Nadia Sawalha runs the British 10k for One World Action
After playing tough businesswoman Annie Palmer in EastEnders, actress and television presenter Nadia Sawalha will take on a different challenge this summer, by running in the ASICS British 10k for One World Action.
Nadia, who has presented programmes such as Loose Women and the BBC One Show, chose to run for One World Action because of the charities strong focus on women’s rights within international development. As a mother and working professional, she feels very strongly about the poverty, exclusion and violence that women face all over the world.
“Women face many barriers wherever we are, whether here in the UK or in developing countries. We need to support each other and the organisations that work with and for women to have a voice and fulfil their potential.”
South London resident, Nadia will be running in the British 10K alongside family and friends including her husband Mark Adderley, to help raise both valuable funds and awareness of One World Action’s work and is calling on others – both women and men—to join her in taking part.
To sign up to run with Nadia on Sunday 11th July or to sponsor her efforts, contact Verity Owers on 020 7833 7314 at vowers@oneworldaction.org or visit - www.oneworldaction.org/what_you_can_do/Run+for+us
Helen O’Connell, former Head of Policy at One World Action, has been awarded an OBE for her “services to equal opportunities”. Helen, a long-time advocate for gender equality and women’s human rights, was among the pioneers at One World Action, having joined the organisation in 1993.
Helen’s many achievements include groundbreaking advocacy on the impact of aid and trade on women’s lives in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and the launching of the More Women More Power campaign for equal representation of women in politics.
Helen began her career as a teacher and later moved to development work, working in organisations such as War on Want. She left One World Action in 2009 but remains active in policy research and women’s rights campaigning.
OBE's (Officer of the British Empire) are awarded by the Queen for an individual's services to the community. The full list of this year’s awardees is available here.
09 June 2010
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UK GAD Network speaks out on MDGs
One World Action is an active member of the UK Gender and Development Network (GADN), a network of organisations working on gender and development issues. The GAD Network warns that unless women and girls, who make up about 70 per cent of the world's poor, are put at the center of development plans, the Millennium Development Goals will be unattainable. Read the GAD Network's manifesto and statement on the MDGs by going to this page.
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One World Action President Appointed to Combat Viiolence Against Women Overseas
(Glenys with One World Action partners, from left: Anna Maria Encina, Glenys Kinnock and Emily Sikazwe)
Glenys Kinnock, One World Action’s President, has been appointed to head the Government’s efforts to address violence against women overseas. This is the first time that such a post has existed to coordinate British efforts across ministries and departments such as DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Among her top priorities is addressing sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where UN figures reported over 10,000 women and girls raped in the last year.
The appointment was announced on International Women’s Day, a fitting date to declare the Brown Government’s commitment to combat violence against women.
The position was created after vigorous lobbying by organisations working on gender equality, among them One World Action as part of the Gender and Development Network. We hope that the role will be a permanent one regardless of changes in government.
Glenys, a long-time women’s rights champion, said “I’m honoured to be given this role. It is ultimately the job of governments to take responsibility and ensure that they deal with gender inequality and the all too frequent low status and low value accorded to women.”
Glenys Kinnock will fulfil this role alongside her current duties as Minister of State at the Foreign Office. She was one of the founders of One World Action in 1989. Among One World Action’s programmes are those that address violence against women in Bolivia, Zambia and Tanzania.
9 March 2010
Donate to emergency relief operations in Chile
One World Action would like to express our solidarity with the Chilean people in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake of February 27. With the death toll rising to over 700, thousands of injured and over a million and a half houses destroyed, Chilean victims and survivors need urgent international assistance.
One World Action would like to take part in the relief efforts for Chile but we have no partner organisations in the country. We urge you to donate to Christian Aid or Save the Children UK which are both conducting relief operations on the ground.
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Emergency aid relief for victims of the earthquake in Haiti
On Tuesday, 12 January, an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the richter scale occurred close to Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. As a result, thousands have lost their lives and homes, hospitals and schools have been destroyed.
One World Action does not work with any local partners in Haiti but as an organisation, our thoughts go out to the millions of people who have been affected.
