150929 – Pink Out Day Congressional Madness

Here are the Oversight and Reform Hearing uTubes and documents. I hope they are complete, you never know with uTube:

Planned Parenthood’s Taxpayer Funding

All together, the uTubes are a few hours of listening and watching. The first part of Part 3 with Congressman Clay discusses how PP standards have been within the law and that the MO. investigation found no wrongdoing.

Yes, Planned Parenthood could probably survive without Federal Funds, but we all know this is about whether or not women, men and families would receive Medicaid service on the reduced funds.

Rep. Jackson Lee from Texas, spoke very well to the issue of mixing apples and potatoes, when it came to the loss of medical access versus abortion, and the overturning of the unconstitutional Texas Law. 25% of Texan women lost access, especially in rural areas, after July 2013.

David Daleiden, who was responsible for the edited PP videos, has been ordered to turn over the complete and raw videos for his PP sting.   According to Rep. Lee,  Daleiden may plead the 5th over his unwarranted (illegal) investigation, which was determined to provide no evidentiary basis against PP.

The House has been very busy making up new bills (See H.R.3495.)regarding women’s health care. centered around the idea that one way to reduce the impact of aPlanned Parenthood is to allow the states more latitude in determining whether they should allow federal funds to be spent on abortion providers. To be clear, federal funds already are not spent on abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or to save the live of the mother. (Keep in mind  one point of attack has been to require proof meaning a trial or confession-something that could culminate after the birth. )

GovTrack.Us indicates that 49 abortion referenced bills have been introduced, referred to committee, and/or passed by the House THIS year. See: Abortion. That list doesn’t include H.R.3495 or H. Res. 444.

These current bills are specifically an attempt to eliminate the use of Medicaid funds by those folks who have no other way to pay for the range of health services, that PP provides. if you take Medicaid from Planned Parenthood, you prevent people on Medicaid from utilizing their range of services at 700 locations around the country. This is the worst kind of classist, sexist, racist evil.

HRC put out a “Briefing” today that includes a list of Republican candiates’ statements on Planned Parenthood:

https://www.hillaryclinton.com/p/briefing/statements/2015/09/29/gop-ppfa/

http://www.occupydemocrats.com/victory-judge-rules-utah-republicans-can’t-block-funding-for-planned-parenthood/

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Dec. 10 – International Human Rights Day

Embrace Diversity, End Discrimination

The focus of this year’s Human Rights Day, 10 December, is Non-discrimination.

Today a special event was to be held, at 1:15 EST in the Trustee Council Chamber, at UN Headquarters, in New York, in recognition of Human Rights Day. It is to include a panel discussion on race, poverty and power, in relationship to development. It will be opened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who synopsized this year’s focus recently as:

“Discrimination targets individuals and groups that are vulnerable to attack: the disabled, women and girls, the poor, migrants, minorities, and all those who are perceived as different.

… But these victims of discrimination are not alone. The United Nations is standing with them, committed to defending the rights of all, and particularly the most vulnerable.  That is our identity and our mission.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Often repeated, Hillary Rodham Clinton, then First Lady said in 1995; Women’s rights are human rights and human rights are women’s rights, once and for all”. It bears repeating until reality matches truth. At the US State Dept. Dr. Esther Brimmer took note of the fact that the US has finally joined the Human rights Council in her speech HERE.

“Commit, Act and Demand: You Can End Violence against Women”

The Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers (CWGL) will cosponsor with MADRE, a discussion tonight at 7:00 PM EST. entitled “Sex Workers Rights are Human Rights”. For more information contact; www.madre.org.

The 16 days campaign sponsored by CWGL, has highlighted 16 global partners that represent commitment and dedication in the struggle to end violence against women. They have description links to all the highlighted partners HERE.

Seven were also noted in an earlier Grab and Keel post HERE.

Directorate of Gender Affairs – ANTIGUA and BARBUDA

On November 25 the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, the Honourable W. Baldwin Spencer, made note of their efforts to eliminate violence to women in his speech HERE.

In part, he said that the Dr. The Honourable Jacqui Quinn-Leandro, who is The Minister of Education, Sports, Youth and Gender Affairs, is guiding activities for the 16 days which are “aimed at mobilizing all well-thinking persons to play our part in bringing an end to violence against women”.

One example of these island activities was the march dedicated to increasing awareness and accountability among men, held on November 25^th.

The Women’s Council for Domestic & Family Violence Services (WCDFVS or (WA) – AUSTRALIA

The Women’s Council states that it: [..was established in 1977 and now represents 54 Women’s Refuges and domestic and family violence services in Western Australia….]

