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| 27 Feb 2008 - 15:08 | Ruth Welborn
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My name is Ruth welborn. phone 229-759-2889
I am having my granddaughters' speech therapist mail this as I do not have access to email on regular basis.
In August, 2007, Daughter, Jessica, was murdered in Albany, Ga. She was killed by her boyfriend while holding her 8 month old son. Jessica was also killed in front of her 5 year old twins, my grandchildren. Jessica's boyfriend and father of her three children, killed her in front of the children in a violent stabbing death. There was a long history of domestic violence with police involvement. The boyfriend had made threats with the police called. However, all the police did was take him down the road, after which he returned and killed her. Her 911 tapes were played on the local radio station.
I need to know if I have a potential case. I am not an educated woman but I am a smart woman. Many lawyers here in Albany, Georgia have refused to even look at the case, either from fear of retaliation from the local police department or because there's no case. I need someone to help me determine if was wrong-doing on behalf of the police, as I feel there was. I have called attourneys in Atlanta but still have no resolve. I need help. I simply want justice for my daughter, her children, and to prevent other women in similar situations from this.
I am 43 and am now rasing my daughter's three children in addition to my own children. Liberty House, a local shelter for women and vicim's assistance have been instrumental but have not been able to guide me regarding the legalities of the case.
My daughter was a trooper..a real go-getter. Her two twin daughers were born with DiGeorgia Syndrome. They must undergo heart surgeries and have some developmental issues but are cognitively in tact and fully aware of the incident that occurred when they witnessed their mother's murder. I had never been out of Georgia but recently took one of my granddaughters to California for heart surgery. We stayed at the Ronald McDonald House and everyone in California was wonderful. If you or anyone you know can help me with the legalities of my case, Please call me (Ruth Welborn at 229-759-9889. I simply need to know if I have a case or not.
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| 27 Feb 2008 - 09:12 | admin
URL: www.hoyenelmundo.com/phps/01general.php? . . .
| Espana
La violencia machista deja la jornada más sangrienta desde que se analiza el fenómeno
AGENCIAS (Vídeo: ATLAS). 27.02.2008 - 06:07h 4 mujeres mueren a manos de sus compañeros sentimentales en un día.
Homicidios en Valladolid, Cádiz, Valencia y Madrid.Una de las víctimas tenía 22 años; las otras, 49, 55 y 58 años.Tres de los agresores han sido detenidos y el cuarto se ha suicidado.Quince víctimas mortales de violencia doméstica en lo que va de año.
Continua
www.hoyenelmundo.com/phps/01general.php?id=270207
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| 27 Feb 2008 - 09:03 | Maria Archuleta
media@aclu.org
URL: www.aclu.org/fairhousingforwomen
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Private Housing Company Won't Evict Domestic Violence Victims After ACLU Lawsuit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2008
CONTACT: Maria Archuleta, ACLU national, (917) 892-9180 or 549-2666;
media@aclu.org
Rana Elmir, ACLU of Michigan, (313) 578-6816
DETROIT - A groundbreaking settlement agreement finalized today between a domestic violence survivor, a private housing complex and a property management company offers victims of domestic violence, stalking, date rape
and sexual assault far reaching protections from eviction and
discrimination.
The settlement follows a federal sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the
American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Michigan on behalf of Tanica Lewis - a domestic violence survivor who had been evicted from her apartment because of her abuser's behavior- against the property management company
Management Systems, Inc. and the housing complex North End Village.
Management Systems manages 50 housing communities in Detroit and Flint, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio, including North End Village. The lawsuit charged that under the federal Fair Housing Act, Management Systems' policy of
evicting domestic violence victims because of their abusers' actions
constitutes sex discrimination in violation of the federal Fair Housing Act and Michigan's Civil Rights Act.
"We commend Management Systems and North End for recognizing that landlords
should not blame women for the criminal acts perpetrated against them," said ACLU Women's Rights Project staff attorney Sandra Park. "All too often, landlords force victims of domestic violence out of their homes, based on the stereotype that victims can control the violence and have chosen not to
do so. We hope that this settlement encourages other private housing
companies to enact proactive policies that comply with federal law and help rather than harm women."
