Despite gradual changes in legislation, women on the Czech labour market still face a lot of challenges, especially if they have or want to start a family. Difficulties in balancing their personal and working life make many women give up their careers and cause employers to lose a lot of talented staff. Those companies in the Czech Republic that have decided to tackle this issue had a chance to show off their achievements this week in the country's first ever contest for the company with the best equal opportunities policy.

"Maybe it's still perceived as a male voice, I'm not sure but I hope it has changed since the mid-1990s when my predecessors tried to find women employees, to find a female voice for this magazine. This effort was relatively successful, we found some excellent reporters, like Hana Capova and Eliska Bartova, who are now full members of staff. It's not affirmative action, they are not here because they are women but because of their journalistic qualities."

The pilot year of the contest was meant to help fine-tune the criteria for the following years but its main goal was to establish the issue of equal opportunities in Czech society. Linda Sokacova from the Gender Studies centre, the co-organiser of the competition.

"Equal opportunities are quite a new issue in the Czech Republic. So the first step is to raise awareness among the public and also among employers because they are a very important subject in promoting equal opportunities in society. And we hope that this contest for the best Czech firm in the approach to equal opportunities will promote this topic among the public and will raise the importance of equal opportunities in the Czech Republic."

Cited from: Pavla Horakova, First Companies Awarded for Best Equal Opportunities Policy, Radio Praha, 24 November 2004.

AI Index: ACT 77/087/2004 24 November 2004

Violence against women fuels spread of HIV/Aids

Significantly more young women than men are now being infected by HIV/Aids as violence against women and girls fuels the spread of the virus. HIV/Aids is a human rights catastrophe which increasingly affects women, said Amnesty International in the report Women, HIV/Aids and human rights published ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

"The increasing spread of HIV/Aids among women and sexual violence are interlinked. If governments are serious in their fight against the disease they also have to deal with another worldwide "pandemic": violence against women," said Amnesty International.

Violence is a key factor in women’s risk of contracting the virus. Studies suggest that the first sexual experience of a girl will often be forced and we know that one in five women will be a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime. Traditional practices such as genital mutilation, early marriage, and the practice of newly bereaved widows being "inherited" by other male relatives also increases women's exposure to the virus.

Mass rape and sexual violence in conflicts drives the HIV pandemic, in countries as disparate as the DRC and Colombia. In the DRC tens of thousands of women were raped during the conflict and the health system has completely collapsed with only eight percent of donated blood being tested before use in transfusions. The situation in the war torn region of Darfur in Sudan is likely to go the same way given the similarities of rape and sexual violence again used as a weapon of war. The majority of women in Darfur have also undergone female genital mutilation, a factor increasingly likely to put them at risk of infection.

Stigma is still a serious problem - for both survivors of rape and people living with HIV/Aids. Women often refrain from seeking medical treatment following rape because of the risk that they will be identified as rape victims within their community and ostracized. In Colombia Amnesty International has received testimonies about people from stigmatised groups, including those thought to have HIV/Aids, who have "disappeared", been persecuted or killed.

"In many parts of the world stigma blocks the way for women to access appropriate medical health care and leads to the exclusion of women from families or communities," said Amnesty International.

Where women are denied property and inheritance rights, employment and access to finance, they are forced into dependence on men which places them in a very weak position to assert their rights and protect themselves from violence. Many women and girls also lack awareness of measures required for self-protection from HIV/Aids. In Ethiopia, for example, some 80% of married young women have had no education and are unable to read. Ensuring access to education including awareness raising about sex, health and HIV/Aids is fundamental to protecting the right of girls and women.

"Discrimination and unequal power relations make it more difficult for women and girls to control their lives and their own sexuality, including negotiating safer sex. Women must be empowered to act effectively in their own best interests," said Amnesty International.