They set forth their Strategic Plan 2008 – 2011

The key objectives of the WCDFVS Strategic Plan 2008 – 2011 are to:

Strengthen our unified voice on domestic and family violence issues;

Maintain the WCDFVS as an independent, viable and credible organization;

Improve the access of women and children to Women’s Refuges, Safe Houses and services which seek to deal with the effects of domestic and family violence;

Provide leadership in the area of domestic and family violence issues to key stakeholders and the community;

Increase the community awareness of the incidence, effects and responses to domestic and family violence;

Collaborate with key stakeholders in the development of policies, legislation and programs which impact on women and children experiencing domestic and family violence; and

Ensure access and equity for all members in rural and remote locations.

United Women Banja Luka – BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA

United Women, based in Banja Luka, says it best themselves:

by Aleksandra Petric

[When United Women Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina started activities in 1996, the issue of violence against women was largely ignored by official authorities at all levels. Rape in a marriage was not recognized as criminal act. There were no legislative and public policy documents in BiH that would protect women from violence at home and in public sphere. We opened Center for Legal and Psychosocial Assistance for Women and the first SOS Telephone for Women and Girls Victims of Violence in our region…]

Women’s Action for Change (WAC) – FIJI

WAC’s partner IWDA, stated in May 2009: […The abrogation of Fiji’s Constitution and Declaration of Emergency will directly impact the economic, social and political environment for all people living in Fiji, extending the underlying uncertainty, division and fear that are legacies of four coups in 20 years. …]

In September of this year, Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations over Commodore Frank Bainimarama’s refusal to hold elections by 21010.

Despite the State’s difficulties, WAC just sent a message to Copenhagen 15, asking for commitments to reduce Carbon dioxide emissions to 350 ppm. They are concerned that small island states will be unable to survive global warming. WAC is fighting for family, the future and their children’s future.

Women Won’t Wait – INTERNATIONAL

In their bio, they say:

[Women Won’t Wait” is an international coalition of organizations and networks working to promote women’s health and human rights in the struggle to address HIV and AIDS and end all forms of violence against women and girls.

“Women Won’t Wait” seeks to speed up effective responses to the linkages of violence against all women and girls and the spread of HIV….]

WWW works in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and North America. Most of their campaigns were begun in 2007 and few in 2008. In the United States they have formed the following:

Formation of the Women of Colour United (WOCU) Coalition for the Elimination of VAW and HIV&AID

Women of Color United

[Founded on April 1st 2007, Women of Color United is a network of (Latin American, Native American/American Indian, Asian and Pacific Islander American, Arab-American/Middle Eastern American and African American) individuals and organizations that brings together constituencies of over 50,000 women nationwide. WOCU individuals and member organizations include survivors of violence, women living with HIV&AIDS, violence against women (VAW) survivor groups and service agencies, HIV & AIDS service and advocacy organizations, immigrant and Diaspora groups, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, sororities, and other women’s groups..]

MEGEN – KENYA

Their site is currently listed as under construction. Originally set up as a project within FEMNET to work with men, they are in the process setting up their own office. Xy OnLine, a directory of groups and publications dedicated to gender politics published a downloadable article Oct. 8, 2009, in regards to the MEGEN as seen in their description below:

MEGEN (Men for Gender Equality Now)

Defying the Odds: Lessons learnt from Men for Gender Equality Now (Kenya)

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 – 08:57 | MEGEN (Men for Gender Equality Now)

Categories:

MEGEN activists share their personal experiences as individuals and as Changemakers. While writing their stories, the activists were asked to reflect on their own change processes: what sparked their activism around gender and violence? And how has the MEGEN platform been helpful in this process? The publication also includes short briefs on the work of the project, highlighting the challenges, successes and lessons learnt in different program areas. In the process of developing this booklet, many people have been of great help; the dedicated MEGEN activists who shared some of their life experiences in their own writing, the then MEGEN Project Coordinator Kennedy Odhiambo Otina and other FEMNET staff members and MEGEN teams.

KAFA: Enough violence and Exploitation– LEBANON

KAFA is a non-profit, non-political and non-confessional organization whose goal is to; “Contribute to the eradication of all sorts of gender based violence and exploitation of women and children and the realization of all their rights”.

They focus on gender based violence, child molestation and trafficking. They have a hot line, and work from the premise of UN Security Resolution 1325., offering downloads, doing advocacy, awareness raising and victim support.

BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights – NIGERIA

From 1996, BAOBAB has evolved from a group of assorted ad hoc parties into a full sized agency. On December 2^nd, their newsletter says following event took place:

[As part of its campaign to mark the 2009 “16 Days against Gender Based Violence” campaign, the BAOBAB team with its network of “Men against Violence against Women ” in the lead, took the advocacy to the streets! While in a particular popular area of Lagos known for its busy commercial bus activities-called ‘Oshodi’, the team shared anti-gender based violence messages with the crowd – heightened with the aid of their traditional talking drums! ‘Ohhh’ was the almost unsaid expression on their faces as they appreciated the fact that men are now in the fore-front of advocating the end of violence against women. And…guess what? The BAOBAB led network of men ran out of the IEC anti gender-based materials as the demand for them was so overwhelming! However, this ‘minor crisis’ of IEC material shortage did not deter the team, who carried on with their verbal messages and talking drums. The team captured some of the comments by the men on the streets:..

Rutgers University, Human Rights House – UNITED STATES

Rutgers organized a coffeehouse event to bring attention to the 16 days campaign and gender violence. Spokeswoman Christina Doonan said:

[…By bringing together poets, musicians, dancers and artists for an evening of entertainment dubbed “Justice and Java: Expressions Against Gender Violence,” our goal is to draw spectators from the university community and also members of the broader local community in New Brunswick, New Jersey.  Our two primary goals are to engage in consciousness-raising and to raise funds for a local women’s shelter. Taking advantage of our opportunity to have an audience, we will provide our viewers and listeners with information about the various forms of gender violence, its prevalence, and the resources available locally for those who have encountered it, or know someone who has.  Given the fact that university campuses are sites of increased risk for gender violence, we feel that this campaign is a particularly important human rights issue here at Rutgers”….]

The Advocates for Human Rights – UNITED STATES

For more than 25 years, the Advocates for Human Rights has worked to help humans fully realize their rights in the United States and around the world. They offer legal, education and training, and other forms of activism. In the United States, their support several projects including:

*  Death Penalty Project

* Immigrant Rights

* Post-9/11 Project

* US Compliance with International Treaties (Shadow Reporting)

* Women’s Human Rights

* Human Rights in the US Toolkits

On the International front their most recent activity is the release, December 7^th, of a new report entitled: “Human Rights in Ethiopia: Through the Eyes of the Oromo Diaspora”. It will be available for the upcoming United Nations, Human Rights Council review of Ethiopia’s compliance with its human rights obligations.

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Dec 9, 2009 – International Anti-Corruption Day

“It is not only governments and financial institutions that need to do more to prevent corruption and strengthen integrity. Corruption affects us all. It weakens democratic institutions, undermines the rule of law and enables terrorists to finance their nefarious work. On this International Day, let us all do our part to strengthen integrity, play by the rules, and turn the tide against this global menace.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Message on International Anti-Corruption Day

9 December 2009

Part of the chain of United Nations international observances that fall within the 16 days campaign to eliminate violence against women, this day arose out of the 43 page UN Resolution 58/4 on October 31, 2003. This resolution was made an official Convention by adoption in December 2005 after a minimum of 30 states (countries) had ratified the document and a Secretariat assigned. The Convention lays out definitions, agreements and procedures by which state and other entities such as regional economic organizations agree to abide, toward the elimination of corruption.

I have been unable to root out of the UN documents the most recent list of signatories to the Convention, however as of 2006, a total of 98 states had ratified it.

Education is an example of one area of human rights where the impact of corruption is different then men. UNIFEM has published a flagship biennial report entitled, “Progress of the World’s Women 2008/2009”. It part it indicates that women appear to be less tolerant and more vulnerable to corruption than men.

The U4 Anti Corruption Resource Center explains further that while there is no empirical evidence, there is a general consensus that women are disproportionately affected.  They make several points in this regard.

First, where women lack access to economic power, they are more reliant on public services. Where corruption occurs, those services suffer and undermine quality.

Second, without personal income it is more difficult to pay bribes and informal payments that may be part of the public system, and they may represent a higher portion of income for poor families. Since women head of households represent a disproportionate share of poor families, they are more greatly affected.

Third, in a non-equal world, poor families tend to reserve their available funds for boys.

Finally, women tend to have less access to redress, because of gender restricted roles and culture, and the lack of economic power, In a justice system that is gender based, rather than human based, women tend to lose out.

The thrust of these organizations is directed towards developing and war torn areas. However, their talking points resonate in the United States, as well.

Women here also represent a disproportionate share of poor heads of household. They are more likely to be dependant on public service. While most families may not make decisions by gender, over who should attend school, there is still disparity in educational choices and treatment. Since women are not equal under the eyes of the law, redress for grievances is different.

For further information, Transparency International has a wonderful resource page HERE.

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December 2nd, 2009 – International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

As part of the 16 days campaign toward the Elimination of Violence against Women, the UN has announced the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.

