The Pixel Project VAW e-News Digest: Edition 4

Welcome to the Pixel Project VAW e-News Digest – Edition 4 (aka our Christmas Edition)!

As usual, we have collated the most relevant news on Violence Against Women (VAW) across the world that came out over the past 2 weeks. Each headline summary is hyperlinked and will click through to the full article.

Over the past two weeks, two incidences related to honour killing in the West have surfaced: the prosecution of two fathers who murdered their own daughters for supposed ‘crimes’ against their ‘honour’.

They have raised very uncomfortable questions for others. Everyone recognizes that crimes against honour are wrong. No one wants to appear racist. The debate is undertaken by Poorna Shetty on a commentary in The Guardian, who tells her readers to stop tiptoeing around the issue of honour violence, as the United Kingdom seeks for ways to address the issue of honour violence through respective communities, such as the launch of Practical Solutions.

Around the world, we find stories that are downers – a case of suspected honour killing in Canada will only come to the courts in 2011 – and stories that put a big smile to our face, such as the possibility that the United States may grant victims of domestic violence political asylum. It needs to be understood that the value of a human life is not an issue of culture. As activists of Indonesia have pointed out, you must not confuse culture or customs for human rights.

A matter of less media attention, but extremely important, is the marking of December 17, the international day to end violence against sex workers. The oldest profession in the world is also the most dangerous — sex workers, many of whom are women (cisgendered or transgendered), and many of whom are minors, are susceptible to rape, psychological and physical abuse, as well as exposure to life-threatening STDs. Read the facts about prostitution here.

In our section on sex trafficking, we highlight cases paid attention to by mainstream media sources around the world concerning the underground trade of human beings — often minors — for purposes of sex. Apart from coverage by mainstream media, I highly recommend paying attention to this article on 7 key sex worker activist projects in the United States, which seeks to address the level of exploitation in prostitution — including the high level of gender-based violence — by addressing important issues about their work.

So, think about how you can help prevent, stop and end VAW. It could be a gesture as small as sending The Pixel Projectany links and VAW news you wish us to include in forthcoming editions of The Pixel Project VAW e-Newsletter. Please email our archivist, Catalina Rembuyan, at catalina@thepixelproject.net if you’d like to do so.

In the meantime, do enjoy our fourth e-Newsletter and do feel free to share it around! And if you prefer to get breaking VAW news from us in real time, please follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/PixelProject).

With best regards,

The Pixel Project team

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General violence against women

“Violence against women is the hugest epidemic on the planet.” An interview with Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues, on violence against women and her new book, Insecure at Last.

December 17: Sex Workers and Allies Mark International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers.

December 17: Global Voices Online posts a video for the December 17th international day to end violence against sex workers, with a summary of the discussion.

Afghanistan: The root of the extreme violence against women in Afghanistan is not rooted in Islam, but in the tribal culture of the people of the region, codified in a system called the Pashtunwali.

Egypt: A three-day conference organized by the German Technical Organization (GTZ) and the Network of Women’s Rights Organizations to study the challenges of women’s rights organizations in the region.

Egypt: What women need – a recent Cairo conference suggests that sexual harassment of women is becoming a pan-Arab phenomenon.

Ethiopia: Call for Ethiopia’s campaign against gender-based violence to be enhanced.

Ghana: The link of HIV / AIDS and violence against women in Ghana.