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| 05 Apr 2009 - 11:38 | Irene Weiser, Stop Family Violence
URL: batteredmomslosecustody.wordpress.com/ca . . .
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Outrage Over Illinois Family Court Tragedy From The Liz Library
April 4, 2009 — batteredmomslosecustody
ILLINOIS LEICHTENBERG-CONNOLLY CASE, McLean County, Illinois. March 31, 2009: “Jack and Duncan Connolly’s mother, Amy Leichtenberg, blames Judge James Souk for allowing her ex-husband to have unsupervised visitation with her boys and for her sons’ deaths. Now, she and her friends are taking action. ‘She knew this was his intentions from the beginning because it was never about the boys it was to hurt her and she told the judge that, she told him and he didn’t listen… It is his fault these boys are gone, it is definitely Judge Souk’s fault,’ Tuley said. ‘He single-handedly handed down an order for Michael to have visitations with those boys unsupervised and because of it they’re dead.’ …” http://centralillinoisproud.com/common/p rinterfriendly.php?cid=51522
More: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local /chi-missing-boys-dead-31-mar31,0,331610 4.story?page=1
“Amy Leichtenberg worried this day would come, and she begged the judicial system to prevent it. In court documents dating back to 2005, she detailed her estranged husband’s threats against her family and fought unsuccessfully to keep him from having unsupervised visits with their two sons…”
And yet more: http://www.week.com/news/local/42231047. html
David Lynch, the local prosecutor is quoted as saying, apologia: “I doubt very much that the judge failed in this case” and “A court cannot stop a visitation unless it finds the visitation would be dangerous to the child’s mental, moral or physical health” and “A judge is going to say look at what happened to those two kids. Should I be overly restrictive to a very good parent because they might be that one in 10-thousand or one in 100,000.” Somebody please ask Mr. Lynch how the hell he could possibly describe a man with a history of being this much of an abusive asshole toward his wife as a “very good parent”.
This is the crux of the problem. These men are most assuredly NOT “very good parents” and it’s time the courts stopped automatically granting men the benefit of the doubt while doubting the credibility and motives of the women who know them best and who also happen to be the people who care the most about the children.
Oh yes… a psych most assuredly did opine in this case, in the usual way, that Connolly was not a threat to himself or the children. Useless. The same guys who claim women emotionally abuse kids by “alienating” them from abusive men — and then have little problem removing children from the custody of their mothers — speciously fret and hand-wring over paternal rights and strained make-believe arguments that the children will suffer some kind of harm if they don’t get lots of time with fathers — and oh, it’s all the women’s fault because she’s not letting him see the children. (It was something else she must have done that provoked his prior abusive behavior against the mother when that excuse wouldn’t have worked)…
“According to the records, a Bloomington psychiatrist found in April 2008 that Connolly was depressed and unable to work because of ‘his inability to see his children under normal conditions.’ …a month later, the psychiatrist said in an evaluation submitted to McLean County Judge James Souk that Connolly did not seem suicidal or homicidal. Souk awarded Connolly unsupervised visits.” http://www.examiner.com/a-1936148~Court_ papers__Ill__dad_violated_visitation_rul es.html
Difficult? It’s not that difficult. Listen to the women. Stop granting depressed, obsessive, and/or control-freak abusive men visitation or “timeshare” rights. Listen to the mothers. Listen to the mothers. Listen to the mothers. Stop assuming that the default positions in custody cases are that women are unstable vindictive crackpots, and that men are being unfairly badmouthed. Father’s attorney Todd Roseberry is, of course, surprised.
Good for McHenry County Judge Suzanne C. Mangiamele who took the claims seriously enough that while the divorce case was pending before her, Connolly received only supervised visitation. But why was he getting any visitation at all? The man repeatedly had threatened to kill the children’s mother, as well as others. Leichtenberg’s attorney, Elizabeth Vonau, said “Everybody knew he was capable of this. There were repeated threats he would harm her, repeated threats he would get back at her and harm the children or take them from her.” http://www.dailyherald.com/story/print/? id=282973
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/michael.con nolly.jack.2.972750.html: “Connolly never hurt Leichtenberg or their sons but scared her because he called often, sometimes threatening suicide and other times trying to intimidate her or persuade her to come back to him…” He “never hurt her”? What? Of course he did! He threatened her life and abused her for years through the courts. That should have been enough. These mothers are not vindictive crackpots, and it’s not mothers in the news day after day after day who prove they are the lunatics by hurting other people. These mothers are the persons in the world who love the children best and who know the father best. The mothers. Not the psychs, your honors. Really. Women don’t keep children from helpful, supportive men who aren’t threatening to take custody, harm them physically, harm the children, or harm the mothers’ abilities to properly care and provide for their children.
“Connolly benefited from a system designed to overlook past indiscretions in favor of giving children a chance to maintain relationships with both parents… he bamboozled people. He was cagey and manipulative.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local /chi-missing-kids-killed-01-apr01,0,2218 136.story
Giving “the children” a chance? Now they are dead. Let’s stop with the euphemisms and pretexts. These are bad laws. Amy Leichtenberg and her children were failed by bad laws that serve primarily to give men rights. Mothers don’t seem to be able to “work the system” this way, because they aren’t believed, they frequently are the upset attached parent, they often have far less funds to litigate, and it’s just a father-lovin’ mother-denigrating world. “Leichtenberg spent the last four years documenting what she considered to be dangerous behavior.”
Listen to the mothers. Listen to the mothers. Listen to the mothers. Leichtenberg pleaded — pleaded — with the judge. What the f— did he think she was so worked up about? Did he discount her as some kind of “woman scorned”? She was the one who left Connolly. (Women usually are the ones who leave.) What kind of inherently misogynistic attitude leads people to hold these biased perceptions that they don’t even realize they hold. Women beg these judges… out of lunacy? vindictiveness? Hysteria? Weakness of mind? Some kind of pathetic “enmeshment” with the kids? Because they can’t handle life? To get those juicy big child custody awards that so often go unpaid anyway? Just another “high conflict custody case”?