To fight the spread of HIV/Aids governments must take effective measures to:

- Increase awareness of HIV/AIDS and ensure access to anti-retroviral drugs and appropriate medical care

- Stop violence against women

- Ensure education for women and girls, including information about health and sexuality

- Increase economic empowerment of women

- Undertake more effective public information campaigns to fight the stigma about HIV/Aids.

"If a government can't ensure access to adequate health care the international community has a responsibility to contribute material support, Amnesty International added.

Background

The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in 2003 was estimated by UNAIDS to be 35.7 million adults (of whom 17 million were women) and 2.1 million children. An increasing proportion of those infected with HIV/Aids are women. Globally, young women are 1.6 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS than young men according to UNAIDS. In Sub-Saharan Africa 57% of adults living with the virus are women, and two thirds of young HIV-positive people are women and girls.

Women are increasingly campaigning effectively for their rights. Grassroots activism by women, including in particular women living with HIV/AIDS, has accelerated in recent years.

Sign up to the Stop violence aginst women campaign at http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maacT2zabb0sebdTh3Ob/

Take action!

Colombia: Women's bodies used as a battleground - http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maacT2zabb0sfbdTh3Ob/

Timor-Leste: Five years on, Indonesia still denies justice to victims of sexual violence - http://amnesty-news.c.topica.com/maacT2zabb0sgbdTh3Ob/

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For more information, please visit the Sexual Assault, HIV/AIDS and Other STIs section of this website. 

Human trafficking is increasingly taking center stage as one of the world's most important, yet most invisible crimes. After the fall of communism in 1989 and the disintegration of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia two years later, political and economic instability in some parts of Central and Eastern Europe provided fertile ground for criminal exploitation of human beings. Sex trafficking became an ever-growing tragedy, but other forms of exploitation, such as forced labor, have also come to the fore. Maida Agovic reports about efforts to counter these problems in the Czech Republic and beyond.

 More than four million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking every year, according to estimates of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Czech Republic has not been spared. But official statistics about the numbers of trafficked victims are practically non-existent, as this is an underreported and almost invisible crime.

"La Strada International", a Dutch non-governmental organization that has been active in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe for the past ten years, works to combat this invisibility, raise awareness about this issue, and help the victims return to their normal lives. The best way to achieve this goal is to improve the legal system in individual countries and laws governing human trafficking. Petra Burcikova, the director and national coordinator of La Strada in the Czech Republic, mentions the achievements of the local branch of this organization:

"The development that I am very proud of is the amendment to the criminal code, which came into force in October 2004. Most of La Strada's advocacy work in previous years focused on addressing the fact that the previous definition of human trafficking in the criminal code did not include, for example, trafficking for forced labor, only sex trafficking. It also didn't include internal trafficking, and I'm happy to say that the new amendment of the criminal code includes different forms of human trafficking, and also sanctions trafficking within the national borders."

 With rising standards of living and entry into the European Union, the Czech Republic is increasingly becoming a destination for trafficked people. Victims usually originate in less stable and less prosperous regions further east. Petra Burcikova has the details:

"Most of the victims that end up trafficked in the Czech Republic come from the former Soviet Union, mostly Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus, some of them from Russia, quite many from Bulgaria, quite a few from Slovakia as well, and in the past two years, we have, for the first time, had clients from Asia, from China and Vietnam. Recently we also had a few clients from Central Asia."

The work of La Strada International has not gone unnoticed. Last week at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Rome, La Strada was awarded the "Free Your Mind Award" for its decade-long activity in the prevention of human trafficking. Previous winners of this prestigious award include organizations such as Amnesty International and Greenpeace.

For more information about the work and achievements of La Strada International, you can log on to their webpage www.strada.cz.

Cited from: Maida Agovic, Human Trafficking - Fighting an Invisible Crime, Radio Praha, 26 November 2004.

For more information, please visit the Czech Republic section of this website.

