Representatives of several women’s advocacy organizations at the United Nations and the Chair of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women,  New York, met with the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Louise Frechette, to discuss the vision and hiring process for the position of UN Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the Advancement of Women. Ms. Angela King,  who had served as the Special Adviser since 1997, announced her retirement in March.

For more information on this meeting, please see Women’s Tribune Center website, or contact: Bani Dugal, Chair, NGO/Committee on the Status of Women/NY, PO Box 3571 Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163 USA. Tel: 1212-692 0725; Fax: 1212-692-0724; email ngo_csw_ny@hotmail.com.

Compiled from:
Anne S. Walker, Initiatives and Activities of Women Worldwide, Women's Tribune Center, 8 July 2004.

A seminar exploring the Duluth Model of coordinated community response to domestic violence took place July 29-31, 2004 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Ukraine attended the program, which was presented by Michael Paymar and Rose Thelen from Duluth, Minnesota, USA. The seminar was sponsored by the Open Society Institute’s Network Women’s Program, and covered creating and implementing programs for both victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. A complete outline of the seminar topics is included in the event posting.

Compiled from: Open Society Institute’s Network Women’s Program, past event posting, “Seminar for and about Victims and Perpetrators of Domestic Violence”, 29 July 2004.

For more information, see Adapting the Duluth Model in the Domestic Violence section of this website.

The European Commission has launched a public online consultation in order the engage the general public in the development of anti-discrimination policies. The consultation website, called Green Paper, includes the European Commission’s analysis of the progress that has been made so far in the field. It seeks comments on how the EU can continue and reinforce its efforts to combat discrimination and to promote equal treatment. Responses would be collected through an online questionnaire. The public consultation period begins on 1 June 2004 and ends on 31 August 2004.

For more information, and links to the Green Paper and Questionnaire, please visit the European Commission website on Anti-Discrimination, Fundamental Rights, and Civil Society.

Ms. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has been named to be the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children. In her thirty years of professional life, Ms. Johnson Sirleaf has been the Minister of Finance of Liberia; President of the Liberian Bank for Development and Investment; Vice President of Citicorp, Vice President of Hong Kong Equator Bank and a Senior Officer of the World Bank. Ms. Sirleaf has also served on different advisory boards and committees abroad and in her home country.

Compiled from:
Human Rights Commission Chairman Nominates Experts for Fact-Finding Mechanisms, United Nations Press Release, HR/CN/1100, 12 July 2004. Women’s United Nation Report Network Newsletter, 2 August 2004.

Women Living Under Muslim Laws has released a call for urgent action to ensure that women’s NGOs in Uzbekistan can continue their work.

Since the beginning of 2004, women’s NGOs working for women’s rights have come under increased pressure form the Uzbekistan government. The women’s movement in the country is now under threat largely because of its continued criticism of the government. The Uzbekistan government has proclaimed several decrees and issued secret directives to banks that have obstructed the activities of women’s NGOs and at time made their work impossible.

According to the decrees issued, all women’s NGOs have to re-register with the official Women’s Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan. In order to release publications NGOs would have to apply for a special license, issued by a government officials. In addition, all funds from international grants would have to be transferred to the Uzbekistan National Bank. The grants would then undergo investigation by government officials who in turn would determine whether the NGO can access the funds.

In response to current human rights violations, the United States government has announced that it will withhold security and economic monetary assistance to Uzbekistan. In its 2004 country report on Uzbek human rights practices, the State Department characterized the country as “an authoritarian state with limited civil rights.” Uzbekistan could take several steps to show it is committed to improving the country’s democratization climate, including “opening up the political sphere and ceasing the harassment of non-governmental organizations and media.”

For more information regarding the urgent action appeal, please visit Women Living Under Muslim Laws.

Compiled from:
Uzbekistan: Authoritarian Measures Against Women’s NGOs, Women Living Under Muslim Laws International Coordination Office, 26 July 2004. 
United States Cuts Off Aid to Uzbekistan, Eurasia Insight, EurasiaNet 14 July 2004.

The Family Violence Prevention Fund reports that Abuse is "Common Among Postmenopausal Women"

This 16 July 2004 article from The Family Violence Prevention Fund reports that, according to the National Elder Abuse Incidence Study (NEAIS), "postmenopausal women experience violence - including physical, sexual and psychological abuse - at the same rate or at an even higher rate than do younger women." This study is believed to be the first to estimate the incidence of physical and verbal abuse in a large sample of postmenopausal women.

