The United Nations “Official Document System” is now open and free to the general public. The Official Document System (ODS) is a system for storing and retrieving U.N. documents using high-speed networks and the Internet. The ODS contains over 800,000 UN documents from General Assembly resolutions to UN agency memoranda, and is available in all six of the UN’s official languages.

The ODS can be accessed at http://documents.un.org. It covers all of the various types of UN documents beginning in 1993; however, older documents are being added daily. It also contains resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council from 1946 on. The ODS does not contain any press releases, sales publications, U.N. Treaty Series or information brochures.

Compiled from: “UN Official Document System Online,” NEWW Polska, 17 January, 2005.
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New Publication from the International Organization for Migration
21 January 2005

A new book entitled, The World in Motion: Short Essays on Migration and Gender, looks at women's present and past experiences with migration.  The book includes several key themes such as labour migration, migrant remittances, trafficking, immigration, and identification and deals with issues unique to forced migration and women such as rape and female circumcision.

Number of pages: 114
Year of Publication: 2004
ISBN: 978-92-9068-228-8
Price: US$ 20.00

Orders may be sent directly to:
International Organization for Migration
Publications Unit
17 route de Morillons, Geneva
Email: publications@iom.int
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Disabled Women Ignored by the UN
21 January 2005

The United Nation Member States have been negotiating “A Comprehensive and Integral Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities” since 2002. However, the needs of and discrimination against women with disabilities remain virtually ignored throughout the document. In order to make State Parties and society more aware of the problems facing women with disabilities, and to ensure that the gender perspective is included in the document, the organizations NETZWERK ARTIKEL 3 and Sozialverband Deutschland (SoVD) have begun a campaign. For more information, please visit www.un-disabledwomen.org.

Compiled from: “Disabled Women in the UN Convention,” NEWW Polska, 17 January, 2005.
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Human Rights Watch Releases World Report 2005
20 January 2005

Human Rights Watch recently released its annual World Report with detailed analysis on the human rights situation in countries across the globe. While the primary focus of the report is on the Darfur crisis in Sudan, the report also takes a strong stance on the shortcomings of the European Union (EU) in upholding human rights standards.

The report criticizes the EU’s efforts to limit human rights protection through migration and anti-terrorism legislation. In particular, it points to the proposed off-shore processing of asylum seekers and the under-funded and underdeveloped asylum and immigration procedures currently in place in the new EU member states. In addition, Human Rights Watch condemned the UK’s anti-terrorism act, allowing for indefinite detention of terrorist suspects and Spain’s policy of holding suspects in isolation.

The report also points to the human rights violations in many former soviet states. The report claims that Moscow controls all of Russia through President Vladimir Putin who has made moves to centralize power in the presidency. In Russia, the report states, police torture, military hazing, disappearances and extrajudicial executions of opponents in Chechnya remain the norm.

Belarus fares no better. In October, not one person from the opposition party gained a seat in the 110-member Chamber of Representatives. The report attributes this to severe repression of the media.

The governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan continue violate human rights as well, as presidential elections in both countries were fraudulent and protest movements in response to such fraud were violently suppressed.

The report touches on the Ukraine as well. While the election of opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko is promising, much remains to be seen in terms of limitations placed on political freedoms by the new Ukraine government.

Please click here to read the report.

Compiled from:

• EU’s human rights protection critised, Lucia Kubosova, News, EUobserver, www.EUobserver.com, 14 January 2004.
• World: Human Rights Watch-Annual Report Paints Bleak Picture in Many Former Soviet States, Andrew Tully, Feature Articles, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, www.rferf.org, 13 January 2005.

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New Version of the Central Asian Network of Gender Studies Website
11 January 2005

A new Russian version of the Central Asian Network of Gender Studies website is now available. The website includes a large collection of texts on gender issues accumulated in the last five to seven years and is regularly updated.

Click here to visit the website.

Compiled from: New Site: www.genderstudies.info, World News, News, The Network of East-West Women-Polska/NEWW, www.neww.org, 3 January 2005.
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New Report: Gender, the Millennium Development Goals and Human Rights
6 January 2005

A new report by Siyanda entitled “Gender, the Millennium Development Goals and Human Rights in the Context of the 2005 Review Process,” is now available to the public. Inspired from important human rights documents such as the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the Beijing Platform for Action, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have the potential to serve important development goals, including those involving gender.

The report finds, however, that the MDGs have a number of shortcomings. Women are referred to as mothers and girls; important issues such as conflict, security and reproductive and sexual health and rights are left out, and; there is an imbalance of accountability mechanisms between developing and developed countries.

Through the review process of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in March and the progress on the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals in September, the report recommends a re-prioritization of the above human rights instruments within the MDGs and a mobilization of political will in favor of the MDGs to support human rights obligations that lack political clout.

In addition to the report above, click here to see the accompanying powerpoint presentation.

Compiled by: Report: Gender, MDG in 2005 Review Process, News, World News, The Network of East-West Women-Polska/NEWW, www.neww.org, 6 January 2004.
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Central Asian Network of Gender Studies updates website
4 January 2005

The Central Asian Network of Gender Studies recently revised its website.  The site contains a large library of texts on gender issues (articles, collected volumes, dissertations) that have been published in the last 5-7 years.  The library's texts are published primarily in Russian.  The library is an ongoing project and is updated on a regular basis.
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Children and Gender-based Violence
3 January 2005

A report by Claudia Hasanbegovic of International Save the Children Alliance proposes a gender-based approach to tackling issues of violence committed on children. By doing so and complementing it with human rights and development critiques, the confluence of inequality in gender roles, power relations, and poverty that interact with each other to facilitate forms of gender-based violence.

Save the Children has released a report entitled "Children and Gender-based Violence," which examines the ways in which gender relations and attitudes affect how children experience violence. Gender-based violence or violence inflicted based on or suffered because the basis of gender differences is prevalent particularly among children who make up over half of the world’s refugees and displaced people and are thus less likely to have access to formal protection or support structures.  Using gender differences as a lens with which to examine problems of children and violence is a holistic approach that enables us to more fully understand the intersections of power relations, gender inequality, and poverty that affect how children experience violence.

Gender-based violence against children can include sexual exploitation, dowry-related abuse, recruitment into drug gangs or armed groups, domestic violence, genital mutilation, and self-inflicted violence, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia. These are all instances in which gender plays a role in the violence perpetrated on children; thus, understanding gender relationships is useful to prevent further violence. Applying ideas of gender to human rights and development approaches enables activists to demand state action and to approach culture more sensitively. Together, this more holistic gender framework allows the violent intersection of gender, power relations, and poverty to be more fully understood and acted upon with greater success.

A gender framework, the report argues, recognizes that violence and conflict is a gendered activity within a particular patriarchal system of ideology; therefore women, men, boys and girls all experience violence and conflict differently as victims and perpetrators. The analysis calls for gender sensitivity to allow gender power relations to be seen and understood as shaping influences in the institutions of the family, state and community.

Through this approach, the report recommends that treaties and conventions such as the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, along with the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography (2000) and the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict (2000) be ratified and enforced.  By institutionalizing the human rights of children, gender-based violence against children can be prevented. By using this holistic approach, effective and appropriate measures can be taken to change harmful practices and transform those aspects of culture which sustain them.

Compiled from: Children and Gender-based Violence, Claudia Hasanbegovic, Save The Children, 1 July 2003 (PDF, 39 pages).

Children and Gender-Based Violence   Save the Children (PDF, 45 pages).
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Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Country Profiles
3 January 2005

The Population Reference Bureau's (PRB) website contains country profiles for Central and Eastern Europe as well as Central Asia. Each profile includes a brief description of the specific country's important population and reproductive health issues and trends. The profiles also include relevant statistics on socio-economics and health, adolescent reproductive health and gender equality. 

Please visit PRB's website for access to these profiles.

Compiled from: Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia Country Profiles, Population Reference Bureau, www.prb.org, 2005.
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Implementing the United Nations Millennium Declaration
3 January 2005

In a new report, Womens Empowerment, Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals, the Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) analyzes the eight goals of the MDG's Millennium Declaration in relation to womens human rights. Of the eight goals, only one specifically calls for the promotion of gender equality and womens empowerment. However, other goals are closely linked to womens rights, targeting extreme poverty, primary education, child mortality, maternal health, HIV/AIDS and other diseases, environmental sustainability, and development partnerships. Taken together, the eight goals, intended to remedy the above global imbalances by 2015, are described by the report as an additional means to monitor the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.

Despite the progressive nature of these goals, the report underscores that any governmental attempt to promote the MDG's must stem from an analysis and understanding of the different positions of women and men in society. The report encourages readers to lobby their governments to ensure such perspective is taken into consideration. In addition, the report urges women's organizations to submit progress reports on governmental action in relation to the MDG's for MDG's review, as many of the government issued reports continue to be generated by male authorities. Tracking implementation of measures necessary to meet the MDG targets, developing a local version of the MDG's and bringing stakeholders together to review country-wide implementation processes are suggested means to build non-governmental reporting systems. The report includes a number of resources to which readers can refer.

To view the report, click here.

Compiled from: Womens Empowerment, Gender Equality and the Millennium Development Goals, Women's Environment and Development Organization, www.wedo.org (2004).
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New Report: Pathway to Gender Equality: CEDAW, Beijing and the MDGs
4 February 2005

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) has released a new report entitled, Pathway to Gender Equality, which outlines the importance of Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Platform for Action in realizing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

According to UNIFEM, the report identifies connecting points between the three processes with regard to monitoring and reporting. Further, it focuses on critical gender equality concerns for each MDG and identifies the specific measures governments have the duty to uphold in these areas. The report also provides useful gender equality resources for practitioners.

Compiled from: Pathway to Gender Equality: CEDAW, Beijing and the MDGs, Women's Human Rights Bulletin, Amnesty International, February 2005.

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New Women's Human Rights Resources Website
14 February 2005

The Women's Human Rights Resources website contains legal information pertinent to women's international human rights standards and regional and national enforcement mechanisms.

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International Seminar Marks Fourth in a Series for Ethnic Minority Women in Europe
14 February 2005

In response to the rising level of migration into Europe, The European Contact Group (EKS) has sponsored a series of meetings for ethnic minority women. These meetings have enabled minority women to voice their opinions on and experience with racism, discrimination and lack of tolerance, difficulty with asylum procedures, employment abuse and other day-to-day problems.

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New Online International Discrimination Handbook Available
21 February 2005

Handbook for Practitioners will be updated annually to ensure that it is fully up to date with international discrimination law.  For more information and to download the Handbook, please visit: http://www.interights.org/pubs/discriminationhandbook.asp.

compiled from: International Discrimination Law: A Handbook for Practitioners, www.interights.org, 21 February, 2005

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Updated UNFPA Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Website
21 February 2005

Compiled from: United Nations Population Fund: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, www.unfpa.org/gender, 21st February, 2005

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New report from the Stop Violence Against Women Campaign and the Control Arms Campaign: Amnesty International, Oxfam and IANSA
7 March 2005

News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International

AI Index: POL 30/010/2005 7 March 2005

The multi-billion dollar trade that puts women in the firing line

New report from the Stop Violence Against Women campaign and the Control Arms campaign: Amnesty International, Oxfam and IANSA

Women are paying an increasingly heavy price for the dangerously unregulated multi-billion-dollar trade in small arms, according to a new report issued today on the eve of International Women's Day.

