Transcripts For CSPAN Vital 20240706

Please, we know you had a great panel, but this will be another great panel, i promise. [applause] can we get a room quiet please, so we can focus on a very important discussion coming from iran and afghanistan. I am a very proud member of vital voices. I am from iraq. Have the pleasure of being in conversation with amazing women from iran and afghanistan. I will start the one on my left, the iranian american actress and activist sepideh moafi. We are living in an important moment in the womens movement. The agenda of what needs to happen for women in certain countries are being set by the women of the countries, sending the messages to the International Community that we want you to support us. That is the reverse of the agenda that has happened, it has good and bad, that has happened for many years. We are now in a new framework of the womens movement. No better example to talk about this then what we are talking about in todays panel, which is and gender apartheid, a movement and campaign that has been set up by iranian and afghan women, saying that this is how we need to be treated and this is what we need the International Community to do. Before we start, the first question is, can you explain what gender apartheid is . Thank you all for being here today and Holding Space for this urgent conversation about gender apartheid. We are all acutely aware of the fact that sexism and sexual discrimination exists everywhere. It certainly exists here. In the same way as a racism, it exists everywhere. There is a official definition for systemic discrimination called apartheid. That definition because outside countries to isolated the Apartheid Regime which helped the struggle for nonwhite south africans and led to the toppling of the Apartheid Regime. In iran, with the Islamic Republic, and afghanistan with the taliban, these are two extreme governments that systematically oppress women from institutionalized sexism. We are overdue at calling it what it is, gender apartheid. In many ways people get confused and think, is it a cultural or religious thing . These are excuses that to both the taliban and the Islamic Republic rely on. We have seen over the past few decades and the past eight months in iran and afghanistan, women are sacrificing everything to demand their freedom. They are pulling their bodies onto the street demanding a right to education, gender equality, bodily autonomy, our right to their freedoms. They are met with brutal tactics, violence, they are being imprisoned, tortured, raped and killed. It is an insult to dismiss this as a cultural norm. It is an insult to the women and our cultures which are beautiful and rich. The point of this campaign is to enshrine these words, gender apartheid, into international law. This is one way of helping the internal struggle and recognizing, through policy and law, what these women are going through. For decades, they have been gas lit, abandoned by their own governments and the International Community. This is a way of standing in solidarity with a Legal Framework to support it and no longer tolerating a government, organization or person dismissing this systematic oppression based on our notion of culture and religion. [applause] i want to take it to you, talk about culture, the western world looks at the muslim world as one culture, which is not true. The nuances between all the cultures are mixed. Not only to distinguish culture from structural policies, that makes whats happening in afghanistan and iran unique, to have this campaign and gender apartheid. One thing that distinguishes what is happening in iran and afghanistan is the systemic segregation that is not an individual act, it is part of the governing system in those countries. Gender dispelling is is happening everywhere, but it is not part of the government. 45 decrees have been issued by the taliban to limit freedom and basic human rights of women and afghanistan. They are dehumanized, they are not allowed to work, they dont have freedom to move, access to services. The government is not doing anything, activists are detained and tortured, in some cases raped. This is not happening on an individual basis, they are not acts of violence by of by eight by an individual. It is the government. That is why we need to make sure that is different, we need a different response for that. The laws we have do condemn the acts but none of them criminalize it. What we ask is to criminalize what is happening in these countries. I wanted to add. This sort of discrimination and oppression is supported by the Legal Framework in iran and afghanistan. She mentioned examples of laws in afghanistan and iran, there is a did segregation in public spaces, separate classrooms, beaches, women are forced to sit on the back of the bus. These are not just discrimination that you and i might face on the street. These are supported by the law. Both regimes rely on this domination, the establishment and maintaining domination over women in order to stay in power. While in afghanistan, there is a fuller expression or stronger conclusion, the components of subjugation are very much the same in both countries. How did this come about . Its a particular focus and aim to accomplish certain things by 2024, can you speak more to that . The nature of the crimes happening against women and both countries are the same. It isnt it is an institutional and systemic discrimination against women. Women are protesting, demanding justice. We thought it was the right time to ask for it. Some countries including the u. S. , canada, switzerland, have sent inquiries to know how they can engage. Some are reviewing the resolution draft. Hopefully it will become law, if we succeed by 2024. This is the right time, it should be recognized for what it is, much is happening on the ground. There may be some discussion of what is happening, persecution, what we push for peace is a complementary to what they do