Create a platform
for strategizing and organizing various forms of women's participation
in the different gender and ICT fora
To join the
list, write to Mavic Cabrera-Balleza at mavic@isiswomen.org
Asia-Pacific
Gender Forum for WSIS
In conjunction with the Asia/Pacific Regional Conference for WSIS
that was held last month in Tokyo, 56 participants gathered for
the Asia-Pacific Gender forum for the WSIS. Participants expressed
concern over the absence of a gender perspective in assessing
the implications of national and international ICT policies, programmes
and projects for women and men, further perpetuating the gender
and digital divide. Gender Forum participants stated that the
developments that shape the information society should pursue
goals of gender equality and women's advancement, as well as social,
political and economic justice, sustainable human development,
and support for cultural and linguistic diversity. They also called
on all government delegated to the Tokyo meeting to make mandatory
the collection and accessibility of sex-disaggregated data and
the development of gender-sensitive indicators in the access,
use, and impact of, ICT.
Civil Society Statement
In response to a suddenly-called Geneva-based special session
on WSIS content and themes in September, 2002, a Civil Society
Statement containing the comments and contributions of representatives
from organizations grouped into sub-committees, caucuses and working
groups was presented to the delegates. Within the Statement is
a section entitled Gender Perspectives which reads: "In accordance
with the Millennium Declaration, the Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Beijing Platform
for Action and other instruments adopted by the UN, the WSIS must
address gender perspectives within the information and communication
society in all aspects of the agenda." Specific themes include:
(1) supporting wide participation by women ICT specialists and
gender analysis specialists in policy formation and decision-making
at all levels in the ICT sector; (2) supporting women's access
to and control over resources necessary for their empowerment;
(3) encouraging women to explore the convergence between cultural
and traditional forms of communication with the technologies currently
available; (4) using new and alternative forms of ICT to counter
the negative portrayal of women in the media. To see the full
Civil Society Statement, go to: http://article19.net/WSIS/SCT/
FOOD
FOR THOUGHT
Afghanistan:
Women Still Not "Liberated" Police Abuse, Forced Chastity
Tests, and Taliban-Era Restrictions in Heart
(Published by HRW, 12/17/02)
(New York,
December 17, 2002) - Afghan women and girls have suffered mounting
abuses, harassment and restrictions of their fundamental human
rights during 2002, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released
today.
The 52-page
report, "We Want to Live As Humans": Repression of Women
and Girls in Western Afghanistan, focuses on the increasingly
harsh restrictions on women and girls imposed by Ismail Khan,
a local governor in the west of Afghanistan who receives military
and financial assistance from the United States. Human Rights
Watch said that the situation in Herat was symptomatic of developments
across the country, and that women and girls were facing new restrictions
in several other regions as well.
"Many
people outside the country believe that Afghan women and girls
have had their rights restored. It's just not true," said
Zama Coursen-Neff, the co-author of the report and researcher
in the Children's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch. "Women
and girls are still being abused, harassed, and threatened all
over Afghanistan, often by government troops and officials."
Human Rights
Watch found that women's and girls' rights in Herat had improved
since the fall of the Taliban, noting that many women and girls
have been allowed to return to school and university, and to some
jobs. But the report found that these advances were tempered by
growing government repression of social and political life. Ismail
Khan has censored women's groups, intimidated outspoken women
leaders, and sidelined women from his administration in Herat.
Restrictions on the right to work mean that many women will never
be able to use their education.
The Human
Rights Watch report said that the Herat government has even recruited
schoolboys to spy on girls and women and report on so-called un-Islamic
behavior. In some instances, police under Ismail Khan's command
have questioned women and girls seen alone with men, even taxi
drivers, and arrested those who are not related. Human Rights
Watch said that men caught in such circumstances are usually taken
to jail; women are brought to a hospital, where police force doctors
to conduct medical exams on the women to determine whether they
have had recent sexual intercourse, or if unmarried, whether they
are virgins.
"Ismail
Khan has created an atmosphere in which government officials and
private individuals believe they have the right to police every
aspect of women's and girls' lives: how they dress, how they get
around town, what they say," said Coursen-Neff. "Women
and girls in Herat expected and deserved more when the Taliban
were overthrown."
