New at ICRW

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From: International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) <International_Center_for_Researc@mail.vresp.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 12:48 PM
Subject: New at ICRW
To: yeye0124@gmail.com


 

International Center for Research on Women
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Our Work in Action
Gender-Equality
Related Slide Show: Meet Prachi and Her Older Brother Dhiraj »

Photo © David Snyder/ICRW
 

Finding Her Voice

Prachi Chavan and Brother Live Lessons of Gender Equality

Prachi Chavan thought that girls couldn’t be free to make decisions for their own lives.

Her view – and her hopes – changed after she became part of a school-based ICRW program in India that promotes equitable behaviors and attitudes between girls and boys. A girl, Prachi says, “can do anything boys can do.” More »

 

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Photo © David Snyder/ICRW

ICRW's mission is to empower women, advance gender equality and fight poverty in the developing world. To accomplish this, ICRW works with partners to conduct empirical research, build capacity and advocate for evidence-based, practical ways to change policies and programs.

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Commentary: Gender Equality, Not a Zero-Sum Game

 

The economic downturn, coupled with women’s rising dominance in the labor force, has spawned new arguments on the gender wars, the latest, in a recent Newsweek cover story, “Men’s Lib.” Unfortunately, the thinking still too often goes that men are getting their comeuppance while women are finally getting ahead. But is it really a zero-sum game? ICRW expert Gary Barker offers his view. More »


 technology-economically-strengthens-women
 
Donors and private corporations are recognizing technology’s role in addressing global development matters.

Photo © David Snyder/ICRW

Unlocking Women’s Economic Potential Through Technology


ICRW is collaborating with the U.K.-based Cherie Blair Foundation for Women to identify technologies that are helping women entrepreneurs overcome barriers unique to them.  More »
 

PERSPECTIVES BLOG

Girl Power in Tanzania

A Journey from Shy to Confident

Nine adolescent girls take on new roles as leaders with important opinions to share on how to address their vulnerability to HIV. More »

ICRW Media Coverage

A Less Visible Solution to Hunger

The Des Moines Register, Oct. 1

In a guest column for Iowa's The Des Moines Register newspaper, ICRW’s David Kauck  explains that to make a significant dent in chronic hunger and jump-start economic growth, global food security strategies must address the underlying social inequities between women and men. More »

Events

8th Annual Irene Tinker Lecture on Women and Development

This year, the Irene Tinker Lecture Series will feature Dr. Lourdes Arizpe, professor and researcher at the Regional Center for Multidisciplinary Research at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). More »

When: Oct. 10, 5:00 p.m. – 6:20 p.m.
Where: School of International Service (SIS) Building
Founders’ Room
4400 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C.
For questions contact Crystal Wright at 202.885.1657 or idpsis@american.edu

ICRW Jobs at a Glance

Program Associate
Accounting Manager
Senior Technical Specialist
Senior Admin Assistant Office to the President

For a complete list of employment opportunities at ICRW, please visit careers and jobs at ICRW.

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Mobilizing Communities To Address Gender-Based Violence

Note examples of men and boys putting on street plays to combat gender-based violence.  FYI. --Randal

Mobilizing Communities To Address Gender-Based Violence

Posted by Melanne Verveer / September 30, 2010

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About the Author: Melanne Verveer serves as Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues.

Violence against women and girls cuts across ethnicity, race, class, religion, and education level. It knows no international borders. It can affect women and girls at any point in their lives, from sex-selective feticide and infanticide, to the inadequate healthcare and nutrition given to girls, to female genital mutilation, child marriage, trafficking, domestic violence, so-called “honor” killings, dowry-related murder, the neglect and ostracism of widows, and more. As Secretary Clinton has said, this violence isn't “cultural;” it's criminal. Gender-based violence isn't a “women's issue;” it's the world's issue. The challenge cannot be confronted by women alone. Men and boys are our crucial allies in the campaign to end violence against women. And in India, some boys and men are taking this message to heart.