There are now estimated to be almost 650 million small arms in the world today, mostly in the hands of men, and nearly 60 percent of them in the hands of private individuals. Women and girls suffer directly and indirectly from armed violence:

* An attack with a gun is 12 times more likely to end in death than an attack with any other weapon;

* In South Africa, a woman is shot dead by a current or former partner every 18 hours;

* In the USA, a gun in the home increases the risk that someone in the household will be murdered by 41%; but increases the risk for women by 272%;

* In France and South Africa, one in three women killed by their husbands are shot; in the USA this rises to two in three;

* Family killings are one category of homicides where women outnumber men as victims with her partner or male relative the most likely murderer.

"Women are particularly at risk of certain crimes because of their gender -- crimes such as family violence and rape. Given that women are almost never the buyers, owners or users of small arms, they also suffer completely disproportionately from armed violence. It is often claimed that guns are needed to protect women and their families but the reality is totally opposite. Women want guns out of their lives", said Denise Searle, Amnesty International's Senior Director of Communications and Campaigning.

Delegates from the Control Arms and Stop Violence Against Women campaigns presented the main findings of their report at a news conference today in Johannesburg.

The Impact of Guns on Women's Lives report spells out the circumstances in the home, in communities and during and after conflict where women are most at risk from armed violence. The report also examines a wide range of gun control measures adopted by states around the world usually as a result of the campaigns women are spearheading against gun violence.

* Between 1995, when Canada tightened its gun laws, and 2003, the gun murder rate for women dropped by 40%;

* Five years after the gun laws in Australia were overhauled in 1996, the gun murder rate for female victims had dropped by half;

* Brazil has recently banned access to ownership of weapons before the age of 25 because young men and boys mostly perpetrate the massive level of gun violence.

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"Rape has become a weapon of war. The reality for women and girls is that they are targeted in their homes, their fields, and their schools because of their gender. Without women's active involvement in any peace and reconstruction process there can be no security, no justice and no peace", said Anna MacDonald, Director of Campaigns and Communications at Oxfam Great Britain.

Based on examples of best-practice, the report makes a series of recommendations including:

* Compulsory national gun licences for anyone wanting to own a gun in accordance with strict criteria that exclude all those with a history of family violence;

* The prohibition of violence against women in national law as a criminal offence with the laws fully implemented and effective penalties for perpetrators and remedies for survivors;

* The specific training of law enforcement organisations to ensure that they respect women's human rights and that those who do not are brought to justice;

* The equal participation of women in all peace processes as well as in demobilisation, reintegration and disarmament programmes to ensure the effective collection and destruction of surplus and illegal weapons;

* The establishment of an Arms Trade Treaty that would prohibit arms exports to those likely to use them for violence against women and other human rights violations;

* The banning of private individuals from owning military specification assault weapons, other than in the most exceptional circumstances consistent with respect for human rights.

"There is a clear need to develop sustainable livelihoods which are not based on a culture of violence. This means alternative role models that do not equate masculinity with armed violence and femininity with passivity are needed",said Judy Bassingthwaite, Director of Gun Free South Africa, representing the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA).

Background

The Control Arms campaign was launched by Amnesty International, Oxfam and the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) in October 2003. It aims to reduce arms proliferation and misuse and to convince governments to introduce a binding arms trade treaty.

The Stop Violence Against Women campaign was launched by Amnesty International in March 2004. It aims to secure the adoption of laws, policies and practices that stop discrimination and violence against women.

Visit our interactive presentation at http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maadf6babeQd1bdTh3Ob/

For more information:

please see www.contolarms.org/actforwomen

or contact

Amnesty International: James Dyson on +44 (0)7795628367 (UK mobile) or + 27 (0)76 142 0060 (S.Africa mobile)

Oxfam: Kate Bishop on mobile +44 7773 785993 (UK mobile) or + 27 11 403 4590 (S.Africa Office Tel.)

IANSA: Joseph Dube + 27 114034590 (S.Africa Office) or +27 83 588 8765 (S.Africa mobile)

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Past and current Amnesty news services can be found at <http://www.amnesty.org/news/>. Visit <http://www.amnesty.org> for information about Amnesty International and for other AI publications. Contact amnestyis@amnesty.org if you need to get in touch with the International Secretariat of Amnesty International.

Privacy policy <http://web.amnesty.org/pages/aboutai-privacy-eng>

The Impact of Guns on Women's Lives   Click here to see the report.

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U.S. Department of State Releases 2004 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
7 March 2005

The U.S. Department of State has released its 2004 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Each country report contains a section that describes the status of women, as well as trafficking in persons. 

To view the complete reports, please visit the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Righst and Labor website.

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2004 Femicide Report
10 March 2005

"The Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women monitors information about women and children murdered in our state to educate the public about the lethality of violence against women and child abuse." (cited in: 2004 Femicide Report: Women and Children Murdered in Minnesota)

The 2004 Femicide Report is compiled from  news accounts and is now available for download in PDF format on the MCBW website.

For further information or to report updated information, contact:

Danielle Kluz
Communications Coordinator
Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women
Voice: (651) 646-6177
Fax: (651) 646-1527
dkluz@mcbw.org
www.mcbw.org

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New Portal Site to Link Women's Organizations and Feminist Advocates in the CEE
10 March 2005

Women’s Information Technology Transfer (WITT) launched today a portal site to link women’s organizations and feminist advocates for the internet in Eastern and Central Europe. www.witt-project.net is a website, providing strategic ICT information to all, and supporting, in a collective way, Central and Eastern European women in developing the web as an instrument in their social activism. WITT is committed to bringing women’s actions, activities and struggles into the spotlight, promoting the use of free software as a way to highlight women’s voices.

WITT is one of the first organizations of its kind to train women’s non-governmental organizations in Central and Eastern Europe to use Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in their communication strategies. The WITT website has been developed for women to share their experiences with ICTs, to learn about training events provided by WITT, and to develop expertise in advocacy on gender and ICT issues. Women can publish on the website in their own language (eight languages are available to be used as the site develops).

During the annual WITT Trainers Exchange Event (TEE 2005), held in Ohrid, Macedonia from 12-15 February 2005, WITT trainers learned how to operate this collective website, how to write efficiently for the web and how to publish live using the GPL (General Public License) Publication software Spip (the site has been totally created by WITT members). Participants in WITT trainings will need only a few hours to be able to appropriate the technology for using the website effectively. This is a great strength both of the Spip system and the WITT philosophy: technology is a tool to be used, not feared.

The Trainers Exchange Event, hosted by Akcija Zdruzhenska, a Macedonian organization of feminist trainers, was attended by 16 women from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Moldova, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Poland and Serbia and Montenegro. All these trainers are active within the women’s movement or social movements in the region, many in the area of ICTs. The purpose of these events is to build powerful partnerships between the trainers and for WITT to maintain a pool of women who will not only promote ICT use but also promote a feminist analysis of ICT use.

WITT was initiated in 2002 by ENAWA – European North American Women Action as part of its training program. It will become an independent entity early in 2005, with its seat in Croatia and Focal Points throughout the region. Focal Points are women working within organizations who represent WITT and organize local WITT trainings.

Published in: Lynn McDevitt-Pugh, Witt-project.net: crossing feminism and technology, Press Release, Women's Information Technology Transfer, 8 March 2005.
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CEE Online Women's Forum
10 March 2005

The Online Women's Forum in Central and Eastern Europe will be facilitating a series of month-long discussions on various issues related to women's rights, including women and EU enlargement, women and war, employment and other topics. The goal of this project is to provide an online forum for people to share ideas and experiences in gender issues in the region. The primary language of the discussions is English, but Russian may be accomodated upon request.

"The CEE Online Women’s Forum is looking for women’s activists, organisations, and researches from the region which would like to take a lead in moderating one or more of these online discussions within their area of competency and interest. All prospective moderators are welcome to suggest their own discussion topics and promote their initiatives, campaigns and projects." (cited from: Announcements: Calls for co-operation on the CEE Online Women's Forum, Online Women's Forum, 9 March 2005)

For more information on leading a discussion, please contact i.aleksandraviciene@warwick.ac.uk .

Compiled from: Announcements: Calls for co-operation on the CEE Online Women's Forum, CEE Online Women's Forum, 9 March 2005.

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New Online Journal Dedicated To Domestic and Family Violence In The Health Care Context
21 March 2005

The Family Violence Prevention Fund has launched an online journal dedicated to domestic and family violence in a health care context, entitled Family Violence Prevention and Health Practice. The journal will cover issues such as primary and secondary prevention of intimate partner violence in the health care setting, the role of community clinics in violence prevention, health care-based family violence programs, and technology and violence.

United Nations Releases New Report on Sexual Exploitation by U.N. Peacekeepers
25 March 2005

New Report from United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD)
28 March 2005

The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) has issued a new report, entitled Gender Equality: Striving for Justice in an Unequal World.  The report focuses on the political and economic reforms during the 1990s. The report examines the state of progress ten years after Beijing, as well as women in relation to macroeconomic issues, employment and social policies, politics and public representation, and armed conflict.

To view the report, please visit UNRISD's website here.

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U.N. INSTRAW Publishes Progress Reports on Twelve Critical Areas Set Forth in the Beijing Platform for Action
28 March 2005

The United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UN INSTRAW) has released overview reports on each of the twelve critical areas set forth in the Beijing Platform for Action. The goals of the reports are twofold: "i) to highlight successful experiences, or "best practices" for addressing gender equality issues at the local, national and international levels, and ii) to identify priority areas for future action." (cited from UN INSTRAW). To view one of the following reports, please click on a link below:

• Women and Poverty
• Education and Training of Women
• Women and Health
• Violence against Women
• Women and Armed Conflict
• Women and the Economy
• Women in Power and Decision-making
•  Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Women
• Human Rights of Women
• Women and the Media
• Women and the Environment
• The Girl Child

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United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Releases Fact Sheet on United Nations Human Rights Treaty System
8 April 2005

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has released Fact Sheet No. 30, which is an information resource on the United Nations Human Rights Treaty System as a whole. The OHCHR has published similar fact sheets in the past on the individual core human rights treaties. This particular sheet provides a general introduction to the main international human rights treaties and treaty bodies that monitor their implementation at the state level.

Separated into three parts, the paper presents the seven core human rights treaties, the work of the seven human rights treaty bodies and State’s parties responsibilities to them, as well as the challenges that confront the current and future United Nations human rights treaty system. In addition to this informative guide, the paper includes a glossary of technical terms and acronyms to help the reader understand the operation of the system.

Taking a general approach, the paper stresses that while the treaties and the treaty bodies function in their capacities independently, they do work together as a holistic and integrated system for the promotion of human rights. As the paper states, all of the treaties covered are “inter-related and mutually re-enforcing, with the result that no rights can be fully enjoyed in isolation, but depend on the enjoyment of other rights.” Please click here to download and read Fact Sheet No. 30  (PDF, 59 pages)

Compiled from:  Fact Sheet No. 30 The United Nations Human Rights Treaty System: An introduction to the core human rights treaties and the treaty bodies.  Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.  7 April 2005

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New Report: Trafficking in Human Beings in South Eastern Europe
12 April 2005

The countries of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and the UN Protectorate of Kosovo are the subjects of a report co-produced by UNICEF on the prevention of trafficking in human beings in South Eastern Europe (SEE).

The report describes the changing phenomenon of trafficking in these countries. For example, fewer trafficked women are returning to their countries of origin after their victimization abroad. Further, victims are refusing assistance that would enable them to return to their home countries, which suggests that such individuals are hesitant to go home.

Also changing are the SEE Governments’ responses to trafficking, as governments in this region have begun to take initiative in developing anti-trafficking measures through the enactment of legislation and NPAs (National Plans of Action). Although strong political commitment exists in the region to prevent trafficking, the measures that regional governments have taken have not always proven to be the most efficient means to respond to the problem. For example, migration, prostitution and organized crime have remained the focus of prevention campaigns whereas long-term strategies to curb trafficking have been left out of the equation. In addition, poorly organized educational campaigns, the inadequate number of re-integration programs and the ongoing problems of poverty, discrimination, lack of education and unemployment continue to thwart prevention efforts.