Human Rights
Watch said that problems for women and girls were growing worse
in many parts of the country outside of the capital, Kabul. Throughout
2002, girls' schools in at least five different provinces have
been set on fire or destroyed by rocket attacks.
Human Rights
Watch said that reports from around the country indicate that
government troops and officials regularly target women and girls
for abuse, often invoking vague edicts on dress and social behavior.
In many areas, local police and troops are enforcing Taliban-era
restrictions, including banning music and forcing women and adolescent
girls to continue wearing burqas.
Human Rights
Watch said that many of these local forces have received weapons
and assistance from the United States and other countries during
2002. Human Rights Watch called on all countries involved in Afghanistan
to cease military assistance to local commanders and to coordinate
all future aid through Kabul's central government.
Human Rights
Watch urged the Afghan Transitional Administration in Kabul to
prohibit harassment and abuse targeted at women, and to appoint
new civilian governors in provinces in which serious abuses against
women and girls are occurring. Human Rights Watch also called
on the international community to support the Afghan government
in these efforts. It urged international donors to support the
work of Afghan women, inside and outside of the government, for
example, by supporting women's groups throughout the country.
Human Rights
Watch called on the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)
to expand human rights monitoring efforts and to continue efforts
to strengthen the Afghan Human Rights Commission, in order to
help protect all Afghans seeking to speak openly and challenge
abusers.
Noting that
efforts to improve security and human rights protection would
require an increased presence of international peacekeepers, Human
Rights Watch urged the United States, Germany, and the Netherlands
to lead efforts to expand international peacekeeping forces in
Afghanistan, which are currently stationed only in the Kabul area.
Germany and the Netherlands will take joint command of the peacekeeping
forces in early 2003. Human Rights Watch urged the United States,
European Union nations, and NATO, as well as Pakistan, Iran, and
other countries bordering Afghanistan to contribute logistical
and intelligence support necessary for international peacekeeping
to expand.
"The
U.S.-led coalition justified the war against the Taliban in part
by promising that it would liberate Afghanistan's women and girls,"
said Coursen-Neff. "In fact, by supporting repressive warlords,
the international community has broken that promise and forsaken
women's rights."
The Human
Rights Watch report is the second of two reports on Herat. In
November, Human Rights Watch released a 51-page report, "All
Our Hopes Are Crushed: Violence and Repression in Western Afghanistan,"
documenting abuses by Ismail Khan's forces against political opponents,
detainees and ethnic minorities.
The report
is available at: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2002/afghnwmn1202/
Uganda:
Focus - Little Change for Women Despite Affirmative Action (by
URIN reporter)
(Published by UN, 12/19/02)
KAMPALA -
Since coming to power in 1986, Uganda's National Resistance Movement
(NRM) has made significant strides towards including women as
partners in the country's development and decision-making process.
But tradition dies hard, and Ugandan women complain there is still
a long way to go.
During its
16-year rule under President Yoweri Museveni, the Movement has
been widely praised for introducing affirmative action policies
in favour of marginalised groups in society, particularly women.
As a result,
women's rights for the first time have been enshrined in the Ugandan
constitution. Uganda's women's movement has grown dramatically
into a vibrant political force throughout the country. Uganda
also is the first African country to have appointed a woman as
vice president. The affirmative action policy has, for example,
ensured that at least a third of legislative and civic positions
were reserved for women.
The Ugandan
government also introduced a Universal Primary Education (UPE)
policy to provide free education to four children per family,
two of whom must be girls. At the tertiary education level, extra
points were added for girls to allow more women to study in the
university.
CULTURE
DIES HARD
In spite of these successes, however, Ugandan feminists complain
that their countrywomen still have a long way to go before their
efforts to be recognised in the largely patriarchal society bear
any significant fruits.
Although the
Ugandan government has offered good leadership in promoting women's
rights, they say, economic factors and the lack of supporting
infrastructure continue to prevent women from achieving gender
parity.
