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| 10 May 2009 - 11:52 | Aura
auramedina24@yahoo.com
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Hola me llamo Aura Tafoya, escribo porque me gustaria trabajar ayudando a mujeres que han sufrido o sufren violencia . Tengo experiencia en este tipo de trabajo como educadora para ayudar a mujeres, hombres y adolescentes a entender que nada justifica la violencia y mas
* vivo en Dallas y me gustaria saber de algun lugar donde pueda ofrecer mis servicios como educadora.
* gracias
* "nada justifica la violencia contra las muejres"
*
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| 09 May 2009 - 09:46 | Lucinda Marshall, Feminist Peace Network
URL: www.feministpeacenetwork.org
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In Honor Of The Missing Mothers
Now that we have apparently survived Swine Flu, maybe, possibly, we could turn our attention to existing and very curable pandemics…This year on Mother’s Day, please take time not only to honor your own Mother, but also the more than 500,000 women who lose their lives every year to maternal morbidity. According to the World Health Organization,
In addition, for every woman who dies in childbirth, around 20 more suffer injury, infection or disease – approximately 10 million women each year.
Five direct complications account for more than 70% of maternal deaths: haemorrhage (25%), infection (15%), unsafe abortion (13%), eclampsia (very high blood pressure leading to seizures – 12%), and obstructed labour (8%). While these are the main causes of maternal death, unavailable, inaccessible, unaffordable, or poor quality care is fundamentally responsible. They are detrimental to social development and wellbeing, as some one million children are left motherless each year. These children are 10 times more likely to die within two years of their mothers’ death.
The vast majority of maternal deaths could be prevented if women had access to quality family planning services, skilled care during pregnancy, childbirth and the first month after delivery, or post-abortion care services and where permissible, safe abortion services. 15% of pregnancies and childbirths need emergency obstetric care because of risks that are difficult to predict. A working health system with skilled personnel is key to saving these women’s lives.
What is particularly frustrating here is that there is a plan for eradicating this terribly unnecessary pandemic. It is called Millenium Development Goal 5 which is to improve maternal health. Yet of all the MDG’s, MDG 5 has made the least amount of progress.
More than 500,000 women die each year from complications of pregnancy or childbirth; 99% of these deaths occur in the developing world, with rural and poor women and women in conflict zones at greatest risk. Even nations with low aggregate maternal death rates show huge disparities, suggesting discrimination against low-income and marginalized groups. In spite of the goals established in 2000, the rate of women dying in pregnancy and childbirth declined less than 1% per year from 1990 to 2005, whereas an annual decline of at least 5.5% is needed to meet Goal 5.
As the MDG Gateway site points out, what is required is a human rights perspective on this systemically intractable problem:
Preventable maternal deaths are caused by the deprivation of basic rights of women. Failure to provide available, accessible, acceptable and quality health care, including emergency obstetric care, for women during pregnancy and childbirth is a violation of women’s rights to life, health, equality and non-discrimination. Respect and protection of women’s rights to information and decision-making in reproductive health, to freedom from gender-based discrimination and violence, and to participation in planning and implementing health policies are essential to make pregnancy and delivery safer for women.
And as the WHO website points out, MDG 5 is by definition crucially related to achieving the other MDG’s,
MDG 5 is related to other MDGs. As maternal mortality strongly affects newborn mortality, progress on MDG 5 will also influence the efforts to reduce child mortality (MDG 4). Progress on MDG 5 is also linked to MDG 6, which aims to combat HIV/AIDS and malaria, as these are important indirect causes of maternal death. Gender inequality is one of the social determinants at the heart of inequity in health. Progress in achieving MDG 3, promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment, will help in achieving MDG 5. Maternal mortality is a sensitive indicator of inequality, as current statistics show that the poorest and least educated women have the highest risk of death during pregnancy or childbirth. Increasing primary education (MDG 2) for girls and eradicating extreme poverty and hunger (MDG 1) are means to empower women and will positively influence the achievement of MDG 5.
So enough already. While in no way minimizing the potential risk of some new viral disease, we already have a Real Life Happening Right Now Pandemic of human rights neglect and it is killing more than half a million women every year and impacting the health of millions more and we have the ability to stop it. Before we get distracted by yet another perceived threat, let’s stop the ones that really exist right now.
And here’s the best part, in global economic terms, the cost of making this happen is a bargain! According to UNFPA, the cost of all eight of the Millenium Development Goals would be $64.7 billion dollars. Of that,
The total 2010 costs for sexual and reproductive health, which include family planning and maternal health, are estimated at $27.4 billion; $32.5 billion for HIV/AIDS; and $4.8 billion for basic research, data collection and policy analysis.
Okay, that is a lot of money, but not really if you put it in perspective. It is less than 4% of the $700 billion bailout package and less than 5% of the $664 Department of Defense 2010 Budget Request. And it is going to save lives instead of destroying them and is guaranteed not to be spent on golf outings and corporate jets.
