Intersecting Pandemics and A Time for Action
This year will be defined by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also be defined by the global, exponential growth of violence against women and girls who were forced to shelter with their abusers. It is a year where the influence of frontline leaders and activists made a huge impact. Heads of State are making moves to create change - like South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa who called for an African Union and continental-wide treaty to end the violence. Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari made an even bolder call: for a Global Treaty to End Violence Against Women and Girls. This is a watershed moment. For seven years, along with thousands of frontline advocates, survivors, and citizens, we have made this our central mission - and we are grateful for your support every step of the way. But we cannot rest. We must secure support from every African Union nation and from every corner of the globe. The former President of Malawi, Joyce Banda now serves as our Special Envoy. Her Excellency is leading conversations with former and current African leaders including with Liberia’s former President, Nobel Peace Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. This is a moment unlike any before. 2020 brought great challenges but it has also brought us this historic opportunity to create the change necessary to create a life free from violence. Together. You were essential in getting us this far. Now, it’s all hands on deck! Here’s what you can do.
With warmest wishes for an exceptional 2021 and with profound gratitude, All of us at Every Woman Treaty |
GUEST POST: How Afghan Youth Are Empowering Women’s Voices During the Government-Taliban Peace Talks
By Taylor Bloch
Global attention has turned to Afghanistan, as over 100 international political leaders and 400 Afghan women’s rights activists have called for the incorporation of women’s rights into the potential peace agreement between the Government and the Taliban. At the core of this movement lies a particular demographic: young people. According to the United Nations Population Fund, youth under the age of 25 make up over 63% of Afghanistan’s total population. Over the past two decades of violent conflict, youth have emerged as a prominent voice for social and political change within the country, including mobilizing for women’s rights.
Women’s Rights and Afghan Government-Taliban Peace Talks
Elevating women’s voices is crucial now more than ever, as the ongoing peace talks aim to end 41 years of war between the Afghan Government and the Taliban, a militarized, Sunni Islamic fundamentalist political organization notorious for its repressive perceptions of women’s rights. The future of women’s rights is a hot topic at these negotiations, and predictions of whether gender equality will progress or regress remain uncertain.
As Jamile Bigio, a senior fellow in the Women and Foreign Policy program at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Delphi Cleaveland, a Masters graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, recently highlighted in their CNN article, “Many Afghan women fear that in this mix of contentious priorities, their rights could be traded for a chance at ending the conflict.”
To promote gender equality in these peace talks, it is key that women’s voices are not only heard, but that they are also actively incorporated into a peace agreement and implemented thereafter. Unfortunately, such an outcome is difficult given that women represent only 4 of the 21 Afghan Government negotiators. With few women physically present at the negotiating table, Afghanis must emphasize strategic and targeted activism to elevate their demands for gender equality.
How Are Youth Reacting?
One young woman, Sveto Muhammad Ishoq, who has worked as a volunteer with Every Woman Treaty since 2016, has uplifted women’s voices in Afghanistan this year by jumpstarting Chadari, a story-telling initiative that amplifies the diverse voices of Afghan women to a global audience. To deconstruct the singular image of Afghan women often portrayed by media and film, Ms. Ishoq shares stories and poems and hosts online events and trainings for women to share their personal experiences—from dealing with COVID-19 to surviving terrorist attacks to personal and professional success stories.
Rather than the stereotypical image of a singular veiled woman, Ms. Ishoq explains that Afghan women represent a world of “dualities.” She highlights the lives of educated and uneducated women, as well as experiences of heartwarming success and tragic realities. While these stories are not for the limited purpose of impacting the peace talks, Ms. Ishoq empowers women’s voices at a time when they often are silenced yet are urgently in need of being heard.
Ms. Ishoq emphasizes that she is not alone in her work to empower Afghan women’s voices. “Youth open the doors for other people and inspire. They are the changemakers,” states Ms. Ishoq. She notes that recent terrorist attacks, such as the tragic events at Kabul University in early November, have targeted Afghanistan’s young people, alluding to how political and social opponents aim to quell their appeals for human rights. As mentioned in a recent article published by Al Jazeera, Sami Mahdi, a professor at Kabul University, recalls that his students were “getting an education to better Afghanistan or fight for women’s rights, while others just wanted a secure life in a country racked by 20 years of bloody conflict.”
