THE PICTOU STATEMENT: feminist statement on guaranteed living income
ACCESS TO ONLINE PORNOGRAPHY AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT
the pictou statement: feminist statement on guaranteed living income
Pictou, Nova Scotia, Sept 18-20, 2004
LEE LAKEMAN, ANGELA MILES and
LINDA CHRISTIANSEN–RUFFMAN
For millennia women's work, along with the free gifts of nature, has provided most of the true wealth of our communities. Women's work has been central to individual and collective survival. In all our diverse communities women can be seen to work on the principle that everybody is entitled to economic and physical security and autonomy and a fair share of the common wealth.
Women in every community, context and racial group are still denied our rightful political power over the economics governing these communities and our world. To paraphrase "A Women's Creed," for thousands of years men have had power without responsibility while women have responsibility without power. This situation must change.
Feminists insist that all activities of government and business in our nation(s) and our diverse communities should be assessed in the light of the prime value of sustaining life and social priorities of universal entitlement, human security, autonomy and common wealth. Social priorities of universal entitlement, human security, autonomy and common wealth must become central in social life and in public policy.
We refuse to accept market measures of wealth. They make invisible the important caring work of women in every society. They ignore the well-being of people and the planet, deny the value of women's work, and define the collective wealth of our social programs and public institutions as "costs" which cannot be borne. They undermine social connections and capacities (social currency).
We reject policies that sacrifice collective wealth and individual security in the interests of profit for transnational corporations.
Women in Canada expect full and generous provision for all people's basic needs from the common wealth. Social and collective provision for sustaining life must be generous and secure in Canada and must be delivered through national mechanisms appropriately influenced and controlled by the women of our many specific communities.
We expect all people's full and dignified participation in society including full individual and social sharing of the work and responsibility of sustaining life that has so far been gendered. Men must share equally in this work within and beyond monetary measures.
We expect our rightful share of the wealth we have created. Women's work must be recognized and valued both within and beyond monetary measures. We expect sustained and expanding collective provision for people's needs.
Women demand an indexed guaranteed living income for all individual residents set at a level to enable comfortable living.
Excerpts from the preamble to the Pictou Statement:
"Women's places in the academy, centres, projects and wings of the movement as well as women's livelihood, dignity and autonomy are financially threatened in new ways. To write and to think creatively with political ingenuity and wisdom is difficult but essential in these circumstances.
"The editorial board responded to the challenge. ... two members of the Canadian Woman Studies executive board and two members of the guest editorial board for this issue were able to meet in Pictou, Nova Scotia with feminists from across the country for two days of intense dialogue around the themes of this issue. The mix of significant numbers of national groups with a substantial regional grassroots presence proved inspired. [list of participants published on pg.206 of the journal]
"... dialogue as a whole group... contributed to the articulation of a feminist position on a guaranteed livable income. This is captured in the 'Pictou Statement' presented here. This statement has not been endorsed by individual participants at Pictou and they have not yet had the time to take it to their respective groups for endorsement. However, it is an exciting outcome of a rare and generative feminist dialogue. We feel it represents an important advance in feminist thinking on these issues and are pleased to be able to present it here.
For the full preamble and list of authors see page 204 of the Journal.
The Pictou Statement was published in the Canadian Woman Studies Journal, Volume 23, No. 3 & 4, December 2004. Issue Theme: Benefiting Women? Women's Labour Rights. Reprinted with permission from the Canadian Woman Studies Journal.
This statement has been endorsed by:
LEE LAKEMAN, ANGELA MILES and
LINDA CHRISTIANSEN–RUFFMAN
For millennia women's work, along with the free gifts of nature, has provided most of the true wealth of our communities. Women's work has been central to individual and collective survival. In all our diverse communities women can be seen to work on the principle that everybody is entitled to economic and physical security and autonomy and a fair share of the common wealth.
Women in every community, context and racial group are still denied our rightful political power over the economics governing these communities and our world. To paraphrase "A Women's Creed," for thousands of years men have had power without responsibility while women have responsibility without power. This situation must change.
Feminists insist that all activities of government and business in our nation(s) and our diverse communities should be assessed in the light of the prime value of sustaining life and social priorities of universal entitlement, human security, autonomy and common wealth. Social priorities of universal entitlement, human security, autonomy and common wealth must become central in social life and in public policy.
We refuse to accept market measures of wealth. They make invisible the important caring work of women in every society. They ignore the well-being of people and the planet, deny the value of women's work, and define the collective wealth of our social programs and public institutions as "costs" which cannot be borne. They undermine social connections and capacities (social currency).
