Commission support

Press, 28 November 1984, Page 32

Commission support

In March, 1983, the Human Rights Commission S resented a report to the len Prime Minister, Sir Robert Muldoon, on the implications of New Zealand ratifying the convention. The commission strongly supported ratification. Following publically expressed worries from some groups about the convention, the Human Rights

Commission prepared a further report this August. It deals in depth with the concerns raised.

The main points made in the latest report are: © On New Zealand’s obligations upon ratification: Conventions such as the women’s rights one “create obligations and have implications for us in the international arena and are not

part of ’ , ’ew Zealand law, nor iu they affect our national sovereignty: “As such they do not change our laws, cannot be enforced in our courts, and most certainly place no obligation on any individual citizen to do anything or to follow any course of action.” ©On fears of the creation of a "genderless society": “To argue that the convention seeks to remove all differences between men and women, and thereby eradicate gender, is to take the term “discrimination” out of context. “It speaks of the equality of men and women, it does not imply that they are the same, and certainly does not herald a unisex society. ® On fears it will enable “abortion on demand”: “The convention endorses the need to ‘safeguard the function of reproduction, and for women to decide freely ‘on the number and spacing of their children.’ “This cannot be construed to support abortion. The convention deals with fundamental human rights. Nowhere is it suggested that abortion is a fundamental human right.” © On fears of attempts to introduce a “Godless society”: “Freedom of religious practice is guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which has been ratified by New Zealand. “The Human Rights Commission Act 1977 also makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person on the grounds of their religion in certain areas of life.”

© On fears that singlesex schools will have to close:

“The convention contains no restrictions on single-sex schools, nor does it affect Government funding of schools. “Nothing in the convention will force anyone into areas of study they do not wish to enter. ‘Access to’ areas of study, etc, does not mean compulsion, for either boys or girls. Access to all areas of study is equitable, and essential if individuals are to develop their own potential to the full.” <9 On worries about the word “stereotype” “It is the aim of the convention to eliminate stereotypes. “To say that the stereotypes of traditional men and women are undesirable does not mean that activities and roles traditionally undertaken by men and women are necessarily undesirable. “Nothing in the convention supports the suggestion that the aim of the document is to replace traditional stereotypes with new, extremist ones.” © On fears that the convention denigrates marriage and the family: “The convention stresses the role of both parents in the family and the upbringing of children. “There is nothing in the convention to force a mother to leave her child in a child care facility should she wish to take up paid employment.” The convention’s preamble speaks of the “great contribution of women to the family and to the development of society,” and the “social significance of maternity.” © On fears that "lesbian marriages” will be sanctioned: “Such a construction cannot be sustained. Article 16,

concerning marriage, speaks of the ‘equality of men and women’ in marriage, and “the same personal rights as husband and wife.’ Clearly the only relationship contemplated is that between a man and a woman.” © On fears about “the new economic order”: “It has been argued that the expression ‘the new economic order’ is sinister and indicative of a cold, impersonal society. “’The expression, ‘the new economic order’ occurs in the preamble to the convention, the whole of that portion of the preamble reads: ‘Convinced that the establishment of the new international economic order based on equity and justice will contribute significantly towards the promotion of equality between men and women.’ “Any international order based on equity and justice is one for which we should all strive.” @ On the positive reasons for ratification: “If countries like New Zealand, with a good human rights record, stand aside from such development the United Nations and the world will be poorer for it. “We will also lose the opportunity to participate in and influence developments for the better, and also to help the under-privileged of all countries. “To argue that our performance in the human rights field is so good that we do not need to undertake the exercise of self-appraisal in an international forum, is like arguing that our athletes perform so well that there is no need to send them to compete at the Olympic Games.”