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| 05 Oct 2008 - 10:13 | admin
URL: mobile.washingtonpost.com/detail.jsp?key . . .
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Zulus Eagerly Defy Ban on Virginity Test
By Karin Brulliard
Updated: Friday, September 26, 2008
NONGOMA, South Africa -- One week before, Nonhlanhla Mhkize had risen early, walked to her tribal chief's home, climbed a desolate hill and lain on a blanket for what leaders of her Zulu culture call an "inspection" of her genitals. Now the teenager glowed as she held up a document she had earned for the fourth year. It declared her a virgin.
"Here is my certificate!" Mhkize, an 18-year-old with magenta-streaked hair, said giddily.
Surrounding her were thousands of girls -- some barely school-age, most adolescents -- who had traveled to this windswept valley for an annual dance in honor of the Zulu king. Like Mhkize, all were bare-breasted and wearing traditional beaded skirts and necklaces. All were certified virgins, a requirement for participation.
In this rural Zulu stronghold on South Africa's eastern coast, it seemed of little matter that the Zulu custom of virginity testing, decried by gender and human rights activists, was banned for most girls in a bill passed by Parliament and enacted last year. Zulus here, who say it is a way to curb teenage pregnancy and AIDS, defiantly embrace the practice.
"There are changes and development in life, but that does not mean people have to change their culture," King Goodwill Zwelithini told the crowd, the fur tassels of his animal-skin cloak whipping in the wind.
The debate over virginity testing is an example of the clash common throughout Africa as governments try to regulate traditional practices that have long held sway, particularly in rural areas. Legal experts say the topic is particularly complex in post-apartheid South Africa, where patriarchal tribal cultures have dusted off long-stifled traditions under one of the world's most progressive constitutions, which lauds diversity but requires cultural customs to bend to individual rights.
Continues...
mobile.washingt npost.com/detail.jsp?key=284270&rc=to&p=1&all=1
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| 05 Oct 2008 - 09:36 | Victoria Placeo
victoriaplaceo@gmail.com
URL: rape-and-sexual-assault.blogspot.com
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I was raped in May 2008 and I need hesp. Here is my blog that is a play by play of rape survival.
*
* http://rape-and-sexual-assault.blogspot. com
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| 04 Oct 2008 - 22:36 | CIMAC noticias
URL: www.cimacnoticias.com/site/08100305-Oaxa . . .
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Afirman OSC en Informe Alternativo
Oaxaca: Estructuras de gobierno invisibilizan violencia feminicida
Por Soledad Jarquín Edgar/corresponsal
Oaxaca, Oax., 3 oct 08 (CIMAC).- Cinco organizaciones de la sociedad civil (OSC) presentaron el Informe Alternativo “El Estado Mexicano en la mira de la ONU”, Los Derechos Humanos en Oaxaca 2004-2008, en el que concluyen que el Gobierno Mexicano ha incumplido sus compromisos y las recomendaciones adquiridas en esta materia, simulando un compromiso que no se ve reflejado en la realidad estatal.
Para las OSC la carencia de mecanismo de evaluación en los estados de la federación, como es el caso Oaxaca, ha conllevado a generar total impunidad de las graves violaciones a derechos humanos, argumentando un problema que deben resolver las autoridades de Oaxaca.
El documento contiene temas como la criminalización del movimiento y la protesta social, la situación de las y los defensores de derechos humanos en Oaxaca, ataques a la libertad de expresión, desaparición forzada, violencia feminicida y situación de los pueblos indígenas.
Expone que las estructuras de gobierno han invisibilizado la gravedad de la violencia feminicida, pese a que en Oaxaca hay mujeres desaparecidas, asesinadas y un sinnúmero de mujeres sin acceso real a la justicia, lo que se agrava aun más en el contexto indígena, donde existe mayor discriminación y menor acceso a la justicia.
Por otro lado, el informe también califica de síntomas más graves el hecho que las estructuras institucionales carecen de toda sensibilidad para la atención a las mujeres, la falta de presupuestos y de políticas públicas.
Además de incapacidad de iniciar e integrar investigaciones para encarcelar a los asesinos o agresores y poner freno a los crímenes, lo que contraviene las recomendaciones realizadas en enero del 2006 por parte de la Relatora Especial sobre Violencia hacia las Mujeres de la Organización de las Naciones Unidas.
Finalmente, sostiene que ante la persistencia de la violencia generalizada y sistemática contra las mujeres en Oaxaca, son vigentes las recomendaciones y preocupaciones del Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación contra la Mujer (CEDAW, por sus siglas en inglés).
En particular por la falta de investigación de las violaciones a derechos humanos y el abuso de autoridad perpetrados por la Policía Federal Preventiva y cuerpos policiacos estatales en contra de 38 mujeres privadas ilegalmente de su libertad el 25 de noviembre del 2006, quienes por acciones legales han sido liberadas de los cargos por los que fueron detenidas.
CRIMINALIZACIÓN DE LA PROTESTA
Continua....
http://www.cimacnoticias.com/site/08100305-Oaxaca-Estructuras.35093.0.html
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| 04 Oct 2008 - 10:47 | Feministpeacenetwork
URL: www.feministpeacenetwork.org
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Feministpeacenetwork News
www.feministpeacenetwork.org
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| 04 Oct 2008 - 10:44 | Violence Policy Center
URL: www.vpc.org/
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For 2nd Year In A Row, Nevada # 1 In Number Of Women Murdered By Men
“For the second year in a row, Nevada, with a rate of 3.27 per 100,000, ranked first in the nation in the rate of women killed by men according to the Violence Policy Center (VPC) report When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2006 Homicide Data. The annual VPC report details national and state-by-state information on female homicides involving one female murder victim and one male offender. The study uses the most recent data available from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s unpublished Supplementary Homicide Report and is released each year to coincide with Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October.
