Thursday, March 4, 2010

Interview with Dr. Afaf Mahfouz

Dr. Afaf Mahfouz is a long-time advocate for human rights around the world. We at Global Action on Aging wanted to hear her perspective as an older person who continues to be an activist and important voice in her field. Most recently, Dr. Mahfouz traveled to Cairo in December to participate in the International Freedom March in solidarity with the people of Gaza. We were eager to learn from her and hear her story.

Interviewed by: Cindy LeHelley and Isabel Nicholson, Global Action on Aging
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Trained in law, political science, and psychoanalysis, Professor Mahfouz has been a professor, diplomat, psychoanalyst, and advocate for women’s participation and human rights. In recent years she has been an activist for the promotion of non-governmental organization in the United Nations system. She was elected First Vice President (199501997) and President (1997-2000) of the Conference of the Non-Governmental Organizations in Consultative Relationship with the United Nations (CoNGO). She writes and publishes and is the co-editor of The Future of Prejudice: Psychoanalysis and the Prevention of Prejudice (2007). Dr. Mahfouz was born in 1938 and continues to be an active and engaged member of the international political community.

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Q: Dr. Mahfouz, you recently traveled to Cairo this winter to participate in the International Gaza Freedom March. How was the experience and why did you go?


I traveled to Cairo with the organization Code Pink, which is an organization of women against violence and war. We went to help the world see - through our protests and the Media coverage -what happened to people in Gaza as a result of the Israeli invasion last December and the effects of the multi-year Israeli blockade on their daily lives. We also went in May to try to train people on how to deal with traumatized children. What happened this past January in Gaza and has been happening in the region is very cruel. The children in Gaza needed everything from toys to counseling. We were all prevented from even leaving Cairo to cross the border into Gaza.


So you see, we all went to go to Gaza, not to Egypt, but we weren't allowed in. It was frustrating, but rewarding at the same time because we felt like we did help in sensitizing the world to what is going on. We agreed to create a movement similar to what happened in South Africa against the Apartheid. Altogether, with 1,400 people from 42 countries protesting in Cairo, we received enormous international press, television and International coverage. I think it was very successful.

Q: Were there many older people in Cairo there to protest?

There were a lot of older people there, beautiful ones, many older than 70. There was even an 85 year old Holocaust survivor who went on a hunger strike with the other protesters. There was a broad range of ages among the protesters, from young to old people. During the week we were there, everyone demonstrated in Cairo every day, no one was there for tourism, we were all there for purely political reasons.


Q: As an older person who remains to be very politically active, what are some of the challenges you face?


In the Arab-Muslim world, older people are respected and appreciated. People listen to them because it is part of the culture to pay attention to what they say. It sinks in more somehow. I remember going back to the Middle East 20 years ago, and more people argued with me. They would say that I’ve been “westernized.” Now that I’m older, people listen and engage in dialogue.

In the US, my age matters less. Here, your influence comes more from the group or community that you are a part of, rather than your voice as an individual.

Q: We consider you a role model, especially for older people. What is some advice you have to the aging population?

Caring about political issues keeps us emotionally and intellectually healthy. Aging is not easy. As our body ages, we have aches and pains. We start to concentrate on ourselves and become self-centered. I believe that to better manage this transition, we need to continue to do something meaningful for the world. We need to be out of ourselves and to reach out to younger generations. We need to continue to listen to the younger generations and engage in dialogue because their lives are not the same that ours were. We need to available to the community. I advise people to join any kind of group that interests them or focuses on anything that they care about. It helps us survive and do what we care about.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Briefing for the CSW by Aukje de Vries

Preparations for the meeting of the CSW are taking place in many countries and The Netherlands are no exception. My older women’s group, which is a member of the Dutch Women’s Council is invited to a meeting in which members of the Dutch Delegation to the CSW will inform the NGOs about their input into the official meeting and side events.

Our country is a member of the European Union (EU) and since Spain has the Presidency of the EU during the first half of 2010, Spain will speak on behalf of the EU. It is not always easy to reach consensus in Europe and we are told that Malta may want to present its own views. Sexual and reproductive health seems to be a contentious issue.

In the Dutch government the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences (OCW) is responsible for emancipation and therefore has the lead in the preparations for the CSW. They coordinate the input from other Ministries.

Several members of the delegation tell us what they want to bring forward in New York.

Reconciliation of work and family life is an important issue. One of our national policy aims is that women are economically independent. Many Dutch women work part time, which means that their husbands are the main breadwinners. It is considered a step forward that many more women than before are active on the labor market, but with part time jobs they are usually not economically independent. There will be more redundancy due to the economic crisis and families with two breadwinners will be less vulnerable.

The Ministry of Health is trying to combat circumcision of women (some migrant girls are prone to being subjected to it, but it is forbidden) and will focus on this. Another issue that the Dutch representatives want to press is that the UN women’s entity be established soon.

Women’s issues will also be dealt with in ECOSOC (the UN’s Economic and Social Council), and we are also informed about the activities that will take place in the ECOSOC context.

Apart from the official meetings there will be many side events during the CSW. We are told there may be as many as close to 200. The Netherlands will take part in at least three: one on unwanted pregnancy, one on lesbian, bisexual and transgender women and one on financing women’s organizations.

It is a tradition in The Netherlands that the government subsidizes NGOs of various kinds, although, since 1961when I started to work in the NGO sector, I have seen many changes. At present the government is considerably less generous than it used to be in the sixties. I am glad to hear that the official delegation speaks out in favor of continuing to support NGOs.