The report proposes that the region should remedy such deficiencies by recognizing the links between poverty reduction, development, gender equality and anti-trafficking programs, understanding and analyzing the problem of trafficking in a broader socio-economic context, developing flexible programs that facilitate cooperation between institutions focused on development issues and those focused on trafficking, and researching the impact of economic reform and the demand-side of trafficking.

Please click here to read the report.

Compiled from: Trafficking in Human Beings in South Eastern Europe, Barbara Limanowska, Published by UNDP, March 2005.

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World Health Organization Releases 2005 World Health Report: Make Every Mother and Child Count
15 April 2005

The World Health Organization’s 2005 World Health Report entitled Make Every Mother and Child Count examines why 11 million children below the age of five will die this year, and why more than 500,000 mothers will die during pregnancy, child birth and soon thereafter. Gender-based violence, such as domestic violence and hazards in the workplace, “constitute major and underestimated public health problems.”

Unequal relations between men and women effect pregnancy in a number of ways. Not only does access to health care differ between men and women, the report found that seven to 48 percent of adolescent girls around the world reported that their first sexual experience was forced and that furthermore, “women who have experienced sexual assault often fear pregnancy and delay medical examination or health care.”

During pregnancy, women may continue to suffer from abuse and the report notes that studies from Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Mexico and Nicaragua have found that 14-32 percent of women report having been physically or sexually abused during pregnancy and often at the hands of their partner. Violence during pregnancy adds to risks of premature labor, low birth weight, sexually transmitted disease, depression and other mental health problems.

One recommendation the World Health Organization makes is to ensure that adequate antenatal care is provided to all women. Proper antenatal care with trained medical professionals can identify unhealthy aspects of life such as domestic violence and abuse. Providing adequate prenatal care can help women and caregivers identify problems early and provide remedies to women that can prevent serious harm to themselves and their children.

Ultimately, building societies that are supportive of pregnant women by addressing the low status of women, violence against women, and the lack of employment rights for pregnant women can help reduce the instances of death associated with pregnancy and childbirth. The report states: "Even in societies that value pregnancy highly, the position of a pregnant woman is not always enviable. A social environment that accords poor status to women generally also tends to marginalize pregnant women, a major public health challenge all over the world."

To view the report in its entirety, please click below: Make Every Mother and Child Count.

Compiled From: World Health Organization 2005 World Health Report: Make Every Mother and Child Count. World Health Organization. 15 April 2005.

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The International Helsinki Federation Posts Human Rights Developments in Europe on Website
18 April 2005

The International Helsinki Federation of Human Rights has posted thirteen country chapters from the organization's soon-to-be-released review of human rights developments in Europe, Central Asia and North America.

Currently, human rights developments from the year 2004 are posted for the following countries:  Albania, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, and Finland.

Additional country chapters will be posted on the website in the weeks to come.

Please click here to access the postings.

Compiled from: IHF Posts Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia et al. Country Chaptes on Human Rights Developments in 2004, Henriette Schroeder, Balkan Human Rights List, 15 April 2005.

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New Publication: Gender, Conflict and Development
20 April 2005

This World Bank publication covers the gender dimensions of conflict with regard to issues surrounding female combatants, sexual violence, formal and informal peace processes, the legal framework, work, the rehabilitation of social services and community-driven development. Specifically, the work analyzes the role of conflict in the transformation of gender roles and offers possible policy considerations to address this area of concern.

Please click here to read the publication.

Compiled from: New Publications: Gender, Development and Conflict, E-letter Instraw News, 20 April 2005.

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New Report: 2004 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development
25 April 2005

In 2000, 49% of the world’s migrants were women or girls. To address this important statistic the Division for the Advancement of Women of the United Nations recently released a report on women and international migration.

The report analyzes the ways in which migration empowers women. Migration works to remove women from places where they live under traditional, patriarchal authority to situations where they can maintain more independent lifestyles. Also analyzed are the important economic contributions migrant women make to both countries of destination and of origin.

Alongside some of the more positive aspects of migration exists a number of problems. For example, many national laws on migration include discriminatory provisions, affecting the wellbeing of migrant women and girls. In addition, many migrant women and girls face increased sexual violence and exploitation, as traditional communal support networks break down and dependency on aid skews power relations in camp situations. Further, migration contributes to the problem of trafficking in humans and affects the health and wellbeing of women and girls. Women and girls are exposed to a number of infectious diseases, post traumatic stress disorder and other physical and mental health problems with insufficient access to health services and insurance.

In response to the issues raised above, the report offers a number of recommendations that may work to improve the lives of migrant women and girls. Some of the recommendations include: The ratification and implementation of all international legal instruments that promote and protect the rights of migrating women and girls; review of national emigration and immigration laws and policies to identify the discriminatory provisions therein; the development of policies that enhance migrant refugee and trafficked women’s livelihoods and education and communication programs to inform migrant women of their rights; and the gender-specific collection of data and dissemination of information that will allow policy makers and advocates to better understand the phenomenon.

Please click here to read the report.

Compiled from: 2004 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development, Women and International Migration, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for the Advancement of Women, United Nations, 2005.

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The Economist Reports Crime Survey Statistics of Domestic Violence are on the Decline in the United Kingdom
25 April 2005

The Economist reported earlier this month that domestic violence in the United Kingdom is on the decline. Based on statistics found in the British Crime survey, the journal suggested that domestic violence is now less than half as common as it was in the mid-1990s.

According to the Economist, the decline in domestic violence may be attributed to one of a number of factors. First, the Metropolitan police have taken a more aggressive approach to arresting abusers, as they have found that men who abuse their partners also often mistreat others. Second, the Economist reports that British society has changed. Women are now more economically independent and marriage rates have decreased importantly. When couples do marry, they marry at a significantly older age and after a period of cohabitation during which abusive behavior may be identified and women find it easier to leave.

While the decline in domestic violence is documented, the police, women’s organizations and politicians are not ready to openly admit to it. The government continues to focus on passing new domestic violence legislation and area shelters report that beds remain full and the phones continue to ring. Domestic violence, the government claims, remains far too common.

Compiled from: Why Domestic Violence is Becoming Less Common, The Economist, 14 April, 2005; Cheers and Jeers of the Week, womensenews.org, 23 April 2005.

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Women's Human Rights and the HIV/AIDS Pandemic
27 April 2005

According to a briefing paper by Human Rights Watch, the pervasive abuse of women’s and girls’ human rights throughout the world has contributed to the growth of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Domestic abuse, including marital rape, violations of property and inheritance rights, the traditional practices of bride price, widow inheritance, and ritual sexual cleansing, and sexual abuse of girls combined with the failure of governments to provide sufficient access to HIV/AIDS information and services have resulted in an HIV infection rates of women and girls that are many times higher than those of men and boys.

The briefing paper makes a number of recommendations with regard to this urgent problem. Recommendations for immediate action include: Legal reform of the laws that protect women’s equal rights in the areas of inheritance, domestic and sexual violence, marriage and divorce, land use and ownership, and access to housing and social services; the implementation of programs that address women’s rights abuses; the development of public education campaigns that include information in local languages and media outlets; and assistance from international donors and NGOs and other governments that can respond to and shed light on this problem.

Please click here to understand more about the link between women’s and girls’ human rights abuses and HIV/AIDS.

Compiled from: A Dose of Reality: Women’s Rights in the Fight against HIV/AIDS, Human Rights Watch, 2003.

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European Conference Report: Honor Related Violence within a Global Perspective: Mitigation and Prevention in Europe
27 April 2005

Facing the problem of honor related violence (HRV) in Europe and recognizing the European Union’s commitment to gender equality, a conference on HRV was held in October 2004 in Stockholm, Sweden called “Honor Related Violence within a Global Perspective: Mitigation and Prevention in Europe.” The conference, part of two ongoing projects in the European Union dealing with HRV, was coordinated by the Swedish group Kvinnoforum with support from the European Commission in cooperation with various partners from eight additional countries in the European Union as well as groups from the Middle East.

The ambition of the conference was to exchange knowledge and experience between European countries, create networks to combat the abuse of human rights of mainly girls and women, and to share theories and good practice between organizations and states.

The report of this conference documents much of the knowledge, ideas and experiences shared at the conference including the speeches given by experts, panels, and workshop minutes. The report concludes with the Stockholm Declaration to Combat Honor Related Violence in Europe which calls for, among other things: the prevention of honor related crime and violence, increased efforts on integration and social inclusion as a means to prevent honor related violence and crime, and to further integrate legal, political, educational, social, health, and police sectors in the struggle to prevent honor related crime and violence.

To view the report, click below:

European Conference Report: Honor Related Violence within a Global Perspective: Mitigation and Prevention in Europe. (PDF, 122 pages)

Compiled from: European Conference Report: Honor Related Violence within a Global Perspective: Mitigation and Prevention in Europe. http://www.qweb.kvinnoforum.se. 22 April 2005.

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Freedom House Report Labels Belarus, Russia (Chechnya), Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan as Among the World's Most Repressive Societies

Freedom House recently released "The Worst of the Worst: The World's Most Repressive Societies 2005", a special report to the 61st session of the UN Commission on Human Rights. The Report is an excerpt from forthcoming "Freedom in the World 2005."

Freedom House reviews political rights and civil liberties in 192 countries and 14 disputed territories and ranks them on a 1 to 7 scale. 1 represents the most free and 7 represents the least free. Countries and territories that receive two 7s or a 6 and a 7 are included in the list of repressive regimes.

Belarus received a 7 for political rights and a 6 for civil liberties. The report identifies that due to extreme poverty and economic gender discrimination, women are being victimized in the international sex-trafficking trade.

Russia (Chechnya) received a 7 in each category. The report noted that women in this region are facing significant discrimination and violence within the traditional culture. Women are further being victimized in connection to the armed conflict. Women are being raped by soldiers and are being abducted.

Turkmenistan received a 7 in each category. The report noted that women's role in society is sharply curtailed by cultural and religious practices and that domestic violence is widespread.

Uzbekistan received a 7 for political rights and a 6 for civil liberties. Trafficking in women and domestic violence are significant problems in Uzbekistan. Perpetrators are domestic violence are rarely prosecuted and women are discouraged from reporting violence.

The Report draws attention to the fact that six of the countries identified as amongst the most repressive societies are members of the UN Commission of Human Rights and as such are charged with monitoring and addressing human rights abuses.

For a copy of the complete report, click here

Compiled From: "World's Worst Regimes Unveiled," Freedom House; "Freedom House Annual Survey: The World’s Most Repressive Regimes", e-CIVICUS 19 April, 2005

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CIVICUS Report Studies Punishment of Domestic Violence in the Czech Republic

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation has produced a Civil Society Index project which examines the health and effectiveness of civil society in the Czech Republic. The research was carried out by NROS, a large civil society foundation in the Czech Republic and Central Europe, who collected information and input from a broad range of civil society representatives, citizens, experts and researchers on the state of civil society.

The report focuses, in part,on the effectiveness of civil society in the Czech Republic in dealing with the punishment of domestic violence. The case study followed a campaign whose goal it was to push through an amendment to the criminal law to make it punishable to tyrannize a person close to one or living in a joint household and to educate the public in questions relating to domestic violence. Prior to 2003, Czech criminal code did not allow for effective recourse in the event of domestic violence because the code did not recognize domestic violence as an independent criminal act and as such dealt with it as a common misdemeanor. It was therefore necessary to change both the public’s and the judiciary’s perception of the problem as not some feminist excess, but a problem that affected all of society. To that end, CSOs from around the country began coordinating a campaign to prevent domestic violence through legislation and public awareness. Through draft legislation, allies in government, and a public education campaign, criminal code 215a was amended in 2003.