there. There are certain things about it, different framework of the world. Sanctions, yes. They are based on other things, none of them are discrimination of against women. The basis is not womens rights. Its also coming with a moral responsibility and carries a weight of shame. Other state members cannot act. If gender Apartheid Convention gets approved, it would enable us to keep other countries accountable. So they then have to act, passed resolutions and agree on policies that are in place to act against what is happening. Some countries dont feel responsible. But if this is a law, then everyone is responsible to act. They will have the legal obligation to act within their states. If someone from iran travels to one of those countries, this is what is so amazing, you are tackling it from a legal, strategic perspective. It is not a speech someone is giving. This is a group of womens rights, and human rights, and lawyers coming together and saying, this is how we want to tackle this. Tell us more about how it started. This is a group of dissidents from within these two countries who were taking all of our cues, she has more lived experience than i do. I am on microphone to amplify the demands of what these women are asking for. Their voices have been silenced for too long. Why now, this shouldve happened decades ago, this has been going on for too long. There is a certain bum and tongue we are trying to ride. The connection between the dissidents inside the human rights leaders and the diaspora, lawyers, leaders around the world, has never been stronger. This is a demand coming from inside. The goal is to push governments to expand the legal interpretation of apartheid to include, not only racial hierarchy but gender hierarchy. Beyond the International Legal arena, this is a huge opportunity for us to shift the paradigm with regards to how we relate to these countries, to these regimes, the oppressors, as opposed to the people inside. This is an opportunity to elevate our collective consciousness so that no matter what, anytime the taliban or Islamic Republic is mentioned, their identities are forever wound bound to the words gender apartheid. Words matter, definitions matter. [applause] i am hopeful, everyone is hopeful that we will be able to create a Ripple Effect and create a tsunami of change. Not just iran and afghanistan, but a huge step forward in dismantling the Global Systems of patriarchy. What is so amazing is how strategic women are fighting back. There are stories in the last few years, the evacuation from afghanistan. How do i said, betrayed afghan women . Then we have the historical women led revolution for the first time in modern times, thats women lead the revolution centered around womens rights and everyone else joined up. The momentum for me is significant in these two incidents where women are fighting back from within these countries and they need our support. Can you tell me what is happening since the campaign . Its amazing, it got great momentum and great press. The good thing is there is a lot more discussion. The term is more used more often , hopefully it becomes a more prominent. The attention around it is amazing. Different countries are officially interested in joining. The canadians are showing interest, they are reviewing the resolution draft, hopefully they will sign it. There are many papers coming out, a group of lawyers are working on it to submit the resolution draft. Hopefully it gets voted on. Our friends are working hard to make sure members in Different Countries see the draft resolution. At the same time, a large group of women, who are here, if you go to the website, they have many of them. If there is someone who takes the risk, their name will be there. We made sure that all caution is enacted. Even if you dont see their names, there was a large number of women who have funded and continuously talk about it. Just to add to that, there has been great press for that, the guardian has covered it. Women from Different Countries around the world are showing up in joining. What can every day women and activists do . We are in a shifting stage of the agenda being assented by irani and and afghanistan women. We need the support, there is also fear that it cant be seen as an agenda. How can everyone here and beyond be supportive of that while understanding and respecting the politics . It is pretty clear, these demands are coming from within. They are not saying, we are not asking you to save us, we are asking you to stop saving our oppressors. This is key in moving forward. Every single one of us, using whatever platform we have to bring this issue up. This is a Beautiful Campaign because it is supported with legal it is not just an emotional campaign. This is led by humans human rights lawyers, they are the ones who are charging forward and giving us our marching orders. One thing we can all do today is go to the website andge end genderapartheidtoday. You can read the list of signatories and add your name. This is an effective way of keeping on top of what is happening on this campaign. As simple as this sounds, even doing a Google Search every week on iran and afghanistan, and looking at the latest headlines. Following humans human rights activists, lawyers or groups. My friend runs an iran a rights center, they have been documenting crimes against humanity for decades. Getting involved with organizations that have been doing work for a long time. All the information you need is on the website, endgender apartheid. Today. The momentum is only there because we keep it visible, we continue to amplify. This has been happening, these uprisings, i will speak for iran, this has been happening for decades. The first uprising came days after home any took power, he pushed the hijab mandatory in the workplace. It was on International Womens day that more than 10,000 women stormed the streets and demanded , marched for bodily autonomy. In 1999, in 2009, in 2019. What we see here