STOPVAW Website News

Expert’s Corner: AWID Presentation: “New Tools for Changing Old Strategies in Combating Violence against Women"

National VAW Monitor Program

Armenia National VAW Monitor Contribution

· What’s New: Calendar of actions by the Women’s Rights Center in the Framework of "16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence" (More information)

· What’s New: Mass Media Monitoring Results for November and December 2005 (More information)

· What’s New: Violence Exists in Armenia Too (More information)

· Stories and Mass Media Monitoring: Trafficking: A new stage in combating trafficking? (More information)

· Stories and Mass Media Monitoring: Trafficking: Against Trafficking in Human Beings (More information)

· Stories and Mass Media Monitoring: Trafficking: Which is the way out? (More information)

· Stories and Mass Media Monitoring: Domestic Violence: Killed his mother (More information)

Azerbaijan National VAW Monitor Contribution

· What’s New: Round Table ‘Violence against Women and Its Influence on Girls Education’ (More information)

· What’s New: Sexual Violence and Gender Discrimination Program (More information)

· What’s New: Campaign Against Gender-Based Violence (More information)

· What’s New: Anti-Trafficking Hotline Opened in Azerbaijan (More information)

Bulgaria National VAW Monitor Contribution

· What’s New: Capacity Building And Programme Development Project (More information)

· What’s New: Government Agencies Approve Mechanism to Protect Child Victims of Trafficking (More information)

· What’s New: The Institutions Coordinate Their Efforts to Implement the Policy of Equal Opportunities for Men and Women (More information)

· What’s New: Sex trade's reliance on forced labour (More information)

· What’s New: Bulgaria and Finland to Cooperate in the Combat Against Organized Crime and Trafficking in Human Beings (More information)

· What’s New: Violence against women, children and youth: how to deal with? (More information)

· What’s New: European Parliament: Financial support for Bulgaria for developing long-term strategies to prevent trafficking in women and children (More information)

· Revised National Plan of Action (More information)

Mongolia National VAW Monitor Contribution

· What’s New: Human Rights Defenders (More information)

Montenegro National VAW Monitor Contribution

· What’s New: Father killed minor daughter with metal barbell (More information)

· What’s New: Protest “Can Montenegro Sleep Tight?” (More information)

· What’s New: STOPVAW Presentation (More information)

· What’s New: (Updated) Project “I Choose to Choose” (More information)

· What’s New: Conference Prevention of Gender Based Violence held in Montenegro (More information)

· What’s New: Humanitarian Law Office providing services for the victims of domestic violence opened in Podgorica (More information)

· Research and Reports: WHO Domestic Violence Report (More information)

· Research and Reports: US Department of State Trafficking Report (More information)

· Research and Reports: Shelter for Victims of Trafficking (More information)

Serbia National VAW Monitor Contribution

· What’s New: Campaign of Non-Governmental Organizations: “16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women” in Serbia 2005, THE FINAL REPORT (More information)

· What’s New: Preparation of the National Action Plan for Women in Serbia (More information)

· What’s New: Framework for the National Strategy for Combating Violence (More information)

· What’s New: Millennium Development Goals in Serbia: Review of the Implementation (More information)

Tajikistan National VAW Monitor Contribution

· What’s New: IOM (International Organization on Migration) in Dushanbe Held National Conference on Society Mobilization to Fight Traffic in Tajikistan (More information)

· What’s New: Tajikistan Has Developed a National Action Plan on Fighting Traffic (More information)

· What’s New: About 25,000 Country Residents Informed About Trafficking (More information)

· What’s New: Roundtable on the Policy of International Labor Organization and the Situation in Tajikistan (More information)

· What’s New: Russian-Tajik Agreement on Labor Migration and Protection of Citizens’ Rights Will Be Ratified by the End of the Year (More information)

Ukraine National VAW Monitor Contribution

· What’s New: Shelter for Victims of Trafficking Reopened in Ternopil (More information)

