"It happened abroad," says Martina, a 29-year-old trafficking victim from Zagreb. "I was sold for 3,500 euros [$4,400]. I was beaten, raped, forced against my will. They would put out cigarette butts on me and cut me with razors.

It was like a horror movie, she says. Martina was 19 years old at that time, trained as a cook. She lived in the suburbs of Zagreb and desired a better job and a better life. She met a young man who told her about his brother who had a restaurant in Italy, but who had a hard time finding good employees.

"He told me that if I really wanted to work I could come with him, but that if I did not intend to pursue work there I could be back in Croatia in three days," Martina said. "It sounded rather convincing. Given that my life had been miserable since I was born -- my father was an alcoholic and my mother ill -- I went there without a second thought.

"As soon as I arrived and as soon as he brought me to his apartment, everything started. He told me there was no work and that I had crossed the border in order to work as a prostitute, that he had paid a ton of money for me and that he will come for me in three days, and that I had to be ready by then," she continued. "I told him to get his mother ready instead, and then he hit me on the head with his fist. Since we were in the kitchen I turned around and struck him with a pot. Naturally, I was no match for him physically. He beat and raped me constantly for three days, to the point where I was lying in blood and urine while tied to a bed. He then brought two of his friends who raped me, put out cigarette butts on me, and cut me with razors."

Martina was locked in a Rome apartment for two months. Instead of working in a restaurant, she was beaten and raped daily until she was "broken" and had become a sexual slave. Then, she says, the man who bought her took her out to the street.

"That man was from Bosnia," she said. "We found in his apartment four passports and another girl from Croatia who was also a mother of three. That was a complete horror. They beat me endlessly. A girl of 16 from Albania almost bled to death in my arms because they had pushed a car antenna into her vagina. A girl from Bosnia was found dead. That is when I completely broke down."

She said she had been completely dulled, as if separated from her own body. Even when there was a chance of escape she remained a prostitute.

"There was no way for me to be freed from what had happened to me," Martina said. "I endured this for six years. I went to the street with prostitutes, not in order to work, but to see the people who come to them and who force them to do this. Then I would throw a bottle of gasoline on their car or puncture their tires. I didn't care what would happen. I did one or three customers -- I didn't care. I didn't look at those people."

Martina was a typical, vulnerable young woman without steady employment or family support. Nobody wondered about her disappearance. After all, even her own father beat her from a very young age. Sadly, that experience prepared her for what she endured in Rome.

"I rehearsed this since I was six," Martina said. "I recited 'The Pit,' a poem by Ivan Goran Kovacic, persistently to myself as my father beat me with roots from the vineyard or his military belt, as he would throw me against a wall or door, or kick me with his military boots. That was my defense. That is how I distanced myself. Although I would bleed, having been burnt all over with cigarette butts, I would distance myself from all that."

Today, Martina is 29 years old. She lives in Zagreb and has a 7-year-old son. She is still undergoing therapy.

"I started to work on a regular job in Zagreb," she said. "However, since I'm not psychologically strong I break down very easily. The owner once pinched me on my behind. I hit him with a frying pan and called his wife. I left. But one cup of coffee saved my life. I was already looking out the window and thinking about jumping."

Martina was offered that cup of coffee by activists from the Center for Sexual Rights/Women's Room and the Center for Women Victims of War (ROSA). For the first time in her life, she says, somebody approached her without scorn.

"If it weren't for them, I don't know how our life would have continued, the life of all of us who were tortured, mistreated, sold in different ways," she said. "We can reach a particular point on our own, and when we cannot go any further we all need a ferry, a crossing, a helping hand, somebody's smile."

Martina entered a program of psychological help and therapy provided by the nongovernmental women's union. She works from time to time cleaning apartments for the elderly.

"Now I'm cleaning grannies' apartments," she said. "I drink coffee with them and call them my well of wisdom. With their help, you can go back and remember some of the good roots of life. My life currently consists of women from the center and my son."

Still, Martina cannot forget what she endured.

"Even today, when I see gestures by some people, certain motions that remind me of that life, I immediately break down and want to jump at them," she said. "With the help of women from the center, I learned to control myself pretty well."

She claims the general public isn't even aware of the extent of trafficking in women in Croatia and the extent to which that business is blossoming, under the guise of legitimate activities.