The settlement goes beyond the federal Violence Against Women Act's (VAWA) housing law in both substance and scope and serves as an exemplary model for
private housing policies throughout the country. VAWA applies only to public and voucher housing and does not affirmatively provide for early lease termination and/or relocation to tenants who must flee violence.
Under the settlement, North End Village and Management Systems, Inc. will not evict or discriminate against tenants because they have been the victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking, whether
or not the abuser is residing in the tenant's household. The property
management company will also offer early lease termination and relocation to tenants who have been the victims of such abuse and need to leave their homes to ensure their safety.
Tanica Lewis ended a relationship with Reuben Thomas in 2005 and obtained a personal protection order a few months later in 2006 after he harassed and stalked her. She informed the management company of the order that
prohibited Thomas from coming near her home in North End Village. On March 1, 2006, however, Thomas broke the windows of her home and kicked in her
door. Lewis immediately reported the incident to the police as well as to the residential manager of the property. Thomas was ultimately convicted of home invasion and ordered to pay restitution. Nonetheless, based on this
incident, Management Systems Inc. issued Lewis a 30-day notice of eviction on March 13, 2006, stating that she had violated the portion of her lease that said she would be liable for any damage resulting from "lack of proper supervision" of her "guests." As a result of the eviction, Lewis and her two
young daughters could not return home and lived in a shelter. Later, they found another apartment but the rent was much higher and was farther from Lewis' job. She also had to arrange new, and more costly, childcare arrangements.
"When I reported the domestic violence, first to the police and then to my housing manager, I thought I was making myself and my children safer. Instead, my landlord threw us out of the apartment and we had nowhere to go," said Lewis. "I hope other women in private housing who are brave enough to come forward about their abusers don't suffer the same way."
Studies from across the country confirm the connection between domestic violence and homelessness. The 2005 Hunger and Homelessness Survey by the
United States Conference of Mayors found that half of the U.S. cities
surveyed reported that domestic violence is a primary cause of homelessness. Another 2005 investigation by the Anti-Discrimination Center of Metro New
York, a fair housing group, found that 28 percent of housing providers in New York City either flatly refused to rent to a domestic violence victim or failed to follow up as promised when contacted by an investigator posing as a housing coordinator for a domestic violence survivor assistance program.
"Landlords often only learn about domestic violence because victims have sought the help of police or the courts," said Kary Moss, Executive Director of the ACLU of Michigan. "When victims know that they may face eviction if a
landlord finds out about the abuse, they are less likely to seek this
assistance and more likely to submit to the abuse. We hope that other private housing companies will follow Management Systems' lead and put in place policies that help end the cycle of violence which sometimes compels women and their children to live on the streets."
The ACLU has successfully challenged similar discriminatory policies in housing across the country. In another case in Michigan, the Ypsilanti
Housing Commission (YHC) agreed, after the ACLU intervened, to end a policy that led to the eviction of Aaronica Warren, a domestic violence victim. The
YHC had relied on a "one-strike rule" in its lease that permitted it to
evict tenants if there was any violence in a tenant's apartment - even if the tenant was the victim of the violence.
In addition, after the ACLU became involved, a federal court in Vermont
issued a first-of-its-kind ruling in Bouley v. Young-Sabourin in 2005,
holding that discriminating against victims of domestic violence can
constitute sex discrimination under the Fair Housing Act. The judge ruled that when a landlord seeks to evict a tenant immediately after she has been the victim of a domestic assault, the protection the Fair Housing Act provides against sex discrimination is applicable.
Lewis is represented by Park, Emily Martin and Lenora M. Lapidus of the ACLU Women's Rights Project, and Moss and Michael J. Steinberg of the ACLU of Michigan.
The settlement and other legal documents are available online at
www.aclu.org/fairhousingforwomen
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| 26 Feb 2008 - 16:06 | admin
URL: www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/fo . . .
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Peace and Conflict resolution resources
www.internationalpeaceandconf lict.org/forum/
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| 26 Feb 2008 - 15:51 | admin
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CAMPAÑA MUNDIAL DE LA ONU CONTRA LA VIOLENCIA HACIA LAS MUJERES
“Para romper el muro de silencio”
Por primera vez, las Naciones Unidas lanzan una campaña internacional de largo alcance con el fin de promover en todos los países la batalla contra la violencia de género. El programa se extenderá hasta 2015 y busca que los gobiernos asuman esa lucha como política de Estado.
