WBU WOMEN’S FORUM RESOLUTIONS – 1996
World Blind Union
World Blind Women's Forum
96-01
WHEREAS, the World Blind Union (WBU) has now for almost a decade at one General Assembly after the other adopted resolutions on increased influence for women and has underlined the importance of equality within the organization;
WHEREAS, progressive members of the WBU have adopted similar resolutions;
WHEREAS, regrettably, very little has changed concerning women's participation within the WBU;
WHEREAS, progress has been shown by the establishment of the WBU Status of Blind Women's Committee and the seven Regional Committees on the Status of Blind Women;
WHEREAS, unfortunately, these Committees lack the legislative power to implement their objectives effectively;
WHEREAS, it is now time to eliminate completely all discriminatory practice based on gender within the World Blind Union; Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the WBU World Blind Women's Forum in conference assembled this 24th day of August, 1996, in the city of Toronto, Canada, that we request and urge the World Blind Union General Assembly to adopt the following provisions:
1.that the WBU instruct its member organizations to send an equal number of women and men as delegates to the fifth General Assembly in 2000;
2.that the Executive following the fourth WBU General Assembly shall have an equal number of women and men representing each region;
3.that all Committees following the fourth WBU General Assembly in 1996 shall have an equal number of women and men;
4.that necessary constitutional amendments shall be submitted by the Executive to the fifth WBU General Assembly in 2000;
5.that the WBU direct its member organizations, the WBU Executive and the WBU Committees to implement an Equal Opportunities policy in all their activities; and
6.that this resolution is in effect until constitutional amendments to this purpose are enacted and carried out.
World Blind Union
World Blind Women's Forum
Resolution 96-02
WHEREAS, equal status which is often denied to minority groups such as blind and visually impaired women and girls can be attributed to lack of resources and antiquated attitudes toward gender and disability;
WHEREAS, the paucity of resources results from the investment in anti-human activities such as war;
WHEREAS, the end of the Cold War has not resulted in the reduction of expenditures on armed and military build-up throughout the world where an ever-increasing amount of governmental budgets are being expended on military priorities;
WHEREAS, it is well established that war has not only added millions to the world's blind population, but war has also adversely affected each blind and visually impaired woman who has to manage her family within limited means and in view of increased prices for essential commodities within the global war economy which creates tremendous pressure on her as a woman with a disability;
WHEREAS, blind women and girls are further deprived of their basic human rights such as education, health services, employment, and the right to be free from violence due to budgetary misappropriations for war;
WHEREAS, in order to reach their full political, economic, and social potential and to exercise freedom of expression, mobility, and communication, blind and visually impaired women and girls must claim every available resource;
WHEREAS, to ensure that the voices of blind and visually impaired women are clearly heard in the demand for an end to armed struggle; Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the WBU World Blind Women's Forum in conference assembled this 24th day of August, 1996, in the city of Toronto, Canada, that we will issue a news release to the global press explaining that the continuance of armed conflict is a blind women's issue and calling for the immediate suspension of all conflicts so that the resources which have been misappropriated to these conflicts can be redistributed to the ending of human suffering;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we will forward this resolution to the appropriate United Nations entities to be added to existing documentation, bringing forward the perspective of blind women and girls in their call for the discontinuation of a war economy which thus far has been sustained by a belief in conquest as a problem-solving strategy;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we will circulate this resolution to blind women everywhere as a tool for organization opposition to war.
World Blind Union
World Blind Women's Forum
Resolution 96-03
WHEREAS, many blind girls and women throughout the world have little or no access to education, rehabilitation, health services, and vocational opportunities; and
WHEREAS, this lack of training and skills and access dooms many blind women to hopeless, useless lives;
WHEREAS, with proper services, these same blind women can be workers and mothers and executives and contributors to their societies;
WHEREAS, many blind women want to and can add intelligence and strength to their societies; Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the WBU World Blind Women's Forum in conference assembled this 24th day of August, 1996, in the city of Toronto, Canada, that we urge the government of every nation to provide immediately those services needed by blind and low vision girls and women to become competent, contributing members of their societies;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge the decision-makers of every government specifically to include funds for these necessary services in their planning and budget allocation.
World Blind Union
World Blind Women's Forum
Resolution 96-04
WHEREAS, countless unborn children are destroyed each year because the fetus is identified as having the chance of being blind or visually impaired;
WHEREAS, some countries permit and some require this destruction;
WHEREAS, in many countries, infanticide of babies born blind or visually impaired goes unchecked;
WHEREAS, we declare it is wrong to abort a fetus because of blindness or visual impairment;
WHEREAS, we declare it is wrong to murder newborn children because of blindness or visual impairment; Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the WBU World Blind Women's Forum in conference assembled this 24th day of August, 1996, in the city of Toronto, Canada, that we demand that fetuscide and infanticide of blind and visually impaired children must stop immediately;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we call upon every government in the world to adopt and vigorously enforce laws abolishing and punishing this abhorrent practice.
World Blind Union
World Blind Women's Forum
Resolution 96-05
WHEREAS, blind women are far more isolated and disadvantaged than are sighted women or blind men;
WHEREAS, for this reason, the World Blind Union should establish and foster programs aimed at improving the condition of blind women;
WHEREAS, bilateral, non-governmental, people-to-people diplomacy has long been recognized as an important international tool for spreading and sharing knowledge and understanding which lead to positive change; Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the WBU World Blind Women's Forum in conference assembled this 24th day of August, 1996, in the city of Toronto, Canada, that we urge the World Blind Union to establish and aggressively foster a program of pairing organizations and groups of blind women in widely separated countries to facilitate sharing of good ideas and leadership training.
World Blind Union
World Blind Women's Forum
Resolution 96-06
WHEREAS, the illiteracy rate among blind women is a worldwide scandal;
WHEREAS, this illiteracy locks blind women out of most opportunity and most ways of bettering themselves and contributing to their societies;
WHEREAS, teaching Braille and making Braille available will stamp out illiteracy; Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the WBU World Blind Women's Forum in conference assembled this 24th day of August, 1996, in the city of Toronto, Canada, that we urge every government to make an immediate commitment to teaching the blind girls and women within its borders to read and write;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we insist that Braille is the method for achieving literacy;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we urge every blind person who knows Braille to make a commitment to giving the gift of literacy to a blind girl or woman in the coming year by taking the personal time to teach it.
World Blind Union
World Blind Women's Forum
Resolution 96-07
WHEREAS, Braille books and magazines, and materials to produce Braille are plentiful in some countries and much needed in others;
WHEREAS, the regional structure of the World Blind Union could easily accommodate transfer of wanted and needed resources;
WHEREAS, small Braille production facilities in every region could meet some of the demand for Braille;
WHEREAS, each region could also foster collection of unwanted books and magazines as well as paper, slates and styluses, and Braillers in useable condition;
WHEREAS, depots for Braille should be organized by language, and regions can cooperate when there are common languages;
WHEREAS, libraries throwing away books and magazines could give them to such depots;
WHEREAS, countries receiving materials must be integrally involved in decisions to send them materials from a depot; Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the WBU World Blind Women's Forum in conference assembled this 24th day of August, 1996, in the city of Toronto, Canada, that we urge the World Blind Union through its regional organizations to foster small Braille production facilities and transfer of resources as already described.