Annual UN Report on Sexual Violence in Conflict Launched

 

 

The United Nations recently launched the first annual report documenting sexual violence in conflict around the globe. In the report the UN names some of the military forces and armed groups that are suspected to be the worst offenders. Some of the groups listed are the Lord's Resistance Army (the Central African Republic and South Sudan), armed rebel groups and former armed forces in Côte d’Ivoire, and the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

In addition, the report focuses on post-conflict situations, giving examples of how sexual violence has hindered peacebuilding and threatened security. Examples of such situations include: Nepal, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Timor-Leste, Chad, CAR, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The report also highlights the need to focus on prevention and not just addressing sexual violence after it has occurred. It outlines UN initiatives which seek to identify early warning signs and to make sure that peace agreements address sexual violence to prevent future violations.

 

In an interview with the UN News Centre the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström said: “The terms of the debate have shifted from reacting to sexual violence like any other tragedy, to preventing it like any other threat. Instead of talking about women’s wartime suffering – year after year after year – protection mechanisms have been established. Instead of seeing the same few women – in meeting after meeting – we are building a broad coalition.”

 

The Security Council has highlighted the importance of prevention, early warning, and effective response to sexual violence as a weapon of war. The Council has also stressed the importance for all parties to conflict to comply with their obligations under international law. The Council also put focus on women's important role in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

 

Access the report here: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/2012/33

Fawzia Koofi want's to become Afghanistan's first woman president

Fawzia Koofi, a former UN official and since 2005 an elected MP, is the Afghan parliament's first female deputy speaker. Koofi who is fighting for the rights of Afghan women is a role model for a new generation of Afghans. She is determined, brave, and full of ideas on how to transform Afghanistan into a modern society. Her goal is to become president. To some that goal might sound unthinkable and unrealistic, but Koofi believes that Afghan society is changing and that segments of society are now open to a woman leader.

In an interview with the Guardian, Koofi said:

"My vision for Afghanistan, for my daughters and all the girls and women of Afghanistan is a country where they are respected as a human being regardless of their sex, regardless of their ethnicity, regardless of their religion. Because this was something I was suffering – discrimination and injustice – the whole of my life, even today,"

"Every step you take forward, there are hundreds of steps you have to take back because you are a woman. I want my daughters to be respected as human beings; that's the country I'm fighting for."

Even though Koofi is right that some segments of Afghan society is changing, many more are still very much against women taking up political roles. Koofi's life has been threatened more than once and she has been subjected to two attempts on her life. Yet Koofi is determined to continue her struggle for Afghan women and a more humane Afghanistan. She is a source of inspiration and one to follow in the future. It is women like her who are paving the way for the next generation of Afghan girls.

Fawzia Koofi is also the author of the book "The Favored Daughter: One Woman's Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future." The book can be ordered on Amazon and is described like this: "The 19th daughter of a local village leader, Fawzia Koofi was left to die in the sun hours after her birth by her mother, who didn't want another daughter. But she survived and perseverance and good luck in the face of extreme hardship have defined her life ever since."

Order the book here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Favored-Daughter-Womans-Afghanistan-Future/dp/0230120679

Read "Fawzia Koofi targets Afghan presidency as fight for women's rights continues" in the Guardian here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/17/fawzia-koofi-targets-afghan-presidency?fb=native&CMP=FBCNETTXT9038

Lt. Col. Moussa Camara is Charged with Mass Rapes and Killings in Guinea

Recently a Guinean court  filed charges against Lt. Col. Moussa Camara for his alleged role in mass rapes and killings after security forces opened fire on protesters in 2009. Lt. Col. Moussa Camara is the highest ranking official charged in the attacks on demonstrators gathered in a Conakry stadium to protest the military rule in the country at the time. As a result of the violence 150 people died and 109 women where sexually abused according to the United Nations.  The UN Special Reprensentative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Margot Wallström told CNN:"The recent charges are a welcome step in the right direction. They signal that no official is above the law, and no citizen is below it."  (CNN)

