Women Said Worse Off Now Than 10 Years Ago
Fri Mar 4, 2:57 AM ET U.S. National - AP
By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS - Many women are worse off today than they were 10 years ago, women around the world say in a new report that accuses governments of failing to keep their pledge to achieve gender equality.
Governments worldwide have adopted a "piecemeal and incremental" approach to women's rights that cannot achieve the goals in the landmark platform of action adopted at a 1995 U.N. conference in Beijing, it says.
The report is the work of women's rights activists in 150 countries. Compiled by the Women's Environment and Development Organization, an international advocacy group based in New York, it was released Thursday to coincide with a high-level U.N. meeting on implementing the platform.
The message was clear, starting with the title: "Beijing Betrayed."
"The women of the world don't need any more words from their governments — they want action, they want resources and they want governments to protect and advance women's human rights," the report said.
The women's report sounded very different from the speeches this week at the U.N. conference, where governments have been touting their records on women's rights.
"The realities women document often contrast sharply with the officials' reports," June Zeitlin, the executive director of Women's Environment and Development, said.
"What we see are powerful trends — growing poverty, inequality, growing militarization, and fundamentalist opposition to women's rights," she said. "These trends are harming millions of women worldwide."
"Governments need to respond very strongly to counterbalance these trends and push the Beijing platform to further women's rights," Zeitlin said.
Nonetheless, she said, "there is still some cause for celebration."
Advocates of women's rights have stepped up their activities around the globe and have pressed governments to change some discriminatory laws. The number of countries that ratified the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women rose from 146 a decade ago to 179, though the United States has still not done so.
The goal of giving every girl and boy an elementary school education by 2005 is likely to be met everywhere but sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, the report said.
But despite these and other gains in the Beijing platform, "and despite a decade-worth of efforts ... many women in all regions are actually worse off than they were 10 years ago," the report said.
Violence against women remains an "acute problem" affecting some two-thirds of women in relationships worldwide, the report said.
For example, in Kazakhstan, over 60 percent of women have suffered from physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime. In the United States, 31 percent of women report being sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend. And in 2000, 44 percent of married women in Colombia suffered from violence inflicted by a male partner, the report said.
While trafficking of women and children into bonded labor, forced marriage, forced prostitution, and domestic servitude has become a global phenomenon, governments don't appear to be making significant efforts to combat these crimes.
According to the report, up to 175,000 women from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are being lured into the sex industry in Western Europe every year, and there has been "a dramatic increase" in the number of Soviet bloc women trafficked to North America.
One goal of the 10-year-old platform was to make reproductive health services available to women everywhere. But access and affordability are still obstacles, "compounded by cultural and religious fundamentalism," the report said. Women and girls also face the highest risk of getting HIV (news - web sites)/AID, "primarily because of continued patterns of sexual subordination."
Governments had also pledged to put women in decision-making positions and set a target of having 30 percent of government and public administration jobs filled by women. But the report said 10 years later "not much" has happened, noting that only five countries had reached 30 percent in 1995, 10 in 2000, and 15 in 2004.
The report listed what it called "the dirty dozen" countries that have no women in parliament: Bahrain, Kuwait, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates and Guinea-Bissau.
"Across all regions, women are often still considered unequal to men — in the workplace, at home, in government — and assigned roles accordingly," it said.
The majority of the world's poor are women, and since Beijing "women's livelihoods for the most part have worsened, with increasing insecure employment and less access to social protection and public services," the report said.
___
On the Net:
Women's Environment & Developmen
Women Said Worse Off Now Than 10 Years Ago
Fri Mar 4, 2:57 AM ET U.S. National - AP
By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS - Many women are worse off today than they were 10 years ago, women around the world say in a new report that accuses governments of failing to keep their pledge to achieve gender equality.
Governments worldwide have adopted a "piecemeal and incremental" approach to women's rights that cannot achieve the goals in the landmark platform of action adopted at a 1995 U.N. conference in Beijing, it says.
The report is the work of women's rights activists in 150 countries. Compiled by the Women's Environment and Development Organization, an international advocacy group based in New York, it was released Thursday to coincide with a high-level U.N. meeting on implementing the platform.
The message was clear, starting with the title: "Beijing Betrayed."
