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Clothing Exhibition Helps in Identifying Putis Victims
September 2, 2008, Ayacucho, Peru: The first public exhibition of clothing and personal items from the mass graves at Putis, Peru, held in Huanta this past weekend, made some progress toward identifying the victims of the 1984 massacre.
The exhibition was held by the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF), an Advocacy Project partner that exhumed the Putis graves in May. According to an EPAF press release, more than 300 people attended the exhibition, and some relatives successfully identified pieces of clothing of their loved ones. EPAF was able to collect 62 new profiles of ante-mortem data that contain valuable information to help identify those killed in Putis.
The Putis site is the largest of Peru’s mass graves, and marks one of the most brutal incidents in the country’s 20-year internal conflict. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that in December 1984, 123 men, women and children from the communities of Cayramayo, Vizcatampata, Orccohuasi and Putis were executed by units of the Peruvian Army and buried at Putis.
The two-day clothing exhibition followed a ceremony in Huanta honoring the International Day of the Missing. The exhibition is now in the community of Santillana and will arrive in Putis later this week.
Singing Competition Highlights Women’s Issues in Nepal
September 2, 2008, Butwal, Nepal: The Jagaran Media Center put a new spin on a traditional Nepali women’s festival this past weekend by using the occasion as an opportunity to highlight women’s issues in the country.
On August 30, Radio Jagaran held a Haritalika Teej festival in Butwal, Nepal, which included a singing competition to raise awareness of women’s rights. The competition aimed to reveal the difficulties faced by women in Nepal, including issues such as violence against women, social discrimination, HIV/AIDS, trafficking, and safe motherhood.
Teej is a women’s festival that is observed annually in Nepal. Traditionally, married women observe Teej by fasting and praying for the health of their husbands. Unmarried women also observe Teej in hopes of finding a good husband. Traditional songs and dances are an important part of Teej and can be seen in all parts of Nepal during the festival.
Participants in the Radio Jagaran competition were required to write and perform an original song in the traditional Teej style that addressed an issue affecting Nepali women. Jagaran Media Center (JMC) and Radio Jagaran hoped that the competition would encourage Constituent Assembly members to consider women’s rights as Nepal’s new constitution is written.
“Most importantly, we want to make women aware of their rights through Teej songs which will create public pressure to address women’s issues in making the new constitution,” said Uma Paudel, Regional Program coordinator for JMC.
Radio Jagaran’s Haritalika Teej competition involved 40 singing groups who competed for recognition and cash prizes.
JMC is a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP). AP recruited Heather Gilberds to volunteer as a Peace Fellow this summer with Radio Jagaran in Butwal. Ms Gilberds had been blogging about her work with Radio Jagaran and provided the information for this report.
EPAF To Hold Exhibition of Clothing from Mass Graves
August 26, 2008, Ayacucho, Peru – The Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF) is planning to hold an exhibition Saturday, August 30 containing clothing and personal effects from the mass graves at Putis – one of the final investigative steps to identify the victims and determine what happened to them.
Earlier this year, a team from EPAF was appointed to exhume the Putis site – the largest of Peru’s mass graves, marking one of the most brutal incidents in the country’s 20-year internal conflict. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that in December 1984, 123 men, women and children from the communities of Cayramayo, Vizcatampata, Orccohuasi and Putis were executed by units of the Peruvian Army and buried at Putis.
The exhibit is being held on International Day of the Missing. Also on that day, a ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. at the Civic Center in Huanta province to remember the thousands of people still missing and the persistence of their families in searching for answers. According to the most recent estimates, around 15,000 people are still missing in Peru. Huanta province, in the Ayacucho region, was one of the places most affected by violence.
EPAF is a partner of the Advocacy Project (AP). This summer, AP sent Peace Fellow Ash Kosiewicz to volunteer with the group in Lima.
Kosovar Women Contribute to Anti-Trafficking Plan
August 22, 2008, Prishtina, Kosovo: The Kosova Women’s Network (KWN), an Advocacy Project (AP) partner, recently submitted recommendations to Kosovo’s government on the country’s National Action Plan against Trafficking in Human Persons.
The government, in connection with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and other international organizations, has been working on the plan since the old National Action Plan expired in 2007.
