|
| 20 Dec 2008 - 10:19 | Sociedad Uraguayo
URL: www.sociedaduruguaya.org/2008/12/aumenta . . .
|
Aumentaron las denuncias sobre violencia doméstica
16. Diciembre 2008
El Observatorio Nacional sobre Violencia y Criminalidad, presentó su primera publicación denominada “Panorama de la Violencia, la Criminalidad y la Inseguridad en Uruguay”. El estudio permite conocer la realidad que viven los uruguayos en torno a estos temas, así como la construcción de herramientas para superar las diversas situaciones de violencia, apostando a construir una sociedad donde trabajar y vivir en paz.
Continua....
www.sociedaduruguaya.org/2008/12/aumentaron-las-denuncias-sobre-violencia-domestica.html
|
|
| 20 Dec 2008 - 08:56 | The New Agenda
URL: thenewagenda.net/obama-cabinet-watch/
|
Obama Throwing Women Under the Bus
For a graphic view of Obama's disregard for women, see
thenewagenda.net/obama-cabinet-watch/
|
|
| 19 Dec 2008 - 10:06 | CIMAC noticias
URL: www.cimacnoticias.com/site/08121814-Lydi . . .
|
Su caso, en la Corte Interamericana de DH
Lydia Cacho: tres años de lucha contra la impunidad
Por Lourdes Godínez Leal
México, DF, 18 dic 08 (CIMAC).- “Mi querido poeta español Ángel Petisme escribió: Queda prohibido llorar sin aprender. Sí he llorado y con las lágrimas lavé la tristeza por mi país violento y corrupto. Pero he aprendido…las lágrimas sanaron mi dolor…me hicieron más fuerte…”
Este es un fragmento de una carta escrita por la periodista Lydia Cacho en febrero de 2006, dos meses después de su detención realizada el 16 de diciembre de 2005 por agentes judiciales de Puebla quienes se trasladaron hasta Cancún, Quintana Roo, para ejecutar la orden de aprehensión.
En el texto defiende su derecho a la libertad de expresión y la importancia que tiene para ella mostrar la legalidad de su trabajo periodístico.
“Voy a demostrar que mi trabajo periodístico tuvo como fin dar voz a las víctimas, voy a demostrar que no escribí ese reportaje para hacerle daño a mi acusador, porque el daño se lo hizo él mismo al cometer actos ilícitos que le costaron un oscuro historial que ya era público. Él, como todas nosotras, es el único responsable de sus actos”.
A tres años de los hechos, para Cacho Ribeiro la esperanza de obtener justicia se ha centrado en el ámbito internacional, donde presentará a más tardar en febrero próximo su caso, y el de otros activistas defensores de derechos humanos ante el Sistema Interamericano de Derechos Humanos.
Al final de su lucha, ahora fuera del país tras haber agotado las instancias en México, espera obtener justicia, así lo dice en otra parte de la carta.
“Y cuando ganemos ese juicio, seguiremos con dos tareas más: la despenalización criminal del periodismo en México y la exigencia de justicia en el caso del pederasta Jean Succar Kuri.
“Y luego, hermanas, amigas y amigos, celebraremos que ninguna, ninguno de nosotros por decir la verdad deber vivir bajo libertad condicional…
“Y quién quita y lloremos un poco de alegría, de emoción y, como diría el maestro Petisme…llorar porque aprendimos que en México sí somos millones los que compartimos los mismos sueños y reclamamos el derecho a construirlos juntos, juntas, porque no estamos solas”.
SU CASO EN EL ÁMBITO INTERNACIONAL
Continua....
www.cimacnoticias.com/site/08121814-Lydia-Cacho-tres-a.36031.0.html
|
|
| 19 Dec 2008 - 09:56 | Human Rights Education Associates
URL: www.hrea.org
|
Soaring rates of rape and violence against women
More Accurate Methodology Shows Urgent Need for Preventive Action
(New York, December 18, 2008) -- A new government report showing huge increases in the incidences of domestic violence, rape, and sexual assault over a two-year period in the United States deserves immediate attention from lawmakers and the incoming administration, Human Rights Watch said today. The statistics show a 42-percent increase in reported domestic violence and a 25-percent increase in the reported incidence of rape and sexual assault.
The National Crime Victimization Survey, based on projections from a national sample survey, says that at least 248,300 individuals were raped or sexually assaulted in 2007, up from 190,600 in 2005, the last year the survey was conducted. The study surveyed 73,600 individuals in 41,500 households. Among all violent crimes, domestic violence, rape, and sexual assault showed the largest increases. Except for simple assault, which increased by 3 percent, the incidence of every other crime surveyed decreased.
"The numbers in this survey show an alarmingly high rate of sexual violence in this country," said Sarah Tofte, researcher for the US Program at Human Rights Watch. "This should serve as a wake-up call that more must be done to address the problem in the US."
The projected number of violent crimes committed by intimate partners against women increased from 389,100 in 2005 to 554,260 in the 2007 report. By comparison, the number of violent crimes against men by intimate partners went down.
