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| 07 Nov 2009 - 16:19 | Letizia Polumbo
URL: blogs.law.columbia.edu/genderandsexualit . . .
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Another Step Backwards for Women's Rights in Italy
by Letizia Polumbo
Last October 17th in Italy, the Court of Appeals of Rome issued a sentence declaring that the rape of a sex worker is less punishable than the rape of a woman that does not choose to be a prostitute. The day after, October 18th, the Juvenile Court of Rome decided to suspend the trial of eight Italian boys who raped a young girl of 14. These two sentences, although not final at the time of this writing, constitute yet another step backwards in the recognition and strengthening of constitutional and legal rights of women in Italy.
Let’s examine the first case. On November 2008, an Italian man of 31 years old kidnapped, robbed and raped a Romanian prostitute. On March 2009, the man was charged with kidnapping, sexual violence and robbery, and was condemned to seven years imprisonment. Nevertheless the most recent sentence by the Court of Appeals of Rome on October 18th reduced his jail time from seven to three years and four months.
The main idea behind this decision was that sex workers by choosing to “work on the street,renounce their physical and moral integrity.” The physical, moral and legal offences to a prostitute cannot be considered equal to that of woman who is “not a prostitute” and, therefore, the crime in question should be judged in light of these attenuating circumstances.
continues...
blogs.law.columbia.edu/genderandsexualitylawblog/2009/11/05/another-step-backwards-for-women%e2%80%99s-rights-in-italy/
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| 07 Nov 2009 - 09:10 | Amecopress
URL: www.amecopress.net/spip.php?article2676
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“Las mujeres víctimas de violencia de género están hoy más protegidas, más informadas y disponen de más derechos “
Informe 2008 de la Ley de Prevención de Malos Tratos y Protección a las Mujeres Maltratadas en Castilla – La Mancha
por Redacción Castilla-La Mancha
Toledo, 04 nov. 09. Redacción AmecoPress/Castilla – La Mancha.- La directora del Instituto de la Mujer, Ángela Sanroma, señaló que los avances normativos han permitido que las mujeres víctimas de violencia de género en Castilla-La Mancha “estén hoy más protegidas, más informadas, cuenten con más derechos sociales y económicos y dispongan de mayor confianza para salir de la violencia y recuperarse”.
Del mismo modo, afirmó con contundencia que hoy el violento “sabe que su acción no quedará impune”, porque “frente a su comportamiento machista y delictivo se sitúa el rechazo de la sociedad y la Ley”.
Sanroma hizo estas afirmaciones durante la presentación en la Comisión de la Mujer de las Cortes Regionales del Informe de la Ley de Prevención de Malos Tratos y Protección a Mujeres Maltratadas correspondiente al año 2008, donde elaboró un minucioso balance de la aplicación de la normativa durante el año pasado y desde la entrada en vigor de la misma.
continua....
www.amecopress.net/spip.php?article2676
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| 07 Nov 2009 - 08:20 | Feminist Peace Network
URL: www.feministpeacenetwork.org
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New Feminist Peace Network
www.feministpeacenetwork.org
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| 07 Nov 2009 - 08:04 | The Drumbeat
URL: www.comminit.com/en/drum_beat_517.html
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November 19 2009 is the 20th anniversary of the Convention Rights of the Child (CRC), which world leaders articulated in order to respect, promote, and fulfill the civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights of children everywhere. It is also the mark of the annual World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse.
Inspired by this global focus on children's rights, this issue of The Drum Beat highlights selected communication-oriented campaigns, strategies, and resources that showcase the diverse ways in which people of all ages are taking action to break the silence around sexual and other types of exploitation, to amplify children's voices, and to advocate that their presence and participation be rightfully respected.
See:
www.comminit.com/en/drum_beat_517.html
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| 06 Nov 2009 - 18:39 | All Headline News
URL: www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7016840 . . .
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Israeli Study: Rape More Traumatic Than Terrorism
October 29, 2009 3:02 p.m. EST
The Media Line Staff
Victims of rape suffer from higher levels of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than victims of war or terror, a new study reveals.
