|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contents:
UNIFEM/USA and Peace X Peace Present The Women's Global Roundtable
Articles:
Women's Rights: Casualties of the War in Iraq by Ellie Blalock, WIFP
Peace Coverage One-Dimensional by Sara Burnes, WIFP
Links
to other relevant websites, articles and resources
* Which Path to a Safer World? (Statistics)
* Where Your Tax Money Really Goes (Pie Chart) - War Resister's League
* To: More articles and perspectives
* To: Statistics And More
UNIFEM/USA and Peace X Peace Present The Women's Global Roundtable
Peace X Peace and UNIFEM/USA is hosting a 6-month series of live weekly conference calls with women from around the world. Listen to their stories, learn about their challenges and triumphs, create new friendships and connect across cultures.
Join in to celebrate the unsung "ordinary" women of the world and their extraordinary actions, whose lives have been touch by UNIFEM (the United Nations Womens Fund).
Women know that if there is to be peace in the world we need to connect directly with women from other cultures. The Women's Global Roundtable is designed to guide your curiosity, open your heart, and expand your life within a global community.
Women’s Rights: Casualties of the War in Iraq
by Ellie Blalock, WIFP
American soldiers continue to die in a war that many argue is impossible to win, and innocent Iraqis are being killed every day as the country rapidly descends into sectarian violence and residential neighborhoods become veritable war zones.
There is no shortage of criticism to be made about the Iraq War. Understandably, the enormous loss of American lives tends to dominate arguments from the opposition in the U.S., overshadowing the immense sacrifices Iraqis have been forced to make. One aspect of Iraqi society given little attention in the media is the situation faced by women. While violence has made simple activities insurmountably difficult for all Iraqis, replacing Saddam Hussein’s relatively secular government with new, superficially democratic leadership has allowed the recent influx of extremists to quickly turn once-progressive social attitudes on their heads. The situation is dire, and some groups like the Organization of Women s Freedom in Iraq are fed up and ready to affect change.
In a recent interview with truthdig.com’s Kasia Anderson, Iraqi women’s activist Yanar Mohammed (director of the Organization of Womens Freedom in Iraq) explained how, despite Saddam Hussein’s massive human rights violations and dictatorial nature, his government allowed women more educational, professional and social freedoms than does the current regime This fact undercuts America’s purported goal of creating democratic governance in Iraq.
With regard to U.S. policy, Mohammed does not mince words. She argues that the new Iraqi government may appear democratic on the surface, but in reality offers little representation to the people that need it, particularly women. “They preferred to bring decorative factors to the parliament, where they look like women, but they all voted for a constitution that is against women,” she says, speaking of the return to Islamic Sharia law instead of the old, secular constitution.
Mohammed returned to Iraq at the start of the war and has since focused her efforts on combating honor killings, ending human trafficking, and more recently on protecting female prisoners’ rights. After the abuse scandal at the Abu Ghraib prison, Mohammed and her colleagues decided to investigate Iraqi women’s prisons. When visiting with female prisoners, they encountered women who had been repeatedly abused and raped by police officers even before arriving in prison.
The current situation in Iraq has led many families to seek refuge in neighboring Arab countries, most notably Syria, where they face economic hardships that often drive daughters and wives to prostitution. Young Iraqi girls can be found throughout Damascus working out of night clubs frequented by Saudi businessmen or soliciting sex in public, an act unthinkable in Arab culture, according to a recent New York Times piece by Katherine Zoepf. While some women have left Iraq with their families by choice, others were smuggled into Syria or otherwise tricked into prostitution.
The difficulties facing women affect mundane tasks, as well. No longer can women feel safe even for a quick trip out of the house. The walk to the nearby university, office, or market can prove deadly. As Mohammed says, “many of the police at work are being killed for sectarian reasons. So, you have to witness all sorts of atrocities just going back and forth to work.”
