Category Archives: WOMEN’S EQUALITY

USA: “Day without a woman”

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

Compiled by CPNN from various media as indicated

In the United States, millions of women took part in a “Day without a woman” to mark International Women’s Day, March 8. It was organized by means of social media in the same way as the women’s demonstrations January 21 in which over 2 million protested the policies of the newly inaugurated President Trump.


Members of Congress, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., walk down the steps of the U.S. Capitol to observe “A Day Without a Woman” on Wednesday. Speakers discussed the importance of female workers to the economy and renewed a commitment to women’s equality and rights. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo

Here’s how it was portrayed on the website of the January women’s marches: “In the same spirit of love and liberation that inspired the Women’s March, we join together in making March 8th A Day Without a Woman, recognizing the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to our socio-economic system–while receiving lower wages and experiencing greater inequities, vulnerability to discrimination, sexual harassment, and job insecurity. We recognize that trans and gender nonconforming people face heightened levels of discrimination, social oppression and political targeting. We believe in gender justice. Anyone, anywhere, can join by making March 8th A Day Without a Woman, in one or all of the following ways:

* Women take the day off, from paid and unpaid labor

* Avoid shopping for one day (with exceptions for small, women- and minority-owned businesses).

* Wear RED in solidarity with A Day Without A Woman”

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Question for this article

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

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We have not found any way to measure how many women stayed away from work or to what extent their refusal to shop led to decreased sales, but there were many descriptions of the day in the mass media.

It was reported by United Press International that “schools in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Alexandria, Va., closed for the day because so many teachers opted to stay home. In Rhode Island, a municipal court was forced to close because several clerks and an administrator took the day off.” They also carried the above photo of Congress members leaving the capitol to mark the event.

The website Deadline described actions at a number of media networks, including NBC, Netflix, A&E, Fusion TV and MTV, with the latter turning the “M” upside down on its logo to read “W”.

The website Hollywood Reporter described special editions and other actions by women’s publications, including Teen Vogue, Glamour, Jezebel, Who What Wear, Elle, The Cut (New York Magazine) and Marie Claire.

Adweek described how the following advertising agencies marked the day: 360i, Brand Union, Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness, Huge, Ogilvy, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Heat, David&Goliath, Zambezi, ustwo, Eleven and SS+K.

The website Eater described actions at many restaurants, including some that closed completely to mark the day. They compared the results to those of the Day without immigrants on February 16 in which many immigrants stayed away from work in order to show their crucial importance for the American economy.

Several sources collected excerpts from social media to show how women throughout the country took part in actions to mark the day. These included the Huffington Post, Vocativ, Daily Caller, and Mother Jones . Gossipcop , Elle, and Indie Wire feaureed social media messages by celebrities.

North America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

ICC: Meet the justice activists breaking the mold

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (abbreviated)

This International Women’s Day – 8 March 2017 – we join the UN in calling for gender balance in the work force. To provide just that inspiration we are celebrating the women leading the fight for global justice for the worst crimes. Be brave when you find gender perspectives are missing: countless of our civil society representatives from around the world have dared to break the mold – so can you. Read their stories and be inspired.


Photos of the 8 women described below in order upper left to lower right
(click on photo to enlarge)

Adriana Maria Benjumea Rúa, Director – Corporación Humanas Colombia

Adriana Maria Benjumea Rúa is a lawyer, researcher and feminist whose work with Humanas, including on the issue of gender and political influence, has led to the organization becoming a leading advocate of inclusive perspectives in the Colombian peace process.

Adriana is the director of Corporación Humanas Colombia. As a lawyer, researcher and feminist working on the issue of gender and political influence, Adriana’s work includes the important work of monitoring public policies around care for victims and ensuring that they are not implemented without a gender perspective.

Adriana’s extensive socio-legal research on gender justice and violence against women in armed conflicts as well as her strategic litigation work in cases of sexual violence in transitional justice frameworks have contributed to the leading role of Humanas among civil society engaging in the Colombia peace talks. . .

Nancy Lopez – Lawyer – Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos

Together with a team of committed men and women from the Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights, as well as victims and their families, Nancy Lopez confronts issues of justice denied in Mexico, exploring possibilities for international justice before mechanisms like the ICC.