No. That’s projecting onto women the motives and thought processes of these abusive men. That’s what these MEN believe they would do were tables turned. They believe this way because they are not mothers. And judges often rule as they do because for one reason or another, they just don’t like the litigating mother as a person as much as they like the man — as if this is relevant to what’s in kids’ interests. It’s a mother-hating, woman-disrespecting world. Doesn’t help when she’s got reason to be stressed, harassed, made crazy and angry. (The court whores of course also will bias toward whoever is the more compliant person who likes them best, i.e. is most willing to pay them, but in the rare case that is the mother, that only tends to correct the pervasive pro-male bias.)
Your honor, if some litigant who had come before you behaved toward you in the manner this man behaved, threatened your life and so forth, would you be inclined to hire him — EVER — to care for YOUR children? Would you be saying “Well, even though he threatened to slit my throat six months ago, and violated restraining orders umpteen times, now he has a job and a rented apartment, so that must mean he’s okay; he can have my kids for the weekend.” Do the effin’ rules of reality change when it’s other people? Or is it just that we’re too damn enrenched in the delusional ideas of sperm rights and women’s wrongs in this world.
See, at this website WILL HE KILL?
and BUSTING THE FATHERHOOD MYTH
and MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT FATHERHOOD
and REEVALUATING THE EVALUATORS
OUTRAGE!
Every week in the news, every week, sometimes every day, men in custody cases and relationship separation cases rape, batter, and kill women and children. It’s below the fold on some inside page if at all, if it even makes the news at all. It happens again and again and again and again. (But when the relatively rare mother kills, it’s headline news for months.) And don’t forget the ubiquitous tittering by the neighbors, duly quoted for “balance” all about what a nice guy, and how he was tormented and so forth. Usually it’s written up as if it’s an inexplicable snapping, and too often without a whiff of mention of the nearly always-present reality of a history of his being a control freak or depressive and that she left him or threatened to leave him, or to take some of “his” property, or cause him loss generally by breaking up “his family”. (That last item, take note, is all about his surroundings and accutrements and possessions. It should not to be understood as “take his children” which is a specious use of faux projection by the propagandists, a pretext for the loss he’s actually flipping over.) And in the majority of the rest of those so-called one-in-ten-thousand cases, the ones in which he doesn’t kill, he’s still battering and abusing her through the court system, for years, over his custody “rights”. It’s got to stop.
People are calling for Judge Souk to resign. They should be calling for the ouster of the psychs as well, who mislead courts with snake oil and give them covers to hide behind. Let’s pinpoint exactly what the catalyst for this horrible, horrible failure of the court system was. A psych speculation as to risk, an opinion that had no business being uttered in court because psychs just don’t have these prediction skills. More opinions:
When the Justice System Fails You
Another Family Wiped Out By Dad
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| 05 Apr 2009 - 11:16 | Chicago Tribune
URL: www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-mi . . .
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JUSTICE SYSTEM BREAKDOWN - Dangerous Visitation Laws and Unprotective Judges Endanger Children and Sometimes Bury Them
Chicago Tribune
April 1, 2009 Wednesday
HEADLINE: Dad played legal game to see sons;
Unfettered visits OKd after he obeyed judge
BYLINE: By Stacy St. Clair, Megan Twohey and Jo Napolitano, TRIBUNE REPORTERS Tribune reporters Angela Rozas, Carolyn Starks and Andrew Wang contributed to this report.
A family court judge wanted him to get a job, find a home and stop harassing his ex-wife. So Connolly took a sales position, rented an apartment and behaved for nine months.
McLean County Circuit Judge James Souk rewarded his obedience with unsupervised visitation with his two young sons, a ruling that absolved Connolly of dangerous behavior and threats against the boys' mother. It no longer mattered that he vowed to cut her open, that a court-appointed visitation supervisor expressed concern about his erratic behavior or that he allegedly violated her order of protection 57 times.
Connolly, 40, benefited from a system designed to overlook past indiscretions in favor of giving children a chance to maintain relationships with both parents.
His sons, however, fell victim to it.
Duncan and Jack Connolly, ages 9 and 7, were found dead Sunday in a remote area of Putnam County three weeks after disappearing with their dad during an unsupervised visit. Officials would not say how the boys died, only that they were found in the back seat of their father's car.
Connolly hanged himself about 60 yards from the car, the McLean County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday.
As she planned her sons' funerals, Amy Leichtenberg told the Tribune she blamed Souk for ignoring her pleas for help.
"Judge Souk is responsible for their deaths," she said.
The judge declined requests for comment Tuesday.
But Souk was not the only one to misjudge Connolly. At various checkpoints throughout the prolonged visitation battle, Connolly was able to convince law-enforcement officials, mental-health experts and social workers that he meant no harm.
"Hell, yes, the system failed Amy," her attorney Helen Ogar said. "Amy was treated seriously [by the system], but he bamboozled people. He was cagey and manipulative."
He also had Illinois law on his side.
Under the law, a parent without custody is entitled to "reasonable visitation rights" unless visits "would endanger seriously the child's physical, mental, moral or emotional health" -- a high burden of proof that has drawn criticism from victims advocates and other experts, who say it doesn't adequately account for dangers domestic abusers pose to children.
Judges in family court often restrict visitation to supervised settings when there's evidence the non-custodial parent has just harmed or threatened other family members, experts say. But the judges rarely require that the visits be supervised over long periods of time, especially if there's no evidence of harm to the child.
"When you can show an emergency at the beginning of the case, judges are very motivated and perceptive and try to protect the children," said Denice Markham, director of Life Span Center for Legal Services and Advocacy. "But as the case goes on and there are no problems, then it's very difficult to get supervised visitation. The parents who don't have custody have the right to visitation unless there's serious endangerment to the children."
Leichtenberg spent the last four years documenting what she considered to be dangerous behavior.
In court records back to 2005, Leichtenberg, who lived in northwest suburban Algonquin before moving to Downstate LeRoy, detailed her ex-husband's threats against her and pleaded for supervised visits for their sons. Her letters detailing his threats to "cut open" her parents, commit suicide or harm her were enough to obtain several orders of protection against him.
Between July 2006 and October 2007, Connolly violated court orders prohibiting him from contacting her on 57 occasions, LeRoy police said Tuesday.
McLean County State's Atty. William Yoder said only 13 incident reports were referred to his office. The office collapsed the complaints into six cases, of which five were prosecuted. Connolly pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor for violating an order in February 2008 and received a suspended sentence.