"The women of the world don't need any more words from their governments — they want action, they want resources and they want governments to protect and advance women's human rights," the report said.
The women's report sounded very different from the speeches this week at the U.N. conference, where governments have been touting their records on women's rights.
"The realities women document often contrast sharply with the officials' reports," June Zeitlin, the executive director of Women's Environment and Development, said.
"What we see are powerful trends — growing poverty, inequality, growing militarization, and fundamentalist opposition to women's rights," she said. "These trends are harming millions of women worldwide."
"Governments need to respond very strongly to counterbalance these trends and push the Beijing platform to further women's rights," Zeitlin said.
Nonetheless, she said, "there is still some cause for celebration."
Advocates of women's rights have stepped up their activities around the globe and have pressed governments to change some discriminatory laws. The number of countries that ratified the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women rose from 146 a decade ago to 179, though the United States has still not done so.
The goal of giving every girl and boy an elementary school education by 2005 is likely to be met everywhere but sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, the report said.
But despite these and other gains in the Beijing platform, "and despite a decade-worth of efforts ... many women in all regions are actually worse off than they were 10 years ago," the report said.
Violence against women remains an "acute problem" affecting some two-thirds of women in relationships worldwide, the report said.
For example, in Kazakhstan, over 60 percent of women have suffered from physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime. In the United States, 31 percent of women report being sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend. And in 2000, 44 percent of married women in Colombia suffered from violence inflicted by a male partner, the report said.
While trafficking of women and children into bonded labor, forced marriage, forced prostitution, and domestic servitude has become a global phenomenon, governments don't appear to be making significant efforts to combat these crimes.
According to the report, up to 175,000 women from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are being lured into the sex industry in Western Europe every year, and there has been "a dramatic increase" in the number of Soviet bloc women trafficked to North America.
One goal of the 10-year-old platform was to make reproductive health services available to women everywhere. But access and affordability are still obstacles, "compounded by cultural and religious fundamentalism," the report said. Women and girls also face the highest risk of getting HIV (news - web sites)/AID, "primarily because of continued patterns of sexual subordination."
Governments had also pledged to put women in decision-making positions and set a target of having 30 percent of government and public administration jobs filled by women. But the report said 10 years later "not much" has happened, noting that only five countries had reached 30 percent in 1995, 10 in 2000, and 15 in 2004.
The report listed what it called "the dirty dozen" countries that have no women in parliament: Bahrain, Kuwait, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, St. Kitts and Nevis, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates and Guinea-Bissau.
"Across all regions, women are often still considered unequal to men — in the workplace, at home, in government — and assigned roles accordingly," it said.
The majority of the world's poor are women, and since Beijing "women's livelihoods for the most part have worsened, with increasing insecure employment and less access to social protection and public services," the report said.
___
On the Net:
Women's Environment & Developmen
Full Version: Women Around the world Worse off Now Than
Common Ground Common Sense > Issues that Affect Our Lives > Civil Rights and Civil Liberties > Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Archive
Report on Satellite Television
In the Congo U N Peacekeepers pay for sex. The younger the woman the better, as the risk of Aids is diminished. 11 Year-olds are used. Boys too. The Senior Officials frequent the bars where prostitutes hang out. One 14 year old was met by two blue helmetted UN workers on her way to fetch water, and raped. Her family was offered money, to drop the case, the next day from the U N , they angrily refused the offer. Another young grandmother was petting her grandson, in the background a very young mother was not showing her face. They had been shamed. The man who made her pregnant was an African peacekeeper with the U N.
The families are not offered any support. It is an ongoing problem. This contributes to women being forced to stay at home and give up their education. It increases their poverty and takes away their dignity, their children are also likely to be held in disdain as they are fatherless.
In the Congo U N Peacekeepers pay for sex. The younger the woman the better, as the risk of Aids is diminished. 11 Year-olds are used. Boys too. The Senior Officials frequent the bars where prostitutes hang out. One 14 year old was met by two blue helmetted UN workers on her way to fetch water, and raped. Her family was offered money, to drop the case, the next day from the U N , they angrily refused the offer. Another young grandmother was petting her grandson, in the background a very young mother was not showing her face. They had been shamed. The man who made her pregnant was an African peacekeeper with the U N.
The families are not offered any support. It is an ongoing problem. This contributes to women being forced to stay at home and give up their education. It increases their poverty and takes away their dignity, their children are also likely to be held in disdain as they are fatherless.
