Notes from the subcommittee hearing on I-VAWA

Hello folks,

This Wednesday I was able to attend a really encouraging advocacy hearing, and wanted to share my notes with you. The House Foreign Affairs Committee heard testimony regarding the passage of the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA).

Ms. Schakowsky, co-chair of the Women's Caucus, spoke about the humanitarian concerns of violence against women internationally. She highlighted the fact that I-VAWA establishes the prevention of violence against women as a foreign policy priority, citing its multi-year, comprehensive strategy.

Mr. Delahunt, chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, stated unequivocally that "every person deserves to live a life free of violence." If I understood correctly, he is sponsoring this bill to promote women's human rights and capacity building internationally, in recognition of the September 29, 2009 15th anniversary of the United States' Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

Ambassador at Large of Global Women's Issues, Melanne Verveer, called violence against women one of the most serious global challenges of our time, stressing that it cannot and must not be relegated to the margins of foreign policy.

Ms. Smith, Congressperson, spoke primarily about sex trafficking abroad and in the US.

Ms. Mallika Dutt discussed her organization BreakThrough's use of mass media as a prevention tool to end violence against women. Her ultimate message is that ending violence against women is everyone's responsibility, and therefore it makes sense to engage men and boys in anti-violence campaigns. She also stressed the importance of partnering with multiple stakeholders and making youth outreach and participation a vital component of any advocacy campaign.

Ms. Nicole Kidman, a UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador, spoke to the point that violence against women is the most widespread human rights violation on the planet. She called I-VAWA a "comprehensive approach that acknowledges that women's rights are human rights," and which "requires political will at the highest levels to have an impact." She also talked about the fact that UNIFEM is solutions-based, working within local cultures to develop sustainable local answers.

Mr. Burton, Congressperson, spoke about being at home when his father tried to kill his mother, stressing that violence against women effects not only the women themselves, but all who love and care about them as well.

All in all, it was a good forum for advocacy and I am looking forward to reading the written testimony that each witness submitted to garner a more substantive feel for what I-VAWA entails.

5 July 2009

AFRICA:

· Darfur, Sudan = Two foreign aid workers, Hilda Kawuki from Uganda and Sharon Commins from Ireland, were abducted Friday from their compound in Kutum, northern Darfur. Six armed men allegedly took them hostage. They have not been heard from since. (AJ, BBC)

o Almost as newsworthy as this clip, is the fact that Sudanese women are often abducted, kidnapped, held hostage … and it doesn’t make international news to nearly this effect … but maybe I’m just a cynic.

• Gambia = YAY! Twenty-four districts in Gambia’s Upper River Region have signed a public declaration abandoning female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C). These communities are all from the Mandinka or Fula ethnic groups – because this region has the country’s highest FGM/C rates, with 90 percent of women and girls being cut. FGM/C poses many health risks, including birth complications, maternal death, infertility, and urinary incontinence, including fistula. (IRIN Africa, UNICEF, Tostan)

· Namibia = Two HIV-positive Namibian women allege that they were sterilized, without their knowing consent and against their will, in local public hospitals. The International Community for Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW) has been hearing accounts of this type of abuse through its regular forums for HIV-positive young women. The ICW has now partnered with the Legal Assistance Centre, to bring these two cases before a judge. (IRIN)

o Deciding to take legal action is an incredibly difficult step. Many victims are reluctant to come forward due to fears that both their HIV status and their inability to bear children will be made public, both of which are causes of shame. (IRIN)

· Zimbabwe = BOO! This is yet another reason why you should never buy a diamond. Children as young as 13 years old have provided testimony to Human Rights Watch regarding their forced labor in diamond mines. The report is entitled Diamonds in the Rough and also suggests that some of the money from these diamond operations has funded military actions. (HRW)

MIDDLE EAST:

• Iran = The head of the Majlis’ (Iranian parliament) judiciary commission has changed some legal penalties, deeming them unnecessary. So, hopefully, we can say goodbye to stoning and the cutting off of hands. (AWID)
• The Guardian Council holds final approval for these changes. If you speak Persian, I encourage you to be an advocate on this issue.
• Israel = BOO! When one makes a mistake … the best action is usually to correct said mistake. Israel seems not to agree. After forcibly boarding a ship on a humanitarian mission to Gaza, the Israeli Navy detained all of the passengers, and “illegally took them to Israel against their will.” Some of these activists are still imprisoned. (AJ, DN)
• How do we know this was a mistake? That group of “suspicious” activists includes Irish Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Mairead Maguire and US Congressperson Cynthia McKinney. You can watch Mairead Maguire on video here. (AJ, DN)
• It’s time to correct this mistake and let these activists advocate. I would imagine that Israel’s actions have significantly strengthened their desire to help Gaza, too. Nice.