Last November when I was in India, I launched the Garima (“dignity” in Hindi) program, a USAID- funded project that aims to enhance the ability of women to advocate for their rights in the Indian parliament and state legislatures; deter gender-based violence, female feticide and child marriage; and increase the participation of Muslim women in mainstream social, economic and political processes.

Garima helps raise awareness about these issues among the local community, including key stakeholders, such as young men, boys, and religious leaders, and it works to change attitudes about the acceptability of violence. Garima has strengthened the implementation of key pieces of legislation in India, including the Domestic Violence Act, the Prevention of Child Marriage Act, and the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Technical Act. In Rajasthan and New Delhi, the program trains healthcare providers, who are often the first point of contact for women facing violence, in how to counsel women and report the violence through the justice system. The program also trains prosecutors and community-based groups, creating a network of legal and healthcare support to take care of survivors' needs.

When I returned to India earlier this month, I had the opportunity to meet with the men and women who are partners on this program. Some of the religious leaders involved in this project have encouraged communities to celebrate girls' births. As a result, over 53,000 people in one community in Rajasthan have pledged their opposition to prenatal sex selection.

I checked in with another Garima project that works with Muslim women to help them understand their rights within Islam, including their right to choose their own husbands, seek their mahr (marital gift) upon divorce, and live lives free of violence. The program is currently working with imams to help raise their awareness of women's rights, and is now providing legal aid, counseling, and microfinance opportunities to Muslim women who have been abused.

I also visited the Independent Commission for People's Rights and Development (ICPRD), a Garima project that mobilizes hundreds of men and boys from low-income and rural communities in Rajasthan and Karnataka to create street plays and performances that address the problem of violence against women.

During last year's visit, I watched Rajasthani men perform a street play that portrayed the negative effects of child sex selection, domestic violence, child marriage, and sexual harassment in their community. The message of the performance resonated throughout the community, from women and girls, to men and boys, to the young and old, and to individuals who were unable to read or understand in more formal ways. The performances had the ability to change the norms and perceptions that perpetuate violence against women; they spread awareness in the community and turned boys and men into champions for the cause.

In Chennai, I watched a similar performance. When I asked the young men why they participated in the program, I was touched by their heartfelt responses. One boy told me about his older sister, who was being forced to marry a man more than twice her age. Another young man told me the pain he experienced watching his younger sister teased and jeered at whenever she walked through the street. These young men believed the violence and coercion their sisters and mothers faced was not a women's problem or a man's problem, but was everyone's problem to address.

I was struck by the confidence, self-esteem, and pride the performances instilled in the young men. They acknowledged that while they were promoting the rights of women and girls, they were in essence empowering themselves. It was their voices that were changing mindsets; they were helping to realign values, and, in standing up for women's rights, they were protecting their families and their community at large.

On September 18th, I was delighted to present the screening of a documentary created by ICPRD entitled “Youth Forums Against Gender Based Violence,” which depicts the remarkable efforts these men and boys have undertaken. I hope this film will take the story of these young men even more widely than their live performances do.

Addressing, preventing, and raising awareness about gender-based violence is a particular focus of my office, and we are working to ensure that men and boys are an integral part of our strategy. We hope to see initiatives such as Garima blossom and flourish within India, and beyond.

TechWomen Launches Today

From: Maughan, Chelsea V [mailto:MaughanCV@state.gov] On Behalf Of Stock, Ann
Sent: Thursday, September 30, 2010 4:04 PM
To: Stock, Ann
Subject: TechWomen Launches Today

Good news! TechWomen, a new program from the U.S. State Department, launched today.

TechWomen will send 38 professional mentorships for women from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the West Bank and Gaza who are emerging leaders in technical fields to the United States for a five-week, project-based mentoring program at premier technology companies.

Secretary Clinton first announced the creation of TechWomen at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in April 2010.  By pairing Middle Eastern & North African professionals with their counterparts in Silicon Valley, this program supports several of Secretary Clinton’s priorities. This is a ground-breaking program that will empower women around the world.