The going price for sex was as little as a jar of peanut butter. Poverty leads to prostitution, prostitution leads to poverty. But rape was also a big factor. Considering the purpose of the U N this is a real disgrace.
Dominican nuns jailed for peace activism, one released recently.
Mar 1 2005 For Immediate Release
Jackie Hudson, well-known localpeace activist, to be released from federal prison on March 4 2005.
Contact Karol and Glen Milner 206 365 7865
Jackie Hudson, well known Northwest peace activist and member of the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, will be released from federal rison in Victorville, California after the completion of her 2 1/2 year sentence.
Jackie Hudson was convicted in July 2003 for a nonviolent demonstration at a Minuteman 111 nuclear missile silo site in Colorado on Oct 6, 2002. She and two other Dominican nuns, Ardeth Platte and Carol Gilbert, had poured their own blood and hammered on the silo lid. The three nuns, in addition to prison time, were ordered to each pay a 200 dollar special assessment and 3,080.04 dollar restitution to the U S government, plus three years of supervised release.
Jackie Hudson has recently told the Western Washington Probation Office that she cannot pay the restitution for reasons of conscience. As a result, she has been refused probation in Washington State. She has recently been ordered to report for probation in Colorado.
Supporters of Jackie Hudson around the world have offered an 'alternative restitution' in which they will pay or work for peaceful and useful social services. Over 112,000 has been offered by others for this alternative restitution. U S District Judge Robert Blackburn, in Denver, Colorado will rule on this offer.
Jackie Hudson stated recently, 'I refuse to pay money to this morally bereft government which presently spends over one billion dollars a day to slaughter or in planning the slaughter of millions of innocent persons.' She added, 'I am complicit enough by claiming citizenship in this nation.'
Jackie Hudson, 70, Carol Gilbert, 58, and Ardeth Platte,68, are members of the Dominican order.
Mar 1 2005 For Immediate Release
Jackie Hudson, well-known localpeace activist, to be released from federal prison on March 4 2005.
Contact Karol and Glen Milner 206 365 7865
Jackie Hudson, well known Northwest peace activist and member of the Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action, will be released from federal rison in Victorville, California after the completion of her 2 1/2 year sentence.
Jackie Hudson was convicted in July 2003 for a nonviolent demonstration at a Minuteman 111 nuclear missile silo site in Colorado on Oct 6, 2002. She and two other Dominican nuns, Ardeth Platte and Carol Gilbert, had poured their own blood and hammered on the silo lid. The three nuns, in addition to prison time, were ordered to each pay a 200 dollar special assessment and 3,080.04 dollar restitution to the U S government, plus three years of supervised release.
Jackie Hudson has recently told the Western Washington Probation Office that she cannot pay the restitution for reasons of conscience. As a result, she has been refused probation in Washington State. She has recently been ordered to report for probation in Colorado.
Supporters of Jackie Hudson around the world have offered an 'alternative restitution' in which they will pay or work for peaceful and useful social services. Over 112,000 has been offered by others for this alternative restitution. U S District Judge Robert Blackburn, in Denver, Colorado will rule on this offer.
Jackie Hudson stated recently, 'I refuse to pay money to this morally bereft government which presently spends over one billion dollars a day to slaughter or in planning the slaughter of millions of innocent persons.' She added, 'I am complicit enough by claiming citizenship in this nation.'
Jackie Hudson, 70, Carol Gilbert, 58, and Ardeth Platte,68, are members of the Dominican order.
Pakistan Rape Sparks Rally of Thousands
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...07_1669&src=abc
Updated 10:49 PM ET March 7, 2005
Thousands of women rallied in eastern Pakistan on Monday to demand justice and protection for a woman who said she was gang-raped at the direction of a village council, after a court ordered the release of her alleged attackers.
The victim, Mukhtar Mai, also attended the rally in Multan, a major city in the eastern province of Punjab.
Waving signs and chanting, the demonstrators, many of them from nearby villages, joined the rally. Organizer Farzana Bari said more than 3,000 women were at the event.
"We will fight for justice for Mukhtar Mai," the women chanted during the rally, while others carried placards reading: "Give protection to Mukhtar Mai."
Some 200 policemen observed the demonstration, which ended peacefully.
