The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has called on all sides in the current unrest in Egypt "to refrain from resorting to violence and to resolve their differences peacefully." More than 50 people are believed to have been killed in Egypt since January 24th, when thousands of Egyptians took to the streets to commemorate the second anniversary of their revolution. Three days later, President Mohammed Morsi declared a state of emergency. Rupert Colville, UN … [Read more...]
Pushing the frontiers on the elimination of violence against women
January 18, 2013 by
Pushing the frontiers on the elimination of violence against women: the upcoming Commission on the Status of Women and the importance of international cooperation Statement by Ms. Lakshmi Puri, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women at Regional Conference on the Istanbul Convention. Istanbul to host UN center for women's rights - LIVE IMAGE "Excellencies, Honourable parliamentarians, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and gentlemen, Allow me to start by paying tribute to all those … [Read more...]
The Blue Heart Campaign, New Initiatives around the World
January 15, 2013 by
Vienna, January 2013 - The Blue Heart Campaign has gained additional support with new initiatives around the world. Switzerland became the latest country to join the Campaign, and in Colombia and the Republic of Serbia, cinema and theatre have been used to generate awareness and serve as a stark warning to potential victims about false promises of a better life. On the European Day against Trafficking in Human Beings, 18 October 2012, Switzerland became the latest country to join the Blue … [Read more...]
Avaaz , if 1 million of us join forces … Take Action
January 4, 2013 by
She was a 23-year-old physical therapy student who boarded a bus in Delhi last month. Six men locked the door, and savagely raped her for hours, including with a metal rod. They dumped her naked in the street, and after bravely fighting for her life, she died last weekend. Across India, people are responding in massive protests to say enough is enough. In India a woman is raped every 22 minutes, and few see justice. Globally, a staggering 7 in 10 women will be physically or sexually abused in … [Read more...]
Death of 23 year old ‘gang raped’, Ban Ki-moon Takes Action
January 1, 2013 by
Violence against women must never be accepted, excused or tolerated, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said following the death of a young woman from India who had been gang raped earlier this month. Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on death of Delhi student The Secretary-General expresses deep sorrow at the death of the 23-year old Delhi student who was gang-raped by six men in a moving bus in New Delhi on 16 December. He offers his sincerest … [Read more...]
IRAN signs up to new covenant to protect women/children
December 22, 2012 by
SECURITY: Armed groups sign up to prevent sexual violence JOHANNESBURG, December 2012 (IRIN) - Five Iranian armed groups have become the first to sign up to new covenant aimed at reducing sexual violence in conflict situations, a pledge developed by Geneva-based NGO Geneva Call. The five Iranian groups - the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, the Komala Party of Kurdistan, the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan, the Komalah Kurdistan Organization of the Communist Party of Iran and the … [Read more...]
Taking Action against Lord’s Resistance Army, Invisible Children, Security Council
December 20, 2012 by
The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), also known as the Lord's Resistance Movement, is a Christian fundamentalist, militant new religious movement cult operating in northern Uganda, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic. It has been accused of widespread human rights violations, including murder, abduction, mutilation, child-sex slavery and forcing children to participate in hostilities. Initially it was an outgrowth and continuation of the larger armed … [Read more...]
Justice for victims of war-time sexual violence
December 11, 2012 by
December 2012 – A United Nations senior official and an independent human rights expert today joined their voices in calling for States to ensure the right to truth and justice for victims of war-time sexual violence, as well as accountability for perpetrators. “Truth, justice and accountability are key in upholding the human rights of women and their right to a life free from violence, particularly in countries in post-conflict situations,” the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, … [Read more...]
‘A Survivor’s Story’ in western world, human trafficking and exploitation
December 11, 2012 by
A Survivor’s Story " Hi my name is Dai,* I’m a survivor of human trafficking and exploitation. I have experienced the harm that these forms of violence inflict on those of us who have been sexually exploited. Let me tell you a little history about my life. I have been an American for nearly 21 years. Abused as a child, I made a promise to myself that I would never be abused again. As I continue with my speech, I’m here to share my story specifically regarding my traumatic experience in … [Read more...]
Seada Vranic ~ WOMAN of ACTION™
December 8, 2012 by
A Celebration of Women™ has been inspired to Celebrate the Life of one of our World's Bravest Women, this journalist takes the journey with Bosnian RAPE SURVIVORS that has chosen to Speak Out! Her Courage is part of a force started within the Bosnian women to Take Action and STOP VIOLENCE in WAR against Women. WOMAN of ACTION™ Seada Vranic Seada Vranic is a journalist who documented over 300 hundred cases of women and men raped, and the locations of … [Read more...]
DRC: Surge in sexual violence in North Kivu* – Take Action!
December 7, 2012 by
MINOVA, 7 December 2012 (IRIN) - Sexual violence is on the rise as armed groups continue to move across the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) North Kivu Province, officials say. Since mid-November, the provincial capital, Goma, has been a site of battle, with rebel group M23 taking control of the city on 20 November. Following negotiations with neighbouring countries, M23 relinquished control of the city on 1 December, and the Congolese national army, FARDC, is back in charge. … [Read more...]
‘A Promise is A Promise’ – UN Video Presentation
November 29, 2012 by
'A Promise is A Promise' is the official video of the United Nations Secretary-General's Campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women (November 2012). Launched in 2008, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, coordinated by UN Women on behalf of the UN System, is a multi-year effort aimed at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls in all parts of the world. UNiTEcalls on governments, civil society, women's … [Read more...]
SOUTH AFRICA, confronts sexual violence and discrimination
November 28, 2012 by
In South Africa — a country often referred to as the murder and rape capital of the world—one group of women are especially at risk. Lesbians are increasingly the targets of a particularly heinous crime: "curative" or "corrective" rape, which perpetrators believe will change their sexual orientation. We travel to South Africa to meet several survivors, who are speaking out to confront sexual violence and discrimination. Corrective rape is a hate crime in which a person is raped because of … [Read more...]
