Category Archives: WOMEN’S EQUALITY

UN Women: Leave No One Behind – End Violence against Women and Girls

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from UN Women

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign spanning from 25 November through 10 December, is taking place this year against the backdrop of an unprecedented global outcry. Millions have rallied behind the hashtag #MeToo and other campaigns, exposing the sheer magnitude of sexual harassment and other forms of violence that women everywhere suffer, every day. Breaking the silence is the first step to transforming the culture of gender-based violence.


Young school girls organize themselves before the March to End Gender-Based Violence in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. One sign reads: “Refrain from using abusive language for Women and Children”. Photo: UN Women/Deepika Nath

At the heart of this year’s theme, “Leave No One Behind – End Violence against Women”, for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November) and UNiTE Campaign’s observance of the 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women (25 November – 10 December), is the imperative to support those who are particularly vulnerable. The UNiTE Campaign is calling on everyone to join the movement to end violence against women, using the colour orange to make your action visible. Find out how you can take action►

One in three women and girls experience violence in their lifetime—that is one too many. It happens in every country and every society. It happens at home, in schools, on the streets, at work, on the internet and in refugee camps. It happens during war, and even in the absence of war. Too often, it is normalized and goes unpunished.

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Click here for the version in Spanish of this article, or click here for the version in French)

Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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No matter where violence against women happens, what form it takes, and whom it impacts, it must be stopped. The promise of the Sustainable Development Goals—to leave no one behind—cannot be fulfilled without ending violence against women.

Ending violence against women and girls is possible. There are proven solutions for supporting and empowering survivors to stop the reoccurrence of this violence. Laws and policies are powerful tools to punish perpetrators, provide justice and services, and end impunity. There are many ways that we can resist and prevent violent norms, attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate violence against women, and everyone has a role in it.

While gender-based violence can happen to anyone, anywhere, some women and girls are particularly vulnerable—for instance, young girls and older women, women who identify as lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex, migrants and refugees, indigenous women and ethnic minorities, or women and girls living with HIV and disabilities, and those in humanitarian crises. See our top stories from around the world that show what it means to leave no one behind, and what people are doing to stop the cycle of violence against women.

Join the conversation
#Orangetheworld in #16days

Join the conversation and Orange the World in 16 Days on social media! Hashtags: #orangetheworld and #16days

Join the ‘Orange the World’ Event page on Facebook and post photos and actions happening in your country during the 16 Days of Activism.

Orange your Facebook wall, Instagram and Twitter accounts with a variety of images, banners and promotional material. A social media package with sample messages in English, Spanish and French is available here.

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article)

global, United Nations, WOMEN'S EQUALITY,

Creating a new normal, students across Bangladesh say no more sexual harassment

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from UN Women

Women, everywhere, have had enough. Around the world, they are saying #metoo, no longer willing to suffer sexual harassment in silence. In cities across Bangladesh, sexual harassment against women is a daily reality. A project implemented by the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA) and UN Women in four major universities is engaging male and female students, as well as teachers, to challenge gender stereotypes, speak out and learn how to prevent sexual harassment. Koyesh Miah from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology and Sumaya Rahman Kanti from the University of Rajshahi, recently spoke to UN Women about their experience. They too, have had enough, and will not be silent bystanders.


caption: Students gather to share their experience and organize to prevent sexual harassment on campus.

It’s simple they say. “Let’s learn to respect women as our equals!” says 23-year-old student Koyesh Miah, from Sylhet.

In homes, schools and public spaces across Bangladesh, women and girls face sexual harassment every day. “Many men in Bangladesh do not see women as equals in any respect. Gender-based violence and harassment is considered normal,” says Miah. “Growing up, we saw discrimination against girls everywhere. They get less food and poorer education than boys; throughout their lives, they receive fewer opportunities than their male counterparts.”

“Before we joined the campaign group, many of us thought [sexual harassment] was harmless fun…We didn’t realize how our behaviour affected women and girls.

Through the campaign, students got the opportunity to hear from their female classmates about the way they feel about sexual harassment. It helped us understand how much this so-called ‘funny’ behaviour humiliated women and girls…how it affects their self-esteem, confidence, mobility and opportunities.

Today I know how to raise my voice against sexual harassment. Whenever and wherever a girl faces harassment in front of me, now I never think twice about protesting.”
 
