European Roma Rights Center Complaint against Bulgaria declared admissible by the Council of Europe’s Social Rights Committee

Posted on March 12, 2008 by Administrator

Dear All,

With support from OSI’s Roma Health Project, the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) has filed a complaint with the Council of Europe, charging that Bulgaria systematically excludes Roma from access to health care. The ERRC is calling on the Bulgarian Government to take immediate action. The complaint specifically charges that Bulgaria is in violation of health-related Articles 11 and 13 of the Revised European Social Charter, and Article E on nondiscrimination.
On February 5, 2008, the Council of Europe’s European Committee of Social Rights declared the complaint admissible, paving the way for further independent review of the Roma health situation in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian government has until March 31 to submit a written response to the complaint.

According to the complaint, large numbers of Roma are unable to access health care services because they lack health insurance. Furthermore, the Bulgarian government has failed to put in place effective government policies to address the disproportionate health risks affecting Romani communities, or to eliminate widespread discriminatory practices against Roma in the provision of health services. The ERRC has received many complaints from Roma who are denied medical assistance as a result of discrimination, including pregnant Roma women who are frequently kept segregated from other women in maternity wards.

For further information, please contact ERRC Programs Coordinator and Senior Projects Manager Tara Bedard at tara.bedard@ errc.org or visit the ERRC website for the full text of the complaint.

Best wishes,
Eva Foldes
Program Coordinator, OSI Roma Health Project

movies for radical queer d.i.y. film festival

Posted on March 12, 2008 by Administrator

+++++++++++++++++++++++callout english+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Entzaubert radical queer d.i.y. film festival 15-18 May 2008 in Berlin on a queer squatted truck site.

for the second time we will create a space for queer films, their
directors and their audience. for 4 days the open air belongs to films,
which question heteronormativity and capitalism, promote diversity and
deconstruction of socially accepted constructions.

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Continue reading →

Femeile – intre politica demografica si demagogia politica

Posted on March 11, 2008 by doinas

De la ideea initiala si pana la 8 martie al anului 2008, multe s-au schimbat. De la Ziua Internationala a femeilor, ca moment al activismului si al pledoariei pentru schimbare sociala, care a adus impreuna femeile, pentru demonstratii si actiune politica globala, la sarbatoarea comerciala de astazi, drumul e sinuos si deloc favorabil femeilor.

De aceea, astazi, de 8 martie, vom scrie despre Ziua Internationala a Femeilor nu ca despre o oportunitate de a oferi unei femei o felicitare, ci ca un tablou real, in care se oglindeste conditia femeii din Romania.

Exista o prapastie intre obiectivele Uniunii Europene (si ale statului nostru, prin urmare) si felul in care este organizat spatiul social, relatiile economice. O discrepanta intre declaratii si fapte.
Uniunea Europeana este, dincolo de toate celelalte considerente o uniune economica. O zona in care se aplica niste reguli comune. Care si-a definit ca scop cresterea nivelului de trai si dezvoltarea economica durabila. Prin ce metode? Prin cresterea productivitatii muncii. Pornind de la ce baza? Sunt cateva elemente principale ca formarea profesionala continua, intrarea masiva a femeilor pe piata muncii si o intensa crestere demografica. Auzi, tu, se spune ca este necesar sa se nasca mai multi copii, desi este demonstrat ca, in zilele noastre, 30% dintre copiii Europei traiesc sub pragul de saracie. Pai, daca nu suntem in stare sa-i crestem decent, atunci de ce sa-i mai facem?
Oricum, dupa cum vedeti, viitorul UE se bazeaza pe ceea ce vom face noi, femeile, iar cerintele fata de noi sunt antagonice. Ni se cere sa ne implicam mult mai mult pe piata muncii, sa fim mai calificate, mai competitive si concomitent sa facem si sa crestem (bine, nu oricum!) mai multi copii. Cum sa facem toate astea, cand serviciile sociale sunt subfinantate sau lipsesc, cand protectia sociala e mai degraba o poveste decat o realitate, nu-mi dau seama.
In plan teoretic, guvernul sustine ca sprijina familiile in vederea cresterii copiilor. Cum o face? Eu va dau cifrele, decideti dumneavoastra. ..si daca practica nu se potriveste cu teoria, sa renuntam la practica?
Continue reading →

pre-8.3.2008

Posted on February 29, 2008 by ruxi

Un studiu realizat cu putin inainte de Ziua Internationala a Femeii, moment de bilant pentru miscarile feministe europene, arata ca inegalitatea dintre sexe ramane o problema.