In June 2002, Mai said she was raped by four men on the orders of a village council that wanted to punish her family.
Mai's brother was accused of having sex with a woman from a more prominent family, though Mai's family says the allegations were fabricated to cover up a sexual assault against the boy by several men.
Mai, a 33-year-old school teacher, went public about her ordeal, drawing international media attention to widespread crimes against women in ultraconservative Pakistan. The government also pledged to track down her attackers.
A court later sentenced six men to death for Mai's rape.
An appeals court overturned the convictions of five of the men last week, citing lack of evidence, and reduced the other man's sentence to life in prison.
The government and Mai, who has expressed fears the acquitted men might target her for revenge, have said they will appeal to the Supreme Court.
Bari said her group, Pattan, a charity working with women in rural communities, will stand by Mai until she gets justice.
"We are with every woman who is oppressed and who face injustices," said Bari.
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...07_1669&src=abc
Updated 10:49 PM ET March 7, 2005
Thousands of women rallied in eastern Pakistan on Monday to demand justice and protection for a woman who said she was gang-raped at the direction of a village council, after a court ordered the release of her alleged attackers.
The victim, Mukhtar Mai, also attended the rally in Multan, a major city in the eastern province of Punjab.
Waving signs and chanting, the demonstrators, many of them from nearby villages, joined the rally. Organizer Farzana Bari said more than 3,000 women were at the event.
"We will fight for justice for Mukhtar Mai," the women chanted during the rally, while others carried placards reading: "Give protection to Mukhtar Mai."
Some 200 policemen observed the demonstration, which ended peacefully.
In June 2002, Mai said she was raped by four men on the orders of a village council that wanted to punish her family.
Mai's brother was accused of having sex with a woman from a more prominent family, though Mai's family says the allegations were fabricated to cover up a sexual assault against the boy by several men.
Mai, a 33-year-old school teacher, went public about her ordeal, drawing international media attention to widespread crimes against women in ultraconservative Pakistan. The government also pledged to track down her attackers.
A court later sentenced six men to death for Mai's rape.
An appeals court overturned the convictions of five of the men last week, citing lack of evidence, and reduced the other man's sentence to life in prison.
The government and Mai, who has expressed fears the acquitted men might target her for revenge, have said they will appeal to the Supreme Court.
Bari said her group, Pattan, a charity working with women in rural communities, will stand by Mai until she gets justice.
"We are with every woman who is oppressed and who face injustices," said Bari.
This is a story about diminished U.S. women's rights (also filed in the Florida forums)
QUOTE(heritage @ May 5 2005, 09:19 AM)
Fla. to Allow Judges to Cut Off Alimony
Updated 10:09 PM ET May 4, 2005
By DAVID ROYSE
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...89so0mg1&src=ap
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - After debating the heartache of divorce, shacking up for convenience and romantics who "still believe in love," lawmakers voted Wednesday to let judges reduce or eliminate alimony when the person receiving it moves in with someone else.
"This bill is more like a country-western song than good legislation," complained Republican state Rep. Nancy Detert after the 68-44 House vote.
Judges generally end alimony when the recipient remarries, but courts in Florida have disagreed about what to do about people who _ in the words of one lawmaker _ "take themselves right up to the line of remarrying" by moving in with someone else.
Some lawmakers argued it doesn't make sense that the money might even go to support the person who replaced the old spouse.
"It's a bad enough heartache when someone you love leaves, many times for another person," said Republican Rep. Dennis Baxley. "To be asked to support this ex-mate's new girlfriend or boyfriend, that is really adding insult to injury."
Several members _ almost all women _ said they thought the bill was unfair to women who have given a significant part of their lives to husbands who then walk out on them.
"This is an anti-woman bill," griped Democratic Rep. Eleanor Sobel. "Alimony should be based on what someone has contributed to the marriage."
Most other states have already dealt with this issue. Some have laws ending alimony when the ex-spouse lives with anyone new, and many states authorize judges to end or modify the payments, said Mary Frances Lyle, chair of the alimony committee of the Family Law Association of the American Bar Association.
In some states, alimony payments can be ended even when a divorcee has a platonic roommate, she said.
Democratic Rep. Audrey Gibson found all the talk of money more than a little unromantic.