Sounds like darned good value for the money to me. So I don’t know about you, but instead of a brand new something I probably don’t need in the first place, what I’d really like for Mother’s Day is to fund MDG 5 and oh heck, at those prices, just fund all 8 of them!
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| 09 May 2009 - 09:34 | Feminist Peace Network
URL: www.feministpeacenetwork.org
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Latest feminist peace network boletin
www.feministpeacenetwork.org
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| 09 May 2009 - 09:14 | Irene Weiser
URL: www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/15942020 . . .
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BOOK
The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World
by Michelle Goldberg (Author)
In this groundbreaking work of investigative journalism by the author of the New York Times bestseller Kingdom Coming, Michelle Goldberg exposes the global war on women’s reproductive rights and its disastrous and unreported consequences for the future of global development
Women’s rights are often treated as mere appendages to great questions of war, peace, poverty, and economic development. But as networks of religious fundamentalists, feminists, and bureaucrats struggle to remake sexual and childbearing norms worldwide, the battle to control women’s bodies has become a high-stakes enterprise, with the United States often supporting the most reactionary forces.
In a work of incisive cultural analysis and deep reporting, Michelle Goldberg shows how the emancipation of women has become the key human rights struggle of the twenty-first century. The Means of Reproduction travels through four continents, examining issues such as abortion, female circumcision, and Asia’s missing girls to show how the battle over women’s bodies has been globalized and how, too often, the United States has joined sworn enemies such as Iran and Sudan in an axis of repression. Reporting with unique insight from both the rarefied realm of international policy and from individual women’s lives, Goldberg elucidates the economic, demographic, and health consequences of women’s oppression, which affect more than half the world’s population.
As The Means of Reproduction reveals, the conflict between self-determination and patriarchal tradition has come to define pressing questions of global development. Empowering women is the key to retarding the progress of AIDS, curbing overpopulation, and helping the third world climb out of poverty, but attempts to improve women’s status elicit fierce opposition from conservatives who see women’s submission as key to their own national or religious identity.
From the anticommunist genesis of America’s attempts to stem population growth in poor countries to the current worldwide attack on women’s rights as a decadent Western imposition, Goldberg explores the interplay between the great issues of our time and the politics of sex and childbearing. Finally, The Means of Reproduction shows how women, strengthened by a solidarity that transcends borders, are fighting for freedom.
About the Author
Michelle Goldberg is an investigative journalist and the author of Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, a New York Times bestseller that was a finalist for the New York Public Library’s Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism. A former senior writer at Salon.com, Goldberg has written for Glamour, The New Republic, Rolling Stone, The Guardian (UK), and many other publications, and she has taught at New York University’s graduate school of journalism. The Means of Reproduction won the 2008 J. Anthony Lukas Work- in-Progress Award.
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1594202087/talpoimem-20
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| 08 May 2009 - 19:24 | Stop Violence Against Women
URL: www.stopvaw.org/6May2009.html
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Ten Villages in Western Niger Denounce Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting
5/6/2009
Ten villages in the Tillabery region of western Niger have publicly vowed to end the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). “We have decided to definitively put an end to female genital mutilation in our villages and to continue sensitizing neighboring villages so they also give up the practice,” said M. Babobou Pana, leader of one of the villages.
The UNICEF Representative in Niger, Akhil Iyer, expressed support for this public declaration, saying, “[FGM] is seen by Nigerian authorities as a severe violation of the rights of women and young girls...[having] a negative impact on their reproductive health and their ability to go to school.”
Forced genital mutilation is commonly performed on young girls without anesthesia. It can result in prolonged bleeding, risk of HIV infection, infertility and increased risk at childbirth. Niger has outlawed the practice since 2003, contributing to a significant decline in FGM. A government survey released last year claimed a decrease by more than half between 1998 and 2006, from 5.8% to 2%. However, these statistics conceal great geographic and ethnic disparities. In the regions of Tillabery, Diffa and Niamey, in the western part of Niger near the border with Mali, about 66% of women have endured the practice.
UNICEF has worked with Niger’s Committee on Traditional Practices (CONIPRAT), an NGO, to establish a positive social-change strategy in the 10 villages of the Tillabery region. The negative health impact of certain behaviors, like FGM, have been discussed throughout the 13,000 member community. This approach, which promotes dialogue between women and men and between generations, will be replicated in 10 different villages in Niger this year.
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| 08 May 2009 - 11:00 | Amecopress
URL: www.amecopress.net/spip.php?article2179
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Si te insultan te maltratan
Más del 90% de las usuarias de EllaDenuncian.com afirma haberse sentido maltratada alguna vez
por Redacción AmecoPress
Madrid 30 de abril. Redacción AmecoPress. El portal EllasDenuncian.com creado en enero de 2009 para dar apoyo a las mujeres maltratadas, tiene una encuesta publicada en su web para conocer la situación en la que se encuentran las internautas que visitan este sitio. La pregunta lanzada es “si te has sentido maltratada alguna vez en tu vida”, una cuestión a la que las usuarias pueden contestar afirmativa o negativamente, además de contar más detenidamente su caso en un foro habilitado especialmente para ello si así lo desean.