TechWomen is a public-private partnership, with a number of leading U.S. technology companies committed to participating in the program, including Google, Facebook, CA Technologies, Cisco Systems, Microsoft Corporation, IBM, Catapult Design, Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, and BASIC (Bay Area Science and Innovation Consortium), a consortium of more than 20 institutions including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, SRI International, Agilent Technologies, Symantec, and Sandia National Laboratories. 

ECA has awarded a grant of over $1 million to the Institute of International Education and its West Coast Center in San Francisco, in partnership with the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, to administer the TechWomen program.

If you are interested in learning more about this effort or are a technology company looking to get involved, please visit www.techwomen.org or contact Dana Rosenberg at rosenbergdc@state.gov.   

We look forward to welcoming the first cadre of women this spring.

Ann Stock

Assistant Secretary

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

SA-5

2200 C Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20522

(202)-632-6445

Follow me on Twitter at @AnnatState

Invitation: mWomen@State event Oct. 7

Click here to download:
mwomen Oct 7 invite.docx (68 KB)
(download)

The Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues and the GSMA
Join Tech@State for a Special Event:
mWomen@State
October 7, 2010
1:30pm - 4:30pm EST
Loy Henderson Auditorium, U.S. Department of State


Why is a woman 21% less likely to own a mobile phone than a man in the developing world?
What benefits do mobile phones bring to women, particularly in developing regions?
What can be done to close the gender digital divide?

Following an announcement by Secretary Clinton as part of the State Department's commitment to close the gender gap and increase opportunities for women, join the Secretary's Office of Global Women's Issues and the GSMA for a Tech@State event on extending telecommunications technologies to women worldwide. This is an open invitation; please share with those who would benefit from the collaboration!
RSVP Join the discussion, submit questions, and follow the event live at http://tech.state.gov/group/mwomen
Get updates on Twitter from @techATstate and @S_GWI

1:15pm Arrive at State Department's C street entrance: 2201 C St NW, Washington D.C.

1:15-2:00 Tech Alley and light refreshments in the Diplomatic Reception Room

2:00 pm Welcome & Opening Remarks by: Robert Hormats, Under Secretary for Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs, Department of State
Chris Locke, Managing Director, GSM Association (GSMA) Development Fund

2:15 pm Session I: Mobile Technologies as an Effective Tool for Women's Empowerment and
Global Development

* Moderator: Maura O'Neill, Senior Counselor for Innovation to the Administrator, USAID * Yvette Alberdingk-Thijm, Executive Director, Witness
* David Aylward Executive Director of mHealth Alliance, UN Foundation
* Rajiv Bawa, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Uninor
* Ellen Blackler, Executive Director of Regulatory Planning and Policy, AT&T
* Trina DasGupta, mWomen Program Director, GSMA Development Fund

3:15 pm Break

3:45 pm Session II: Closing the Gender Divide through Innovation: Policies, Programs, Costs, and Cultural Norms

* Moderator: Sonal Shah, Director, Office of Innovation, White House
* Suren Amarasekera, CEO, Mobitel * Lee Epting, Director of Branded Content, Vodafone Group
* Nancy Lee, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Treasury Department
* Ambassador Vonya McCann, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Sprint Nextel Corporation

4:45 pm Closing Remarks by Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues

Program ends and guests leave

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You're invited to a Congressional Briefing: What did the 2010 International AIDS Conference Mean for Women?

From: Management Sciences for Health [mailto:communications@msh.org]
Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 2:52 PM
To: Joyce Warner
Subject: You're invited to a Congressional Briefing: What did the 2010 International AIDS Conference Mean for Women?

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What Did the 2010 International AIDS Conference Mean for Women?


Join the Women and Gender Working Group of the Global AIDS Roundtable, in conjunction with the Office of Congresswoman Barbara Lee, for a review and discussion on the 2010 International AIDS Conference (IAC) in Vienna.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010
2-4 pm
122 Cannon House Office Building
Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.