With the Comisión Mexicana de Defensa y Promoción de los Derechos Humanos, Nancy plays a critical role within Mexican civil society by bringing into focus the country’s need for the global fight against impunity – to ensure the non-repetition of international crimes like enforced displacement, enforced disappearance, torture, executions and sexual crimes in the country; but also to lay groundwork for solutions to many of Mexico’s social issues.

With the Comisión Mexicana coordinating Mexican civil society activities around the ICC, Nancy advocates for the Mexican government to honor its commitment to ensure that international justice is respected and enforced, and that the state abides by its obligations as an ICC member state. Such advocacy has included pushing Mexico to implement the Rome Statute, including its pivotal state cooperation provisions. . .

Rebecca Lozada – National Coordinator – Philippine National Coalition for the ICC

A year after Rebecca Lozada took the helm of the Philippines National Coalition for the ICC, the Philippines became the 117th ICC member state. Setting an example for the majority of states in Southeast Asia, with Rebecca’s coordination Philippines civil society has been mobilizing to ensure a framework is in place to deliver those who commit the most egregious international crimes to justice.

Under Rebecca’s leadership, the Philippines national Coalition for the ICC (PCICC) has been working to ensure individual perpetrators of the most heinous crimes – genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity – are brought to justice. In 2010, one year after Rebecca took up the position of National Coordinator of the PCICC, the Philippines government ratified the Rome Statute to become the 117th ICC member state. . .

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Question for this article

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

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Brigitte Chelebian – Executive Director – Justice Without Frontiers

Brigitte Chelebian is an Attorney at Law and the Executive Director/Founder of the organization Justice Without Frontiers (JWF), which works towards the advancement of international criminal justice– the first organization of its kind in Lebanon. In a part of the world with little support for the Rome Statute system, JWF campaigns for the ratification and implementation of the Statute within national laws, including promotion of the rights of women who are victims of armed conflict and sexual violence.

As Founder of Justicie Without Frontiers, Brigitte has led pioneering work in Lebanon and the wider Middle East to promote the rights of atrocity victims, including women and children affected by sexual violence in conflict, build stronger national and regional institutions to protect against these crimes, and create access to legal support for victims. . . .

Tetiana Pechonchyk – Chairperson – Human Rights Information Center

Tetiana Pechonchyk is a leading advocate for international justice in her home country, Ukraine, where her and her organization’s first-of-its-kind work from 2014-2016 documenting crimes in both occupied and government-controlled territories continue to make the global fight against impunity a reality in Ukraine.

As Chairperson of the Human Rights Information Centre (HRIC), Tetiana conducts one-of-a-kind work to raise awareness and seek justice for victims throughout Ukraine’s conflict-affected areas. Despite political challenges to her organization’s work, Tetiana and HRIC continue to fight for justice both on occupied and government-controlled territories of Ukraine. . . .

Brigid Inder – Executive Director – Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice

. . .Brigid Inder, OBE, is the Executive Director of the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice (WIGJ). Among her many efforts with the Women’s Initiatives, Brigid’s influential advocacy with the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 2004 has been applauded for helping to establish the investigation and prosecution of sexual and gender-based crimes as a substantive priority within the work of the OTP.

As the Prosecutor’s Special Advisor on Gender from 2012-2016, Brigid co-wrote the Policy on Sexual and Gender-based Crimes with the Office of the Prosecutor, the first such policy developed by an international court or tribunal. Through WIGJ’s advocacy on the ICC’s substantive work, along with its focus on the integration of women within legal proceedings as well as the institutional development of the ICC with respect to gender and geographical diversity amongst elected officials and senior managers, Brigid supports the ICC in becoming an institution capable of delivering on its mandate and ensuring women and gender issues are included within the Court’s structures and its justice outcomes. . .

Mama Koité Doumbia – President – Malian National Coalition for the ICC and Board Member – Trust Fund for Victims

Mama Koité Doumbia has made an impressive career in promoting women’s rights and gender-justice related issues. She continues to fight tirelessly in multiple capacities to reinforce women’s access to justice and empowerment within her home country of Mali, across the African continent and in many supranational organizations.