If you would like to make a donation in support of the emergency aid relief set up for the victims, please do so through the Disasters Emergency Committee. For more info please visit - www.dec.org.uk/donate_now/
Photo: Copyright by CITA
This was the resounding message from teachers around the world as they lobbied and marched and celebrated World Teachers’ Day, despite the global economic crisis threatening education and other key public services.
In countries where democratic rights are respected, educators celebrated their profession and their activism in a great variety of colourful and creative ways. In other countries, teachers were prohibited for reasons, both natural and man-made, from exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association.
In Cambodia, teachers took to the streets of Phnom Penh, despite a government order forbidding them to celebrate World Teachers’ Day.In a letter sent on 3 October, the Phnom Penh municipal authorities informed the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association (CITA) that its plans to mark the day in front of the former National Assembly and the Ministry of Education would not be allowed. Leng Bunhong, Chief of Administration for CITA, said: “Cambodia has now lost its freedom, rights of expression and of association to join together in an association or trade union.”
The above is an extract of an article from World of Education No. 32 December 2009; a publication of Education International.
One World Action supports the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association (CITA) in their efforts to improve the rights of teachers in Cambodia.
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The Guardian International Development Journalism Competition
One World Action participated in the Guardian's International Development Journalism Competition this year. We brought journalists Mary Griffin and Luke Tredget to see our work with our partners in Bangladesh and Tanzania, respectively.
Mary wrote about the poverty and exclusion of Dalits in Dhaka and the work of our partners Bangladesh Dalit Human Rights (BDHR) forum and Dalit Women's Forum. She received a special commendation at the Guardian award ceremonies on November 19.
Luke wrote about the challenges facing refugees in Tanzania, focusing on violence against women in the refugee camps and the work of One World Action partner, the Women's Legal Aid Centre, in training refugees to claim their rights and access justice.
The two articles were published in special supllements in the Guardian last November 21 and 23.
To read Mary's article on Dalits in Bangladesh, please click here.
To read Luke's article on Tanzania refugees, please click here
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The Luanda Urban Poverty Programme, a major programme of One World Action, has received the top Southern Africa Drivers of Change Award for civil society organisations from the Southern Africa Trust. This was announced at a ceremony in Johannesburg at the end of October. This is one of the most prestigious awards in the region.
The Drivers of Change award recognizes individuals or organisations that are making a real impact in developing effective public policies and strategies to overcome poverty. Three awardees are selected from civil society, government, and business.
One World Action has been central to the LUPP since it began in 1999 and has secured financial support for it from DFID. We have worked throughout in partnership with our long term partner in Angola, Development Workshop. The current phase “Building Influence, Strengthening Governance" began in October 2007.
To find out more about LUPP, please click here.
To read about the Drivers for Change Awards, please click here
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Feminist organisation and One World Action partner in Honduras, Centro de Estudios de la Mujer -Honduras (CEM-H), has been experiencing surveillance and harassment since the coup that ousted President Manuel Zelaya in June of this year. Last week, their weekly radio programme was closed down. The article below details the latest crackdown on grassroots organisations in the country.
Right to freedom of opinion and expression continues in Honduras: Closing of ‘Feminists in Resistance’ Radio Programmes
Date: 16 October 2009
COVERED UNDER THE DE FACTO GOVERNMENT’S DECREE (124-2009), THE RADIO STATION OF EX-HONDURAN PRESIDENT, RICARDO MADURO, CANCELS RADIO CONTRACTS TO FEMINISTS IN RESISTANCE ORGANISATIONS
Today by way of written communication the administration of Radio Cadena Voces, owned by Ricardo Maduro Joest, ex-President of Honduras, informed the feminist organisations Centro de Derechos de Mujeres (CDM) and the Centro de Estudios de la Mujer -Honduras (CEM-H), that their radio programmes “Tiempo de Hablar” and “La Bullaranga” would be closed.