KWN is working closely with the Agency for Gender Equality and the Women’s Safety and Security Initiative (WSSI) on the issue of human trafficking and development of the Anti-Trafficking Plan. Civil society input is important to the plan to ensure that diverse viewpoints are represented and that it is realistic and able to be implemented.
AP has sent Peace Fellow Nicole Slezak to volunteer with KWN this summer. You can read more about the group’s work against human trafficking on Nicole’s blog.
EPAF Identifies Victims of 1988 Massacre
August 18, 2008, Lima, Peru: Two decades after the kidnapping and disappearance of 17 residents of the communities of Socco, Amoca, and Checcasa, the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF) has successfully identified the remains of five victims exhumed in the area known as Chaupiorcco in December 2004.
According to an EPAF press release, the positive identifications came after DNA analyses conducted by EPAF in collaboration with Bode Laboratories confirmed ante-mortem information gathered in 2005. The identified victims include three men and two women.
“These identifications represent a crucial step forward in our attempt to establish what happened that day,” said EPAF Executive Director Jose Pablo Baraybar. “We hope this information helps to move forward the judicial process as these families continue their search for justice.”
The massacre is believed to have occurred on January 13, 1988. Five days earlier, according to testimonials from community residents, the Peruvian military detained three people in the community of Socco. Two to three days later, the same military contingent detained 14 more people in the community of Checcasa and one in the community of Amoca, subjecting them all to torture.
EPAF is a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP). Peace Fellow Ash Kosiewicz is volunteering with the group in Lima this summer.
Bosnian and Malaysian Women Expand Businesses Online
August 14, 2008, Washington, DC: Two Advocacy Project (AP) partners that empower women through business are preparing to bring their handmade goods to customers worldwide via the internet.
Bosnian Family (BOSFAM), a group of woman in Tuzla, Bosnia who weave traditional Bosnian carpets, will launch its product line on socially-responsible shopping website World of Good on Friday. eHomemakers, a network of Malaysian women entrepreneurs who work from home, plans to sell “eco-baskets” – made from recycled paper – on online auction site eBay soon.
Having the goods on eBay and World of Good will help the women reach a larger audience, and hopefully increase their customer base and profits.
“More women are now taking risks and entering business areas that are not traditional for women here, like IT services, marketing homemade products on the web, and even selling directly over the internet,” said eHomemakers executive director Chong Sheau Ching.
Many of the BOSFAM weavers lost husbands, sons, brothers, and fathers in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, leaving these women as the sole providers for their families.
BOSFAM offers its members the chance to earn an income through weaving traditional Bosnian carpets (kilims), sweaters, socks and gloves. Not only is the weaving itself deeply therapeutic, but the sale of these items is the only source of income for many of the women.
The women of eHomemakers often work from home due to social constraints, disabilities, or chronic illnesses. The primary aim of the network is to provide women with business skills and technical training that will help them become economically independent.
Advocacy Project Peace Fellow Shweta Dewan, who volunteered with BOSFAM this summer in Tuzla, coordinated the World of Good launch with AP intern Alison Sluiter in Washington. AP Peace Fellow Ola Duru, who is volunteering with eHomemakers in Kuala Lumpur, is helping the women to improve their marketing strategy.
Israeli Human Rights Organizations Demand Justice in Ni’lin
August 7, 2008, West Bank: Two Israeli soldiers involved in the shooting of a bound and blindfolded Palestinian man with a rubber bullet were recently charged with “inappropriate conduct” for their actions.
The shooting incident occurred July 7 in Ni’lin, a village in the West Bank where residents have protested against the construction of a separation barrier to protect Israeli settlements, and was caught on film by a 14-year-old girl. The Palestinian, Ashraf Abu-Rahma, 27, was stopped by soldiers, who cuffed and blindfolded him for about 30 minutes. Abu-Rahma said the soldiers beat him and then led him to an army Jeep, where the battalion commander held his arm and another soldier shot him in the foot.
Now, four Israeli human rights organizations are calling for a suspension of the legal proceedings to allow them time to examine the situation and consider challenging the indictments, which they do not think reflect the severity of the offense. The groups announced their intentions in a press release today.