— “Profesional, femeile nu castiga teren in fata barbatilor” (Curentul, 26.2.2008)

alte studii/campanii/pozitii institutionale (en):

“Economic aspects of the condition of Roma Women”
Former Irish president Mary Robinson now chairs a club for female heads of state; and with their help, she hopes to change the world.
March 8th in UK: capitalwoman, now in its eighth year, will kick off International Women’s Day on Saturday 8 March at Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and Central Hall Westminster.
Offering your chance to have a say in the way the capital is run, there’ll be an exciting programme of workshops, exhibitions, non-traditional careers and business advice as well as fashion, film comedy and music.

Don’t miss this chance to see Angela Davis, one of the most iconic faces of black politics in 1970s America, talk about her life and take questions.
Feb. 25th: The United Nations has launched a campaign to combat violence against women and girls, calling it a global scourge affecting a third of the world’s female population. The campaign will run until 2015, which is also the deadline for the U.N. Millennium Development Goals aimed at halving poverty.
The UN recognizes that:

– Gender inequities must be reduced if the Government is to reduce poverty because: (i) most of the poor are women, and they disproportionately bear the burden of poverty due to their multiple roles and disadvantaged position; (ii) women are traditionally primary production managers, small enterprise traders, primary cash earners, smallcredit users, and key agriculturists, yet their potentials have not been realized due to institutional, resource, and cultural barriers; and (iv) women are more likely to stimulate demand for better education and health delivery.

Scrisoare deschisa re: legalizarea prostitutiei

Posted on February 22, 2008 by ruxi

… Asociaţia Caritas Bucureşti împreună cu o puternică reţea de organizaţii non-guvernmentale au iniţiat un amplu program de informare şi conştientizare care atrage atenţia că prostituţia este o nouă formă de violenţă asupra femeii. Statisticile arată că rata mortalităţii şi morbidităţii femeilor implicate în prostituţie este de 40 de ori mai mare decât cea a populaţiei generale şi că aceste decese sunt aproape întotdeauna de tip violent, provocate de proxeneţi, traficanţi şi clienţi. Rata ridicată a mortalităţii, bolilor şi traumelor fizice şi psihice, demonstrează că guvernele trebuie să ia toate măsurile necesare pentru a elimina prostituţia, care este o formă de violenţă împotriva femeii şi o crimă împotriva demnităţii umane. …

— Intreaga scrisoare deschisa AICI (Open letter in English HERE)

si cateva resurse pe subiect aici

Latest WorldWatch: sustainable economies

Posted on February 22, 2008 by ruxi

Seven Principles for a Sustainable Global Economy

Ideas about how the world works that don’t accord with reality can be unhelpful … That’s especially true about mainstream economics. But in recent decades, economists and researchers have suggested a variety of reforms that would make economics truer, greener, and more sustainable. … seven of these from Chapter 1 of the Worldwatch Institute’s latest report, State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy:
1) Scale.
2) Stress development over growth.
3) Make prices tell the ecological truth.
4) Account for nature’s services.
5) The precautionary principle.
6) Commons management.
7) Value women.

Read: “Green Economics”: Turning Mainstream Thinking on Its Head

Maintaining Climate, Maintaining Peace

Climate stability, reduced poverty, and less inequality should be key goals of a far-sighted security policy … Even though peacekeeping budgets have been on a welcome incline in recent years, a comparison with world military spending indicates where most governments are really prepared to put their money.

Read: Peacekeeping, a Study in Contradictions.
Vital Signs Update: Peacekeeping Budgets and Personnel Soar to New Heights.