“Combating slavery means not only its direct prohibition by law but also fighting against poverty, illiteracy, economic and social disparities, gender discrimination and violence against women and children.  We need to enforce laws against slavery; create mechanisms to combat such practices; reinforce bilateral, regional and international cooperation, including with non-governmental organizations that assist victims; and launch awareness raising campaigns.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Message for the International Day

for the Abolition of Slavery

2 December 2009

Slavery is an international problem. Wikipedia identifies slavery as:

[Slavery is a form of forced labor in which people are considered to be the property of others. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to receive compensation (such as wages)…]

Perhaps we in the United States like to think we fully know what slavery is and condemn it. After all, we sent Eleanor to the United Nations in 1948 and thought we took care of that. We passed civil rights laws and thought that was an end. Some of us have  attempted apologies or reparations.

However, it still exists internationally and it still exists here. We are still a patriarchal society; we don’t place an economic value on the work that people, say, like abused women trapped in their home, do, or are not able to do, because of their situation. Women (and some men) still only have a domestic value if they take their skills across the street to their neighbor who pays them an hourly wage for their babysitting, caretaking and cooking. Therefore, we don’t count an abused woman’s plight as an aspect of slavery. It is. Yet domestic violence is rarely even treated as assault and battery, much less attempted murder or slave trafficking. Never the less, the abusers diminishment tactics that are used are very much the same.

Human trafficking is a component of slavery. It is here in the United States.

Wikipedia says:

[…Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world,[4] with the total annual revenue for trafficking in persons estimated to be between USD$5 billion and $9 billion.[5] The Council of Europe states, “People trafficking has reached epidemic proportions over the past decade, with a global annual market of about $42.5 billion.”[6][7] Trafficking victims typically are recruited using coercion, deception, fraud, the abuse of power, or outright abduction…]

The FBI website has the “Trafficking in Persons and Worker Exploitation Task Force Complaint Line” at 1-888-428-7581.

The FBI also has a website devoted to understanding your rights and where you can find help it you are a victim of trafficking and are in the United States.

HumanTrafficking.org is an organization previously supported by the USA State Department, and now, by the Academy of Educational Development (AED). It’s purpose is to bring Governments and NGO’s (Nongovernmental Organizations) in East Asia and the Pacific together, to share knowledge country specific information and laws, action plans and activities in the realm of human trafficking.

They have a hotline you can call if you suspect trafficking.

HOTLINE: 1.888.3737.888

HumanTrafficking states that the United States is principally a transit and destination country for human trafficking.  However, their numbers, while large, appear to reflect that of 2007. In fact, in looking around the web I realized that there was a dearth of figures for 2008 or 2009.

I found a clue to this mystery at another UN organization, UNESCO. They have begun a new project to strengthen research and conduct a literature review and meta-analysis of existing statements on human trafficking.

UNESCO offers a data comparison sheet to show the difficulties with which they are working. Big crime activities are notoriously hard to quantify precisely because they are hidden. Assume, however, that the smallest figure of 600-800,000 people, supplied by the US, has been trafficked globally, between 2000 and 2008.

That figure does not include those who are trafficked within their national borders. According to Wiki, in 2007, 40% were thought to be trafficked sex slaves worth an estimated $29,210 each. The average profit was $3,175 with the lowest for a bonded slave laborer at $950. That is 2.54 billion.  In fact, Wiki quoting, Siddharth Kara, estimates the total for slavers to be around 91.2 billion in just 2007.

This figure does not include the asset and production value of slaves to the new owners. However, these values can be quantified. Learning is one of the first steps toward understanding and then acting. One of my must-reads this week is Siddarth Kara’s book, “Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery”.

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Monica Carrillo

Each year the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers highlights sixteen women, men and organizations that standout in the fight against gender violence. Representing December 7th, is:

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Noelene Nabulivou

Each year the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers highlights sixteen women, men and organizations that standout in the fight against gender violence. Representing December 6th, is:

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Betty Murungi

Each year the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers highlights sixteen women, men and organizations that standout in the fight against gender violence. Representing December 2nd, is:

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Prudence Mabele

Each year the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers highlights sixteen women, men and organizations that standout in the fight against gender violence. Representing November 30^th, is:

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International Women Human Rights Defenders Day

Today is International Women Human Rights Defenders Day. (ICWHRD). As of this date, November 29th, 2008, Wikipedia did not yet record this event in English.

This day is a commemoration of activist women who have been defenders of human rights, many of whom have been killed in the line of duty. And, it has been a duty of honor in a worldwide war.

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Lydia Cacho Ribiero

Each year the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers highlights sixteen women, men and organizations that standout in the fight against gender violence. Representing November 28^th, is:

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