the dominant male politics all over the world to prevent women in exercising their rights over their bodies and sexualities and how quick and effective they are to join their powers in such an endeavor. With this in mind, we decided to organize a regional meeting aiming to bring together womens NGOs, academics and international organizations working on issues related to women and sexuality to facilitate action and effective networking.

Highlights from the Conference
The past two centuries witnessed drastic political, economic and social changes in the Middle East and the Mediterranean region, including the rise of a feminist consciousness and increasing participation of women in political movements and debates. Yet, despite modern legal and economic reforms in the position of women and the growing impact of feminist movements which accompanied the foundation of nation-states, collective mechanisms aiming at control of womens body and sexuality continue to be one of the most powerful tools of patriarchy in the region.

Issues related to sexuality, gender roles and power are at the root of many practices, which constitute wide-spread violations of human rights of women. Practices and attitudes related to womens sexuality such as honor crimes, sexual coercion and violence, marital rape, sexual harassment, restrictions on womens mobility, seclusion, forced/early marriages, "imposed" dress codes or virginity tests continue to exist in our societies despite the increasing advocacy efforts of womens activists and NGOs.In the last decades, since the World War II, several factors have contributed to the creation of a rather difficult and unfavorable atmosphere regarding the extension of liberal reforms in the Middle East and Maghreb, which have also encouraged the growth of religious right-wing movements in the region. For example, the failure of attempted social and economic reforms resulted in an increasing gap between the Westernized elite and the majority, leading to a disillusionment with Westernized rulers. The widening gap of economical and political power between the Muslim societies and the West, urbanization, migration and increasing poverty contributed to the creation of an atmosphere where religious right-wing movements were able to get the support of the masses. The foundation of Israel and the resulting occupations and war contributed to an ever-increasing hostile atmosphere against the West and facilitated the construction of the West and its perceived culture as an "enemy."

The religious and nationalist fundamentalists make utmost use of this perceived threat against Muslim identity by constructing a Muslim or national female identity, as a last sphere of control against the West. Thus, pressure on women to become bearers of constructed group identities and the control of womens sexuality are currently at the heart of many fundamentalist agendas. Yet, as several participants of the meeting have pointed out, the violent imposition of such practices is presenting a contradictory picture to the changing social values and morale regarding sexuality in the region. For example, although virginity continues to be highly valued in many countries, there is evidence, for example from Morocco, Tunis, Lebanon and Turkey that pre-marital sex is increasingly experienced among young people. Female genital mutilation is meanwhile outlawed in many countries as a result of advocacy led by womens groups. There is an increasing activism against honor crimes, for example in Palestine, Jordan, Pakistan, and Turkey. A popular Friday night television programme in Lebanon, titled Al Shater Yahki, topped the ratings with its live debates on sexuality, with issues ranging from masturbation to incest to homosexuality.

Issues of common concern and collaboration were identified as links between sexuality and the politics of power, virginity, laws and sexuality, sexual harassment, violence against women, honor crimes, female genital mutilation, freedom of mobility, reproductive and sexual health and human rights, desire and pleasure and political movements and sexuality.

Besides the commonalities, the meeting also portrayed the extent of differences between the countries, especially in terms of the impact of the political climate on creating a favorable or discouraging atmosphere for activism around womens sexual rights. For example, while in Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunis and Turkey there has already been a lot of activism around issues related to bodily rights and womens sexuality, the rise of the fundamentalist movement in Yemen, the autocratic regime in Syria and the ongoing war in Algeria have created a most threatening atmosphere for women to put issues around bodily and sexual rights into the political agenda.

At a press statement which was issued at the end of the meeting in Turkish, Arabic and English, participants called for the recognition of the right of individuals, women and men, to enjoy a sexual life in accordance with their values and with respect for others and stated that "this does not only entail the right to determine ones sexual behavior, but also the right to seek sexual pleasure."

The meeting showed that there is a big need for exchange of information, a common attempt to deconstruct fundamentalist notions of female sexuality and the development of networks and alliances for common strategies and action among women in the region. The meeting created a strong network of solidarity and strong bonds among the participants. An electronic listserv was set up, providing a platform for exchange of information on research, action and news. Several common projects are already in planning: A publication on current issues and debates on sexuality, a regional meeting on deconstruction of femininity and masculinity, which will probably be held in Lebanon and a training on sexuality counseling for reproductive health professionals in Pakistan.