La forma más común de violencia que sufren las mujeres es la violencia física infligida por la pareja.
Por Mariana Carbajal
Las mujeres entre 15 y 44 años de edad corren mayor riesgo de ser violadas o maltratadas en casa que de sufrir cáncer, accidentes de vehículos, guerra y malaria, según estadísticas del Banco Mundial. Al menos una de cada tres mujeres ha sido golpeada, forzada a mantener relaciones sexuales o sufrido otro tipo de malos tratos a manos de su pareja a lo largo de su vida. Con estas estadísticas como telón de fondo, ayer Naciones Unidas lanzó en Nueva York una campaña mundial que se extenderá hasta el 2015 para que se intensifiquen las iniciativas en cada país dirigidas a erradicar la violencia contra las mujeres, tal vez, una de las violaciones de derechos humanos más extendida, frecuente y naturalizada al interior de miles y miles de hogares en el mundo. Y también en la Argentina, donde todavía está pendiente una política de Estado integral para enfrentar el problema.
“Ha llegado el momento de que nos centremos en las medidas concretas que todos nosotros podemos y debemos tomar para prevenir y erradicar este flagelo –los estados miembro, el sistema de las Naciones Unidas, la sociedad civil y los ciudadanos de a pie– hombres y mujeres. Es hora de romper el muro de silencio y hacer que las normas jurídicas se conviertan en una realidad en la vida de las mujeres”, exhortó el secretario general de la ONU, Ban Ki-moon. La presentación de la campaña tuvo lugar durante la sesión de apertura de la Comisión de la Condición Jurídica y Social de la Mujer, frente a una audiencia de alto nivel compuesta por ministros de gobiernos y embajadores, así como por un nutrido grupo de organizaciones no gubernamentales y representantes del sistema de las Naciones Unidas.
Es la primera vez que el organismo promueve una iniciativa de tan amplia envergadura frente a esta problemática, y liderada por el propio secretario general. “La violencia contra la mujer y la niña deja su abominable impronta en todos los continentes, países y culturas”, señaló Ki-moon, al lanzar este llamamiento mundial.
La campaña tendrá por objeto movilizar a la opinión pública a fin de asegurar que los encargados de formular políticas al más alto nivel trabajen para prevenir y erradicar la violencia contra la mujer. Un objetivo clave será recabar el apoyo político de los gobiernos, las instituciones internacionales, las entidades de las Naciones Unidas, el sector privado y otros donantes, así como lograr que éstos aumenten los recursos que se destinan a las políticas y los programas concebidos para hacer frente al problema. La campaña se desarrollará desde 2008 a 2015, coincidiendo con la fecha fijada para el logro de los objetivos de desarrollo del milenio.
La forma más común de violencia que sufren las mujeres es la violencia física infligida por la pareja. La trata, el acoso sexual, la mutilación genital femenina, el homicidio relacionado con la dote, los asesinatos por cuestiones de honor y o a manos de parejas o ex parejas son otras caras del mismo problema. Varias encuestas mundiales sugieren que la mitad de todas las mujeres víctimas de homicidio son asesinadas por sus esposos o parejas, actuales o anteriores.
En Argentina, cada día, 79 mujeres en promedio se comunican a la Línea de Violencia Familiar del gobierno de la ciudad de Buenos Aires en busca de algún tipo de ayuda. Entre enero y junio de 2007, en las 25 comisarías bonaerenses de la Mujer y la Familia se recibieron 18 mil denuncias relacionadas con violencia doméstica, cuando en todo el año 2006 habían llegado 26.631.
