External Publications and Resources
The following is a list of publications and resources that have been created by other groups that we find relevant to the VNC Campaign. If you have a publications you would like to share with us, please write to:
Self-Care & Self-Defense Manual for Feminist Activists
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Introduction: For many years, women’s and feminist movements have been fighting on many fronts to eliminate violence against women. This struggle has highlighted the need to develop long- and medium-term strategies to generate the cultural, economic, and social changes necessary to transform the gender configuration that sustains this type of violence.
Similarly, various actions have been implemented that, within a short period of time, aim at providing women with resources to deal with the violence they face on a daily basis. Thus, many practical solutions have been proposed to manage and prevent situations of violence. We ourselves as women activists, continue to face situations of violence on a daily basis. Often, though, we are unable to handle or prevent such acts, as we find it extremely difficult to acknowledge that we, too could be at the receiving end of this violence.
Silent No More: The untapped potential of the church in addressing sexual violence
This report, Silent No More, calls all churches to account and to action. It paints a painfully honest picture of the way churches have perpetuated a culture of silence around sexual violence and have largely failed to respond to the crisis and may even worsen the impact by reinforcing stigma and discrimination experienced by survivors.
Religious Fundamentalisms and Their Gendered Impacts in Asia
Preface: Amidst growing uncertainties in a globalised world, fundamentalist convictions have been gaining ground in many religions. Reinforced by the threat from interna- tional terrorism, this renaissance of religious fundamentalisms has created ideolog- ical conditions for polarisation between ‘us’ and ‘them’, from community to trans-national level. At national level, it has affected both politics and society, leading to something of a ‘retraditionalisation’ of gender roles.
Half Widow, Half Wife? Responding to Gendered Violence in Kashmir
.thumbnail.gif "Half Widow, Half Wife? Responding to Gendered Violence in Kashmir (July 2011)")
This report is the result of discussions with ‘half widows,’ widows, and married and unmarried women in Kashmir. It also draws upon conversations with Kashmiri men and women, including academics, students, homemakers, tailors, farmers, doctors, lawyers, and teachers. No consultations were made with any politicians in or outside Kashmir.
It is authored by the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), a member organization of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS).
Link to full report:
EROTICS: Sex, Rights and the Internet - An Exploratory Study
What's the connection between sexuality and the internet? Why is internet censorship often accompanied by regulation of sexualities? How do people in different parts of the world use the internet in the exercise of sexual rights? After 3 years of interrogation into the politics of sexuality and the internet, the EROTICS research is out! Full report:
Report: Rising Restrictions on Religion
Pew Forum Executive Summary (12.08.2011) - Restrictions on religious beliefs and practices rose between mid-2006 and mid-2009 in 23 of the world's 198 countries (12%), decreased in 12 countries (6%) and remained essentially unchanged in 163 countries (82%), according to a new study by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life. Direct Link to Report:
Report on the Strategic Conversation on Addressing Gaps in the Defense of Women Human Rights Defenders
The VNC Campaign was privileged to be part of this meeting on women human rights defenders organised by the Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL) and the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition. The Campaign was represented by AIsha Shaheed and Edna Aquino who took part in the Working Group on Families, Communities and Culture.
The Center for Women’s Global Leadership (CWGL) is pleased to publish this report on the ongoing efforts being taken by the Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition (WHRD IC) and its allies to shed light on the unique challenges women human rights defenders face and to create new systems of advocacy on their behalf.
Intersections Between Women's Equality, Culture, and Cultural Rights
Report of the South Asia Plus Consultation on Culture, Women and Human Rights, September 2-3, 2010, Nepal
With culture being such a contested terrain, particularly as it relates to equality claims of women and minorities, the development of cultural rights offers new understandings on culture and cultural diversity that reinforce the indivisibility of cultural rights with other human rights. This report explores the intersections of the developing field of cultural rights in relation to advancement of women’s equality.
Defying the Odds: Lessons learnt from Men for Gender Equality Now
In 2001, the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) took the first steps towards creating an African network of male activists against gender-based violence. In a regional consultative meeting which was organized by FEMNET that year, Kenyan men came together to form a local initiative “Men for Gender Equality Now” (MEGEN). This Project was facilitated and supported by FEMNET from 2004 to 2008 when the project became independent.
ICERD and CERD: A Guide for Civil Society Actors
This Guide provides information on the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), the work of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Di