Trade Must Not Trump Women’s Human Rights (brunei and the tpp)
Trade Must Not Trump Women’s Human Rights
Any deal that forces women and human rights to take a backseat to profit and trade should be a non-starter. But right now, the United States is negotiating the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement with 11 nations including Brunei, a country that recently adopted a vicious new penal code threatening the rights and lives of women, lesbians, and gay men.
Just recently in his State of the Union, President Barack Obama reiterated one of our core American values: respect for human dignity. It is our commitment to this principle, said the President, which has led the U.S. to “condemn the persecution of women” as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals.
So, why are we conducting business as usual with Brunei? The new Brunei penal code, which will be implemented in phases, calls for fines and imprisonment for women who become pregnant outside marriage, women who have abortions, for adultery and so-called “indecent behavior.” It also threatens men and women who “pose as” someone of the opposite sex with similar punishment. The Sultan of Brunei launched the First Phase of the penal code on May 1, 2014.
But the worst is yet to come. Once the code is fully implemented, women who engage in same-sex sexual relations could be whipped, fined, or imprisoned. The code will also impose flogging or death by stoning for men engaging in sex with men and for extramarital sex between men and women. Flogging can lead to permanent injury and death. Stoning, another horrific practice, often consists of burying a person so only the head is exposed and then pelting that individual to death. The reality is women are more likely to be victims of stoning because of deep-seated gender bias and discrimination.
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http://msmagazine.com/blog/2015/02/10/trade-must-not-trump-womens-human-rights/