Among her many roles and experiences, Mama Koité is well known nationally and internationally as a union leader, teacher and determined activist in finding ways to reinforce the capacities of women’s NGOs. She fights passionately against social injustice and violence. Mama Koité has worked with the Women’s Coordination of Mali, and she was President of the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) in Nairobi, Kenya, from 2003 to 2010. From 2005-2014 she also chaired the Gender and Related Issues Cluster and vice-chaired the Economic and Social Council of the African Union. Mama Koité also worked as a member of the Réseau Paix et Sécurité de l’Espace CEDEAO/Mali. She is a founding member of the Réseau Mondial Francophone Egalité Femmes Hommes.

Urantsooj Gombosuren – Chairperson – Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)

As chairperson for FORUM-ASIA, Urantsooj works towards the strengthening of human rights and gender-equality in Asia.

Based in Bangkok, Thailand, FORUM-ASIA has worked alongside human rights defenders and other civil society organizations in Asia for over 25 years promoting and protecting human rights in the region. FORUM-ASIA works to enable a sustainable environment of peace, justice, and gender-equality based on collaboration, advocacy, and cooperation. They conduct their work throughout Asia and across the globe. . .

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

global, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

CSW at UN: Supporting People’s Actions to Empower Women at the Margins

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An announcement by the International Institute for Peace Education

Pasos Peace Museum and the International Institute on Peace Education invite you to join in a participatory, action-planning program to build solidarity with women’s movements to claim rights proclaimed by the world community in international human rights instruments, yet denied or ignored by national governments. Among the relevant rights instruments are: UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security; the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, all of which have the potential to empower citizens to advance their full participation in striving toward a just and peaceful world. Within the context of the potential of law and international standards the symposium will comprise action-planning discussions based on women’s experience with self-empowerment campaigns.


Click on the image to enlarge

Women’s international efforts toward the implementation of UNSCR 1325 through civil society initiatives at the local and regional levels in Africa and Asia will be introduced by Mavic Cabrera-Balleza of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders and Asha Hans of Sanristi, India. National campaigns to assert the civil and political rights of Native Americans and African Americans will be introduced by Betty Lyons of the American Indian Law Alliance and Farah Tanisof Black Women’s Blue Print.

As the conclusion of our action planning discussions law students will reflect on how their future professional endeavors might enhance gender justice, social equity and political equality using law and international standards as practical and strategic instruments of justice.

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Question for this article

Does the UN advance equality for women?

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Please consider reviewing these legal instruments and important background documents in preparation for your participation.

* UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security

* the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

* the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Book Party

You are also cordially invited to a celebration of the publication of Openings for Peace: UNSCR 1325, Women and Security in India, Edited by Asha Hans and Swarna Rajagopalan. A presentation of the book will be made by Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury and Asha Hans.

The book party will begin at approximately 4:15pm and conclude at 5:30pm.

RSVP Required: Please RSVP for the book party using the registration form below.

Register / RSVP
Registration for this year’s event is $20. Registration fee covers lunch and the post-event book celebration and reception.

A two-step registration is required.

1) Please complete the registration form for each individual who will attend.

2) After registering please submit your registration fee using the PayPal button below. (Your registration fee will be paid to Pasos Peace Museum)

global, United Nations, WOMEN'S EQUALITY,

UN Commission on the Status of Women – 2017

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

A press release from UN Women (abbreviated)

The sixty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 13 to 24 March 2017. Representatives of Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world are invited to attend the session.


Click on the image to enlarge

Download the CSW61 Brochure for more information:
Arabic | English | French | Spanish

Themes

Priority theme: Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work

Review theme: Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls (agreed conclusions of the fifty-eighth session)

Emerging issue/Focus area:The empowerment of indigenous women

Preparations

Regional CSW61 Preparatory and Consultative Meetings

Multi-Stakeholder Forum On 30 January 2017, UN Women convened a forum to engage a range of stakeholders in the preparations for CSW61 at UN Headquarters in New York.

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(Click here for a Spanish version of this article or here for a French version)

Question for this article

Does the UN advance equality for women?

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Expert Group Meeting: In preparation for the sixty-first session of the Commission on the Status of Women, UN Women convened an Expert Group Meeting on the priority theme: “Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work.” The Expert Group Meeting was held with the technical contribution and support of the International Labour Organization (ILO) at ILO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, from 26 to 28 September 2016.

