Resources
Feminists on the Frontline: Case Studies of Resisting and Challenging Fundamentalisms
This collection of case studies is a testament to the women and men around the world who have stood up to reject the imposition of norms and values in the name of religion as well as to expose and challenge the privileged position given to religion in public policies. In 2008 AWID launched a call for proposals to document the strategies of women's rights activists confronting religious fundamentalisms. The final 18 case studies presented here are drawn from a wide range of religious and geographical contexts, and cover various fields of activism. We hope that this collection will inspire, inform and encourage discussion and debate. Please visit this page again for updates, as finalized case studies and a brief summary of each case study will be posted on a rolling basis. We will also soon be posting a paper that introduces the trends and themes that are threaded through the various case studies.
Unveiled Views: Muslim Women Artists Speak Out
In this revealing documentary five extraordinary women talk about their occupations, aspirations, and the rights and status of women in their Muslim countries.
Death by Stoning - Interview with Anne Harrison from Amnesty International & Ziba Mir Hosseini from SOAS
Judicial Stoning: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani was found guilty of adultery by an Iranian court and was due to be stoned to death. Following a concerted campaign by her family and lawyers, it now seems that that sentence has been lifted, and campaigners are waiting to hear what will happen next.
Advancing Gender Justice: A Call to Action
At a press conference held on 31 May 2010 during the , the Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice released an advocacy paper titled . Joining Women's Initiatives' Executive Director Brigid Inder to speak at the launch of the paper were three women's rights activists from ICC conflict situations who comprised part of the Women's Initiatives delegation: Gladys Oyat, Greater North Women's Voices for Peace Network, from Kitgum, Northern Uganda; Jeanine Bandu, Director of the Collective of Indigenous and Vulnerable Households, from Goma, Eastern DRC; and Albertine Tonnet, Coordinator of the Women's Section of the United Trade Union, from Bangui, Central African Republic. Susanah Sirkin, Deputy Director of the US-based NGO Physicians for Human Rights, also offered her reflections on the Call to Action.
At the press conference, women from the conflict situations spoke of the urgent need for justice through both international and national accountability mechanisms. Gladys Oyat from Northern Uganda asked, 'Shall the (Ugandan) victims get justice within the given time frame? We have evidence in Uganda that sometimes issues of importance may not be taken with the seriousness they deserve. They start with high flames but soon die out like a candle in the wind. Who can give assurance to the hurting people that justice will be done as fast as possible? Remember, Justice Delayed is Justice Denied.' Read Gladys' full .
Girls Speak: A New Voice In Global Development
Girls have a fundamental right to be heard, valued and respected. Moreover, by listening to girls’ voices, policymakers and program managers can help bridge the gaps between girls’ aspirations and their actual experiences. In this report, the authors outline six themes that arise from girls’ aspirations, including the desire to be healthy and educated with viable livelihoods and career opportunities, financial security and independence; and to marry and have children at the appropriate time. Underlying all the themes is one universal: a shared inability to make decisions about their own lives even though they know what they need.
Creating cultures of non-violence in Latin America
The notion of masculine domination and the concept of women as men’s property is widespread and deeply rooted in our societies, and violence against women is commonly accepted. The idea that women can be punished when they fail to meet expectations regarding their gender identity persists in many sectors, and men feel justified in exercising control through the use of force and explicit violence. As a result and because women are seen as dependent upon some male superior – be he partner, spouse or boss – it seems only “natural” that they be punished for not fulfilling their expected female roles such as ironing a shirt poorly or refusing to have sex.
This social attitude, which is a form of aid and abetting the crime of violence against women, is so widespread that the recent ECLAC report ¡Ni una más! El derecho a vivir una vida libre de violencia en América Latina y el Caribe (Not One More! The Right to Live Free from Violence in Latin America and the Caribbean) explicitly recommended “the creation of a non-violent culture that questions norms and customs, language and diverse expressions of patriarchal culture based on the use of power, repression, terrorism, armed conflict and the extermination of people for reasons of gender, ethnicity or religion.”
The “Ten-Dollar Talib” and Women’s Rights: Afghan Women and the Risks of Reintegration and Reconciliation
Summary: For Afghan women these are anxious times, caught between war and the prospect of a foreboding peace.
List of Stoning Cases in Iran
Stoning Victims:
1. Mahboubeh M (7 May 2006): With Abbas H.
FAQs about the sentencing of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani
Read our Call for Action Relating to Sakinah Mohammadi-Ashtiani
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the case of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani and the practice of stoning in Iran.
(Attached is the PDF version for download)
Roles and Challenges for Muslim Women in the Restive Southern Border Provinces of Thailand
The report “Rules and Challenges for Malay Muslim Women in the Restive Southern Border Provinces of Thailand” was first presented at the Conference on Religious Activism & Women’s Development in Southeast Asia: Highlighting Impediments, Exploring Opportunities, organized by Centre for Research on Islamic and Malay Affairs (RIMA), Singapore National University, on 20 November 2009. This report focuses on the roles of Malay Muslim women in the Southern Border Provinces of Thailand who have to face life amidst problems, obstacles and difficulties in bringing up their families in a time when violence forces them to stand forward as leaders.
