January 2013 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN independent experts and the world body’s human rights office today voiced their dismay over the execution of a young Sri Lankan domestic worker, Rizana Nafeek, in Saudi Arabia earlier this week. The Incident On 22 May 2005, while Rizana was feeding the child, he started choking. Panicking, she tried to soothe the child by rubbing his chest, neck and face, while shouting for help. Hearing her shouts the mother came running, but by … [Read more...]
INSPIRATIONAL WINDOW – WOMEN EMPOWERING WOMEN
WOMEN EMPOWERING WOMEN … [Read more...]
Jamaica addresses violence against women
Violence against women is pervasive and harms not only women but their families and their communities. At a two-day forum at the United Nations, non-governmental organizations, UN officials, government representatives and other stakeholders discussed how to prevent it. Sandrea Falconer, Jamaica's Minister of Information with responsibility for gender affairs, told Gerry Adams that she is head of a specific committee addressing the problem. Sandrea Falconer - Violence - … [Read more...]
Egypt’s draft constitution to ensure equality and women’s rights
Head of the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and pratice Kamala Chandrakirna. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré December 2012 – A group of United Nations human rights experts today voiced deep concern about Egypt’s draft constitution, and called on its Government to ensure equality, non-discrimination and protection and promotion of women’s rights in the final text. “Key opportunities have so far been missed,” stressed independent expert Kamala Chandrakirana, who … [Read more...]
DRC: Surge in sexual violence in North Kivu* – Take Action!
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...]
The 1st Global Forum on Media and Gender, NOV 2013
Global Forum on Media and Gender: Save the date! The first Global Forum on Media and Gender will be organized by UNESCO, UN Women, and media and NGO partners globally in November 2013. This will be an important follow-up to one of the critical areas of concern of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, “Women and the Media Diagnosis”, and its strategic objectives. The key objective of the Forum will be to form a Global Alliance for Media and Gender. The Forum will foster debate, … [Read more...]
Save our Congo Sisters, ‘we call upon our global sisterhood to Take Action’
"We have had enough. We call upon our global sisterhood to take action. We will not be quiet until REAL Peace is upon us." ----Neema Namadamu, DRC On November 20th M23 rebels seized Goma, a major city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, reigniting a war that has ravaged the region for 16 years. World Pulse Correspondent Neema Namadamu and our community of 200 Congolese women who call themselves the Mama Shujaa ('Hero Women' in Swahili) are calling on you and women leaders at the White … [Read more...]
‘A Promise is A Promise’ – UN Video Presentation
'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...]
Manifesting Your Empowerment can be a Challenge
When tracking women's empowerment worldwide, organizations look at our economic participation, opportunity, political empowerment, educational attainment and health. However, being empowered from the perspective of government, social, media and business studies can be very different than when you talk to women at a grass root level. Where you live and quality of life found therein can make a huge difference as to whether you feel empowered. When I asked a group of women varying in age … [Read more...]