Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons , especially in women and children

Individual complaints

The Special Rapporteur takes action on violations committed against trafficked persons and on situations in which there has been a failure to protect their human rights, including ensuring adequate redress for the violations suffered and to provide adequate medical, psychological, social and other necessary assistance. The Special Rapporteur shall also take action in cases in which laws and/or policies might negatively impact of the human rights of trafficked persons, in countries of origin, transit and destination, as well as in cases in which efforts to combat or prevent trafficking might have an impact on the human rights of the persons concerned, be there migrants, asylum seekers, or all the citizens of the country/ies concerned. The Special Rapporteur shall also take action on cases of trafficking within the same country (internal trafficking).
The Special Rapporteur will send urgent appeals whenever she receives information indicating that in the context of trafficking an individual or a group of individual are facing an imminent or are suffering from a continuous human rights violation. Urgent appeals are of a humanitarian nature. Through them, the Special Rapporteur urgently warns the concerned government about a specific situation and requests it to inform her about measures taken to guarantee that the human rights of the persons concerned are fully respected.

Shall the Special Rapporteur receive information regarding violations of human rights in the context of trafficking that have happened in the past, she shall transmit her concerns and a summary of this information to the government/s concerned for clarification.

The Special Rapporteur would like to encourage all relevant actors and individuals to submit to her any reliable information they may possess with regard to situations of trafficking and relevant human rights violations. For this purpose the Special Rapporteur has developed this information sheet to facilitate the submission of information. Subsequently, the Special Rapporteur may decide to raise situations with Governments to request their comments and observations on the matter.

http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/trafficking/complaints.htm

* The Questionnaire - http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/trafficking/questionnaire.htm
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Moving on up? Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Black Caribbean women and work

Key findings from the interim report

Young Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean women are aiming high and achieving great qualifications, with very similar ambitions to white girls for combining work with family responsibilities. This is a fantastic economic and social opportunity for Britain that we cannot afford to miss.

The reality these young Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean women are likely to face in the workplace is very different to that of white girls. The latest statistics show that women from these groups are more likely than white women to be unemployed, less likely to be in senior roles and are even more concentrated than white women in a narrow range of jobs and sectors. Pakistani and Bangladeshi women also face a bigger gender pay gap than white women.

Some employers are already doing a lot, but there is a gulf developing between those who are recruiting black and Asian women and those who are not, even in areas with average or above numbers of black and Asian women in the local labour market.

Policy implications

Without action to remove structural barriers and reduce the discriminatory effects of generalisations, stereotyped beliefs and attitudes about ethnic minority women and about Muslim women, the growing opportunity offered by younger women will be lost to the labour market of the future. Our report suggests that action is needed in three broad areas:
* Avoid generalisations about ethnic minority women and about Muslim women
* Identify what is working for employers in order to spread success more widely
* Remove institutional barriers facing ethnic minority women who want to find paid work

You can download a copy of the report (70 pages) (http://www.eoc.org.uk/PDF/BME_GFI_early_findings_England.pdf) or email us (bme@eoc.org.uk) if you would like a printed copy.

http://www.eoc.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=19421


Feedback on the interim report: general

We have published an interim report to stimulate debate about the most effective levers for change. Please take this opportunity to tell us what you think - we are keen to come up with workable solutions, that will make a real difference to ethnic minority women's ability to participate in the workplace, achieve their ambitions and realise their goals. All of which will go a good way towards helping the Government achieve its goals and for Britain to stay competitive in the global economy.
 
You can submit your response here http://www.eoc.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=19435
Or you can email (bme@eoc.org.uk) comments to us up until 31 October 2006.

Feedback on the interim report: employers
Employers - we'd like to hear your views on some of the emerging issues raised in our interim report. We have designed a short questionnaire seeking your views that can be downloaded from the related documents section of this page. The deadline for responses is 20 October 2006.

Moving on up?: tell us your story
Forms for ethnic minority women (http://www.eoc.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=17691) and employers (http://www.eoc.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=18365) are available if you would like to share your experiences or be used as a case study in future publicity. 'Tell us your story' forms are available in Urdu and Bengali as well as in English. Please contact us if you would like printed versions to distribute.


We have published two new research reports alongside the interim report:

Ahead of the game: the changing aspirations of young ethnic minority women. http://www.eoc.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=19447

Survey and focus group research into the aspirations and expectations of 16 year old girls and boys from different ethnic groups.

Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black Caribbean women and employment survey: aspirations, experiences and choices. A report on a survey of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Black Caribbean and White British women, aged 16-34 in employment. The report identifies women's aspirations, their labour market experiences and the choices they would like http://www.eoc.org.uk/Default.aspx?page=19449

See also:

'My manager said I looked like a terrorist'
 ... Why are so many of Britain's Muslim women unemployed or miserable at work? You can forget the cliches about unsupportive parents who want their daughters to stay at home and raise children ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1866323,00.html)

Higher Education institutions obstacles to Muslim women http://www.quicktopic.com/19/H/nV4WDtdd6iMqf/m1756
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The Muslim Women's Helpline

020 8904 8193 or 020 8908 6715.

The Muslim Women's Helpline aims to provide any Muslim girl or woman in a crisis with a free, confidential listening service and referral to Islamic consultants, plus practical help and information where required. We also wish to highlight issues in the community that it should address because of the cases that came to us.

Our volunteers are ready to receive your call between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday on either of our two telephone numbers. However, because we are a donar supported voluntary organisation with voluntary staff, we ask that you please be patient when you call, as we can sometimes get very busy. You are welcome to leave a message on our confidential voice-mail, in which case we will get back to you - usually within 24 hours.


Is MWHL a 'feminist' organisation?
 - No. We are Muslims merely concerned about the welfare of Muslim women in particular. Every day, Muslims are being confronted with problems which, out of confusion or lack of support, they are unable to overcome. Women suffering isolation, language problems or problems in sorting out welfare issues are at a loss to know where to turn for help. These women may seek help from organisations which may not understand the sensitivities of their religion and therefore their way of life. MWHL was set up to address these very issues. We do not harbour any other agenda.

