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Tindouf camps place of most egregious forms of discrimination against sequestered women, Corcas member
4/21/2009

Mrs. Hajabouha Zubeir member of the Council, head of the women entrepreneurs in Laayoune and representing the "International Business & Professional Women" in Morocco, during a workshop organized within the framework of the Civil Society Forum of Durban II, highlighted the achievements of Moroccan women and their contribution in the service of social and economic development of the Kingdom, especially in the southern regions.

Ms. Zubeir, who participated in the working group that met last week in Geneva on discrimination against women, stressed the role of civil society organizations in the fight against discrimination against women, before drawing attention to the discriminatory practices suffered by women in the Tindouf camps.

Ms. Zubeir stressed that the camps are the scene of various forms of the most egregious practice of discrimination against sequestered women.

She pointed out that women in detention suffered, on the basis of their gender, deprivation of their basic rights, especially the right of movement, and the right to choose to leave the camps.

In the context of good practice for the advancement of the Status of Women, Ms. Zubair reviewed her experience as entrepreneur woman, highlighting women’s work in the service of socio-economic development.

She defended the intensification of cooperation and exchanges between civil societies and for the valuation of the pilot experiences in the advancement of the status of women.

Ms. Zubair also mentioned the experience of cooperatives and associations working in the advancement of the status of women in the southern provinces of the Kingdom, pointing out that women entrepreneurs help women create their own companies in the sectors of trade, tourism, education, agriculture and industry.

She added that the Association is today an organization with international dimension having partnerships with organizations in Africa and Latin America. In this context, she said that the women entrepreneurs Association in Laayoune is member since 2008, at "Businness & Professional Women", which opened its first representation in Morocco in the city of Laayoune.

Durban 2 Conference, organized by the United Nations, which opened Monday in Geneva allows to assess and accelerate progress in the implementation of actions approved at the World Conference against Racism, as well as assessment of contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, which was held in Durban in South Africa in 2001.

Source: MAP
(News concerning Western Sahara issue / Corcas)