Activities and Initiatives of Women
Worldwide
December 11, 2006
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1. 16 DAYS CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS GENDER-BASED
VIOLENCE, AIDS, HUMAN RIGHTS 2. UN AND AFFILIATED ACTIVITIES 3. FROM 16 to 365 DAYS OF ACTIVISM |
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1. 16 DAYS CAMPAIGN HIGHLIGHTS GENDER-BASED
VIOLENCE, AIDS, HUMAN RIGHTS |
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An
important component of the 16 Days Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign, 25
November to 10 December, is the overlap of the campaign with significant
dates such as Human Rights Day (December 10) and World AIDS Day (December 1),
among others. The campaign kicks off
on November 25, which the UN officially recognized as the International Day
for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in 1991, marking the day (1960)
when three sisters and resistance activists, Patricia, Minerva, and Maria
Teresa Mirabel were assassinated in the Dominican Republic during the
dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, an event that incited the movement to end
the dictatorship. The
days included in the Campaign highlight the connections between gender-based
violence, human rights, and AIDS, “symbolically linking,” according to the
Centre for Women’s Global Leadership ( Information
from “Call for Action! Celebrate 16 Years of 16 Days” – Fact Sheet: http://www.isis.cl/temas/vi/activismo/Ingles/calforactionBUENO.pdf |
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2.
UN AND AFFILIATED ACTIVITIES |
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GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
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Addressing Sexual Violence in Liberia: A Follow-Up to the Brussels Symposium The United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) and the Permanent Missions of Liberia and Belgium organized a
presentation and panel discussion – “Addressing Sexual Violence in
Liberia.” The panel provided an
overview of the situation in Liberia and discussed the new National Action
Plan to Address Gender-Based Violence.
This was the first in a series of follow-up events to the
International Symposium on Sexual Violence in Conflict and Beyond, held in
Brussels in June. Speakers included:
Annie Demen, Deputy Minister of Gender and
Development, Liberia; Rosana Schaack,
Director, THINK (Liberian NGO); Mendy Marsh,
Program Coordinator, Christian Children’s Fund, Liberia; and moderator Susan Purdin, Senior Technical Advisor on Reproductive Health
at the International Rescue Committee. United Nations
Headquarters, New York, New York, December 6, 3-5pm For more
information on the Symposium, please visit: www.unfpa.org/emergencies/symposium06
or contact symposium@unfpa.org International Conference on Violence Against WomenIn Norway, the Forum for Women and Development (FOKUS) organized
an International Conference on Violence Against Women on 25 November. The conference began with an address by
Guro Katharina Vikor, Ambassador for Women’s Rights
and Gender Equality, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A series of speakers addressed the issue of
Trafficking in Women, featuring Ms. Sigma Hudu, UN
Special Rapporteur on Trafficking; Tove Skarstein, Trafficking
Coordinator, Norweigian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs; Unni Kiil,
coordinator of the Rosa project for victims of trafficking; and Gunilla Eckberg, international
expert on prostitution and trafficking.
A second series of For more information, contact: Sidsel E.
Aas, Head of Information, FOKUS, sea@fokuskvinner.no,
or visit: www.fokuskvinner.no. |
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WOMEN
AND HIV/AIDS – GLOBAL AIDS DAY DECEMBER 1 |
The Global
Coalition on Women and AIDS, UN AIDS, amongst other partnering organizations,
joined forces on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2006 for a dialogue among prominent
religious and civil society leaders, women living with HIV, and government
representatives to discuss how the faith-based community could continue and
expand its leadership role, helping to promote and support effective
strategies to stop violence and fight AIDS worldwide.
For more information, contact
Pauline Muchina at muchinap@unaids.org, or visit:
http://www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/16days/kit06/cal/northamerica/GCWADC.doc |
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WOMEN’S
HUMAN RIGHTS – HUMAN RIGHTS DAY 10 DECEMBER |
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Documentary
Showing by UNOHCHR – Human Rights and Violence Against Women As part of the 16 Days, the United Nations Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva screened two documentaries
produced by IRIN/OCHA on issues of violence against women. “Our Bodies…Their Battleground, Gender
Based Violence During Conflict” was shown on December 6, from 12:30 to
2:30 at Palais Wilson, followed by a discussion
moderated by Aminata Gueye
(UNHCR). “Razor’s Edge: The
Controversy of Female Genital Mutilation” was screened on December 8,
from 12:30 to 2:30 at Palais Wilson, followed by a
discussion moderated by Eszter Kismodi
(WHO) and Jane Cottingham (WHO). To learn more: http://www.ohchr.org/english/events/16_days/documentaries.htm International
Campaign in Solidarity with Women in Darfur
On December 10, groups around the world will be highlighting
the issue of rape and sexual violence in Darfur. Rape and sexual assault have become routine
in the conflict, increasingly used as a form of terror. According to the UN, the levels of sexual
assault in Kalma IDP camp have recently increased
from around ten a month to ten assaults per day. Daily activities, such as collecting
firewood, have become a question of life and death for both men and women;
men are often killed and women often raped. On Dec. 10, where possible,
groups around the world will gather around fires to symbolize the firewood
problem that makes so many women victims of rape. Participants are also encouraged to wear
black to symbolize mourning. To learn more and connect with other
organizations who are participating, contact Danial
Jasnow, Human Rights First, at JasnowD@humanrightsfirst.org |
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3.
SOUTHERN AFRICA: FROM 16 TO 365 DAYS AGAINST GENDER VIOLENCE |
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365 Days of Action to End Gender-Based Violence aims to extend
the 16 Days Campaign into a yearlong movement by developing a National Action
Plan to End Gender Violence. The 365
Days was introduced in South Africa in the nationwide consultations during
the 2005 16 Days Campaign, which included cyber-dialogues hosted by the
Government Communication and Information Services (GCIS) and Gender
Links. The National Action Plan was
drafted in a May 2006 conference hosted by the National Prosecuting Authority
(NPA), UNICEF and Gender Links; participants, including government, civil
society, UN agencies, media and other stakeholders, pledged their commitment
by signing the Kopanong Declaration that emerged
from the conference. A National Action
Plan is an important tool designed to strengthen efforts to end gender violence
by holding governments, civil society and other stakeholders responsible for
their commitments. Namibia recently became the second South African Development
Community (SADC) country to endorse the 365 Days, and others in the process
of adopting the campaign include Zimbabwe and Mauritius. Over the next two years, GEMSA plans to
introduce the campaign to at least four countries in the SADC region per
year. According to GEMSA CEO Kubi
Rama, “With the 365 Days of Action we can measure the impact of our
strategies, maintain a continuous focus on the delivery of the different
aspects of gender justice, and develop an organised response that carries us
throughout the year.” (Natasha Tibinyane. “From 16
to 365 Days of Action.” Sister Namibia. Vol. 18, No. 4. Sept. 2006.
11) As noted in a fact sheet developed by Gender Links and
available through the South Africa NGO Net For more information, contact: www.genderlinks.org.za
or Loveness Jambaya, justice@genderlinks.org.za Also a fact sheet is available at: http://www.sangonet.org.za/portal/images/stories/extend16daysto365.pdf |