Is MWHL recognised by other Muslim organisations?
 - Yes. We are affiliated to The Muslim Council of Britain. We were a winner of the Uthman Dan Fodio Award for Excellence in Community Development (The Muslim News Awards for Excellence). Recognised by Islamic Relief and Muslim Aid, we have helped in the distibution of the latter's zakat-ul-fitr. We have also established a working relationship with The Islamic Sharia Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Is MWHL recognised by non-Muslims?
 - Yes. We are a member of the Telephones Helplines Association and have been involved with meetings with the Home Office and Police with regard to Muslim concerns.

http://mwhl.org/index.php
.


020 8904 8193 or 020 8908 6715.

The Muslim Women's Helpline aims to provide any Muslim girl or woman in a crisis with a free, confidential listening service and referral to Islamic consultants, plus practical help and information where required. We also wish to highlight issues in the community that it should address because of the cases that came to us.

Our volunteers are ready to receive your call between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday on either of our two telephone numbers. However, because we are a donar supported voluntary organisation with voluntary staff, we ask that you please be patient when you call, as we can sometimes get very busy. You are welcome to leave a message on our confidential voice-mail, in which case we will get back to you - usually within 24 hours.


Is MWHL a 'feminist' organisation?
 - No. We are Muslims merely concerned about the welfare of Muslim women in particular. Every day, Muslims are being confronted with problems which, out of confusion or lack of support, they are unable to overcome. Women suffering isolation, language problems or problems in sorting out welfare issues are at a loss to know where to turn for help. These women may seek help from organisations which may not understand the sensitivities of their religion and therefore their way of life. MWHL was set up to address these very issues. We do not harbour any other agenda.

Is MWHL recognised by other Muslim organisations?
 - Yes. We are affiliated to The Muslim Council of Britain. We were a winner of the Uthman Dan Fodio Award for Excellence in Community Development (The Muslim News Awards for Excellence). Recognised by Islamic Relief and Muslim Aid, we have helped in the distibution of the latter's zakat-ul-fitr. We have also established a working relationship with The Islamic Sharia Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Is MWHL recognised by non-Muslims?
 - Yes. We are a member of the Telephones Helplines Association and have been involved with meetings with the Home Office and Police with regard to Muslim concerns.

http://mwhl.org/index.php
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Higher Education institutions obstacles to Muslim women

ESF research into Muslim women and higher education was launched at the Institute of Education on July 27. The results of hours of interviews (105) conducted with 93 Muslim women aged 19 to 26, 'Muslim Women and Higher Education Identities Experiences and Prospects', provides what should be a ground-shifting insight into the before unreported realities which Muslim insiders have long known about but the mainstream has failed to sufficiently acknowledge or engage with.

Among the findings is the fact that universities will have to undergo a radical rethink in their attitudes to Muslim women if they are to become fully inclusive and supportive environments to Muslim women and there is a challenge to the whole of the academic and political establishment regarding the dominant stereotypes of Muslim women. Rather than feeling torn between two cultures or oppressed by family expectations or tradition, it is the institutions themselves that are putting obstacles in the way of the Muslim women's development. Whilst the traditional bete-noir of the feminist-secular analysis - that families and in particular fathers hamper Muslim girls' advancement - is false and absolutely contrary to the reality of great family expectation on children, including girls, to do well academically.

Muslim women in Higher Education (HE) are often represented and the researchers critiqued the "amazing double life" cliché and also terms like "modern" and "traditional" often used to frame discourses of Muslim women. Some research highlighted the positive role parents, especially fathers, played in encouraging daughters into HE. The authentic voices of the women interviewed came out strongly and poignantly as girls reported the pride that parents and especially fathers felt in their achievement.

Also critiqued assumptions that university acts to "dislocate" women from their religion and culture; on the contrary, she said, research shows that HE helps women to consolidate and reflect on their religious and cultural identities in a more thoughtful way, some even believing it was their responsibility to challenge stereotypes through their achievements.

The launch also featured a grass-roots, community perspective from the Muslim Women's Helpline which noted that there had been very few calls since its inception that suggested a problem with women being restricted in their education, but rather there were calls about romantic relationships while at university, or disagreements with parents about which university women went to and subjects studied. Girls calling the Helpline had even complained, she said, that parents were insisting they complete their university education before getting married - more evidence that the dominant stereotype of the Muslim family needed re-assessing. It suggested that we also need to think now about the needs of young Muslim men - a call that many at the event agreed with and was taken up in the discussion after the presentations. A grass-roots perspective also came from Aaliya Shaikh of the Muslim Youth Helpline who won applause with her description of her personal struggle to achieve educational advancement despite the low expectations of her school (she now holds an MA).

Prof Mark Halstead of University of Huddersfield, spoke of the "metaphors of multiculturalism", the ways in which everyday language infiltrates our thinking about multicultural issues. Terms such as "mainstream were problematised" amongst others and Mark ended by asking whether 'Muslim women' were viewed as 'insiders' in the university? He suggested that we need to engage more with a critical reflection of the ways language is used and to place more emphasis on the use of Islamic core metaphors.

Other research findings were that Muslim women said that they felt discriminated against on ethnic monitoring forms and said universities should review the categories used.

Latifa, a 20-year-old student of Arab and Islamic studies who comes from a Moroccan-English background, said in her experience that university ethnic monitoring forms never had a box for "Arab".

"It's really weird 'cause I have to tick the 'Mixed' one or the 'Other'' d'you know what I mean? It's like 'Reject'. The only box I tick is ever, is 'Other' or 'Mixed', and then I just write, there's no space to write it but I just write what I am 'cause I never really know what to tick."

Among other findings of the report: Teaching staff also need to improve - through equal opportunities training - both in their own behaviour and their response to the racist or Islamophobic actions of others. They should ensure that set texts for courses "do not only include those which represent Muslim women in problematic ways, and should work with library staff to ensure balanced library holdings."

The women interviewed in the survey also suggested that universities needed to learn to timetable classes more sensitively. Yasmin, a 24-year-old student of sociology and public policy management, told the researchers: "Early lectures and late lectures were very hard for me because I feel I have to think of my own security and my own safety, and there is a high risk of me being attacked and I face verbal abuse every day." She attributed the abuse to "looking like a Muslim".