The Committee noted, however, that the representation of women in senior public service positions remained low and there still existed a gender disparity in terms of wages. Additionally, the Committee expressed concern over the prevalence of domestic violence, the inadequacy of law enforcement training on this issue, the underuse of restraining orders and temporary arrests, lack of shelters, and inadequate protection for victims of domestic abuse. 

The Committee recommended that the Polish government equal treatment of women and men in public service and take appropriate steps to ensure equal access to the employment sector and equal wages. It also suggested the government provide proper training to law enforcement on handling domestic violence cases, increase the number of shelters and victim services throughout the country, and ensure that victim protection, including restraining orders, is readily available.

With regard to women, the Committee expressed concern over the continuing gender discrimination under customary laws and traditional codes (Kanun) and the prevalence of domestic violence. In addition, the Committee was concerned over the low participation of women in the political and economic spheres of public affairs, especially in higher-ranking positions in public administration. Finally, while the Committee observed that Albania's role as a transit country for trafficking had decreased, it expressed concern over the issue, the involvement of authorities in this phenomenon, and the lack of victim and witness protection.

The Committee recommended that the Albanian government adopt and carry out policies to counter gender discrimination under customary laws, enforce policies to combat domestic violence, increase public awareness on the issue, and provide victim assistance through crisis hotlines, victim support centres with medical, legal and psychological facilities, and shelters. The Committee also suggested taking steps to ensure participation of women in the political, public and other areas of the State. The Committee urged the Albanian government to strengthen international cooperation to combat trafficking in persons and to provide protection to victims of and witnesses to trafficking.

Through its Human Trafficking Prevention Program, Winrock is releasing two new publications from its Trafficking Prevention Program in Ukraine. These publications are the result of our pioneering experience implementing human trafficking prevention projects in the former Soviet Union.

Winning Strategies: Trafficking Prevention Project in Ukraine – Best practices and innovative approaches are highlighted in this report that addresses the two factors that contribute to growth in human trafficking – lack of economic opportunity and violence against women. It offers strategies for empowering women, strengthening the capacity of nongovernmental organizations to serve those at risk, increasing public awareness and developing collaborative partnerships between organizations and governmental agencies.

Helping Survivors of Human Trafficking – Law enforcement officials, social workers, health care providers and organizations requested information to better serve the needs of victims of trafficking. This survivor-focused guide offers effective strategies for addressing problems survivors face, strategies for survivor support and ethical issues.

These publications can be downloaded for free from these project websites: www.winrock.org.ua/TPP/Publications/LL_Eng.pdf & www.winrock.org.ua/DOS/publications/Blok_Eng.pdf. A limited number of hard copies of these publications are also available.

For more information on Winrock International’s Human Trafficking Prevention Program and these publications, please contact Amy Heyden (aheyden@winrock.org) or Sarah Tweed (stweed@winrock.org). Or contact our office in Virginia at 703.525.9430.

Winrock International works in the United States and more than 65 countries to increase economic opportunity, sustain natural resources and protect the environment. Learn more at www.winrock.org

The issue also includes a brief history on the ABAs work on HIV/AIDS legal issues and promotes the ABAs official policy urging the U.S. Government to use international human rights law and science-based treatment in connection with developing legislation, policies, programs, and international agreements relating to HIV/AIDS pandemic. Articles within the issue address the challenges regarding HIV/AIDS faced by minority communities, the workplace and in a number of countries such as Russia, India, China, Africa.

The issue is available online at: http://www.abanet.org/irr/hr/fall04/home.html.

Compiled from:  ABA Human Rights Listserv, ABA-SIL Human Rights Committee e-brief, 15 November 2004.

For more information, please visit the Sexual Assault: Sexual Assault, HIV/AIDS and Other STIs section of this website.

Compiled from: Lithuania first to ratify EU Constitution, EUobserver.com, 11 November 2004. For more information, please visit the International Law: EU Constitution section of this website.

