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violence against women
Challenging violence against women in Honduras:
Identifying the links between poverty reduction and promoting women’s rights
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).
The project is supporting young and adult women in poor and marginalised communities in Honduras affected by violence by providing them with resources and tools and by offering emotional and legal support in order to overcome gender-based violence. In order to support the empowerment of women to tackle gender-based violence CEM-H has set up self help groups to access services, and provide training on reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS, self-esteem and practical income generation skills.
The project has trained community leaders to contribute to the prevention of violence and to support cases of domestic violence and other forms of gender violence and also 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.
Through research and advocacy, CAWN and CEMH have worked 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. CAWN will be launching research in July (Honduras) and October (UK) that will look into the links between poverty and violence and will be used to lobby for more responsive policies in relation to gender- based violence. For more information on this research launch, go to our upcoming 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 to raise awareness and discus the situation of women’s rights in Honduras and the Central America region; the struggle to promote and defend women’s rights, and the successes and challenges of CEM-H’s work.
The project is funded by a 5-year grant from the Big Lottery Fund.
3rd Conference: Femicide in Latin America. No more killings of women! 12 May 2010, Office of the European Parliament in Madrid, Spain.
Just a few days before the EU-LAC Summit, CAWN, in association with Heinrich Boll Stiftung, ACSUR las Segovias and in particular, the MEP Raul Romera i Rueda, hosted this conference to address the phenomenon of femicide at the European Parliament and to provide the EU with the appropriate tools to support LAC governments in the prevention of femicide and end of impunity.
We were honoured to welcome many esteemed speakers, including Ms Rashida Manjoo, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, Juan Duarte Cuadrado, Director of the Human Rights Office, Ministry of External Affairs of Spain, Andrea Medina Rosas, CLADEM (Latin American and the Caribbean Committee for the Defence of Women’s Rights), Gilda Rivera, Director of the Women’s Rights Centre Honduras (CDM);and Rosa Celorio, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, among others
CAWN seminar series, 'Extreme forms of Violence against Women: Femicide in Mexico and Central America' a success!
Marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, CAWN successfully hosted a series of events entitled “Extreme forms of Violence against Women: Femicide in Mexico and Central America”.
CAWN launched the events with a panel debate on the 25th of November at the House of Commons to discuss femicide – the violent killing of women – in Mexico and Central America, sponsored by Tony Lloyd MP and Chaired by Baroness Uddin. The debate was attended by non-governmental organisations, representatives from the Foreign Commonwealth Office, representatives from the Mexican Embassy, academics and MPs. The panellists from Julia Monarrez of Mexico, Mirta Kennedy of Honduras and Walda Barrios of Guatemala presented on how this extreme form of gender based violence is manifesting itself in each country. The discussion that followed drew on comparisons of violence against women in various regions of the world including the UK, and addressed the issue of what role the UK government play in addressing this issue should.
The following day, CAWN hosted a film screening of "Killer's Paradies: Women Victims of Violence in Guatemala", a BBC documentary directed by Giselle Portenier, and followed by a panel discussion.
Closing the week of UK events, CAWN hosted a successful public seminar chaired by Sarah Bradshaw. The seminar was well attended by academics, students, and feminists to develop networks for advocacy and research around the issue of femicide. Some of the issues that ran through the discussion included how to support the work of women’s organisations in Central America and Mexico, drawing the connections between this extreme form of gender-based violence and other forms throughout the world, and the recognition of femicide as a political issue. The seminar was closed with a call to action and a drinks reception to celebrate the work of CAWN and our guests Walda, Mirta, Julia and Andrea.
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. CAWN is organising this series of events on Femicide to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence.
The events in London and Brussels are a valuable opportunity to review the role of the UK in the implementation of the EU guidelines on violence against women and girls and combating all forms of violence against them, passed on 8th of Dec 08.
These events are a time to draw MPs and MEPs attention to the EU resolution passed in 2007 "The murder of women in Central America and Mexico and the European Union's role in preventing this", and to ask them what steps the UK is taking to stop the ever-increasing extreme forms of violence in Central America- femicide.
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, there has been a recognisition and support for the progress that Central American governments have made so far.
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:
EP Resolution against femicide in Central America
US House and Senate Resolutions against femicide in Central America
EU Recommendations to the Council Regarding Guatemala, 2009
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