Tres meses y medio después desde que se lanzó la encuesta, los resultados de dicho tanteo han confirmado que el 92,4% de las mujeres que entran en esta web se han sentido maltratadas, física o mentalmente, alguna vez en su vida. Juan Antonio Merodio, promotor de este proyecto, considera que estos datos son alarmantes.
Por otro lado, las cifras confirman que la mayoría de mujeres que entran en EllasDenuncian.com sufre violencia de género, aunque también hay usuarias que nunca se han sentido maltratadas pero entran en este foro para colaborar y dar fuerzas a otras personas que viven este tipo de situaciones tan dramáticas y difíciles.
Continua...
www.amecopress.net/spip.php?article2179
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| 08 May 2009 - 10:50 | CIMAC noticias
URL: www.cimacnoticias.com/site/09050704-Mile . . .
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Congreso modificó Artículo 30 constitucional
Miles marcharon contra prohibición de ILE en Santo Domingo
De la redacción
México DF, 7 mayo 09 (CIMAC).- Más de dos mil personas, entre ellas juristas, artistas, lideresas y líderes políticos, feministas y de diversas organizaciones de la sociedad civil, se concentraron ayer frente al Congreso Nacional, en Santo Domingo, República Dominicana, para protestar contra la modificación del Artículo 30 constitucional, aprobada el pasado 21 de abril por la Asamblea Revisora, pues vulnera los derechos de las mujeres y condena al país al atraso constitucional.
El mencionado artículo pretende proteger la vida del óvulo fecundado y darle la misma categoría que a una persona ya nacida. Con esta medida, cualquier interrupción del embarazo –así sea por razones de peligro de muerte de la mujer o por violación-- sería considerado un delito. También sería delincuente la mujer que usara dispositivo intrauterino (DIU) o que recurriera a los tratamientos de fertilización asistida.
Continua...
www.cimacnoticias.com/site/09050704-Miles-marcharon-con.37625.0.html
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| 08 May 2009 - 10:41 | Guardian UK
URL: www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/may . . .
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Ministry of Defence hopes new toy action figures will help image• Action Man forerunner was 'too politically correct'
• All three branches of the armed forces represented
David Teather The Guardian, Thursday 7 May 2009
A range of realistic action figures based on the modern British armed forces was launched at RAF Northolt, produced by the toymaker Character Group.
The toys fill a gap left by Action Man, discontinued by Hasbro three years ago, and ruined, according to Character Group boss Jon Diver, by the plague of political correctness. "He went from an iconic military figure and being very popular to an extreme cyclist and being very unpopular," he said.
The armed forces worked closely with the company on the design of the toys and an initial nine figures are going on sale, representing all three branches of the armed forces and wearing the insignia of the Royal Marines, the army and the RAF.
The Ministry of Defence denied the range was a blunt recruitment ploy, but hopes the toys will help to burnish the armed forces' reputation, as well as generating a stipend in licensing revenues. "It is not a conscious 'buy this and join the armed forces [campaign]', but it is educating people in what we do; there are a variety of trades and opportunities in all sorts of fields across all three armed forces," said Commander Steve Pearson of the Navy public relations team.
The MoD came armed with its own secret weapon: Dr Amanda Gummer, a child psychologist drafted in to head off any concerns parents might have. She maintained that modern society had a tendency to mollycoddle and that playing with toy soldiers was perfectly natural. The range, she said, provided "positive strong role models" and would help moral development by identifying good and bad characters. It was, she added, "just scaremongering to think children will grow up to become violent psychopaths" if they played soldiers.
Sidestepping a growing controversy over the overwhelmingly white male figures, the company said it would launch its first female soldier before the end of the year. Diver said a female character had been planned all along, and was not a reaction to complaints, although he admitted that he didn't expect the figure to be a best seller: "People have to understand this is a boys' concept for ages four to nine, and a boy does not want a female character, but if the brand is big enough, I think there will be a place for the female figure."
Continues....
www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/may/07/british-armed-forces-action-man
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| 07 May 2009 - 19:47 | Irene Weiser, Stop Family Violence
iweiser@twcny.rr.com
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URGENT AND PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL NOW TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS:
ACTION ALERT!
Urge the Senate Judiciary Committee to support the Leahy Substitute Amendment to S.327
Background
Today the Senate Judiciary Committee is considering the Leahy Substitute Amendment to the Improving Assistance to Domestic and Sexual Violence Victims Act (S. 327). The Leahy Substitute will provide greater protections for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking. Among its provisions, the Leahy Substitute aims to strengthen confidentiality requirements for internet posted protection orders and enhance workplace protections. Passage of the Leahy Substitute will remove barriers that prevented victims from accessing safety and will enable better coordination of victim services. Urge the Senate Judiciary Committee to vote YES on the Leahy Substitute Amendment without amendments that will weaken protections for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.
