POEM FOR FARZANA PARVEEN, PREGNANT YOUNG WOMAN STONED TO DEATH IN PAKISTAN

- I am sorry Farzana your child could not see the Haven under your feet because it was killed in your womb with bricks when you were three months pregnant

- I am sorry Farzana you were killed by the followers of a religion that shocked the world 1400 years ago with the message “do not kill your daughters”

- Dear Farzana, I cannot stop thinking if you died from the pain from the bricks in your head or from the shock of seeing your brother and father pelting bricks on you ?

- I am sorry Farzana your Muslim family did not know that Islam allows an adult Muslim woman to marry with her own choice

- I am sorry Farzana there will be no mass protests for you in the streets of Pakistan by religious groups and political parties because you are not“the daughter of our nation”

- I am sorry Farzana that the 30 people who saw you being killed with stones did not come to help you in Lahore

- You know Farzana that most Lahoris would rush and get hurt to catch a kite if they see it falling

- But all of them saw you bleed to death but did not run to help you because it was your family’s private matter

- I am sorry Farzana that your brothers and father and cousins who stoned you to death will never get punished

- Because your murder is not a crime against the state – it is a crime against your family

- I am sorry to tell you Farzana that even if your mother files a case against your father she will be emotionally blackmailed to forgive her husband and sons and your case will be closed for ever under Qisas and Dyat law

- I am sorry Farzana no one will call you a Shaheed and no one will put flowers on your unnamed hole of a grave

- I am sorry Farzana that you were a woman in Pakistan where the laws and police protect the big and strong politicians when they go to visit their own villages

- I am sorry Farzana that the police in Lahore did not protect you knowing that you were under threat from your family members

- I am sorry Farzana you are not a front page news on any of Pakistani paper today because today’s top story is trade and your life has no value for any transaction in our country

- Do you know Farzana that all the TV channels are also discussing security situation in Pakistan and all the experts are wise men

- And you know Farzana the other most popular program on our TV is still more wise men reminding us that Islam respects women more than any religion in the world

- I am sorry Farzana you did not get any respect for your Islamic right to marry with your own choice

- I am sorry Farzana that what you did is not a crime but you were punished as a criminal

- I am sorry Farzana that many girls in villages across Pakistan will not sleep tonight due to fear after they hear the story of your death and their family tells them this is what happens to bad girls

- I am sorry Farzana you died at the age when most young women in the world are still enjoying youth

- Rest in Peace Farzana !

- May you always live long on the conscience of all those Pakistanis who have one !

- May the little girls in your village continue to dream !

29 May 2014 - From Sameena Nazir, Executive Director, PODA-Pakistan - www.poda.org.pk

Nasrin Sotoudeh wrote

Nasrin Sotoudeh, the human rights lawyer who spent 3 years in prison for defending female attorney clients, women's rights and prisoners' rights in general, wrote to the Stealthy Freedoms from Tehran and shared her thoughts on the call for women to have a choice over hijab
. 
This is what Nasrin Sotoudeh wrote:

Stealth Freedoms -- This is rather an ironic term to refer to the current surge of activity that is going on in Iran. Because, as we all know, if something is done stealthily, then it cannot be called FREEDOM. 
The term "Stealthy Freedom" is indicative of the pressures that exists within Iran. The issue of how women are covered up is something that is normally not taken seriously for several reasons. Now on the social media such activities do not have anything to do with being stealthy; and when thousands of women defy the hijab laws on social media, we cannot deny the existence of pressures for change
.

But let me recount an episode from when I was imprisoned: 
For many years, female prisoners have had to wear Chador (the long normally black sort of veil that covers a woman’s body fully), even though there is no such stipulation in the law. I'd like to point out that the kind of social pressure that exists outside the prison walls, exists many times more and exerts a lot more pressure on prisoners. In prisons, the wardens feel that they have complete power over the prisoners and that they can make them do whatever they want. That creates bitter feelings -

When I was in jail, I argued with the ones who were in charge that according to the law hey did not have the right to force us wear the Chador. The head of the prison, however, did not follow the letter of the law and in the end repeated that we had to wear Chadors. This went on till one day, I told my jailers that I am not wearing the chador anymore and I'd rather they chopped off my head right in front of the warden's office door. I wasn't going to wear chador
.

And I didn't
.

You know.. forcing female prisoners to wear the hijab and the resistance against such pressure is not a new thing. In fact, for the past 30 years or so, many women have objected to this compulsion of wearing the hijab --, it's just that such protests may not have got the publicity they deserved, for many reasons, such as absence of the Internet
. 

In our prison ward, there were also a few older women than the rest of us and wore Chador by their own choice. That was their choice, which I of course respected. During the time that I was forbidden to have any visitors, these women would come and see me whenever they had their own visitors and express their sympathy. They always emphasized that if they wore Chador it was because of their own choice and belief and not because of the do's and don'ts imposed by the head of the prison. I assured them every time that I respected their choice. 

As always, I wish the governments would allow greater freedoms for the people to live their lives. That would be the way for greater mutual respect
.
https://www.facebook.com/StealthyFreedom/photos/a.859102224103873.1073741828.858832800797482/867162266631202/?type=1&theater

Statement calling for immediate redress for violations of human rights of 234 Nigerian schoolgirls

IWRAW Asia Pacific is an international women’s human rights organisation working to achieve the full and effective realisation of the rights guaranteed to women and girls under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (“CEDAW”). Nigeria ratified CEDAW in 1985 and is required to comply with its duties and obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of women and girls and to achieve gender equality. The recent kidnapping of 234 Nigerian schoolgirls from their boarding school in north-eastern Nigeria by religious extremists has outraged us and the entire international community. This conduct is a gross violation of the fundamental human rights of these girls to dignity, liberty, education, life and to their right to peace and security. Reports have emerged that they have been sold into slavery for paltry sums and that the kidnapping was prompted by resistance to the education of girls. Irrespective of the motivation this is criminal conduct which justifies the highest penalty.