The research could bring about new approaches to the way rape victims in Israel are treated.
The study was carried out by Dr. Avigal Mor and Dr. Moshe Farchi from the Social Work department at the Tel Hai Academic College in northern Israel.
PTSD levels in different types of trauma victims were compared, including victims of rape, victims of war and terror, people hurt in traffic accidents, people diagnosed with severe diseases and people who lost someone dear to them.
The study found that victims of rape and sexual assault developed much higher levels of PTSD than other types of trauma.
Mor said she found the social environment in Israel, and the attitudes of glorifying terror victims on the one hand while silencing rape victims on the other, were key contributors to the higher levels of PTSD among rape victims.
"Rape victims are the only trauma victims who are blamed for what happened," Mor told The Media Line. "People say 'she brought it on herself' or 'she was asking for it.' Victims of other traumas - no one doubts their victimhood and no one questions their need for support. Rape victims have a very specific self blame which reflects the society's accusations."
The study included 341 people aged 18 and upwards and found that 25.6% of rape victims suffered high levels of PTSD, compared with 11.4% among other trauma victims.
It revealed a direct correlation among rape victims between self blame and an exacerbation of PTSD levels, as they tend to blame themselves more than other trauma victims and suffer more emotional complications and higher stress levels after they are raped
continues...
www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7016840853
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| 06 Nov 2009 - 09:17 | Mediate.com
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Kimberly Munley, The Woman Who Ended The Fort Hood Rampage
by Glynnis MacNicol | 10:01 am, November 6th, 2009
You can expect a lot of the media focus on the Fort Hood shooting rampage to shift to this woman in the next few days. Sgt. Kimberly Munley is the civilian police officer who arrived on the scene yesterday — she had apparently been outside directing traffic — and shot alleged shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan four times. Munley, herself was wounded in the exchange, but is reportedly in stable condition. This from the New York Daily News:
Civilian police Sgt. Kimberly Munley and her partner responded within three minutes of reported gunfire Thursday afternoon, Lt. Gen. Bob Cone said Friday. Munley, who had been trained in active-response tactics, rushed into the building and confronted the shooter as he was turning a corner, Cone said. “It was an amazing and an aggressive performance by this police officer,” Cone said. Munley was only a few feet from crazed Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan when she opened fire.
And this is a screengrab Munley’s Twitter account, though she doesn’t appear to use it with great frequency. Her Twitter bio reads:
I live a good life….a hard one, but I go to sleep peacefully @ night knowing that I may have made a difference in someone’s life.
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| 06 Nov 2009 - 09:13 | ONU Radio
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Sancionan a militares por abuso sexual
ONU Radio | WEBMURCIA.COM
Tamaño de la fuente:
El Departamento de Operaciones de Mantenimiento de la Paz de la ONU informó que los países contribuyentes de tropas han reportado en 2009 la sanción de 33 militares implicados en casos de abuso y explotación sexual durante su participación en misiones de Naciones Unidas.
La portavoz de la ONU, Michele Montas, explicó que las medidas disciplinarias y sanciones han incluido despidos, retiros forzosos y encarcelamiento.
Agregó que dos militares fueron sancionados con acciones similares el año pasado, mientras que en el 2007 fueron 15 los efectivos castigados.
Montas explicó que cuando las acusaciones contra personal militar o policiaco de las operaciones de paz de la ONU se comprueban, Naciones Unidas los envía de regreso para que su país preceda con las medidas disciplinarias pertinentes según sus legislaciones nacionales.
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| 06 Nov 2009 - 09:07 | National Organization for Women Foundation
URL: www.nowfoundation.org/issues/family/reso . . .