Take Action Now!
Call the Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and ask them to support the Leahy Substitute Amendment to S.327 and vote no to amendments. Please see below for a list of Senate Judiciary Committee Members and contact numbers. The Leahy Substitute Amendment was introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy, (D-VT) Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Please tell the receptionist the following:
· “Hello, my name is____ and I am from____ [indicate organization, include your state and town].”
· “I urge the Judiciary Committee to support the passage of the Leahy Substitute Amendment to S.327 without Amendments.
· The Leahy Substitute Amendment to S. 327 is a critically needed to provide greater protections for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.
· “Thank you.”
Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to Contact
Jeff Sessions, Ranking Member (R-AL)202.224.4124
Herb Kohl, (D-WI) 202.224.5653
Dianne Feinstein, (D-CA) 202.224.3841
Russ Feingold, (D-WI) 202.224.5323
Charles E Schumer, (D-NY 202.224.654
Richard J. Durbin, (D-IL) 202.224.2152
Benjamin L. Cardin, (D-MD) 202.224.4524
Sheldon Whitehouse, (D-RI) 202.224.2921
Ron Wyden, (D-OR) 202.224.5244
Amy Klobuchar, (D-MN) 202.224.3244
Ted Kaufman, (D-DE) 202.224.5042
Arlen Specter (D-PA) 202.224.4254
Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) 202.224.5251
Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) 202.224.3744
Jon Kyl, (R-AZ) 202.224.4521
Lindsey Graham, (R-SC) 202.224.5972
John Cornyn, (R-TX) 202.224.2934
Tom Coburn, (R-OK) 202.224.5754
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| 07 May 2009 - 09:34 | Equality Now
URL: www.equalitynow.org/english/actions/acti . . .
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Women's Action 33.1
May 2009
Japan: Rape simulator games and the normalization of sexual violence
A schoolgirl around 12 years old travels on a commuter train. A man who has been following her gropes and sexually molests her. Eventually the train stops and she runs frightened into a public toilet, followed by her assailant who handcuffs and rapes her. The assailant takes her prisoner and repeatedly rapes her in various locations. Her mother and teenaged sister suffer the same fate. This family is targeted for rape as punishment because the older sister had previously reported to the police the attempted sexual assault of another woman by the rapist. This is the storyline of RapeLay, a rape simulator computer game produced by Illusion Software and sold in Japan, including on Amazon.
Extreme pornography in the form of cartoons known as hentai, in various media such as comic books, animation, computer games and online entertainment, is easily accessible in Japan and its use is widely accepted. Common themes of hentai include rape, gang rape, incest and the sexual abuse of schoolgirls. This latter form of hentai, known as Loli-Con, often portrays girls being sexually abused by adults in familiar positions of power such as teachers. A number of computer games involving rape, sexual harassment and stalking of women and girls has been produced in Japan. These go one step further than other forms of hentai by enabling the player to control what happens through manipulation, for example as in RapeLay, of an onscreen penis and hands to simulate rape and sexual assault. (Photo by Everjean Flickr)
Continues....
www.equalitynow.org/english/actions/action_3301_en.html
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| 07 May 2009 - 08:45 | Alternet
URL: www.alternet.org/story/139834/
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Why Are We Surprised When White Preppy Guys Turn Out to Be Murderers?
By Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez's Blog
(Handsome and clean cut, or creepy freakin' loner? If you're a news editor, the former; if you're me and everyone I know, the latter.)
The New York Times described alleged killer Philip Markoff as having led a "seemingly normal" life before he was arrested for killing a woman he'd met through Craigslist and for robbing at least two others.
The New York Daily News described Markoff as "clean cut" and "a high-achieving dentist's son." The Boston Globe also described the shaggy-haired Markoff as "clean cut" -- as did countless other media outlets. Politico.com called Markoff "all-American," while the Associated Press and dozens of others called him "handsome"; PR Insider said, simply, that "by all appearances, he had it all."
Over and over again, coast to coast, American media outlets told us how good-looking, smart and "normal" Markoff was, or should have been.
Continues...
www.alternet.org/story/139834/
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| 06 May 2009 - 11:06 | Igualdad Ya
URL: equalitynow.org/spanish/actions/action_3 . . .
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Tome medidas contra los juegos simuladores de violación y la normalización de la violencia sexual en Japón
Igualdad Ya acaba de publicar Acción Mujeres 33.1, Japón: Juegos simuladores de violación y la normalización de la violencia sexual. La Acción se centra en el juego simulador de violación RapeLay (Juego de Violación), que se produce y se vende en Japón, incluso a través de Amazon Japón. El objetivo de RapeLay es que el jugador manipule el juego a fin de simular la violación de una mujer y sus dos hijas en edad escolar, una de las cuales parece ser una niña pequeña. Igualdad Ya pide la retirada de la venta en Japón de todos los juegos que impliquen la violación, el acecho u otras formas de violencia sexual contra las mujeres y las niñas. La Acción también insta al Gobierno japonés a que adopte medidas eficaces para superar las actitudes y prácticas discriminatorias de estereotipos negativos basados en el género que obstaculizan la igualdad de la mujer.