For more information:

"UN welcomes charges against army colonel over mass rapes in Guinea"
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41207&Cr=guinea&Cr1=

"Guinean military official charged in 2009 killings, rapes of protesters"
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/11/world/africa/guinea-mass-rape/

Save the Congo Event - The Vagina Monologues

Save the Congo featuring Miss Congo UK 2011 is organizing an event with the performance of Eve Ensler infamous, witty and funny play: the Vagina Monologues, followed by Cheese & Wine Reception, on Friday, March 9th 2012, 7.30pm, at the Human Rights Action Centre in London.

"Tickets are £5 and all proceeds will go to Save the Congo and V-Day 2012 Spotlight. The Vagina Monologues is based on Eve Ensler's interviews with a diverse group of women, from a Long Island antique dealer to a Bosnian refuge. The subjects range from fond memories of first sexual awakenings to stark recollections of brutal violence. As such, the piece is at times extremely amusing; at others harrowing and uncomfortable. This makes for a powerful and enlightening whole: one which informs and entertains as much as it celebrates women’s sexuality without a shred of embarrassment or preachiness." (Save the Congo)

If you are in London on the 9th of March do not miss this great event!

Human Rights Action Centre

17-25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA

Join V-day's One Billion Rising!

V-day have launched a fantastic new campaign called One Billion Rising. The campaign raises awareness about the fact that 1 billion women in the world is abused in their lifetime and am calling for an end to violence.

"There are 7 billion people on the planet. Half are women. One third of them are raped or beaten. V-Day refuses to watch as more than one billion women experience violence. V-Day is going further now, saying no more. We're inviting ONE BILLION women and those who love them to walk out, dance, rise up and demand an end to this violence. On 2.14.13, we will move the earth, activating women and men to dance across every country. The celebration of One Billion Rising will be a WORLD HAPPENING  In advance of our 15th anniversary, join V-Day and One Billion Rising to SAY NO TO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS. Sign up to learn more and join the global call." (V-day)

Join the One Billion Rising campaign here:
http://www.vday.org/onebillionrising-signup.html

Gloria Steinem's Outrage; a Source of Inspiration for the Newly Founded Women Under Siege Project

This week the Guardian feautres an article about Gloria Steinem and the Women Under Siege Project. The Guardian writes that Steinem is outraged by the amount of time it has taken to recognize sexual violence as a weapon of war and rightly so. Just over a year ago a book fully documenting the extent of sexual violence against Jewish women during the Holocaust was published (Sexual Violence against Jewish Women during the Holocaust, Hedgepeth/Saidel). When interviewed Steinem says: "Why had it taken 65 years to reveal these facts. Why were they ignored at Nuremberg?" (the Guardian)

 

Gloria Steinem's outrage and determination have directly inspired the Women Under Siege Project, a new website created  to document sexual violence as a tool of war. In an interview with the projects new director Lauren Wolfe, Steinem explains the aim of the project, which allows victims of sexual violence to tell their stories:

 

 "For me, inspiration comes from seeing positive results. For instance, a woman survivor of brutal rape in the Congo is rejected by her family, but learns that she is not alone or at fault from the story of a Jewish woman who survived rape and the Holocaust only to be shunned as if she had collaborated. Each example illuminates another." (the Guardian)

 

The Women Under Siege Project is a great contributon to women's rights and in particular to the struggle to raise awareness about sexual violence as a weapon of war. Gloria Steinem is a great source of inspiration, reminding us all that outrage is what drives change and creativity.

 

To visit the website click here:http://www.womenundersiegeproject.org/blog/entry/qa-gloria-steinem-on-rape-in-war-and-what-we-need-to-do-to-stop-it

Women Agents of Change to Follow in the Arab World

CNN have listed 8 women to follow in the Arab world who are breaking with tradition and am actively taking part in the Arab uprisings. These women represent a new generation of Arab women who want their voices to be heard and are not content to stay on the sidelines. These women are in many ways the future of the Arab world. One of the women Manal al Sharif from Saudi Arabia says: "We're half the society, but we give birth to and raise the other half, so we are actually all of society."

