In a very different issue, Bunch (1990) argues that women's rights are ignored by the general human rights movements, argues that consideration of women must be added to human rights definitions in order that better account should be taken of women's lives and that they be accorded the treatment and notice that they so clearly deserve. Destructive myths and violence should be eradicated. To that end, Bunch (1990) presents four different approaches that would link women's rights to human rights in order to address the issue in a concrete manner. The human rights community, she concludes, need not see the gender issue as conflicting with other significant issues that need to be addressed. On the contrary, other issues should not be abandoned. Rather, human rights activists should cease to 'gate-keep and guard prerogatives' and conceptualize human rights issues as legitimate according to their own narrow standards.
I found both essays fascinating. My one point of contention with Xanthaki (2010) is that reality shows...
This is evident both with examples of militant Islam (as seen for instance in Britain and in America) and with fundamentalist Judaism as seen, for instance, in Israel. In both these instances, and others, recognition of multiple cultural frameworks does not foster a feeling of devotion to the larger country as a whole.
As regards Bunch (1990), it seems to me that Xanthaki's (2010) main point can be extended to her issue to. Just as the human rights covenant addresses the issue of multiculturalism in an indirect rather than a direct manner, a similar analogy can be applied to the women right issue too. It is not ignored, simply addressed in a covert, indirect manner.
Sources
Bunch, C. (1990). Women's Rights as Human Rights: Toward a Re-Vision of Human Rights. Human Rights Quarterly, 4, 486-498
Xanthaki, a. (2010) Multiculturalism and International Law Discussing Universal…