The coordinator of the International Organization for Migration’s counter trafficking project in Uzbekistan, Nodira Karimova, has reported that 179 victims of human trafficking have been rescued in the first year of the project. The project successfully helped many victims return to their homes from abroad. Reportedly, many Uzbeks are currently victims of human trafficking and are being employed as “virtual slaves” in Russia. Many victims report that the majority of individuals associated with the gangs who victimize so many Uzbeks desperate for work, are themselves Uzbeks.

Copyright (c) 2004.  RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe.Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org

For more information, please visit the Trafficking in Persons: Protection, Support and Assistance of Victims section of this website.

Compiled from: Bulgarian Council Works for Gender Equality, Novinite.com, 11 November 2004. For more information, please visit the Bulgaria section of this website.

Ombudsman's office reports forty new cases of alleged coercive sterilisation

The office of the Czech ombudsman says it has evidence of 40 new cases of alleged coercive sterilisation of Roma women - more than a third of them performed before 1989. The office is now gathering documentation which will be handed over to the Health Ministry. The first reports of alleged cases of coercive sterilisation appeared in September. The ombudsman Otakar Motejl appointed an expert commission to look into the matter. It is now to assess whether the cases of sterilisation were in accordance with Czech law and medical ethics.

Copyright (c) 2004 Radio Prague (Cesky Rozhlas 7 - Radio Praha) News NOVEMBER 10th, 2004 By: Pavla Horakova. For more information, please visit the Czech Republic section of this website.

Compiled from: Parliament President to deliver verdict on Turkey, euobserver.com, 4 November 2004.

Topics included in the protocol include: Coordinated Team Approach, Victim-Centered Care, Informed Consent, Confidentiality, Reporting to Law Enforcement, Payment for Examination under VAWA, as well Operational Issues and the Examination process. However, the protocol lacks any mention of emergency contraception, which disturbed many victim's advocates as well as many doctors. A discussion of emergency contraception between the health care provider and victim is standard medical protocol, and some states require that the victim be offered it. Critics also point out that only one page of the entire 141 page protocol is devoted to "pregnancy risk evaluation and care."

Compiled from: “A National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations Adults/Adolescents,” U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women, September 2004.

"Egypt Changes Courts; Rape Exam Guide Omits E.C.", Robin Hindery, Women's ENews, 30 Oct. 2004.

Please visit the section on Sexual Assault: Research and Reports section available on this website.

This review process should give INSTRAW insight into global and national commitments to the Declaration, as demonstrated by participation of high-level actors in the 49th session of the CSW, the production of national and global-level reports by governments, civil society, and international organizations, and the availability (or lack) of data and indicators related to the 12 Ciritcal Areas set out in the Beijing PfA.

The 12 critical areas include: women and poverty; education and training; 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; and the girl child.

INSTRAW’s website will include reports on each of the 12 Crticial Areas, and a list of specific resources related to that issue, including materials, news items, and UN and other commitments and declarations. These resources will be uploaded as they become available. The first report, on Women and Armed Conflict, is available now.

Compiled from:  Home Page, United Nations International Research and Training Institute and Training Institute on the Advancement of Women, 2004.

For more information, see the UN Documents That Protect Women's Rights/ Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action section of this website.

TBILISI, 11 November 2004 - The OSCE Mission to Georgia is boosting the country's fight against human trafficking by helping the government develop an Action Plan, which is set for completion at a conference starting today.

Key ministry officials and heads of anti-trafficking agencies will draft an updated version of the Action Plan at the two-day event, supported by the Mission and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

"The international fight against human trafficking remains an OSCE priority," said the Head of the OSCE Mission, Ambassador Roy Reeve.

"We hope the Georgian government and civil society will come up with a robust strategy to tackle this complex issue effectively."

The conference will pull together the results of five working groups on prevention of trafficking, prosecution of perpetrators ,illegal migration, victim protection and rehabilitation and international co-operation. In preparation for the draft, the Mission supported the working groups through its implementing partner, the Georgian NGO, People's Harmonious Development Society.

