International and Regional News
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UN-INSTRAW
Hosts On-Line Discussion on Gender Training for Military, Police and
Peacekeepers
The
recommendations of an e-discussion hosted by the United Nations International
Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women
(UN-INSTRAW), the Geneva Centre
for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and the OSCE Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) were released on the eve of
a three-day “training of trainers” in gender equality for personnel from
various UN peacekeeping missions. (More
information)
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UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Commends Women’s Rights
Committee
The
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, praised the Committee
on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
for its work on monitoring countries’ compliance with the Convention on the
Elimination of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW). (More
information)
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Discrimination and Inequality
Jeopardize the Millennium Development Goals, says High Commissioner for Human
Rights
The
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, issued a
statement on the midpoint of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),
stating, "The global snapshot at the halfway point* of the MDGs does not
make for happy reading. Despite progress in some areas and in some parts of
the world, it appears that Governments are not honouring the commitments they
have made.” (More
information)
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Hemispheric Women’s Commission Executive Meeting Highlights
Gender Equity Issues
With gender equality,
gender-based violence and the problem of poverty prominent on its agenda, the
Inter-American Commission of Women
(CIM) opened a meeting of its 2006-2008 Executive Committee at the
Organization of American States (OAS). Assistant Secretary General Albert R.
Ramdin called for an “inter-American partnership on gender issues” that would
facilitate the creation of effective regional strategies. (More
information)
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Center for Women's
Global Leadership Organizes Campaign to End Violence against Women
For
the 2007 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence, the organizers will
focus on overcoming obstacles to women’s human rights advocacy. Some of the
goals that were identified include increasing funding to prevent violence
against women; securing greater commitment on the part of states; raising
awareness among men and boys and engaging them to help prevent violence
against women. (More
information)
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Call for Action on Girls' Rights Abuses
Plan
UK
announces its intention to mount an eight-year drive to tackle discrimination
against girls. As part of its push the agency will follow the lives of 125
baby girls living in nine developing countries as part of a cohort study on
girl's rights and gender discrimination. (More
information)
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UN Special Rapporteur on
Trafficking Restrained in Bangladesh
and Not Permitted to Fulfill UN Obligations
UN
Watch released new details
confirming that the Bangladeshi government is blocking Ms. Sigma Huda, the UN
Human Rights Council's investigator of human trafficking, from leaving the
country to address a scheduled session in Geneva. (More
information)
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Committee on Economic, Cultural
and Social Rights Concludes Thirty-Eighth Session
The
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights concluded on 18 May its
three-week spring session by adopting its concluding observations and
recommendations on the reports of Nepal, Hungary, the Netherlands (Antilles),
Finland and Latvia which it considered during the session. (More
information)
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Committee against Torture
Concludes Thirty-Eighth Session
The
Committee against Torture today concluded its thirty-eighth session and
issued its concluding observations and recommendations on reports from Denmark, Luxembourg,
Italy, the Netherlands, Ukraine,
Japan and Poland, which
it reviewed during the session. (More
information)
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UN Human Rights Committee Calls on Serbia to Address Discrimination
Against Romani Women
The
UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women
(CEDAW) recently finished an
evaluation of Serbia’s
compliance with the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW),
which Serbia
signed in 2006. The Committee concluded that women from the historically
nomadic Romani ethnic group are particularly vulnerable to sex and gender
discrimination and highlighted areas which the Serbian government must
immediately target if it is going to improve the situation of Romani women. (More
information)
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National News
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 Armenia
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Armenia
Claims It Will Not Try For EU or
NATO Membership (More
information)
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 Bulgaria
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Vice-Minister
Hristova Meets American Human Rights Advocates Visiting Bulgaria (More
information)
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About
Trafficking, Prostitution, Pornography, Drugs, Vodka and More… (More
information)
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 Czech Republic
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Will the Czech Republic Compensate Women Sterilized against Their Will? (More
information)
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Czech
Republic Proposes Compensation for Victims of
Forced Sterilization (More
information)
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 Egypt
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Egypt's Health Ministry
Takes Steps to Eliminate Female Genital Mutilation (More information)
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 Germany
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Head
of German NGO Speaks on the Government's Response to Human Trafficking (More
information)
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 Kosovo
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Human
Trafficking in Kosovo Remains a Problem (More
information)
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Protection
Measures Help Combat Domestic Violence in Kosovo (More
information)
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 Montenegro
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Seminar
“Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in Montenegro
– Protection of Victims and Criminal Prosecution of Traffickers” Organised in
Montenegro
(More
information)
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Training
for Women “Political
Communication” Held in Montenegro
(More
information)
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 Nepal
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Nepal
Passes Anti-Trafficking Bill (More
information)
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 Russian Federation
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First
Human Trafficking Case Brought in Arctic
Republic (More
information)
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 Sierra Leone
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Sierra
Leone: Gender Laws Mean Greater Rights and
Protection for Women (More
information)
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 Tajikistan
·
OSCE
Gender Equality Training in Tajikistan
(More
information)
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 Thailand
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Thailand
Passes New Law Criminalizing Marital Rape (More
information)
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 United Arab Emirates
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United
Arab Emirates Establishes National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (More information)
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 United Kingdom
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Police
in Britain Address FGM (More
information)
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Head
Cameras to Be Used by Police Officers in England
and Wales
to Help Fight Domestic Abuse (More
information)
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 Ukraine
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OSCE
Project Coordinator to Train Ukrainian Journalists on Reporting on Human
Trafficking (More
information)
|
 USA
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Abuse
Assessments Often Ignored in Custody Disputes (More
information)
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One
in Twenty Women in US Are Abused
during Pregnancy (More
information)
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U.S. Representatives
Vote to Increase VAWA and VOCA
Federal Funding (More
information)
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 Vietnam
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Vietnam Justice Department
Issues Regulations on Foreign Marriages (More information)
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New Research and Reports
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WHO Issues
2007 Report on Interpersonal Violence Prevention
Governments
around the world are taking new and stronger measures to quell interpersonal
violence and its life-long health consequences, a new WHO
report shows. In the context of Milestones 2007, the WHO report documents progress in countries since
2002. (More
information)
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PICUM Report Points to Problems in
Human Trafficking Public Policy Framing
The
Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) has
produced a public policy brief addressing current public policy standards
that define and work to combat human trafficking. (More
information)
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Global Peace Indicators Fail to
Include Domestic Violence
The
Global Peace Index is a ranking system which proposes to classify the nations
of the world by their level of “peace” for their people. While the
Index does include factors such as “ongoing domestic and international
conflict,” “safety and security,” within the country, and level of
militarization, it fails to address a widespread form of violence, i.e.
