From staylor at idrc.ca Mon May 2 15:51:17 2005 From: staylor at idrc.ca (Suzanne Taylor) Date: Mon May 2 15:51:45 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Fwd: FW: Stephen Lewis speaking on gender and HIV/AIDS Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20050502155039.00c51008@mail.idrc.ca> >Text of a speech by Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in >Africa, delivered at the University of Pennsylvania's Summit on Global >Issues in Women's Health, Philadelphia, April 26, 2005 > >I well realize that this is a conference on women's global health, and >everything I'm about to say will apply to that generic definition. But the >more I thought of the subject matter, the more I want to use HIV/AIDS in >Africa as a surrogate for every international issue of women's health, >partly because it's what I know best; partly because it's an accurate >reflection of reality. > >I've been in the Envoy role for four years. Things are changing in an >incremental, if painfully glacial way. It's now possible to feel merely >catastrophic rather than apocalyptic. Initiatives on treatment, resources, >training, capacity, infrastructure and prevention are underway. But one >factor is largely impervious to change: the situation of women. On the >ground, where it counts, where the wily words confront reality, the lives >of women are as mercilessly desperate as they have always been in the last >twenty plus years of the pandemic. > >Just a few weeks ago, I was in Zambia, visiting a district well outside of >Lusaka. We were taken to a rural village to see an "income generating >project" run by a group of Women Living With AIDS. They were gathered >under a large banner proclaiming their identity, some fifteen or twenty >women, all living with the virus, all looking after orphans. They were >standing proudly beside the income generating project ... a bountiful >cabbage patch. After they had spoken volubly and eloquently about their >needs and the needs of their children (as always, hunger led the litany), >I asked about the cabbages. I assumed it supplemented their diet? Yes, >they chorused. And you sell the surplus at market? An energetic nodding of >heads. And I take it you make a profit? Yes again. What do you do with the >profit? And this time there was an almost quizzical response as if to say >what kind of ridiculous question is that ... surely you knew the answer >before you asked: "We buy coffins of course; we never have enough coffins". > >It's at moments like that when I feel the world has gone mad. That's no >existential spasm on my part. I simply don't know how otherwise to >characterize what we're doing to half of humankind. > >I want to remind you that it took until the Bangkok AIDS conference in >2004 --- more than twenty years into the pandemic --- before the >definitive report from UNAIDS disaggregated the statistics and commented, >extensively, upon the devastating vulnerability of women. The phrase "AIDS >has a woman's face" actually gained currency at the AIDS conference in >Barcelona two years earlier, in 2002, and even then it was years late. >Perhaps we should stop using it now as though it has a revelatory >dimension. The women of Africa have always known whose face it is that's >withered and aching from the virus. > >I want to remind you that when the Millennium Development Goals were >launched, there was no goal on sexual and reproductive health. How was >that possible? Everyone is now scrambling to find a way to make sexual and >reproductive health fit comfortably into HIV/AIDS or women's empowerment >or maternal mortality. But it surely should have had a category, a goal, >of its own. Interestingly, the primacy of women is rescued (albeit there's >still no goal) in the Millennium Project document, authored by Jeffrey Sachs. > >And while mentioning maternal mortality, allow me to point out that this >issue has been haunting the lives of women for generations. I can remember >back in the late 90s, when I was overseeing the publication of State of >the World's Children for UNICEF, and we did a major piece on maternal >mortality and realized that the same number of annual deaths --- between >500 and 600 hundred thousand --- had not changed for twenty years. And now >it's thirty years. You can bet that if there was something called paternal >mortality, the numbers wouldn't be frozen in time for three decades. > >I want to remind you that within the UN system, there's something called >the Task Force on Women and AIDS in Southern Africa. Permit me to tell you >how it came about, and where it appears to be headed ... and I beg you to >see this as descriptive rather than self-indulgent. > >In January of 2003, I traveled with the Executive Director of the World >Food Programme, James Morris, to four African countries beset by a >combination of famine and AIDS: Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi and Lesotho. We >had surmised, at the outset, that we would be dealing primarily with >drought and erratic rainfall, but in the field it became apparent that to >a devastating extent, agricultural productivity and household food >security were being clobbered by AIDS. We were shocked by the human toll, >the numbers of orphans, and the pervasive death amongst the female >population. In fact, so distressed were we about the decimation of women, >that we appealed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations to >personally intervene. > >And he did. He summoned a high level meeting on the 38th floor of the UN >Secretariat, with TV conferencing outreach to James Morris in Rome and to >the various UN agencies in Geneva, and after several agitated >interventions, the Secretary-General struck a Task Force on Gender and >AIDS in Southern Africa, to be chaired by Carol Bellamy of UNICEF. > >If memory serves me, Carol Bellamy determined to focus on seven of the >highest prevalence rate countries: studies were done, recommendations were >made, costs of implementation were estimated, monographs were published. >And here's what festers in the craw: the funding for implementation is not >yet available. The needs and rights of women never command singular urgency. > >There's an odd footnote to this. Within the last two months, a number of >senior students at the University of Toronto Law School, compiled papers >dealing with potential legal interventions on a number of issues related >to HIV/AIDS in Africa. One of the issues was, predictably, gender. Not a >single student, over the course of several weeks, whether on the internet >or wider personal reading, came across the Secretary-General's Task Force >(although one student said that she had a vague recollection that such a >thing existed). The Task Force findings are clearly not something the UN >promotes with messianic fervour. > >I want to remind you that as recently as March, there was tabled, >internationally, the Commission on Africa, chaired by Prime Minister Tony >Blair ... indeed established by Tony Blair. It has received nothing but >accolades, particularly for the analysis and recommendations on Official >Development Assistance, on trade and on debt. The tributes are deserved. >The document goes further down a progressive road than any other >contemporary international compilation. > >With one exception. I want it to be known --- because it's not known --- >that the one aspect of this prestigious report which fails, lamentably, is >the way in which it deals with women. There is the occasional obligatory >paragraph which signals that the Commission recognizes that there are two >sexes in the world, but by and large, given that women are absolutely >central to the very integrity and survival of the African continent, they >are dealt with as they are always dealt with in these auspicious studies: >at the margins, in passing, pro forma. And it's not just HIV/AIDS; it's >everything, from trade to agriculture to conflict to peace-building. > >Maybe we should have guessed what was coming when there were only three >women appointed out of seventeen commissioners. They had the whole world >to choose from, and they could find only three women ... it doesn't even >begin to meet the Beijing minimum target of thirty percent. We're not just >climbing uphill; we might as well be facing the Himalayas. > >I want to remind you, finally, of the arrangements we've made within the >United Nations itself. HIV/AIDS is the worst plague this world is facing; >it wrecks havoc on women and girls, and within the multilateral system, >best-placed to confront the pandemic, we have absolutely no agency of >power to promote women's development, to offer advice and technical >assistance to governments on their behalf, and to oversee programmes, as >well as representing the rights of women. We have no agency of authority >to intervene on behalf of half the human race. Despite the mantra of >'Women's Rights are Human Rights', intoned at the International Conference >on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993; despite the pugnacious assertion of the >rights of women advanced at the Cairo International conference in 1994; >despite the Beijing Conference on women in 1995; despite the existence of >the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, now >ratified by over 150 countries; we have only UNIFEM, the UN Development >Fund for Women, with an annual core budget in the vicinity of $20 million >dollars, to represent the women of the world. There are several UNICEF >offices in individual developing countries where the annual budget is >greater than that of UNIFEM. > >More, UNIFEM isn't even a free-standing entity. It's a department of the >UNDP (the United Nations Development Programme). Its Executive Director >ranks lower in grade than over a dozen of her colleagues within UNDP, and >lower in rank than the vast majority of the Secretary-General's Special >Representatives. > >More still, because UNIFEM is so marginalized, there's nobody to represent >women adequately on the group of co-sponsors convened by UNAIDS. You see, >UNAIDS is a coordinating body: it coordinates the AIDS activities of >UNICEF, UNDP, the World Bank, UNESCO, UNFPA, WHO, UNDCP (the Drug Agency), >ILO and WFP. UNIFEM asked to be a co-sponsor, but it was denied that privilege. > >So who, I ask, speaks for women at the heart of the pandemic? Well, UNFPA >in part. And UNICEF, in part (a smaller part). And ostensibly UNDP >(although from my observations in the field, "ostensible" is the operative >word). > >Let me be clear: what we have here is the most ferocious assault ever made >by a communicable disease on women's health, and there is just no >concerted coalition of forces to go to the barricades on women's behalf. >We do have the Global Coalition on Women and AIDS, launched almost by way >of desperation, by some international women leaders ... like Mary >Robinson, like Geeta Rao Gupta, but they're struggling for significant >sustainable funding, and their presence on the ground is inevitably peripheral. > >I was listening to the presentations at the dinner last night, and >thinking to myself, when in heaven's name does it end? Obstetric fistula >causes such awful misery, and isn't it symptomatic that one of the largest >--- perhaps the largest --- contributions to addressing this appalling >condition has come not from a government but from Oprah Winfrey? > >I was noting, just in the last 48 hours, that Save the Children in the UK >has released a report pointing out that fully half of the three hundred >thousand child soldiers in the world are girls. And if that isn't a >maiming of health --- in this case emotional and psychological health --- >then I don't know what is. And perhaps you notice the rancid irony: women >have achieved parity on the receiving end of conflict and AIDS, but >nowhere else. > >Female genital mutilation, the contagion of violence against women, sexual >violence in particular, rape as a weapon of war --- Rwanda, Darfur, >Northern Uganda, Eastern Congo --- marital rape, child defilement, as it >is called in Zambia, sexual trafficking, maternal mortality, early >marriage ... I pause to point out that studies now show that in parts of >Africa, the prevalence rates of HIV in marriage are often higher than they >are for sexually active single women in the surrounding community; who >would have thought that possible? ... > >The overall subject matters you're tackling at this conference strike to >the heart of the human condition. All my adult life I have accepted the >feminist analysis of male power and authority. But perhaps because of an >acute naivet?, I never imagined that the analysis would be overwhelmed by >the objective historical realities. Of course the women's movement has had >great successes, but the contemporary global struggle to secure women's >health seems to me to be a challenge of almost insuperable dimension. > >And because I believe that, and because I see the evidence month after >month, week after week, day after day, in the unremitting carnage of women >and AIDS --- God it tears the heart from the body ... I just don't know >how to convey it ... these young young women, who crave so desperately to >live, who suddenly face a pox, a scourge which tears their life from them >before they have a life ... who can't even get treatment because the men >are first in line, or the treatment rolls out at such a paralytic snail's >pace ... who are part of the 90% of pregnant women who have no access to >the prevention of Mother to Child Transmission and so their infants are >born positive ... who carry the entire burden of care even while they're >sick, tending to the family, carrying the water, tilling the fields, >looking after the orphans ... the women who lose their property, and have >no inheritance rights, and no legal or jurisprudential infrastructure >which will guarantee those rights ... no criminal code which will stop the >violence ... because I have observed all of that, and have observed it for >four years, and am driven to distraction by the recognition that it will >continue, I want a kind of revolution in the world's response, not another >stab at institutional reform, but a virtual revolution. > >Let me, therefore, put before the conference, two quite pragmatic >responses which will make a world of difference to women, and then a much >more fundamental proposal. > >Many at the conference will not know this, but the Kingdom of Swaziland >recently made history when it received from the Global Fund on AIDS, >Tuberculosis and Malaria, money to pay a stipend --- modest of course, but >of huge impact --- to ten thousand caregivers, looking after orphans, the >vast majority being women. The Swaziland National AIDS Commission (that >may not be the precise name), reeling from the exploding orphan >population, made the proposal for payment to the Global Fund, and it swept >through the review process with nary a word. The amount is roughly >$30/month, or a dollar a day ... not a lot to be sure, but clearly enough >to make a great difference. > >My recommendation is that this conference orchestrate the writing of a >letter, to be signed by people like Mary Robinson, Geeta Rao Gupta, and >prominent women from academia, and have that letter sent to every African >Head of State and Minister of Health, urging them to ask for compensation >for caregivers, using the Swaziland precedent. > >And the second pragmatic proposal? I would recommend, with every fibre of >persuasion at my command, that the conference collaborate directly with >the International Partnership on Microbicides, whose remarkably effective >Executive Director, Dr. Zeda Rosenberg, will be here on campus on >Thursday. She will tell you what she needs and how to go about getting it. >The prospect of a microbicide, in the form of a gel or cream or ring, >which will prevent infection, while permitting conception --- the partner >need not even know of its presence --- can save the lives of millions of >women. The head of UNAIDS, Dr. Peter Piot, who will be known to many of >you, recently suggested that the discovery of a microbicide may be only >three to four years off. That's almost miraculous: short of a vaccine --- >and we must never stop the indefatigable hunt for a vaccine --- a >microbicide can transform the lives of women, and dramatically reduce >their disproportionate vulnerability. What's needed is science and money. >You can help with both. > >On the more fundamental front, I want to suggest that the process of UN >reform, now urgently underway, be confronted with arguments that spare no >impatience. > >I have heard the President of Botswana use the word extermination when he >described what the country is battling. I have heard the Prime Minister of >Lesotho use the word annihilation when he described what the country is >battling. I sat with the President of Zambia and members of his cabinet >not long ago, when he used the word holocaust to describe what the country >is battling. > >The words are true; there's no hyperbole. The words apply, overwhelmingly, >to women. That being the case, there has to be a proportionate response. >It seems to me that the response should proceed on two simultaneous fronts. > >First, let me say that I was thrilled by the suggestion from Mary >Robinson, and others, that Penn State act as a kind of coordinator for the >surprising numbers of initiatives, unrelated one to the other, occurring >under the auspices of many universities. The practice of twinning, the >practice of using various Faculties as training centres, the practice of >American and Canadian universities bridging the gap in capacity until the >developing country can take over ... all of that is to the good, and it >needs coordination. But there's more, I would submit, for you to do. >Within multilateralism, that is within the UN system, wherein lies the >best hope for leadership, there must be a change in the representation of >women. There must emerge, for Women's Global Health, and certainly for >HIV/AIDS, an agency, an organization, a powerful Think Tank, whatever the >entity --- it can start on the outside, and then claim equal presence >amongst the co-sponsors of UNAIDS, and thrust its advocacy upon the >Secretariat, the Agencies, the member states, in unprecedented volume and >urgency. Nor does this entity confine itself solely to women's global >health, although that is the entry point. It insists on the 50% rule ... >just start your evidence-gathering by identifying the numbers of senior >women, agency by agency, secretariat department by secretariat department, >diplomatic mission by diplomatic mission, and when you've recovered from >the shock of learning that the multilateral citadel knows nothing of >affirmative action, then begin your unrelenting advocacy. This must become >a movement for social change. It needs leadership. Why not this >University, why not this conference? And let me emphasize; there's nothing >limiting about this concept. We're looking towards the day when >governments are finally made to understand that women constitute half of >everything that affects humankind, and must therefore be engaged in >absolutely everything. Why would it not be possible to build a movement, >committed to the rights of women, in the first instance amongst nursing >and medical faculties across the world, and take the world by storm? You >have resources, knowledge and influence available to no others. The >terrible problem is that you've never marshalled your collective capacities. > >Second, a similar movement must be directed, I would submit, to Africa >itself. I'm hesitant here, because there are enough neo-colonial impulses >around without my being presumptuous in making recommendations for Africa, >and indeed for women. But I must bring myself to say what I know to be >true: the African leadership, at the highest level, is not engaged when it >comes to women's health. There's so much lip service; there's so much >patronizing gobble-de-gook. The political leadership of Africa has to be >lobbied with an almost maniacal intensity on the issues of this >conference, or nothing will change for women. > >That, too, will take a monumental effort. In my fantasies, I see a group >of African women, moving country to country, President to President, >identifying violations of women's health specific to that country, and >demanding a change so profound that it shakes to the root the gender >relationships of the society. I know that African women leaders like >Wangari Matthai and Gra?a Machel and many prominent cabinet ministers, >committed activists and professionals think in those terms; what is needed >is a massive outpouring of international support from their sisters and >brothers on the planet. > >I'm 67 years old. I'm a man. I've spent time in politics, diplomacy and >multilateralism. I know a little of how this man's world works, but I >still find much of it inexplicable. I don't really care anymore about whom >I might offend or what line I cross: that's what's useful about inching >into one's dotage. > >I know only that this world is off its rocker when it comes to women. I >must admit that I live in such a state of perpetual rage at what I see >happening to women in the pandemic, that I would like to throttle those >responsible, those who've waited so unendurably long to act, those who can >find infinite resources for war but never sufficient resources to >ameliorate the human condition. > >I'm excited of course about the Millennium Development Goals, and I'm >equally excited that with the leadership of the British, this next G8 >Summit in the summer might just possibly spawn a breakthrough. And there >are countless numbers of people working to that end. > >But I have to say that I can't get the images of women I've met, >unbearably ill, out of my mind. And I don't have it in me either to >forgive or to forget. I have it in me only to join with all of you in the >greatest liberation struggle there is: the struggle on behalf of the women >of the world. From woroniuk at magma.ca Mon May 2 16:00:20 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Mon May 2 16:01:23 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] UN Wire - UN probe confirms Liberia sex abuse allegations Message-ID: <005601c54f51$922f0ef0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> UN probe confirms Liberia sex abuse allegations Some of the allegations of sexual abuse levied against United Nations peacekeepers in Liberia have turned out to be true, the world organization says an investigation has found. "The United Nations treats this issue with the utmost seriousness. As we continue to clamp down on misconduct throughout all peacekeeping missions, it is very likely that the number of these allegations will increase," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. AlertNet.org/Reuters (4/29) UN Wire is a FREE daily e-mail newsletter covering the United Nations and the World. Aggregating the most important news from hundreds of top international sources, UN Wire provides the latest news and information you need to be an informed citizen. Sign up for your very own free subscription to UN Wire. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050502/030a29ca/attachment.html From staylor at idrc.ca Mon May 2 16:25:56 2005 From: staylor at idrc.ca (Suzanne Taylor) Date: Mon May 2 16:26:21 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] The History of Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones. A workshop at The University of Iowa Center for Human Rights Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20050502162510.00be7aa8@mail.idrc.ca> >X > >Direct inquiries to: Elizabeth-Heineman@uiowa.edu > >The University of Iowa Center for Human Rights (UICHR) invites proposals for >a workshop on the History of Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones. > >Although sexual violence in conflict zones (SVCZ) is as old as warfare, the >international community has granted it serious attention only since the >1990s. NGOs, activists, academics, medical professionals, and lawyers now >devote considerable attention to sexual violence in contemporary conflicts. >This workshop will explore the role of sexual violence in conflicts around >the globe from the ancient world to the late twentieth century, with a >special interest in conflicts before the 1990s. The UICHR will host the >workshop from April 27-29, 2006. >While we anticipate that most papers will explore case studies, we >especially welcome papers that also address theoretical and potentially >comparative questions such as (but not limited to): > >? Functions of SVCZ, such as the capture of human property, >deracination, enhancing military morale, demoralizing the enemy >? The relationship between the organization of gender in civilian >society and sexual violence in times of war >? Consequences of SVCZ in postwar transitions (social, cultural, >economic; governmental and legal responses) >? The relationship between state and military formation and SVCZ: >strong and weak states, the modernizing army, etc. >? The relationship between SVCZ and war aims in varying types of >conflicts: religious warfare, colonial and post-colonial wars, genocidal >war, civil war, etc. > >We encourage a range of approaches and themes, such as gender and sexuality >studies, military sociology, health and medicine, refugee and migratory >movements, legal history, and more. The? conference organizers expect to >publish a selection of papers that will break new ground as the first >wide-ranging exploration of SVCZ across time and space, yet rooted in close >research. > >Pending funding, the organizers will cover expenses and provide an >honorarium for all workshop participants. Participants will be required to >submit completed papers six weeks in advance of the workshop for duplication >and circulation. > >Proposals are due September 1, 2005. Please submit a 250-word proposal and a >2-page CV electronically to uichr@uiowa.edu (with subject heading: Call for >Papers) or mail to: >The University of Iowa Center for Human Rights >300 Communications Center >The University of Iowa >Iowa City, IA 52242 >ATTN: Kenneth Cmiel / Elizabeth Heineman > >For full information see: http://www.uiowa.edu/~uichr/events/SVCZ/cfp.html >Direct inquiries to: Elizabeth-Heineman@uiowa.edu From MCGRAJ at SEN.PARL.GC.CA Tue May 3 14:53:10 2005 From: MCGRAJ at SEN.PARL.GC.CA (McGrath, Jodie: SEN) Date: Tue May 3 14:56:53 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] FW: RESOURCES: Three documents for your information Message-ID: <91DC244E1D1F1C47A7BB5272F48CA24501C557A8@SENEXCHNG01.sen.ca> -----Original Message----- From: Janice Eisenhauer [mailto:eisenhauer@praxis.ca] Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2005 2:51 PM To: CW4WAfghan Canada Contacts2 Subject: RESOURCES: Three documents for your information 1) CW4WAfghan April Newsletter, includes updates on our Breaking Bread for Afghan women fundraising events. See Breaking Bread...a year long commitment from three Calgary women. 2) Also, we are pleased to attach a coy of the NEWSLETTER prepared by our affiliated group in Oakville, Ontario: Canadians in Support of Afghan Women with highlights of their activities over the past year. 3) CW4WAfghan Membership. Have you joined our membership? We welcome all new members who are interested in advancing the rights and opportunities for Afghan women and children as described in our goals and objectives. Please help us raise our voices in Canada, internationally and within Afghanistan as to why this needs to be a long term commitment! You may download any of these three documents from our web site at www.w4wafghan.ca. Best regards, janice -- Janice Eisenhauer President, Treasurer Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan P.O. Box 32014 Bankview Calgary, AB T2T 5X6 Canada Tel/Fax: (403) 244-5625 Web: www.w4wafghan.ca Listserve: http://groups/yahoo.com/group/w4wafghan/ -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: CW4WAfghanNewsApr05.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 65226 bytes Desc: CW4WAfghanNewsApr05.pdf Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050503/5f0bf3da/CW4WAfghanNewsApr05-0001.obj -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: CSAWNewsletter05.pdf Type: application/pdf Size: 205668 bytes Desc: CSAWNewsletter05.pdf Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050503/5f0bf3da/CSAWNewsletter05-0001.pdf -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: MembershipFormCW4WAfghan.pdf Type: application/octet-stream Size: 75623 bytes Desc: MembershipFormCW4WAfghan.pdf Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050503/5f0bf3da/MembershipFormCW4WAfghan-0001.obj From woroniuk at magma.ca Tue May 3 20:36:44 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Tue May 3 20:37:49 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Fw: Women's protest against recent murders of Afghan women Message-ID: <002f01c55041$595cd6c0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2005 4:16 PM Subject: Tr : Women's protest against recent murders of Afghan women > Please distribute widely, it is important for people to realize that a > women's movement is acting and we should all demonstrate our support for > this activity and ask our respective governments to make sure that they > monitor how this event will be a) kept out of danger; b) taken into > account > by authorities;c) followed by our embassies..... > > solidarity is essential here, > > > Ariane > > > Ariane Brunet > Women's Rights Coordinator - Coordinatrice Droits des Femmes > Rights & Democracy - Droits et D?mocratie > 1001, boul. de Maisonneuve Est > Bureau 1100, Montr?al (Qu?bec) > Canada H2L 4A2 > http://www.womensrightscoalition.org/ > http://www.wraf.ca (Women's Rights Afghanistan Fund) > http://www.dd-rd.ca > tel: 514 283 6073 > Fax: 514 283 3792 > > Co-Founder of > Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights > http://www.urgentactionfund.org > > "If you've come to help me, > You are wasting your time - and mine. > If you come because your liberation is linked to mine, > Then let's join hands and start working together." > > Poem Shared by Ayesha Imam at the Leadership Institute of the Center for > Women's Global Leadership and Women Living Under Muslim Laws, Istambul, > September 1998. > > > ----- R?achemin? par Ariane Brunet/CIDPDD/CA le 2005-05-03 16:09 ----- > > Rachel Wareham > hoo.com> A > Tatjana Schenke2 > 2005-05-03 06:59 , Makiko > Kubota , > Roya Rahmani > , > Semin Qasmi , > Shabbir Ahmad MoWA > , Shaima > Khinjani , > Sina Noori > , Esmee > Jong , > Ghizaal Haress > , Ingela > Trolle , > Inger Axell , > Katharina Lumpp , > lesley abdela > , > Ann Jones , > Arianne Brunet , > 'Kath Campbell' > , 'Lisa > Laumann' > , > 'Patricia Omidian' > , 'Anja de Beer' > , 'Arian' > , 'Dave Mather' > , 'Fiona > Gall' > cc > > Objet > Women's protest against recent > murders of Afghan women > > > > > > > > > > > Action: Women protest murder of Afghan women. > > Protest at the silence and inactivity of the Afghan government regarding > the recent killings in Baghlan (3 women raped and murdered for NGO > activity), and in Badakshan (1 woman stoned to death). > > Date: May 5th, 13.00 hours > Time: One hour maximum > Place: Women?s Garden, Kabul, Afghanistan. > Protest: Speeches and interviews for the national and > international press. > > Please come with your female friends and colleagues. > > Plans are also underfoot to inaugurate a women?s memorial on this day, > where names of women murdered will be recorded. > > > > > Rachel Wareham > Gender Advisor > Gender Mainstreaming > GTZ - German Technical Cooperation > Kabul, Afghanistan > rachelwareham@yahoo.com, 00-93-70-241875 > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > From tim.symonds at shevolution.com Wed May 4 04:31:41 2005 From: tim.symonds at shevolution.com (Tim Symonds) Date: Wed May 4 04:32:23 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Fw: Women's protest against recent murders of Afghan women In-Reply-To: <002f01c55041$595cd6c0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> Message-ID: <20050504083146.CE86E24CEF7@smtp.nildram.co.uk> Does anyone think it would be a good idea if 'men for women' groups were formed in such countries as Afghanistan and Iraq and the DRC etc? These would be designed to hear what local women say, and then do their best to be useful. There are such 'men for women' groups in various parts of the world which concentrate on specific subjects such as violence against women. If such groups were to form in post-conflict countries, what themes should they best take on board? Tim Symonds Executive Director Project Parity Partnerships for Peace (PPPP) United Kingdom tel. +44 1435 882 655 Fax +44 1435 882 742 mobile (Tim Symonds) +44 7773 776314 mobile (Lesley Abdela) +44 7967 650 155 tim.symonds@shevolution.com -----Original Message----- From: women-peace-and-security-bounces@list.web.net [mailto:women-peace-and-security-bounces@list.web.net] On Behalf Of Beth Woroniuk Sent: 04 May 2005 01:37 To: wps listserve Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Fw: Women's protest against recentmurders of Afghan women Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2005 4:16 PM Subject: Tr : Women's protest against recent murders of Afghan women > Please distribute widely, it is important for people to realize that a > women's movement is acting and we should all demonstrate our support for > this activity and ask our respective governments to make sure that they > monitor how this event will be a) kept out of danger; b) taken into > account > by authorities;c) followed by our embassies..... > > solidarity is essential here, > > > Ariane > > > Ariane Brunet > Women's Rights Coordinator - Coordinatrice Droits des Femmes > Rights & Democracy - Droits et D?mocratie > 1001, boul. de Maisonneuve Est > Bureau 1100, Montr?al (Qu?bec) > Canada H2L 4A2 > http://www.womensrightscoalition.org/ > http://www.wraf.ca (Women's Rights Afghanistan Fund) > http://www.dd-rd.ca > tel: 514 283 6073 > Fax: 514 283 3792 > > Co-Founder of > Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights > http://www.urgentactionfund.org > > "If you've come to help me, > You are wasting your time - and mine. > If you come because your liberation is linked to mine, > Then let's join hands and start working together." > > Poem Shared by Ayesha Imam at the Leadership Institute of the Center for > Women's Global Leadership and Women Living Under Muslim Laws, Istambul, > September 1998. > > > ----- R?achemin? par Ariane Brunet/CIDPDD/CA le 2005-05-03 16:09 ----- > > Rachel Wareham > hoo.com> A > Tatjana Schenke2 > 2005-05-03 06:59 , Makiko > Kubota , > Roya Rahmani > , > Semin Qasmi , > Shabbir Ahmad MoWA > , Shaima > Khinjani , > Sina Noori > , Esmee > Jong , > Ghizaal Haress > , Ingela > Trolle , > Inger Axell , > Katharina Lumpp , > lesley abdela > , > Ann Jones , > Arianne Brunet , > 'Kath Campbell' > , 'Lisa > Laumann' > , > 'Patricia Omidian' > , 'Anja de Beer' > , 'Arian' > , 'Dave Mather' > , 'Fiona > Gall' > cc > > Objet > Women's protest against recent > murders of Afghan women > > > > > > > > > > > Action: Women protest murder of Afghan women. > > Protest at the silence and inactivity of the Afghan government regarding > the recent killings in Baghlan (3 women raped and murdered for NGO > activity), and in Badakshan (1 woman stoned to death). > > Date: May 5th, 13.00 hours > Time: One hour maximum > Place: Women?s Garden, Kabul, Afghanistan. > Protest: Speeches and interviews for the national and > international press. > > Please come with your female friends and colleagues. > > Plans are also underfoot to inaugurate a women?s memorial on this day, > where names of women murdered will be recorded. > > > > > Rachel Wareham > Gender Advisor > Gender Mainstreaming > GTZ - German Technical Cooperation > Kabul, Afghanistan > rachelwareham@yahoo.com, 00-93-70-241875 > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > _______________________________________________ Women-peace-and-security mailing list Women-peace-and-security@list.web.net http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/women-peace-and-security From woroniuk at magma.ca Wed May 4 08:23:55 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Wed May 4 08:25:04 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Fw: Women in Black conference - new information Message-ID: <000d01c550a4$245f2140$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> ----- Original Message ----- From: David Grant - NP DC office (by way of Hans Sinn ) To: Suzanne Taylor ; Monica Cullum ; Cindy Isaac ; Pamela Scholey ; Jackie Kirk ; Greta Hofmann Nemiroff ; Christine Vincent ; Beth Woroniuk ; michele.wright@redcross.ca ; Tahira Gonsalves Sent: Wednesday, May 04, 2005 6:21 AM Subject: Women in Black conference - new information X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook, Build 10.0.6626 Content-type: multipart/related; boundary="Boundary_(ID_RtHORsx7p0MnPSa+xMeVJA)" Importance: Normal X-Priority: 3 (Normal) New