today is the First Movement in iran work women are openly at the forefront of what many people are calling a women led revolution. In the past, women, and any circumstance, are told, go to the sidelines, we will get to your issues later. It is the women now who have been teaching the world about the intersectionality of gender equality, the plight of ethnic, religious and sexual groups who are fighting for rights. This is all encapsulated in the slogan which has become a battle cry for this revolution, woman, life, freedom. This is not a matter of what is happening there, this affects all of womanhood. We have seen and felt the rollback of our own rights here. And afghanistan, in iran, these are expressions of the systematic oppression, domination over women. It is up to all of us [applause] take us to the global context. Beside the legal strategy, what are you hoping to achieve for more Immediate International responses . I think what she said, amplifying the voices is really key. One more thing you can do is regulated to an end piece. Because those are the ones that are going to make a decision at the end of it. Gogol global responses just hear from the woman in afghanistan, they are taking the risks but making sure to be on the streets. The media cannot cover them. They take videos with their phones, whether social media or send messages to us we can put it out there. If they are accepting that level of risk just to voice what they want, its our moral obligation to hear from them. Its not fear that we its not fair that we make a decision for them for what is the reason we believe is right. Whatever decision or Foreign Policy countries have at this time should be Woman Centered because their voices are loud, their demands are very clear, so it is the very first thing that everyone should do is listen to what people are demanding in those countries. If they say this is not our country, if they say we dont accept this law or except the religion or a piece of this religion, we should listen to them because so far, i think for the political interest of many countries, rights and Human Dignity of women in these countries are being sacrificed. We should give them the choice and that only happens if we listen to them. It doesnt take a lot of time. Everything is very clean clear as she just said. They make sure they put it out there even if the media is not covering it. Media is afraid to go to the streets with women, but they are taking the risk in going there. So, globally, its the right time that the world listen to women in iran. I have to say, as a woman who is from the region, i think the most dangerous thing is that the western world lifts its hand and says, this is too complicated, we do not understand the muslim countries. I here in politician statements in america and otherwise, i hear it in everyday statements, please muslims. I think what we need is courage to show up and to support women from the region and from these particular two countries are saying, and this could be a game changer if we actually pass a law on ending gender apartheid. It has economic consequences, political consequences, so, dont be shy. This is not the time to be afraid of how do we support. The second is, and i am speaking to the choir and here, i i am a believer of the heart of the heart and women uniting and getting the job done. I have seen it over and over and over again. All the women organizations. But particularly, i have to give credits are also mobilizing so much in so many examples. So this is the time, we are asking everyone to join, find, call, do everything and educate. We are being educated or what it means to be a woman from the region, this is not our culture, this is not our religion either. These are very particular interpretations at these cultural circumstances are set and defined by men. Culture is elastic, culture evolves and grows, so yes, all of our cultures might not be similar or the same, but we have to listen to the people who are determining what the cultural norms norms are. They are men telling us that women want to be oppressed. And in all of our bodies i dont think that feels right. So as a mentor of mine said, we cannot tolerate for them what we would not tolerate for ourselves. Any last word on whats at risk if this doesnt pass . If gender apartheid becomes normalized. . Metra the dehumanization of women in this country. If you think it cannot get worse, than you are wrong. It can get worse, having millions of women in those country leave without Human Dignity and allowing extremists with their own regimes to dehumanize women. I think thats the word i want to say or that i want to find, the gender apartheid campaign. I believe we can do it, with your leadership and your support, i believe we are committed and with everyone support in pushing from the front or the back, it doesnt matter how we push. And before we end, i want to bring in three amazing guests. I hope, im so sorry, i apologize, im from the region and im not saying get correctly. They painted a mural and just finished the mural, and afghan artist to recently came from afghanistan from the organization and they unfortunately had to evacuate but the organization has been established since 2014, and they just did this mural for afghan and iranian women, thank you so much. Thank you and bless you for this. And the artist is the most important frontier, to keep the story going in so many ways, my mom used to say, when the artist dies, all else dies, but i see that you are alive and alive and i believe we are all part of the one. When one of us is harmed, we are oral harmed and when one of us is helped we create the path. Thank you for creating that path for all of us and thank you for this amazing work and thank you for your amazing work, thank you so so much. [applause] bravo, bravo. Hi, everyone. We still have another panel discussion, so thank you for sticking with us. You will turn and talk about the ongoing crisis in sudan. For a