All Publications

2013
Declaration of Indigenous Women of CSW57. United Nations - Commission on the Status of Women; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

 

https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/mandated-areas1/in...

Indigenous women's participation at the 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, 4 to 15 March 2013

A major success at the 57th CSW was the adoption of agreed conclusions on the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls on 15 March 2013. The result is due not only to the marvellous work of States but also to the persistence and advice of the more than 600 NGOs gathered at the United Nations, including Indigenous women from around the world. In this regard, “27. The Commission reaffirms that indigenous women often suffer multiple forms of discrimination and poverty which increase their vulnerability to all forms of violence; and stresses the need to seriously address violence against indigenous women and girls.”

Nasar S. Violence against Women, Bleeding Wound in the Syrian Conflict. Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://euromedrights.org/publication/violence-against-women-bleeding-wou...

Unveiling instances of violence against women (VAW) is one of the most demanding tasks in the Syrian context. Important challenges concerning sexual violence related to both the social cultural context in Syria and methodology of documentation hamper the documentation process. Extensive and sustained efforts are necessary to ensure that these violations will be addressed during the transitional justice period that should follow the end of the armed conflict and that adequate means are deployed in order to provide victims with support, accompaniment and rehabilitation.

This document is a documentation report prepared by Syrian human rights and women’s rights activist Sema Nasar, a member in the Syrian Human Rights Network, with the support of the EMHRN and experts in documentation.

The report is an outcome of an ongoing EMHRN programme aimed at reinforcing networking and capacities of Syrian human rights activists and groups to document and advocate on human rights violations. The process was initiated in 2011, and since then the EMHRN organized consultation meetings, workshops and trainings in documentation for Syrian human rights activists in view of enhancing the documentation efforts carried out by Syrian Human Rights Groups. An integral part of the process is to also to facilitate access of Syrian HR activists to international mechanisms at UN and EU level and to other decision makers in the region .

Adams AE, Bybee DI, Tolman RM, Sullivan CM, Kennedy AC. Does Job Stability Mediate the Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health Among Low-Income Women?. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 2013;83 (4) :600-608. Publisher's VersionAbstract

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24164531

*The full article is available through this link. This article may be available free of charge to those with university credentials.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has detrimental consequences for women's mental health. To effectively intervene, it is essential to understand the process through which IPV influences women's mental health. The current study used data from 5 waves of the Women's Employment Study, a prospective study of single mothers receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), to empirically investigate the extent to which job stability mediates the relationship between IPV and adverse mental health outcomes. The findings indicate that IPV significantly negatively affects women's job stability and mental health. Further, job stability is at least partly responsible for the damaging mental health consequences of abuse, and the effects can last up to 3 years after the IPV ends. This study demonstrates the need for interventions that effectively address barriers to employment as a means of enhancing the mental health of low-income women with abusive partners.

Nnawulezi NA, Sullivan CM. Oppression Within Safe Spaces: Exploring Racial Microaggressions Within Domestic Violence Shelters. The Journal of Black Psychology. 2013;40 (6) :563-591. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://jbp.sagepub.com/content/40/6/563

*The full article is available through this link. This article may be available free of charge to those with university credentials.

Racial microaggressions are often unintentional and subtle forms of racism that manifest in interpersonal communications, behaviors, or environments. The purpose of this study was to explore the presence of racial microaggressions within domestic violence shelters and to understand how women respond to them. Using a phenomenological approach to data collection and analysis, 14 Black women from 3 different shelters were interviewed. Twelve women reported experiencing at least one racial microaggression, although few identified the experience as racist. Additional themes were also examined to understand why women did not identify their experiences of racial microaggressions as racist. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Herrmannsdorfer C. Balance de la jurisprudencia género sensitiva de Tribunales nacionales en 13 países de América Latina y el Caribe. Centro de Derechos Mujeres; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://bd.cdmujeres.ucr.ac.cr/documentos/balance-jurisprudencia-genero-s...