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Organizations and Websites That May Be Helpful for Protective Parents
www.nowfoundation.org/issues/family/resources.html
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| 06 Nov 2009 - 08:39 | Women Make Movies
URL: www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c759.shtml
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New release from Women Make Movies
Sin by Silence
A film by Olivia Klaus
US, 2009, 49 minutes, Color, DVD
From behind prison walls, a group of extraordinary women are shattering misconceptions of domestic violence. An important new release that profiles Convicted Women Against Abuse (CWAA), the first group initiated and led by inmates in the US prison system, SIN BY SILENCE is an essential tool, featuring more than two hours of DVD extras, including bonus discussion videos, additional behind-the-scenes stories from the women in the film, interviews with experts on domestic violence, and more.
Created by Brenda Clubine in 1989, CWAA has changed laws for battered women, raised awareness for those on the outside, and educated a system that does not fully comprehend the complexities of domestic abuse. Like many CWAA members, Brenda’s years of inflicted abuse were never fully revealed. But because of CWAA’s work and advocacy, new laws were enacted that now allow incarcerated survivors to challenge their original conviction.
With unprecedented access inside the California Institution for Women, SIN BY SILENCE is an emotionally packed documentary that tells the personal and shocking stories of these courageous women who have learned from their past, are changing their future, and teaching us how domestic violence affects each and every person.
See...
www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c759.shtml
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| 05 Nov 2009 - 08:51 | Entertainment Weekly
URL: music-mix.ew.com/2009/11/05/rihanna-dian . . .
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Rihanna Breaks her Silence
Video
music-mix.ew.com/2009/11/05/rihanna-diane-sawyer-interview-1/
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| 05 Nov 2009 - 07:57 | Expreso, Chiapas
URL: www.expresochiapas.com/noticias/contrapo . . .
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Operan al menos 47 grupos dedicados a la trata de blancas
Manuel de la Cruz l
Por lo menos 47 grupos pertenecientes a la delincuencia organizada dedicados a la trata de blancas o personas operan impunemente en México.
Según Miriam Peña responsable del Programa en Contra de la Trata de Personas de la Confederación Revolucionaria de Obreros y Campesinos (CROC) aseguró que han identificado ocho estados de la república donde más sucede este fenómeno que atenta contra niños y mujeres.
continua...
www.expresochiapas.com/noticias/contraportada/8557-en-mexico-.html
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| 05 Nov 2009 - 07:37 | Lucy Simpson, Indian Law Resource Center
mt@indianlaw.org
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Dear Friends,
To raise awareness of domestic violence, the Indian Law Resource Center and the NCAI Task Force on Violence Against Women are sponsoring a letter writing campaign to educate the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights about the epidemic of violence perpetrated against American Indian and Alaska Native women. The United States government's failure to respond adequately to this violence violates international human rights law. Our campaign targets the Inter-American System because the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights can investigate and make recommendations to the United States government on how to end violence against Native women. We are asking the Special Rapporteur and Inter-American Commission to conduct an on-site investigation of violence against Native women in the United States and issue a comprehensive report on how the United States, in consultation and collaboration with tribes, could better protect the human rights of Native women.
We invite you to join our campaign by sharing your stories and experiences with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. We ask that letters be submitted by the end of November. A draft letter to use as a template is attached for your convenience.
Act Now to End Violence Against Native Women
Send a letter to the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights about how violence against Native women affects your tribal community. Letters should include:
· Stories or statistics, including newspaper articles, about violence against Native women in your community;
· Information on how law enforcement and the federal government have failed to respond to this violence; and
· Recommendations that the Inter-American system further investigate the epidemic of violence against Native women and issue a comprehensive report on how the United States, in consultation and collaboration with tribes, could better protect the human rights of Native women.
Tribal leaders, who face significant violence against women issues in their community and have useful data to share, are encouraged to invite the Special Rapporteur and the Inter-American Commission to their community for a site visit.
A draft letter is attached to help you craft your letter.
Where To Send Letters: Letters can be sent by email, fax, or regular mail to the addresses below:
· Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
1889 F St. NW
Washington D.C. 20006
fmelzi@oas.org
Fax (202) 458-3992
· Dr. Santiago Canton, Executive Secretary
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
1889 F St. NW
Washington D.C. 20006
cidhoea@oas.org
Fax (202) 458-3992
For more information, please contact Lucy Simpson or Kirsten Carlson at the Indian Law Resource Center at mt@indianlaw.org or (406) 449-2006, or visit Indian Law Resource Center’s website www.indianlaw.org.
