Rio + 20: Anchor Sustainable Development in Human Rights

World leaders have a once in a generation chance to create a meaningful link between sustainable development and human rights, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today in a joint statement targeting Environment and Foreign Affairs ministers gathering in Rio.

Heads of state, government officials, and nongovernmental actors will meet on June 20 to 22, 2012, in Rio de Janeiro for the 20 + UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

They are there to take stock of progress towards commitments made at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development which resulted in the Rio Principles and ‘Agenda 21’, a blueprint for global, national, and local action on a wide range of environmental and development issues.

Few countries have followed the Rio Principles, and progress on environmental issues has been limited.

“World leaders in Rio should ensure that sustainable development is grounded in human rights,” said Jan Egeland, deputy executive director at Human Rights Watch. “It is encouraging that the new draft for the outcome document explicitly refers to human rights, but it doesn’t go far enough to ensure that those rights are protected.”

Economic development initiatives that do not incorporate human rights obligations and principles can deepen marginalization, discrimination, and injustice.

Continue reading HERE

GlobalGiving Highlight of the Week: Brazil

GlobalGiving Highlight of the Week: Brazil

Brazil is the largest country/econmy in South America and is growing at a fantastic rate. However, alongside this picture of growing affluence, Brazil is the home of some of the poorest slums and neighbodhoods in the world.

Find out what you can do to make a difference over at GlobalGiving!

Prevent Youth Involvement in Drug Trafficking

Empower Youth Action at the Rio Earth Summit!

Train 360 youths for the workplace in Sao Paulo

Free Cleft Surgery for 400 Children in Brazil

Empower Youth Through Soccer in Recife, Brazil

Welcome to Nika

Have you head of Nika Water? A featured non-profit org of More Than Me Global, Nika has been featured on this blog several times, so I'm sure you've seen them around. If you haven't, allow me to introduce you:

"Through the sale of our premium bottled water, NIKA hopes to bring a voice to the world’s poor who suffer without the basic right to clean water and simple sanitation. And by donating 100% of our profits to support clean water projects in impoverished countries, NIKA will provide the basic tools and critical assistance to help thousands of families improve their lives in a meaningful way and end the cycle of poverty. Our goal is to create awareness and knowledge to serve as a catalyst for thousands of youth to get involved in our quest to bring clean water to the impoverished world.

Mindful of our duties as stewards of the Earth, NIKA has been certified as CarbonFree® by Carbonfund.org through our investment in carbon offsetting programs such as a reforestation project in Nicaragua. In addition, NIKA has developed a very unique recycling program where we pay high schools around the country a small fee for each plastic bottle that the school collects and recycles. Through this "One-for-One Recycling Program," our aim is not only to be plastic bottle neutral but an advocate of the importance and simplicity of basic recycling as well.

Our founders are a group of seasoned business executives who have successfully built and expanded for-profit businesses and who now share a common focus of creating social and environmentally responsible businesses that can be used to help solve global problems. Our founders have funded all of NIKA's startup and launch/operating losses and will realize no compensation or economic benefit from NIKA's operations. We are committed to making NIKA truly the most ethical bottled water brand on the market."

With the warm summer months approaching, commit to ONLY drinking Nika Water this year and make a difference in the process!

A Major Step Taken in Brazil, HRW Reports

From HRW-
The criminal case filed on April 24, 2012, against a retired army colonel and a civil police precinct chief for grave abuses committed in the 1970s in São Paulo state is an important step for accountability in Brazil, Human Rights Watch said today.

The case is the second in Brazil – and first in São Paulo – in which criminal charges have been brought against a Brazilian official for human rights crimes committed during the country’s military dictatorship, from 1964 to 1985. At least 475 people were killed or forcibly disappeared during that era, and thousands more were illegally detained or tortured.

“This is the second time in as many months that Brazilian prosecutors have filed charges for atrocities committed during the years of military rule,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “This could be the beginning of a new era for accountability in Brazil, though it will ultimately be up to the courts to determine whether the country is finally ready to pursue justice for these terrible crimes.”

Click here to read the rest of the HRW Report

HRW: Putting Women on the Agenda in Cartagena

"It’s the Americas’ largest reunion. Happening every three years, the Summit of the Americas brings together the heads-of-state of the region to talk about pressing concerns. Over the weekend in Cartagena, Colombia, the theme will be 'Connecting the Americas: Partners for Prosperity'..."

