Every week, The Everywoman Treaty team posts a wide-ranging update of news around the world involving women and violence. Much of the news is depressing, as we should expect, but there are bright moments too. And whenever children are mentioned, we should not forget the boys. Recent statistics indicate that 1 in 6 boys will experience abuse of some kind, compared to 1 in 4 for girls.
We post a brief review of the last decade here and another typical weekly below.
To receive your own copy, please follow their link to Sign the Treaty
If you would like us to post the weekly email in our News section, please give us that feedback via the Contact form here.
In Memoriam
Today, we join the Elman family in mourning the loss of Almaas Elman. Almaas, the daughter of Founding Board Member and Working Group member Fartuun Abdisalaan Adan and sister of Steering Committee member Ilwad Elman, was assassinated in Mogadishu on Wednesday. She was an aid worker and activist, and was pregnant with her first child. Somali police are investigating the shooting, but at present, it is not clear who is responsible for the murder.
Almaas is being laid to rest today at Masaajiidka Isbahaysiga mosque in Mogadishu. We send our prayers, love, and hearts to Fartuun, Ilwad, and the entire Elman family.
In Must Reads this week, the world prepares for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on Monday, November 25; Armenia grapples with ratification of the Istanbul Convention; new reports and an app work toward ending violence against women; and a teacher in Mexico helps kids see that they don't have to accept violence as a norm.
Ahead of International Day, World Mobilizes to End Violence Against Women
UN Women Executive Director Calls for the Total End of Rape. In a powerful video, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka discusses the devastating, life-changing consequences of rape on women and girls, and society as a whole, and calls for making rape universally illegal. (UN Women)
Zambia Men to Hold First-Ever Conference on Violence Against Women. During 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the advocacy organization Zambia National Men's Network for Gender and Development is holding a one-day conference to discuss high levels of sexual and gender-based violence in their community and what can be done to address it. At the conference, the group is also launching a Gender-Based Violence Support Fund, a community led initiative to support survivors of violence. (Xinhuanet)
Violence Against Women Emerges as Key Concern of Young People in South Africa. In the run-up to the 16 Days of Activism campaign, Doctors Without Borders conducted a survey of South Africans between the ages of 18 and 35 to learn about their main health concerns. Violence against women was not only identified as one of the main healthcare concerns, but as “one of the top humanitarian crises facing society.” (Daily Vox)
Armenian Public Divided on Ratification of Istanbul Convention
Some opposing ratification appear not, as the author notes, to be familiar with the regional treaty’s content. They argue that addressing violence against women contradicts traditions and values. (Jam News)
Entrepreneur Develops App to Fight Violence Against Women
At 15, Diariata N'Diaye was nearly forced into marriage. Now, at 34, the entrepreneur has launched an app, App-Elles, to help victims of violence. App-Elles allows women to call for help quickly and discreetly by pushing the start button four times or unplugging a headset. The app, which has been downloaded more than 10,000 times in four years and has 2,500 monthly active users globally, recently launched in Senegal. The Senegalese Minister for Women, Family and Childhood said that 68 percent of Senegalese women did not dare to speak about the violence they were experiencing. “I hope App-Elles will help them,” N'Diaye says. (World Crunch)
Virtual Violence Causes Real Harm
That’s the message of a new report by Mobilising for Rights Associates, an NGO in Morocco working on women’s rights in the region. The study highlights women’s experiences across Morocco and is an important addition to our growing understanding of technology-facilitated violence. (MRA Women)
New Report: Solutions to Preventing Sexual Violence Against Children
Some form of sexual abuse — including inappropriate touching, incest, child pornography and rape — happens each year to 120 million girls age 18 and younger around the world, or 1 in 10. The report, released by Together for Girls, outlines age-appropriate interventions including educating young children about safe and unsafe touching and teaching teenagers about healthy relationships and consent. (NPR)
Teacher in Mexico Pushes Back Against Acceptance of Violence
In one of Mexico’s most dangerous places for women, a teacher helps students craft performance art to counter the acceptance many people feel about the high rates of violence against women. “The moment that they are performing in a public space or in the school, they are combating the normalization of violence here,” says Manuel Amador – and learning how to discuss it in their homes, or with their friends at school. (CSM)
Rabbi Calls for Passage of US Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act
In an op-ed, a member of the Jewish Women International’s Clergy Task Force to End Domestic Abuse, said scripture must not be interpreted as condoning violence. “Traditional commentators, while noting behavior that exposes women to potential abuse, find a presumably more important concern in which the risk to women is acceptably subordinated. We must think differently and understand women’s protection from abuse as a human right. More so, we need to ensure our laws reflect that understanding.” – Rabbi Richard Hirsh. (Jewish Week)
The Power of a Single Voice
Fatou Jallow, known as Toufah, was the first woman to accuse former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh of rape. With her willingness to speak out, Fatou has sparked Gambia’s “Me Too” movement with the hashtag #IamToufah. On going public she says: “I don't fit the preconceived notion of what a victim looks like. It would be a missed opportunity and very unfair to generations to come that we were not bold enough to make sure this part of our history is documented. (Aljazeera)
Other Headlines
Women escaping violence struggle to claim asylum. (Info Migrants)
New report finds dozen of murdered women missing from Puerto Rico police records. (The Intercept)
Violence Against Women: New report highlights insufficiencies in French justice system. (Euronews)
Tell us what you think!
Send us news!
Reply to this email with feedback, comments, and news links.
Or email michelle@everywoman.org.
Copyright © 2019 Every Woman Treaty, All rights reserved.
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.