They also complained of a lack of provision for halal food - one university required students to pre-order a frozen halal ready meal - and prayer facilities falling short of women students' needs. Even where there is space for prayer, female students sometimes miss out because there is no space for them to pray separately from men, the research found.

... university structures impacted on Muslim women's experiences of HE through a range of services, from recruitment processes, to the availability of facilities such as prayer space, wudu (washing for prayers) facilities and halal food, but also experiences of anti-Muslim sentiments on campus. Universities need to recognise the diversity of Muslim women students and to ensure that consultation processes are wide reaching and not just restricted to male Muslim students or ISOC's. Equal opportunities policies in universities need to be up-dated to include anti-Muslim behaviour on campus as equally significant as racism.

One university was highlighted for good practice because of an initiative to organise pre-university mentoring sessions for prospective students from the Muslim community which involved inviting girls from secondary schools to attend university where they would be supported and guided by Muslim women already attending.

'Muslim Women and Higher Education Identities Experiences and Prospects,' A Summary Report, Dr David Tyrer and Fauzia Ahmad (ESF, Liverpool JMU)

From a longer article published in The Muslim News http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/paper/index.php?article=2571
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Women's Empowerment Network (WEN) is an organisation which seeks to empower women and young girls within the community irrespective of their faith, ethnicity, sexual orientation or cultural heritage. Our activities are aimed at assisting women and young girls reach their true potential.

Curious? Most of us face moments of self-doubt or a lack of confidence at one point or another. The trick is not to let our doubts affect performance. Being better equipped by developing yourself and having a positive attitude also enables us succeed with a healthy sense of self-worth.

All our services are culturally and faith sensitive and as such we take the background and issues of individuals into account when designing and delivering a service.

We are open Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm. We welcome visitors and are happy to respond to your queries. Our address and contact information is listed below.

Womens Empowerment Network
82 Neasham Road, Dagenham, Essex RM8 2LX
T: 020 8220 5415
E: admin@wen-uk.org


* Self-help groups:

One of the aims of our self-help groups is to assist individuals in dealing with emotional issues whilst at the same time supporting their process of development. In order to achieve this, it is essential that individuals feel comfortable and emotionally secure within the group. For some individuals, this may be easy, but for several others this is not the case. If there is anything we can do to make this process easier for you, please let us know and we shall do our best in ensuring your needs are met.

We request a firm commitment to our groups and its processes. Participants are allowed to drop out after two sessions if they decide that it is not for them. Nevertheless it is essential that all participants see the process through to its completion.


* Women in Partnership

First meeting in October 2006

This is a new Partnership Project Set up for women in the voluntary/community sector who are interested in partnership working.

Further information on any of our programmes is available on request. Please ask for Esther or Genevieve.

Women's Empowerment Network has been funded by; Awards for All and Faith and Capacity Building Fund.
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WLUML website summary for August 2006

** Publications **

* Moving Forward Together: Emotional Well-being after Disasters - A Manual
for Relief Workers - Shirkat Gah (Published: August 2006)
The aim of this manual is to provide relief workers (volunteers, teachers etc) with some useful and practical approaches for addressing the countless problems confronting survivors. The manual should help facilitate their work with traumatized people due to a disaster, be it man-made or of natural cause.
http://www.wluml.org/english/pubsfulltxt.s...cmd[87]=i-87-541560

* Rising from the Rubble - Shirkat Gah/WLUML (Published: July 2006)
On October 8, 2005, a massive earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale jolted the mountain ranges straddling Pakistan and India. This is a Special Bulletin on the 2005 earthquake with a particular focus on women's survival, safety and rights.
http://www.wluml.org/english/pubsfulltxt.s...cmd[87]=i-87-541146


News And Views
* Afghanistan: Report of 'Gender and Criminal Justice in Afghanistan' workshop (International Development Law Organization)
http://www.wluml.org/english/news/GCJW-report-final-en.
* Bangladesh: Secularism and this 'moderate Muslim' state (South Asia Citizen's Wire)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-542296
* Bangladesh: Tax for polygamy (Hotline-Bangladesh Newsletter)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-542063
* Canada: A controversial Pakistani scholar is illegally living in Canada who, critics charge, teaches her female students a fundamentalist brand of Islam promoting polygamy and subservience to men.
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541369
* Fiji: A refreshing approach to family law (The Pacific Regional Rights Resource Team - RRRT)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-542065
* India: Polygamous husbands behind rise in HIV/AIDS in women (The Hindu)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-542310
* India: Hindutva lobby launches anti-Muslim tirade (Centre for Study of Society and Secularism)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541575
* India: Chief Mufti issues fatwa against terrorism (Citizens for Justice and Peace)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541131
* Indonesia: Radical Sharia police raid UN diplomatic compound (Deutsche Presse-Agentur)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-542307
* International: Women from around the world, including Lebanon and Gaza, called in to this unusual broadcast to explore the root of the violence, place responsibility, and explain the critical needs women in the region face as they try to survive.
http://www.womensmediacenter.com/080706.
*International: UNESCO seminar on 'Islamic feminism' (UNESCO)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541378
* International: FIRE broadcast on Middle East conflict (FIRE/RIF)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541233
* Iran: Retrial for one more woman saved from stoning (Women's Field - Meydaan-e-Zanan)
http://www.meydaan.com/news.aspx?nid=65
* Iran: An open letter from Shirin Ebadi (Shirin Ebadi)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541589
* Iran: Iran outlaws human rights group in new crackdown (The Independent)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541588
* Iran: Execution of a teenage girl (BBC)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/5217424.
*Iraq: Lawyers killed for defending cases "against Islam" (IRIN)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-542067
* Iraq: Gays flee Iraq as Shia death squads find a new target (The Observer)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541382
* Iraq: Women want rights pledge honoured (Miami Herald)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541095
* Kuwait: Kuwait's shifting tides (Qantara)
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article....-476/_nr-605/i.html
* Lebanon: A letter from CRTDA to regional and international partners and friends (WHRNet)
http://www.whrnet.org/docs/Update%203%20of...gainst%20Lebanon%22
http://www.ceasefirecampaign.org/mo/en.
* Lebanon: The unfolding of a humanitarian crisis (AWID/WHRNet)
* Morocco: Women's advocates push men to recognize paternity (Women's eNews)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541962
* Russia: Religion enters Russian schools (BBC)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5301018.
* Saudi Arabia: Saudis turn to 'Misyar' marriage to beat inflation (Dawn via WUNRN)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541133
* South Asia: SANGAT statement on Lebanon (SANGAT)
* Sri Lanka: Stop the war - we have a right to live without fear (People to People dialogue on Peace and Sustainable Development)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-542382
* Sri Lanka: Why is Sri Lanka lagging behind? (The Daily News - Sri Lanka)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541251
* Swaziland: Facing the culture shock of monogamy (WUNRN)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541062
* Tunisia: Injustice lingers in Tunisia for women (Associated Press)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-542061
* Tunisia: Tunisia marks 50th anniversary of women's law (IOL - South Africa)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541843
* UK: "Let us adopt Islamic family law to curb extremists" (The Independent)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541787
* UK/India: Non resident Indian (NRI) marriages: dreams to nightmares (WUNRN)
http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.s...d[157]=x-157-541371
* UK: The Islamic Right - key tendencies (Awaaz - South Asia Watch)
http://www.awaazsaw.org/awaaz_pia4.
* UK: When progressives treat with reactionaries (Policy Exchange)
http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/libimages/176.
* USA: Religious Left gears up to face Right counterpart (Truthout)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/072606Z.
* USA: Fighting religious fundamentalisms in the US (WHRNet)
http://www.whrnet.org/fundamentalisms/docs...rview-kissling-0607.
* USA: The Jesus landing pad (Village Voice)
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0420,perlstein,53582,1.
* Uzbekistan: CEDAW Shadow Report (Tashkent Women's Resource Center)
*6/08/2006 Drawn from materials from the last 5 years, this is the
Shadow Report on Uzbekistan that was presented to CEDAW earlier in 2006.
http://www.wluml.org/english/news/uzbek-cedaw-shad-rep-2006.