Information included. Women in Black International Conference for Ending Occupation, War and Violence Jerusalem 12-16 August 2005 Join women peace activists for an inspiring four days of learning and action. v Lectures, workshops and multi-cultural events v An exhibit of Women in Black materials from around the world v Fact-finding tours/teach-ins about Palestinian occupied areas v Events to express opposition to occupation, war, and violence For additional information: http://www.coalitionofwomen.org or write to wib2005@netvision.net.il Details: Who's Coming? Women in Black and members of women's peace organizations from all over the world are invited. So far we have reservations from nearly 100 women in 25 countries (representing every continent). Accommodations: We have booked wonderful space at 2 hotels in the heart of the historic Old City of Jerusalem (Knight's Palace and Gloria). These Palestinian-owned hotels are just steps away from shops, restaurants, kiosks, the suq (market), and famous historic landmarks. One of these hotels has a roof with an incredible view of the entire city, and will be used in the evenings for music and other multicultural events. Political Exhibition: We invite everyone to share their Women in Black "accessories" from home - flyers, posters, photos, stickers - anything your group created to reflect its activities and concerns. Do not plan on bringing this material with you into the country, but send it in advance (even if you are not coming). Details below. Translations: All plenary sessions will have simultaneous translations into Arabic, Hebrew, English, Spanish, French, and Italian. Accessibility: The hotel and meeting rooms are wheelchair accessible. Let us know in advance if you are in a wheelchair, so we can arrange the right buses. If you are hearing disabled and need signing, let us know. We will try to find signers in any languages required. The fact-finding tours will include some walking, but not a lot. Food: All conference meals will be vegetarian (the famous Mediterranean cuisine). Costs: We arranged unprecedented low rates for everything: $200 (^155) per person. This covers 4 nights in the hotel (shared room), 3 meals a day, conference rooms, translations, printed materials, chartered buses, fact-finding tours of the occupied territories, cultural events, and an amazing political and personal experience. [The price does not include airfare or transport to and from airports, which participants will have to provide.] Home Hospitality: To lower costs, we will try to arrange for sleeping in homes in Jerusalem, but still have to charge $100 (^78) per person (for all 4 days) to offset the costs of meals and other expenses. We have only a limited number of homes, and you will have to make your own arrangements for getting back and forth to the conference site. Stipends: Thanks to generous friends, we are now able to provide full stipends and some partial subsidies, with priority to women peace activists in regions of conflict. We are still searching for more funding to allow us to bring more women, and we welcome your contributions to the Stipend Fund (see below). Deadline for Registration: 1 July 2005. There is no need to send money in advance! At the conference site, we will ask for full payment upon your arrival (in cash - we have no credit card capability). To register, write to wib2005@netvision.net.il Appreciation! We would like to thank the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation in Sweden for their generous support of this conference.and their rapid response! Special thanks also to the individuals who have pledged donations to the Stipend Fund. Thank you all! Pre- and Post-conference Reservations Women who want to arrive a few days early or remain after the conference are invited to make these arrangements directly with the hotel of your choice. We have received the following quotes from hotels: Knight's Palace or Gloria Hotel - Bed and breakfast, $30/day per woman for a shared room. Say that you are with Women in Black. To reserve space: kp@actcom.co.il or Tel: (+972-2) 628-2537 or Fax: (+972-2) 628-2401. YWCA (20-25 min. walk from the Old City) - Bed and breakfast, $25/day per woman in a shared room, $35/day for a single room. To reserve space, ywca@ywca-palestine.org or Tel: (+972-2) 628-2593 or Fax: (+972-2) 628 4654. New Imperial Hotel (inside the Old City) - Bed and breakfast, $20/day per woman in a shared room. Say that you are with Women in Black. To reserve space, imperial@palnet.com or Tel: (+972-2) 627-2000 or Fax: (+972-2) 627-1530. Pre- and post-confererence arrangements are entirely up to the individual participant. Please try to make a reservation soon, because participants in the World Pride conference (18-28 August) will be vying for space. Political Exhibition We are planning an exhibition of Women in Black materials - flyers, posters, photos - whatever reflects something about your group's work. Please do not plan to bring this with you, but mail it in advance to: Bat Shalom (for the WIB Conference) P.O. Box 2426 Jerusalem, Israel 91023 Mail your materials now, so we can have them by early July. If needed, include identifying information with or on your materials: ? The name of your group ? The location, city and country ? Date of materials ? Your e-mail address (group or contact person) Materials will not be returned. MANY THANKS! For questions and additional information about the exhibit, please contact illit at irose45@earthlink.net The Women in Black Stipend Fund Contributions to the WIB Stipend Fund will enable women to attend who could not otherwise come. A contribution to this fund can be made through the Coalition of Women for Peace in one of 3 ways: 1) For a US-tax deduction, make out a check to "New Israel Fund", write on the memo line (or separately) that it is "For the Coalition of Women for Peace for WIB", and mail it to New Israel Fund, 1101 14th Street NW, Sixth Floor, Washington, DC 20005-5639. (Minimum they will accept is $50.) Let us know that you are doing this, so we can use it in our planning. 2) If a US-tax deduction is not relevant, make out a check to the "Coalition of Women for Peace", write "For WIB" on the memo line, and mail it to Coalition of Women for Peace, P.O. Box 10252, 91102 Jerusalem, Israel. Any currency is welcome! 3) Or you can wire transfer a contribution directly into our bank account. If you do this, make sure you let us know by e-mail or letter that this is for Women in Black. Our bank address: Israel Discount Bank, Hamoshava Branch #062, 21 Emek Refaim Street, Jerusalem. Benificiary: Coalition of Women for Peace Account Number: 967017-512400 Swift Code: IDBLILIT 062 For transfers from Europe: IBAN No. IL 011062 967017 512400 THANK YOU - We are grateful for your support! -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050504/d8a6fd53/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 9109 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050504/d8a6fd53/attachment-0001.jpe From woroniuk at magma.ca Wed May 4 14:13:51 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Wed May 4 14:14:57 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] AFGHANISTAN: Woman executed for adultery (IRIN) Message-ID: <005501c550d5$07215bd0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> > > Badakhshan, 5/3/2005 (IRIN) - It's less than a week since the tiny Afghan > village community witnessed the execution of 25-year-old Bibi Amena for > adultery, but by Tuesday life appeared to have returned to normal. Bibi > was sentenced to death by local religious leaders in the Spingul valley in > the isolated northeastern province of Badakhshan. > > Her crime was to be found in the company of a man she was not married to. > > "After two days of investigation and community gatherings the Shura > [community council] passed the verdict. The boy [she was found with] was > given 40 lashes and the woman killed," Mohammad Azim, one of Amena's > paternal uncles, told IRIN. > > Everyone in the isolated, conservative village, including the woman's > parents, said she deserved to be killed. Mohammad Aslam, father of the > executed woman is in police custody charged with her murder, along with > six other men. > > "She was stoned to death right here, we buried her up to the chest and > then they stoned her, she died after two hours," Azim continued > nonchalantly, as he drew a circle around a pile of small stones in a > nearby field. "There were seventy people at the stoning, I watched for few > minutes but then left." > > The killing was even endorsed by Amena'a mother. > > "When the verdict was announced they came to consult me and I said, 'kill > her' she said, without emotion. "I am proud and happy that she [Amena] was > killed, because she undermined the honour of the village." > > But Amena's tragic end, battered to death by rocks and her body rolled > unceremoniously into a shallow grave, has not even raised eyebrows in a > community that has witnessed at least one other recent execution of a > woman accused of adultery. > > "Seyahmoi [a 30-year-old woman] was shot dead in front of the community > because she was a prostitute," a resident who declined to be named, told > IRIN. > > The new Afghanistan, which professes respect for the rule of law and > women's rights are acknowledged, seems a long way from this village, even > though it's only 30 km north of the provincial capital, Faizabad, Most of > the local people are illiterate and are beholden to religious leaders > schooled in madrasas (Islamic religious schools) in neighbouring Pakistan. > > In Faizabad 200 NATO-led international peacekeeping troops and hundreds of > newly trained Afghan police are deployed. None of them were there to > protect Bibi Amena from the traditional court that tried, sentenced and > executed her. > > Constitutionally and under Afghan law, cases such as Amena's should have > been heard in local courts with a qualified and experienced magistrate bu > Kabul is still struggling to extend rule to the provinces like Badakhshan. > Here, Hamid Karzai's government and due legal process are viewed with deep > suspicion by the local populace. > > Spingul residents told IRIN that 'crimes' and disputes are always solved > through the village Shura composed of elders and religious leaders. > > "Courts are corrupt and they never solve issues," said Mohammad Asif, 22, > recently returned from Pakistan after schooling in religious studies. > > This isolated province was one of the few that the fundamentalist Taliban, > infamous for their public executions, were never able to conquer. Life is > incredibly tough for women in this region in many ways. Maternal mortality > levels are among the highest in the world. > > Sitting in a well furnished office in Faizabad city, Anis Akhgar, the head > of the women's affairs department in Badakhshan, tried to make sense of > the death. According to Akhgar, high labour migration from the > impoverished province has resulted in men being absent, sometimes for > years at a time. This has led to incidents where women may have sought the > company of members of the opposite sex. > > "But to be killed like this for talking to a man...such wickedness has no > place in the country we are trying to build," she said. > From woroniuk at magma.ca Wed May 4 14:16:05 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Wed May 4 14:17:11 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] LIBERIA: UNMIL investigating alleged sexual misconduct by peacekeepers in four incidents (IRIN) Message-ID: <006101c550d5$57074ec0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> > > > Dakar, 5/3/2005 (IRIN) - Allegations of sexual misconduct by UN > peacekeepers serving in Liberia have been substantiated in four incidents > and investigations launched, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) > told IRIN on Tuesday. > > "There were numerous allegations, of which four clusters of allegations > were substantiated - meaning that there was enough information to suggest > that possible wrong-doings took place," said Paul Risley of UNMIL, a force > of 15,000 peacekeepers. > > The UN Mission in Cote d"Ivoire, which has more than 6,000 troops, said > similar inquiries were also under way there. > > According to Risley, the allegations in Liberia first came to light at the > end of 2004 and beginning of 2005 following investigations by the US-based > Washington Post newspaper. > > The newspaper, quoting an internal UN letter, said that girls as young as > 12 were prostituting themselves to peacekeepers at a club called 'Little > Lagos' in the central Liberian town of Gbarnga. > > "[There] girls as young as 12 years of age are engaged in prostitution, > forced into sex acts and sometimes photographed by UN peacekeepers in > exchange for $10 or food or other commodities," read the internal letter. > > The UN Secretary General's spokesman in New York, Stephane Dujarric, first > confirmed the allegations on Friday. > > "The allegations range from the exchange of goods, money or services for > sex to sexual exploitation of a minor," said Dujarric. > > Other allegations were uncovered with the establishment of a special > hotline set up in January. > > "Civilian or UNMIL staff can call and talk confidentially with either an > investigator or a counsellor, which also contributed to the collection of > evidence," said Risley. > > According to Risley, special boards of inquiry have now been established. > Their evidence can be used in a court of law to prosecute individuals - > military or civilian. > > "Most likely prosecutions will take place outside of Liberia as the > majority of UN peacekeepers enjoy immunity from prosecution locally - > except in the most serious of cases," said Risley. > > "Events in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) set new precedents. We > are assured that if any of these cases are substantiated and brought to > court, that the home country of the troops concerned will press full > charges," he said. > > The UN peacekeeping mission in DRC is investigating 150 cases of sexual > abuse involving some 50 UN peacekeeping troops or members of the civilian > staff. > > Alan Doss, head of the UN peacekeeping mission in Cote d'Ivoire (ONUCI), > also told IRIN that similar allegations had been substantiated there. > > "Yes some allegations have been made against individuals and groups. > Though one case is a case too many, there haven't been a lot and each one > has been followed up by an investigation," said Doss. > > Typical cases included soldiers frequenting places where under age sex > workers were present. > > "Once a case is investigated, it goes to the military concerned for > disciplinary action to be taken - and they do (take action)," said Doss. > > Punishment can include imprisonment and even court martial, said Doss, > though he could not confirm what penalties had been handed out to former > ONUCI peacekeepers. > > Both missions are establishing a complaints procedure to deal with cases > of sexual abuse and other misconduct allegations. > From libraryofsocialscience at earthlink.net Wed May 4 15:04:38 2005 From: libraryofsocialscience at earthlink.net (Dan Hill, Ph.D.) Date: Wed May 4 15:08:30 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Online Symposium--Psychology of Religious Fundamentalism Message-ID: <02ad01c550dc$1f0ead90$6500a8c0@cousy> PsyBC Logo Online Continuing Education for Scholars and Mental Health Professionals Online Symposium--Psychology of Religious Fundamentalism Dear Colleague, Last year PsyBC produced an online Symposium on religious fundamentalism that was the scene of a powerful and generative, international discussion. The 2005 Symposium on the Psychology of Religious Fundamentalism continues this exciting series of online conversations, focusing on the question: Why do religious beliefs so often generate political violence? To learn more or to register please CLICK HERE. Our online Symposium will feature some of our most creative and original scholars currently thinking and writing on this topic-including Ana-Maria Rizzuto, Richard Koenigsberg, Ruth Stein, Charles Strozier, Donald Moss, Walter Davis and James Jones-who will present their views and engage in a freewheeling dialogue with the audience. There will be four sessions. Please see the list of topics below. Each session will feature a presentation, followed by an online discussion. As an audience member, you may participate in the conversation (or simply observe the proceedings). To learn more or to register please CLICK HERE. PsyBC is the award-winning organization using the Internet to offer online education to scholars and mental health professional and bringing psychological insight to bear upon the pressing issues of our time. Can psychology illuminate the belief-systems and mind-sets of fundamentalist leaders and the appeal of fundamentalist movements? Excitement is building for the 2005 Symposium. Space is presently available. We invite you to join our panelists and an audience from around the world to participate in this important event exploring one of the most compelling and significant issues of our time--the global rise of religious fundamentalism. Sincerely, Dan Hill Schedule and topics: MAY 9 - MAY 19 What is the role of sexuality in the mindset of the religious fundamentalist? Position paper by Walter (Mac) Davis Discussant - Ruth Stein JUNE 13 - JUNE 23 What is the relationship between attachment to [the idea of] God and the proclivity or tendency toward violence? Position paper by Richard Koenigsberg Discussant - Donald Moss JUNE 27 - JULY 10 What is the relationship of the religious fundamentalist to [the idea of] God? Position paper by Charles Strozier Discussant - Ana-Maria Rizzuto JULY 18 - 28 Under what circumstances (cultural and psychological) does the religious fundamentalist's attachment to [the idea of] God lead to violence? Position paper by James Jones Discussant - Dan Hill To learn more or to register please CLICK HERE. For further information call Orion Anderson at 718-393-1104 or send an email to PsychFundamentalism@earthlink.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050504/186dd13f/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 3460 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050504/186dd13f/attachment-0001.gif From woroniuk at magma.ca Thu May 5 15:41:23 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Thu May 5 15:42:28 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Fw: PBI Canada, Returned Colombia Volunteer Speaker (Ottawa Forum) Message-ID: <002201c551aa$6b98e6c0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> apologies for cross-posting ----- Original Message ----- From: Hans Sinn Peace Brigades International (PBI) - Canada 2005 Speaking Tour OTTAWA PUBLIC FORUM Witness to Courage in Colombia: Human Rights Defenders Resisting Repression and Armed Conflict WHEN: June 1, at 7:30 pm WHERE: Amnesty House, 312 Laurier Avenue East, Ottawa, Ontario WHO: Erika Zarate recently returned to Canada after one year working with the PBI-Colombia's sub-team in Uraba, Colombia. As a result of her work in this context, Erika has an extraordinarily powerful testimony to share. She has stood in solidarity with Afro-Colombian peace communities as they resist the activities of armed actors and illegal loggers on their communal lands. Erika was also part of a fact-finding delegation immediately following the appalling massacre that took place at the end of February 2005 in the community of San Jos? de Apartad? - an event that shocked and enraged the international human rights community. Erika is a talented speaker with an inspiring and long standing commitment to community based human rights work. LOCAL CONTACT: Paula Kelsall, Amnesty Ottawa, 613 234 0577 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050505/de4f2453/attachment.html From woroniuk at magma.ca Thu May 5 19:18:28 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Thu May 5 19:19:33 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] SOMALIA: Somaliland women take on new roles (IRIN) Message-ID: <003b01c551c8$bf130150$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> > > > HARGEYSA, 5/3/2005 (IRIN) - The old Somali adage, "A mother's purpose is > to be a cook, laundrywoman, nurturer and wife to her husband," describes > to some degree the traditional role of the women in Somaliland. > > That role was radically altered by the Somali civil war of the late 1980s > and early 1990s. Traditionally, Somali men were the providers of their > families' basic needs. However, when the civil war erupted, thousands of > them were killed, maimed or exiled. > > "More than 20,000 men lost their lives during the civil war, leaving > widows and orphans behind," Hussein Ahmed, of Somaliland's War Crimes > Investigation Commission, told IRIN in Hargeysa, the capital of the > self-declared Republic of Somaliland. > > "Over 300,000 people were displaced externally and internally due to the > war, many of them men who have permanently settled elsewhere and married > other wives," Hussein added. > > Of the dead, up to 3,500 people in Somaliland were killed by landmines > alone, according to the medical charity M?decins Sans Fronti?res. Another > estimated 1,500 had their limbs amputated, rendering the men among them > unable to work to support their families. > > In the aftermath of the war, the task of caring for the thousands of > families in Somaliland fell to the women, who had to take on the dual role > of father and mother in their homes. > > According to a 2004 World Bank survey, women were the breadwinners in 70 > percent of Somaliland households. > > SOCIAL FACTORS > > Apart from death and displacement, there was another significant reason > that forced women to become the breadwinners in their homes: Most men in > Somaliland consume khat, which can become addictive and stop users from > being productive. > > Khat is a plant found across East Africa whose leaves or buds are either > chewed or brewed as a drink, primarily as a stimulant. > > The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) describes the short-term effects > of using khat as mental alertness and excitement. Once the euphoria has > worn off, UNODC says, users become morose, irritable and slack. Prolonged > use leads to depression, aggressive behaviour and psychological > dependence. > > A look around the busy market in Hargeysa reveals that women run many of > the stalls. They must work or their families would go without even the > most basic needs. > > "I started trading in the market in 1995 when my husband got hooked to > chewing khat," Asha Mohammed, a vendor in the market told IRIN. "He lost > his job because of chewing khat." > > Her husband later deserted the family, leaving her to care for their six > children, she added. > > Mohammed's story is not uncommon in Somaliland, as the use of the > stimulant is very much a part of the social fabric and is therefore widely > accepted. > > It is so well established in Somali culture that when the price of khat > doubled in 2003, hundreds of people who chew khat marched in protest in > Hargeysa. > > "Most men in Somaliland have forsaken their families and gotten hooked on > khat," Shukri Harir Ismail, of the project, Health Unlimited - Well Woman > Media, told IRIN. > > "These men could have made a big difference to the country's living > standards with all the money they spend on khat," she said. > > Somalia's civil war also led to rampant unemployment in Somaliland, which > has one of the world's poorest economies. > > According to the UN, more than 73 percent of the population lives in > poverty, while 43 percent live in extreme poverty. The use of Khat has > increased in part due to the rise in unemployment. > > Polygamy has also contributed to the increasing number of female > breadwinners in Somaliland. Somalis follow Islamic tradition, which allows > men to marry up to four wives provided they are able to support them. > > However, Somaliland's men are so poor that they can barely afford to > support one wife. When a man marries several women, his wives are forced > to take up an economic activity to sustain their families. > > Fozia Elmi had to begin selling fresh milk when her husband married a > second wife. "He was jobless for a long time, but still married another > woman, knowing that he was already unable to provide for me and our > children," she told IRIN. > > width="180">
border="0">
A Somali woman selling khat > in Hargeysa
UNCHANGED STATUS > > While women's responsibilities in Somaliland society have drastically > increased recently, the change has not been translated to an improvement > in their status in society. > > Women remain at the bottom rung of the social ladder in Somaliland. They > continue to be subjected to serious injustices like female genital > mutilation: A 2004 study by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) found that > Somaliland has a 98 percent prevalence rate. > > Illiteracy is also widespread in Somaliland, particularly among women. > According to UNICEF, the country had only a 22 percent primary school > enrolment in 2004, nine percent of which were girls. That figure dropped > to six percent for secondary school. > > Relief workers in Hargeysa said violent crimes against women were also > common in Somaliland. > > "Cases of domestic violence and rape are on the increase," Ayanle Jama, a > human rights officer with NAGAAD, an umbrella organisation for women in > Somaliland, told IRIN. > > She also said divorce was on the rise, adding that women rarely received a > fair hearing in a judicial system whose laws favour men. Husbands are able > to divorce their wives easily in Somaliland, leaving many women to sustain > their families single-handedly. > > Even in the marketplace, where the women sit for hours each day trying to > eke out a living, conditions aren't easy. > > "We [women] cannot use the public toilets in the [Hargeysa] market," > Fatima Ibrahim, a khat trader, told IRIN. > > Women often arrive at the market as early as four o'clock in the morning > and have to stay there until late in the evening. However, because women > and men are discouraged from mixing in public areas, women are forced to > spend all day without visiting the shared toilets. > > "I was recently diagnosed with a kidney complication, which was probably > caused by the situation I find myself in," Ibrahim added. > > PROMOTING WOMEN > > Aid agencies are trying to provide some relief to women. UNICEF has > started education projects to promote the education of girls, and the > relief organisation, CARE International, is setting up micro-credit > schemes to enable women to start up small businesses. > > In 2002, the UN Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM, carried out a > gender-justice project. "As a result of the gender awareness created and > the advocacy initiatives generated towards the inclusion of women into law > enforcement agencies, 30 women police officers were recruited by the > Somaliland police," it said. > > Local NGOs such as NAGAAD are also involved in trying to advance the > economic, social and political status of women in Somaliland. > > Recently, the Somaliland government appointed two women to its cabinet, a > first for the republic. However, for the women in Hargeysa market, much > more needs to be done to redress the imbalance in their society. > > "Appointing two women to cabinet should not be considered a development > yardstick - our problems must be addressed," one trader told IRIN. > > Somaliland is located to the northwest of Somalia, in the Horn of Africa. > It declared its independence from Somalia in 1991, but to date has not > gained recognition as a legitimate state. From woroniuk at magma.ca Thu May 5 19:19:26 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Thu May 5 19:20:30 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] AFGHANISTAN: Rally calls for protection of women following triple murder (IRIN) Message-ID: <003f01c551c8$e212d040$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> > > > Kabul, 5/5/2005 (IRIN) - Several hundred women demonstrated on the streets > of the Afghan capital, Kabul on Thursday, calling on the government to > improve their security and to bring to justice those responsible for the > deaths of five women over the past two weeks, three of them on Wednesday. > > "This is shocking that in just two weeks, five women have been brutally > killed in separate incidents and the government and international > community have kept silent," Urzala Ashraf, one of the demonstrators and > head of local NGO, Humanitarian Assistance for Women and Children of > Afghanistan (HAWCA) told IRIN. She and the other women in the protest > chanted: "We want president Karzai to prosecute those criminals for > killing innocent women!" > > According to Suraya Parlika, the head of another NGO, the Afghan Women's > Association (AWA) the last two weeks have been among the deadliest for > women since the Taliban were ousted in late 2001. > > On 20 April a women was publicly executed for suspected adultery in the > northeastern province of Badakhshan province. Then on 28 April a women was > shot dead as she participated in a national day celebration in the western > city of Heart. On Wednesday 4 May, three women were found gruesomely > murdered in Baghlan province with notes attached to the bodies warning > women not to work for NGOs or Western aid agencies. > > "This is not only a security issue but also a political move to discourage > and scare women as they are preparing to nominate themselves as candidates > for the parliamentary elections," Parlika said. She was addressing a rally > in front of the women's garden, one of the few places women can go to seek > sanctuary, in the heart of Kabul city. > > She said women from 26 organisations including human rights groups, women > rights activists, civil society and political parties had participated. > "In the past, rallies and demonstrations usually attracted thousands of > women, but today it is not more than 500 and that is because women are > scared of these shocking incidents. But they are also very angry," another > participant who declined to be named, said. > > The Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA), which is the leading body on women > issues in Afghanistan, has confirmed that violence against women is > increasing. > > "These kind of incidents are increasing and our department of family > violence is working to find out the symptoms and causes of these acts," > Fauzia Amini, head of MOWA's legal department, told IRIN following the > demonstration. Amini said many killings of women went unrecorded and > uninvestigated. "Often people are too scared to report them," she said. > > The United Nations in Kabul urged the government to act quickly in > bringing the guilty to justice. > > Ariane Quentier, a senior public information officer with the United > Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Tuesday called on the > government to take immediate action to protect women. > > "In a context where violence against women remains too often unprosecuted > and unpunished, it is particularly important that the authorities spare no > effort to swiftly bring the perpetrators of these crimes [against women] > to justice," said Quentier. > From tim.symonds at shevolution.com Fri May 6 08:20:16 2005 From: tim.symonds at shevolution.com (Tim Symonds) Date: Fri May 6 08:21:18 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Kabul Message-ID: <20050506122022.860F725D9D9@smtp.nildram.co.uk> FYI, Suzanne, below is an e-mail just in from our UK Gender/Post-conflict expert Lesley Abdela (Kosovo, Iraq, Sierra Leone) describing her first few days in Kabul where she will be most of this month. It gives a human dimension to rebuilding a brutalised country. With very best wishes. Tim Tim Symonds Executive Director Project Parity Partnerships for Peace (PPPP) United Kingdom tel. +44 1435 882 655 Fax +44 1435 882 742 mobile (Tim Symonds) +44 7773 776314 mobile (Lesley Abdela) +44 7967 650 155 tim.symonds@shevolution.com Kabul, May 4 2005 Dear Tim, Counterpart is very much an NGO planning to reach out into the community where the other parts don?t reach so I feel very pleased to be working on this assignment. It is a very NGO existence ? electric generator goes off at 10ish at night. 5 of us share a house ? women?s bathroom and men?s bathroom. They only recently moved into the house. We are the only foreigners working in the organisation. Our work colleagues are Afghan men and women about a 50/50 gender balance. At the strategy meeting yesterday I was bowled over at the ways in which our Afghan male colleagues came up with suggestions for ways to include women in the programme. This was designed to be a mainstream discussion and I had not even mentioned gender. They had a better understanding of how to mainstream gender and why it is important for the development of their society than a number of European men I have worked alongside. Last night I went to a party and fashion evening at Rachel?s house. There were about 25 of us - Afghan and internationals. I suggested to one Afghan woman in her 30s that she should think of standing in the parliamentary elections in September. She replied: "I have already put my name forward as a candidate'. The purpose for the party was that a friend of Rachel is doing what we have always thought is a good idea, working with local fabrics but designing modern clothes using the fabrics as you and I always suggested in The Gambia, Sri Lanka/Maldives etc. I feel I am already in the swing of Kabul NGO social life ? la Pristina! At lunch-time I am going to the protest in the women?s garden. Women want to bring pressure on the government to bring the murderers to trial who killed 3 Afghan women who worked for a Bangladesh NGO like the Grameen Bank a few days ago. Now must get some work done! PS Can you let me have the e-mail address and tel number for the UK Ambassador and British Council Director please. My local mobile here in Kabul is +93 70 279 144 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050506/b6d2a119/attachment-0001.html From MCGRAJ at SEN.PARL.GC.CA Fri May 6 13:55:17 2005 From: MCGRAJ at SEN.PARL.GC.CA (McGrath, Jodie: SEN) Date: Fri May 6 13:57:00 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] CCWPS list serv Message-ID: <91DC244E1D1F1C47A7BB5272F48CA24501C5581C@SENEXCHNG01.sen.ca> The Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security now has a website!! Go to www.ccwps-ccfps.org to check it out! We are still loading documents so if you cannot find what you want please check back. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050506/fa78da10/attachment.html From alertnet at reuters.com Mon May 9 09:08:16 2005 From: alertnet at reuters.com (alertnet@reuters.com) Date: Mon May 9 09:19:30 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] AlertNet email: Darfuris demand action after women raped Message-ID: <20050509_130816_044294.alertnet@reuters.com> This article was found on AlertNet (http://www.alertnet.org) and sent to you by Suzanne Taylor (staylor@idrc.ca). Darfuris demand action after women raped < http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L07500130.htm > By Opheera McDoom ZAM ZAM CAMP, Sudan, May 7 (Reuters) - Darfuri Sumaya Hassan Mohamed was kidnapped, beaten, raped and then given money to go and buy soap to wash the blood off herself ... ---------------------------------------- (c) 1998-2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. --------------------------------------- From eldissdi at ids.ac.uk Mon May 9 09:23:19 2005 From: eldissdi at ids.ac.uk (eldissdi@ids.ac.uk) Date: Mon May 9 09:27:25 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] From Suzanne Taylor: Eldis document abstract Message-ID: To: WPS list serv (women-peace-and-security@list.web.net) Suzanne Taylor (staylor@idrc.ca) suggested that you would be interested to receive details of this document from Eldis (http://www.eldis.org) ----------------------------------------------------------- FORGOTTEN CASUALTIES OF WAR: GIRLS IN ARMED CONFLICT Hobson, M. Save the Children Fund (SCF) (2005) This report addresses the protection issues for children associated with armed groups and, more specifically, to the largely unrecognised protection requirements of girls. It draws on recent research conducted in the DRC, Rwanda and west Africa, as well as programme experience from Sri Lanka and many of the other countries where Save the Children works. It shows how girls are being overlooked in current efforts to release children from armed groups and support their return home, challenges existing systems, and argues that the international community must fund programmes designed to meet girls’ needs. The report covers the following topics: * children associated with armed groups * girls associated with armed groups * gender-based violence during conflict * returning home * community support.