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| 05 Nov 2009 - 07:28 | Demand Change, UK
URL: www.demandchange.org.uk/index.php/compon . . .
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UK
Victory as Peers vote for women, not pimps and punters!
The Demand Change! Campaign is delighted to announce a major victory for women exploited by the sex industry, as last night the House of Lords voted in favour of Clause 14 (formerly 13) of the Policing & Crime Bill[i], putting the rights of exploited women over those of pimps and punters.
In focusing on the demand for sexual services, Clause 14 shifts criminal liability away from people exploited through prostitution and places responsibility firmly on the shoulders of those who contribute to commercial sexual exploitation by choosing to purchase girls, boys, women and men for sexual use.
This is a huge achievement for the 67 women's and human rights organisations[ii] which supported this bill, and which campaigned tirelessly to obtain justice for the women, children and men who have for so long been exploited by the sex industry. Many of these organisations attended the successful Demand Change! mass support rally in Parliament Square just before the vote[iii], calling on Peers to `Vote for Women, not Pimps and Punters!' (see photos of the protest
continues...
www.demandchange.org.uk/index.php/component/content/article/17-press-release-victory-as-peers-vote-for-women-not-pimps-and-punters
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| 04 Nov 2009 - 18:01 | California Office of Inspector General
URL: www.oig.ca.gov/media/reports/BAI/reports . . .
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(This report is an excellent window on the top-to-bottom failures of California parole system...WJC)
Official Report by Cal Office of Inspector General:
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Supervision of Parolee Philip Garrido
see report....
www.oig.ca.gov/media/reports/BAI/reports/Special%20Report%20on%20CDCR's%20Supervision%20of%20Parolee%20Phillip%20Garrido.pdf
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| 04 Nov 2009 - 08:44 | UN
URL: www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking . . .
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Anti Human Trafficking Manual for Criminal Justice Practitioners
www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/anti-human-trafficking-manual.html
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| 04 Nov 2009 - 08:24 | PLAY GROUND
URL: www.playgroundpremiereatl.com/film-trail . . .
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PLAY GROUND trailer - video
An alarming look into the insidious world of child sex trafficking in America
www.playgroundpremiereatl.com/film-trailer/
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| 04 Nov 2009 - 08:07 | Artemisa Noticias
a
URL: www.artemisanoticias.com.ar/site/notas.a . . .
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Un femicidio por día en El Salvador
Por Sonia Santoro, desde El Salvador
El Salvador es uno de los países con más altos índices de violencia, que afecta de manera particular a las mujeres: al menos una mujer es asesinada por día, en un país que no llega a 6 millones de habitantes.
Desde 1999 hasta el 2008, 2830 mujeres fueron víctimas de feminicidios en El Salvador. El asesinado de mujeres por razones de género ha ido creciendo desde entonces y actualmente llega a producirse uno o más casos por día. Estos son algunos de los datos que se desprenden de la investigación 'El feminicidio en El Salvador: una forma extrema de violencia y discriminación hacia las mujeres', elaborada por Las Mélidas, una organización feminista salvadoreña, que trabaja desde hace 17 años por este y otros temas que tienen a las mujeres por protagonistas. Silvia Mathus, una de sus fundadoras, habló con Artemisa Noticias de este fenómeno.
continua...
www.artemisanoticias.com.ar/site/notas.asp?id=26&idnota=6745
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| 04 Nov 2009 - 07:37 | Caroline bettinger-Lopez, Columbia Law School
c.lopez@law.columbia.edu
URL: www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=rP87MHRSQ . . .