Read CNN's article "Women and the Arab uprisings: 8 'agents of change' to follow" here: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/02/03/world/africa/women-arab-uprisings/index.html

Panzi Hospital: On the Front Line of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence

Today Gender Across Borders published my article "Panzi Hospital: On the Front Line of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence." I wrote the article to raise awareness about the amazing work of Dr Denis Mukwege and his staff at the Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Whenever I feel disillusionized with the actions and sometimes the lack thereof of the human race I try to think of people like Dr Mukwege; passionate, driven, determined, and beyond anything filled with empathy and humanity. These are the people who represent the best of humanity and who are slowly changing the world one woman at a time, one man at a time, one child at a time.

Whenever faced with difficulties and sorrow I try to think of women; women around the world and women at the Panzi Hospital, who despite having lost everything and having been violated in the most inhumane way, still manages to get up and fight, for themselves and others.

It is women like this and people like Dr Mukwege who restores my faith in humanity.


Read my article for Gender Across Borders here: http://www.genderacrossborders.com/2012/02/06/panzi-hospital-on-the-front-line-of-conflict-related-sexual-violence/

City of Joy in Bukavu Celebrates First Graduating Class

On the 28th of January, V-day and the Foundation Panzi celebrated the first graduating class of Jity of Joy in Bukav, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Last year City of Joy opened its doors to the pilot class of 42 women, who for six months took part in a gender-violence survivors programme.

As part of the program in Bukavu,  gender violence survivors took part in activities such as group therapy, dance classes, theater, self-defense and sex education. The six-month program, called City of Joy, also teaches leadership skills with hopes that the women will help bolster peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Founder of V-day Eve Ensler wrirtes: "The revolution of women that has begun and will gather and will grow until the 42 become hundreds become thousands become millions of POWER FLOWERS, become a wild unstoppable garden popping up, blooming, in ever village, church, school, field and town." (V-day.org)

Congratulations to all 42 women graduating, V-day, and Foundation Panzi! Keep up the good work!


Read Eve Ensler's article: "City of Joy Celebrates First Graduating Class here:http://www.vday.org/node/2838

Learn more about City of Joy here:http://drc.vday.org/city-of-joy

Women, Peace, and Security in the News:

 

Louise Arbour: "Tamils await their peace dividend"

"For Tamils, the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war has brought no peace dividend; for Tamil women, peace has brought with it a continuation – and in some cases an intensification – of violence and insecurity. In the country’s predominantly Tamil-speaking north and east – a region half the size of Nova Scotia – tens of thousands of “war widows” have been living under the control of the central government and Sinhalese security forces since 2009 and the end of the civil war, whose last few months saw as many as 40,000 civilians killed." (The Globe and Mail)

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/tamils-await-their-peace-dividend/article2318098/?service=mobile

CNN: "Congolese women graduate from inaugural rape survival class"

"An inaugural group of Congolese women graduated Saturday from a gender violence survivors program in the nation's east, where armed rebels roam the hills and rape residents. Eastern Congo residents -- including men and boys -- have faced brutal rapes for years, with the assailants thrusting chunks of wood and guns into them in some cases." (CNN)

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/28/world/africa/congo-survivors-graduation/?hpt=wo_c2

The New York Times: "Accused of Atrocities, Guatemala’s Ex-Dictator Chooses Silence"

"Efraín Ríos Montt, Guatemala’s former military dictator, was ordered by a Guatemalan judge on Thursday to stand trial on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity leveled at him. He is accused of orchestrating the razing of Indian villages decades ago during the country’s long civil war. " (The New York Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/world/americas/efrain-rios-montt-accused-of-atrocities-in-guatemala.html