This is an excellent essay about the vital importance of discussing women and women's issues at the Summit of the Americas this year. Click here to continue reading...

Increasing Impact for Girls in Bangladesh- UPDATE

Increasing Impact for Girls in Bangladesh

By Megan McLain - Manager, Corporate Partnerships
 
During the past four years, over 42,400 adolescent girls in 458 villages were reached through Save the Children’s Kishoree Kontha (Adolescent Girls’ Voices) research program in southern Bangladesh’s Barisal Division.


The program’s goal was to reduce poverty by improving the health, education, economic opportunity, and social well-being of adolescent girls. Participants received a structured set of four different intervention packages, with each village within the target area randomly allocated to one of the intervention packages. In addition to a control group, the packages included: (1) a basic package of literacy, social competency, and reproductive health training; (2) a livelihoods package which included the basic package plus financial literacy training and participation in savings groups; (3) a full package which included all of the above, plus a nutrition incentive of cooking oil conditional on delayed marriage; and (4) solely a conditional nutrition incentive of cooking oil.

The program was implemented in partnership with the Bangladesh Development Society and the U.S.-based Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at MIT, which serves as the research partner.

Initial quantitative and qualitative findings indicate that interventions positively impacted girls’ confidence, involvement in community activities, parental perceptions of girls, school retention, age of marriage and first pregnancy, and other indicators of girls’ empowerment. Using the Developmental Assets Profile[1] —a self-administered questionnaire measuring the personal and community assets young people need to succeed throughout adolescence—Save the Children found that girls who received the basic training package experienced an increase from a “fair” to “good” level of developmental assets. These assets included knowledge, skills, behavioral competencies, and positive experiences (self esteem, family support, reading for pleasure, etc.) that have a proven correlation with positive youth behaviors. A qualitative assessment in April/May 2010 found positive changes in community perception and treatment of adolescent girls, as well as increased social capital among girls in the program and cases of delayed marriage and first pregnancy.

In addition to targeted interventions designed to empower adolescent girls and increase age of marriage, Kishoree Kontha piloted Safe Savings Groups which developed girls’ financial literacy and laid the groundwork for economic empowerment. Save the Children found, through qualitative research, that this was a critical component in increasing girls’ well-being, giving families the means to realize positive changes for girls such as school retention and delayed marriage.

Favorite GlobalGiving Project of the Week: Provide Vegetable Gardens for Families in Brazil

In my Church, we are advised to grow a vegetable garden whenever and wherever possible. I have seen the wonderful blessings of having a garden in my family, so I definitely support this project which gives families in Brazil the same blessings.  Love it!

Provide Vegetable Gardens for Families in Brazil

Summary
Irrigated vegetable gardens are provided for Brazilian rural families. As a result they have food, work and better habitat and environmental conditions.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?
The Rainforest was explored with methods that led to severe soil, water and landscape degradation, causing rural poverty and migration to cities. By donating Irrigated Organic Vegetable Gardens for poor farmers and Land Reform settlers we seek to establish them as organic farmers and agroforestry producers. This project was created with the purpose of donating vegetable gardens and tree nurseries and offering courses on enviromnental and agricultural matters.

How will this project solve this problem?
An irrigated vegetable garden area is established to produce food and goods for the market. A central water reservoir is also created which makes it possible to grow produce. Trees are planted to provide food, shade and protect soil from the sun.

Potential Long Term Impact
The donation of the gardens makes it possible to create a "Small Family Oasis" where families or associated workers can live all year round, planting their food, producing goods for the market, with jobs and occupation.

Project Message
A small investment in a model that preserves nature and water and that can be reproduced everywhere, may represent the beginning of economic, social and environmental changes in peoples' perspectives.
-Roberto Lamego, Director of the Project

Funding Information
Total Funding Received to Date: $1,700
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $58,300
Total Funding Goal: $60,000

September News- reports from around the world on Women's Rights

WUNRN lists news reports and articles from around the world that pertain to Women's Rights- such a wealth of information! Some good, some bad, but all of it is essential to learn about the pressing issues women face today.  Here's a sampling*: (my favorite is the report on divorce ceremonies in Japan- clever!)

