WOMEN, INK. BOOKLINK #65
February 2007
Joeyta Bose
Once again, welcome to the Women,
Ink. Booklink, the monthly e-mail bulletin on
whatís new in our collection this February. If you
have friends or colleagues whom you think would find
Booklink useful, please let us know. To subscribe to
Booklink, send an e-mail to joey@womenink.org
and type the word "subscribe" in the subject
line. This month, we are featuring an
exciting array of titles and additional resources, from
different regional perspectives, in the area of Rights.
The new titles for this month are: 1. Just Advocacy 2. Trafficking and the Global Sex
Industry 3. Women, Disability &
Identity 4. Feminist Legal Theory &
Practice Training Visit our website at
www.womenink.org
for further information and
to buy any of the featured titles. Just Advocacy? Trafficking and the Global Sex
Industry Women, Disability and
Identity Feminist Legal Theory and
Practice Training: Summary Report ********************************************************************* This section is a compilation of
free resources on Rights that are available on the
Internet: 1. Ideas for Working with Girls,
2007 Find out more: http://www.iwtc.org/42.html 2. Women's Human Rights
Resources Programme Find out more: http://www.law-lib.utoronto.ca/diana/ 3. Responding to Violence
Against Women: How Development Policies Address the Issue
of Gender-Based Violence, 2006 Download a copy: 4. On the Margins: Violence
Against Women with Disabilities. Research eeport Written
for the Centre for the Study of Violence and
Reconciliation, 2005 Read more: http://www.csvr.org.za/papers/papdisab.htm 5. Learning from Experience:
Strengthening Organizations of Women with Disabilities,
2001 Download your copy: 6. Ratification Toolkit for the
International Convention on the Rights of People with
Disabilities (ICRPD), 2006 The United Nation's General
Assembly, on December 13, 2006, adopted the first-ever
convention that protects the rights of the worldís
650 million persons with disabilities. Passed after five
years of intense lobbying and organizing by persons with
disabilities, civil society groups and governments across
the world, this convention must now be ratified by 20
countries to come into force as an international law. The
treaty will be open for signature in March 2007 and
countries that sign are urged to ratify it, and must then
adopt laws that conform to the conventionís
provisions on prohibiting discrimination against persons
with disabilities in several spheres, including
education, employment, health and access to information,
justice and public facilities.This toolkit is a
comprehensive guide to advocacy and ratification for
groups and organizations that wish to introduce the
convention to audiences in their own countries and lobby
their governments to ratify the convention so that it can
become international law. It contains an overview of the
convention, explanations of why and how it can be useful
and successful, a comprehensive glossary of terms and
interactive lessons in each section. Get your own copy
at:
www.icrpd.net or request it
on a CD by writing to
info@dpi.org or 7. Violence Against and
Trafficking in Women as Symptoms of Discrimination: the
Potential of CEDAW as an Antidote, 2003 Read more: http://www.unescap.org/esid/GAD/Publication/DiscussionPapers/ 8. Cutting Edge Pack: Gender
& Migration, 2005 Read further: http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk/reports/CEP-Mig-OR.pdf All
orders need to be prepaid by credit card
(MasterCard/Visa), cheque (US dollars drawn on a US
bank) or direct deposit into Women, Ink.‚'s
bank account (Chase Bank, New York #152012761). We
don't advise e-mailing your credit card number for
security reasons; instead, fax it to us at
1.212.661.2704 or order on-line at:
http://www.womenink.org.
You
can also write to us at: Booklinks are made
possible by funding from the
Happy New Year from all of us
at Women, Ink. We wish you every success, much joy and
lasting peace in 2007.
OR CONCERNS, WRITE TO joey@womenink.org
Women's Human Rights, Transnational Feminisms and the
Politics of Representation
A Summary Report
Women's Human Rights, Transnational Feminisms and the
Politics of Representation
Wendy S. Hesford and Wendy Kozol (Eds.)Human rights are becoming
increasingly enmeshed with territorial concerns and
often serve as a justification for aggression. In
humanitarian and political debates about the topic,
women and children are frequently considered first and
human rights have become the most frequent and
pervasive claims made on behalf of women. But what are
the consequences of equating womenís rights
with human rights? As the 11 essays in this volume
show, the impact is often contradictory. Bringing
together some of the most respected scholars in the
field, this book sheds light on the overlooked ways
that women and children are subjugated when political
or humanitarian groups represent them as victims and
portray those who help them as paternal saviors. Drawn
from a variety of disciplinary perspectives in the
humanities, arts and social sciences, the book
advances a more nuanced and politically responsible
understanding of human rights for both scholars and
activists.