Advocacy Project Peace Fellows Willow Heske and Hannah Wright, who are volunteering with the Democracy and Workers Rights’ Center and the Women’s Affairs Technical Committee in Ramallah this summer, have been following the ongoing violence in Ni’lin.
Dalit Villagers Rename Their Town
August 7, 2008, Urlabari, Morang District, Nepal – After twenty five years of discrimination from upper-caste neighbors, a group of Dalit in the Morang District have successfully changed the name of their village to “Munal Village.”
According to the latest e-bulletin put out by the Jagaran Media Center (JMC), the village had historically been called different derogatory names by upper-caste residents of the district, including five different names in the past five years. After much effort, the Dalit succeeded in getting the new, permanent name for the village.
Despite two fires, the village has become prosperous, sanitation has improved, and upper-caste attitudes toward its residents are beginning to change, the JMC reported.
JMC, an Advocacy Project partner, is a news service that focuses on the rights of the Dalit, a lower caste that often faces discrimination in Nepal.
Czech Nationalist Party Unveils Plan to Forcibly Remove Roma
August 1, 2008, Prague, the Czech Republic: The Czech National Party has unveiled a 150-page document detailing their plan to buy land in India and forcibly relocate Romani people.
The plan, titled “The Final Solution to the Gypsy Issue in the Czech Lands,” was reported on this week by Czexh news organizations and is an extreme example of the prejudice that still exists against Roma in Europe.
Ivan Vesely, chairman of the Dzeno Association, stated that “Romanies have lived here for over 500 years and we are still considered foreigners.” Dzeno, a leading Roma rights organization, is a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP). AP Peace Fellow Colby Pacheco is volunteering with the organization in Prague this summer.
Artists Gather in Bosnia to Promote Disability Rights
August 1, 2008, Mrkonjic Grad, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Dozens of artists and art students – both with and without disabilities – gathered at Balkana Lake last week for the fourth Regional Art Colony Balkana.
With the theme “Arts beyond borders and barriers,” the event aimed to raise public awareness on the critical issue of disability rights as human rights, and on other issues such as social inclusion, post-war recovery, survivorship and reconciliation. The artists came from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro to participate in the colony, and were joined by students of Art Academies from Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Belgrade.
This year’s event called for the adoption of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities. After the event, the participating artists were asked to use the advocacy skills they learned to raise awareness of and support for the convention.
The art colony was organized by the Survivor Corps Regional Office for Southeast Europe, in partnership with Landmine Survivors Network-Bosnia and Herzegovina (LSN-BiH). Survivor Corps is a partner of The Advocacy Project, and AP sent Peace Fellow Antigona Kukaj to volunteer with LSN-BiH this summer. Read more about the 2008 Art Colony Balkana and the participating artists on Antigona’s blog.
Violence Continues in Congo Despite Peace Agreement
July 30, 2008, Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo: Violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues six months after the signing of a peace agreement, a new coalition of 64 aid agencies and human rights groups reported this week.
The Congo Advocacy Coalition was created this July to focus attention on the protection of civilians as part of the peace process in eastern Congo. The first report from the coalition reveals that at least 150,000 people have been forced to flee from their homes due to ongoing fighting since the Goma peace agreement was signed on January 23, 2008. United Nations officials have reported at least 200 ceasefire violations between January and July.
Three Advocacy Project (AP) partners in the DRC – Initiative Congolaise pour la Justice et la Paix (ICJP), Centre de Recherche sur l'Environnement, la Démocratie et les Droits de l'Homme (CREDDHO), and Solidarité pour la Promotion Sociale et la Paix (SOPROP) – are members of the coalition.
Radovan Karadzic Extradited to The Hague
July 30, 2008, The Hague: Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader indicted for genocide and other war crimes was flown from Serbia to The Hague early Wednesday to face a U.N. war crimes tribunal.
Serbian authorities issued an extradition order for Mr Karadzic a little more than a week after he was captured, ending almost 13 years on the run. Mr Karadzic will now be held in a detention center in the Netherlands, where he will appear before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. A trial is not expected to begin for several months.