"This business has been developed in Croatia precisely and efficiently," Martina said. "A woman with a university degree can end up in a miniskirt on the street just like a woman from the country. It doesn't matter whether it is a bar, a shop, an office, whatever. They keep their tentacled octopuses on every corner."

(Ankica Barbir Mladinovic, translated by Naida Skrbic)

Copyright (c) 2006. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org

Published in: Croatian Human Trafficking Victim Talks to RFE/RL, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, www.rferl.org, 26 July 2006.

This special collection of ''Human Rights Quarterly'' articles brings together in a single volume nineteen of the most compelling articles written on women's human rights issues.

This reader focuses specifically on the challenges that women face and the efforts by individuals and organizations alike to ensure the protection of women under international law. The articles are organized into five sections that discuss the history and evolution of women's human rights, religion, violence, economic rights, and reproductive rights. The essays address such topics as the rights of Middle Eastern women, rape camps in the former Yugoslavia, and abortion law in Ireland.

For more information and to order please go to: http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title_pages/9066.html

Published in: AWID Resource Net Announcements, Association for Women's Rights in Development, 26 July 2006.

On June 30, the marshals service notified the Air Force that they would not carry out the arrest warrant for Jessica Brakey’s therapist in a military sexual assault case.  Jessica Brakey was one of several women to recently come forward about sexual assault in the military.  The decision was a positive stroke for victim advocates.  Brakey alleges she was sexual assaulted by a superior officer while at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.  Her case not only raised issues about sexual assault in the military, but also about the extent of counselor-client privilege.  Air Force judge David Brash ordered Brakey’s counselor to turn over documents regarding Brakey’s therapy without the defense adequately demonstrating a need for the information, according to Brakey’s attorney. 

Sexual assault in the military has become an increasing concern for victim providers as well as the Pentagon.  Twenty-eight percent of female veterans have reported suffering from Military Sexual Trauma (MST) during their career.  Due to the hierarchical nature of the military, sexual assault is more prevalent.  Women, as in Brakey’s case, are hesitant to say no to a superior officer because they are so accustomed to following orders in the military.  Further, the military has not been adequately responding to sexual assault claims, at times ignoring or even punishing victims.  Sexual assaults are handled entirely within the military, presenting an inherent conflict for responding officers between the desire to do justice and the responsibility to maintain morale and protect their troops. 

Brakey’s case also brought up the issue of counselor-client privilege.  In the military, like in federal law, client privilege is protected unless the defendant can illustrate the need for privileged documents in order to ensure a fair trial.  In Brakey’s case, the judge ordered her counselor to turn over documents without such a showing.  Brakey’s counselor refused and an arrest warrant was issued.  In sexual assault cases, counselor-client privilege is tantamount.  According to Joan Zorza, a Washington, D.C. attorney who is editor of the newsletter “Sexual Assault Report,” “it is common for counseling records to reflect victims’ self-doubt and even self-blame when they've been raped.” (Therapist… citing Zorza).  Zorza further explains in acquaintance rape cases, victims engage in justifying the rapist’s behavior because they do not want to admit they have been raped.  Thus, protecting these documents prevents the defense from putting the victim on trial and offering a defense to the accused.  The decision in Brakey’s case sent the message to the military that they, too, must respect counselor-client privilege and take sexual assault seriously.

Compiled from: Marie Tessier, Therapist Spared Arrest in Air Force Rape Case, Women’s eNews, 24 July 2006; Marie Tessier, Privacy Skirmish Clouds Military Rape Case, Women’s eNews, 6 June 2005; Marie Tessier, Sexual Assault Pervasive in Military, Experts Say, Women’s eNews, 3 March 2003.

Compiled from: ASTRA,  http://www.astra.org.yu/global/index_bottom.php?page=vest42  (accessed 25 July 2006).

Compiled from: Human Rights Tools, http://www.humanrightstools.org/ (accessed 24 July 2006).

Greece has one of the lowest fertility rates in the European Union. The demand for these babies is created in part by couples who wait too long to have children. The adoption process in the country is long and complicated. Illegal trafficking of infants is an established process that involves not only traffickers, but also other professionals, such as lawyers and doctors.

Bulgaria criminalized baby trafficking in 2004 with a maximum punishment of two years in prison. Since then, police have launched up to eight major investigations nationwide. They are achieving some success, but are also dependent on victims for their knowledge and tips. The Greek police have also had successes in raids carried out in the country freeing pregnant women from their containment.