The recommendations provided by the report include: * the international community should support and fund the release of children from armed groups outside formal disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programmes – even during conflict * the international community must fully fund and deliver on the reintegration component of DDR for children over the long term * community-led development must be put at the centre of formal DDR programmes for children * a special pool of funding should be established to meet girls’ specific needs during demobilisation and reintegration. Such funds must be independent of any formal DDR or political processes * all states should ratify, enforce, monitor and report on international treaties to protect children, particularly the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and its optional protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. TO SEE THIS DOCUMENT, PLEASE GO TO: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/temp/scuk/cache/cmsattach/2698_GAAF%20report.pdf ----------------------------------------------------------- This information is provided as part of the services offered by Eldis ELDIS currently includes descriptions and links to over 4,470 organisations and over 14,300 full-text online documents covering development and environmental issues. It can be searched or browsed free of charge over the Internet. If you would like to receive any of our subject focused email bulletins regularly (for free), you can register from our home page, or email to the address below for more information. ELDIS is funded by DFID, Norad, SDC and Sida. The service is hosted by the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK. Contact details: Peter Ferguson ELDIS Programme at the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex Brighton BN1 9RE, UK Email: eldis@ids.ac.uk Tel: +44 1273 877330 Fax: +44 1273 621202 WWW: http://www.eldis.org From woroniuk at magma.ca Mon May 9 13:32:15 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Mon May 9 13:33:21 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Fw: NYTimes.com: Charlotte, Grace, Janet and Caroline Come Home Message-ID: <00a901c554bd$0b2a7090$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> E-Mail This http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/08/magazine/08UGANDA.html?ex=1116216000&en=e727c8bb19bead9d&ei=5070 MAGAZINE | May 8, 2005 Charlotte, Grace, Janet and Caroline Come Home By MELANIE THERNSTROM Kidnapped as teenagers in Uganda and forced to bear children, these four girls have escaped, but what they have been through may not be something you can ever return from. Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company | Privacy Policy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/c93f551f/attachment.html From woroniuk at magma.ca Mon May 9 15:57:06 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Mon May 9 15:59:58 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] FW: Workshop: Post 9-11 security agenda and foreignpolicy Message-ID: <011701c554d1$47e3b2d0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> FW: Workshop: Post 9-11 security agenda and foreign policy Apologies for cross-posting Le fran?ais suit l'anglais PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY Dear Members and Colleagues, I am writing to invite your participation in a CCIC workshop, The Post-911 Security Agenda and Canadian Foreign Policy: Implications for the Global South? The event will take place June 6, 2005, at Volunteer Canada, 330 Gilmour Street in Ottawa. The workshop will bring together CCIC members and colleagues for a one-day event. The aim is to deepen our analysis of the impacts of the post-911 security agenda on the anti-poverty and human rights agendas, and develop agendas for collective action. Speakers from research institutions and networks in the South and North will help to spark debate and discussion. Your participation will make an invaluable contribution to the discussion. We hope you can attend. You will find attached a flyer, an agenda and a registration form for the workshop. Please feel free to distribute this invitation to your colleagues and other CCIC members. Registrations should be received no later than May 23, 2005. CCIC is the Canadian coalition representing approximately 90 Canadian civil society organizations involved in development. CCIC is also the base for the Make Poverty History campaign in Canada. Chers membres et coll?gues, Je vous invite par la pr?sente ? participer ? un atelier du CCCI, intitul? Le programme de s?curit? de l'apr?s-11 septembre et la politique ?trang?re du Canada : des cons?quences pour le Sud global? L'atelier se d?roulera le 6 juin 2005, ? la Place des b?n?voles, au 330, rue Gilmour, ? Ottawa : La session r?unira des membres et coll?gues du CCCI pour une activit? d'une journ?e. Nous chercherons ? approfondir notre analyse des r?percussions du programme de s?curit? de l'apr?s-11 septembre sur les programmes de lutte contre la pauvret? et de droits de la personne, et ? ?laborer des programmes d'action collective. Des intervenants repr?sentant des ?tablissements de recherche et des r?seaux du Sud et du Nord alimenteront le d?bat et la discussion. Votre participation apportera une pr?cieuse contribution ? la discussion. Nous esp?rons pouvoir vous compter parmi nous. Vous trouverez ci-joint une fiche d'information, un ordre du jour et un formulaire d'inscription ? l'atelier. N'h?sitez pas ? transmettre cette invitation ? vos coll?gues et ? d'autres membres du CCCI. Veuillez nous faire parvenir votre inscription au plus tard le 23 mai 2005. Le CCCI est la coalition canadienne qui repr?sente environ 90 organisations de la soci?t? civile canadienne oeuvrant au d?veloppement. Le CCCI est aussi le si?ge de la campagne Abolissons la pauvret? au Canada. <> <> <> <> <> <> Erin Simpson Program Officer, Peace and Conflict Canadian Council for International Co-operation 1 Nicholas Street, Ottawa 613-241-7007 ext 320 www.ccic.ca This email message and any attachment may contain privileged or confidential information and is intended only for the named recipient(s) or group indicated. If you have received this message in error, or are not the named recipient(s), please notify the sender and delete this email message. Thank you for your cooperation. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ SAWGinfo mailing list SAWGinfo@list.web.net http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/sawginfo -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: post_911_conf_flyer_fre.doc Type: application/msword Size: 31744 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_flyer_fre-0001.doc -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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Name: post_911_conf_registration_eng.doc Type: application/msword Size: 37376 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_registration_eng-0001.doc -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: post_911_conf_registration_fre.doc Type: application/msword Size: 32768 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_registration_fre-0001.doc From iwrp at uvic.ca Tue May 10 11:50:02 2005 From: iwrp at uvic.ca (IWRP) Date: Tue May 10 11:51:23 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Free, accessible, open source social justice and human rights software tool Message-ID: <200505101550.j4AFo2mb991386@castle.comp.uvic.ca> monitoring software tool Message-ID: <42814FB1@wm2.uvic.ca> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Mailer: WebMail (Hydra) SMTP v3.62 >From the International Women's Rights Project Dear Women=92s NGO: I am a Canadian international human rights lawyer and have worked globally for the past 20 years on women=92s rights. Currently I am Co-Director of the International Women=92s Rights Project (www.iwrp.org). Through my work I came across Martus, a free, accessible, open source social justice and human rights monitoring software tool. I asked Jim Fruchterman, the founder of the non-profit technology company, Benetech, the Martus creator, if we could adapt this tool for the kinds of organizations that I work with, on issues of domestic violence, trafficking, sexualized violence, and other areas where women=92s and children=92s human rights have been violated. I want to introduce you to Martus [=91witness=92 in Greek] and ask you to see if it would be useful for documenting and monitoring women=92s human rights violations in your work. Martus was designed in close consultation with social justice experts around the world. To date it has been primarily used to document atrocities and collect secure evidence in armed conflict situations, genocide, and by Truth and Reconciliation Commissions. It has also been adapted by activists in NGOs working on documenting a range of human rights violations. I thought that given that it is free, user friendly, secure, and that training is available, it would be an incredibly useful tool for our sector. Martus addresses four critical requirements for software protecting information on human rights and social justice violations: usability, security, the ability to search, and transparency. Martus has been helping non-technical users in the social justice sector capture, backup and protect our most valuable asset: specific information about abuses and violations. Martus provides users with control over the decision of which information is kept securely (cryptographically) and which information is publicly and widely disseminated. Once data is stored in Martus locally or in off-site servers, it is much less likely to be lost, preserving crucial evidence for research, investigation, and prosecutions. With violation information preserved and accessible, large-scale patterns of abuse or single incidents can be easily mapped. Multiple testimonies can be gathered. Prosecutions can be reinforced by verified data from a trusted source. I know that in my work on violence against women this would be a great tool for us to use. I am helping Martus adapt its present capacity to be able to meet the needs particularly of women=92s and children=92s human rights groups. If you would be interested, please answer the questions below. I will then be able to consolidate the answers and make recommendations to Benetech about how we might better use Martus for our work. In its first year, users from more than 50 countries have downloaded Martus, and it has been deployed, adopted and used regularly by NGOs in over a dozen countries in Africa, Central Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. The software and related documentation are available for Windows/Mac/Linux in multiple languages, and in addition to in-program help, Martus training sessions are conducted worldwide throughout the year by Martus staff and partners. You can learn more about Martus by accessing the web site at www.martus.org. Note that Martus is free and open source software that can be downloaded at the site. Some relevant links include: The Martus brochure and overview documents can be viewed and downloaded (in various formats/ languages) at http://www.martus.org/resources/publications.shtml. Case studies of various projects that have used Martus can be viewed at http://www.martus.org/ resources/case_studies.shtml In the =93Products and Services=94 section of the website, you can find further information about Martus, including a demo (at http://www.martus.org/martusdemo/). The user documentation (in various languages) is available for viewing and download at http:// www.martus.org/downloads/. Benetech would be happy to send you Martus software CDs if you feel you could use them either internally or with your partner organizations. The goal is for Martus to become a standard part of the IT toolkit bag for social justice organizations, ready to be pulled out and used when it meets important needs. If you would like additional information, please feel free to contact myself or Kristen Cibelli [kcibelli@martus.org] at Martus. We look forward to collaborating with you to advance the promotion and protection of human rights and social justice. Best regards, Susan Bazilli sbazilli@look.ca Martus Survey for Users =96 March 2005 Help Martus and Benetech meet your needs See www.martus.org This survey is designed to assess the usability of the Martus Human Rights software and its relevance to your needs. Please take the time to fill in this simple survey and return it to Susan Bazilli at sbazilli@look.ca by June 1 2005. 1. Were you aware of the existence of Martus (yes/no) 2. Have you visited their website before (yes/no) 3. What kinds of technology skills does your oganisation have. Staff trained in software Internet and email skills Internet Access Software Hardware Open source software 4. What kind of connectivity and internet access do you have? 5. Have you ever used open source software? 6. What are the technology needs of your sector? 7. What are the technology needs of your constituents or the people that you serve? 8. What kinds of information does your organization collect? 9. Do you collect it, and/or store it, electronically? 10. If not, how do you collect and safeguard it? 11. How do you share it publicly if you need to? 12. How is the information used? For evidence, statistical analysis, court hearings, police cases, advocacy purposes, etc? 13. What do you see as the 3 main information needs of your organizations? 14. What about your sector? 15. Do you collect data anonymously? 16. How do you identify specific cases? By names, numbers, type of incident, etc? 17. How do you tabulate your information =96 eg. Number of certain types of violations? 18. What kind of security do you presently use to safeguard your information? Is it adequate? If not, what do you need to do to improve it? 19. If possible, describe the types of forms that you use to document discrimination or violations that will assist us in customizing Martus formatting to better assist you. 20. Can you recommend individuals or groups that might be training partners for Martus to increase its training capacity in your region? If so, please provide their details. Let us know of other organizations with whom we can further discuss customizing Martus. Contact Information to Help Martus Meet Your Needs: Name: =09 Organisation: =09 City: =09 Country: =09 Email address: =09 WWW address:=09 Telephone number:=09 Fax number:=09 Modem speed is: 14.4k=09 28.8k=09112K dual ISDN 36.6k=09Cable model / DSL 56.6k=09LAN / Tl ISDN=09Do not know Anything else?=09 How long did it take to download Martus?=09 Can we contact you if we need more details on how we can refine the Martus software? =09 Can you recommend any other groups to send this survey to? Thank you so much for your assistance! It will help us to better refine Martus to make it more useful for you! Please return this completed form to: Susan Bazilli Email: sbazilli@look.ca Tel: +27 82 573 0946 (South Africa) +1 604 988 3108 (Canada) Fax: +27 11 888 8759 Laurel Sherret Project Coordinator, International Women's Rights Project Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria Phone: (250) 721-7217 Fax: (250) 472-4830 Email: iwrp@uvic.ca From sarah at peacewomen.org Tue May 10 16:36:52 2005 From: sarah at peacewomen.org (Sarah Shteir) Date: Tue May 10 16:37:23 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] 1325 PeaceWomen E-News Issue #60: May 10, 2005 Message-ID: <5405e8de1fae7327beb2d5ceb7e858df@peacewomen.org> WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM 1325 PEACEWOMEN E-NEWS Issue #60 10 May 2005 BEIJING +10 AMNESIA: GOVERNMENTAL INTERVENTIONS IN PREPARATION FOR THE SEPTEMBER SUMMIT The Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, 31 October 2000. For the text of the resolution, visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/sc/1325.html For the printer-friendly version of this newsletter and for past issues, visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/news/1325News/1325ENewsindex.html To subscribe to 1325 PeaceWomen E-News, email 1325news@peacewomen.org with "subscribe" as the subject heading. THIS ISSUE FEATURES: 1. Women, Peace and Security News 2. Beijing +10 Amnesia: Governmental Interventions in Preparation for the September Summit 3. A Report from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference: Women Say No To Nukes, Yes To Life (WILPF) 4. Feature 1325 Initiatives: Global Action to Prevent War Prioritizes 1325 & Website Launch for The Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security 5. UNIFEM Update: South Sudanese Women Hold Oslo Review and Planning Meeting in Nairobi, Kenya & More 6. Feature Statement: Stephen Lewis, UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, at the University of Pennsylvania's Summit on Global Issues in Women's Health 7. A Gender and Peacekeeping Update: Report of the Secretary-General on Special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse & Recent Media Coverage 8. Feature Resource: Gender, Conflict and Development (World Bank) 9. Listening to Peacewomen Voices from the Past: On the Occasion of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference (2-27 May 2005) 10. Women, Peace and Security Calendar 11. WILPF PeaceWomen Project Employment Opportunity: (2) WILPF PeaceWomen Project Associate Positions Available If you would like to fill out the 1325 PeaceWomen E-News evaluation form in either English or French, please write to mailto:1325news@peacewomen.org and we will send you the questionnaire by email. PeaceWomen is a project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Please visit us at http://www.peacewomen.org/. For the full issue, visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/news/1325News/Issue60.html or http://www.peacewomen.org/news/1325News/Issue60.pdf -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 3000 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050510/6424bbef/attachment.bin From tim.symonds at shevolution.com Wed May 11 04:43:03 2005 From: tim.symonds at shevolution.com (Tim Symonds) Date: Wed May 11 04:43:44 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Kosovo's security situation? Message-ID: <20050511084307.802F224F4C1@smtp.nildram.co.uk> Dear Suzanne, in case you can assist - I have just had an urgent call from our UK post-conflict expert Lesley Abdela to ask me to gather research on Kosovo's security situation with all possible haste. Lesley herself is right now in Kabul with a high alert on from kidnapping threats. I need the speediest possible help on who would have authoritative views on the real-life security situation in Kosovo (gun-running, sex-trafficking, Mafia activities like extortion). Lesley has been asked for information by a barrister in London who is helping a Kosovan Albanian woman seek permanent residence in the UK. This woman fled a violent and dangerous KLA husband 5 years ago and she fears for her life if she and her 5-year-old child are returned to Kosovo. She says her ex-husband was a KLA fighter and gun-runner who became a sex-trafficker, and that because she would recognise the faces of his KLA companions in crime, any of them might prefer her dead if she returned to the Province. She says the Kosovan police probably would not 'interfere' or arrest the ex-husband if he did attack her or even kill her because he may have good connections with the police, many of whom were once in the KLA, and in any case the police fear and respect the very high KLA connections in the authorities. I need to discover exactly how lawless the Province is now, at this sort of grass-roots' level, and whether this woman's fears are justified - but the hearing takes place tomorrow, Thursday, i.e. May 12, so Lesley has to obtain useful and authoritative information regarding Kosovo and get it to the barrister absolutely as soon as possible, certainly by the afternoon of today, May 11, Wednesday, hence my need for speed. Do you know of any up-to-date reports on the real everyday security situation in Kosovo? Which organisations have material on Kosovo on their website, material which is independent and not controlled by NATO, the OSCE, KFOR, the Kosovan Authority etc? Your and others' help much appreciated! With kindest regards. Tim Tim Symonds Executive Director Project Parity Partnerships for Peace (PPPP) United Kingdom tel. +44 1435 882 655 Fax +44 1435 882 742 mobile (Tim Symonds) +44 7773 776314 mobile (Lesley Abdela) +44 7967 650 155 tim.symonds@shevolution.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050511/7be18bac/attachment.html From staylor at idrc.ca Wed May 11 13:26:05 2005 From: staylor at idrc.ca (staylor@idrc.ca) Date: Wed May 11 13:25:15 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] GLOBAL: UN reforms aim to end sexual abuse by peacekeepers Message-ID: <000501c5564e$82fd3fc0$1652c8d1@DEDE21> johannesburg, 5/10/2005 (IRIN) - When Roxanna Carrillo came to work at the new United Nations peacekeeping mission in Burundi in September 2004, she knew she needed to clarify the standards of behaviour expected of personnel. As head of the innovative 'code of conduct' unit at the United Nations Operation in Burundi (ONUB), Carrillo has been responsible for training and monitoring the deportment of UN peacekeeping staff in the central African nation, where more than 200,000 people have died in ethnic violence since 1993. Efforts to establish a power-sharing government are currently underway, but violence remains widespread, and the UN Security Council established a mission of nearly 6,000 troops in May 2004. In recent months Carrillo has regularly travelled by helicopter to speak to UN military and civilian personnel stationed in camps throughout the country. "In every single location we have addressed the issue of sexual exploitation," Carrillo told IRIN in a telephone interview. "We discuss with the head officers in the camp what they've been doing, whether there've been incidents, and how they are handling discipline within the battalion." When Carrillo talks with the troops, who come from a total of 47 different nations, she asks what they would think if their mothers - or wives, or daughters, or sisters - were in a situation of sexual exploitation or abuse. This concern is then echoed by the mission's code of conduct, prominently posted in bathrooms, mail rooms and supply stores. "We have to tackle this issue by focusing on prevention," said Carrillo. "It's very necessary to do this in a preventative way by bringing it to the awareness of all the staff at the very beginning, rather than dealing with the aftermath." In recent years UN peace missions have been marked by allegations that some peacekeeping troops have sexually exploited the very people they were sent to protect. The alleged abuses, most notably in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have ranged from the exchange of food, money, or goods for sex, to the sexual exploitation of minors. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said he was "absolutely outraged" by the misconduct, and the world body "cannot rest" until such practices have been rooted out and those involved held fully accountable. Several working groups and task forces have been launched at UN headquarters to address the problem. In March the UN released a report by Annan's special adviser on the issue, Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein of Jordan, which argued that sexual exploitation by soldiers under UN command damaged the credibility and effectiveness of peacekeeping operations. The UN manages a force that tops 70,000 in 17 missions worldwide. Zeid's 41-page report called for "radical change" in the way sexual exploitation and abuse are addressed within UN missions, and suggested that personnel be held personally accountable through appropriate disciplinary action, financially accountable for any harm done to victims, and criminally accountable if the acts constitute crimes under applicable laws. Despite the high-level attention in the UN, accusations of abuse continue to emerge on the ground. In late April, the UN mission in Liberia said it was investigating new allegations of sexually exploitative behaviour by some of its personnel. CREATING A CULTURE OF ACCOUNTABILITY Media and human rights groups have documented peacekeepers' involvement in sexual exploitation and abuse in Bosnia, Herzegovina and Kosovo in the early 1990s, then later in Mozambique, Cambodia, East Timor and Liberia. But it was not until the widespread allegations of abuse emerged in the DRC in mid-2004 that numerous high-level officials responded to the charges, said Nicola Dahrendorf, director of a new UN office in the Congo investigating cases involving UN personnel.
