“Tomorrow is another day, Guatemala” - “Mañana sera otro día, Guatemala”: The pursuit of Women Empowerment in Guatemala: a bottom-up perspective
Author
Schepers, Stefania
Term
4. term
Publication year
2015
Submitted on
2015-05-28
Pages
82
Abstract
Guatemala er rigt på natur og kultur, men præget af omfattende fattigdom, der har rødder i landets historiske, sociale, politiske og økonomiske strukturer. For at fremme menneskelig udvikling må fattigdom forstås bredt. Med udgangspunkt i økonom Amartya Sens tilgang ses fattigdom som fratagelse af grundlæggende handlemuligheder (capabilities) – ikke blot lave indkomster. Udvikling handler derfor om at udvide menneskers valg, friheder og muligheder, så de kan leve et langt og sundt liv, få adgang til viden, opnå en anstændig levestandard og deltage i fællesskabet. Dette speciale anvender Sens perspektiv på en specifik og kompleks form for fattigdom, som rammer oprindelige kvinder i Guatemalas landdistrikter: fratagelsen af grundlæggende rettigheder til frihed, uddannelse, et liv uden vold samt social, politisk og økonomisk deltagelse. En delegation fra Nobel Women’s Initiative, støttet af den guatemalanske menneskerettighedsforkæmper Rigoberta Menchú Tum, udtrykte i 2012 alvorlig bekymring over kønsbaseret vold og overtrædelser af kvinders rettigheder i landet. Bekymringen byggede på en dybdegående undersøgelse af landets samfunds- og magtstrukturer, herunder et åbent transnationalt møde med den daværende præsident, regeringsrepræsentanter, NGO’er og guatemalanske kvinder. På trods af Guatemalas ratifikation af centrale internationale aftaler – herunder FN’s Verdenserklæring om Menneskerettigheder (UDHR), FN’s Kvindekonvention (CEDAW) og Beijing-handlingsplanen – vurderer internationale rapporter, at implementeringen og beskyttelsen af kvinders rettigheder er uacceptabelt lav. Med afsæt i litteraturstudier og Nobel Women’s Initiative’s arbejde gennemfører specialet casestudier af lokalt forankrede (bottom-up) non-profit initiativer for kvinders udvikling. Det undersøger deres strategier, hindringer og nuværende såvel som mulige resultater for at vurdere status for civilsamfundsdrevet udviklingsarbejde i Guatemala i relation til kvinders menneskerettigheder.
Guatemala is rich in nature and culture, yet faces widespread poverty rooted in its historical, social, political, and economic structures. To promote human development, poverty must be understood in broad terms. Following economist Amartya Sen’s approach, poverty is seen as the deprivation of basic capabilities—not just low income. Development therefore means expanding people’s choices, freedoms, and opportunities so they can live long and healthy lives, access knowledge, achieve a decent standard of living, and participate in community life. This thesis applies Sen’s perspective to a specific and complex form of poverty affecting indigenous women in rural Guatemala: the denial of fundamental rights to freedom, education, lives free from violence, and social, political, and economic participation. In 2012, a delegation from the Nobel Women’s Initiative, supported by Guatemalan human rights defender Rigoberta Menchú Tum, expressed serious concern about gender-based violence and violations of women’s rights in the country. This concern stemmed from an in-depth inquiry into Guatemala’s sociopolitical structures, including a transnational open meeting with the then president, government representatives, NGOs, and Guatemalan women. Despite Guatemala’s ratification of key international agreements—the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the Beijing Platform for Action—international reports assess implementation and protection of women’s rights as intolerably low. Building on a literature review and the Nobel Women’s Initiative’s work, the thesis conducts case studies of community-led (bottom-up) non-profit initiatives for women’s development. It examines their strategies, obstacles, and current and potential outcomes to assess the state of civil-society-led development in Guatemala in relation to women’s human rights.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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