2005. 336 pages. ISBN 0-8135-3589-1. WE795.
US$24.95
Karen D. Beeks and Delila Amir (Eds.)This remarkable anthology
focuses on the international trafficking of women and
children for forced labor and prostitution - one of
the fastest growing areas of international crime. It
takes a broad geographical and economic perspective,
while also dealing with specific factors like
socio-political background, poverty, legal conditions,
the role of the state, gender structure and the
organization of the trafficking business. The essays
create a link from country to country, demonstrating
the worldwide nature of the problem. Expertly written
and well-researched, this collection gives the reader
a clearer understanding of the problem and the actions
being taken to combat it.
2006. 245 pages. ISBN 0-7391-1313-5. WE780.
US$27.95
Asha Hans and Annie Patri (Eds)Based on international
research and experiences of women, this book
highlights not only the various kinds of
discrimination faced by women with disabilities, but
also the transitions made by them in their search for
new worlds. It balances academic work and the voices
of women with disabilities, with narratives supported
by portrayals, empirical work and activist
interventions. Contributors critically analyze the
situation of women with disabilities across the
developed and developing world, maintaining that these
women face a triple challenge: as women, as people
with disabilities and as women with disabilities.
Based on the premise that it is important for feminist
research to define a space for women with
disabilities, this book is a valuable contribution to
our understanding of womenís efforts and the
strategies that they use to positively challenge the
discriminations they face.
2003. 282 pages. ISBN 81-78291-76-2 (HB). WE816.
US$23.75
Asha Bee AbrahamMany women feel skepticism
towards the law as a result of their own
disappointments in cases of domestic violence, low
pay, expropriation of their land for development
projects, etc. Further, the law is often used against
them in the name of 'family honor' or 'national
development.' Based in the conviction that law can be
used as an instrument of change for equality, justice,
peace and development, the Asia Pacific Forum on
Women, Law and Development (APWLD) has organized
trainings on feminist legal theory and practice. This
report covers a five-day training session that was
held in Jakarta in 2005 and addresses the social,
cultural and political contexts that shape the legal
system; allows or a greater understanding of gender
discrimination, law and human rights; and provides a
venue for the sharing of experiences in using the law
to advocate for womenís human rights.
2005. 95 pages. ISBN 974-94113-9-0. WE792.
US$10.75RESOURCES
Women, Ink. & the International Women's Tribune
Centre
This resource collection consists of free games, training
manuals, workshop guides and other resources for
teachers, trainers and development workers who are
working for and with girls. It includes 31 interactive
and participatory training guides and resources on girls'
rights, empowerment, violence against women and girls,
HIV/AIDS, sexuality and reproductive health and
leadership development. Compiled for this yearís
UN Commission on the Status of Women, this resource
collection can be accessed in full via the IWTC website
or be requested on a CD. The CD is free and there will be
no postage charge for organizations and individuals who
request a copy from the Global South. North-based groups
or individuals will be charged a $10 shipping and
handling fee. Write to
joey@womenink.org for more
information.
Bora Laskin Law Library
The Women's Human Rights Resources Programme collects,
organizes and disseminates information on women's human
rights law to facilitate research, teaching and
cooperation. The information introduces women's human
rights law in general, emphasizes selected international
topics, and explores the interconnections between
domestic and international human rights law. Resources on
this website include an annotated database of articles,
resources and links related to international women's
human rights law, with special reference to specific
issues including practical applications of international
law, the CEDAW convention, economic globalization,
indigenous women, race and gender, and violence against
women. It also includes research guides on women and
religion and women and labor migration and bibliographies
on human rights and trafficking in women, polygyny, and
womenís rights and international human rights law.