This demonstrates, the report states, “the ability to create a broad and stable coalition between NGOs on the themes in question, the ability to use a variety of education/activation methods.” Finding a broad array of support from both civil society actors and government officials, “demonstrated the significance of an acceptable formulation of requirements linked with finding allies in parliament or government: in this respect we see the unsuccessful efforts made by proFem over many years, when the issue was perceived as feminist in character and therefore not broadly acceptable.”

To read the full report, please click below:
An Assessment of Czech Civil Society in 2004: after fifteen years of development.CIVICUS Civil Society Index Report for the Czech Republic Compiled from: An Assessment of Czech Civil Society in 2004: after fifteen years of development. CIVICUS Civil Society Index Report for the Czech Republic. www.civicus.org. 2 May 2005

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Online Discussion on Technology and Violence against Women

A call is being made for participation in an online discussion to address the role of technology in violence against women. As women are largely the poorest sections of communities, they are deeply affected by issues of access to infrastructure, skills and information communities, and are largely not a part of the development process of technology. Further, because internet communication technologies (ICTs) have a major role in the dissemination of culture, sexist and misogynistic content can enable the perpetuation of violence against women.

The online discussion about the connection between ICTs and violence against women will take place May 16th-22nd and is called “VAW, ICTs and Global Policy Processes (BDPA, CEDAW, WSIS Declaration, etc.) – seeing the gaps, making the connections.” The email discussion will be moderated by the Association of Progressive Communications Women’s Networking Support Programme (APC WNSP), and the aim of the discussion will be to help feed into a draft paper that explores this subject and to create a collective understanding of this issue and to strategize actions that can be taken.

To participate in the email discussion, please send an email to Lenka Simerska at lenka@apcwomen.org. The outcome of the discussion will be summarized and posted on www.genderIT.org.

Compiled from: Cultivating Violence Through Technology? Network of East-West Women-Polska/NEWW. May 9, 2005

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Online Course on Sex Trafficking
9 May 2005

The University of Rhode Island is offering an online course in sex trafficking called Advanced Topics in Sex Trafficking (Women’s Studies 490) that will be offered during the Fall 2005 semester (Sept. 7 – Dec. 9). The class will focus on sexual exploitation and abuse of women and children through trafficking, prostitution, and pornography and will cover topics ranging from the organization and operation of criminal networks, official corruption, the role of the state in facilitating and combating sexual exploitation, health effects, perpetrator behavior, and policy debates with a particular emphasis on victim needs and services.

Students will access and participate in the course through WebCT at the University of Rhode Island and non-University of Rhode Island students will be able to register on July 6th, 2005.

Compiled from: Online Course on Sex Trafficking. The Network of East-West Women-Polska/NEWW. 9 May 2005.

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Open Society Institute Releases Report on Gender Equality in New EU Member States and Accession Countries
9 May 2005

The Open Society Institute’s Network Women’s Program has released a report entitled, Equal Opportunities for Women and Men: Monitoring Law and Practice in New Member States and Accession Countries of the European Union.The report is based on monitoring reports from experts and local NGO representatives in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Turkey and explains national mechanisms, policies, programs, and highlights of shortcomings within each country.

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New Report on Human Rights of Roma, Sinti and Travellers in Europe

The Council of Europe has published a Preliminary Report on the Human Rights Situation of the Roma, Sinti and Travellers in Europe (by Mr. Alvaro Gil-Robles, Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe). The report examines many violations, including discrimination in housing, education, employment, and healthcare, race-related violence and relations with law enforcement. In addition, paragraphs 76 to 95 examine issues related to asylum, displacement and trafficking in persons. The report concludes each section by making recommendations.

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ILO Releases New Study on Forced Labor Worldwide
11 May 2005

GENEVA (ILO News) - At least 12.3 million people are trapped in forced labour around the world, the International Labour Office (ILO) said in a new study released today. ILO Director-General Juan Somavia called forced labour "a social evil which has no place in the modern world".

The new report, entitled "A global alliance against forced labour" (Note 1), says that nearly 10 million people are exploited through forced labour in the private economy, rather than imposed directly by states. Of these, the study estimates a minimum of 2.4 million to be victims of human trafficking.

The report also provides the first global estimate of the profits generated by the exploitation of trafficked women, children and men - US$ 32 billion each year, or an average of US$ 13,000 from every single trafficked forced labourer.

"Forced labour represents the underside of globalization and denies people their basic rights and dignity", Mr. Somavia said. "To achieve a fair globalization and decent work for all, it is imperative to eradicate forced labour."

The report is the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken by an intergovernmental organization of the facts and underlying causes of contemporary forced labour. It was prepared under the Follow Up to the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work adopted by the ILO in 1998 and will be discussed at the Organization's annual International Labour Conference in June.

The new study confirms that forced labour is a major global problem which is present in all regions and in all types of economy. Of the overall total, some 9.5 million forced labourers are in Asia, which is the region with the highest number; 1.3 million in Latin America and the Caribbean; 660,000 in sub-Saharan Africa; 260,000 in the Middle East and North Africa; 360,000 in industrialized countries; and 210,000 in transition countries.

Forced economic exploitation in such sectors as agriculture, construction, brick-making and informal sweatshop manufacturing is more or less evenly divided between the sexes. However, forced commercial sexual exploitation entraps almost entirely women and girls. In addition, children aged less than 18 years bear a heavy burden, comprising 40 to 50 per cent of all forced labour victims.

Approximately one-fifth of all forced labourers globally are trafficked but the proportion varies widely from region to region, the report says. In Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, the proportion of trafficked persons is less than 20 per cent of all forced labour, while in industrialized and transition countries and in the Middle East and North Africa, trafficking accounts for more than 75 per cent of the total.

Most forced labour today is still exacted in developing countries where older forms of forced labour are sometimes transmuting into newer ones, notably in a range of informal sector activities, the report says. Debt bondage frequently affects minorities - including indigenous peoples - that have long experienced discrimination on the labour market, and locks them in a vicious cycle of poverty from which they find it ever more difficult to escape. Many victims are working in remote geographical areas, where labour inspection presents a particular challenge.

The report sheds new light on the emerging forms of forced labour affecting migrant workers, in particular irregular migrants in rich and poor destination countries alike. It also examines the labour market conditions under which forced labour is most likely to occur, such as where there are inadequate controls over recruitment agencies and subcontracting systems, or weak labour inspection.

The appearance of new forms of coercion in today's globalized economy also raises some difficult policy questions. The report examines the strong pressures to deregulate labour markets as part of the overall drive to reduce labour costs and thereby increase competitiveness.

"Forced labour is the very antithesis of decent work, the goal of the ILO", says Mr. Somavia. "There is critical need for devising effective strategies against forced labour today. This requires a blend of law enforcement and ways of tackling the structural roots of forced labour, whether outmoded agrarian systems or poorly functioning labour markets".

The report makes the case that forced labour can be abolished, but only if governments and national institutions pursue active polices, vigorous enforcement and show strong commitment to eradicating such treatment of human beings. It also presents the positive experience in selected countries that, with ILO assistance, are now tackling forced labour by adopting strong legislation and enforcement mechanisms, implementing policies and programmes to tackle the underlying causes, and helping victims rebuild their lives.

"Although the numbers are large, they are not so large as to make abolishing forced labour impossible", Mr. Somavia says. "Thus, the ILO calls for a global alliance against forced labour involving governments, employers' and workers' organizations, development agencies and international financial institutions concerned with poverty reduction, and civil society including research and academic institutions. With political will and global commitment over the next decade, we believe forced labour can be relegated to history."

For further information, please contact the ILO Department of Communication, communication@ilo.org, Tel.: +4122/799-7912; or Kevin Cassidy, Declaration Communications Manager, Tel.: +4122/799-7589, cassidy@ilo.org.

Published in: ILO Releases Major New Study on Forced Labour, Says More Than 12 Million Are Trapped in Forced Labour Worldwide, Press Release ILO/05/22, International Labour Organization, 11 May 2005.

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New Report: One Life Lost as a Result of Domestic Violence is One Too Many

The Hennepin County Domestic Fatality Review Team has released a new report "One Life Lost as a Result of Domestic Violence is One Too Many."  The fatality review team is a collaboration of private, public and nonprofit organizations operating in Hennepin County, Minnesota. The fatality review team analyzes domestic fatality cases paying particular attention to the contacts the individuals had with government and social service systems in order to identify "missed opportunities" and "opportunities for intervention" in the response to domestic violence. The team strives to improve systems' response to domestic violence and in so doing eliminate opportunities for future homicides. 

The Report identifies twelve categories of case observations and related opportunities for intervention. The categories include:

1. "Gone on arrival" cases, 
2. Dual arrests,
3. Conditions for probation,
4. Data practices,
5. Responding to and documenting the severity of a domestic assault,
6. Children in the child protection system, 
7. Children in schools,
8. Orders for protection,
9. Medical professionals,
10. Treatment and mental health issues,
11. Implications of domestic violence in the workplace, and
12. Cultural issues

"The goal is to discover factors that will prompt improved identification, intervention and prevention efforts in similar cases. It's important to emphasize that the purpose is not to place blame for the death, but rather to actively improve all systems that serve persons involved with domestic abuse." 

Compiled from: "One Life Lost as a Result of Domestic Violence is One Too Many."

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The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) is organizing an advanced international training program called the Regional Programme on Human Rights of Women 2005 that is meant to be an intensive training course designed to give participants an overview of international human rights law as it pertains to women.

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INSTRAW Launches New Websection for Gender and Security Sector Reform
25 May 2005

The United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women provides information for "researchers, activists, policy-makers and practitioners." It is intended to "strengthen efforts to ensure the right to security for women" and to integrate gender and security sector reform initiatives.

To view the new website, visit the Gender and Security Sector Reform section of the INSTRAW website.

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Amnesty International Report Criticizes Human Trafficking in Moldova

In one of the poorest countries in the Europe, human trafficking remains a large problem. "Moldova was a source country for women and girls trafficked for forced prostitution." The International Office of Migration estimates that eighty per cent of all women who were trafficked from Moldova were victims of domestic abuse before they were trafficked and after they return. The Government developed a national plan to combat trafficking, but had not yet implemented the plan at the end of 2004. One ongoing problem is that "trafficked women and girls were not necessarily treated as victims of crime and were only exempted from criminal liability for acts that they may have committed as a result of being trafficked if they agreed to cooperate with law enforcement agencies." NGO's are providing support services for victims, but the government has not yet become involved.

Compiled from: "AI Report 2005: Moldova." Amnesty International. 2005

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17 June 2005

The Department of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR) of the World Health Organization (WHO) has released a report entitled “Clinical Management of survivors of rape.” The report provides protocols for health professionals working in emergency situations with refugees and internally displaced persons who have been raped. The guide takes into account available resources, materials, drugs and national policies, allowing health professionals to develop a “situation specific” health care protocol for each emergency.

Recognizing rape as a form of sexual violence, a public health problem and a human rights violation, the WHO maintains that governments have a legal obligation to ensure that “quality health services equipped to respond to sexual violence are accessible to all” people. The report offers an eight-step procedure that includes how to make preparations to offer medical care to rape survivors, prepare the survivor for an examination, take history, collect forensic evidence, perform the examination, and offer treatment, counseling and follow-up care to the victim. A separate section of the report outlines protocols for care of children who are victims of rape.