Sharon Lamwaka,
who works for the Kampala-based Akina Mama wa Afrika [Kiswahili
for Women of Africa], an international women's organisation, argues
that although the Museveni regime has accorded women considerable
"space in which to operate", the status of Ugandan women
on the ground has not changed much.
"Many
women's NGOs [non-governmental organisations] have come up during
the NRM period. For all these organisations to come up, it means
the government is giving women a favourable atmosphere,"
Lamwaka told IRIN in Kampala.
"A few
men are just beginning to accept the fact that women are advancing.
But there are a lot of educated men who still believe in patriarchy.
So how much worse is it for the traditional man in the village
who totally believes in patriarchy?" she asks.
Gladys Owor,
a vendor in the downtown Owino market, argues that she is yet
to see the benefits of affirmative action in her daily life. She
is among local women who quietly endure daily violence and indignity
both at the family and community levels, because they are economically
dependent on their spouses. "If I report my husband to the
police, he will go to prison. And then who will give me money?"
she says.
However, gender
violence is not only the problem of poor women in Uganda. Earlier
this year, Uganda's Vice President Specioza Kazibwe publicly admitted
she had left her marriage as a result of beatings she received
from her husband, while she was already the vice president of
the country.
DISCRIMINATORY
LAWS
Uganda's renowned feminist Sylvia Tamale argues that the guarantees
of equality in the constitution and the promotion of women's participation
in decision-making from grassroots to national level, have largely
failed to eradicate entrenched cultural, religious and traditional
authorities which implicitly discriminate against women.
"The
rest of Uganda may have decided that women have got everything
that they ever wanted from the National Resistance Movement government,"
Tamale told IRIN. "But the women of Uganda, regardless of
their socio-economic background, religion, culture, ethnicity
or race, share a deep-rooted anger which has been mostly masked
by individual coping mechanisms."
According
to Tamale, who is also a lecturer of law at Uganda's main Makerere
university, both statutory laws and traditional society norms
to a great extent are still restricted to the patriarchal view
which uses social control mechanisms to perpetuate the subordination
of women.
Ugandan law
also has no specific policies on sexual harassment, despite the
fact it is still rampant in work places, colleges and other social
areas, she said.
"Women's
dressing is a favourite topic of the public including the media,
religious bodies, parliamentarians, cultural leaders and so forth,"
she said. "We are constantly lectured to about 'decent dressing'
and warned that we would have only ourselves to blame if men assault
us sexually when we dress in a 'sexy manner' that exposes our
sexuality."
Women parliamentarians
have themselves frequently complained of being subjected to sexual
harassment and ridicule in parliamentary debates by their male
colleagues. They also complain of being constantly reminded by
the media that their presence in parliament, through affirmative
action, is based on tokenism.
FRUSTRATIONS
IN PARLIAMENT
Women parliamentarians' efforts to introduce laws giving women
equal rights in society have been frustrated by the lack of goodwill
among gender insensitive male and some female politicians.
In 1998 for
example, the Ugandan government passed a new land and property
legislation which among other things was to recognise the right
of women to own land and property.
Customarily,
women in many African countries including Uganda have no right
to own marital land or property. In most cases when a husband
dies, his land and property - including his widow and children
- are "inherited" by his brothers. This exclusion of
women from property ownership is considered one of the most severe
forms of gender discrimination in Ugandan society.
When women
parliamentarians lobbied for amending the Act to include women's
co-ownership of the matrimonial residence, the law was promulgated,
but the amendment was mysteriously omitted from the legislation.
Their efforts to re-introduce the issue in parliament have so
far been unsuccessful.
CHALLENGES
AHEAD
Barbara Mbire-Barunge, also a lecturer at Makerere University,
argues that the failure of parliament to pass controversial amendments
stems from the fact that women's rights issues are shrouded in
uncertainty and depend on the politics of the day.
The main challenge
towards improving the lives of Ugandan women lies in raising the
consciousness of women themselves regarding their rights, and
to ignite a willingness on their part to know and act on the various
ways of ensuring these rights within a "politically correct"
environment.
"Most
women are still not aware of their legal rights," she said.
"Therefore, where the customary law conflicts with the statutory
laws, the women tend to be highly disadvantaged."