Para obtener Acción Mujeres 33.1, por favor haga clic en el siguiente enlace:
equalitynow.org/spanish/actions/action_3301_sp.html
Esperamos que usted apoye esta campaña de Acción Mujeres así como nuestras otras campañas.
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| 06 May 2009 - 08:30 | Womens enews
URL: www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/ . . .
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Brothels in Ecuador Skirt Law Banning Minors
By Dominique Soguel
WeNews correspondent
Brothels in the petroleum port province of Esmeraldas provide an employment magnet for underage women. A significant number are lured into the work by a man they consider a romantic partner. Third of six on Ecuador's sex industry.
Continues....
www.womensenews.org/article.cfm/dyn/aid/4002
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| 06 May 2009 - 08:15 | Sexual Assault Resource Service
URL: www.sane-sart.com/
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FIFTH NATIONAL
SEXUAL ASSAULT RESPONSE TEAM
TRAINING CONFERENCE
May 27 - 29, 2009
Seattle, Washington
REGISTRATION CONTINUES FOR THE 2009 CONFERENCE
The Sexual Assault Resource Service (SARS) office in Minneapolis, MN is pleased to announce, in conjunction with the Office for Victims of Crime, Department of Justice, that the Fifith National SART Training Conference will be held in May of 2009 at the Westin Seattle in Seattle Washington. Save the dates of May 27 - 29, 2009 for this exciting training conference.
The focus of the 2009 SART Training Conference will be to continue expanding the capacity of SARTs to promote health and healing of sexual assault victims, hold sex offenders accountable for their crimes, and realize the hope of preventing further sexual violence in their communities.
www.sane-sart.com/
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| 05 May 2009 - 18:40 | Joanie D
joanied@hotmail.com
URL: www.ghrc-usa.org
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2 Events
The Guatemala Human Rights Commission has a fundraising event (wine & cheese reception) coming up on May 12 to discuss the anti-femicide law in Guatemala. It will be held at the Mott House, by Union Station, in Washington, DC from 6-8pm on Tuesday, May 12th. Please contact me if you're able to attend. For those who can't, the report will be available on our web site (www.ghrc-usa.org ) after the event.
We also have a delegation to Guatemala in August. These delegations are such great learning experiences. There is a theory that soldiers from their civil war, trained by the US, have a hand in these cases, so the situation is relevant to us all. We will also be discussing how international adoptions affect violence against women, a discussion lead by an expert from the Virginia Commonwealth University. Of course, there will be a little time for shopping, as well, and Guatemala has gorgeous handicrafts. Please visit our Web site for details: www.ghrc-usa.org
I'm adding a blurb from our announcement. If you have any questions about these 2 events, please don't hesitate to ask me. Also, if you can post our flyers in your office or university, I can send you an attachment directly.
Thanks!
Joanie Dawson,
Board Member, Guatemala Human Rights Commission
joanied@hotmail.com
www.joandawson.com
http://mediamiss es.wordpress.com
Why have thousands of women and girls been brutally killed in Guatemala?
Since 2001, over 5,500 Guatemalan women have been brutally murdered. Women and girls are often first abducted and then brutalized through sexual violence, mutilation, and torture before being killed. These gender-based crimes have been characterized as “femicides” because they target females; 98% of the crimes go unpunished.
Most of the victims are between the ages of 16-36 and are students, housewives, domestic workers, members or former members of street youth gangs, and sex workers.
Come to Guatemala to understand the economic, social and political issues surrounding femicide. Learn how society is affected and reacts to the murders. Participate in activism and solidarity, reaching out to women’s organizations working on this most difficult issue.
Find out firsthand why women and girls are being killed and
what we can do to help
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| 05 May 2009 - 09:33 | IPS Gender Wire
URL: www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46671
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HEALTH-MALAWI: Women’s Group Sues Govt Over Abortion Rights
By Pilirani Semu-Banda
LILONGWE, Apr 29 (IPS) - An influential women rights organisation in Malawi, Women in Law in Southern Africa-Malawi (WILSA-Malawi), is suing the government of Malawi for preventing women from accessing safe abortion.
Malawian law prohibits abortion - Section 149 of the country’s penal code says any person who administers abortion shall be liable to imprisonment for 14 years, while Section 150 indicates that any woman who solicits abortion is liable to seven years imprisonment.
But WILSA-Malawi’s executive director, Seodi White, calls the existing laws nonsensical because they infringe on women’s rights. She says they force women to seek back-street abortions from traditional healers and illegal clinics thereby putting their lives in danger.
