IFAD – The International Fund for Agricultural Development
Zarizana Abdul Aziz & Janine Moussa, Due Diligence Project
Introduction
Violence against women is a violation of human rights and one of the most extreme and pervasive forms of discrimination against women, severely impairing and nullifying the enforcement of their rights.[1] Lack of strong societal condemnation of VAW and of proper enforcement of existing laws ‘operate as a means to maintain and reinforce women’s subordination’.[2] It is a major obstacle to achieving gender equality and a serious violation of the human rights of women and girls.
The Due Diligence Project set out to interrogate the prevalence of VAW, focusing on both the existence of laws, policies and programmes and more importantly, their implementation. The DDP reached out to over 300 civil society organisations in over 40 countries and asked them not only about what State policies, laws and programmes were initiated or supported by their own States but also their assessment on the effective implementation of such policies, laws and programmes.[3]
The Gender Equality Index provides a comprehensive measure of gender equality, tailored to fit the EU policy context. Following the importance of cohesion across EU Member States, the Gender Equality Index ensures that higher gender equality scores can only be obtained in societies where there are small gender gaps and high levels of achievement.
made in the pursuit of gender equality in the European Union and individual Member States over time. Moreover, the present update makes a first attempt at populating the satellite domain of violence by providing a composite indicator of direct violence against women, based on the data on violence against women collected by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights through the EU-wide Survey on Violence against Women.
In today’s world, risks to women “whistleblowers,” are critical, even fatal. Whether reporting truths and testimony on military, UN forces, corporations, trafficking, legal infractions, corruption of all kinds…..women face enormous challenges to defend human rights and justice. They often face highly paid opposition lawyers, job loss, harassments, threats, and dangers to self, family, property, even death/murder. The courage and commitment of whistleblowers is often hidden, but they are brave, dedicated defenders for rights and justice for women, children, civil society, all.
The Whistleblower - Film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al3anBiHwmI
Rachel Weisz new drama, based on the experiences of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska policewoman who served as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and outed the U.N. for covering up a sex scandal.
Whistleblowers & The Mainstreaming of a Protection Within The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights
By Amantha Perera – 19 March 2015
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Women, who regularly suffer more fatalities than men during disasters, still lack adequate safety measures despite growing awareness of the dangers they face, experts warn.
“I think the big thinkers and the governments are aware of the dangers, but what they don’t seem to know is what needs to be done to reverse the trend,” Emilienne De Leon Aulina, the executive director of the Mexico-based International Network of Women’s Funds (INWF) said in a telephone interview.
Terry Odendahl executive director and CEO of Global Greengrants Fund (GGF), a U.S.-based non-governmental organisation that specialises in small grants of up to $5,000 for environmental projects, said that situation was clear during last December’s U.N. climate negotiations in Peru.
“There was a lot of rhetoric, but when it came to effective action on gender issues, there was back-sliding,” she said.