Organization of the session

The Commission’s two-week session includes the following activities: Organization of work

Agreed conclusions

The outcome of the Commission’s consideration of the priority theme takes the form of agreed conclusions, negotiated by all States: Draft agreed conclusions

Official Documents

Official documents for the session

NGO Participation

Modalities of NGO participation

Eligibility

Registration

Opportunities for NGOs to address the Commission

Side events

Information about side events and activities organized outside the formal programme of the session

More information regarding the 61st session (2017) of the Commission on the Status of Women to be uploaded as it becomes available.

global, United Nations, WOMEN'S EQUALITY,

Women Unite for Global Action on Peacebuilding: The Women’s International “Peace Meet” (Jalgaon, India)

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article by Anne M Pearson published in December 2016 Newsletter of Women’s Peace Brigade International (Mahila Shanti Sena)

From October 2 to October 13 2016, I had the privilege of participating in a gathering of 41 women from 24 countries, along with over 150 Indian women at the impressive location of the recently built Gandhi Peace Research Centre in the Jain Hills, near Jalgaon, Maharashtra. We were invited by the organization Ekta Parishad, a Gandhian-inspired NGO who have worked with India’s landless and poorest of the poor for almost three decades. Toronto-raised but long-standing Indian resident and Hindi-speaking Jill Carr-Harris was the chief organizer who welcomed us and set the theme for the meeting.


(Click on photo to enlarge)

It was an extraordinary opportunity to meet and learn from women of diverse ages, education and cultural backgrounds, each dedicated to promoting peace and social justice in her own home country. At the gathering, fifty “peace champions” from localities throughout India were honoured for their courageous and tireless work for their communities. Key questions addressed throughout the four days of plenary sessions and workshops were: How do women cope with the deep injustices and violence they encounter in their everyday lives? And, what nonviolent strategies have worked to address those injustices?

There was a remarkable consistency in the stories we heard from such disparate countries as Nigeria, Kenya, Brazil, Kampuchea, Philippines, and Nepal and of course India. But even from the so-called “North”, women from Spain, Sweden, the US, Canada, Germany, and Azerbaijan confirmed the prevalence of (systemic and reactionary) violence, mistrust, and fear being allowed to flourish through forces of division and disintegration. At the same time, we also heard positive stories, from all the women, of the forces of integration and community building, and specific forms of nonviolent activism that is taking place. Thus, what we heard and learned evoked both feelings of deep sadness and outrage on the one hand, and admiration and hope on the other.

Following the Jalgaon meeting, most of the international women and a group of Indian women and men, pre-divided into five subgroups, left Maharashtra by train and went to different areas of Madhya Pradesh to begin four days of visits to Dalit and Adivasi villages whose populace had been working with Ekta Parishad. My group went to Gwalior to begin with, and after an overnight stay and meetings with journalists, Gandhian activists and academics, we proceeded to visit villages in the Chambal and Shivpuri Districts. While this short article cannot begin to capture all that I learned, I share a few highlights, including these facts: 50 million people in India have no land
title and can be evicted at any time for any reason; there are many “pro-poor” policies and pieces of legislation in India, but they don’t tend to be implemented—not without sustained pressure from the people. “Pro-rich” policies are implemented.

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Question for this article

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

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In each village we met with women (who warmly greeted us with hand-made malas), and heard their concerns, challenges and successes in overcoming barriers. All of the villages were composed of Sahariya Adivasis, considered by many Indians, we were told, as the “lowest of the low”. In Chambal district the main problems identified were conflicts with the National Forestry Department over land use, food and water security, conflict over resources, and violence against women, including the kidnapping of girls (for ransom or sometimes as wives for boys, due to big gender gap in this region).

In India, we were told, women are not recognized as farmers; men are farmers because they are the recognized “owners” of the land, even while women work the land at least as much as men do. This practice is starting to change as land is being registered in both the names of the wife and the husband as villagers begin to receive, after years of agitation, their certificates of land ownership.