Until recently, Miah used to be a silent bystander, like many others when other men sexually harassed women. Since participating in the “Building Capacity to Prevent Violence Against Women Project” implemented by UN Women and Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA), things are changing and Miah fully understands the serious ramifications of sexual harassment and is ready to tackle it head on.

The project, which started two years back in October 2015, was initiated in four major universities across Bangladesh—Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Sylhet, East West University in Jahangirnagar, University of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and the University of Rajshahiin Rajshahi—with generous support from Embassy of Sweden in Dhaka. The project has set up Sexual Harassment Prevention Committees (SHPC) which meet weekly or monthly, and provide a safe space for students to share their experience and organize to prevent sexual harassment on campus.

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Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

What role should men play to stop violence against women?

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During one of Miah’s campus meetings, a student shared how her friend was being harassed by a guard outside their hostel. When the harassment escalated, she reported the incident. The guard was transferred, but not fired. Miah uses this case as an example and says “this made us realize how difficult it is for girls to feel safe when someone who is supposed to protect them acts like this.”

On the other side of the country, Sumaya Rahman Kanti, aged 21, from the University of Rajshahi in the north-west part of the Bangladesh, believes that it is crucial to involve men in campaigns against sexual harassment. She says, “men must strongly say no to sexual harassment first and act accordingly. They shouldn’t walk away from any situation where a girl is being harassed, rather, they should take immediate steps to prevent any form of sexual harassment or violence.”

“Women are being harassed regularly regardless of how they look, what they wear, or what their educational or family background is.
There are laws, but no implementation… Women shouldn’t wait for someone to protect them or to speak for them. If we don’t ask for justice, if we don’t ask for change, nobody will come forward.”
 
Kanti knows, first-hand, the impact of sexual harassment: “As a female student, I know how other female students suffer, and the kinds of barriers and obstacles they need to overcome. I have faced this harassment too, and I don’t want any other girl to suffer what I’ve suffered, and I want to make people understand that being born a girl in our society is not a sin.”

UN Women has helped in establishing and expanding on-campus mechanisms in all four universities to prevent violence and support survivors. Sexual Harassment Prevention Committees now manage dedicated telephone hotlines, among other forms of assistance, and have clearly defined procedures for investigations, as well as referrals to university authorities and law enforcement.

“Changing the culture starts with the young,” says Mahatabul Hakim, UN Women Programme Analyst in Bangladesh.. “We started this project because there was an urgent need for an intervention. A survey by UN Women in 2013 showed that 765 female students faced sexual harassment within university campuses in Bangladesh. The project targeted male and female students, so that together they can create a new normal by refusing to accept sexual harassment against women.”

Both Miah and Kanti feel that these campaigns in their campuses have been extremely helpful. Kanti has seen a change on campus and among leaders of student unions, which are affiliated to various political parties. She says, “before the campaign, many political leaders misused their power to harass female students. However, this year they’re involved with our campaign, and they have committed to protest and take necessary actions to prevent any kind of harassment they see around.”

Koyesh Miah agrees, adding: “Today I know how to raise my voice against sexual harassment. Whenever and wherever a girl faces harassment in front of me, now I never think twice about protesting.”

Using theatre, music, arts and sport, students and faculty have engaged 20,000 people in the last two years. The momentum for change continues to build, as more students like Kanti and Miah step in to stop sexual harassment and start challenging the various forms of gender inequality in their daily lives.

As the next step of the programme, UN Women is working with university authorities to strengthen institutional response to violence against women on campus. Safety Audits have been completed in all four universities; authorities will be trained on gender-responsive budgeting, so that appropriate resources are allocated to prevent violence; and accountability mechanisms within universities will also be strengthened.

South Asia, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mexico: Expanding the Women’s Network against Gender Violence

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from the Heraldo de Coatzacoalcos

As part of the program “Strengthening for Security” (Fortaseg) carried out by the City Council of Coatzacoalcos and the program Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF), under the direction of its Gender Unit, 25 women from the Benito Juárez Norte colony received their certificates as members of the Women’s Network against Gender Violence.

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Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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The Director of Gender Unit of the DIF, Liliana Alonso Martínez, stressed that more women will be added to the network. Its purpose is outreach to women who have been victims of violence so that they know where to go to request assistance, whether legal, medical or psychological.

