Reem Alsalem

Last updated

Reem Alsalem
Born1976 (age 47–48)
Cairo, Egypt
Education The American University in Cairo
University of Oxford
EmployerUnited Nations
Title United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women
Term2021–
PredecessorDubravka Šimonovic

Reem Alsalem (born 1976) is a Jordanian independent consultant and former civil servant. Since August 2021 she has served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls.

Contents

Biography

Alsalem was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1976. [1] She was educated at The American University in Cairo where she completed a master's degree in International Relations in 2001. She subsequently graduated from the University of Oxford in 2003 with a Masters in Human Rights Law. [2]

She was employed for 17 years as an international civil servant by the UNHCR where she worked with refugees in 13 countries. [3] [4] She left in 2016 to work as an independent consultant on humanitarian and gender issues. [5] She speaks Arabic, English, French, German and Spanish. [3]

Alsalem was appointed United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls and took up the role in August 2021. [5]

Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls

Core to her work as special rapporteur are her claims that sex and gender should not be conflated, and that both should be recorded in data. [6] She considers that in some situations there may be a clash between women's rights and transgender rights. [6]

She opposed the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill and claimed it could "open the door for violent males." [7] Her views were disputed by the United Nations Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, Victor Madrigal-Borloz, and the spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights who said that "everyone (...) should have access to legal recognition of their gender identity based on self-identification." [7] Six feminist organizations in Scotland—Engender, JustRight Scotland, Scottish Women's Rights Centre, Scottish Women's Aid, Amnesty International Scotland and Rape Crisis Scotland—also expressed disappointment by Alsaleem's comments, accusing her of failing to speak with Scottish human rights or feminist organisations before her statements. [8] In 2023 Alsalem attended the gender-critical FiLiA conference, amid protests against the conference. [9]

According to the New Statesman , "her insistence on recognising the difference between sex and gender has landed her in trouble." In 2023 an open letter published by the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID), [10] [11] endorsed by several hundred NGOs and women's groups, which accused her of being "anti-trans", which she denies. [11] [6] An open letter published by Sex Matters supported her position. [12] [11] Alsalem asks why is it "problematic" for people to say: "This is important; many of our needs emanate from being female, or male, and there are certain instances where it’s proportionate, legitimate and perfectly necessary to keep a space single sex". [6] Legal scholar Jens Theilen said that Alsalem "is using women's rights as a tool to undermine trans rights" and considered her actions "a stark example of individual politics furthering rather than contesting oppression," citing the AWID letter. [13]

Alsalem was criticised in 2023 by Claire Waxman, London's Victims' Commissioner, as she did not speak out on reports of sexual and gender-based violence in the 7 October attack on Israel against Israeli women during and following the Hamas-led attack. [6] In response, Alsalem said she had condemned "what happened on 7 October", had contacted NGOs in Israel without reply, and said she could not make "sweeping statements" without receiving evidence. [6]

In 2024, Alsalem said that "grave violations of international human rights and humanitarian law" had been committed in Gaza by Israeli troops. [6] In a formal statement, she described "credible" allegations of "multiple forms of sexual assault", such as rape and strip-searches, against Palestinian women and girls. [6] [14] When asked to provide the source for her allegations, Alsalem cited unsubstantiated reports by Richard A. Falk. [15] Israel denied the allegations. [6] [16]

In January 2024, Alsalem criticised the composition of a World Health Organization (WHO) committee, saying that most committee members had "strong, one-sided views in favour of promoting hormonal gender transition and legal recognition of self-asserted gender" and that none of them was an expert in adolescent development. [17] Author Helen Joyce supported Alsalem, emphasising from her letter "the short time-frame given for comments, the unbalanced group developing the guidelines and the uncritical endorsement of gender self-ID". [18]

In February 2024, Alsalem criticised the UK's strategies for combatting violence against women and girls. She said: "Entrenched patriarchy at almost every level of society, combined with a rise in misogyny that permeates the physical and online world, is denying thousands of women and girls across the UK the right to live in safety, free from fear and violence". [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women</span> International bill of rights for women

The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is an international treaty adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly. Described as an international bill of rights for women, it was instituted on 3 September 1981 and has been ratified by 189 states. Over fifty countries that have ratified the convention have done so subject to certain declarations, reservations, and objections, including 38 countries who rejected the enforcement article 29, which addresses means of settlement for disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the convention. Australia's declaration noted the limitations on central government power resulting from its federal constitutional system. The United States and Palau have signed, but not ratified the treaty. The Holy See, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, and Tonga are not signatories to CEDAW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Femicide</span> Murder of women or girls because of their gender

Femicide or feminicide is a term for the hate crime of systematically killing women, girls, or females in general because of their sex. In 1976, the feminist author Diana E. H. Russell first implicitly defined the term as a hate killing of females by males but then went on to redefine it as "the killing of females by males because they are female" in later years. Femicide can be perpetrated by either gender but is more often committed by men. This is most likely due to unequal power between men and women as well as harmful gender roles, stereotypes, or social norms.