Mr Karadzic was one of the two architects of the Srebrenica massacre, which claimed the lives of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men in July 1995. His extradition comes after about 15,000 far-right Serbian nationalists rallied in his support in Belgrade Tuesday. Advocacy Project (AP) Peace Fellow Janet Rabin, who is volunteering with Women in Black-Serbia in Belgrade this summer, describes the change in the city after Mr Karadzic’s arrest in her blog.
Israeli Soldiers Kill 10-year-old Boy in Ni'lin
July 29, 2008, Ni’lin, West Bank: A 10-year-old was killed by Israeli forces on Tuesday evening during a demonstration in the village of Ni'lin, west of Ramallah.
Eyewitnesses reported that the child, Ahmad Husam Yousef Musa, was shot in the head and died immediately. His body was transferred to Ramallah hospital.
The shooting occurred as bulldozers were finishing their daily work on a separation wall being built to protect an Israeli settlement. According to news reports, Israeli troops fired live ammunition directly at demonstrators who had gathered at the construction site.
Israeli forces have cracked down on Ni’lin ever since residents there began protesting what they call the “apartheid wall” – a barrier of razor-wire fences and concrete barricades that cuts into their land and has been deemed illegal by the World Court.
Advocacy Project (AP) Peace Fellow Willow Heske is volunteering with the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center (DWRC) in Ramallah this summer. Her tasks include following the negative effects of the separation barrier on workers from Ni’lin. The DWRC, an AP partner, advocates for the rights of Palestinian workers and promotes principles of democracy and social justice in the Occupied Territories.
Rural Radio Program Celebrates One Year on the Air
July 29, 2008, Baglung, Nepal: A radio program that has provided a voice for disadvantaged groups in the remote regions of Western Nepal recently completed its first full year on the air.
The program, “Constituent Assembly and Human Rights,” was launched in 2007 by the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP), a grassroots human rights organization in Nepal, with support from The Advocacy Project (AP) in Washington. It aired its 52nd episode July 27.
Initially, the radio program helped marginalized groups in Nepal – such as women and lower-caste Dalit – understand the country’s complex electoral system and participate in the historic elections held in April 2008. Now, the show focuses on getting the voices of these groups heard by members of the Constituent Assembly as they draft a new constitution.
A big obstacle to raising political awareness in Nepal is the remoteness of the rural areas, where 86 percent of people in the Western region live. In these villages, there is usually no access to newspapers, television, or mobile phones. For these citizens, the connection to the rest of Nepal comes through radio.
Yogendra Milan Chhantyal, who produces the COCAP show, takes questions from rural Nepalis and members of disadvantaged groups and gets answers from members of parliament. The weekly half-hour show broadcasts in 17 districts in Western Nepal, and has the capacity to reach more than 1.9 million Nepalis each week.
AP Peace Fellow Tassos Coulaloglou helped get the program started in 2007, and AP has sent Peace Fellow Shubha Bala to volunteer with COCAP Radio this summer. However, despite a staff of dedicated volunteers, the show is in danger of shutting down because it cannot keep up with airtime and production costs.
To air the show for one week on one radio station costs $15. To help keep “Constituent Assembly and Human Rights” on the air, or to listen to past episodes, please visit the show’s web page. All donations go directly to COCAP Radio.
Advocates Demand Justice for Palestinian Shot with Rubber Bullet
July 24, 2008, Ni’lin, West Bank: Human rights advocates in the Occupied Territories are calling for a investigation after video footage (above) surfaced of an Israeli soldier shooting a handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian at close range with a rubber bullet.
The incident occurred July 7 in Ni’lin, a village in the West Bank where residents have protested against the construction of a separation barrier to protect Israeli settlements. The Palestinian, Ashraf Abu-Rahma, 27, was stopped by soldiers, who cuffed and blindfolded him for about 30 minutes. Abu-Rahma said the soldiers beat him and then led him to an army Jeep, where the battalion commander held his arm and another soldier shot him in the foot. The rubber-coated steel bullet hit his left toe, he received treatment from an army medic, and was then released by the soldiers.
The video was filmed by a young girl who witnessed the shooting from her home in Ni’lin. Until the video appeared, the Military Police had not conducted an investigation or taken any measures against the soldier or the battalion commander. Residents of Ni’lin stated that, the day after the incident, they saw the soldier still serving in his unit.