A video of the BBC program can be viewed at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/help/3681938.stm

Compiled from: Bulgarian Babies for Sale, Richard Galpin, BBC News, 18 July 2006. 18 July 2006, accessed 24 July 2006.

The website is one of many wikis that have been created recently. The uniqueness of this site is that it allows anyone to edit and update it. INSTRAW sees this as an essential way to keep people up-to-date on gender trainings throughout the world. Websites are often difficult to keep updated, but this wiki will allow anyone involved to update information relevant to them. With the growing amount of information regarding gender training, this wiki seeks to alleviate the difficulty organizations face in keeping a website current with the latest information and publications. Find out more about wikis here.

Amankurban Amanklychev was detained on 16 June and Ogulsapar Muradova and Sapardurdy Khajiev on 18 June, according to Human Rights Watch. They were arrested on charges of trying to destabilise the energy-rich nation.

Tajigul Begmedova, head of the Bulgarian-based Turkmenistan Helsinki Foundation (THF), said the international community had to put more pressure on the Turkmen government to release them.
"The main motive behind their detention is a clampdown on any dissent in the country. What better way to demonstrate that than by arresting human rights activists and a journalist?" he said.
"All charges against them were proven groundless and unjustifiable the day they were arrested."

The trio were associated with THF, which reports on human rights conditions in the country, while Muradova was also a journalist for the Prague-based Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
Begmedova’s comments came two days after a coalition of human rights groups sent an open letter to Saparmurat Niyazov, the Turkmen president, calling on his government to release the activists.

The letter, signed by nine groups including Amnesty International, HRW, the International Helsinki Federation (IHF) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said it believed the trio were at risk of torture.

"The accusations against them are groundless and politically motivated to stifle and discredit peaceful dissent. We urge you to ensure their unconditional and immediate release," the letter read.

The letter alleged that the detainees had been mistreated in custody, with drugs administered to Amanklychev and Muradova to get them to confess to "subversive activities".

"As a party to the United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Turkmenistan is obligated to ensure that no one is subjected to torture or other ill-treatment. The detainees' continued incommunicado detention heightens our fear for their safety," the letter said.

Niyazov, the former Communist leader, has single-handedly ruled the hermit state following the collapse of the former Soviet Union in 1991. He has demonstrated little tolerance for dissent, with most journalists and opposition activists jailed or forced into exile.

This article does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies.

Published in: “TURKMENISTAN: Rights Group Reiterates Call for Release of Activists,” UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 20 July 2006. www.IRINnews.org. 24 July 2006.

This article does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations or its agencies.

Published in:  “UZBEKISTAN: No end to crackdown on Western NGOs,” UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 21 July 2006. www.IRINnews.org. 24 July 2006. 

IWTC has produced two sets of prototype radio programs about UNSCR 1325 in partnership with community broadcasters in the Philippines and Uganda. The first set was dubbed and broadcast in English and Filipino for an audience in the Philippines and other parts of Asia. The second set was made available in English, Luganda and Swahili for listeners in Uganda and other conflict-affected countries in Africa.

These radio productions are the first in a series of IWTC productions that aim to raise awareness about the varied aspects of SCR 1325 including the National Action Plans on SCR 1325 as well as other international conventions and legal mechanisms relevant to women in conflict situations. Further, they represent IWTC's efforts to develop a core group of broadcasters, print journalists and other media practitioners who will ensure a sustained flow of information about SCR 1325, other legal mechanisms and how they can be used to protect and promote women's rights.

All radio productions are now being aired a number of community radio stations in Asia and Africa. Below are the scripts that have been used in the radio productions in Asia and Africa.

In 2006, IWTC plans to produce new local language radio programs related to women, peace and security and translate the existing ones for dissemination to a larger audience. Preparations are now underway for the radio productions in Liberia in June 2006.

For more information please go to: http://www.iwtc.org/2983/index.html.

Published in: AWID Resource Net Announcements, Association for Women's Rights in Development, 19 July 2006.

Based on analysis of the World Bank and other donors for post-conflict reconstruction (PCR) loans and grants from rights-based, macroeconomic and microeconomic perspectives, we conclude that few PCR projects identify or address gender discrimination issues. Bank PCR investments hardly reflect Bank research recognizing that gender inequality increases the likelihood of conflict and gender equality is central to development and peace. Our conceptual framework examining women's programmes, gender mainstreaming, and gender roles in transforming violent into peaceful societies, leads to recommending that PCR projects systematically address gender issues and promote gender equality to make peace work.

