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violence against women
CAWN has been working on an innovative project on violence against women with its partner the Centro de Estudios de la Mujer- Honduras (CEM-H):
Challenging violence against women in Honduras:
Identifying the links between poverty reduction and promoting women’s rights
What does the project do?
The project supports young and adult women in poor and marginalised communities in Honduras who have been affected by violence by providing them with resources and tools and by offering emotional and legal support to overcome gender-based violence.
How?
CEM-H has set up self help groups to provide women with training on reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS, self-esteem and practical income generation skills.
It has also trained community leaders to contribute to the prevention of violence, to support women in cases of domestic and gender violence and to work on promoting equitable gender relations in their communities. CEM-H has worked on preventing violence against women and girls through workshops with the wider community and with the perpetrators of violence, working with young and adult men on the construction of a new masculinity.
Research and Advocacy:
CAWN and CEMH have campaigned to improve the legal framework and justice system in Honduras to address gender-based violence, to increase social awareness of violence in the community and to strengthen the security and human rights of women.
In 2010, CAWN held two high-profile seminars to launch a major research report that looks into the links between poverty and violence and is a vital tool for lobbying for more responsive policies in relation to gender- based violence. For more information on the research launches in Honduras and London, please go to our events page.
Events:
As part of the project CAWN has invited two representatives of CEM-H to the UK to meet CAWN supporters, NGOs, the media and other women’s organisations. These representatives were able to raise awareness and discuss the struggle to promote and defend women’s rights in Honduras and Central America, and the successes and challenges of CEM-H’s work.
The project is funded by a 5-year grant from the Big Lottery Fund.
What can I do in the UK to fight femicide in the Central America and Mexico?
CAWN recognises the UK Government’s initiatives to deal with the problem of violence against women both within the UK and outside its borders. However, the inclusion of femicide in Central America when debating violence against women is absent. The UK Parliament has made no recognition of femicide in Central America since an Early Day Motion in 2007.
That is why CAWN has published a public statement asking the UK government to take certain steps towards address femicide and violence against women in Central America and Mexico. We are calling on the UK Parliament to a pass a resolution similar to the EU Resolution of Femicide, which would fund research into the root causes of this phenomenon, and that would ensure that femicide and violence against women are addressed in the human rights clause of the Agreement of Association between the EU and Central America.
If you agree with these demands, please contact your MP to ask him or her to take action. To read and print the Resolution against Femicide in Mexico and Central America click here.
Femicide is the violent murder of women, simply because they are women. This phenomenon occurs throughout the world, and is especially prevelant to the women of Central America. For example, in Guatemala alone between 2001 and 2005 Amnesty International reported that over 2,200 women were reported murdered, while those who commit these cruel hate-filled killings are very rarely held to account by the police or judicial systems.
Governments in the US, Mexico, Guatemala and international institutions have taken steps towards condemning the lack of action taken by Central American governments to end femicide, impunity and hold murderers to account. However, while in the UK Parliament an Early Day Motion took place to debate the 'Treatment of Women in Guatemala and Mexico' in May 2007, unfortunately the UK has not yet taken further steps to address the issue of femicide in Central America.
The struggle to bring both national and international attention and action to this phenomenon continues. Femicides continue increasing at an alarming rate. It is time to take action to stop this violent human rights violation against women and call for justice for the victims and their families.
For further information on this issue see the links below:
Declaration on behalf of the European Union against femicide, 2010
European Parliament Resolution on the elimination of violence against women, 2009
EU Recommendations to the Council Regarding Guatemala, 2009
European Parliament Resolution against femicide in Central America, 2007
European Parliament Resolution on the escalation of violence in Mexico, 2007
US House and Senate Resolutions against femicide in Central America, 2007
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CAWN publications on violence against women
New! Research Report: October 2010
Research Report: November 2008
The Response of International Aid Agencies to Violence Against Women: the case of Honduras
Newsletter: Spring 2009
Femicide and other forms of violence against women: context and realities
GADN toolkit on VAW
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