A UN peacekeeper inspects a weapon surrendered by demobilising combatants in Liberia
Juliane Kippenberg, a researcher specialising in sexual exploitation for Human Rights Watch, alleged the UN's reaction to the accusations had been "very slow". "It's only really at the beginning of this year that the UN began showing that it's taking this much more seriously," she said. Since 1 January 2004 the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) has completed investigations involving 118 peacekeeping personnel, including civilians and civilian police, according to Anna Shotton, DPKO's focal point on sexual exploitation and abuse. The investigations have so far resulted in five UN staff being fired, and 68 being returned to their home countries, including six in managerial or command positions. "We're not just holding the individuals who've been involved in sexual exploitation accountable, we're also holding the commanders responsible for their failure to put the right measures in place to prevent sexual exploitation," said Shotton. She noted that in the last few months a number of missions have begun to implement new prevention and enforcement measures. For example, all incoming peacekeeping personnel in Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Liberia now receive training in UN codes of conduct. Many missions, including those in Kosovo and the DRC, have even drawn up lists of "no go" areas prohibited to personnel, such as bars and parts of town considered to be frequented by sex workers. The DRC mission has also initiated a requirement that military personnel wear their uniform even when they are off duty. "All those measures are basically ad hoc attempts by missions to get to grips with the problems," Shotton noted. "In many of the new missions, they're trying to get a grip before the problem erupts." Shotton pointed to a concern highlighted in the Zeid report: that, traditionally, there has been no uniform standard of conduct for all categories of personnel involved in peacekeeping missions - including civilian police, military observers, members of national contingents, United Nations Volunteers, consultants and individual contractors. Now, Shotton said, all peacekeeping personnel are held to a single standard that prohibits sex in exchange for money, goods or services, and sex with anyone aged under 18 - regardless of whether troops come from countries where prostitution is legal, or have different age-of-consent laws. Shotton pointed out that the DPKO had also stepped up the quality of investigations by turning to professional investigators at the UN's independent Office of Internal Oversight Services. In the past, she noted, UN scrutiny of sexual exploitation and abuse had been conducted by "enthusiastic amateurs" from each mission. These investigators may or may not have had the right skills to conduct a thorough inquiry into events. DRC: USING PROFESSIONAL INVESTIGATIONS TO DETER FUTURE ABUSES The United Nations Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo, or MONUC, was at the heart of the sexual exploitation scandal that spurred the Zeid report, and was now the focus of DPKO's efforts to make its investigations more professional, according to UN officials. MONUC has recently established an office headed by Dahrendorf to address sexual exploitation and abuse. "This is the first time this has ever been done in a peacekeeping operation," said Dahrendorf, whose team includes 10 specialised investigators with experience in sex crimes and crimes against women and children. The office, formally established in early March 2005, investigates every allegation of misconduct. That, Dahrendorf said, was crucial to sending the message - to both personnel and the local community - that the mission was serious about prosecuting perpetrators. So far, the office has established a hotline, an email contact and a confidential fax number, so community members can file formal complaints. "These are concrete things to show people we are available 24 hours a day," Dahrendorf observed. "What we are doing has an impact on what other missions are doing," she commented, adding that the office was currently developing a strategy to provide all personnel with ongoing training in what standards they were expected to uphold as part of the international body. "Our recommendation is that you can't just do a once-off training; you have to do it on an ongoing basis," she said. AS ABUSES ARE ADDRESSED, NEW QUESTIONS ARISE According to UN officials, as training and accountability measures are implemented, managers and force commanders will face increased scrutiny of their role in creating environments that neither condone nor encourage sexual violence and abuse. "One of the big problems we've faced is that there has been a culture of complacency and a culture of impunity," said Lisa Jones, the focal point on sexual exploitation and abuse for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), of which IRIN is a part. "A change is coming, where we will see much more action taken via managers and force commanders - I think that will have an enormous impact." In an effort to reform the culture of complacency, Jones said all staff members now have an obligation to report instances of exploitation, even if they only suspect such abuse. This new responsibility, combined with the easier mechanisms for reporting abuse, might mean the number of allegations against personnel would go up before turning around. "We actually think that we'll go through a time where the number of reports and allegations will increase," Jones noted. "It's terrible that these things are occurring, but it will be a positive sign that systems are in place to capture what is going on." As missions began to take more stringent disciplinary measures against perpetrators, individuals would change their behaviour. "I think that people being seen to be disciplined will have the greatest impact on the system," she commented. Limiting sexual relationships between peacekeepers and local residents was also important, because peacekeepers were stationed in societies traumatised by violence and poverty, while areas of conflict often created opportunities for relationships in which power could be abused. Due to the increased likelihood of exploitation, relationships with residents in the community were "strongly discouraged". "We take on a particular responsibility to the communities we work with," Jones noted. "That is going to mean that it's a higher standard than we would have in our daily lives in other locations." While some have questioned whether it was realistic to prohibit sexual relations between UN personnel and members of the community, Jones said it was only part of the very high standard that peacekeeping personnel must uphold as part of their duty to serve. "If you take on a job in the United Nations, you commit to doing that. If you see that as an unnecessary infringement to your personal freedom, then don't apply," she commented. SEEING SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN CONTEXT OF CONFLICT Because sexual violence against women and children is so prevalent in conflict and post-conflict situations, the UN is carefully considering how it should respond to those abused by peacekeepers: if community members perceive that victims of UN personnel get special treatment, the cycle of exploitation could worsen. "It's important we don't create this special category of victims," Jones pointed out. "We need to support these people as part of an overall approach."
UN managers and force commanders will face increased scrutiny of their performance in discouraging abuse
UNOB's Carrillo said this was particularly true in war-torn areas, such as the DRC and Burundi. "You cannot de-link the issue of abuse from poverty and development, and you cannot de-link overall inequality of women and girls from the abuse of women and girls," Carrillo noted, adding that this had practical implications when you considered the extreme social inequality between peacekeepers and residents. "Our staff has better salaries, better houses; we shop at the better stores," she said. "Right there the expression of the disparity of power is so obvious, you can really send the wrong message to communities." According to Kippenberg of Human Rights Watch, that was why the UN had to consider its power within the larger context of ongoing sexual violence. "The DRC is the scene of very, very widespread sexual violence - including mouth rape, gang rape and mutilation," she said. "Horrific sexual abuses are used to terrorise civilians by armed groups, and are conducted by practically all sides." Kippenberg noted that while there should be a strong reaction in the UN, she did not believe the exploitative behaviour of isolated individuals should overshadow MONUC's role amid the ongoing violence in the DRC. "It's very important that MONUC is strengthened, instead of weakened, through these reforms," she commented. "Sexual exploitation is a very serious issue in the Congo, and not just by UN peacekeeping forces, but by others. Women and girls have a lower status - you can buy a life for very little, and you can buy sex for very little." "The bigger picture is that this area is devastated by conflict," she continued. "At the end of the day, the majority of the Congolese population doesn't care about this issue [of isolated cases of abuse by peacekeepers]; they care about the human rights issues at the centre of this continued armed conflict - killings, rape, mutilation, torture, looting, abductions, child soldiers." NEW MISSION, NEW OPPORTUNITIES It is Roxanna Carrillo's job to make sure peacekeepers coming to the Burundi mission understand the expected standard of sexual conduct, particularly in the context of the surrounding violence. Since last month, every new staff person at the mission - whether civilian, military, or military police - has been required to attend a one-on-one briefing with the code of conduct office as part of their orientation. "We go over the code of conduct and discuss the issues," said Carrillo. "It's not just a piece of paper - I explain what it means, and I give them an opportunity to ask questions." The code of conduct includes injunctions to "treat everyone with respect, courtesy and consideration", and to "be sensitive to local culture ... observing strict gender-sensitive behaviour". It also includes a section on sexual misconduct, explicitly stating the prohibition on using sex workers, and any sexual activity with persons under the age of 18. "Mistaken belief in the age of the person is no defence," it states. There is also an additional prohibition on any sexual misconduct that "has a detrimental effect on the image, credibility, impartiality or integrity of the United Nations". Carrillo's office has investigated six formal complaints of sexual misconduct since September 2004. "None of these cases amount to a pattern of misconduct," she pointed out. "We are ensuring that the people accused are being investigated; that the complaints are treated as confidential, and are respected." While Carrillo expects similar work to become the norm in all the missions, there are currently only three other code of conduct offices among the UN's 17 missions - in Haiti, Cote d'Ivoire, and Sudan. "I just hope more missions will do work in this area," she said. "But if you don't have support from the head of mission, and the senior leadership in both the civilian and the military sides, you cannot go very far." From p.raddalgoda at rogers.com Thu May 12 08:15:58 2005 From: p.raddalgoda at rogers.com (Prema Raddalgoda) Date: Thu May 12 08:20:18 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Re: Women-peace-and-security Digest, Vol 7, Issue 9 - Beth Woroniuk References: <20050509195959.DA8F9556A@list.web.net> Message-ID: <000f01c556ec$5ae8bd40$f8b1c645@flfrd.phub.net.cable.rogers.com> I would like to have my name included for the workshop on Post 9-11Security Agenda and Foreign Policy. Thank You. Prema Raddalgoda ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Monday, May 09, 2005 3:59 PM Subject: Women-peace-and-security Digest, Vol 7, Issue 9 > Send Women-peace-and-security mailing list submissions to > women-peace-and-security@list.web.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/women-peace-and-security > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > women-peace-and-security-request@list.web.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > women-peace-and-security-owner@list.web.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Women-peace-and-security digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Fw: NYTimes.com: Charlotte, Grace, Janet and Caroline Come > Home (Beth Woroniuk) > 2. FW: Workshop: Post 9-11 security agenda and foreignpolicy > (Beth Woroniuk) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 13:32:15 -0400 > From: "Beth Woroniuk" > Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Fw: NYTimes.com: Charlotte, Grace, > Janet and Caroline Come Home > To: "wps listserve" > Message-ID: <00a901c554bd$0b2a7090$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > E-Mail This > http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/08/magazine/08UGANDA.html?ex=1116216000&en=e727c8bb19bead9d&ei=5070 > > > > > > MAGAZINE | May 8, 2005 > Charlotte, Grace, Janet and Caroline Come Home > By MELANIE THERNSTROM > Kidnapped as teenagers in Uganda and forced to bear children, these four girls have escaped, but what they have been through may not be something you can ever return from. > > > > > Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company | Privacy Policy > > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/c93f551f/attachment-0001.html > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 15:57:06 -0400 > From: "Beth Woroniuk" > Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] FW: Workshop: Post 9-11 security > agenda and foreignpolicy > To: "wps listserve" > Message-ID: <011701c554d1$47e3b2d0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > FW: Workshop: Post 9-11 security agenda and foreign policy > > > Apologies for cross-posting > > > > Le fran?ais suit l'anglais > > PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY > > Dear Members and Colleagues, > > I am writing to invite your participation in a CCIC workshop, The Post-911 Security Agenda and Canadian Foreign Policy: Implications for the Global South? The event will take place June 6, 2005, at Volunteer Canada, 330 Gilmour Street in Ottawa. > > The workshop will bring together CCIC members and colleagues for a one-day event. The aim is to deepen our analysis of the impacts of the post-911 security agenda on the anti-poverty and human rights agendas, and develop agendas for collective action. Speakers from research institutions and networks in the South and North will help to spark debate and discussion. > > Your participation will make an invaluable contribution to the discussion. > > We hope you can attend. > > You will find attached a flyer, an agenda and a registration form for the workshop. Please feel free to distribute this invitation to your colleagues and other CCIC members. Registrations should be received no later than May 23, 2005. > > CCIC is the Canadian coalition representing approximately 90 Canadian civil society organizations involved in development. CCIC is also the base for the Make Poverty History campaign in Canada. > > > > Chers membres et coll?gues, > > Je vous invite par la pr?sente ? participer ? un atelier du CCCI, intitul? Le programme de s?curit? de l'apr?s-11 septembre et la politique ?trang?re du Canada : des cons?quences pour le Sud global? L'atelier se d?roulera le 6 juin 2005, ? la Place des b?n?voles, au 330, rue Gilmour, ? Ottawa : > > La session r?unira des membres et coll?gues du CCCI pour une activit? d'une journ?e. Nous chercherons ? approfondir notre analyse des r?percussions du programme de s?curit? de l'apr?s-11 septembre sur les programmes de lutte contre la pauvret? et de droits de la personne, et ? ?laborer des programmes d'action collective. Des intervenants repr?sentant des ?tablissements de recherche et des r?seaux du Sud et du Nord alimenteront le d?bat et la discussion. > > Votre participation apportera une pr?cieuse contribution ? la discussion. > > Nous esp?rons pouvoir vous compter parmi nous. > > Vous trouverez ci-joint une fiche d'information, un ordre du jour et un formulaire d'inscription ? l'atelier. N'h?sitez pas ? transmettre cette invitation ? vos coll?gues et ? d'autres membres du CCCI. Veuillez nous faire parvenir votre inscription au plus tard le 23 mai 2005. > > Le CCCI est la coalition canadienne qui repr?sente environ 90 organisations de la soci?t? civile canadienne oeuvrant au d?veloppement. Le CCCI est aussi le si?ge de la campagne Abolissons la pauvret? au Canada. > > > > <> <> <> <> <> <> > > Erin Simpson > Program Officer, Peace and Conflict > Canadian Council for International Co-operation > 1 Nicholas Street, Ottawa > 613-241-7007 ext 320 > www.ccic.ca > > This email message and any attachment may contain privileged or confidential information and is intended only for the named recipient(s) or group indicated. If you have received this message in error, or are not the named recipient(s), please notify the sender and delete this email message. Thank you for your cooperation. > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ > > > _______________________________________________ > SAWGinfo mailing list > SAWGinfo@list.web.net > http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/sawginfo > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/attachment.html > -------------- next part -------------- > A non-text attachment was scrubbed... > Name: post_911_conf_flyer_fre.doc > Type: application/msword > Size: 31744 bytes > Desc: not available > Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_flyer_fre.doc > -------------- next part -------------- > A non-text attachment was scrubbed... > Name: post_911_conf_flyer_eng.doc > Type: application/msword > Size: 31232 bytes > Desc: not available > Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_flyer_eng.doc > -------------- next part -------------- > A non-text attachment was scrubbed... > Name: post_911_conf_agenda_fre.doc > Type: application/msword > Size: 36352 bytes > Desc: not available > Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_agenda_fre.doc > -------------- next part -------------- > A non-text attachment was scrubbed... > Name: post_911_conf_agenda_eng.doc > Type: application/msword > Size: 38400 bytes > Desc: not available > Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_agenda_eng.doc > -------------- next part -------------- > A non-text attachment was scrubbed... > Name: post_911_conf_registration_eng.doc > Type: application/msword > Size: 37376 bytes > Desc: not available > Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_registration_eng.doc > -------------- next part -------------- > A non-text attachment was scrubbed... > Name: post_911_conf_registration_fre.doc > Type: application/msword > Size: 32768 bytes > Desc: not available > Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_registration_fre.doc > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > Women-peace-and-security mailing list > Women-peace-and-security@list.web.net > http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/women-peace-and-security > > > End of Women-peace-and-security Digest, Vol 7, Issue 9 > ****************************************************** > From woroniuk at magma.ca Thu May 12 08:45:00 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Thu May 12 08:46:08 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Re: Women-peace-and-security Digest, Vol 7, Issue 9 - Beth Woroniuk References: <20050509195959.DA8F9556A@list.web.net> <000f01c556ec$5ae8bd40$f8b1c645@flfrd.phub.net.cable.rogers.com> Message-ID: <002201c556f0$69f6aa00$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> Dear list serve subscribers I have had several inquiries regarding the workshop on Post 9-11 Security being organized by the Canadian Council for International Cooperation. Would you please contact the organizers directly, as I was only forwarding on the announcement: Erin Simpson Program Officer, Peace and Conflict Canadian Council for International Co-operation 1 Nicholas Street, Ottawa 613-241-7007 ext 320 esimpson@ccic.ca thanks, Beth ----- Original Message ----- From: "Prema Raddalgoda" To: Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2005 8:15 AM Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Re: Women-peace-and-security Digest,Vol 7, Issue 9 - Beth Woroniuk >I would like to have my name included for the workshop on Post >9-11Security > Agenda and Foreign Policy. Thank You. > > Prema Raddalgoda > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: > To: > Sent: Monday, May 09, 2005 3:59 PM > Subject: Women-peace-and-security Digest, Vol 7, Issue 9 > > >> Send Women-peace-and-security mailing list submissions to >> women-peace-and-security@list.web.net >> >> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit >> http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/women-peace-and-security >> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to >> women-peace-and-security-request@list.web.net >> >> You can reach the person managing the list at >> women-peace-and-security-owner@list.web.net >> >> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific >> than "Re: Contents of Women-peace-and-security digest..." >> >> >> Today's Topics: >> >> 1. Fw: NYTimes.com: Charlotte, Grace, Janet and Caroline Come >> Home (Beth Woroniuk) >> 2. FW: Workshop: Post 9-11 security agenda and foreignpolicy >> (Beth Woroniuk) >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> Message: 1 >> Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 13:32:15 -0400 >> From: "Beth Woroniuk" >> Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Fw: NYTimes.com: Charlotte, Grace, >> Janet and Caroline Come Home >> To: "wps listserve" >> Message-ID: <00a901c554bd$0b2a7090$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >> >> E-Mail This >> > http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/08/magazine/08UGANDA.html?ex=1116216000&en=e727c8bb19bead9d&ei=5070 >> >> >> >> >> >> MAGAZINE | May 8, 2005 >> Charlotte, Grace, Janet and Caroline Come Home >> By MELANIE THERNSTROM >> Kidnapped as teenagers in Uganda and forced to bear children, > these four girls have escaped, but what they have been through may not be > something you can ever return from. >> >> >> >> >> Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company | Privacy Policy >> >> >> -------------- next part -------------- >> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... >> URL: > http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/c93f551f/attachment-0001.html >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Message: 2 >> Date: Mon, 9 May 2005 15:57:06 -0400 >> From: "Beth Woroniuk" >> Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] FW: Workshop: Post 9-11 security >> agenda and foreignpolicy >> To: "wps listserve" >> Message-ID: <011701c554d1$47e3b2d0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" >> >> FW: Workshop: Post 9-11 security agenda and foreign policy >> >> >> Apologies for cross-posting >> >> >> >> Le fran?ais suit l'anglais >> >> PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY >> >> Dear Members and Colleagues, >> >> I am writing to invite your participation in a CCIC workshop, The >> Post-911 > Security Agenda and Canadian Foreign Policy: Implications for the Global > South? The event will take place June 6, 2005, at Volunteer Canada, 330 > Gilmour Street in Ottawa. >> >> The workshop will bring together CCIC members and colleagues for a >> one-day > event. The aim is to deepen our analysis of the impacts of the post-911 > security agenda on the anti-poverty and human rights agendas, and develop > agendas for collective action. Speakers from research institutions and > networks in the South and North will help to spark debate and discussion. >> >> Your participation will make an invaluable contribution to the >> discussion. >> >> We hope you can attend. >> >> You will find attached a flyer, an agenda and a registration form for the > workshop. Please feel free to distribute this invitation to your > colleagues > and other CCIC members. Registrations should be received no later than May > 23, 2005. >> >> CCIC is the Canadian coalition representing approximately 90 Canadian > civil society organizations involved in development. CCIC is also the > base > for the Make Poverty History campaign in Canada. >> >> >> >> Chers membres et coll?gues, >> >> Je vous invite par la pr?sente ? participer ? un atelier du CCCI, >> intitul? > Le programme de s?curit? de l'apr?s-11 septembre et la politique ?trang?re > du Canada : des cons?quences pour le Sud global? L'atelier se d?roulera le > 6 > juin 2005, ? la Place des b?n?voles, au 330, rue Gilmour, ? Ottawa : >> >> La session r?unira des membres et coll?gues du CCCI pour une activit? > d'une journ?e. Nous chercherons ? approfondir notre analyse des > r?percussions du programme de s?curit? de l'apr?s-11 septembre sur les > programmes de lutte contre la pauvret? et de droits de la personne, et ? > ?laborer des programmes d'action collective. Des intervenants repr?sentant > des ?tablissements de recherche et des r?seaux du Sud et du Nord > alimenteront le d?bat et la discussion. >> >> Votre participation apportera une pr?cieuse contribution ? la discussion. >> >> Nous esp?rons pouvoir vous compter parmi nous. >> >> Vous trouverez ci-joint une fiche d'information, un ordre du jour et un > formulaire d'inscription ? l'atelier. N'h?sitez pas ? transmettre cette > invitation ? vos coll?gues et ? d'autres membres du CCCI. Veuillez nous > faire parvenir votre inscription au plus tard le 23 mai 2005. >> >> Le CCCI est la coalition canadienne qui repr?sente environ 90 > organisations de la soci?t? civile canadienne oeuvrant au d?veloppement. > Le > CCCI est aussi le si?ge de la campagne Abolissons la pauvret? au Canada. >> >> >> >> <> <> > <> <> > <> > <> >> >> Erin Simpson >> Program Officer, Peace and Conflict >> Canadian Council for International Co-operation >> 1 Nicholas Street, Ottawa >> 613-241-7007 ext 320 >> www.ccic.ca >> >> This email message and any attachment may contain privileged or > confidential information and is intended only for the named recipient(s) > or > group indicated. If you have received this message in error, or are not > the > named recipient(s), please notify the sender and delete this email > message. > Thank you for your cooperation. >> >> >> >> >> >> -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > ------ >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> SAWGinfo mailing list >> SAWGinfo@list.web.net >> http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/sawginfo >> -------------- next part -------------- >> An HTML attachment was scrubbed... >> URL: > http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/attachment.html >> -------------- next part -------------- >> A non-text attachment was scrubbed... >> Name: post_911_conf_flyer_fre.doc >> Type: application/msword >> Size: 31744 bytes >> Desc: not available >> Url : > http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_flyer_fre.doc >> -------------- next part -------------- >> A non-text attachment was scrubbed... >> Name: post_911_conf_flyer_eng.doc >> Type: application/msword >> Size: 31232 bytes >> Desc: not available >> Url : > http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_flyer_eng.doc >> -------------- next part -------------- >> A non-text attachment was scrubbed... >> Name: post_911_conf_agenda_fre.doc >> Type: application/msword >> Size: 36352 bytes >> Desc: not available >> Url : > http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_agenda_fre.doc >> -------------- next part -------------- >> A non-text attachment was scrubbed... >> Name: post_911_conf_agenda_eng.doc >> Type: application/msword >> Size: 38400 bytes >> Desc: not available >> Url : > http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_agenda_eng.doc >> -------------- next part -------------- >> A non-text attachment was scrubbed... >> Name: post_911_conf_registration_eng.doc >> Type: application/msword >> Size: 37376 bytes >> Desc: not available >> Url : > http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_registration_eng.doc >> -------------- next part -------------- >> A non-text attachment was scrubbed... >> Name: post_911_conf_registration_fre.doc >> Type: application/msword >> Size: 32768 bytes >> Desc: not available >> Url : > http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050509/8ee2912c/post_911_conf_registration_fre.doc >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Women-peace-and-security mailing list >> Women-peace-and-security@list.web.net >> http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/women-peace-and-security >> >> >> End of Women-peace-and-security Digest, Vol 7, Issue 9 >> ****************************************************** >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Women-peace-and-security mailing list > Women-peace-and-security@list.web.net > http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/women-peace-and-security > From woroniuk at magma.ca Wed May 11 20:56:47 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Thu May 12 08:52:29 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] FW: Women's Network - International Action Network on Small Arms - and the Global Week of Action Message-ID: <002301c5568d$79ad5fb0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> Women's Network and the Global Week of ActionThis from the CPCC Small Arms Working Group -- apologies for cross-posting... ----- Original Message ----- From: Lynne Griffiths-Fulton To: sawginfo@list.web.net Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 4:18 PM Subject: [Sawginfo] FW: Women's Network and the Global Week of Action From: IANSA Women [mailto:women@iansa.org] Sent: Wednesday, May 11, 2005 1:53 PM To: women@iansa.org Subject: Women's Network and the Global Week of Action Dear IANSA Women's Network: Women's Network and the Global Week of Action We have just received shipments of the Control Arms campaign report, The Impact of Guns on Women's Lives, in English, French, and Spanish. There are also PDF versions of the report in Portuguese and Arabic which can be downloaded from the IANSA Women's portal: http://www.iansa.org/women. As Women's Network members, we hope that you will take the lead in your local area in promoting the report, for example by holding a press conference for your local media and women's organisations, sending out a press release or organising an awareness-raising event. You may want to publicise the report in conjunction with the Global Week of Action Against Small Arms (6-12 June 2005). Attached to this email is a document containing campaigning tips and advice. In addition, the IANSA Secretariat can help your organisation campaign in 3 ways: ? We can send you a print version of the campaign report by post. ? We can hold a telephone conference with you to help with planning campaign events. ? We can provide guidelines on writing a press release (you can add information about women and guns in your local area). Key findings from the new report on women and guns: ? An attack with a gun is 12 times more likely to end in death than an attack with other weapons; ? In South Africa, a woman is shot dead by a current or former partner every 18 hours; ? In the USA, a gun in the home increases the risk that someone in the household will be murdered by 41%; but increases the risk for women by 272%; ? In France and South Africa, one in three women killed by their husbands are shot; in the USA this rises to two in three; ? Family killings are one category of homicides where women outnumber men as victims with her partner or male relative the most likely murderer. Please let us know as soon as possible what you are planning and how we can assist you. Thank you and best wishes. Susanna Kalitowski Women's Network Coordinator IANSA- International Action Network on Small Arms 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4JX, UK tel: +44 (0)20 7065 0868/ fax:+44 (0)20 7065 0871 Stop gun violence against women! Join the IANSA Women's Network. Email women@iansa.org or visit http://www.iansa.org/women. <<...>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ SAWGinfo mailing list SAWGinfo@list.web.net http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/sawginfo -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050511/cff865a9/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: Impact of Guns on Women's Lives- Campaigning Tips.rtf Type: application/msword Size: 17227 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050511/cff865a9/ImpactofGunsonWomensLives-CampaigningTips-0001.dot From MCGRAJ at SEN.PARL.GC.CA Thu May 12 10:39:19 2005 From: MCGRAJ at SEN.PARL.GC.CA (McGrath, Jodie: SEN) Date: Thu May 12 10:45:58 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Newsletter CCWPS/CCFPS Message-ID: <91DC244E1D1F1C47A7BB5272F48CA24501C55880@SENEXCHNG01.sen.ca> Version fran?ais ? suivre Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security Newsletter Spring 2005 1. Website 2. Too Little Has Changed 3. Report of the Second Annual Symposium of the Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security: "Where are the women in peace processes?" 4. Future work of the Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security 1. Website The Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security is very proud to now have their own website! Please go to www.ccwps-ccfps.org to check it out. You will find the previous reports of the CCWPS, what's new, Canada's position on the implementation of SCR 1325 and links to other organizations. Make sure to check back to download a variety of newly released reports to be posted in the near future. Thanks to Jake Hirsch Allen and Gregory Bloch for their hard work. 2. Too Little Has Changed At long last Too Little Has Changed the report of the follow-up meetings with Afghan-Canada women on the Application of UN SCR 1325 in Afghanistan will be launched this month. Please stay tuned to our website for details. 