Angkhana Neelapaijit has written this report with the objective to draw a picture of the problems of women in various dimensions, including women affected by violence from governmental officials or by unidentified armed groups, women in families that have experienced enforced disappearance, and
women who are in groups who use violence.
The Quest for an "Islamic State" as a Response to the Secular State
This article examines a particular variety of Islamic responses to the advent of the secular state in Asia. The secular state arose historically in Europe through the separation of church and state from the seventeenth century onwards. The notion of political secularism was brought to Asia (and elsewhere) through the experience of European colonialism. The post-colonial secular states of Asia are thus derived from experiences of European colonialism, even when such experiences did not result in total colonisation (for example, in China, Korea, Japan and Thailand). Although the secular politics of the new nation-states in the Asian region has been anti-colonial and nationalist in content, the secularism of politics nevertheless comes not from indigenous sources, but from historical origins in Europe, regardless of whether such secularism is democratic, fascist or communist.
A Wall of Silence: The Limits of Public Discourse in Israel. The Case of Gaza (Feminist Perspective)
Ella from Bat-Yam: “I would like to see women express themselves in the peace talks. Since they (the men) sit and discuss economics and security, my idea is for a ‘women’s room’ in peace talks. This space would give voice to women who would sit and talk about peace, and their voices and opinions would have entree to the main discussion as well.”2
Read the full report in , , or .
“They Took Me and Told Me Nothing”: Female Genital Mutilation in Iraqi Kurdistan
I remember my mother and her sister-in-law took us two girls, and there were four other girls. We went to Sarkapkan for the procedure.
The Human Rights Crisis in Northwest Pakistan
A comprehensive report of the human rights and humanitarian crises in the Northwestern province of Pakistan by Amnesty International in the context of the Taleban's control of some parts of the province and armed conflict with the Pakistan military.
Video: Concluding remarks - Independent Expert on Cultural rights' first report to the UN Human Rights Council
A Catalogue of International Human Rights Instruments
In addition to the Bill of Rights, there are nine core international human rights treaties. Each of these treaties has established a committee of experts to monitor implementation of the treaty provisions by its States parties. Some of the treaties are supplemented by optional protocols dealing with specific concerns.
Afghanistan: Concluding Observations by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (3-21 May 2010)
Highlights from the Report
16. The Committee notes with concern that the traditional dispute resolution mechanisms which absorbs more cases of dispute that the formal judicial system, is not compatible with the human rights standards, including the Covenant rights. The Committee regrets the fact that the rights of women and children, as well as those of nomadic tribes and the poorest sectors of society, are particularly affected by the lack of access to formal justice mechanisms.
Algeria: Concluding Observations of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (3-21 May 2010)
Highlights from the Report
8. The Committee notes with concern that, despite the amendments to the Constitution through article 31(bis) of Act No.08-19 of 15 November 2008, the Family Code and the Nationality Code, de iure and de facto inequalities continue to exist between men and women, in particular the persistence of stereotypes, attitudes and patriarchal traditions on family and societal roles of men and women. It is also concerned about discrimination against women, in particular regarding inheritance rights, a lower representation of women in decision-making and public positions, and wages that are nearly a third of those for men. (article 3)
Reparations for Women Subjected to Violence: First thematic report submitted to the HRC by Rashida Manjoo, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, 19 April 2010
This is the first thematic report submitted to the Human Rights Council by Rashida Manjoo, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, since her appointment in June 2009. In addition to providing an overview of the main activities carried out by the Special Rapporteur, the report focuses on the topic of reparations to women who have been subjected to violence in contexts of both peace and post-conflict. Most human rights and humanitarian law treaties provide for a right to a remedy. In the context of gross and systematic violations of human rights, the Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to Remedy and Reparation for Victims of Gross Violations of International Human Rights Law and serious violations of International Humanitarian Law, adopted by the General Assembly in 2005, start with the premise that “the State is responsible for ensuring that victims of human rights violations enjoy an individual right to reparation”.
First Annual Report of the Independent Expert in the field of Cultural Rights
In this first report to the Human Rights Council, the independent expert in the field of cultural rights develops preliminary views on the conceptual and legal framework of her mandate. Focusing on the challenges regarding the scope and content of cultural rights, she reviews the relevant existing provisions in United Nations human rights instruments, and develops her initial thoughts on the interaction among the principle of universality of human rights, the recognition and implementation of cultural rights and the need to respect cultural diversity (chap. II). Aware that many other United Nations mechanisms have received mandates which relate to cultural rights, the independent expert has committed to coordinating with other mechanisms (chap. III). The independent expert has also selected a list of priority issues she proposes to address. These issues relate to two main topics: (a) cultural rights, globalization of exchanges and of information, and development processes; and (b) participation, access and contribution to cultural life, without any discrimination (chap. IV).
If you have a report, article, or official document you would like us to know about, write us:
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