Women Living Under Muslim Laws international solidarity network
Email: wluml@wluml.org
Website: http://www.wluml. org
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Urgent call for protection of trafficked women
* London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Amnesty International UK

Severe health consequences include injuries, chronic pain, depression, and post traumatic stress disorder; Evidence of the abuses suffered by trafficked women both before women are trafficked and during trafficking.

'[I am] scared for no reason. I think that someone is behind my door, window. Someone will find me, pick me up, beat me and kill me. I have run off and they are looking for me. My mood changes all the time. I cannot control my mind.' - Lithuanian woman trafficked to London

'The strongest feeling is that of wanting to die. I feel tired of fighting and I feel alone.' - Romanian woman trafficked to Italy

A report published 28 June by researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and a consortium of 7 non-governmental organizations provides disturbing figures and detail about the damage done to the health of women and girls who are trafficked and forced into prostitution or domestic work. It also contains information that shows that women who are trafficked have often been physically or sexually abused at home, before being trafficked, and suggests that many trafficked women are single mothers.

The report concludes with an urgent call on governments, including the UK, to provide victims of trafficking with the specialist healthcare they need as part of a minimum 90 day 'reflection period' or breathing space for women when they are removed from the trafficking situation (1).

'Stolen Smiles: The physical and psychological health consequences of women and adolescents trafficked in Europe' provides some of the first ever comprehensive data on the health of women and girls who have been trafficked and forced into prostitution or domestic work. It is a three year study, including interviews with more than 200 women and girls from 14 countries.

Key findings of the report are:

* physical health damage: nearly three in five women (57%) report suffering more than 12 different physical symptoms when they enter care, including headaches, dizzy spells, back pain, stomach/abdominal pain, fatigue and memory problems. Nearly 7 in 10 still have headaches after more than 90 days in care.

* mental health damage: 56% of women report symptom levels suggestive of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) on entering care. Trafficked women's anxiety, depression and hostility levels are extremely high - within the top 10th percentile of the norm for the whole female population. 38% report suicidal thoughts, and 95% report feeling depressed.

* sexual and reproductive health: over 60% of women report pelvic pain, vaginal discharge and gynaecological infections on entering care. Most women report that they were sometimes made to have sex without a condom. 17% report having at least one abortion during the trafficking. Many expressed concern about their fertility and future ability to have children.

* violence during trafficking: physical or sexual violence while in the trafficking situation was reported by nearly all women (95%). Respondents described violence such as being kicked, burned with cigarettes, punched in the face, choked with wire, and having a gun held to their head. Power over women was asserted through violence and maintained by imposing unpredictable, unsafe and extremely restrictive environments. 77% of women report 'never' having freedom to do as they wished or go where they wanted.

* women the traffickers target: 60% of women reported physical and/or sexual abuse before they were trafficked. This compares with some of the highest national prevalence levels in the world. Almost one in five said they had been 'recruited' by someone known to a family member. Most women are single (71%). 39% have children; more than four in five of these (82%) are single mothers. This suggests that women who are abused or single parenting may be particularly vulnerable to recruitment by traffickers.

Although it is difficult to obtain reliable statistics it is widely acknowledged that thousands of women are trafficked and forced into prostitution to and within the EU. It is also known that these women experience a whole series of human rights violations: kidnapping, beatings, rape, being kept prisoner. The damage to their health is profound and enduring yet no assessment has to date been made of their health needs.

'Stolen Smiles' is published as the debate about how the law and the authorities can tackle traffickers and protect their victims in the UK continues. Although there has been concerted and well resourced police action to tackle trafficking over the past few months, in particular through Operation Pentameter, victims of this crime are still not automatically entitled to any protection in the UK. There is very limited and irregular assistance available to them. In the eyes of the law they are most often simply considered illegal immigrants and there have been cases of trafficking victims, only recently escaped from the kind of trauma described above, being held in immigration detention centres and being deported back to their home countries without assessment of risk.

Report author and LSHTM Research Fellow Cathy Zimmerman said:

'This research shows that women who have been trafficked into sex work emerge with very severe pain and injuries, and they show psychological health problems that appear to be similar to those documented among victims of torture. Yet, with appropriate services, our findings suggest that for many women, their health does improve.