Within the framework of this accreditation, dozens of people gathered inside Plaza Forum, to add their signatures against gender violence and in favor of a culture of peace in Coatzacoalcos.

(click here for the original Spanish version of this article.)

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Agents of Peace: Hakamat Women in North Darfur Promote Peaceful Coexistence in the State

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Relief Web

Yesterday, around 30 Hakamas and 10 key influential community leaders and native administrators in North Darfur have participated in a two day community outreach peace forum facilitated by both UNAMID Civil Affairs and UNDP.

The forum aimed at supporting a culture of peace involving mediating intercommunal disputes and promoting inter-communal peaceful coexistence, enhancement of dialogue and strengthening the social fabrics in North Darfur through the active engagement of women.


Hakamat women

The Hakama women who traditionally chant songs instigating tribal war leaders to fight in the frontlines are now being taught ways to propagate peace messages like peace songs and other peace building initiatives in their communities instead of singing war songs.

The community outreach forum also aimed at enhancing and promoting gender mainstreaming in peace building initiatives and conflict resolution through involving Hakamat in mediation and peace talks.

In addition, a strategy for promoting peaceful coexistence and conflict prevention through traditional resolution mechanisms was devised with the aim of encouraging female led initiatives in North Darfur.

One of the Hakamas, Bakhita Musa , remarked at the closing of the workshop, “This workshop really provided me with so many useful insights especially towards the role of women in peace building and how violence against women must end. We the Hakamas call for all these virtues in our songs.” Bakhita then sang a new song composed especially for that day for the audience where in an expressive voice chanting “Peace Breeze is coming, put the gun down” .

Question for this article
Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mexico: Expanding the Women’s Network against Gender Violence

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from the Heraldo de Coatzacoalcos

As part of the program “Strengthening for Security” (Fortaseg) carried out by the City Council of Coatzacoalcos and the program Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF), under the direction of its Gender Unit, 25 women from the Benito Juárez Norte colony received their certificates as members of the Women’s Network against Gender Violence.

(article continued in right column)

Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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The Director of Gender Unit of the DIF, Liliana Alonso Martínez, stressed that more women will be added to the network. Its purpose is outreach to women who have been victims of violence so that they know where to go to request assistance, whether legal, medical or psychological.

Within the framework of this accreditation, dozens of people gathered inside Plaza Forum, to add their signatures against gender violence and in favor of a culture of peace in Coatzacoalcos.

(click here for the original Spanish version of this article.)

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Brazil: Government of Espirito Santo launches movement to stop violence against women

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Aqui Noticias (translated by CPNN)

The Government of the State, through the Secretaries of State of Public Security and Social Defense (Sesp) and Human Rights (Sedh), launched, on Tuesday morning, October 10, a movement to raise awareness of violence against woman. The action is intended to promote, together with the society of the state of Espírito Santo, a culture of peace and confrontation of violence.


Photo: Leonardo Duarte / Secom

An advertising campaign will be launched in the media to promote reflection, debate and the protection of women, with the objective of reducing the high levels of violence in the state of Espírito Santo. In addition to this initiative, educational videos on social networks will also be released in the coming months, inviting the most diverse sectors of society to discuss the theme.

In a speech, Governor Paulo Hartung asked that the Movement to Combat Violence against Women be joined by everyone in the society. “The problem is a challenge to the state and we invite everyone in Espírito Santo to join forces: government authorities, institutions, public sector, society and churches. Public institutions have a responsibility to make public policies and make evaluations, but the government cannot deal with a challenge like this by itself. This is not a license for omission, but it is a summons. This is the role of a leader in the face of a calamity such as the violence against women that we face in our State and in Brazil. We have the capacity to change the reality of Espírito Santo regarding these indicators that are a great embarrassment to us. Good government is one that dialogues with society and recognizes its limitations.”

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Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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To this end, the governor stressed that the theme should also be introduced in each family and that it is necessary to mobilize everyone in order to end the culture of machismo in Espírito Santo.

“A child who watches his father assaulting his mother learns the culture of violence. It is this behavior that we need to stop in order to strengthen the culture of peace. The challenge is to turn this action into a powerful mobilization to end machismo and change the culture of “ownership” that men have over women. If we manage to involve everyone in the society, I am sure that each one of us will deal better with his frustrations, losses and life challenges. It is necessary to change the way of thinking of some men in Espirito Santo, and ensure that women do not allow the perpetuation of violence. We have a “homework” for everyone: to remove from the scene the culture of violence and brutality and to promote a culture of peace,” concluded the governor.