“Es necesario que el problema de la violencia contra las mujeres en el país se convierta en una política de Estado del Gobierno y no que se hagan declaraciones espasmódicas y algunas medidas aisladas. Falta una política de Estado seria, constante, con recursos para poder brindar a las víctimas una atención integral, psicológica, jurídica, con patrocinio gratuito, hogares transitorios”, opinó en diálogo con Página/12 la diputada del ARI y vicepresidenta de la Cámara de Diputados, Marcela Rodríguez, comprometida con la temática y autora de un proyecto de ley superador de las legislaciones vigentes, que quedó cajoneado en el Congreso. En 2007 desde el Programa las Víctimas contra las Violencias, que dependía del Ministerio del Interior y ahora pasó a la órbita de la cartera de Justicia, Seguridad y Derechos Humanos, se elaboró un proyecto de ley, con algunos aspectos innovadores para abordar el problema, pero el texto nunca llegó al Congreso. “Todavía está en el área de Legal y Técnica, según informó ayer a Página/12 uno de los técnicos que trabajó en la iniciativa. Amnistía Internacional lanzó en noviembre último una campaña nacional para lograr que el tema ingrese a la agenda del Gobierno al mismo nivel que el tema de la inflación. Unos meses antes, en julio, organizaciones no gubernamentales que trabajan en esta temática plantearon la falta de un plan nacional para enfrentar este flagelo ante el comité de expertas de la OEA, que se ocupa de evaluar a los países americanos en cuanto a sus políticas para enfrentar la violencia de género y que sesionó por primera vez en Buenos Aires.
Entre los principales cuestionamientos que las ONG les hicieron a los gobiernos nacional y provinciales, está que las respuestas del Estado están focalizadas “casi exclusivamente en la violencia familiar, intrafamiliar y/o doméstica” como si se tratara de un conflicto hogareño, en lugar de una violación de derechos humanos. Objetaron que no se advierta que es la condición de género el factor de riesgo. Las organizaciones de mujeres coincidieron en que existe “falta de voluntad política” para efectivizar programas de asistencia a víctimas de violencia que se sostengan en el tiempo. Además, “los que existen están localizados especialmente en las grandes ciudades”, dejando sin respuesta a extensas regiones.
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| 25 Feb 2008 - 20:37 | admin
URL: www.hrw.org/spanish/docs/2007/10/22/nica . . .
| El crimen del aborto en Nicaragua
Por Lance Lattig y Angela Heimburger
Publicado en Miami Herald
Managua -- Un año después de que las elecciones de Nicaragua permitieran el regreso de Daniel Ortega al poder, un gran número de mujeres embarazadas han muerto, muchas de ellas como consecuencia de una nueva ley que prohíbe a los médicos brindar el tratamiento necesario para salvarles la vida.
En la fase previa a las reñidas elecciones de noviembre de 2006, los sandinistas presentes en la Asamblea Nacional ayudaron a revocar las disposiciones legales que, desde 1983, permitían la realización de abortos para salvar la vida de las mujeres. De este modo Nicaragua ha pasado a formar parte del pequeño grupo de países donde el aborto es considerado como un crimen que se castiga con cárcel para la mujer y su médico --incluso en casos de violación, incesto o peligro para la vida de la madre.
En el curso del último año la nueva ley ha tenido un efecto devastador sobre las mujeres en Nicaragua. Las mujeres embarazadas que padecen enfermedades tales como la insuficiencia renal han muerto porque no se les ha permitido interrumpir sus embarazos para atender sus problemas de salud. Una madre pobre y soltera murió de un ataque al corazón luego de que los médicos se negaran a tratar la severa hemorragia que padecía porque el feto que llevaba en el vientre aún estaba vivo. Ni el feto ni la mujer sobrevivieron y su hijo de tres años vive actualmente con su abuela indigente en condiciones precarias.
Continua
www.hrw.org/spanish/docs/2007/10/22/nicara17145.htm
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| 25 Feb 2008 - 20:33 | admin
URL: hrw.org/english/docs/2007/10/22/nicara17 . . .
| Abortion ban killing women
By Lance Lattig and Angela Heimburger
Published in Miami Herald
MANAGUA -- A year after elections in Nicaragua returned Daniel Ortega to power, scores of pregnant women have died, many as a consequence of a new law that prohibits doctors from providing lifesaving treatment.
In the run-up to the hotly contested elections last November, Sandinistas in the National Assembly helped to overturn a legal provision that had permitted lifesaving abortions since 1893. Nicaragua thus joined the handful of countries in which abortion is a crime punishable by prison for both a woman and her doctor -- even in cases of rape, incest or when a woman's life is at risk.
