GLOBAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST GENDER VIOLENCE

IWTC Women’s GlobalNet #265

Activities and Initiatives of Women Worldwide

By Vicki J. Semler and Anne S. Walker



November 24 2004



GLOBAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST GENDER VIOLENCE.



2004 THEME: FOR THE HEALTH OF WOMEN,

FOR THE HEALTH OF THE WORLD, NO

MORE VIOLENCE



November 25th is International Day for the Elimination of Violence

Against Women and the first day of the Sixteen Days of Activism Against

Gender Violence



BACKGROUND:



The origins of international Day for the Elimination of Violence Against

Women, November 25th,  go back to 1960, when the Mirabal sisters from

the Dominican Republic were assassinated for their political activism.

The sisters, known as the "Unforgettable Butterflies," became a symbol

of the crisis of violence against women in Latin America. November 25th

was the date chosen to commemorate their lives and promote global

recognition of gender-based violence.



In December 1999, at their 54th Session, the UN General Assembly adopted

a resolution declaring November 25th the International Day for the

Elimination of Violence Against Women.



The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an annual global

campaign that originated from an International Institute of feminist

activists who met at the Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL) at

Rutgers University, NJ, USA in 1991. The campaign begins on November

25th, runs through World AIDS Day on December 1st and ends on Human

Rights Day on December 10th. Since it was started, more than 1,700

organizations in 130 countries have participated, using the annual

campaign as an organizing strategy to call attention to gender-based

violence and the need for better resources to combat it.



The theme for 2004 is “For the Health of Women, For the Health of the

World: No More Violence” with specific emphasis on the intersection

between violence against women and the spread of HIV/AIDS. The theme

complements the theme of World AIDS Day 2004, on "Women and AIDS," and

also follows on the attention received at the International AIDS

Conference in Bangkok in July 2004 on the disproportionate impact of

HIV/AIDS on women and girls.



For more information, please visit Not a Minute More

 UNIFEM's web pages on

November 25th and the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence.



SOUTH AFRICAN CYBER DIALOGUES FOR GENDER JUSTICE

Making IT (Information Technology) work for gender justice



Join women in S. Africa for a Cyber Dialogue, a real time, interactive,

online discussion at .  The cyber

dialogues are part of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign and will happen

every day from 13:00 - 14:00 (S. Africa time) starting on 24th November

2004. The theme for the day will be Taking Stock: Balancing the Scales

and it will include a discussion on the achievements and progress made

in the gender justice struggle over the last year and will identify the

challenges that still need to be met in moving forward. The South

African experts and decisions makers that will be there to answer

questions are Deputy Minister of Correctional Services: Cheryl Gillwald,

Speaker City of Joburg: Nandi Mayathule-Khoza and Martha Seloane, a

survivor of gender violence.



PS. If you would like to know the times of cities around the world, go

to http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/.



FIJI GROUP (WOMEN ACTION FOR CHANGE) RECEIVE GRANT TO END VIOLENCE

AGAINST WOMEN



The United Nations Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence Against Women will

provide a grant of US$50,000 to Fiji’s Women Action for Change (WAC)



The Trust Fund is a unique multilateral mechanism established by the UN

General Assembly in 1996 and administered by UNIFEM. Grants are decided

collectively by representatives of UN agencies and international NGOs.



Since its establishment, the Trust Fund has granted US$8.3 million to

175 initiatives in 96 countries. Demand continues to outstrip supply.

UNIFEM has received up to US$17.5 million in requests, with only about

US$1 million to give out each year. Donors to the 2004 grant-making

cycle include Japan, Denmark, Finland, Trinidad and Tobago, as well as

NGOs and private individuals.



For more information on the Trust Fund, go to:





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