Top

International and Regional News

Campaign 88 Days

Campaign 88 Days is an effort to raise awareness, take action and mobilize resources for women's rights worldwide. In the 88 days between December 10, 2005, International Human Rights Day, and March 8, 2006, International Women’s Day, you can help keep women safe from domestic and sexual violence, guarantee them equal treatment in the work force, push governments to do what’s right for women, and support groundbreaking initiatives. (More information)

Human Trafficking Assessment Tool

The American Bar Association's Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (ABA-CEELI) has created an assessment tool to measure countries compliance with the United Nation's Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children. (More information)

Top

National News

U.S. Violence against Women Act of 2005 Passes in both House and Senate

In the U.S., both houses of Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 (VAWA). The first version of VAWA passed in 1994. It was reauthorized in 2000 and expired September 30, 2005. The passage of VAWA is seen as critical to protecting the victims and combating domestic violence and sexual assault. (More information)

Over 50 Cases of Unlawful Sterilization, Says Ombudsman

The Czech Republic Ombudsman's office has uncovered over 50 cases of unlawful sterilization of women. (More information)

Armenian Human Rights Ombudsman Vows to Fight Dismissal

Armenia's first-ever human-rights ombudsman, Larisa Alaverdian, appealed on 5 January 2006 to Armenia's Constitutional Court to overturn President Robert Kocharian's decision to appoint a caretaker to replace her until a new ombudsman is selected by parliament. Alaverdian’s relationship with Kocharian became strained after her office published reports critical of the government's human-rights record and its crackdown on opposition demonstrators in 2004. (More information)

Kazakhstan Ratifies UN Trafficking Convention

On 14 December 2005, President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan signed domestic legislation that ratifies the UN Convention for the Suppression of Trafficking in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, as well as the Protocol to the Convention. (More information)

Russian Parliament Considers Tightening Control over NGOs

Despite allegations that it is a "threat to civil society," the lower house of the Russian Parliament, in the first two of three readings required to make a law, has passed a draft bill that will allow closer regulation of NGOs. (More information)

United States' Violence Against Women Act 2005 Signed into Law

After receiving broad bipartisan support in Congress, on 5 January 2006, United States President George Bush signed into law the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 (VAWA). The law is a comprehensive federal domestic violence law. (More information)

United States' Fair Housing Act Prohibits Discrimination Against Domestic Violence Victims

In a very important decision for domestic violence victims, a judge in the U.S. District Court for Vermont recently ruled that the Fair Housing Act prohibits a landlord from evicting a woman because she was battered. The ruling is the first to prohibit the double victimization that results when women are battered by their husbands and then evicted from their home because of the violence. (More information)

Men who Killed Czech Prostitute get Life Sentences in Germany

Three young Germans of Russian origin have been handed lengthy jail sentences for the kidnapping, rape and murder of a prostitute in the Czech Republic. (More information)

Enforced Sterilization of Romany Women

Officials in the Czech Republic continue to address the problem of forced sterilization of Roma. After an ombudsman released a report detailing the extent of the problem and after a court ruling forced the hospital to acknowledge the malpractice, women continue to seek compensation and officials seek to reform the current law on health care. (More information)

International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005

The International Marriage Broker Act of 2005 represents a strong stance against the unlawful practice of domestic violence and seeks to protect immigrant women, including those brought to the United States through marriage brokers as “mail order brides.” (More information)

Women and Power in Central Asia (Part One)

This article, the first in a four-part series, documents how women began to struggle to gain equal rights when the Soviet Union collapsed and the Central Asian states gained their independence. (More information)

Women and Power in Central Asia (Part Two)

The second of this series of articles examines women’s increasing presence within the Kazakhstan business sector, and social and cultural barriers which traditionally have prevented women’s participation in business. (More information)

Women and Power in Central Asia (Part Three)