Now, according to media reports, the Military Police have opened an investigation and arrested the soldier who fired the shot. The Ni’lin Popular Committee Against the Illegal Apartheid Wall has started an online petition calling for full prosecution and justice for the human rights abuses committed in Ni’lin.
Israeli soldiers have cracked down on the village ever since residents there began protesting what they call the “apartheid wall” – a barrier of razor-wire fences and concrete barricades that cuts into their land and has been deemed illegal by the World Court.
Willow Heske, an Advocacy Project (AP) Peace Fellow volunteering with the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center (DWRC) in Ramallah this summer, created a presentation on the wall’s negative effects on the workers of Ni’lin. The DWRC, an AP partner, advocates for the rights of Palestinian workers and promotes principles of democracy and social justice in the Occupied Territories.
Landmine Survivors Network -El Salvador Wins $50,000 to Help People With Disabilities
July 24, 2008, El Salvador: Landmine Survivors’ Network-El Salvador (LSN-ES) recently won a $50,000 grant from the Gloria Krete Foundation during this year’s Helping Those Who Help Others awards gala (Ayudando a Quienes Ayudan 2008).
The award is given every year to human rights organizations that are helping to address social issues in El Salvador. In total, ten finalists were awarded a grand total of $345,000 during the July 17 gala.
LSN-ES will be using the award money to buy prosthetics and accompanying materials for disabled individuals, as well as putting some of the money towards developing disability services in the hospitals.
Advocacy Project (AP) Peace Fellow Larissa Hotra is volunteering with LSN-ES this summer.
European Court OKs Separation of Roma Students in Croatia
July 21, 2008, Croatia: The European Court of Human Rights issued a ruling last week upholding Croatia’s policy of separating students into all Roma and non-Roma classes.
The Roma children, now aged between 14 and 20, had argued they suffered from being separated from the other students in school, and were taught only a third of the curriculum. The schools contended that they were separated only until their language skills improved enough for them to keep up with other students.
The ruling could have implications for Roma children throughout Europe, where it is common practice for Roma (gypsies) to be placed in either special classes, or in some cases, in special schools.
The Dzeno Association, a leading Roma rights organization and Advocacy Project (AP) partner, is carrying out a campaign in the Czech Republic to ensure that Roma youth receive an equal opportunity in the classroom. In a similar case last year, the court found in favor of Roma students and insisted they be integrated in Czech schools.
Colby Pacheco, an AP Peace Fellow, is volunteering with Dzeno this summer.
Governments at Biennal Meeting of States Agree to Do More to Trace Weapons
July 18, 2008, New York: Delegates at the UN’s Third Biennial Meeting of States on small arms adopted a draft outcome paper Thursday to strengthen global efforts to mark and trace weapons.
Formally called the “International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons,” the paper commits states to mark existing stocks of weapons held by governments, armies and security forces, in order to reduce the chances of their flow to war zones.
The move came just before the conclusion of the weeklong meeting, which brings together governments and civil society organizations around the world to work on implementing a program to combat the trafficking of weapons.
IANSA, a strategic partner of The Advocacy Project (AP), brought a delegation of more than 50 people to the meeting in New York, including AP intern Jessie Schwartz and Peace Fellow Jennifer Scott.
Serbian Women Condemn War Crimes Committed “In Their Name”
July 17, 2008, Belgrade, Serbia: More than 30 people from the Women in Black Network from Serbia traveled to Srebrenica last week to mark the 13th anniversary of the brutal 1995 massacre committed by their countrymen.
Holding signs which said “Solidarity” and “Never Forget Srebrenica,” Women in Black joined the Women of Srebrenica Civic Association of Tuzla and more than 40,000 others to mourn the 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys killed and to rebury 307 recently-identified victims.
Janet Rabin, an Advocacy Project Peace Fellow volunteering with Women in Black this summer, traveled with the group to Potocari, Bosnia, for the ceremony and was struck by the warm relationship between the Serbian and Bosnian women. These friendships, and Women in Black’s efforts, are building blocks of trust and bold first steps toward reconciliation in a region deeply scarred by ethnic conflict.