'Our conclusion is that women who are trafficked should be offered adequate and appropriate health care immediately upon release from a trafficking situation. They should be accorded a 90-day reflection period during which time they should receive the support they need to begin recovering from their injuries, pain and trauma and to make well-considered decisions about their future. We also believe that with this time and assistance, women will be able to provide more reliable evidence about the crimes committed against them.

'I hope this information will be used by policy makers and will contribute to improved practice and more resources for the many women who require assistance in rebuilding their health and their lives.'

Psychologist Maria Tchomarova, from Animus Association Foundation/La Strada Bulgaria, one of the study partners, said:

'Women who are trafficked are treated like captives who must fight for their survival by obeying their captors and submitting to violence and exploitation. Some of the women we assist in our centre are destroyed by this experience, while others are able to find an inner strength and independence.'

The Campaigns Director of Amnesty International UK, which is supporting the publication of this report, Tim Hancock said:

'The continuing lack of automatic protection for victims of trafficking in the UK is shocking and unacceptable. This report gives us clear and hard facts about what trafficked women actually experience and need. The government must act on this information and grant protection to victims immediately. It should sign the European Convention Against Trafficking immediately and commit the UK to providing a very minimum level of support and care.'

Key recommendations of the report include that the UK government:

* approve legislation that provides healthcare for all trafficked women, regardless of their legal status;

* require police and immigration personnel to ensure that women suspected of being trafficked are asked about their health concerns at the first point of contact;

* implement a recovery and reflection period of at least 90 days.

Notes:

1. A 'reflection period', such as the minimum 30-day one provided for in the European Convention Against Trafficking, is a period of time when victims of trafficking can receive some initial emergency housing and specialist care, without being obliged to assist the police or to return to their home countries. Countries which already operate a reflection period, such as Italy, have found that it can help women gain security and confidence to help the criminal justice authorities in their pursuit of traffickers.

2. The report was funded with support from the European Commission's Daphne Programme, and with additional support from the International Organisation for Migration and the Sigrid Rausing Trust.

3. Study partners for the report are: The Poppy Project, London, UK, +44 20 7840 7147; Associazione On The Road, Italy, +39 0861 796 666; La Strada, Bulgaria, +359 2987 3108; La Strada, Czech Republic, +420 222 721 810; Pag-Asa, Belgium, +21 2511 6464; International Organisation for Migration, Ukraine, +380 44 245 7680

4. Amnesty International UK endorses the findings of the report, which support its call on the UK Government to better protect trafficking victims. Amnesty is organizing a special panel discussion event in Parliament on Wed 28 June where the report author, MPs and a member of the Government will discuss the report's findings.

http://www.amnesty.org.uk/news_details.asp?NewsID=17013
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More women die in natural disasters

'The feminists got it right. Natural disasters are a tragedy in their own right but in countries with existing gender discrimination women are the worst hit. While most disasters cannot be prevented, policy makers, international and humanitarian organizations must develop better policies to address the special needs of women in the wake of large-scale natural disasters.'

According to research presented at the Royal Geographical Society's annual conference in London on Friday 1 September 2006, more women die than men as the direct and indirect result of natural disasters. This effect is strongest in countries with very low social and economic rights for women. In contrast, in those countries, in which women in their everyday lives have almost equal rights as men, natural disasters kill men and women about equally.

141 countries were studied in the first statistical analysis of the effect of natural disasters on the life expectancy of men and women.

Physical differences between men and women are unlikely to explain the result. For example, women are often at an advantage in famines because they can cope better with food shortages due to their lower nutritional requirements and higher body fat. Social norms can provide some explanation. In many countries women are supposed to look after children, the elderly and their homes which hampers their own rescue efforts in almost all types of natural disasters. Yet, the most important reason why women are more vulnerable to the fatal impact of natural disasters is because of their lower social and economic status in many countries. With existing patterns of gender discrimination, boys are likely to receive preferential treatment in rescue efforts and both women and girls suffer more from the shortages of food and economic resources in the aftermath of disasters.

The Gendered Nature of Natural Disasters: the impact of catastrophic events on the gender gap in life expectancy, 1981-2002 - from the Royal Geographical Society - http://www.rgs.org

Notes:

* The natural disasters include droughts, earthquakes, epidemics, extreme temperatures, famines, fires, floods, insect infestations, landslides, storms, tsunamis, and volcano eruptions. A natural disaster must fulfil one of the following conditions: ten or more people are reported as killed, 100 people are reported as affected, a state of emergency has been declared, or the country has issued a call for international assistance. The number of people killed is used to measure the magnitude of a natural disaster. The number of people killed is divided by the total population size of the country affected by the natural disaster since the influence of natural disasters on an affected country's life expectancy not only depends on the magnitude of the disaster but also on the population size of the affected country.

* The research incorporates 4,605 natural disasters included in the Emergency Disasters Database between 1981 and 2002. Most natural disasters take place in large countries such as the US (442 natural disasters), India (293) and China (125). Poorer countries have the most victims in terms of absolute numbers of deaths, namely Ethiopia (311,286 total number of deaths), Sudan (158,252) and Bangladesh (149,225). The study used life expectancy data from the US Census International Data Base to estimate the effect of natural disasters.
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The Barnardo's Young Women's Project is based in London and works with girls and young women up to the age of 18 who are involved in or at risk of being sexually exploited.

We work with young women from all racial, cultural and religious backgrounds, with varying disabilities and of any sexual orientation.

Our aims are to provide a range of practical, social care, health and educational service which focus on prevention, harm reduction and recovery for young women who are being abused through prostitution.

We continue to raise awareness of abuse through prostitution/sexual exploitation with agencies and decision makers so as to influence them to change attitudes, policies and practices.

We offer a participatory service within an anti-discriminatory and equal opportunity framework. We strive to empower young women by accessing services and advocating on their behalf.

Primarily we work with the boroughs of Islington, Hackney, Haringey, Camden and Waltham Forest. However, the duty worker will be able to provide you with further information of other resources.


How we can help
* aged 12 - 17?
* no one to talk to?
* feel threatened or unsafe?
* under pressure about sex?
* ever made to do things you're not happy with?
* being sexually exploited?

Barnardo's Young Women's Project is a safe and friendly place to relax and have fun.

We offer you your own key worker for one to one support as well as sexual health advice, pregnancy testing and emergency contraception.

