The Women's Advisory Council could find itself operating under the umbrella of the new Women's Issues Ministry.

Government Senate Leader the Hon. Lynda Milligan-Whyte, who heads the Ministry, yesterday told The Royal Gazette she will look at the council and consider incorporating it into her Ministry.

Sen. Milligan-Whyte was the council's first chairperson when it was set up by former Premier Sir John Swan in 1988.

Back then the body was one of the few sources of information for the public on various issues affecting women.

And under its current head, Mrs. Jo-Carol Robinson, the council has been working on a report on the status of women in Bermuda with a coalition of women's advocacy groups.

The report was to form the basis of the draft White Paper which Human Affairs Minister the Hon. Jerome Dill was to take to the United Nations Fourth World Conference in Beijing, China.

However, the document -- which was to spell out Government's position on issues such as gender equality, the empowerment and integration of women in political, social and economic life, health, child care and domestic violence -- has not been completed.

And no direct Government representative is attending the conference because of the recent Cabinet reshuffle.

Yesterday, Sen. Milligan-Whyte said she would rather wait until those who are attending the Beijing conference -- including Shadow Education Minister Ms Jennifer Smith, former Government Sen. Yvette Swan, Opposition Sen. Neletha (Honey) Butterfield and Physical Abuse Centre chairperson Ms Arlene Swan -- return to find out "what sort of trends are taking place around the world in terms of women's issues'' before disclosing specific issues her Ministry will address.

And when asked whether she believed the Women's Issues Ministry will be duplicating the work of the Women's Advisory Council and thus make it obsolete, Sen. Milligan-Whyte said she will look at incorporating the council into her Ministry.

But she stressed that the council still had a purpose.

Earlier this week Ms Smith -- who expressed concern about the combining of Education with the Human Affairs Ministry -- said she believed "so-called women's issues'' should be addressed by Human Affairs as a part of human rights.

By labelling issues as one group's problem, she said, stereotypes were being reinforced.

If Bermuda continued to view problems such as "domestic'' violence and rape as women's issues, men would not see the importance of such issues, she added.

"There is in my mind no such thing as women's issues,'' she said. "Show me one thing that just affects women.'' Sen. Milligan-Whyte yesterday agreed with Ms Smith's latter statement.

"You can't deal with women's issues without addressing the family,'' she said. But she also noted the importance of a separate Ministry for Women's Issues.

"I'm very, very impressed with the new Premier elevating women's issues to Cabinet status,'' Sen. Milligan-Whyte said at the Cabinet's press conference earlier this week.

"My particular focus will be, yes, to deal with women's issues, but recognising you cannot deal with women's issues without dealing with family issues. The family is the core of society.'' Chief operating officer of the Akinstall Foundation for research and development of women's issues, Ms Valirie Akinstall echoed similar sentiments.

Ms Akinstall said it was clear from Ms Smith's remarks that "an educational process is urgently needed to define women's issues and set an agenda''.

"From a local standpoint, domestic violence including rape and human rights are only two areas of concern that are reported consistently by the local media, therefore, they are the concerns that are foremost in the minds of the public,'' she said.

Ms Akinstall noted the UN had identified 12 critical areas of concern which will be negotiated at the Beijing conference.

And she said some of the areas of concern that will have a direct local impact were: Insufficient use of mass media to promote women's positive contribution to society; Inequality in women's access and participation in defining economic structures and policies and the productive process itself; and Inequality between men and women in the sharing of power and decision-making at all levels.

Acknowledgement of housewives' and mothers' value and appreciation also deserved recognition, Ms Akinstall stressed.

"No-one suggests that women isolate themselves to work on issues pertaining only to women,'' she said. "We work on issues that affect us without our participation. We want equal participation in the process.'' While noting that men were a "vital, vibrant, important part'' of women's lives, Ms Akinstall said ". .. decisions made by men, for us, around us and with the exclusion of us, impact on our lives significantly.

"Women deserve to be partners in the process that is created for the benefit of our community.''