"Not everyone is looking for the money. Some people do still believe in love," Gibson said.
The measure now goes to the state Senate.
Updated 10:09 PM ET May 4, 2005
By DAVID ROYSE
http://dailynews.att.net/cgi-bin/news?e=pr...89so0mg1&src=ap
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - After debating the heartache of divorce, shacking up for convenience and romantics who "still believe in love," lawmakers voted Wednesday to let judges reduce or eliminate alimony when the person receiving it moves in with someone else.
"This bill is more like a country-western song than good legislation," complained Republican state Rep. Nancy Detert after the 68-44 House vote.
Judges generally end alimony when the recipient remarries, but courts in Florida have disagreed about what to do about people who _ in the words of one lawmaker _ "take themselves right up to the line of remarrying" by moving in with someone else.
Some lawmakers argued it doesn't make sense that the money might even go to support the person who replaced the old spouse.
"It's a bad enough heartache when someone you love leaves, many times for another person," said Republican Rep. Dennis Baxley. "To be asked to support this ex-mate's new girlfriend or boyfriend, that is really adding insult to injury."
Several members _ almost all women _ said they thought the bill was unfair to women who have given a significant part of their lives to husbands who then walk out on them.
"This is an anti-woman bill," griped Democratic Rep. Eleanor Sobel. "Alimony should be based on what someone has contributed to the marriage."
Most other states have already dealt with this issue. Some have laws ending alimony when the ex-spouse lives with anyone new, and many states authorize judges to end or modify the payments, said Mary Frances Lyle, chair of the alimony committee of the Family Law Association of the American Bar Association.
In some states, alimony payments can be ended even when a divorcee has a platonic roommate, she said.
Democratic Rep. Audrey Gibson found all the talk of money more than a little unromantic.
"Not everyone is looking for the money. Some people do still believe in love," Gibson said.
The measure now goes to the state Senate.
Next the reslugs will cut SS benefits for the elderly who move in together. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this provision were in Bush's "new" plan, in font size 3, page 532.
WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS BULLETIN
AIUSA Women's Human Rights Program
May 2005
- - - - - - - - - - - -
TAKE ACTION: WOMAN HELD INCOMMUNICADO IN IRAQ
On February 17, US soldiers and members of the Iraqi National Guard forced their way into the house of Huda Hafez Ahmad al-'Azawi, a businesswoman in Baghdad. They handcuffed and blindfolded her, and beat, handcuffed and blindfolded her two daughters. Huda Hafez Ahmad al-'Azawi is now believed to be held by US forces near Baghdad Airport, but there is no news regarding the reasons for her arrest and detention.
ACT NOW
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=666901&l=12714
- - - -
TAKE ACTION: TURKISH HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE IMPRISONED FOR SPEAKING OUT
On April 5, Eren Keskin, head of the Human Rights Association's (IHD) Istanbul branch, was sentenced to five months in prison for a speech in which she said that torture in Turkey was systematic and that all female inmates were subjected at some point to harassment in prison. Urge Turkish authorities to ensure the protection of Eren Keskin and other human rights defenders.
ACT NOW
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=666901&l=12799
- - - - - - - - - - - -
HOT TOPIC
Turkey: Justice Denied
Violence against women in Turkey, particularly violence in the family and violence against women in prison, has been an ongoing focus for Amnesty International. The past six months have seen both steps forward and back in eradicating violence against women in Turkey.
On April 1, 2005, the Turkish government passed an amended penal code. A positive aspect of the amended penal code, which was brought about by the lobbying efforts of the women's movement in Turkey and international support, is that all gender-discriminatory language was removed. These positive revisions include the abolition of the possibility of a reduction, postponement, or eradication of sentence for rapists who marry their victims; the explicit recognition of marital rape as a crime; and the definition as crimes of sexual assault within marriage; and the definition of sustained and systematic violence in the family as torture. In addition, the amended Penal Code does not re-criminalize adultery, which Amnesty International was concerned would predominantly affect women, encourage abuses against women and help perpetuate impunity for such abuses.