These programs, originally were conceived to develop specialised coverage of the issues with which Honduran women live, were usually transmitted weekly one hour broadcasts, but during since the Coup d’Etat on 28th June, 2009, they felt obligated to open this space in order to discuss and broadcast the most relevant events and testimonials of the serious situation occurring in the country. This was uncomfortable to the owners of Grupo INVOSA (Declared defenders of the Coup Government), who today in an open violation of the Honduran peoples rights to the freedom of expression and information, proceeded to close these programmes.
These rights had already been restricted some weeks back with the closing of two media outlets which had maintained an editorial policy open to the opposition to the Coup d’Etat: Radio Globo and TV Canal 36 ‘Cholusat’, both of which still remain off the air.
INVOSA justifies the closing of “Tiempo de Hablar” and “La bullaranga" by referring to the executive decree 124-2009, emitted by the Coup government which authorises the suspension of any radio station, television channel or cable system that gives space to criticisms of the de facto government of Roberto Michelletti.
Both organisations, Centro de Derechos de Mujeres (CDM) and Centro de Estudios de La Mujer – Honduras (CEM-H), have formed part of the Front of Resistance against the Coup d’Etat and the Feminists in Resistance movements. Through their radio programmes, they have denounced the many human rights violations, in particular those against women, which have been occurring through the country since the day that the constitutional order was broken.
We are asking both national and international organisations which promote and protect human rights, and especially the Liberty of Expression and the Right to Information, to stay vigilant of what is occurring in our country.
Sandra Marybel Sánchez
Independent Journalist
Translated into English by: CAWN (Central America Women’s Network)
To read the original article (in Spanish), please click here.
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Zelaya return to Honduras sparks more violence
Since the return of democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya to Honduras on September 21, the country has seen a dramatic rise in violence by the military and police forces causing further insecurity for the people of Honduras. The following examples are testament to the suspension of civil and political rights:
-Continued surveillance of women’s rights defenders and their premises, death threats to women activists and their families, including staff of CEM-H (Centro de los Estudios de la Mujer – Honduras), One World Action’s partner in Honduras.
-The forcible removal of protesters from the Brazilian embassy (where President Zelaya is based) on the 22nd September by police and the military using tear gas, beatings and bullets. There are preliminary reports of three people being killed by gunshots to the head and of an eight-year-old boy dying due to tear gas asphyxiation.
-The detention of people, including injured protesters in illegal detention centres, such as the Olympic Stadium in San Pedro Sula and San Francisco military bases.
Since the coup, Honduran women have found themselves in a particularly vulnerable situation – both as participants in the resistance and as families of detainees. Women’s rights organisations have particularly come under surveillance, including that of our partner CEM-H.
Findings of the Feminist Fact-Finding Mission carried out in August by a delegation of human rights defenders from the United States, Canada, Mexico and Central America documented numerous cases of abuse ands exual harassment committed by the police force. These findings, along with others, such as those from the OAS’s Inter American Human Rights Commission highlighting widespread human rights abuses, confirm that bold action is needed.
To read a press release (in English) from Feminists in Resistance and the Committee of Relatives of Disappeared and Detained People in Honduras (COFADEH), please click here.
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Increase in human rights violations in Honduras
Following the military coup in Honduras and the expulsion of the constitutional President, Manuel Zelaya, on the 28th June 2009, we have been receiving disturbing reports from One World Action's partner in Honduras, CEM-H (Centre for Women’s Studies). Many of those exercising their democratic right to peaceful protest, including members of women’s organisations in Tegucigalpa have been attacked. Military surveillance of human rights and women’s rights activists is also a concern, for example, CEM-H was under surveillance by military personnel for two days in July.
It would also now appear that repression is escalating. Last week more than 300 people were arrested in San Pedro Sula alone, and Marvin Ponce, a Honduran member of Congress was attacked.
Indeed, according to a human rights mission of 18 organisation which took place from the 17th to the 24th July, and which included CIFCA, a European partner of One World Action, “violations show a disregard by the de facto government for the human rights treaties signed by Honduras….. Violations committed by public security forces during demonstrations include: illegal and arbitrary detentions of national and foreign citizens especially Nicaraguans) and enforced disappearances. Furthermore, this situation has lead to an inactivity of the State’s institutions for the protection of human rights. Serious limitations to freedom of expression against journalists and certain media were confirmed.”