"I haven't second-guessed anything we did," Yoder said.
Leichtenberg filed for divorce in 2007. She was awarded full custody of the children, and he was given supervised visitation.
Many early visits with his sons took place at the McLean Family Visitation Center. In reports filed with the court, Connolly's behavior appeared to become more erratic and paranoid, leading the center to temporarily discontinue its services in May 2008.
A few weeks later, however, his psychiatrist sent a letter to the judge suggesting Connolly's depression would be lessened by more time with his sons.
Connolly's requests for unsupervised visits increased throughout 2008, and the judge responded by setting behavioral goals for him.
"He not only behaved, but he presented very well," Ogar said. "He had nice suits, he spoke very well, and he was intelligent, but he never dealt with the underlying issues."
The judge awarded Connolly unsupervised visitation in October 2008. By Jan. 23, the court allowed Connolly to have alternate weekend visits and Wednesday visits, with pickups and dropoffs at the police station.
When Connolly did not return with the children after a visit March 8, authorities launched a manhunt that ended when the boys' bodies were found Sunday. Less than 48 hours after the gruesome discovery, Leichtenberg's close friend Brandi Tuley launched an online petition to have Souk removed from the bench.
The petition had more than 1,200 signatures Tuesday evening, including Leichtenberg's. "I refuse to let these boys' deaths be in vain," Tuley said.
sstclair@tribune.com
mtwohey@tribun e.com
jnapolitano@tribune.com
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| 05 Apr 2009 - 10:24 | Chicago Tribune
URL: www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-mi . . .
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2 boys found dead; mom rips the courts
After 3-week search, boys are found dead with their dad in central Illinois; mother decries system that OKd unsupervised visits
See article:
www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-missing-boys-dead-31-mar31,0,3316104.story
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| 05 Apr 2009 - 10:17 | Jeff Grabmeier, Ohio State University
Grabmeier.1@osu.edu
URL: researchnews.osu.edu/archive/violencecos . . .
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HEALTH CARE - Study Reports Shocking Spike in Health Care Costs for Battered Women
Ohio State research: Physical abuse raises women's health costs over 40 percent
News Release, On Behalf Of Ohio State University Media Relations
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Women experiencing physical abuse from intimate partners spent 42 percent more on health care per year than non-abused women, according to a long-term study of more than 3,000 women.
And the costs don't end when the abuse does. The study revealed that women who suffered physical abuse five or more years earlier still spent 19 Percent more per year on health care than women who were never abused.
"Along with all the physical and emotional pain it causes, domestic violence also comes with a substantial financial price," said Amy Bonomi, co-author of the study and associate professor of human development and family science
at Ohio State University.
The study is the largest to date to examine health care costs and
utilization based on the timing and type of domestic violence that women suffer, Bonomi said.
The study, co-authored with researchers from the Group Health Cooperative and the University of Washington in Seattle, was published online this week in the journal Health Services Research. It will appear in an upcoming print edition.
The research examined data from 3,333 randomly selected women who belonged to Group Health, a health care system in the Pacific Northwest.
Women in the study were surveyed about whether they experienced any physical or emotional abuse from intimate partners and if so, when it occurred.
Researchers then studied patterns of health care use and costs by the women over an 11-year period, from 1992 through 2002.
"We were able to track health care costs for quite a long time, giving us a good picture of how much domestic violence is actually costing our health care system," Bonomi said.
Women experiencing ongoing physical abuse had the highest health care costs
- 42 percent higher than non-abused women.
"It's likely that these women need more health care because they are seeking care for immediate injuries and associated health problems," Bonomi said.
Women who had been physically abused within the last five years, but not currently, had 24 percent higher yearly health costs. Abuse that occurred more than five years ago resulted in 19 percent higher costs.
The study separately examined women who experienced psychological abuse, which included verbal threats and chronic controlling behavior.
Those suffering psychological abuse within the past five years, but not currently, had yearly health care costs that were 33 percent higher than those of non-abused women.
"It's possible that it takes additional time for women with psychological
abuse to seek care for their experiences," Bonomi said.
Another striking finding was that all abused women, whether they experienced physical or psychological abuse, used significantly more mental health
services than non-abused women, Bonomi said.
Women suffering ongoing physical abuse were about 2.5 times more likely to visit a mental health provider in the past year than were non-abused women.
The rate for psychologically abused women was two times higher.
"This lends support to the idea that mental health providers should always ask women about their abuse history when they first come in for treatment," Bonomi said.
But mental health was just one of several areas in which abused women used more services.
Physically abused women used significantly more primary care, pharmacy, specialty care, laboratory and radiology services.
For psychologically abused women, more services were needed in specialty care, pharmacy, and radiology.
Group Health, the health care system whose members were surveyed for the study, provides health and insurance services to more than 500,000 people in
the Pacific Northwest.
Bonomi conducted the study with Melissa Anderson and Robert Thompson of The Center for Health Studies at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle; and
Frederick Rivara of the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center at the University of Washington.
The study was funded by the Group Health Community Foundation and the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
NOTE TO REPORTERS: For enhanced coverage, please visit:
researchnews.osu.edu/archive/violencecost.htm
CONTACT: Jeff Grabmeier email Grabmeier.1@osu.edu
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| 05 Apr 2009 - 09:55 | End Violence Against Women International
URL: www.evawintl.org/conferencedetail.aspx?c . . .
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2009 International Conference on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence & Stalking
About the Conference
Join fellow law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, victim advocates, judges, parole and probation officers, rape crisis workers, medical personnel, faith community members, educators and others in this two-and-a-half-day conference highlighting promising practices and emerging issues in sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking.
When: May 18-20, 2009 ~ two and a half days of training!
Where: Anaheim Marriott , 700 West Convention Way, Anaheim, California
(just a few blocks from Disneyland)
Conference Info
www.evawintl.org/conferencedetail.aspx?confid=7
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| 04 Apr 2009 - 20:05 | Unified Solutions Tribal Community Development
URL: www.unified-solutions.org/uploads/marcha . . .