"Domestic violence is often a hidden crime, and these numbers are a stark reminder of how serious and widespread this problem is," said Tofte. "The Obama-Biden administration should make prevention and protection against all forms of domestic and sexual violence a top priority."
The National Crime Victimization Survey is conducted every two years, with data gathered in phone calls made to a sample of households across the United States. Due to criticism from experts in the subject, the survey's methodology was adjusted in 2007 to capture more accurately the incidence of gender-based violence. The authors say in the report that the higher numbers may reflect the new, more accurate methodology rather than an actual increase. Two major shifts were to describe types of sexual assault to those being interviewed, and to replace "computer-assisted telephone interviews conducted from two telephone centers" nationwide with interviews "by field representatives either by telephone or in person."
"The new numbers indicate that previously, the government significantly underestimated the number of individuals affected by domestic and sexual violence in this country," said Tofte. "Authorities should urgently adjust public policies, law enforcement, and provision of support services accordingly."
Human Rights Watch is currently investigating and monitoring the criminal justice response to sexual violence. The organization's recent work includes investigating the backlog in untested DNA evidence collected in rape cases in the US. In Los Angeles City and County alone, there is a combined total of at least 13,000 untested sets of evidence, known as rape kits, sitting in storage.
Human Rights Watch's national recommendations include:
* The Obama administration should appoint a special adviser on violence against women in the US;
* Congress should restore full funding to the Office on Violence Against Women;
* The Department of Justice, through the National Institute of Justice, should authorize comprehensive studies that more accurately track sexual and domestic violence in the US, especially among individuals who are least likely to be surveyed by the National Crime Victimization Survey;
* Congress should increase funding for sexual and domestic violence prevention, intervention, and treatment programs;
* Congress should amend the federal Debbie Smith Act, a grant program designed to eliminate the rape kit backlog, but that states can and have used for other kinds of DNA backlogs;
* The US should ratify the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which obligates states to prevent, protect against, and punish violence against women.
Human Rights Watch Press release
|
|
| 18 Dec 2008 - 09:29 | El Observatorio Ciudadano Nacional del Feminicidio (OCNF)
URL: www.catolicasmexico.org/sys/index.php?op . . .
|
El Observatorio Ciudadano Nacional del Feminicidio (OCNF) presenta:
Una Mirada al Feminicidio en Mexico
Informe final
http://www.catolicasmexico.org/sys/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_d etails&gid=128&Itemid=51
|
|
| 18 Dec 2008 - 09:12 | Irriwady
URL: www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=148 . . .
|
Burma
Desperate Decisions
By KYI WAI Wednesday, December 17, 2008
RANGOON — In a dark room in a dormitory for workers at a steel factory, a 58-year-old woman is fanning her daughter, who is moaning in agony and covered in sweat.
“It hurts, it hurts,” the young woman groans. “Mother, it hurts.”
The woman’s voice and the sound of her mother’s fan fill the room. As she watches her daughter suffer, the older woman’s despair deepens. Seeing no way to end her child’s excruciating pain, she moves the fan faster, knowing that it is all she can do to help.
Normally, it would be possible to turn to others for assistance. But this was no normal medical emergency. If she asked for help, the mother knew that she would have to explain what was wrong with her daughter, and that would mean revealing her crime: having an abortion.
Abortion is a crime in Burma, but when the young woman became pregnant with her third child, she knew that she had no other choice. Three months into the pregnancy, she went to a back-alley abortionist.
Continues...
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=14809
|
|
| 18 Dec 2008 - 08:55 | Human Rights Education Associates
URL: www.hrea.org
|
Middle East: Millions of Domestic Workers Lack Adequate Legal Protections
Human Rights Watch Press release
December 17, 2008
Governments in the Middle East should act quickly in 2009 to fulfill longstanding promises to protect migrant women’s rights, said Human Rights Watch today, ahead of December 18, 2008, International Migrants’ Day. A number of governments have promised major reforms in the response to widespread and egregious abuse, but have yet to finalize and carry out these plans.
Countries that are drafting and debating labor reforms that will extend greater protections to domestic workers include Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar.
“Each day of delay leaves migrant domestic workers open to abuses such as unpaid wages, being locked in their workplaces, and to physical and sexual abuse,” said Nisha Varia, deputy director of the women’s rights division at Human Rights Watch. “It is encouraging that governments are finally considering serious reforms, but these proposals mean nothing until the new protections are in place and being enforced.”
Millions of domestic workers, primarily from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Ethiopia, are employed in the Middle East. Previous Human Rights Watch research has documented how the exclusion of domestic work from labor laws and restrictive immigration sponsorship policies give employers tremendous power to exploit migrant women without fear of penalty.
Abuses against domestic workers include 18-hour workdays with no days off, physical confinement in the workplace, denial of food, lack of payment for months or years, physical and sexual abuse, and in some cases, forced labor and trafficking. Migrant domestic workers face multiple barriers to redress from the justice systems in host countries, and abusers are rarely punished.