Mounting violence has caused many Iraqi doctors to flee the country, and pregnant women now find themselves in a bind. A Washington Post article fromJanuary, 2007 examined this issue: “spontaneous road closures, curfews and gun battles make even getting to the hospital a challenge for expectant mothers. Once they arrive, the women have no guarantee that they will receive adequate health care from a qualified physician,” writes Post reporter Nancy Trejos. Women fear going into labor in the middle of the night (when a curfew is in effect and even ambulance drivers are afraid to venture out) and opt for Caesarean sections or for natural birth with the help of local midwives, whose abilities to help in the event of an emergency are very limited.
U.S. intervention has pushed Iraqi women’s progress back by years, but Mohammed is still determined to make a difference. With the support of American women’s groups like the Feminist Majority Foundation and Ms. Magazine, Mohammed is trying to teach impressionable Iraqi youth to see past Sunni and Shiite distinctions and realize that the fundamentalists who have put Iraq into its current state of chaos are not “the original people of the country.” With an outlet to express peaceful ideas such as these, perhaps a more open-minded next generation will bring some relief to the chaos of modern Iraq.
Visit http://www.equalityiniraq.com to learn more about Mohammed’s work and contribute a donation.
Peace Coverage One-Dimensional
By Sara Burnes, WIFP
Stories of bombings and deaths in Iraq, as well as starvation and suffering in Sudan, are typical of the mainstream media today. One can hardly turn on a television or open a newspaper without encountering a discussion of terrorism or armed conflict—a cursory glance at CNN.com or any other mass media source will prove this point. Indeed, some of the only coverage of pro-peace activism in mass media has been the widespread vilification of activist Cindy Sheehan, and the recasting of pacifism as anti-Americanism.
It is valid that these tragedies affect us all, as the world is knit more closely together through globalization. Yet these media are only telling half the story, as there exist many peaceful movements and non-governmental organizations that work productively to raise awareness for change, to aid victims and to mediate disputes.
Virginia Woolf has been attributed as saying: “As a woman I have no country. As a woman my country is the whole world.” Perhaps this sentiment, doubtlessly echoed by women across the globe, explains the preponderance of pacifism in women’s media. Indeed, the very philosophy of women’s media is essentially different in this respect. Dr. Donna Allen, founder of WIFP, wrote in “Eight Characteristics of Women’s Media…” that “Men tend to define "news" as conflict and violence -- fights (political, economic, physical), murders, suicides, floods, fires, and catastrophes of all kinds. Attacks and name-calling usually guarantee a well-attended press conference and subsequent news coverage. Women-owned media define news differently….”
Pro-peace resources are often easy to find among online women’s media. Women’s eNews has an entire subject heading devoted to this topic, which can be found at http://www.womensenews.org/links_Peace.cfm. Code Pink is an organization of women devoted to ending the war in Iraq and redirecting resources towards social causes; they send email alerts to keep subscribers current with the state of the war. Their entire platform is located at http://www.codepinkalert.org. Women Waging Peace publishes press releases and briefs to advance the pacifist cause, available at http://www.huntalternatives.org/pages/9_press_room.cfm.
Peace movements are not given the same kind of attention in the mass media as headline grabbing, scaremongering war stories. Yet more media exposure for these existing organizations might garner both financial and human support, and truly advance the peace processes in conflicts the world over. The onus is on women’s media, therefore, to present to the world accurate information about peace.
Links to Websites Dealing with Media, Peace & Justice (remember to return to this website!)
Feminist Peace Network The Feminist Peace Network is dedicated to building an enduring peace, with the ending of violence towards women and children as a first priority. This group is dedicated to the urgent need to immediately work towards providing shelter, food, education, and a safe environment for women and children in all parts of the world, as well as creating economic conditions to ensure these rights in the future. A strong bias towards matriarchal thinking is assumed. FPN is a global network, open to pacifists and feminists of all denominations, nationalities, and persuasions willing to share ideas and work together across borders and cultures to achieve these goals. At the present time, the group is open to women only.
CODEPINK: Women for Peace CODEPINK is a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the war in Iraq, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into healthcare, education and other life-affirming activities.
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom was founded in 1915 during World War I, with Jane Addams as its first president. WILPF works to achieve through peaceful means world disarmament, full rights for women, racial and economic justice, an end to all forms of violence, and to establish those political, social, and psychological conditions which can assure peace, freedom, and justice for all.
