Calendar
See below more on our case against pension discrimination of the WOMEN DIVORCED IN THE GDR- Will the German Government table a solution as requested by UN CEDAW? See below
DATES
2021
Interview April 7th, 2021, 4:02 p.m., by Johanna Weinhold (MDR)
"Human rights consultant calls for new criteria for hardship funds"
This was preceded by the announcement of a key issues paper on hardship funds for victims of the injustices in the pension transition 30 years ago as part of the unification of the two former German states.
See here: Press release by the Association of Women Divorced in the GDR
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THE CASE of pension discrimination of women divorced in the GDR - still pending!
At the moment (since 2019) the Association of the Women Divorce in the former GDR meets BMAS representatives at the round table with other targeted groups. Here is a solution to be advised. The Bund-Länder AG of the government and Laender has been set up in 12/2018 and shall develop a solution according or in line with the coalition agreement, without the association. They had not been heard until now. But, they could submit a presentation of the solution, a calculation in the Round Table to the BMAS representative. There can only be one political solution that follows the urgent recommendation of the UN CEDAW. One parliamentary group of the coalition (GroKO) is moving forward to a kind of solution of substance, but the other leaves a very few MdBs with constituencies in the targeted new Laender with those affected in the rain.
In parallel, the BMFSFJ responded to the UN CEDAW Committee in the March 2019 by an interim report, and this was extremely negative - it says, there cannot be any legal claim of the women, indeed it rejects the recommendation of the UN Human Rights Committee CEDAW. The association learned at a meeting in the BMFSFJ in March 2019 that there is not any action taken of them behalf by the women / gender department, but someone who for 30 years answered all letters from the association to the ministry who denies strongly all their claims and the UN CEDAWs claim. The Association has in turn turned to UN CEDAW and will continue to do so.
The targeted activist of the pension rights discriminiation are now all over 80 years old. They continue to fight.
German coalition contract negotiators- CDU/CSU and SPD politicians- had been urgently called to implement a solution for the Women divorced in the former GDR to eliminiate the pension injustice (UN CEDAW language) as a priority issue because of the high agers they are! 28 years of injustice by the German state has to be eliminated. There is a vage chapter in the coalition contract: build on this and specify to what the United Nations urged the German Government to install as a solution for this women against whom 28 years of state created injustice was directed! Accept and count all their pension rights requirememts of their life time work and trasfer it into their pension. It is their legal claim. This was prooven by the UN CEDAW Committee. Implement what UN CEDAW has urgently requested from the German State Party in 3/2017.
Many young women (and 3 Million voters their supporters and relatives) look alarmed to what you will do. This is an ultimative test how much the German Government is committed to Women's Human Rights, the UN Treaty Bodies and the Human Rights regime.
After the German election the Association of Women Divorced in the GDR call all negotiating parties in the German National parliament to end the discriminiation and the injustice against them in their pension rights adjustment since 1991 and implement the United Nations CEDAW's urgent claims for them (Concluding observations 3/2017 on Germany, 66. session of CEDAW).
The Association can send you a donation receipt which is tax exemption relevant http://www.verein-ddr-geschiedener-frauen.de/index.html.
www.boeker-consult.de will continue its fight for these women's rights!
FEBRUARY
20.-21.02. 2017
66. Session of the Committee of The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
GENF, Palais des Nation, United Nations, UN CEDAW
The participation of the Association of the Women Divorced in the DDR - boeker consults clients- in the 66. Session of CEDAW on Germany had a first positiv outcome: the CEDAW-Committee asked twice on their case and asked from the German Government to open a specific finds to eliminate this 27 years lasting injustice in the pension against them and if not they can allocate compensation fonds to compensate them.
Read here in German their press release before the session Pressemitteilung 01/2017 and after the 66. session of CEDAW Pressemitteilung 02/2017 .
On 21.02. the UN-CEDAW-Committee in Geneva could ask the German Government about this case since the Association of the Women Divorced in the GDR before the German unity had forwarded their urgend call for an elimination of the injustice against them in the pension rights scheme and pension law in an joint Alternativ report of the CEDAW-Alliance of German NGOs to the 7./8. State report of Germany and by an own special Alternative report of them for the 66. session of UN-CEDAW. For these targeted women from whom only 2500 can afford to be in the AOsscitioan but of whom are estimated 300.000 still surviving of once 800.000 targeted women had requested to open an inquiry on their case under the Optional Protocol of CEDAW in 2011. In December 2015 they got the short message that after the CEDAW had worked 3 years on that case it would not open an inquiry against Germany. Still, the women to not give up and are fighting for their rights. Now, everyrone is waiting for the Concluding Obervations on that session with the recommendation of the CEDAW Comittee to the German Government. Since Germany is state party to the Convention she is obliged to implement the Concluding Observations of the reporting procedure.
During the 20.02. informal meeting of the CEDAW with the German NGOs the Chair of the Association Barbara Reichert and the consultant of the Association Marion Böker used their chance to speak with a few of the Committees independent experts. For this they distributed a Statement on their most urgent demands. The first two items had been included and read during the oral statement of the German NGOs before the CEDAW Committee.
See the English version of the German joint Alternative report.
The exhibition about the fight of this women rights defenders "FRAUEN KÄMPFEN UM IHR RECHT - In der DDR geschieden, durch den Einigungsvertrag diskriminiert" is open for rent and in 2017 again on tour. You can book it from us: (see below- Dossier)
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The exhibition WOMEN WHO FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS - Divorced in the GDR, discriminated in pension law by the unification contract (German)
Now open for rent !
The vernissage was successful during 06.-18. 09. 2015 in the German Parliament organized by the Left group in the German Parliament. INVITATION in GERMAN
Information about the Exibition with pictures from the opening (German). The exhibition is in German. It shows charts with foto portraits of 21 of 300.000 targeted women (from originally 800.000) who are still alive and who had been divorced in the former GDR (East Germany), but than had been grave discriminated on ground of gender and heritage by the unification contract in their pension rights. Additional it has one information chart. Next to each portrait there is a biografical statement from interviews on how the women experience their discrimination against which the are fighting since more than 27 years now. Currently they wait for the oncluding Observations of the 66. session of the UN CEDAW, the UN-Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
This exhibition is rental. If you are interested only the costs for transport and insurance .
Contakt: www.boeker-consult.de * Phone: +49 173 9377 240
It consists of 22 A1 charts = 59, 4 x 84,1 x 1cm, 7 to eight charts are rapped in a coverbox = 8 Kilo
It comes in 3 parcels, each 8 Kilos and 12 cm x 55 x 90 cm. Each is easy to carry. Additional you will need for hanging:
- Perlon-line (or: fish line), picture hooks – mit self fixing or flexible, staples
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Current press releases have a lokk on the German side
Former P R E S S R E L E A S ES on this case [in German]:
2015 is the year of decision of UN -CEDAW (OP ART. 8) for the Association of divorcées from the former GDR
More: (in German): Press release 5/14 ; Press release 4/14 PRESSEMITTEILUNG 3/14
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