3. Report of the Second Annual Symposium of the Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security: "Where are the women in peace processes?" The 2004 Symposium Report is now in print and will be available in June. Please contact our office to obtain a copy or download it from our website. 4. Future work of the Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security Jodie McGrath is leaving her position of coordinator of the CCWPS to work for the federal government. The Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security will pause its activities and co-ordination for the summer and will be back in the fall of 2005. For resources, links, and upcoming events please check our website at www.ccwps-ccfps.org A note from Jodie: It has been a pleasure working with the Committee, its affiliates and friends and I hope to work with many of you in the future. Jodie McGrath Coordinator Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security 900 Victoria Building The Senate of Canada Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A4 Tel: (613) 996-4298 Fax: (613) 992-0673 Email: mcgraj@sen.parl.gc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050512/c186d6ae/attachment.html From MCGRAJ at SEN.PARL.GC.CA Thu May 12 15:28:58 2005 From: MCGRAJ at SEN.PARL.GC.CA (McGrath, Jodie: SEN) Date: Thu May 12 15:30:17 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] CCFPS Newsletter Message-ID: <91DC244E1D1F1C47A7BB5272F48CA24501C55889@SENEXCHNG01.sen.ca> Bulletin du Comit? canadien sur les femmes, la paix et la s?curit? Printemps 2005 1. Site Web 2. Trop peu de choses ont chang? 3. Rapport du Deuxi?me Symposium annuel du Comit? canadien sur les femmes, la paix et la s?curit? ? O? sont les femmes dans les processus de paix? 4. Travaux ? venir du Comit? canadien sur les femmes, la paix et la s?curit? 1. Site Web Le Comit? canadien sur les femmes, la paix et la s?curit? est tr?s fier d?annoncer qu?il a d?sormais son site Web! Rendez-vous ? l?adresse www.ccwps-ccfps.org. Vous y trouverez les rapports publi?s par le CCFPS, une rubrique Quoi de neuf, la position du Canada sur la mise en ?uvre de la r?solution 1325 du Conseil de s?curit? et des liens ? d?autres organismes. Visitez souvent le site afin de t?l?charger les divers rapports qui seront bient?t publi?s. Merci ? Jake Hirsch Allen et ? Gregory Bloch pour leurs efforts. 2. Trop peu de choses ont chang? Enfin, Trop peu de choses ont chang?, le rapport des r?unions de suivi tenues avec les Canadiennes d?origine afghane sur l?application de la r?solution 1325 du Conseil de s?curit? de l?ONU en Afghanistan sera publi? au cours du mois. Visitez notre site Web pour obtenir des pr?cisions. 3. Rapport du Deuxi?me Symposium annuel du Comit? canadien sur les femmes, la paix et la s?curit? - O? sont les femmes dans les processus de paix? Le rapport du symposium de 2004 est actuellement sous presse et sera disponible en juin. Communiquez avec notre bureau pour en obtenir un exemplaire ou t?l?chargez-le ? partir de notre site Web. 4. Travaux ? venir du Comit? canadien sur les femmes, la paix et la s?curit? Jodie McGrath quitte son poste de coordonnatrice du CCFPS pour se joindre ? la fonction publique f?d?rale. Le Comit? canadien sur les femmes, la paix et la s?curit? suspendra donc ses activit?s pour la p?riode estivale et vous reviendra cet automne. Pour obtenir de la documentation, des liens et des renseignements sur les activit?s ? venir, visitez notre site Web ? l?adresse www.ccwps-ccfps.org Note de Jodie : Ce fut un plaisir de travailler avec le Comit?, ses associ?s et ses amis et j?esp?re avoir l?occasion dans l?avenir de collaborer ? nouveau avec beaucoup d?entre vous. Jodie McGrath Coordinator Canadian Committee on Women, Peace and Security 900 Victoria Building The Senate of Canada Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A4 Tel: (613) 996-4298 Fax: (613) 992-0673 Email: mcgraj@sen.parl.gc.ca -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050512/bd71f709/attachment.html From Mosie at infionline.net Mon May 16 14:19:47 2005 From: Mosie at infionline.net (Lois A Herman) Date: Tue May 17 08:49:16 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Registration for Anti-Trafficking Panel May 25 Message-ID: <002d01c55a43$d8263b20$6400a8c0@LoisHerman> WOMEN?S BAR ASSOCIATION OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, NEW YORK WOMEN?S BAR ASSOCIATION, QUEENS WOMEN?S BAR ASSOCIATION, NASSAU COUNTY WOMEN?S BAR ASSOCIATION, WESTCHESTER WOMEN?S BAR ASSOCIATION, BROOKLYN WOMEN?S BAR ASSOCIATION, NEW YORK WOMEN?S BAR ASSOCIATION FOUNDATION, PACE WOMEN?S JUSTICE CENTER, JEWISH LAWYERS GUILD, and WOMEN?S RIGHTS COMMITTEE OF THE NEW YORK COUNTY LAWYERS? ASSOCIATION Present COMBATING THE MODERN DAY SLAVE TRADE A PANEL ON ANTI-TRAFFICKING INITIATIVES-DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL Wednesday, May 25, 2005, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP 4 Times Square (42nd between Broadway & 6th), 37th Floor Speakers: Sumantra Guha, UNIFEM Program Specialist for Asia, Pacific and Arab States Christine Hansen, Executive Director, The Miles Foundation Denise Scotto, Esq., Vice-Chair of the UN NGO Committee on the Status of Women Christa Stewart, Esq., Director of Legal Services, The Door Juhu Thukral, Esq., Director of the Sex Worker?s Project at the Urban Justice Center Suzanne Tomatore, Esq., Director, Immigrant Women & Children Project, Association of the Bar of the City of New York Fund, Inc. CLE- 3 Credits (see reverse) $45.00 for General Admission $35.00 for Members of Sponsoring Organizations $30.00 for New Attorneys (Admitted Under 3 Years) $10.00 Additional Fee at Door No Fee for Students ~Refreshments Served~ RSVP REQUIRED for admission to building (Registration form and CLE Information on Reverse) Many thanks to the New York Women?s Bar Association Foundation, Inc. for its significant grant to underwrite the costs of this important program and to Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom for hosting this event. REGISTRATION FORM COMBATING THE MODERN DAY SLAVE TRADE ~ A PANEL ON ANTI-TRAFFICKING INITIATIVES-DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2005, 6:00-9:00 p.m. Location: Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, 4 Times Square, 37th Floor (42nd Street, between Broadway & 6th Avenue) CLE: 3.0 credits - 2.0 professional practice, 0.5 skills & 0.5 ethics and professionalism* Cost: $45.00 for general admission $35.00 for Members of Sponsoring Organizations $30.00 for New Attorneys (Admitted Under 3 Years) $10.00 Additional Fee at Door No Fee for Students RSVP: RSVP required for admission to the building. Register by email to info@nywba.org, by fax to 212-937-2371, by calling 212-360-7055, or by mail to New York Women?s Bar Association, 303 Park Avenue South, #1190, New York, NY 10010. Name: Lois A. Herman __________________________________________________________________________ Firm: __Women?s UN Report Network - WUNRN ________________________________________________________________________ Address: ___3101 Dean Court ? Minneapolis, Minnesota 55416 USA ________________________________________________________________________ (612) 922-2910 Email: _____mosie@infionline.net_____________________________ Need Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Certificate? _____ Yes* ____x_ No _____________________________ *Approval of CLE credit is pending, in accordance with the requirements of the NYS Continuing Legal Education Board, for a maximum of 3 transitional credit hours, of which 2.0 credit hours can be applied toward the professional practice requirement, 0.5 credit hours can be applied toward the skills requirement and 0.5 credit hours can be applied towards the ethics and professionalism requirement. This program is transitional and can be used by newly admitted attorneys. The Women?s Bar Association of the State of New York is an accredited CLE provider. Scholarships are available based on financial need; all requests are confidential. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050516/f1cdd07b/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 4109 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050516/f1cdd07b/attachment-0002.gif -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 4109 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050516/f1cdd07b/attachment-0003.gif From staylor at idrc.ca Wed May 18 09:28:19 2005 From: staylor at idrc.ca (staylor@idrc.ca) Date: Wed May 18 09:27:22 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] SUDAN: Women demand greater inclusion in southern peace process Message-ID: <252501c55bad$74ec9a20$1652c8d1@DEDE21> NAIROBI, 5/17/2005 (IRIN) - Women activists have demanded for more involvement in the implementation of the southern Sudanese peace process that followed the 9 January agreement between Khartoum and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). "Sixty-five percent of the people in the south are women," Ancil Adrian-Paul, gender and peace-building programme manager for the advocacy organisation International Alert, told IRIN during a meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. "You can't exclude them from the peace-implementation process. They need a voice in the new governing institutions, and in the wealth-sharing of resources," Adrian-Paul said. The activists were attending a workshop entitled "Inclusive Security - Sustainable Peace" which was organised by International Alert and the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), from 11-13 May. The workshop was attended by representatives of women's organisations from across East Africa who shared their experiences in conflicts in the region. According to the activists, the Nairobi peace agreement, which ended 21 years of civil war in southern Sudan, should signal a new phase for the engagement of Sudanese women. "A major problem with this peace agreement is that it is an agreement negotiated without the participation of other political parties or civil-society organisations in which more women are represented," said Sonia Asis Malik, lecturer at Ahfad University for Women in Omdurman and member of the Babik Budri Scientific Association. "Women were basically excluded from this peace agreement," Malik added. In addition, she noted, the power-sharing formula used for the creation of the transitional government and the various commissions to implement the agreement, such as the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), only applied to political parties and not to civil-society organisations, marginalising the voice of women in these processes. "At first, there where no women in the CRC," she added. "Only after the gender symposium at the Oslo donor conference [in April] put pressure on the parties, were women admitted. There are now six or seven women on the commission, but only one is a lawyer." According to Malik, only six percent of the judges on Sudan's High Court and 26 percent of the judges of the General Court are women. "The judiciary needs to be restructured. It is not gender-sensitive, and last year only four of the 100 people admitted to the country's judiciary were women," Samia El Hashmi, chairwoman of Mutawint, a women's organisation that focuses on legal issues, told IRIN. Malik noted that at present, there were only two female ministers: one in the Ministry of Social Welfare and Social Development and the other in the Ministry of International Cooperation. There was no significant representation of women in strategic ministries, such as foreign affairs, finance and defense, she added. Various Sudanese constitutions since independence had granted equal rights and duties to all Sudanese, irrespective of their origin, race, sex or religion. "It is not practised and it will not be practised," Malik said. "Since our independence, [the constitution] gives women rights with one hand and takes them with the other. A lot of discrimination also happens in the private sphere." Mary Cirillo Bang of the New Sudan Women's Federation told IRIN that women and children had been most affected by the wars that raged in Sudan since 1955. "When two elephants are fighting, the grass suffers," she said. "Women and children are the grass." Bang noted that women had played a large role in intertribal reconciliation efforts across southern Sudan, but they had been excluded from the Nairobi agreement. "We want to be involved in all commissions and all activities that will be implemented now that the peace agreement has been signed," Bang added. Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, UNIFEM regional programme director, told IRIN that the sustainability of women's participation had to be measured in the improvement of women's lives. "They want to read and write, give birth in a clinic, have food on the table, be safe from sexual abuse, and be included in decision-making," Gumbonzvanda said. "Peace means a different life. Women don't want the stories of today to be the stories of tomorrow." The Nairobi agreement ended the war between the SPLM/A and the Sudanese government, which erupted in 1983 when rebels took up arms against authorities based in the north to demand greater autonomy. The fighting has killed at least 2 million people, uprooted 4 million more, and forced some 550,000 to flee to neighbouring countries. From woroniuk at magma.ca Wed May 18 12:41:02 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Wed May 18 12:42:09 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Fw: Violence against women in Iraqi-Kurdistan (off Relief Web) Message-ID: <005401c55bc8$61667aa0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> > > Source: WADI e.V. via Relief Web > http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/doc106?OpenForm > Source Data: 05/18/2005 > > ?If I would have not killed her, everyone would insult me and ask why I am > not defending my family's honour. Killing men is shameful, killing women > is > respected.? > > The testimony was given by a man who recently murdered his daughter in > law. > In colaboration with others, he had forced his victim, Gulstan, who was > just behind her teen ages, into a field close to their village and shot > her > with a rifle from close distance into her face. The testimony was neither > given in custody nor during interogation. Professionals from one of the > women centers in Iraqi-Kurdistan visited the village after having learned > of the ?honour killing? case and interviewed the familiy members. Even > though he openly confessed to have murdered his daughter in law, no > efforts > were made to put the man on trial. The reason is simple: Gulstan > ?dishonoured? her family by trying to escape from a forced marriage. > Additional rumours accused her of having a sexual relation to another man. > Thus, her assassination is regarded as legitimate by the villagers. > > Cases like Gulstan's are not unusual in the Kurdish region of Northern > Iraq. Eventhough, so called ?honour-crimes? are regarded as statutory > offence, authorities let perpetrators oftenly pass without questioning. > About 200 of cases of murdering women and girls due to reasons of ?honour? > have been documented by the Rewan Women's Center in Suleymaniyah in three > years only. Women and girls have been shot, strangled or drowned mainly > because they were said to have sexual relations or ?dishonoured? the > family > in another way. The real number of casualties is expected to be much > higher. Especially in rural areas, where tribal and primordial belonging > still is the most important essential tie, ?honour killings? are widely > regarded as ?necessary? to secure a family's social status. > > ?Honour crimes? do not solely respond on sexual activities, but are more > likely designed to sanction any kind of ?insubordination? of women and > girls. In most cases, the ?sexual activities?, which the women are > punished > for, did merely take place in the phantasy of male relatives than in > reality. Women and girls are rather being murdered for refusing to fulfill > demands - like forced marriage - or fleeing from violent husbands. At the > core, honour crimes arise from conflict between women and girls who claim > to selfdetermine specific aspects of their life and their male dominated > family or local community. Self-determination principally stands in stark > contrast to the family codex of moral and decency in Iraq. > > A rigid moral code, deeply rooted in patriarchal societal structures, must > be regarded as one of the main reasons for the violence against women. > This > code is based on an understanding, that defines women as property of their > male relatives. Consequently, if the property is being hurd, the male > owner > is hurd as well. Women loose their value if they do not subordinate to > their role or if their decency is being questioned in public. Killing them > is - following this understanding - only a consequence from their > devaluation. > > But, despite its ?traditional? roots, the phenomenon of ?honour killings? > is not a result of culture or traditions only. Poverty, devastated living > standards and a lack of education play an important role. Additionally, > most Iraqi families have experienced extreme violence in the past. A high > percentage of Iraqis is severely psychologically affected - if not > traumatized - by the experiences of flight, war and oppression. War, the > killing and deportation of family members and flight did not only result > in > an increased importance of primordial structures but lead at the same time > to a distortion of family structures. The experiences made with a violent > society under Saddam Husseins dictatorship is being put forward > (abgew?lzt) > regularly to the weakest members of the family, i.e. women and girls. > Usually, violent acts against women and girls only constitute the climax > of > a lasting crisis, that inflicted the family's life long before. In most > cases, professional aid that could help avoiding the explosion of > violence, > is not available - mainly because psychological problems are regarded as > ?shameful? and ?dishonouring? and are therefore kept in secret. > > Not a private matter > > Male violence against women is not a private matter. The dramatic increase > of recorded ?honour killing? cases in Iraq during the 1990s shows that the > ?private? understanding of honour is directly corresponding to the overall > political and societal conditions. UNIFEM reports that more than 4,000 > women and girls have become victims of ?honour killing? during that > period. > The increase followed a presidential degree in 1990 legalizing many kinds > of violence against women up to murder if they result from ?moral > misbehaviour of women?. Regularly women were included into interrogations > against male family members. In custody, women faced systematic > humiliation, torture and rape. The role women played in the official > propaganda in Iraq was - as the governmental paper ?al-Jumhurriya? > depicted > it in 1991 - that of a ?mother breading sons and teaching them to fight > and > die as a hero?. Women were not even allowed to travel without being > accompanied by male relatives. In contrast to governmental statements > under > Saddam Hussein, claiming to guarantee gender equality and to protect women > from discrimination, women and girls were cut off from many fundamental > rights in Iraq. Saddams system of injustice established a legal power of > disposition of men over their female relatives. > > Even though women constitute around 60 % of Iraq's entire population, they > were chronically underrepresented in administration, economy and > government. Women suffered most und economic and social deprivation, > illiteracy rates are extremely high. Around 40 % of the female population > in Iraq are, following a study of the World Bank, illiterates. Only 35 % > of > the Iraqi girls attended a public school before the Iraq war in 2003. > Women > who have lost their husbands in one of Iraq's wars or in governmental > campaigns against the civil population bear the whole responsibility for > their families while they usually do not have access to work and income. > Around 11 % of Iraqs households are lead by women (UNDP - Iraq Living > Conditions Survey 2004). Especially in rural areas, women play a > substantial role in securing living conditions while at the same time, > women are cut off from the labour market in most areas. Due to low > educational standards career opportunities outside the informal labour > force of unrewarded work in family owned enterprises and farms are > specifically low. UNDP stated before the war, that not more than 10 % of > Iraq's women were involved in economical activities. UNDP's Human > Development Report listed Iraq in 2002 on rank 126 out of 174 regarding > gender equality and women's rights. Still, women are sidelined in > ?traditional? local structures and excluded from decision making > processes. > Especially in rural areas, women are restricted in their movement and cut > off from education. Forced marriage and FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) > are > still practiced in rural areas. > > After the regime change in 2003, new provisions concerning women came into > practice. The Transitional Administrative Law from March 2004 demands > legal > equality (Art. 12) and gender-specific language (Art. 1 B), prohibits > gender-based discrimination (Art. 12, 20 B) and installs a quota system > for > the National Assembly (Art. 20). But still the grave problems women face > in > Iraq are not object of public debate. The development of a women's lobby > is > only just at the beginning. Most women's activists are unexperienced in > leading and institution-building, they lack practical skills as well as an > effective network. Although, women's activists became more visible in > public life as they are officially represented in Governing Council, the > majority of Iraq's women are still excluded from decision making > processes. > Additionally, new islamist movements try to take control in the > communities > and impose rigid and strict regulations on women. > > Programming & Experience > > WADI's programme in Northern Iraq > > For more than a decade WADI is supporting development programmes in > Northern Iraq by promoting and encouraging civil and democratic structures > at place: With gender-mainstreaming programmes for women, educational > projects and literacy campaigns, rehabilitation for long-term prisoners, > projects for displaced persons and children. More than 5,000 women > attended > literacy classes since the Mid 1990's, women and girls from violent > families find shelter and care in three centres for women in distress. In > rural areas, women are being provided with mobile health and social > services and being trained in Women's Rights. WADI supports local > initiatives with training. Vocational training and computer workshops are > provided to women in remote areas. An independent community radio > station - > the new voice - for women and youngsters starts broadcasting this year. > > Centres for Women in Distress > > The basic idea of the centres for women in distress is to help the large > number of women who are suffering from serious social or psychological > problems. This group includes mostly women who became first homeless and > then hopeless due to war and displacement that affected the whole Kurdish > society since the Anfal-Campaign in 1988. The project also takes care of > street women who very easily become targets of violence committed by men. > All women - unaware of ethnical or confessional belonging, social status > or > political affiliation -- can find protection at the centres. The centres > provide food and accommodation as well as psychological treatment, social > assistance and legal aid. Women are free to stay in the centre until their > problems are solved and a psychological stabilisation has been reached. > The > main objective of the centre is to reintegrate the women in the society > while saving their dignity. > > Inside the centres, a variety of workshops and courses are offered to the > women ranging from therapeutic sessions and medical care to literacy and > vocational training courses. A mediation programme assists women who are > returning to their families and supports them in finding long-term > solutions. > > The centres have been established in close co-operation with women's > groups > and local authorities. In practice, the centres are run by the centres > staff independently, while WADI is responsible for monitoring the work. > Besides, WADI provides financial means and logistic infrastructures (cars, > offices, computer). > > Centres have been established in Suleymaniyah (NAWA-Centre) and Arbil > (Khanzad-Centre). A third centre, situated in Mosul, was forced to stop > working due to the continuous violence and threats by Islamists. More than > 600 women have been treated in the NAWA Centre (Suleymaniah) alone. > > Cases from the centres > > F., 22 years old, comes from Qala Dize. She was the first to seek help in > the Khanzad Home (Arbil). F. has a four year old daughter who attended her > when she entered the centres programme. Both were on the run from male > relatives who threaten to kill them for more than five years. F.s sad > story > began in 1997, when she was a 16 year old girl. Her older brother intended > to marry a girl from the neighbourhood. F. was part of the agreement over > the marriage. She was forced to marry a nearly 60 years old uncle of her > sister-in-law. When she later gave birth to a daughter (instead of a boy), > her husband began to beat and abuse her. F. decided to run away. As a > retribution for the ?shame? F. has brought over her family, her brother > tried to kill her and her daughter. F. and her daughter, who escaped to > Arbil, stayed for three years inside a prison to protect them from their > relatives. F. was transferred to Khanzad Home in 2002. Since then, the > staff is trying to negotiate with her family. Without success - her > husband > does not agree to a dissolution of their marriage, her brother dos not > give > up his plans to kill her. Recently, F. is trying to enforce a divorce with > the support of a lawyer. Afterwards, the centres team will try to find a > place somnewhere else in the country for her and her daughter to live. > > C. 23 years old. C. grew up in a village close to the city of Rania. In > January 2003 she came to Khanzad Home after being protected in prison for > eight months. In June 2002, C. was attacked by frieds of her father, > beaten > and raped. C. just barely survived the attack. But in the eyes of her > relatives, C. ?dishonoured? the family by being raped. Her father and her > brother decided to kill her to ?restore the family's honour?. A neighbour > helped C. to escape. C. was brought to a prison in the city of > Suleymaniah. > In January 2003, C. was transferred to Khanzad home. After long-drawn-out > negotiations, her family gave up the plan to kill her - except of one > uncle, who demands a financial compensation for this ?act of generosity?. > A > criminal procedure has been initiated against the attackers with the help > of Khanzad. For the time being, C. will stay in the centre. > > Female Mobile Teams > > WADI is supporting Female Mobile Teams (FMT) in Suleymaniah, Kirkuk Arbil > and Mosul Governorate as well as in Dyala. These teams contain of medical > assistants, social workers and supervisors. Until April 2003, the FMT > served more than 40,000 women and children. On a daily base, the FMT visit > women and children in different areas, offer basic health services, > conduct > awareness courses, visit women, who suffer from distress and -- if needed > -- bring them to one of the centres. Different researches and > questionnaires about female victims of Ba'thism, Anfal widows and female > led families were conducted. > > One of the Mobile Teams focus on the Hawraman Area near Halabja, which > until recently was controlled by the Taliban like Ansar al-Islam Group, > whose rule deprived women from any fundamental rights. > > In Kirkuk, the FMT are multi-ethnical to serve the mutual > Kurdish-Arabic-Turkmen understanding. Their work is also part of the > preparation to establish women centres and shelters both in Kirkuk and > Arbil in Co-operation with the Women's Organizations and the existing > shelters. Later a network of shelters and centres should be established in > other parts of Iraq too. > > The FTMs are also focussing on combating Female Genital Mutilation and all > kinds of Violence against Women. > > Education > > Any improvement of women's situation requires a higher social status of > women and grils inside their communities. The right to education is > crucial > for any kind of gender mainstreaming. Without a better education, women > will stay excluded from public life. For a decade, WADI supports literacy > courses for women. Inside the women's centres, that have been established > in several cities, courses are being held on social issues, health care, > family planning and women's rights. Vocational training on computers and > internet is offered in several centres. WADI established a women's library > and Internetcaf?s for women. In the Hawraman region, WADI supports the > establishment of an independent community radio for women and youngsters. > > Self-confident women and girls, who know their rights, can read and write, > and have access to free information, children and youngsters who > experience > care and education instead of indoctrination and frustration, are a most > effective ?weapon? against violence and discrimination. > > > From woroniuk at magma.ca Wed May 18 13:01:30 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Wed May 18 13:02:40 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Fw: Eldis Gender Reporter - excerpts Message-ID: <005c01c55bcb$3d6b7b70$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> I've included items from the Eldis Gender Report that may be of interest to listserve subscribers. Beth ----- Original Message ----- > ELDIS GENDER REPORTER > 18 MAY 2005 > http://www.eldis.org/gender > > ---------------------------------------------------- > This is our regular bulletin highlighting recent research > publications on gender issues. > > The documents listed are available without charge on the > web. If you are unable to access any of these materials > online and would like to receive a copy of a document > as an email attachment, please contact our editor at > the email address given below. > > For more research and training material on addressing gender, > please visit our website at http://www.eldis.org/gender > > NEW DOCUMENTS > ------------------------------------------------------- > RESPONDING TO THE CRISES IN DARFUR > ------------------------------------------------------- > 1. SUDANESE WOMEN'S PRIORITIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS > TO THE OSLO DONORS' CONFERENCE ON SUDAN > > Author(s): Sudanese People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/ > A); Government of Sudan > > Produced by: United Nations (UN) Development Fund for > Women (UNIFEM) (2005) > > This statement was issued at the Oslo Donor's Conference on > Sudan in April 2005. Its authors comprise Sudanese women > delegates from all regions, including representatives from > the Government of Sudan, the Sudanese People's Liberation > Movement/Army (SPLM/A), civil society and academic > institutions. > > This statement sets out their priorities in advocating for > donor support for gender equality and women's rights in > post-conflict Sudan. It takes as its premise the fact that > women play a crucial role in peace-building, peacemaking, > reconstruction and sustaining families and communities > amidst war, poverty and HIV/AIDS. Additionally, it also > highlights the fact that women have a fundamental human > right to be full and equal partners in all sectors and at > all levels, and is also cognizant that of the different > status of women in the different areas of Sudan. These > priorities are classified under several key themes as > follows: > * governance and the rule of law > * gender based violence > * capacity building and institutional development > * economic policy and management > * livelihoods and productive sectors > * basic social services covering health and education. > > In conclusion, they set out at least three conditions that > budgetary allocation and resource support should meet > towards Sudan's reconstruction: > * directly benefiting women, contributing directly to > women's empowerment and increasing women's capacities, > opportunities and access to resources > * reducing gender inequalities in law, policy and practice > * directly benefiting young people, especially girls, in > disadvantaged communities > * targeting rural areas. > > Available online at: > http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC18427 > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > 3. UNHCR'S AGE AND GENDER MAINSTREAMING PILOT > PROJECT 2004: SYNTHESIS REPORT > > Author(s): Groves, L. > > Produced by: Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit (EPAU), > UNHCR (2005) > > This report assesses the UNHCR age and gender mainstreaming > pilot project launched in 2004. It provides a strategic > overview of the pilot project experience, drawing out > findings, good practice, lessons learnt and recommendations > for the future. In particular it documents specific > learning in terms of the MFTs (Multi-Functional Team), > partnership working, methodology, leadership in the field > and at headquarters, ownership and accountability. > > The age and gender mainstreaming pilot involves a massive > organisational change exercise. The three goals of the age > and gender mainstreaming pilot project are that staff of > pilot countries will: promote gender equality and respect > for the rights of refugee women and children; apply an age > and gender analysis to operations through a community > development approach; and, operationalise policies relating > to the protection of refugee women and children. > > The four key elements of the pilot project methodology are: > participatory assessment with groups of refugee/internally > displaced men and women of different ages and with boys and > girls; operational workshop; the use of MFTs; and, placing > accountability for in country age and gender