We join the call to President Goodluck Jonathan to take every possible step to search for these girls and to ensure that they are immediately found and returned to the safety of their families unharmed. We call for the transgressors to be arrested and charged and reparations made to the families and the girls, as well as effective measures put in place to prohibit further transgressions of their human rights and those of any other girl in Nigeria. We call upon the international community, represented by the High Commission of Human Rights and the UN Secretary General, to utilise the remedies available in the UN Charter and international law to take immediate action to address this heinous criminal conduct. We call upon the business community to provide the necessary resources and means to ensure the facilitation of the search and restoration of rights of the girls.

Like girls the world over, these Nigerian girls deserve full and effective implementation of their human rights, including the right to personal security, and the right to receive education without fear. They deserve nothing less than the strongest international condemnation, as well as co-operation and strong mobilisation of resources to ensure their safe return and continued safety. We owe them this as human beings who care about injustice and humanity and who claim to be bound by the glorious principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Bring them home. Observe their rights. NOW!!!

Gladys Acosta

Gladys Acosta es una abogada feminista que ha trabajado por los derechos humanos de las mujeres, tanto en la comunidad de las ONG en el Perú y Colombia y para las Naciones Unidas (UNICEF y UNIFEM-ONU MUJERES) en varios países de América Latina. Ella jugó un papel destacado en la Campaña Global por los Derechos de las Mujeres en el proceso previo a la Conferencia Mundial de 1993 sobre Derechos Humanos en Viena, donde la ONU reconoció los derechos de la mujer como derechos humanos. Su contribución fue fundamental para la movilización de la región de América Latina y el Caribe, estableciendo relaciones duraderas con mujeres de todo el mundo. Esto se consolidó aún más en el proceso que condujo a la Cuarta Conferencia Mundial de 1995 sobre la Mujer en Beijing y en las décadas siguientes.

Gladys Acosta posee la integridad, la inteligencia, la pasión y la experiencia a tierra, para hacer de ella una candidata excelente para unirse al grupo de expertos del Comité de la CEDAW. Ella traería un profundo conocimiento del derecho internacional y el conocimiento de cómo traducir la Convención en las políticas y programas que pueden ayudar a guiar la acción de los gobiernos en la implementación de la CEDAW.

PS. CV Gladys 'en Inglés y Español en sí Adjunta A Este Mensaje.

Gladys Acosta Vargas_Peruvian Lawyer_UNICEF-UNWOMEN.pdf

http://www.unicef.org/argentina/spanish/overview_11126.htm

PAKISTAN : GIRL BURIED ALIVE FOR MARRYING HER OWN CHOICE

21 March, 2014 - The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 17-year-old girl was buried alive for marrying by her own choice with a three wheeler driver. She was buried alive on the instructions of a Jirga, an illegal court run by tribal chiefs. She was buried in a Hindu graveyard and not in a Muslim graveyard as it was felt she had betrayed Islam. The local police have not registered a case of murder against the perpetrators but instead deputed the security guards on the grave so that people cannot visit.

The parents of the girl are involved in arranging the murder of their daughter and he was trying to get Diyat (the blood money) from tribal elders.

CASE NARRATIVE:

Sughra Brohi, aged 17 years, a resident of Jhol, Sanghar district married Muhammad Ali Khaskheli, a resident of Badin district, three months ago of her own choice and shifted to Badin with her in-laws. The boy, Ali Khaskheli, was a three wheeler driver and went to Mirpurkhas city from Badin, his ancestor’s village to get employment. He was running his eight seater three wheeler for the pick and drop of school students. During that time they fell in love with each other and decided to marry in Badin city. This was out of fear that the tribe and the parents of the girl will not tolerate the marriage and kill them in the name of an honour killing.

After learning about their marriage the elders of Brohi tribe were not happy and regarded it as usurping the pride of the caste by marrying with Khaskheli caste. Some three weeks ago the tribal elders pursued the parents of the girl and asked them to bring their daughter back and she would not be punished. Later on, she was forced to return by her family with the assurance on the Quran, the holiest book of Muslims, that she would not be harmed. After her return a Jirga, an illegal court, was held which was presided over by her uncle, Nazar Muhammad Brohi, which decided to punish her by burying her alive.

The elders and her father decided that she did not deserve a burial in a Muslim graveyard and according to a newspaper, the Kawish, they dug a hole in Bheel’s graveyard of the Hindu religion near Jhol police station in village Hakim Mari, near Sanjhoro and in midnight buried her alive in village Hakim Khan Marri, Taluka Sanjhoro, district Sanghar. Her cries did not stop the elders, her father and uncles from this heinous act.

Even after 15 days the police did not take the action as they thought the action was justified according to tribal norms and Islamic teachings.

The father of the girl approached the police and filed a First Information Report in Jhol police station, district Sanghar, for the murder of his daughter when he could not bargain with the tribal elders for blood money (Diyat).

The whereabouts of the boy is still not known and it is feared that he might have been killed.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The honour killing of girls are very common in the rural areas of the Sindh province where the feudal social system is very much entacted. The main reason for the honour killing is to deny the women and their husband their share from the properties. Though there is a law through which has declared honour killings as intentional murder but because of the poor rule of law and patriarchal attitude of the administration and government functionaries the menace of honour killings continued unabated.

