WUNRN
1325
PeaceWomen E-News
Issue #97
January 2008
2008: A Year For
Action
Responses to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Conflict
The Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, 31 October 2000.
For the full
text of the resolution, please CLICK HERE
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THIS ISSUE OF 1325 PEACEWOMEN E-NEWS FEATURES:
1.
Editorial: 2008: A Year For Action
2.
Women, Peace and Security News
3. Feature
Initiatives: Congolese Women's Campaign Against Sexual
Violence in the DRC; World YWCA Call for Action
4. Feature
Resource: Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission
Report on Situation of Women
5.
Gender
and Peacekeeping Update: News,
Resource and Peacekeeping Watch
6. Translation
Update: Bengali and Romany Translations Now Available
7. NGOWG
Update: The Year
Ahead
8.
Women,
Peace and Security Calendar
The PeaceWomen Project is a project of the Women's International
League for Peace and Freedom. Please visit us at http://www.peacewomen.org
Welcome to this, the first edition of the PeaceWomen 1325 E-News for 2008. This year will be an important one for the PeaceWomen Project as we look forward to the 100th Edition of the E-News at the end of April and exciting plans for developing our website. More importantly, however, we approach this year in the hope that it will be one in which strides are made in concrete implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325. For this we need action. We have thus taken an action-oriented approach to this months edition. In focusing on responses to sexual violence in conflict, we hope to reveal some of the ways in which a multiplicity of actors have responded to an issue which has, over the course of the last year, come to receive much needed public attention.
As our news section (Item 2) reveals, this problem is one that continues in conflicts around the world and sadly, although not surprisingly, has revealed itself in new points of crisis as in the case of Kenya. What these stories also reveal, however, is that there are many actors who are attempting to respond to this violence. To be comprehensive and effective, there needs to be action on many levels from directly addressing incidents of violence, to addressing the circumstances of gender inequality in which it takes place. This range is reflected in this months news from targeted fundraising efforts within the UN to the development of a strategic approach by ministers in South Asia; calls for funding of gender equality programmes in South Africa; and calls for womens participation in elections in Angola and in the Juba peace talks. In the case of Kenya, there are several calls to action including that of the World YWCA in our Feature Initiatives section (Item 3) to, amongst other things, say no to impunity.
Certainly no actions or response to sexual violence will ever be fully effective if impunity is not addressed. As noted in our Feature Resource (Item 4) in relation to the situation of Afghan women, law alone is note enough. Ending impunity will require efforts at the national level and a demonstrated commitment by international actors to ensuring justice for women and the establishment of real and sustainable peace. The commitment of international actors must, however, be one that addresses the needs and concerns of local actors and one that supports these, the most critical of actors. The Congolese Womens Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the DRC (Item 3) calls for just such an approach. Through this Congolese women too are calling for an end to impunity but also, for effective reparation and responses to the violence in the DRC that are effective on the ground. As the campaign notes, the scope of sexual violence in the DRC is a well known reality .and initiatives and calls for mobilization against sexual violence have multiplied over the last four years, but have not brought any concrete results on the ground. This campaign thus aims to ensure that the assistance mobilized goes directly to the victims.
The area of support to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel is one in which there has, in fact, been a very positive development. In December of 2007, the General Assembly adopted a strategy to assist victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel. The adoption of such a strategy is something for which advocates have been pushing for several years. The strategy is featured in our Gender and Peacekeeping Update (Item 5) along with other news and resources on the topic. It is an important development in ensuring that victims are supported through the UN system either through being guided to appropriate services when they first bring complaints or through access to existing resources once such complaints have been established. It also sees important recognition of responsibilities towards children born as a result of these incidents. Although no additional resource commitments have been made by member states at this point, establishing a dedicated fund may be something that will receive attention in the future. The strategy has a built in opportunity for review and reporting after two years. It is thus important that advocates monitor closely the effectiveness of the strategy as it is implemented. Responding to sexual exploitation and abuse more broadly is also the subject of our featured peacekeeping resource from Refugees International (Item 5)
Advances in these concrete and specific ways are vital to implementation of Resolution 1325 and the contribution from the NGO Working Group on women, peace and security (Item 7) puts forward this approach in its preview of the year of advocacy ahead. We at the PeaceWomen Project look forward to working with all of you in this coming year to advance 1325 and ensure accountability for its implementation.
We continue to welcome contributions to the newsletters content. Contributions
for the January 2008 edition should be sent to enewssubmissions@peacewomen.org
by Thursday 14 February 2008.
Global: How did women fare in 2007?
