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In a prelude to the introduction of a motion concerning violence against women, the Revd Scott Holmes spoke and showed a video of a woman who had experienced both physical and psychological violence. Mr Holmes is Co-ordinator of the Northern Interfaith Respectful Relationships Project and has written a discussion paper on the role of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne in the primary prevention of violence against women. Sahar, the woman in the film, said she felt paralysed by the violence in her marriage. Her three children were depressed and damaged – one was suicidal. She felt she had to endure violence to shield them, hoping that if her husband harmed her, he might leave them alone. She felt faith leaders played a vital role in helping women in violent relationships; that was how she had found the strength to move out of her own situation.
The Northern Cape provincial government has lobbied the business sector to get involved in this year’s programme to fight against child and women abuse. The 16 Days of Activism against violence against women and children is normally observed from the end of November until December 10 each year. The month of November has been set aside as the time in which government and all other role players will raise awareness of gender-based violence against women and children countrywide.
Deadline: 08 December 2011
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Follow us @WomensnetSA on Twitter and retweet our tweets from November 09th to December 09th under the hashtag #Fone4women. Alternately, you can tweet your own message under the same hashtag #Fone4women. Tweet a message calling for cell-phone donations and create awareness around the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICTs)rights and freedom.
As part of the 16 days of Activism campaign, Women’sNet is embarking on a campaign and twitter drive under the hashtag #fone4women. The campaign is aimed at the public to donate their old cell-phone to women and girls victim of violence as it has been previously reported that victims of violence more especially domestic violence use cell-phones to record and report incidents of violence to use as proof for their case. The cell-phones will be donated to victims of violence.
As part of the 16 days of Activism campaign, Women’sNet is embarking on a campaign and twitter drive under the hashtag #fone4women. The campaign is aimed at the public to donate their old cell-phone to women and girls victim of violence as it has been previously reported that victims of violence more especially domestic violence use cell-phones to record and report incidents of violence to use as proof for their case. The cell-phones will be donated to victims of violence.
A 15-year old girl was allegedly drugged and raped by two boys at a school in November 2010. The incident happened in front of other pupils who stood by, and recorded the incident on their mobile phones. No one tried to stop what was going on. And the violence continues, the video clip of the alleged rape was distributed online and passed on through mobile phones.
In August 2011, a male correctional officer films a sexual encounter he has with a female police officer without her consent. The correctional officer then sends the video to a friend, and it was spread via MMS and on Youtube. Subsequently, the Sowetan published the story including the very graphic pictures of the event, reinforcing sexist stereotypes and tarnishing the reputation the police officer involved.
CONVICTED rapists and housebreakers Jacinto Chilenge, 26, and Felix Machava, 33, will spend the rest of their lives in jail. Yesterday’s sentencing brought closure to the thugs’ rape spree that stretched from April 2009 to April last year as they forced their way into the homes of seven Bramfischerville women and raped and terrorised the occupants.
“Rape is a cancer in our society; it destroys the self-respect and dignity of the rape victim,” said Johannesburg High Court Judge Fritz van Oosten as he began sentencing the rapists yesterday.
We are writing to you from AWID's Where is the Money for Women's Rights? (WITM) Initiative. WITM carries out research on funding trends for women's rights and gender equality work around the world. We are now launching a global survey of women's rightsorganizations and groups to obtain data on the trends, size and sustainability of funding of women's organizations globally. The results will be used to help women's movements and organizations globally advocate for more and better quality resources for women's rights organizing and gender equality.
“I was terrified. I kept screaming, and then he threatened to punch my baby through my stomach if I didn't stop,” said a pregnant woman from Kachin State, describing her rape at the hands of a Burmese government soldier. “I was so afraid. All I could do was cry while he brutally raped me,” she said, sobbing. The woman was speaking to women's rights researchers who had traveled to war-torn Kachin State to produce a documentary about sexual violence perpetrated against women in the conflict zone. She was just one of 18 women known to have been raped by Burmese soldiers in the state, where the Burmese army is mounting a major offensive against the Kachin Independence Army. The documentary, produced by the Thailand-based Women's League of Burma (WLB) and titled “Bringing Justice to Women,” makes harrowing viewing.
Western Cape education authorities are considering expelling three Oudtshoorn High School pupils for allegedly making a sex video.
"A disciplinary hearing was held and the school governing body has made the recommendation... that the three learners be expelled," provincial education spokesperson Bronagh Casey said on Monday.
"The head of department’s office has received the documents from the school governing body and is now processing the recommendation."
Government is to launch a National Council that will focus on child abuse, said Women, Children and People with Disabilities Minister, Lulu Xingwana. Speaking at the National Children's Day celebrations on Saturday, Xingwana said one of the greatest challenges facing the country was the protection of its children. "We have too many children being attacked, raped and killed," she said adding that muti-killings must stop. Xingwana has written to several ministers including Justice Minister Jeff Radebe about the need to focus on muti-killings.
Say NO - UniTE to End Violence against Women is two years old on November 6. It has already made its mark and has constituted a tremendous success on the world stage, fighting for women's rights, fighting against violence against women. Two years, two million actions, six hundred partners. We are proud to present the latest material from UN Women...UN Women's initiative Say NO - UniTE to End Violence against Women invites the world community to make a wish that can help to end violence against women and girls and to say what one day without gender based violence means, as part of the public awareness campaign to spread the initiative, to create a better world, an inclusive world, where men and women live side by side as partners. We print the five questions UN Women presented to the first Executive Director of UN Women (Michelle Bachelet), where she spoke about the campaign to end violence against women and girls and outlined the strategies to be implemented to make a difference.
There were no queues for the ladies’ room. That was unusual for an event attended by thousands but typical in the cybersecurity field where a futuristic image clashes with an old-fashioned gender gap. At cybersecurity and hacker gatherings, women are clearly in the minority among the sea of men lining escalators, filling hotel ballrooms and networking in hallways. (Some men grumbled about the lack of women at event parties). While the US government and private sector try to beef up cybersecurity efforts, the information technology field that supplies talent remains largely a male domain. Experts say the lack of women is not so much a matter of discrimination as that young women do not think of cyber as a career option. They attribute that partly to an unappealing “geek” image from movies and girls’ lack of early computer skills that boys develop by playing video games. The movie and TV stereotype of a nerd loner, wearing thick glasses, soldering circuits together and living in a dungeon-like room surrounded by computers and eating boxed pizza can be a deterrent.
Gang-raped, beaten and stabbed 25 times, she was the lesbian activist and football star whose murder blew open South Africa's hate crime epidemic. But more than two years after the death of Eudy Simelane, the government has done nothing to halt the barbaric sex attacks dubbed 'corrective' rape. Campaigners say that ten women are now assaulted every week by men who claim to be 'curing' their victims of homosexuality. The attacks are often accompanied by such horrifying violence that women are left permanently scarred - or fatally injured.
North West MEC for Human Settlements, Public Safety and Liaison, Desbo Mohono, has called for the implementation of the Integrated Provincial Strategy to reduce and combat sexual offences to be intensified.The call follows an increase in rape cases - 3 586 cases of rape were reported in the province during the 2010/2011 financial year.The Integrated Provincial Strategy is linked to the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS), which coordinates crime prevention initiatives to ensure that communities enjoy good community police relations.The objective of the NCPS is to also restore confidence in the ability of government to provide accessible, efficient, effective, accountable, transformed and reliable services.