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Cyberstalking in Tribal Communities (April 2009)
Read the latest issue of the OVC-funded Training and Technical Assistance Newsletter, a publication for tribal victim assistance providers that features educational articles, training opportunities, and other program information. The March/April issue highlights cyberstalking.
www.unified-solutions.org/uploads/marchapril_2009.pdf
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| 04 Apr 2009 - 19:47 | Stephen Adler
masvuic@gmail.com
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Men Against Sexual Violence Conference, April 25-26
Men Against Sexual Violence is proud to announce the first annual Male Ally Conference at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Male Ally Conference is a two day event that seeks to engage men in ending transphobia, homophobia and violence against women. The conference will take place April 25th & 26th 2009, at UIC’s Student Center East, The Illinois Rooms, 750 S. Halsted Chicago. Parking is available for a fee across the street at the Hasted Street Parking structure. The event is free and open to male-identified persons.
The conference features men from all communities leading workshops on race and masculinity, disability and masculinity, trans-masculinity, and unlearning homophobia. During these workshops men will have the opportunity to talk about what it means to “be a man” and how race, transgender identity, sexual orientation, and disability intersect to change this meaning from community to community. Men will also learn about what they can do in their everyday lives to stop a culture of violence. The second day of the conference takes theory to action with exercise to encourage coalition building and networking. During day two conference participants will also have the opportunity to share ideas for further action and education on our campus and in their home communities. “The conference is a unique opportunity for men to talk about something that ordinarily is a taboo subject,” said Stephen Adler, member of Men Against Sexual Violence (MASV) and primary coordinator of the conference. “The response of departments and other student organizations thus far confirms to us that men want to be part of the movement to end interpersonal violence.”
Byron Hurt one of the nation’s most widely-known male anti-sexism activists will give the keynote. Hurt is a former Northeastern University football quarterback and was also a founding member of the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program. MVP is a leader in college-based rape and domestic violence prevention initiatives for college and professional athletics. Hurt is also the former Associate Director of the first gender violence prevention program in the United States Marine Corps. A long time activist, author and film maker Hurt challenges audiences to interrogate the damaging effects of patriarchy, racism, and sexism in American culture.
The conference is free and open to all male-identified persons. If you require an accommodation in order to participate, please contact the Office of Women’s Affairs at (312) 413-1025 two weeks prior to the event.
If you would like more information about how to get involved or how to attend, contact Stephen Adler at masvuic@gmail.com
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| 03 Apr 2009 - 07:28 | US State Department
URL: www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/03/1209 . . .
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Remarks at Planned Parenthood Federation of America Awards Gala
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Houston, Texas
www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2009a/03/120968.htm
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| 02 Apr 2009 - 08:28 | Human Rights Education Associates
URL: www.hrea.org
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UNITED NATIONS Press release
2 April 2009
GENEVA -- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Thursday urged the Afghan Government to rescind a new law, reportedly signed by President Karzai earlier this month, saying it would seriously undermine women's rights in Afghanistan and contravene the Afghanistan constitution as well as universal human rights standards.
The new law, which has not yet been published, was passed by the two houses of Afghanistan's parliament before proceeding for signature by the President. It regulates the personal status of Afghanistan's minority Shi'a community members, including relations between women and men, divorce and property rights.
"This is another clear indication that the human rights situation in Afghanistan is getting worse not better," Pillay said. "Respect for women's rights – and human rights in general – is of paramount importance to Afghanistan's future security and development. This law is a huge step in the wrong direction."
The new law denies Afghan Shi'a women the right to leave their homes except for "legimitate" purposes; forbids women from working or receiving education without their husbands' express permission; explicitly permits marital rape; diminishes the right of mothers to be their children's guardians in the event of a divorce; and makes it impossible for wives to inherit houses and land from their husbands – even though husbands may inherit immoveable property from their wives.
"For a new law in 2009 to target women in this way is extraordinary, reprehensible and reminiscent of the decrees made by the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in the 1990s," Pillay said.
Afghanistan's Shi'a community, composed mainly but not exclusively of the Hazara minority, represents around 10 per cent of Afghanistan's population, and the new law has the active support of some of the Hazaras' male leadership, although it has been strongly opposed by other Hazaras and Afghan human rights campaigners throughout the country. There are concerns the law will establish precedents that will adversely affect all Afghan women.
The High Commissioner cited a number of other human rights set-backs in Afghanistan that have been undermining efforts to build the rule of law in the country.
"Freedom of expression by media and civil society activists has come under increasing assault," Pillay said. "There has been no progress in ensuring justice or accountability for past war crimes and crimes against humanity, which have characterized decades of warfare and lawlessness. Impunity is widespread, deeply entrenched, and an impediment to ending the pervasive and ongoing violation of human rights. And, after a moratorium of some years, the Government has recently reactivated the death penalty despite a deeply flawed judicial system."
The intensifying armed conflict in Afghanistan has also had disastrous consequences for civilians, with a 40 per cent increase in civilian casualties during 2008.
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| 02 Apr 2009 - 07:53 | Humanity United
hujobs@humanityunited.org
URL: www.humanityunited.org
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HUMANITY UNITED
POSITION DESCRIPTION
Please send your letter of inquiry and resume to
hujobs@humanityunited.org
ABOUT HUMANITY UNITED:
Humanity United is an independent grant-making organization committed to building a world where mass atrocities and modern-day slavery are no longer possible. We invest in the power of ideas and individuals, bringing together the best in research, policy, and advocacy to activate local and global solutions to alleviate human suffering on a broad scale. By helping to build permanent constituencies to end atrocities
and slavery, supporting efforts that empower affected communities, and working to address the root causes of conflict and injustice, we seek to help restore human dignity in places where it has been lost and to help build a lasting global peace.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Action Group Director is a key member of Humanity United's
Washington, D.C. office who will be primarily responsible for
overseeing, managing, and developing the Action Group to End Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery. The Action Group is a coalition of diverse U.S.-based organizations working both domestically and internationally in pursuit of their common mission of abolishing modern-day slavery. The Action Group has focused on domestic legislative policy in the past, but is initiating a period of strategic expansion, and will be broadening and deepening its policy focus while developing
new capabilities in research, communication, and movement building.