What is the EU doing in the face of this?
Whilst One World Action welcomes the declaration by the Presidency of the EU of 24th July to its continued support to the mediation efforts by Oscar Arias, the President of Costa Rica, and its decision to suspend budget support payments on 27th July, we are concerned about the ambiguity of the EU (and its counterpart Central American governments) concerning negotiations on the EU-Central America Association Agreement. Although this Agreement is meant to encompass cooperation and political dialogue as well as trade, the trade aspects of it predominate.
As part of the agreement there is a democratic clause which talks about the different signatories having to respect and promote human rights. The negotiating mandate of the EU also states that it should be negotiated “block to block” i.e., between all countries of Central America and that regional integration should be uppermost. However, we understand that the 8th round of negotiations has only been postponed until September, and that negotiations will resume on the 15th September, with or without Honduras. In our view, re-starting negotiations whilst the repression continues in Honduras and whilst the constitutional President is in exile would see the EU back-tracking on its commitments to democracy and regional integration.
One World Action asks that the EU and governments of Central America respect the democratic clause of the Association Agreement and totally suspend all negotiations whilst the conflict and democratic injustice continues in Honduras, and until such time that the legitimate government of Manuel Zelaya is re-established.The Association Agreement would serve no purpose with a region in disintegration.
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Women in Honduras resist coup
The democratically leader of Honduras, President Manuel Zelaya, was sent into exile following a military coup on the 28th June 2009. President Zelaya had planned to hold a non-binding consultation on whether there was support amongst the Honduran people for changing the constitution.His opponents said that Zelaya was hoping to remove the one-term limit on serving as president, and the Supreme Court and Congress pronounced that such a consultation would be illegal.Following the coup the speaker of Congress, Roberto Micheletti, was put in as president. Zelaya's aeroplane was blocked from landing in Honduras when he tried to return on the 5th July. The Organization of American States has demanded Mr Zelaya's immediate reinstatement.
There has now been a repressive clampdown on the opposition, social movements and the women’s movements who are protesting against the coup. The roads have been militarised to stop people from demonstrating and many leaders of civil society are being persecuted and threatened. There have several arrests.
Women, including members of CEM-H, a partner of One World Action, have been attacked whilst peacefully demonstrating, and their offices are being watched by the authorities. To read a statement (in Spanish) from the women's movement in Honduras, please click here.
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One World Action wishes to denounce the brutal murder of Elda Veraliz Ramos, a worker with the National Association of Women Councillors and Mayors of El Salvador (ANDRYSAS, Asociación Nacional de Regiodras Sindicas y Alcaldesas Salvadoreñas). She was killed on the 15th of June by her ex-partner with a screwdriver which punctured her heart and lungs.This happened in front of her nine year-old son.
Elda, who was only 23 years old, had previously reported her ex-partner to the police for violence and had refused to return to him. ANDRYSAS, the organisation she worked in, has been a long-time collaborator of One World Action's partners in El Salvador, namely Colectiva Feminista, Las Dignas and COMUCES. All these organisations have long sought to advance women's rights in Central America amidst a dangerous climate of violence and impunity.
Elda's murder is yet another tragic example of gender-based violence that marks the lives of women in El Savador. According to official figures from the Instituto de Medicina Legal, 626 women were murdered in El Salvador in 2004 and 2005, and in 2005 nearly 2,500 cases of intra-family violence were denounced to ISDEMU, the state body responsible for overseeing gender policy in El Salvador.
El Salvador has ratified both CEDAW (The Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women) in 1981, and the InterAmerican Convention for the Prevention, Sanction and Eradication of Violence Against Women in 1995. It also passed a law against intra-family violence in 1996. However,there is a lack of real legal protection since the national legislation does not fully recognise the links between gender-based state violence (ie. the state’s permisiveness towards the violation of women’s rights) and violence in the home and community. Nor is it backed by adequate regulations, policies and resources.Indeed, gender-based violence remains hidden and invisible so helping to generate and maintain a climate of impunity for the aggressor and a lack of protection for the victim.