In the Sindh province and southern part of Punjab province every year more than 300 men and women are killed in the name of honour. The state has also failed to stop the jirga as it serves the purpose of the state in the name of “instant justice” and not put the burden on the courts.

http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/AHRC-UAC-040-2014

“Widowhood” should be the subject of the “Emerging Issue”

CSW 58 Declaración oral en nombre de los millones de viudas en el mundo, todas las edades, para la Defensa de los Derechos de viudedad, Temas, Justicia

Por Viudas por la Paz a través Democray, Mujeres por grupo de derechos humanos de las mujeres solteras, y la colaboración de las viudas 'Múltiple de ONG

Somos la organización que agrupa a las organizaciones no gubernamentales y asociaciones de muchas viudas en los países en desarrollo y afectadas por conflictos. Trabajamos para el empoderamiento de las viudas y la eliminación de la discriminación y la violencia que muchos millones de ellos sufren a diario. Voces de viudedad rara vez se escuchan. Ni siquiera están contados.

Hablamos en nombre de millones de viudas de todas las edades. Sus números, en las últimas décadas, han crecido de manera exponencial debido a los conflictos armados, revoluciones, violencia sectaria, el VIH y el SIDA, y la continuación de las prácticas tradicionales nocivas, como el matrimonio infantil. Se estima que, en algunos países afectados por la guerra, más del 60% de las mujeres son viudas o esposas de los desaparecidos, y el 70% de los niños dependen de dichas mujeres indigentes.

A pesar del hecho de que la viudez es una de las causas fundamentales de la pobreza, y el más descuidado de todos los temas de género y de derechos humanos, estrategias de los ODM existentes no han podido hacer frente a las causas y consecuencias de la baja condición social de las viudas. La violación de sus impactos en los derechos fundamentales desastrosamente en las generaciones futuras.

Es esencial que los gobiernos y la comunidad internacional se centran ahora en la situación particular de las viudas, y apoyar sus esfuerzos por "banda juntos", de modo que su voz colectiva se puede escuchar. Necesidades de las viudas tienen que tenerse en cuenta si los post 2015 ODM tienen alguna posibilidad de ser alcanzado.

La pobreza, la marginación y el estigma de la viudez provoca daños irreparables a los niños, especialmente las niñas. Una de las "estrategias de supervivencia" más comunes de las viudas empobrecidas es retirar a sus hijos de la escuela. Las hijas son los primeros en sufrir. Entonces son más vulnerables al trabajo infantil, el matrimonio forzado y el control potencial de los traficantes.

Viudas sí mismos, a menudo analfabetos, no pueden acceder a los sistemas de justicia. Sus vidas están determinadas por las interpretaciones discriminatorias de religiones y costumbres, y se les niega constantemente la herencia y los derechos sobre la tierra. La mendicidad, o cerca de la esclavitud en el trabajo doméstico, la agricultura y el sexo son una parte inherente de su condición.

Las viudas, las esposas de los «desaparecidos» y sus dependientes dominan en poblaciones de refugiados y desplazados internos. A menudo son los últimos en ser reubicadas debido a la falta de derechos a la herencia y la propiedad de la tierra. Esta ausencia de derechos de propiedad, junto a la alta incidencia de "perseguir-off" y "bienes acaparamiento" en muchos países debe abordarse en el mensaje 2015 marcos de los ODM para la implementación. Por consiguiente, celebramos referencia a estos temas en el proyecto de conclusiones convenidas. También pedimos a todos los gobiernos se pongan de acuerdo a la Meta autónoma sobre Igualdad de Género y pedir que el manto de invisibilidad se levanta de los problemas de la viudez, y que los datos desglosados ​​sobre "estado civil" se añadirá a las categorías habituales.

Viudas no deben ser vistos como víctimas pasivas de la violencia de género, pero reconocen para sus funciones vitales como únicas cuidadoras de las familias, las principales contribuyentes a las economías, agentes de cambio, sobre todo en la resolución de conflictos y las situaciones de consolidación de la paz.

Nos gustaría ver a los Estados miembros apoyar a las mujeres de las Naciones Unidas a crear un departamento especial para concentrarse en las cuestiones relativas a las viudas, y por el Secretario General de la ONU de nombrar a un representante especial de la ONU sobre la viudez.

Sugerimos que "viudez" debería ser el tema de la "cuestión emergente" para la 60 ª CSW en 2016

Manifesto on Women’s Rights and Security

10–Point Manifesto on Women’s Rights and Security

The Arab Regional Network on Women, Peace, and Security, which was launched in October 2013 and is composed of women from 14 countries from the Arab region, met in Amman, Jordan, during 1-3 April 2014 to deepen understanding of causes and consequences of issues related to women, peace, and security, and establish strategies and indicators for protection, prevention, participation, and promotion of women’s safety, inclusion, and security in peace and transition processes and conflict situations within the region.

In light of ongoing situations within the region (e.g. violence and discrimination against refugee women, violence against women committed as tools of war, women’s exclusion from peace talks and transition processes, women’s political exclusion from constitution-drafting committees and government bodies, and women’s lack of protection under national laws), the Arab Regional Network on Women, Peace, and Security strongly urges governments of the Arab League, the European Union, and the United Nations Development Programme and other UN bodies to consider and implement our 10-Point Manifesto: 

To develop national plans to implement requirements of UN SCRs 1325, 1820, 1888, 1889, and 2122 on women, peace, and security and create the necessary mechanisms and measures to enforce them, by virtue of a participatory approach with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the Crisis Management Unit at the League of Arab States, provided that women are main and active participants in this approach. 

To involve women in the national, regional, and global committees, task-forces and consultations pertinent to conflict resolution, peace building and reconciliation processes. 

To adopt a gender-sensitive approach in drafting of policies and national strategies in conflict and post-conflict situations. 

