Women | Tools | Technology: Building Opportunities and Economic Power
Ashoka’s Changemakers, ExxonMobil, and The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) have issued a global challenge for innovations which enable women to access and use the power of tools and technology to expand their opportunities for economic advancement. See Women | Tools | Technology for competition details and deadlines.

Women ONE2ONE
Women ONE2ONE is a growing voice made up of people who know that maternal health, girls’ education, economic opportunity and women’s empowerment are key to fighting poverty and preventable disease for everyone. This campaign recognizes women as change-makers, community-builders and peace builders. Harness your power to connect, take action and shape the future. Learn more about Women ONE2ONE.

Women for Women International
Join Me on the Bridge
To honor the resilience of millions of women survivors of war around the world, Women for Women International is hosting a global campaign called Join Me on the Bridge on International Women’s Day: March 8, 2010. Women from Rwanda and Congo will come together in peace on a bridge between their countries to demand an end to war and to demonstrate that women can build the bridges to peace and development. At the same time and in solidarity, women (and men!) will come together on bridges throughout the world, creating a truly global movement that says NO! to war and YES! to peace and hope. Learn more about Join Women on the Bridge.

The following is a post written by Dinah-Kareen Jean, who joined Vital Voices in the fall of 2009 and is currently a Consultant with the Vital Voices Human Rights Program. Dinah-Kareen graduated from Tufts University with a B.A. in Political Science and Community Health.

On January 29th, 2010 UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced his decision to appoint Margot Wallström as his Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict. The Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict position was created in response to Security Council Resolution 1888, adopted on September 30th, 2009. The resolution called for the Secretary General to create the position in order to coordinate efforts between non-government organizations, governments and the military to address the issue of sexual violence in armed conflict.

Ms. Wallström is currently the outgoing Vice-President of the European Commission for Institutional Relations and Communications and was previously the Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders Ministerial Initiative. Her career in politics began in 1979 when she was elected to the Swedish Parliament. Ms. Wallström plans to apply her wealth of knowledge and experience to an issue that she regards “as one of the most important and yet one of the most overlooked and ignored in modern conflicts.”

In her role as a Special Representative of the Secretary General, Ms. Wallström will be given the opportunity to provide first hand observations of conflict situations to the Secretary-General and to communicate the issues of those working on the ground to the greater UN community.

Curbing sexual violence in conflict is ‘mission irresistible’ for new UN envoy-UN News Centre

Senator Barbara Boxer at the introduction of I-VAWA, joined by Senator John Kerry and Representatives Bill Delahunt, Ted Poe, and Jan Schakowsky

On February 4, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) joined Representatives Bill Delahunt (D-MA), Ted Poe (R-TX) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) to introduce the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA) to both Houses of the 111th Congress. The bipartisan bill would authorize the development of a 5-year strategy to “reduce, prevent, and respond to violence against women and girls around the globe,” expanding on a goal of the Obama Administration to address violence against women as a component of American foreign policy.

In his remarks, Senator Kerry said that I-VAWA has “crucial, long-term importance,” and will serve to strengthen national security by promoting peace and stability abroad. He went on to say that women are “peacemakers and change agents” who should no longer be suppressed by gender-based violence that currently affects 1 in 6 women internationally. While acknowledging that some of his colleagues are weary of authorizing additional funds at this time, Kerry stated that support for I-VAWA and investment in the eradication of violence against women “will reduce expenditures in so many other ways.” Pledging his support for the legislation, Kerry said:

“societies that do respect and empower women are all around healthier…[which] makes all of us safer.”

Representative Delahunt echoed his colleague, expressing his support for a bill that will not only reduce violence against women globally, but also “make the world more stable and less prone to conflict.” He added that female education has proven critical to the eradication of extremism.

Senator Boxer recognized the efforts of former Senator and current Vice President Joe Biden, who authored the Violence Against Women Act, passed in 1994. Noting that there is not merely a “moral dimension” to ending violence against women, Boxer cited evidence that societies with less incidence of gender-based violence tend to be more prosperous.

“Women are engines of peace and prosperity…”

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WASHINGTON – Today (Tuesday December 1, 2009), the Save Darfur Coalition is honoring Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, as part of an initiative associated with the internationally-observed “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.” For each of the 16 days, the coalition’s unique campaign will honor a leader in the fight to empower, protect and uplift women in Sudan, and offer a corresponding action for activists. The international movement is observed between November 25, 2009 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) and December 10, 2009 (International Human Rights Day).

As the first U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Verveer works to increase women’s involvement in political processes and advance their social and economic opportunities. Verveer is also co-founder of Vital Voices, an organization that empowers women within their communities. During Verveer’s tenure as Ambassador, she has advocated for the eradication of violence against women in Darfur and throughout Sudan.

In October, Verveer testified in front of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee on violence against women. In her testimony, she explained that, “the displaced women in Sudan’s Darfur region risk rape when they leave camps to collect firewood – rape by some of the same perpetrators that caused their displacement and by other militia and bandits. In refugee camps in eastern Chad and in Kenya, women risk attack by local people protecting their resources as well as by armed groups.”

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This month, we would like to update our network on the work of Marina Pisklakova, Russian domestic violence advocate and 2004 Vital Voices Global Leadership Award honoree.