Oweyega Afunadula,
a political scientist at Makerere University, however has a different
view. He argues that the feminist movement in Uganda has failed
to bring tangible changes in the lives of local women, due to
their close association with major political forces in the country
to which their success is credited.
"The
majority of them [women leaders] have been trained by politicians,"
he told IRIN. "Many of them have political godfathers. It
is a way for political leaders to extend their power to civil
society. The government has firmly pushed its claws into the feminist
movement."
CONFERENCES/MEETING
Trafficking
& Trade
March 14-15, 2003; Tivoli Center; Auraria College Campus; Denver,
CO. Registration deadline: February 28, 2003. Global Partnerships
for Humanity will hold a conference on "Trafficking &
Trade: The Impact of Globalization on Women." The goals of
the conference are to: (1) raise awareness of the trafficking
of persons, especially women and children; (2) provide a forum
for those who work with trafficking issues to share their experiences;
(3) create a regional network with links to national and international
organizations already providing services for the victims of trafficking;
(4) look for alternative economic options for trafficked persons
or those at-risk of being trafficked, especially women and children.
For additional information, contact Karen Beeks by email at wkbeeks@compuserve.com
or by telephone at 303-470-7810.
Women in
Charge
June 19-23, 2003, Providence, Rhode Island. The American Association
of University Women's (AAUW) National Convention, "Women
in Charge: Bold, Innovative, Collaborative," will bring together
1200 AAUW supporters committed to gender equity for a weekend
of workshops, panels and speakers. Convention attendees, including
educators, activists and entrepreneurs, will work together to
create and implement dynamic solutions for the challenges facing
equity in women and girl's education. Conference speakers include
civil rights activist Constance Baker Motley and Ms. Magazine
co-founder Gloria Steinem. For additional information, call 202-785-7788
or visit www.aauw.org.
Strong
Women for Tough Times
June 11-15, 2003, Washington, DC. The National Women's Political
Caucus- a grassroots membership organization that works to elect
and appoint women to all levels of government- will gather at
its 16th Biennial National Convention to lobby Congress on the
core issues effecting women today. Strong Women for Tough Times
will enable participants to meet Washington insiders and participate
in workshops led by top women leaders. Guests will include congressional
members and other public policy leaders, corporate executives,
students and grassroots activists from all over the United States.
For additional information, call 202-785-1100.
TRAINING,
WORKSHOPS, AND COURSES
Voicing
Chicana Feminisms
February 20, 7:00 p.m.; Simmons College; Boston, MA. The Center
for Gender in Organizations at the Simmons School of Management
invites you to a book signing and talk by Dr. Aido Hurtado on
Voicing Chicana Feminisms. Books will be available for purchase.
To register, go to www.simmons.edu/som/cgo/save.html#
or call 617-521-3824.
Gender
Studies Program
Chinese University of Hong Kong; Application deadline: February
28, 2003. Inaugurated in 1997, the Gender Studies Programme at
The Chinese University of Hong Kong offers three graduate-level
programs: (1) a one-year M.A. in Women's Studies designed to provide
a broad base of understanding for individuals who have little
or no prior exposure to women's studies; (2) a two-year Mphil
in Gender Studies designed to provide interdisciplinary training
on contemporary gender issues; (3) a PhD in Gender Studies that
allows students to bring together different disciplinary and methodological
approaches for the advancement of gender studies in East and Southeast
Asian societies. For more details, email genderstudies@cuhk.edu.hk
or visit www.cuhk.edu.hk/ant/gender.
New Approaches
to Equity and Equality
June 30-August 1, 2003; El Colegio de Mexico; Application deadline:
March 14, 2003. The Interdisciplinary Women's Studies Programme
is holding its 13th International Summer Course in Gender Studies,
"New Approaches to Equity and Equality." This Spanish-speaking
course is directed towards researchers. NGO staff, public servants,
graduate students, journalists and individuals collaborating in
the public, private or philanthropic sectors. For additional information,
email cverpiem@colmex.mx
or aortiz@colmex.mx.