To download the paper please go to: http://www.wider.unu.edu/publications/rps/rps2006/rp2006-62.pdf.

Published in: AWID Resource Net Announcements, Association for Women's Rights in Development, 19 July 2006.

Turkey strengthened its penal code last year by removing “honor” as a mitigating factor in honor killing cases, which has led to an increased punishment for perpetrators up to a life sentence. This is just one instance in which the European Union has shown its commitment to combating violence against women. An EU Commission envoy has also called for non-government organizations to join an EU program committed to ending violence against women.

Compiled from: Turkey Must Get Tough on Violence Against Women-EU, Reuters 10 July 2006, accessed 18 July 2006.

The article focuses on cases in the city of Batman, a town in the Southeast region of Turkey where every few weeks a young girl attempts suicide. Of the 165 suicides and suicide attempts in the city over the past six years, 102 of them have been by women. The United Nations sent a special envoy to the area to investigate the situation. The investigation concluded that not all of the suicides were authentic; some were honor killings in disguise.

Ka-Mer, a local women’s group, has become a resource for women whose lives are in danger. The organization has a hot line open to women, helps them find new housing, and aids in the process of applying for restraining orders to protect them from their threatening relatives.

Compiled from: “How to Avoid Honor Killing in Turkey? Honor Suicide.” New York Times 16 July 2006, accessed 18 July 2006.

Georgian law is strict on bride-kidnapping. The criminal code covering “crimes against human rights and freedoms” stipulates a sentence of between four and twelve years imprisonment for the offense. However, the vast majority of bride-kidnapping cases are not reported and fewer still are prosecuted. The practice is so engrained within society that many abducted brides do not even view their kidnapping as a crime. Women’s rights organizations are working to change traditional attitudes and gender stereotypes in the country in the hopes that the future generations of Georgians will view the practice as violation and a remnant of the past.  

Compiled from: Gulo Kokhodze and Tamuna Uchidze, "Bride Theft Rampant in Southern Georgia," Gender Information Network, 15 June 2006. Accessed 18 July 2006.

The report notes the challenges faced by working women, including poorly enforced anti-discrimination employment laws; the lack of unemployment insurance and health care coverage; an inadequate minimum wage that forces many families below the poverty line; and the lack of government-provided family supports that are common to other developed nations.

Women’s vulnerability under current asylum laws is also given significant consideration in the report. It calls on the U.S. government to recognize gender-based persecution as grounds for asylum and to consider sexual violence (or fear of sexual violence) as a viable defense. An unwillingness to do so disregards the particular vulnerabilities women face as a result of their sex and stringent U.S. asylum policies disproportionately penalize women.

The report also calls attention to the treatment of women in prisons, particularly the practice of shackling pregnant women on the way to the hospital and throughout the birthing process. Furthermore, women’s reproductive rights are often ignored while incarcerated and access to abortion is denied.

The report takes issue with the handling of sex education as well, criticizing the recent U.S. focus on abstinence-only education. It claims that abstinence-only curriculums censor accurate and practical information about contraception and sexuality, stigmatize sexual conduct outside of heterosexual marriage, perpetuate damaging sexual stereotypes, and generally impede the ability of young women to avoid pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

The report provides recommendations in all of these areas for how the United States should tailor policies and practices to better comply with the gender equality and women’s rights provisions of the ICCPR.  

Compiled from: "Report on Women's Human Rights in the United States Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: In Response to the Second and Third Periodic Report of the United States of America," Human Rights Advocates International (New York), International Gender Organization, International Women’s Human Rights Law Clinic, International Women’s Rights Action Watch, Legal Momentum, MASSCEDAW, The Advocates for Human Rights, and National Organization for Women Foundation, July 2006. (PDF, 60 pages).

Published in: "OSCE Offices Co-organize Study Tour for Armenian Group on Fighting Human Trafficking," Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, 14 July 2006.

With regard to legislation, the report notes that several countries are relying on general provisions of criminal law to combat domestic violence and calls on them to adopt targeted policies. It compares legal definitions of rape and sexual assault, applauding those countries that have broadened legal rhetoric and encompassed more minor or less conventional forms of sexual abuse within criminal codes. 