RSVP with name and affiliation.
 
From the Global Fund to USAID to the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, what impact did the conference have on their plans for initiatives and programs? How did the Millennium Development Goals Summit help to identify the essential interconnection between HIV & AIDS and other issues for meeting the MDGs for women? As the planning begins for the U.S. to host the 2012 IAC; advocates, elected officials, and program implementers all have a role in ensuring the needs of all women are included, respected, and advanced.

Moderator:
Janet Fleischman
, Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies

Panelists:
Rose Khasiala-Amolo, Senior Technical Advisor, HIV/AIDS, CEDPA
Dr. Akudo Anyanwu Ikemba, Founder and CEO, Friends of the Global Fund Africa
Ebony Johnson, North American Representative, ICW Global
Daniela Ligiero, Senior Advisor for Gender, Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
Catherine Severo, Project Director, Grant Management Solutions, Management Sciences for Health

Co-sponsored by: Ipas, Management Sciences for Health, Global AIDS Alliance, International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS, and Population Action International.

 
 Stronger health systems. Greater health impact.


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Egypt gets open-source mapping to beat sexual harassment

Egypt gets open-source mapping to beat sexual harassment

Posted By Suzanne Merkelson
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Egypt is infamous both for the sexual harassment women endure and the government's lackluster response to the problem. Now, a private venture called HarassMap will allow women to instantly report incidents of sexual harassment through text messages. Victims will receive a reply offering support and practical advice, and reports will be compiled into a larger map of harassment hotspots. The project is set to launch next year, and utilizes open-source mapping technology, which was also used earlier this year to help relief efforts after the Haitian earthquake.

According to the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights, a Cairo-based NGO, 83 percent of Egyptian women surveyed said they had experienced sexual harassment, including groping, lewd comments, and stalking. Almost half reported harassment on a daily basis. And belying popular belief, harassment incidents do not seem to be linked to revealing outfits -- three-quarters of victims were veiled at the time of incident. There are currently no laws prohibiting harassment. Egypt's first lady, Suzanne Mubarak, has even said that the media exaggerates the threat posed by sexual harassment.

The most recent statistics available place Egyptian mobile phone users at around 40 percent of the population and the female literacy rate at about 60 percent. While HarassMap could be important on a practical level for those women able to access it, those working on the project think it could change societal norms.

Rebecca Chiao, one of the volunteers behind the project told Britain's Guardian.

"In the last couple of years there's been a debate in Egypt over whether harassment of women on the streets is a serious issue, or whether it's something women are making up. So HarassMap will have an impact on the ground by revealing the extent of this problem. It will also offer victims a practical way of responding, something to fight back with; as someone who has experienced sexual harassment personally on the streets of Cairo, I know that the most frustrating part of it was feeling like there was nothing I could do."

U.S. cities, including New York and Washington, and entire countries like Britain and Australia, already have similar maps where citizens can report incidents by e-mail. Hollaback, first started in New York, is also in the process of launching an iPhone app.

Passport, FP’s flagship blog, brings you news and hidden angles on the biggest stories of the day, as well as insights and under-the-radar gems from around the world.

UNDP-IKEA Project Supports Women's Empowerment

India: public-private partnership helps women change rules

http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2010/september/india-public-private-partnership-helps-women-change-rules.en;jsessionid=a9oIqe8kxwT-

 

Women clamor to sign the Women’s Empowerment Charter in Sant Ravidas Nagar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, India. © Niklas Hallen, UNDP India

A public-private initiative setting up self-help groups among rural women in one of India’s poorest and most populous states has created a dramatic increase in political awareness and participation.

The social programme to create female entrepreneurs in eastern Uttar Pradesh, in northern India, has led to a 100 percent increase over the last five years in voter registration for some villages in the region.

While the new joint initiative between Swedish home-furnishing emporium IKEA and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) started in 2009, women’s empowerment had already been a focus in Uttar Pradesh over the last 10 years for the UN and IKEA.