brief update on whats happening, please welcome the Vice President of Global Networks at regional engagement in vital voices. [applause] good afternoon, everyone. Im so honored to be joined by human rights defenders and longstanding Vital Voices Network member. They are the director of student needs, womens rights action, a network of local sudanese women rights defenders and activists. She has been a long term partner of vital voices through a collaboration that weve had with the global funds for women at the state department. Thank you so much for being with us. Im really eager, and i think the whole audience is really eager to get your perspective on the events that are unfolding in sudan. But i first want to share just a very brief bit of background for those who arent as familiar with the situation. Just about three weeks ago a rivalry between two top military and paramilitary generals erupted into warfare. More than 500 people have already been killed, tens of thousands have been injured, and forcibly displaced, chaos has erected in the city, ceasefires have been broken. The city has water and electricity shortages, limited food and fuel, majority of the hospitals are closed, and this current crisis, which is increasingly being called a civil war, comes forward years after the authoritarian regime. Women leaders, such as were instrumental in that 2019 Popular Movement that led to the removal and have long championed efforts for democracy and to establish a civilian government. In fact, its often been called the womens revolution. We look at the news and we dont hear anything about whats happening, anything about the role that women have been playing. So today, we are going to hear about the situation. First id like to start off, if you could share with us a little bit of background on whats happening currently on the ground in sudan. Thank you for vital voices for having me here today. Sudan is a country that has been living under an instability for over the last 50 years. But in the last five years, in 2019 there was a revolution that ousted a 30 year ujima of militarization and islamist. Women were definitely the front liners who were defending democracy in sudan. They were defending democracy because they were the first victim of the former regime. Every woman who took the streets in 2019 was feeling that this is her personal goal because women were not able to wear trousers on the street, were not able to work, play fight, we had our own version of taliban, basically, in sudan for 30 years. In 2019, sudanese women, 70 of protesters said they were women. In 2019, after protests killed hundreds of people, rape of over 300 women while protesting, we have succeeded in creating a transitional democratic government and we were very hopeful that this will go on, and we are rebuilding our country again. I am what of the people who took my organization to work in sudan between 2020 until 2021. But in october of 2021 we had been hit by a military coup that ended and shattered most of our dreams of democracy. The sudanese women did not stop protesting, we had been always the first to alarm the whole world about the ambition of the military to take over power. We have issued a statement, protested inside sudan, outside sudan saying that our democracy is at risk, which is equal that womens right in sudan is at risk. In sudan, as women, we do believe that militarization is the biggest enemy of our freedom. In the biggest enemy of our rights as women. And, actually, everything we have ever said was just proven to be true day after day. In october 2021 after the coup, women started to go out into the streets again. Women have been in protest for the last year. Sudanese women were protesting weekly everywhere in sudan. Everywhere in sudan, we have over 20 women who have been killed, we have dozens of women who have been injured in the last couple of years, just defending democracy and wanting the ending of militarization. As was said, we woke up, i think it was 10 00 in the morning, and unfortunately, people were starting their days normally. There were children in school, people are at their work and boom, the explosion. The first week of the war we had 250 children trapped in school for five days without food, without water, and the shelling was just over their heads and no one was able to evacuate not the red cross, no one. We are right now, for the last week, facing one of the most vicious wars in our time. In urban war where civilians are trapped in being used as human shields by both parties. In women are the first victims of this war right now. Politically, what i can say right now is that both parties, which is the sudanese military, and the Rapid Support for the militia that was created by the former regime, which were formally known as and has a very bad record of violations against women, they committed mass rape and they are the worst fear for any woman in sudan. And right now, the ironic thing is that they are selling themselves as protectors of democracy. This is what their leader is saying on tv shows. That im the protector of democracy, why we are receiving reports every day of women being raped inside certain areas. So i think thats whats happening in sudan, unfortunately is and we are at risk for the 45 Million People of sudan, they are going to be living in a deadly situation where there is no government. We dont have any services that are working at the moment. Nothing is working, no electricity, my family, i was just talking to my sister in law in sudan, she was saying that we do not have Running Water for the last 20 days. One of my colleagues was saying that my biggest dream right now is just to have a shower. Just a horrible, horrible situation. Im so sorry that you are having to go through this right now, and that the people of sudan are experiencing this. Going back to the revolution in the uprising, would you say that , in the current context, women are being particularly targeted . Yes, definitely. Unfortunately, just one week after the war, the prison where all of the former regime leaders, including the former president was broken into and all of them had escaped. They win out and started threatening all of the leaders of the revolution again. So there is preparation for retaliation contained for the democracy, supporters and protesters, leaders, and thats including lots of Women Leaders who are at serious risk. So many women activists women, human rights defenders have been receiving threats recently. So the situation for women is actually doubled as they are facing sexual genderbased violence, threats or against their actions. They are targeted because they are women. I think this is an unprecedented crisis for sudanese women that we are facing right now. A militarized state is the worst thing that could happen to a Woman Movement. A Woman Movement that was driving and fighting for democracy. That was actually making progress. In the one and a half years of democracy we have been able to start to achieve lots of progress in achieving women rights. We started to make sure that we have 45 of political participation, we started the building process of peace where women are participating inside in negotiation table, which is something that is very rare in our continent, so there was a lot of progress, legal reform that is limiting guardianship on women for example, giving lots of more freedom for women to live their life freely as wives and daughters. So they would like lots of progress that we have lost and that is really showing anything that we have done in less than two years. When we look at it, we really feel bad because the time that we are wasting in the last 15, 16 months with fighting the military, that has created lots of progress in Women Movements and womens rights. Thats why im saying that militarized station is the most vicious enemy for womens movements. Thank you so much, i really wish we had more time, but i want to kind of in the conversation with the one final question, really. This conflict is not getting enough media attention. Can you underscore talk to us a little bit about why this conflict is so important for the region and in the world and what would you like the audience to keep in mind . What would you like the audience to leave the room with . The first thing i want to say is that your role here, everyone here in this room is to amplify voices as women, and i hope that what im saying right now is going to get more heard by your person or your connections because we women are the highest voice calling for peace for what we are living in. Men are just wrapping up their arms and trying to extend the fighting. So we are really alone and we really need the authorities of Feminists Movement and Women Movement around the globe to support sudanese women in every way so that they can be able to stand in sudan, and protect their dreams of democracy, and call for peace. The other thing that we really need at this moment is to push all of the International Actors to push the fighting part inside sedan, to sit down into the table and make a commitment for a commitment for cease fire and humanitarian corridors that can actually save life urgently. The International Community needs to take action in terms of providing humanitarian aid. Unfortunately even before the war we had 15 million sudanese who were in huge need of humanitarian support. And now 45 million. So the world really needs to take action now before we are facing a famine in sudan because of this war as well. The last thing that i really want to say is that in conditions like whats happening in sudan, i think you and the west, in United States and western, when you choose your leadership wisely, you contribute into the protection of romans rights, of democracies and other parts of the world, so please take your actions, use your leaders wisely. So women and their rights and their freedoms can be protected within their context also. So, please take action that makes your decisionmaker more aware of whats happening there because this is one of the key issues that is really making it or breaking it and really makes a difference in countries like sudan. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. [applause] this is not the end of the conversation, we are actually going to have a longer conversation tomorrow, day two, on women in crisis and there will be an opportunity to share more of her thoughts. Please check out our website, we have a crisis on whats happening in the situation of sudan, how you can support, how we can amplify their voices. Just being here and remind us how important this network of women really is. We all have to stand together to support one another, whether we are from iran, afghanistan, ukraine, sedan, we are here to support one another. [applause] [applause] early saturday morning, the coronation of king charles the third will take place. He became a king in the United Kingdom following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth the second, the uks longest reigning monarch. Cspan1 air the bbcs coverage of the coronation in its entirety at 4 00 p. M. Eastern with the royal procession from Westminster Abbey to the official crowning of the new king. The coronation of king charles the third, saturday at 4 00 p. M. Eastern on cspan or online at cspan. Org. Next week on the cspan networks. The house and senate are in. The house considers the republican Border Security bill while the Senate Continues working on president bidens executive nominations. On tuesday, bipartisan leaders strip from the house and senate will meet to discuss the debt limit deadline. Wednesday, the Senate Health committee holds a hearing with executives from pharmaceutical companies are lowering the price of insulin. Fbi director Christopher Wray and dea administrator testified before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on their departments 2024 budget. Watch next week live on the cspan now,