Gun Violence & Women
By Emily Imhoff, Policy and Grassroots Outreach Fellow
March 7, 2016 - When I moved to Washington D.C. from Ohio, close family members and friends became increasingly concerned about my safety. Ignorant of DC gun laws, a family for whom I regularly dog sit suggested I obtain my concealed carry license. One cousin joked over voicemail, “congrats on your big move! Dangerous city! I want to buy you a gun as a graduation gift.” Ohio is a concealed carry state, meaning you are free to carry a concealed handgun within Ohio after you submit an application and check off a number of requirements (including passing a background check, reading through the Attorney General’s pamphlet, and submitting to have your fingerprints scanned), with the exception of off-limits locations listed on the Ohio Attorney General’s website. Although guns typically make me feel uneasy, I am all too used to hearing about the potential benefits of owning a handgun…even my family owns a fully stocked gun cabinet.
Leaving no one behind: Counting all people, because all of them count
Demographic data are fundamental to developing and assessing social and economic policies, including those focused on poverty reduction, and they provide an essential evidence base for national and local policymakers. The need for high-quality, timely, reliable and relevant demographic data has gained prominence in light of the recent adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in which population-related issues underpin many of the goals and targets.
It is therefore quite timely that the theme of the Commission on Population and Development in 2016 is “Strengthening the demographic evidence base for the post-2015 development agenda”.
The upcoming session of the Commission will consider this topic from 11 to 15 April at UN Headquarters in New York. It is expected that the discussions will focus on the critical importance of demographic data and analysis for achieving sustainable development and for ensuring that no one is left behind, and on how the demographic evidence base can be strengthened to help achieve the objectives of the 2030 Agenda.
Direct Link to Full 2-PAGE 2016 Document:
The majority of non-agricultural workers in most regions of the developing world work in the informal economy. When agriculture is added to that, the percentages are even higher. Importantly, in many countries, a higher percentage of women workers than men are engaged in the informal economy.
Yet despite their numbers, the contributions of informal workers to cities, communities, and the economy as a whole are not well recognized.
Organizing gives the poorest segments of the working class – those working in the informal economy, especially women – a way to be heard by the decision makers who can affect their lives.
Informal workers are coming together to amplify their visibility, voice and power, and local organizations are uniting into federations and networks nationally, regionally and globally.
Make Mothers Matter – MMM - http://www.mmmeurope.org/en/home
Direct Link to Full 12-Page 2016 Report:
http://www.makemothersmatter.org/ficdoc/2016_MMM_R_Bruxelles.pdf