Jordan, host to an estimated 70,000 migrant domestic workers, adopted amendments in July 2008 to include domestic workers in its labor law. Before this can go into effect, though, the government must create an accompanying regulation outlining the specific labor protections that will apply. Reports of mistreatment in Jordan are so rife that in January 2008, the Philippines barred its citizens from seeking employment there as domestic workers.
“Jordan’s decision to amend its labor code to protect domestic workers is a pioneering step that should be emulated by other countries in the region and the world,” said Varia. “But the true test will be whether the regulations provide comprehensive protection and whether they are enforced effectively.”
Saudi Arabia employs at least 1.5 million migrant domestic workers. In July 2008, its labor minister, Dr. Ghazi al-Gosaibi, reiterated the government’s intention to reform the country’s immigration sponsorship (kafala) system to link workers’ employment visas to three or four large recruitment companies instead of to individual employers. This proposal, while an improvement over the current system, still leaves migrants exposed to potential corruption and exploitation by recruitment agents. Saudi Arabia also drafted an annex to its labor code in 2005 to cover domestic workers, but has failed to issue it.
“In Saudi Arabia, some migrant domestic workers are forced to work for years against their will because of the kafala system requirement that they obtain their employer’s permission to leave the country,” said Varia. “The government recognizes the need for reform, but has consistently failed to act.”
Lebanon has stalled in considering labor or immigration reforms. It is host to approximately 200,000 domestic workers, and Human Rights Watch recently found that, on average, more than one domestic worker dies each week from suicide or botched escape attempts.
Lebanon created a committee in February 2006 to improve protections for domestic workers, charging it with drafting a model employment contract and an amendment to the labor law. Neither task has been completed.
“Lebanon lags far behind almost every country in the region when it comes to protecting migrant women’s rights,” said Varia. “While other countries are debating concrete legal reforms, Lebanon has not even managed the incremental step of creating a fair employment contract.”
Human Rights Watch urged all governments to ratify the UN Migrant Workers Convention, which guarantees migrants’ human rights and promises state protection against abuse by employers, agents and public officials. Human Rights Watch also said that countries of origin must do more to create employment options so that women are not forced to migrate, and to monitor the recruitment process rigorously to ensure that migrants are not cheated or trafficked into forced labor.
|
|
| 17 Dec 2008 - 11:09 | Randy McCall, Victim Assistance Online
URL: www.vaonline.org
|
The following have been added to our various sites:
On the VAOnline.org main website:
A new section has been added to our Internet Media and Professional
Training and Development directories: E-learning / Online Learning.
http://www.vaonline.org/email.html#ele arning
E-learning, otherwise known as online learning, is a developing method for providing training to both the public and professionals solely through the Internet. Many of these courses are offered for free, as a public service,
others charge a fee for access. You'll find both accredited and non-
accredited -- but useful -- courses or workshops.
New links to organizations and agencies:
- Amore Criminale - Criminal Love: Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part
Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven, Commentary Part One, Commentary
Part Two( Video series, in Italian, Italy)
- Asociacion Nacional de Victimas de Delitos Violentos - National
Association of Victims of Violent Crimes (Spain)
- Bullying Course (Bullyingcourse.com) (E-learning, Canada)
- Cost of Caring: Secondary Traumatic Stress and the Impact of Working
with High-Risk Children and Families, The (E-learning, USA)
- DNA: A Prosecutor's Practice Notebook (E-learning, USA)
- Domestic Violence Training, Simmons College (E-learning, USA)
- Dr. Jeanne King (Twitter Broadcast: USA)
- Effects of Abuse and Neglect: A Focus on Typical Development (E-
learning, USA)
- End Violence Against Women Training Institute (E-learning, USA)
- Intersection of Domestic Violence and Child Victimization, The (E-
learning, USA)
- Intimate Partner Sexual Abuse: Adjudicating this Hidden Dimension of Domestic Violence Cases (E-learning, USA)
- Surviving Childhood: An Introduction to the Impact of Trauma (E-learning,
USA)
- Survivors of Homicide in Connecticut (USA)
- Victim Advocacy Certificate Course, Colorado State University (E-learning,
USA)
- Victim Assistance Training Online (VAT Online) (E-learning, USA)
Links to online documents or articles:
- VAWA Manual: Immigration Relief for Abused Immigrants, The (USA)
Articles posted to the VAOnline.org Fusion blog:
http://vaonlinefusion.blogspot.com/
- What happens when a survivor encounters city politics? (USA)
- DNA Wars: Who should control the labs (USA)
- Research looks at how brain functions while deciding on sentencing (USA)
News items posted through our Twitter mini-news feed:
http://twitter.com/vaonline
- (Congo) Rehabilitating rape victims and families in Congo
- (Zambia) Curbing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence
- (USA) States increasingly put criminal records online
- (USA) Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment calling for the
abolition of death penalty
- (USA) National Guard taking on sexual assault through support, education
- (USA) Teen, robbed at gunpoint, wants to tell people of her experience
- (Malawi) The challenge of reporting a rape
- (USA) Trafficking victims to finally get help to rebuild lives
Randy McCall
-------------------------------------
Victim Assistance Online
info@vaonline.org
|
|
| 17 Dec 2008 - 11:00 | Carlos Sánchez
acapase@hotmail.com
|
Una mujer será juzgada el próximo mes de enero por nueve supuestos delitos de falsa acusación después de que la hoy acusada interpusiera dos denuncias --ya archivadas-- contra el padre de su hija por malos tratos, lesiones, injurias, provocación sexual, daños, vejaciones o amenazas, entre otros, "con la intención de obtener una orden de protección" para evitar que su ex compañero sentimental "viera a la menor".