In one village, we heard that 15-20 years ago the villagers collected firewood from the forest and took it to Gwalior to sell. Prior to 30 years ago families had occupied the “forest land”. They had cleared some of the land of shrubs to plant seasonal food crops, but forestry officials would come and destroy their crops or otherwise harass them, for example, by spreading seeds of the large thorn bushes called “bulbul’ (the removal of which was dangerous). Then, some 20 years ago, they met Ekta Parishad workers and were inspired to form a grameen bank to pool their resources and they filed claims for rights to forest land. Three or four times their claims were rejected at the sub-divisional and district levels. Villages were united and had the funds for collective action—to engage in marches and regular follow-up with the officials. They filed claims for 72 families; now 35 have received certificates of land ownership for a total of 132 acres of land. Nowthey can grow enough food to feed their families.

Lee McKenna, from Toronto, who was in another group, shared a description from talking with a woman leader in the village of Tulgat (Budelkhand district): The villagers had been having conflict with Forest Department and the women were fed up and gathered in a large group in front of the Forest Department office. The police came. They asked the women: Who is your leader? They replied: “We are
500 leaders. Bring 50 trucks and be ready to take us all, including the mice of the fields!” The police asked the women: “Who gave you permission (to gather like this)?” They replied: “We took the permission of our hunger!” The police tried to take the men away, loading them up in trucks from the back. The women yanked the men out from the front. “We made chapatis and brought them to the men.” The police said “these women are so troublesome!”

Clearly, women (and social-justice-seeking men) need to be “troublesome” if we are
to advance towards a culture of peace that so many of us yearn for. Gandhi’s voice was ever in the background of our conversations: “Nonviolence must express itself through the acts of selfless service of the masses”, and “If nonviolence is the law of our being, the future is with women.”
Plans are underway for future gatherings of international women in 2017 and beyond.

South Asia, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

UN Women: 16 days of activism against gender violence

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from UN Women

From 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world. The international campaign originated from the first Women’s Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership in 1991.

In 2016, the UNiTE campaign strongly emphasizes the need for sustainable financing for efforts to end violence against women and girls towards the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
One of the major challenges to efforts to prevent and end violence against women and girls worldwide is the substantial funding shortfall. As a result, resources for initiatives to prevent and end violence against women and girls are severely lacking. Frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals, which includes a specific target on ending violence against women and girls, offer huge promise, but must be adequately funded in order to bring real and significant changes in the lives of women and girls.

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(Click here for a Spanish version of this article or here for a version in French.)

Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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To bring this issue to the fore, the UN Secretary-General’s campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women’s call for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence in 2016 is ‘Orange the World: Raise Money to End Violence against Women and Girls’. The initiative provides a moment to bring the issue of sustainable financing for initiatives to prevent and end violence against women to global prominence and also presents the opportunity for resource mobilization for the issue.

Join us!

Share your photos, messages and videos showing how you orange the world at facebook.com/SayNO.UNiTE and twitter.com/SayNO_UNiTE using #orangetheworld and #16days. For more information about “Orange the world,” see this year’s Call to Action and download the fundraising toolkit. For more information about Orange Day, please contact Anna Alaszewski, UNiTE Campaign Coordinator,  anna.alaszewski[at]unwomen.org

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article)

global, United Nations, WOMEN'S EQUALITY,

Guatemala: Transforming justice for women in Latin America

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article by Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey and Melanne Verveer in openDemocracy (Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey was attorney general of Guatemala from 2010 until 2014)

In order to effectively reduce female murders, Latin American nations must combat one of the leading causes of death for women—gender-based violence—whereby perpetrators target victims because of their gender and act in the context of unequal power relations between men and women.

Guatemala presents a case study of how innovative 24-hour courts and revised trainings for law enforcement can increase convictions related to gender-based violence and ultimately reduce the number of female murders.


Claudia Paz y Paz Bailey
(Click on photo to enlarge)

Guatemala’s high female murder rate—9.1 murders for every 100,000 women between 2007 and 2012—is impacted by regional crime, drug trafficking, and gang violence. But at least half of female murders in Guatemala are femicides.

Guatemala was the first country to officially recognize femicide—the murder of a woman because of her gender—as a crime in 2008. Four years later, the country created a national database to record basic data on all cases of violent deaths of women. This database allowed the Attorney General’s office to identify weaknesses in the investigation of femicides and the gender-based violence that often precedes them, and subsequently to develop pilot programs to address crimes associated with violence against women before they escalated to murder.