The Action Group Director will manage the Action Group, in a facilitative and collaborative manner, while promoting member-driven leadership on Action Group initiatives and priorities. The Director will also coordinate closely with all functional areas of Humanity United (including Policy, Communications, Research, and Investments) in managing the Action Group and developing long-term strategy regarding
the Action Group's role in the anti-slavery field. The Action Group
Director will have an initial reporting relationship to Humanity
United's President and CEO, and subsequently to the Director of Policy and Government Relations as that individual is hired.
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| 01 Apr 2009 - 09:31 | LaRepublica
URL: www.larepublica.com.uy/mujeres/357267-vi . . .
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violencia doméstica: silencio no, ¡un grito!
Un reportaje en profundidad sobre la violencia doméstica ejercida por un hombre sobre su mujer y dos hijos, a la que se suma la violencia institucional que sufren los tres últimos durante su largo periplo en busca de justicia, constituye el contenido del libro "Silencio, violencia doméstica. Un caso", del periodista Andrés Alsina. Los hechos son reales y el autor dialogó largamente con sus protagonistas antes de poder recrear páginas muy dolorosas de la historia familiar. El resultado de la encomiosa tarea, destinada a sensibilizar sobre esa cotidiana violación de derechos humanos y a cuya financiación contribuyeron Unifem y el Instituto Desarrollo y Comunicación, fue presentado en sociedad en el marco de la conmemoración del Día Internacional de la Mujer, acompañado por un debate protagonizado por representantes de áreas vinculadas al tema.
ISABEL PEREZ
Andrés Alsina: "Un libro de estos se hace por desesperación". ndrés Alsina es un periodista uruguayo que supo ejercer su oficio también en Suecia y Argentina, actualmente profesor de la Universidad ORT. En la presentación de su libro "Silencio, violencia doméstica. Un caso", lo acompañaron Pilar González, en representación del Fondo de Desarrollo de las Naciones Unidas para la Mujer (Unifem) en Uruguay; Anabel Cruz, directora del Instituto Desarrollo y Comunicación, y Ana Solari, escritora y docente de la ORT.
González y Cruz coincidieron en destacar la autoría masculina del libro. "Es necesario involucrar a los varones para conseguir sociedades más justas", afirmó la primera. "Los hombres hablan muy poco del tema", señaló la segunda, enfatizando lo que para ella constituye el mensaje central de la obra: la violencia doméstica es un problema de construcción democrática.
Solari se centró en el contenido del libro, iluminando algunos puntos con su lectura. Para ella, en la obra no sólo aparece el victimario representado en toda su crueldad en los relatos de la mujer y los hijos, sino además otro victimario: "el Poder Judicial".
La escritora llamó la atención sobre la calidad narrativa del autor: "uno al ir metiéndose, se va sintiendo cada vez peor", lo que habla de que Alsina logra transmitir y el o la lectora vivenciar el mismo proceso por el que él pasó al ir acercándose a la historia de Matilde: la sensación de claustrofobia que vive la protagonista.
Continua...
www.larepublica.com.uy/mujeres/357267-violencia-domestica-silencio-no-un-grito
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| 01 Apr 2009 - 09:23 | HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE FOUNDATION (HURPEF) NEPAL
hurpefnepal@gmail.com
URL: www.hurpefnepal.org
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* HURPEF Nepal, a pioneer non-profit voluntary human rights organization of Nepal. It was established on 21 sept, 1996 in Katmandu Nepal. HURPEF is contributing for launching the Human Rights proposal of United Nation, bill of rights and Universal declaration of human rights, treaties, rights and proposal ratified (approved) by Nepal and for the solidarity of international campaign of human rights preservation and promotion. We have been working for protection of human rights, promotion non-violence and working for woman victims, child labor, senior citizens rights, cultural rights, providing law media, free medical camp, shelter, scholarship for orphan children etc. We highly request you for support us and Joint hand work with your organization about protection of human rights, promotion non- violence, social justice, peace and development, training and voluntary exchange, conflict zones of Nepal and others place also.
* Man Bahadur Thapa
* President
* HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE FOUNDATION (HURPEF) NEPAL
* E-mail: hurpef@hons.com.np / hurpefnepal@gmail.com /
Website : www.hurpefnepal.org Mailing Address: GPO : 8975 EPC : 5397, Katmandu Nepal .Tel / Fax : 00977-1-4671930
*
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| 01 Apr 2009 - 09:13 | Center for Women Policy Studies
URL: www.centerwomenpolicy.org/programs/traff . . .
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Fact Sheet on State Anti-Trafficking Laws
from
US PACT [Policy Advocacy to Combat Trafficking]
A Program of the
Center for Women Policy Studies
State Legislative Initiatives
The Center for Women Policy Studies works with state legislators to develop legislative initiatives:
• to make trafficking a state felony offense with appropriately harsh
punishments for traffickers and protections for the women and girls who have been trafficked into our communities; we urge states to pass criminalization statutes and also to provide for victim protection and assistance programs;
• to create statewide interagency task forces on human trafficking, with a mandate to determine the nature and extent of trafficking in each state and make recommendations for legislative, policy, and programmatic initiatives;
• to regulate “bride trafficking” by commercial “international marriage
brokers” (also called “mail order bride” or “international matchmaking” organizations) that operate in the state; and,
• to regulate sex tourism by travel services providers that operate in the state.
The following summary of all state laws addressing trafficking in persons is current as of December 2008. The next update of the fact sheet will be posted in December
of 2009 and will include all state laws passed during the 2009 legislative sessions. States are listed below in alphabetical order rather than in order of passage of the legislation.
See fact sheet:
www.centerwomenpolicy.org/programs/trafficking/documents/FactSheetonStateAntiTraffickingLawsDecember2008_000.pdf
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| 01 Apr 2009 - 09:04 | Frieda.werden
URL: www.tidesfoundation.org/grants-impact/op . . .
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April 8 deadline - Grants to benefit Indigenous Women and Girls
Please forward!
*FYI Deadline is April 8*
**
*Tides Foundation's Indigenous People's Fund Invites Grant Applications from
Organizations Benefiting Women and Girls*
The Tides Foundation is seeking general operating proposals from indigenous organizations working to preserve and enhance the rights, health, safety, and education of women and girls in native communities. More at:
www.tidesfoundation.org/grants-impact/open-rfps/ipf/index.html
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| 01 Apr 2009 - 09:00 | Newspapertree
URL: newspapertree.com/news/3610-stars-cast-n . . .