According to Secretary André Garcia, the event aims to make this discussion part of the family environment, since the most diverse types of violence against women start within the home.

“It is a set of initiatives to change the current reality, which is worrying: feminicide is the final stage of domestic violence against women. The autonomy of women is repressed by violence when women are treated as objects. Since the government can not do everything, the society needs to help and reflect on how it can contribute to changing that reality,” said André Garcia.

The Secretary of State for Human Rights, Julio Pompeu, emphasizes that the moment has come to invite all the population of the state of Espírito Santo to speak up in the face of any kind of violence against women.

“As a society we can be much better than we are and for this we need to be all committed to change that situation, that we all embrace our movement and that we fight together to end violence against women,” said the Secretary of Human Rights,” Julio Pompeu.

In addition to authorities, representatives of social movements, engaged in the protection of women, were present at the event.

(Click here for the original version in Portuguese)

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Egypt: Women’s Conference in Gharbia organizes “Women’s Peacemaker” conference

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Soutalomma (Google translation from original Arabic)

The National Council for Women in Gharbia Governorate organized a conference in the conference hall of the governorate’s General Directorate entitled “Women Who Make Peace Together against Extremism and Terrorism”, on the occasion of the International Day of Peace, in the presence of Mr. Ahmed Saqer, Governor of Al Gharbia, Major General Ahmed Saqr, Governor of Al Gharbia, Dr. Saad Al-Zant, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies and Communication Ethics, and Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim, Dean of the Faculty of Law Tanta University, Dr. Zeinab Abu El Fadl, Professor of Jurisprudence at the Faculty of Arts, Dr. Yasser Qansouh, Professor of Political Philosophy at the Faculty of Arts, and Dr. Rania El Kilani, Assistant Professor of Sociology at the Faculty of Arts and a number of executive leaders at the government level.


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Question for this article

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

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The aim of the conference was to consolidate the role of women in establishing a culture of peace, fighting extremism, stirring brotherly spirit among the people of the homeland, rejecting hate speech, rejecting the other and consolidating the role of women in dealing with the effects of terrorist events and restoring national balance.

Al-Gharbi stressed in his speech the pivotal role of women in consolidating culture of peace and eradicating terrorism and extremism through educating children especially in light of the circumstances and challenges faced by the country, pointing out the need to observe the behavior of children and work on their evaluation.

The Governor of Gharbia praised the role of Dr. Safaa Mara’i, Rapporteur of the National Council for Women in the West Branch in supporting the role of women through continuing courses to raise awareness of women in all fields and to identify the problems of rural women and to present them to the officials to solve them. During the conference, Al-Gharbia in supporting the role of women in Gharbia province and thanked him for his interest in the activities of the Council, pointing out the role of women in society and facing terrorism through proper education.

Mideast, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Feminist icons join bid to upend Congo’s rape capital reputation

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article by Sebastien Malo from the Thomson Reuters Foundation

Leading feminist figures from around the world lent their support on Thursday to scores of Congolese women gathered in a bid to end the Central African country’s rape epidemic.

Giving women a role in peace efforts in the conflict-torn nation could help address its astronomical rate of sexual violence, they said, which has earned it the tag of “rape capital of the world.”

More than 400,000 women are raped in Congo every year, and much of the sexual violence is considered to be a by-product of years of fighting.

The women, hailing from each of Congo’s provinces and meeting in Kinshasa, linked up via social media with Liberian Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee and Ms. magazine co-founder Gloria Steinem in New York.

Involving Congolese women in ending the nation’s ongoing political turmoil would help establish the law and order needed to prevent rape, they said.

Gbowee, who was co-awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for her work for peace and women’s rights, warned against incendiary politics getting in the way.

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Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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“Peace is more important than any political ideology,” she said.

“You have to tell yourselves ‘For us to start this journey, for us to work together collectively to sustain the peace in Congo, we have to put aside those things that will easily take us from on track’.”

A string of ethnically motivated attacks including rapes has been reported in recent months as Congo’s government has been fighting insurgents in the central Kasai region.

Violence in Congo follows President Joseph Kabila’s decision to stay in power beyond the end of his two-term mandate. It has escalated amid fears that a presidential election may not take place.