Peace Women is an project of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. It was inspired by the process that led to the Security Council debating and passing Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. Through its involvement in pushing for this Security Council open debate with other NGOs, WILPF representatives saw the need to bring together information and women activists working for peace at the local, national, regional, sub-regional and international levels.
United for Peace United for Peace is a new national campaign that brings together a broad range of organizations throughout the United States to help coordinate our work against a U.S. war on Iraq.
www.antiwar.com Global anti-war news, viewpoints, and activities.
Bat Shalom (Daughter of Peace) "is a feminist peace organization of Israeli women. We work toward a just peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors that includes recognition of a Palestinian state side-by-side with Israel and Jerusalem as the capital of both. Within Israel, Bat Shalom works toward a more just and democratic society shaped equally by men and women. Bat Shalom, together with The Jerusalem Center for Women, a Palestinian women's peace organization, comprise The Jerusalem Link. As Israeli and Palestinian women of The Jerusalem Link, we work together toward a real peace not merely a treaty of mutual deterrence, but a culture of peace and cooperation between our peoples."
Women's Center for Legal Aid and Counseling "The WCLAC established in 1991 in Jerusalem as an independent Palestinian organization, aims to contribute to the establishment of a democratic Palestinian society, based on social justice and equality between women and men. To achieve this aim, the Centre has developed and is further developing, through its activities, a new Palestinian feminist discourse."
Internews / open media watch "This section includes analyses, reports, and commentary on media and the September 11th attacks, with a focus on how open media promote peace and understanding. This is part of our Open Media Watch page and is updated daily."
The count on Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan: http://www.cursor.org/stories/civilian_deaths.htm gathered from news from around the world. A Dossier on Civilian Victims of United States' Aerial Bombing of Afghanistan: A Comprehensive Accounting "What causes the documented high level of civilian casualties -- 3,767 [thru December 6, 2001] civilian deaths in eight and a half weeks -- in the U.S. air war upon Afghanistan? The explanation is the apparent willingness of U.S. military strategists to fire missiles into and drop bombs upon, heavily populated areas of Afghanistan." -- Professor Marc W. Herold, Ph.D., M.B.A., B.Sc., Departments of Economics and Women's Studies, McConnell Hall, Whittemore School of Business & Economics, University of New Hampshire, Durham, N.H. 03824, U.S.A. FAX : 603 862-3383
Links to War on Terrorism websites: http://yama333.tripod.com/ -- sites which provoke thought about US foreign policy -- what it is and what it should be.
Global Exchange "is a human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political, and social justice around the world. Since our founding in 1988, we have been striving to increase global awareness among the US public while building international partnerships around the world.... Global Exchange is urging people around the US to reaffirm their commitment to peace, justice, and tolerance during this traumatic time. We are working with communities around the country and our elected officials to spread a simple message: 'No More Innocent Victims.' Retaliation, we believe, will offer no consolation. The architects of the September 11 attacks must be apprehended and brought to justice in full compliance with international law. But in pursuing that justice we must not allow innocent civilians to be harmed or killed. As we in the US endure our suffering, we must pledge ourselves not to visit similar suffering on others." http://www.globalexchange.org/
Voices in the Wilderness, A Campaign to End the Economic Sanctions Against the People of Iraq http://www.nonviolence.org/ Voices In The Wilderness, 1460 West Carmen Avenue, Chicago, IL 60640 Tel. (773) 784-8065 Fax. (773) 784-8837 e-mail: kkelly@igc.apc.org
International A.N.S.W.E.R. Act Now to Stop War and End Racism.