"Trafficking in human beings is a complex human rights issue, which affects virtually all OSCE States either as countries of origin, transit or destination," Ambassador Reeve said.

"By adopting and implementing a realistic plan against trafficking, Georgia will demonstrate its adherence to its international commitments in the field of human rights and democratization."

For further information, please contact:

Martha Freeman
Spokesperson Press and Public Information Office
OSCE Mission to Georgia
Krtsanisi Governmental Residence No. 5
Tbilisi Georgia
Tel.: +995 32 24 42 01
Fax: +995 32 24 42 03
E-mail: po-ge@osce.org

Cited in: OSCE Mission helps Georgia develop National Action Plan to combat human trafficking, Press Release, 11 November 2004.

For more information, please visit the Georgia: National Plan section of this website.

For more information about the Award, visit: http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=670795&l=10661

AI Index: IOR 61/025/2004 10 November 2004

Public Statement

On the eve of his assuming the Chair of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers, Amnesty International has sent a Memorandum to the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs outlining the organization's recommendations for the Council of Europe's Third Summit of Heads of State and Government, scheduled to take place in Warsaw, Poland on 16-17 May 2005.

Amnesty International considers that the Third Summit of the Council of Europe presents an important opportunity for the Council of Europe to reaffirm its existing aims and mission; celebrate its accomplishments and articulate a plan of action, with measurable objectives, for its future work and functioning.

In particular in the memorandum, Recommendations for the Council of Europe's Third Summit of Heads of State and Government (AI Index: IOR 61/023/2004) Amnesty International urges the Committee of Ministers to ensure that the Third Summit:

- Includes an event at which States, who have yet to do so, can sign up as parties to a number of treaties which represent particularly topical and important aims of the Council of Europe to:

-- eradicate racism and other forms of discrimination which continue to plague the region;

-- truly establish the Council of Europe region as a death penalty-free zone;

bolster the functioning of the European Court of Human Rights;

-- affirm the commitment to the fight against terrorism in a manner that protects and respects the human rights of all persons;

-- ensure enhanced respect for the human rights of trafficked persons.

- Commits its 46 Member States and the Council of Europe itself to prioritising the effective implementation of existing human rights standards;

- Reviews, and where appropriate, addresses the need for additional resources to support and enhance the effectiveness of the work of the full range of bodies and mechanisms of the Council of Europe;

- Commits the Council of Europe to articulate and publish action strategies on priority thematic issues and to ensure better implementation of human rights standards, including the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter and Revised Social Charter, in each of the 46 Council of Europe Member States;

- Commits to enhancing coordination and cooperation between the Council of Europe and the other international organizations, most notably the European Union (EU), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations (UN), with the aim of achieving more effective implementation of the international human rights treaties by Council of Europe Member States;

- Considers, in particular, the opportunities and challenges presented by the possible future accession of the expanded European Union as a party to the European Convention on Human Rights;

- Commits to pursuing the possibilities of organizing a pan-European campaign against Domestic Violence, as recommended by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe;

- Develops plans to enhance transparency of the Council of Europe activities for the some 800 million people living in its member states and to enhance the inclusion of National Institutions for the Protection of Human Rights and non-governmental organizations, in the work of the Council of Europe.

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The move came as a result of lack of provisions against domestic violence in the new Family Code of Albania, which entered into force January this year. The main aim of this initiative is to bring legislative change and improvement to domestic violence in Albania, through an open process of public participation and lobbying with the Albanian Parliament.

The initiative is leaded by the Citizen's Advocacy Office, which is known in Albania for its actions against corruption. The other NGO's include the Children's Human Rights Centre of Albania (CRCA), Women's Advocacy Centre, Counseling Centre for Women and Girls, Gender Alliance for Development, Women's Organisation "Refleksione", Women's Shelter, Legal Clinic for Minors, Useful to Albanian Women, Center for Family Planning.