Send messages of solidarity to the women of El Salvador and support their demands for laws to protect victims of violence by clicking here.
To read the full statement of our partners in El Salvador, please click here (English version).
To read the statement in Spanish, please click here.
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Exceptional women leaders and activists in the Philippines were awarded the Bayi Citation in Manila last April 30. Organised by the Institute of Politics and Governance (IPG) with support from One World Action, the Bayi Citation is awarded for the lifetime promotion and defence of women’s and people’s rights, and vigilance for genuine democracy. It recognises breakthrough leadership and practices by women in politics and governance at all levels: from community-based organisations and social movements to government institutions to the media and cultural sectors.
The Bayi Citation is named after the Visayan term for esteemed women who hold important positions in society and is part of IPG's Women Political Leadership Formation Program. This year’s awardees include former Philippine President Corazon C. Aquino, chair of the Commission on Human Rights Leila De Lima, urban poor leader Fatima Cabanag and women’s rights and health activist Sylvia “Guy” Estrada Claudio.
In her acceptance speech, Guy says the following:
“In my work the poor among us have an equal voice. We think and laugh and sit together in long and short meetings hatching plans of affirmation and subversion. We are not unaware of the inequities between us, but we have forgiven each other for the moment while we are trying to end the problem.
In my world we refuse to be twisted and amputated to fit conceptions of what is good for women and girls. We allow our waistlines to expand as we please and raise or lower our hemlines with impunity. We also raise our eyes to look deeply into the eyes of our lovers, our children and our friends.”
You can read Guy’s inspiring acceptance speech on her blog and learn more about the Bayi Citation here.
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Lucy Changwe, Zambia's Deputy Minister for Gender in Development, was in London for International Women's Day. Lucy participated in One World Action's debate Do Women Need a Leg Up in Politics? last March 5. In this interview with the Guardian Weekly editor Natalie Bennett, she shares her personal experiences as a woman standing for public office.
Lucy was suppported by the Zambia National Women's Lobby (ZNWL), a network of women's organisations promoting women's political empowerment. One World Action works with ZNWL.
Please click here to read the whole interview.
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One World Action is very excited that Chea Mony, President of the Free Trade Union of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTU) has been selected as one of the five nominees for the 2009 Martin Ennals Award. The FTU is a partner of One World Action.
Mr. Chea Mony has been nominated for this prestigious award in recognition of his work in protecting human rights despite ongoing attacks and threats to his life.
Cambodia is a very dangerous place in which to be a trade unionist. Even though the constitution guarantees citizens the right to establish and belong to trade unions, labour unions face severe pressure and intimidation. For more information on the FTU, please click here.
Three prominent FTU leaders have been assassinated in the past few years: Chea Vichea, President of FTUWKC in January 2004, Ros Sovannareth, FTU’s President at Trinuggal Kormara factory, in May 2004 and Hy Vuthy, FTU’s President at the Suntex factory, February 2007.
Chea Mony, is the brother of Chea Vichea, and has repeatedly expressed his fear for his own safety in FTU’s struggle to protect the right of garment workers. “I live in fear every day and am conscious of the risks I'm taking, but there are over 250,000 workers in Cambodia’s garment sector and they need to be defended by independent trade unions. I would like to call on the international community to press upon our government to respect human rights and trade unions freedom.”
The Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders (MEA), created in 1993, is granted annually to someone who has demonstrated an exceptional record of combating human rights violations by courageous and innovative means. The award aims at encouraging human rights defenders who are at risk and therefore in need of immediate protection.
Martin Ennals (1927-1991) was instrumental to the modern human rights movement. A fiercely devoted activist, he creatively pursued ideas ahead of his time as the first Secretary-General of Amnesty International and devoted his whole life to human rights.
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Although One World Action does not work with any local partners in Gaza, as an organisation we have been shocked by the events there over recent weeks.
If you would like to make a donation in support of those affected, please do so through the Disasters Emergency Committee. For more info - www.dec.org.uk/item/200
26 January 2009
One World Action calls for an immediate stop to the violence in Gaza.
