International News & Campaigns

Find out about some of the many international campaigns that SERICC supports:

ManUp - stop violence against women

Man Up is an international campaign to activate youth in a movement to stop violence against women and girls.

Their call to action challenges the next generation to "man up" - whether they are male or female - and declare that violence against women and girls must end. Harnessing the universal power of music, sport and technology, Man Up provides innovative training, resources and support to young leaders and the human rights organisations that collaborate with them.

Man Up has chosen the World Cup 2010 as the venue to launch the Man Up Campaign. On the occasion of the World Cup, an event that inspires, excites, unites, and mobilises people around the globe, Man Up will bring young leaders from around the world to inspire, excite, unite and mobilise the world to end violence against women.

For more information, visit: www.manupcampaign.org

SafeVibe.com

Don't Let Predators Ruin It For Everyone

SafeVibe is a movement for everyone who wants to keep predators out of the bars and put an end to sexual assault. The more people who actively get involved (men, women, youth, everyone!), the closer we will be to making social change a reality.

For more information, visit: www.safeVibe.com

United Nations launches special web site for the 30th anniversary of CEDAW

The 18th December 2009 marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). A working group* of the United Nations' Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) has come together to plan a number of activities in 2009 to celebrate this important anniversary, including a special anniversary website, which they invite you to visit: www.unifem.org/cedaw30.

The website contains:

• Examples of CEDAW's successful implementation from around the world, which serve to illustrate how national partners and the global community can work together to ensure gender equality is a reality for all women and girls.
• A calendar of regional and country level events being organized by the UN and its partners to celebrate the Convention's 30th anniversary.
• Information on the global anniversary celebration at UN headquarters in New York on 3rd December, 2009.
• Electronically available publications and resources on CEDAW.
• Background information on the Convention and its Optional Protocol.
• A link to Inter Press Service's special CEDAW website, which features articles on CEDAW's implementation and interviews with CEDAW experts from around the world.

16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence

Each year since 1991, tens of thousands of activists from every region of the world have taken part in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign. The campaign's central messages - women's rights are human rights and violence against women constitutes a violation of human rights - have been a rallying call of the women's movement. Recognizing that violence against women affects people from every country, race, class, culture, and religion, the 16 Days Campaign provides an opportunity for activists to work together in solidarity and draw upon this period of heightened international attention to gain support for their local efforts.

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) during 2008's 16 Days Campaign, millions of people pledged their support for ending violence against women (VAW) and upholding human rights. Building upon this momentum, the Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL) dedicated the 2009 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign to honoring groups and individuals who have committed to bringing VAW to the forefront of global attention, to encouraging everyone in their various capacities to take action to end VAW, and to demanding accountability for all of the promises made to eliminate VAW. Therefore, the 2009 theme was:

Commit · Act · Demand: We CAN End Violence Against Women!

Check out the website!

If you would like more information about the international 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign, please visit the official website www.cwgl.rutgers.edu/16days/home.html. Pictures from the 2008 16 Days Campaign can be viewed on Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/18578511@N04/. Are you on Facebook? Become a fan of "The Official 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign" fan page.

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is coordinated by the Center for Women's Global Leadership.

Words to Action Newsletter

The United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women produces an electronic newsletter on violence against women, called 'Words to Action'.

To download the latest edition, please visit: www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/vaw
Please note: the newsletter is a PDF file, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader or Access Adobe.

Violence Against Women Database

On 5 March 2009, Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro launched the Secretary-General's database on violence against women, hailing the database as the first global ‘one stop shop' for information on measures undertaken by Member States to address violence against women.

This publicly accessible and searchable database, developed in response to General Assembly resolution 61/143, provides information on all aspects of Member States' work to address violence against women, including:

• Legal frameworks;
• Policies, strategies and programmes;
• Institutional mechanisms;
• Preventive measures and training;
• Research and statistical data; and
• Other measures undertaken, such as engagement in international/regional initiatives, and the creation of specialized police, prosecutors, and courts.

The database will encourage exchange on initiatives and ideas, and the transfer of promising practices. It will facilitate learning and show how progress is being made. The database will also help understand what remains to be done. The database is available online at: www.un.org/esa/vawdatabase

The database entry for the United Kingdom can be viewed at:
webapps01.un.org/vawdatabase/countryInd.action?countryId=1368

For more information on the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women, visit: www.un.org/womenwatch/daw

WE CAN end all violence against women

The six-year, six-country, South Asian Campaign to End All Violence against Women - or the 'We Can' campaign - aims to deal with violence women endure daily, both within their homes and in the larger society in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

It recognises violence against women is rooted in gender inequality and that whether in homes or outside, it reflects the power structures in society which relegate the status of women to be only after that of men. Its starting point is, thus, to deal with conditions that systematically deny women their lives, health, rights, choices, and power in the family.

Launched in 2004 and being taken forward by over 1,810 organisations in the six countries, 'We Can' has raised large scale public awareness on bias, inequality, and violence against women, particularly domestic violence, and is a trigger for a new consciousness, attitudinal change and enhancement of rights.

It is allowing millions of ordinary men and women find their own solutions to violence in their homes and lives, and find ways to reject it.

We can end all violence against women

For more info, please visit: www.wecanendvaw.org

One In Three Women

A global campaign raising awareness about violence against women

One in Three© is a digital enterprise linking and building intercultural dialogue and relationships with anti-violence global activists/advocates, serving as an informational clearinghouse and raising awareness about violence against women.

Visit the One in Three© web site at: oneinthreewomen.com

Say NO to Violence against Women

Say NO to Violence against Women: www.unifem.org

UNIFEM is the women's fund at the United Nations. It provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies to foster women's empowerment and gender equality. For more information, visit: www.unifem.org/about/brochure.php

Dignity! Period.

Women are being forced to insert newspapers and rags as the basic essentials of sanitary products are now too expensive for the ordinary Zimbabwean woman. ACTion for South Africa (ACTSA) has announced a new and exciting development in the Dignity! Period. campaign by entering into an important partnership with Bodyform, the feminine hygiene manufacturers. Bodyform has joined forces with the ACTSA campaign, to ensure that the women in Zimbabwe are afforded their most basic human rights. Your help is needed to make a small but significant difference to the lives of the Zimbabwean women. For more information, please visit:
www.actsa.org/page-1022-Dignity! Period..html

The Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI)

Sexual violence (www.svri.org/violence.htm) is a violation of human rights and a serious public health problem. It has a profound impact on physical and mental health, both immediately and many years after the assault. To date, sexual violence has received insufficient attention from researchers, policy-makers and programme designers and it has been a long struggle to have it recognised as a legitimate public health issue.

The SVRI is an important contribution to eliminating sexual violence by simultaneously addressing the lack of research on the different aspects of sexual violence as well as drawing attention of a wide range of people including policy makers and the media, to this important public health issue.

We are building an experienced and committed network of researchers, policy makers, activists and donors who would ensure that the many dimension of sexual violence are addressed from the perspective different disciplines and with a multi-cultural outlook.

Sexual Violence Research Initiative flyer (PDF 315kB)
Please note: this report is a PDF file, requiring Adobe Acrobat Reader or Access Adobe.

For more information, visit: www.svri.org