'This is one of the most important days for all of us. - said Altin Hazizaj, Director of CRCA in the launch of the event - For CRCA becoming a member of the Alliance was an easy decision, for the only reason that domestic violence, including the violence against children in the family, destroys the life of children and other members of the family. It is time for Albania to have a progressive law against domestic violence and we are proud to be part of the group who will bring forward this changes.'

Other speakers of the event included the Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Commission for Social Affairs, Ms, Valentina Leskaj, the Director of Citizen's Advocacy Office Mr. Kreshnik Spahiu, and Director of Women's Advocacy Center Ms. Vjollca Meçe. Printed and broadcasted media gave a large coverage of the event, especially national TV channels such as TV Klan, Top Channel and national printed media such as 'Shekulli' etc.

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Altin Hazizaj Director
Children's Human Rights Centre of Albania - CRCA
Tel / Fax: + 355 4 242264
E-mail: crca@adanet.com.al
www.crca.org.al/

Cited in: Newsletter 243, Information and Research Centre for Children's Rights in Albania -IRCCRA, 1 November 2004.

For more information, please visit the Albania section of this website.

Several documents relating to the U.N. Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Regional Preparatory Meeting for the 10-Year Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (Geneva, 14-15 December 2004), are now available. To view these documents, please visit the UNECE website.

For more information, please visit the International Law: Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action section of this website.

Copyright (c) 2004. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org

For more information, please visit the Tajikistan section of this website.

The United Nations has issued a Press Release concerning the review of Poland's fifth periodic report under the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) by the Human Rights Committee (HRC). Poland is one of 153 States parties to the ICCPR. Therefore, the country is required to submit reports on its attempts to implement the provisions of the treaty.

According to Sylweriusz Krolak, Under Secretary of State in the Ministry of Justice of Poland, who introduced the document, the report focuses on gender mainstreaming, eliminating the abuse of junior soldiers in the army, providing efficient penitentiary supervision and independent monitoring of rights of persons deprived of liberty. 

The report also addresses concerns of the Committee such as the frequency of pre-trail detention, access to legal assistance, the scope of jurisdiction of military courts, and wiretapping of new religious movements. 

More generally the report describes the Polish Government's response to human rights and conditions of detention, terrorism, gender equality, trafficking in human beings, refugees and asylum seekers, due process, and racial and other forms of discrimination.

Compiled from: "Human Rights Committee Considers Report of Poland," Press Release, United Nations, 28 October 2004.

For more information, please visit the Poland: Reporting Schedule section of this website.

In its report titled, “Weakening the protection of women from violence in the Middle East and North Africa region,” Amnesty International urges the governments who have issued such declarations to align their domestic laws with international standards and CEDAW in order to ensure women’s rights to protection from violence and discrimination. International law allows countries to declare reservations upon ratification, however, the reservations are not permitted to be contrary to the purpose and goal of the treaty according to Article 28 (2) of CEDAW. Most of the reservations and declarations are closely related to the main objective of the Convention—the elimination of, and protection from, violence and discrimination against women. Amnesty International fears that if these reservations and declarations remain unchanged, women will not be guaranteed protection from violence and discrimination, and the reservations will “undermine [women’s] ability to access justice or obtain redress through national mechanisms.”

Compiled from: Amnesty International, Reservations to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women—Weakening the protection of women from violence in the Middle East and North Africa region, 3 November 2004.

The European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) has launched a new web site. The purpose of the web site is to further ECMI’s mission of advancing majority-minority relations in Europe through action, research and documentation. "ECMI supports the stabilization of areas of ethno-political tension and conflict, contributes to the strengthening of relevant legislation and best practices in minority governance, and enhances the capacity of civil society actors and governments to engage with one another in a constructive and sustainable way.” The website can be viewed in English, Macedonian, or Albanian, and it contains three major sections: NGO Network, Policy Dialogue Initiative and the Roma Integration Project.

For more information, please see the Research Gateways section of this website.