There are drop-in activities, beauty treatment, feel and lots more. You can take part in all of these thing free of charge.

Advice and support is confidential and there's always someone to talk to. We will listen to you and can help you make changes in your life.

Drop-in:
* Fridays - 12 noon - 3pm (under 14s)
* 2pm - 5pm (over 14s)
* Activities vary from week to week.

Recovery:
* one-to-one work on issues such as self-esteem, life story work, body image, identity relationships, personal safety, drugs, alcohol, suicide and self harm.
groupwork addressing issues such as how to keep safe and aimed specifically at raising self esteem.
* arts and crafts, digital photography, music and drama.
* plus other drop-in activities

Harm Reduction:
* safe environment offering food and drink, washing facilities, showers, fitness room
* sexual health service:
* pregnancy testing
* contraception
* emergency contraception
* sexual health advice
* beauty therapy

Prevention:
* outreach work in schools and residential units
* awareness raising training/presentations with professionals

Confidentiality policy
* Any secrets or concerns a young woman chooses to share with us, is kept within the project - unless they wish us to speak to someone else on their behalf, or they or someone else is in great danger.
* Barnardo's has an 'open access' policy and young women using the service have a right to access their files.


You can contact the Young Women's Project in a variety of ways;
* Phone - 020 7700 2253
* Address - Barnardo's Young Women's Project, PO Box 34727, London N7 8YQ
* Office Hours - Monday - Friday, 9:00am - 5:30pm
* Drop-ins - Fridays: 12 noon - 3pm (under 14s) / 2pm - 5pm (over 14s)


Launched in 1995, the initial aim of the Young Women's Project was to respond to the needs of homeless young women under the age of 21 in London. However, during early 1999, the project was repositioned so that both those at risk of homelessness and those being abused through prostitution became our priority.The project is now one of a network of nine new projects within Barnardo's which aim to stop children being drawn into prostitution, to reduce the harm to them, and to find ways out.

More recently, our project has narrowed its criteria for accepting new referrals so that we now take on only those clients known to be already involved or at serious risk of being sexually exploited. Due to the effective functioning of Area Child Protection Committee (ACPC) protocols for protecting children abused through prostitution in four of our key boroughs; Islington, Camden, Hackney and Haringey, the project receives a steady flow of request to work with new clients - an average of two per week.

Overall, our client base has become younger with more 12-14 years olds being referred. Our team has developed it's expertise in offering intensive one-to-one support, particularly in developing self-esteem and children's abilities to recognise abusive and manipulative relationships.

In terms of preventative work, we have built closer relationships with several secondary schools and a number of residential units and have provided a number of awareness training sessions for both staff and young people.

Both clients and professional colleagues comment on the attractiveness and accessibility of our project. The peaceful environment helps reduce the stresses and traumas our clients have faced in their tragic life stories.

Over the years our project team has developed steadily in terms of knowledge and experience and is felt to be both supportive and diverse by its members. It has remained constant over the past year having been strengthened by the addition in January 2001 of a new project worker funded partly by Health Action Zone (HAZ) "GirlZone" funding and partly by Barnardo's.
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http://www.barnardos.org.uk/youngwomenslondon.htm
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A Passage to Hope - Women and International Migration
(UNFPA State of World Population 2006 Report)

Introduction

Today, women constitute almost half of all international migrants worldwide-95 million. Yet, despite contributions to poverty reduction and struggling economies, it is only recently that the international community has begun to grasp the significance of what migrant women have to offer. And it is only recently that policymakers are acknowledging the particular challenges and risks women confront when venturing into new lands.

Every year millions of women working millions of jobs overseas send hundreds of millions of dollars in remittance funds back to their homes and communities. These funds go to fill hungry bellies, clothe and educate children, provide health care and generally improve living standards for loved ones left behind. For host countries, the labour of migrant women is so embedded into the very fabric of society that it goes virtually unnoticed. Migrant women toil in the households of working families, soothe the sick and comfort the elderly. They contribute their technical and professional expertise, pay taxes and quietly support a quality of life that many take for granted.

For a long time, the issue of women migrants has been low on the international policy agenda. Today, the world has a unique opportunity to change this: For the first time, government representatives from around the globe will be attending a United Nations session specifically devoted to migration. The 2006 High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development offers a critical opportunity to ensure that the voices of migrant women are heard. The explicit recognition of the human rights of women and the need for gender equality is a basic prerequisite of any sound, equitable and effective policy framework that seeks to manage migration in an orderly and humane manner.

Benefits cut both ways. For many women, migration opens doors to a new world of greater equality, relief from oppression and the discrimination that limits freedom and stunts potential. For origin and receiving countries, the contribution of women migrants can quite literally transform quality of life. This dedication, however, comes at a cost - for migration also has its dark side.

From the modern-day enslavement of trafficking victims to the exploitation of domestic workers, millions of female migrants face hazards that testify to a lack of adequate opportunities to migrate safely and legally. Trafficking is not only one of most horrific manifestations of migration "gone bad"; it also undermines national security and stability.(1) Weak multilateral cooperation and the failure to establish, implement and enforce policies and measures designed to protect migrant women from exploitation and abuse means it is the most vulnerable who will pay-and sometimes with their lives.

The demand for women migrants is at an all-time high and growing. Unnecessary and discriminatory barriers, coupled with inadequate human and labour rights protections, are beneficial neither to families or to countries-nor to the hundreds of thousands of women exposed to insufferable conditions and abuses.

Since the 1990s, governments have addressed international migration at various UN conferences. The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) stands out among them.(2) By the time the tenth anniversary of the ICPD rolled around in 2004, the Programme of Action still constituted one of the leading and most comprehensive global governmental agreements ever established on international migration and development.(3) Among key commitments, governments agreed to "address the root causes of migration, especially those related to poverty",(4) and to "seek to make the option of remaining in one's country viable for all people".(5) Since then, the global community has rallied around the Millennium Development Goals. In 2000, heads of state and government unanimously made a pledge to "make poverty history"(6) and to end gender discrimination.