Synthesis of Literature on Educator Sexual Misconduct Now Available

Featured on the National Electronic Network on Violence Against Women (VAWnet) website, Charol Shakeshaft of Hofstra University and Interactive, Inc., has prepared "Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature" for the U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Under Secretary, Policy and Program Studies Service. This literature review of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct responds to the mandate in Section 5414 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended, to conduct a study of sexual abuse in U.S. schools. To satisfy this mandate, the Department of Education contracted with Dr. Charol Shakeshaft of Hofstra University. Using existing available research, her literature review describes, among other topics: prevalence of educator sexual misconduct, offender characteristics, targets of educator sexual misconduct, and recommendations for prevention of educator sexual misconduct. Shakeshaft also offers several new recommendations that may be worth consideration, though they may present tensions with existing laws.

Report on Gender, Minorities and Indigenous Peoples Launched

Minority Rights Group International (MRG) has recently published "Gender, Minorities and Indigenous Peoples," a report examining the intersection of gender, minority, and indigenous status. MRG argues that while it is generally acknowledged that women suffer discrimination, women who are also members of minority or indigenous communities are particularly marginalized. Like male members of minority and indigenous communities, they lack access to political power and face discrimination in their access to services and rights. However, as women they face these problems and more.

The aim of this report is to encourage those working on minority and indigenous peoples' rights to consider the issues from a gender perspective, and to encourage those working on gender equality and women's rights to include minorities and indigenous peoples within their remit.

IHRD Call for Proposals: Sex Work Advocacy Programs

The International Harm Reduction Development Program (IHRD) invites applications for funding of policy and advocacy activities to advance harm reduction efforts for sex workers in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The goal of this new funding initiative will be to change environments affecting the health and rights of sex workers.

All organizations are invited to apply to IHRD for funding, including sex worker advocacy groups, human rights organizations, legal service providers, harm reduction providers and others. Funding can be used for a 12-month project or for a one-time activity or outcome. IHRD welcomes proposals for innovative projects and activities. From this application process, IHRD hopes to fund approximately 10 projects in late 2004. All funded projects will be eligible for on-going training and technical assistance.

The application deadline is September 10, 2004. For more information, click here.

CPS Announces International Policy Fellowships

The Central European University Center for Policy Studies (CPS) is calling for proposals for its year 2005-2006 International Policy Fellowships (IPF) program, which is affiliated with the CPS and the Open Society Institute-Budapest. Broadly speaking, an open society is characterized by a reliance on the rule of law, the existence of a democratically elected government, a diverse and vigorous civil society, and respect for minorities and minority opinions.

The CPS International Policy Fellowships are intended to support the analytical policy research of open society leaders and connect these Fellows with professional policy networks and opportunities. The program aims to improve the quality of analysis in countries where the Soros foundations network by ensuring that these leaders are able to conduct research in their home region while maintaining local affiliations and a high degree of mobility and intellectual freedom. The product of each fellowship will be a detailed analysis of a major issue to be published in English and translated into other languages.

Fellows will be provided with a one-year stipend, research-related expenses including travel, needed communications equipment, publication costs, etc. to work full-time on research of their design in one of the above areas. The amount of the award will vary depending on standards in the Fellow's country of residence and the budgetary needs of the proposal. Online applications are due September 15, 2004. For more details and information on how to apply, click here.

WSIS Gender Caucus Announces Small Research Grants

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Gender Caucus is launching a program of small grants to support innovative research on gender and information communication technologies (ICTs) during 2004-2005. It is anticipated that there will be two rounds of calls for proposals and that the supported research will be completed in time to be presented on Gender Caucus panels at the second World Summit on the Information Society scheduled to be held in November 2005 in Tunis, Tunisia. The overall objective of the research program is to enlarge the knowledge base for gender-sensitive policy on ICTs. Projects, which can be related to activities anywhere in the world, are expected to fall into one of three general areas: documentation, analysis and evaluation of efforts to mainstream gender into ICT policy; applications and content; and theories and methodologies. To be considered for the first round of research grants, interested parties should submit their proposals by 15 August 2004 to research@genderwsis.org. Click here for more information.