After finishing a full day of debate on women, peace and security, the Security Council called on the U.N. to put forth a comprehensive effort to end violence against women and girls in war. The Security Council is also urging the U.N. to give women a stronger voice and position during the post-conflict peace processes.

 The Council released a presidential statement asking Secretary-General Kofi Annan to outline a plan by October 2005 showing how the U.N. can achieve these goals. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry of the United Kingdom said the plan of action would include a timetable for implementing specific goals, such as the elimination of gender-based violence and an increase in women’s participation in peace-keeping operations. The statement also urged the Secretary-General to identify female candidates for positions in peacekeeping, conflict prevention, and humanitarian operations; called for the elimination of impunity for perpetrators of violence against women and girls in war; recommended specific training for all staff involved in conflict or post-conflict operations in order to increase recognition and response to gender-based violence; and emphasized the need for support programs for victims of gender-based violence.

One of the purposes of the debate was to measure progress made since the Council adopted a resolution in 2000 decrying gender-based violence, and called for a reorganization in the planning of peace and security operations in order to ensure that women’s perspectives were always included. The Executive Director of the U.N. Population Fund has described international response as ‘completely inadequate’ and said that most of the progress made since 2000 has been in the creation of policies and guidelines—and not on the ground where girls and women continue to face violence. The Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations said that despite the challenges still being faced, the U.N. has been working harder since 2000 to include the needs and perspectives of women in its operations.

Compiled from: “Security Council urges stepped-up efforts to protect women from violence in war,” UN News Centre, 28 October 2004.

Security Council Press Release SC/8230, 28 October 2004.

On 9 October 2004 the US Senate passed the “Justice for All Act of 2004”, an anti-crime bill that includes the “Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology Act” and crime victims’ rights legislation. The legislation will provide the much-needed money to test more than 300,000 rape kits and other crime scene evidence that comprise a nationwide backlog. This bill will enact the Debbie Smith Backlog Grant Program, which provides $755 million in order to test the backlog, and will hopefully assist victims obtain the justice they have been waiting for. This Grant program is named for a rape survivor who waited six years for the evidence in her rape kit to be tested. The legislation also provides funding for victims’ services and assistance to families of murder victims, among other things. The bill will be sent to the House of Representatives for final approval, and will then await approval from the President.

Compiled from: “Anti-Crime Legislation Passes Congress,” 9 October 2004, The Justice Project: Campaign for Criminal Justice Reform

Contact: Leigh Pasqual +1 212-906-5463
leigh.pasqual@undp.org

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN WILL CONTINUE UNLESS ITS ROOTS IN GENDER DISCRIMINATION AND INEQUALITY SERIOUSLY ADDRESSED

Real solution lies in dealing head on with root causes, which include women's poor economic, social and political status, and unequal access to justice, says UNIFEM Executive Director Noeleen Heyzer

United Nations, New York - Addressing a United Nations Security Council Open Debate on "Women, Peace and Security," Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), emphasized that any real solutions to eliminating violence against women must derive from a concerted attack on its origins -- deeply rooted, historical patterns of discrimination against women and systemic gender inequalities that are pervasive both in peacetime as well as during conflict.

"The international community is now fully aware that rape and other forms of violence against women are systematically deployed, with the cruelest effect, as a weapon of war," she said. "However, gender-based violence during conflict is but part of the continuum of violence that runs through women's lives, from times of peace to times of war. It only deepens with war. Discrimination and gender inequality are seeds that, during wartime, become a bitter fruit that destroys the fabric of communities and the lives of women and their families."

Ms Heyzer referred to the critical opportunity that post-conflict reconstruction presents for establishing justice and the rule of law for women -- including constitutions with strong and clear guarantees of gender equality, legal reforms that ensure equality in marriage and family relations, in property ownership and in access to secure jobs and livelihoods. Ending violence against women requires all of these things, she stressed, as well as on support for women's participation in elections as voters and candidates, and on their equal representation in all facets of government. Gender justice and the rule of law rely upon "judicial processes that fully ensure and protect women's entitlements on a basis of equality with men."