CAW Expands
Access to the Gender Audit
Over the past
five years, the CAW has conducted gender audits - the CAW's organizational
self-assessment and action planning process - with nine InterAction
members and partners overseas (namely CARE, CRS-Kenya, CEDPA,
HPI, IIRR, Winrock, World Vision, Pact and PCI). Last year, demand
for the audit began to grow beyond the capacity of our three-person
staff. We realized that we needed to adopt a different mode of
operation than working with individual members, so developed and
pilot-tested a new Gender Audit Course. The course was presented
in Washington last May and in Ghana in September and enthusiastically
received by the participating InterAction members and partner
NGOs. Over the next three years, we will be convening six Gender
Audit Courses in the US and a least one course in Africa and one
in Asia with partner NGOs. The first US course will be held in
Washington, June 9-13, 2003. For more information, contact CAW
Deputy Director Pat Morris (pmorris@interaction.org;
or ext. 119).
UNIFEM
Director Noeleen Heyzer to Keynote CAW Breakfast at InterAction's
May Forum
The 2003 InterAction
Forum will be held from May 19-21 at the Washington Marriott Hotel.
We are very pleased to announce that Noeleen Heyzer, Director
of Unifem, will speak at the annual CAW breakfast on May 19 from
8:30-11 a.m. on Gender, Poverty, and the MDGs. The purpose of
the session is to examine the MDGs from a gender perspective and
how advances in gender equality can be accelerated by setting,
measuring, and holding governments accountable for specific targets.
The breakfast is being co-sponsored by InterAction's CDPP, ICRW,
and WEDO. Watch the mail in February for the registration brochure
or contact Julie Montgomery (jmontgom@interaction.org).
The CAW also
will convene another session at the Forum (date and time to be
determined) on Organizational Capacity Building and Improved Development
Outcomes. This session will examine the extent to which various
organizational capacity building efforts actually make a difference
for impact in the field. Learn how organizations are assessing
this connection, the evidence that's emerging, and critical issues
yet to be addressed.
RESOURCES
BOOKS,
REPORTS, & OTHER WRITTEN MATERIALS
UN Millennium
Project Draft Background Paper on Gender Equality
In accordance with the UN Millennium Project's three-year initiative
to devise a recommended plan of implementation that will allow
developing countries to meet the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), the Task Force on Education and Gender Equality has completed
its draft background paper on the MDGs and Gender Equality. Task
Force Co-Chair, Dr. Geeta Rao Gupta, and Dr. Caren Grown, both
of the ICRW, developed the paper.
The background
paper defines gender equality as "women having the same opportunities
in life as men in three domains: capabilities; access to resources
and opportunities; and agency or the ability to influence and
contribute to outcomes" and as multidimensional and multisectoral
in scope. The paper finds that although education provides women
with capabilities, gender equality must also include the opportunity
to use those capabilities, as well as full participation in economic
and political decision-making. Towards this end, the Task Force
suggests two new targets:
· Eliminate gender inequality in access to economic assets
and employment by the year 2015.
· Achieve a 30 percent share of seats for women in national
parliaments by the year 2015.
In addition,
the report documents nations' progress toward gender equality
and women's empowerment and recommends strategies for achieving
these goals, including the need to convert rhetoric into action
and secure political commitment. For more information about the
background paper and the U.N. Millennium Project, visit www.unmillenniumproject.org
Making Change Series
Catalyst's Making Change Series features nine publications on
promoting diversity and gender equity in the workplace. Titles
include Becoming a Diversity Champion; Developing a Diversity
Recruitment Strategy; and Moving Women of Color up the Ladder.
For a complete listing of publications, as well as additional
information about promoting women in business, visit Catalyst's
website at catalystwomen.org.
The Many
Costs of Racism
By Joe R. Feagin and Karyn D. McKinney, 256pp, ISBN 074251117.
In The Many Costs of Racism, Feagin and McKinney demonstrate that
anti-black racism still pervades American cultural and economic
life. Paying particular attention to health issues, the authors
examine the cost of racism on black families and black workers
and the strategies they use to fight back. Available at local
bookstores.