CENTRAL ASIA:

• Afghanistan = The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has acceded to Additional Protocols I and II to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. These Additional Protocols address the protection of victims of armed conflicts. Accession to these Protocols does not mean that they are legally binding in Afghanistan – first they must be incorporated into Afghan domestic law, a step which may or may not follow. Let’s keep our eye on that, noting that the US is notoriously bad about incorporating international human rights standards into our own domestic law. (ICRC)

AMERICAS:

• United States = YAY! President Obama has created a new White House position: Advisor on Violence Against Women. Lynn Rosenthal has been appointed to this position which will focus on domestic violence and sexual assault issues. Vice President Biden, an author of the Violence Against Women Act, announced the appointment. (AWID)

CULTURAL:

• Sweet! IPS News has launched a new gender-focused portal, online at http://www.ipsnews.net/genderwire/. The website “intends to provide a knowledge center (for those) working for gender equality.” (AWID)

8 June 2009

AFRICA:

• Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou = YAY! President Blaise Compaoré has launched a nationwide campaign to reduce female genital mutilation/cutting. The National Committee Against Female Circumcision (CNLPE) is supporting this plan and is calling for a “zero tolerance” plan by 2015. (IRIN)
• From IRIN: “Some 260 young girls underwent FGM/C in Burkina Faso in 2008, 40 percent of whom required medical treatment following the procedure, according to the CNLPE.”

MIDDLE EAST:

• Iraq = Narmin Othman, Iraq’s Environment Minister, has appealed for more international support to clear the country of landmines. (IRIN)

CENTRAL ASIA:

• Afghanistan, Herat Province = Anargul, age 25, set herself on fire in a bid to end her life after many beatings and degradations at the hands of her husband. She’s not the first and won’t be the last to do so. Women need adequate access to justice to prevent taking matters into their own hands. (IRIN)
• Kyrgyzstan, Jalalabad Province = Uzbek police are patrolling a disputed village after unilaterally setting up a Kyrgyz-Uzbek border. This shortly follows the June 7 police assassination of a 19 year old ethnic Uzbek Kyrgyz citizen who allegedly strayed on to Uzbek territory. (EUA)

CULTURAL:

• Lisa Jackson’s film, The Greatest Silence, highlights the impact and effects of violence against women in the DRCongo. This is especially timely as the rates of rapes in the South Kivu Province have recently increased dramatically. (HRW, IRIN)

· Zimbabwe = Douglas Gwatidzo, MD, has won the The Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights. (PHR)

Hate Fuck = Rape = Human Rights Violation

Soooo ... Playboy magazine's website this week posted an article by Guy Cimbalo entitled "So Right It's Wrong."

He described in detail how he would like to "hate fuck" a handful of conservative pundits/ politicians.

The media response has been disappointing. Nothing that I have read has yet pointed out the basic human rights objection to this. Columnists have decried Guy Cimbalo's misogyny, true ... but so far I haven't seen anyone call this what it is: an incitement to violence (which is speech that is NOT protected by the First Amendment) and a violation of these women's basic human rights to safety and security of the person.

There is now a list out there, targeting potential victims of violence. Guy Cimbalo has essentially created an "I dare you to rape these people" list.

Playboy's response? There is nothing on their website referencing that this article ever existed. Guy Cimbalo is still employed. The editor(s) who gave his piece the green light are still employed.

If the object of his article had been black pundits/ politicians who he'd like to "hate noose" I can't imagine the response being the same.

Help me advocate for basic human rights: contact Playboy, online at admin@playboy.com , and tell them how disgusted you are that they published such a bigoted article that encourags violence against a sector of our community. We need to hold our media accountable for the role they play in our popular culture ... if any of Guy Cimbalo's targets DO become victims of violence, I hope we as a society will hold the Playboy organization partly accountable.