United Nation's CSW 57

GIRLS’ TRIBUNAL ON VIOLENCE: BEARING WITNESS TO GIRLS’ ACTIVISM

by Feminist Task Force · in CSW57 updates ·

On March 5th, during the UN’s 57th Commission on the Status of Women, the Loretto Community partnered with the Working Group on Girls to host the very first Girls’ Tribunal on Violence. This tribunal coincided with the priority theme of this year’s commission, which highlighted violence against women and girls.

It was both a challenge and feat of true progress to organize this tribunal of girls’ voices. Organizers brought together 9 girls from different nations to give their personal testimonies of real cases of violence which have impacted their lives.

In front of a panel of jurorists, these girls called for an acknowledgement of gender violence and real change. Sitting on the panel of jurorists and sharing the mutually exclusive goal of ending violence against girls was; Dan Seymour, UN Women’s Deputy Director of Programmes and former Chief of UNICEF’s Gender and Rights Unit, Faith Nenkai Metiaki, student activist at the University of Nairobi and a former UN youth Delegate to CSW, Prince Zeid R’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, permanent representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United Nations and former Jordanian Ambassador to the United States, and Abigail Disney, filmmaker, philanthropist and activist based in NYC and producer of “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” and the PBS film
series “Women, War & Peace”

The Tribunal consisted of three panels focused on Media-based Violence, Violence in Schools and Violence in Communities. In the Media-based Violence case, witnesses, Emma and Annemarie, from the SPARK Summit gave testimony to the dangerous personal and societal impacts of highly sexualized and violent images of girls and girlhood in the media industry. In the case presentation and jurists’ comments and recommendations, the importance of media literacy was discussed and concrete examples of how to ‘talk back’ to the media were offered.

In the case of Violence in Schools, Arawela from PLAN Finland, Nicole from the Girls Scouts of the USA, and Angelica from the Feminist Task Force in El Salvador, witnessed various forms of violence they and their peers face in a school setting. They spoke out about how girls around the world are suffering from violence such as ethnic-based bullying in school, taking passive roles in dating relationships and being subordinated, and the rampancy of gang related sexual violence against girls in El Salvador. The witnesses shared their own stories of how they are working to alert other girls and bring changes to their peers, teachers, parents and communities to end both physical and psychological violence against girls.

The last case, Violence in Communities, was delivered by 4 girls of different backgrounds. Ussula from The Grail, Mozambique, Celia from Loretto Community, Mexico, Julia from Girls Learn International, USA, and Thais from The Grail, Brazil witnessed cases of violence against girls in their communities. Witnesses reported how they had undergone domestic violence, interpersonal, collective and structural violence in their communities, and deprivation of sexual rights for being LGBT.
As one of the witness, Celia, said “violence is everywhere”. Unfortunately Celia couldn’t attend the Girls Tribunal since her visa was rejected by the U.S. government, more concerned that she might find a way to stay in the U.S. permanently than with what she had to offer by her powerful testimony. Such select discrimation further proved Celia’s own words.

We all realize the importance and necessity of speaking out and making our voices heard. At this Tribunal girls did just that. They stood up and claimed their right to be protected from all violence and with empowered unity they declared that they would not stand for it any more – perpetrators of violence beware! It looks like the time of the
girl has finally come!

For photo of the event click here.

Divided GOP helps pass Violence Against Women Act

POLITICS

Associated Press/Photo by J. Scott Applewhite

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor

Despite opposition from conservatives, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act today, approving $3.3 billion in new spending just hours before across-the-board spending cuts are set to take effect.

During his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama proclaimed the measure vital to the nation’s economy: “We know our economy is stronger when our wives, mothers, and daughters can live their lives free from … the fear of domestic violence,” he said.

Congress originally introduced the act in 1994, but it expired in 2011. Since then it stalled in the Senate as Republicans negotiated some of the fine print. Republicans presented a different version of the bill Feb. 22, but then backtracked four days later. The original bill passed 78-22. Republicans tried a similar substitution in the House, but to no avail. The measure passed the House 286-138 today and will now awaits the president’s signature.

The new version of the law authorizes $659 million a year over five years for transitional housing, legal assistance, law enforcement training and hotlines, reported Fox News. Although the bill is supposed to target women, these resources also are open to men, gays, and prison inmates. The bill also includes measures to improve abuse-awareness on college campuses and a measure to address human trafficking.

Proponents laud it as a progressive step in protecting abuse victims of all types, but critics warn the law is an unnecessary federal overreach, since states already have programs to address domestic violence. They also warn it is expensive and unproven.

“Simply expanding the VAWA framework with extensive new provisions and programs that have been inadequately assessed is sure to facilitate waste, fraud, and abuse and will not better protect women or victims of violence generally,” wrote Heritage Fellow David Muhlhausen last year.

Perhaps most contentiously, it also gives Native American tribal courts permission to try non-Indian American citizens in abuse cases involving female members of their tribes on tribal land. Paul Larkin, also from Heritage, warned the measure violates the Constitution on two points.

“It grants tribal judges authority to enter a final judgment of conviction in certain criminal cases even though tribal judges are not appointed by the President, the head of a department, or a court of law, as Article II requires,” he wrote. “[It also] grants tribal courts that authority even though tribal judges lack the life tenure and salary protection required by Article III.”

Republicans tried to delete the Native American provision and others, including measures giving undocumented abuse victims temporary visas and extending provisions to gays and lesbians. Democrats agreed to rescinded the immigration provision, but everything else remained.