“These two groups have been working together, and mourning together, for years,” Ms Rabin said. “In the midst of so much tragedy I could not comprehend, the small gestures of kindness and friendship between these women was a glimpse of something familiar, and more importantly, something hopeful.”
While many in Serbia remain in denial about the atrocities committed at Srebrenica, Women in Black has called for army commander Ratko Mladic, who ordered the massacre, to be brought to justice. Mladic and former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic have both been indicted by a United Nations war crimes tribunal on charges of genocide for masterminding the slaughter. Both remain at large in the Balkans.
Last week, Women in Black held an event on the main square in Belgrade where they screened the film “Women of Srebrenica Speak.” The short film features the testimonies of women who lost family members in the Srebrenica massacre, and provided a way for the Srebrenica victims to address the Serbian public. Women in Black also held one of its trademark silent demonstrations in the square. Its members wore black, but carried white roses in honor of the massacre victims.
Former Sudanese child soldier discusses children and guns in zones of instability
July 14, 2008, New York: The International Network on Small Arms (IANSA) will be hosting a panel discussion with Emmanuel Jal, a former child soldier and Sudanese musician, during the United Nations Third Biennial Meeting of States this week.
The discussion, “Conflict of Interests: Children and Guns in Zones of Instability,” will be held from 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, in Conference Room 4 at the UN.
Mr Jal will speak, as well as give a musical performance. The talk is also being supported by the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, the Belgian government, and UNICEF.
The Biennial Meeting of States meeting brings together governments and civil society organizations around the world to work on implementing a program to combat the trafficking of weapons.
Newswire
The latest news from The Advocacy Project partners, updated as it happens:
Village in Nepal Declares Itself “Untouchability-Free”
September 3, 2008, Panchkanya, Sunsari District – Residents of Panchkanya Village Development Committee (VDC) recently made their VDC an untouchability-free place, taking a form stand against discriminatory social practices common to many villages in Nepal.
The village’s decision was reported on in an e-bulletin put out by the Jagaran Media Center, a network of Dalit journalists that is a partner of The Advocacy Project.
According to JMC, the VDC office has been supportive, and is ready to allocate some of the annual budget to programs combating untouchability and caste-based discrimination. The total population of Panchkanya VDC is approximately 14,521 people, and roughly 1,700 are Dalit.
“There are lots of discrimination cases because of the caste hierarchy, but we are trying to respect the state’s declaration on untouchability and implement it in the local level,” said Binod Bishwokarma, Chairperson of the Dalit Network in Panchkanya.
The villagers, along with members of different political parties, social organizations, and the VDC office are committed to making the village a model for others. Already, some neighboring villages in the Morang district are preparing to declare their villages untouchability-free as well.
- For more information, read the JMC e-bulletin.
Clothing Exhibition Helps in Identifying Putis Victims
September 2, 2008, Ayacucho, Peru: The first public exhibition of clothing and personal items from the mass graves at Putis, Peru, held in Huanta this past weekend, made some progress toward identifying the victims of the 1984 massacre.
The exhibition was held by the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF), an Advocacy Project partner that exhumed the Putis graves in May. According to an EPAF press release, more than 300 people attended the exhibition, and some relatives successfully identified pieces of clothing of their loved ones. EPAF was able to collect 62 new profiles of ante-mortem data that contain valuable information to help identify those killed in Putis.
The Putis site is the largest of Peru’s mass graves, and marks one of the most brutal incidents in the country’s 20-year internal conflict. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that in December 1984, 123 men, women and children from the communities of Cayramayo, Vizcatampata, Orccohuasi and Putis were executed by units of the Peruvian Army and buried at Putis.
The two-day clothing exhibition followed a ceremony in Huanta honoring the International Day of the Missing. The exhibition is now in the community of Santillana and will arrive in Putis later this week.
Singing Competition Highlights Women’s Issues in Nepal
September 2, 2008, Butwal, Nepal: The Jagaran Media Center put a new spin on a traditional Nepali women’s festival this past weekend by using the occasion as an opportunity to highlight women’s issues in the country.
On August 30, Radio Jagaran held a Haritalika Teej festival in Butwal, Nepal, which included a singing competition to raise awareness of women’s rights. The competition aimed to reveal the difficulties faced by women in Nepal, including issues such as violence against women, social discrimination, HIV/AIDS, trafficking, and safe motherhood.