Due to the risk of physical harm they face by speaking out, young people increasingly turn to social media to voice their political aspirations for equality, criticism of the Taliban, and demands from the government in the ongoing peace talks, according to one Foreign Policy article. Recently, young Afghan activists sparked a Twitter social media campaign titled “Feminine Perspectives” to bring attention to what women demand from the peace negotiations. Beginning with women’s and girls’ education rights, the campaign highlights a different women’s rights issue each week and is succeeding in increasing the dialogue around gender equality.
Looking Forward
Ms. Ishoq and the “Feminine Perspectives” campaign reflect only a small fraction of the political and social activism by Afghan youth gaining traction this year. Rather, they are accompanied by the built-up political dissatisfaction of millions of young people, many of whom are likely watching with keen eyes which direction their country takes regarding women’s rights. By sharing the stories of women in Afghanistan, their experiences hopefully will translate into a peace agreement that acknowledges the need for immediate initiatives to incorporate women into all sectors of Afghan society. However, the fate of gender equality now lies in the hands of the male-dominated negotiators.
While Ms. Ishoq notes that the future of women’s rights in Afghanistan remains a “question mark,” she also states, “I try to stay positive. I always want to portray a positive story [of Afghanistan].” The stakes are high for gender equality at this negotiation table, but Afghan youth are putting their best efforts forward to ensure women’s voices are heard.
About the Author
Taylor Bloch
Taylor Bloch interned with Every Woman Treaty during the Summer of 2020. Bloch is a third-year student in the Honors Program at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She studies International Affairs, Political Science, and Spanish. She is a gender activist and aspires to apply her skills to a future career working at the intersection of women’s and LGBTQ+ rights, foreign policy, and international development.
From Zainab Ali Khan: Pakistan in Focus
As women and girls across the globe have been forced to shelter with their abusers, reports of violence increased, and we are reminded that the frontlines exist in our own homes, communities, and nations.
In Pakistan, violence against women is again in the headlines: a lawyer and mother of six was abducted, raped, and tortured for four days by three unknown men after she attended court hearings. After a video of the survivor was circulated online, a social media movement calling for the end of rape culture in Pakistan trended.
The online treatment of female journalists increasingly worsened for Pakistani women. 36 female journalists signed a statement, accusing their online abusers for morphing their photographs and making sexual slurs and threats towards them. Online attacks have been speculated to be instigated by government officials due to the female journalists’ criticism of the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pakistani women are tired of the dangers they face in all areas of life. Whether it’s doing their jobs or being the voices for those less vulnerable, they deserve to live a life free of violence and abuse in all forms.
Our colleague Zainab Ali Khan reminds us that standing up to misogyny is a heroic act all by itself.
This week, she analyzes the mistreatment of women in Pakistan, but also why hope still remains.
“The rape, torture, and abduction of a woman doctor in the time of COVID-19, the honor killing of another that's conveniently been dubbed a suicide, and the harassment of women who speak their mind online - THIS from a nation whose founding father, Mohmmad Ali Jinnah, recognized that the power of the sword and the pen both pale in comparison to the power of women! However, even in these dark times, hope remains! Stories such as that of Tabassum Adnan remind us that the women of Pakistan have traded their bangles for fists. Kudos to Academy Award-winning Director, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, for shining a spotlight on these stories! In violent times, showing a mirror that reflects the misogyny of your culture is a heroic act in itself!"
This year, your support will ensure that frontline activists can continue to be the champions for global systems change necessary to create a life free from violence.
MORE TO READ: Justice demanded for Female lawyer abducted and raped
Pakistani women journalists face online abuse
Zainab Ali Khan, Founding Working Group Member of Every Woman Treaty, is a Gender Specialist with over 10 years of work experience in the Development and Corporate sectors of Pakistan. Belonging to a conservative family, Ms Ali Khan had to fight for her right to a foreign education. She is the first woman in her family to be sent abroad for further education. Ms Ali Khan’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine (USA) in English Literature with a minor in Women’s Studies. She also holds a Master’s degree from the University of Toronto (Canada) in Women and Gender Studies. Ms Ali Khan was awarded full scholarships for both degrees. During her time at the Women and Gender Institute of University of Toronto, Ms Ali Khan extensively researched honor crimes in Pakistan for her dissertation entitled, “Honor Crimes in Pakistan: A Critical Analysis of the Zina and Qisas & Diyat Ordinances.”