mainstreaming > with the representative. > > Main findings include: > * in all countries the pilot project had an impact on > attitude change and analytical approaches > * in all countries there has been a positive change in > procedures and work processes in terms of greater inclusion > of age and gender equality issues during daily work > routines > * there has been a strong impact in terms of > improved partnership working as a result of the project's > methodology. UNHCR??Ts profile has also increased through the > use of the participatory assessment tool > * where management representatives have been actively > involved in mentoring, supporting and engaging collective > ownership of staff including with the Multi-Functional Team > (MFT), the work plans have been implemented and staff feel > positive about the initiative. The project has engaged > leadership in becoming more accountable for age and gender > mainstreaming > * however, there is still a lack of age and gender > mainstreaming at headquarters. There is also a need for a > greater focus on mainstreaming age and gender within field > offices, as well as on systematising the participatory > assessment tool. > > The report is based on eight country evaluations in > Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, India, Syria, Venezuela and > Zambia. > > [adapted from author] > > Available online at: > http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC18411 > > ------------------------------------------------------- > ------------------------------------------------------- > 8. VIOLENCE AGAINST GIRLS IN DETENTION > > Author(s): Quaker United Nations Office > > Produced by: Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) (2005) > > This brief study looks at girls' vulnerability to violence > in prison and other forms of detention. > > The study identifies key issues of concern including: > * the widespread practice of detaining girls with adults, > and their vulnerability to violence in this situation > * the lack of attention paid to the particular needs of > girls in prison policies, procedures and facilities, for > example in relation to decisions on pre-trial detention, > opportunities for education and employment, healthcare and > family contact. > > The study recommends that: > * girl detainees are held separately from adult detainees > and from male juvenile detainees > * states develop and implement policies and programmes > concerning girls in detention that implement international > human rights standards, in particular, the Convention on > the Rights of the Child, taking a child rights perspective, > as well as other standards on juvenile justice. > > [adapted from author] > > Available online at: > http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC18443 > > ------------------------------------------------------- > 9. FORGOTTEN CASUALTIES OF WAR: GIRLS IN ARMED CONFLICT > > Author(s): Hobson, M. > Produced by: Save the Children Fund (SCF) (2005) > > This report addresses the protection issues for children > associated with armed groups and, more specifically, to the > largely unrecognised protection requirements of girls. It > draws on recent research conducted in the DRC, Rwanda and > west Africa, as well as programme experience from Sri Lanka > and many of the other countries where Save the Children > works. > > It shows how girls are being overlooked in current efforts > to release children from armed groups and support their > return home, challenges existing systems, and argues that > the international community must fund programmes designed > to meet girls' needs. > > The report covers the following topics: > * children associated with armed groups > * girls associated with armed groups > * gender-based violence during conflict > * returning home > * community support. > > The recommendations provided by the report include: > * the international community should support and fund the > release of children from armed groups outside formal > disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) > programmes ??" even during conflict > * the international community must fully fund and deliver > on the reintegration component of DDR for children over the > long term > * community-led development must be put at the centre of > formal DDR programmes for children > * a special pool of funding should be established to meet > girls??T specific needs during demobilisation and > reintegration. Such funds must be independent of any formal > DDR or political processes > * all states should ratify, enforce, monitor and report on > international treaties to protect children, particularly > the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and its > optional protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed > Conflict. > > Available online at: > http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC17677 > ---------------------------------------------------- > > See the complete list of new additions, announcements, > job adverts at: http://www.eldis.org/gender > > ---------------------------------------------------- > ELDIS currently includes descriptions and links > to over 4,500 organisations and over 12,000 full-text > online documents covering development and > environmental issues. It can be searched or browsed > without charge over the Internet. > > You are welcome to re-use material from this bulletin > on your own website, provided that it is accompanied > by an acknowledgement to Eldis and a link to the Eldis > website (either to our home page or to the home page > of one of our Resource Guides). > > An alternative way to add Eldis content to your website > is by adding one of our newsfeeds. See the page at: > http://www.eldis.org/newsscript/select.htm > > If you are unable to access any of these materials > online and would like to receive a copy of a document > as an email attachment, please contact our editor at > the email address given below. > > ELDIS is funded by DFID, SDC, Sida and NORAD, and > hosted by the Institute of Development Studies, > Sussex, UK. > > If you would like to receive this bulletin (or any > other of our subject focused email bulletins) > regularly (without charge), you can register from > our home page, or just email to the address below. > > Contact details: > > ELDIS Programme > at the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex > Brighton BN1 9RE, UK > > Email: eldis@ids.ac.uk > Tel: +44 1273 877425 > Fax: +44 1273 621202 > > WWW: http://www.eldis.org/gender > > --- > You are currently subscribed to eldis-gender as: > woroniuk@magma.ca > To unsubscribe send a blank email to: > leave-eldis-gender-123941J@lyris.ids.ac.uk > From alertnet at reuters.com Thu May 19 13:16:35 2005 From: alertnet at reuters.com (alertnet@reuters.com) Date: Thu May 19 13:26:31 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] AlertNet email: GREAT LAKES: Women's low input in follow-up to regional pact decried Message-ID: <20050519_171635_083060.alertnet@reuters.com> This article was found on AlertNet (http://www.alertnet.org) and sent to you by Suzanne Taylor (staylor@idrc.ca). GREAT LAKES: Women's low input in follow-up to regional pact decried < http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/e6660271bcffe59e6588d4bf70a5da3b.htm > Women are often the victims of armed conflicts in Africa's Great Lakes region yet they are underrepresented at the UN-sponsored meetings to implement a declaration signed in November 2004 by heads of state in the region on regional peace, security, democracy and development, a UN official said on Wednesday. ---------------------------------------- (c) 1998-2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. --------------------------------------- From woroniuk at magma.ca Fri May 20 08:34:51 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Fri May 20 08:35:57 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Fw: ICC Roster of Psychosocial Experts Message-ID: <001b01c55d38$522538d0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> If you are interested in being considered for the roster, please contact the sender of the original message. ----- Original Message ----- From: Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 7:37 AM Subject: ICC Roster of Psychosocial Experts Dear Friends Roster of Psychosocial Experts The Office of the Prosecutor is seeking to establish a roster of experienced psychologists and /or social workers, to work with the ICC on an ad hoc and short-term basis conducting psychosocial assessments of victims the ICC would like to interview as part of their investigations into war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The roster is being co-ordinated by victims experts within the Investigation Division of the Office of the Prosecutor. The 'in-house' capacity of the ICC is insufficient to cover the volume of victims to be interviewed by the Court and therefore the Investigations Division is building a network of experts from the psychosocial fields, preferably specialized in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), who are interested and qualified to conduct assessments in the field on a short-term contract basis. Salary is based on the minimum net annual salary for P.2 level (single rate) - Euro 30,997 plus mission related DSA. Applicants available at short notice are most suited for the roster. The role of the Psychosocial Experts is to: ? Provide psychosocial pre-interview assessments of victims in the field, in order to evaluate their well being and ability to be interviewed by the ICC as part of the Court's investigations; ? Assist investigators to interview victims traumatized as a result of the commission of crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court, particularly children and victims of sexual violence and torture. Qualifications and Experience: (i) relevant advanced university degree; (ii) knowledge of the rights of victims and expertise on the needs of victims; (iii) ability to work as part of a team; (iv) good communication and writing skills; (v) ability to work under pressure; (vi) tact, discretion and accuracy in handling confidential information; (vii) ability to work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds; (viii) ability to travel and work in remote areas with limited resources; (ix) full proficiency in the use of computers. Experience - at least two years related experience in dealing with victim issues and those suffering from trauma; Prior international work experience would be an asset. The Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice is promoting this experts programme amongst female practitioners to ensure women with expertise and experience in working with victims of sexual violence and trauma, are on the roster. For the Court to effectively address gender based crimes in its' investigations, it is essential women with professional experience in the psychosocial fields and gender issues are involved in this work. Therefore the Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice is encouraging women with sound experience and expertise in working with victims of sexual violence, trauma, and gender issues to apply. Knowledge of Languages: Fluency in either of the working languages of the Court, English OR French, is essential. Working knowledge of the other and/or knowledge of another official language of the Court would be considered an asset. (Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish). To apply to be considered for the roster please contact Vedrana Mladinada-Mjanovic, ICC Associate Victims Expert, email: vedrana.mladinadamjanovic@icc-cpi.int . Please send your CV and a completed Personal History Form (PHF) http://www.icc-cpi.int/library/recruitment/jobs/icc-phf.doc ICC homepage: http://www.icc-cpi.int/ Next week we will send you Women and the ICC - Updates and Vacancies 4: 2005 Sincerely Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice Brigid Inder Executive Director Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice Anna Paulownastraat 103, 2518BC The Hague (Tel) 31 (0) 70 365 2042 (Fax) 31 (0) 70 392 5270 brigid@iccwomen.org; www.iccwomen.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050520/005d44ba/attachment.html From woroniuk at magma.ca Fri May 20 08:46:10 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Fri May 20 08:47:15 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] : NYTimes.com: House Bill Would Preserve, and Limit, the Role of Women in Combat Zones Message-ID: <002501c55d39$e6d07f70$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> E-Mail This Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 9:32 AM Subject: NYTimes.com: House Bill Would Preserve, and Limit, the Role of Women in Combat Zones http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/20/politics/20military.html?ex=1117252800&en=f015633683946e13&ei=5070 WASHINGTON | May 20, 2005 House Bill Would Preserve, and Limit, the Role of Women in Combat Zones By THOM SHANKER Women may continue to serve in Army units supporting ground combat forces, but the Pentagon would need Congressional approval to open any additional jobs to women in combat zones. Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company | Privacy Policy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050520/1b883fc9/attachment.html From staylor at idrc.ca Fri May 20 15:13:34 2005 From: staylor at idrc.ca (staylor@idrc.ca) Date: Fri May 20 15:12:34 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] CENTRAL & EASTERN AFRICA: Gender experts end strategy meeting Message-ID: <561101c55d70$04dc8b90$1652c8d1@DEDE21> NAIROBI, 5/20/2005 (IRIN) - Gender experts from Africa's Great Lakes region ended on Thursday a strategy workshop on the inclusion of gender issued in the implementation of a declaration on peace, security, democracy and development that the region's heads of state signed in November 2004. According to a statement issued at the end of the two-day workshop, the experts made proposals that would "ensure that gender is effectively mainstreamed in the protocols, programmes of action and projects" of the UN and African Union-supported International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). The workshop is one of many meetings of various expert groups that are part of the ICGLR, set up to implement the declaration. The four themes of the conference are peace and security; democracy and good governance; economic development and regional integration; and, humanitarian and social issues. The 11 core countries of the ICGLR are Angola, Burundi, Central Africa Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Gender experts from these countries, as well as experts from the UN Fund for Women, the UN Mission in Burundi, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and other UN agencies, attended the workshop. From woroniuk at magma.ca Fri May 20 16:00:01 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Fri May 20 16:01:05 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] F COTE D IVOIRE: French peacekeeping force opens inquiry into sex abuse claims (IRIN) Message-ID: <004a01c55d76$824dd470$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> > > ABIDJAN, 5/20/2005 (IRIN) - The French peacekeeping force in Cote d'Ivoire > has opened an inquiry into allegations that four of its soldiers sexually > abused a young girl in the rebel-held north of the divided country. > > The French army said in a statement on Thursday that it had received a > complaint about an incident earlier this month in the village of Madinani, > near the town of northwestern town of Odienne. > > The statement did not mention the age of the alleged victim, nor did it > give details of the alleged assault. > > "We have launched an investigation to shed light on this matter, but we > are proceeding with caution because so far, nothing has allowed us to > confirm these allegations" Colonel Henri Aussavy, the spokesman for the > French force in Cote d'Ivoire, told IRIN on Friday. > > The Ivorian press reported that the allegations of sexual abuse had come > from the rebel forces that control the northern half of this West African > country. > > Cote d'Ivoire has been split in two since a failed coup attempt against > President Laurent Gbagbo in September 2002 plunged the country into civil > war. > > Around 4,000 troops from France, the former colonial power, are working > alongside 6,000 UN peacekeepers to try to maintain a two-year-old > ceasefire. > > This is the first allegation of sexual abuse to be made against the French > force, known as Licorne (Unicorn), since it was deployed in Cote d'Ivoire > soon after the civil war started. > > But Licorne's image was dented in September last year when twelve of its > soldiers were arrested for stealing about 65 million CFA (US $124,000) > from a bank they were supposed to be guarding in the rebel-held city of > Man. > > Anti-French sentiment has been running high in the government-held south > for several months. > > Last November, French forces disabled most of Cote d'Ivoire's tiny air > force after nine French peacekeepers were killed in a government bombing > raid on the rebel capital Bouake. > > Anti-French riots subsequently erupted in the main city Abidjan. The > disturbances resulted in 9,000 expatriates, most of them French, fleeing > the country. > > The latest controversy surrounding the international peacekeepers in Cote > d'Ivoire surfaced two weeks before their mandate is set to expire on 4 > June. > > After twice extending their mandate for a month to give South African > President Thabo Mbeki's peace drive time to bear fruit, the UN Security > Council will meet again in a fortnight to decide its next move. > > Last year UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for another 1,200 troops > to be sent to the West African nation, but on Thursday his special > representative to Cote d'Ivoire, Pierre Schori, said bigger reinforcements > were needed. > > "We have asked ... for reinforcements of just over 2,000 additional > troops. This is being discussed in New York," Schori told a press > conference on Thursday. "We need them to fulfil our duties on the arms > embargo, on security in general, a security plan for the elections and > disarmament and reintegration." > > There have been several breakthroughs in Cote d'Ivoire's shaky peace > process in the last few months. > > Gbagbo, the rebels and the main parliamentary opposition parties agreed to > a new South African-mediated peace deal in Pretoria on 6 April. > > Gbagbo subsequently announced that he would allow his main rival, Alassane > Ouattara, to stand in presidential elections planned for 30 October. > Ouattara's exclusion from the 2000 elections is often cited as one of the > reason's behind the rebel insurgency. > > And last weekend the rebels agreed to start handing their weapons over to > UN peacekeepers on 27 June, a move designed to pave the way for national > reunification ahead of the polls. > > However deep-rooted mistrust and suspicion has led to previous disarmament > deadlines coming and going without any arms being relinquished. > > The rebels earlier ignored a 14 May starting date for disarmament mooted > in the Pretoria peace accord and just days after the latest signing, > senior rebels cast doubt on whether June was a done deal. > > In an interview with the French daily, Liberation, this week, rebel leader > Guillaume Soro said that if problems with the disarmament of > pro-government militias were not resolved, then his fighters would simply > be confined to barracks with their weapons until the October election. From staylor at idrc.ca Fri May 20 16:01:34 2005 From: staylor at idrc.ca (Suzanne Taylor) Date: Fri May 20 16:07:13 2005 Subject: [Women-peace-and-security] Fwd: Fw: Women's Perspectives No. 01 Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20050520160107.00c32228@mail.idrc.ca> >From: "Beth Woroniuk" >To: "Suzanne Taylor" >Subject: Fw: Women's Perspectives No. 01 >Date: Fri, 20 May 2005 15:54:12 -0400 >X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2180 >X-PMX-Version: 4.7.1.128075, Antispam-Engine: 2.0.3.2, Antispam-Data: >2005.5.20.24 > > > > > > WELCOME TO IWPR'S WOMEN'S PERSPECTIVES No. 001, 20 May, 2005 > > > > As an IWPR subscriber, we would like to give you the opportunity to enjoy > > our latest project - the Women's Reporting and Dialogue Programme. To > > continue to receive these emails, please subscribe at: > > http://www.iwpr.net/sub_form.html > > > > DIRECTOR'S NOTE: > > IWPR LAUNCHES NEW WOMEN'S REPORTING PROGRAMME > > By Anthony Borden in London > > > > A SHARED SUFFERING > > Women in Afghanistan, Central Asia, Azerbaijan and the North Caucasus face > > official and societal discrimination. > > By Anara Tabyshalieva in Bishkek > > > > THE BURQA: PRISON OR PROTECTION? > > The oppressive Taleban regime is long gone, but many Afghan women are > > still > > afraid to abandon their burqas. > > By Salima Ghafari in Kabul > > > > HIJAB DISCRIMINATION IN NORTH CAUCASUS > > Women in traditionally Muslim republic are being labelled Islamic radicals > > for merely wearing a head covering. > > By Fatima Tlisova in Nalchik > > > > TAKING CONTROL IN TAJIKISTAN > > Women become the breadwinners in this patriarchal society, leaving men > > depressed and suicidal. > > By Madina Saifidnova in Khujand > > > > SPECIAL REPORT: > > BIRTH CONTROL BY DECREE IN UZBEKISTAN > > A family planning campaign that looks benign is marred by allegations of > > forced sterilisation on a wide scale. > > By Malik Boboev, Galima Bukharbaeva and Yusuf Rasulov in Andijan and > > Tashkent. > > > > > > ****************** VISIT IWPR ON-LINE: www.iwpr.net *************** > > > > THE WOMEN'S REPORTING AND DIALOGUE PROGRAMME - currently covering non-Arab > > Muslim countries - will seek to strengthen the capacity of local media and > > individual journalists to cover gender issues through training and > > information provision. It also seeks to create a regional network of > > female > > journalists whose high-quality output will provide a much-needed source of > > comprehensive information on gender issues in the regions. To subscribe or > > find out more visit: http://www.iwpr.net/women_index1.html > > > > FREE SUBSCRIPTION. Readers are urged to subscribe to IWPR's full range of > > electronic publications at: http://www.iwpr.net/sub_form.html > > > > ****************** VISIT IWPR ON-LINE: www.iwpr.net *************** > > > > > > DIRECTOR'S NOTE: > > IWPR LAUNCHES NEW WOMEN'S REPORTING PROGRAMME > > > > By Anthony Borden in London > > > > The Institute for War & Peace Reporting supports local journalists at the > > frontlines of crisis and change. In launching our Women's Reporting and > > Dialogue Programme, IWPR looks at a different kind of frontline - the > > battle > > women in Islamic countries are waging to define new rights in changing > > times. > > > > Amid war, revolution and extended political transition, this change may be > > the most fundamental of all. Longstanding social, political and cultural > > habits are being challenged. Women are seeking to redefine their roles, in > > the public sphere as political leaders and active citizens, and in private > > as equal partners in families with more control over their own lives, > > livelihoods and bodies. This is a true revolution. > > > > There is an enormous amount to be gained, as societies unleash the > > creative > > power of half of their populations. But there are also serious risks - > > resistance and even violent backlash against change, and new forms of > > exploitation and degradation. The greatest challenge of all may be to > > define > > new rights and responsibilities for women while respecting the cultures > > and > > the practices of Islam, with all its diversity. > > > > We are particularly proud that of some 18 high-profile current or recent > > projects by IWPR worldwide, 14 have been managed by women. Through this > > expertise, IWPR is uniquely placed to run such a programme. > > > > The project brings a clear set of tools - skills training, extensive > > reporting and dialogue activities to raise debate within local civil > > society. IWPR is a practical organisation, and will seek to strengthen the > > capacity to women to make themselves heard within local media, through > > regional syndication and internationally via IWPR's website and electronic > > publications. The flagship will be a fortnightly electronic publication, > > Women's Perspectives. > > > > The activities will focus on women journalists in Afghanistan, Central > > Asia, > > Azerbaijan and the North Caucasus - with launch support from the US > > Department of State. Relevant issues arising in other IWPR country > > programmes will be brought into the mix, and we hope to be able to > > continue > > to expand the remit of the programme, in order to extend and enrich this > > vital debate. > > > > But it is essential to stress that IWPR brings no preconceived solutions. > > The answers for each society must be worked out within those communities. > > IWPR's goal in this project is to help ensure that, in those debates, half > > of the populations have their say. > > > > Anthony Borden is executive director of IWPR. > > > > > > A SHARED SUFFERING > > > > Women in Afghanistan, Central Asia, Azerbaijan and the North Caucasus face > > official and societal discrimination. > > > > By Anara Tabyshalieva in Bishkek > > > > Gender inequality and a tradition of discrimination at family, community > > and > > national levels are still rife in the Central Asian republics, > > Afghanistan, > > Azerbaijan and the North Caucasus - in spite of these nations' commitment > > to > > international conventions on women's rights. > > > > In these republics, women comprise half the electorate and many are > > taxpayers - yet they are grossly under-represented in all the national > > parliaments and governments. > > > > Women and children have paid a heavy price in the many conflicts that > > beset > > these regions - yet female representation is non-existent in peace talks > > and > > security conferences in the post-conflict societies of Tajikistan, > > Azerbaijan, Abkhazia, Afghanistan and Chechnya. > > > > In the oil and gas-rich republics of Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and > > Kazakstan, > > women do not benefit from the considerable revenues generated from the > > industry. And civil society groups and female professionals do not have > > any > > significant influence on the decision-making processes that impinge on > > women's lives. > > > > In each republic, conservatives have been at the forefront of the national > > revival that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. These > > figures want a return to traditional values, and consider the emancipation > > of women as an undesirable western preoccupation that should be resisted. > > > > In Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, the authorities have restored community > > institutions such as the mahalla - a traditional form of self-government - > > and the court of elders. These institutions generally support > > old-fashioned > > views that may negatively affect women's rights at a grassroots level. > > > > All the former Soviet republics inherited an education system that enabled > > women to attain high levels of literacy and professional competence. > > > > But increasing numbers of girls are dropping out of school - especially in > > rural areas - because their families believe that only boys should be > > educated. > > > > Conversely, increasing numbers of female students in tertiary education in > > Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan and Azerbaijan since independence shows that good > > progress can be made in spite of privatisation and severe budget cuts. > > > > Nonetheless, educated women still have hardly any opportunities to use > > their > > skills when they leave school or university. Women missed out on the > > privatisation of properties and businesses that followed the collapse of > > the > > Soviet Union in 1991, as only men were granted access to land and other > > assets. > > > > With no property or collateral, would-be female entrepreneurs often cannot > > get sufficient loans or credit to start their own businesses. > > > > Women continue to pay a high price for these republics' painful transition > > to a market economy and democracy, and are severely affected by poverty, > > unemployment, the collapse of social infrastructure and the ongoing crisis > > in the education and health sectors. > > > > A lack of gender sensitive data complicates attempts to monitor > > disparities > > in the labour market and access to resources, and makes it very difficult > > for anyone to implement a strategy of support for the most vulnerable > > groups > > of women. > > > > Official statistics also fail to take into account the impact of > > widespread > > unregistered religious marriages and divorces, polygamous families, > > underage > > unions and many other gender-sensitive indicators that affect women's > > lives > > and status in society. > > > > The custom of bride kidnapping still ruins the life of both women and men > > in > > Kyrgyzstan and Kazakstan, and polygamy is on the rise across the region. > > The > > practise, which is legal in Afghanistan and banned in many post-Soviet > > states, is currently fashionable among wealthy men - with the poor social > > and economic status of many women compelling them to take the humiliating > > position of co-wife. This is especially true of post-conflict areas such > > as > > Tajikistan, where a five-year civil war left hundreds of thousands of > > women > > widowed. > > > > Post-Soviet legislation can be insensitive to the many property problems > > caused by multiple marriages, and no legal provision has been made to > > protect the rights of co-wives and their children. > > > > Unmarried women face a different set of problems. Many are viewed as the > > property of their family and not as independent members of the community, > > and are discriminated against by older women who support the age-old > > traditions dominated by males. This encourages forced and under-age > > marriages, and ensures that female family members cannot inherit any > > family > > assets - which, of course, pass to men. This contributes to a vicious > > cycle > > of impoverishment and powerlessness, especially in rural areas. > > > > In all these countries, the most alarming development in recent years has > > been the rise in prostitution and trafficking of women. Each year, > > thousands > > of mostly young and under- age women become the victims of human > > trafficking > > and sexual exploitation. The problem has not been helped by a lack of > > statistics and poor cooperation between governments. This makes it > > difficult > > for analysts to gauge the scale of the problem and its impact on society, > > and suggest ways to combat it. > > > > Domestic violence is another major issue in the region, and can be so > > severe > > that young wives in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan see no way out > > other than suicide - usually though the horrific method of > > self-immolation, > > which can result in terrible, if not fatal, injuries. > > > > The post-Soviet decline in health provision has also hit women hardest, > > and > > this is reflected in a high level of female morbidity and a high maternal > > mortality rate. Poor reproductive health facilities and access to > > information also complicates matters for women. > > > > And for all the rhetoric on gender equality spouted in each republic on > > March 8, International Women's Day, the pattern of excluding women from > > political and economic power structures continues. > > > > Each government pays lip service to women's rights issues, and some even > > provide financial support for pro-authority non-governmental organisations > > working in the gender equality field. By manipulating the women's movement > > in this way, the male-dominated authorities hope to consolidate their > > power > > by securing the female vote. > > > > In Tajikistan - the only former Soviet republic to allow an Islamic > > opposition in line with its constitution - the battle for women's votes is > > taken very seriously indeed. In November 2004, the authorities sought to > > secure the female vote by banning women from attending mosques in an > > apparent attempt to limit their access to Islamic political thought. > > > > Another issue concerns the Muslim headscarf or Parandja. In Soviet times, > > its use by women was strongly frowned upon, but since 1991 an increasing > > number of mostly young women are choosing to wear it. Such women face > > harassment and even discrimination from the authorities if they dare to > > put > > on clothing overtly reflecting their faith. In Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan, > > for example, women who insist on wearing the headscarf have been expelled > > from universities as part of the state campaign against Islamic > > fundamentalism. > > > > However, numerous civil society groups are confronting this > > discrimination. > > From the Northern Caucasus to Afghanistan, heated discussions on the > > rights > > of women rage between conservatives and modernists at national and > > community > > levels. In many cases, the divide is between the urbanised middle class - > > which supports the empowerment of women - and the more conservative rural > > communities. > > > > Clearly gender equity cannot be achieved by simply signing up to > > international conventions for the elimination of discrimination against > > women, which these governments have already done. This must be backed by > > factors such as access to and ownership of economic resources, and women's > > influence on decision-making at local and national levels. > > > > Regional dialogue and cooperation can also have mutual benefits in > > addressing the common obstacles that hamper the advance of women in these > > countries. > > > > Anara Tabyshalieva is an IWPR contributor in Bishkek. > > > > > > THE BURQA: PRISON OR PROTECTION? > > > > The oppressive Taleban regime is long gone, but many Afghan women are > > still > > afraid to abandon their burqas. > > > > By Salima Ghafari in Kabul > > > > "I feel naked without my burqa," said Kabul woman Roqia, dragging large > > shopping bags