The report focuses on a survivor’s “right to self-determination,” requiring that medical professionals not pressure rape survivors into submitting to an examination against their will. In order to allow the victim to make informed choices, the report requires that medical care providers offer the survivor appropriate information about the examination and treatment. Other rights identified in the report include the right to health, information, non-discrimination, human dignity, privacy, and confidentiality.

Although the guide was created to adapt to each emergency, the WHO instructs health professionals to comply with certain requirements in every situation. A rape survivor should be able to access care in one health facility that is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each community member should be informed of why rape victims would benefit from medical care, what services are available, where the services are provided, and that they will be treated with dignity by each medical professional. The report also includes sample checklists and medical forms for use by health care providers working in emergency settings.

To view the report, click here.

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28 June 2005

A 2005 report, titled "Trafficking in Human Beings in South Eastern Europe," has been released to update previous reports. The report was the product of a joint effort by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR), the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The report addresses current the trafficking situation in SEE, focusing on prevention methods.  Both "repressive" law enforcement approaches and "empowering" human rights groups approaches, as identified by the report and the NEWW Polska Newsletter, are evaluated.  Annexes to the report detail specific country situations, national plans of action, and related projects and activities in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Bulgaria, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYR Macedonia), Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and the UN Administered Province of Kosovo.

Click here to read the report: http://www.osce.org/publications/odihr/2005/04/13771_221_en.pdf

Compiled from: NEWW Polska, Newsletter No. 86, 28 June 2005.

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10 June 2005

"Fertile Fields: Trafficking in Persons in Central Asia" was written by Liz Kelly, a Professor at London Metropolitan University. The report indicates that trafficking is not prevalent in Central Asia at present, but that sexual and labour exploitation are common occurences. It presents problems that have caused or compounded the problem, including "border and taxation regimes." Professor Kelly explores the patterns of trafficking in the region as well as links that it has to labor migration. The report includes information about the victims of trafficking and offers recommendations regarding data gathering and methods for combatting the practice, including legislative reform, capacity-building and training for relevant authorities.

Compiled from: "New Publication Release - Fertile Fields: Trafficking in Persons in Central Asia." International Organization of Migration. 9 June 2005.

To view the full text of the report, please visit: Kelly, Liz "Fertile Fields: Trafficking in Persons in Central Asia." International Organization of Migration. April 2005.

6 June 2005

The U.S. State Department recently released its fifth annual Trafficking in Persons Report, with particular emphasis on combating forced labor slavery and detailing the relationship between sex trafficking and the global spread of AIDS/HIV. This year’s report also analyzes a greater number of countries in depth, examining each government’s concrete efforts to prevent human trafficking, prosecute traffickers and protect their victims.

This year, the report commended the Czech Republic in its International Best Practices section for creating a detailed screening process to assist police in identifying victims and pursuing trafficking cases. This information is also available for police to access on an intranet website. Slovenia received recognition for its Project against Trafficking and Sex and Gender Based Violence (PATS) which provides those asylum seekers most vulnerable, (single women and children), with information on the dangers of human trafficking and methods of self-protection. Preventative measures adopted by PATS include a one on one informational session with a social worker, and a small book detailing where a potential victim can receive assistance throughout Europe.

Both the Czech Republic and Lithuania were listed as Tier 1 countries for fully complying with the minimum standards set forth by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA).

Belarus, Bosnia/Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, Slovenia, Switzerland and Tajikistan were listed as Tier 2 countries for making considerable efforts to bring themselves into compliance with the Act’s minimum standards.

The State Department listed Armenia, Russia, the Slovak Republic, Ukraine and Uzbekistan under the “Tier 2 Special Watch List”, which identifies countries whose governments do not “fully comply with the Act’s minimum standards but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.”  In addition, these countries are facing either a significant increase in the number of trafficking victims, failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking, or are countries committed themselves to taking steps towards compliance in the next year. In particular, Armenia was targeted for failing to implement elements of its January 2004 National Action Plan to combat human trafficking.

To view the report, click here.

 USDOS_2005.pdf.

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5 July 2005

The "Due Diligence and Violence Against Women" International Symposium will be held at the University of Berne in Switzerland from September 21-23. This symposium is open to academics, students, representatives from governmental and non-governmental organizations and politicians. The symposium will serve as an information forum for the international legal concept of due diligence and launch an interdisciplinary debate focusing on four main topics: violence in the family, trafficking in women, violence in armed combat, and violence legitimized with arguments of "culture."

For details and registration information, please visit: http://www.izfg.unibe.ch/duediligence/e/index_e.htm

Compiled from: INSTRAW News, July 2005

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15 July 2005

The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles recently published a legal manual entitled, “Civil Litigation on Behalf of Victims of Human Trafficking,” geared towards legal advocates wanting to seek civil relief for trafficked persons. The manual includes sample pleadings and details the procedure for filing a civil trafficking claim. The authors, Kathleen Kim of the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area and Daniel Werner of the Worker’s Rights Law Center of New York, intend to provide legislative updates and cases addressing human trafficking in civil court.

Please click here to access the report. (PDF, 161 pgs).  To order a copy of the report, contact Michelle Favis at mfavis@lafla.org.

1 July 2005

EU Sixth Framework Programme (FP6)

The Marie Curie Fellowships for Early Stage Training in the field of Gender and Women's Studies allows early stage researchers access to a training programme offered by a network of seven universities in different European countries. The partner institutions, with proven record of high expertise in gender research and education, will jointly train and exchange junior PhD students. The Marie Curie Early Stage Training Scheme is designed to encourage international mobility and therefore carries an enhanced salary/stipend package.

The partner institutions include:

- University of Bologna (Prof. Vita Fortunati),

- Cornelia Goethe Centrum in Frankfurt am Main (Dr. Ulla Wischermann),

- University of Hull (Prof. Gabriele Griffin),

- Linköping University (Prof. Nina Lykke),

- Ljubljana Graduate School in Humanities (Prof. Svetlana Slapsak),

- University of Lodz (Prof. Elzbieta Oleksy),

- Utrecht University (Prof. Rosi Braidotti)

The training structure is a core curriculum of structured courses, some jointly taught by the partners, offered at Utrecht University. The language of instruction will be English. Furthermore, each partner university will also provide training and supervision.

The Gender Studies Department of Utrecht University co-ordinates the Marie Curie Fellowships for Early Stage Training in the field of Gender and Women's Studies. Within this Marie Curie Consortium there is currently one PhD fellowship available for 36 months at Utrecht University (the Netherlands). The preferred commencement of the fellowship is September 1st or October 1st 2005. PhD candidates for the 36 months-fellowships are offered the opportunity to follow a high-level doctoral training, including a course package and opportunity to prepare a dissertation with a professor from Utrecht university.

The fellowships are for beginning PhD students and not open to post-PhD researchers. We envisage projects in the field of gender and the humanities, with special emphasis on cultural studies in the areas of ethnicity, subjectivity, sexuality in the arts and/or technology and the media. We are looking for candidates with a strong interdisciplinary profile and expertise with both the analysis of texts and artifacts, empirical work and interviews and with theoretical discussions. The students apart from being trained in the field of feminist and/or post-colonial studies should preferably have an academic background in literature, art history, music, film, media studies, social work, anthropology, ethnography and/or philosophy.

GRANTS:

The fellowship covers: living, mobility, travel and career exploratory allowances according to the EU standards. However, medical health insurance is not included in the grant although some EU countries provide this automatically.

REQUIREMENTS CANDIDATES:

Each eligible researcher must simultaneously fulfill the following criteria:

· Nationality: The nationality of the researcher should be other than Dutch. Furthermore: The researcher must be a national of a Member State of the European Community, of an Associated State or a third country if legal residence/main activity has been in a Member State or Associated State for at least 4 years out of the 5 years prior to the appointment. In that case the researcher will be considered a national of the state in which s/he has resided for the longest period.

· Mobility: The nationality of the fellow must be different from the country in which the host university is located. In the case of holding dual nationality, the researcher will be able to be hosted by the university from the country of her/his nationality provided s/he has not resided there during the last 5 years.

· Qualifications: Candidates applying for this fellowship should have a MA degree (or an equivalent of a MA degree) from a university. The degree must demonstrate a clearly identifiable interest in Gender and Women's Studies, as evidenced in a minimum of 45 ECTS in this field of study. Candidates should have demonstrable knowledge of the main types of research questions and methods in the field of Gender and Women's Studies as well as a working knowledge of the basic concepts used in the discipline; have demonstrable research qualities and above average scores; be highly motivated to do academic research. A good knowledge of English is required. The researcher is within the first 4 years (full-time equivalent) of her/his research activity (including training) since gaining a university degree (or equivalent institution of higher education) giving access to doctoral studies in the country in which the degree was obtained. The degree/s already obtained must entitle the holder to embark on doctoral studies without having to acquire any further qualifications. Researchers who have already obtained a doctoral degree are not eligible.

If you have any questions about your eligibility, we kindly urge you to contact the Marie Curie office in Utrecht before submitting your full application.

APPLICATION PROCEDURES:

Applications, in English, must include:

- The application form completed in all sections;

- A motivation letter in which the applicant explains clearly his/her

academic and personal reasons for entering the programme;

- A brief curriculum vitae, including language skills, and any publications;

- An outline of a proposal for a PhD project (max. 4 pages). This should be accompanied by a brief abstract;

- A copy of the student's previous academic record (courses) and diplomas.

If necessary, the candidate must provide a translation into English. This need not be an official translation;

- A copy of one or more written assignments, possibly in English, which may be relevant for admission to the programme;

- A photocopy of the candidates passport;

- Two sealed letters of recommendation with the referees full address.

DEADLINE:

The application form, motivation letter, CV and PhD proposal should be sent before August 12th 2005 as an email attachment (Word format) to the Utrecht office: gendergraduates@let.uu.nl A hard copy of all the documents should arrive by registered mail on August 12th 2005 at the latest at the Utrecht office:

Utrecht University

Marie Curie GenderGraduates Programme

Muntstraat 2A

3512 EV Utrecht

The Netherlands

The application form be can found on the website.

INFORMATION:

http://www.gendergraduates.org

gendergraduates@let.uu.nl

Application deadline: July 29, 2005

Part 1 in Lund, Sweden, 10 October - 4 November 2005 Part 2 in Kiev, Ukraine, 15-19 May 2006

The Regional Programme on Human Rights of Women is for the first time in 2005 arranged in two separate phases.

During the first phase of the programme, held in Lund, Sweden, participants will be requested to formulate, in writing, an individual plan of action identifying challenges in implementing international human rights standards in their home countries with a focus on a particular issue or area relevant to their respective institution or organisation.

Phase two of the programme will take place in Kiev, Ukraine and will follow up on the plans of action formulated during phase one. Phase two is organised in cooperation with the Institute of International Relations (IIR), at the Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University.

The following countries are invited to apply for the programme:

Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia and Montenegro (including Kosovo), Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan

Important information about the application process, please read before applying:

· Applications from other states than those mentioned above, will NOT be considered · There is a special application form that must be used when applying. You can download it from this site. (Only your CV will NOT be regarded as an application.) · Information brochures and application forms have been sent to Swedish Embassies/ Consulates in the invited countries · Application forms can be sent to the Raoul Wallenberg Institute either by fax, email or regular mail

More information

Website: http://www.rwi.lu.se/news/tempact/osshuwo05.shtml

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5 July 2005

The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) has released a 2005 report titled, "Human Rights in the OSCE Region: Europe, Central Asia and North America, Report 2005 (Events of 2004)." 

The report contains individual country sections addressing a range of human rights issues, available as Word documents here: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo (Serbia and Montenegro), Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro (Serbia and Montenegro), Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia (Serbia and Montenegro), Sweden, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uzbekistan.  The table of contents for the entire report (with links) can be viewed here.

