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Women's GlobalNet #325
Activities and Initiatives of Women
Worldwide
International
Women’s Day revisited
By Joeyta Bose
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Governments,
non-profit and international organizations across the world used
International Women’s Day to launch new women-centred initiatives, pay
tribute to outstanding women in their communities, engage with new ideas at
forums and conferences, celebrate women’s achievements and stand up in
solidarity against violence against women and gender inequality at rallies,
strikes and sit-ins. Yet, in the midst
of these and other festivities, we confront the sobering thought that the
attention paid to the situation of women, by governments, media and the world
at large, on March 8 lasts for those 24 hours only, after which it’s business
as usual. With this thought in mind we revisit some of the informative and
festive events that unfolded on March 8, 2007 in capital cities and small
towns around the world – not only to give an idea of the diversity and reach
of these celebrations, but also to highlight the need for awareness about and
action against the inequalities and insecurities that women contend with 365
days of |
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domestic violence FORUM; |
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Tribute to |
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PARTY IN |
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New website out of California, USA gives voice to
women journalists around the world Browse the site at: http://www.thewip.net/
and contact Sarah McGowan, Content Editor, at sarah.mcgowan@thewip.net with
queries |
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Celebration of peace at meet among 12 tribes in Women
and men from the Masaleet, Dinka,
Arab, Falata, Dinariah,
Fur, Tama, Hausa, Zagawa, Kenin,
Umregbath, and Hakamat
tribes came together for the first time in history to celebrate International
Women’s Day with poetry, song, music and to dance their tribal dances.
Organized by the Um Jumma Women’s Charitable
Society and UNDP Sudan, the event attracted over 400 people and included
tribal festivities conducted by the women of each tribe. One
of the events at this celebration, the Hakamat
Festival, showcased powerful poems for peace and the empowerment of
women. The Hakamat
women, who performed these poems, have conventionally used their verse to
ridicule and excommunicate members of their tribe who step out of line and,
as a result, are feared and respected by men.
Though they have traditionally supported the war, they now want peace
in the region and advocate for this position with their powers of persuasive
poetry. Other
activities included the distribution of jerry cans, for additional water
storage, to women and a football match between youth and staff from
humanitarian organizations at the Abu Shouk camp
for internally displaced people. |
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Rally
against violence against women and children in Nari Unnayan Shakti, a Dhaka-based
organization that works on advancing women’s human rights and on HIV/AIDS,
organized 50 events in 9 districts in the country. One of these was a mass rally,
followed by a candlelight vigil, against violence against women and children,
while another was a discussion group about the vulnerabilities of migrant
women. |
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Award
for outstanding women in The
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Panel
on ending impunity for gender violence in Kanifing, the The
Tango Resource Centre in Kanifing was the venue for
a presentation and discussion on the theme for International Women’s Day 2007
– ending impunity for gender violence against women and girls. Women also
gathered there for a march to mark the occasion. |
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Arts
and crafts fair in Lubango, |
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Mass rally against violence against women in Tens of thousands women in Zambia marched to and gathered at the
Freedom Statue in Lusaka, on March 8, 2007, to call for zero tolerance on violence
against women in the country. Speaking at the rally, Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa stated that his government was committed to
empowering women in the country and, to this end, “will confront violence
against women within the context of the law with the same zeal we have
confronted corrupt practices in public offices and the country as a
whole." he said. The president declared International Women’s Day a
public holiday, starting next year. |
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Launch
of new women-friendly taxi fleet in Forsche
(pronounced ‘for she’), a 10-fleet taxi service with
female drivers and for female commuters only, was launched on International
Women’s Day in Mumbai. The cab service was started to provide a safer
alternative for women commuters who face all kinds of sexual harassment on
the city’s public transportation system.
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COMMUNITY
RADIO BROADCASTS IN ba, NADI, women from rural communities in Ba, Nadi, Nausori
and Labasa in |
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Publication
on sexual violence against women and girls during conflict in Launched
to inform, shock and join the voices saying “Enough!
Sexual violence against women and girls does not have to be an inevitable consequence
of war,” this powerful and disturbing reference book and photo essay
comprises of portraits and testimonies of women who were raped and abused
during war. The 137-page book has been
released by The
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) and examines the scope and
nature of this violence and looks at the different ways the international
community is starting to address sexual violence against women and girls
during and after conflict. Read more about it and download a copy: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=70548 |
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International
conference on women peacemakers in Five
exceptional women from Burundi, Canada, Guatemala, the United States, and Switzerland,
renowned for their achievements within the field of peace building, conflict
resolution and reconstruction, presented their thoughts and experiences at a
conference organized by UNESCO on March 8. Speakers included Sylvie Kinigi, former prime minister of the first democratically
elected, ethnically mixed government of Burundi; Luz Mendez, president of the
Advisory Council to the National Union of Guatemalan Women; Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold, an active member of the Swiss parliament
and the Council of Europe; Mobina Jaffer, Canadian Special Envoy for Peace in Sudan; and Swanee Hunt, founding director of the Women and Public
Policy Program at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and the founder of
the Initiative for Inclusive Security, an organization that advocates for the
full participation of all stakeholders, especially women, in formal and
informal peace processes. |
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IWD
at the movies in Two
film festivals about and by women – one with a focus on |
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Mass
mobilization of women in March
8 in Iran was marked by pickets and major gatherings of women who used
International Women’s Day and the days leading up to it to demonstrate in
force against the oppression of Iranian government. In spite of severe
threats from paramilitary and secret police, several thousand people
congregated around |
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Conference
on women, peace and prosperity in Convened by the National Union of Tunisian Women and the South African
Women in Dialogue, this conference on March 8 aimed to facilitate discussion
about the necessity for international women’s human rights legislation,
women’s contribution to economic development, the digital divide and women’s
role in the knowledge society, and women’s participation in political
life. Recommendations emerging from
this conference will feed into a second conference in |
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Media
organization celebrates IWD in Oodaru, a women’s
media organization in |
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GLOBAL & INTERNATIONAL
INITIATIVES |
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UN AGENCIES LAUNCH JOINT EFFORT TO COMBAT SEXUAL VIOLENCE DURING CONFLICT ON
MARCH 8, 2007 |
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GLOBAL CALL FOR ACTION AGAINST POVERTY KICKS
OFF 2007 CAMPAIGN ON IWD |
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EUROPEAN In
honour of International Women’s Day, the European Commission called on
children, particularly in the age group of 8-10, in the Global South to
express their vision of equality between women and men. A panel of judges
selected a winner from each region (Africa Caribbean Pacific, |
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