The report assesses states’ educational measures, calling on them to take a more active role in raising awareness among the general population and in providing training for public health officials, police, and other sectors of society that deal with violence against women. The report concludes with comparative results from the member state survey.

Compiled from: Carol Hagemann-White, "Combating Violence Against Women: Stocktaking Survey on the Measures and Actions Taken in Council of Europe Member States," Directorate General of Human Rights, 2006. Accessed 13 July 2006.

Compiled from: "Blueprint of the Council of Europe Campaign to Combat Violence Against Women, Including Domestic Violence," Task Force to combat violence against women, 21 June 2006. Accessed 13 July 2006.

The countries assessed in this report include Afghanistan, Bahrain, Colombia, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, China, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Serbia and Montenegro, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

Compiled from: "Integration of the Human Rights of Women and a Gender Perspective, Addendum: Communications to and from Governments," report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Yakin Ertürk, Commission on Human Rights, Sixty-second session, March 2006.

On April 13, 2006, a United States Court of Appeals held that a matchmaking agency is required to inform its clients of the battered spouse waiver.  In Fox v. Fox, the appellate court held that Encounters International had a duty to tell Nataliya Fox, a Ukrainian national, about the battered spouse waiver.  This ruling is very important to protecting women channeled through matchmaking agencies. 

Matchmaking agencies offer women the opportunity to immigrate to the U.S. by marrying a U.S. citizen.  Women who come to the U.S. through matchmaking agencies are often uninformed of their rights under U.S. law; this is often compounded by language and cultural barriers.  Women who immigrate through these agencies are at a heightened risk of being exploited due to their vulnerability.  Encounters International, and other agencies, often hold themselves as trustworthy counselors, so the women rely on these agencies to advise them in difficult situations. In Fox, the court found Encounters International clearly engaged in “intentional efforts to gain [Ms. Fox’s] trust, confidence and loyalty...”  (Fox v. Fox, page 17).   

The propensity for domestic abuse is one of the most difficult problems for women like Ms. Fox, who gain citizenship solely through their abuser.  In response, the U.S. government established the battered spouse waiver in the Immigration Act of 1990.  The battered spouse waiver allows an “alien who validly resides in the United States based solely upon the sponsorship of her United States citizen spouse to leave an abusive relationship with such spouse without fear of being immediately deported.”  (Fox v. Fox, page 9-10). 

Though having the legal right is critical, it is equally important to be informed of  rights.  The court found that Ms. Fox, as a result of Encounters International’s repeated efforts to gain her trust, relied on the agency to help her leave her physically and emotionally abusive husband without risk of being deported. Encounters International fraudulently induced Ms. Fox to believe they would always represent her interests.  Ms. Fox trusted them as a result of their assurances, and they failed to inform her of the only viable alternative to her abusive marriage.  The court found this violation was intended to cause Ms. Fox to remain with her abusive spouse in order to preserve the touted 95% matchmaking success rate of Encounters International, a core marketing tool.  This ruling is an important step in ensuring the safety of women in these situations is a primary concern of matchmaking agencies.      

Please note, this case is unpublished and is thus not binding precedent on the court.

Compiled from: Fox v. Fox, No. 05-1139 (4th Cir. decided April 13, 2006).

Compiled from: Law on Ensuring Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, No. 5-XVI (February 9, 2006) (Moldova).

Notably, the issues of coercive sterilization and domestic violence have been inadequately addressed by the Czech government. Few measures have been taken to respond to the Ombudsman’s 2005 Report indicating that forced or coerced sterilization took place not only during the Communist era but since 1989. The fact that the victims of this practice are overwhelmingly Romani women, following a pattern of discrimination against them in the Czech Republic, has gone overlooked. Sufficient reparations have not been made to victims and the government has yet to explicitly ban the practice through legislation. The problem of domestic violence, while prohibited by law, is aggravated by poorly trained police and medical officials as well as a lack of services for victims.

The report also calls attention to the inability of government policy to adequately respond to discrimination, prioritize gender equality, and address damaging stereotypes. These issues are handled almost exclusively by NGOs. Further, though female participation in public life is extremely low, little action has been taken on the part of the government to address this discrepancy.

Compiled from: Shadow Report to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women for the Czech Republic, European Roma Rights Centre, Gender Studies, and the League of Human Rights, June 2006.