Januay 15, 2008 - (Pambazuka News) Last year saw three female presidents come
into power. In Argentina, left-leaning Cristina Fernandez was elected
president, becoming the country's second ever woman to occupy its highest
office. In her inaugural speech, Fernandez vowed to ensure the conclusion of
the numerous human rights abuses cases arising from the dictatorship era from
1976 to 1983.
UN expert urges action to help women victims of violence in DR
Congo
January 25, 2008 An independent United Nations expert today called for
international action to help women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC) who have been victimized by violence, including sexual abuse and rape,
perpetrated by both militia and Government troops and fostered by a culture of
impunity.
UN Heads Petition to Curb Gender Violence
January 23, 2008 (AllAfrica) The United Nations Foundation (UNF) will donate
$1 for each of the first 100 000 signatures to an online petition aimed at
eliminating violence against women.
Kenya:
Top UN Official Spotlights Spike in Sexual Violence During Crisis
January 22, 2008 - (UN News Service) With reports of increasing sexual assaults
against women displaced by Kenya's post-election violence, a senior United
Nations official today called on the global community to recognize such crimes
as an affront to basic human rights
South asia:SAARC to focus on six areas to end violence against
women
January 19, 2008 -(India eNews) The sixth South Asia regional ministerial
conference, which ended here Saturday, identified six priority areas for the
next two years to tackle gender inequality and violence against women.
The representatives of the eight South Asian Association for Regional
cooperation (SAARC) countries deliberated on a range of issues related to the
condition of women for three days here at the meeting hosted by India's
Ministry of Women and Child Development and Unifem, the UN fund for women.
Arab World Forum Shares Gender Field Notes
January 18, 2008 - (WOMENSENEWS) Gender research in the Arab region drew
conference participants from across the Middle East and North Africa this week.
While challenges and restrictions are abundant at women's studies centers,
degrees and programs are growing. But not everyone could make it.
Angola: Women Called to Participate in Legislative Elections
January 18, 2008 (AllAfrica) The secretary general of Angola's ruling MPLA
party' Women Wing (OMA), Luzia Inglκs Van-Dϊnem "Inga", Friday in
Luanda, appealed to women to actively participate in the training for
leadership and win trust to vote.
South Africa: Govt Must Fund Gender Programmes
January 17, 2008 (AllAfrica) Government should channel finances towards
gender equality and women's empowerment programmes, says Public Service and
Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi.
FIJI ISLANDS:A RESPONSE TO THE LAUNCH OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL
OF BUILDING A BETTER FIJI TODAY
January 16, 2008 -(femLINKPACIFIC) The Interim Prime Minister / Commander of
the Republic of Fiji Military Forces willingness to consider establishing a
specific working group to review the role of the military in Fiji as part of
the process of the Peoples Charter is a welcome move, and a positive indication
of addressing and curbing the coup cycle culture in Fiji. It will also be an
opportunity to review the security sector in Fiji and contribute to the desired
conflict transformation process in Fiji says femLINKPACIFIC Coordinator, Sharon
Bhagwan Rolls.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA: HIGH RATE OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE
January 16, 2008 - (The National) Studies conducted by the Port Moresby General
Hospital (PMGH) reveal an alarming rate of gender-based violence (GBV) cases.
KENYA:
Health workers grappling with conflict-related sexual violence
January 15, 2008 - (IRIN) As Kenya counts the human and material cost of the
political violence, hospitals are reporting an increase in reported rapes
during the immediate post-election period, spurring the government and health
organisations to find ways to treat these cases as well as protect the displaced
from further incidents of sexual violence.
Uganda: NGO Pleads for Inclusion of Women in Juba Peace Talks
January 11, 2008 (The Monitor) The government and the Lords Resistance Army
have been asked to increase the number of women participating in the South
Sudan mediated peace talks, an international NGO has appealed.
COLOMBIA: Hostages Release, Seen from
the Other Side
January 11, 2008 - (IPS) While the international spotlight was shined on two
women hostages released by Colombias FARC guerrillas, IPS interviewed by
telephone a woman who reflects the other side of the hostage crisis.
Zambia: Gender Violence Haunts HIV Positive Women
January 7, 2008 (AllAfrica) Violence against Zambian women is hindering them
from accessing and adhering to HIV treatment, claims a new report by an
international human rights group.
Afghanistan sets up panels for women's rights
January 6, 2008 - (India eNews) The Afghanistan Ministry for Women Affairs has
constituted two new organisations to protect women's rights, a local newspaper
reported Sunday.