El primer documento

Desde el Programa de Litigio del Comité de América Latina y el Caribe para la Defensa de los Derechos de las Mujeres, CLADEM, nos proponemos como objetivo contribuir a promover la ampliación de los marcos interpretativos de la normatividad internacional y nacional en los países de la región, así como la justiciabilidad de los derechos humanos de las mujeres mediante jurisprudencia género-sensitiva obtenida a través del litigio internacional.

Como parte del proyecto ̈Campaña para extender el uso del derechos como instrumento de cambio entre las organizaciones de América Latina y el Caribe Hispano ̈ presentamos este Balance de la jurisprudencia género sensitiva de Tribunales nacionales en 13 países de América Latina y el Caribe. La finalidad del mencionado Proyecto es lograr una mayor incidencia de la sociedad civil en su interlocución con los Estados involucrados, mediante el uso del derecho para la defensa y exigibilidad de los derechos humanos de las mujeres, especialmente en lo referido a la erradicación de la violencia contra la mujer, mayores garantías para sus derechos sexuales y reproductivos y sus derechos económicos, sociales y culturales.

El documento, pretende acercar un balance regional de la jurisprudencia género sensitiva de Tribunales Constitucionales o Altas Cortes para establecer la línea de avance jurisprudencial a nivel nacional durante el período 2008-2012. En ella se releva las sentencias con enfoque de género de Tribunales Constitucionales y de Altas Cortes en 13 países de América Latina y el Caribe en los temas de: discriminación e igualdad, violencia contra la mujer, autonomía sexual y autonomía reproductiva, educación no sexista y antidiscriminatoria.

La selección temática surge del ̈Documento base de la Segunda Campaña de Incidencia para el cumplimiento de las deudas pendientes de los Estados con los Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres ̈1 en el que priorizan 3 temas claves, al que hemos sumado discriminación e igualdad debido a que lo consideramos transversal a los demás. En materia de igualdad para las mujeres es relevante destacar cómo los diferentes casos de violación exponen patrones de discriminación que son estructurales.

Consideramos que este documento puede ser una herramienta de utilidad para las organizaciones de mujeres y activistas que trabajan la temática; así como también alentar a operadores y operadoras de justicia de los países de la región para profundizar en el avance de la jurisprudencia género sensitiva. 

Oidhaco Fact Sheet on Women’s Rights in Colombia. Peace Women; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.peacewomen.org/content/oidhaco-fact-sheet-womens-rights-colombia

In corporation with Colombian civil society organizations, the Oidhaco network has produced a factsheet where data concerning women's rights as well as practical instruments can be found.

Rape Victims as Criminals - Illegal Abortion after Rape in Ecuador. Human Rights Watch; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

https://www.hrw.org/report/2013/08/23/rape-victims-criminals/illegal-abo...

Ecuadorian law imposes prison terms ranging from one to five years for women and girls who receive abortions. Medical professionals who provide them are subject to harsher penalties. The criminal code provides for only three exceptions to criminal punishment:

  1. in the case of a threat to the life of a pregnant woman, when the danger cannot be averted by other means
  2. in the case of a threat to the health of a pregnant woman, when the danger cannot be averted by other means or 
  3. when the pregnancy is the result of a rape or statutory rape of a woman who is an “idiot or demented.” Ecuador’s laws do not allow other women or girls to seek abortion in the case of rape, this despite the fact that a 2011 nationwide government survey estimated that one out of four Ecuadorian women has been a victim of sexual violence.
Wells M. UN Warns of Rise in Human Trafficking Within Colombia. In Sight Crime; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.insightcrime.org/news-briefs/un-warns-growing-human-trafficki...

The problem of internal human trafficking in Colombia is worsening, according to the United Nations (UN) and Colombian officials, highlighting a lack of government attention to the domestic aspect of the trade.

Kalinsko J. Lithuanian Foreign Minister signs Council of Europe's convention on violence against women.; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.15min.lt/en/article/politics/lithuanian-foreign-minister-sign...

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius has signed the Council of Europe's Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, also known as the Istanbul Convention, which has drawn controversial reactions in the Baltic states.

Violence Against Women Human Rights Defenders: Summary Findings 2012. JASS - Just Associates; 2013 pp. 39. Publisher's VersionAbstract

https://www.justassociates.org/en/resources/violence-against-women-human...