 

-Beijing China wrote a new Platform for Action on the system of abuse against female children in their country: Beijing Platform for Action Chapter IV, The Girl Child

-UNICEF presents a new plan for progress on children's rights and equality: PROGRESS FOR CHILDREN - EQUITY ISSUES

-A protest of mothers and daughters: Mothers of Palestinian Prisoners in Israel Mark Eid in Protest

-The Philippines debate a new divorce bill: PROPOSED DIVORCE BILL STIRS CONTROVERSY

-Yemen questions the safe age of marriage for young girls: Safe Age of Marriage in Yemen- a case study

-Acid attacks are a growing problem in Pakistan: Acid Victims Try to Rebuild Lives

-An interesting new divorce trend in Japan: Tokyo sees rise in 'divorce ceremonies'

-Prostitution news in Sweden: Sex for sale: Why Sweden punishes buyers -Fiji women restricted in the military: FEMALE SOLDIERS WARNED ON PREGNANCY ISSUES

-The USA calls for equality in the workplace: Pay Equity and Workplace Opportunity:A Simple Matter of Fairness
  -Jordan questions teen marriage:Teen marriage a restless topic in Jordan
-Women win the Prize for Creativity in Rural Life Award: Winners, WWSF

*Many more reports can be found here

In Our Families; My Visit to Ecuador

This post was written for the Woman Stats Blog by KTA

I had an experience about a year ago that, I am ashamed to say, I pushed from my mind. Being frustrated with the situation I decided that rather than dwell on it, I’d ignore it-not the best way to solve a problem. At our last weekly meeting, however, my thoughts on the subject were again triggered.


I grew up in Ecuador and lived there until I was eleven. My father is Ecuadorian and all of his family still lives there. Last summer I had the opportunity to return and visit with my family. I was excited to be reunited with my family and be able to spend time in the country I loved so much. While I did love my trip, I was deeply disturbed by something I encountered.

When I was a kid living in Ecuador, I didn’t really pay attention to the adults, let alone the attitudes and cultural norms surrounding gender equality. However, upon my return last year, I did so with new eyes. I was older, I had been surrounded by a different culture, I was more educated, and most importantly, I was a WomanStats coder.

Throughout my research I have learned about women of the world and the different challenges that they face. And while I have read about it and studied it, that is all I have done. Most of the more severe things I’ve read about are exactly that, things I’ve read about, not things I’ve seen. That being said, Ecuador is a small country in South America. One of the biggest problems facing the region is that of machismo. Men often use the women in their lives for the sake of looking tough and being in control. When I went back to visit, not only did I see this, but I saw it in my own (extended) family. We stayed with one of my uncles and his wife while we were there. This uncle also happens to be the man in my family afflicted with the severest case of machismo. I was appalled at the way he treated his wife. She was at his beck and call, answering to his every need. It was not a give and take relationship. She was his servant that he occasionally held hands with. It was even more frustrating to me though that she let him treat her that way. There are other men in my family who may be kinda macho and even some that aren’t at all. For most of them it was because the women in their lives refused to be treated that way and then somewhere along the way they realized it too.

I read about women being treated as commodities but I had never witnessed it. While this isn’t even a severe case, it still shook me. I am a WomanStats coder. The purpose of our research is to fight for the proper treatment of women. How was it possible that something like this was going on in my own family? Even worse were the feelings of helplessness at not being able to do anything. It wasn’t until I brought all of this up at our last meeting that I learned the lesson I was supposed to out of this experience. The whole point was the impact that it had on me. I can’t change my uncle. I can’t change my aunt. The only person I have control over is me. Sometimes people question this research. They can’t understand why I spend hours reading horrific accounts of tortured women. It doesn’t change anything for the women themselves. Why put myself through the nausea and sadness that comes from reading such accounts? I have always thought that the only way to fix a problem is to understand it. We first need to acknowledge that there is a problem. Every document does just that. So maybe I can’t change my uncle. Maybe I can’t change the men in the stories I read. But I can change myself. It is through this process of change of I make a difference. This is the research and these are the experiences that are arming me to do so. This database is important. All those who read the information here hold the same responsibility that I do. We have the research; we have the knowledge to change ourselves. If each person using this database were to change their priorities and make the protection of women one of them, what a difference we would make. Maybe I can’t change the world. But I have changed, and that is what gives me strength to stand up for women even if no one thinks it is making a difference. I look at all of the coders and see how we have changed. We can’t fix the plight of all women, but we have become and outspoken for the cause of women. This is what makes the difference.
 
As a former Woman Stats coder, I love this project and I love reading the current coders' thoughts. Go here to learn more about Woman Stats!