Dutch Action Plan 1325
January 2008 - (WPP In Action) "Resolution 1325 (2000) holds out a promise
to women across the globe that their rights will be protected and that barriers
to their equal participation and full involvement in the maintenance and promotion
of sustainable peace will be removed. We must uphold this promise" (UN
Secretary-General's 2004 report on Women, Peace and Security).
For more regional women,
peace and security news, CLICK
HERE
For more international women, peace and security news, CLICK
HERE
Congolese Womens Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the DRC
January 2008
The Congolese Womens Campaign Against Sexual Violence in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) is an initiative launched by womens associations
in Eastern DRC to bolster the fight against sexual violence. The Campaign is
supported by the Coalition for Women's Rights in Conflict Situations.
The scope of sexual violence in the DRC is a well known reality that has been documented and reported by media, NGOs, international institutions and States. Initiatives and calls for mobilization against sexual violence have multiplied over the last four years, but have not brought any concrete results on the ground. Born of the need to bolster the fight against sexual violence, the Campaign aims to ensure that the assistance mobilized goes directly to the victims.
To sign the online petition, please click here
For more information on the campaign, please click here
World YwCA Call for Action
Elections in Kenya resulted in nearly 500 deaths and 250, 000 people are
displaced in the search for safety. Amidst the violence women have been
systematically raped and abused. Gang rape as a means of retaliation is on the
increase and the Nairobi Womens Hospital has recorded a two-fold increase in
rape cases in recent days.The Kenya government last year passed a progressive
sexual offence law and it must be exercised at this time.
The World YWCA is calling on member associations, civil society, partners
and donors to take the action to alleviate the suffering in Kenya by:
1. Donating and supporting ongoing efforts
2. Advocating for womens inclusion in peace building
3. Saying No to impunity for rape and abuse of women
4. Dedicating a prayer session to Kenya
For more information, please click HERE
For more Global & Regional Initiatives, click HERE
For more Country-specific Initiatives, click HERE
Evaluation Report on General Situation of Women in Afghanistan
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission
Women's rights are enshrined in most international human rights treaties to which Afghanistan has joined, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Thus, the Afghan government has an obligation, also mentioned in the Constitution, to observe and respect women rights.
Article 7 of the Constitution reads, The State must abide by the UN Charter, international treaties and international convention that Afghanistan has signed, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.Article 22 of the Constitution says, Any kind of discrimination and privilege between the citizens of Afghanistan are prohibited. The citizens of Afghanistan whether man or woman has equal rights and duties before the law.
However, despite all these treaties and laws and relative development of women in recent years, a myriad of problems for women in political, social, and cultural spheres still persist. One clear example of this is the continuation of sexual and gender-based violence that women experience in Afghanistan.
This report has been prepared on the basis of a study on general status of Afghan women made by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.
To read the full report, please click HERE
For more women, peace and security resources, click HERE
Gender and Peacekeeping News
Haiti: UN
organizes workshop for police to address problem of sexual violence
January 25, 2008 (UN News) United Nations police have trained their Haitian
counterparts serving in Jacmel on dealing with sexual crimes as part of a
broader campaign to tackle the problem.
press conference by headquarters, field mission gender advisers
January 18, 2008 - (UN Press Release) The establishment of gender units in all
United Nations peace missions had been an important outgrowth of the Security
Councils adoption of its landmark resolution 1325 (2000), which emphasizes
increased participation by women at all levels of decision-making in formal
peace processes, Comfort Lamptey, Gender Adviser in the Department of
Peacekeeping Operations said today.
Gender issues in UN peacekeeping focus of New York gathering
January 16, 2008 (UN News Centre) Gender advisers and focal points from all
United Nations peacekeeping missions are meeting at the world bodys
Headquarters in New York on issues related to the specific needs of men and
women in post-conflict situations.
UNMIL sex abuse declines
January 4, 2008 - (afrol News) - There has been a sharp decline in the number
of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse against the United Nations
Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) staff in the last half of last year, a report
revealed.
For more gender and peacekeeping news, please click HERE
New Peacekeeping resource
UN Peacekeeping: Responding to Sexual Exploitation and
Abuse
Refugees International, November 2007
In 2004, the media erupted with allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse
(SEA) levied against UN uniformed and civilian peacekeepers based in Bunia, in
the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. In the three years that have passed
since these reports first surfaced, the UN has taken significant steps to
address the problem, but reports of abuse and exploitation continue.
To read the full report, please click here
Peacekeeping Watch
Peacekeeping Watch is a project focused on monitoring sexual exploitation and abuse by UN Peacekeepers, and documenting efforts to address such abuse. In the past decade, accounts have surfaced of violations committed by peacekeepers against civilians, in a particular women and girls, during UN peacekeeping operations.