Marina Pisklakova, a member of the Vital Voices Leadership Network and founding member of the Advisory Council, openned the first domestic violence crisis hotline in Russia. Her organization, National Center for the Prevention of Violence – ANNA (Association – No to Violence), is a regional non-governmental non-profit organization focused on prevention of violence and development of services for women survivors of violence. By conducting educational and prevention programs, collaborating with mass media to raise awareness, and providing legal aid and psychological support, ANNA is assisting survivors of domestic violence across Russia, with more than 40 centers currently operating.

In 2008, ANNA created the National Independent Commission on Women’s Human Rights and Violence Against Women. The commission recently released a new report entitled “Territory of Silence.” Analyzing statistical research, the commission found that violence occurs in one in four families, and each year 14,000 women die as a result of spousal abuse in Russia.

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November 25 marked the 10^th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Vice President Biden released a statement to commemorate the day, saying:

“Violence against women is found in every culture around the world. It is one of our most pervasive global problems, yet it is preventable…I urge all Americans to join with the international community in calling for an end to these abuses.”

Biden further noted that violence against women results not only in human suffering, but has considerable social and economic costs as well, since “violence robs women and girls of their full potential.” Ambassador Susan Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, released a statement on the day echoing the Vice President’s remarks in calling for action on the part of the United States and the international community to “end impunity for perpetrators of gender based violence.” Ambassador Rice cited research from UNIFEM to illustrate the scope of violence against women:

“Up to seventy percent of women have experienced physical or sexual violence by men…The ability of all women and girls to live free from abuse and fear is a fundamental human right.”

Statement by Vice President Biden- White House

Statement by Ambassador Susan Rice- United States Mission to the United Nations

On November 17, Diane von Furstenberg hosted a luncheon at her studio in New York for Chouchou Namegabe, honoree of the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award. Using her radio program, Chouchou has worked to give a voice to women who have been victims of human rights crimes in order to educate the public and promote change.

Chouchou said, “As a journalist, I found that Congolese women were silenced and I decided to battle for their freedom of expression.”

She told the audience at the luncheon that people should stop feeling sorry for victims of crimes; rather, they should join the fight to raise awareness.

Learn more about Chouchou’s incredible journey here.

Amidst Nigerian national assembly debate on the passage of a new “Indecent Dressing Bill”, one non-governmental organization called the Girls Power Initiative (GPI) is asking that the government instead pass a law on violence against women.

Professor Bene Madunagu, a GPI center director, said that bills that increase restrictions on clothing will, “grant intolerably dangerous powers of arrest and invasion of the most intimate privacies of the woman’s body imaginable to both police officers and ordinary citizens to undertake vigilante action against women they mere perceive to be indecently dressed”.

The Girls Power Imitative argues that the passage of the Indecent Dressing Bill will increase violence against women, recalling the recent rape and killing of a National Youth Service Corps member who was accused of wearing indecent clothing.

Enact Law On Violence Against Women, National Assembly Told- All Africa

Playwright Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer-Prize winning work, “Ruined,” was staged on the evening of November 9 at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC with the cooperation of The Enough Project. A powerful depiction of the plight of Congolese women during ongoing war, “Ruined” is the product of Nottage’s conversations with various women in the Democratic Republic of Congo during her travels to the state. Told in a bar in a remote mining town, the stories of Mama Nadi, Sophie, Salima and others illustrate the effects of a war waged largely upon women’s bodies. Sophie, portrayed by Condola Rashad, is damaged, the mark of war left on her body, she has been cast out from her family and community –she is “ruined.” Mama Nadi, read by Portia, agrees to take Sophie in as one of the many girls who work her bar, presenting a unique dialectic and provoking all to consider instances in which the oppressed might become an oppressor. As Nottage explained in a panel discussion following the staging, she intended to provide an accurate representation of the reality in Congo, of ethics blurred by conflict and the remarkable resilience of the women she has encountered there.

Chouchou Namegabe of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Vital Voices honoree and internationally-recognized journalist Chouchou Namegabe was also featured in the panel discussion, alongside Enough Project Co-founder John Prendergast. Chouchou shared her perspective of the war and ongoing violence, speaking on the use of rape and sexual violence as a tool of war. Chouchou is the 2009 Knight International Journalism Award Winner, recognized by the International Center for Journalists, she called for the guarantee of freedom of the press in Congo. She went on to insist:

“Our voices must be heard. Silence must come to an end…Change must come from the women. Change can come to Congo, and it must come from the women of Congo.”

John Prendergast spoke on the role of conflict minerals such as coltan, used widely in the production of electronics including cell phones, in fueling and perpetuating the war in Congo. Prendergast urged that American consumers voice their concerns to corporations that benefit from “the human misery” that results from the illegal mineral trade.

To take action on Congo, visit: Raise HOPE for Congo –The Enough Project

To support Chouchou Namegabe, visit: Vital Voices Women of the Congo Training Fund

On November 6 the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) launched a new advocacy program called “Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence Against Women”. The campaign serves to spotlight international efforts to garner attention and action on the issue of violence against women.

The goal of the campaign is to reach 10,000 “actions” by March 2010, and one million in one year. Actions vary from volunteering at abuse shelters to donating to programs that protect victims of violence or educate women and girls.

The project will be a continuation of the “Say NO” signature campaign launched by UNIFEM in 2008. In one year the petition received five million signatures, including the names of Heads of State and parliamentarians from 69 countries.

Press Release