This is a promising step for women in a country with a family violence endemic. It is estimated that between one-third and one-half of all Turkish women have been victims of family violence. Domestic violence is viewed as a private matter, so authorities generally do not get involved and perpetrators go unpunished, free to continue the abuse. Compounding the problem of high levels of domestic violence, is the fact that there are very few shelters available to women who are victims of family violence. States are obligated to protect victims of violence by providing shelters and other services; the Turkish government has finally recognized this obligation and recently begun implementing reforms in order to meet its responsibility to protect women. One such reform calls for more shelters to be built in order to provide protection and support for women who are victims of family violence.
Despite the generally positive nature of the amended penal code, it does contain some troubling provisions, particularly a statute of limitations for torture cases that denies justice to victims of torture by requiring the case to be dropped after a certain amount of time has passed. Amnesty International assents that there should be no statute of limitations for torture cases and each investigation should be prompt and thorough. Another concern is that the penal code restricts freedom of the press and will criminalize legitimate expression of dissent and opinion.
Despite the successful passage of the amended penal code, violence against women and impunity for this violence remain. Most recently, four Turkish police officers were acquitted of the rape and torture of two teenage girls after a massively delayed and grossly inadequate investigation and trial. This case is representative of Turkish authorities' low level of concern about violence against women. The police officers were charged with subjecting Nazime Ceren Salmanoglu, then 16 years old, and Fatma Deniz Polattas, then 19 years old, to horrific torture including rape with serrated objects, beatings, suspension by the arms, and forced "virginity tests" in early March 1999. The women say they were also denied food and drink, prevented from sleeping or using the toilet, and forced to strip and remain naked in a cold room. Confessions regarding their membership in the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) obtained during the torture were used to sentence both women to long prison terms. Nazime Ceren Salmanoglu was released at the end of last year under changes made to the Turkish penal code, which was passed by parliament on September 26, 2004. Fatma Deniz Polattas is still in prison.
The court dismissed the case against the police officers because of "insufficient evidence", based on the General Board of the Forensic Medical Institute's assessment that the psychiatric reports submitted did not constitute valid evidence. This is unacceptable for several reasons: first and most critically, at least one of the doctors on the Board had previously received disciplinary punishment for covering up torture. In addition, many members of the Board are not specialists in these types of cases, and in any case an expert committee from the Institute had previously determined that this evidence was indeed valid.
Extraordinary delays have marked the judicial proceedings from the outset and only after extensive psychiatric evaluations corroborated the allegations did the trial finally begin on 14 April 2000. The court then waited 28 months for medical reports to be forwarded from Turkey's Forensic Medical Institute. Amnesty International urges the Court of Appeals to reverse this decision and to allow investigations and prosecution to take place and bring those responsible for these violent crimes to justice.
The Turkish government must fully commit itself to the eradication of all forms of violence against women. Amnesty International calls on the Turkish government to fully implement all aspects of the Family Protection Law and to take all measures necessary to end violence against women. AI calls for comprehensive monitoring and documentation of violence against women, additional measures aimed at preventing violence, such as improved access to judicial mechanisms, and measures to ensure that police, judiciary, and public officials act promptly and effectively when allegations of violence are brought to them. Reform of the Turkish Penal Code should be just the beginning of government efforts to eliminate violence against all women in Turkey and they should be taking further urgent steps to provide effective protection for women from violence.
ACT NOW
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=666901&l=12716
READ MORE
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=666901&l=12717
- - - - - - - - - - - -
WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS NEWS IN BRIEF
AFGHANISTAN: WOMAN STONED TO DEATH
Amina, a twenty-nine year old Afghan woman was dragged out of her parents' house in Urgu District, Badakhan province by her husband and local officials and publicly stoned to death for committing adultery. A local court condemned Amina to death two days prior to her killing, which is believed to be the first incident of executing a woman for adultery since the Taliban was removed from power in 2001.
SOURCE: Amnesty International
- - - -
NEW UN SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has asked the UN Secretary General to appoint a Special Representative (SP) for two years to focus attention on corporate compliance with human rights obligations. The SP would elaborate on the role of States in assuring corporate human rights compliance, give clarity on issues such as company complicity and its supply chain implications on human rights violations, as well as develop methodologies for assessing human rights impacts of corporations.
SOURCE: Amnesty International
- - - -
COLOMBIA: JUSTICE AND PEACE LAW WILL GUARANTEE IMPUNITY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSERS
The Justice and Peace legislation, designed to provide a legal framework for the demobilization of illegal armed groups, will give benefits to combatants who demobilize, including reduced prison sentences of five to eight years even if they are implicated in serious human rights abuses, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. The bill, however, fails to guarantee that those responsible for human rights violations will be brought to justice and that combatants will not be reintegrated into the conflict.