Thousands of Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) are currently at risk in Mexico and Central America. To address the widespread violence, the Mesoamerican Women Human Rights Defenders Initiative (IM–Defensoras) was formed in 2010 with and for frontline women activists who are facing threats, intimidation, and attacks for defending justice and human rights.

IM–Defensoras currently works with over 300 women defending rights and their organizations to provide activists with the resources and support needed to address security concerns and strengthen and sustain their activism over the long-term.

The network is a key source for data and analysis on violence against WHRDs from a gender perspective, and can rapidly mobilize network members and influential allies for strategic engagement with governments and international human rights organizations. 

Altos niveles de violencia contra la mujer en Latinoamerica y Caribe. Nueva tribuna. 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.nuevatribuna.es/articulo/america-latina/altos-niveles-de-viol...

Según la Organización Panamericana de la Salud, los niveles de violencia contra la mujer afectan entre el 17% a 53% de las mujeres en cada país de la región.

El Secretariado Permanente de la Red Latinoamericana y del Caribe para la Democracia (RedLad) alerta sobre los altos niveles de violencia contra la mujer persistentes en América Latina. Según la Organización Panamericana de la Salud, los niveles de violencia contra la mujer afectan de entre 17% a 53% de la población de mujeres en cada país de la región.

Those Who Take Us Away - Abusive Policing and Failures in Protection of Indigenous Women and Girls in Northern British Columbia, Canada. Human Rights Watch; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

https://www.hrw.org/report/2013/02/13/those-who-take-us-away/abusive-pol...

The province of British Columbia has been particularly badly affected by violence against indigenous women and girls and by the failure of Canadian law enforcement authorities to deal with the phenomenon. Cutting through the small communities policed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in northern BC is the Highway of Tears, a 724-kilometer stretch of road which has become infamous for the dozens of women and girls who have gone missing or been murdered in its vicinity. 

The high rates of violence against indigenous women and girls have drawn widespread expressions of concern from national and international human rights authorities, which have repeatedly called for Canada to address the problem. But these calls for action have not produced sufficient change and indigenous women and girls continue to go missing or be murdered in unacceptably large numbers.

A Life Free of Violence: Unleashing the Power of Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality - UNIFEM Strategy 2008-2013. UNIFEM; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2010/1/ending-vio...

Can be found under the 'View Online' portion of the site

Ending violence against women is at the heart of the mandate of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). The international community has an unprecedented opportunity to make meaningful progress in tackling this universal human rights violation. Within this context, UNIFEM has developed its Strategy 2008-2013 to end violence against women and girls, an overview of which is presented here. 

Bolivia enfrentará con dura ley la impunidad en los crímenes contra mujeres. La República EC. 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.larepublica.ec/blog/internacional/2013/02/15/bolivia-enfrenta...

La Paz, 15 feb (EFE).- Bolivia ha asumido el reto de frenar la hasta ahora reinante impunidad en los crímenes contra las mujeres con una ley que castigará con dureza la violencia machista, tras el asesinato esta semana de una periodista a manos de su esposo policía.

Factsheet: Violence Against Women. European Court of Human Rights. 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.echr.coe.int/sites/search_eng/pages/search.aspx#{"fulltext":["factsheet: Violence against women"],"subcategory":["factsheets"]}

Document summaries the court’s case law in relation to domestic violence, genital mutilations, rape, violence and social exclusion, violence at the hands of state authorities and violence in public places.

12 cases dealing with domestic violence refer to the violation of different articles of the European Convention of human rights, namely of the article 2 on the right to life, article 13 on the right to an effective remedy, article 8 on the right to respect for family life, prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment and article 14 on prohibition of discrimination. Both cases relating genital mutilation against Austria and Ireland were declared inadmissible for the reasons of insufficient protection of the young Nigerian girls that should be provided by their parents. 5 cases dealing with rape reaffirmed the violation of articles 3 on the prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, article 8 and artcile 13 mentioned above. The case of violence and social exclusion confirmed violation of the article 3 whereas the violence at the hands of state authorities brought forward violation of the article 3, artcile 14 and article 11 on freedom of assembly. The last case presented in the factsheet deals with the violence in public places giving declaring the violation of the article 3 and article 8.

McInturff K. The Gap in the Gender Gap: Violence Against Women in Canada. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/gap-gender-gap

This study finds that progress on ending violence against women in Canada is stalled by the absence of a coherent national policy and consistent information about the levels of that violence. The study estimates the combined cost of adult sexual assault and intimate partner violence in Canada, and also makes several recommendations on how to improve the situation. 

Solnit R. Hate Crimes: A Rape Every Minute, a Thousand Corpses Every Year. Tom Dispatch; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.alternet.org/gender/hate-crimes-rape-every-minute-thousand-co...

Here in the United States, where there is a reported rape every 6.2 minutes, and one in five women will be raped in her lifetime, the rape and gruesome murder of a young woman on a bus in New Delhi on December 16th was treated as an exceptional incident. The story of the alleged rape of an unconscious teenager by members of the Steubenville High School football team was still unfolding, and gang rapes aren’t that unusual here either. Take your pick: some of the 20 men who gang-raped an 11-year-old in Cleveland, Texas, were sentenced in November, while the instigator of the gang rape of a 16-year-old in Richmond, California, was sentenced in October, and four men who gang-raped a 15-year-old near New Orleans were sentenced in April, though the six men who gang-raped a 14-year-old in Chicago last fall are still at large.  Not that I actually went out looking for incidents: they’re everywhere in the news, though no one adds them up and indicates that there might actually be a pattern.

VAWA 2013 and Tribal Jurisdiction Over Crimes of Domestic Violence. Department of Justice; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.justice.gov/tribal/violence-against-women-act-vawa-reauthoriz...

Congress recently passed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, or “VAWA 2013.”  This new law includes significant provisions addressing tribal jurisdiction over perpetrators of domestic violence. These tribal provisions were proposed by the Justice Department in 2011.

Rullo M, Varia N. Claiming Rights: Domestic Workers’ Movements and Global Advances for Labor Reform. Human Rights Watch, The International Trade Union Confederation, and The International Domestic Workers' Network; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

https://www.hrw.org/report/2013/10/27/claiming-rights/domestic-workers-m...

On September 5, 2013, the ILO Convention Concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers (Domestic Workers Convention or C189) entered into legal force. This groundbreaking new treaty and its accompanying Recommendation (No. 201) establish the first global standards for the more than 50 million domestic workers worldwide—the majority of whom are women and girls, and many of whom are migrants—who clean, cook, and care for children and elderly in private households.

The Domestic Workers Convention provides desperately needed and long overdue protections for domestic workers and represents a significant breakthrough in human rights, including labor rights, women’s rights, and children’s rights. Despite the critical role that domestic workers play in providing key care services to households— including cooking, cleaning, child care, and elder care—they have been routinely excluded from standard labor protections. According to the ILO, almost 30 percent of the world’s domestic workers are employed in countries where they are completely excluded from national labor laws.

Sinha M ed. Measuring violence against women: Statistical trends. Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics; 2013. Publisher's VersionAbstract

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2013001/article/11766-eng.htm

For the past three decades, Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Ministers responsible for the Status of Women have shared a common vision to end violence against women in all its forms. Violence against women inCanada is a serious, pervasive problem that crosses every social boundary and affects communities across the country. It remains a significant barrier to women's equality and has devastating impacts on the lives of women, children, families and Canadian society as a whole.

This report marks the third time that the FPT Status of Women Forum has worked with Statistics Canada to add to the body of evidence on gender-based violence. Assessing Violence Against Women: A Statistical Profile was released in 2002 and was followed by Measuring Violence Against Women: Statistical Trends 2006. The 2006 report expanded the analysis into new areas, presenting information on Aboriginal women and women living in Canada's territories. The current report maintains this important focus and also includes information on dating violence, violence against girls and violence that occurs outside of the intimate partner/family context. It also shows trends over time and provides data at national, provincial/territorial, and census metropolitan area levels. A study on the economic impacts of one form of violence against women, spousal violence, is also presented.

Pages