Compiled from: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, "Human Rights in the OSCE Region: Europe, Central Asia and North America, Report 2005 (Events of 2004)," 27 June 2005.

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5 July 2005

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has released a report, "Data and Research on Human Trafficking: A Global Survey."  This report contains reviews of research on human trafficking by region, including a report on trafficking within and into Europe.  It also evaluates current research methods and makes suggestions for improvements in research on human trafficking.

The report is available here (PDF, 339 pgs).

Compiled from: International Organization for Migration, "IOM Publications Human trafficking, migration health, labor migration, information campaigns, humanitarian assistance."
International Organization for Migration, "Data and Research on Human Trafficking: A Global Survey," 2005.

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23 August 2005

In 2004, a study was conducted in Sweden "to describe and use the experience gained by antenatal-care midwives who routinely questioned pregnant women about personally experienced violence."  The study was comprised of five focus-groups with a total of 21 midwives of a city in south-central Sweden. Recognizing that violence against women is a "serious public health issue" and acknowledging the beneficial effect of screening pregnant women for abuse, this study set out to gather information about the method and frequency of screening by midwives.

The National Board of Health and Welfare provides midwives with standardized questions about psychosocial and physical risk factors. However, these guidelines do not include questioning about violence. Nonetheless, service providers are not limited to the guidelines issued and are able to adapt and interpret them as appropriate. As a result of a study conducted in 1997 and 1998 on physical and sexual abuse, one county "introduced questions about emotional, physical and sexual abuse as part of the regular psychosocial assessment." The midwives were given at least one day of training on domestic violence before conducting the revised assessments, which were be done twice during pregnancy and once after birth. In addition to questioning, each woman was to be given a resource card that provided information about available services.

In the focus groups, midwives indicated various perceived roles for themselves. They expressed a desire to raise awareness about the problem and provide information about services. They also wanted to "send the message to women that abuse is not shameful, that they are not alone, that midwives care about abused women," that they can talk about it and help is available. Despite the desire to help, the midwives identified a number of obstacles to completing the screening. There was an expressed need to establish rapport with the woman before asking the sensitive questions about abuse. Although instructed to ask the questions during three visits, the same confidential and trusting relationship kept midwives from asking the questions more than once, out of fear for conveying mistrust. Another significant obstacle was the presence of the spouse during the visits. While the midwives welcome and encourage the spouse to attend, his presence prevented them from asking the women questions about abuse. Other obstacles included lack of time and placing these questions as a low priority, oversight, and language difficulties. Some even indicated that preconceived notions about who may be a victim kept them from asking the questions.

The participants also discussed best practices and possible ways to improve the screening. They emphasised the importance of continued training and education about violence against women and about the services that are available to victims and to midwives that need advice about dealing with the victims. Suggestions were made to overcome the sensitive nature of the questions, such as reading them verbatim to make it more formal and tying the questions to related issues so that the questioning is more natural. To avoid the problem with the presence of the spouse, some recommended scheduling at least one visit with the woman alone, even insisting upon it if necessary. To help the midwives feel more comfortable about asking the questions, "many agreed that abuse assessment should be discussed at staff meetings at the clinics." The midwives were encouraged to use professional interpreters over the telephone if they did not share a common language. The study's conclusion stressed the need to make it a priority to screen all women. It also pointed out the "responsibility of the local health-care management ...to establish official policies and instructions relating to questioning and referral" and provide proper support for the practice.

Cited in: Kristina Stenson et al., "Midwives' Experiences of Routine Antenatal Questioning Relating to Men's Violence against Women," Midwifery, 5 January 2005.

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23 August 2005

Karl Roberts, a senior lecturer in forensic psychology at the University of Teeside, published the results of a study on indentifying predictive factors of physical violence in stalking by former romantic partners. The most common type of stalking involves former romantic partners.Dr. Roberts defined stalking as persistent, unwanted, fear-inducing attention, such as repeated phone calls, messages, face-to-face encounters, etc.  

The study cited a general frequency of violence toward stalking victims of 25% to 35%. The study indicates that the majority of the violence results in minor property or physical damage. Less than 2% of stalking victims are murdered by their stalker. The fear of violence has been found to cause significant harm to victims of stalking. Stalking by former romantic partners is significantly more likely to involve violence than stalking by strangers or acquaintances: the rate is more than 50%. 

In studying predictive factors for violence, Dr. Roberts surveyed victims of former partner stalking. Dr. Roberts found the following factors to be significant predictive indicators of stalking violence:

• Direct threats of physical violence made during the course of the stalking
• Perpetrator's abuse of nonprescription drugs, and
• Perpetrator's jealousy toward the victim's relationships with others

Direct threats were found to be the strongest predictor of physical violence.

Dr. Roberts also studied whether violence (physical, sexual, or emotional) during the course of the relationship was a significant predictor of stalking violence, but found no statisical connection.

Compiled from: Roberts, Karl A., "Women's Experience of Violence During Stalking by Former Romantic Partners: Factors Predictive of Stalking Violence" Violence Against Women Vol. 11 No. 1, January 2005.

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17 August 2005

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services team has released a Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking training video. This educational resource seeks to provide education about trafficking in persons, as well as identifying and helping victims. The video may be viewed online by clicking here.

To receive a copy, e-mail Lilianne Smith at lilianne.smith@ketchum.com. Limited copies are available and organizations are asked to limit requests to one additional copy. DVDs take at least two weeks for delivery.

Please visit the campaign website at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/ for updates. The website also includes the latest materials order form, including the child victims of trafficking and foreign language materials.

Compiled from: Rescue and Restore Training DVD Available Now! News Alert, Rescue and Restore Victims of Human Trafficking. 

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12 August 2005

Pediatrics, a journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, published a study titled "Violence and Sexually Transmitted Disease/HIV Testing and Diagnosis Among Adolescent Females."  The findings indicate that "[dating] violence victims are more likely to be tested for and diagnosed with an STD or HIV" than those who do not experience dating violence." One of the authors noted that a "staggering proportion of teenage girls [are] experiencing physical or sexual violence from dating partners." The study's findings are based on Youth Risk Behavior Surveys completed by ninth through twelvth grade female students in Massachusetts in 1999 and 2001.

The authors stress the need for additional research and outreach programs to address the problem. They encourage additional or more thorough screening for dating violence and suggest that medical professionals make information about dating violence available to all patients.

Cited in: "Teens Who Experience Dating Violence at Greater Risk for STDs," Family Violence Prevention Fund NewsFlash, 11 August 2005.

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2 August 2005

The purpose of the Chicago Women's Health Risk Study (CWHRS) was to get a "glimpse into abused women's reasons for not seeking particular interventions." All of the women "who entered one Chicago-area hospital and four community-based helath centers" in 1997 were screened for abuse, defined for the purpose of the study as "being physically hurt or threatened or being forced to engage in sexual activity."

The CWHRS conducted interviews with a total of 491 women who had been abused in the previous year and 208 women who had not been abused in the previous year. Of the 491 women who had been abused, forty-four percent (44%) had been abused four or more times during the previous year. Twenty-nine percent (29%) were abused once.

During the interview, participants were asked about four types of "help seeking" or "intervention," including informal conversation with friends or family, calling the police, going to the doctor, or seeking agency assitance or counseling. The women were asked if they had participated in any of the intervention and were then asked to state their reasons for not using any particular intervention.

At the conclusion of the study, the CWHRS noted some similar themes for all four types of intervention. For example, for every category of intervention there were women who stated that they did not seek that type of help because the abuse wasn't serious. Barriers, of various types, were also present for every form of intervention. For the formal interventions (the police, doctors and counselors), the barriers included partners preventing the victim from seeking assistence and logistical barriers, like lack of child care and transportation. In addition a lack of knowledge of resources created a barrier to seeking help from agencies and counselors. For the informal intervention, (talking to someone) forty-eight percent (48%) of the participants cited barriers and isolation reasons for not talking to someone about the abuse.

On the other hand, some reasons were found to be exclusive to one category of intervention. For example, women indicated fear of the consequences of calling the police, for themselves and for their abuser. They indicated concern about housing, immigration and child protective services if they contacted the police. This type of fear was not seen for the other forms of intervention.

Other reasons were cited by women for not seeking help, including a desire to protect their partner and/or continue their relationship, privacy, fear and lack of trust. After reviewing all of the data from the study, the CWHRS offered "three important implications for service providers and communities." They indicate the need to raise awareness about available resources for victims, the need to evaluate our current response systems to determine if they meet the needs of the victims and the need to stress victims' safety and their "right to self-determination." For each, the CWHRS offers suggestions for addressing these implications.

Cited from: Michelle Fugate et al., "Barriers to Domestic Violence Help Seeking," Violence Against Women Vol. 11 No. 3, March 2005.

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August 2, 2005

The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children conducted a study analyzing the rates of domestic violence reported during and after pregnancy. The report, published in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, found that the majority of women who reported victimization during pregnancy had been abused prior to pregnancy. The study also found that in the months following pregnancy a greater number of women reported abuse than during pregnancy. Because the study lacked data on the rates of domestic violence prior to pregnancy, researchers were unable to determine whether pregnancy itself carried a greater risk of violence.

Participating mothers received questionnaires at 18 weeks of gestation, 8 weeks, 8 months, 21 months and 33 months postpartum and were encouraged to answer the questions by themselves. The questionnaires included questions such as “your partner was physically cruel to you” or “your partner was emotionally cruel to you.” While 13,799 pregnant mothers with due dates between April 1991 and December 1992 agreed to participate, only 7,591 of the women managed to complete all five questionnaires.

The study found that a greater number of women reported receiving emotional or physical abuse from their intimate partner at 8 months and 33 months following pregnancy rather than during pregnancy.

Researchers also identified a number of family adversity factors and documented the impact these factors had on the prevalence of domestic violence. Such adversity factors included the age of the mother when her first child was born, inadequate housing, poor education, financial difficulty, lack of social or emotional support, partner cruelty, depression, substance abuse, and criminal history. The study found the number of adversities had a direct effect on the possibility that women would experience emotional or physical abuse during and after pregnancy; as the number of adversities increased so did the potential for abuse by the time the child reached 33 months. Overall, 1% of the participants reported domestic violence during pregnancy, and 3% reported domestic violence three years later.

Compiled from:  “Domestic violence risk during and after pregnancy: findings from a British longitudinal study.” BJOG, (August 2005).

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The Protection Project, a research institute based at the Foreign Policy Institute at The Johns Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies has released its  "2005 Human Rights Report on Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children" that examines the issue of human trafficking in countries around the world.
 
The individual country reports are broken into sections that cover trafficking routes, factors that contribute to trafficking, forms of trafficking, government responses, non-governmental and international organization responses, and multilateral initiatives.  Countries from Europe and Central Asia, Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, and North Africa and the Middle East are included. 

The reports are available online and can be viewed at:

http://www.protectionproject.org/main1.htm

Compiled from: “2005 Human Rights Report on Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children,” The Protection Project, 2005.

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United Nations, New York — A new report, released by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in anticipation of the 2005 World Summit, argues for closer attention to the role of women, particularly working poor women, in the informal economy, and the impact of this on efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals.

UNIFEM's report, Progress of the World's Women 2005: Women, Work and Poverty, is the third publication in a biennial series first introduced in 2000 to track and measure the world's commitments to gender equality. Taking its cue from the Millennium Declaration, adopted by world leaders in 2000, which recognizes the link between poverty and gender inequality, and notes the centrality of gender equality to efforts to combat poverty, hunger and to stimulate sustainable development, Progress 2005 makes the case that unless women's economic security is strengthened, progress towards these goals will be limited.

