Angelique Kidjo's post in International Museum Of Women is worth reading....

It's not just a matter of money. It's a matter of humanity.
Posted by Angélique Kidjo on Thu, Jun 29, 2006, 10:04 am PDT
People say we are tired of giving money to Africa. What we in rich countries have to do is to put faces and names to the women and children who are victims of HIV and AIDS in Africa. Then it takes another dimension. The media in the western world has been doing such a poor job of reporting on this crisis. They always show the dead people, they never show the African people surviving even though they have nothing.
I have met wonderful people in clinics, in slums, in little organizations, in groups that have gathered grandmothers together and built a community that give meals to grandchildren – they are just wonderful. They have no money but their human solidarity is absolutely amazing. They have nothing, but they are smiling. They have the spirit. They are dying, but they still reach out to touch our humanity, they still try to make a difference for others. Take Lydia Rwechungura for example, who despite being rejected by her husband, stigmatized and degraded, is now counseling others with HIV rather than giving up hope. Or how about Asunta Wagura who was told she had six month’s to live in 1988, went on to co-found the Kenya Network of Women With AIDs in 1993 and is still active today. Why can’t we do that in the rich countries? Are we so rich that we forgot that we are human beings? That we can die also?
I think that for any woman around the world, once they hold a child sick in their lap, they cannot be indifferent. If you are a mother you know every child is born the same way. And when a child is born it calls on us. We need women in rich countries to reach out to organizations that are there in site in Africa. One way is to give money. I say don’t stop giving, just give it more efficiently. Give it to organizations that use the money effectively on the field like UNICEF does or like the World Food Program’s does with their mobile clinics and mobile schools that help out while respecting that these are nomadic peoples. There’s also the wonderful organization Alicia Key’s has established, Keep a Child Alive and Prudence Nobantu Mabele’s organization Positive Women’s Network in South Africa. There are so many options.
One of things I am campaigning for, and that needs support, is for the drug companies to the HIV and AIDs medication in pediatric form. This way the babies will be able to drink it. You can’t give adult drugs to kids. Maybe they could even put them in sweet forms for them. I have also realized that HIV and AIDS have different faces; the viruses vary by region so the drug companies must take this into account. Furthermore, they need to make these drugs available for people for little money.
I have realized that this is not only a matter for money. It is a matter of humanity. It’s a commitment to other human beings. And that is what we are having most trouble with. No one wants to face those emotions – the guilt – by seeing the reality of what is going on. Giving money is a very good thing, but donating your talents and your time is amazing. I met a midwife in New Orleans at the Jazz festival that said, “I can devote three months of my time to that hospital in Malawi that you were talking about.” And that is what we need more of.
We need people to devote the time, to teach mothers in Africa little things like that boiling water before putting it into the food is important. We need people in the fields to teach women to use the resources around them to make their lives better. We need people to hear their stories, to help the women wipe the tears of the children and to give them hope. They need us to let them know that while on the other end of the world, they are not alone, that anytime they need to reach out to us, we are reachable. That will make a huge difference.
Above all, when you hear about HIV and Aids or any other problem related to women and children in Africa make the time and have courage to go out of your routine and find out how you can off your individual help.

Association Unfirls wings Online Now !

Our Officer's Association's Web Portal

 

Woman's Worth

The Article published in “The Times Of India”

 ( May 08 , 2006 ) is worth reading……….

Marriage is a big deal — for men, that is. Women partners — whether they stay at home or go to work in an office — end up doing most household chores.

Multitasking 24x7 is a way of life for them, as they juggle jobs like house-keeping, cooking, nursing, accounting, gardening, counsel-ling, tutoring, ministering, laundering, baby-sitting, driving, and now computing as well.

Salary.com, a website that tracks salaries for a variety of jobs, has come up with a "Mom Salary Wizard" that helps you calculate the real worth of your job as a "housewife". The average stay-at-home mother, the website concludes, is worth $134,000 a year.

Urban Indian women might be doing as much as their US counterparts. As for the rural woman, her lot is bearing the brunt of running a household and playing caregiver in a large family, often making do with scant resources.

Unsurprisingly, women from economically backward rural and urban families routinely practise austere self-denial in order to keep the home fire burning. With gender prejudices still rampant, a woman's worth is grossly underestimated and undervalued.

Women from the other end of the socio-economic spectrum too are often undervalued, albeit in ways different from their less fortunate sisters.

However, the computation offered by Salary.com does not factor in overtime — including which would hike the economic worth of a stay-at-home mother probably beyond that of a corporate executive.

Should the economic value of housework be included in the computation of a country's gross domestic product? Notional though it might be, it could be argued that doing so would reflect a country's productivity more accurately.

And boost women's self-esteem. More importantly, it is only because there is this invisible, almost unlimited — but unpaid — domestic labour input from stay-at-home mothers or women who do double shifts at work and home that a country's GDP is what it is.

For without this silent input, the GDP would fall by more than half. The computation of two sets of GDP figures — with and without the invisible component — would clearly establish gender budgeting as an integral aspect of the budget-making exercise.

Tags: Mom, Salary, Household, GDP, Mom's salary Wizard, Salary.com, website, economic value of household work, economic worth of a stay-at-home mother, pay, labour

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Quick justice only for raped foreigners?

The Article published in the Newspaper "Times Of India" today is worth reading .....

A rape conviction in 22 days is not the norm in India but a rare exception. Until now, this exception has only been made in Rajasthan for foreigners who come from countries that are important for the Indian tourism sector.

These convictions show the potential capacity of the police and judiciary for dispensation of quick justice but they also point to the fact that many Indian rape victims are discriminated against and ignored by the same system.

A victim has only a small chance of getting (quick) justice if there are no financial interests at stake, if she is not in an influential position and if there is not much media attention.

The fact that in many cases victims have to wait for a trial for several years and that the majority of rape accused are acquitted demonstrates that state governments and judiciaries fail to handle cases of violence against women with due diligence.

Amnesty International has elaborated in several reports that governments, under these conditions, are responsible for human rights violations against women even if the acts are committed by private individuals.

If a state fails to ensure law enforcement, if the behaviour of police and judiciary officials leads to a widespread impunity in cases of sexual violence, this has to be judged as the tolerance and acceptance of violence against women by the state.

This state failure is not only a human rights violation against women who already have become victims of sexual violence, it concerns all women in India.

The prevalent impunity in rape cases creates an atmosphere within society which encourages men to use violence against women. The danger comes not only and not mainly from perpetrators who are unknown to the victims but often from colleagues, friends, husbands and other relatives.

It makes things even worse that crimes committed by persons who are well-known to the victim are mostly not taken seriously. A widespread prejudice about so called date rapes is that it was a consensual act.

But can anyone really imagine that a woman would choose to go through many humiliating judicial procedures, especially in a society where rape victims are strongly stigmatised and where it is highly probable that the offender will be acquitted, if her claims were not true?

In fact, most women who experience sexual violence don't report it because they are afraid of the police, afraid of the stigma and afraid of the offender and his family.

It is a shame if people allege in so-called date rape cases that the victim agreed or that she is somehow responsible or guilty for what has happened.

Is a victim guilty only for trusting a friend or colleague and being friendly to him or, in other words, for having a drink and dinner with him? Is it asking too much if a woman expects respectful behaviour from a friend?

Fair, fast rape trial a must

It seems to be a widespread misconception among men that they can do anything with a woman if she is friendly and shows a bit of trust. If a woman says no they don't care, maybe some don't realise that a 'no' expressed by a woman really means NO, regardless of the relationship or situation.

This mindset of men who rape their friends, colleagues, neighbours or relatives is not an individual problem, it is a reflection of a society in which women are still discriminated against and disrespected.

The state has responsibilities to prevent violence against women. It has to make more effort to build a society in which women get equal rights and where they can live a more independent life.

Most important, it has to ensure that every rape victim gets a fair and quick trial, regardless of her nationality or position in society and regardless of the circumstances of the offence—be it a date rape, marital rape or rape by an unknown offender. Convictions should become the norm.

(The writer's initials appear with her consent.)

Gender Issues : Ways And Means To Address Communication Breakdowns - Part -V

Similarly people may find themselves unable to act upon the messages. This inability is mainly attributed by various intrinsic and extrinsic factors which controls and draw boundaries of limitations. Because of these factors it is very much obvious that people will not act upon the message in the way they were supposed to.
These factors control or limit the orientation of the message to such an extent that for people it is irrelevant if they have received the message and understood it in true spirits. These factors are completely out of the control of people. For instance “Poverty” is one of those limitations which always puts barricades in the way of implementation of the communication plan. People may find themselves helpless in such a situation.
Another instance is the unavailability and /or non existence of basic services. Many a times the basic infrastructure is not available and it is also possible that many a times the infrastructures are owfully managed and a complete lack of proper service administration .
In cases where a “Demand and Supply Technique” is applied as an implementation strategy with a message and a mass media campaign is designed by the communicators, the service delivery depends a lot on the degree of expensiveness and the extent of availabilty of the articles. The designers must be very carefull about these factors and ensure that the products which are a part of the mass media campaigns never get in scarcity and must be available with the best ease possible. These products must not be expensive and the money spending capacity of the targetted community is taken well care of. During the mass media campaigns and Drives it is a possibility that the demand of certain product is increase many fold. At this punctum the communicators and the designers must be well aware of the future prospective need based planning strategy involved with the original implementation plan so that the product is always available in the shortest possible notice. Any failure in this implementation strategy will cause huge wastage of seed money and time. Communicators taking care of such factors will be successfully implementing the plans.
Tags: message, poverty, designers, plan, communication, demand and supply,
service, money, administration, management
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India News: Women Empowerment In Bihar

Saumya Kerbart Shivakumar writes an eye-opening  Article in The Times Of India on Women Empowerment in Bihar
Excerpts.......
With panchayat elections in Bihar around the corner, a dramatic turnaround has occurred. A brand new Bihar Panchayat Raj Ordinance 2006 has just been passed in the Bihar assembly.....

It is imperative at this juncture to go beyond political manoeuvres and legal battles to revisit basic tenets under-pinning gender reservation....

 Here are some indisputable facts in the context of Bihar and let them speak for themselves......

The research was carried out by the writer between February and December 2005 on behalf of an NGO working for women empowerment at the grass roots.

Thus, these findings unequivocally highlight the improbability of ordinary women winning elections in the absence of reservation. Finally, the cliche of the 'proxy' or 'puppet' may have been borne out in a few cases, but the average level of awareness displayed defied this widely portrayed image........

A clincher: Nearly all the women interviewed stated they supported women's reservation for chairpersons' posts, although they themselves had come to power on an unreserved basis.......

Reservation to them was an antidote to unequal participation of women in society, caused by years of suppression. When the court sits for hearing, they might want to remember these realities, reflecting the voices of women in Bihar.........

I recommend this Article to be read in toto......

Tags: Women, Women Empowerment, Election, Politics, Chairperson, NGO, Research work, Article, Reservation, Findings, participation, Winning Elections, Gender Issues, News, Writer

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Gender Issues: Ways And Means To Address Communication Breakdowns- Part-IV

People all around the world belong to different kinds of societal set ups. Their lives are woven around different attitudes and beliefs. The communicator and the people who design the message need to understand this aspect with utmost care. Just by receiving the message in proper way and to understand it completely does not complete the process in itself. Infact it is only the half way up. The whole excercise will go waste if the message communicated with utmost care is not acted upon in the way it was desired. The communicators and designers must understand that the attitudinal and belif backgrounds of the targeted mass plays the vital role in action. People may not act upon the message if it is in conflict with their attitudes and beliefs.Traditional practices, religeous beliefs ,other social ,cultural and anthropological concepts always tend to override the communication even if it is hiighly scientific and people's benefit oriented.
Many a times myths also affect the reach of communication in anticipated manner.Therefore the communicator and the message designers should prepare the messages in such a way that it dispel all these negative attributes, conceptions, beliefs, myths, traditions etc.

Connecting To Old References......

I found my Diary today and recovered some old references and collections. These may be a bit old but are really important and might have some meaning to somebody........
Where the Girls Aren'tOne camp says that girls see computers as a communications tool, and the best way to engage them is to exploit that and offer classes that stress using programs -- say, designing Web sites or online magazines -- over creating them. The other side says that such preferences exist only because no one has tried to expand girls' technological horizons.
Gettin’ Jiggly Wit ItBut this is more than tits and giggles — it’s serious business. Digital breasts that move like real ones were previously impossible to achieve. An enormous amount of modeling, programming, math, and physics underlie these new, um, developments. “I never imagined that I’d be using my expertise in this manner and consider myself very, very lucky,” says XXX programmer Nick Torkos. “Hopefully this will convince others to study math.”
Strategies of INclusion: Gender and the Information SocietyA European research project studing the change patterns of women use, access and creation of ICTs, focusing on public and private effort to educate, create products, and develop service relevent to women
Researchers address gender gap in computingMargolis and Allan Fisher, co-authors of a new book titled Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing,'' will speak in Palo Alto tonight about their research on why women are sometimes reluctant to pursue computing careers, and what can be done to change this.`The men were motivated primarily by their interest in and enjoyment of technology; the women tended to be motivated by what it was good for, how it could be used to help people.''
Gadget makers target womenCompanies like Panasonic have found that style is the number one priority for women, whereas men are more concerned with brand and what the thing does. "A lot of women want permission to buy the cute version of something," said Ms France. "It is something we have seen a lot in the teen market. If something is cool and it's a great colour, you're going to get it."
IT: The Industry Without WomenMore than 90 percent of the engineers who make Internet systems work are men. In the next four years, women will continue to be massively underrepresented in the networking field, despite a major shortage of skilled engineers in Europe that threatens to hamper the industry.
Boy, You Fight Like a GirlOnline gamers seek escape in personas of the opposite sex but often encounter stereotypes.
He-Mails, She-Mails: Where Sender Meets GenderCommunication researchers who study the e-mail behavior of men and women say they are finding real differences. In general, they say, women tend to use the electronic medium as an extension of the way they talk — lavishly and intimately, to connect with people and build rapport. Men, in both speech and text, incline toward a briefer, more utilitarian style, the researchers say — a style they variously term instrumental, functional or transactional.
Can the media help turn geek into chic?To join the two ideas in the public's mind, all-out media blitzes have begun in at least four countries, using Hollywood-style recruitment tactics to attract women in particular toward careers in technology. By revamping technology stereotypes, these groups hope to curb labor shortages that are in danger of crimping their countries' future business success.
NOW Provides Shelter From ScornThe National Organization for Women will offer Internet service provider accounts through its website. The site will only be accessible to people who sign up through the ISP. NOW is moving its message boards and chat rooms to the protected NOWworld site. (The ISP) came out of a desire to create a new space that was safe and welcoming, but also informative and inspiring.
Game-Player's Life As a WomanStill, I'd noticed people just plain react differently to female characters, even if they don't know who's on the other end.
Women such as Lara Croft in videogamesBombshells worthy of "Playboy" have been multiplying in videogames ever since the birth of the buxom Lara Croft. As Enes Memic reports, it's highly unlikely game makers will reverse this trend anytime soon
See the Banned Fear Effect 2 AdFear Effect 2: Retro Helix for the PlayStation is all set to ruffle a few feathers, disturb a couple senators and send concerned parents into conniptions. One of the game's central themes is the, uh, relationship between the two main female protagonists, Rain and Hana, who like to romp around in skintight outfits with cleavage hanging out, change clothes at a prodigious pace, shoot stuff and occasionally find themselves in not-so-compromising positions.
Who are you calling "sister"?To break through the glass ceiling, women's online communities -- like Webgrrls and Digital Eve -- need to work together.
History of Purple Moon, a company devoted to making interactive media for little girls
Research on Women and Men GamersSysters - oldest electronic network for women

Whistle Blower !!!!!!

THE BRIDE BAZAR

They don't want daughters, but they do want wives. It's a supply crunch alright for males in Haryana. Not far from the glitzy malls of Gurgaon lie the thriving mandis of flesh- where the price of a 'bride' is often less than that of a cow.

Neelam Raaj reports

This Special Report published in Today's Newspaper "The Times Of India" is an eye opener and whistle blower.  ( Read The complete Report )

Tags: Sex ratio Imbalance, Bride Purchasing

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Part -III

“Revision Of The Communication” is the best technique in order to avoid misunderstanding the message. This is one of the least practiced technique. There is always a difference of frames of reference between the communicator and the reciever.No matter how carefully and how meticulously the message is being communicated by the communicator, there is always an ample chance to misunderstand the message. People very often receive the message well and in true spirits.They know it is important for them but it is only a part of the process of communication. At the next stage they often misunderstand it. People become concious about Do's and Don'ts upto such an extent that they begin to misunderstand the message and this results in incorrect application of the message. This misundersatnding may be of various kinds, e.g. Process, further communication,technique, skills,or methods etc.

This problem is very much prevalent in cases where an application part is included in the message. Messages related to health,children,society,crimes, personal safety,marriages, offices,etc. bear a great risk of incorrect application.

The messages designed for such communication must include a system of concurrent follow ups and feedbacks. Adequate concurrent training should be an essential element of the message.There should be system of periodic follow up to identify the problems and correcting it along with the providing additional support and ofcourse revising the message as and when required.          (Contd. .......)

Gender Issues : Ways And Means To Address Communication Breakdowns -II

Linkage between Receiving the message and Understanding the same message is often brocken. There may be several reasons for this open framed linkage. Message giver must undersatnd this important state of relationship between “Recieving And Understanding “.

It is a very common phenomenon that people receive the message but they do not understand it. The message must be designed in such a way that it addresses well to the needs of the target group in a proper way.

A message woven with tedious “Technical Terminologies” often proves to be a show piece only. People may not understand such messages in its true spirit.

Similarly a message communicated in improper Language or Dialect will also meet the same fate. It becomes even more pertinent when the message is International in its approach.These kind of messages are destined for everyone in the world, but they are not designed in everyone's Language and Dialect. Here the role of Tanslators become vitally important. While Translating or Adapting such kind of messages , simple Non-Artistic and Non-Technical Language must be used in a manner which tries to create interst in people's mind.

Best way to avoid any such Interrupted Linkage and other Limitations is to check the message first with the Intended Audience. Once it is Tested OK it may be suitable to apply the same with masses.

                                                                                        ( Contd. )

Gender Issues : Ways And Means To Address Communication Breakdowns

Gender Issues need multipotent communication among the masses. Effective communication is the key factor in bringing about changes in the attitude of society at large.

Efforts to communicate Gender Issues and Related Messages do not concede intended results most often. The communication channels used to propagate the Gender Messages are also subject to various bottlenecks and limitations.

Problems can usually be avoided if communicators first strive to understand the attitudes,beliefs and social factors that determine people's behaviour and the problems that may arise as people begin to change their behaviour.

One of these bottlenecks is the “Ineffectivity Of Communication”.It is very natural and obvious that the message may reach only some of the intended target audience.This is mainly because of the ineffectivity of the communication channels used. Each channel of communication bears its limitations of “Reach”. Intended audience is a complete factor in itself but using a channel of communication often poses this limitation as the “Reach” is never absolute. For instance the use of printed material as a channel of communication has its own limitations. Apart from not reaching the message in printed form, upto each literate person, this also address to the limitation of “Non – Reach- factor”. These factors include all those who cannot read. Similarly the use of Radio and Television i.e. Audio and Video Media as communication channels also do not address to all those who do not have an access to these media.

This limitation can be get the better of by an intelligent mixing of mass media and “Person-To-Person” communication. The message always gets reinforced and its potency is increased. A whole hearted Participatory Research to find out the credibility of the mass media and person-to person communication leads to improved communication status and the credibility of the channel used.

( To Be Contd..........)

Women On Board

Women On Board

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March-8 : IWD-Celebration News From Around The World

International Women's Day News From around The World

International Women's Day 2006: Honoring women and girls around the world
Jewels in the Jungle 23 hours ago Sokari Ekine , author of the Black Looks blog and a contributing editor for Harvard's Global Voices Online blog project, has a magnificent roundup of international bloggers writing about African women on this ...

Sexual violence, abortion rights top Women's Day agenda Tens of...
TurkishPress.com 22 hours ago Pakistani high-profile gang rape victim Mukhtaran Mai leads an International Women's Day rally in Multan.

Mexican anti-harassment campaign features blowup sex dolls dressed as secretaries
The Tucson Citizen 20 hours ago / Mexico's National Women's Institute launched a series of ads on Wednesday that feature blowup sex dolls dressed as office workers, in a bid to counter sexual harassment in the workplace.

US marks International Women's Day as abortion battle heats up
Yahoo Yesterday / The United States marks International Women's Day deep in heated debate over abortion after a state launched a legal challenge that could overturn the 1973 landmark Supreme Court ruling that made it lawful.

Bang Those Pots and Keep This Movement Moving
Womensenews.org Yesterday / But before getting into that, let's think back to September 1995. Spin the globe and stop the world on China.

Turkish Digest 21 hours ago / Status of women in Turkey: Black or white? European Union Enlargement "Status of women in Turkey: Black or white? In Short: The status of women in Turkey remains a moot point on the eve of the International ...

Welfare activist to speak in Reno
Reno Gazette-Journal Yesterday / If you go International Women's Day events: The International Women's Day Parade starts at noon in front of the Fitzgerald Student Services Building, adjacent to the Whalen Parking Complex.

Single mom, youth leader recognized
Mississauganews.com 12 hours ago One is a single mother and former victim of domestic violence trying to obtain a nursing degree while raising two girls.


M2 Communications Ltd. Yesterday / Today's International Women's Day marks a fitting backdrop for the launch of a contemporary photographic collection celebrating the outstanding achievements of six world class British women working in the ...


Vandals strike Little Mermaid
WGMS-FM Washington 16 hours ago / COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Mar 8, 2006 -- The much-vandalized Little Mermaid statue in Denmark has been struck again, this time as a message for Women's Rights Day.

Filipino protesters clash with police
Reuters Video 23 hours ago Hundreds of mostly women protesters mark International Women's Day by calling on the Philippine President Gloria Arroyo to resign.Angry demonstrators, from leftist women's groups like Gabriela and Kababaihan, ...

Shaking hands with commoners is empowerment: sex workers
India Gazette 20 hours ago Posted : 5 Hour,3 minutes Ago Pune, March 8 : Wearing colourful dresses and flowers, around 1,000 sex workers from ten districts of Maharashtra took out a rally here Wednesday shaking hands with people, which ...

We've come a long way, baby
Mississauganews.com Yesterday Today is International Women's Day and members of the fairer sex across Mississauga will mark the occasion in a series of inspirational gatherings.

Women Denied Representation Making Poverty War Hard to Win
Common Dreams Yesterday / Millions of women around the world, including those in the UK and other Western countries, are being denied effective representation because of the low numbers of female politicians, judges and employers, the ...

Coalition calls for firing of firefighter in sex case
The Spokesman-Review 21 hours ago A women's coalition which includes former Spokane Mayor Sheri Barnard is calling for the firing of Daniel W. Ross, the 35-year old firefighter who had sex in a Spokane firehouse last month with a 16-year old ...

A look at women and war
Lee Northwest Yesterday TIFFANY BROWN/Gazette-Times Local photojournalist Cheryl Hatch, shows Jim Folts, her former photography advisor at Oregon State University, new prints of her work from Eritrea.

Indonesian women rally against anti-pornography bill
Abc.net.au Yesterday Indonesian women rally against anti-pornography bill PM - Wednesday, 8 March , 2006 18:48:00 Reporter: Peter Cave MARK COLVIN: Several hundred demonstrators took to the streets of Jakarta today to mark ...

2,000 Marchers Protest Acid Attacks on Women
Los Angeles Times Yesterday About 2,000 men marched in Bangladesh's capital ahead of today's observance of International Women's Day to protest acid attacks that permanently disfigure many women each year, organizers said.

This Day ! Smile On Every Face To Show Determination For Better Tomorrow !

International Women's day was celebrated all around the world. Let us enjoy few pics and see how people across the world unite for a better tomorrow and join hand in hand..............

In Afghanistan, local women smile at female Spanish peacekeepers as International Women's Day is celebrated for the first time in 11 years.
Former World War II sex slave Virginia Manalastas, 81, protests outside the Japanese embassy in the Philippine capital, Manila.
A pro-choice campaigner takes part in a march in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, to mark the day. Her banner calls for No Turning Back on the right to abortion.
A female officer in the Chinese People's Liberation Army stands on Beijing's Tiananmen Square waving a rose given to her in celebration of the day.
Female Iraqi ministers, speaking at a news conference in Baghdad, address the role of women in Iraq and their own work in the interim government.
A Kenyan woman demonstrates how she cooks food for her family every day during a march through the centre of the capital, Nairobi.
Bangladeshi women victims of acid attacks, often carried out by men whose advances have been spurned, use candles to spell out the word "acid" in Dhaka.

Women around the world have been marking International Women's Day - here, a Pakistani woman protests against gender inequality and violence in Lahore.

March 8- Women Of The World..Celebrate !

Iranian Women Bloggers changing Men's Attitude

Iranian women use blogs for gender samizdat Women in Iran have created over 1,200 Perisan blogs, online outlets where they can discuss taboo issues of gender and faith.
"Women in Iran cannot speak out frankly because of our Eastern culture and there are some taboos just for women, such as talking about sex or the right to choose your partner," she said.
"I have the opportunity to talk about these things and share my experiences with others."
For the most part, the response to her blog has been positive.
"I've had e-mails from men who have told me that I changed their attitude towards women in Iran," she said.

TODAY WE SALUTE THE WOMEN !

International Women's Day
Statement by Thoraya Ahmed Obaid,

Executive Director, UNFPA

08 March 2006
Today, on International Women’s Day, I join others in paying tribute to women. Progress for women is progress for all. No enduring solutions to society’s most pressing problems can be found without the full empowerment and participation of women.
Women are not only life givers. They are peace builders and must play a full role in conflict resolution and recovery. They are workers, even though their work is often undervalued and underpaid. They are the backbone of families, communities and society, even though their multiple roles are not often recognized or appreciated. Yes, women are different from men but this difference should be celebrated along with the recognition that all human beings are created equal in dignity and rights and should be afforded equal opportunity and legal protection.
Much progress has been made over the years for the advancement of women and this past year was no exception. In Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was elected President, the first female President in Africa. In Germany, Angela Merkel was elected as the nation’s first female Chancellor. And in Chile, citizens elected their first woman President, Michelle Bachelet. These victories represent important steps forward but we still have a long way to go before we reach gender parity in the political decision making levels. Today only 16 per cent of legislators worldwide are women.
Today I call for greater action to involve women in decision-making at all levels—from the top of government and the United Nations down to the basic unit of society, the family, and foremost in matters related to their own lives.
Research shows that while much progress has been made, millions of women are still denied the opportunity to make even the most basic decisions about marriage and childbearing. At September’s World Summit, world leaders agreed to achieve universal access to reproductive health by 2015 as critical for the attainment of gender equality and the other Millennium Development Goals to improve maternal health, reduce child mortality, combat HIV/AIDS, and reduce poverty. Reproductive health and rights are fundamental to women’s empowerment.
Today, on International Women’s Day, I would like to encourage greater dialogue within societies, communities and families, between women and men and between young and old. We need to talk to each other and find ways to advance mutual respect, mutual communication and mutual responsibility. Gender equality should be inscribed into national law and translated into investments in national budgets. UNFPA is committed to promoting sexual and reproductive health, reproductive rights, women’s empowerment, male involvement and responsibility, and gender equality. Today we salute the women and men who are working towards these worthy goals.

Cave's Voice

Cave's Voice

Voice From Zambia Won't Go Unheard !

VOICE FROM ZAMBIA
Let Us Support The Fight For Rights !

Please Read The "Editorial" Of "THE POST" and support the fight of Zambian Wemen's Fight for their Rights in Democracy. We all can support the cause atleast by sending this Editorial to our friends around the world through Email. We can write about this in our websites ,our blogs and ofcourse can spread a word of mouth.

Let's Make 2006 A year For Women

The Post (Lusaka)
EDITORIAL

March 4, 2006
Lusaka

This year should see a rise in the number of women adopted to contest parliamentary elections.
There will be no excuse for any political party that fails to meet the SADC protocol that calls for 30 per cent female representation in decision-making institutions. It is possible for all our political parties to ensure that not less than 50 per cent of their candidates in this year's elections are women.
We cannot continue to expect women to turn out in large numbers and vote in elections in which they count for nothing; in which their right to contest is not respected or guaranteed. The majority of our voters are women and therefore fairness and justice calls for a similar proportion when it comes to candidates. But this is not so. The number of women being adopted for elections in our country is still too small. We even wonder why women have continued to take part in these elections as voters. Probably it's only that they are very kind and selfless people. Imagine if it were men marginalised in this way, what voter apathy would characterise our elections!
As Bertha Monze has correctly observed, women are having a raw deal in our politics. And this injustice - like all other injustices against women - should come to an end. We share Monze's view that women in Zambian politics are there as tools to be used by influential men. They dance for these men, they cook for them during election campaigns and do all sorts of things for them and with them. They are abused by men in all sorts of ways.
What type of democracy is this that we are trying to build in this country that doesn't recognise and respect the interests and rights of the majority - who happen to be women? What type of democracy is this where the interests and rights of the majority - who happen to be women - count for nothing? Democracy is that system in which the majority's interests and rights are respected and reign supreme. It will be good to seek the commitment of all our political parties on this issue before they start adopting candidates to field in this year's elections. Clear demands should be made to all our political parties to at least meet the minimum SADC requirement of 30 per cent if the subjective and objective factors make it impossible for them to adopt more women candidates than this in this year's elections. Those who do not meet this requirement don't deserve the support of the majority of our people who also happen to be women.
It is difficult to understand why so often, and repeatedly so, the majority - women - should be made to vote for the minority. Anyway, this is what alienation can do. This is what marginalisation has done to our women. These are the dangers and consequences of gender inequalities in a nation. In a nation where men dominate and control most of the country's financial resources, women will always be marginalised and made to work for them politically and otherwise. It cannot be denied that our current electoral system favours those with deep pockets, those who are willing to invest their earnings in election campaigns. Most of our women, the great majority of them, are poor. They don't have the type of resources required for elections. And there are very few individuals and institutions that are willing to invest in them and adopt them as their candidates.
This injustice against women, this unfairness towards women, needs to be addressed. It will not go away by itself. Drastic, and probably extraordinary, measures may be required to alter this. It seems a struggle on this score is inevitable and what it needs now is people willing and able to wage it. What would happen if a national boycott were called for for political parties that don't meet the required minimum number women candidates? Who would support it? Would the majority of our women support it or their leaders have already been consumed by opportunism?
Relevant Links
We urge the women's movement and other institutions that have in the past shown interest in increasing the representation by women in our legislature and other institutions to rise up and start to speak and campaign on this issue. It's better to do it now than wait until all our political parties have made their adoptions. There is need to engage all our political parties on this issue now. If we wait, they will have excuses, it will be difficult for them to reverse their adoptions to accommodate women.
And our women need to realise that they need to fight for their own interests and rights. It is a fact that while our women look after the interests and rights of others - men and children - no one does the same for them. What they don't do for themselves, no one will do for them. What they don't win for themselves, no one will win for them (men). Everything they have, they have had to win for themselves. This is the reality of our women's existence that they shouldn't lose sight of. Very few men are generous enough to give to women that which belongs to them. They say give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar. But when it comes to women, no one gives to them what belongs to them - they always have to fight for it. It is therefore imperative that they start fighting to ensure that the majority of candidates in this year's elections be women. This may appear impossible given the deep-rooted discrimination, marginalisation and domination of our women. But we know that there is noth ing impossible in life if some committed people are willing to fight for it. In fact, sometimes in life, it's better to fight for the impossible because the future may lie in these. And our future as a nation lies in how quickly, efficiently and effectively we harness and exploit the leadership potential that lies in women. Our future lies in the leadership of women and we can confidently say women are the future of Zambia. To deny them full and meaningful participation in the governance of our country is to rob this country an opportunity for social, economic and political advancement.

The First lady Of United states Of America "Lara bush" spent her day in India. Few Pics

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY : BRIEF HISTORY

Brief History

The idea of an International Women's Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

Following is a brief chronology of the most important events:

• On 8 March 1857 women working in clothing and textile factories (called 'garment workers') in New York City, in the United States, staged a protest. They were fighting against inhumane working conditions and low wages. The police attacked the protestors and dispersed them.
• Two years later, again in March, these women formed their first labour union to try and protect themselves and gain some basic rights in the workplace.
• On 8 March 1908, 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding shorter work hours, better pay, voting rights and an end to child labour. They adopted the slogan "Bread and Roses", with bread symbolizing economic security and roses a better quality of life.
• In May, the Socialist Party of America designated the last Sunday in February for the observance of National Women's Day.
• Following the declaration of the Socialist Party of America, the first ever National Woman's Day was celebrated in the United States on 28 February 1909. Women continued to celebrate it on the last Sunday of that month through 1913.
• An international conference, held by socialist organizations from around the world, met in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1910. The conference of the Socialist International proposed a Women's Day which was designed to be international in character. The proposal initially came from Clara Zetkin, a German socialist, who suggested an International Day to mark the strike of garment workers in the United States. The proposal was greeted with unanimous approval by the conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, including the first three women elected to the parliament of Finland. The Day was established to honour the movement for women's rights, including the right to vote (known as ‘suffrage’). At that time no fixed date was selected for the observance.The declaration of the Socialist International had an impact.
• The following year, 1911, International Women’s Day was marked for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. The date was March 19 and over a million men and women took to the streets in a series of rallies. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded the right to work and an end to discrimination on the job.
• Less than a week later, on 25 March, the tragic Triangle Fire in New York City took place. Over 140 workers, mostly young Italian and Jewish immigrant girls, working at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company lost their lives because of the lack of safety measures. The Women’s Trade Union League and the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union led many of the protests against this avoidable tragedy, including the silent funeral march which brought together a crowd of over 100,000 people. The Triangle Fire had a significant impact on labour legislation and the horrible working conditions leading up to the disaster were invoked during subsequent observances of International Women's Day.
• As part of the peace movement brewing on the eve of World War I, Russian women observed their first International Women's Day on the last Sunday in February 1913.
• Elsewhere in Europe, on or around 8 March of the following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with their sisters.
• With 2 million Russian soldiers dead in the war, Russian women again chose the last Sunday in February 1917 to strike for "bread and peace". Political leaders opposed the timing of the strike, but the women went on anyway.

The rest is history:

• Four days later the Czar of Russia was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote.
• That historic Sunday fell on 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia, but coincided with 8 March on the Gregorian calendar used by people elsewhere.
• Since those early years, International Women's Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike.
• In December 1977 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace.
• Four global United Nations women's conferences have helped make the demand for women's rights and participation in the political and economic process a growing reality.

Why some parents are not afraid of killing a girl child !

Reading Uma's Blog " Indianwriting" is worth spending minutes on the screen.
She refers about a recent news in "The Telegraph" .
She was the third girl chid of the parents and so they killed her !
Better read the whole story in original !