violence that occurs within the home against women and children. (More
information)
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Financial Training for Domestic
Abuse Survivors
The
National Network to End Domestic Violence Fund has partnered with the
domestic violence program of the Allstate Foundation to create a
five-workbook curriculum for domestic violence survivors. The curriculum
addresses issues ranging from the first few weeks through the first few years
of economic independence, with a focus on survival, safety, and
self-sufficiency. (More
information)
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GAATW
Releases Newsletter Examining Process of Seeking Compensation in Trafficking
Cases
The
Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women
(GAATW) has just released their
latest newsletter, the second part in a two-part series which examines the
rights of trafficked persons to access justice. (More
information)
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Human Rights Study Shows that
Obstacles to Citizenship in Thailand
Lead to Vulnerability to Human Trafficking
Vital
Voices Global Partnership announces its new study, 'Stateless and Vulnerable
to Human Trafficking in Thailand.'
This report examines the legal obstacles to obtaining citizenship for tribal
people in northern Thailand
and their subsequent vulnerability to human trafficking. (More
information)
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UNIFEM Training Module for Gender
Equality Advocates
UNIFEM
has published a training module designed to aid advocates of gender equality
to promote and support the implementation of the Convention to End all forms
of Discrimination Against Women
(CEDAW) and the United Nations
Security Council resolution 1325. (More
information)
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NGO Shadow Report on the Treatment of Roma People in the Czech Republic
The
European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), in coalition with other NGOs, produced a
Shadow Report to supplement the July 2007 UNHR Committee’s review of the Czech Republic. The report focused
particularly on the government’s obligations to the Roma people under the
International Covenant for Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). (More
information)
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Conference on Austrian Model of
Intervention in Cases of Domestic Violence Issues Report
The
Autonomous Women's Center in Belgrade, working within
the Council of Europe Campaign to Combat Violence against Women, recently organized a conference entitled
"An Austrian model of intervention in cases of domestic violence.”
Participants have compiled a report of their experiences and recommendations.
(More
information)
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Journey to Safety Video and Facilitator's Guide Now
Available
Journey
to Safety is an artistic stage presentation of the challenges facing battered
refugee and immigrant women when negotiating legal, medical and government
systems. Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights and Pangea World Theater have created the Journey to Safety
Video and Facilitators Guide to allow a wider audience access to this
important and effective learning tool. (More
information)
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Family Violence Prevention Fund Conducts
Poll on Men's Attitudes toward Domestic Violence
Researchers
for Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) recently conducted a poll on men’s
attitudes on violence against women. (More
information)
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New Online Resource for Women with Disabilities Who
Have Experienced Domestic Violence
The
U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence against Women (OVW)
and the Vera Institute of Justice have collaborated to produce a new website,
www.accessingsafety.org, which provides resources for individuals with
disabilities who are victims of violence. (More
information)
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UN Guide to Women’s
Land, Property and Housing Rights
UN-HABITAT
has published a report on women's land, property and housing rights in an
effort to further gender equality in this area of women's security. (More
information)
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New Guide for Mothers Who
Have Experienced Domestic Abuse
The
Family Violence Prevention Fund has published a guide for victims of domestic
violence who are mothers and have children under supervised visitation with
the father. (More
information)
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ASEAN Issues Report to Help Combat
Human Trafficking
The
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has declared itself committed
to fighting human trafficking within its member states and has issued a
report to assist those nations with this task. (More
information)
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About
STOPVAW
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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 the former Soviet Union (FSU), 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 Angela Bortel, Mary Ellingen, Mary Hunt,
Rosalyn Park, Robin
Phillips, and Cheryl Thomas.
Current interns and volunteers include Zara Bohan, Karen
Bridges, Sasha Choulenina, Dani Sollars, Lily Troia, and Erin White.
For more information about
STOPVAW, please contact the Website Administrator at stopvaw@mnadvocates.org.
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