and gasping in the heat. "I cannot take it off. I would feel > > that everyone was looking at me." > > > > More than three years after the fall of the Taleban, the streets of Kabul > > are still awash with ghostly blue shapes. Burqa-clad women surround cars > > at > > traffic lights begging for "baksheesh". They float through the city's > > bazaars and perch on motorcycles behind their husbands, often holding a > > cellular phone to their azure-covered ears. > > > > But now that the baton-wielding religious police are no longer around, > > what > > makes a woman cling to a stifling nylon shroud? Soraya Parlika, director > > of > > the Afghanistan Women's Union, believes the burqa provides a sense of > > security in dangerous times. > > > > "Kidnapping of women and children is on the rise, crime is increasing, and > > women feel safe in a burqa," said the diminutive 60-year-old, who is an > > outspoken advocate for women's rights. > > > > The all-encompassing covering also affords a measure of privacy, she > > added, > > allowing women to hide embarrassing or shameful activities. "If a woman is > > reduced to begging for bread or goes to people's houses to clean or wash > > clothes, she will wear the burqa so her relatives will not see her," said > > Parlika. > > > > Parlika dresses in stylish, if conservative, clothing and wears a filmy > > headscarf rather than a burqa, but understands the concerns of her more > > timid sisters, saying, "I am against the burqa, but until security is > > restored completely, I do not think women will take them off." > > > > Mir Akram, a psychology professor at Kabul University, agrees that the > > burqa > > is necessary to protect women from unwanted attention. > > > > "Wearing a burqa is a kind of exploitation that men visit on women," he > > said. "A woman on the street without a burqa is seen as fair game for any > > sort of male overtures. Men are always making remarks and cursing women, > > and > > this certainly has a negative effect." > > > > Afghan burqas cover a woman completely, giving prying eyes no way to gauge > > her age or appearance. They are usually sky-blue, although white, brown > > and > > other shades are occasionally seen. Most are made of cheap synthetic > > material, with a mesh covering that allows only a limited view of the > > outside world. > > > > While in the West the garment has become virtually synonymous with the > > Taleban regime, the burqa has a long tradition in Afghanistan. > > > > Women have been wearing them for centuries, but until the Taleban era they > > were just one of several choices for Muslim women who wished to conform to > > Islamic standards of modesty. Islam requires that a woman wear the hijab, > > or > > veil, to cover the head and neck, and long sleeves and trousers. > > > > King Amanullah, who ruled from 1919 to 1929, shocked the nation by > > allowing > > his wife, Queen Soraya, to tear off her veil at a public function. And in > > the communist era from 1978 to 1989, the majority of women and girls in > > the > > larger cities were not overly concerned with the hijab. But a woman on the > > street without a full body covering during the oppressive Taleban years > > risked severe punishment. > > > > "Wearing a burqa was a tradition in our society, and then tradition > > changed > > to coercion," said 30-year-old Kabul woman Zahira. "The Taleban made it an > > Islamic duty, but hijab does not mean a burqa." > > > > One prominent Kabul mullah, who asked to remain anonymous, agrees the > > Muslim > > faith does not prescribe the wearing of the burqa, saying the Taleban's > > actions in forcing women to wear the garment were actually against the > > laws > > of Islam. "Women are required to wear the hijab, which allows the face, > > hands, and feet to remain uncovered," he said. "Those who say that the > > burqa > > is part of Islamic law are mistaken." > > > > But tradition dies hard, particularly in a society where literacy rates > > are > > low and most people get their information by word of mouth. In the Taimani > > neighborhood of Kabul, IWPR's questions about the burqa provoked an angry > > reaction from one woman. > > > > "Wearing the burqa is part of Islam. Every Muslim woman must wear one. Why > > are you disobeying the laws of Islam?" said the woman before rushing away > > with her burqa billowing behind her. > > > > Even some of Kabul's more progressive women were in no hurry to throw away > > their burqas after the fall of the Taleban in late 2001. > > > > Nadira, a psychology lecturer in her thirties at Kabul University, kept > > hers > > until last year because her family feared for her safety. But she chafed > > at > > the anonymity of the veil, which she felt deprived her of the respect her > > position deserved. > > > > "No one recognised me under it. Faculty and students just called me > > 'khala' > > [auntie] which made me very upset," she said. "So I used all my powers to > > persuade my family to let me get rid of my burqa." > > > > And Tajwar Kakar, the former deputy minister of women's affairs, is > > staunchly anti-burqa. "While it is an Afghan tradition, the situation for > > women has now improved 100 per cent. Women, particularly those in > > government, should not be confined in these coverings." > > > > There is, however, one group that bitterly regrets the passing of the > > compulsory covering - Kabul's burqa-sellers, who have seen their incomes > > plummet as women throw off the veil. > > > > "We used to sell 20 to 30 burqas a day under the Taleban," said a > > shopkeeper > > in mid-town Kabul. "Now we sell only five to ten, and those mostly to > > women > > from the provinces. Burqas are no longer profitable." > > > > Salima Ghafori is a staff reporter for IWPR and a contributor to Mursal > > magazine. > > > > > > HIJAB DISCRIMINATION IN NORTH CAUCASUS > > > > Women in traditionally Muslim republic are being labelled Islamic radicals > > for merely wearing a head covering. > > > > By Fatima Tlisova in Nalchik > > > > Nalchik, with its abundance of greenery, beautiful clean streets and lush > > gardens, is different from other cities in the Caucasus. Everyone who > > comes > > to the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria is amazed by the beauty of the local > > women and the audacity of their dress. There are almost no prohibitions or > > restrictions. In this atmosphere, a woman in Islamic clothes is seen as > > exotic - and a threat. > > > > Paradoxical as it may sound, the authorities in Kabardino-Balkaria - a > > predominantly Muslim autonomous republic in southern Russia - are waging a > > fierce battle against what they see as the spread of the "Islamic plague". > > > > Overt signs of adherence to Islam are regarded as suspicious or even as a > > threat. In these conditions, a woman's hijab or a man's beard are grounds > > for social rejection and discrimination at all levels. The few women who > > publicly show their adherence to the Muslim faith usually suffer the most. > > > > Relations between the authorities and the Muslim population have > > deteriorated to such an extent that few of the people IWPR spoke to - > > officials and members of the public alike - were willing to be named. > > > > In the past year, there have been a series of clashes between > > Kabardino-Balkaria security forces and militants, in which several people > > have died. The authorities have blamed a shadowy Islamic group called > > Yarmuk, which has links to Chechnya, for destabilising their republic. > > > > One woman to be affected by these clashes is 22-year-old Maryana, who > > lives > > in a Nalchik suburb. A Muslim, she does not wear a hijab in the > > traditional > > manner, opting instead for a headscarf and long clothing. > > > > Maryana's husband was killed earlier this in a shootout with local police. > > S > > ome two years ago, he had spent time as a volunteer in the Pankisi Gorge > > area of Georgia, then a well-known haven for Islamic militant fighters. > > However, Maryana insists that her husband was not an extremist and had > > never > > visited Chechnya itself. > > > > But this did not protect the couple. Maryana told IWPR that on the night > > of > > her husband's death, police dressed in camouflage fatigues and masks came > > to > > their house, where she was at home alone, and searched the entire > > property. > > Maryana was taken into a pre-trial detention cell without explanation and > > kept behind bars for more than 24 hours. During this time, different > > people > > came to her cell twice, but did not introduce themselves. They asked her > > many questions about her husband and his activities. She told them that > > she > > didn't know anything, as her husband did not confide in her about his > > business. > > > > She only found out that her husband had been killed in a clash with police > > from a television news bulletin after she was released. > > > > Since then, Maryana has lived alone, but told IWPR that the police are now > > regular visitors. They ask her whether acquaintances of her husband have > > been to visit, and sometimes search the home. She is now scared that she > > will "disappear" after one such visit, and that nobody will notice or > > care. > > Everyone - her parents, brothers, friends and neighbours - has rejected > > her > > since the death of her husband. > > > > "I don't blame them - everyone is scared," she said. "You can pay dearly > > for > > talking to the widow of a 'terrorist'. But charges were never pressed > > against my husband, and he was not arrested or sentenced. Nobody has > > claimed > > that he killed anyone or was planning an act of terrorism. He was simply > > shot." > > > > Maryana now lives in complete isolation. Even when she makes essential > > trips > > to Nalchik she sits at the very back of the shuttle taxi to avoid > > suspicious > > looks. The headscarf she wears tied in the Muslim manner causes malicious > > whispers among most passengers, and many are genuinely scared, believing > > that any Muslim woman is a potential shakhidka - female suicide-bomber. > > > > These attitudes can have a devastating effect on women. Zhanna, who is > > nearly 50-years-old, has worked as a saleswoman all her life and until > > recently sold bread at a small private kiosk in the capital. > > > > Last summer, Zhanna began to come to work dressed in a hijab. In the three > > months that followed, the kiosk lost half its customers as people openly > > refused to buy bread from a wahhabi - as fundamentalists Muslims are > > generally known in the former Soviet Union. As a result, Zhanna had to > > give > > up her job at the owner's request. But she does not blame him. > > > > "People came to him from the law-enforcement bodies many times and said, > > 'Get rid of the wahhabi or you'll have serious problems'. Then endless > > checks began, and I handed in my resignation myself," she said. > > > > Students have also experienced difficulties in the region. A group of > > Muslim > > students recently had their request for a prayer room to be established at > > the Kabardino-Balkaria state university turned down, on the grounds that > > it > > is a secular establishment. The body's charter also contains a clause > > discouraging female students from wearing clothes which indicate their > > religion - such as a hijab - although this was not enforced until > > recently. > > > > But in April 2005, the university - whose rector is part of the republic's > > government commission for combating religious extremism - took steps to > > punish nine female students who were known to gather in an auditorium > > every > > day after lessons to study the Koran. The building's warden called the > > police, who allegedly detained the group and took them to the nearest > > police > > station, where they were questioned, searched and forced to sign blank > > statements before being released some eight hours later. > > > > Only six of the nine young women agreed to talk to IWPR, on condition of > > anonymity. Two of their number do not wear a hijab or head covering, and > > none have told their parents about the incident. > > > > "My mother has a bad heart, she won't take it if she sees me in a hijab," > > said one. "Our parents are scared for us. They see that the life of a > > Muslim > > is worth nothing here." > > > > The students still cry when they talk about the humiliation they claim > > they > > were subjected to at the police station, and describe the police's actions > > as an act of intimidation. > > > > "But belief is not a hobby and we cannot reject Islam because it is > > dangerous," said another student. "If we were pursuing illegal goals, we > > would not have gathered in the auditorium during the day. We simply wanted > > to study the Koran together, but this proved to be a crime. Methods like > > these destroy any trust we had in the authorities." > > > > All the girls are "A" students, and it would appear that the faculty heads > > had no formal grounds to reprimand them. Nevertheless, they were all > > summoned the following day and warned that their next offence would result > > in expulsion from the university. > > > > One officer from the interior ministry's organised crime force, speaking > > on > > condition of anonymity, refused to comment on allegations of > > discrimination > > against Muslim women. But he told IWPR that, in his view, any women or > > girl > > wearing a hijab should immediately be investigated. > > > > "As a rule, a woman does not turn to Islam by herself, but there is > > someone > > near her who pushes her to it - often by force," he claimed. "Our task is > > to > > check the people she knows and find out who this persuader is. Usually, it > > is her husband and brother, or it turns out that the woman is in a Muslim > > marriage with an adherent of radical Islam, and that she is already a > > potential 'black widow' - a suicide bomber." > > > > However, Lyubov Alieva - an assistant to the mufti at the > > Kabardino-Balkaria's Muslim religious board, and the only person to speak > > openly about the problem - told IWPR that the officer's arguments were > > seriously flawed. > > > > Alieva said that she knows many cases of discrimination on religious > > grounds, and has herself been called wahhabi and shakhidka on public > > transport. > > > > "Even if no one insults you out loud, you constantly feel the alienation," > > she said. "For example, you sit down on the bus and the space around you > > becomes empty. Everyone hurries to get away from you." > > > > According to Alieva, women frequently lose their jobs just for wearing the > > hijab, but none are willing to stand up for their rights in the current > > Islamophobic climate for fear of attracting the attention of the > > authorities. > > > > "People may not have anything against Islam at all, but when it enters > > their > > lives, most start [equating the religion] with disruption to a free way of > > life and the foundations of society, and with serious moral restrictions. > > > > "And most frightening of all, Islam is strictly identified with extremism > > and terrorism." > > > > Fatima Tlisova is editor-in-chief of the information agency Regnum in the > > North Caucasus and contributes to IWPR from Kabardino-Balkaria. > > > > > > TAKING CONTROL IN TAJIKISTAN > > > > Women become the breadwinners in this patriarchal society, leaving men > > depressed and suicidal. > > > > By Madina Saifidnova in Khujand > > > > Tajik women are becoming increasingly dominant in the republic's labour > > market - a trend that appears to be demoralising their unemployed menfolk. > > > > In the first three months of 2005, 66 cases of suicide - 40 of them men - > > were recorded in the northern Sogdy region alone. The rise has been partly > > blamed on a change in gender roles in the republic as a result of the > > 1992-97 civil war. Tens of thousands of men were killed and many of those > > that survived lost their jobs because of the subsequent economic downturn, > > leaving their women with little choice but to take on largely low grade > > work > > to make ends meet. > > > > "After the war, when my husband lost his job and we did not know how to > > feed > > our children, I was ready to throw myself in the river," said market > > seller > > Zamira. "But I kept seeing my children, and realised no one would want > > them > > if I died. I took hold of myself and took any work I could in order to > > survive." > > > > But the emergence of women as the main family wage earners has exacerbated > > the sense of despair felt by many men struggling to find work in the > > country's shattered economy. > > > > Khujand taxi driver Bakhtier told IWPR, "Most of the people selling goods > > at > > the central market are women, and they are becoming the breadwinners of > > the > > family. It is difficult for men to find work with a decent wage, and this > > is > > leading to nervous breakdowns and suicides." > > > > Rano Bobojonova, a teacher at the Khujand state university who is an > > expert > > on gender issues, said that Tajik men are unaccustomed to change and do > > not > > cope well with it. > > > > "They were traditionally considered the masters of the house and the > > breadwinners, but when a man loses this position he begins to be > > depressed, > > which can often lead to suicide," she said. > > > > Khujand resident Anvarjon agreed. "Do you think I like the role of 'house > > husband', watching my wife wear herself out at work as she tries to feed > > both me and our school-age child?" he asked, adding that he sometimes > > thinks > > about taking his own life because of his inability to find work. > > > > The most recent case of suicide took place on April 23, when an Asht > > region > > resident hanged himself in his home. One local, who gave his name as > > Salomat, told IWPR that there is little or no work in the area - and that > > those who are lucky enough to find jobs are paid irregularly. > > > > The prosecutor's office has confirmed that it is currently checking > > payment > > of salaries in the mountainous area. At the end of April, criminal cases > > were opened against the heads of two farms who had allegedly not paid > > their > > employees for six months. > > > > Dilbar Ismoilova, executive director of the Gulrukhsor women's crisis > > centre, said, "Men are scared to share their problems with anyone else, > > and > > think that they will be blamed and will lose their status in society." > > > > She added that there was now a great need for family crisis centres to > > address mens' sense of despair, as many depressed males aged between 30 > > and > > 50 years old were now approaching her organisation for help and advice. > > > > Specialists working at the Khujand Gender Research Centre say that men are > > not prepared to take low-paid or otherwise demeaning work that women > > readily > > accept in order to feed their families. > > > > "Men will not agree to work for the small wage that most employers offer - > > only highly qualified specialists are given well-paid work," said Inomjon > > Umarov, head of the Khujand employment centre. "But women are willing to > > do > > any work, and they go on our register and wait for vacancies and > > opportunities to learn a profession. The centre has a special club for > > this." > > > > While women are largely associated with unskilled jobs, there are signs > > that > > they are starting to enter the world of business. > > > > Some non-governmental organisations such as the National Association of > > Businesswomen of Tajikistan, NABWT, issue small loans to assist would-be > > business people to launch their careers. > > > > "Of our active clients, more than 70 per cent are women, and this shows > > that > > they have become more skilled in business issues," said Gulbakhor > > Makhkamova, head of the Sogdy branch of NABWT. "In the past, these women > > took risks by taking loans at high interest from their relatives and > > acquaintances, now they look for more stable sources of financing." > > > > Analysts believe that this trend will continue as women grow in > > confidence - > > but is unlikely to lead to a significant change in Tajikistan's > > patriarchal > > society. > > > > "Men will continue to occupy the chief position in the family hierarchy, > > while the role of breadwinner will go increasingly to the woman," said > > Bobojonova. > > > > Madina Saifidinova is an IWPR correspondent in north Tajikistan. > > > > > > SPECIAL REPORT: BIRTH CONTROL BY DECREE IN UZBEKISTAN > > > > A family planning campaign that looks benign is marred by allegations of > > forced sterilisation on a wide scale. > > > > By Malik Boboev, Galima Bukharbaeva and Yusuf Rasulov in Andijan and > > Tashkent. > > > > The authorities in Uzbekistan have a robust policy on birth control, but > > evidence is emerging that in pursuit of a smaller population they are > > abusing women's rights by conducting hysterectomies and implanting > > contraceptive devices against their will. > > > > The authorities want women to give birth to fewer babies, less often. They > > argue that a reduced birth rate is for the good of the national economy as > > well as the welfare of mothers themselves. > > > > IWPR has interviewed healthcare experts and mothers who accuse the > > authorities of using coercive family planning measures that are often > > brutal > > in their implementation, and that allow for neither consultation nor > > alternative options. > > > > Although the methods are shrouded in secrecy, there is mounting evidence > > that this is a coherent state policy rather than misguided imposition of > > voluntary methods. > > > > According to one doctor, there is a secret order from the health ministry > > dating from 2000 to reduce the birth rate among women in rural areas. One > > of > > the methods recommended for achieving this goal is to perform > > hysterectomies > > on young women who have already given birth. > > > > As well as hysterectomies, the other main practice is the implanting of > > intrauterine devices, IUD (commonly known as "the coil") immediately after > > a > > mother has given birth. Again, both mothers and health professionals say > > this is often done without consent. > > > > The way both types of intervention are carried out leads to heightened > > health risks, medical experts say. > > > > In a further indication that there is a coherent state policy, doctors > > have > > been dismissed for failing to hit birth control targets for their region. > > > > All these measures taken by the government, which were discovered by IWPR > > journalists during their investigation, are portrayed by officials as > > benign > > concern for the health of women and children. > > > > LEGAL SYSTEM UPHOLDS WOMEN'S RIGHTS > > > > Human rights activists say that the government's covert policy and the > > practices it dictates are in direct contravention of national legislation > > and also international conventions. > > > > Uzbekistan is a signatory to an array of United Nations conventions which > > ban physical mistreatment of and discrimination against women. > > > > The country's constitution also guarantees that "everyone has the right to > > non-interference in his or her private life". The family code states that > > "the family, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood are under the protection > > of the state". > > > > The chair of the government women's committee, Deputy Prime Minister > > Svetlana Inamova, delivered a glowing report on Uzbekistan's performance > > on > > women's rights when she addressed the United Nations Commission on the > > Status of Women at the beginning of March. > > > > The government places high value on family planning both for health and > > demographic reasons. Current policies are based on a government decree > > from > > 2002 on how to "increase medical standards within the family, to improve > > women's health and to bear and raise a healthy generation", which > > recommends > > inter alia that women should wait three or four years between children. > > > > An additional decree, from the health ministry, contains instructions that > > all women of childbearing age should be given IUDs immediately after they > > give birth. The wording appears to be a strong recommendation rather than > > an > > instruction to consciously act against the woman's will. > > > > Finally, and most controversially, another decree, also from the health > > ministry, demands that the birth rate in rural areas should be brought > > down, > > and permits hysterectomies on women who have already given birth. > > > > ARGUMENTS FOR BIRTH CONTROL > > > > For the authorities, one of the basic problems for the future is how to > > match a growing population against economic performance that has to date > > proved disappointing, and objective constraints such the limited nature of > > the country's water supply. > > > > Uzbekistan has the largest population of any Central Asian republic. > > Official statistics indicated that there were around 26.5 million people > > living in Uzbekistan last year. That year and the year before saw the > > numbers rising by half a million, or close to two per cent, annually. > > > > While growth figures for Uzbekistan's economy differ between optimistic > > official data and the more cautious estimates of international financial > > institutions, rapid population growth clearly puts a damper on the > > all-important calculation of gross domestic product measured per head of > > the > > population. > > > > Perhaps just as important in the government's calculations is a > > recognition > > of the constraints within which it has to operate. Although a big country, > > Uzbekistan has limited amounts of usable land, and much of that requires > > irrigation - placing demands on already strained water resources. So > > without > > some change in this basically rural, agriculture-based economic structure, > > there will come a point where the available resources cannot support the > > people who live there, say water and agriculture experts. > > > > By 2010, the population of Uzbekistan will be fast approaching 30 million, > > and it is far from certain that food production can be improved enough to > > feed that many people. > > > > The United Nations Population Fund, UNPF, places Uzbekistan among the > > three > > poorest countries in the former Soviet Union in terms of per capita > > income. > > One in five of the population live in rural areas and are classed by UNPF > > as > > very poor. > > > > PUBLIC RESISTANCE, BACKDOOR POLICIES > > > > For all these reasons, the government sees curbing the growth rate as a > > priority. > > > > It also says it is dedicated to healthcare for women, particularly in > > rural > > areas, to improve overall healthcare provision, and in particular to > > encourage them to space out births for their own well-being and so that > > they - and the state - do not have to support so many children. > > > > But even for this powerful government, birth control is not an easy to > > discuss let alone promote in a society where conservative family values > > are > > enduring. The Muslim Uzbek majority population may put up with a lot of > > instructions from their government, but they resent intrusions into areas > > of > > life they regard as private, and get prickly when the government tries to > > tell them what they can and cannot do in their own families. > > > > Uzbek families tend to be large, with an average of four or five children > > and sometimes up to ten. Women marry at 18 and men at 22 on average. There > > is strong pressure to produce children early in the marriage - one of the > > factors being the desire to have sons. > > > > Public information campaigns are transmitted via the state healthcare > > system > > and For a Healthy Generation (Soghlom Avlod Uchun) Foundation, a > > government > > agency. > > > > Rather than stir up public anger by launching media campaigns, the policy > > is > > to work on a one-to-one basis to give women information about family > > planning at clinics and maternity hospitals. > > > > But the strategy consists of a lot more than public information. > > > > There are indications that healthcare officials are forced to act on > > written > > instructions to bring the birth rate down, including through non-voluntary > > medical interventions. > > > > DISMISSED FOR BAD DEMOGRAPHICS > > > > So mathematical is the thinking on demographics that officials penalise > > medics who fail to deliver on the "plan". > > > > In March, the head doctors of two emergency medical centres in Andijan > > region, Soibjon Bozorov from the Oltinkul district and Atkhamjon Davlatov > > from Ulugnor district, were dismissed after the statistics showed that too > > many babies had been born in the areas where they worked. > > > > Government officials in Tashkent were displeased by figures showing that > > in > > Oltinkul, 404 more babies were born last year than in 2003. > > > > The head of the health ministry department for Andijan region, Rano > > Shermatova, also lost her job because of statistics showing excessive > > amounts of births, according to local doctors. > > > > One of the sacked doctors, who wished to remain anonymous, told IWPR how > > he > > was sacked after being summoned to Tashkent for a high-level healthcare > > meeting. Significantly, the February 3 meeting was hosted by the economic > > ministry, with the health ministry officials clearly in a subordinate > > position. > > > > As Economy Minister Rustam Azimov presided, the head doctors of emergency > > health centres in Andijan region had to report on progress in implementing > > a > > 2002 government decree on female healthcare and motherhood. > > > > "Then Azimov told health minister Feruz Nazirov to stand up, pointed at us > > and said 'fire them'," said the doctor. > > > > According to the doctor, the officials wanted to sack five senior doctors > > from Andijan, but only two were dismissed because the others had not been > > in > > their jobs long enough to be held accountable for what happened last year. > > > > Deputy Health Minister Assomidin Ismoilov told a recent press conference > > that doctors in Uzbekistan were indeed being held responsible for > > increased > > birth rates. > > > > But he added that they would not be sacked for failure to meet targets. > > > > In an interview with IWPR, Ismoilov appeared to contradict this latter > > point, saying the two dismissed doctors, Davlatov and Bozorov, were indeed > > culpable for "poor organisation". > > > > "We are aware of cases where they failed to offer women IUDs or other > > forms > > of protection from unwanted pregnancy," said Ismoilov. > > > > The result was, he said, that they failed to meet the targets set out in > > decree which set three or four years as the prescribed interval between > > births for women. > > > > HYSTERECTOMY AS POLICY > > > > IWPR has uncovered cases where women who are in hospital after the birth > > of > > a child have undergone a hysterectomy - removal of the uterus (womb) - > > without their consent, and with no medical need. > > > > While IWPR's enquiries focused on Andijan, the women's rights organisation > > Ozod Ayol (Free Woman) says it has recorded cases of involuntary > > hysterectomies in other parts of Uzbekistan. > > > > Furthermore, there is evidence that this is not a question of a lapse in > > medical ethics as a deliberate tactic to reduce the birth rate. > > > > A doctor in Andijan region, who spoke on condition of anonymity, says a > > secret decree from the health ministry exists, dating from 2000, which > > sets > > the task of reducing the birth rate in rural regions. The decree even > > allows > > removal of the uterus among women of childbearing age who have already > > given > > birth. > > > > IWPR correspondents were not able to find a copy of this decree, but the > > increase in cases of uterus removal among young healthy women indirectly > > confirms that this document may exist. > > > > IWPR talked to several women from the Oltinkul, Bulokboshin and Balikchi > > district, all in Andijan region, who have undergone post-natal > > hysterectomies. None was informed about the procedure beforehand. > > > > The women interviewed all said there were complications with their births, > > which fits with the justification that officials cite for conducting > > emergency operations. However, what stands out in these stories is the > > immediate resort to hysterectomy rather than less traumatic interventions > > for woman who are otherwise healthy. > > > > Khulkaroi Abdullaeva, 31, from Oltinkul, checked into the maternity > > hospital > > on February 17 this year as her third pregnancy came to term. Her > > contractions stopped, and "they tied a sheet around my stomach and started > > pulling on it until it tore. They tormented me and I lost consciousness", > > she said. > > > > The baby was stillborn, and afterwards doctors performed a hysterectomy, > > > > When she left hospital, Abdullaeva was still unaware this had been done. > > It > > was only when she got home and told her mother that she had not been > > fitted > > with an IUD, as is standard practice, that she learned she no longer had a > > womb. > > > > "Why did they make me an invalid?" she said. "I wanted to have more > > children." > > > > Her mother Sharofat Isaeva said that while her daughter was in hospital, > > another three women had hysterectomies. > > > > Now Abdullaeva is confined to bed, she suffers back pain and cannot walk > > on > > her own. > > > > "Because of a doctor's error, my daughter has become an invalid," said her > > father Turdibay Isaev. "She cannot give birth any more - who will answer > > for > > that?" > > > > A second interviewee, mother of two Feruza Ashurova, also from Oltinkul, > > underwent a hysterectomy when she lost a child after heavy bleeding. > > > > Ashurova does not understand why she needed a hysterectomy simply because > > of > > the bleeding. "My family gave blood for me and my uterus was healthy - I'm > > only 25," she said. > > > > Nodira Samatova, also 25, had her uterus removed after a successful birth. > > She was discharged from hospital but readmitted after developing a high > > temperature, and given the operation. > > > > "I don't feel like a woman anymore, I have become an invalid, and I suffer > > from back