Ranked behind Nevada were: South Carolina at 2 with a rate of 2.84 per 100,000; Alabama at 3 with a rate of 2.20 per 100,000; Oklahoma at 4 with a rate of 2.10 per 100,000; Louisiana at 5 with a rate of 1.97 per 100,000; Vermont at 6 with a rate of 1.90 per 100,000; Texas at 7 with a rate of 1.82 per 100,000; Arkansas at 8 with a rate of 1.74 per 100,000; Arizona at 9 with a rate of 1.72 per 100,000; and, Tennessee at 10 with a rate of 1.70 per 100,000. Nationally, the rate of women killed by men in single victim/single offender instances was 1.29 per 100,000.
VPC Legislative Director Kristen Rand states, “These findings alarmingly demonstrate how domestic violence can escalate to homicide. More resources need to be made available to protect women and prevent such tragedies.”
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| 04 Oct 2008 - 10:39 | Ruta Pacifica de las Mujeres Bogata
communicaciones@rutapacifica.org.co
URL: www.rutapacifica.org.co/
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Columbia: Member Of Ruta Pacifica De Las Mujeres Murdered
Press Release
Ruta Pacifica De Las Mujeres rejects the assasination in Medellin of one of it’s members.
The feminist-pacifist social movement of women demands respect for the life and integrity of women
Paradoxically, while La Ruta was presenting in Bogota the book entitled “Las violencias contra las mujeres en una sociedad en guerra”(Violence Against Women in a Society at War), one of its members,Olga Marina Vergara, was murdered in Medellin, along with her son, her daughter-in-law and five-year-old grandson.
In circumstances that reveal the ignominy of the violence and degradation of the society, Olga Marina Vergara, a member of the Ruta Pacifica de las Mujeres, was assassinated in Medellin.
This feminist-pacifist leader, well-known in the Antioquian capital for her work in behalf of women, was assassinated in her own house in the sector Prado-Centro this Wednesday 24 September, along with her son, daughter-in-law and grandson.
“These deaths and this massacre are unacceptable. With these words, the Ruta Pacifica (a politico-feminist group that works to highlight the effects of war on the life of women) categorically rejects these happenings, which demonstrate, once again, the degradation of the warand the society, as the conditions and circumstances in which they occurred are exceedingly serious. For this reason, we call on the authorities to investigate and determine the motives for what has happened,” indicated Marina Gallego Zapata, National Coordinator for the Ruta Pacifica de las Mujeres.
Likewise, the coordinator of the movement emphasized that the Ruta Pacifica de las Mujeres continues the effort to ensure that the theme of violence against women is not relegated to a position of minor concern andmere circumstantial news in the public agenda. “Ou rinterest is to establish a political and ethical commitment to drawan end to impunity and social permissiveness regarding violence against women, which is intensified in the conflict our country confronts.”
The social feminist organizations that are associated with the Ruta Pacifica de las Mujeres and which work together for a negotiated outcome to the armed conflict in Colombia and for drawing attention to the effects of war in the lives of women, join this rejection of the assassination of Olga Marina Vrgaraand three members of her family.
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| 04 Oct 2008 - 10:20 | Martin Dufresne
URL: www.youtube.com/RapeRelief
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New videoclip from Rape Relief on Youtube - Flesh mapping
It's hard to get past the p.r. flak being put out by the sex industry.
But here is a short video put up on Youtube by the women at Rape Relief who have been supporting all women for more than thirty years.
Flesh Mapping offers a few benchmarks to get beyond the propaganda and acknowledge the racism, the classism, the violence.
Google it or click on
http://www.youtube.com/RapeRelief
And please pass this on.
Thanks,
Martin Dufresne
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| 03 Oct 2008 - 20:52 | Anne S. Walker
annewalker@iwtc.org
URL: www.mouvement-mondial-des-meres.org/fr/f . . .
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Petition to UNSG regarding peacekeepers and sexual exploitation
Dear Everyone
During the UNDPi/NGO celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we discussed Resolutions 1325 and 1820 - and the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel.
The NGOs present at the session decided to take action and ask for direct intervention by the UN Secretary General in a letter. The World Movement of Mothers graciously took on the task of collecting signatures. We have collected many already and aim to have it delivered to the SG and key UN figures and member states by Oct 15 this year. Deadline for signing is Oct 10.
The text is pasted below and the link is available on the website of
the World Movement of Mothers at
http://www.mouvement-mondial-des-meres.org/fr/fic_pdf/081002_lettre%20ouverte%20SG%20ONU.pdf
If you would like to add your signature as an individual or as an organization to this petition please email your details to mmminternational@wanadoo.fr
- no later than Oct 10.
Please forward to others as well.
Thank you
Sanam
NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security New York
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TEXT OF THE LETTER:
-------------------------------------- -
OPEN LETTER :
"Making senior UN leadership accountable for sexual abuse/exploitation by
UN staff in peace operations.²"
Dear Secretary General
We, the undersigned, congratulate the United Nations and the Security
Council for recognizing the experiences of women in conflicts and war. UN Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000) and 1820 (2008) articulate the critical role of women in peacemaking and peace building, and that the protection needs of women during conflict and crisis are essential elements of peace and security.
