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| 05 Aug 2007 - 22:07 | Alandra
| Forced HIV testing no comfort for rape victim By ALANDRA MITCHELL First published: Monday, June 18, 2007 In 1996,
I was raped by a man the police never caught. Life-saving antiretroviral meds had only just become available, so the protocol that would have protected me from possible HIV infection hadn't yet been established. That now-standard protocol is known as post-exposure prophylaxis, or PEP. It's a short course of antiretrovirals that, when started within 36 hours of a possible exposure to HIV, prevents infection. I was diagnosed with HIV in 2000. I don't know if the man who raped me also gave me the virus. What I do know is that rape survivors today are better off because PEP is available. The state Assembly is now considering a bill that would forcibly test rape suspects for HIV; the state Senate has passed it, and Gov. Eliot Spitzer says he supports it. The proposal upsets me for many reasons, but first among them is that it fails to provide PEP to rape survivors. It focuses obsessively on the HIV-status of the perpetrators of rape at the expense of their actual victims. If someone had told me about this bill around the time I was raped, I certainly would have supported it. I was angry and it would have comforted me to know that rapists weren't allowed to just go around spreading HIV to innocent women. Today I know better. A rape survivor might well decide to go off the antiretrovirals if her suspected attacker tested negative, even though the suspect may turn out to be not guilty. I know I might have. Or if guilty, a suspect himself may be in the "window" period before actually seroconverting. As a black woman, I'm also keenly aware of how black and Latino men are routinely unfairly targeted and mistreated by police officers. Approximately three-fourths of the convictions overturned as part of the Innocence Project have been for sexual assault. And as a person with HIV, I know how this bill could needlessly fuel fear and hatred. Any time a court uses this forced-testing law would be an occasion for high-intensity, high-emotion media coverage that will inevitably make me and others with the virus out to be monsters. I'm not the only woman against this bill. The National Organization for Women, the New York Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and chapters of Planned Parenthood and the YMCA all oppose it. I sincerely hope state Assembly members keep a cool head when it comes to considering this legislation, and recognize how damaging it is. After I was raped, the police brusquely followed through with their procedures. It was clear no one really cared what had happened to me. When I hear about support for this legislation, I feel the same way. Alandra Mitchell works for Housing Works, an advocacy group for AIDS patients.
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| 05 Aug 2007 - 22:02 | Human Rights Watch
URL: hrw.org/reports/2007/cdi0807/
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Côte d'Ivoire: Peace process fails to address sexual violence
National Authorities and International Community Must Act to Reverse Impunity
(Abidjan, August 2, 2007) -- Pro-government and rebel forces in Côte d'Ivoire have subjected thousands of women and girls to rape and other brutal sexual assaults with impunity, Human Rights Watch said in a new report issued today. Despite recent progress in the peace process, the latest accord fails to address this widespread sexual violence or the need for accountability.
While the worst sexual violence took place during the height of the armed conflict from 2002 to 2004, women and girls continue to be subjected to acts of sexual violence.
"Sexual violence has been the silent crime of Côte d'Ivoire's military and political crisis," said Peter Takirambudde, Africa director of Human Rights Watch. "Combatants responsible for rape and other acts of sexual violence have enjoyed almost complete impunity, while the survivors have been denied both justice and medical attention."
The 135-page report, "My Heart is Cut": Sexual Violence by Rebels and Pro-Government Forces in Côte d'Ivoire, (click on link above) details the widespread nature of sexual violence throughout the five-year military-political crisis. The report, which is based on interviews with more than 180 victims and witnesses, documents how women and girls have been subjected to individual and gang rape, sexual slavery, forced incest and other egregious sexual assaults.
Fighters on both sides have raped women old enough to be their grandmothers, girls as young as 6, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. They have also inserted guns, sticks, pens, and other objects into their victims' vaginas. Combatants have abducted women and girls to serve as sex slaves, and have forcibly conscripted them into the fighting forces. Sexual violence has been often accompanied by other gross human rights violations against the victims, their families and their communities, including torture, killing, mutilation and even cannibalism.
Côte d'Ivoire – once considered a pillar of stability and progress in West Africa – has for at least seven years been consumed by a political and military crisis rooted in ethnic, religious, political and economic issues. Efforts to resolve the armed conflict between the government and northern-based rebels have produced a string of unfulfilled peace agreements, the deployment of more than 11,000 foreign peacekeeping troops, and the imposition of a UN arms embargo and travel and economic sanctions. In March, the government and rebels signed the Ouagadougou Agreement, envisioned to bring about an end to the crisis and lead to elections later this year. To date, both sides have taken encouraging steps toward its implementation, but the peace process has not resolved key issues that have contributed to the breakdown of previous accords in the past, particularly the criteria for establishing Ivorian citizenship, disarmament, and accountability for abuses by all sides.