One World Action is gravely concerned about the ongoing and escalating violence in Gaza. During the last few weeks, civilians, especially women and children, have been the main victims and the number of people killed and injured is steadily increasing.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is dire. The impact of military action has been compounded by lack of access to food, water and medical supplies. There have been news reports of people starving slowly or dying of their injuries in the streets.
One World Action joins the international community in calling for an immediate and rapid end to military action in Gaza. New violence will provoke more violence which will serve as a pretext for further violence. This seems to be a never-ending spiral, a political and humanitarian disaster for the population. The lesson from history should be that violence is not a solution and there is no military solution for this long-lasting conflict. This military action is not and cannot be justified by any international law.
We call on the EU to step up diplomatic efforts to bring about a ceasefire and the UN agencies to resume humanitarian assistance. We join other organisations in a collective call for peace, respect for human rights and compliance with international law including relevant UN resolutions including resolution SC/9567.
12 January 2009
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Landmark bill ensures rights and benefits for millions of India's unorganised workers
A historic law granting social security to unorganised workers in India has been passed by both Houses of Parliament. SEWA, One World Action's partner in India, played a major role in getting the law passed. The law gives millions of unorganised workers in India access to health and maternity benefits, pensions and disability cover and other benefits. The following article is from the Times of India.
After almost a decade, a Bill seeking to provide social security to workers in the vast unorganised sector was finally passed by Parliament late Thursday night. The Bill, after some changes, has now been passed by both Houses. The Bill seeks to make a beginning in providing social security to some sections of the vast 94% of the total 45.9 crore working population of the country who have remained outside the purview of this facility.
This Bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha on September 10, 2007, and soon referred to the Standing Committee of the Parliament. The latter made several recommendations. Taking note of the committee's recommendations and consulting various stakeholders, the labour minister moved an amended Bill in the previous session of Rajya Sabha and the House subsequently passed it on October 23.
The amended Bill was again discussed in Lok Sabha and with voice vote passed in the lower House. The title of the Bill has changed to "the Unorganised Workers Social Security Bill, 2008," to include coverage of such workers in the organised sector as well. This means that the Bill will include all such workers as are not covered by existing social security legislations like EPF Act. The scheme relates to providing life and disability cover; health and maternity benefits, old age protection; and any other benefit as may be determined by the Central government.
The amended Bill ensures that minimum social security measures are not excluded subsequently by future governments. It provides for setting up of a National Social Security Advisory Board which has been re-named as National Social Security Board with the Union labour minister as its chairperson. It will include three MPs, 2 from Lok Sabha and 1 from Rajya Sabha. The Advisory Board will also include labour and employment ministers from concerned states, principal secretary or secretary (labour) plus 28 members to be nominated by the state governments -- 7 representing unorganised workers and 7 representing employers of unorganised workers, 5 representing eminent persons from civil society, 7 from state departments and 2 MLAs.
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Independent Appeal: Change, not charity, is this year's message
By Paul Vallely
Monday, 8 December 2008
A number of aid agencies might have gone into the shanty town known as the musseques on the edge of Luanda, the capital of Angola, and brought in supplies of piped water. The need was obvious enough. But One World Action (OWA) realised it was not just the sun-baked soil that needed drilling down into. There was a social problem which needed deeper attention too.
The world's poorest people need more than charity at Christmas. That is why The Independent Appeal this year is doing more than asking readers for money to help dig a well or send drugs to a needy clinic in the developing world. The three charities we are supporting in our 2008 appeal all try to address the problems of poverty in a more profound way. Each is working not for charity but for change.
In Angola, shanty towns sprang up around the capital during the 27-year civil war which was one of the deadliest conflicts in Africa in the post-colonial period. Six years after that war ended they are still there, and have become a permanent feature of the landscape.
For decades the poorest of the five million people in Angola's sprawling shanty towns used to buy water in small plastic bags in the market – many were paying 25 per cent of their entire incomes on water. OWA, in conjunction with a local group called Development Workshop, brought piped supplies to the area. "But we did not just restrict ourselves to the hard hat stuff," says OWA's director, Graham Bennett. "We worked with local people to set up water committees to oversee how the supply was installed."