Despite these milestones, women and girls continue to experience alarming fo
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| 03 Oct 2008 - 20:11 | Polaris Project
URL: www.callandresponse.com/
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Dear Friends -
Thank you for contributing your time and energy to raising awareness and urging others to join us. Your efforts have been successful in building the anti-trafficking movement. Over the past year, Polaris Project has seen a record increase in the number of people across the country who have signed up to join us in combating human trafficking.
In response to this growth, Polaris Project has been working hard to create expanded systems that would enable us to email you with new opportunities to get involved in the fight against human trafficking. We are pleased to report that we have completed the project, and we are happy to be back in touch with you! For those of you who are receiving an email from us for the first time, welcome!
This month we have exciting news -
Next Friday, October 10th the new feature documentary film Call + Response will open in theaters across the U.S. Call + Response goes deep undercover where slavery is thriving from the child brothels of Cambodia to the slave brick kilns of rural India.
Luminaries on the issue such as Cornel West, Madeleine Albright, Daryl Hannah, Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd, Nicholas Kristof, and many other prominent political and cultural figures offer first hand account of this 21st century trade.
Performances from Grammy-winning and critically acclaimed artists including Moby, Natasha Bedingfield, Cold War Kids, Matisyahu, Imogen Heap, Talib Kweli, Five for Fighting, Switchfoot, members of Nickel Creek and Tom Petty's Heartbreakers, Rocco Deluca move this chilling information into inspiration for stopping it.
Music is part of the movement against human slavery. Dr. Cornel West connects the music of the American slave fields to the popular music we listen to today, and offers this connection as a rallying cry for the modern abolitionist movement currently brewing.
Find a theater near you and get your tickets now at: http://www.callandresponse.com/
Forward this email to your friends and family and invite them to join you. This is a great opportunity to help raise awareness about the reality of modern-day slavery by getting as many people as possible to come out and watch Call + Response this month!
All of us from Polaris Project in Washington, DC will be going to see the film on October 15th at 7:30PM at the Washington, DC E Street Cinema. If you live in the DC area, we hope to see you there!
We hope you enjoy the film,
Polaris Project
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| 03 Oct 2008 - 09:17 | Movimiento Universitario Sur - Rosario
sur.fcpolitica@gmail.com
URL: www.movimientosur.org.ar/
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Charla Debate: La esclavitud del Siglo XXI: trata de mujeres
La violencia contra la mujer es ejercida todos los dias, en todos los Ãmbitos de nuestra sociedad. Como un signo mÃs de un sistema patriarcal que se resiste a modificar sus estructuras.
Es una responsabilidad de todos y todas no seguir reproduciendo esas formas de opresion.
En el marco de la campaia del 25 de Noviembre "Dia Internacional de la Eliminacion de la Violencia contra la Mujer", en conmemoracion del asesinato de las hermanas Mirabal en Rep. Dominicana a manos del regimen del dictador Trujillo en los anos 60.
El Ãrea de Genero del Movimiento Universitario Sur invita a:
Ciclo de charlas debate y actividades:
14 de Octubre 17.30Hs
(aula a confirmar)
La esclavitud en el Siglo XXI: La trata de mujeres.
- Beatriz Fullone. Trabajadora Social. Oficina de Violencia Domestica de la Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Nacio³n.
- Viviana Della Siega. Comunicadora Social. Comunicadora Social. Sub directora de Extensin y Relaciones Institucionales de la Defensora del Pueblo de la Pcia. de Santa Fe, casa Rosario. Miembro del INSGENAR
- Martha Andrada. Abogada. Docente. Centro de Estudios e Investigaciones en Derechos Humanos "Juan Carlos Gardella" de la Facultad de Derecho de la Universidad Nacional de Rosario.
- Gabriela Sosa. Programa de Fortalecimiento de los Derechos y Participacin de las Mujeres 'Juana Azurduy'
Facultad de Ciencia Polittica
Inscripciones e informacion:
sur.fcpolitica@gmail.com
--
En el ano del 80 aniversario del Nacimiento de Ernesto "Che" Guevara
http://www.rosariosur.blogspot. com/
http://www.movimientosur.org.ar/
Movi miento Universitario Sur - Rosario
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| 02 Oct 2008 - 13:27 | Pagina 12, Argentina
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Publicado en el diario argentino "Pàgina 12" el 01/10/2008.
Un juez ordenó frenar en Bahía Blanca un aborto autorizado por la ley
Con el rosario en lugar del Código
El hospital de Bahía Blanca estaba por interrumpir el embarazo de una chica con discapacidad mental y embarazada tras una violación. El caso no es punible, pero un juez hizo lugar a un recurso de amparo y ordenó suspender la práctica por 48 horas.
Por Mariana Carbajal
El movimiento de mujeres reclama la despenalización del aborto y que no se traben los abortos no punibles.Una vez más, ahora en Bahía Blanca, se obstaculiza la realización de un aborto no punible con la connivencia de un magistrado. El juez de Familia Jorge Eduardo Longas, conocido por su fervor religioso, hizo lugar a un recurso de amparo y ordenó ayer suspender por 48 horas la práctica médica que estaba prevista por la mañana a una adolescente de 18 años, con discapacidad mental, abusada sexualmente en el seno de su familia, sobre cuyo caso informó PáginaI12 la semana anterior. En medio del drama que vive la joven, un grupo de monjas que trabajan en el Hospital Penna, donde está internada, hicieron una cadena de oración en la puerta del establecimiento. “El derecho a la vida es el primer derecho natural de la persona humana”, expresaron las religiosas al leer un comunicado del Arzobispado de Bahía Blanca encabezado por monseñor Guillermo José Garlatti. Anoche estaba previsto un acto de rechazo al aborto en la plaza Rivadavia, convocado desde la Catedral.