Teej is a women’s festival that is observed annually in Nepal. Traditionally, married women observe Teej by fasting and praying for the health of their husbands. Unmarried women also observe Teej in hopes of finding a good husband. Traditional songs and dances are an important part of Teej and can be seen in all parts of Nepal during the festival.
Participants in the Radio Jagaran competition were required to write and perform an original song in the traditional Teej style that addressed an issue affecting Nepali women. Jagaran Media Center (JMC) and Radio Jagaran hoped that the competition would encourage Constituent Assembly members to consider women’s rights as Nepal’s new constitution is written.
“Most importantly, we want to make women aware of their rights through Teej songs which will create public pressure to address women’s issues in making the new constitution,” said Uma Paudel, Regional Program coordinator for JMC.
Radio Jagaran’s Haritalika Teej competition involved 40 singing groups who competed for recognition and cash prizes.
JMC is a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP). AP recruited Heather Gilberds to volunteer as a Peace Fellow this summer with Radio Jagaran in Butwal. Ms Gilberds had been blogging about her work with Radio Jagaran and provided the information for this report.
EPAF To Hold Exhibition of Clothing from Mass Graves
August 26, 2008, Ayacucho, Peru – The Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF) is planning to hold an exhibition Saturday, August 30 containing clothing and personal effects from the mass graves at Putis – one of the final investigative steps to identify the victims and determine what happened to them.
Earlier this year, a team from EPAF was appointed to exhume the Putis site – the largest of Peru’s mass graves, marking one of the most brutal incidents in the country’s 20-year internal conflict. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission found that in December 1984, 123 men, women and children from the communities of Cayramayo, Vizcatampata, Orccohuasi and Putis were executed by units of the Peruvian Army and buried at Putis.
The exhibit is being held on International Day of the Missing. Also on that day, a ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. at the Civic Center in Huanta province to remember the thousands of people still missing and the persistence of their families in searching for answers. According to the most recent estimates, around 15,000 people are still missing in Peru. Huanta province, in the Ayacucho region, was one of the places most affected by violence.
EPAF is a partner of the Advocacy Project (AP). This summer, AP sent Peace Fellow Ash Kosiewicz to volunteer with the group in Lima.
- For more information on Saturday’s events, read EPAF’s press release.
- Read the Ash’s blog.
Kosovar Women Contribute to Anti-Trafficking Plan
August 22, 2008, Prishtina, Kosovo: The Kosova Women’s Network (KWN), an Advocacy Project (AP) partner, recently submitted recommendations to Kosovo’s government on the country’s National Action Plan against Trafficking in Human Persons.
The government, in connection with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and other international organizations, has been working on the plan since the old National Action Plan expired in 2007.
KWN is working closely with the Agency for Gender Equality and the Women’s Safety and Security Initiative (WSSI) on the issue of human trafficking and development of the Anti-Trafficking Plan. Civil society input is important to the plan to ensure that diverse viewpoints are represented and that it is realistic and able to be implemented.
AP has sent Peace Fellow Nicole Slezak to volunteer with KWN this summer. You can read more about the group’s work against human trafficking on Nicole’s blog.
EPAF Identifies Victims of 1988 Massacre
August 18, 2008, Lima, Peru: Two decades after the kidnapping and disappearance of 17 residents of the communities of Socco, Amoca, and Checcasa, the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF) has successfully identified the remains of five victims exhumed in the area known as Chaupiorcco in December 2004.
According to an EPAF press release, the positive identifications came after DNA analyses conducted by EPAF in collaboration with Bode Laboratories confirmed ante-mortem information gathered in 2005. The identified victims include three men and two women.
“These identifications represent a crucial step forward in our attempt to establish what happened that day,” said EPAF Executive Director Jose Pablo Baraybar. “We hope this information helps to move forward the judicial process as these families continue their search for justice.”
The massacre is believed to have occurred on January 13, 1988. Five days earlier, according to testimonials from community residents, the Peruvian military detained three people in the community of Socco. Two to three days later, the same military contingent detained 14 more people in the community of Checcasa and one in the community of Amoca, subjecting them all to torture.
