Center for Civil Society International ([email protected])
Tue, 16 Sep 1997 16:18:04 -0700 (PDT)
Excerpts from ASI bulletin #34, (22-28 August, 1997)...
CCSI presents excerpts from the Agency for Social Information
(ASI) e-mail information bulletin. Translated from the
Russian for CCSI by Alyssa Deutschler. For more information
on how to receive ASI's bulletin regularly, contact:
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AGENTSTVO SOTSIALNOI INFORMATSII
Kutuzovskyi pr. 22 pod. 14a,
Moscow, 121151
Tel./fax: (095) 249-3989
E-mail: [email protected]
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ASI Bulletin - No. 34
August 22-28
In this issue:
* Despite Amendments, Legislation on Religion Remains
Discriminatory & Anti-Constitutional
* Moscow Law Supporting Charitable Activities Celebrates
its Second Year
* Women in the Airline Industry are Subject to Discrimination
* Employment Agency for the Deaf to Open in St. Petersburg
* * * * * * *
Despite Amendments, Legislation on Religion
Remains Discriminatory & Anti-Constitutional
On August 28th members of the Council on Human Rights
met at the Sakharov Museum to discuss the newly amended
bill on freedom of conscience and religious
associations. According to representatives of the
Council, even in its amended form, the bill cannot be
considered constitutional or in accord with
international standards of religious freedom. Many
different religious groups in the Russian Federation
consider the bill to be discriminatory and advocates of
human rights have stated that, if passed into law, the
bill would only aggravate tensions between religious
groups and exacerbate discrimination.
Despite amendments to several sections of the bill, it
still continues to support inequality between religious
groups, said Duma deputy Galina Starovoitovaia.
Additionally, the amendments failed to clarify certain
terms used in the bill that aren't part of standard
legal lexicon�for example, what exactly is meant by the
term "religious followers?"
President Boris Yeltsin's subsequent veto of the bill
has caused an aura of secrecy and subterfuge to
surround it. According to a member of the Institute of
Religion & Rights, groups working to oppose the bill
now have practically no access to the bill and are not
being apprised of amendments being made by the bill's
sponsors.
* * * * * * *
Moscow Law Supporting Charitable Activities
Celebrates its Second Year
On August 28th, representatives at the Moscow City Duma
celebrated the second anniversary of a law on
charitable activities and the resurrection of the
city's Charitable Council, which existed before the
Revolution. Participants at a press conference held at
the Duma told journalists about the effects of the
Charitable Council's work and the new law. "Many of us
have understood the word �charity' as applying only to
free products given to the old, sick or orphaned," said
Duma deputy and Charitable Council representative
Vladimir Katushenok. "However, that definition isn't
wholly accurate. Charitable help can benefit many
different sections of the population."
Representatives from several charitable organizations
currently operating in Moscow appeared at the press
conference to describe their activities. The group
"Good Deeds Without Borders" has implemented a program
for Muscovites that educates city residents about which
municipal services they are obliged to pay for and
which are the responsibility of the city. The group
also runs a program in conjunction with Moscow theaters
that allows elderly citizens to attend events that they
could not otherwise afford. Another organization,
"Peace to Your Home," described their efforts to
rebuild dilapidated children's playgrounds in over 20
Moscow residential complexes.
Contact telephone (Vladimir Katushenok): (095) 947-
2210
* * * * * * *
Women in the Airline Industry
are Subject to Discrimination
On August 22nd the Union of Women hosted an open forum
for female aviators, organized by the "Aviatrix" club.
150 pilots and airplane technicians from Russia,
Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Moldova and
France attended the event. Among the topics discussed
at the forum, discrimination against women in the
airline industry was considered to be the most pressing
issue. It remains difficult for women to obtain
sufficient experience and accreditation to work in the
airline industry. While men begin their careers in
flight from a professional foundation, women must start
from clubs for hobbyists. This discrepancy endures
throughout women's careers in the flight industry,
ending with disproportionate pensions for women and
men.
Participants discussed changing the legal status of the
"Aviatrix" club; currently, the club is registered in
Moscow, but members hope to open branches throughout
Russia and in neighbouring countries. The club invites
women from all realms of the flight industry to join
the organization�from navigators to mechanics.
Contact telephone: (095) 476-2369 (Galina
Korchuganova, president)
* * * * * * *
Employment Agency for the Deaf
to Open in St. Petersburg
Under the auspices of the Russian Society for the Deaf,
and with the cooperation of local committees on labour
and social defense, an employment agency for the deaf
is slated to begin operations in St. Petersburg. The
agency will place deaf employees in positions in
private companies, with a special focus on the textiles
industry. The city's employment database will be used
to seek job openings for deaf workers.
Contact Address:
Employment Agency for the Deaf
St. Petersburg, Ulitsa Galernaia, Dom 55
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