Victims of sexual violence told Human Rights Watch about the acute physical and psychological distress they suffered as a result of rape. The report details how some rape victims died because of the sexual violence they endured. Others were raped so violently that they suffered serious bleeding, tearing in the genital area, long-term incontinence, and severe infections. Others suffered from botched abortions following the sexual assault. Many complained of bleeding, deep abdominal aches, and burning pains. Countless victims suffered from sexually transmitted infections and were put at high risk for the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Deterred by shame and poverty, few survivors of sexual violence ever receive the medical help they need.
The Ivorian government and the rebel New Forces (Forces Nouvelles) have made scant efforts to investigate or prosecute perpetrators of even the most heinous crimes involving sexual violence. This failure has contributed to an environment of increasingly entrenched lawlessness where impunity prevails. For its part, the international community has consistently sidelined initiatives to combat impunity in Côte d'Ivoire, presumably due to a fear of upsetting negotiation efforts.
"The government and the rebels alike have turned a blind eye to rape and other abuses committed by their forces," said Takirambudde. "This has only emboldened perpetrators on both sides of the military divide."
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| 01 Aug 2007 - 11:15 | Rita Smith
wrd@hrw.org
URL: hrw.org/jobs/wrd_researcher-us_2007-01-1 . . .
| Women's Rights Researcher on the US
The US researcher position on women's rights at Human Rights Watch is still open. We would greatly appreciate it if you could circulate this announcement and encourage any and all qualified applicants you know to
apply. The position description is available below and on our website at:
http://hrw.org/jobs/wrd_researcher- us_2007-01-16.htm
Many thanks,
The Women's Rights Division
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
F/T Position Available:
Women's Rights Researcher on the United States
Women's Rights Division
(New York or Washington, D.C. Office)
Apply Immediately
Human Rights Watch ("HRW") is an international human rights monitoring and advocacy organization known for its in-depth investigations, its incisive
and timely reporting, its innovative and high-profile advocacy campaigns, and its success in changing the human rights-related policies and practices
of influential governments and international institutions.
The Women's Rights Division ("WRD") of Human Rights Watch was established in 1990 to monitor state-sponsored or state-tolerated violence and sex discrimination against women in all regions of the world. Much of its work
consists of gathering detailed information on abuses against women and publishing reports that are as reliable, comprehensive and timely as possible, so as to effect change in repressive practices and improve respect for women's rights throughout the world. The work of the WRD seeks to expand
the scope of human rights work to address abuses against women that traditionally have been overlooked or misunderstood, as well as achieve greater accountability for violations of women's human rights.
Description:
The Researcher will work within the Women's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch to improve awareness and accountability for human rights violations
against women in the U.S. by, among other things, conducting fact-finding missions; writing and publicizing reports, briefing papers, letters, press releases, op-eds, and submissions to international bodies based on the findings; developing and implementing local, regional, and international
strategies to change abusive laws, policies, and practices; presenting human rights concerns to government officials, inter-governmental agencies, and
the press; and working closely with colleagues in the U.S. to ensure that
the work of HRW complements and enhances their own work. The Researcher's responsibilities will also include monitoring legislative and/or policy developments related to women's rights in the U.S. and liaising with human rights and women's organizations in the U.S. S/he will be based preferably
in our New York office, although a base in Washington, D.C., may be
considered.
Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will have at least five years of directly related
post-graduate professional experience working on women's human rights in the U.S., both at a local and a national level. Experience living in the U.S. is
required. An advanced (graduate) degree in international relations,
journalism, law, or social sciences is required. S/he must have strong field research and documentation skills; the ability to produce excellent written material under tight deadlines; excellent oral and written communication skills; experience in international human rights law; strong advocacy abilities, including experience with face-to-face advocacy with high-level
policymakers; fluency in English, and preferably a working knowledge of Spanish. She or he should also be able to work under pressure and juggle multiple tasks, be collegial and team-oriented yet able to work
independently, and be able to travel in the U.S. and overseas for three or
more weeks at a time, several times per year.
Salary and Benefits:
Human Rights Watch seeks exceptional candidates and offers competitive compensation and generous employer-paid benefits. HRW will pay reasonable
relocation expenses and will assist employees in obtaining necessary U.S. work authorization; non-U.S. citizens are encouraged to apply.