To review the educational system in the Arab region from a gender-sensitive and human rights lens, ensuring promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence. 

To foster professional media and communication policies and codes of conduct sensitive to gender, peace, and security. 

To call on national and local governments to adopt gender-responsive national and local budgets and ensure gender responsive recovery. 

To urge the Crisis Management Unit at the League of Arab States to incorporate a gender dimension in all program components. 

To ensure that women representatives are present on the ground as an integrated and respected part of groups and institutions tasked with creating security and stability, including women envoys and peacekeepers. 

To ensure that women representatives and gender experts are included in Expert Assessment Teams sent to evaluate countries in conflict. 

To ensure that women’s organizations and networks are strengthened to ensure responsiveness and accountability on gender issues in conflict and post-conflict situations.

http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/854027/fe76bd4906/TEST/TEST/

Child Marriage Around the World

Child marriage is a truly global problem that cuts across countries, cultures, religions and ethnicities. Child brides can be found in every region in the world, from the Middle East to Latin America, South Asia to Europe.

---

Top 20 Most Affected

Child marriage: 20 highest-prevalence countries in the world (%)

1. Niger 75%
2. Central African Republic 68%
3. Chad 68%
4. Bangladesh 65%
5. Guinea 63%
6. Mali 55%
7. South Sudan 52%
8. Burkina Faso 52%
9. Malawi 50%
10. Madagascar 48%
11. Mozambique 48%
12. India 47%
13. Eritrea 47%
14. Somalia 45%
15. Sierra Leone 44%
16. Zambia 42%
17. Nepal 41%
18. Dominican Republic 41%
19. Ethiopia 41%
20. Nicaragua 41%

* Child marriage prevalence is the percentage of women 20-24 years old who were married or in union before they were 18 years old (UNICEF State of the World’s Children, 2013).

Girls Not Brides

http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/where-does-it-happen

WUNRN

http://www.wunrn.com

picture of María Jesús Hernández Sánchez 

Serbia - FIRST Judgment Awarding Compensation for Victim of Trafficking in Serbia Issued & Executed

02 2014 - El Tribunal de Apelación en Novi Sad confirmó la sentencia del tribunal de primera instancia de Novi Sad en el proceso civil de ordenar cuatro personas, previamente condenados por trata de seres humanos, para compensar de manera conjunta el demandante, que fue víctima de la trata de personas, con una cantidad de RSD 1.000.000 por concepto de daños inmateriales. La compensación por la suma de 800.000 RSD debido a la angustia mental por el honor ofendido, la reputación, la libertad, los derechos de la personalidad y la dignidad se abonará en cuotas mensuales, junto con una cantidad de 200 000 RSD por causa del miedo sufrido. El tribunal también condenó a los demandados a reembolsar los costos de los litigios por un monto de 327 375 RSD. Dado que los costos de litigio fueron cubiertos por el presupuesto de ASTRA para la asistencia jurídica a las víctimas de trata, con el consentimiento del demandante de los fondos reembolsados ​​serán pagados a una cuenta separada y se utilizan para la prestación de asistencia jurídica sostenible y el acceso a una compensación por otras víctimas de la trata. 

Aunque la trata de seres humanos se criminalizó en Serbia en el año 2003 y el derecho a la compensación está garantizado tanto por la legislación nacional y los instrumentos internacionales que Serbia firmó, este es el primer caso en nuestro país que la víctima en realidad recibió una indemnización (en otros dos casos, el acusados ​​nunca se les pagó la cantidad acordada). Este es un claro indicador de que Serbia no tiene un sistema de compensación eficiente y que las personas objeto de trata, después de haber escapado de la cadena de explotación, se enfrentan a numerosos violaciónes de sus derechos por parte del sistema que se supone debe protegerlos. Para cambiar esta situación, es necesario crear un fondo eficiente y sostenible para la indemnización a las víctimas de delitos violentos, así como para hacer pleno uso de la posibilidad legal de otorgar una indemnización en un procedimiento penal.

En este caso particular, no se utilizó la posibilidad de indemnización en los procesos penales, pero la víctima fue remitido a los tribunales. En efecto, la niña que fue explotada sexualmente durante años tuvo que revivir eventos traumáticos, dando testimonio y frente a sus traficantes en juicio penal que se prolongó durante cuatro años. Ser referido a los procedimientos civiles de largo y tres años después, a pesar de neuropsiquiatra y exámenes de psicólogo llevadas a cabo durante el proceso penal, lo que indica que el TEPT y otras consecuencias de la trata de personas, en vez de evitar la victimización secundaria, la víctima fue puesto una vez más en la situación que su trauma fue cuestionado y tuvo que sentarse en la misma habitación con las personas que la trata de personas. El hecho de que ella tenía que estar esperando por más de siete años para acceder a la justicia y disfrutar de su derecho a la indemnización y que por lo tanto no tenía ninguna posibilidad de poner fin a su experiencia traumática se desaceleró significativamente a la baja recuperación de la víctima. 

Con el fin de establecer un sistema eficiente de compensación de las víctimas en Serbia, se realizó una iniciativa, en el Balcanes actuar ahora! Proyecto ASTRA que ha venido implementando desde el año 2012, para cambiar la legislación y establecer el fondo de compensación destinado a la protección adecuada de los derechos garantizados a las víctimas de este tipo de delitos. En los próximos meses, un grupo de expertos estará trabajando en el proyecto de ley. Una campaña mediática acompañará esta acción legislativa que buscan dar a conocer a un público más amplio con los derechos de las víctimas de la trata de personas.   