Most notably, the Attorney General’s office and the Supreme Court of Justice collaborated in 2012 to establish a 24-hour court to handle urgent investigative measures required in gender violence crimes immediately. The court operated inside the Comprehensive Care Model (Modelo de Atención Integral) created in 2009, and offered a model of comprehensive services: forensic experts, police, psychologists, clinical physicians, and prosecutors were all brought together in a single space in Guatemala City to serve the survivors of gender-based violence.

In the Comprehensive Care Model, it was the institutions that revolved around women, rather than women having to travel to each institution or worse, having to choose between medical care and access to justice. The 24-hour court, one of the first in Latin America, immediately increased the number of protection measures and arrest warrants authorized, and led to an increase in the number of people sent to prison for violence against women and sexual exploitation.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article.)

Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

(article continued from left column)

At the same time, Guatemala also took efforts to address prejudicial or inadequate investigations, which limited women’s access to justice. The Attorney General’s office had found that officers in charge of gender-based violence investigations tended to blame the victim because of her way of dressing, her prior conduct, or her prior or family relationship with the perpetrator. It was common to hear “algo haría” (she must have done something) or “ella se lo buscó” (she was looking for it).

Investigators also failed to take account of the context of crime: they frequently neglected to inquire whether there had been prior acts or reports of violence against women or sexual violence concurrent with the murder, or whether the victim resided in an area where any criminal organization operated.

Further, violence against women was treated with little importance by judges. This translated into delays before evidence could be collected or an arrest warrant or a search warrant was issued; these cases were the last in line on the agenda of court hearings.

In response, Guatemala began to offer specialized training for prosecutorial officers investigating cases of sexual violence, violence against women, and femicides. Once a victim approached the Attorney General’s office, she was made to feel protected. New instructions guided the investigations of intimate femicide, sexual femicide, and femicide in the context of a criminal group or organization, especially gangs or organizations associated with drug trafficking.

In the year following these innovations, the convictions for female murders in Guatemala rose from 55 to 91. This increase in convictions translated into far fewer cases, from 393 (178 resulting in death) in 2010 to 193 (103 resulting in death) in 2013 in Guatemala City.

The trend in convictions and cases was not observed at the national level, where the model has yet to be fully implemented. This must be done: Guatemala must expand 24-hour courts and trainings for law enforcement around the nation, and throughout the region. This deployment should be accompanied by non-criminal measures for preventing violence against women, such as educational policies and those aimed at greater gender equality in economic and political matters.

Many survivors of gender-based violence in Guatemala have told us that, today, they know justice is possible in Guatemala. While Guatemala is still struggling to effectively combat violence against women, these localized interventions present a promising model for expanding women’s access to justice in the region.

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article)

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Nicaragua: Culture of Peace Proposed to Eradicate Violence

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article in El Nuevo Diario (translated by CPNN)

Karla Miranda, a third year psychology student, speaking about violence against women, said that aggressors should be evaluated by psychologists to understand the cause of their attitude. “Violent behavior often originates from childhood, so it is important that we know the history of these people in order to assess the origins of violence,” she said.

This was said yesterday at the fair called Growing a Culture of Peace, held at the University Cátolica (Unica), in the framework of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, with the aim of promoting values ​​in society and raising awareness on this topic.


Rosa Salgado, with microphone, speaks before students of the Catholic University. (Photo: Melvin Vargas)
(Click on photo to enlarge)

Johnny Hodgson, career coordinator for the campus, explained that the fair was developed with different talks, information stands and cultural events so that students and experts could address the issues of violence.

“We did not just want to be part of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, but rather to do something more integral, where everyone is involved. In addition, we promote spaces to come and share how to face, understand and avoid violence, “said Hodgson.

Karla Miranda added that “another important aspect is that in raising children, it is necessary to educate in values, so that the children grow up with the value to not violate either girls or children. That is why this topic must be addressed at the level of the family. ”

Miranda recalled that in 2013 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared violence against women as a public health problem and in that sense added that psychological violence is the one that most affects and causes the most damage.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article.)

Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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Ana Hidalgo Mendoza, Miranda’s colleague, commented that violence is a cycle that comes from the home. “The child who sees that his father violates his mother will grow up with that profile, believing that it is normal behavior, and in the case of the girls, they will believe that they must be submissive and when they are raped, they will believe that it is ok” “He added.

VALUE FORMATION

Rosa Salgado, representative of the disabled with the Office of the Attorney General for Human Rights (PDDH), addressed violence against women with disabilities.

Salgado said that a solution is the formation in values ​​that must be started from the home and the different spaces of society and education, “so that in this way we appropriate the understanding of human rights for ourselves. and that we make use of the legal instruments “.

“To the extent that we recognize how we can help and improve the quality of life of a person with a disability, conditions will be improved by preventing violence,” she said.

SCHOOL HARASSMENT

Eliuth Martínez, a teacher at the Unica and a pedagogical advisor at the Directorate of Special Education at the Ministry of Education (Mined), commented that throughout the school year they continued to develop a non-bullying campaign, as this problem began to emerge in classrooms.

According to Martinez, since last year the campaign has trained 6,000 to 8,000 teachers.

“It was enough to have 1 to 3 cases for the Government to act immediately. Today we can say that we have good results from the center and the delegates and even a free telephone line was set up to report these types of violence,” added the teacher.

About 35% of all women will experience violence, either in or out of the couple, at some point in their lives, according to WHO data published in 2013.

Martinez recently attended a case of a visually impaired girl who was believed to experience bullying on the part of her colleagues, to which the Mined immediately acted in conjunction with the educational councils, investigated the case and began work not only with the teachers but also with the students and the school in general.

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mexico: Need to promote a culture of peace, to end violence against women: CEAMEG

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Sistema Michoacan for Radio and Television (translation by CPNN)

Mexico City.- The director general of the Center for Studies on the Advancement of Women and Gender Equality (CEAMEG) of the Chamber of Deputies, Adriana Ceballos Hernández, said that violence against women harms society every day, and, although there are important advances, there is still much to be done.

In inaugurating the forum “For a culture of peace”, she emphasized that violence should be eliminated in the relations of women and men, inculcating in people the knowledge of rights from childhood, respecting political rights of gender and understanding that abuse affects everyone around, especially children.

She considers it necessary to promote a culture of harmony in all fields of action.

The director of Social Studies of the Position and Condition of Women and Gender Equality of CEAMEG, Judith Díaz Delgado, explained that their organization works mainly for the prevention of violence.

She said that “we live in a violent Mexico with an absence of peace, in which seven out of ten suffer some type of abuse, so we can not say that there is a culture of peace.”

Guadalupe Salas y Villagómez, director of Promotion and Training of Women and Equality, of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), said that the CNDH is dedicated to raising awareness of human rights, equality between women and men, as well as awareness about gender-based abuse.

Finally, Ana Paula Hernández Romano, founder of Proyecto Paz A.C, pointed out that Mexico is far down the list in the 140th place of nations for providing a state of well-being. Meanwhile, the National Survey of Victimization and Perception on Public Safety (ENVIPE) for 2016, indicates that most Mexicans perceive that the problem of violence and insecurity is even greater than the problem of poverty and unemployment.

(Click here for the original Spanish version of this article.)

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Enough is enough: Oxfam seeks to end violence against women and girls once and for all

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

A press release from Oxfam

Gender inequality is both the cause and the consequence of violence against women and girls, said Oxfam today, as the agency launches a new global campaign called “Enough: Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Girls” to stop one of the most prolific human rights violations.

oxfam

A third of women will experience violence at some point in their life. Violence against women and girls knows no boundaries of geography or culture – it is a global crisis. However, marginalized women, including poor women and girls, are the most vulnerable to violence.

Women and girls face violence throughout their lives: more than 700 million women alive today were married as children, 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation – with the majority of girls being cut before the age of 5 – and 30 percent of women will experience intimate partner violence. Studies have found higher rates of violence among women experiencing multiple discriminations, including indigenous women, lesbian and bisexual women, and women with disabilities.

This violence is the most extreme form of gender discrimination, rooted in inequality and in a belief that it is acceptable to treat women and girls this way.