A sample workshop on women, HIV/AIDS and human rights,
can also be found on this website.
UN International Research and Training Institute for
the Advancement of Women
This paper highlights the shortcomings of current
development policies designed to tackle violence against
women and argues that the current discourse on women's
sexuality perpetuates violence against women by
legitimizing the use of their bodies for political,
cultural and economic gains. Sexuality is an integral
component of the web of gendered power relations that
reach beyond the economic and political spheres to
control women's behavior and maintain their
subordination. Yet, sexuality is rarely discussed in
development theory and practice, except in terms of
population or reproductive health. Within this discourse,
women's sexuality is primarily equated with their
reproductive function, their role as mothers and tied to
national and economic well-being. Based on examples from
the Latin American region, the paper concludes a
recommendation forincorporating a body politics
perspective in efforts to address and eliminate violence
against women.
http://www.un-instraw.org/en/images/stories/NewVoices/nv-sobrino.pdf
The Centre for the Study of Violence and
Reconciliation
This report from a small-scale research project conducted
in 2001 describes the nature and forms of violence
against women with disabilities, their particular
vulnerabilities to violence, and the barriers they
confront accessing assistance. It says that although
women with and without disabilities are subject to
gender-based violence, women with disabilities have
particular economic, social and psychological
vulnerabilities to abuse. They are not only more
vulnerable, but experience particular forms of abuse
which are not yet fully understood and included in
conventional definitions of gender-based violence, linked
to their specific type of disability. As a result of
social isolation, women with disabilities may endure
violence for longer periods of time and are less able to
escape abusive relationships with people who are their
caregivers.
One World Action
Whilst all women in Nicaragua are prone to gender-based
discrimination and violence, women with disabilities
experience specific problems, such as physical and social
isolation, and the paternalistic attitudes of
non-disabled people. This case study analyses the
experiences and lessons learnt from the Disabled Women's
Programme set up by Fundación Solidez in 1991. It
focuses on the organisational strategies of 11 groups of
women with disabilities and their experiences of
introducing a gender perspective into their work with
other organizations and populations and their advocacy
work at national and local levels. The study also
identifies the lessons learnt from the programme's
successes, particularly in the areas of awareness raising
with local government and using the media.
Recommendations are made for developing appropriate
participatory methodologies, promoting effective
communication strategies and linking income-generating
projects to other forms of empowerment.
http://www.oneworldaction.org/_uploads/documents/solidezreport6.pdf
Disabled Peopleís International
Disabled Peoples' International, 902 - 388 Portage
Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3C 0C8.
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
How can measures to tackle trafficking in women be
strengthened? This paper reviews the main debates,
conventions and laws relating to trafficking in women in
the Asia-Pacific region and suggests that the Convention
on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW) be used to unify the different approaches.
Trafficking frequently involves women facing widespread
psychological and physical abuse. Despite this, no
cohesive system exists with which to combat this growing
phenomenon. CEDAW is a commitment to eliminating all
forms of discrimination against women and defines
gender-based violence as a "form of discrimination that
seriously inhibits women's ability to enjoy rights and
freedoms on a basis of equality with men." Using CEDAW
could bring the complex aspects of trafficking together
under one framework. Many of the Convention's articles
apply to the numerous aspects of trafficking and CEDAW's
Committee could cite these to bring pressure on States to
improve legislation.
17/DiscussionPaper17.pdf
BRIDGE, Institute for Development Studies (IDS)
How does migration advance or impede gender equality? How
can policy-makers and practitioners promote gender
equality in work on migration? This report seeks to
answer these questions by looking at internal and
international migration, regular and irregular migration,
as well as forced (such as trafficking) and voluntary
migration. It explores the gendered patterns of
migration, including how gender impacts decisions to
migrate in terms of who goes and why, and in turn how
this affects the benefits and risks of migration for
women and men, including the impact on gender relations.
The authors call for a gender-sensitive rights-based
approach to migration that emphasizes immigration and
emigration policies that enable women and men to take up
opportunities for safe migration; mobilizes around and
supports international rights frameworks that offer
protection for women migrants and supports the
acknowledgement and realization of migrant rights through
the migration process.
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