Global communications and transportation have made it possible for people to enjoy more freedom of movement than ever before. But people should not be compelled to migrate because of inequality, exclusion and limited alternatives in their home countries. While governments and experts discuss how best to manage migration, at the centre is the fact that migrants are first and foremost human beings vested with human rights.(7) The equitable management of migration means that measures adopted should not further penalize the most vulnerable, who already face systemic inequality. Chief among these are lower-income and female migrants. Increasingly, migration is following an unsavory course that is hewing toward the negative side of globalization, and exacerbating existing inequalities. While an elite of highly skilled individuals increasingly enjoy the benefits of migration, barriers to poorer migrants are increasing.

Immigration and development go hand in hand. Stepped-up investments in poverty reduction, gender equality and development-including the fulfilment of donor country commitments to overseas development assistance (ODA)-are part and parcel of efforts to achieve a more orderly migration system. These are necessary to reduce the gaps between rich and poor and to expand opportunities for all-including women, who in too many countries lack equal access to livelihood opportunities. Sound immigration policies that respond to economic interests while safeguarding human rights and gender equality are critical. At the same time, they help remove unnecessary obstacles to mobility that can, and do, result both in the loss of human dignity and of human lives.

Sovereign countries have the right to control immigration and deter illegal entry. This, however, constitutes only one aspect of any comprehensive policy framework and should not be the only major focus.(8) One positive development is that more countries today acknowledge the need to manage migration rather than restrict it.(9)

Women are migrating and will continue to do so. Their needs are urgent and deserve priority attention. Only then will the benefits of international migration be maximized and the risks minimized. Women migrants are among the most vulnerable to human rights abuses-both as migrants and as females. Their hard work deserves recognition, and their human rights, protection. Their voices must be heard. Vision and leadership can help steer public debates away from reactionary sensationalism and an emphasis on "otherness" to a recognition of our common humanity, which binds us together in a world increasingly without borders.

Go to http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2006/english/introduction.html for the footnote links and to follow the links at the bottom of the page to go to Chapter 1 - 5:
1 The Good, The Bad, The Promising: Migration in the 21st Century
2 A Mighty but Silent River; Women and Migration
3 Selling Hope and Stealing Dreams: Trafficking in Women and the Exploitation of Domestic Workers
4 By Force, Not by Choice: Refugee Women and Asylum-Seekers
5 Safeguarding Human Rights, Embracing Cultural Diversity

Or download the report as a pdf file from http://www.unfpa.org/swp/2006/pdf/en_sowp06.pdf
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Open Forum on porn and freedom of speech organised by Workers' Liberty

As the Government moves to ban "extreme violent pornography", what should socialists say?

How do we combine our opposition to misogyny with a commitment to freedom of speech?

7.30pm, Thursday 14 September, Calthorpe Arms, 252 Gray's Inn Rd, nr Kings Cross.

Workers' Liberty organises discussion meetings in many locations on subjects of interest to socialists and activists.

http://www.workersliberty.org/
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Asylum is a human right

2 Conferences (1st November London and &th November York) is for Refugee Policy and Support Staff

Safe from harm?
Health and social care for vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers

Restrictions on access and entitlements to health and social care can have a devastating impact on already vulnerable refugees who have come to the UK for protection.

These conferences, convened by the Refugee Council with support from the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and King's Fund, aim to bring together staff working with or developing policy for refugees.

The 'Safe from Harm?' conferences aim to
* Bring together staff working with or developing policy for refugees from a range of backgrounds
* Identify needs within the context of overall service provision
* Clarify the legislative and policy background
* Examine the current needs of health and social care professionals
* Relate health and social care needs to roles, rights and entitlements across the sectors
* Determine subjective and practical barriers access
* Discuss recommendations for ensuring access to mainstream and specialist services
* Share and develop good practice in the field

Plenary sessions include
* Access and entitlements to health and social care
* Surviving destitution: Access to services at the end of the asylum process
* Health as a human right: Responding to the health needs of refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants in the UK

Workshop topics include
* Establishing new partnerships: forming links between statutory and voluntary sector service providers
* Understanding barriers to integration for refugee children with health, education and social needs
* Assessing need: Key issues when working with survivors of torture
* Improving advocacy skills: for non-lawyers working in the health and social care sectors

For more information including booking form etc., please:
Email: marketing@refugeecouncil.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7346 6737 or
Visit: http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/conferences
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INSIDE / OUTSIDE An exhibition of mixed media art works by nine Black Country & Birmingham women.

Sept 5-Sept 14th 2006 At Bantock House, Bantock Park, Wolverhampton
Tues - Sun 11am - 5pm

We would like to invite you to this exciting exhibition - put together by a diverse group of women who have recently completed IMPACT: Women Active in Community and Public Life - a learning programme that was part of the Civil Renewal Unit (ex-Home Office, now Department of Community and Local Government) Active Learning for Active Citizenship initiative. (For more information about this please look at the following website http://www.togetherwecan.info)

You are invited to the Private View of an unusual show reflecting the emotional, intellectual and social journeys of nine emerging artists on a Home Office Active Citizenship course.

Diverse in age, ethnicity, education and experience, they chose to work on together after their course to produce this visually intriguing and sometimes disturbing exhibition to inspire and challenge their own communities, art lovers and the wider world, in a show including installations, photography, sound, sculpture and video.

Please get in touch for more information about the show or project. Contact Sue Challis on 07792930010 or email ms.challis@btopenworld.com

ARTISTS' STATEMENT
 
This has been a journey, an opening of closed boxes. Some may never be fully explored, but this is a start: the ambivalent sounds of female voices, torn clothes, rotting clay, words echoing from childhood; there are windows we have looked through, shoes we burnt, the treachery of an aging brain we long to crush.
 
A turbulent journey: expressing, exploring, challenging the dilemmas, perceptions, stereotypes and misunderstandings of diversity. A rich journey: we are together not for gain or because we had to - but because we wanted to be together.
 
Delving into the hidden parts, the unconscious, layers of our being women; uncovering the dark of that inner world, its relationship to oppression, discrimination and prejudice; challenging the barriers to cohesion and self-fulfilment.
 
'I wish for the rain; my friends will come; they dance for me, play games with me through the window'.
 
Statement by members of the Impact Plus Art Group Bantock House, July 2006

http://www.togetherwecan.info/action/black...opment_network.html
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Let us build a European Women's Security Council!
(Please forward to all those interested!)