Gender justice, she explained, can serve to remove discrimination against women by upholding and enforcing women's rights, thereby directly addressing the origins of violence. To make gender justice an integral element of the rule of law, it is imperative that gender perspectives be integrated into every dimension of justice, and that women participate in shaping justice frameworks and rule of law institutions.

Ms Heyzer pointed to the effective measures which already exist in many post-conflict countries, such as normative standards, legal frameworks and mechanisms for enforcing rights and redressing violations. "The challenge now," she said, "is to ensure the implementation and replication of the good laws that many countries have already developed. The international community must work closely with and provide the necessary support to national stakeholders."

"As we work towards ending the impunity for gender crimes that prevails in post-conflict societies, it is imperative to ensure that those responsible for crimes against women are not rewarded with state power and high profile jobs as a result of negotiated peace agreements. Justice and accountability are crucial to any peace, and healing, process."

She described three issues that were highlighted in particular at a recent conference on Gender Justice in Post-Conflict Situations, convened by UNIFEM and the International Legal Assistance Consortium (ILAC):

• The participation of women, and the incorporation of gender dimensions must be increased in all stages of the conceptualization, planning and implementation of UN peace operations;
• UN peacekeeping and humanitarian personnel have a special obligation not to violate the trust placed in them by women and girls. Because serious criminal sexual misconduct has been identified with UN personnel as well as other international personnel, gender justice must extend to these international guardians as well;
• Gender justice must be prioritized within the UN system, including peace operations, and institutional arrangements must be strengthened to accelerate progress.

"It has taken more than two decades for women's voices to be seriously heard, a decade to establish the normative and legal frameworks for gender justice in order to remove violence against women and empower them economically and politically. Women from war-torn societies around the world are now waiting for us to fully address the recommendations contained in Security Council resolution 1325 in ways that make a real difference in their everyday lives. We cannot allow another decade to pass before this happens."

To read the full text of the speech, visit:
http://www.unifem.org/speeches.php?f_page_pid=77&f_pritem_pid=179

For more information on gender justice and on UNIFEM's work in conflict-affected areas, visit http://www.womenwarpeace.org/. For more information, please visit the Trafficking in Women: Conflict Zones and Militarization and Sexual Assault During Armed Conflict sections of this website.  

An informational website has been launched which focuses on the new European Constitution. The site offers multilingual data regarding the text of the Constitution as well as resources which explain it. The website can be found at http://europa.eu.int/constitution/.

Compiled from: "New Website on the Constitution." The Network of East-West Women-Polska/NEWW, http://www.neww.org.pl/en.php/news/news/1.html?&nw=413&re=2, 29 October 2004.

For more information, please visit the European Union section of this website.

The Venice Commission of the Council of Europe has proposed setting up a Human Rights Court in Kosovo as part of a programme of measures designed to improve human rights protection for its citizens. Since 1999 Kosovo has been administered by several international organisations, including the United Nations, the OSCE and NATO, all of which are immune to legal claims of human rights abuses. In a new report the Venice Commission concludes that Kosovo now needs independent mechanisms for reviewing human rights, although it acknowledges that the interim administration is fully committed to respecting human rights standards. As well as a Human Rights Court, the Venice Commission suggests setting up independent advisory boards for UNMIK and KFOR, to complement the protection already offered, in particular by the Kosovo Ombudsperson. Where the Ombudsperson has found human rights breaches but has not persuaded UNMIK to assume accountability, cases would be brought before the Panel. The latter's opinion would be made public in three languages. Also, the Venice Commission proposes to establish a special Chamber of the Supreme Court with the power to review individual human rights cases with regard to the provisional institutions of self government (PISG).

Cited from: Venice Commission Recommends Human Rights Court for Kosovo, Council of Europe, 15 October 2004.

Press Contact
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For more information, please visit the Kosovo section of this website.