“Es un nuevo avasallamiento de corporaciones religiosas que impiden que este Estado que exigimos laico y sus funcionarios comprometidos por juramento público en hacer cumplir las leyes, garanticen los derechos de las mujeres como derechos humanos universales”, expresó con fuerte indignación Elsa Schvartzman, integrante del Foro por los Derechos Reproductivos y de la Campaña Nacional por el Derecho al Aborto Legal Seguro y Gratuito, al conocer la intervención judicial.
La práctica del aborto no punible a la joven ya estaba acordada en el Hospital Penna. La había solicitado la representante legal de la muchacha, la abogada María Fernanda Petersen, secretaria de la ONG Patronato de la Infancia de Bahía Blanca, donde la chica vivía desde hace varios años. Por la mañana, el director del Penna, Alberto Taranto, comunicó a la prensa local que se le habían realizado a la adolescente los estudios médicos previos correspondientes. Pero la llegada de la notificación judicial obligó a frenar la práctica. “Llegó una orden judicial firmada por el juez de Familia Jorge Eduardo Longas, en la que se nos indica que debemos suspender la práctica del aborto por 48 horas”, informó Taranto.
El médico desconocía qué entidad había presentado el recurso de amparo. Por la tarde, los profesionales del Penna, con cuyo Comité de Bioética habían consensuado el aborto, estuvieron reunidos para analizar qué pasos seguir. PáginaI12 no pudo comunicarse con ninguno de ellos, pero según trascendió estarían dispuestos a continuar adelante con la interrupción del embarazo. El artículo 86 del Código Penal establece que, si el embarazo proviene de una violación o de un atentado al pudor cometido sobre una mujer idiota o demente, el aborto no es punible y sólo debe tener el consentimiento del representante legal de la víctima. Los dos requisitos se cumplen en este caso.
La historia conmueve a la ciudad de Bahía Banca desde hace varias semanas. La adolescente fue violada al ir a visitar a su familia durante un fin de semana. El embarazo, consecuencia de los abusos, ya lleva unas diez semanas. Después de conocerse el caso, el Patronato de la Infancia fue descabezado: se supo que la niña, cuya edad mental sería de unos diez años, había alertado a profesionales de la centenaria institución que sufría manoseos en su entorno familiar. Pero a pesar de su testimonio, la volvieron a mandar de visita. En los últimos días fue destituido su director, Antonio López, y parte del equipo técnico, entre ellos una asistente social y un psicólogo. Desde principios de septiembre, la muchacha dejó el Patronato para irse a la casa de la familia que el Tribunal de Menores Nº 2 designó como guarda provisoria.
La jovencita declaró días atrás en la Unidad Funcional de Instrucción y Juicio Nº 1 de Bahía Blanca, a cargo de Eduardo Alberto Quirós, y señaló a tres personas de su entorno familiar como las autoras de los abusos. La denuncia la presentó la abogada Petersen en la Comisaría de la Mujer.
Desde que los médicos del Penna confirmaron que estaban dispuestos a respetar los derechos de la joven, al realizarle el aborto no punible sin pedir una autorización judicial, surgieron en Bahía Blanca expresiones contrarias a la interrupción del embarazo. “El aborto, por ser un crimen horrendo, jamás puede llegar a ser una solución”, aseveró el lunes el arzobispo de Bahía Blanca. Hasta un matrimonio se presentó en la Fiscalía, para postularse como adoptante del bebé de la víctima violada. La pareja fue derivada a la Justicia de Menores. El tema del aborto y el destino de la persona por nacer no son competencias del fiscal.
No es el primer caso en el que un pedido de aborto no punible se obstruye desde la Justicia. Hace pocas semanas ocurrió una situación similar en la ciudad de Mendoza. Y en otras provincias, se intentaron maniobras parecidas a lo largo de los últimos dos años. Por uno de esos casos, el de LMR, que sucedió en el conurbano bonaerense, la Argentina enfrenta una demanda ante el Comité de Derechos Humanos de la ONU: en un dictamen de la Secretaría de Derechos Humanos de la Nación, que se presentó al organismo y que reveló en exclusiva PáginaI12, el Gobierno reconoce que al obstaculizar la Justicia el acceso al aborto no punible se violaron los derechos humanos de LMR, que tenía en ese momento 18 años y una edad mental de 10 y había sido violada por un tío, un caso casi calcado al de Bahía Blanca.
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| 02 Oct 2008 - 13:21 | Dr. Mo Therese Hannah
mhannah413@aol.com
URL: www.batteredmotherscustodyconference.org
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Battered Mothers Custody Conference
Battered Women, Abused Children,
and Child Custody,
A National Crisis VI:
SOLUTIONS
The Sixth Annual Battered Mothers
Custody Conference
January 9th, 10th, & 11th, 2009
(Friday evening, 6 p.m. - Sunday afternoon)
Brochure is attached.