Speaking from her native South Africa, Navi Pillay, the former U.N. rights chief who rose to prominence as an anti-apartheid lawyer, said she was reminded of her own country’s struggles in establishing democracy for all.

“I feel for you right now because we also twenty years ago started like you did, we got into a room, all the women,” she said.

“Even though we disagreed with one another, we agreed on the principle points we want which is equality and fundamental rights and democracy.”

Gbowee, Steinem and Pillay were joined on the Donor Direct Action Facebook Live broadcast by television series creator Lena Dunham, actress Meryl Streep and Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallström, who called Congo the rape capital in comments she made as a United Nations Special Representative on sexual violence in conflict.

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article)

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mexico: Authorities agree on actions to prevent violence against women

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from La Razón (translated by CPNN)

The Undersecretary for Human Rights of the Ministry of the Interior, Roberto Campa Cifrián, met with members of the National Network of Women for a Life Free of Violence in order to follow up on the commitments made by the Government of the Republic to prevent and eradicate violence against women.

The Undersecretary, along with the president of INMujeres, Lorena Cruz, and the National Commissioner for the Prevention and Eradication of Violence against Women (CONAVIM), Alejandra Negrete Morayta, discussed, among other things, inconsistencies between the existing regulations and the General Law of Women’s Access to a Life Free of Violence.

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(click here for the original Spanish version of this article.)

Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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In this regard, the members of the National Network proposed to set up a multidisciplinary task force for the Mechanism of Alert of Gender Violence against Women (AVGM), composed of experts from the ALV, CONAVIM, INMujeres, the National Security Commission, Commissioner of the UN, CONAGO, CONAPRED, CEAV and PGR, in order to ensure the right of women to a life free of violence and to follow up on the governmental actions directed to the entities and municipalities concerned by the AVGM.

They also proposed the installation of a mechanism to monitor the alerts by the civil society in order to assess the implementation of the process; the creation of a Specialized Human Rights Prosecutor’s Office, with broad powers to punish severely any authorities responsible for the impunity of feminicidal violence in Mexico.

They also proposed considering the incorporation of some human rights defenders from the alert process into the Protection Mechanism for Human Rights Defenders and Journalists to safeguard their integrity and security.

Undersecretary Campa Cifrián, the head of INMujeres, Cruz Sánchez, and CONAVIM commissioner Negrete Morayta endorsed the government’s provision and offered to follow up on the proposals submitted, reflecting the commitment of the Government of the Republic to women and their right to a life free of violence.

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Women’s Council for Peace in Colombia created by indigenous women

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from FILAC – The Fund for the Development of the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean

Seeking greater political participation and with the intention of working for peace, especially in their community, but also in the country, the indigenous women of Colombia have created a Council of Women for Peace.


(Click on photo to enlarge)

In Colombia, women belonging to the indigenous peoples of the region consider that they have had to face “armed conflict, psychological violence” and even “conflicts in their home”, according to Margarita Rodríguez, an indigenous representative.
 
The council in question was presented along with appropriate rituals and the name Conamic, National Council of Women of Colombia. The group includes representatives of the 10 Colombian indigenous peoples and will immerse itself in the world of politics with the intention of generating peace.

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Question for this article

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

(Article continued from the left column)

In Colombia there are more than two million indigenous people belonging to 102 villages, according to the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia, known by its acronym ONIC.
 
Margarita belongs to the Sikuani people. During the meeting in which they made the council official, she revealed that they have been meeting since 2013 and emphasized that it is not a last minute decision, but something that they have been working for and thinking about for some time.
 
Nasa, Pasto, Tanacona, Sikuani, Misak, Emberá, Wayú, Arhuaco, Pijao and Yeral are the names of the ten peoples that make up this council of Colombian indigenous women.
 
For them, the participation and empowerment of women is important, considering the violent situations in which they have been involved, and especially if it is about achieving peace, said Ivonne González, director of human rights at the Ministry of Interior. She added that “having a group of indigenous women today is fundamental because the activism of women was what led to a gender subcommittee in the Havana agreements.”
 
For her part, a council representative present at the Conamic initiation ritual said that “respect for the life, integrity and security of all women is a fundamental duty of the country. We do not want women killed in our territories or outside them.”

(Click here for the Spanish original of this article.)

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY