Joe Biden On The Importance of VAWA

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Feb 272008
 

Senator Joe Biden on the importance of fully funding the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA):

“National figures since the Act’s passage in 1994 show real progress: domestic violence has dropped by almost 50%, incidents of rape are down by 60%, and the number of women killed by an abusive husband or boyfriend is down by 22%. Today, more than half of all rape victims are stepping forward to report the crime, acts of bravery that often need the protection and encouragement that VAWA’s funding provides.

And since we passed the Act in 1994, over a million women have found justice in our courtrooms and obtained domestic violence protective orders.”

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 Posted by on February 27, 2008

Burundi: Husband Who Cut Off Woman’s Arms For Failing To Give Birth To A Boy Released From Prison

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Feb 262008
 

Note:  We’ve been known to post some pretty horrible stories on this blog, but this one is particularly unspeakable.  What happened to Francine Nijimbere is beyond horrendous, that the government of Burundi has pardoned her husband defies understanding and illustrates the  true depths of the culture of impunity that allows this unspeakable violence against women to continue.  We call on the government of Burundi to re-arrest Francine Nijimbere’s husband and to take steps to provide for and protect both her and her daughter.

BUJUMBURA, 25 February 2008 (IRIN) – Francine Nijimbere relies entirely on her mother for basic things like bathing and eating. Her husband cut off her arms up to the elbows in 2004, for failing to give birth to a boy. She was pregnant at the time and lost the baby due to her injuries, which included cuts on her stomach. The man – a soldier – was arrested and later sentenced to life in prison but was recently released following a presidential pardon.

After her arms were cut off, Nijimbere left for Burundi’s southern province of Makamba with her daughter, now four, where she lived with her mother. She is now living in fear following her husband’s release and has sought refuge with ADDF, an association based in Bujumbura, dealing with the protection of women’s rights. She spoke to IRIN on 22 February:

“In December [2007], the president announced a pardon for all inmates suffering from incurable diseases. I hear my husband was released on a false name; how can a criminal like him be pardoned? The head of state pardoned inmates suffering from incurable diseases but my husband was not ill.
Continue reading »

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 Posted by on February 26, 2008

Teaching IWD

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Feb 262008
 

The UN has an excellent guide for teaching about International Women’s Day.  Check it out here.

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 Posted by on February 26, 2008

How The Media Influences Rape Conviction Rates

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Feb 262008
 

Stereotypical media representations of rape are damaging conviction rates when cases come to court, according to a Home Office funded study.

“The report, entitled Just Representations? Press Reporting and the Reality of Rape, concluded that highly selective and sensational reporting of rape cases has distorted public perceptions to such an extent that juries can no longer recognise the more typical rape when they are presented with it in during a trial.

The study identifies a press “construct” about rape – namely that it is an outdoor crime, suffered by an unimpeachable woman at the hands of a monstrous deviant – a scenario that actually contradicts all research and crime statistics, distorting public perceptions and feeding into the criminal justice system. Continue reading »

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 Posted by on February 26, 2008

Womankind: Addressing The Horrendous Plight Of Women And Girls In Afghanistan

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Feb 262008
 

The British organization Womankind’s latest report “Afghan Women and Girls Seven Years On” provides yet more documentation of the horrendous situation faced by women in Afghanistan. Here are some of the findings:

  • Violent attacks against females, usually domestic, are at epidemic proportions with 87 per cent of females complaining of such abuse – half of it sexual.
  • More than 60 per cent of marriages are forced.
  • Despite a new law banning the practice, 57 per cent of brides are under the age of 16.
  • The illiteracy rate among women is 88 per cent with just 5 per cent of girls attending secondary school.
  • Maternal mortality rates – one in nine women dies in childbirth – are the highest in the world alongside Sierra Leone.
  • And 30 years of conflict have left more than one million widows with no enforceable rights, left to beg on the streets alongside an increasing number of orphans.
  • Afghanistan is the only country in the world with a higher suicide rate among women than men.

The report offers some substantive ideas for ways to address this ghastly situation:

“The vast majority of international aid goes directly to the Afghan government rather than non-governmental organisations. Activists are calling on the British to ring-fence some of the funding for human rights issues – such as gender-based projects – and to ensure the money reaches appropriate beneficiaries.

Womankind is calling for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which says women in conflict zones should be offered protection and recognition of their role in the peace process as well as their human rights. Across Afghanistan women’s organisations, such as (the Afghan Women Resource Centre), are now turning their attention from providing basic needs to empowering females, teaching them their rights and urging them to vote.”

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 Posted by on February 26, 2008
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