The European Commission has announced that it is taking legal action in the European Court of Justice against six Member States that have failed to transpose two anti-discrimination Directives. Austria, Germany, Finland, Greece, Luxembourg have failed to codify both Directives, and Belgium has failed to codify the Employment Framework Directive. The Directives - the Racial Equality Directive and the Employment Framework Directive - prohibit discrimination on racial or ethnic origin, age, disability, religion and sexual orientation and were due to be incorporated into national law last year. Specifically, the Racial Equality Directive prohibits racial discrimination in a wide range of areas, including access to jobs, working conditions, pay, education, access to goods and services and social security. The Employment Framework Directive prohibits discrimination against people on the grounds of age, disability, religion or belief and sexual orientation, in employment and vocational training.

The European Commission's decision to enforce the EU's directives on racial equality and anti-discrimination has positive implications for another recent EU directive on gender equality, which strives to provide stronger support for employees who perceive that they have been treated unfairly by an employer because of their sex. This directive also defines sexual harassment and establishes it as a form of sex discrimination. Specifically, the commission's decision to enforce the directives on race and discrimination suggest that the commission may also act to enforce the gender equality directive when it is due to be transposed into law in 2005.

For more information please see the European Commission's Annual Report on Equality and Non-Discrimination.

Sources:

"Commission goes to the European Court of Justice to enforce EU anti-discrimination law," Press release, Employment and Social Affairs Division, European Union, July 2004

As part of its ongoing series of reports on "Concerns in Europe and Central Asia, January," Amnesty International has released extracts of its upcoming 2004 version, which details its ongoing human rights concerns in Georgia.

Specifically, it documents incidences of excessive police force, torture and ill-treatment in police custody, implied persecution of religious minorities, and vague mechanisms of accountability. Anyone wishing further information on other Amnesty International concerns in Europe and Central Asia should consult the full document, which is scheduled to be released in full in September 2004. The extract on Georgia is available here.

A one-day meeting was held by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna today aimed at creating a broad Alliance Against Trafficking in Persons of international, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in order to support governments to "more efficiently fight this modern scourge."

"We have to pool our forces and resources," said Helga Konrad, the OSCE's new Special Representative on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and organizer of the event.

"Many good things - ranging from structural and institutional measures and collaborative initiatives to the development of comprehensive action plans at national levels - have been done and continue to be done," she said. "Yet, in spite of all these activities there does not seem to be evidence of a substantial reduction of human trafficking.

"So the question is no longer: 'What can be done about human trafficking?' but rather 'How we can do more and do it better'. There is no time to lose or waste," urged Ms. Konrad.

For more information, please see the OSCE's 23 July 2004 press release.

On 12 August 2004, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced the appointment of a new Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women. Rachel Mayanja of Uganda, formerly the Director of the Human Resources and Management Division of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, will be the new Special Adviser.

Compiled from:

United Nations Press Release SG/A/884, 12 August 2004.

Highlights of the Noon Briefing, Denise Cook, Associate Spokeswoman for the Secretary-General of the United Nations, UN Headquarters, New York, 12 August 2004.

Parliamentary representatives of ethnic minorities in Romania intend to initiate a bill for ethnic minorities. Although several laws already exist, no basic law on minorities has been voted for so far. Some still hope that the bill will be enacted this year, although 2005 seems more probable, as 2004 is election year.

There have been nine legislative initiatives on ethnic minorities in Romania since 1989, but they were either not accepted by all minorities, or were not discussed by Parliament.

One of the earlier ones initiated by the representatives of Romania's largest ethnic minority (the Hungarians), called the Law on National Minorities and Autonomous Communities, was introduced to the lower house of the Parliament in 1993 but was never discussed.

A new move came in 1998, after the Department for Protecting Minorities was set up by the Government in 1997, when experts began examining of minority laws in other countries in order to devise a Romanian version.  The Interethnic Relations Department (DRI) of the General Secretariat of the Government also organized an international seminar on this topic in Mangalia in early May.

Out of the twenty officially recognized minorities in Romania, the numerically strong ethnic Hungarians have their own parliamentary representation, while the other nineteen are organized into eighteen parliamentary organizations (the Czechs and Slovaks share the same one), each of them having a representative in the Parliament as members of the Other Minorities Group.

The Minorities Protection Office, as well as the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ), consulted Hungarian and Serbian minority laws, as well as the European institutions and all the ethnic minority organizations in Romania in order to prepare the legislative initiative.

The new bill will most probably be based on an amended version of the legislative RMDSZ initiative of 1993.

Compiled from:

Áron Balló, "Law on Ethnic Minorities Likely to be Adopted Next Year," Eurolang, 12 August 2004

In 1996, the Moscow office of the American Bar Association Central and European and Eurasian Law Initiative (ABA CEELI) established the Gender Justice Program in recognition of the fact that promotion of the rule of law in Russia must also include improving the legal status of women. Since then, CEELI has recognized that the lack of legal solutions to the problem of domestic violence is an area of critical concern in Russia and has carried out a number of projects which attempt to improve this situation.