Ending the Culture of Violence, Yudit Zicklin-Sidikman
Every Woman Treaty would like to highlight Yudit Zicklin-Sidikman, Founder and President of ESD Global Inc., a global organization working to establish Empowerment Self Defense as the key violence strategy for women and vulnerable populations.
Yudit has been a longtime supporter of Every Woman and a dedicated advocate for fighting violence against women and children. Through her work, she has supported programs and projects that help women and girls learn how to recognize and respond as abuse develops, specifically, at the moment that they feel in danger. Her key focus is to strengthen prevention programs so that we can see a world with less trauma, less pain, and overall less violence around the world. Now, more than ever with the COVID-19 pandemic, we are seeing an uptick of domestic and child abuse cases and a lack of resources for vulnerable populations to protect themselves due to nationwide lockdowns and closures. Yudit is calling for supporters to help end this vicious cycle of violence against women and children.
Check out ESD Global’s call to Ending the Culture of Violence and their free course on empowerment self-defense.
READ MORE:
Child Abuse Cases Drop 51 Percent. The Authorities are Very Worried
A Pandemic Within a Pandemic — Intimate Partner Violence during COVID-19
Pakistan in Focus: From Zainab Ali Khan, Founding Working Group Member
Zainab Ali Khan, Founding Working Group Member of Every Woman Treaty, is a Gender Specialist with over 10 years of work experience in the Development and Corporate sectors of Pakistan. Belonging to a conservative family, Ms Ali Khan had to fight for her right to a foreign education. She is the first woman in her family to be sent abroad for further education. Ms Ali Khan’s educational background includes a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine (USA) in English Literature with a minor in Women’s Studies. She also holds a Master’s degree from the University of Toronto (Canada) in Women and Gender Studies. Ms Ali Khan was awarded full scholarships for both degrees. During her time at the Women and Gender Institute of University of Toronto, Ms Ali Khan extensively researched honor crimes in Pakistan for her dissertation entitled, “Honor Crimes in Pakistan: A Critical Analysis of the Zina and Qisas & Diyat Ordinances.”
Ali Khan’s work in the development sector of Pakistan includes working as a Documentation Specialist for a USAID funded Gender Equity Program worth USD 38 million – one of the biggest gender equity initiatives in the country. She has also worked for Women on Board, an initiative of the South Asian Federation of Exchanges that aims to address the acute imbalance of women professionals on corporate boards and higher management in Pakistan. She has also worked with AASA Consulting, a firm that specializes in social policy and human resource management.
She is the author of a number of publications including case studies, success stories, reports, and a magazine. As a women’s rights activist who feels very passionately about gender equality, Ms Ali Khan has had the opportunity to speak about women’s empowerment in Pakistan and internationally.
This week, she analyzes the mistreatment of women in Pakistan, but also why hope still remains.
“The rape, torture, and abduction of a woman doctor in the time of COVID-19, the honor killing of another that's conveniently been dubbed a suicide, and the harassment of women who speak their mind online - THIS from a nation whose founding father, Mohmmad Ali Jinnah, recognized that the power of the sword and the pen both pale in comparison to the power of women! However, even in these dark times, hope remains! Stories such as that of Tabassum Adnan remind us that the women of Pakistan have traded their bangles for fists. Kudos to Academy Award-winning Director, Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, for shining a spotlight on these stories! In violent times, showing a mirror that reflects the misogyny of your culture is a heroic act in itself!"
MUST READS: Justice demanded for Female lawyer abducted and raped
Pakistani women journalists face online abuse
Dr. Anyouzoa: Inflection Point in Cameroon
Women’s rights are human rights. And human rights are women’s rights. The escalation of preventable violence in Cameroon underscores the need for a binding, global treaty that levels the law for victims and survivors. This week our Senior Policy Research Fellow, Dr. Jeanne Anyouzoa shares her analysis.
“Violence against women is taking a gruesome turn in Cameroon, a country in Central Africa, where a civil war has been raging since 2017 as the result of a failed bid at culturally and politically assimilating an English-speaking minority in the Southwest part of the country. Graphic videos depict the murder of women at the hands of rebel groups. Violence allegedly perpetrated by government forces have been widely condemned by human right groups and foreign chancelleries.
“A close analysis of these incidents illustrates the increasingly barbaric crimes are an epiphenomenon of deeply ingrained cultural biases against women across ethnic, social, and political lines in a country where, interestingly, the leadership is genuinely promoting the welfare and wellbeing of women and girls.