Report of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working
Group on Assistance and Support to Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
December 2007 (A/62/595)
The Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Assistance and Support to Victims of
Sexual Exploitation and Abuse held several meetings at United Nations
Headquarters on 19 December 2007. A Draft Resolution on Assistance and Support
to Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse was subsequently adopted.
To read the full report, including the draft resolution, please click here
For more information on Peacekeeping Watch, please click here
For the Gender and Peacekeeping index, please click here
Total number of available 1325 translations: 82
Bengali and Romany Translations Now Available!
Bengali is a native language of eastern South Asia. Bengali is one of the most spoken languages with nearly 230 million of total speakers. It is the primary language spoken in Bangladesh and is the second most spoken language in India.
The Bengali translation was done by Tapati Basu. Mrs. Basu holds a postgraduate degree in Bengali literature. She worked as a tutor for elementary and middle school students. She is a freelance writer, and now lives in West Bengal, India.
The Romani or Romany language belongs to the family of Indo-European languages and is comprised of a number of different dialects. The language is nowhere official, but there are attempts aimed at the creation of a standard language out of all variants. Also, different variants of the language are now in the process of being codified in those countries with high Roma populations.
The Romany translation has been coordinated by Mrs.Soraya Post, president of the International Romani Women's Network.
For more information on translators, please visit :
http://www.peacewomen.org/1325inTranslation/sources.html
Bengali and Romany are among the languages identified as a priority for
translation by women, peace and security advocates. Other languages currently
on this priority list are:
Achehnese (Indonesia)
Acholi/Luo (Northern Uganda, W. Kenya, South Sudan)
Aymara (Bolivia, Peru)
Embera (Colombia)
Hmong (spoken in Laos, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, and Southern China)
Luganda (Uganda)
Malayalam (South Indian)
Mongolian
Oshiwambo (Namibia)
Paez (Colombia)
Pashto (Afghanistan)
Quechua (Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Northern Chile, Argentina, Southern Colombia)
Sangho (Central African Republic)
Wayu (Venezuela)
Wayunaiki (Colombia)
Xhosa (S. Africa)
Zande (Sudan)
Zulu (S. Africa)
If you know of existing translations of 1325 which are not among the 80 on the PeaceWomen website, or would like to volunteer as a translator, suggest potential translators or add languages to the list for priority translation, please contact sam@peacewomen.org
To view the 80 translations, click HERE
USING 1325 IN TRANSLATION
As part of its 1325 Translation Initiative, PeaceWomen is soliciting information on how translations of Resolution 1325 are being used and the impact of these translations on the work of women peace and security advocates.
We invite anyone who has used translations of 1325 for outreach,
advocacy or other purposes, or who may know how translations of the resolution
are being used, to provide us with information detailing among other things:
Which particular translation(s) of 1325 you have used or know are being used
Who carried out the translation (if known) or how the translation(s) was
accessed
The types of activities for which this translation(s) has been used (e.g.
workshops, radio programs) and your views about the impact of such activities
in promoting resolution 1325
What you believe to be the importance of translating Resolution 1325 into local languagesKindly contribute to the Using 1325 in Translation effort by responding to these questions or submitting any other information on translating UNSCR 1325 to info@peacewomen.org
For more information on the using 1325 in translation initiative, please click HERE
The Year Ahead
More than seven years after the adoption of SCR 1325, the need for its full
implementation is more urgent than ever. Continued violence threatens the
future of millions of women and their communities; women remain marginalized
from formal decision-making processes and from security issues; and gender
considerations too rarely inform the policy and practice of the international
community in conflict-affected regions. At the same time, there is growing
recognition of the valuable contribution women can make to conflict prevention
and the building of sustainable peace, and the skills and resources they bring
to these processes.
As a key catalyst in advocacy for the integration of gender perspectives in all peace and security, conflict prevention, conflict management and peacebuilding initiatives of the United Nations, the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security (NGOWG), via its strategic positioning at UN headquarters, has played an important global role in raising awareness of the principles and provisions of SCR 1325.
Together with its growing network of gender and security experts, the NGOWG
has built a constituency of women, peace and security advocates among UN Member
States, high-level UN decision makers, and civil society internationally
working on peacebuilding initiatives at the national and local levels. Through
its members networks, the NGOWG acts as connectors at the international level,
linking UN policy processes/actors with the work of grassroots women
peacebuilders.
In 2008, the NGOWG, building on the work of its member organizations, will
strive to unpack and advance key women, peace and security issues, moving them
forward to concretely address and target specific gaps, key issues and actors.