The "Social Advocates" program is one of the most successful of these projects. It aims to increase the basic knowledge of local partner nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), activists, law enforcement, the judiciary and other government officials about the problem of domestic violence as well as other issues that disproportionately affect women in Russia. The program itself consists of a series of trainings, the goal of which is to create a group of advocates who are equipped with the fundamental legal skills and knowledge necessary to provide competent legal aid and effective advocacy for Russian women when the services of professional paid attorneys are unavailable.

Over the years, the Social Advocates program has become well-known throughout Russia and in other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). After receiving requests for basic information about the history, design and content of the Social Advocates training, the Gender Justice Program decided to create a simple resource containing the essential elements of the program.

This manual (in Russian with the introduction translated into English) contains a basic introduction to the program, templates to each of the core subjects taught to the Social Advocates, written by the trainers, as well as sample materials referred to in the text. It is intended as a guide to those who wish to learn more about CEELI's Social Advocates program and to as a tool to adapt the program to their own needs.

Latvian MEP Tatjana Zdanoka is planning to set up a group for ethnic minorities in the European Parliament.

Ms Zdanoka, who herself is from the Russian minority in Latvia, told news agency LETA that after the summer break she wants to get further with her intention to be at the "project stage".

However, at this point it is not clear which other MEPs would be interested in taking part in this ethnic minority group.

According to Der Standard, the Latvian said she also intends to put the issue of the, mainly Russian, 'non-citizens' on the Brussels agenda.

These non-citizens account for approximately one fifth of the country’s 2.32 million inhabitants and enjoy no political rights in the country.

Ms Zdanoka also wants to set up a European taskforce for minority issues - she is a member of the European Parliament's civil liberties committee and overall a member of the Green group.

Cited from: Latvian MEP plans ethnic minority group in European Parliament, Honor Mahoney, EU Observer, 19 August 2004.

Miodrag Vukovic, a leader of Montenegro's governing Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS), said in Podgorica on 18 August that the Montenegrin authorities will formally propose to Serbia in September that the two sides start talks on dissolving the joint state of Serbia and Montenegro, which was launched in 2003 as a result of much pressure from the EU, RFE/RL's South Slavic and Albanian Languages Service reported. Vukovic suggested that Belgrade and Podgorica might review three options, starting with total independence. A second possibility might be to link two internationally recognized, independent states in an association on the model of the Commonwealth of Independent States that exists among some successor states to the former Soviet Union. A third option might be to remain in the joint state until 2005, when a referendum on independence will automatically take place. Under the terms according to which the joint state was set up, it will remain until at least 2005, at which time either or both republics have the option of calling for a referendum on independence. Among the major parties in Serbia, only the G-17 Plus party favors dissolving the joint state (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 2 August 2004). PM

Cited from:

Montenegro to Call for Talks on Dissolving Joint State with Serbia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 19 August 2004. Copyright (c) 2004. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org.

Karim Soliev, a staff member at the academy of Tajikistan's Interior Ministry, presented a book on 19 August with practical recommendations for fighting human trafficking in Tajikistan, Avesta reported. He noted that the Interior Ministry's Department for Fighting Racketeering, Kidnapping, and Human Trafficking has opened 14 criminal cases since its creation on 28 April. Frederick Chenais, who heads the International Migration Organization's mission in Tajikistan, told attendees at the book presentation that human trafficking is an increasingly serious problem in Tajikistan and Central Asia. According to Chenais, burgeoning labor migration provides fertile ground for human traffickers. He said, "Criminal groups are taking advantage of this and luring gullible people, especially women, into their network." DK

Cited from:

Book Highlights Human Trafficking Problem in Tajikistan, Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, 20 August 2004. Copyright (c) 2004. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org

The Council of Europe Committee on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings (CAHTEH)'s first draft of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings is now completed and available to the public. CAHTEH aims at drawing up a European Convention on action against trafficking in human beings. This instrument is expected to be a practical tool of international co-operation geared towards the protection of victims' rights and the respect for human rights. It will aim at a proper balance between matters concerning human rights and prosecution and should build on the United Nations' achievements in this field in a European context. The Directorates General on Legal Affairs and Human Rights will jointly coordinate the work, expected to be finalized at the end of 2004.