"These laws do not make sense at all. They are contributing towards the death of so many women. We need to get rid of them as soon as possible," urged White.
Government statistics in Malawi indicate that up to 30 percent of maternal deaths in the country are due to abortion. Malawi’s maternal mortality is one of the highest in Africa - second only to war-torn Sierra Leone.
White says refusing women the right to abort is discrimination. "Access to legal and safe abortion services is essential to the protection of women’s rights to non-discrimination and equality. Where women are compelled to continue unwanted pregnancies, it puts them at a disadvantage because abortion is a medical procedure that only women need," she told IPS.
Continues...
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46671
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| 05 May 2009 - 09:22 | IPS Gender Wire
URL: www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46674
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US: Culture of Unpunished Sexual Assault in Military
By Dahr Jamail
MARFA, Texas, United States, Apr 30 (IPS) - Sexual assault of women serving in the U.S. military, while brought to light in recent reports, has a long tradition in that institution.
Women in America were first allowed into the military during the Revolutionary War in 1775, and their travails are as old.
Maricela Guzman served in the Navy from 1998 to 2002 as a computer technician on the island of Diego Garcia, and later in Naples, Italy. She was raped while in boot camp, but was too scared to talk about the assault for the rest of her time in the military.
In her own words she, "survived by becoming a workaholic. Fortunately or unfortunately the military took advantage of this, and I was much awarded as a soldier for my work ethic."
Guzman decided to dissociate from the military on witnessing the way it treated the native population in Diego Garcia. Post discharge, her life became unmanageable. The effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from her rape had taken a heavy toll.
After undergoing a divorce, a failed suicide attempt and homelessness, she moved in with her parents. A chance encounter with a female veteran at a political event in Los Angeles prompted her to contact the veteran’s administration (VA) for help. She began seeing a therapist there who diagnosed her with PTSD from her rape.
She told IPS that the VA denied her claim nevertheless, "Because they said I couldn’t prove it ... since I had not brought it up when it happened and also because I had not shown any deviant behaviour while in the service. I was outraged and felt compelled to talk about what happened."
Continues...
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46674
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| 05 May 2009 - 08:01 | CIMAC noticias
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Fundamenta iniciativas contra ILE y anticoncepción
Moral religiosa se impone en México, Honduras y Dominicana
Por Rosalinda Hernández Alarcón*
México DF, 30 abril 09 (CIMAC).- En diferentes organismos legislativos de América Latina se diseminan posiciones retrógradas que buscan coartar los derechos sexuales y reproductivos de las mujeres. Así, bajo un mensaje engañoso de proteger la vida, “devotos” congresistas (en su mayoría hombres) criminalizan la interrupción del embarazo y el uso de pastillas anticonceptivas en varios estados de México, en Honduras y la República Dominicana.
La actuación de tales congresistas mantiene, por un lado, el apoyo de la jerarquía católica, que busca convertir en delito lo que ellos consideran pecado, y por otro los cuestionamiento de movimientos feministas, lo cuales reivindican la libertad y autonomía de las mujeres para tomar sus propias decisiones, posición inaceptable para el mundo patriarcal que las subordina a lo que mandan hombres, curas o políticos.
Un periodista español describe cómo la Iglesia católica siempre ha querido reforzar las prohibiciones de la moral religiosa, y su injerencia en la cuestión pública ha logrado que las supuestas conductas pecaminosas --que merecen el infierno-- sean castigadas en la vida terrenal con cárcel. “La jerarquía del catolicismo intenta imponer su concepto de familia, matrimonio, filosofía, ciencia y la vida misma”. Esto viene a cuenta por el peso tan importante que ésta tiene en Guatemala.
Paralelo a la actuación de curas-políticos y políticos-religiosos en este país centroamericano, gestando la construcción de una Agenda Política Feminista.
Desde hace dos años un grupo de feministas sintetiza la historia de las mujeres y sus aportes (individuales y colectivos, nacionales e internacionales), además identifica el contexto de las opresiones en los ámbitos de la sexualidad, en lo económico, político, estructural y simbólico.
Todo ello en la perspectiva de construir una propuesta de sociedad que parte de la eliminación de las diversas formas de opresión existentes: genéricas, étnicas, sexuales, de clase y todas aquellas que no permiten el desarrollo de las personas como seres humanos integrales.
Esta convergencia de aproximadamente 80 feministas, algunas de las cuales participaron en el XI Encuentro Feminista Latinoamericano y del Caribe que tuvo lugar en México el mes pasado, está comprometida con la tarea de construir una agenda que incluya sus visiones y estrategias para articular su acción política.
Ellas expresan la defensa de un Estado laico, el respeto a las distintas formas de expresión de la espiritualidad (holística e integral), la profundización de la democracia de un nuevo orden social, los diálogos y alianzas con otros movimientos sociales que apuestan por la transformación del orden establecido.