Working to train and empower ordinary people – through community groups, co-operative movements, women's organisations and trade unions – is a key aspect of OWA's work. Its schemes help poor people understand how local government works and how to campaign to make it more open, transparent and accountable.
That is why it does not just work in poor countries but among the most vulnerable groups in each place – caste outcasts in Bangladesh; people with HIV in Malawi; self-employed women in India; women councillors beaten up in Bolivia; native people's co-ops in the Philippines. It works with the most marginalised people so they can directly influence decision-makers…
Change, not charity is the message. Over the coming weeks we will bring you a variety of reports which will show how they do that – and the difference your donations could make.
Click here to read the full story.
Presentations and a Roundtable on Gender and Gang Violence in Guatemala at One World Action’s offices on 25th November, 12.00 -2.00pm
The Guatemalan Solidarity Network and One World Action invite you to join us to hear human rights defender Iduvina Hernandez share her experiences about the struggle to combat violence and impunity in Guatemala. Iduvina will be joined by Rosemary Burnett former Director of Amnesty Scotland and Poonam Sattee who has recently completed her dissertation on young people and gangs in Guatemala.
Iduvina Hernandez is a Guatemalan journalist and human rights defender working to challenge the extraordinary and horrific levels of violence and murder against women and young people in Guatemala. Iduvina is Director of SEDEM - (The Association for Security in Democracy) which provides training and protection for human rights defenders. Iduvina trained as a journalist and worked in exile in Mexico before returning to Guatemala to work on human rights issues.
Rosemary Burnett, former director of Amnesty International Scotland, is accompanying Iduvina and will also share her experiences working to support and protect human rights defenders in Guatemala.
Poonam Sattee will talk about her recent research for her dissertation 'Young People and Gangs: Exit strategies and rehabilitation frameworks in Guatemala' for her MSc: Globalisation & Latin American Development in the 21st Century from the Institute for the Study of the Americas. Poonam worked as a social promoter and street educator for the Casa Alianza an organization that works with street children in Guatemala City in 2004-2005. More recently she has worked with the project Trust Charity as a Schools liaison and Recruitment Officer in the UK.
Sandwiches will be provided. Please confirm your attendance with Felicity Manson-Visram, One World Action's Latin America Regional Coordinator, by 20th November.
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Women are under most threat from the Sandinista government’s onslaught on democratic rights. (See “Oxfam targeted as Nicaragua attacks ‘trojan horse’ NGOs” in the Guardian 14 Oct 2008.)The women’s movement is being persecuted for upholding the rights of women and for giving them the tools and confidence to participate fully in the social and political life of their communities.
One of One World Action's partners, Grupo Venancia, has worked tirelessly for 18 years in one of the poorest regions of Nicaragua supporting young women to engage in community councils, organise community activities and address the prevalent problems of intra-family violence and unplanned pregnancies. They have now been falsely accused and publicly attacked.
Many members of Grupo Venancia were active Sandinistas in the 1980s, fighting alongside the very same comrades who are now in government. Today, however, they are being persecuted for simply denouncing abuses against women’s rights and the outlawing of abortion in all cases.
To learn more about the situation of the women's movement in Nicaragua and how you can express support and solidarity, please contact: Felicity Manson-Visram, Latin America Co-ordinator at One World Action.
Please click to read Grupo Venancia's declaration and a statement from Red de Mujeres (both documents are in Spanish and in PDF format).
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Daphne Gondwe, one of the founding members of COWLHA (Coalition of Women Living With HIV/AIDS) in Malawi, has made a big impression on United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Daphne was in Mexico City recently to receive the UN's Red Ribbon Award for COWLHA's outstanding work to promote the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS. She met Ban Ki-moon at the Global Village, a forum for community activists. He quotes her in the article he wrote for the Washington Times about his inspiring encounters with People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLHA) worldwide. The article is reprinted in full below.
COWLHA is a partner of One World Action. For more information on COWLHA, please click here.