More specifically, this document contains the draft Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings as revised during the 5th meeting of the CAHTEH held from 29 June to 2 July 2004. A previous description and some background are also available here on our site.

In response, the European Women's Lobby (EWL) has started a lobbying action in relation to this draft proposal. The EWL is very concerned that the amendments proposed after the 5th meeting of the CAHTEH would weaken the aims of the Convention and limit its scope to another instrument to combat illegal immigration. The EWL has observer status to the CAHTEH and participates in its meetings. The next meeting will take place in Strasbourg on 28 September - 1 October 2004. For more information on the EWL's action, write to centre-violence@womenlobby.org.

Two recent publications from the Family Violence Prevention Fund are designed to assist caseworkers in helping families dealing with both child abuse and domestic violence. Family Team Conferences in Domestic Violence Cases: Guidelines for Practice provides guidelines for child welfare workers on the appropriate use of Family Team Conferencing, an emerging tool involving family and community members as well as other service providers in deciding how best to protect children facing abuse.

Accountability and Connection with Abusive Men gives caseworkers concrete information about abusers in general, and about sensitive issues of race, class, culture and ethnicity in domestic violence situations. It is designed to enable caseworkers to better understand and connect with abusers, to hold them accountable for their actions, and to thereby improve the child welfare system’s response to families experiencing domestic violence and child abuse. Esta Soler, FVPF President, noted that “(m)any families that experience child abuse also experience domestic violence. But we haven’t done enough to support families facing multiple forms of family violence. As a result, these families often have enormous difficulty getting the services they need. These tools can make a real difference in ensuring that Family Team Conferences are used appropriately, and in finding ways to provide both sanctions and support to abusive men.” (Cited from Family Violence Prevention Fund News Flash, 19 August 2004) 

Both resources are available on the FVPF’s website here.

(Compiled from Family Violence Prevention Fund News Flash, 19 August 2004, complete text here.)

The International Harm Reduction Development Program (IHRD) invites applications for funding of policy and advocacy activities to advance harm reduction efforts for sex workers in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The goal of this new funding initiative will be to change environments affecting the health and rights of sex workers.

All organizations are invited to apply to IHRD for funding, including sex worker advocacy groups, human rights organizations, legal service providers, harm reduction providers and others. Funding can be used for a 12-month project or for a one-time activity or outcome. IHRD welcomes proposals for innovative projects and activities. From this application process, IHRD hopes to fund approximately 10 projects in late 2004. All funded projects will be eligible for on-going training and technical assistance.

The application deadline is September 10, 2004. Please see the attached application form at the bottom of this page for complete instructions on how to apply.

Background Information

Beginning in late 2000, IHRD began funding sex worker harm reduction projects in 11 countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This IHRD funding initiative was established in recognition of the vulnerability of sex workers to the potential harms related to drug use and HIV. From 2000 to 2004, IHRD succeeded in supporting many organizations to initiate and pilot new service projects that linked, for the first time, harm reduction services to the needs of sex workers.

During this time, projects funded by IHRD reported that many sex workers, particularly those injecting drugs, working on the street, and working alone, continue to face significant risks. Projects recommended that IHRD support policy and advocacy efforts, such as:

• documentation of sex work population risks in terms of health, violence, discrimination and poverty, and development of policy analyses and recommendations to reduce these risks;
• education and training of sex workers, health providers, police and militia, government officials, media, and community members about current and potential policy changes to reduce stigma and discrimination and to create a more welcoming environment for sex worker policy initiatives;
• changes in policy and practice through legislation, litigation, and other legal means, to ensure that the civil and human rights of sex workers are respected and upheld;
• and mobilizing alliances of communities and organizations, especially those alliances involving vulnerable populations of sex workers, drug users, and people living with HIV/AIDS, so that these populations will be empowered to advocate for their needs as a cohesive group.  

For more information and application documents please click here.

A Czech referendum on the European Constitution could be held in June 2006, at the same time as the country's general elections, the Prime Minister Stanislav Gross told Czech diplomats today (30 August) in Prague.

This must first be agreed, however, by any coalition partners that may form part of the next Czech government.

The new head of the Czech cabinet, who last week managed to survive a vote of confidence by a narrow majority, does not expect the ratification procedure to be easy.

However, he believe that if voters are given enough trustworthy information, they will approve the Constitution.

Compiled from: Martin Frydrych, Czechs might vote on EU Constitution in June 2006, EUobserver.com, 30 August 2004.