Featured Speakers include
ANGELA SHELTON
Reclaiming the Sword
~transitioning from pain and suffering
into joy and happiness
WENDY MURPHY, ESQ.
"And Justice for Some"
HOLLY AND JENNIFER COLLINS
An American Family Goes Underground in the Netherlands
and Returns to tell Their Story
and many others
CONFERENCE HOTEL
~New location~
Holiday Inn Turf
205 Wolf Road, Albany, NY
( five minutes away from Albany International Airport)
Call: 1-800-HOLIDAY or 518-458-7250
Ask for Battered Mothers Custody Conference block
Reserve early!
Interested in presenting? Request for Workshop Proposals is Attached.
Visit www.batteredmotherscustodyconference.org for further details--coming
soon!
Dr. Mo Therese Hannah
Professor of Psychology, Siena College
NYS Licensed Psychologist
518-210-2487 (mailto:mhannah413@aol.com) mhannah413@aol.com
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| 02 Oct 2008 - 13:14 | Sharon Turner,
sharont@standagainstdv.org
URL: www.standagainstdv.org
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JOB ** JOB ** JOB
CPEDV Job Opening: Executive Director
The California Partnership to End Domestic Violence (CPEDV) is now
accepting applications for Executive Director.
The application deadline is October 24, 2008
Job Title: Executive Director
Job Type: Full-time
Job Start Date: 1/1/09
Last Date to Submit Applications: 10/24/08
How to Apply: Please send your application materials electronically to
sharont@standagainstdv.org
A signed copy of your application should also be mailed to:
Sharon Turner
STAND! Against Domestic Violence
1410 Danzig Plaza
Concord, California 94520
Please call Sharon Turner (925) 603-0197 with any questions.
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| 02 Oct 2008 - 13:08 | Global Sisterhood Network
URL: www.global-sisterhood-network.org/conten . . .
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Burma: Post-cyclone Nargis catastrophe, men rape, rob & murder Delta women
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Reports of Rape Surface in Cyclone-devastated Delta
By KYI WAI
LAPUTTA Reports of rape and other abuses of women are surfacing as communities in Burma’s Irrawaddy delta continue to recover from May’s Cyclone Nargis.
Women were particularly vulnerable in the cyclone and its aftermath, when social order broke down. Many complain their plight was ignored by local authorities and the military.
One 20-year-old woman from a village in Laputta District said three men who responded to her cries for help the day after the cyclone raped and tried to rob her.
One villager reported seeing two men armed with knives rape a 15-year-old girl before drowning her. “I was afraid to try and help the girl and I pretended to be dead,” he confessed.
The rapes and killing continued weeks after the cyclone, as devastated communities tried to restore normal life, according to villagers.
A resident of Gyin Yah village in Laputta District said that a month after the cyclone he had discovered the body of a teenage girl who had been raped and killed, then dumped in a rice paddy.
Some villagers accused military authorities of trying to prevent news of rape and pillage becoming public. Villages allowing news of the abuses to escape were threatened with destruction, sources said.
One man from Kyane Gone village in Laputta District said a soldier had tried to drag away his daughter as they waited for aid at a military base. He had complained to an officer, who had angrily sent him away.
A woman survivor from Sate Gyi village in Laputta Township said: “I don’t dare return to my home. I’m the only woman survivor and would be the only woman among eight men.”
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| 02 Oct 2008 - 12:51 | Eleanor Smeal, Feminist Majority
eministmajority@mail.democracyinaction.org
URL: www.feministmajority.org
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Tell Colorado: Rights for Women, Not Eggs
Dear Feminist,
We must stop the outrageous movement to give fertilized eggs more rights than women and girls. An extremely dangerous amendment to the Colorado state constitution is on the state November ballot. It grants personhood and constitutional rights to a fertilized egg.
Colorado voter registration deadline is October 6 - Monday. We are now entering the final days of the campaign to defeat this deceptive anti-woman amendment. Help us ratchet up the size of our campaign.
This outrageous 'personhood' initiative on the Colorado ballot (Amendment 48) could recklessly endanger women's health and privacy. By giving constitutional rights to a fertilized egg, the amendment could not only ban all abortions, even in cases of rape or incest, but it could also ban emergency contraception, birth control pills, and IUDs. It could even eliminate medical choices like some cancer treatments, in vitro fertilization, and embryonic stem cell research.
If this extreme measure passes, it could spread from state to state. We can't let this happen. Contribute now to defeat this dangerous ballot measure.
About half of your emergency contribution will go to the statewide Colorado coalition - Protect Families Protect Choices - which is purchasing media ads and mobilizing voters. The other half will go to support our statewide campus campaign for organizers, phone banks, signs, leaflets, and other campaign materials.
Feminist Majority Foundation has two dozen paid student organizers -- and the number is increasing -- and scores of volunteers working to mobilize students on Colorado college campuses to defeat this dangerous abortion ban.
With your help, this outrageous Colorado amendment will be defeated.
Remember: What happens in Colorado in November could affect women nationwide. Stop this drastic anti-woman state constitutional amendment in its tracks.