We reject policies that sacrifice collective wealth and individual security in the interests of profit for transnational corporations.
Women in Canada expect full and generous provision for all people's basic needs from the common wealth. Social and collective provision for sustaining life must be generous and secure in Canada and must be delivered through national mechanisms appropriately influenced and controlled by the women of our many specific communities.
We expect all people's full and dignified participation in society including full individual and social sharing of the work and responsibility of sustaining life that has so far been gendered. Men must share equally in this work within and beyond monetary measures.
We expect our rightful share of the wealth we have created. Women's work must be recognized and valued both within and beyond monetary measures. We expect sustained and expanding collective provision for people's needs.
Women demand an indexed guaranteed living income for all individual residents set at a level to enable comfortable living.
Excerpts from the preamble to the Pictou Statement:
"Women's places in the academy, centres, projects and wings of the movement as well as women's livelihood, dignity and autonomy are financially threatened in new ways. To write and to think creatively with political ingenuity and wisdom is difficult but essential in these circumstances.
"The editorial board responded to the challenge. ... two members of the Canadian Woman Studies executive board and two members of the guest editorial board for this issue were able to meet in Pictou, Nova Scotia with feminists from across the country for two days of intense dialogue around the themes of this issue. The mix of significant numbers of national groups with a substantial regional grassroots presence proved inspired. [list of participants published on pg.206 of the journal]
"... dialogue as a whole group... contributed to the articulation of a feminist position on a guaranteed livable income. This is captured in the 'Pictou Statement' presented here. This statement has not been endorsed by individual participants at Pictou and they have not yet had the time to take it to their respective groups for endorsement. However, it is an exciting outcome of a rare and generative feminist dialogue. We feel it represents an important advance in feminist thinking on these issues and are pleased to be able to present it here.
For the full preamble and list of authors see page 204 of the Journal.
The Pictou Statement was published in the Canadian Woman Studies Journal, Volume 23, No. 3 & 4, December 2004. Issue Theme: Benefiting Women? Women's Labour Rights. Reprinted with permission from the Canadian Woman Studies Journal.
This statement has been endorsed by:
- The Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres (posted in French and English on their website).
- Victoria Status of Women Action Group (Victoria, BC)
- Low Income Families Together (Toronto, ON)
ACCESS TO ONLINE PORNOGRAPHY & WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT
Recent events in Nova Scotia and across Canada are demanding our attention. The scandal at Dalhousie University Dental School, the allegations against Jian Ghomeshi, and the tragic loss of Rheteah Parsons after a suicide attempt are all signals that our society is deeply misogynistic. How can this be? Despite the many gains women have made towards respect and equality in our society, it seems we are sliding backwards.It is becoming obvious now that access to online pornography is at least partly responsible for this obvious and blatant misogyny.
With the advent of wireless internet, tablets and smart phones, we can access almost anything online. And while this has many advantages, in the wrong hands, at the wrong time of life, it can be harmful.
Young people - children as young as 9 or 10 have free access to online pornography. A naturally curious impulse can lead them to the most disturbing and violent images within minutes. The internet has become the primary source of sex education for these young boys and girls. And they learn that sex is violent and degrading to women. They adopt the twisted versions of femininity and masculinity portrayed in porn, and this shapes the way they relate to one another.
Early access to pornography is being recognized as a public health crisis. We will not know the full extent of the damage until this generation of young people has reached adulthood. At a time when the developing brain is laying a foundation for adulthood, pornography interrupts healthy development and makes it impossible for youth to develop and maintain healthy, caring relationships.
Making the internet safe for children
The explosion of pornography on the internet and the explosion of the internet into children’s lives makes it extremely hard to enforce age restrictions, and for parents to monitor what their children watch. Children accessing pornography get distorted ideas about sex because much of the pornography on line depicts sex as violence against women and girls.
In the UK, legislation has been proposed to limit access to pornography by youth. This is not about restricting the access of adults, it is about protecting children from the destructive influence of violent, degrading images of women and girls.
Legislation has been proposed to limit child/youth access to online pornography. The Opt In / Opt Out approach proposes that all devices (computers, phones, etc.), as they are being purchased, be set by default at Opt Out. This would mean that access to online pornography is blocked by the Internet Service Providers. The only way to access pornography would be to prove you are 18 years and over and have a credit card. In other words, you as an adult, could Opt In.
