On 7 April 2012 Joyce Banda made history by becoming the first female President of Malawi and the first in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)[1] following the sudden death of former President, Bingu wa Mutharika. The new President has an enormous undertaking to address the serious economic crisis in the country, and with a strong activist track record, civil society is hopeful that she will champion women rights.
AWID's Friday Files
Philippines: Likely progress on reproductive health and rights?
04 May 2012
FRIDAY FILE: A pending law in the Philippines may make women and girls’ reproductive rights and health more secure. AWID spoke to Junice Demetrio-Melgar of Likhaan Center for Women’s Health about the pending Reproductive Health Bill, 2001.
Kürt Kadınları: Çifte ayrımcılık karşısında direniş
13 April 2012
CUMA DOSYASI: Türkiye’de yaşayan Kürtler büyük çoğunlukla Doğu ve Güneydoğu’da ikamet etmektedirler. Ülkedeki en büyük azınlıklar olan Kürtler, modern Türkiye’nin kurulumundan bu yana marjinalize edilmiş ve baskı görmüşlerdir.
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12th AWID International Forum on Women’s Rights in Development
Transforming Economic Power to Advance Women’s Rights and Justice, the 12th AWID International Forum, gathered over 2000 women’s rights leaders and activists from around the world from April 19 to 22, 2012 at the Halic Congress Center in Istanbul, Turkey. To find out more about what happened at the Forum please click here
Women's Rights in the News
Sole Woman Parliamentarian Dragged by Police in Papua New Guinea
16 May 2012
"Human rights activist and sole Papua New Guinea (PNG) female elected parliamentarian Dame Carol Kidu as dragged by police Saturday while protesting the illegal eviction and partial demolition of Paga Hill Settlement, housing some 2,000 residents.
Digital Security: Drop-in centre of Ugandan sex worker organisation raided
15 May 2012
“Sex work may be illegal in Uganda, but providing services for sex workers is clearly not,” reads a statement from 9 May 2012 by WONETHA, a health and human rights organisation, in response to a serious crack-down on its activities by Ugandan municipal police.
Argentina approves gender identity law
11 May 2012
Having become the first country in South America to allow gay couples to marry, Argentina has passed a bill giving transgender citizens the right to have their gender recognised in law.
Issues & Analysis
Kurdish Female Migrants Meet Isolation in Istanbul
08 May 2012
Life isn't easy for the female migrants continually flowing into Istanbul from Turkey's Kurdish region. Those who are illiterate or unable to speak Turkish can face particularly intense isolation from basic services.
Pinterest's Gender Trouble
04 May 2012
It’s one of the biggest online success stories of the decade, attracting a staggering 10 million monthly uniques faster than any site in history. But what makes the rise of the image-sharing Pinterest surprising isn’t its stampeding growth, or its sudden ubiquity on your friends’ Facebook walls. It’s the fact that it’s a raging success story with an unmistakably female bent.
U.S. Congress Puts Global Microscope on Google about Sex-trafficking
02 May 2012
(WNN) WASHINGTON, D.C., United States: In an effort to stop a rising tide with the use of online networks for human trafficking, two U.S. Representatives of Congress, Republican Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, along with Democrat Carolyn Maloney of New York, have sent a bipartisan letter to the largest online search engine in the world – Google, Inc.
Urgent Actions
Action Alert: One Million Voices for Honduran Women
15 May 2012
In just a matter of days, Honduras could become the only state in the world to punish the use or sale of emergency contraception with a jail term. But we have the power to stop this.
Colombia: Threats against Monica Roa and Women’s Link Worldwide
10 May 2012
Plea for support of women's right to choose in Colombia
Urgent Action: Activist Detained in Sudan, at Risk of Torture
09 May 2012
On 21 April, Alawiya Osman Ismail Kubaida, a 58-year old activist from the opposition party Sudan People’s Liberation Movement - North (SPLM-N), was arrested in her home by plainclothes agents of the National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS). She is being held incommunicado and is at risk of torture and other forms of ill-treatment. Please send appeals before June 14, 2012.
What's new at AWID?
“Where is the Money for Women’s Rights?” Preliminary 2011 Research Results
On the eve of the 12th AWID International Forum happening in Istanbul, Turkey, the "Where is the Money for Women’s Rights?" Initiative is pleased to release preliminary results from the 2011 AWID Global Survey of women’s organizations!
Development Cooperation Beyond the Aid Effectiveness Paradigm: A women’s rights perspective
By Anne Schoenstein and Cecilia Alemany
Contributors: Natalie Raaber, Diana Aguiar, Alejandra Scampini, Fernanda Hopenhaym, Verónica Vidal, and Ivahanna Larrosa
IDeA Debate Articles #1
Diverse development models and strategies revisited
A special contribution to the 12th AWID International Forum
Fact and Fiction: Examining Microcredit/Microfinance from a Feminist Perspective
By Soma Kishore Parthasarathy. Edited by Natalie Raaber, AWID
Within development debates — and particularly discussions on women's "empowerment" — microcredit has and continues to be touted as a tool (indeed, at times, a "magic bullet") to reduce poverty and empower women. AWID asked feminist researcher, activist, and practitioner, Soma K. Parthasarathy, to share her experiences, reflections and analysis in a primer examining microcredit from a critical feminist perspective.
The Feminist Perspectives Towards Transforming Economic Power: Topic 3: Buen Vivir
By Martha Lanza, Fundación Colectivo Cabildeo Bolivia. Edited by AWID
This article introduces Buen Vivir both as a concept and in its implementation in public policies in Bolivia. The notion that Buen Vivir is gender neutral is examined in light of the fact that the main challenges are dismantling patriarchal power structures, the restriction of women’s participation in decision making, and recognizing the gender inequalities within indigenous communities
Ten Insights to Strengthen Responses for Women Human Rights Defenders at Risk
By Inmaculada Barcia and Analía Penchaszadeh, AWID and Women Human Rights Defenders International Coalition
The 10 insights presented in this publication provide the key considerations for strengthening responses for WHRDs at risk by ensuring that they are strategic and properly resourced.