Women's
History Catalog
Books, posters and jewelry are just a few of the many resources
available for honoring and celebrating women in the 2003 Women's
History Resource Catalog. Published by the National Women's History
Project, the catalog features a diverse array of items, including
multi-cultural and international resources, as well as information
on the theme for National Women's History Month 2003: Women Pioneering
the Future. To order a catalog, call 707-636-2888 or email nwhp@aol.com
Not on
the Agenda
Not on the Agenda: Human Rights of People with Mental Disabilities
in Kosovo documents the findings of an investigation by Mental
Disability Rights International on the human rights abuses of
people with mental disabilities in Kosovo. The report details
the structure and abuses of Kosovo's mental health and disability
services, as well as international intervention in service reform.
For more information on the report, go to www.mdri.org.
Perinatal
and Neonatal Health Interventions Research
A supplement to the Journal of Perinatology, Perinatal and Neonatal
Health Interventions Research details a workshop held in Kathmandu,
Nepal in April/May 2001 on the state of newborn medicine, with
particular emphasis on Asia, Africa and Latin America. The goal
of the forum was to identify problems and prioritize changes in
the care offered to mothers and their newborns and implement survival
interventions that would decrease perinatal and neonatal mortality
and morbidity. Workshop participants included Save the Children,
the US Agency for International Development and the World Health
Organization. For more information, go to www.nature.com/jp.
Gender-Based
Violence Survey
Raising Voices and UN-Habitat are currently undertaking an extensive
field review of programs in East and Southern Asia working to
prevent gender-based violence (GBV). The year-long project aims
to: (1) identify successful GBV programs through a comprehensive
field review; (2) bring key groups together in a regional dialogue
to share experiences and build alliances; (3) publish a 'best'
practices book which highlights innovative and effective GBV prevention
programs in East and Southern Africa. Towards these ends, Raising
Voices invites participants working on GBV to complete a questionnaire,
which can be requested from Lori Michau at lori.michau@raisingvoices.org.
ONLINE
MATERIALS
North-South
Learning
By Helen Poulsen. Turning It Around: Debating Approaches to Gender
and North-South Learning examines the gender implications of the
emergence of "North-South learning" as a recent, and
much praised, trend in international development theory and practice.
The paper contends that: (1) there is a risk that North-South
learning universalizes concepts, issues and problems of gender
by adopting strategies that are assumed to be value-neutral and
gender-blind and (2) the participatory and community-focused strategies
used in North-South learning may be rooted in distorted and romanticized
perceptions of community in the South. The paper is available
online at: www.cec-orldwide.com/Download/Turning%20it%20around.doc
ADB Key
Indicators
The Asian Development Bank's annual statistical data book Key
Indicators: Population and Human Resource Trends and Challenges
for 2002 can now be viewed and downloaded at www.adb.org/Documents/Books/Key_Indicators/2002/default.asp.
Featuring 18-year data series and regional comparisons on such
topics as population, employment, and government finance, Key
Indicators also includes a theme chapter that examines the population
and human resource trends and challenges facing the Asia and Pacific
region. For more information, email adpub@adb.org
Women's
and Workers Rights
The International Labour Organization has released a report that
explores the conditions of workers in export processing zones
(EPZs) around the world. "Women's and Worker's Rights in
Export Zones" recommends several measures to protect workers'
rights and, at the same time, ensure more stable and profitable
operations of EPZs. It also stresses the importance of promoting
the rights of women, who make up the majority of zone workers.
To view the report, visit: www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/gb/docs/gb285/pdf/esp-5.pdf
Male Involvement
in Reproductive Health
The World Health Organization has released "Programming for
Male Involvement in Reproductive Health," a publication that
reviews and recommends current strategies for the involvement
of men in programmes aimed at improving reproductive health. Topics
covered include: (1) programming for men in prevention and care
of sexually transmitted infections; (2) programming for men in
family planning; (3) programming for men in promoting safe motherhood;
(4) targeting men for improving the reproductive health of both
partners; (5) lessons learned for future programmatic directions.