Not In Our Name Not In Our Name Project
TOOLS FOR PEACE
TOOLS FOR WAR
11 Blankets for refugees
$100 11
hand grenades
3-day training for 160 youth in peace building $4,000 1
rocket launcher
Enroll 2 children in Head Start $14,000 1
cluster bomb
2 home health aides for disabled elderly $40,000 1
Hellfire missile
Associate Degree training for 29 RNs $145,600 1
Bunker-buster guided bomb
Rent subsidies for 1,000 families $586,000 1,000
M-16 Rifles
Annual salary/benefits for 15 RNs $763,000 1
minute war on Iraq
Improve, repair, modernize 20 schools $46
million 1
hour war on Iraq
WIC program nutrition for 200,000 families $130
million 7
unmanned Predator drones
Eradicate polio worldwide $275
million 3
tests of missile defense system
Best vaccinations for 10 million children worldwide $350
million 6
Trident II missiles
Childcare for 68,000 needy children $413
million Amphibious Warfare Landing Ship Program
7,000 units of affordable housing $494
million 1
year military aid to Colombia
Prevent cuts to education programs (FY2003) $1.1
billion 1
day of war on Iraq
Minimum support to save Amtrak train service $1.2
billion 2 months U.S. war force
in Afghanistan
Annual salary/benefits for 38,000 elementary teachers $2.1
billion 1
Stealth bomber
Double federal funding for mass transit $12
billion 1 year cost of war in Afghanistan
(2001/2002)
Healthcare coverage for 7 million children $16
billion 1
year nuclear weapons program
Save 11 million lives worldwide fighting infectious diseases $38
billion 1 month U.S. current military spending
The costs of warmaking are staggering-especially while cities and states face huge budget deficits. The administration has hidden its real priorities by not putting the costs of the war on terrorism or war on Iraq in its budget. Stay informed about the real budget and other means to enhance security by seeking information from the groups below.
Partial source list: Center for Defense Information (www.cdi.org); Federation of American Scientists (www.fas.org); Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (www.cbpp.org); National Priorities Project (www.natprior.org); World Policy Institute (www.worldpolicy.org/projects/arms), Children's Defense Fund (www.childrensdefense.org); UNICEF (www.unicef.org); New York Times (11/12/01; 3/18/02; 10/13/02; 12/05/02); World Health Organization (www.who.int); National Center for Education Statistics (nces.ed.gov); Mennonite Central Committee (www.mcc.org/us/colombia/dollars.html)
Links to other relevant websites, articles and resources: (remember to return to this website!)
Iraq
WIFP Associate Michael Honey has an 18-minute film, A Soldier's Duty?, on Lt. Ehren Watada's challenge to President Bush's Iraq occupation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ9sV3Nmwpg
(Michael Honey, Professor, African-American, Ethnic and Labor Studies and American History, University of Washington, Tacoma, 1900 Commerce St., Tacoma, WA 98402)Worldwide Update of Reported Civilian Deaths: http://www.iraqbodycount.net/
Palestine and Israel
Protest and Civil Disobedience, in Washington, DC with Cornel West and Michael Lerner. Photos.
Iran
National Committee of Women for a Democratic Iran The National Committee of Women for a Democratic Iran is a non-profit organization advocating since 1990 on behalf of women's rights in Iran. NCWDI was formed to fill the vacuum of a women's organization devoted specifically to monitoring and promoting women's rights in Iran. Our tasks range from accurate reporting, to public appearances, to engaging in discussion and exchange with relevant authoritative bodies.
Women's Forum Against Fundamentalism in Iran
E-ZAN VOICE OF WOMEN AGAINST FUNDAMENTALISM IN IRAN
Women's Forum Against Fundamentalism in Iran is committed to promote a greater awareness of the challenges women face living under the fundamentalist regimes like Iran. Our tasks ranges from raising public awareness, conducting research projects, initiating outreach programs, to policy discussions and analysis. We firmly believe the political presence, participation and leadership of women are the essential elements in achieving social, political and economic equality. We are a group of individuals concerned with the growing threat of fundamentalism worldwide. We submit to the definition of fundamentalism explained in the comparative study of religions, as embodiment of backwardness in its host cultures or religion .Our primary area of focus is the Islamic Fundamentalism in Iran, established as a form of government in 1979. For more information, please visit http://www.wfafi.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press
1940 Calvert Street, NW
Washinton, DC 20009-1502
phone: 202-265-6707
www.wifp.org