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Stars cast new light on Mexico femicides
by Frontera NorteSur
The meeting between President Calderon and the international celebrities came just weeks after a new fictional movie about the Ciudad Juarez femicides, “Backyard,” premiered in major theaters in Mexico.
Posted on March 30, 2009
Internationally-known music and film celebrities are casting new public attention on the unsolved murders of women in Ciudad Juarez and the state of Chihuahua. In a March 27 meeting in Mexico City, a trio of English and Mexican celebrities conveyed their concerns for justice during a personal conversation with Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
Attending the meeting were legendary English rocker Peter Gabriel, Saul Hernandez, front man for the popular Mexican rock group Jaguares; and acclaimed Mexican actor Diego Luna, who had a role in the recent Hollywood biography of the assassinated US politician and pioneer gay rights activist Harvey Milk.
Also in attendance at the unusual encounter were Tamaryn Nelson, director of the Latin American and Caribbean desk for Gabriel’s pro-human rights organization Witness, and Patricia Cervantes, mother of 2003 Chihuahua City femicide victim Neyra Azucena Cervantes.
In a press conference prior to the meeting with President Calderon, Gabriel appealed to the Mexican government to support the justice campaign for murdered women.
“We know that Felipe Calderon confronts many challenges in many areas of his government,” Gabriel said. “We hope to inspire him to invest money, muscle and interest in this campaign.”
Released after the meeting, an official statement from the Mexican White House affirmed that President Calderon pledged that he will combat abuses of authority, promote reparations of damages to the relatives of femicide victims and struggle against impunity. Mexico’s president agreed to give special attention to cases like the Cervantes murder via a joint Internet page with Witness. Working together with local officials, federal forces are attempting to clear up the femicides, President Calderon reportedly told his guests.
Recognizing the work of human rights defenders, President Calderon said that the conviction and participation of activists motivated the three levels of the Mexican government to do a better job, according to the statement from the presidential office.
The meeting between President Calderon and the international celebrities came just weeks after a new fictional movie about the Ciudad Juarez femicides, “Backyard,” premiered in major theaters in Mexico. The meeting also took place one month before Mexico is scheduled to go on trial in the Inter-American Court for Human Rights for alleged human rights violations committed during the “investigations” of the slayings of three women found murdered along with five others in a Ciudad Juarez cotton field in 2001.
As a member state of the Inter-American Court, Mexico will be bound to follow the verdicts issued by judges.
Despite numerous high-level pronouncements by various officials from different branches of government over the years, the murder of women continues to be a grave problem in Ciudad Juarez and other parts of Mexico.
Continues...
newspapertree.com/news/3610-stars-cast-new-light-on-mexico-femicides
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| 01 Apr 2009 - 08:50 | Guardian UK
URL: www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/31/ham . . .
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'Worse than the Taliban' - new law rolls back rights for Afghan
Jon Boone in Kabul The Guardian, Tuesday 31 March 2009 Article
Hamid Karzai has been accused of trying to win votes in Afghanistan's presidential election by backing a law the UN says legalises rape within marriage and bans wives from stepping outside their homes without their husbands' permission.
The Afghan president signed the law earlier this month, despite condemnation by human rights activists and some MPs that it flouts the constitution's equal rights provisions.
Jon Boone reveals Afghanistan's new law denying women's rights Link to this audio The final document has not been published, but the law is believed to contain articles that rule women cannot leave the house without their husbands' permission, that they can only seek work, education or visit the doctor with their husbands' permission, and that they cannot refuse their husband sex.
A briefing document prepared by the United Nations Development Fund for Women also warns that the law grants custody of children to fathers and grandfathers only.
Senator Humaira Namati, a member of the upper house of the Afghan parliament, said the law was "worse than during the Taliban". "Anyone who spoke out was accused of being against Islam," she said.
The Afghan constitution allows for Shias, who are thought to represent about 10% of the population, to have a separate family law based on traditional Shia jurisprudence. But the constitution and various international treaties signed by Afghanistan guarantee equal rights for women.
Shinkai Zahine Karokhail, like other female parliamentarians, complained that after an initial deal the law was passed with unprecedented speed and limited debate. "They wanted to pass it almost like a secret negotiation," she said. "There were lots of things that we wanted to change, but they didn't want to discuss it because Karzai wants to please the Shia before the election."
Although the ministry of justice confirmed the bill was signed by Karzai at some point this month, there is confusion about the full contents of the final law, which human rights activists have struggled to obtain a copy of. The justice ministry said the law would not be published until various "technical problems" had been ironed out.
After seven years leading Afghanistan, Karzai is increasingly unpopular at home and abroad and the presidential election in August is expected to be extremely closely fought. A western diplomat said the law represented a "big tick in the box" for the powerful council of Shia clerics.
Leaders of the Hazara minority, which is regarded as the most important bloc of swing voters in the election, also demanded the new law.
Ustad Mohammad Akbari, an MP and the leader of a Hazara political party, said the president had supported the law in order to curry favour among the Hazaras. But he said the law actually protected women's rights.
"Men and women have equal rights under Islam but there are differences in the way men and women are created. Men are stronger and women are a little bit weaker; even in the west you do not see women working as firefighters."
Akbari said the law gave a woman the right to refuse sexual intercourse with her husband if she was unwell or had another reasonable "excuse". And he said a woman would not be obliged to remain in her house if an emergency forced her to leave without permission.
The international community has so far shied away from publicly questioning such a politically sensitive issue.
"It is going to be tricky to change because it gets us into territory of being accused of not respecting Afghan culture, which is always difficult," a western diplomat in Kabul admitted.
Soraya Sobhrang, the head of women's affairs at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, said western silence had been "disastrous for women's rights in Afghanistan".
"What the international community has done is really shameful. If they had got more involved in the process when it was discussed in parliament we could have stopped it. Because of the election I am not sure we can change it now. It's too late for that."
But another senior western diplomat said foreign embassies would intervene when the law is finally published.