The stigma factor
from The Washington Times. [Op-Ed]. Ban Ki-moon 08/06/2008.
Biggest hurdle to combat HIV/AIDS
I have met many remarkable people in my life: presidents, kings,
diplomats. One of the most memorable of these encounters - and certainly
most moving - came a bit more than a year ago, when I met a group of
HIV-positive staff members at the United Nations.
For me, it was a moment of epiphany. I was struck by their courage and,
more, by their directness in talking about their lives. Suddenly, I saw
the human face of HIV. It made me wonder: What could I do differently,
how could I help?
It was impossible not to be reminded of the discrimination those with
HIV often face in many parts of the world, including Asia. Against this
backdrop, I was so proud of my U.N. colleagues - for standing up and
speaking out, for challenging stigma and discrimination and for helping
make the U.N. a model of how the workplace should respond to AIDS.
This week, more than 20,000 activists, academics and policy-makers
gathered in Mexico City for the 17th International AIDS Conference,
heralding what many called a "new era" in fighting the disease. For the
first time fewer people are being infected by HIV and fewer are dying. A
recent UNAIDS 2008 Report shows encouraging progress in preventing HIV
in a number of the most vulnerable countries, thanks to changes in
sexual behavior (particularly among young people) and better access to
anti-retroviral drugs.
These gains would not have been possible without strong support from the
international community. In Hokkaido last month, G8 nations renewed
their pledge to work toward the goal of universal access to HIV
treatment by 2010. More recently, President Bush signed legislation
committing $48 billion to the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and
malaria over the next five years. And yet, we must remember: One of the
biggest hurdles for our global response to AIDS is psychological.
That is the stigma factor. To greater or lesser degrees, almost
everywhere in the world, discrimination remains a fact of daily life for
people living with HIV. One-third of all countries have virtually no
laws protecting their rights. Almost all permit at least some form of
discrimination - against women and children who contract the disease,
against gay men, against communities at risk.
Stigma remains the single most important barrier to public action. It is
the main reason too many people are afraid to see a doctor to determine
whether they have the disease, or to seek treatment if so. It helps make
AIDS the silent killer, because people fear the social disgrace of
speaking about it, or taking easily available precautions. Stigma is a
chief reason the AIDS epidemic continues to devastate societies around
the world.
We can fight stigma. Enlightened laws and policies are key. But it
begins with openness, the courage to speak out. Fortunately, more and
more people are finding their voices, like my UN colleagues.
Visiting the AIDS conference, I was greeted with a kiss by a young
activist from Honduras, just 12 years old. Infected since birth, Keren
Gonzalez not only lives with HIV but thrives. She edits a magazine for
children affected by AIDS (funded by UNICEF) and participates in
workshops on AIDS awareness and sensitivity across Latin America. She
knows only too well the pain of stigma. When she entered nursery school,
teachers told her to sit in the corner and not touch other children's'
books or toys. But with understanding came acceptance. "I'm the most
popular girl in my class," she says with pride. Her greatest fear isn't
her condition but how she will be received when she moves on to
secondary school.
At the Global Village, a center for community activism at the
conference, there were others - dancers, civil society leaders, even
hairdressers - living with HIV, richly and happily and openly. Among
them was a woman from Malawi, Daphne Gondwe, who learned she had
the disease in 1999 after her husband grew sick. Fighting discrimination
ever since - one co-worker asked her not to use the dishes in their
shared kitchen - she asked me to use her story to "make change in the
world."
Such people are at the heart of the global campaign against AIDS. It is
impossible not to admire their courage and commitment. Yet their
efforts, alone, are not enough.
In Mexico City, I called on world leaders to join them, to speak out
against discrimination and to guarantee the rights of people living with
HIV. Schools should teach respect and understanding. Religious leaders
should preach tolerance. The media should condemn prejudice and use its
influence to advance social change, from securing legal protections to
ensuring access to health care.
Above all, we must recognize that those who bear the stigma of HIV
should not be those who live with the disease. It is those who allow it.
Ban Ki-moon is secretary-general of the United Nations.