This third article documents the changes Afghan women have experienced after the fall of the Taliban, including increased access to political and social positions, and the persisting gender roles which limit family support for such pursuits. (More information)

Women and Power in Central Asia (Part Four)

The last article in this series excerpts a conversation between powerful, well-known female activists in Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, where they reflect how they’ve risen to their positions and what measures need to be taken to further advance the role of women. (More information)

Top

New Research and Reports

Slow Progress in Official Statistics Bringing Violence against Women to Public Scrutiny

The UN recently announced the release of a new report, “The World’s Women 2005: Progress in Statistics.” The press release and the report note the importance of disaggregating data by sex to monitor and combat violence against women. (More information)

New Reports Published by International Council on Human Rights Policy

The International Council on Human Rights Policy has published two new reports: "Local Government and Human Rights: Doing Good Service" and "Assessing the Effectiveness of National Human Rights Institutions," which was co-published with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights. (More information)

Top

Subscribe to The VAW Monitor

The VAW Monitor is a free, monthly newsletter sent out on the first of each month. Printable versions of The VAW Monitor are also available on the website at http://www.stopvaw.org/The_VAW_Monitor.html.

To subscribe to The VAW Monitor, please fill out the form provided at http://www.stopvaw.org/The_VAW_Monitor.html.

Top

About STOPVAW

The Stop Violence Against Women website (STOPVAW) is a forum for information, advocacy and change. Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights developed this website as a tool for the promotion of women's human rights in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Mongolia, and the U.N. Protectorate of Kosovo. STOPVAW was developed with support from and in consultation with the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the Open Society Institute's Network Women's Program. This site addresses violence against women as one of the most pervasive human rights abuses worldwide. STOPVAW provides women's rights advocates with information and advocacy tools focused on ending the most endemic forms of violence against women in the region, including domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment and trafficking in persons.

Current staff members of Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights involved with the development of STOPVAW include Mary Hunt, Laura Nelson, Rosalyn Park, Robin Phillips, and Cheryl Thomas. Current interns and volunteers include Amy Albus, Natela Farsiyants, Julia Kashaeva, and Jessica Mowles.

For more information about STOPVAW, please contact the Website Administrator at stopvaw@mnadvocates.org.

Top

	Stop Violence Against Women Website The Violence Against Women Monitor A publication of Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights February 2006
STOPVAW Website News		National VAW Monitor Program	International & Regional News	National News	New Research and Reports
Expert’s Corner: AWID Presentation: “New Tools for Changing Old Strategies in Combating Violence against Women"		Armenia National VAW Monitor Contribution	Campaign 88 Days	U.S. Violence against Women Act of 2005 Passes in both House and Senate	Slow Progress in Official Statistics Bringing Violence against Women to Public Scrutiny
		Azerbaijan National VAW Monitor Contribution	Human Trafficking Assessment Tool	Over 50 Cases of Unlawful Sterilization, Says Ombudsman	New Reports Published by International Council on Human Rights Policy
		Bulgaria National VAW Monitor Contribution		Armenian Human Rights Ombudsman Vows to Fight Dismissal
		Mongolia National VAW Monitor Contribution		Kazakhstan Ratifies UN Trafficking Convention
		Montenegro National VAW Monitor Contribution		Russian Parliament Considers Tightening Control over NGOs
		Serbia National VAW Monitor Contribution		United States' Violence Against Women Act 2005 Signed into Law
		Tajikistan National VAW Monitor Contribution		United States' Fair Housing Act Prohibits Discrimination Against Domestic Violence Victims
		Ukraine National VAW Monitor Contribution		Men who Killed Czech Prostitute get Life Sentences in Germany
				Enforced Sterilization of Romany Women
				International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005
				Women and Power in Central Asia (Part One)
				Women and Power in Central Asia (Part Two)
				Women and Power in Central Asia (Part Three)
				Women and Power in Central Asia (Part Four)