Some female politicians have taken a more pragmatic stance, saying their fight in parliament's lower house succeeded in improving the law, including raising the original proposed marriage age of girls from nine to 16 and removing completely provisions for temporary marriages.
"It's not really 100% perfect, but compared to the earlier drafts it's a huge improvement," said Shukria Barakzai, an MP. "Before this was passed family issues were decided by customary law, so this is a big improvement."
Karzai's spokesman declined to comment on the new law.
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| 31 Mar 2009 - 20:29 | Steven Courchesne, Human Rights Education Associates
URL: www.un.org/esa/vawdatabase
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[women-rights]
UN Database on Violence against Women launched in March 2009
Dear colleagues,
I want to bring your attention to The UN Secretary General’s Database on Violence against Women. Launched on 5 March 2009, the database is the “first global one-stop shop for information on measures undertaken by Member States to address violence against women”.
The primary source of information for the database is the responses received from Member States to the questionnaire on violence against women, of September 2008, and subsequent updates.
Other sources of information include:
-States parties' reports to human rights treaty bodies
-Information provided by Member States in follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women (1995); for reports of the Secretary-General; and in statements made at the United Nations
-Information available through relevant United Nations entities
The Division for the Advancement of Women/Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DAW/DESA) functions as the secretariat of the database.
You can access the database at:
www.un.org/esa/vawdatabase
Regards,
Steve
Steven Courchesne, Information Officer
Human Rights Education Associates (HREA)
Tel: +1 978 341-0200 ext.12
Web: www.hrea.org
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| 31 Mar 2009 - 15:16 | IPS Gender Wire
URL: www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46301
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RIGHTS-BENIN: Support for Women Facing Violence
By Esther Tola
COTONOU, Mar 28 (IPS) - Judges and gynaecologists in Benin have undergone training on the interpretation of forensic evidence in cases of violence against women, as well as in investigative procedures when dealing with rape cases.
The training took place in Cotonou, the country’s economic capital, at an international conference held Mar. 16 to 19 as part of the Women's Justice and Empowerment Initiative, a U.S. government-funded programme to strengthen awareness of gender-based violence and prosecution of perpetrators in four African countries.
In Benin, this initiative is being carried out by Care International and its Empower project, working to enhance the ability of local and national bodies to address the needs of women affected by violence.
Gender-based violence widespread
A survey conducted in Benin in early 2008 by Care International looked at six categories of gender-based violence, including verbal and psychological abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, harmful traditional practices and economic violence.
The survey found that the experience of violence was most common amongst poorly-educated rural women aged 21 and older. Girl children from poor families between the ages of 10 and 14 were also badly affected- again particularly if they were denied access to school.
"Our findings on the ground show that violence and rape are daily realities," says Jéronime Houngbo, director of the Empower project. "There are children under age three who are raped by people aged between 40 and 50 years."
The extent of violence is startling: fully 86 percent of respondents reported verbal and psychological abuse; physical abuse was reported by 76 percent of those surveyed. Forty-seven percent reported sexual abuse and 44 percent had experienced violence in connection with traditional practices.
Houngbo said that where charges are laid against a perpetrator of violence, the evidence provided by the plaintiff is frequently deemed insufficient by the police; hence the need to present a more comprehensive medical record.
"What is being done by the U.S. Justice Department in partnership with Benin’s ministries of Justice and Defence and Interior, aims to improve investigation and prosecution techniques used in cases of violence against women," she said.
Continues....
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=46301
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| 31 Mar 2009 - 10:10 | Promsex
URL: www.promsex.org/contents.php?id=456
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Huida, caída y rescate de una víctima de trata
Janet (14) buscó trabajo y cayó en la red. Querer salir de la pobreza empujó a una adolescente a buscar trabajo y cayó en una red de trata en Mala. Por más de 20 días tuvo que soportar, obligada, las noches en un night club.
Consuelo Alonzo C.
El olor a torrejas y el sopor de la tierra caliente eran bien conocidos para Janet S. A. B. (14), arriba, en lo más alto de uno de los cerros de Huaycán, en Ate Vitarte. Hastiada de compartir la estrechez, junto a otras cinco pequeñas bocas de igual registro sanguíneo, y el dolor en el vientre cuando las tripas suenan, buscó refugio en amigos ocasionales que le enseñaron eso que llaman diversión. Pero esas alegrías momentáneas no lograron alejarla de la necesidad.
Un trabajo y dinero, pensó, eran lo único que ayudarían en casa a respirar algo más que polvareda y tristezas. Buscó entonces alguna labor remunerada en el único lugar que era bien conocido por ella.
Continua....
www.promsex.org/contents.php?id=456
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| 31 Mar 2009 - 09:49 | veronica islas
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Montreal and Ottawa
April 3, 12-3pm
Subject: Women in Juarez: demonstration
Hello all, (le français suit)
We are asking for your support and solidarity regarding the ongoing
femicide happening in Juarez, Mexico. 500 women have been murdered so far: most have been raped, their bodies have been mutilated and whatever is left dumped in the desert. More than 1000 are "dissapeared"
Mexico has recently appointed a new ambassador, Barrio
Terrazas. He was the Mayor of Juarez and the governor of the state of Chihuahua (where Juarez is). Not only did his government not solve
the crimes. He also suggested that the murdered women asked for it
because they dressed in miniskirts and walked on dark alleys.
He also blocked the creation of an independent comission that would
study the case, even though its creation had been suggested by the
Human Rights Commission. This pinpoints not just to incompetence but to a willingness to keep these gruesome crimes unsolved. One can only speculate why.
The Comité de solidarité avec les femmes de Ciudad Juarez, the Comité pour les droits humains en Amérique latine and the Fédération des femmes du Québec invite you to a demonstration to ask for the removal of this individual
BARRIO TERRAZAS PERSONA NON GRATA
Vendredi, le 3 avril 2009 de 12 h à 13 h
Where? In *Montreal*:
Mexican Consulate in Montreal
2055 Peel Street (between Maisonneuve andSherbrooke)
Peel Metro.
In *Ottawa*:
Mexican Embassy in Ottawa
#45 O'Connor Street.
Simultaneous demonstrations will happen in Mexico (Nuestras Hijas de Regreso a Casa, an organization made up parents of murdered women, are organzing one in Juarez). San Luis Potosi will likely have one as well.