El letrado de la acusación particular, Francisco Antonio Moreno, explicó en declaraciones a Europa Press que la acusada interpuso "una primera denuncia falsa" contra su cliente en noviembre de 2005 en la que ponía de manifiesto que "temía seriamente por su vida", que había recibido "multitud de malos tratos durante tres años de convivencia" y que "había sido agredida en presencia de su hija de seis años".
La citada denuncia dio origen al inicio de diligencias previas, que fueron archivadas por el juzgado de Violencia sobre la Mujer número 1 de Sevilla, que además denegó la orden de protección solicitada.
Así las cosas, la acusación particular defiende que en abril de 2007 la acusada formuló "una nueva denuncia falsa" en la que aseguraba que el padre de su hija "ponía películas porno delante de la menor", le "sustraía su correspondencia", le "amenazaba con quitarle a la niña" y le insultaba "constantemente".
Nuevamente, la mencionada denuncia dio lugar al inicio de diligencias, que fueron archivadas por el juzgado de Violencia sobre la Mujer número 2 de Sevilla, que volvió a denegar la orden de protección solicitada.
Para el letrado, los hechos descritos son constitutivos de nueve delitos de falsa acusación de amenazas, malos tratos, lesiones, injurias, provocación sexual, apoderamiento de correspondencia, amenazas no condicionales, daños y vejación injusta. Por todo ello, reclama el pago de una multa de 90.600 euros, así como el pago de 20.000 euros en concepto de indemnización.
RETIRADA DE CUSTODIA.- La misma acusada ya perdió el pasado mes de julio la custodia de su hija en favor del padre de la pequeña por orden de un juzgado sevillano, que entendía que de manera "reiterada" privaba a la menor de ver a su padre, hacia quien la inculpada sentía un "odio visceral" que recondujo a través de la propia niña. En aquella sentencia, a la que tuvo acceso Europa Press, el juez explicaba que dicha madre había evidenciado su incapacidad para mantener la custodia, "causando un perjuicio y victimización a su hija", a quien privaba de su derecho de contactar con su padre y hermanos mayores "haciendo oídos sordos de los requerimientos y advertencias judiciales".
Así las cosas, la resolución judicial recogía que la mujer demandada ha sufrido una situación emocional de "frustración no superada y despecho hacia el padre de su hija, confundiendo maltrato psicológico con su propia sintomatología ansioso-depresiva".
En este sentido, el juez manifestó que había quedado "más que de manifiesto" la predisposición de la citada mujer a "no permitir y poner todo tipo de trabas a que su hija pueda tener una sana y saludable relación con su padre y hermanos".
|
|
| 17 Dec 2008 - 10:45 | GAO Crime Victims' Rights Act Report
URL: www.gao.gov/new.items/d0954.pdf
|
New Government Accounting Office (GAO) report:
Crime Victims' Rights Act:
Increasing Awareness, Modifying the Complaint Process, and Enhancing the Complaint Monitoring Will Improve Implementation of the Act
|
|
| 16 Dec 2008 - 17:33 | abc digital
URL: www.abc.com.py/2008-12-11/articulos/4775 . . .
|
Paraguay
Acoso sexual, tema de debate en Secretaría de la Mujer
Un panel-debate sobre el acoso sexual en la función pública se realizó en el salón auditorio de la Secretaría de la Mujer. Las integrantes de la mesa abordaron el tema desde los conceptos básicos, y enfatizaron la importancia de denunciar.
Mirta Arias, de Sitrama; la ministra Lilian Soto; la titular de la Secretaría de la Mujer, Gloria Rubin; Mercedes Buongermini, representante de la Corte; y Alba Navarro.
Esta actividad fue un seguimiento al Diseño de un plan de igualdad y taller de prediagnóstico de género realizado en noviembre por la Secretaría de la Función Pública y la Secretaría de la Mujer, que constituye uno de los primeros pasos para el diagnóstico de la problemática de las mujeres en la función pública, donde el acoso sexual y la desigualdad salarial existentes son obstáculos para ellas.
Se elaborará un Plan de Igualdad en la Función Pública y se trabajará con todos los departamentos de recursos humanos para lograr instalar este plan, indicó en cierto momento de su ponencia la ministra de la Función Pública, Lilian Soto. Mencionó que se está trabajando en la modificación de la Ley de la Función Pública, asegurando que se tendrá en cuenta el acoso sexual y otros problemas que afectan a las funcionarias públicas.