For Women's Lives,
Eleanor Smeal
President
P.S. I know you care more about women than about fertilized eggs. We don't have a moment to waste
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| 01 Oct 2008 - 19:47 | Kelli Imbler, National District Attorney's Association
Kelli.Imbler@NDAA.org
URL: www.ndaa.org/phpdocs/reg_form.html
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National Institute on the Prosecution of Sexual Violence
COURSE DATE: December 9-12, 2008
LOCATION: Philadelphia, PA
To Register: http://www.ndaa.org/phpdocs/reg_form.htm l
For More information:
http://www.ndaa.org/education/apri/nat l_inst_prosecution_sv_phil_pa_08
.html
This course was developed by the National Center for the Prosecution
of Violence Against Women (NCPVAW) at the American Prosecutors
Research Institute (APRI), the research and technical assistance
division of the National District Attorneys Association (NDAA) in
collaboration with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR)
with funding from the USDOJ Office on Violence Against Women.
At the National Institute on the Prosecution of Sexual Violence you
will
• Learn strategies which apply to your day-to-day work;
• Learn how offenders prey upon victims' vulnerabilities and
how victims react to the trauma of sexual assault;
• Engage in role play exercises, small group discussions,
hypothetical cases and faculty demonstrations;
• Leave empowered to charge and successfully prosecute more
difficult cases using strategies specific to sexual assault.
Who should attend?
Prosecutors who handle cases involving sexual violence.
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| 01 Oct 2008 - 19:38 | Kelly Cieza
loresdeinviernox@yahoo.es
URL: www.11encuentrofeminista.org/
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XI Encuentro Feminista Latinoamericano y del Caribe
Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México del 16 al 20 de marzo del 2008
El XI EFLC será un evento dinámico e incluyente, con el reconocimiento de las distintas identidades dentro del movimiento feminista regional, con un enfoque en la intersección de temas y poniendo énfasis en el abordaje, discusión y debate de las expresiones fundamentalistas dentro de los campos de la economía, la cultura, la sociedad, la política y aún dentro del feminismo.
Retomando los aportes de los anteriores encuentros, buscaremos el lanzamiento de esfuerzos nacionales y regionales para enfrentar desafíos comunes en el marco de la autonomía, la diversidad y la pluralidad que caracteriza al movimiento feminista.
Hemos decidido que el Encuentro se lleve a cabo en el Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México por ser un territorio político, histórico y cultural de gran envergadura a nivel de nuestro país y de la Región y en dónde existen las condiciones logísticas para albergar a las compañeras que estamos esperando (aproximadamente 1500 mujeres). Además contaremos con el apoyo del gobierno de la Ciudad para hacer uso de espacios culturales para sesionar y del mismo zócalo en dónde realizaremos el acto de inauguración, como un evento político-cultural abierto a la ciudadanía. Firmaremos un convenio con el Jefe de Gobierno para tal motivo, siempre en el marco de respeto a nuestra autonomía.
En este sitio se podrá encontrar información sobre la convocatoria amplia, el mecanismo de inscripción, las formas de participación y el Programa.
Consideramos sumamente importante la participación de compañeras feministas de las diversas expresiones políticas y sociales del movimiento mexicano y latinoamericano así como de todas zonas geográficas de nuestra región a fin de aprovechar la oportunidad de encontrarnos y fortalecernos.
Las invitamos a estar con contacto y a participar en el Encuentro.
Comité Impulsor del XI Encuentro Feminista Latinoamericano y del Caribe.
Aimée Jezabel, Alma Oceguera, Ana Francis, Axela Romero, Beatriz Cavazos, Daptnhe Cuevas, Eugenia López Uribe, Gloria Careaga, Ina Riaskov, María Eugenia Romero, Nayeli Yoval, Norma Alegre, Paola Ponce, Perla Vázquez, Pilar Muriedas, Rotmi Enciso, Tania Banda, Vanesa González Rizzo, Yan María Yaoyólotl y Yanina Ávila.
FloresdeinviernoX
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| 01 Oct 2008 - 19:32 | Kris
kriswilcox11@aol.com
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I have been reading your site and I am amazed by what I have read. Its almost as if I was reading about my case. OCS has done the same thing to me as they have done to so many people. I was wondering if you had more information on Louisiana laws and procedures and how the system here works. I have been involved with OCS for 3 months and they have removed my baby girl on the "failure to protect" clause.. It is such crap and the saddest of it all is my daughter suffers from this... The have no education to perform these jobs so why are they allowed to.. Please help, I am at a lose here... thanks
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| 01 Oct 2008 - 19:22 | US Senator Barbara Boxer
barbara.boxer@enews.senate.gov
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Dear Friend:
This year marks the 21st anniversary of Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). Commemorated in October each year, DVAM recognizes the ongoing need to raise awareness about the violence that takes place every day in homes across America.
Domestic violence affects all of us and can strike anyone regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status or education level. In times of economic difficulty, like the ones we are experiencing now, incidents of domestic violence tend to increase, as financial hardship often correlates with greater incidents of domestic violence in the home.
The impact that domestic violence has on children is particularly dire, as violence learned in the home is often acted out in schools and our communities, negatively affecting the safety and health of all community residents.
I have worked to end domestic violence as long as I have been a member of Congress. I was proud to be an original co-sponsor of the bill that designated October as “National Domestic Violence Awareness Month,” and I introduced the Domestic Violence Identification and Referral Act to provide funding to schools for health professionals who work to prevent domestic violence.
In addition, at the request of Senator Joe Biden, I introduced the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) while in the House, and I helped get it passed and signed into law after being elected to the Senate. VAWA toughened laws against perpetrators and continues to provide funding for campus safety, battered women’s shelters, and training programs for law enforcement to identify and better understand cases of domestic violence.
I commend the tireless efforts of those who work every day to end violence. I will continue to work to end domestic violence as long as I am in the United States Senate.