ASTRA - ACCIÓN CONTRA EL TRÁFICO - SERBIA
Oficina: +381 11 785 0001
SOS Hotline: +381 11 785 0000
Fax: +381 11 785 0010
ASTRA oficina: astra@astra.rs 
Sitio Web: www.astra.rs

Closing the Dignity Gap! – eradicating poverty

Aprendizaje y Integrando el Significado de los Derechos Humanos en nuestra vida para el futuro de la humanidad - Cerrando la Brecha Dignidad! - Erradicación de la pobreza

            Cerrar la brecha de la dignidad incumplida es la iniciativa más importante / desafío para el siglo 21, para todas las mujeres y hombres, jóvenes y niños, para aprender, conocer y poseer los derechos humanos como una forma de vida con el fin de planificar y llevar a cabo sus vidas . guiados por la visión del mundo holística, global, interconectado e interrelacionado de los derechos humanos         En cierto modo, los derechos humanos son una "religión" secular, le da la fuerza y la riqueza de todas las culturas y religiones ... a todas las esperanzas y aspiraciones humanas ... - para romper el círculo vicioso de la humillación.   - Lejos de pobreza, el poder, el miedo y la codicia. - Tenemos que hacer que los derechos humanos sean una contra-poder para lograr la plena igualdad de todos, sin discriminación alguna; para llegar a las transformaciones económicas y sociales significativas; . adoptar decisiones creativas positivos                                                                                                           Con el conocimiento como mentores , las mujeres están para dar poder real a los derechos humanos ;. aprender a identificar la diferencia entre los síntomas y las causas de la desigualdad.-creando nuevas realidades                                                                                                                  Guiados por la extraordinaria visión y hoja de ruta práctica sugerida por el marco de los derechos humanos y su aplicación a nuestras propias formas de vida, las mujeres-como los mentores y organizadores ganarán la igualdad real y significativa!!   Luminoso la luz en el nuevo viaje que primero deberíamos   embarcarnos en  la erradicación de la pobreza, Nosotros, como las mujeres, la promoción de un nuevo futuro por la re-imaginación, refundición y volver a definir el sentido último de nuestras vidas.                          De hecho, el reto más importante para la humanidad en el siglo 21 es el aprendizaje y la integración de la promesa y el sueño de los derechos humanos como una forma de vida ...     - pertenencia a la sociedad, en la dignidad y en comunidad con otros . Debemos reconocer la humanidad de los demás como el nuestro. Debemos reconocer a las mujeres como seres humanos completos con los derechos humanos innegables, y para las mujeres que llevan las discusiones.                                            Debemos redirigir nuestras maneras de moverse con eficacia en horizontal para llegar a nuevos horizontes, el logro de nuevos sueños, nuevas esperanzas, utilizando un lenguaje totalmente nuevo, sabiendo que alimentación, la educación, la vivienda, la sanidad y el trabajo con salarios habitables son nuestros derechos humanos inalienables.   Nadie se lo puede quitar de nosotros!                                                                                                                                                                                                   

           

            La Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos es de hecho la promesa más importante para el siglo 21, tenemos que aprender y mentor a otros a vivir por ella de-facto, celebrando nuestra dignidad y la igualdad real dondequiera y quienquiera que seamos. Nunca más debemos intercambiar nuestra igualdad para sobrevivir y cumplir con las injusticias de justicia que algunos llaman ', que pertenecen a la dignidad, en comunidad con otros, mujeres y hombres por igual. - Cualquiera que sea la vida la forma que elegimos  para cumplir con ... - sean cuales sean los recuerdos históricos guían nuestros deseos ... - lo que la cultura nos da un sentido de seguridad y pertenencia! .                                                                             Los derechos humanos se cierran todos los huecos de la dignidad sin cumplir. Los derechos humanos son acerca de la inclusión;. Que sacar a la exclusión y proporcionan una manera significativa a la superación de la pobreza por y para las personas que aprenden a reclamar de manera irrevocable sus derechos humanos ... - a sabiendas de que la pobreza es una, violación inaceptable de los derechos humanos atroz    .                                        Aprender acerca derechos humanos como relevante para nuestra vida cotidiana es la iniciativa más importante para los pueblos en el siglo 21. Para millones de poseer, acto y un plan guiado por el marco de los derechos humanos es el camino a seguir. Esto exige un proceso intenso y permanente de aprendizaje para pasar de la caridad a la dignidad . Quienquiera que seamos, debemos construir la confianza y el respeto y diseñar un nuevo futuro con plena igualdad que está en su centro.                                       No tenemos otra opción!                                                                                               aprendizaje de los derechos humanos debe convertirse en un proceso continuo que nunca termina. Gente   analizar cómo sus propias vidas afectan las vidas de otros y trabajar para cerrar todos los huecos de la dignidad sin cumplirse.  En este proceso nos reinventamos nuestras vidas como queramos que sea. - Adición de un nuevo vínculo con nuestro pasado y de nuestra memoria histórica. - El aumento de los derechos humanos al nivel de una verdadera forma de vida y auto-empoderamiento. .                                                                                                           Nadie debe quedarse atrás. Nosotras, las mujeres - la mitad de la humanidad - una fuente reconocida de autoridad moral en la necesidad de asumir la tutoría del día a día de los demás hacia la integración de la visión holística y misión práctica de los derechos humanos como una visión del mundo, la verdad absoluta para guiar a vida. Un pacto debe hacerse, que asegura que la santidad de la vida nunca será profanado o pisarlo.                                                         T Al su proceso paso a paso de las mujeres tutoría comunidades es una forma segura de reconocer y alcanzar la igualdad!!   - mujeres y hombres aprender a participar como iguales en las decisiones que determinan nuestro futuro, guiadas por los derechos humanos como una forma de vida .

            De hecho, es la iniciativa más hacia el futuro del siglo 21.