Por su parte, la ministra de la Mujer, Gloria Rubin, manifestó que el gran desafío es discutir esta problemática en espacios de debate y buscar alternativas en las normas y reglamentos.
Mirta Arias, secretaria general de Trabajadores de la Municipalidad de Asunción, habló de las experiencias en el ámbito municipal. Indicó que los intendentes, especialmente del interior del país, creen que son los señores feudales de su pueblo, con derechos para el acoso a las trabajadoras, y el Código Laboral es letra muerta para ellos. Mencionó igualmente denuncias por acoso sexual contra altos funcionarios de la Municipalidad de Asunción años atrás, donde los denunciados terminaron separados de sus cargos y las denunciantes mantuvieron sus trabajos. Recalcó que ninguna persona que denuncia puede ser despedida. Se propuso instalar la cultura de la denuncia constructiva.
Intervención de una acosada
Ya en el momento del debate tomó el micrófono Concepción Valenzuela, funcionaria del Banco de Fomento, que relató el trato abusivo por parte de su jefe de la división de tarjeta de débito a cambio de su nombramiento en la institución. Dijo que pensó accionar, nadie quiso ser su testigo y la aconsejaron callar. Se acercó a la mesa y entregó una carpeta en la que, según dijo, había pruebas documentales.
|
|
| 16 Dec 2008 - 17:18 | Dawn V Martin, Esquire
DVMARTINLAW@yahoo.com
URL: www.dvmartinlaw.com/MartinvHowardU.html
|
Supreme Court will Reconsider Workplace Stalking Case
During National Stalking Awareness Month
Washington, D.C. January is National Stalking Awareness Month -- so it is particularly appropriate that, on January 9, 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider a Petition for Rehearing, asking the Court to review a workplace stalking case, Martin v. Howard Univ. and Alice Gresham Bullock, U.S. Sup. Ct. No. 08-204. The lower courts held that a female law professor had no legal recourse against Howard University for refusing to renew her contract after she asked the Law School administration to use the University’s own Campus Security procedures to protect her and other women from a serial campus stalker.
As a law professor at Howard University, Dawn Martin was stalked by a delusional, homeless, serial stalker of African-American female professors. The stalker was searching for the physical embodiment of his "fantasy," or ideal "wife" --modeled after a fictional female character, Geneva Crenshaw, in a book, And We are not Saved, written by the renowned Professor Derrick Bell. Instead of following its own security procedures to ban the stalker from campus, Howard responded to Prof. Martin’s requests for protection by refusing to renew her teaching contract. Prof. Martin sued Howard for sexual harassment/hostile work environment and retaliation for reporting sexual harassment, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex/gender, as well as race, color, ethnic origin and religion. Martin is the first to present the issue of "gender profiling" or "working while female" in the employment
context.
The National Organization for Women (NOW) and the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), joined by other women's advocacy and anti-violence groups, filed an Amicus Curiae (friend of the Court) Brief supporting Ms. Martin's original Petition for Supreme Court review of the case. The Court initially denied the request, but Ms. Martin asks the Court to reconsider, in light of Crawford v. Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, another case similarly alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. The Court’s decision in Crawford would control the outcome of Martin. Both Ms. Crawford and Prof. Martin lost their jobs shortly after reporting the harassment to their employers. Both women were also deprived of the opportunity to prove that that the actions were retaliatory, for reporting the harassment. In both Crawford and Martin, the lower courts held that the plaintiffs did not engage in “protected activity” because of how they reported the sexual harassment to their employers.
Prof. Martin argues that: 1) since 78% of stalking victims are women, stalking constitutes harassment on the basis of gender; 2) when the stalker uses “gender specific” language and criteria to select his victim, the stalking is harassment based on gender; and 3) where a stalker pursues a woman to make her his “wife,” the harassment is stalking “sexual in nature.” Prof. Martin wants the Court to apply Title VII to protect women from workplace stalking and from employer retaliation for reporting stalking. Prof. Martin argues that women who are doing nothing more than “working while female” should not have to choose between their jobs and their safety.
In 1999, the federal district court set precedent in Martin by adopting the EEOC Regulation 29 CFR 1604.11(e), holding that an employer can be held liable for the sexual harassment of an employee, by a non-employee, if the employer knew or should have known of the harassment and failed to take reasonable steps to end it. Judge Hogan identified the jury questions as: 1) whether Harrison’s harassment was severe and pervasive enough to constitute a hostile work environment; and 2) whether Howard took reasonable steps to end it. The jury agreed with Prof. Martin that Harrison’s harassment did create a “hostile work environment” for her and that Howard did not take reasonable steps to end it; yet the verdict was for Howard. With insufficient legal instruction from the judge, the confused jurors found that the harassment was not based on sex – and therefore, that Prof. Martin’s complaints were not “protected activity” under Title VII of
the Civil Rights Act.