SOURCE: Amnesty International
- - - - - - - - - - - -
REPORTS AND RESOURCES
NEW VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS INJUSTICES IN CIUDAD JUÁREZ AND CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO
WITNESS has partnered with La Comision Mexicana de Defensa y Promocion de los Derechos Humanos (Mexican Commission on Human Rights) to release a film entitled, Dual Injustice: Femicide and Torture in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua. It tells the story of Neyra Azucena Cervantes, who disappeared in Chihuahua, and her cousin, David Meza, who was tortured into confessing to her murder.
VIEW A CLIP
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=666901&l=12718
- - - -
GENDER PERSPECTIVE IN THE ROME STATUTE OF THE ICC
Amnesty International has released a new report that describes the gender perspective within the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and highlights the particular ways it affects women.
READ MORE
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=666901&l=12719
ACT NOW!
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=666901&l=12720
AIUSA Women's Human Rights Program
May 2005
- - - - - - - - - - - -
TAKE ACTION: WOMAN HELD INCOMMUNICADO IN IRAQ
On February 17, US soldiers and members of the Iraqi National Guard forced their way into the house of Huda Hafez Ahmad al-'Azawi, a businesswoman in Baghdad. They handcuffed and blindfolded her, and beat, handcuffed and blindfolded her two daughters. Huda Hafez Ahmad al-'Azawi is now believed to be held by US forces near Baghdad Airport, but there is no news regarding the reasons for her arrest and detention.
ACT NOW
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=666901&l=12714
- - - -
TAKE ACTION: TURKISH HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATE IMPRISONED FOR SPEAKING OUT
On April 5, Eren Keskin, head of the Human Rights Association's (IHD) Istanbul branch, was sentenced to five months in prison for a speech in which she said that torture in Turkey was systematic and that all female inmates were subjected at some point to harassment in prison. Urge Turkish authorities to ensure the protection of Eren Keskin and other human rights defenders.
ACT NOW
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=666901&l=12799
- - - - - - - - - - - -
HOT TOPIC
Turkey: Justice Denied
Violence against women in Turkey, particularly violence in the family and violence against women in prison, has been an ongoing focus for Amnesty International. The past six months have seen both steps forward and back in eradicating violence against women in Turkey.
On April 1, 2005, the Turkish government passed an amended penal code. A positive aspect of the amended penal code, which was brought about by the lobbying efforts of the women's movement in Turkey and international support, is that all gender-discriminatory language was removed. These positive revisions include the abolition of the possibility of a reduction, postponement, or eradication of sentence for rapists who marry their victims; the explicit recognition of marital rape as a crime; and the definition as crimes of sexual assault within marriage; and the definition of sustained and systematic violence in the family as torture. In addition, the amended Penal Code does not re-criminalize adultery, which Amnesty International was concerned would predominantly affect women, encourage abuses against women and help perpetuate impunity for such abuses.
This is a promising step for women in a country with a family violence endemic. It is estimated that between one-third and one-half of all Turkish women have been victims of family violence. Domestic violence is viewed as a private matter, so authorities generally do not get involved and perpetrators go unpunished, free to continue the abuse. Compounding the problem of high levels of domestic violence, is the fact that there are very few shelters available to women who are victims of family violence. States are obligated to protect victims of violence by providing shelters and other services; the Turkish government has finally recognized this obligation and recently begun implementing reforms in order to meet its responsibility to protect women. One such reform calls for more shelters to be built in order to provide protection and support for women who are victims of family violence.
Despite the generally positive nature of the amended penal code, it does contain some troubling provisions, particularly a statute of limitations for torture cases that denies justice to victims of torture by requiring the case to be dropped after a certain amount of time has passed. Amnesty International assents that there should be no statute of limitations for torture cases and each investigation should be prompt and thorough. Another concern is that the penal code restricts freedom of the press and will criminalize legitimate expression of dissent and opinion.