Winnie Byanyima, Oxfam International’s Executive Director, said: “At every minute of every day, violence is devastating the lives of millions of women and girls around the world. Violence keeps women and girls living in poverty, and women and girls living in poverty are the most exposed to violence. From child marriage to female genital mutilation to murder, violence against women and girls is deep rooted across the world. It is a vicious circle, but it can be broken as what has been learned can be unlearned. Enough is enough.”

To end these devastating practices against half the world’s population, Oxfam is kick-starting campaigns in Morocco, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Guatemala, South Africa and Zambia to coincide with the UN designated International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. More than 30 countries will join Oxfam’s campaign over time, mobilizing citizens and decision-makers to challenge the discrimination that drives this abuse against women and girls.

“In Morocco, there are many types of violence against women: physical, psychological, economic and legal, especially in the context of divorce,” said Saida*, speaking to Oxfam. “I got divorced because my husband obliged me to do so as I did not accept him getting married to a second wife. I was forced to leave my home, which was officially owned by my husband, with my little girl. Despite the laws, mentalities change very slowly. Neither the lawyer nor the judge helped me.” With Oxfam’s support, Saida took part in life skills workshops to learn how to support herself and her daughter. She now advises other women on how to claim their rights.

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Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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“Girls face struggles in all phases of their life. Girls are not allowed to get an education like boys,” said 12-year-old pupil Komal from Hamirpur in India’s Uttar Pradesh. According to 2015 Indian government data, this region accounted for the highest number of violent incidents against women and girls nationally, and over 40 percent of females here are illiterate. Until a few years ago, girls here were usually pulled out of school to care for their siblings, support their parents in farming or to do household chores. Through Oxfam’s work, local girls are now in school and many are doing combat sports, like wrestling. “Withthe support of my teacher, my parents let me compete and I won the silver medal in a state competition. I proved to my community that girls can succeed,” said Komal.

In Indonesia, child marriage and domestic violence are common and tolerated. Cheper, who married a child bride, now campaigns to end child marriage and violence against women in his community. He told Oxfam: “Growing up, my mother was often beaten by my father. I wanted to take my father to the police because he bit my mother, but I did not do that. The local community considered it common.” Women are usually excluded from village meetings, but through Cheper’s work, this is changing, as well as his wife now having plans to work outside the home.

“Women’s rights organizations and movements have long been challenging the acceptance and prevalence of violence against women and girls, but as it is so unjustly ingrained in societies across the world, more of us need to take action. Oxfam is committed to ending this crisis once and for all, for the benefit of everyone, as women’s rights are human rights,” said Oxfam’s Byanyima, who is also a member of the UN High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment.

“I’m calling for people to stand up and speak out against the violence. Men need to stand up too and say that violence against women and girls is not acceptable – in institutions and in the whole of our country.” With 17 percent of women in Zambia experiencing sexual violence in their lifetime, 20-year-old university student, Nalishebo Kashina, is another of the many across the world taking action to stand up for women and girls.

Similarly in Guatemala, where indigenous women face violence and racism, women are tackling the root causes of violence. Maria Morales Jorge, who was part of setting up the Institute for the Defence of Indigenous Women, told Oxfam: “We all have the opportunity to change and reject any violence and oppression. We should all have the chance to be happy.”

Oxfam’s campaign aims to challenge and replace the long held misconception that men are superior to women and girls. To achieve this, Oxfam will support individuals and communities to understand the drivers of violence and build their capacity to say “Enough” to harmful attitudes and behaviors. Oxfam will also work to ensure women’s rights organizations and movements are supported, and to increase and implement laws and policies aimed at ending violence against women and girls.

“Before I thought marriage was everything in life: the present and the future. Now, I believe that life is much more than a husband. Life is also to have a job, to travel and to study,” said Moroccan woman survivor of violence and women’s rights advocate, Saida.

To kick-start the “Enough: Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Girls” campaign, Oxfam in Morocco, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Guatemala, South Africa and Zambia will host a series of campaigning events. These will include film festivals, competitions for school children to design posters calling for an end to child marriage, decorating rickshaws to have positive messages on gender equality, performances of feminist songs and street theatre shows. Join Oxfam’s Enough: Together We Can End Violence Against Women and Girls” campaign.

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