Even though the legislation has not currently passed, four of the major network providers in the UK (Virgin, BT, Talk Talk, and SKY) have already voluntarily blocked pornographic content at network level. And for existing customers in the UK, Sky announced on Tuesday, and Talk Talk followed on Wednesday, that they were going to do essentially the same thing for existing customers i.e. unless and until they made a choice the filters would be turned on.
Currently in Nova Scotia and across Canada the Internet Service Providers offer universal access to free online pornography. A person can set special filters on their devices to block access to something they do not want children to see, like online pornography, but filters have their own challenges and limitations. So currently all internet devices in our Canadian society are set at Opt In.
We are confident that the majority of Canadians would applaud a commitment by the federal government to negotiate with Canadian internet service providers to implement an opt-in/opt-out system to restrict children’s access to internet pornography. We are confident that the internet industry would respond positively to such an initiative as it did in Britain.
Here in Nova Scotia, we have approached the Federal Justice Minister asking for action on this issue. It's not everything that needs to be done, but it is a relatively simple action that could have significant benefit.
Here are some links to more information on the subject:
A speech by UK Prime Minister David Cameron outlining the need to limit access to online pornography, and a simple legislative option to do so.
Growing up in a porn culture - website of a conference organized by Tri-County Women's Centre in Yarmouth, NS
Keeping a lid on porn culture - Letter to the editor supporting an Opt In / Opt out approach to online pornography
Express your concerns to:
Hon. Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8 Email: mcu@justice.gc.ca
With the advent of wireless internet, tablets and smart phones, we can access almost anything online. And while this has many advantages, in the wrong hands, at the wrong time of life, it can be harmful.
Young people - children as young as 9 or 10 have free access to online pornography. A naturally curious impulse can lead them to the most disturbing and violent images within minutes. The internet has become the primary source of sex education for these young boys and girls. And they learn that sex is violent and degrading to women. They adopt the twisted versions of femininity and masculinity portrayed in porn, and this shapes the way they relate to one another.
Early access to pornography is being recognized as a public health crisis. We will not know the full extent of the damage until this generation of young people has reached adulthood. At a time when the developing brain is laying a foundation for adulthood, pornography interrupts healthy development and makes it impossible for youth to develop and maintain healthy, caring relationships.
Making the internet safe for children
The explosion of pornography on the internet and the explosion of the internet into children’s lives makes it extremely hard to enforce age restrictions, and for parents to monitor what their children watch. Children accessing pornography get distorted ideas about sex because much of the pornography on line depicts sex as violence against women and girls.
In the UK, legislation has been proposed to limit access to pornography by youth. This is not about restricting the access of adults, it is about protecting children from the destructive influence of violent, degrading images of women and girls.
Legislation has been proposed to limit child/youth access to online pornography. The Opt In / Opt Out approach proposes that all devices (computers, phones, etc.), as they are being purchased, be set by default at Opt Out. This would mean that access to online pornography is blocked by the Internet Service Providers. The only way to access pornography would be to prove you are 18 years and over and have a credit card. In other words, you as an adult, could Opt In.
Even though the legislation has not currently passed, four of the major network providers in the UK (Virgin, BT, Talk Talk, and SKY) have already voluntarily blocked pornographic content at network level. And for existing customers in the UK, Sky announced on Tuesday, and Talk Talk followed on Wednesday, that they were going to do essentially the same thing for existing customers i.e. unless and until they made a choice the filters would be turned on.
Currently in Nova Scotia and across Canada the Internet Service Providers offer universal access to free online pornography. A person can set special filters on their devices to block access to something they do not want children to see, like online pornography, but filters have their own challenges and limitations. So currently all internet devices in our Canadian society are set at Opt In.
We are confident that the majority of Canadians would applaud a commitment by the federal government to negotiate with Canadian internet service providers to implement an opt-in/opt-out system to restrict children’s access to internet pornography. We are confident that the internet industry would respond positively to such an initiative as it did in Britain.
Here in Nova Scotia, we have approached the Federal Justice Minister asking for action on this issue. It's not everything that needs to be done, but it is a relatively simple action that could have significant benefit.
Here are some links to more information on the subject:
A speech by UK Prime Minister David Cameron outlining the need to limit access to online pornography, and a simple legislative option to do so.
Growing up in a porn culture - website of a conference organized by Tri-County Women's Centre in Yarmouth, NS
Keeping a lid on porn culture - Letter to the editor supporting an Opt In / Opt out approach to online pornography
Express your concerns to:
Hon. Peter MacKay, Minister of Justice
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8 Email: mcu@justice.gc.ca