Howard repeatedly told the jury that Prof. Martin’s claim must be defeated because, after the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department characterized Harrison as a “stalker,” she entitled her memos to the Dean “Security Problem on Campus” rather than “Sexual Harassment.” Prof. Martin asked the judge to instruct the jury, using the words from his own 1999 decision, that it is not necessary to use the precise words “sexual harassment” to invoke Title VII protection. Judge Hogan flatly refused to provide that instruction, even though several courts have recognized that stalking is one of the most egregious forms of sexual harassment. Judge Hogan also refused to provide the jury with the D.C. stalking statute, which defines “stalking” as repeated harassment. Without the proper legal framework for analyzing harassment based on sex, jurors were confused into accepting Howard University’s argument that the stalker’s harassment was
not sexual in nature or based on sex and that her complaints did not constitute “protected activity.” If Martin is considered as a companion case to Crawford, or supplements Crawford, the Supreme Court could provide a definition of “protected activity” that applies to whether the harasser is an employee or a non-employee in the workplace.
Prof. Martin filed her December 12, 2008 Petition for Rehearing, coincidentally, shortly after celebrity Paula Abdul directed public attention to the issue of workplace stalking in an interview with Barbara Walters. Ms. Abdul alleged that her employer, American Idol, allowed a non-employee stalker, a contestant on the show, for "entertainment value." A videotaped audition shows another contestant singing a song he had written about stalking Paula Abdul. Workplace scenarios described by both Prof. Martin and Ms. Abdul highlight the fact that there is no federal statute that expressly protects stalking victims against employer retaliation for complaining about stalking -- or that obligates employers to take reasonable steps to keep known stalkers out of the workplace.
Martin has been cited and/or discussed in law review articles, treatises, labor law reporters, fair employment law reporters, radio shows, cases and is currently being discussed extensively on the internet. Sky Radio will be broadcasting an interview with Prof. Martin about her case on American Airlines, from December 16, 2008 through January 31, 2009, as one of the women highlighted in its series entitled “Salute to Women in Leadership,” featured in Time Magazine – coincidentally, also during National Stalking Awareness Month. Prof. Martin is also featured as one of "American’s Premier Lawyers,” in “The Law Business Insider which includes another radio interview discussing her case. A producer has already begun work on a television documentary about the case.
For Briefs, exhibits and further details about the case,
see http://www.dvmartinlaw.com/MartinvHoward U.html.
Dawn V. Martin, Esquire
Law Offices of Dawn V. Martin, LLC
1725 I Street, N.W., Suite 300
Washington, D.C 20006
(202) 408-7040 D.C. phone
(703) 642-0207 home office
(703) 642-0208 facsimile
DVMARTINLAW@yahoo.com
www.dvmartinlaw.com
|
|
| 16 Dec 2008 - 11:11 | Crown Prosecution Services - UK
URL: womensgrid.freecharity.org.uk/?p=1553
|
England
Violence Against Women Crime Report 2007 - 2008
womensgrid.freecharity.org.uk/?p=1553
|
|
| 16 Dec 2008 - 10:41 | On the Issues, Progressive Women's Magazine
URL: www.ontheissuesmagazine.com/2008fall/200 . . .
|
Anti-Immigrant Fervor Translates to Terror for Women
by Melissa Nalani Ross
In my work on civil and human rights, especially with immigrant populations, I was contacted recently about a woman without documentation who worked at a fruit stand in the northeast. A male customer approached her and asked if she had any waitressing experience, as he needed servers at his restaurant. Seeing this as an opportunity to make a little more money to support herself and her family, the woman agreed to stop by the establishment for an interview. When she arrived, instead of sitting down and discussing a job opportunity, the woman was met by a group of men who took turns raping her. They then told her that if she went to the authorities, they would have her deported.
©Michelle McDonald Too afraid to go to the police out of fear of being separated from her family and livelihood, she will be left in isolation, with no recourse, no justice and no security. Her tale will not be covered by the mainstream media. The men who raped her will never be brought to justice.
In July, the New York Times published an article about Juana Villegas, a woman stopped for a routine traffic violation by a police officer. Villegas was jailed for six days for violating U.S. immigration laws. An undocumented immigrant, she was nine months pregnant, and, while imprisoned, went into labor. She was handcuffed to the bed during the birthing process, then was separated from her newborn baby and sent back to jail. Authorities would not allow Villegas to bring a breast pump into her cell, leading to a breast infection.
The experiences of these women are frighteningly emblematic of the challenges immigrant women face across the country from immigration enforcement policies gone awry. Villegas and countless other women experience fear, anxiety, degradation and harm on a daily basis. Few of their stories reach the public, but as someone who works with the immigrant community, I hear them regularly.
Anti-immigrant fervor in the United States makes injustice for immigrant women tolerated – even encouraged. As a result, immigrant women are living in situations of sheer terror.
Change in Tactics Targets Women
Continues....
www.ontheissuesmagazine.com/2008fall/2008fall_11.php
|
|
| 15 Dec 2008 - 19:26 | CHAMP project
URL: www.champnetwork.org/solidarity_project/ . . .
|
Cultural Healing: Native American Activists Say Boarding School Abuses Harmed the Health of Generations
—Suzy Subways
An 1890s photo of Carlisle Boarding School graduates. Carlisle, the first Native American boarding school, was opened by Captain Richard Pratt in 1878.