Survey in preparation of a European conference as a starting point of a "European relay race" for demilitarisation and equal rights especially in the European Security and Defence Policy

Dear friends and interested people,

The European Union has been built out of the ruins of Europe. It was designed as an alliance for peace after the defeat of Nazi-Germany. "The ruins are the unsightly but nevertheless indispensable fundament"of a united Europe, said the Swiss writer Adolf Muschg. This history obliges us, and especially all European politicians, to be strongly engaged in peace politics. Anything else would be a moral betrayal of the vision and reality of the already united continent and the ongoing unification.

Unfortunately, some of the political decision-makers and economic forces see the unification process only as a profane opportunity for market enlargement. For them, economic interests and investments must be secured - if necessary also by military means. This attitude had a considerable influence on the European Security Strategy which was passed in 2003. This concept for the Common Security and Defence Policy of the European Union strongly relies on military rather than on civilian conflict management. This is to be realised through the establishment of a European armament agency and the establishment of European intervention forces acting worldwide which are, for example, able to occupy the oil fields in the Middle East together with the US army in order to defend European interests - as documented in the "European Defence Paper" of 2004. These interests can be threatened by a "massive increase of energy costs or the disruption of commercial flows of goods".

A small circle of mainly male security politicians who are lacking any democratic legitimacy have decided on these plans. Neither the Parliament of the EU nor any national parliaments have ever approved this security strategy. This policy is against the declared will of many men and women in Europe working in lots of different ways to overcome conflicts and crisis by civilian means. Further, this policy is contradicting the EU as an alliance for peace and is also against the fundamental principle of equal rights for men and women. Especially women are excluded from the decision-making. In times of crisis or peace negotiations they are not able to fully participate in the fields of security politics which are dominated by men - as we can witness at present in Kosovo. This means excluding them twice and in an undemocratic manner from an existential part of European politics.

The multiple instruments of civilian conflict management are not promoted enough and due to that they are also not applied. Also, in the EU and its member states the budgets for military and armament expenditure are at least a thousand times higher than those for civilian conflict management.

However, we invest all our energy in making Europe become a global player in the field of civilian alternatives. We that stands for the "German Women's Security Council", a voluntary network founded during the last war against Iraq consisting of women peace researchers and activists. Some of the members are representing organisations such as amnesty international, medica mondiale, WILPF, or the Heinrich Boell Foundation.

We call upon the women of Europe, to get powerfully involved in all spheres of security politics! We further request the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 is implemented consistently all over Europe and in all national and supranational institutions such as the EU, the OSCE or the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. As the Resolution 1325 of the 31st October 2000 states: women shall be part of all peace processes at all levels, locally, regionally and nationally, during conflict prevention, peace missions, national reconstruction, in parliaments, governments, justice, police and in all other state institutions. Women are half of Europe - half of European politics, European ideas, projects and visions for the future.

Against this background we are planning a European networking conference. A possible date is the 5th May 2007 in Berlin since Germany is holding the EU presidency in the first six months of 2007. The aim of this conference is to discuss these issues with the responsible political authorities and transmit the results to EU institutions. We would like to focus on the following issues:

* Do we need a Europewide network of women experts and activists for the implementation of Resolution 1325, similar to the German Women's Security Council? If yes, how could this be realised?

* Switzerland, UK, Sweden, Denmark and Norway are until now the only countries whose governments have presented national action plans for the implementation of Resolution 1325 as has been expressly requested by UN Secretay-General Kofi Annan. What is the content of these action plans? How can we pressure other European countries and also Europe as a whole to establish such national action plans? And how can we pressure multilateral bodies and organisations such as the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe to establishe such action plans? How can we influence decisions concerning peace and security issues of the institutions of the European Union such as the Council and the Commission or NATO?

* What is the situation like in the countries targeted by European interventions? How do men and women living in these countries experience these European interventions? What would be necessary for a civilian conflict management? For example, in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

* What can we do to de-militarise Europe and to strengthen civilian conflict management instead of military intervention?

In order to make the results of such a conference more sustainable we aim to start a "relay race". Therefore, we would appreciate to give the relay to our portuguese and slovenian friends whose countries will hold the Presidency of the EU for another six months each after the conference. It is then up to them to take up the race and pressure for the implementation of Resolution 1325 all over Europe. And, of course, every one has a responsibility to take up the appropriate actions.

We would like to know the following from you:

* Are you interested in such a conference and would you participate?
* no
* yes with probably ..... participants
* Which other groups/institutions/associations you know are working on the issue?
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* What are the main issues of interest for you?
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* Who are the NGOs in your country working directly or indirectly on the implementation of Resolution 1325? If possible, please state names and contact details below!
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* Which official institutions in your country are working towards the objectives of Resolution 1325? If possible, please state names and contact details below!
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Thank you very much for your interest and cooperation!
The German Women's Security Council

Please mail back as soon as possible to: meinzolt-depner@t-online.de
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HIV-positive South Africans seek asylum in Canada

More than 130 HIV-positive South African women are seeking asylum in Canada after attending the Toronto Aids conference last month, apparently claiming that they cannot get adequate treatment at home.

The case draws more attention to the deepening controversy over whether President Thabo Mbeki's government is providing appropriate medical treatment to millions of people with Aids and HIV.

The women have not yet spoken about why they do not want to return home. But it is thought that they will argue that the stigma and discrimination they face as HIV-positive people in South Africa, not to mention the problems in securing proper medical treatment, amount to persecution.

story continues at http://www.guardian.co.uk/southafrica/stor...ml?gusrc=rss&feed=1
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International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS

ICW is honoured and proud to be the only international network which strives to share with the global community the experiences, views and contributions of 19 million incredible women worldwide, who are also HIV positive

About ICW - http://www.icw.org/?q=node/22
Publications - http://www.icw.org/?q=node/6
ICW News - latest edition includes "Positive Women Telling Truths - ICW in Toronto" - http://www.icw.org/?q=node/6
Positive Womens Survival Kit http://www.icw.org/files/Survival%20Kit.pdf

http://www.icw.org/

ICW was one of the co-organisors of the Aids 2006 conference in Toronto
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