Despite the successful passage of the amended penal code, violence against women and impunity for this violence remain. Most recently, four Turkish police officers were acquitted of the rape and torture of two teenage girls after a massively delayed and grossly inadequate investigation and trial. This case is representative of Turkish authorities' low level of concern about violence against women. The police officers were charged with subjecting Nazime Ceren Salmanoglu, then 16 years old, and Fatma Deniz Polattas, then 19 years old, to horrific torture including rape with serrated objects, beatings, suspension by the arms, and forced "virginity tests" in early March 1999. The women say they were also denied food and drink, prevented from sleeping or using the toilet, and forced to strip and remain naked in a cold room. Confessions regarding their membership in the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) obtained during the torture were used to sentence both women to long prison terms. Nazime Ceren Salmanoglu was released at the end of last year under changes made to the Turkish penal code, which was passed by parliament on September 26, 2004. Fatma Deniz Polattas is still in prison.
The court dismissed the case against the police officers because of "insufficient evidence", based on the General Board of the Forensic Medical Institute's assessment that the psychiatric reports submitted did not constitute valid evidence. This is unacceptable for several reasons: first and most critically, at least one of the doctors on the Board had previously received disciplinary punishment for covering up torture. In addition, many members of the Board are not specialists in these types of cases, and in any case an expert committee from the Institute had previously determined that this evidence was indeed valid.
Extraordinary delays have marked the judicial proceedings from the outset and only after extensive psychiatric evaluations corroborated the allegations did the trial finally begin on 14 April 2000. The court then waited 28 months for medical reports to be forwarded from Turkey's Forensic Medical Institute. Amnesty International urges the Court of Appeals to reverse this decision and to allow investigations and prosecution to take place and bring those responsible for these violent crimes to justice.
The Turkish government must fully commit itself to the eradication of all forms of violence against women. Amnesty International calls on the Turkish government to fully implement all aspects of the Family Protection Law and to take all measures necessary to end violence against women. AI calls for comprehensive monitoring and documentation of violence against women, additional measures aimed at preventing violence, such as improved access to judicial mechanisms, and measures to ensure that police, judiciary, and public officials act promptly and effectively when allegations of violence are brought to them. Reform of the Turkish Penal Code should be just the beginning of government efforts to eliminate violence against all women in Turkey and they should be taking further urgent steps to provide effective protection for women from violence.
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WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS NEWS IN BRIEF
AFGHANISTAN: WOMAN STONED TO DEATH
Amina, a twenty-nine year old Afghan woman was dragged out of her parents' house in Urgu District, Badakhan province by her husband and local officials and publicly stoned to death for committing adultery. A local court condemned Amina to death two days prior to her killing, which is believed to be the first incident of executing a woman for adultery since the Taliban was removed from power in 2001.
SOURCE: Amnesty International
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NEW UN SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights has asked the UN Secretary General to appoint a Special Representative (SP) for two years to focus attention on corporate compliance with human rights obligations. The SP would elaborate on the role of States in assuring corporate human rights compliance, give clarity on issues such as company complicity and its supply chain implications on human rights violations, as well as develop methodologies for assessing human rights impacts of corporations.
SOURCE: Amnesty International
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COLOMBIA: JUSTICE AND PEACE LAW WILL GUARANTEE IMPUNITY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSERS
The Justice and Peace legislation, designed to provide a legal framework for the demobilization of illegal armed groups, will give benefits to combatants who demobilize, including reduced prison sentences of five to eight years even if they are implicated in serious human rights abuses, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. The bill, however, fails to guarantee that those responsible for human rights violations will be brought to justice and that combatants will not be reintegrated into the conflict.
SOURCE: Amnesty International
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REPORTS AND RESOURCES
NEW VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS INJUSTICES IN CIUDAD JUÁREZ AND CHIHUAHUA, MEXICO
WITNESS has partnered with La Comision Mexicana de Defensa y Promocion de los Derechos Humanos (Mexican Commission on Human Rights) to release a film entitled, Dual Injustice: Femicide and Torture in Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua. It tells the story of Neyra Azucena Cervantes, who disappeared in Chihuahua, and her cousin, David Meza, who was tortured into confessing to her murder.
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http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=666901&l=12718
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GENDER PERSPECTIVE IN THE ROME STATUTE OF THE ICC
Amnesty International has released a new report that describes the gender perspective within the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and highlights the particular ways it affects women.
READ MORE
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=666901&l=12719
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http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=666901&l=12720
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