Living Sustainably

“More is better”—the modern economic mantra—is under attack as the environmental, economic, and personal downsides of consumerism become evident. Harried, overworked, and indebted consumers are increasingly open to a focus on quality of life rather than more stuff …

Read: State of the World 2008, Chapter 4: The Challenge of Sustainable Lifestyles (pdf).
Vote: What would you ask your community leaders to do to encourage sustainable lifestyles?

recent-ish news from all over

Posted on February 4, 2008 by ruxi

Peste 400 de tatici din Salaj au ales sa fie “mame” [5.2.2008]

Major feminist demonstration at Rafah border [2.2.2008]

Afghan Journalism Student Sentenced to Death for Reading About Women’s Rights [1.2.2008]

Indian Party Reserves Seats for Women [1.2.2008]

Birth Control Price Crisis Continues [31.1.2008]

Afghan Women Demonstrate Against Kidnapping of American Woman [31.1.2008]

Arizona Governor Rejects Federal Abstinence-Only Funds [30.1.2008]

Mexican Woman Challenges Voting Ban for Women [29.1.2008]

“The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo” Wins at Sundance [29.1.2008]

Wyoming Gender Wage Gap Widens [28.1.2008]

Sexual Violence in Kenya Continues to Escalate [28.1.2008]

Indigenous rights activist ends hunger strike [28.1.2008]

Senate Holds Hearing on Fair Pay [25.1.2008]

‘4 Months’ Raises the Iron Curtain on Abortion [24.1.2008]

Feu vert pour l’adoption homosexuelle en Europe [23.1.2008]

Jumatate dintre romance nu isi planifica sarcina – studiu [16.1.2008]

Cum sa profiti de discriminare [15.1.2007]

Black, Minority ethnic and Refugee Women and Domestic Violence [14.1.2008]

Evaluarea drepturilor rromilor [ro/en] [14.1.2007]

Abused immigrant spouses may face deportation [7.1.2008]

Primul ghid de interventie in cazurile de violenta in familie [5.12.2007]

Roundtable with Romani Women Networks [2-4.12.2007]

call for papers: GENDER & BORDERS/BOUNDARIES

Posted on December 18, 2007 by Administrator

Call for papers:
Please distribute widely

GENDER AND BORDERS/BOUNDARIES
Interdisciplinary Postgraduate Conference
At Manchester University
June 27, 2008

In association with Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies/ University of Leeds Migration and Diaspora Cultural Studies Network
Department of Theology and Religious Studies/University of Leeds Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies/University of Manchester

This one day postgraduate conference seeks to examine issues of gender and borders/boundaries across a range of critical perspectives. We want to encourage innovative and interdisciplinary dialogues and welcome postgraduate students from a variety of disciplines, such as anthropology, cultural studies, gender studies, religion, sociology, psychology, politics, geography and social
work.
Continue reading →

eu-wide study on domestic duties and jobs

Posted on December 8, 2007 by ruxi

Childcare locks women into lower-paid jobs

· Europe-wide study reveals entrenched lifestyle divide
· Domestic duties prevent females pursuing top jobs

December 6, 2007
The Guardian

British women are working in lower paid and lower status jobs than their male counterparts because they still shoulder the responsibility for housework and childcare, a Cambridge University study reveals today.

A “lifestyle divide”, in which women take on the burden of domestic duties, creates a vicious circle as they are then less able to work the long hours needed to win top jobs. They then earn less and are reinforced as responsible for household tasks, says the Europe-wide research.

The divide also leaves women with a longer working day, despite earning less, according to the study. The average working week for a woman in Europe is 68 hours, including paid and domestic work – longer than the average of 55 hours for a man in full-time employment.

The study, the first of its kind since EU members joined from the former eastern bloc, suggests efforts to reduce the workplace gender gap in the UK and the rest of Europe have made little progress since the early 1990s. It reinforces the warnings of several British studies that part-time working, now more accessible in the UK thanks to a right to ask to work flexibly, can lock women into low-paid jobs. more

About the study – University of Cambridge