MADAGASCAR NOMINATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE

UNCLAS ANTANANARIVO 001099

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/E, AF/FO, AND G/IWI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM KWMN PREL KPAO MA
SUBJECT: MADAGASCAR NOMINATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE

REF: STATE 2502148


1. Per reftel, Post nominates the following two candidates from
Madagascar for the International Women of Courage Award.


2. Dr. Mathilde Rabary is the National President of the
non-governmental organization (NGO) "S.O.S. to Human Rights
Victims," Coordinator of the Mifohaza Center, and a former Member of
Madagascar's National Assembly.

a. Date of Birth: December 7, 1943
b. Country of Birth: Madagascar
c. Citizenship: Madagascar
d. Address: II H 3 Iadiambola Ampasampito Antananarivo 101,
MADAGASCAR
e. Telephone: +(261) 202240397, +(261) 320241901
f. Email: rabary@moov.mg
g. Passport Number: Post will update
h: Justification:

Dr. Mathilde Rabary currently serves as President of the nation-wide
NGO "S.O.S. to Human Rights Victims," created in 1999 to assist
victims of human rights abuses and educate Malagasy citizens
regarding their rights. In 2003, in collaboration with women law
graduates in Fianarantsoa, the NGO opened Madagascar's first legal
clinic -- "Mifohaza" or "Wake Up" -- to counsel primarily women on
their inheritance, family/domestic, and work rights. The center has
had resounding success, handling over 2,000 cases per year. She and
her legal experts travel around the country, sometimes even taking
pirogues into villages, to raise public awareness of human rights
and handle cases ranging from domestic violence to land title issues
to torture under interrogation. This is no small feat in
Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world where
communication and transportation outside urban areas ranges from
difficult to nearly impossible. In a country where the judiciary
system is weak and corruption is endemic, Dr. Rabary provides an
invaluable service. She is a vocal advocate for human rights and
does not hesitate to call out government officials at all levels for
dragging their feet in addressing human rights violations.

A medical doctor by profession, Dr. Rabary's distinguished career
fighting for the protection and promotion of human rights in
Madagascar has also included experience working within the
government and civil society. Her work for the government included
two years as Director of Well-Being of Families and Children at the
Ministry of Population (1994 to 1996) and four years as a member of
the National Assembly (1998 to 2002). She has also taught human
rights at the School of Nursing and Midwifery since 1995.

She began to take her fight to protect human rights international in
2002 by filing a lawsuit at the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights against violations of human rights in Madagascar; UNESCO
nominated her for the Peace Prize in 2003. In the same year, she
also initiated the first international colloquium on human rights in
the Indian Ocean. She spoke before the UN Committee on the
Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva in 2004 regarding
racial intolerance in Madagascar and represented Malagasy civil
society before the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2007
regarding situations of torture in Madagascar.

Dr. Rabary was notified of her nomination.


3. Armine Razanamahefaarivony is the National President of the
"Djamaat des Femmes Musulmanes," a Muslim women's association.

a. Date of Birth: July 20, 1952
b. Country of Birth: Madagascar
c. Citizenship: Madagascar
d. Address: Lot IV0 93 bis Isotry, Ambodin'isotry, Antananarivo,
MADAGASCAR
e. Telephone: +(261) 32 047 0033
f. Email: None
g. Passport Number: Lost, currently reapplying for a new copy.
h. Justification:

One of the Mission's priorities is conducting outreach to the Muslim
minority community, which comprises ten percent of the nation's
population. There is very little cooperation between the different
groups in Madagascar's Muslim community. Those who are economically
disadvantaged are often forced to look outside the religious
community for assistance - a major feat in a country where 70
percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Muslims
experience social discrimination in general, and some Muslim women
complain of considerable discrimination from the men in their own
communities.

Faced with these challenges, Armine Razanamahefaarivony is a
tireless advocate of Muslim women's rights within Madagascar. In
2001, she created "Djamaat des Femmes Musulmanes," an NGO dedicated
to promoting women's rights within the Muslim community and
empowering Muslim women by finding practical ways to help them out
of poverty. Her efforts to educate and empower women have faced
considerable resistance from the men in her Sunni Muslim community;
she has been asked to leave a number of religious meetings and has
been criticized for pushing women to be too "headstrong." Still,
her organization has had some significant successes. For many
years, some traditional Sunni mosques did not allow women to enter,
much less speak or participate publicly. Following persistent
lobbying and education on Razanamahefaarivony's part, starting in
2005 all Sunni mosques are now open and accessible to women.

Armine Razanamahefaarivony was notified of her nomination.


3. Post appreciates the Department's consideration of these two
nominations.

MARQUARDT