Vice President Joe Biden congratulated Congress for passing the bill, especially thanking House Majority Leader Eric Cantor for not opposing the bill even though he could have, since a majority of the the House majority did not support it.

“This law has saved countless lives and transformed the way we treat victims of abuse,” echoed the president. He’s expected to sign the law into effect immediately.

Personal Narrative
-Anonymous

No matter what happened he always apologized. He was always sorry for the things he'd done and I was always quick to forgive him. I mean, a black eye hurt a lot less than a broken heart. It only went on for two years, but I know that what I experienced in those two years will stay with me forever.

We started dating in middle school. He was the one I would text late at night and hang out with on weekends. He said he loved me, that I was his everything and he would never let anything happen to me. He was my first boyfriend, and I believed every word he said.

Once eighth grade had ended and summer vacation rolled around, we started spending more time together. One day we were in the park, sitting in the grass and talking, when he pulled me close and began to touch me. I began to push him away, be he said, "This is what boyfriends and girlfriends do. Don't you love me?" So I let him.

Later on that summer we were hanging out near his house. He had his arm around my waist, and we sat with our feet in the lake behind his neighborhood. He started to kiss me and tried to take off my shirt. When I protested, he drew a pocket knife from his shorts pocket and held it up to my face. He told me that if I didn't do what he wanted, he'd cut me. I didn't believe him. After all, he said he'd never do anything to hurt me. You didn't hurt the person you loved. So when he tried again I began to push him off, and he dug the blade into my arm. I didn't know then that this would happen many more times in the future. When I pulled away, he said, "You're being stubborn. Let me do these things, they'll feel good." I didn't want to do them but at the same time I wanted to make him happy. So I let him.

By the end of the summer he owned me. I wore what he wanted me to. I ate less and less to make him happy. I didn't see many of my friends because it made him jealous. And we always did what he wanted to do, even if it wasn't comfortable with it. He called me names and said things that made me  uncomfortable. He pressured me into doing things. I didn't want to, telling me I didn't love him if I didn't.  And I still let him.

By the time we reached high school, I had learned to go along with everything he said. Although we went to different schools, he still controlled me through texts, and I had given up resisting him. If I did, he would "teach me manners," which was him beating me until I obeyed him. One day I was talking to my friend, who noticed I had bruises around my neck and around my wrist in the shape of fingerprints. She told me to tell a guidance counselor, and then begged me to call the police. I refused, saying I was fine and that is was nothing. Looking back I wish I had listened; it was the smartest advice anyone could have given me.

I was home alone one day when he surprised me with a visit. I let him in, and he told me he was moving the following week. I was shocked, wondering why he hadn't told me earlier. But I didn't know if I should be miserable or thrilled. He told me he would miss me, and wanted to make one last great memory. He led me upstairs to my bedroom. I was nervous , and tried to distract him and small talk. He locked the door and sat next to me on my bed. "You know, I love you," he said. "And I will always love you." But I don't think you love me." When I told him I did, he laughed, and said I would do the things he wanted if I actually had feelings for him. I didn't know what to say, and just sat there. He started to kiss me, and before I could push him away he climbed on top of me and tried to take off my clothes. I told him "no" over and over and tried to push him off. I kicked and hit, until he became frustrated and got up off of me.  He yelled that I was a horrible girlfriend, and demanded I have sex with him. When I refused, he hit me in the face, and when I staggered back he pinned me against the wall. He held my arm behind me and slammed me into the wall. There was a crack, and I tried to keep the tears from falling as he pushed me onto the ground. He said he would be back, and stormed down the stairs and out the door. That was when I blacked out.

After that day, I had to fake and tell people that I had gotten my black eye and broken collar bone from an accident in sports. My friend, meanwhile, threatened to call the police and said I had to tell someone. I still refused, but I knew she was right.

Even after he was gone I thought about him every day. Everything reminded me of him, and I saw the marks he had left on me whenever I looked in the mirror. One day I found a bunch of pictures that had been taken in eighth grade, right before I started dating him. They showed a younger version of me, one who had a huge, sincere smile. I compared the pictures to what I saw in the mirror. The girl in the pictures didn't have a black eye and her arm wasn't in a sling. She didn't have bruises along her ribs or around her wrists and neck. She had no cuts from knife along her arms and legs. She was just a happy person goofing around with her friends. I suddenly wanted that back, the feeling of being my own person. I wanted to wear a smile that was genuine, not fabricated.

The next day at school, I went to the guidance counselor's office. I was shaking, but I knew he would be true to his word and come back. I told her about him, and she promised to help me. I suddenly couldn't figure out why I hadn't told someone right away. She helped me file a restraining order against him, and he hasn't been allowed to come near me since. 

New Videos on the MASK YouTube Channel

Watch our most recent PSA (submission for the Somerset Someys - highlighting nonprofit - The Resource Center of Somerset)

Even complete strangers can do their part, in the most simple ways, to help prevent relationship abuse. This PSA is about bystander intervention - a girl was able to recognize the abuse and provide the victim resources without getting directly involved in any conflict.  

Thank you!

Watch other videos on our YouTube channel: HERE

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If She Can See It ----- She Can DO It !!

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To raise awareness about Domestic Violence, please wear PURPLE.

Pass it on!  Mention it in Social Media, at school, at work.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Say NO MORE to Relationship Abuse!

No More Domestic Violence