Janice G. Raymond is an American lesbian radical feminist and professor emerita of women's studies and medical ethics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is known for her work against violence, sexual exploitation, and medical abuse of women, and for her controversial work denouncing transsexuality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Alliance of Women</span> International non-governmental organization

The International Alliance of Women is an international non-governmental organization that works to promote women's rights and gender equality. It was historically the main international organization that campaigned for women's suffrage. IAW stands for an inclusive, intersectional and progressive liberal feminism on the basis of human rights and liberal democracy, and has a liberal internationalist outlook. IAW's principles state that all genders are "born equally free [and are] equally entitled to the free exercise of their individual rights and liberty," that "women's rights are human rights" and that "human rights are universal, indivisible and interrelated." In 1904 the Alliance adopted gold as its color, the color associated with the women's suffrage movement in the United States since 1867 and the oldest symbol of women's rights; through the Alliance's influence gold and white became the principal colors of the mainstream international women's suffrage movement.

The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women was adopted without a vote by the United Nations General Assembly in the 48/104 resolution of 20 December 1993. Contained within it is the recognition of "the urgent need for the universal application to women of the rights and principles with regard to equality, security, liberty, integrity and dignity of all human beings". It recalls and embodies the same rights and principles as those enshrined in such instruments as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Articles 1 and 2 provide the most widely used definition of violence against women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women</span> United Nations Special Rapporteur

On 4 March 1994 the Human Rights Council passed Resolution 1994/45 on the question of integrating the rights of women into the human rights mechanisms of the United Nations and the elimination of violence against women. This Resolution established the mandate of the "Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women its causes and consequences". The initial appointment was for a three-year period. As of November 2021 the special rapporteur was Reem Alsalem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Association for Women's Rights in Development</span> International feminist organization

The Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID), formerly the Association for Women in Development, is an international feminist membership and movement support organization committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women's human rights. It was established in 1982 as a U.S.-based association focused on promoting dialogue on women in development issues among academics, policy makers and development professionals. AWID stands for a progressive intersectional feminism, and works to defend the international and regional human rights systems. The co-executive directors are Hakima Abbas and Cindy Clark.

Feminist views on transgender topics vary widely.

The Swedish Women's Lobby is a Swedish gender-critical political advocacy organization, and an umbrella organization for various Swedish organizations. It was founded in 1997, originally named Samverkansforum för Kvinnor i Sverige (SAMS). It has 40 member organizations and is a member of the European Women's Lobby. Its president is Susannah Sjöberg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farida Shaheed</span> Pakistani sociologist and activist

Farida Shaheed is a Pakistani sociologist and feminist human rights activist. In 2012, she was appointed the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, while she held that role in the field of education from 2022. She heads the Shirkat Gah women's resource centre in Pakistan, and is known for her extensive work on gender and class analysis, both in Pakistan and more globally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's rights in 2014</span> Time period in Womens right movement

2014 was described as a watershed year for women's rights, by newspapers such as The Guardian. It was described as a year in which women's voices acquired greater legitimacy and authority. Time magazine said 2014 "may have been the best year for women since the dawn of time". However, The Huffington Post called it "a bad year for women, but a good year for feminism". San Francisco writer Rebecca Solnit argued that it was "a year of feminist insurrection against male violence" and a "lurch forward" in the history of feminism, and The Guardian said the "globalisation of protest" at violence against women was "groundbreaking", and that social media had enabled a "new version of feminist solidarity".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashida Manjoo</span> South African professor of public law and social activist

Rashida Manjoo is an Emeritus Professor at the University of Cape Town in Cape Town and a social activist involved in the eradication of violence against women and gender-based violence. Manjoo was the United Nations' Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women from June 2009 to July 2015.

Women human rights defenders (WHRDs) are women who defend human rights, and defenders of all genders who defend the rights of women and rights related to gender and sexuality. Their work and the challenges they face have been recognized by a United Nations (UN) resolution in 2013, which calls for specific protection for women human rights defenders.

The Women's Declaration International (WDI), formerly the Women's Human Rights Campaign (WHRC), is an international advocacy organisation founded in the United Kingdom. WDI has published a Declaration on Women's Sex-Based Rights, and has developed model legislation to restrict transgender rights that has been used in state legislatures in the United States. The organisation has been described as gender-critical, anti-trans, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-gender, trans-exclusionary, trans-exclusionary radical feminist (TERF), and as a hate group, and in several countries the group has been linked to the far right. It has been noted by Southern Poverty Law Center as being part of an "anti-LGBTQ+ pseudoscience network".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill</span> Proposed Scottish law

The Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill is a bill passed by the Scottish Parliament. The bill seeks to amend the Gender Recognition Act 2004 of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, making it simpler for people to change their legal gender. On 17 January 2023, the United Kingdom government used section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 to block the bill from receiving royal assent, the first time section 35 has been used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FiLiA</span> British gender-critical feminist charity

