The Pixel Project VAW e-News Digest: Edition 10

Welcome to the tenth edition of The Pixel Project VAW e-News Digest! As usual, we have compiled the latest and most relevant news from around the world regarding violence against women.

Although most of the victims of the worldwide Catholic sex abuse scandal have been boys, a handful of girls have suffered sexual abuse under clergy. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect women (nor does it make the cases any less tragic).

The same power dynamics – the abuse of trust between a religious leader and a member of the congregation, the disbelief of others when the victim demands justice, and the cover-up of scandal by authorities — that have allowed for the sexual abuse of boys in the Catholic Church have been used and can continue to be used against anyone, regardless of sex, in any religious community.

In this edition of The Pixel Project e-News Digest, along with other news about violence against women, we focus on sexual abuse caused or tolerated by religious authorities. As the issue has often been highlighted as a largely Catholic and consequently Christian issue, the links provided will involve mostly Christian denominations, but this does not mean that the problem is only specific to Christianity.

Sexual predators are attracted to jobs that allow easy access to victims, and many of us are vulnerable because we trust our religious leaders instinctively. Religious communities therefore need to be pro-active in dealing with potential predators in their midst.

If you have any information and news concerning violence against women (and girls), let us know. Small gestures can make a big difference. You can send any news you have to our archivist, Catalina Rembuyan, at catalina@thepixelproject.net.

Do enjoy our most recent e-Newsletter and do feel free to share it! 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

Special Focus on Clerical Sexual Abuse

The Survivors’ Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), the biggest organization fighting for those abused by clergy and demanding accountability from religious authorities.

Bishop Accountability: the largest website documenting the sexual abuse crisis enveloping the Catholic Church. Features the Sex Abuse Tracker, a digest of media articles covering the sex abuse scandal.

The Catholic Church’s scandal: “the silence and darkness revealed by the scandal must not be allowed to define the majority of Catholics who are the living Church”.

How the Catholic Church investigates an allegation of sexual abuse by a cleric: an official document published at the Vatican website.

Reformation.com: a list of sexual offenders who are / were clerics in Protestant denominations.

Pokrov.org (Protection of the Theotokos): a resource for survivors of abuse in Orthodox churches.

How other religious organizations echo the Roman Catholic Church’s Rule Against Scandal: focus on the Latter Day Saints (Mormons). Another Mormon writer responds to this article.

Church scandal’s next wave: Abused girls.

General Violence Against Women news

Gender justice and the International Criminal Court: turning a miracle into reality.

“Cry out – eventually the world will cry out with you”. Joan Chittiser’s powerful keynote address at the International Gender Justice Dialogue conference, on violence against women and war.

The controversy surrounding Gita Sahgal’s resignation from Amnesty International: when Amnesty International gave voice to detainees in Guatanomo, some of whom support radical Islamist groups, was it done at the expense of fighting violence against women?

Algeria: Rights groups protest violence against women in their town.

Afghanistan: Afghan woman murdered as she leaves work.

India: Haresh Mander analyzes the issue of the Communal Violence Bill, in particular how it affects gender-based violence.

Canada: Men engage in conversation on violence against women.

Canada: In British Columbia, the local community works together to stop violence against women.

Canada: List of missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada grows.

Canada and Congo: The Governor-General of Canada tells Congo to punish crimes against humanity.

Congo: Using ICT to combat violence against women.

United States: “Men Creating Change” chapters opening in Maui – engaging men to help eliminate violence against women.

Domestic / Intimate Partner Violence

Abusive people have low self-esteem.

Azerbaijan: Government to introduce new laws to address the high level of domestic abuse in the country.

Maldives: Bill on domestic violence drafted.

Spain: Spain adopts measures to provide protection for battered women.

United States: Research shows that despite abuse, many women in abusive relationships see their spouses as dependable.

Venezuela: It took the death of a man to highlight the fact that violence against women has not been taken seriously be Venezuelan police.

Rape and Sexual Assault

Czecholovaskia: Talking violence against women – art performances used to engage the topic of violence against women, in particular sexual violence.

Lebanon: “On three occasions Doha had to jump out of her cab when the driver assaulted her in broad daylight. But now she has joined a growing number of women in Lebanon who speak out against sexual harassment.”:

Spain: Researchers at Barcelona point out that sexual violence against women was used as a weapon of war in most armed conflicts in 2009.

United States: Ending sexual violence – campuses are part of the solution.

Sex and Human Trafficking

Issue spotlight – human trafficking for sexual purposes at international sporting events.

Botswana: The Catholic Church of Botswana urges government to combat sex trafficking, raises concern over World Cup.

Cambodia: How social entrepreneurship stops sex trafficking of children – by improving the lives of the locals.

Egypt: Parliament approves law to combat human trafficking.

South Africa: Human trafficking under spotlight in South Africa.

United States: Steven Seagal sued for human trafficking.

United States: Speak out about the Promotion of Sex Trafficking in Higher Education.

United States: At a ‘Take Back the Night’ rally, a survivor of sex trafficking explains her escape.

Forced Marriage

Saudi Arabia: Country to introduce minimum age of marriage as 12-year old wins a divorce against her 80-year old husband.

Honour Killing

Iraq: In largely uneducated Kurdistan, human rights activists combat honour killing.