"Many of the problems of alcoholism and drug abuse now prevalent in Indian country can be traced back to the physical, emotional and sexual abuse suffered at the hands of our keepers in the BIA [Bureau of Indian Affairs] and mission boarding schools," Lakota journalist and boarding school survivor Tim Giago wrote in the Huffington Post. Government-sponsored boarding schools have created a legacy of trauma among Native American peoples in the United States. The Boarding School Healing Project documents the abuse and demonstrates how it has led to high rates of childhood sexual abuse, family violence, violence against women, alcoholism, and drug use in Native communities. In addition to the homophobia the schools enforced in children from cultures traditionally welcoming of gay and gender-nonconforming people, most of these symptoms of trauma are the same factors that make Native communities vulnerable to HIV. A look at the brutal history of these boarding schools can teach us a lot about the ways that social injustice fuels the epidemic – and how to fight back.
Continues...
http://www.champnetwork.org/solidarity_project/2008/12/en/cultural-healing-native-american-activists-say-boarding-school-abuses-
|
|
| 15 Dec 2008 - 19:15 | Proyectosidachiapas
URL: proyectosidachiapas.blogspot.com/2008/12 . . .
|
Sufren acoso de maestros 18% de las alumnas de bachillerato, revela sondeo
Laura Poy Solano
Especialistas de la Catédra Unesco de Derechos Humanos de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) revelaron que al menos 18 por ciento de las mujeres que cursan el bachillerato han sufrido violencia sexual –acoso y hostigamiento– por parte de profesores, mientras que 9 por ciento es presionada para negociar calificaciones a través de “favores sexuales”, y 7 por ciento más, con dinero.
El Diagnóstico sobre la Violencia en la educación media superior y las relaciones entre estudiantes y docentes para la promoción de los derechos humanos y las relaciones igualitarias, con el que se aplicaron encuestas a 2 mil 200 alumnos inscritos en Centros de Estudios Tecnológicos, Industriales y de Servicios (CETIS) del Distrito Federal, de los que se retomaron 800 testimonios de jóvenes entre 15 y 22 años, reveló que 22 por ciento de las mujeres encuestadas han sufrido acoso sexual de directivos, personal administrativo y prefectos.
Continua...
proyectosidachiapas.blogspot.com/2008/12/sufren-acoso-de-maestros-18-de-las.html
|
|
| 15 Dec 2008 - 12:12 | CIMAC noticias
URL: www.cimac.org.mx
|
Víctimas tendrán 30 días para decidir si denuncian
España: aprueban Plan contra trata con fines de explotación sexual
Por Teresa G. Espejo
Madrid, Esp., 12 dic 08 (CIMAC/Amecopress).- Asistencia social a las víctimas, lucha efectiva contra las mafias y traficantes, sensibilización, prevención y coordinación, son los ejes principales del Plan contra la Trata de seres humanos con fines de explotación sexual aprobado hoy en Consejo de Ministros, que contempla 61 medidas para prevenir estos delitos, asegurar la asistencia y protección a las víctimas, y luchar contra los traficantes y proxenetas.
El plan “quiere dar respuesta” a uno de los fenómenos que, en la actualidad, se han convertido en uno de los primeros ataques a los derechos humanos mediante la “prevención, protección y acción”, subrayó la vicepresidenta del Gobierno, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega.
También destacó que se creará un Grupo Interministerial de Coordinación para su seguimiento y evaluación que estará presidido por el Ministerio de Igualdad, e integrado también por los ministerios de Exteriores, Justicia, Interior, Educación, Trabajo y Sanidad.
El 90 por ciento de las mujeres que ejercen la prostitución en España son extranjeras, según estimaciones policiales, y de ellas, la mayoría están en manos de redes de trata de seres humanos.
La policía sostiene que las mujeres son captadas en sus países de origen aprovechando su situación de vulnerabilidad a través de distintos engaños, como falsas ofertas de empleo o a través de agencias de viajes, matrimoniales o de modelos.
El Plan aprobado hoy establece 30 días de reflexión para que las víctimas decidan su colaboración con las autoridades administrativas, policiales y judiciales. Durante ese periodo, tendrán derecho a la asistencia social y jurídica y al establecimiento de una dotación económica que garantice su subsistencia o su posible retorno al país de origen, si lo solicitan.
Por otro lado, contempla la creación de unidades móviles para la atención a víctimas y centros de acogida con programas de atención integral. Asimismo, las víctimas dispondrán de información específica sobre sus derechos y los recursos de los que disponen, y podrán beneficiarse de los programas de formación para el empleo.
FONDO DE BIENES DECOMISADOS
La vicepresidenta del Gobierno explicó se privará de sus beneficios económicos a las organizaciones que se dedican a la trata. Para ello, se reformará la ley de enjuiciamiento criminal para ampliar las medidas cautelares en relación con esta delincuencia.