The coalition will focus on addressing some of the key implementation
challenges and will seek to build new partnerships and generate more
substantive knowledge around the implementation of SCR 1325 including:
Among the advocacy initiatives in 2008, the NGOWG will release a report on Accountability and SCR 1325. For more information on the work of the NGOWG, visit www.womenpeacesecurity.org . The full website will be available February 2008.
At What Cost?: Women, Wars, Weapons and Conflict
Prevention
2008 International Women's Day Seminar, Geneva, Switzerland
March 5, 2008: NGO conference at International Conference Centre
March 6 2008: Dialogue among NGOs, governments and UN officials at U.N., Geneva
Since 1984, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) has worked with other NGOs to organise a seminar linking 8 March International Women's Day with disarmament, peace and security issues. Each year, a report and statement from the NGO conference has been read into the record of the Conference on Disarmament (CD), the only official oral statement from NGOs to this body. This year the seminar will be in two parts.
The deadline to register is February 25, 2008.
For more information, please click HERE
Third African Conference on Sexual
Health and Rights, Sexuality, Poverty and Accountability in Africa
February 4-7, 2008, Abuja, Nigeria
The goal of the conference is to examine the interrelationships between poverty and sexuality and also how the issue of accountability affects sexual health and social well-being in Africa.
For more information, please click HERE
Mainstreaming gender equality in the World of Work
(distance learning course)
February 4-July 31, 2008, Turin, Italy
International Training Center, Gender Coordination Unit
The overall purpose of this course is to help advancing the ILO Decent Work agenda by supporting ILO constituents and staff, member countries' representatives and other development agents in developing skills to integrate gender equality concerns into their programmes and actions.
For more information, please click HERE
Gender, poverty and employment (distance learning
course)
February 4-July 31, 2008, Turin, Italy
International Training Center, Gender Coordination Unit
The GPE programme is meant to contribute to the local, national and international endeavours to fight poverty through the promotion of Decent Work for women and men; by strengthening capacities to examine the inter-linkages between gender, poverty and employment; design, implement and assess gender-sensitive anti-poverty and employment policies and programmes; integrate the gender and decent work perspective into national and international policy agendas on poverty reduction; stimulating effective debate and action at the international, national and regional level; strengthening the ability of development agents (from international organizations, national institutions and NGOs and to provide assistance in this area.
For more information, please click HERE
Public Trial to celebrate Women Against Rapes 30th
anniversary: The rape of justice: Whos guilty?
Saturday February 16, 2008 2-5 pm (Doors open 1.30pm)
Trinity United Reformed Church, Buck St, London NW1 8NJ, UK (1 min Camden Town
tube)
Come and testify or be the jury! All welcome. Women will testify about
experiences of dealing with sexual, domestic and other violence - and with
police, prosecutors, courts, asylum/immigration officers or other authorities
responsible for justice and protection. Male survivors also welcome. Anonymity
respected. Accessible entrance, accessible toilet nearby.
For more information, please click HERE
"Sex slaves"-Film Screening and Discussion
Wednesday February 20, 2008 6:30pm -8:30pm,
The Sister Fund, 79 5th Avenue #4, New York, NY
GS Justice Peace Team
For more information, please click HERE
52nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women
February 25 - March 7, 2008, UN Headquarters, New York, USA
UN Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW)
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. It is the principal global policy-making body. Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide.
CSW will consider the theme: Financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women at its 52nd session.
For more information, please click HERE
Call For Papers: WOMENS WORLDS 2008
July 3-9, 2008 Madrid, Spain
Womens Worlds / Mundos de Mujeres
The 10th International Interdisciplinary Congress on Women, Womens Worlds / Mundos de Mujeres 2008, will be held in Madrid, Spain, at the Complutense University. The motto of the Congress is Equality: no Utopia and the general theme New Frontiers: Dares, Challenges and Changes. Violence and migrations will be part of the central themes. Individuals and/or groups, as well as public and private organizations interested in the Congress themes are invited to submit their proposals.
The deadline for participation grants is February 4, 2008, and proposals will be accepted until February 28, 2008.
For more information, please click HERE
Engendering Leadership Through Research &
Practice, Gender, Work & Organization
July 22-24, 2008, University of Western Australia (UWA) Business School, Perth,
Western Australia
The overall aim of this international conference is to generate new thinking about gender and leadership by providing a creative forum for interaction between leadership scholars, researchers, practitioners and policy makers from across the world.
Registration will open early in February 2008. Abstracts of 500 words are
due by February 15, 2008;
papers of 3000-5000 words are due by May 30, 2008
For more information, please click HERE
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