Sincerely,
Barbara Boxer
United States
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| 01 Oct 2008 - 18:42 | Robin Runge, American Bar Association
runger@staff.abanet.org
URL: www.abanet.org/domviol
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You're Invited: Domestic Violence Awareness Month Activities
Dear Friends,
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. In recognition of it, the Commission on Domestic Violence is hosting a series of four workshops throughout the month, focused on the legal response to domestic violence. Two will be held in person on the 9th floor of the ABA's DC office, and two others will be teleconferences. You may register for all or some of the workshops. I have also attached a flyer with further details to this email. Please feel free to forward this information to your friends and colleagues.
The schedule is as follows:
*The Link Between Domestic Violence and Animal Abuse
Wednesday, October 1, 2008, 12:00 p.m. EDT - 1:30 p.m. EDT
TELECONFERENCE (please dial in)
*Giles v. California: Implications and Strategies
Thursday, October 9, 2008, 12:00 p.m. EDT - 1:30 p.m. EDT
IN PERSON AT ABA (740 15th Street, NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC)
*Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence: What's the Connection?
Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 12:00 p.m. EDT - 1:30 p.m. EDT
IN PERSON AT ABA (740 15th Street, NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC)
*Providing Legal Assistance to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Victims of Domestic Violence
Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 12:00 p.m. EDT - 1:30 p.m. EDT
TELECONFERENCE (please dial in)
None of these workshops will be recorded or taped, therefore in order to participate you must register and either call in or come to the DC office. To register, please go to: http://www.abanet.org/domviol or http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Iu MBrsjtVHfd7V9wSVmLxQ_3d_3d.
After you register, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. Please give our office 2 business days to process your registration form before contacting us about it. If you have any difficulties or questions, please contact Deborah Whang at whangd@staff.abanet.org.
Thank you for the important work you do and we look forward to having you participate next month.
Regards,
Deborah Whang
Program Assistant
American Bar Association
Commission on Domestic Violence
740 15th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 662-1744
(202) 662-1594 (fax)
whangd@staff.abanet.org
www.aban et.org/domviol
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| 01 Oct 2008 - 18:35 | Lindsay
Linds4676@hotmail.com
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To whom it may concern-
My name is Lindsey Goodwin and I am 19 years old. I attend school in Boston, MA with a fine arts major. After seeing countless news reports as well as documentaries on young girls my age and younger prostituting themselves, I find myself compelled to do anything in my power to do what I can to help these girls realize what they can accomplish and that this does not have to be their fate. I am emailing as many websites as I can in order to find what I can do to play a part in something I feel so strongly for.
While I myself have never had to go through what these girls are going through everyday, I myself have had experiences in my life that I have overcome which give me a small window into what they must be feeling. I find that they would be able to identify more with someone their own age rather than a social worker who they may see as just another authority figure trying to tell them what to do. Some may go into prostitution to rebel against the authority figures in their life. Some may be forced or born into this unfortunate propaganda, and I feel strongly compelled to be directly and indirectly connected to helping these girls know what they can have out of life and how important they really are.
Please let me know in what ways I can help these girls directly and indirectly, I need to help these girls, I feel as though it is my job in this life to help them and will do anything in my power to do so.
Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing back from you.
Sincerely,
Lindsey Goodwin
Linds4676@hotmail.com
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| 01 Oct 2008 - 18:31 | Randy McCAll
nfo@VAONLINE.org
URL: www.VAOnline.org
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The following have been updated on VAOnline.org's sites over the last few weeks:
New links to online articles and documents:
* Crime of Human Trafficking - A Law Enforcement Guide to Identification
and Investigation, The (USA)
* Data and Research on Human Trafficking: a Global Survey
(International Organization for Migration)
* Greater Victoria Police Victim Services Strategic Plan 2008) (Canada)
* Guide to the Role of Crime Victims in Mental Health Courts, A (USA)
* House of Lords /House of Commons Joint Committee on Human Rights
- Human trafficking Twenty-sixth Report of Session 2005-06 (UK)
* Human Trafficking in the Commonwealth of Kentucky (USA)
* Trafficking In Persons (Canada)
* UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking (UK)
The following new posts have been made to the VAOnline.org Fusion
Report blog: http://vaonlinefusion.blogspot.com/
* Three new initiatives for victims launched (New Zealand)
* A law which needs to be changed (Australia)
* National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims (USA)
* Victim Support Scotland creating business case for expansion
(Scotland)
* Adult children of homicide victims get access to counseling (Rhode
Island, USA)
* Malawi committed to fighting domestic violence (Malawi)
As mentioned in a previous update, smaller announcements of news or
matters of general interest will be posted as they break on the VAOnline.org main site, our blog site, and our MySpace page via Twitter. Monitor these sites, or subscribe to our Twitter feed, for updates.