            Únete a nosotros en este esfuerzo. El futuro está en nuestras manos! .

                                                                                                                                              Shulamith Koenig - Presidente Fundador                                                                                                                                 PDHRE, el Movimiento Popular para Aprendizaje sobre los Derechos Humanos                                                        pdhre@igc.org  ; www.pdhre.org

Call for endorsement of this Feminist Declaration by February 25

La Declaración feminista, de la Reunión de Estrategia Feminista de organizaciones a mediados de febrero, presiona por un modelo de desarrollo que funcione para las mujeres y las niñas de todas las edades e identidades. Este modelo debe estar firmemente arraigado en las obligaciones internacionales de derechos humanos, la no regresión y la realización progresiva. Para ello es necesario revisar el paradigma actual de la seguridad de invertir fuertemente en la paz y la seguridad militarizada, respetando la laicidad del Estado donde se está consagrado en las normas nacionales; invertir el actual modelo de consumo excesivo y de producción a una de consumo sostenible, producción y distribución y asegurar un nuevo plan de sostenibilidad ecológica que aplica un enfoque de la biosfera y el respeto de los límites del planeta y la sostenibilidad ecológica.

Convocatoria para la aprobación de esta Declaración Feminista por los 25 de febrero , enviando un correo electrónico a feministspost2015@gmail.com , indicando el nombre completo de su organización, la sigla y el país.

Género, Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Justicia Ecológica para el Desarrollo Sostenible: Declaración Feminista de mensaje 2015

Enlace directo a la completa Declaración 5 Página 2014 - Ampliar tamaño de letra.

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RISE, RELEASE, DANCE, and demand JUSTICE! On 14 February 2014

Last year, on 14 February 2013, one billion people in 207 countries rose and danced to demand an end to violence against women and girls.

On 14 February 2014, we are escalating our efforts, calling on women and men everywhere to RISE, RELEASE, DANCE, and demand JUSTICE!

ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE is a global call to women survivors of violence and those who love them to gather safely in community outside places where they are entitled to justice – courthouses, police stations, government offices, school administration buildings, work places, sites of environmental injustice, military courts, embassies, places of worship, homes, or simply public gathering places where women deserve to feel safe but too often do not.  It is a call to survivors to break the silence and release their stories – politically, spiritually, outrageously – through art, dance, marches, ritual, song, spoken word, testimonies and whatever way feels right.

JOIN THE RISING, SIGN UP HERE >

Our stories have been buried, denied, erased, altered, and minimized by patriarchal systems that allow impunity to reign. Justice begins when we speak, release, and acknowledge the truth in solidarity and community. ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE is an invitation to break free from confinement, obligation, shame, guilt, grief, pain, humiliation, rage, and bondage.

The campaign is a recognition that we cannot end violence against women without looking at the intersection of poverty, racism, war, the plunder of the environment, capitalism, imperialism, and patriarchy. Impunity lives at the heart of these interlocking forces.

It is a call to bring on revolutionary justice.

Begin to imagine what Rising for Justice looks like for you, your community, your city, your country.

http://www.onebillionrising.org/about/campaign/

Patriarchy Is an Institution to Be Outlawed

By Kamla Bhasin

In early December 2013 I received a call from Swaraj, a Karnataka wide network of women’s groups, fighting against violence and all forms of discrimination against women, to invite me for a function to felicitate six rural women who have challenged the oppression of widows in their families and villages. They asked me to speak on Patriarchy as a Superstition. I was amused by this formulation and asked them why this topic. They said the government of Karnataka was planning to bring a new law against superstition and they want patriarchy to be declared a superstition and outlawed. I smiled whole heartedly and said, WOW. What a great idea!! Once again I marveled at the wisdom of working class rural women. I wondered why in spite of such wisdom of rural working class women, so many media people think feminism is an urban phenomenon.

As I started thinking on this topic, I was convinced that patriarchy is indeed just a superstition with no basis in reality or in the law s of Nature. Actually, so many other man made systems like caste, racism etc. are nothing but superstition. The word for superstition in Hindi is Andh Vishwas., blind belief. Superstition is something which has no basis. It is illogical. It has no basis in natural law. Yet superstitions can be as powerful as patriarchy or caste system in spite of the destructive nature of these blind beliefs. One can once again see that if we repeat lies all the time they become the truth. Mother Nature gave women the special responsibility and power of carrying new life and caring for it by breastfeeding. Because of this I suppose, Nature made women biologically superior. For millions of years women and men lived together as equals. Because of their special power, women and Nature were worshipped all over the world. Then suddenly, a few thousand years ago when humans developed private property and weapons to control Nature, animals and other human beings, man created systems of class, caste and patriarchy. From equality human beings moved in to all kinds of inequalities and hierarchies mainly because of the development of private property.

Let us look at patriarchy more closely. Post patriarchal religions created all kinds of superstitious beliefs like Eve was created from Adams rib, Brahmins were created from the head of Brahma etc. Natural laws were put on their head. Men, who are unable to create from their bodies, were declared to be the Creators, the heads of households, the inheritors of private property and family names. Hinduism said only sons can do the last rites. Jainism said only men can achieve Nirvana. One lie after another repeated for centuries. Because they were lies, they had to be repeated everyday through rituals like karwa chauth, mundan for boys, kanya daan, father giving away the bride amongst Christians, four marriages and more property for men in Islam and I can go on and on.

As to the power of these rituals, even I did not wash my hair on a Thursday until I was 24. In our Punjabi community Thursday is called Veervaar, or brother’s day. We were told if sisters washed their head on this day, something bad will happen to their brother/s. Since I loved my brothers I followed this superstition until Feminism dawned on me. Of course there was never a day on which my brothers did not wash their hair for their love for me.