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Dear Domestic Violence and VAWA Advocates,
Hope everyone is well. As you may know, the Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute has been involved for several years in thinking about how to bring home the international human rights principles at issue in the case of Jessica Gonzales v. United States, currently before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights - see http://www.law.columbia.edu/center_progr am/human_rights/InterAmer/GonzalesvUS. We are particularly interested in how international human rights norms and mechanisms might be useful for U.S.-based (national, state, and local) domestic violence and VAWA-related advocacy.
In consultation with domestic violence advocates, we have created a short survey to determine ways in which the international human rights perspective could be most useful to your work. We would be grateful if you could spend 5-10 minutes to respond to the survey before Nov 20. Here is the link for the survey:
www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=rP87MHRSQ1NcFlfbuZjvNA_3d_3d
Your responses to this survey will allow us to identify the places in which the human rights framework might assist in advancing DV advocacy in the US. After we collect this information, we hope to connect with many of you to explore the possibility of the Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic assisting your organizations with using the international human rights framework in a variety of settings: in the courtroom; in furtherance of policy change; to create new avenues for mobilization, coalition building, and community organizing; and to engage public interest in the issue.
Moreover, many of you are members of a Working Group on Violence Against Women and Human Rights that formed as part of our Bringing Human Rights Home (BHRH) Legal Network last year
(see http://www.law.columbia.edu/center_progr am/human_rights/HRinUS/BHRH_Law_Net for more information on the BHRH Network). We are hoping to reinitiate this Working Group soon. Please email HRI Intern Kathrin Ruegg (kathrinrueegg@gmail.com) if you would like to participate in the Working Group and are not a member.
If you have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to contact Kathrin Ruegg (kathrinrueegg@gmail.com) or myself. Thanks in advance for your time in responding to this survey!
Regards,
Carrie
Caroline Bettinger-López
Deputy Director, Human Rights Institute
Lecturer in Law & Clinical Staff Attorney, Human Rights Clinic
Columbia Law School | 435 W. 116th Street, Box G-3 | New York, NY 10027
Phone: (212) 854-8364 | Fax: (212) 854-3554 | Email: c.lopez@law.columbia.edu
Website: http://www.clshumanrights.com
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| 03 Nov 2009 - 09:13 | CNN
URL: edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/11/02/i . . .
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War Forces Iraqi mom into prostitution
Video
edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/11/02/iraq.prostitute/index.html
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| 03 Nov 2009 - 09:05 | Joseph Vess, Men Can Stop Rape
jvess@mencanstoprape.org
URL: www.mencanstoprape.org/info-url2697/info . . .
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Men Can Stop Rape, Inc. Announces Two Trainings for January 2010
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
"From Theory to Practice" Strength Training
Men Can Stop Rape, Inc. (MCSR)
Jan 7 - Jan 9, 2010
Washington, DC
Wondering how you can stop sexual assault and domestic violence before it even starts? Register for Men Can Stop Rape, Inc.'s three-day *"From Theory to Practice" Strength Training* and learn the primary violence prevention strategies that have helped over 9,000 of MCSR's training recipients engage young men in this work.
This is a great opportunity to broaden your knowledge and expertise in gender violence prevention, build relationships with other professionals in this field, and sight-see in our nation's capitol!
Who Should Attend?
* youth-serving professionals searching for better ways to teach males about healthy masculinity and positive relationships
* rape crisis and domestic violence center personnel looking for ways to engage men
* military SARC's, SAVI's, and officers
* activist men strategizing new ways to engage males in their community to role model strength without violence
* college and university students, staff, and faculty who want to engage men on their campus
* anyone interested in doing this work
Learn how to:
1) identify masculinity's "dominant stories" and "counterstories" and recognize how "dominant stories" contribute to violence against women
2) explore the challenges of engaging men and learn effective ways to overcome these challenges
3) mobilize men to become better allies with women
4) strategize with others about how to involve men
5) speak with men about sexism and connecting it to other "-isms" or forms of oppression.