More information can be found at: http://www.cagateway.org

Compiled from: “Combating Human Trafficking in Tajikistan,” The Network of East-West Women-Polska/NEWW, 07 July 2006, Accessed 10 July 2006.

Participants in the training program were primarily NGO staff, and particular effort was expended to seek out individuals who would be likely to conduct investigations within their organization should the need arise. Overall, the evaluation found the program to be highly effective in raising awareness among humanitarian organizations and in providing tools to prevent and investigate sexual exploitation and abuse. Participants were overwhelmingly positive in their response to the program and many indicated they had already used the tools they gained through the training.

In order to improve the efficacy of the training program, the evaluation suggested greater collaboration with similar initiatives and a concerted effort to involve more of the humanitarian community. It also pointed out that although prevention and investigation techniques were thoroughly covered, a mechanism for handling complaints was lacking.

Compiled from: "Breaking the Code: Building Capacity to Investigate Sexual Abuse and Exploitation by Humanitarian Workers," Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, June 2006.

The organization works with local advisors and organizations to determine the needs of women in the communities. The programs thus far have focused on gender violence, human trafficking, and girls’ empowerment. Its comprehensive programs are made up of community outreach, media campaigns, workshops, and various forms of education, each tailored to the needs of the specific program. One of these programs is FemVote, which develops young women’s skills of organizing campaigns and workshops in order to take a more active role in civil society. Aside from the projects that FAIR Fund coordinates, the organization also provides support and seed funding to local established organizations to ensure the sustainability of more specialized programs.

FAIR Fund has an International Women’s Advisory Council made up of young women leaders which focuses on the needs of women and youth in isolated areas in order to incorporate them into the projects. Thus far, over 10,000 young people have been reached by FAIR Funds programs. In addition, forty social service organizations in eleven different countries have been provided with technical assistance and program support.

For more information, please visit the U.N. Division for the Advancement of Women's CEDAW website.

Compiled from: CEDAW: 37th Session, U.N. Division for the Advancement of Women (viewed July 5, 2006).

Compiled from: Parliaments United in Combating Domestic Violence Against Women, Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (viewed July 5, 2006).

Compiled from: "Trafficked Women's Symptoms Akin to Torture Victims'," London (Reuters), CNN, www.cnn.com, 28 June 2006.

The report focuses much of its attention on the difficulties women face in the labor sphere. Specifically, it points to unequal wages between men and women, a serious lack of female representation in professional positions, poor working conditions, and widespread sexual harassment in the workplace. Furthermore, provisions of the Moldovan Labor Code bar women from jobs entailing heavy manual labor and discriminate against pregnant women and mothers. These factors serve to aggravate the existing vulnerability of women to financial dependence and poverty. The report also cites ignorance about the prevalence of violence against women and the existence of damaging stereotypes about the role of women as hindrances to gender equality.    

In discussing the legal framework of gender equality in Moldova, the report indicates that although important steps have been taken to formalize the concepts delineated in CEDAW, much work remains to be done to transform those concepts into a daily reality. It calls for increased funding to implement anti-discrimination laws, advocates for the eradication of the discriminatory provisions of the Labor Code, and encourages the Moldovan government to prioritize gender equality and take proactive measures to comply with CEDAW.   

Compiled from: "The Alternative Report of Evaluation Regarding the Implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women," coordinated by Elena Burca, president of the Forum of Women Organizations from the Republic of Moldova and Valentina Budrug-Lungu, president of the Gender-Center, 2006.

Published in: OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine Helps Produce TV Series in Ukraine, The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) (May 24, 2006).

The new agency would consolidate existing programs from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and World Health Organization (WHO). It would have a staff of thousands and cost approximately $1 billion a year.

Lewis’s experience in Africa with HIV/AIDS has shown him first hand the disturbing violence that women and girls experience. He visited a Kenyan town last month in which the number of rapes increased every month, and the majority of the girls raped were under the age of 12. The number of rapes among older women in the town is also unexpectedly high, resulting from the belief men hold that they cannot contract HIV/AIDS when having unprotected sex with them. If the panel approves Lewis’s plan, the new agency will be placed on the September agenda of the UN General Assembly.

Compiled from: “World’s Women Have an Advocate,” the Toronto Star, http://www.thestar.com, 1 June 2006, Accessed 5 June 2006.