FiLiA is a British gender-critical feminist charity founded in 2015 that describes itself as part of the women's liberation movement. FiLiA organizes a conference, held first in 2008 as Feminism in London, in different cities, which it now describes as the "largest annual grassroots feminist conference in Europe". FiLiA is gender-critical, and states that it supports "sex-based rights" and opposes what they refer to as "gender ideology." It has lobbied against gender recognition reform and considers gender self-identification a threat to "women's protected rights." Critics describe it as anti-transgender and transphobic. FiLiA is critical of the sex industry and as a result, it considers pornography harmful. It has campaigned on behalf of women internationally, and as a result, it has held its campaigns in countries such as Iran, Cyprus, and Kenya. It has been described as one of "the most important 'gender critical' groups" alongside Women's Declaration International. FiLiA has faced protests and attempted cancellations, notably in 2023 when the venue Platform attempted to cancel the conference due to alleged transphobia.

Beira's Place is a Scotland-based private support service for victims of sexual violence. Founded in 2022 by J. K. Rowling, the organisation describes itself as a "women-only service", and does not hire or provide services to transgender women.

Women in the Israel–Hamas war refers to the experience of Israeli and Palestinian women as victims of violence, combatants, leadership partners, and as participants in informational campaigns during the Israel–Hamas war. The conflict has been marked by violence towards women, including reports of rape and sexual violence by Hamas militants and reports of rape and sexual violence by IDF soldiers. Following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, there were testimonies and videos indicating that Hamas employed methods of severe torture, including violence and sexual violence against Israeli women and children. Over 100 Israeli women were taken hostage and held in Gaza, leading to efforts by Israeli women and organizations to raise awareness and promote their release. The UN Secretary-General and UN Women condemned the gender-based violence against Israeli women during the attacks.

During the 2023-24 Israel–Hamas war, some Palestinian women and girls have reportedly been raped and sexually assaulted by Israeli Defense Forces soldiers. The IDF has been accused of committing acts of gender-based violence, war crimes and crimes against humanity in keeping with the recognition of the International Criminal Court (ICC) that sexual violence is a war crime and a crime against humanity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sall Grover</span> Australian businesswoman

Sall Grover is an Australian businesswoman and the founder of Giggle, a social media app designed for women. The app gained notability following a legal challenge concerning the legality of the app's membership policies restricting access to women and other adults assigned female at birth, thereby including all cisgender women, and transgender men, and excluding cisgender men and transgender women. Prior to this endeavour, Grover worked in the film industry in Australia and in the United States as a production assistant and as a screenwriter.

References

  1. ↑ Plaza Casares, Sara (19 December 2021). "Reem Alsalem: "En España los testimonios de padres presuntos abusadores tienen más credibilidad que los de las madres que denuncian los abusos"". El Salto. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  2. ↑ "Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls". Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Reem Alsalem". The Brussels Binder. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Reem Alsalem". European Institute for Gender Equality. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Reem Alsalem". Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Barnes, Hannah (24 February 2024). "Reem Alsalem on the biggest obstacles to ending violence against women". New Statesman. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  7. 1 2 "UN chief backs Scottish government's gender recognition reforms". BBC. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  8. ↑ "Scottish feminists hit back at UN gender recognition warning". The National. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  9. ↑ "JK Rowling speaks at FiLiA feminist conference labelled 'transphobic'". The National. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  10. ↑ "There Is No Place for Anti-Trans Agendas in the UN". Association for Women's Rights in Development . Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 Alsalem, Reem. "Statement by Reem Alsalem" (PDF). Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  12. ↑ "Let the UN Special Rapporteur on VAWG Deliver her Mandate" (PDF). sex-matters.org. Sex Matters. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  13. ↑ Theilen, Jens (2024). "Intersectionality's Travels to International Human Rights Law". Michigan Journal of International Law . 45 (2). A stark example of individual politics furthering rather than contesting oppression is found in the work of the current Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, Reem Alsalem, who is using women's rights as a tool to undermine trans rights; see the protest letter AWID, There Is No Place for Anti-Trans Agendas in the UN (2023)
  14. ↑ "Israel/oPt: UN experts appalled by reported human rights violations against Palestinian women and girls". United Nations. 19 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  15. ↑ Jerusalem Post, The (6 March 2024). "UN Special Rapporteur 'unaware' of rocket attacks on Israel". www.jpost.com. Retrieved 6 March 2024.
  16. ↑ Algemeiner, The (20 February 2024). "Israel Denies UN Report Claiming Israeli Forces Assaulted Palestinian Women - Algemeiner.com". www.algemeiner.com. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
  17. ↑ Gentleman, Amelia (9 January 2024). "UN envoy criticises 'one-sided' WHO approach to trans health guidelines". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  18. ↑ Martin, Daniel (9 January 2024). "WHO 'putting women at risk' with trans self-ID plan, says UN expert". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  19. ↑ Abdul, Geneva (29 February 2024). "'I am weary': Jess Phillips reads MPs list of women killed by men for ninth year". theguardian.com. Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.