National Symposium on Girls' Development
Dr. Christian Voumard, UNICEF Representative to China, speaks at Opening Session of the National Symposium on Girls' Development, 9 November 2005 Co-sponsored by the All China Women's Federation, DFID and UNICEF, this National Symposium on Girls' Development opened today in Beijing. Dr Christian Voumard spoke of how all three joint sponsors of the Symposium had made great contributions to promoting the rights and interest of the girl child. and he looked forward to what the Symposium would be reporting on improvements in the status of girls since the last such Symposium in 1999. Dr Voumard told those attending the Opening Session of how UNICEF had been advocating for gender equality since the 1990s and addressing this through the life cycle approach that started from the conception of the girl child. He explained how this issue had been placed top of the agenda for the 4th World Conference on Women in 1995, adding that the Millennium Development Goals had identified gender equality as one of its 8 goals to be achieved by 2015.
Noting that its target for achieving universal access to primary and middle schooling by all girls was to be achieved by 2005, Dr Voumard told of how this global goal had not yet been achieved and even China was still slightly off-track. At the Beijing Plus 10 Conference held this year, Mme Gu Xiulian, Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress had pointed out that “China still faces a rather arduous task in promoting gender equality and achieving common development”. Dr Voumard emphasized that UNICEF firmly believed gender equality in China was essential for safeguarding children's rights to survival, protection, development and participation as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Dr Voumard noted how the the 2001-2005 UNICEF-China Cooperation Cycle had set up a special project called “the Girls Initiative” for implementation by the ACWF. The project had undertaken communication and advocacy initiatives amongst decision-makers and social service delivery personnel to highlight the prevailing patterns of gender socialization and stereotyping within Chinese society. While China had achieved much in the development of law and regulations related to gender equality, Dr Voumard noted some of the challenges that remained. These included the growing male/female sex ratio at birth, which stood at 117 boys for every 100 girls, and the impact of migration on girls where studies had shown more girls are left behind by their parents than boys. Amongst HIV- positive people, Dr Voumard noted, the percentage of women had more than doubled from 15 to 39% between 1998 and 2004. Women were by their nature more at risk to infection from HIV and their perceived low status adversely affected their negotiation skills with regard to condom use. To fully understand the magnitude of such vulnerabilities, Dr Voumard continued, gender disaggregated data was required but not always obtainable, as had been pointed out with regard to China's report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Speaking of gender discriminatory practices both at home and in school, Dr Voumard told of how these were particularly pronounced in the western provinces of China, where they adversely affected girl' education, their thinking and behavior patterns. He noted how less than 50 percent of girls completing primary education, completed secondary education. And the majority of the dropped-out and out-of-school children were also girls,. Dr Voumard next referred to China's Progress Report on the MDGs 2005 released by the MOFA which pointed out that disparities reduction in school attendance and school completion needed greatest attention. The Report, said Voumard, indicated that very few women in China were in decision-making roles. “Gender disparities in role models have a profound impact on girls who grow up with low self-esteem and confidence level, which in turn impacts on their daughters, thus perpetuating the vicious cycle of gender disparities”. He went on to say how that when girls were encouraged and provided with equal opportunities, they performed at higher levels in school than boys , as some studies in eastern China had shown.
Dr Voumard emphasized that achieving the MDG goals and building a harmonious society called for sustained and effective efforts to address the discriminations against girls before and after birth. Gender sensitization needed to be mainstreamed into all sectors to ensure gender parity. In closing, he therefore looked forward to the recommendations of the Seminar which he hoped would lead towards the development and strengthening of policies and enable the development of strategic approaches to address the issue of and equitable and balanced development of girls in all regions of China.
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