So far the five-year programme has created 238 self-help groups to boost literacy and leadership among 50,000 women in the 500 villages of the districts of Jaunpur, Mirzapur and Sant Ravidas Nagar.

The groups are now able to access small loans offered through national financial institutions to set up enterprises, for example within the dairy and crafts industries. Group-based loan applications can be more successful, especially where individual applicants are without collateral, and in a country where two-thirds of the population lacks access to the banking system.

One group member, 35-year-old Samodha Devi, received a loan for the equivalent of US$215 to buy a buffalo and now she earns 32 cents per litre of milk. Her earnings are likely to increase when she joins a women-led dairy federation supported by UNDP.

The groups have created new awareness among women like Devi of the importance of participation in local decision-making and democratic processes such as council elections.

“Through participating in the political process, availing of entitlements and building economic identities, the project has demonstrated the power of women’s leadership in a short span of time,” said Caitlin Wiesen, UNDP Country Director in India.

“We are witnessing a unique convergence of agencies, schemes, resources and knowledge which is helping women voice their priorities and make a difference in the development process in their villages,” said Wiesen.

As part of the UNDP-IKEA project, group members are travelling through villages with a 12-point charter on women’s empowerment. The 10-foot tall charter aims to raise awareness of initiatives that can help them.

The goal of promoting empowerment of women is one of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that will be reviewed at a high level UN summit in New York between 20-22 September.

The MDGs aim to substantially reduce poverty and hunger; empower women; increase access to essential services of education, healthcare, clean water and sanitation; reduce the incidence of specific deadly diseases; protect the environment; and forge strong global partnerships for development.

One of the indicators for the MDG goal on women’s empowerment is the proportion of seats held by women in national parliament.

For more on India and the MDGs, see:
http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/2010/september/achieving-mdgs-in-india.en 

 

IREX/WWC Regional Policy Symposium on Gender Issues in EE/Eurasia

_____________________________________________
From: Sarah Shields
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 11:14 AM
To: EPD; Everyone; Bulletin Board
Cc: Sarah Shields
Subject: IREX/WWC Regional Policy Symposium on Gender Issues in EE/Eurasia

Dear Colleagues,
Could you please forward the announcement below to your US host listservs, friends, and/or classmates?
Thank you!
Sarah

**Grant Opportunity for Graduate/PhD Students, Pre-Tenure Faculty, Scholars, and Professionals**

2011 IREX/WWC Regional Policy Symposium:
GENDER IN THE 21st CENTURY EASTERN EUROPE AND EURASIA

Application Deadline: December 10, 2010

IREX, in collaboration with the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Kennan Institute (WWC), is pleased to announce its 2011 Regional Policy Symposium, “Gender in the 21st Century Eastern Europe and Eurasia.”

The research symposium, supported by the United States Department of State (Title VIII Program), will bring American junior and senior scholars and members of the policy community together to examine and discuss gender and women’s issues in Eastern Europe and Eurasia from multi-disciplinary perspectives. Topics may include: education, migration, trafficking, women in politics, domestic violence, and economic opportunities, among others.

Junior scholars will be chosen based on a national competition to present their current research on the topic of the Symposium. Grants will be awarded to approximately ten junior scholars.

The Symposium is scheduled to take place April 5-8, 2011 in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area and will involve two full days of reviews of current research projects, roundtable discussions, and the development of policy recommendations. 

Technical Eligibility Requirements:
  • Applicants must be US citizens

  • Applicants must either be currently enrolled in an MA, MS, MBA, JD, or PhD program or have held a graduate degree for 10 years or less.  Applicants who hold an academic post must be pre-tenure.

Grant Provisions:
  • Round-trip airfare (provided by IREX through its travel office) and/or surface transportation from anywhere in the United States to the symposium site.

  • Meals and accommodations for the duration of the symposium.

To receive more information on the 2011 Regional Policy Symposium, please send e-mail inquiries to Symposium@irex.org

Application materials are available on the IREX website at: http://www.irex.org/project/regional-policy-symposium