* Feminista mexicana, radicada en Guatemala, directora del Suplemento feminista mensual La Cuerda e integrante de la Red de Periodistas de Centroamérica y el Caribe con Visión de Género.
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| 05 May 2009 - 07:53 | CIMAC noticias
URL: www.cimacnoticias.com/site/09050407-Proc . . .
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Atenco, tres años de impunidad
Procesos “retorcidos” impiden justicia para 26 mujeres torturadas
Por Sandra Torres Pastrana
México DF, 4 mayo 09 (CIMAC).- A tres años de la detención y tortura sexual que sufrimos 26 mujeres, en San Salvador Atenco y Texcoco, Estado de México, el 3 y 4 de mayo de 2006, los procesos judiciales interpuestos han sido retorcidos, vivimos en la impunidad y terrorismo de Estado, a la fecha no es claro por qué fueron violados brutalmente nuestros derechos humanos, ni se reconoce que el Estado Mexicano cometió un delito de lesa humanidad contra los habitantes de nuestro pueblo.
Continua....
www.cimacnoticias.com/site/09050407-Procesos-retorcido.37577.0.html
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| 05 May 2009 - 07:40 | Laura Zarate, Arte Sana
artesanando@yahoo.com
URL: www.arte-sana.com/existe_ayuda/existe_ay . . .
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Bilingual Latina victim advocates
/allies Existe Ayuda Session
** PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY **
Dear Latina victim advocate and/or promotora,
Please consider attending and/or helping us recruit bilingual Latina victim advocates and promotoras to attend the following regional Existe Ayuda (help exists) project product demonstration sessions.
*** August 17, 2009¨
Sacramento, California
Application Deadline: May 30
Bilingual Latina victim advocates and allies from California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada Idaho, Utah, and surrounding states are welcome to apply.
For more information please visit:
www.arte-sana.com/existe_ayuda/existe_ayuda.htm
to learn more about the project, and to complete the two-part application process.
Applications will be reviewed on a first-come-first-served basis and assigned to sessions in their region.
** Travel and lodging expenses WILL BE COVERED for qualifying applicants.**
Mil gracias!
Laura ZÃrate, Existe Ayuda Project Director
Art Sana Founding Executive Director
Arte Sana
Victim Advocacy SIN Fronteras
PO Box 1334
Dripping Springs, TX 78620
artesanando@yahoo.com
www.arte-sana.com
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| 04 May 2009 - 08:31 | Amnesty International
URL: www.amnesty.org/en/jobs/vacant-positions . . .
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JOB ** JOB ** JOB
Amnesty International
Campaign Manager - Stop Violence Against Women Campaign
job details
The Stop Violence Against Women (SVAW) campaign has been running globally since 2004 and is scheduled to end in March 2010. Besides the responsibilities mentioned below, the Campaign Manager will have to facilitate the logical and practical conclusion of this campaign, which will include ensuring the retention of the learning and achievements from the campaign so that Amnesty International is in a strong position to continue to engage on SVAW and other women's rights issues beyond the end of the campaign. This post is available from 1 June 2009 until the end of the campaign in March 2010.
More Info, and to apply online...
www.amnesty.org/en/jobs/vacant-positions/campaign-manager-stop-violence-against-women-campaign-20090415
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| 04 May 2009 - 08:23 | Sexual Violence Research Initiative
URL: svriforum2009.svri.org/
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SVRI FORUM: COORDINATED EVIDENCE-BASED RESPONSES TO END SEXUAL VIOLENCE,
6 - 9 July 2009, Misty Hills, Johannesburg:
The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) would like to invite you to its first international conference, aimed at promoting research on sexual
violence, highlighting innovation and encouraging sharing and
networking in the area of sexual violence. This global event will
bring together over 200 participants working on sexual violence as
researchers, gender activists, funders, policy makers, service
providers, survivors and others. For more information please visit:
svriforum2009.svri.org/
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| 04 May 2009 - 08:07 | Julissa
d_borame@msn.com
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hola
necesito informacion hacerca de violencia domestica, yo eh sido victima de violencia domestica, hace mas o menos 4 anos vivi kon mi novio, kien abuso de mi fisicamente y emocionalmente, tubimos una hija, me llego a golpear kuando estaba embarazada, tengo fotos y testigos, pero siempre me ah dado miedo en denunciarlo, ahora no vivo kon el pero ahora kiero ponerle child support, pero me amenaza con quitarme a mihija y denunciar a mi y a mi familia con inmigracion, tengo miedo, tambien en varios casos me amenazo con hacerle dano a mi familia, una amiga me comento sobre obtener documentos por las cosas que el me ah hecho, pero no se que hacer
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| 04 May 2009 - 07:41 | Boletin e-mujeres
URL: nosotrasdecidimos.org/?page_id=26
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Manifiesto a favor de una nueva regulación del aborto en España
nosotrasdecidimos.org
Las organizaciones firmantes, expresan su apoyo al desarrollo de una nueva legislación en materia del aborto en España. Una regulación capaz de superar los problemas de inseguridad jurídica para las mujeres y el personal sanitario y que corrija la evidente desigualdad e inequidad territorial que se ha derivado de la actual legislación.