I think the time has come for us and our leaders to think and decide if we believe in our Constitution or in the superstition of Patriarchy or Caste. We cannot believe in both. Therefore, it is indeed time to remove these superstitions from our personal belief systems, from our families and communities and then declare them illegal. If we accept and respect the Indian Constitution, then words like Pati, Swami, Jajmana. Mijazi Khuda (all words for husband in different Indian languages), even the word husband which means controller, manager, domesticator (remember animal husbandry?)should be illegal and abandoned. Practices like Kanyadaan should be illegal and abandoned. Unless we do these things in our personal lives the Constitution cannot be implemented. This is why we feminists say the Personal is the Political.

Kamla Bhasin

Spain’s Alarming Abortion Debate

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s proposal to enact some of the toughest abortion restrictions in Europe has exposed his already unpopular government to a building political backlash and criticism from the European Parliament, while reinvigorating his Socialist opponents and opening divisions in his own conservative Popular Party.

On Sunday, demonstrators gathered in downtown Madrid to protest the government’s health care cuts and the abortion proposal, which was introduced in December and would allow the termination of a pregnancy only if it was the result of rape or if having the baby would significantly endanger the mother’s health. It would not allow abortions if the fetus was deformed.

“Those who give birth should be deciding,” said Pilar Gómez, an administrator of the Los Yébenes health care center in Madrid. “After all the advances that we had made, we’re now being taken right back to the days of Franco.”

The current abortion law, adopted under the previous Socialist administration, allows women to end a pregnancy within the first 14 weeks and beyond that period in cases of life-threatening problems related to the fetus.

The debate in Spain began about the same time that a law in Ireland, another Roman Catholic country, set out for the first time the conditions under which abortions would be allowed. The Irish law, which was prompted in part by the death of a woman who was refused an abortion, allows termination of a pregnancy in cases of a threat to the mother’s life. It leaves Malta as the only European Union country that has a complete ban on abortion.

On Wednesday, Elena Valenciano, the deputy leader of the Socialist Party, argued that Mr. Rajoy’s government, which up to now had been focused on Spain’s ailing economy, was also taking a “real step back in history” with a proposed law that she described as an affront to women.

She predicted that the law would turn on Mr. Rajoy by dividing his party rather than strengthening his electoral appeal among conservatives. Already, some senior members of his Popular Party have urged the prime minister to soften the legislation.

Still, Benigno Blanco, the president of the Spanish Family Forum, an association that has campaigned against abortion and represents about four million families, welcomed the legislation as “a very important step” that “should guarantee Spain becomes the first country in Western Europe to prioritize the right to life and to fight back against the social normalization of abortion.”

The abortion debate has transcended Spain’s borders. Protests were recently held outside Spain’s embassy in Paris, and France’s minister for women’s affairs, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, said it was “terrible to see Spain about to take a step back on the right to decide over one’s own body.”

Last week, the European Parliament held a heated session over what Spain’s planned U-turn would mean for the rest of the Continent. In Portugal, news media have started speculating about whether the country’s abortion clinics could cope with an influx of women from neighboring Spain.

Even as left-leaning politicians and women’s associations have expressed dismay at the draft law, the government has insisted that it was merely following through on Mr. Rajoy’s campaign pledges from 2011, when the Popular Party swept into office after voters punished the Socialists for their economic mismanagement. Spain pulled out of its two-year recession in the third quarter of 2013, but still struggles with an unemployment rate of 26 percent and anemic domestic consumption.

Mr. Rajoy’s Popular Party has a comfortable majority in Parliament. But the Socialists have urged the government to allow voting on the abortion law to take place by secret ballot, to help encourage dissenting conservative lawmakers to break ranks.

RAPHAEL MINDER - January 19, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/opinion/spains-alarming-abortion-debate.html?_r=0

STATEMENT FROM SOUTH SUDAN WOMEN TO THE AFRICAN UNION (AU) & INTERGOVERNMENTAL AUTHORITY ON DEVELOPMENT (IGAD)

24 JANUARY 2014, ADDIS ABABA

We, the women of South Sudan are shocked and disappointed by the recent outbreak of armed conflict in South Sudan, and are also concerned by the wide spread violence that has led to a continuous loss of numerous lives and displacement of women, men, youth and children.    

South Sudan women met at the SPLM secretariat in Juba on the 20th December 2013 to deliberate on how they can quickly intervene and seek all possible ways to end the crisis. Thereafter the women of South Sudan met various leaders to urge for dialogue and peace. The women also held a national meeting for women from all walks of life on the 15th January in Juba to discuss all possible interventions for peace. Similarly South Sudanese women in Nairobi, Kenya and Kampala, Uganda held meetings on the same on the 17th January 2014 and 19th January 2014 respectively. On the 24th January 2014 we converged in Addis Ababa under the Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) conference at the margins of the Heads of State meeting, to share our experiences and bring the different voices of women of South Sudan together for peace. 

We are also concerned about the negative involvement of youth, both women and men, as combatants and agents of negative propaganda in the ongoing conflict; and demand that all parties to the conflict desist from involving the youth. 

We recognize the historic participation of South Sudanese women in the Sudan Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005; and the critical role they played during the 2011 South Sudan referendum for independence. We, the women of South Sudan are committed to continuously calling for and defending the peace and all that has been achieved since the signing of the CPA. 

We acknowledge and appreciate the commitment of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan and the SPLM/A in opposition for signing the cessation of hostilities agreement on the 23 January 2014 in Addis Ababa. We believe that this is an important step towards attaining a lasting peace in South Sudan. We also acknowledge that this is only the beginning of a difficult part of the peace process and believe that the inclusion and full participation of women in the process of mediation and negotiation is a prerequisite for the success of this process and sustainable peace in South Sudan. 