Within this context, the report looks at employment, especially informal employment, and the potential it has to either perpetuate or reduce poverty and gender inequality. It provides the latest data on the size and composition of the informal economy in different regions and compares official national data on average earnings and poverty risk across different segments of both the informal and formal workforces in several countries.

Informal employment, a widespread and persistent feature of today's global economy, accounts for 50 to 80 per cent of total non-agricultural employment in developing countries, with the percentage higher still if agriculture were included. In the developed world, self-employment, part-time and temporary work comprise about 20 to 30 per cent of total employment. Rather than informal work becoming formalized as economies grow, work is moving from formal to informal, from regulated to unregulated, with workers losing job security along with medical and other benefits, and working in conditions that are frequently unhealthy and unsafe.

Progress 2005 provides data which shows that informal employment is a significant source of employment for women in both developing and developed countries. In developing countries, 60 per cent or more of women workers are in informal employment (outside of agriculture). In developed countries, part-time and temporary wage employment and own account self-employment are a more important source of employment for women than for men.

Women also tend to be concentrated in the more precarious types of informal employment, where earnings are not only meagre but highly unreliable. The average earnings from these types of informal employment are too low, in the absence of other sources of income, to raise households out of poverty.

"The working poor, both men and women, make up a significant number of those in informal employment. However, the further down the chain of quality and security you go, the more women you find," said Noeleen Heyzer, executive director of UNIFEM. "Women generally earn less than men, have less access to quality jobs, and fewer opportunities for the education that could help them find better, safer means of income."

"Furthermore, the totality of women's work remains poorly understood and measured," she added. "In virtually all countries and traditions of the world, women still bear the primary responsibility for providing care, which impacts their ability to participate in the labour market. Unpaid care work in the household and community puts demands on women's time, posing constraints on the kind of employment they can take up, especially in the context of HIV/AIDS."

"Progress 2005 is based on the premise that decent work is fundamental to economic security and poverty reduction," said Martha Chen, coordinator of the global research-policy network Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO), and one of the co-authors of the report. "We have provided a cost-benefit analysis of informal work and a strategic framework for promoting decent work for the working poor, especially women, in the informal economy."

Four strategic priorities are recommended: increasing the assets, access and competitiveness of the working poor, both self-employed and wage-employed, in the informal economy; improving the terms of trade for the working poor, especially women, so they can compete more effectively in the global marketplace; securing appropriate legal and social protection and rights of informal workers; and ensuring that informal workers are visible and that the totality of their work — especially in the case of women — is valued and supported in policy-making. The starting point for meaningful policy decisions is to make women's informal work visible through gender-sensitive, disaggregated statistics on national labour forces for use in developing policy that focuses firmly on economic security and rights.

"There is a need to strengthen strategies to transform basic structures that perpetuate gender inequality, aligning the policies and rule-setting of international economic institutions with international women's human rights standards," stressed Heyzer. "Closing gender income gaps and ensuring safe and healthy working conditions for all must be a priority. Socially responsible corporations can lead the way in this."

Published in: "UNIFEM Report Calls for Increased Focus on Women's Informal Employment Efforts to Combat Poverty and Gender Inequality," UNIFEM, 31 August 2005.

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Secretary-General Releases Interim Report Regarding Study on Violence Against Women
By Res. 58/185, the UN General Assembly requested the Secretary-General “to conduct an in-depth study on all forms of violence against women” as identified in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and issue a report with recommendations that include preventive and rehabilitative measures to be considered for adoption by states. The Secretary-General released an interim report in August to summarize the progress that has been made and the plan that is in place for completing the final report.

The interim report discusses subsequent resolutions passed by the General Assembly, which address specific issues of violence against women and request the Secretary-General to submit the report on violence against women during the Assembly’s 60th session. The introduction to the interim report explains that various factors, including preparation by the Commission on the Status of Women for Beijing +10 and the “limited capacity of the Secretariat” have delayed the completion of the report. The study and the resulting report will be submitted during the sixty-first session of the General Assembly.

In the meantime, the interim report provides information about the status of the study. It indicates that the study is intended as a “vehicle for galvanizing attention to the issue” of violence against women and a way to “strengthen concerted action at the national and international levels.” The report lays out the context and the international law upon which the study is based and the method by which the study is being carried out. The study was commissioned to build on the efforts of national, international and non-governmental actors to document and combat violence against women. It is particularly aimed at documenting and understanding the types and the extent of violence against women in all areas of the world.

The study will shed light on the pervasiveness of violence against women and will expose where there are gaps in the existing data. It will include information about the causes, consequences and costs of the violence and offer strategies for overcoming obstacles that currently prevent the elimination of such violence. Best practices of various actors will be highlighted and can be used as models to achieve effective implementation of the commitments that governments have already made by signing and ratifying various international texts. The study will review the existing human rights framework to determine the responsibilities of States “to prevent, investigate and punish acts of violence against women, whether those acts are perpetrated by the State or by private persons, as well as to provide remedies for victims.”

The preparation of the study has entailed the participation of UN entities, UN Member States, non-governmental organizations and others, as well as the creation of two consultative mechanisms, a Task Force and an advisory committee. The Task Force “serves as the main conduit for information exchange and for channeling information, comments and suggestions to the Secretariat.” The advisory committee is made up of 10 experts on violence against women who provide guidance and advice regarding the preparation of the study. Information has been gathered from numerous sources within the UN system, including from the treaty bodies, the Commission on Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women and many others.

To conclude the study, there will be additional briefings, consultations and workshops targeted at “all interested stakeholders” in an attempt to strengthen their commitment to wholeheartedly accept and act upon the final report when it is released. Although “[a]n extensive framework of standards and norms to combat violence against women exists... such violence persists in epidemic proportions in all parts of the world, and new forms of violence against women emerge.”   It is imperative for stakeholders to become accountable for change. The interim report explains the hope that active involvement during the preparation of the study will lead to effective action.

A preliminary outline of the study is available in the Annex to the interim report.

Compiled from: "Violence Against Women: Report of the Secretary-General," United Nations (A/60/211),  10 August 2005.

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WUNRN Introduces Comprehensive Listserv for Women's Human Rights Issues
WUNRN, the Women’s UN Report Network is requesting academic papers, research, reference materials, fact sheets and news releases on women and girls in all countries in an effort to spotlight issues that largely go unnoticed. WUNRN’s list-serv shares information with other branches of the UN, large human rights organizations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas and local grass roots organizations. Specifically, WUNRN seeks information on women’s education, health, gender economics, violence against women and girls, equality and discrimination, the role of women in the peace process and development, and the impact of traditions, culture, religions and belief on the status of women.

For more information, please visit WUNRN’s website here.

Compiled from: “WUNRN Calls for Information, Issues, on Women and Girls of All Countries,” The Women’s UN Network (2005).

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ESCR-Net Introduces On-line Resource for Women's Land Rights Issues
ESCR-Net, the International Network for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights, has begun to compile resources and reports on women’s land rights in an effort to support further discussion, information sharing and collective work between women’s rights organizations. Currently, ESCR-Net provides on-line links to brochures, toolkits, articles and reports on Women’s Housing Rights, Gender-Based Violence, and International Agreements. ESCR-Net welcomes additional materials and comments be sent to the Women and ESCR Discussion Group at ESCR-FEM@yahoogroups.com .

Compiled from: “Resources Related to Women’s Land Rights,” ESCR-Net. (2005).

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New Guide on Domestic Violence for Students and Faculty in Health Care Professions

The Family Violence Prevention Fund’s National Health Resource Center on Domestic Violence has released A Domestic Violence Campus Organizing Guide for Health Professional Students and Faculty.  The guide is a new resource to help students and faculty organize various aspects of domestic violence issues.  A goal of the guide is to help the health care community combat violence and assist victims.  The guide includes examples of successful student efforts to improve the health care system's response to domestic violence issues, as well as a Domestic Violence Assessment Guide and an extensive list of resources and referrals.

The guide is available here. 

Compiled from:

Helping the Next Generation of Health Professionals Address Domestic Violence, News Flash, October 27, 2005.

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UN Committee Publishes "Guidelines for Gender-based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Settings"
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee, a UN body that brings together UN and non-UN agencies to formulate humanitarian policy, published "Guidelines for Gender-based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Settings - Focusing on Prevention of and Response to Sexual Violence in Emergencies." Academic institutions, NGOs and UN agencies collaborated to establish an appropriate response to the use of sexual violence as a tool of war. The guidelines that they created address prevention and intervention of sexual violence as well as practical recommendations for treating victims of the sexual violence and ensuring their safety. The guidelines are broken down into specific tasks and are offered as a tool for humanitarian organizations working at local, national and international levels. Included among the guidelines are recommendations that address food security and nutrition, safe shelter and health care. Other guidelines focus on the need for coordination mechanisms, "rapid situation analysis" and security strategies.

These guidelines "will be field-tested in 2005-2006," and then a final version will be released in 2006.

Compiled from:
"Guidelines for Gender-based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Settings - Focusing on Prevention of and Response to Sexual Violence in Emergencies," Inter-Agency Standing Committee, September 2005.

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Website Offers Battered Mothers an Additional Resource
Battered Mothers Resource Fund, Inc. (BMRF) is a U.S. nonprofit tax-exempt organization dedicated to assisting battered mothers and their children in finding safe haven and community resources to help them make a fresh start.

BMRF operates a toll free hotline 1-866-592-7870.  The hotline is staffed by volunteers, who provide referrals to domestic violence shelters and other community services available for women and their children in all 50 states of the U.S.  An extensive resource database is maintained and utilized by hotline.

The website also supports a “Grants to Shelters” program.  This program provides pre-approved shelters with cash and/or store vouchers to assist women and children with obtaining food, housing, clothes, shoes, school supplies, etc.

Battered Mothers Resource Fund, Inc.
P.O. Box 7166, Columbia, MO 65205
Call Toll-Free: 866-592-7870

helpinfo@batteredmothers

Compiled from:  Battered Mothers Resource Fund, accessed on November 2, 2005.

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Report Released on Sexual Abuse and Exploitation by UN Peacekeepers

On Tuesday October 17, 2005, Refugees International released a report titled “Must Boys Be Boys? Ending Sexual Exploitation & Abuse in UN Peacekeeping Missions.”  The report details that a “boys will be boys” attitude among UN Peacekeepers permits and tolerates the sexual exploitation and abuse of local women.  The report assessed, “This attitude is slowly changing, but the UN must go beyond rhetoric and ensure that the resources needed to change this culture are available.”

Knowledge of an existing problem of UN peacekeeper abuse of power is not new.  There has been significant attention on the matter particularly since the 2004 exposure of sexual exploitation of women in the Congo.  In the Congo, allegations of sexual exploitation extended to females as young as 12 years old.  Sex has been exchanged for food, money, and jobs.  Allegations of sexual abuse have been made in each of the UN’s peacekeeping missions over the past 15 years.

The UN has acknowledged the problem in its own report published in March 2005.  The report included recommendations on change to better the situation.  Since August, the UN has implemented specific units within peacekeeping missions that oversee the training of peacekeeping personal in the understanding of what constitutes sexual abuse and exploitation.  These units are also set up to receive, review, and forward complaints of abuse.

Sarah Martin, the author of the Refugees International report, attributes the problem of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers to gender inequality.  She states, “These problems will persist until the root causes are addressed: the inequity between men and women.”  Recommendations put forward by Martin include the establishment of micro-finance and income-generating projects focused on women.  Such efforts at empowering women would help chip away at inequality.

The full report can be accessed here.

Compiled from:

Bojana Stoparic, Report Says Abuse by U.N.'s Blue-Helmets Persists, Women's eNews, October 18, 2005.

Report Charges that UN Soldiers Covering Up Sexual Exploitation, Rape and Abuse, LifeSite, October 20, 2005.