To view the full document, visit www.who.int/reproductive-health/publications/rhr02_3_male_involvement_in_rh/index.htm
Tools for
Social Action Agendas
By Pat Aufderheide. NGOs, Funders, & Filmmakers: Jointly Crafting
Tools for Social Action Agendas examines the creative partnering
of funders, mediamakers and non-profit organizations to produce
strategic, interactive and richly, storytelling media. The paper
attributes this teamwork to new technologies, changing funder
strategies and the awareness of non-profit organizations that
media are central to any strategic objective. Several recent case
studies of such creative partnering are examined, including Steps
to the Future- a project in which the Open Society Institute,
southern African activist organizations, and a team of independent
media producers collaborated to produce dozens of videos on the
subject of HIV and AIDS. The results-intimate narratives that
speak across borders- are being used throughout sub-Saharan Africa
in a range of screen venues, and will feature interactive, Internet-based
elements. To access the paper, visit www.comminit.com/st2002/sld-6479.html
WEBSITES
New Website:
Gender Action
Gender Action, a new nonprofit dedicated to ensuring multilateral
investments promote gender equality and women's rights, has launched
a website at www.genderaction.org. The website describes why Gender
Action has launched an advocacy campaign to "engender"
multilateral investments. It also presents Gender Action publications,
initially focusing on Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and gender.
Over time, the site will present gender analyses of multilateral
policies and investments and tools for undertaking gender advocacy
around the multilaterals.
New Website:
UN Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues
The United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues
and Advancement of Women has launched a new English website: www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/index.html.
The site includes a section on gender mainstreaming and provides
links to concepts and definitions, tools to support gender mainstreaming
and good practice examples.
AWARDS
Call
for Papers: Trafficking in Persons
Call for Papers (in English): Human Rights Law Centre, University
of Nottingham, UK, June 27-28, 2003. Submission deadline: February
28, 2003. Direct questions about conference contributions
to Patrick Twomey at Patrick.Twomey@Nottingham.ac.uk.
Direct administrative inquiries to Catherine Lovesy at Catherine.Lovesy@Nottingham.ac.uk
Geared toward academics, law enforcement officials, and NGOs at
the national and international levels, this two-day conference
seeks to further the debate on the application of a human rights
framework to trafficking, including analysis of root causes as
well as law enforcement and judicial responses at point of origin,
transit, and destination. Conference format will include a combination
of plenary sessions and thematic group workshop discussion of
papers. Papers outlining case studies, analyzing recent developments
and identifying best practices are invited for consideration in
these sessions. Workshop themes include: root causes and prevention;
the role of organised crime; legislative, policing and judicial
responses; regional contexts and initiatives, specific groups
(children, refugees, women) and return and reintegration. Contributors
are invited to send a 500 word abstract in English to Mr. Twomey.
Call for
Papers: Empowering Women through Information and Knowledge
Call for Papers, Symposia, Posters and Video Presentations (in
English): "Empowering Women through Information and Knowledge:
From Oral Traditions to ICT," SDNT Women's University and
the Centre for Women's Development Studies. May 30-June 2, 2003,
Mahindra United World College of India, Pune, India. Application
deadline: April 1, 2003; Submission deadline: February
25, 2003. For a registration form, contact Dr. Bharati Sen,
Conference Secretary, at conference@gendwaar.gen.in.
Contributors should submit a short abstract of 300 words summarizing
their presentations. For video presentations, the authors should
provide the running time and release date of the video and a brief
description of its content. Abstracts may be sent by email or
post to Dr. Sen at SHPT School of Library Science; SNDT Women's
University; 1, Nathibai Thackersey Road; Mumbai V 400 020. India.