Based on the above, we the women of South Sudan call on the AU and IGAD: 

-To strongly urge all parties to the conflict not to breach the cessation of hostilities agreement. 

-To commit to women's participation in the next phase of the political mediation and negotiation as stipulated in the UNSCR 1325 and provide all necessary support. 

-To urge all parties to the conflict and the UN to provide protection for women who advocate for peace, displaced women and particularly young women who are often targeted for abuse by the different conflicting parties 

-To urge all conflicting parties to open corridors for humanitarian assistance and also urge the humanitarian organizations to include special packages for women

We call on our sisters in the African continent to continue supporting our cause and all actors to respond to the plea of South Sudanese women. 

http://www.gnwp.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/South-Sudanese-Women-Statement-to-AU-and-IGAD-2014.pdf

GUIDELINES FOR REPORTING ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE

According to the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma, "reporting on sexual violence demands special care and increased ethical sensitivity. It requires specialised interviewing skills, understanding of the law, and basic awareness about the psychological impact of trauma.” On all levels and topics of reporting, a special awareness is required to offer ethical journalism that challenges stereotypes and begins to provide a more balanced and just worldview. However, in the case of reporting on violence against women, including sexual violence, it carries an extra responsibility; as anything short of breaking through the silence that often surrounds these criminal acts of rape, assault and murder supports a status quo that minimises and excuses the impact of violence, and endangers women everywhere.

Challenges to reporting on violence against women

Language: The inherent dangers in reporting on violence against women are many, and to follow any ethical guidelines requires an awareness of the impact of language, its underlying messages and a willingness to avoid journalistic shorthand in the ever-quickening turn-around speed of modern media. This is not an easy task, many of the stock words and phrases used support an imbalanced status quo and endanger change in societal thinking and treatment of survivors. These can be expressions that mislead (sexual violence should never be related to sex – it is a violent act and an abuse of power), that blame the survivor (“she got herself raped”), that avoid placing the responsibility for the attack on the attacker, or that suggest that attackers do not look like “normal” men. In the worst cases, in terms of sexual violence, the survivor is often judged through use of dramatic language (i.e. “cowering in fear”), which suggests that for women to be proper “victims”, they must express the trauma in a certain way. This goes against most beliefs on the impact of trauma, which acknowledge that each person reacts in their own, individual way. Therefore, it is essential not only to get the facts correct, but to be precise, to offer alternatives to popular myths, and not use euphemism or shorthand. Language use is discussed in the “guidelines” section below.

Context: The issue is not one of using religion, culture or geographic location as an excuse for any form of violence: all violence is inexcusable. Rather, the issue is to recognize the consequences of reporting in a particular way, and the inherent possible dangers posed to interviewees, to others providing support, as well as to the journalist herself. Survivors or witnesses have the right to respect and privacy, but foremost to that of safety. It is essential for a journalist to educate herself in order to safeguard the life and wellbeing of those she interviews and works with. Often violence against women is dismissed or the impact minimised, yet research reveals the severe lifelong effects on the physical and mental health of survivors. An awareness and sensitivity of the risks posed to the survivor by going public and others providing support should form the contextual framework for everything a journalist does. Local and international women’s organisations, non-governmental organisations and, journalist unions and organisations are all good places to obtain information on potential risks, hazards, and threats to survivors, as well as the cultural context.

Guidelines: Reporting on (sexual) violence against women

1.    Accurate language: Frame violence and sexual violence using accurate language. Rape is never sex nor is it a volatile ‘relationship’; it is a violent crime with judicial consequences. Sexual violence and violence against women has been defined not only as a human rights abuse but also as a crime against humanity, whether during war or peace.  Be aware of the legal framework of the crime and use the terminology to challenge myths that minimise violence.

2.    “Survivor” or “victim”?: Use of the word “victim” presumes knowledge of the impact of the survived trauma, and presupposes that the woman is, and was, powerless. The word itself removes the possibilities that a woman can resist, not accept that violence is normal and expected, seek help and survive. Use of the word “survivor” supports life after the attack, does not define her by that one event in her life, and helps to highlight the woman’s agency to take control, and make choices about her future.

3.    Privacy and respect issues: Many survivors may feel shame, or guilt, or be distressed by the retelling of events. Identify yourself clearly as a journalist and explain the content of the story, it is important to build trust. It is also important to inform interviewees that they have the right to refuse to answer a question and that they may bring someone to support them. If possible, the interviewer should be female, with some understanding of the impacts of trauma. For example, some survivors of sexual violence remember things in a disjointed way, or may not remember certain events if too severe for them to cope. If you have offered anonymity, respect it, and think about obscuring identifiable elements, such as job or location (see guideline 9 below).

4.    Safety concerns: In some cases, speaking to a journalist can further endanger a woman (see guideline 9). Recognize that you may be putting someone in further danger by approaching them. In some cases, to admit rape can lead to exile from the community, retaliation, or even death. Be aware and thoughtful about these risks when choosing the time and location of interviews. Local women’s organisations, non-governmental organisations working in the area, and local press organisations can provide information on the context and dangers posed by “going public”. Further, be aware that sexual violence can have wider impacts on family members, communities and witnesses.

5.    Do your research: Misinformation is perpetuated through poor research. For example, Western media often focuses on “stranger danger”, when in fact most sexual violence (outside of war) is often perpetrated by persons known to the survivor, or treating domestic violence as an isolated event. Challenge these myths by doing research to give the story the proper, factual base and context necessary in order to educate the audience about the reality.

http://www.whomakesthenews.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=117:16-days-2013&catid=14:news&Itemid=105