PLEASE APPLY IMMEDIATELY (no calls or email inquiries, please) by emailing in a single document: a letter of interest describing your experience, your resume, names or letters of professional reference, and a brief writing sample (unedited by others) to wrd@hrw.org
<mailto:wrd@hrw.org?subject =WRD%20U.S.%20Researcher%20Application> . Please
use "WRD U.S. Researcher Application" as the subject of your email. Only
complete applications will be reviewed. It is preferred that all materials
be submitted via email. If emailing is not possible, send materials (please
do not split a submission between email and regular post) to:
Human Rights Watch
Attn: Search Committee (WRD U.S. Researcher)
350 Fifth Avenue, 34th Floor
New York, NY 10118-3299
U.S.A.
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| 01 Aug 2007 - 10:50 | Ellen Aguello
info@ithappenedtoalexa.org
URL: www.ithappenedtoalexa.org
| The purpose of the It Happened to Alexa Foundation is to help support rape survivors through
the trauma of the criminal trial, in the hopes that more survivors will go through with the prosecution in order to put these perpetrators behind bars.
Established in 2003, the foundation assists rape victims’ families with
travel expenses during the litigation process and is the only organization
of its kind in the United States.
go to: www.ithappenedtoalexa.org or click on web link above message
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| 01 Aug 2007 - 10:35 | Anagha
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*Invitation for Public Meeting on Sexual Harassment at Workplace*
Greetings from Campaign Against Sexual Harassment, India Centre for Human Rights and Law, Mumbai!!
- *In a 2005 case, Indian air force pilot Anjali Gupta was
court-martialed for misconduct after she accused three superiors of sexually harassing her - a year after three trainees were also sacked when they leveled similar charges. *
- *A woman executive with leading audit firm KPMG was forced to resign from her post when she spoke up against the sexual harassment she was facing
at the hands of one of her colleagues. *
**It will be ten years 0n the 13th August 2007 since the Supreme Court of India gave the Vishakha judgement. The Supreme Court of India, for the first time acknowledged the existence of sexual harassment at workplace, and the need for in house complaints mechanism for the same. The Vishakha guidelines
given by the Supreme Court assign the responsibility of prevention and
redress of complaints of sexual harassment at workplace to the employer. Our experience of working in the area of Sexual Harassment at Workplace tells us
that there is poor implementation of the Vishakha guidelines across India, rare enquiries related to Sexual Harassment are a success and that we need to go a long way in terms of achieving gender justice.
Indian government is going to come up with the first ever law aimed at
stopping sexual harassment and provide minimum protection to women joining the workforce of its booming economy.
We want to take this opportunity to discuss status of implementation of the Vishakha guidelines and create awareness among people about the issue of sexual harassment at workplaces and education institutions.
We are organising a public meeting to spread this message across the city of Mumbai. We request you to give your valuable time and join us for the public meeting.
Date: 13th August 2007.
Venue: Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh
We will be organizing an outreach campaign in buses, trains, colleges and other public places from the 13 th August 2007 to the 18th August 2007 to reach out to public.
Kindly call at 23439651 or 23436692 and register your participation in advance with Deepa or Reshma or at 9869661721 (Anagha)
In Solidarity
Anagha Sarpotdar and Snehal Velkar
Campaign Against Sexual Harassment, ICHRL, Mumbai
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| 30 Jul 2007 - 15:33 | Barbara Grovner
BGROVNER@HOTMAIL.COM
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HI
I HAVE WRITTEN A BOOK ABOUT A YOUNG GIRL WHO WAS MOLESTED BY HER STEPFATHER.
IT IS A FAST AND INTENSE READ. I WROTE THIS BOOK TO HELP SINGLE MOTHERS OF YOUNG CHILDREN TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF BRINGING MEN INTO THEIR HOMES AND INTO THE LIVES OF THEIR UNSUSPECTING AND INNOCENT CHILDREN. SOME MEN ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM TO BE.
THE BOOK IS FULL OF RED FLAGS THAT MAY BE ABLE TO ALERT SINGLE MOTHERS AND IS APPROPRIATE FOR YOUNGER READERS WHO ARE SINGLE MOTHERS AS WELL.
YOU CAN READ AN EXERPT FROM MY BOOK ON MYSPACE.COM. JUST SEARCH FOR BARBARA GROVNER.
I HOPE YOU FIND THIS USEFUL IN YOUR FIGHT TO EDUCATE WOMEN IN THE BATTLE TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN.
THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE,
BARBARA GROVNER
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