The Dutch Women’s organizations have prepared a paper with 12 recommendations and their content is the next item on the agenda. The members of the government delegation are ready to support most of them.

These recommendations include one about governments supporting women’s organizations focusing specifically on women’s rights and empowerment. The women’s organizations are in favor of a different attitude towards women: too often they are considered as victims. They ought to be considered as actors, as agents of change. This does not only hold for developed countries but more specifically for developing countries. Gender is a priority in Dutch development policies. Women’s rights should be protected, especially in (post) conflict areas.

At the end of the meeting we heard good news from the Ministry: next year there will be a representative of the NGOs included in the Dutch delegation. This decision represents an official recognition of women’s organizations.

Question: Are NGOs in your country subsidized by the government? Do you think it is a good idea to subsidize them?

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Housing by Aukje de Vries

I live in a neighbourhood where most houses were built in the nineteen twenties and thirties, but occasionally new houses or apartments are built. The latest project consists of apartments on the grounds of the nearby hospital. Until recently there was a home there for retired deaconesses, who had worked for the hospital. It was a friendly looking building and it had a small chapel with a green cupola. But as the deaconesses died, one after the other, the home was taken down. The hospital wanted to make more money on its grounds so it had these apartments built. On Saturday there is an open house and we can view one of them. Esther and I go there. Not because we want to rent it, but just because we like to see it. We are not disappointed. It is a spacious 3 bedroom apartment. It is furnished and has an open kitchen with the newest gadgets. The houses on the opposite side of the street are not too close and in the back the view of the hospital and its parking is reasonable. I think I could be happy living there, but it is a good thing we are contented with the house where we live, because these apartments are completely unaffordable for us.

Newly built apartments and condo’s are generally very expensive, as I also hear from friends in other cities. My seniors’ organization is actively trying to influence policy makers to build more suitable housing for seniors. Many older people live in larger houses than they need; they want to move to a smaller house or apartment but can’t find such housing is at affordable prices.

A few years ago, when I realized I had to start remodeling and refurbishing the house where I had lived for 30 years, I looked for an apartment, slightly smaller than the house I have now and where it would be easier to stay, in case I became dependent. But I didn’t find anything suitable and affordable.

In the end I decided to start remodeling my present house. Having made investments in it, I might as well stay here as long as I can. Another consideration keeps me here: I have a neighbor, Esther, who has become a very good friend over the years. Further down the street there are two other friends my age (Liz and Jacqui) who also live alone. We see each other from time to time over a cup of tea. We have the implicit understanding that we can call on each other when we need help. Their presence certainly has influenced my decision to stay in the house where I have lived so long.

Question: Do you want to move as you get older and if so, what kind of housing are you looking for? Or, if you stay where you are, what keeps you there?

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Local Elections by Aukje de Vries

In a few weeks we will have local elections in the Netherlands. In the local setting we have chapters of most national parties but usually there are also parties that focus on local issues. The chapters of the national parties are often rate on the basis of what their party is doing nationally. Although our municipalities, over the last few decades, have accumulated many more responsibilities, citizens seem to be less interested in local than in national elections.

The organizations of older people in The Hague usually organize a debate with representatives from the major parties around important senior issues.

To be honest, I know little about what is going on in local politics in The Hague.

Major issues revolve around road construction, new buildings, urban renovation and the like. As long as they do not take place in my neighbourhood, I am not very interested. Wellbeing and some parts of long-term care are also among the responsibilities of the city. But I have not yet taken the time to find out what exactly the municipality is doing. It is fairly recent that new responsibilities were decentralized to local government. Maybe the debate will enlighten me about local politics. I still don’t know for which party I will vote.

I get there a bit late and the room is packed! Fortunately there are still a few chairs available.

It is not what I had expected. The representatives of the parties are not asked to present their programmes. Instead, the four seniors’ organizations, which are active in The Hague, begin with a presentation. They have noticed that the programmes of the various political parties pay very little attention to older persons. The group gives an overview of what older people want and expect that the parties will take their ideas into account.

After this overview each subject is dealt with separately. One representative elaborates on one of the aforementioned issues, The politicians are asked to respond. It is a lively debateand the audience can ask questions.

Politicians are careful. They don’t make many promises, but the event makes clear to them that they cannot forget older people. Seniors are an important part of their electorate.

From the discussion it emerges that there are two issues that especially seem important to the people in the hall. In this country there are many legally established procedures by which citizens have the right to be heard about issues that affect them. It turns out that many of those present have experiences with aldermen presenting a plan and telling the people: this is the plan and we are going to carry it out, regardless of what you say. People strongly dislike this behavior. There are practical suggestions as well. For instance, there is one lady with a handicap who is on a panel that is supposed to test road safety for handicapped people. She says that her panel ought to be heard before a reconstruction project is begun and after is is completed. The group politicians is to listen more to the citizens.

Many people spoke up about safety in the neighbourhood where they live. One lady told how she was robbed, the moment she tried to enter her house. Obviously there are many more people who feel unsafe where they live.The second outcome is that politicians should do more to ensure safety in living quarters and on the streets. I am impressed how well the event has been prepared. It has been nice to hear some of our prospective town council members. But I still do not know which party to vote for.

Question: How important is the issue of safety near your home for you? Should this be high on the political agenda or do you think some other local issue is more important?