pains," she said. > > > > OFFICIALS SAY THEY OPERATE ONLY WHEN NECESSARY > > > > Uzbek health officials say such operations are carried out for strictly > > medical reasons and only when there is no other option. > > > > "Removing the uterus is a decision taken in the course of an operation," > > said Valikhon Hakimov, head of Andijan regional health department, if > > during > > the birth the woman experiences heavy bleeding, then to save the mother > > the > > uterus may be removed." > > > > At a press conference in Tashkent, Deputy Health Minister Assomidin > > Ismoilov > > also refuted reports of illegal removal of uteri and that a decree existed > > on removing uterus from women. "Removal takes place when a choice needs to > > be taken between life and death, there are no unjustified cases of > > removal," > > said Ismoilov. > > > > IWPR approached the government agency responsible for the mother-and-child > > health campaign, Soghlom Avlod Uchun. Jumabek Nurov of the > > mother-and-child > > health department was non-committal, saying it was not his remit to work > > with women who have undergone hysterectomies. > > > > Another representative of the agency, Fiara Zhonbekova, who heads its > > social > > medicine centre in Tashkent, did at least admit the existence of the > > problem, saying that on visits to rural areas, Soghlom Avlod Uchun > > officials > > were often approached with requests for help from women of childbearing > > age > > who had had hysterectomies. > > > > Apart from its medical consequences, hysterectomy often bears immediate > > risks for the women involved in Uzbekistan. > > > > The head of the pathology department for Andijan region, Gulbahor Turaeva, > > said women often became effectively disabled after the operations, falling > > into the official category of "invalid, second class". > > > > "They cannot work. What sort of work is there in the villages? Field work, > > and with their health like that, it will be impossible for them," said > > Turaeva. > > > > A gynaecologist in Tashkent, who wished to remain anonymous, explained the > > consequences of hysterectomy and why the method should only be used when > > there is no medical alternative. If the operation is conducted and > > involves > > a subtotal (or upper) hysterectomy, then this operation, said the expert, > > should not seriously affect the woman's health, "She simply won't have > > children." > > > > But if it is a total (also termed lower) hysterectomy or the operation is > > performed incorrectly, there are inevitable consequence to blood pressure > > and other areas. "The aging process may be accelerated, and the woman may > > become irritable and suffer diseases of the nervous system," said the > > gynaecologist. > > > > "The psychological significance of this operation is also important, when > > a > > woman knows that she has no uterus and that she will never have children > > again." > > > > AN ATTEMPTED COVER-UP? > > > > Turaeva is given many uteri to examine in her work as a pathologist, > > ranging > > from three to ten a day. Her examination show that in many cases removal > > was > > unjustified, and she concludes that the number of healthy women given > > hysterectomies is rising. > > > > She cites 207 cases involving the removal of a healthy uterus in > > September-December 2004 in Andijan region, and says there may have been > > more > > cases of which she was unaware. Many cases are not recorded, and the > > medical > > evidence simply discarded with the rubbish. > > > > "I don't believe that there were serious reasons to remove uterus from > > these > > young women," she said. "It is an extreme measure: cancer patients have > > their uterus removed, and in the past the cases were isolated, usually > > among > > older women." > > > > The pathologist says she cannot say for definite whether these > > hysterectomies were carried out as a result of secret government orders to > > cut birth rates. But she says that as well as lacking professional skills, > > doctors may also be motivated by the requirement to reduce the birth rate. > > > > "If they see that head doctors are dismissed because of a rise in the > > birth > > rate, then they will ask themselves, 'Why should I stand on ceremony with > > these women? I'll kill two birds with one stone - save the woman and > > improve > > the demographic situation'," said Turaeva. > > > > One of the cases she has seen involved Gulchekhra Okhunova, a 32-year-old > > mother of four, who underwent an abortion but suffered complications as > > the > > operation was not carried out well. > > > > Okhunova went back into hospital where she was given a hysterectomy. She > > is > > still ill as she developed an infection afterwards. > > > > According to Turaeva, when Okhunova learned of the operation and made a > > fuss, she was told by hospital staff that she already had four children, > > so > > had no need for a uterus. > > > > Turaeva was given Okhunova's uterus to examine, and she concluded that the > > organ was healthy and there was n0 medical need to remove it. Oddly, > > Okhunova's case history says that he has not had a hysterectomy. > > > > On the basis of this and other cases, Turaeva wrote to the health > > department > > of the Andijan regional health department. The response from its then head > > was, in Turaeva's words, that "Rano Shermatova, to put it bluntly, told me > > to shut up". > > > > Soon after this, the doctor who performed the hysterectomy on Okhunova > > offered 200 US dollars to return the uterus. > > > > In response, Turaeva wrote a letter to the health ministry in Tashkent, > > but > > received no response. > > > > Over time, the bribe offered to Turaeva to take part in a cover-up > > increased > > to 1,000 dollars and a job with the health ministry. > > > > Questioned about Turaeva's accusations, regional health chief Hakimov > > replied that the pathologist spends her time writing to the authorities, > > yet > > she is unwilling to cooperate with an expert who has been appointed to > > deal > > with her complaint. > > > > Turaeva counters that she does not trust the expert, and specifically is > > reluctant to hand over Okhunova's healthy uterus as this is a key piece of > > evidence. > > > > Hakimov refused to provide data about the number of hysterectomies > > removed. > > > > INVOLUNTARY IUD IMPLANTION > > > > In the low key consultation system favoured by the government, every young > > woman of child-bearing age is supposed to be assigned to the nearest > > clinic, > > which should call her in now and then for consultations during which she > > will be advised on family planning. > > > > Women who have just given birth or who already have several children are a > > priority. > > > > The recommended method of contraception in Uzbekistan is the IUD, which > > the > > health ministry distributes free of charge to health centre as part of an > > intensive but, officials insist, entirely voluntary birth control > > programme. > > > > Even in Oltinkul district, where doctors were blamed for failing to cut > > the > > birth rate, 16,000 young women were given IUDs last year, and another > > 10,000 > > have been ordered for 2005. > > > > Doctors in Uzbekistan have told IWPR of a health ministry decree which > > requires that all women of childbearing age be fitted with IUDs > > immediately > > after given birth. A maternity hospital doctor in Tashkent confirmed the > > existence of this instruction, adding that if for health reasons it was > > not > > possible to carry out the intervention while the women was still in > > hospital, her local clinic would be instructed to see that it was done. > > > > None of this by itself suggests a coercive character to the IUD campaign. > > But there is evidence that that is exactly what it is. As well as Andijan, > > IWPR has seen evidence of coercion in Tashkent and Kashkadarya regions. > > > > "Some women have IUDs inserted two hours after given birth, which > > constitutes a coercive measure," said Sahiba Hasanova, a gynaecologist > > from > > Andijan region. > > > > Common medical practice in other countries is to wait about four weeks > > after > > birth before inserting an IUD. > > > > Dr Bozorov says that in the drive to impose IUD use, the authorities > > ignore > > essential preliminary checks to make sure the method will not cause health > > problems. As a result, he said, there has recently been an increase in > > women > > coming into hospital with complications such as bleeding and inflammation. > > > > "Spirals can not only cause bleeding, they can cause complications such as > > myoma uterus and even cancer," said Bozorov. > > > > In some cases, incorrect application of IUDs forces doctors to carry out a > > hysterectomy for medical reasons. > > > > OFFICIALS SAY NO HIDDEN AGENDA ON IUDS > > > > Klara Yadgarova, head of the maternity and children's department at the > > Uzbek health ministry, insists that IUD provision is always consensual. > > > > She says the voluntary IUD policy does not imply that women are forbidden > > to > > have children. All the authorities want is for women to observe the > > recommended gap between births, as too frequent births have a negative > > impact on the health of both mother and child. > > > > PUBLIC REACTION > > > > As birth control is not discussed in the media, still less the coercive > > interventions apparently carried out at the government's behest, public > > debate on the subject is limited. Rural women will rarely discuss medical > > problems with their husbands. > > > > Those men who become aware of the campaign are often as outraged as the > > women. > > > > "I won't allow my wife to have her uterus removed, or someone to tell us > > how > > many children to have," said one young man from Tashkent. > > > > The man voiced concern that if the population is allowed to grow older on > > average, there will be fewer young people to care for the old. > > > > Atanazar Arifov, who heads Erk, one of the two main opposition parties in > > Uzbekistan, said forced sterilisation was "amoral" and "criminal". > > > > Arifov rejected the official argument that unhealthy children are the > > result > > of too-frequent births, and says the government is at fault for creating > > the > > kind of poverty that leaves people - including would-be mothers - in poor > > health. > > > > Most doctors agree with Arifov, saying that diseases and the poor health > > of > > women is the consequence of social problems, but it is not a reason to > > prohibit them from giving birth and becoming mothers. > > > > Non-government organisations, NGOs, specialising in women's rights find > > themselves in a particularly awkward position on the issue. Some are > > forced > > to toe the official line since they belong to that curious category known > > as > > GONGOs - "government-organised non-government organisations". > > > > But even the independent NGOs have trouble as they seek to balance the > > individual's right not to be subjected to medical treatment against her > > will, and the right of governments to pursue measures to improve women's > > health. > > > > For example, Zulfia Tokhtakhujaeva, who heads the Mehr Association of > > Women's NGOs, steered a cautious line when questioned about the policy of > > cutting the birth rate, saying it made sense because too many women were > > giving birth to unhealthy babies. > > > > Another NGO, Ozod Ayol, was more forthright, saying the state's birth > > control policy was taking on monstrous forms. > > > > "People are simply being destroyed, it is a humiliation for women and the > > entire people," said Ozod Ayol's head Gauhar Oripova. > > > > Oripova says birth control measures may well be necessary, but these need > > to > > be implemented by raising awareness among women, not abusing their rights. > > In any case, the way to resolve the current problems are through economic > > and political development, which will enable people to decide for > > themselves > > how many children to have. > > > > As things stand, she claims, "The authorities are breaking the law. They > > should stop the forced sterilisation of women." > > > > Malik Boboev and Yusuf Rasulov are IWPR contributors in Tashkent. Galima > > Bukharbaeva is IWPR project director in Uzbekistan. > > > > This article first appeared in IWPR's Reporting Central Asia service, RCA > > No. 372, 29-Apr-05. > > > > > > ****************** VISIT IWPR ON-LINE: www.iwpr.net **************** > > > > The Institute for War & Peace Reporting is a London-based independent > > non-profit organisation supporting regional media and democratic change. > > > > Lancaster House, 33 Islington High Street, London N1 9LH, United Kingdom. > > Tel: +44 (0)20 7713 7130 Fax: +44 (0)20 7713 7140 > > > > For further information on this project and other reporting services and > > media programmes, visit IWPR's website: www.iwpr.net > > > > All our reporting services are available free of charge online and via > > e-mail subscription. To subscribe visit: http://www.iwpr.net/sub_form.html > > > > Editor-in-Chief: Anthony Borden; Managing Editor: Yigal Chazan; Senior > > Editor: John MacLeod; Editor: Alison Freebairn; Women's Project Editorial > > Adviser: Najma Kazi, Programme Coordinator: Joanna Hoare. > > > > The opinions expressed in Women's Perspectives are those of the authors > > and > > do not necessarily represent those of the publication or of IWPR. > > > > Copyright (c) 2005 The Institute for War & Peace Reporting > > > > WOMEN'S PERSPECTIVES No. 001 > > > > --- > > You are currently subscribed to arr_eng as: cpcc@web.ca. > > To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-arr_eng-615363Q@lists.iwpr.net > > From sarah at peacewomen.org Tue May 24 19:58:51 2005 From: sarah at peacewomen.org (Sarah Shteir) Date: Tue May 24 19:59:04 2005 Subject: [Gender & Peacebuilding] 1325 PeaceWomen E-News Issue #61: May 24, 2005 Message-ID: <72eeaaa59f6afeb95e7a1b0491fdf183@peacewomen.org> WOMEN'S INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM 1325 PEACEWOMEN E-NEWS Issue #61 24 May 2005 FROM BEIJING +10 TO THE SEPTEMBER SUMMIT: HOW ARE GOVERNMENTAL POLITICAL GROUPINGS WEIGHING IN ON THE DEBATE? The Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, 31 October 2000. For the text of the resolution, visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/un/sc/1325.html For the printer-friendly version of this newsletter and for past issues, visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/news/1325News/1325ENewsindex.html To subscribe to 1325 PeaceWomen E-News, email 1325news@peacewomen.org with "subscribe" as the subject heading. THIS ISSUE FEATURES: 1. 1325 Translation Initiative Update: Diola Translation Now Available 2. Women, Peace and Security News 3. From Beijing +10 to the September Summit: How Are Governmental Political Groupings Weighing in on the Debate? 4. NGO Working Group on Women, Peace & Security Update: Introducing the New NGOWG Coordinator 5. Feature Initiatives: In Celebration of International Women?s Day for Peace and Disarmament 6. Feature Resources: A New Counterterrorism Strategy: Feminism (Barbara Ehrenreich); Driven Away: Trafficking of Kachin Women on the China-Burma Border (Kachin Women's Association Thailand), The Peruvian Truth and Reconciliation Commission?s Treatment of Sexual Violence Against Women & The Impact of HIV on the Rape Crisis in the African Great Lakes Region (Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law) 7. Feature Website: INSTRAW?s New Web Section on Gender and Security Sector Reform 8. Feature Interviews: ?What is the International Campaign on Women Human Rights Defenders about?? & ?Restoring Hope to Rwanda?s Women? (AWID Resource Net Friday File) 9. Women, Peace and Security Calendar If you would like to fill out the 1325 PeaceWomen E-News evaluation form in either English or French, please write to mailto:1325news@peacewomen.org and we will send you the questionnaire by email. PeaceWomen is a project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. Please visit us at http://www.peacewomen.org/. For the full issue online, visit: http://www.peacewomen.org/news/1325News/Issue61.html Printer-friendly version: http://www.peacewomen.org/news/1325News/Issue61.pdf -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 3155 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050524/e1b4372e/attachment.bin From woroniuk at magma.ca Tue May 24 20:43:36 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Wed May 25 08:28:12 2005 Subject: [Gender & Peacebuilding] INSTRAW Gender and SSR Websection. Message-ID: <006001c560c2$ca43f3a0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> .http://www.un-instraw.org/en/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=954&Itemid=209 INSTRAW Launches New Section on Gender and Security Sector Reform* Faced with a world in which daily threats to human security range from police brutality and domestic violence against women to armed conflict, a thorough analysis and integration of gender in security sector reform initiatives and processes will strengthen efforts to ensure the right to security for women, men, girls and boys as well as create a just, democratic and effective security sector. The new websection includes a wide range of up-to-date information for researchers, activists, policy-makers, and practitioners such as : a.. Background and analytical framework b.. Glossary c.. Fact Sheet d.. Annotated Bibliography a.. Organisations b.. International Agreements c.. Events... and more! Check it out! For more information or to join the Gender and Security Sector Reform Network, please contact Kristin Valasek at kvalasek@un-instraw.org *Security sector reform (SSR) is defined as the transformation of security institutions or the security system (including government bodies, military, police, intelligence services, judicial and penal systems, etc.) so that they play an effective, legitimate, democratic and accountable role in providing security to individuals and communities. Contact us http://www.un-instraw.org Tel: (809) 685-2111 Fax: (809) 685-2117 e-mail: instraw@un-instraw.org Address: Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson 102-A Santo Domingo, DN. Dominican Republic -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ Genderssr mailing list Genderssr@un-instraw.org http://www.un-instraw.org/mailman/listinfo/genderssr -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050524/c979d838/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/gif Size: 18596 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050524/c979d838/attachment-0001.gif -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: image/jpeg Size: 6027 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050524/c979d838/attachment-0001.jpe From emily at urgentactionfund.org Wed May 25 08:28:27 2005 From: emily at urgentactionfund.org (emily@urgentactionfund.org) Date: Wed May 25 08:28:39 2005 Subject: [Gender & Peacebuilding] Re: Women-peace-and-security Digest, Vol 7, Issue 21 Message-ID: <20050525122827.88651.qmail@r201k.servercentral.net> Thank you for contacting Urgent Action Fund. Please note that as of May 20, 2005 emily@urgentactionfund.org is no longer a valid email address. If you are writing with regard to donations, please contact Julie Shaw, Executive Director, at jshaw@urgentactionfund.org. For all other inquiries please contact urgentact@urgentactionfund.org. As of June 20, 2005 you can reach Emily Utz in her new position as Development Coordinator at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) at eutz@iglhrc.org. Have a wonderful day! UAF From emily at urgentactionfund.org Wed May 25 12:01:01 2005 From: emily at urgentactionfund.org (emily@urgentactionfund.org) Date: Wed May 25 12:01:17 2005 Subject: [Gender & Peacebuilding] Re: Women-peace-and-security Digest, Vol 7, Issue 22 Message-ID: <20050525160101.95872.qmail@r201k.servercentral.net> Thank you for contacting Urgent Action Fund. Please note that as of May 20, 2005 emily@urgentactionfund.org is no longer a valid email address. If you are writing with regard to donations, please contact Julie Shaw, Executive Director, at jshaw@urgentactionfund.org. For all other inquiries please contact urgentact@urgentactionfund.org. As of June 20, 2005 you can reach Emily Utz in her new position as Development Coordinator at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) at eutz@iglhrc.org. Have a wonderful day! UAF From woroniuk at magma.ca Thu May 26 15:04:06 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Thu May 26 15:05:13 2005 Subject: [Gender & Peacebuilding] open meeting with Jeannine Mukanirwa Tshimpambu from the DRC - May 30th Ottawa Message-ID: <005501c56225$b11f07c0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> Please join Partnership African Canada and the Gender and Peacebuilding Working Group (CPCC) for a meeting and discussion with Jeannine Mukanirwa Tshimpambu, who will present on her work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo -- see below. When: 12 - 2 pm -- Monday, May 30th Where: BoardRoom 12th Floor, 1 Nicholas, Ottawa +++++++++++ Jeannine Mukanirwa Tshimpambu Born in the South-Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Jeannine Mukanirwa Tshimpambu is a women's rights activist. She is in charge of the Gender and Women's Rights program at CENADEP (Centre National d?Appui au D?veloppement et ? la Participation Populaire) in Kinshasa. In the Eastern Congo, Jeannine coordinates CENADEP?s activities with PAIF (Promotion et Appui aux Initiatives F?minines). In 1996, PAIF set up a program to address violence against women. The program activities include: denunciation of cases; monitoring of sexual violence cases (sexual slavery, abduction of women by militiamen, rape); advocacy; investigation of cases; support services to victims of rape; legal assistance; listening centres and housing. The program is carried out in Goma, Katana, Kalemie, Kalehe, Ituri, Kisangani, Bunia, Kindu and Kinshasa. In addition to the Gender and Women?s Rights program, Jeannine works in the program against the plundering of Congo?s natural resources, principal cause of conflicts in the country. She is responsible for the conflict diamond program of CENADEP. *************************************************************************** Jeannine Mukanirwa Tshimpambu Originaire du Sud-Kivu en R?publique D?mocratique du Congo (RDC), Jeannine Mukanirwa Tshimpambu est une activiste de droits de la femme et est la Charg?e de Programme, Genre et Droits des Femmes au CENADEP (Centre National d?Appui au D?veloppement et ? la Participation Populaire) ? Kinshasa. Dans l?est du Congo, Jeannine coordonne les activit?s du CENADEP avec PAIF (Promotion et Appui aux Initiatives F?minines). En 1996, PAIF a d?velopp? un programme de lutte contre les violences faites aux femmes. Les activit?s incluent: d?nonciations de cas; monitoring sur les diff?rents cas de violences sexuelles (esclavage sexuel, d?portation de femmes par les milices, viol); plaidoyer aupr?s des dirigeants; enqu?te sur les violences dont sont victimes les femmes; encadrement des femmes victimes de viol; accompagnement juridique des femmes violent?es; centre d??coutes et d?h?bergement des femmes violent?es. Les actions contre la violence faite aux femmes se r?alisent ? Goma, Katana, Kalemie, Kalehe, Ituri, Kisangani, Bunia, Kindu et Kinshasa. En plus des programmes pour les femmes, Jeannine ?uvre dans un programme contre le pillage des ressources naturelles du Congo, cause principale des conflits au Congo. Elle est responsable du programme de diamants de guerre du CENADEP. -----Original Message----- From: Beth Woroniuk [mailto:woroniuk@magma.ca] Sent: May 19, 2005 10:26 AM To: Jackie Kirk; Greta Hofmann Nemiroff Cc: Dorothee Gizenga Ngolo Subject: Re: PAC's Visitor from DRC Hi Jackie and Greta: As I mentioned in my email to the Gender and Peacebuilding Working Group Steering Committee, we are trying to organize a meeting in Ottawa for May 30th. Are you interested in organizing a meeting of some sort in Montreal? Please liaise direclty with Dorothee if you'd like to set something up. I think Jackie is out of the country but Greta -- are you in Montreal these days? warm regards, Beth ----- Original Message ----- From: Dorothee Gizenga Ngolo To: woroniuk@magma.ca ; cindy@care.ca Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 4:59 PM Subject: PAC's Visitor from DRC Dear Beth and Cindy, I am a Program Officer with Partnership Africa Canada. Bernard Taylor, our Executive Director suggested that I contact you to interest in meeting Jeannine Mukanirwa Tshimpambu, a Congolese woman member of CENADEP, our partner in DRC responsible for women?s program at CENADEP and the Eastern Congo with the organization PAIF (Promotion et Appui aux Initiatives F?minines), that will be responsible for delivering our Violence Against Women prevention program in DRC. Jeannine is arriving to Canada tomorrow and I am putting together both private and public encounters for her. To date both CIDA and Foreign Affairs are planning to meet with her, but the dates and times are still being decided. If you are interested in the Gender and Peacebuilding Working Group to meet with her, please let me know and do not hesitate to suggest the form and shape of such a meeting. Doroth?e ______________________________________________ Doroth?e Gizenga Ngolo, Programme Officer Partenariat Afrique Canada/ Partnership Africa Canada 323 Chapel Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 7Z2 Canada Tel: +1-613-237-6768, Fax: +1-613-237-6530 dngolo@pacweb.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050526/304be397/attachment-0001.html From cd at care.tp Thu May 26 22:17:18 2005 From: cd at care.tp (Jill Umbach) Date: Fri May 27 09:25:39 2005 Subject: [Gender & Peacebuilding] Fw: [ingo-ET] Recruitment of a gender specialist Message-ID: <00a901c56262$3b2ab9a0$3100a8c0@cd042> ----- Original Message ----- From: agnes coutou To: Programme.East-Timor ; radhika.behuria@undp.org ; Athisia Muir ; karen@alolafoundation.org ; ingo-timor@topica.com ; alola ; hernani Silva ; hector hill ; Hazem Galal ; Governance Unit ; Gender Working Group ; Fernando MORA ; Dianne D. Arboleda ; caroline.meenagh@undp.org ; Breanna Ridsdel ; charles bonhomme ; limya.eltayeb@undp.org ; alexandra.cooney@undp.org Cc: Laurentina "Mica" Soares Sent: Thursday, May 26, 2005 8:09 PM Subject: [ingo-ET] Recruitment of a gender specialist Dear all, UNDP is looking for an international gender specialist (IUNV-6 months) and a national Gender Affairs Associate to support the office's efforts to mainstream gender into all UNDP projects, programmes and policies in Timor-Leste. Kindly find attached the TOR for your reference. The GAA position will be advertised shortly in the newspapers. People interested in this position can send their application (CV + letter of motivation) to me with CC to Mica Soares. Thanks in advance Agnes COUTOU Programme Officer UNDP Timor-Leste --^^--------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent to: cd@care.tp EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?b1dqnP.bOop4v.Y2RAY2Fy Or send an email to: ingo-timor-unsubscribe@topica.com For Topica's complete suite of email marketing solutions visit: http://www.topica.com/?p=TEXFOOTER --^^--------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050527/f7896ec0/attachment-0001.html -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ToR gender specialist.doc Type: application/msword Size: 30720 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050527/f7896ec0/ToRgenderspecialist-0001.doc -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ToR GAA.doc Type: application/msword Size: 29184 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050527/f7896ec0/ToRGAA-0001.doc From woroniuk at magma.ca Fri May 27 12:33:45 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Fri May 27 12:34:50 2005 Subject: [Gender & Peacebuilding] Make Room for Peace! Committee to Expand the Mandate of the Canadian War Museum - public meeting June 7th (ottawa) Message-ID: <002e01c562d9$dac6bcd0$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> apologies for cross-posting ----- Original Message ----- From: Lori Hollohan To: Lori Hollohan Sent: Friday, May 27, 2005 11:07 AM Subject: Make Room for Peace! The "Make Room for Peace: Committee to Expand the Mandate of the Canadian War Museum" invites you to a public meeting on: Tuesday, June 7th Mac Hall, Bronson Centre 211 Bronson Avenue, Ottawa 7:30-9:30pm to discuss the Mandate of the Canadian War Museum (CWM). The Committee has been meeting since March 2004 to discuss how the new Museum can fulfill its mandate to educate about Canadian contributions to war prevention and peace. The purpose of the meeting is to provide the public with an opportunity to: ? Hear reflections from a variety of Canadians about the contents of the new CWM. ? Discuss options for exhibits that reflect a broader understanding of war, including war prevention, conflict resolution and peacebuilding. As over 300,000 Canadians will be visiting the Museum each year, its exhibits are central to inspiring peaceful alternatives to war and providing tools to create future global peace. Please find the meeting flyer attached in both English and French, a two-page brief outlining our initiative and a provisional agenda. If you have further questions or comments please visit our website at: www.makeroomforpeace.org or write to us at: www.makeroomforpeace@yahoo.ca Debbie Grisdale and Murray Thomson For the Make Room for Peace: Committee to Expand the Mandate of the Canadian War Museum -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post your free ad now! Yahoo! Canada Personals -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://list.web.net/archives/women-peace-and-security/attachments/20050527/f21f8087/attachment.html From cduggan at idrc.ca Sat May 28 12:00:36 2005 From: cduggan at idrc.ca (cduggan@idrc.ca) Date: Sat May 28 12:01:02 2005 Subject: [Gender & Peacebuilding] Autoreply: Women-peace-and-security Digest, Vol 7, Issue 26 Message-ID: auto-reply: I will be out of the office 07 June 2005 and will repond to your message when I return. Estare fuera de la oficina hasta el 7 de junio de 2005. Je serai hors du bureau jusqu'au 07 juin 2005 From staylor at idrc.ca Mon May 30 09:44:30 2005 From: staylor at idrc.ca (Suzanne Taylor) Date: Mon May 30 09:45:34 2005 Subject: [Gender & Peacebuilding] BBC E-mail: Sudan orders arrest of MSF head Message-ID: <20050530_134430_030003.staylor@idrc.ca> Suzanne Taylor saw this story on BBC News Online and thought you should see it. ** Sudan orders arrest of MSF head ** Sudan issues a warrant for the arrest of a charity offical, over a report about rape in Darfur. < http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4593443.stm > ** BBC Daily E-mail ** Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all in one daily e-mail < http://www.bbc.co.uk/dailyemail/ > ** Disclaimer ** The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have?been verified. If you do not wish to receive such e-mails in the future or want to know more about the BBC's Email a Friend service, please read our frequently asked questions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/4162471.stm From woroniuk at magma.ca Tue May 31 21:33:43 2005 From: woroniuk at magma.ca (Beth Woroniuk) Date: Tue May 31 21:34:48 2005 Subject: [Gender & Peacebuilding] SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS SEXUAL ABUSES BY UN PEACEKEEPING PERSONNEL (UN release) Message-ID: <001b01c56649$f2cacd30$ce12fea9@yourat5qgaac3z> ----- Original Message ----- From: "UN News Service" To: Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 7:01 PM Subject: SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS SEXUAL ABUSES BY UN PEACEKEEPING PERSONNEL > SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS SEXUAL ABUSES BY UN PEACEKEEPING PERSONNEL > New York, May 31 2005 7:00PM > The Security Council today strongly condemned all acts of sexual abuse and > exploitation committed by UN peacekeeping personnel, underlining the > importance of maintaining zero tolerance for such abuses and advocating > their investigation and punishment. > > "The distinguished and honourable record of accomplishment in UN > peacekeeping is being tarnished by the acts of a few individuals," the > Council declared in a statement read out by its President for the month of > May, Ambassador Ellen Margrethe L?j of Denmark. > > The statement follows the Council's consideration of a report prepared by > the Secretary-General's advisor on the subject, Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid > Al-Hussein, Ambassador of Jordan, which was endorsed by the report of the > UN special committee on peacekeeping. The report calls for the > establishment of Personnel Conduct Units in the UN Department of > Peacekeeping Operations > (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/index.asp">DPKO) at UN Headquarters > and in seven existing missions. > > The Council urged that the recommendations of the special committee's > report be implemented without delay. > > Confirming that the conduct of troops is primarily the responsibility of > countries that provide troops, the Council also recognized that such a > responsibility is shared by the Secretary-General and all UN member > states. In addition, it said, standards of conduct must be applied to all > categories of personnel. > > The Security Council, the statement said, would also consider including > relevant provisions for prevention, monitoring, investigation and report > of misconduct cases in its resolutions establishing new mandates or > existing mandates. > > Following the issuance of the statement, Prince Zeid was joined by > Jean-Marie Gu?henno, the UN's top peacekeeping official, in welcoming the > Security Council's action. Prince Zeid said that the Council's approach > "fits in very well with the general strategy we have been pursuing with > the General Assembly on creating an overall approach in concert with our > colleagues in the Secretariat in dealing with this painful and sensitive > subject." > 2005-05-31 00:00:00.000 > > ________________ > > For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news > > To change your profile or unsubscribe go to: > http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml >