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Issue 14 March 2011

12th Edition

Women s Issues

ARTICLES

| CONTENT |

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Travel guide through the Pyrenees

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Meet the team

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Can you answer?

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Recap: the MDGs

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Funny games

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Gender biases in Sudanese education

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March recipes

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Dealing with domestic violence in Angola: Facts and reasons

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Infernal Voices

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Algeria: Women rights left for dead?

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Migrating women: an anonymous group

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Employing technology to empower women

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Sex trafficking

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Growing equality: Women’s empowerment through small-scale agriculture

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A history of violence: the evolution of gendered crimes in international law

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Human trafficking and Prostitution

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Muslim Women: democracies against the veil

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Linking gender to environment in European Union development policies

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Defining Women

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A life free of violence against women and girls: engaging men and boys

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Beyond microfinance

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Looking beyond social media: emerging media practices that contribute to women’s empowerment

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Women’s dignity in Italy: no rose without thorns

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Act like a lady: why women can and must help run the world

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EXTRAS

Editorial

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| EDITORIAL |

Women represent more or less half the world population… And yet, they have constantly been oppressed, discriminated, segregated, considered of less importance, even worse, tortured, lynched, killed, and forgotten. But the situation is gradually changing.

So the choice of topic was obvious. Women and men have, or should have without a doubt, exactly the same rights. It’s about time every single human being acknowledged it.

On the 8th of March, the United Nations celebrated the 100th anniversary of the International Women’s Day. On this occasion, UNRIC, the UN office behind this magazine and for which I work, in partnership with the recently created UN organization UN Women, launched an ad competition encouraging citizens across Europe to participate by sending an ad that says No to Violence Against Women (www.create4theun.eu).

This competition will run until May 31st.

After all, “To promote gender equality and empower women” is the third out of eight Millennium Development Goals.

Robin de Wouters For these reasons, the twelfth edition of Internal Voices is entirely UNRIC Brussels devoted to women in general, their empowerment, their rights, and unfortunately, the violation of their rights throughout developed and developing countries.

The main topic was clearly defined, yet we embrace a wide range of subjects. The magazine spans from the situation of women in Angola to the use of social media in empowering them.

I strongly believe Internal Voices to be a magazine worth working for and thus worth reading. Before I had even set foot at UNRIC in January, I was told one of my tasks would be to edit a magazine written by and for interns of the United Nations around the world. The fact that there are already twelve editions proves that it is a success and widely read, therefore adding the thrill (and stress) of working for something that is already well in motion.

Still, everything clicked; all the steps taken, from identifying authors to the final layout, felt normal and logical. Obviously, I could not have done it all by myself, which is why I am very grateful for the work and help that was provided by the members of the editorial team, my fellow interns and, of course, the authors themselves, without whom there wouldn’t be a magazine.

I invite you to comment on any of the articles of this edition or any previous ones on our blog at http://internal-voices.blogspot.com.

I sincerely hope you will have as much pleasure reading this magazine as I have had while editing it.

Got something to say?

Tell us! We welcome your comments and feedback . Feel free to let us know what you think of Internal Voices.

Write an email: internalvoices@unric.org Or Visit: www.facebook.com/internalvoices

Disclaimer: This publication is created by interns from UN agencies. The views and opinions presented in this publication are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations.

Internal Voices is also online! http://internal-voices.blogspot.com

Editor ROBIN DE WOUTERS Deputy editor MARIA TERRAY BRANTENBERG Editorial Team GAUTIER DE BOSREDON, JULIA SANDBRAND, LEONI AYOUB, MARIA ELENA PENZO, MARION OULDBOUKHITINE, MAURO SANTOS, NORA FORSBACKA, PATRICIA CARVALHO, SIGNE HOLM ANDERSEN & VERONICA MACCARI Contributors JULIAN KIRCHHERR, MARIAH MERCER, MIRIAM ACED, FIONA LAU, SARA DRAPER-ZIVETZ,

KARINNA BERROSPI, KATHRYN BREITENBORN, JENNA GUSTAFSON, MARINE SMEETS, MARY-SANYU OSIRE, ALEXANDRA JACOBS, MARIA ELENA PENZO, PATRICIA CARVALHO, MAURO SANTOS, MARION OULDBOUKHITINE, GAUTIER DE BOSREDON & LEONI AYOUB. Special thanks to FREDERIK BORDON, PHILIPPE CHABOT, GREGORY CORNWELL, JORGE MIHAI VARAS-MARDONES, NENAD VASIC

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Cover image (adapted from) MARTINE PERRET Atomium images ANNE BJØRN IMAGES are predominantly UN Photos available from www.un.org/photos or public domain images from Wikipedia.

We have noted all sources and photographers where information is available. Alternative sources are noted on the image.

Internal Voices is a 100% UN interns' magazine giving all UN interns the opportunity to network, express opinions and share knowledge, points of view

and experiences. Everything from articles to layout and editing is done by UN interns.

If you want to get involved, the intern team at UNRIC in Brussels would love to hear from you! internalvoices@unric.org http://internal-voices.blogspot.com http://www.facebook.com/internalvoices

| TEAM |

MEET THE TEAM

From left to right: (upper row)

From left to right (lower row)

Julia Sandbrand - UK & Ireland Desk

Robin de Wouters - Editor

Gautier de Bosredon - France & Monaco Desk

Maria Terray Brantenberg - Nordic Desk Veronica Maccari - IT Desk

Maria Elena Penzo - Italy Desk Marion Ouldboukhitine - France & Monaco Desk

Signe Holm Andersen - Nordic Desk Nora Forsbacka - Nordic Desk

Mauro Santos - Portugal Desk Patricia Carvalho - Portugal Desk Leoni Ayoub - Greece & Cyprus Desk

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The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) ERADICATE EXTREME POVERTY & HUNGER

ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION

PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER WOMEN

REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY

IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH

COMBAT HIV/AIDS, MALARIA AND OTHER DISEASES

ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

DEVELOP A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT

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| ARTICLES | ARTICLE |

Gender Biases in Sudanese Education

UN PhotoAlbert Gonzalez Farran

Kathryn Breitenborn UNIC, Washington DC On January 9th 2011 the people in South Sudan voted for a separation of the country. The referendum provoked a big debate: what will be the way forward for South Sudan? This was the theme in a recent debate where three panelists who had been in various parts of Sudan during the referendum were invited to talk about their experiences. During the discussion, the panelists noted that although voting rates were high both for women and men, no women were seen working at the polling centers where they were located.

When engaged further on this issue, the consensus was that women throughout Sudan, especially in the South, were not receiving education

and therefore do not hold federal positions.

NO EDUCATION. It is more likely for a woman in South Sudan to die during child birth than to finish primary school, according to UNGEI. This is partly due to the fact that educational facilities are missing, but still young girls are less likely to finish school than boys. According to a UNICEF article in 2005, approximately 500 females, in a population of 7 million, finished primary school. One reason is that poor families are likely to arrange the marriage of their daughters in exchange for a dowry which is collected on the day of the wedding. Once women are married it is unlikely that their husbands will allow them to attend school. It is often believed that women should stay at home and tend to the family with no other obligations. Instead of receiving education, it is likely that the married girls will become pregnant. One fifth of all adolescent girls had a child in 2005, according to UNICEF. It is also, by

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some, looked upon as inappropriate when girls receive education from male teachers.

NOT ONLY VIOLENCE. The UN is playing a great role regarding gender based violence, which will be increased with the development of UN

“It is more likely for a woman in South Sudan to die during child birth than to finish primary school” Women. Hopefully the focus will expand from gender based violence, to gender based equality. The presence of the UN in South Sudan is of vital importance and will continue to be essential in improving the quality of life and security of the people. By looking closely at the statistics, it is obvious that Sudan’s women are in a different position than their male counterparts.

The UNFPA country office in South Sudan reports that literacy rates in

| ARTICLES | ARTICLE |

South Sudan are at a mere 24%. If women are examined alone the literacy rate is just 12%. If the women of Sudan are to have a stronger position in their country, these differences must be dealt with.

Did you know?

While, according to the Human Development Index, the two countries rank closely on overall human development (at 154 and 144 respectively):   

Disparities in gender and education ranking: Senegal at 137 while Sudan at 162 Disparities in gender and labor ranking: Senegal at 108 and Sudan at 158 In Sudan only 21% of women hold seats in government, while Senegal has increasingly made great progress through its program to better integrate women in the summer of 2010

PROPERTY RIGHTS. For many women in African countries small-scale farming is the only means of survival.

Still, women are not guaranteed land in the event of death or divorce. This represents a great risk in countries

similar to Sudan where mortality rates are high. As mentioned in the State of the World report for 2011 by the Worldwatch Institute, helping women and families to produce more agricultural goods so that they are capable of selling some of their products is a good way to improve their living standards. This will make families able to invest in their own production. However, this should not and cannot be the only focus when considering farming in developing countries. A press for enhanced property rights for women is also needed. In addition, it is necessary to open new doors for women in other professions. Women in Senegal have been successfully accepted and integrated into the military, and there is hope that more women will be integrated in the future. How women can attain such a status in Sudan and other African countries remains a question to be answered. Certain cultural beliefs make changes more difficult, for example, comparing women to people who can not be the protector

but who need to be protected.

START NOW. The illiteracy rate is so high for women that we need to start with the education of young girls. UNICEF works to promote the enrollment of girls in schools. They have also promoted the Girls Education Movement (GEM) in Sudan, which promotes education through mentors and peers, and reinforces the empowerment of women in Southern Sudan. This is an important step in helping creating a more stable, economically viable and gender equal society.

However, an understanding of the importance of education also requires educating males. Men need to understand the importance of educating women. They must be able to see what potential lies in creating a more diverse work force. Putting women in government positions and positions that require education will take time, but the time to start acting in now.

UN Photo/Fred Noy

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| ARTICLES | ARTICLE |

Dealing with Domestic Violence in Angola: Facts and reasons

MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women It provides a solid basis for promoting equality and women's empowerment as a sustainable development strategy, which at the same time is a key strategy for reducing and eliminating violence against women

UN Photo/Martine Perret

Mauro Santos UNRIC Brussels The United Nations define violence against women as any act of gender based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm, or the suffering of women, including threats, acts of coercion or arbitrary depravation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. These violent acts can take many forms and can be performed by anyone (teachers, intimate partners, employers, family members, among others).

There are many important factors that contribute to the increase and continuity of this kind of violence such as the

drawback that many women face in various societies when trying to access the educational system, the forced economic dependency, and the several religious and social repressions. It is indeed a major problem in many societies and a clear violation of human rights. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 5.000 women are murdered worldwide every year by their own family members in the name of honor.

In Angola, according to the US Department of State there are 350 domestic NGOs operating in the country, 100 of which are related to human rights issues and more than 100 international NGOs also operate there.

The government has never refused visas or restricted the access for international NGO observers.

Under the Angolan law and constitution women enjoy the same rights and obligations as men, but still the

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economic scene the country is involved in leads towards the discrimination of women. The law also provides equal salaries for equal work, although in general they hold the lowlevel positions of the labor market and many of them are forced to rely on the informal market.

Domestic violence against women is common in Angola and in many cases remains unpunished, and part of that is the result of the limited resources that are allocated for these matters, the lack of forensic capabilities, the judicial system and also, in part, the passiveness of society itself. In this sense, there are direct effects that this kind of crime inflicts upon the victim, such as physical and mental health, risky behavior, in addiction to the social and economic costs entailed.

These crimes are reflected in all of society and represent a real problem in many social, cultural and economic

| ARTICLES | ARTICLE |

aspects.

In 2007, a study about domestic violence indicated that 78 % of women were victims of some form of violence.

In the following 12 months 27 % of women reported abuses in Luanda, while during the same period 62 % of them reported abuse in the outskirts of town (poorest area). In that period Acording to Angop, at least 3,000 cases of domestic violence were reported in Angola between January and November 2010. The above data was released by the Minister of Family and Women Promotion, Genoveva Lino, during a press conference. police recorded a total of 831 crimes.

Most of these crimes are being perpetrated by the husbands or boyfriends who try to take advantage of women.

Until recently, domestic violence was not illegal in Angola so on the rare occasions that it had reached court, the case was usually prosecuted under rape, assault or battery laws.

A little story told by a young housekeeper on the Diário de África blog: “This morning, she had pictures taken of her back, arms and legs; they are covered with black and purple bruises resulting from the drubbing received from her ex-husband. Armed with a stick, Amâncio eased his frustrations on Nely”(www.globalvoicesonline.org).

This story goes on because during the fight he cut himself and went to the police to present charges against Nely. She also presented charges towards Amâncio but in the end he was released, and Nely will have to

live with all the physical and emotional traumas such violence generates. In many cases the result is death for one of the parties involved in the case, in other cases women kill their partner in order to survive or to escape these violent acts.

But not all is bad news. Although a study indicates that there were more known cases of domestic violence in 2008 than in 2007, this can for some be seen as a positive result. It means that people are starting to be aware of their rights and it is a step closer towards the end of domestic violence; women are now fighting against this violence.

There are cases in which the end is almost a “happy ending”, where the abuser is punished by the legal system for its crimes, and ends in jail serving the sentence.

According to UNDP, the rapid growth

the MDG’s, namely the increasing participation of women in the Parliament and Government. Moreover, the gender parity in schools has almost "We do what we can, but we would like more money from government to be able to help more women." said Eulalia Rocha Silva, OMA secretary general in Luanda, to Internet Press Service. (2009)

been reached.

Also notably remarkable was the approval of the Domestic Violence Act by the Parliament in December 2010, securing the protection of women against such acts, making any form of domestic violence illegal. At a national level this was a great effort taken by the government through the interministerial work spearheaded by MINFAMU, consisting of many informative campaigns and workshops.

We can conclude that there is will and that many steps have been taken, in order to change the way people and government face the violence against women in Angola. It’s a country that is still willing to evolve not only as an economic power but also as a social developed country. Many aspects of UN Photo/Steven Koh this society are changing for the in the economy has also led to the achievement of a better one. investment in social services that have increased substantially the living conditions of many Angolans. Angola is one of the countries that is showing both will and capability to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Angola is achieving one of the targets of

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| ARTICLES | ARTICLE |

ALGERIA: WOMEN RIGHTS LEFT FOR DEAD?

UN Photo/Martine Perret

Marion Ouldboukhitine UNRIC Brussels For many years, more and more women driven by poverty have been flocking to Hassi Messaoud from all Algeria to find a job in multinationals as cooks, cleaning ladies or secretaries, hoping to be able to support their family.

Hassi Massaoud, an oil-producing city in south Algeria and one of the wealthiest cities of the country, was the stage of criminal attacks in 2010.

During the night of 11th April 2010, many of these migrant workers suffered brutal attacks by men armed with knives, iron bars and sabers, who invaded a neighborhood in which many of these women lived.

Despite the cries for help, nobody came to save them, and they even said the police was unwilling to protect them against such violence.

Many conservatives have even accused women of Hassi Messaoud of working as prostitutes. And even if they were, this is not an excuse to attack them. Raping, killing and burning innocent women are crimes prohibited by the Koran and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In that matter, the first judgement given by the Court in 2004 was so astounding that the prosecutor himself appealed against it.

thousand women were raped, lynched, tortured, burnt and even buried alive to respond to the call of a local fundamentalist Imam, who had spurred the faithful men to “chase the female fornicators out of the area” and begin the “Jihad against the Evil”.

It would seem that for these fundamentalists, leaving one’s hometown, migrating, being single or working in multinationals to support one’s family was unacceptable to the extent of justifying extreme violence from torturers without scruples. Since 2010, similar facts have been reported, explaining why 15 Algerian human rights associations raised the alarm. They “when a thousand women were were indignant about the barbarism working women have suffered. raped, lynched, tortured, burnt It is important to mention that Algerian and even buried alive” women’s way of life is in accordance with the Algerian Family Code, a set Unfortunately, this tragedy takes us of laws adopted in 1984 which estabback to another similar event which lishes strict rules that force women to took place on 13th July 2001 when a be under the tutelage of their father or 10

| ARTICLES | ARTICLE |

husband. They must always obey their husband who has the permission to repudiate his wife whenever he wants to. Moreover, some articles of the Algerian Family Code do not comply with the article 29 of the Algerian Constitution.

Nadia Kaci, a famous Algerian actress, in collaboration with the daily El Watan, wrote a book denouncing the inertia of the Algerian authorities as well as the rising violence against women in the whole country. She has been trying to inform citizens about the story of these fearful, traumatized but hateful women.

Through her book “Laissées pour mortes” (“Left for dead”). Nadia Kaci has been struggling alongside the local NGO’s to inform people about those crimes and help these women to restore their honor. She tells us the story of Rahmouna and Fatima, the only two victims who still fight for being considered as victims of Islamic terrorism. The objective is

clear: everybody should talk about this disturbing situation to show men that they do not have the right to decide about the life or death of any women regardless of the reason.

'Shocked by the violence the working women have suffered and by the inertia of the forces of law and order, who did not protect the victims, we have decided to express to them our total solidarity,' Cherifa Bouatta Member of the Association for the Defense and Rights of Women (ADPDF).

women.

“The development of the situation and the women’s demands will determine for us what future actions to take; our current role is to continue to solicit the institutions so that they will assure their mission, which is to guarantee the security of persons and property as per the Constitution.

The struggle is long: the events of 2001 proved it — one must not give up publicly decrying against the crimes and demanding justice; whereas material or financial aid is only secondary to the recognition of their status as victims…”

Dalila Iamarene Djerbal, Réseau Wassila (Group of associations and professionals that have been fighting violence against women and children for ten years in Algeria)

Many NGO’s are fighting for Algerian women to safeguard and guarantee their rights. Every day, they need to struggle against this ever-present hatred towards women in the Algerian society. The Government refuses to face up to its responsibilities with respect to the security of their Algerian voices say citizens leaving to the local NGO’s No to Violence Against Women the responsibility to defend these

UN Women, the new structure for Women’s Rights On the 2nd of July 2010, in accordance with its reform and political agenda, the United Nations created UN Women, the new “UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women”.

The new structure, which is operational since February 2011, merged four previously distinct parts of the UN system that focus exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment:  Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) 

International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW)



Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI)



UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)

The new head of UN Women, former President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet declared that “UN Women will significantly boost UN efforts to expand opportunities for women and girls and tackle discrimination around the globe”.

For more information go to: http://www.unwomen.org

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| ARTICLES | ARTICLE |

MIGRATING WOMEN:

An anonymous group UN Photo/UNHCR/A. Duclos

Mary-Sanyu Osire International Organization for Migration With “Madam,” Amiina calls out to the Caucasian lady who has just walked through the gate. Amiina’s right hand disappears into her guntiino (the traditional dress that Somali women wear) and it hastily resurfaces with a piece of paper in firm grip. With great stealth, she scoots the bewildered visitor into a corner and starts to bombard her with requests.

“We need a visa; we fear for our lives; these are my children,” she turns round, but there is no one by her side.

She swings her head to the right-hand side of the compound and throws a glaring look at the five children who are hurdled in a far corner. One glance is all it takes. They scuttle to her side.

She animates her voice, raising it and lowering it, each time to emphasize different parts of her story. Amiina’s voice fades off as I walk further away.

IN TRANSIT. I am in a transit centre in

Nairobi, Kenya. A place built to accommodate refugees as they await possible transfer to countries that are willing to accept them. With an approximate number of 440,000 refugees, Kenya hosts the fifth largest number of refugees in the world.

According to the latest World Migration report, there were an estimated 214 million international migrants in the world in 2010, a figure that represents an increase of almost 40 million in comparison with the first decade of the 21st century, and more than twice as many international migrants as in 1980.

Amiina, and other female migrants like

“With an approximate number of 440,000 refugees, Kenya hosts the fifth largest number of refugees in the world” herself, introduce the aspect of gender considerations into discussions about migration. It may be different reasons why women and men move, the process of migration itself can be different, and men and women will encounter different social, political and economic environments in their countries of destination.

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NEGLECTED IN STUDIES. In Africa, female migrants like Amiina are said to comprise 46 per cent of all migration, and according to the International Organization for Migration, this figure is set to increase. Yet women are generally neglected in migration studies; they are mostly seen as the people who are left behind, and are in some cases viewed as mere additions to male migration.

Although research in the field of migration and its gender dimension is advancing, very little is known about what determines female migration. The new migration pressures for women and girls and the specific migration routes that they prefer to use. To this day patterns of female migration remain scantily researched and inadequately understood.

With specific regards to female labor migrants, Gloria Moreno Fontes, a migration specialist with ILO Migration Branch, notes: “Besides being subject to sometimes very harsh working and living conditions, migrant female workers are in some instances prohibited from marrying local citizens. They also risk losing their jobs if they are pregnant, and are subject to pregnancy tests every six

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months. It is not only their status as women and non-nationals that put migrating women in a vulnerable situation, but also the type of work they engage in. They find themselves incorporated into an already disadvantageous labor market towards women, and these disadvantages intensify in the case of migrant women, especially for those who do not have legal travel documents.”

ACTION TAKEN. Around the world, the question of gender is taking a position of prominence in many fora, and Africa is not being left behind. In February 2009, the African Union (AU) adopted the AU Gender Policy. Prior to this, the AU had adopted several other important gender-related documents,

including Article 4(1) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, and the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa.

These policies are aimed at accelerating MDG 3 which highlights Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.

Humanitarian actors in Africa are also active participants in the gender debate.. The United Nations system in Kenya recently embarked on a joint gender mainstreaming program.

Signed into force towards the end of 2010 by 14 of the 17 UN entities resident in Kenya, ‘The UN Joint Program on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment’ is aimed at mapping and

promoting enhanced coordination of the UN systems’ support to national priorities in the area of gender equality and women’s empowerment in Kenya.

SHAPING THE FUTURE. Female migrants like Amiina can no longer be ignored or clustered into one homogenous group with men because their needs are very distinct from the needs of men. Policy makers and various stakeholders ought to be mindful of these dynamics as they shape migrant laws, and as they work towards capitalizing on the benefits that come from the migration of women.

Female Genital Mutilation The World Health Organization defines female genital mutilation (FGM) as “all surgical procedures involving partial or total removal of the external genitalia or other injuries to the female genital organs for cultural or non-therapeutic reasons.” Contrary to traditional belief, there are no health benefits for girls and women who undergo this procedure. In addition to the severe and immediate pain and shock, they often suffer from serious longterm health problems both physical, such as bleedings or childbirth complications, and psychological.

The tradition of FGM is at least 2000 years old and can nowadays be found in all religions or racial and social groups. To perform the mutilation, primitive tools such as razors, knives and scissors often serve as instruments. The use of anaesthetics is not necessarily a habit. However, there is a trend in urban areas of FGM being carried out in hospitals by trained doctors and midwives.

Women are being mutilated for a number of sexual, social, hygienic, religious and health reasons. Usually, girls undergo the procedure between early childhood and the age of 15. According to the World Health Organisation, between 100 and 140 million girls are suffering from the consequences of FGM. The number of victims is particularly high in Africa: about 92 million girls aged 10 and above have endured FGM. FGM is internationally recognized as a violation of women’s rights, as well as in many cases, those of children. It further violates Articles 2 (equal human rights for both genders), 3 (right to life, liberty and security) and 5 (no subjection to torture) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Sources: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/ ; http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_genitalmutilation.html ; https://www.oeginteriors.co.uk/books/samplechapter/5545/8-7e543500rdz.pdf; http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml#a1

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Employing Technology to Empower Women: Improving Access to Maternal Health Care

UN Photo/John Isaac

Jenna Gustafson UNIC Washington DC As an intern at the United Nations Information Centre in Washington DC, I am sent to cover a variety of events around the city on a regular basis.

During these discussions held at think tanks, law schools, UN offices, and non-profit organizations, I hear a common sentiment echoed among panelists: technology is on the vanguard of women’s empowerment in developing countries. Speakers addressing a variety of topics, from long-term recovery efforts in Haiti to Internet and freedom of expression, have contributed to the premise that in developing

countries especially, technology is a mechanism for women’s well-being and socio-economic advancement.

One of the most important areas for improvement is access to maternal health care. Improving mothers’ access to much-needed, skilled reproductive health care is within the reach of technology.

Access to maternal and reproductive health care is part of Millennium Development Goal 5. MDG 5 is comprised of a two-fold objective for women’s health: 1) to reduce mater-

According to The 2009 Millennium Development Goals Report, statistics show that per 100,000 live births in developed countries, there are nine maternal deaths. In contrast, statistics from developing countries show 450 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Additionally, 85 percent of all maternal mortality occurs in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Facts and statistics provided by the non-governmental organisation Women Deliver, a major collaborative partner of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), indicate that “Pregnancy “Pregnancy and childbirth com- and childbirth complications are the plications are the leading cause of leading cause of death and disability death and disability for young for young women” in the developing women” world. The 2010 Millennium Development Goals Report highlights a stagnal mortality by one-third, and 2) to gering statistic: over one third of maattain universal access to reproduc- ternal mortality is caused by postpartive health care by the year 2015. tum hemorrhaging, a condition that

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can be treated or prevented. Preventing maternal mortality and morbidity is essential for the social and economic well-being of families, communities, and countries. According to Women Deliver, the work that women are not compensated for, labor in both the home and in the fields, equals approximately 1/3 of global GDP. This evidence demonstrates the magnitude of the socioeconomic contribution that women make to the world.

Mobile technology is fast becoming a way to supply mothers in developing countries with much-needed medical treatments. Jill Sheffield, Founder and President of Women Deliver, explained that one way technology serves to remedy postpartum hemorrhaging is through administering oxytocin via a device called the “BD Uniject ®”. This device can help to facilitate treatment.

The Uniject®" is an intramuscular, prefilled injection device that features a retracting needle to reduce risk of exposure for health-care workers and others while ensuring correct dosage requirements. Another treatment option for postpartum hemorrhaging is misoprostol, which is administered in pill form to produce blood coagulation within thirty minutes. Both medications can be found on the World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines. Proper use of these treat-

ments could contribute to reducing maternal mortality rates in developing countries.

The United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation have joined together in a public-private technology partnership, mhealth for Development: The Opportunity of Mobile Technology for Healthcare in the Developing World. The joint partnership has produced projects in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, South America, Central America and the Caribbean. Mobile technology has the capacity to transmit knowledge and awareness of health risks and prevention. Mobile technology can also facilitate real time data collection

“...the work that women are not compensated for (…) equals approximately 1/3 of global GDP.” in addition to remote patient monitoring, diagnostic, and treatment support.

Part of the technological impact on health and well-being in developing countries will likely also stem from open source software (computer software without expensive licenses, usually developed publicly) a costeffective, efficient way to localize community development for sustainable innovation, independent of external consultants.

In Haiti, other types of technology are

reportedly being used as a way for women to protect themselves. The UN Foundation is collaborating with UNFPA on initiatives for women’s health and safety in Haiti using technology.

Solar lighting has been placed in tent camps as a method for increasing women’s safety. Women requested that LED lighting systems be set up near locations such as healthcare clinics and latrines, areas where women are particularly vulnerable to protection concerns such as gender-based violence.

Mobile technology is on the forefront of change. With greater availability of technological solutions, there appears to be more possibilities for improved maternal health care in developing countries. Already, innovative reproductive care and remedies directed at vulnerable women are beginning to surface in the quest to save the lives of women around the world. Perhaps innovative use of technology will generate a wider range of more accurate and reliable data collected in global research. Better data is necessary to expand the reach and response of health care for women in even the most remote regions. The role of technology continues to unfold in the pursuit to empower women across the world.

Want to learn more?

There are 63 United Nations Information Centers throughout the world. These UNICs have for main purpose to connect the UN with the people it serves.

For more information: http://unic.un.org/aroundworld/unics/fr/index.asp

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Sex trafficking – are states responsible for violating core human rights of women and girls?

UNICEF

between how the international community says this crime should be dealt with in theory and how it is dealt with in practice.

Because the nature of human traffickMiriam Aced ing often involves the crossing of state borders and heinous physical UNRWA and mental violations, protection of Trafficking in human beings (THB), an trafficking victims invokes internaage-old crime, has received increased tional law instead of domestic law. media attention in the last decade.

“Trafficking and smuggling take THB violates a host of core human place for different reasons, under rights and it is also one of the most different conditions and have difsevere forms of violence against ferent legal consequences.” women - especially sex trafficking.

Trafficking to work in the agriculture Oddly enough, an internationally recand horticulture sectors, construction, ognized common definition of THB did textile, hospitality, catering and mining not exist until the coming into force of sectors as well as domestic service the UN Convention against Transnasectors also occurs and is no less tional Organized Crime. This Conserious than trafficking for the pur- vention is important because it poses of sexual exploitation. How- brought about a uniform idea of what ever, sex trafficking is of particular trafficking is in order to combat it, to importance because women and girls share information regarding this crime are disproportionately affected by it. and in order to recognize and protect This article will focus on the paradox victims. Another important outcome of

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the Convention is the clear distinction between human trafficking and human smuggling - two crimes previously used interchangeably. Trafficking and smuggling take place for different reasons, under different conditions and have different legal consequences. Lansink writes, “Trafficking is done for the purpose of exploiting the labour or services of the trafficked person, whereas in the case of smuggling migrants, the relationship between the smuggler and the smuggled person comes to an end after the illegal entry into the state.” In other words, trafficking is a crime violating an individual’s rights and smuggling is a crime violating the state.

The Convention considers a situation to amount to trafficking if the following three elements exist: (1) recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons; (2) threat, use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, deception, the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability,

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the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person; (3) for the purpose of exploitation.

One of the reasons why a uniform definition of trafficking did not come into place until recently is because states had differing views on prostitution (whether it should be regulated or deregulated and whether prostitution itself is a human rights violation against women). Those that advocated the making illegal of prostitution lobbied for a trafficking definition that said that all prostitution is a form of trafficking. As the definition stands now, states are free to handle prostitution as they wish. The definition of trafficking is broad and covers a multitude of situations in which an act can be considered trafficking, even when someone is willingly transferred only to find out later in the trafficking process that they have been coerced, much like the situation many women face. For example, it is common practice to give young women false hope of moving abroad to work as waitresses with good pay, only to confiscate travel documentation upon entry into the

country of destination and force them into sex slavery.

A host of other human rights instruments specifically mention human trafficking. For example, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention against Torture include trafficking-related pro-

“States and governments do not know whether to tackle the trafficking problem from a human rights approach or a criminal approach and thus leave its victims out in the cold.� visions which can protect trafficking victims.

The international community has explicitly recognized that trafficking violates many and some of the most important human rights guaranteed to every human being. Countries have done their duty by signing and ratifying a host of international and bilateral treaties related to trafficking. However, when it comes down to the implementation of provisions found in these treaties, states are not willing to pledge cooperation and assistance in

a meaningful way. Instead of focusing on the women who have fallen victim to traffickers, some who lived through the most unimaginable of situations, when state authorities identify victims, in most cases they have no more than one month to decide whether they want to cooperate with criminal investigations against their trafficker or not. If not, deportation is the solution. By focusing on the criminalization of the traffickers instead of on the well-being of the victims, states act in complete contradiction to the promises they made when signing the dotted line of instruments such as those previously mentioned. In addition, this procedure makes little sense practically.

As stated in the international trafficking definition, deception and coercion are common traits of a trafficking situation.

Thus, often victims have limited information about their trafficking situation and their trafficker which could be helpful for a prosecution. This is especially the case if a victim was trafficked by an organized crime group. In the case that a woman does decide to cooperate with state authorities, she fears and is at risk of reprisals against herself and her family in the country of

UN Photo/John McIlwaine

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origin; she is traumatized from the trafficking itself and could have very little trust in police officials due to possible negative experiences with corruption in the country of origin.

Nonetheless, controlling who enters one’s state and who stays is, as Chetail and Aleinikoff (2003) stated, “…one of the last bastions of the truly sovereign state’ and states’ reasons for linking protection to criminal cooperation are far from invalid.

It is easier for states to deal with non-state actors, i.e., holding traffickers criminally liable as opposed to dealing with other governments.

Another explanation could be that states see trafficking as a security

problem and thus, desire to inhibit the continuing cycles of trafficking.

States may want to retain the ultimate jurisdiction over how to deal with what is essentially an in-state question. Or, states do not want to encourage people to enter into trafficking situations with the knowledge that they will be protected under international law if discovered.

These justifications for dealing with trafficking as a criminal matter make sense; however, they do not remove the weighty justification for also treating victims of trafficking as individuals deserving protection, regardless of their cooperation with the authorities. Major human rights norms that states allegedly pledged

themselves to be concerned with are being violated. States and governments do not know whether to tackle the trafficking problem from a human rights approach or a criminal approach and thus leave its victims out in the cold. A better human rights – state security balance is needed.

States may be weary to pledge cooperation and assistance in a meaningful way, but they should be more scared of the spread of human trafficking, which is something that experience has shown they cannot handle on their own – as the problem still persists. By retaining so much sovereignty, they only make it easier for traffickers to forum shop.

DID YOU KNOW? 1. Up to 70 percent of women experience violence in their lifetime.

2. The most common form of violence is violence by an intimate partner.

3. According to a WHO study in 11 countries, the percentage of women who have experienced sexual violence by an intimate partner ranged from 6 per cent in Japan to 59 percent in Ethiopia.

4. In Australia, Canada, Israel, South Africa and the United States, 40 to 70 per cent of female murder victims were killed by their partners 5. Estimation: 1 in 5 women is a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime.

6. It is estimated that more than 130 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation.

7. UNFPA estimates that as many as 5 000 women are victims of honour killing every year.

8. Between 500 000 to 2 million people are trafficked annually. Women and girls account for about 80 per cent of the detected victims.

9. Women who experience domestic violence by their partners are 48 per cent more likely to get HIV/ AIDS. 10. In the conflict areas of Democratic Republic of Congo an average of 36 women and girls are raped every day.

Source: http://www.un.org/en/women/endviolence/situation.shtml

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Growing Equality: Women’s Empowerment through Small-Scale Agriculture

UN Photo/UNDP

Sara Draper-Zivetz World Food Program - USA What is empowerment? Suggested in the term is a fundamental shift in the status quo, in which a person or group typically oppressed by social, political or economic forces experiences a change in circumstance and is able to more significantly determine its own destiny. It is a word that has been historically used in the struggle of individuals and communities, groups and societies, to redefine their status in society at large.

Women’s empowerment is a notion that refers to historical and contemporary struggles for gender equality and crosses all geographic, economic and political boundaries. As an inherently

positive term, empowerment points to successes in these struggles and the ability of women to gain traction in achieving the broader goal of equality.

For women, social, political, and economic empowerment has historically come in the form of dramatic steps such as enfranchisement, labor laws and human rights declarations, among others. Currently, while major shifts in the global gender dynamic continue to take place, more subtle transformations are contributing to women’s empowerment.

One such shift can be found in agriculture, a female-dominated sector in much of the developing world. Traditional gender roles have prescribed a division between labor and profit in this field, where women, who account for a large portion of agriculture laborers, account for less than one percent of landowners. Consequentially, women have practically no access to the revenue from the sale of the crops they

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raise, which perpetuates the traditional male-as-breadwinner and therefore male-as-head-of-household dynamic.

In addition, women do not have ownership or access to the food produced on the land, limiting their ability to fulfill

“...women, who account for a large portion of agriculture laborers, account for less than one percent of landowners.” their role as food providers for their families.

Empowerment in this sector has been achieved in various ways, including through improved property and landowner rights and laws, basic minimum wages for farm workers in some countries, and increased skill training for women. Another form of empowerment for women in this sector can be found in the expansion and greater support for small-scale, community, and backyard agriculture.

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For many, community and backyard gardens appear to be simply a venue for recreation and hobby gardening. In reality, a family of six can be fed for a year from a piece of land as small as the size of four standard doors. Smallscale agriculture is highly productive, and an excellent means of addressing community food insecurity. In bypassing the traditional large-scale agrarian system, communities investing in small-scale agriculture are less dependent on weather systems, market volatility, infrastructure and political dynamics to access food.

Furthermore, as a result of size and location, small-scale agriculture circumvents traditional landowner and

worker systems; too small to be deemed a profitable investment and often within the confines of a family’s homestead or immediate community, small-scale agriculture is an ideal means for women to gain access to food and thus a source of income.

Women engaging in small-scale, ‘backyard’ agriculture can raise crops outside the influence of a typically male-dominated system, and can grow food for themselves, their families, and in some cases, sell as a supplemental source of income. This is a profoundly empowering activity, which contributes to a shift in marital and societal-based gender dynamics, and is helping to redefine traditional gender roles.

In an age of innovation, where dramatic improvements are being made in the productivity, nutritional value and dependability of crops, there has also been a global recognition of the valuable role of small-scale agriculture in developing a more reliable and thriving food system. A gendered understanding of the importance of small scaleagriculture will contribute ultimately to a system that is not only more reliable, but more just; changing the way the world grows food can be a key means to advance the status of women and therefore, advance society.

UN PhotoMartine Perret

UN PhotoPenangnini Toure

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A history of violence: The evolution of gendered crimes in international law

UN Photo/Louise Gubb

Leoni Ayoub UNRIC Brussels

“For most of history, Anonymous was woman” Virginia Woolf The evolution and effect of emerging theories of gendered crimes within the international legal system is a particularly remarkable subject. Within a matter of 50 years or so, we have seen a dramatic change and great progress through the recognition of women’s rights but also the emergence of gendered crimes such as rape, forced prostitution, sexual slavery and others, as crimes prohibited during times of war. However, this change of ap-

proach towards gendered crimes followed a longstanding silence and invisibility of women within international law: prior to the early 1990s, theories surrounding the ‘feminine’ perceptions of war crimes and sexual violence were almost nonexistent. Despite the strong feministic movements that eventually granted women ‘equality’ in the eyes of human rights law, there was little to be told within the ambit of the laws of war. Therefore, the underlying question is: what kept these silences imminent for so many years?

When considering that women represent about half the world’s population, why were they not given more protection?

Some would immediately jump to a conclusion that sexual crimes are the “spoils of war”, that “boys will be boys” and since war is immediately associated with the masculine, rape and sexual crimes can only be considered 21

as an inevitability of war. Alongside the atrocities that took place during the Holocaust in World War II we saw violence against women of any ethnicity, race or peoples. Likewise, the Japanese Imperial Army used “comfort women” to the grotesque realization of providing encouragement to the Japanese soldiers while on the field. The “abductions” of women during the Indo-Pakistani war, the violent acts against women during the conflict in East Timor, these are only few examples of the poorly documented history of violence against women.

One of the first war-regulating international documents is the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilian Persons during Times of War that granted women some protection through Article 27 requiring that ‘Women will be especially protected against any attack on their honor…”.

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What must be noted is that the Geneva Conventions drew up a list of international crimes that are carried out during times of war, and gave that list a form of hierarchy. Needless to say, the crime of ‘rape’ or any form of sexual violence was not added to that list. This is further reflected in a number of subsequent international documents where the international legal system avoided elevating the status of women during times of armed conflict.

What is more troubling than the legal hierarchy, figures and events are the perceptions and the theories underlying the approach of international law, that is, its inability to view violence against women from the eyes of women themselves. What was most disturbing, for example, is the use of the word ‘honor’ in the text of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The use of the word immediately places rape as a crime against the dignity and pride of a woman, rather than a crime of violence. What was ultimately wrong with this definition is the very fact that rape is not a matter of dignity but a bodily abuse, a torture, a treatment of violation of psychological and bodily integrity. Taking this a step further, such a provision oversees not the protection of the woman herself, but a protection from shame of men in the community.

In 1993, the world saw the first substantive change in the approach of women in armed conflict during the Vienna Human Rights Conference when the topic ‘Violence against Women’ received unprecedented attention. The resulting Declaration not only recognized gender-based violence but also called for national and international cooperation in pursuing the adequate legal measures, indicating some improvement in the area. More impressive however, was that with the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), we saw rape enter the grand ‘pantheon’ of international laws of war. Both their legal instruments

were the first to enlist ‘rape’ within the ambit of ‘crimes against humanity’ – one of the gravest forms of crime.

With the emergence of these legal instruments, we also impressively saw the Courts themselves taking groundbreaking decisions. The ICTR for example, ruled that rape can be recognized as an instrument of genocide and the ICTY saw rape and enslavement as crimes essentially constituting sexual slavery. The greatest milestone of all, however, was the Rome Statute 1998 that established the International Criminal Court and has placed ‘rape and sexual violence’ both as a crime against humanity and a war crime.

Over the decades, we have seen great development on the perception of rape and other forms of sexual violence

“such a provision oversees not the protection of the woman herself, but a protection from shame of men in the community” during times of armed conflict. Most importantly, we saw the riddance of the ‘honor’ baggage that was given to such crimes, which are now considered as crimes of violence and not of pride or dignity. There has been a shift of trying to protect the men of a community to the protection of the community as a whole, and this has made a significant impact on how these crimes are viewed in the international legal system. Of course, many Feminists continue to argue that despite these changes, the continuing secondary nature of the crimes does not give them the eminence they need in international law as they remain secondary in the humanitarian priorities of the international legal system. Nonetheless, this shift in the human reality that grants greater protection to women during times of war remains a promising step forward that may eventuate in even stronger protection of women in the years to come.

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Violence Against Women: Human Trafficking and Prostitution

Fiona Lau OHCHR Brussels I was on the train back home from Antwerp when it went past the red light district behind the major train station of Brussels North. As an Australian intern in Brussels, I was frankly quite surprised – I only knew of the notorious red light district in Amsterdam (as most tourists like myself were aware of)! There were women scantily clad in lingerie moving around provocatively in shop windows that had a red light flashing in the corner, while numerous seedy-looking men would walk up and down the street, occasionally staring into the windows. It was only lunchtime. I felt confronted by such a sight. How and why can prostitution be legal in broad daylight?

How is it that the demeaning trade of prostitution can still be legal in many parts of the world, with the knowledge that many women are forced into this profession involuntarily, and that this is one of the major trades fuelling human trafficking?

Prostitution is the act of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment, usually in the form of money. It is also known as the oldest profession in the world. Prostitution can take up several forms – from prostitution in brothels to being an

UN PhotoJohn Isaac

escort, a street prostitute and prostitution in the form of sex tourism where the main aim of travelling to another country (usually a developing country), is to engage in sexual activity.

Every country has one way or another to regulate this trade, and questions of ethics, morality, freedom of choice,

“Prostitution is the act of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment, usually in the form of money” exploitation and gender role all come into consideration. In some countries, it is a legal activity (such as Australia and Belgium), while in others it is punishable by death (such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan).

According to a report by the United

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Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the major sources of trafficked persons used for prostitution include Thailand, China, Nigeria, Albania, Bulgaria, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer or receipt of persons by use of threat or force to achieve the consent of a person controlling another person for the purpose of exploitation. As documented by the UNODC’s report, it is clear that there is a correlation between the wealth of the countries where the sources of trafficked persons come from – that is, it is usually women of poor countries that are forced or sold into this profession without knowing that they will be exploited as sex slaves. In Europe’s poorest country, Moldova, where half the population is unemployed, human traffickers

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often prey on the vulnerability of the young women in rural villages by offering them the chance to escape poverty. These traffickers, which are often neighbours, classmates or people from neighbouring villages will then confiscate the passports of these young women and force them to prostitute and service clients, or face physical abuse. There are many shocking anecdotes from trafficked women who have been tricked into this exploitative sex trade against their will. It does not just happen in Moldova, but all around the world. If one has ever steppedfoot into a red light district, you will see that the majority of prostitutes are not locals, but usually immigrants. For example, in Spain, the ethnicity of street prostitutes is usually Africans and the same goes for Copenhagen. Chinese migrants in Europe are also known to have massage parlours to give a ‘happy ending’. Thus, the typical profile of prostitutes is usually women from a poor country who are either forced or tricked into the trade, or are seeking a better future for themselves.

With this knowledge in mind, it makes no sense to allow the dangerous trade of prostitution to be legal where many women are abused. We are just effectively saying yes to prostitution and human trafficking instead of curbing this deathly and exploitative trade.

As with all arguments, there is always another side to the coin. Many people believe that criminalizing prostitution will do nothing to stop the trade, and just drive it underground into the hands of illegal criminal gangs. They believe that banning the trade is counterproductive, and so it is better to tolerate it – as harm reduction is better than nothing. Regulation is the key to providing safety and better health conditions for prostitutes.

However, evidence has otherwise shown this to be a misconception. The Netherlands initially legalized prostitution in 2000 to protect women, and the country is well known for its liberal prostitution laws. But this has only made the country a major source for sex tourism, as former Mayor of Amsterdam Job Cohen states “we’ve realized this is no longer about small-scale entrepreneurs, but that big crime organizations are involved here in trafficking women, drugs, killings and other criminal activities”. The level of violence has also increased due to the increase in illegal immigrants transported into this trade.

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has noted in General Recommendation No. 19 that States parties are required under article 6 of the Convention on the Elimination of All

Forms of Discrimination against Women to “take measures to suppress all forms of traffic in women and exploitation of the prostitution of women”.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) also highlights the fact that gender-based violations of human rights, especially against women and girls, are one of the causes of human trafficking and a fundamental feature of the trafficking process. As such, women and girls are prone to suffering from gender-specific forms of harm from being trafficked, such as rape, forced marriage, unwanted or forced pregnancy, forced termination of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/ AIDS. Meanwhile, unlike many other countries, which concentrate on harm reduction principles, Sweden targets prostitution by helping people out of prostitution or to stop purchasing sex.

Sweden’s Sex Purchase Act, which was enacted in 1999, makes it illegal to purchase sexual services but not to sell them. The rationale for penalizing the purchaser but not the seller was enunciated in the 1997 government proposition that “... it is unreasonable to criminalise the one who, at least in most cases, is the weaker party who is exploited by others who want to satisfy their own sexual desires”.

UNHCR/F. Courbet

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Since criminalizing the purchase of sexual services, street prostitution in Sweden has been halved. This decrease may be considered to have a direct link to the banning of sex purchases. This is especially true when in 2008, the number of street prostitutes in Norway and Denmark was estimated to be three times greater than Sweden. Due to the great similarities in the social and economic facets of these three countries, it is reasonable to presume that a reduction in street prostitution in Sweden is directly due to criminalization. Although it is difficult to assess the precise scale of human trafficking for sexual purposes, in Sweden, the scope of this crime is substantially smaller in size than in its neighbouring countries, Norway and Denmark.

The Swedish National Criminal Police believe that the criminalization on the purchase of sexual services acts as a deterrent to human traffickers considering an establishment in

Sweden.

With regards to the fear that criminalization would drive prostitution into the underworld, make it more difficult to assist the vulnerable, result in an increased risk of physical abuse, and cause the living conditions of prostitutes to deteriorate, there have been no such reports from police officers and social workers. According to the Swedish police, purchasers are more afraid of being caught and the stigmatization that it carries, should their family and acquaintances become aware of it.

According to surveys conducted in Sweden following criminalization, fewer men have purchased sexual services in Sweden than in any other Nordic country. These findings can only be interpreted to the effect that the ban deters prospective purchasers of sexual services.

It is also equally important to note that criminalization can never be more than a supplement to other

efforts used in the fight against prostitution. Hence it is necessary to provide a holistic approach to combat prostitution by providing continued social work and support to prevent and diminish prostitution and trafficking in human beings for sexual gratification.

My train ride from Antwerp certainly made me consider the broader issues surrounding prostitution and human trafficking, especially in the context of violence against women.

Bearing in mind that most prostitutes are not there by will or consent, one must really consider whether prostitution should be legal. Sweden’s approach to prostitution is commendable in that it recognizes who the true victims are, and penalizes the party that deserves to be punished. The question is, will you support the fight in preventing violence against women?

UN Photo/Christopher Herwig

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Muslim women: Democracies against the veil?

UN Photo/Luke Powell

Ana Patricia Carvalho UNRIC, Brussels “No woman should be forced to wear religious apparel by her community or family. Nobody should be forced to go to any kind of house of prayer. We say no to oppressive doctrines or laws which limit the freedom of individuals.”

Thorbjorn Jagland Secretary General of the Council of Europe Since 1948, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights has been calling for “freedom of thought, conscience and

religion”. In this sense, men and women are entitled to choose their religion or belief and manifest it “either alone or in a community with others, in public or in private, (…) in teaching, practice, worship and observance”.

In 2010, the French government approved a law banning from public places all religiously associated veils, including the burqa and the niqab, making France the first European country to implement such measures, basing itself on the defense of women’s rights: the veil symbolizes the subordination of women in Muslim societies.

Initially, burqas were banned from schools and public buildings, and eventually, from all public places. This decision was based on three main reasons: 1- for security, 2- that cov-

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ered faces restrict communication, and 3- to tackle Muslim women’s subjugation. Following France, other European countries such as Spain and Belgium also adopted the rule that prohibits women from wearing their traditional head or face hijab, with or against their will.

Muslim society has different views about what women’s dress code entails and how the body should or should not be covered. Islam’s dress code is based on female modesty and depends on the place, time and social class. They may use a burqa, which covers the face and the body, a veil covering their face or just a headscarf.

Different meanings can also be attributed to them as women can use it for religious purposes: as a sign of devotion to their faith or for cultural or politi-

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cal purposes, for instance as a symbol of protest against Westernization.

This issue causes controversy and raises many questions in democratic countries, particularly in the face of Europe’s tradition of secularism. The use of the burqa is creating some tensions between western countries’ values and Muslim populations who go to these countries to seek equal rights and freedom of religion. These countries claim that the veil is a symbol of woman’s subordination and Islamic fundamentalism that does not reflect the freedom and democracy they practice.

Does Europe have the right to ban the wearing of veils from its countries? And how will this decision affect the Muslim population living there?

This ban affects Muslim women’s identity regarding their perceptions of modesty, devotion and respect for their religion. Democracy entails freedom of expression. Legally forcing women not to wear a veil when it is their wish to do so, is perhaps not the best way forward. In a way, forcing

them not to wear a burqa almost amounts to forcing them to wear it.

The portrayal of this particular clothing as a synonym for Islamic radicalism may lead to the discrimination of the Muslim populations living in the countries that adopt the banning of the veil. It could represent a form of oppression on the basis of a religious practice, giving room to Islamophobia.

Many Muslim women are prevented from making their own choices in many situations and their lives are defined by their community (such as what to wear and which directions to take in life). In this sense, the solution to this problematic is certainly not easy but it should include a prohibition of the coercion of the use of burqas, or any other religious symbols or practices for religious motives. It is imperative not to interfere with someone’s religious practice or belief but rather give women the opportunity to choose what they really want to wear.

This powerful symbol reminds us of the gap between the West and the

Muslim community’s system of values which should be based on cultural relativism, leading Europe to being tolerant towards acceptable Islamic practices in their countries.

The use of the burqa is seen as outrageous by the West, and even more by western women, but that feeling is not shared by all Muslim women.

Promoting gender equality and empowering women is one of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, which involves the realization of women’s rights. It needs to be backed up by meaningful laws and their subsequent implementation as well as by services for the protection and prevention of violation of women’s rights. In this sense, European countries’ legislation must be exemplary in protecting the rights of Islamic women, including their rights as free individuals living in the West.

UN Photo/Devra Berkowitz

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Linking Gender to Environment in European Union Development Policies and Funding Instruments

UN Photo/x

Julian Kirchherr UNEP, Brussels Within European public opinion as well as the European Union’s (EU) policy agenda, gender and environment have gained momentum: In the latest Eurobarometer, more than twothirds of European citizens call for additional investments in renewable energies and lower carbon emissions and 59% believe gender mainstreaming must remain a political priority.

Accordingly, the European Commission (EC) integrated sustainable growth as a key target in its overarch-

ing EU-2020 strategy. It aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, increasing the share of renewable resources in final energy consumption to 20% and moving towards a 20% increase in energy efficiency by 2020. Furthermore, the EC adopted its comprehensive and cross-cutting 2010-2015 Roadmap for Equality between Men and Women in September 2010.

Gender and environment As many reports of UN Women and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) acknowledge and underscore, both issues are of vital importance for a sustainable regional and global development. However, the European Commission fails to link both issues to create synergies and more effective policies – internally as

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well as abroad. That is a serious mistake.

In the 1960s and 1970s, social issues such as gender mainstreaming were largely disconnected from environmental policies and programmes within the United Nations. Fortunately, this changed over the years: Women are one of the United Nations’ nine Major Groups and Stakeholders, as recognized in the Agenda 21 in 1992. Since 1980, UNEP – with the establishment of the Senior Women Advisory Group (SWAG) – integrated gender approaches in its environmental work. In 1991, UNEP organized the Global Assembly on Women and the Environment. Since then, UNEP’s Policy Series on Women and the Environment triggered a lot of interest in the often hidden interlink be-

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tween gender and the environment.

Additionally, in its current 2010-2013 Medium-Term-Strategy, UNEP recognizes gender as a cross-cutting priority.

Hidden Links But what is this interlink between gender and the environment? Is a cross-cutting and synergetic approach really necessary? As many of UNEP’s scientists point out, such an approach is indeed inevitable: Particularly in developing countries, women play an essential role in the management of natural resources, including soil, water, forests and energy. Men and women use resources differently, as they take on different roles in society. Effective strategies aiming at poverty alleviation and environmental protection must therefore pay close attention to the impact of disparities between women and men on access to resources and opportu-

nities.

Female-lead households in Africa, for instance, are the poorest and are therefore more inclined to adapt less sustainable land use management practises compared to male-lead households who control more resources. When creating programmes to facilitate sustainable land use, one must take these differences into account and particularly address the situation of women. This has been repeatedly recognised by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and in UNEP’s strategy on land use management and soil conservation.

Furthermore, women as oftentimes the poorest and weakest part of developing societies, are particularly vulnerable to environmental degradation. Therefore, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has developed gender

guidelines for emergency preparedness. These include key questions to be asked in an emergency situation to help ensure that emergency interventions will be sensitive to gender differences. Several other disasterrelief NGOs, including OXFAM, have done similar work.

In the Asia-Pacific region, an increasing number of women are now involved in environmental decisionmaking. NGOs and, to a lesser extent, governmental environmental agencies have women in middle-level management positions. The Asian Development Bank and UNIFEM have supported these developments.

Some environmental NGOs, such as Friends of the Earth International and Both Ends, have also adopted gender policies and action plans, recognizing the importance of a gender approach to their work.

UN Photo/Mark Garten

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Defining women

UN Photo/Eric Kanalstein.

Gautier de Bosredon UNRIC, Brussels “Men have presumed to create a female domain” Simone de Beauvoir A person’s identity is defined according to his or her relationship to others. Historically speaking, women have always been socially considered as the partners of men, or in the words of American philosopher Sarah Conly: “Society, dominated by men, has come to see women not just as a particular kind of thing, but a kind defined by its difference from men” So how do relationships between men and women influence the problem of violence? And how does the reality in which women live influence their struggle for equal rights? We will get to that.

But first, let’s look at the historical

background of the feminist movement.

WOMEN IN THE “FREE” WEST. In the 1960s, primarily through the global movement of emancipation of the western societies that touched the young generations, some women started to construct a specific discourse mainly influenced by a new consciousness of women themselves.

This consciousness was based on liberal ideas and values such as freedom and independence that emerged in the 18th century and have been outlined since by several important characters.

Among them were Olympe de Gouges, a writer and political activist whose feminist and abolitionist writings reached a large audience in the 18th century, the French revolutionary anarchist Louise Michel who was part of the events of the Commune de Paris in the 1870s, and the writer Virginia Woolf. After the turn of the century the French philosopher Simone Weil in the 1930s and Simone de Beauvoir after World War II also fought for these ideas.

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Later on, on a more structural aspect, the 1960’s atmosphere was also influenced by the struggle against the western systems and values in what is called the Third World. This also revealed an increasing will of finding and asserting another path than the European/North American model of a consumer society and its consideration towards women, development, education, etc.

The typical Western-European model relied on the ideas, inherited from the French Revolution, of freedom, equality and fraternity. Over the years, those ideas led to great achievements for humanity, such as the banishment of slavery (1848 in France) and torture (Geneva Convention, 1949). This progress occurred over a long period of time before eventually being shared equally in the world without racial and/ or sexual discrimination. In France, for example, women only got the right to vote in 1945.

Many facts and ideas have “allowed” the emergence of the feminist move-

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ment. One of these is the “masculine domination” that was exposed by Pierre Bourdieu in his book, The masculine domination (1991), but also in some of his articles in the 1980s.

MASCULINE DOMINATION. Though the feminist discourse has been influenced by several periods and ideas, the 1960’s are usually defined as the second wave of assertion of the feminist movement. The first wave can be seen in the construction of several values which have influenced the struggle, for example, the identification of the masculine domination as the main cause of sexual segregation.

Radical feminism is one of the many forms of feminism that emerged in the 1960’s. It denounces patriarchy as a system of power that organizes society into a compound of relationships based on the assumption that "male supremacy" oppresses women.

STRUCTURAL VIOLENCE. That considered, how should we characterize such ‘male supremacy’? Does any violence necessarily reflect ‘physical’ aspects? Research shows that the violence can be expressed in the structure of the society and in the relationships between individuals. For example, one can claim that the Indian lower castes are a subject of structural violence in their society. Thus, in the 1990’s, Pierre Bourdieu introduced the concept of symbolic violence, which he describes as ‘the tacit almost unconscious modes of cultural/social domination occurring within the every-day social habits maintained over conscious subjects’.

Feminists based their struggle on the

social position of women. To stop the scourge (the unfortunate social position of women) from spreading, ‘activists’ fought against all types of violence that women can face every day. The struggle is twofold; women must fight against a violent outcome in individual situations, and also against the societal causes that make violence happen in the first place.

The difference between women and men, more than being ‘biologically printed’ in our genes is also socially constructed. Indeed, you just have to take a toy-shop magazine just before Christmas and you’ll see that boys are expected to become a “Do it yourselfer”, while young ladies are expected to learn how to iron and clean.

That can seem pointless but, for the feminist activists (from the Black women in the 1960s in the United States, to the “Ni pûtes, ni soumises” association in France today), that differential socialization defined as the process of inheriting norms, customs and ideology, is the main cause, wherever it may take place, of sexual segregations and violence.

THE POWER OF THEORY. The theoretical background of feminism is hard to grasp as it has been constructed over the years but one of their main ideas is the interpretation of the social reality.

A theoretical examination is useful if we want to understand the background of the feminist fight to see the female status recognized. The fact that some people have tried to deconstruct the social interactions and see in them the foundations of sexual discrimination is

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extremely powerful for the ‘feminist struggle’. Indeed, from the young women who are victims of rape or sexual mutilations to the sexual domination of males in their recognition of the attributes of femininity or virility, the social construction can be identified through the new lens of the ‘gender aspect’.

As a result, many concepts that are supposed to demonstrate something universal are biased. Historically, the terms ‘Sex’, ‘Women’ and ‘Men’ can indeed be defined as a system of knowledge, discourse and power.

Organizations such as the United Nations Development Fund for Women, or since 2011 - UN WOMEN, have for years fought to see the status of women recognized as equal to that of men.

The feminist struggle has been influenced by the theoretical reflections of the construction of social reality. That reflection has been influenced by the moral values we have fought for before: the political rights for every citizen living on earth, as noted in the second article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights from 1948 (otherwise the last sentence of the article doesn’t make sense) : Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.’

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A Life Free of Violence against Women and Girls: Engaging men and boys “(...) Just as the black movement cannot be left solely to black people, women’s struggle cannot be left solely to women.”

Boaventura de Souza Santos (2002

UN WOMEN

Marine Smeets UN WOMEN, Brussels Violence against women has traditionally been apprehended as a women’s issue. However, linked to genderbased inequality, violence against women is something that is learnt and which can be fought with a different approach. Therefore, as a gender issue, men and boys are unavoidably involved. More recent initiatives have emerged regarding the need to engage men and boys as perpetrators and agents of change in preventing violence. Their participation has been encouraged in several places, for example at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, where vio-

lence against women was recognized as a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men and women.

use of violence. Therefore, engaging men and boys should be considered as a socialization process that should already start with newborn babies.

SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED. From a bottom-up approach, working with men and boys, both as agents of change, is essential as it enables us to tackle the structural underpinnings of continued violence against women. It is crucial to acknowledge the fact that gender norms and the way men define themselves are socially constructed and therefore can change. Stereotypical thinking and oppressive behavior are social and cultural factors that contribute to the use of violence. Since this violence is rooted in widely-accepted gender-norms, effective means must engage men, in order to address the underlying discriminatory social norms that legitimize male power, control and

INFLUENTIAL ALLIES. Men represent untapped and potentially influential allies in the struggle to end violence within their family, communities and decision-making process. The majority of powerful and influential positions in law, politics, finance, justice, security sector, business and media are in the hands of men. They can be effective in helping to make a change towards more egalitarian practices.

There can be difficulties of change in gender arrangements for men and boys due to socialized expectations, conceptions of masculinity, which makes it difficult for men to accept equality or even fear of social stigma or loss of dignity if men depend on women’s

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earnings. In spite of all this, there are many reasons for men to act in support of equality since this can be valuable for men and boys as well as women and girls. For that matter, Puspa Dhakal from Nepal said: “Gender equality would do wonders for our society. Simply [women] being able to receive an education, status, property ownership and leadership will help reduce and eventually eliminate the grave conditions that exist. Both men and women will benefit from gender equality and advancement of women. Educated, advanced and working women will add to a family's income, productivity, increasing nations' monetary and professional value, help reduce poverty, and eliminate those social taboos and caste based discriminations.”

Through awareness activities and education, men and boys can develop respectful and egalitarian attitudes towards women. Of course, it is crucial

that men work hand in hand with civil society, in particular women’s organizations, in the efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women.

PREVENTION. Focusing on prevention is a key area to achieve violencefree future generations. Although work on prevention has suffered from decades of political neglect and underfunding, developing models and programs to prevent violence is the most efficient and cost-effective medium-to longer-term strategy. UN Women’s programming approaches strive to be transformative, in terms of promoting change on the individual and collective level, and empowering, by providing women with access to information, skills, resources and opportunities to overcome barriers and exercise control over their choices and destinies. A major challenge is to translate policy commitment to address gender-based violence into practice. In order to as-

sist governments and practitioners, UN Women has launched a global virtual centre on how to address the issue. A cornerstone of its effort to tackle this global phenomenon is its initiative Safe Cities Free of Violence against Women and Girls. Launched in 2008, the notion of Safe Cities for women aims at tackling sexual harassment and violence that women experience in their daily lives on city streets, transportation and in other public spaces.

In the end, it is important to keep in mind that violence is preventable. Initiatives engaging men and boys need to receive more attention to become effective interventions. However, from a gender-responsive approach, focus should always remain on the women.

As Boaventura de Souza Santas said, “…the most important struggles in the world cannot be left to a single social group”.

More information: UN Women Safe Cities programme can be found at the Virtual Knowledge Centre to End Violence against Women available at www.endvawnow.org

Photo from www.unwomen.org

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Beyond Microfinance

how to respond to the needs of people, instead of imposing a top-down formula of development. In this new development model the first step for aid workers is to learn about how one can Karinna Berrospi be a good listener, and take the time to UNIC, Washington DC learn about people’s needs and expectations. Like economist William EastGive a man a fish, and you feed him erly said, we need to “treat them [the for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you poor] like a client.” feed him for a lifetime.

“whose vision is to “empower unChinese Proverb employed mothers through enterprise development”

The idea of micro financing was based on a wish to empower poor women instead of securing their survival by offering them hand-out after hand-out. Through microfinance the women are supposed to gain access to credit, which enables them to make their own money. This is looked upon as an empowering process, a homegrown solution which began with the arguments of Economist Muhammad Yunus. His idea was to develop lines of credit for the poor; a model to learn

LACK OF ACCESS. The idea of microfinance has been highly applauded.

Still, the expansion of microfinancing projects in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) has been slow. It is also in these countries that financing projects are most needed. Therefore, the UN focused its attention to the LDCs by launching Microlead, a microfinance Fund for LDC, in November 2008. A recent study by the United Nations

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Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has found that, “Despite the rapid growth of the microfinance industry in the past ten years, it is estimated that between two and three billion people still lack access to a broad range of financial products and services on a sustainable basis.”

CLOTHING BANK. In non-LDC countries, however, where there seems to be more access to finance, alternative ways to microfinance are emerging.

This is the case of the Clothing Bank in South Africa, whose vision is to “empower unemployed mothers through enterprise development”. Their objective of making women financially and socially independent is similar to that of microfinance. To achieve this, the Clothing Bank has come up with a systematic approach. They COLLECT – new and second-hand clothing then REPAIR – items or sometimes remodel them, SORT clothing into different categories, and DISTRIBUTE it to non profitable organizations, govern-

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ment departments and welfare institutions. Finally the Clothing Bank has an Enterprise Development Program, which allows women who have participated in the process to buy clothes and resell them to their communities in order to make a profit. The Clothing Bank portrays itself as a facilitator, as money is not coming to them but it is going to the women.

UNUSED POTENTIAL. In South Africa there is an excess of clothing, estimated at a value of R450-R900 million per annum (46 to 92 million Euros).

This means that the full value of garments is not used. At the same time, clothes are being shipped to South Africa from developed countries. The Clothing Bank’s model to empower

women is similar to microfinance in the sense that it uses small amounts of capital to finance the beginning stages of self-employment. But it has a different local flavor to it. At the Clothing Bank workers are not taught entrepreneur skills, or how to create unique business ideas, instead they are taught trading skills. This is an interesting fact in a country that is mostly looked upon as a crafter nation, not a trading nation.

EXPORTING IDEAS. Most NGOs teach people how to make something, but not how to sell it. The Clothing Banks approach is the opposite. It is yet to be explored if this model works in other contexts and other cultures, but the model’s potential should be

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explored: Can this be a contribution on the road to achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UN MDGs), and in particular the goals of ending poverty and hunger, increasing universal access to education, and improving health services? The idea of the Clothing Bank is based on thorough knowledge of the South African society’s needs and demands. Therefore one question remains: Can this idea be exported and applied to other countries?

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Looking Beyond Social Media: Emerging Media Practices that Contribute to Women’s Empowerment

UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras

Alexandra Jacobs UN Association of the National Capital Area, Washington DC

I

n the past two years, authoritarian regimes around the world have been challenged, if not toppled by swarms of citizens demanding change—many of them through Twitter feeds and Facebook posts. These communications media have contributed to the protests in Egypt and given birth to the Green Movement in Iran. However, after the organization of vast revolutionary networks and dramatic regime change, it is important to ask what happens next.

Following a successful removal of an oppressive dictator and regime, can media still play a role in alleviating deeply embedded social conditions that prevent progress towards social

equality?

Lasting social change seems to require more quiet revolutions. Recently, many successful community development projects have featured media productions in film and radio, giving communities the opportunity to educate themselves and contribute to their own civic advancement over a period of time.

Most Twitter or Facebook posts demand immediate response, while these projects hope to bring lasting social change in the context of local communities. Revolutions brought on by the organizing power of social media are undoubtedly important aspects in movements for social change. But these successful community development projects show that more attention must be paid to a different brand of social media—media productions that address pressing social issues and provide a space for positive community involvement and self-expression.

In pursuit of the 3rd Millennium Development Goal, gender equality and the empowerment of women, UN agencies

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have recognized the importance of a local approach and have often partnered with grassroots organizations to attempt to reach this goal. Media outlets such as film and radio are useful tools in efforts to localize discussion of social equality. We can see the powerful effects of film and radio in Terrat, Tanzania, a rural community of Maasai, a pastoral ethnic group that lives throughout East Africa. Since 2004 a local grassroots organization has broadcast an FM radio station with a significant portion of their programming being in the local KiMaasai language, which is not officially recognized by the Tanzanian government.

With the help of the Swedish International Development Agency the radio station has become an integral part of the community. The staff members of the radio see themselves as activists for Maasai culture, a minority group in Tanzania. But they do not limit themselves solely to cultural cheerleading.

The radio station has identified the advancement of the rights of women and

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girls in their community as one of their primary goals. In 2006 the radio staff broadcast a program proposing an alternative rite of passage activity to combat the prevalence of female genital mutilation among the female population. The station became such an important contributor to community efforts to end the practice that girls who were fleeing their homes in order to avoid the procedure came to the radio station for protection and support.

Radio did more for this community than just transmit news and entertainment. It provided a space for civic discussions and activism, and put the development of women’s rights on its agenda. Other media projects throughout Africa have also targeted women’s empowerment in the face of violence as a necessary theme to explore in African communities.

Search for Common Ground, an international organization that uses media

for conflict resolution, has partnered with two Dutch filmmakers who produced a documentary film about the widespread practice of rape in Democratic Republic of Congo. The film features victims of rape and their families, discussing how they have struggled to put their lives back together. With the help of funding from UNHCR and Amnesty International, the organization has used a mobile film screen to present the film in several communities where the use of rape as a weapon of war has been widespread. After screening the film, discussion facilitators invite the audience to discuss how they as a community have worked to overcome the social biases that surround rape victims and their families.

Facilitators have been trained to lead discussions for groups of women, adolescents, married couples, and members of the military. Rural communities in Africa often have very little access to film. For one night, communities are

able to come together and watch a film with critical social relevance. The film also works to stimulate conversation about topics that can be difficult to broach without an outside stimulus.

The film itself becomes much more than social commentary, but a catalyst for dialogue and subsequent activism that inspires community member involvement and social progression.

As social media gains ground throughout the world, the international civic community should urge the UN with increasing intensity to support programs that focus on the emancipatory potential of these media forms with a local approach. Media forms such as radio and film require more time and more community involvement, but when pursuing long-term social goals such as gender equality, this kind of time investment can truly be a recipe for success.

For general information on UN employment read the factsheet at: http://www.un.org/geninfo/faq/factsheets/fs17.pdf

For links to recruitment and human resources offices of over 40 organizations in the UN system visit: http://icsc.un.org/joblinks.asp

For information on UN examinations, including National Competitive Recruitment Examinations see: http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/examin/ets.shtml

For a directory of UN-wide internship programmes go to: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/internships.htm

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Women’s dignity in Italy: No rose without thorns

UN Photo/x

Maria Elena Penzo UNRIC, Brussels Throughout history, women have been denied civil, political and economic rights. In a world where words as democracy and rights are used daily, it seems absurd that women still aren’t completely free… In Italy, before we are even born, the wish expressed by our parents is already: “Auguri e figli maschi” – Congratulations, may you be blessed with sons. In many parts of the world women are still a subordinated figure, reduced to a role of procreation, with few rights and many domestic duties. Women are not only robbed of human dignity through genital mutilation and rape, but they are made the property of men. These women are denied their rights - but there are also women who put themselves in a situa-

tion where their rights are trampled on.

Some women demean themselves, which is, in my opinion, the situation in Italy.

THE WORLD OF ITALIAN WOMEN. The third article of the Italian Constitution states that human beings are equal regardless of gender. In Italy there is a Ministry that should fight for equal opportunities although it does not have a portfolio. However, simply looking at some data concerning em-

“women with the same working level as men earn 16.8% less than their male colleagues. ” ployment, salaries and political representation shows that there is still a long way to go to reach equality. Italian women get better academic degrees than men, there are also more women than men who graduate, and yet, less than fifty percent of women have a paid job. Moreover, women at the same working level as men earn 16.8% less than their male colleagues.

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Female ministers of government represent 21% in total, whereas in the Parliament the percentage of women does not exceed 20%. This is the world faced by Italian women, a world in which they are introduced to others as “the wife of” or “the fiancée of” and rarely by their name and surname.

LUXURY LIFE. In Italy, women have to face a life that is much more difficult than the lives of their male colleagues, not only at work but also in their private life. Over the last two decades, a trend has developed in which women use their bodies to get what they want. The situation is now internationally infamous because of the Berlusconi scandals, but it has deep roots in the entire society. Nowadays the police headquarters in Milan are witnessing the coming and going of young girls who are beautiful, wear heavy make up, with bags as big as suitcases and large sunglasses that cost more than the rent of an apartment. To afford this, they sell themselves to employers, rich men and politicians.

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TAUGHT BY SOCIETY. These women are the product of a society that revolves around money, celebrities and sex. While growing up in Italy, this is what you hear and see, what is shown on television, what is suggested by governments in the media, and even by female politicians who are elected for other skills than their political ones. In Italy showgirls can magically move from the dancing pole to a seat in Parliament. These young women choose prostitution as the fastest way to achieve their goals: money, fame, employment or just a top grade from university. This well-known trend is the product of a deep cultural change, a lack of education, culture

and dignity that has arisen in the last decades in the Italian society. It is a society that has lost values such as family, respect, solidarity and altruism.

Instead Italy has slowly grown to be an individualistic society where abuse and quick access to everything and everyone has become the most important thing, regardless of how you get it. In a society that in general does not invest in young human beings and even less in young women, young people are left at the mercy of an uncertain future. It is difficult for a young Italian woman to cut herself free from this situation when she is constantly promised that her dreams can come true in return for indecent proposals offered by men.

HOPE. There is also an Italian community that looks differently at their lives On February 13th 2011, Italian women in all major Italian cities and on major squares all over the world protested for their dignity and respect, joining what Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro democracy icon, said: “a meaningful existence goes beyond the mere gratification of material needs.

Not everything can be bought with money, not everyone is willing to be bought”. Unfortunately, some women who demean themselves don’t realize the impact of their acts.

Wikipedia/takver

Female members of the NSW Branch of the Builders Labourers Federation in the International Women's Day march in Sydney, March 1975.

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Act like a Lady: Why Women Can and Must Help Run the World

UN PhotoChristopher Herwig UN PhotoChristopher Herwig

Mariah Mercer UNIC, Canberra, Australia Nowadays, there are less than 20 female world leaders out of more than 200. Although there are more women in governments today than ever before, women are still outnumbered 4 to 1 in legislatures around the world, according to a 2010 World Bank report.

The parity zone, the point at which it is considered that women have achieved equality in government, is between 40 and 60 per cent. It will take developed countries at least 20 years and other countries close to 40 years to reach that level. Lest the picture looks too grim, there are some signs of progress – continued and faster increases in the proportion of female parliamentarians and the recent elections of women

such as Julia Gillard to Prime Minister in Australia, and Dilma Rousseff to President in Brazil – but clearly the world has a far way to go in achieving gender equality in electoral politics.

WHY GENDER EQUALITY? First, women’s political participation is a fundamental prerequisite for any democracy. Gender disparity is a form of political inequality and incompatible with the basic tenets of democracy. Second, women’s political participation is

“...reason to increase female electoral representation is the “feminine” approach to leadership and decision-making.” essential to bring stronger attention to women’s issues. According to a 2007 study by Gerrity et al., women as a group introduce more legislative bills that relate to women's issues than men, and they support these bills throughout the legislative process.

Studies of women and development

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also indicate that women’s social economic status improves as more women hold elected office, thus improving overall economic development through the influence of policies that ensure equal rights and access to services.

UNIFEM has also stated that women in public offices encourage greater political engagement by ordinary women.

BRIDGE BUILDERS. One underemphasized reason to increase female electoral representation is the “feminine” approach to leadership and decision-making. While not all women lead in the same ways – nor do all men –, general studies have noted statistically significant differences between genders. Women's leadership style has been found to differ from men's, and incorporating it can contribute to democratically-sound political processes. Research suggests that women are more likely than men to prefer democratic decision-making processes.

In fact, the largest overall sex difference in leadership styles was a female

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preference for democratic approaches while men opted for autocratic styles.

This startling difference was found by Eagerly and Johnson in a study in 1990. In addition, studies by Kimmel et al. also show that males are more likely to rely on both coercion and expert power, while females are more likely to rely on connection power and the power of important relationships.

Women appear to be bridge builders: they are more likely to solicit input from others and are generally more likely to encourage participation.

Female leaders are far more likely than men to describe themselves as transforming subordinates' self-interest into concern for the whole organization, according to a 1990 Rosener study. Literature from a variety of fields has found that women, who are more likely to engage in cooperative behavior, are more concerned than men with achieving consensus and emphasize interpersonal relations. This can have an impact on the legislative process. A 1994 study from Kathlene showed that female committee chairs are less likely to dominate proceedings and more likely to foster discussions among participants.

LET THE WOMEN IN. In order to best capitalize on the potential benefits of feminine leadership styles, it is essential to increase the number of women in power. Eagly and Johnson have found that in organizations with more men, women’s behavior appeared more like that of men. The researchers theorized that this occurred because women in male-dominated environments may have to adopt more typically male styles in order not to lose authority and position.

This style of leadership is increasingly relevant in the realm of international relations. At the beginning of the 20th century and before, nations functioned in relative isolation and faced more conventional threats that were political-military in nature. Power that was more coercive in nature and the culturally-accepted view of a strong leader as one who demonstrates the assertive “masculine” leadership traits like dominance, was more relevant.

Today, however, the international community is increasingly facing problems without passports, challenges that cannot be addressed by one country alone or by force. Collective action and consensus models, not

armies, are required to address fundamental challenges such as climate change, pandemics and nonproliferation. These systems and challenges require what Joseph Nye calls “soft power,” the ability to obtain what one wants through co-option and attraction, a type of power very much in keeping with women’s leadership style and its reliance on connection power, democratic decision-making and the development of relationships. This feminine leadership style is more conducive to reaching effective solutions to today's problems than traditional coercive approaches and can thus contribute to more productive diplomacy between countries.

AN ENRICHING PROSESS. Increasing women's political representation has the potential not just to change which decisions are made, but also to improve and enrich the decisionmaking process. The addition of far more women elected officials can contribute to a feminine leadership style, which can, in turn, help create a more inclusive, democratically-sound political process for everyone involved.

UN PhotoMark Garten

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A TRAVEL GUIDE through the Pyrenees

Francisco Serbeto UNRIC Brussels

Why go deep, when you can get high?

I know what you are thinking, but Amsterdam is the other way. This guide talks about a fantastic place in Europe, which constitutes a great excuse to change the summer beach resort for something different, something that offers nature, adrenaline and gastronomy, all for a cheap affordable price. Ever woke up one morning and wanted your life to be more “exiting”? Here is a fantastic opportunity to fill up with valor and head on to an adrenaline filled chunk of the Pyrenees: Valle de Benasque.

The valley is located in Aragon’s part of the Pyrenees, and includes the slopes of the highest mountains in Spain.

France is just 20 kilometres to the North, and the next valley to the East is Cataluña. It is also considered one of the only places where brute wild nature coexists with civilization, a place where nature has been left just how it was a few hundred years ago and thus, can be explored today.

The valley has the shape of an L, and half of the northern piece of the valley is the Posets-Maladeta Natural Reserve where the peaks Aneto (3.404 meters) and Posets (3.371 meters) tower on each side and where you can visit vast regions of open space that are totally void of human presence.

The rest of the valley is dotted with tiny villages; some don’t even have more than 20 inhabitants all year around.

The two main hubs are Castejón de Sós down South, and Benasque up North. Each village has its own history, and ancient buildings as old as the roman times can be found hidden in every corner; you just need to look.

That sounds exiting, how do I get there?

The closest airport is located in Zaragoza. A taxi or bus to the train station of Delicias (http:// www.estacion-zaragoza.es/donde.php) will take you straight to the valley. Unfortunately, there is only one bus a day at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. The next alternative is via Barcelona and a high speed train to Lerida where another bus can take you to the valley.

The only company that has busses to the region is Alosa (http://www.alosa.es).

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Ok, I'm tired. Where do I sleep?

Well, the cheapest way to have a nap in this region is a tent and a sleeping bag. You can’t light a fire in the middle of the forest, but you can bring specific outdoor equipment to have warm meals. Also, there are many supermarkets nearby for food, or shops that sell camping equipment. Just a tip, don’t camp near towns. Normally, natives there don’t mind having people camping in some field of their property they rarely visit, but don’t approve it in their back yard.

You could try to take all the food with you as well, and spend a few days in the mountain, that’s permitted as well just as long as you don’t light a fire. Either way, be respectful of nature and move your tent from the spot you leave it every two days, to avoid killing the grass under it. Also, don’t litter, there are rangers patrolling and will not take these actions lightly.

If you want something more “civilized”, there are many rooms, apartments, and restaurants available throughout the valley. The advantage of this small little region is that in the end everybody knows each other, so the services and prices are similar from place to place; the only thing that varies is the stars on the hotel plank. Every town has its own youth hostel that offers bunk beds and breakfast at good prices The Details: Now that you know how to get there, where to sleep, and eat the basic, its time to explain all the awesome things you can do here depending on your tastes.

Flying!

Paragliding: This is a sport that requires very specific geographical attributes for safe practice; in fact to be able to practice it at all. The sport consists in going to a steep mountain slope, and gliding back down, harnessed to a Kevlar sail. The most popular option is hiring a pilot to ride a two person sail for you and it’s definitely worth a shot. For those of you who can spare one whole week, you can also request a one-week intensive course to learn how to fly alone.

The practice by supervision is perfectly safe, as the pilots and/or instructors are hardened veteran mountaineers, who are closely watched by the State when it comes to these activities.

Airplanes: If you ever wondered what the world would look like if the windows of a commercial plane were just a bit bigger, you can book a flight through the Pyrenees starting from the only aerodrome of the valley. This includes a guide of what exactly you are watching and a comfortable flight on an ultra-light airplane.

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Wikipedia/ F

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Walking!

Mountain climbing: There are many mountains around to see, but the favourite destinations are Aneto and Posets, highest and most renowned peaks of the area. None of them require any specialized equipment except for a map (highly recommended), nor have an extremely dangerous itinerary.

Aneto: Aneto is a long, two day, but straight forward hike. You start off at Benasque, where you can either just keep walking north or drive by car until the end of the road. There is a good parking lot just at the frontier of the Natural Reserve, where a bus can take you even closer for a 3 euro fee. The last stop is a place called Besurta that includes a comfy bar to have a few drinks. Just follow the directions to go to the Renculsa Refuge. Enjoy the hike and watch the landscape. Spend the night at the Renclusa Refuge and wake up early next morning. Next, cross to the next valley, and walk the entire glacier to the other end where the peak lies, towering over the rest.

Wikipedia/Rafaelji

An easier hike than the Aneto, that can comfortably be done in one day is the Portillon de Benas. The walk is straight forward, just follow the indications at the Besurta, and don’t leave the trail. Once you get there, you have a nice option to hike an easy peak right next to the Portillon called Pico Salvaguardia.

Hiking: If mountains are too steep, you can choose some comfortable hikes through the lower parts of the valley. The equipment required is the same for walking around any city streets. Two famous itineraries are El Ventadillo and Forau d'Aigualluts.

El Vantamillo is the ancient road to the Southern part of the region, also called the “gate” of the valley. You will see this steep canyon on your way into the valley, as the road travels trough the bottom, close to the river. Before they made the road, caravans and people headed south to trade on top of the steep canyon, which offers fantastic sights of this wonder of nature.

The Forau d'Aigualluts is a famous spot because it’s the source of the Garonne River. Remember Besurta? Time to get back there and walk straight ahead. A comfortable walk that will show you where all that water from the glaciers ends up: In a spectacular big huge hole in the ground that just disappears and reappears 100 kilometres into France.

Wikipedia/x

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| TRAVEL |

Water: Sorry, no beaches here, but there are nonetheless interesting things you can do with this vital fluid: Canyoning.

This sport requires a heavy usage of equipment, so I highly recommend hiring the services of a company that will include equipment and of course a guide.

Canyoning: There are two places you can go. The first are the Liri Cascades, 12 natural cascades inside a gorge that vary in size between 5 and 20 meters in height. Low water levels make this place extremely safe to practice rappel with ropes. The next stop is Barbaruens, another set of cascades inside a gorge, but with the special feature of allowing jumping in the cascades safely instead of rappelling them.

Wikipedia/

Walls: So, the gorges were not high enough or as dry as you expected? No problem, the same companies that offer guide and equipment for canyoning also offer rock climbing.

Wikipedia.szen

There are two basic things you can hire here, either classic rock climbing, or ferrates. The first is plain and simple climbing with your bare hands to the destination and back for some guaranteed adrenaline rushes. The second are longer and larger itineraries, but offer artificially placed holds and include a metal rope that is bolted in the rock for improved safety. The walls of El Sacs offer both types, of any level for experts and newbie alike.

Mushroom hunting: We all love to eat, especially the food we just picked up. Because of the climate and the flora of the region, almost anybody can pick up mushrooms without running any risk of food poisoning; you just have to stick to the two basic mushrooms: rossinyol and ceps. The tools needed here are a knife and a basket. Do not rip out the mushroom from the ground, this kills the fungus underground and prevents future generations of mushrooms sprouting in the same area.

Instead, cut at the base with a knife. The basket is to allow the mushroom to disperse its spores while you carry it around with you for the sake of future generations of tasty mushrooms.

Rossinyol (Cantharellus cibarius): This type of mushroom is orangey-yellow and apart from being delicious, has the advantage that it is impossible to pick up a similar type of mushroom. They often grow in summer and fall in birch forests.

First off, wake up really early in the morning (you will have competition), a day after heavy rain, that’s the moment when these mushrooms will sprout and grow. Then go to a village named Villanova and take the old trail to Eriste, the next town down the road, and when you cross a river you then start looking for densely populated birch patches. Go uphill into the forest to explore and if you find orange mushroom patches close to the birch trees, there is a high chance of finding many more in that area. If you ever get lost, just head downhill, eventually you will bump into the trail.

Ceps (Boletus edulis): They are harder to find because they grow almost anywhere close to pine trees. But, they are very big and one will be enough for a good plate. Just be on the lookout for these delicatessens while you hunt for rossinyol. They have an egg shaped white greyish stump and light brown cap, and as the rossinyol it’s impossible to mistake these with anything else.

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| TRAVEL |

The adventure ends here for me, but starts right here for you!

This basically sums up the guide of the valley, a valley that offers a bit of everything and suits all types of tastes, from gourmet 5 star hotel lovers, to low budget campers; from adrenaline junkies, to sight seeing lovers. You can have a bit of every type of adventure sport that you can do, and if you enjoy these practices you have more specialized areas in about an hours drive. Check out http://www.benasque.com, where all the businesses, activities, history and economy is detailed, and to look for offers that suit your needs and tastes, because this place is all about exploring and adventure.

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| CAN YOU ANSWER? |

Can you answer...

1. What is an MDG? 2. VAW costs the EU 16 billion € annually. But for every 1 € spent how much do they get in return?

A) 59 € B) 74 € C) 87 € D) 103 € 3. How many is the www.un.org in, and which languages are they?

4. At a global level, how many women do you think UN estimates have been killed by their current or former husbands?

A) 30 % B) 50 % C) 60 % D) 80 % 5. Who and When ??

Today Ban Ki-Moon is Secretary-General of the United Nations. He took office on 1 January 2007. Do you know the previous Secretary-Generals? Match the pictures with the names, countries and the dates during which they were Secretary-General.

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| CAN YOU ANSWER? |

6. Female Genital Mutilation/Genital Cutting (FGM/C) refers to several types of traditional cutting operations performed on girls and women. Estimation on how many girls and women alive today have undergone FGM/C has been made. It mainly happens in Africa and some Middle Eastern countries.

How many do you think it is?

A) 70 million girls and women B) 90 million girls and women C) 110 million girls and women D) 130 million girls and women 7. UNiTE brings together a host of UN offices and agencies to end violence against women – can you name 4 out the 11 offices and agencies?

8. The Global Virtual Knowledge Centre to End Violence against Women – www.endvawnow.org . It provides over 700 practical tools in over 50 languages to assist programmers, policy-makers and advocates working to end violence against women and girls worldwide, including step-by-step guidance for developing legislation. Do you know what organization that developed it in partnership with civil society?

A) UN Action B) UNIFEM C) UNICEF D) WHO

4 7 3 5 1 6 2

F G D A E B C

4 7 3 5 1 6 2

F G D A E B C

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I II III IV V VI VII

δ β γ ζ η ε α

1) Millennium Development Goals 2) 87€ return 3) 6 – Arabic, Chinese, English, Spanish, French, Russian 4) 50% 5) ANSWER WHO AND WHEN ANSWERS

6) 130 million girls and women 7) Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality [IANWGE] Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and advancement of Women [OSAGI] Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights [OHCHR] United Nations Action Against Sexual Violence [UN Action] United Nations Children's Fund [UNICEF] United Nations Development Fund for Women [UNIFEM] Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence Against Women United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women [DAW] United Nations Population Fund [UNFPA] United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR] World Health Organization [WHO] 8) UNIFEM

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GAMES| | | |GAMES

Sudoku

49

| RECIPES |

March Recipes

How to make real Belgian fries?

SPECULOOS (Anne Dupierreux)

Preparation: 15 min Cooking : 45 min

In Belgium speculoos are eaten all year long as little cookies with herbs that are served with a coffee or at the breakfast table. In the Netherlands they are very popular around Sinterklaas and are called speculaas.

Ingredients:  4 to 5 small potatoes (or 2 to 3 big ones) per person  Salt  Oil  Your choice of sauce

Preparation: 15mn Cooking: 15mn Ingredients:  1 kg of flour  600g of brown sugar  375g of butter or margarine  1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda  15g of cinnamon  10g of 4 spices  150cl of milk  300g of crushed almonds

1. Peel the potatoes 2. Cut them in slices 1 cm thick both ways 3. Place all cut fries in a pot of salted water during 10 minutes. It will make them less sticky and will get rid of the starch 4. Take the fries out and dry them well before putting them in the oil 5. Heat the oil in a frying pas or deep fryer to a temperature of 160C (320F).

6. Place 2 handful of fries in the oil (not too much as the oil will cool down).

7. Stir regularly and leave them for 8 minutes.

8. Take them out and place them in a bown with paper to let them sweat during 20 minutes.

9. Heat the frying machine to 190C (375F) and fry them until they get golden brown and slightly crispy.

10. Serve hot with any choice of sauce...

1. Mix all the dry ingredients 2. Add the melted butter and then the milk.

3. Knead and form dough, cover it and let it rest in the fridge for a few hours.

4. Cut the dough into 1cm slices or cut forms 5. Place on the baking tray 6. Bake at 150°C for 15mn.

Enjoy!

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Infernal Voices A month after Romanian authorities began taxing witches on their business, the country's soothsayers and fortune tellers are cursing a new bill that threatens fines or even prison if their predictions don't come true. (Scotsman, UK) The 47-year-old Hazel Cunningham claimed she was a single parent to draw economic benefits - but she was sentenced to four months imprisonment after uploading her wedding pictures on Facebook.

(Berlingske, Denmark) The Japanese have developed a "human cellphone", a phone shaped like a human being and with a soft surface that reminds you of skin. This will help you feel more close to the person you are talking to.

(Iltasanomat, Finland) An incredible story unfolded on the internet when a 22 year old student from a town in Central Greece, expressed the intention to commit suicide when he was deducted points from Farmville, the popular online computer game, because: he forgot to harvest his virtual plants which eventually withered. The young man claimed he had valid reasons for forgetting to do so. (madata.gr, Greece) Minister of Justice George Chaponda has carried out a new law in Malawi, Southeast Africa – which makes it forbidden to fart in public spaces. (BBC) A tiger attacked a man in Malaysia, who tried to escape by crawling up a tree, but the tiger caught him again. Luckily the man’s wife was cooking nearby when she heard her husband screaming – and she did not hesitate to come to his rescue: she beat the tiger with a ladle until it ran away. (Ferieliv, Denmark) In Lebanon it is allowed for men to have sex with animals as long as it is a female animal – otherwise the men risk death penalty. (Ferieliv, Denmark) The district court of Cologne has decided that a viewer of a carnival parade who is hit and injured by a chocolate bar is not entitled to compensation. (AFP/Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany) Catholics cannot confess by iPhone, the Vatican has said, after the launch of a 'confession app' sanctioned by the US Catholic Church. Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said technology was not a substitute for being present when admitting sins to a priest. (The Telegraph) Popcorn makes mad… A man was shot dead by another man just after the "Black Swan" movie - and the reason was conflict which arose from... popcorn eating. (Riga-life, Blog) In Belgium, young people have started what has been called the « friet revolutie » or "fries revolution" (after that most popular of national symbols, Belgian chips) to express their anger and frustration at their country's ongoing failure to form a government. (The Guardian, UK)

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