“These recent events in Cameroon should be a wakeup call for all who are not yet convinced of the necessity of a binding treaty to protect women and girls everywhere. Every Woman Treaty’s clarion call for this binding treaty is more than a rallying cry.
"The souls of those sisters speak to us. The souls of those sisters speak to the world."
MUST READ: Cameroon CIvilians Protest Growing Separatist Barbarism, Increasing Violence (VOA)
Dr. Anyouzoa has grounded experience in the development of national public health programs, strategic plans, policies and guidelines in Cameroon, has secured donor and domestic resources, and provided technical support for their implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
Dr. Jeanne Anyouzoa is an Educational Commission For Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) board-certified medical doctor with over seven years of work experience in Sub-Saharan Africa. She has successfully provided leadership for health system strengthening and implementation of national communicable and non-communicable diseases, and emergency/trauma programs in Cameroon-West Africa. Dr. Anyouzoa was the abstract poster laureate of the American Academy of Paediatric/Primary Urgent Care (AAP/PUC) conference on Emergency Medicine in Florida in November 2018.
Passionate about addressing social disparities in health care through community outreach, health education, policy development, and advocacy, Dr. Anyouzoa has worked with the University of Washington and King County, Washington State, USA conducting health access and cost-effectiveness research.
Must Reads: Rates of Violence Against Women and Girls Continue to Rise Amid Pandemic
In this week’s Must Reads: exploring the methods of gathering true and accurate data on domestic violence in South Africa, Save the Children and their efforts in combatting the rise of sexual violence cases in Venezuela, HRW report finds that LGBTQ+ individuals are more likely to face interpersonal violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, how a group of men are helping to end femicide and VAWG in Mexico, 3 women who fleed Boko Haram now face jail time and charges in suspicion of being a part of the terrorist group and more.
- South Africa. Are we collecting the right amount of data during the COVID-19 pandemic to tell us the whole story on the rates of violence against women in households? “Rigorous studies on the impact of pandemics on levels of violence against women and children are scarce. It’s difficult to ensure the safety of women who are asked to respond to questions about their experiences of abuse, so the accuracy of the information gathered is likely to be questionable.” (Relief Web)
- Venezuela. Rates of violence against women and children in their households are spiking in Venezuela, a state already facing a destroyed economy and social crisis. Save the Children, a humanitarian aid organization aimed at improving the lives of children worldwide and providing resources to countries hit by devastating emergencies, has reported that “the majority of cases concern sexual violence against children, and psychological and physical violence against women by their partners.” (Vatican News)
- Human Rights Campaign report finds that LGBTQ individuals are more likely to face interpersonal violence, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. “To address the high rate of interpersonal violence in the LGBTQ community, which research shows is likely to increase during COVID-19, HRC is calling on Congress to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), originally passed by Congress and signed into law by President Clinton in 1994 and reauthorized by strong bipartisan majorities in 2000, 2005, and 2013.” (Human Rights Campaign)
- A group of men who want to end femicide rates and violence against women in Mexico. Arturo Reyes, a psychologist and staff member of Gendes, an organization made to help men stop the campaign of violence against women, has seen the spike in calls for support during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Deutsche Welle)
- After crossing the border to Nigeria in 2014, in hopes of a better life, three women from Cameroon decided to go back in search of safety during the height of the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. Now, they are in limbo, having served over 5 years in jail for being members of the militant group that they tried to escape from. "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time," explains Marie-Lina Samuel, Africa Project Coordinator at the organisation ECPM (Together Against the Death Penalty).” (RFI)
IN FOCUS - NIGERIA:
Dr. Anita Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, a gynecologist who works at The Women at Risk International Foundation, a rape crisis center in Lagos, Nigeria, talks on the concerning rates of rape and violence against women in Nigeria and the difficulties that women and girls face as they have to shelter in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Violence against women and girls is one of the most pervasive forms of a human rights violation and should be recognized by all countries," DaSilva-Ibru said.” (CNN)
Damboa. Ten Nigerian soldiers killed by Boko Haram insurgents near Damboa, a town in Nigeria’s Borno State. (Sahara Reporters)
Jihadists in NE Nigeria kill 11, others missing. (Ahram Online)
Rape as another pandemic (Guardian NG)