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Identifying and Criminalizing Strangulation
Approximately one in five battered women are strangled, and when the victim survives, the strangulation is often left undetected and unpunished. Recognizing the danger it posed to battered women, advocates set out to identify the symptoms of strangulation and to encourage legislatures to enact legislation criminalizing it. Six states currently have a felony strangulation law, including Idaho, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina and Oklahoma. In other states, prosecutors must use misdemeanor assault laws, which carry light penalties compared to the potentially deadly crime.

Because physical injuries are often absent or overlooked, strangulation has often been a difficult crime to prosecute. But, in the 1990s, a team of law enforcement leaders in San Diego reviewed the medical examinations of 300 strangulation survivors to identify common symptoms. George McClane, a forensic medical examiner, and Gael Strack, a former assistant district attorney who is now the executive director of the San Diego Family Justice Center, published the results of the study. The results can be used by police to determine when a mandatory arrest is appropriate and by prosecutors to gather evidence for prosecution. The symptoms listed include faint pressure marks behind the ears, a raspy voice, bloodshot eyes from burst blood vessels, involuntary urination or defecation, and difficulty breathing or swallowing. Even where physical evidence is seemingly absent, medical personnel can use equipment to look for bruising or swelling of the throat and for bleeding in the eyes.

McClane notes that strangulation is an intentional act that is a serious crime, distinguished from choking, which is "an accident that happens when food becomes lodged in the windpipe." Strangulation can kill immediately, or it can kill hours or days after the event. It can also cause brain damage. Reports of strangulation must be taken seriously by first responders, police, medical personnel, advocates and prosecutors, and victims must be made aware of the danger that it presents.

Compiled from: Tessier, Marie, "Responders Learn to Spot Signs of Strangulation," Womens eNews, 19 December 2005.

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New Book on Women Activists, "Rising up in Response"
Women activists are at the forefront of humanitarian action around the world. They are in the midst of the conflict before the international community arrives, and they remain after the international community has gone. The book, "Rising Up in Response: Women's Rights Activism in Conflict," documents the activities of women activists around the world, including current mechanisms used to address violence. It also identifies barriers to activism. The author offers recommendations for sustaining current efforts and improving mechanisms that prevent and address violence.

The study that preceded the publication of the book was a response to UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which noted the absence of data about women's experience and response to armed conflict. The study sought to examine women's activism in response to armed conflict. The data that was gathered provides valuable information about the vital contribution of women and offers recommendations to the international community to foster this contribution and encourage their response, by providing women with the equipment and information that they need to rise up.

The book was written by Jane Barry and is a project of the Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights (UAF), an independent nonprofit organization that promotes women's human rights.

The book is downloadable free of charge on the UAF website.

Compiled from: "Rising Up in Response," NEWW - Polska, 23 November 2005.

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WHO Launches Its First Global Study on Domestic Violence Against Women
Domestic Violence and sexual violence against women are "common, widespread and far-reaching," says a World Health Organization (WHO) report released Thursday November 24, 2005. 

Domestic violence appears to be one of the top abuses against women worldwide, according to a new "WHO Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence Against Women" that surveyed 24,000 women in 10 countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, Japan, Namibia, Peru, Samoa, Serbia and Montenegro, Thailand and Tanzania. 

Report findings document the prevalence of intimate partner violence and its association with women's physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health. Data is included on non-partner violence, sexual abuse during childhood and forced first sexual experience. Information is also provided on women’s responses: Whom do women turn to and whom do they tell about the violence in their lives? Do they leave or fight back? Which services do they use and what response do they get?  The report concludes with 15 recommendations to strengthen national commitment and action on violence against women.

“Violence against women is the most pervasive violation of human rights, occurring every day, in every country and every region, regardless of income or level of development,” UNIFEM Executive Director Noeleen Heyzer said, citing the WHO report estimate that nearly one in four women will be raped, beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime, sometimes with fatal consequences.

She called for three major actions to break “this vicious cycle” of violence: countries must pass and enforce laws to deter acts of violence against women and reduce the spread of HIV; women who have suffered abuse must speak out to break the culture of shame and stigma; and awareness must be raised on the links between violence against women and HIV/AIDS, especially by the media.

In the USA, about 1.5 million women a year are assualted by a husband or boyfriend; about one in six women have been sexually assaulted some time in their life, accroding to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Compiled from:
UN calls for Strong Action to Eliminate Violence Against Women, UN News Center, November 28, 2005. 

Dan Vergano, Violence against women is global, USA TODAY, November 24, 2005.

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EU Reports on Progress of Acceding, Potential and Candidate Countries
On Wednesday November 9, 2005, the European Commission issued status reports for the EU the acceding countries of Bulgaria and Romania, the candidate states of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro and Turkey as well as the potential candidate country of Macedonia. Each report discusses the progress the country has made toward accession goals, including those that address women's rights.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria is recognized as a country of origin and transit for victims of human trafficking, primarily for sexual exploitation. The protections currently available for victims of trafficking are inadequate, but in September 2005, implementing rules were adopted for the law creating the witness protection program. In February 2005, the government created a National Plan to combat trafficking, including efforts to improve resources and services for victims, implement better legislation and raise awareness about the issue.

Bulgaria has met most of the requirements established in its negotiating agreement regarding the equal treatment of men and women, but additional progress in this area is needed in the legal structure. It is on track to implement this acquis.

Romania

Romania is a country of origin, transit and destination for victims of trafficking, most of whom are sexually exploited. The country has a National Action Plan, but the Commission notes that it has had a limited impact. A National Office for Trafficking Prevention and Victim Monitoring was established in September 2004 and in January 2005, a law protecting victims entered into force. By March, a standardized form was being used to track victims and in July 2005, the government decided to allow trafficking victims to remain in the country for 90 days to "recover, free themselves of the influence of the traffickers and decide whether to cooperate with the Romanian authorities." (Progress Report for Romania) There are still improvements that need to made regarding program funding and victim assistance.

Romania has met the requirements set forth in their accession negotiations regarding equal treatment of men and women and is on track to implement this acquis.

Macedonia

The Commission recognized Macedonia's efforts to combat trafficking in human beings with the criminalization of trafficking and smuggling and the adoption of the trafficking protocols of the UN Convention against Trans-National Organized Crime. The country also established a National Commission and a National Program to combat human trafficking that is in accord with international standards.The Commission noted the need for cooperation on a common strategy to combat trafficking in the region.

The Commission also noted that Macedonia amended the Law on Family and the Criminal Code to more effectively address domestic violence, but that implementation and impact have not yet been realized. The Commission calls for strengthened domestic violence, sexual harassment and rape laws.

Croatia

The Commission noted that there is little to report regarding gender equality in the labor force. As to equal opportunities, Croatian laws still tend to overprotect women, disallowing work in certain areas and at certain times and legal changes must be made.

Croatia has criminalized trafficking in human beings and no problems have been reported regarding implementation.

Turkey

In this 2005 report, the Commission called attention to its 2004 report, in which it recognized Turkey's legislative progress in the way of human rights and political reform, but expressed the need to broaden and implement the changes. Included in this change was women's rights. Since that time, the Parliament has created a Committee on Violence against Women and Children, which will focus on the elimination of honor killings. Overall however, Turkey has made little progress in the way of women's rights. The Commission notes that domestic violence, honor killings, a high illiteracy rate and low civic participation and low participation in the labor market remain in force and the implementation of the laws noted above is inadequate. All of these factors result in discrimination against women.

Physical and psychological violence is still prevalent in families, and sexual abuse, forced marriage, polygamy, and trafficking are also still reported. Turkey is combatting trafficking in human beings with an anti-trafficking information campaign, an emergency hotline for victims, training of professionals who deal with victims and a repatriation program. One shelter has opened for victims of trafficking and some victims have received humanitarian parole to remain in the country.

Turkey's Parliament issues a Report on Women's Rights and Gender Equality however, and in November 2004, a law establishing the Directorate General on the Status of Women entered into effect. In 2005, it launched a campaign to raise awareness about violence against women. An Advisory Board on the Status of Women, comprising representatives from various ministries and from academic institutions and NGOs, was created in August 2005 to develop a plan for implementing the state's policies regarding the status of women.

To effect change, the European Commission calls on Turkey to: gather statistical data; establish an effective monitoring system for victims of domestic violence; implement the legislative amendments; and provide training to law enforcement officers, health care and social workers, and the judiciary; and improve the resources that are available to victims. The Commission acknowledges that Turkey as increased the number of women's shelters, but notes that there is a need for a greater number of shelters that are provided with financial and technical support. In addition, the Commission notes the efforts of Turkey to bring the shelters in line with international standards, including standards relating to confidentiality.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia accepted the Beijing Platform for Action and is implementing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. In 1993, the country enacted a Law on Gender Equality and it now has an Agency for Gender Equality as well as two Entity Gender Centers. Practice currently lags behind the legislation however and domestic violence, often unreported, is still a problem as is trafficking in human beings. Women from are often trafficked from and through Bosnia and Herzegovina to countries in western Europe. Since 2003, trafficking in humans has been defined as a major crime in the criminal code . In June 1994 a by-law on the Protection of Victims of Trafficking entered into force and in April 2005, a National Action Plan was adopted to combat trafficking for the years 2005 to 2007. Support has been provided to NGOs providing shelter, but overall, protection of victims remains inadequate.

Kosovo

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination is directly applicable in Kosovo. Gender inequality is seen through Kosovo's society, including in employment, where women are disproportionately represented in unemployment figures and earn less than men. Domestic violence and human trafficking are still serious problems that Kosovo must address. In 2004, Kosovo did pass an anti-discrimination law and a law on gender equality and there is a regulation prohibiting domestic violence and trafficking. The government adopted an Action Plan on the Achievement of Gender Equality in 2004 and in 2005, the Office of Gender Equality was established. The goverment also adopted an Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in May 2005 and organized a working group to carry out the plan. The government installed gender officers in every ministry and created an inter-ministerial working group on gender equality. There are also gender equality committees at the municipal level. Despite all of these changes, the Assembly continues to pass discriminatory laws and because of a lack of resources and skill, the laws that should protect against gender inequality are not being implemented.

Serbia and Montenegro

Serbia does not have an anti-discrimination law but it is a signatory to the relevant international anti-discrimination instruments. It is still working on developing coordinated a coordinated action plan for gender equality. The Councils on Gender Equality have made little progress. Domestic violence is of particular concern in Serbia and trafficking is a problem in Montenegro. National teams working to combat trafficking must strengthen their efforts and improve cooperation. Serbia has a call center and a shelter for victims of trafficking and legislation in both Serbia and Montenegro differentiates between smuggling immigrants and human trafficking.

Compiled from: Mark Beunderman, High Stakes for Turkey and Macedonia in EU Reports, EU Observer, 8 November 2005;
Bulgaria 2005 Comprehensive Monitoring Report, European Commission, 9 November 2005 (PDF, 88 pages);
Romania 2005 Comprehensive Monitoring Report, European Commission, 9 November 2005 (PDF, 102 pages);
Croatia 2005 Progress Report, European Commission, 9 November 2005 (PDF, 117 pages);
Turkey 2005 Progress Report, European Commission, 9 November 2005 (PDF, 146 pages);
Analytical Report for the Opinion on the application from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia for EU membership, European Commission. 9 November 2005 (PDF, 142 pages);
Bosnia and Herzegovina 2005 Progress Report, European Commission, 9 November 2005 (PDF, 76 pages);
Kosovo 2005 Progress Report, European Commission, 9 November 2005 (PDF, 63 pages);
Serbia and Montenegro 2005 Progress Report, European Commission, 9 November 2005 (PDF, 62 pages).

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