Our 20-25 person trainings usually fill up very quickly, so please sign-up before close of registration (Dec 15, 2009) at www.mencanstoprape.org/info-url2697/info -url_show.htm?doc_id=442957. Contact Joseph Vess with questions at 202/534-1836 or jvess@mencanstoprape.org
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| 03 Nov 2009 - 09:01 | International Criminal Court
a
URL: www.tilburguniversity.nl/intervict/newsl . . .
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International Criminal Court
Draft Strategy in Relation to Victims
www.tilburguniversity.nl/intervict/newsletter/October09/draftICC.pdf
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| 03 Nov 2009 - 08:49 | proceso mx
URL: www.proceso.com.mx/noticias_articulo.php . . .
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Trata de personas genera ganancias anuales por 42,500 MDD
ISAíN MANDUJANO
TUXTLA GUTIÉRREZ, Chis., 21 de octubre (apro).- Alrededor de 42 mil 500 millones de dólares anuales de ganancia genera el tráfico de personas en todo el mundo, alertó hoy la especialista en temas migratorios Edith Zavala, de la Red Regional de Organizaciones Civiles para las Migraciones de Honduras.
Durante el primer Congreso Internacional sobre Migración, Trata de Personas y Derechos Humanos que se desarrolla en esta entidad con la participación de expertos de América Latina, Zavala señaló que, de acuerdo con estimaciones oficiales, cada año son compradas, vendidas, transportadas y retenidas a la fuerza entre 2.5 y 4 millones de personas, para desarrollar trabajos en condiciones de esclavitud en todo el mundo.
Al participar en el panel "La trata de personas en Mesoamérica y en el sureste de México", la secretaria técnica de la Red Regional de Organizaciones Civiles para las Migraciones, de Honduras, señaló que del total de víctimas, de acuerdo con la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT), 77% son mujeres y el 48%, menores de 18 años.
continua...
www.proceso.com.mx/noticias_articulo.php?articulo=73315
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| 02 Nov 2009 - 21:22 | Amecopress
URL: www.amecopress.net/spip.php?article2667
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Perú: Prohíben distribución de píldora del día siguiente en hospitales públicos
Lima, 2 noviembre 09. AmecoPress/SEMlac.- En menos de diez días un nuevo tema relacionado con los derechos sexuales y reproductivos de las mujeres peruanas divide al ejecutivo y desata un acalorado debate en los medios de comunicación y entre la opinión pública.
A la polémica que se generó por la decisión de la Comisión Revisora del Código Penal Peruano de mantener la legalidad del aborto terapéutico y despenalizar el aborto por violación y por malformaciones congénitas se sumó esta semana la sentencia del Tribunal Constitucional (TC) que prohíbe al Estado la distribución gratuita de la ’píldora del día siguiente" también conocida como Anticoncepción Oral de Emergencia (AOE), "por tener propiedades abortivas".
La decisión levantó una ola de protestas de diversos sectores por su carácter ’profundamente discriminatorio’, ya que la píldora sí podrá venderse en las farmacias y usarse en las clínicas privadas con una advertencia de que "podría" inhibir la implantación del óvulo fecundado.
continua...
www.amecopress.net/spip.php?article2667
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| 02 Nov 2009 - 21:04 | Kathleen Russell, Opinion, Christian Science Monitor
URL: www.csmonitor.com/2009/1014/p09s02-coop. . . .
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Opinion, Christian Science Monitor
Child abuse: when family courts get it wrong
States must reform a system that too often awards custody to the abusive parent.
By Kathleen Russell
San Rafael, Calif - When a parent harms his or her own child, family courts are supposed to step in and safeguard the victim.
Can you imagine what a tragedy it would be if courts awarded custody to the wrong parent – the abuser?
Actually, according to one conservative estimate, more than 58,000 children per year are ordered by family courts into unsupervised contact with physically or sexually abusive parents following divorce in the United States.
The fact that this type of scandal is taking place in the American justice system defies the imagination. Not since the Roman Catholic Church pedophile scandal has the US seen this level of institutional harm inflicted on innocent children.
continues...
www.csmonitor.com/2009/1014/p09s02-coop.html
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