The conference seeks to include discussions on various issues
and processes related to information and knowledge required for
consciousness raising, advocacy, training, education and research,
and decision and policy making. Sub-themes include the information
and knowledge chain; capacity building through ICT; repositories
of women's information; and a focus on special categories and
groups (rural, tribal, slum, migrant, girl child, etc). For conference
updates, visit http://gendwaar.gen.in
Call for
Papers: Women and Conflict
Call for Papers: "Women and Conflict: Historical Perspectives;"
Conference, October 11-12, 2003; University of California, Santa
Barbara, CA; Submission deadline: April 1, 2003; Mail all
proposals to Women and Conflict: Historical Perspectives; Department
of History; University of California; Santa Barbara, California
93106. Or email proposals on: U.S.-related papers to Alexandra
Epstein at ae0@umail.ucsb.edu;
Mondern non-U.S. papers to Sandra Dawson at sdrn@umail.ucsb.edu;
Ancient, Medieval and Early-Modern-related papers to Katie Sjursen
at sjursen@ucsb.edu. UCSB's
First Annual Graduate Student Conference invites individual interdisciplinary
paper proposals in women and gender studies that address the conference
theme from an historical perspective. Studies of conflict include,
but are not limited to, domestic, political, social, cultural,
trans-regional and ideological themes. The Program Committee especially
welcomes papers that break boundaries of time, place, disciplines
and methodology. Panelists must be enrolled in a graduate program
on the conference date.
Call for
Papers: Engendering Macroeconomics and International Economics
Conference, June 2-4; University of Utah; Salt Lake City, UT.
Submission deadline: February 15, 2003. In conjunction
with its new program, "Capacity Building and Knowledge Networking
on Gender, Macroeconomics and International Economics," The
International Working Group on Gender, Macroeconomics and International
Economics invites paper submissions for its public conference.
Interested candidates should send their paper and a 250 word abstract
to genderandmacro@economics.utah.edu
Candidates whose papers have been selected for presentation will
be notified by April 2, 2003. Limited funding will be available
for travel and/or accommodation expenses for paper presenters
from the South. Those submitting papers for the conference should
indicate whether they will need any funding at the time they submit
their papers. There is no funding available for those participants
who are not presenting a paper. Further information on the costs
of participation, logistics, accommodations and registration will
be available at the program website www.genderandmacro.org.
Call for
Papers: Women and Politics
Call for Papers: "Contemporary Women's/Feminist Movements
in Post Communist Countries-10 Years After;" Conference,
May 20-25, 2003; Inter-University Centre; Dubrovnik, Croatia;
Submission deadline: March 1, 2003; The conference will
bring together feminist scholars to discuss certain aspects of
contemporary feminist thinking and practices in post-communist
countries. Focusing on the socio-political changes in post-communist
countries, the conference will: (1) analyze the situation of women,
including their organizations, ideologies and public presence,
as well as relevant scholarly work, in individual countries as
well as in the context of countries with similar socio-political
histories and developments; (2) analyze these women's movements
in their interaction with countries of western democracies. For
more details, visit www.zinfo.hr.
Call for Posters: International Breastfeeding Conference
July 3-6, 2003; San Francisco, CA; Submission deadline: February
15, 2003; To access an online abstract form, go to www.lalecheleague.org/03conf/poster.html;
or submit a 250 word abstract describing your poster/project/program
to Rebecca Magalhaes; Poster Review Team, LLLI; 1400 N. Meacham
Road; Schaumburg, IL 60173-4804; email: Rmagalhaes@llli.org;
tel: 847-519-7730 ext. 260. During the La Leche League conference,
"Strength Through Diversity: Creating One Breastfeeding World,"
a special area will be designated for poster presentations. Posters
should consist of visually interesting charts, graphs, photographs,
or text describing a particular project, research or innovative
program on the protection, support or promotion of breastfeeding.
Direct questions to Ms. Magalhaes.
Fellowship
Opportunities
Submission Deadline, February 24, 2003; Submit project
proposal of up to four pages, a c.v., two letters of reference
and an application cover sheet to Five College Women's Studies
Research Center; Mount Holyoke College; 50 College Street; South
Hadley, MA 01075-6406. The Center invites applications for its
2003-04 Research Associateships from scholars and teachers at
all levels of the educational system, as well as from artists,
community organizers and political activists, both local and international.
Research Associateships are non-stipendiary. However, international
applicants may apply for one of two special one-semester Ford
Associateships for Fall 2003 or Spring 2004, which offer a stipend
of $12,000, plus a $3,000 housing/travel allowance in return for
teaching one undergraduate course at Smith College. Preference
will be given to candidates whose work focuses on sexuality in
a global context, including sex trafficking and international
gay and lesbianism activism; or on cultural production and resistance,
including political performance, and new technologies. For more
details, call 413-538-2275.