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| 01 Oct 2008 - 18:28 | Anonima
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ABUSO A UNA MUJER se cree que el abuso principal es sexual pero no el abuso a una mujer es biolando todos sus derechos como ser humano claro que el abuso a tu cuerpo es grave y deja marcas para toda tu vida pero y el abuso sicologico y moral que te va marcando por la vida y no nadamas eso cuando te encuentras con personas que se creen superior ati y no solo por el hecho de ser mujer sino por el hecho de haver los conosido los hombres que yo he conosido se creen que ppor tener algo grande entre las piernas ya tienen el valor suficiente de ser superiores en fuersa,pensamiento,conosimiento,y no digamos en sentimientos.ya tienen todo ganado en esta vida yo se que alomejor hay alguien a quien le interesa lo que boy a contarles cuando me case mi esposo quiso dominarme y hasta golpearme y si lo llego a ser hasta que sola me puse y estudie y me rebele no nadamas con el marido sino con migo misma y con la vida por que ahora me tocava ami saver que valia,que podia salir
adelante,con el o sin el le puse un hasta qui a todo ser humano que fuera denigrante y que quisiera abusar de una mujer.mu lucha ha sido constante porque a diario conosco a un ser despreciable yo trabajo y a pesar de que soy muy intelijente he tenido que estar por abajo de ellos por necesidad de un trabajo pero digno y decente no he permitido que abusen de my ni siquiera sicologicamente he tenido que a ser fuerte ami mente que no aparente que lo que le asen le duele aun que a solas llore no les demuestro que ellos son mas fuertes que yo se me ha ofresido dinero,casa,y posicion,a cambio de tener sexo con ellos pero eso me denigraria ami como mujer pero mas como ser humano.imaginen lo que siente un hombre cuando se desnuda y ensena su miembro y cree que la mujer ba a caer rendida a sus pies lo que ellos no saben es que los deceos y sentimientos no se miden por el tamano de su miembro.llo lo que si les puedo decir alas mujeres que se dejn abusar por los hombres o por cual quier
persona
es que luchen contra el mundo pero mas contra eellas mismas cuando ganen la batalla sabran que cruzando esa barrera que uno mismo se pone hay demasida fuerza para luchar contra quien sea y sabran ser seres productivos para la sociedad no te rindas te podran quitar una virginidad al ser biolada pero nunca te podran quitar el hecho de ser una campiona en la vida animo lucha,valorate,y sal adelante que tu vales mucho por el solo hecho de ser mujer.y sabes por que vales el doble de lo que vale un hombre por que no nos colgara nada pero tenemos el don mas grande y es el de dar vida.
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| 01 Oct 2008 - 18:17 | Kelly
ksimpson@crisiscenterforwomen.org
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This is the best and most informative web site for sexual assault survivors I have come across in a while. The information is very helpful not only to survivors, but to me as a Coordinator for our rape crisis services. I recommended this site as a resource to our state Coaliton Against Sexual Assault. I appreciate all that you do so much. Keep up the good work.
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| 01 Oct 2008 - 18:11 | Canwest News Service, Canada
URL: www.canada.com/topics/news/world/story.h . . .
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Taliban assassinate top Afghan policewoman
Tom Blackwell , Canwest News Service, Published: Sunday, September 28, 2008
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - As Afghanistan's most senior and most famous female police officer, based in the country's ultra-conservative south, Lieut.-Col. Malalai Kakar knew she was a marked woman.
Just this June, the Kandahar detective confirmed that her taboo-shattering career had spawned numerous death threats.
On Sunday, two days after taking part in a Canadian event to mark the end of Islam's holiest month, insurgents grimly confirmed her fears, shooting Kakar dead as she left her house.
The officer's son, who doubled as her driver, was seriously wounded in the ambush, carried out by two men on a motorcycle.
The murder came as the country struggles against worsening insurgent violence, and works to reverse years of female oppression under the former Taliban regime.
"We note the Taliban claim of responsibility for this. It is repugnant," Adrian Edwards, the chief United Nations spokesman in Afghanistan, told Canwest News Service by e-mail.
"Malalai was popular, respected, and courageous . . . Her murder is without a doubt a great blow to Afghanistan and Afghanistan's women, especially."
Two days ago, Kakar cheerfully helped Canadian soldiers and federal officials hand out food to needy families at an event to mark the end of Ramadan.
The trail-blazing policewoman, who had been profiled repeatedly in the international media, was struck by a single bullet to the head, said Zalmai Ayobi, spokesman for the provincial governor. "Immediately, she died."
Although Ayobi said police had not determined who carried out the killing, the Taliban later claimed responsibility.
"We killed Malalai Kakar," Yousuf Ahmadi, the insurgents' self-described spokesman told AFP wire service. "She was our target, and we successfully eliminated our target."
Ayobi said mother and son were attacked despite driving in a non-descript Toyota Corolla, rather than Kakar's more conspicuous police truck.
President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack as an "act of cowardice"
In a brief statement Ron Hoffman, Canada's ambassador to Afghanistan, expressed his sympathies for friends and family of the officer.
"She was a beacon of hope for women in democratic and free Afghanistan," he said.
Kakar had been a police officer before the Taliban took over in 1995 - once killing three would-be assassins -but was forced from her job by the regime's edict against women working outside the home.
She returned to the force after the Islamists were toppled in 2001, and became one of its most senior officers, heading a unit that specializes in spousal abuse and other crimes against women, which are often overlooked in southern, Pashtun culture.
Two years ago, in another jab at tradition here, she stopped wearing a burka on the job.
In her wake, more than 20 women have joined the Kandahar police, said Ayobi.
But over the last year, she and her relatives, as well as other female officers, had received more and more threats by letter and cellphone, one telling her son to convince his mother to quit, or she would be killed.
The shooting left her son in a coma, Ayobi said
Afghan police have arguably born the brunt of insurgent violence, with 750 killed just in the last six months. Bibi Hoor, 26, based in the western city of Herat, was the first female officer to be killed, also by men on motorcycles, in June.
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