Demandamos una ley que termine con la intolerable tutela de la actual regulación sobre el derecho a decidir de las mujeres en relación con su propia maternidad y que elimine toda criminalización del aborto garantizando las adecuadas condiciones de seguridad sanitaria y jurídica tanto para las mujeres como para el personal sanitario.
Tras casi 25 años de denuncia sobre las deficiencias de la actual ley, creemos que la sociedad española reclama un nuevo enfoque en la regulación del aborto que ponga en el centro el derecho de las mujeres a decidir sobre su propio cuerpo y su maternidad y que desde las recomendaciones de organismos internacionales nos acerquen a las legislaciones de nuestro entorno.
Para conseguirlo consideramos que es preciso responder a las siguientes demandas:
1. Una Ley específica en materia de salud sexual y reproductiva que elimine la tipificación del aborto como delito dentro del código Penal. La única referencia que ha de quedar en el código penal sobre aborto, deben ser los casos en los que se realice contra la voluntad de la mujer o por imprudencia. Demandamos la supresión de los art. 145 y 417 bis del Código Penal Vigente, que conlleve una despenalización total de la interrupción voluntaria del embarazo con las excepciones de los artículos 144 y 146.
2. Garantía de la interrupción voluntaria del embarazo en la red sanitaria pública. Esta garantía debe contener:
■ Una regulación adecuada de la objeción de conciencia que no pueda ser invocada de forma colectiva por los centros sanitarios.\
■ La responsabilidad de las autoridades sanitarias en el desarrollo efectivo de la prestación.
■ Apoyo y protección al conjunto de profesionales que practican efectivamente los abortos, incluyendo la formación y especialización desde las propias universidades.
■ Desarrollo de protocolos de intervención que aseguren, tanto la equidad territorial como la calidad del servicio en toda la red sanitaria pública y un adecuada intervención en materia de prevención y fomento de prácticas sexuales seguras y saludables para mujeres y hombres.
3. El reconocimiento del derecho a decidir de las mujeres en las veintidos primeras semanas de embarazo, ha de ser combinado con indicaciones en el caso de malformaciones fetales y de riesgo para la salud de la embarazada que respondan a criterios médicos, sin límite de plazo.
4. Inexistencia de periodo de reflexión obligatorio previo a la intervención: Consideramos que la información sobre ayudas públicas y derechos sociales y laborales relacionadas con maternidad/paternidad es una información necesaria para toda la población y un elemento esencial en la estrategia de prevención.
Por tanto, la responsabilidad del Estado debe plasmarse en la más amplia difusión de esta información.
El hecho de dirigir esa información de forma directa y exclusiva a las mujeres que han tomado la decisión de practicarse una IVE, junto al hecho de estipular un periodo de reflexión obligatorio, supone un innecesario elemento de presión y un cuestionamiento intolerable de la capacidad de las mujeres para tomar decisiones sobre su propia vida.
5. Reconocimiento de la autonomía de las mujeres de 16 años para decidir sobre su maternidad sin autorización de terceros. Para ello instamos a que se proceda a la modificación de la Ley 41/2002 de Autonomía del Paciente suprimiendo la IVE del apartado 4 del artículo 9, eliminando la excepción que limita la capacidad de decisión de las mayores de 16 años sobre IVE.
6. Una adecuada estrategia de prevención de embarazos no deseados y de educación e información en salud sexual y reproductiva: Dirigida a toda la población, pero especialmente para la población más joven. Consideramos necesario un mejor acceso a los métodos anticonceptivos que incluya la financiación de estos métodos, igual que otros productos farmacéuticos incluidos dentro del sistema sanitario público. También exigimos el desarrollo de una estrategia de educación e información en materia de salud sexual y reproductiva, especialmente a través de medidas que impulsen la educación afectiva sexual dentro de la educación primaria y secundaria.
7. Finalmente exigimos una interlocución fluida, sistemática y en igualdad de condiciones entre los partidos políticos y las organizaciones feministas a la hora de debatir el anteproyecto de Ley y los posteriores desarrollos reglamentarios, con el fin de que se tengan en cuenta nuestras aportaciones de la misma manera que se hace con el resto de interlocutores.
En resumen, queremos una ley más precisa y más segura, que incorpore los avances de los últimos años en relación con los derechos sexuales y reproductivos, comparable con las regulaciones más progresistas de los países europeos de nuestro entorno.
Por una maternidad libre y responsable, por un aborto seguro, estamos a favor de una nueva Ley que materialice el derecho de las mujeres a decidir sobre su cuerpo y su maternidad.
¡Firma!. ¡Da tu apoyo a la reforma de la Ley del Aborto!
nosotrasdecidimos.org/?page_id=26
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