Please disseminate widely! Tell any person who cares for the welfare
of women.
Let's let the voices of these women be heard! No more violence against
women! We demand the removal of this man and to have these crimes
solved! The Mexican government should protect women from these
terrible crimes!
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| 31 Mar 2009 - 07:57 | Women's Media Center
URL: www.womensmediacenter.com/ex/033009.html
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Chances Improve for Ratification of CEDAW
by Peggy Simpson
The United States has been an odd holdout in ratifying the UN treaty on women’s rights. Now it’s a priority of the Obama Administration, and Senator Barbara Boxer chairs the subcommittee that will hold hearings. Still, there’s no guarantee.
March 30, 2009
Just because the Obama Administration puts the CEDAW women's rights treaty in the top three UN treaties it wants ratified doesn't mean the Senate will cooperate.
Continues....
www.womensmediacenter.com/ex/033009.html
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| 30 Mar 2009 - 09:09 | CIMAC noticias
URL: www.cimac.org.mx
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APRUEBA ALDF NUEVA LEY DE SALUD PARA EL DISTRITO FEDERAL
México, DF.- Tras incluir un capítulo específico en materia de Medicina Preventiva, obligar al gobierno local a coordinarse de forma permanente con la federación, ordenar lo relativo a la Interrupción Legal del Embarazo (ILE) entre otros, la Comisión de Salud de la Asamblea Legislativa del Distrito Federal (ALDF) aprobó por unanimidad la Nueva Ley de Salud del Distrito Federal.
En el cuerpo de la nueva norma se incorpora de manera ordenada todo lo relativo a la ILE, después de que la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación (SCJN) ratificó la capacidad de legislación de la Asamblea Legislativa del Distrito Federal (ALDF), en la materia.
De igual manera, el nuevo ordenamiento establece la creación de un capítulo en materia de adicciones, especialmente en materia de tabaquismo, alcoholismo y farmacodependencia, determinando la obligación de crear unidades de atención médica, programas preventivos permanentes e intensivos, lo que dará certeza jurídica y bases para acciones gubernamentales amplias contra las adicciones…
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| 30 Mar 2009 - 09:03 | CIMAC noticias
URL: www.cimacnoticias.com/s ite/09032710-Ja . . .
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Aprobados con votos del PAN, PRI, PVEM y PT
Jalisco: OSC impugnarán cambios constitucionales contra la ILE
Por Gladis Torres Ruiz
México DF, 27 marzo 09 (CIMAC).- Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil (OSC) de Jalisco anunciaron que impugnarán el dictamen que el Congreso local aprobó para reformar los artículos 4 y 15 de la Constitución Política de Jalisco, con el fin de “proteger la vida desde el momento de la concepción”, con lo cual quedará anulada cualquier forma de Interrupción Legal del Embarazo (ILE), aún en caso de menores de edad víctimas de violación, de mujeres cuya vida esté en riesgo por la gestación o de malformación congénita del producto.
Las reformas a la Constitución del estado fueron aprobadas con 29 votos (dos más de los mínimos requeridos), de los 20 diputados del Partido Acción Nacional (PAN), siete del Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) y uno del Partido Verde Ecologista de México (PVEM) y otro del Partido del Trabajo (PT), hubo tres abstenciones del Partido Nueva Alianza y del Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD).
Continua....
www.cimacnoticias.com/site/09032710-Jalisco-OSC-impugn.37141.0.html
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| 30 Mar 2009 - 08:19 | Irene Weiser, Stop Family Violence
URL: www.stopfamilyviolence.org/get-involved/ . . .
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As Economy Plummets Family Violence Skyrockets
Full federal funding needed to keep crisis programs open
Domestic violence and sexual assault programs are facing a crisis -- state funding and donations are down, while demand for services is skyrocketing. Shelters are operating over capacity and are turning victims away, calls to the National Domestic Violence Hotline have increased dramatically and news of family violence mass murders have become an almost daily occurrence. Full federal funding of all victim service programs is essential.
Congress is beginning to make decisions about funding allocations for 2010. Let them know that as the economy is plummeting family violence is skyrocketing. Ask them to provide for full funding for all victim service programs. ACT NOW!!
Family Violence Prevention and Services Act
Since 1984 FVPSA has funded the essential services that are at the core of our nation’s local response to end domestic violence, including life-saving emergency shelters, crisis lines, advocacy, and counseling for victims after they make the difficult decision to leave their abuser.
Violence Against Women Act
Since 1994, VAWA has helped ensure a comprehensive, broad, community based response to domestic violence, sexual assault, teen dating violence and stalking. VAWA funded programs train law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges how to respond to victims and hold offenders accountable. VAWA provides funding for specially trained nurses who care for rape victims, and training to teach health care providers to recognize abuse and respond to victim needs. It funds programs on college campuses, in underserved and rural communities. and programs that help children who have witnessed violence in their homes.
Victims of Crime Act
VOCA is a federal grant program funded entirely by fines and penalties paid by offenders without any taxpayer dollars. VOCA provides funding to victims of all types of crimes, helping them cope with the aftermath of crime by providing victim assistance and compensation for things like transportation, counseling and medical expenses.
Effectiveness
These programs have helped victims and families in our communities and made substantial progress toward ending domestic and sexual violence. Rates of non-fatal and fatal domestic violence have decreased, more victims feel confident to come forward to report these crimes and seek services, and states have passed over 600 laws to combat these crimes. In addition to saving lives, it is estimated that VAWA saved nearly $14.8 billion in net averted social costs in its first six years alone.
Unmet Needs
According to the National Census of Domestic Violence Services, on one day in 2008 over 60,500 adults and children sought support from local domestic violence programs. Due to lack of resources, there were 8,927 unmet requests for services. Victims of stalking and dating violence nationwide remain significantly underserved, and there are still large parts of the country that do not have sufficient resources to provide basic services to victims of sexual violence. The economic concerns currently facing families across the country only exacerbate the gap between demand for services and adequate resources. It is vital that we provide communities with the resources needed to meet this growing need.
ACT NOW – send a message to your members of congress urging them to provide the needed funding to keep the doors to these life-saving programs open.
www.stopfamilyviolence.org/get-involved/take-action-now
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