Además, se creará un Fondo de Bienes decomisados procedentes de la trata, que irá destinado tanto a la asistencia de las víctimas como al fortalecimiento de la actuación policial contra este delito.
Para lograr un mayor control en la entrada al país de las mafias, se incluirá el uso de identificadores biométricos en la expedición y verificación de visados y permisos de residencia, y se implantarán en todo el territorio estatal nuevos mecanismos de control para detectar situaciones de trata en puertos, aeropuertos y medios de transporte.
TRES AÑOS DE VIGENCIA
Profundizar en el conocimiento del fenómeno de la trata y en sus verdaderas dimensiones desde un punto de vista multidisciplinar resulta vital. Por ello, se realizarán estudios sobre las consecuencias de la trata en sus víctimas, los diferentes modelos de intervención para la recuperación y el mapa de recursos existentes.
El Plan Integral aprobado hoy en Consejo de Ministros, prevé la constitución de un Foro contra la Trata integrado por las administraciones públicas competentes, las organizaciones no gubernamentales (ONG) y otras institucionales implicadas en la asistencia a las víctimas y la lucha contra este delito para garantizar la coordinación y la coherencia de actuaciones desde una perspectiva integral.
El Plan tendrá una vigencia de tres años (2009-2012), periodo de tiempo necesario para poner en marcha de forma eficiente las medidas y suficiente para valorar la eficacia de las mismas y entrará en vigor el 1 de enero de 2009 con una dotación superior a los 44 millones de euros.
|
|
| 15 Dec 2008 - 09:34 | eurasiaNet
URL: www.eurasiaNet.org
|
Starting in 2009, the convention (Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings) should help reverse the existing trend, de Boer-Buquicchio believes. "I expect a different Europe to take shape," she said.
Council of Europe Has New Weapon in Struggle to Curtail Human Trafficking
Excerpt: Every year, thousands of women, children and men fall victim to human trafficking, whether for sexual exploitation or other purposes, both within and beyond the borders of their own country," a CoE statement said.
(EurasiaNet) -- The Council of Europe now has a powerful weapon at its disposal as it leads an effort to eradicate human trafficking, which the Strasbourg-based organization terms "a new form of slavery."
The Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings entered into force in February. The pact is the first European initiative that is specifically designed to curtail trafficking, which has emerged as a social scourge during the post-Soviet era. "Every year, thousands of women, children and men fall victim to human trafficking, whether for sexual exploitation or other purposes, both within and beyond the borders of their own country," a CoE statement said.
Human trafficking has been steadily increasing in recent year, according to CoE Deputy Secretary General Maud de Boer-Buquicchio. "The estimated number of women [being trafficked] is growing," de Boer-Buquicchio said in a recent interview with EurasiaNet. "The only progress that we have witnessed [to date] is the fact that the issue is being publicly debated."
Starting in 2009, the convention should help reverse the existing trend, de Boer-Buquicchio believes. "I expect a different Europe to take shape," she said.
So far, 17 states have ratified the Convention and another 21 have signed it. Most individuals who become victims of trafficking in Europe are women, and almost half of those trafficked are forced to work in the sex industry. Another one-third of trafficking victims end up being used as forced laborers, according to Council of Europe estimates. Since 1991, former Soviet countries have developed into a major source of trafficked individuals. Organized criminal groups are a driving force behind trafficking, European law-enforcement officials say.
The convention, according to de Boer-Buquicchio, is "victim oriented." The pact not only seeks to protect the rights of those who have been trafficked and exploited, it seeks to encourage victims to help prosecute traffickers. Signatories of the convention are accordingly obliged to "design a comprehensive framework for the protection and assistance of victims and witnesses." As part of this provision, victims in states that have joined the convention would be eligible for medical services and psychological counseling.
Under the convention’s provisions, those trafficking victims who have been forced to work in the sex industry will no longer be treated as criminals upon discovery. In addition, suspected trafficking victims will not be immediately treated as illegal immigrants, as the pact allows for a "recovery and reflection period" of at least 30 days during which "it shall not be possible to enforce any expulsion order against him or her." If a victim decides to cooperate with local prosecutors in a criminal investigation, he or she would be eligible for a renewable residence permit.
In an additional move to curtail the influence of trafficking in the European sex industry, de Boer-Buquicchio said the convention seeks to "criminalize clients who knowingly enable trafficking."
The convention also contains provision for a two-track monitoring mechanism. One body, called the Group of Experts, will track compliance. The second, a Committee of Ministers, will deal with compliance on a political level.
The convention is an outgrowth of a CoE public awareness campaign launched in 2006. Nine Council of Europe members – Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Estonia, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey – have so far not signed the convention.
A recent US State Department report on human trafficking placed numerous former Soviet countries on its watch list for human trafficking, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. "The Government of the Russian Federation does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so," said the State Department report, titled Trafficking in Persons Report 2008. "Russia demonstrated no significant progress in improving its inadequate efforts to protect and assist victims."
|
|
