From their press release:
Violence against women: UN expert launches fact-finding visit to the United States
GENEVA – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against women, its causes and consequences, Rashida Manjoo, will conduct an official fact-finding mission to the United States of America from the 24th of January to the 7th of February, 2011.“During my visit, I intend to meet with national stakeholders involved in fighting all aspects related to violence against women, with a view to appreciate the phenomenon in the United States,” said the human rights expert, who visits the country at the invitation of the Government.
The Special Rapporteur will travel to Washington D.C., North Carolina, Florida, California, Minnesota and New York City, where she will discuss the issue with government authorities at both the federal and the state levels, and with representatives of civil society.
The Special Rapporteur will also visit shelters and detention centers and she will meet with individual victims of gender-based violence.
A press conference on the initial findings of the visit will be held at the United Nations Information Center in Washington (1775 K ST NW, Suite 400, Washington DC) on Monday February 7 at 13:00 h.
Based on the information obtained during the visit, Ms. Manjoo will present a report with her final findings and recommendations to a forthcoming session of the Human Rights Council.
Visit the USHRN to learn more about them.
GOP’s Move to Redefine Rape
‘The limitations established in sections 301, 302, 303, and 304 shall not apply to an abortion–‘(1) if the pregnancy occurred because the pregnant female was the subject of an act of forcible rape or, if a minor, an act of incest; or
‘(2) in the case where the pregnant female suffers from a physical disorder, physical injury, or physical illness that would, as certified by a physician, place the pregnant female in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself.
So says the “No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act,” introduced to the house by Rep. Christopher Smith of New Jersey. It’s unlikely that this act will pass in its current form, but it does show an active attempt by house Republicans to not only limit access to abortion, but define what constitutes “real rape.”
The term “forcible rape” does not have a legal definition. It is simply an attempt by right wing politicians to exclude the more insidious forms of rape–date rape, statutory rape–from the term’s definition. From Mother Jones:
“This bill takes us back to a time when just saying ‘no’ wasn’t enough to qualify as rape,” says Steph Sterling, a lawyer and senior adviser to the National Women’s Law Center. Laurie Levenson, a former assistant US attorney and expert on criminal law at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, notes that the new bill’s authors are “using language that’s not particularly clear, and some people are going to lose protection.” Other types of rapes that would no longer be covered by the exemption include rapes in which the woman was drugged or given excessive amounts of alcohol, rapes of women with limited mental capacity, and many date rapes. “There are a lot of aspects of rape that are not included,” Levenson says.
As for the incest exception, the bill would only allow federally funded abortions if the woman is under 18.
Whether or not this bill will pass, it is a deliberate and brazen attempt at re-framing the lexicon in a way that limits women’s rights.
Sign the petition at MoveOn.org and let your representative know you find this reprehensible.
And here are some links:
Mother Jones
New York Times
SF Gate
Huffington Post
Washington Post
Article from Jess over at Inside The Crimelab. Originally posted here.
1. If there’s a story in the news about rape charges or a survivor brings a story to you, don’t dismiss that story. Listen. Don’t assume automatically that the charges are false or could be false. The chances of it being false are extremely low. Don’t make excuses for the person who is being charged or the person you’re being told the story about. In other words, stop couching your opinions in rape-apologist language. This is one of the many factors that contribute toward survivors not speaking up – a cultural atmosphere in which we are, in so many cases, automatically dismissed.
2. If a survivor comes to you with a story and would like advice as to how to proceed, let the survivor direct the course of action (as long as that course of action isn’t dangerous to anyone). Remember that there are survivors’ organizations and crisis centers in your area that can help and have the resources to do more than you can alone; that’s always my first suggestion. Those organizations will also in many cases help the survivor through criminal, legal and medical filing if that’s what the survivor chooses to do.
3. Donate your time and/or money to a worthwhile organization that supports survivors’ services in your area. There are local and national shelters, hotlines, and other nonprofit organizations that are always in need of your energy.
4. If the person being accused of assault is an artist or musician (or producer of goods, so on and so forth), step back and question why you’re supporting this person’s work, if you are. There are enough artists and musicians out there that you’re not losing anything significant by not focusing on, supporting or choosing not to associate yourself with that person’s work. If that person is a member of your community, help figure out community strategies to deal with the resultant issues. Keep in mind that safety within the community comes first.
5. Take the time to educate yourself. Start here:
Yes Means Yes
Rape Victim Advocates
Support New York
Men Can Stop Rape
ACAB: Ex-cop cleared on rape charges
From Philly.com
QuORUM Forum!!!
QuORUM (Queers Organizing for Radical Unity and Mobilization) are organizing the first ever QuORUM FORUM for January 14-23, which will focus on “community building, and resource and skill-sharing within the radical queer community.” Support New York will be presenting a workshop on Emotional Abuse in Queer Relationships, which will coincide with the release of our Emotional Abuse zine. This zine has been long in the works and is going to be really good!
On people’s need to discredit Julian Assange’s accusers.
This post will be updated as more articles are written. Feel free to leave links in the comments.
This case is such a triumph and such a bummer. On the one hand, it is hard not to be excited that consent violations of the kind that Julian Assange is being charged with are being taken seriously. However, it is impossible not to realize that these allegations are only being privileged because it suits powerful governments. Reading about this hurts my heart.
A potential trigger warning is implicit in reading any of these articles.
Tony Porter: A call to men
Parts of this could be pretty triggering.
At TEDWomen, Tony Porter makes a call to men everywhere: Don’t “act like a man.” Telling powerful stories from his own life, he shows how this mentality, drummed into so many men and boys, can lead men to disrespect, mistreat and abuse women and each other. His solution: Break free of the “man box.”
Watch Video or Read Transcript on TED.com
It’s definitely worth watching and sharing with the men in your life.
A succinct criticism of the cavalier use of the word ‘rape’ in internet and video game culture.
“Let’s talk about rape for a moment. Rape is not what George Lucas did to your childhood. Rape is not what happens when a sports team beats another sports team by a wide margin. Rape is not what happens when your electric bill is higher this month than it was last month. Rape is when a person violates another person in the most despicable, degrading way imaginable and among the myriad of terrible things humans can do to one another, rape is among the worst. I think the casual misappropriation of the concept of rape extending all the way to its widespread comical usage is disgusting even by Internet standards. Off my chest.”
From a 2003 issue of Maxim Magazine
Oy vey! This is infuriating, but almost too ridiculous not to share. As if we didn’t know that Maxim was the enemy.
Support New York survey!
Please take a few minutes to go through some questions about your thoughts on accountability processes for perpetrators of sexual assault. We created this survey with the intention of finding better ways to serve the needs of our community – by getting a sense of the varied experiences folks have had regarding accountability, and by understanding what you all value and prioritize in addressing sexual violence. We want to build processes that speak to you!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2TPSXXQ
So please take some time to answer, and get in touch if you have any questions or concerns. We are hoping to collect all responses by Saturday, December 4th, so get cracking!
supportny.org 