During the past year, the new law has had a devastating impact on women in Nicaragua.
Pregnant women suffering from illnesses such as kidney failure have died because they were not allowed to interrupt their pregnancies to treat their conditions.
A poor, single mother died of a heart attack after doctors refused to treat her severe hemorrhaging because the fetus was still alive. Neither the fetus nor the woman survived, and her 3-year-old son now lives with his indigent grandmother in precarious conditions.
Continues
hrw.org/english/docs/2007/10/22/nicara17144.htm
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| 25 Feb 2008 - 20:01 | Allison Randall
policy@nnedv.org
URL: www.nnedv.org/docs/Policy/InvestingWomen . . .
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Investing in Women's Lives Briefing -- March 3, 10am or 12pm
Please join us March 3 at 10am in Dirksen 538 or 12pm Rayburn in B-340 for a briefing on domestic and sexual violence.
Can't view this invitation? Visit http://www.nnedv.org/docs/Policy/Investi ngWomensLives.pdf
Investing in Women's Lives:
Fulfilling the promise of the Violence Against Women Act
and the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act
Presented by the National Network to End Domestic Violence
in partnership with Mary Kay, Inc.
and in conjunction with the Congressional Victims Rights Caucus
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX)
Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA)
Speakers Include:
Jane Graham Jennings, Women's Community, Inc., Wisconsin
Judy King Smith, Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center, West Virginia
Gloria Mayfield Banks, Renowned Inspirational Speaker, Mary Kay, Inc., Maryland
Joyce DeHaan, Domestic and Sexual Abuse Resource Center, Helping Services for Northeast Iowa
Monday, March 3, 2008
Breakfast Briefing
10:00am - 11:00am
Senate Dirksen 538
Luncheon Briefing
12:00pm - 1:00pm
House Rayburn B-340
A continental breakfast or light lunch and drinks will be provided.
RSVP, or for more information, contact:
policy@nnedv.org or 202.543.5566
This will be a widely attended event.
Allison Randall
Public Policy Director
National Network to End Domestic Violence
2001 S Street NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20009
202-543-5566, x105 (phone)
202-543-5626 (fax)
allison@nnedv.org
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| 25 Feb 2008 - 16:11 | admin
outreach@rcasa.org
URL: www.vsdvalliance.org
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The Art of Surviving Sexual Assault
March 7th – March 31, 2008
Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault
540-371-1666
For Immediate Release
The Art of Surviving Sexual Violence:
Stories of victimization and healing told by survivors of sexual
violence through their own artwork and poetry
The Art of Surviving exhibit will be displayed at The Wounded
Bookshop, 109 Amelia Street - Fredericksburg, VA 22401,
(540) 373-1311.
The Art of Surviving is an exhibit of artwork and poetry created by survivors of sexual violence across Virginia. The art and poetry provide survivors, many of whom have felt silenced in their victimization, a voice with which to discuss sexual victimization and healing and to speak out about the realities of sexual violence and survivorship through artistic expression.
The artists and poets who contributed their work to The Art of
Surviving exhibit range in age from 19 to 75. They are college
students, great-grandparents, military veterans, activists, artists,
therapists, crisis center staff and volunteers, and self-defense
instructors. Some of the artists created their art shortly after
they were assaulted; some created it over 40 years later. A few
created their artwork and poetry while staying in a domestic violence
shelter or participating in a sexual assault support group. A few
are professional artists. Many created their artwork on their own.
The Art of Surviving is being brought Fredericksburg by The
Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault. It will be located at
The Wounded Bookshop at 109 Amelia Street in Old Town
Fredericksburg. The opening reception is March 7th from 6pm – 9 pm.
The show will run through March.
A project of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action
Alliance, the exhibit has been on tour throughout Virginia since it
debuted in April 2007. The exhibit is comprised of approximately 30
pieces of artwork and 10 poems, each with a written narrative
submitted by the artist/poet that describes how her/his piece relates
to surviving sexual violence.
For more information about the exhibit details, please contact staff
at the Rappahannock Council Against Sexual Assault at 540-371-1666 or
email to outreach@rcasa.org for more information.
To find out more
about The Art of Surviving project, as well as how to submit artwork
and poetry to the exhibit, visit www.vsdvalliance.org.
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