EPAF is a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP). Peace Fellow Ash Kosiewicz is volunteering with the group in Lima this summer.
- Read EPAF’s full press release.
- Read Ash’s blog.
Bosnian and Malaysian Women Expand Businesses Online
August 14, 2008, Washington, DC: Two Advocacy Project (AP) partners that empower women through business are preparing to bring their handmade goods to customers worldwide via the internet. Bosnian Family (BOSFAM), a group of woman in Tuzla, Bosnia who weave traditional Bosnian carpets, will launch its product line on socially-responsible shopping website World of Good on Friday. eHomemakers, a network of Malaysian women entrepreneurs who work from home, plans to sell “eco-baskets” – made from recycled paper – on online auction site eBay soon.
Having the goods on eBay and World of Good will help the women reach a larger audience, and hopefully increase their customer base and profits.
“More women are now taking risks and entering business areas that are not traditional for women here, like IT services, marketing homemade products on the web, and even selling directly over the internet,” said eHomemakers executive director Chong Sheau Ching.
Many of the BOSFAM weavers lost husbands, sons, brothers, and fathers in the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, leaving these women as the sole providers for their families.
BOSFAM offers its members the chance to earn an income through weaving traditional Bosnian carpets (kilims), sweaters, socks and gloves. Not only is the weaving itself deeply therapeutic, but the sale of these items is the only source of income for many of the women.
The women of eHomemakers often work from home due to social constraints, disabilities, or chronic illnesses. The primary aim of the network is to provide women with business skills and technical training that will help them become economically independent.
Advocacy Project Peace Fellow Shweta Dewan, who volunteered with BOSFAM this summer in Tuzla, coordinated the World of Good launch with AP intern Alison Sluiter in Washington. AP Peace Fellow Ola Duru, who is volunteering with eHomemakers in Kuala Lumpur, is helping the women to improve their marketing strategy.
- Read the blogs of Peace Fellows Shweta Dewan and Ola Duru
Israeli Human Rights Organizations Demand Justice in Ni’lin
August 7, 2008, West Bank: Two Israeli soldiers involved in the shooting of a bound and blindfolded Palestinian man with a rubber bullet were recently charged with “inappropriate conduct” for their actions.
The shooting incident occurred July 7 in Ni’lin, a village in the West Bank where residents have protested against the construction of a separation barrier to protect Israeli settlements, and was caught on film by a 14-year-old girl. The Palestinian, Ashraf Abu-Rahma, 27, was stopped by soldiers, who cuffed and blindfolded him for about 30 minutes. Abu-Rahma said the soldiers beat him and then led him to an army Jeep, where the battalion commander held his arm and another soldier shot him in the foot.
Now, four Israeli human rights organizations are calling for a suspension of the legal proceedings to allow them time to examine the situation and consider challenging the indictments, which they do not think reflect the severity of the offense. The groups announced their intentions in a press release today.
Advocacy Project Peace Fellows Willow Heske and Hannah Wright, who are volunteering with the Democracy and Workers Rights’ Center and the Women’s Affairs Technical Committee in Ramallah this summer, have been following the ongoing violence in Ni’lin.
- Read the press release.
- Read Willow’s blog.
- Read Hannah’s blog.
Dalit Villagers Rename Their Town
August 7, 2008, Urlabari, Morang District, Nepal – After twenty five years of discrimination from upper-caste neighbors, a group of Dalit in the Morang District have successfully changed the name of their village to “Munal Village.”
According to the latest e-bulletin put out by the Jagaran Media Center (JMC), the village had historically been called different derogatory names by upper-caste residents of the district, including five different names in the past five years. After much effort, the Dalit succeeded in getting the new, permanent name for the village.
Despite two fires, the village has become prosperous, sanitation has improved, and upper-caste attitudes toward its residents are beginning to change, the JMC reported.
JMC, an Advocacy Project partner, is a news service that focuses on the rights of the Dalit, a lower caste that often faces discrimination in Nepal.
- Read the full story on the village.
- Read the latest JMC e-bulletin.
Czech Nationalist Party Unveils Plan to Forcibly Remove Roma
August 1, 2008, Prague, the Czech Republic: The Czech National Party has unveiled a 150-page document detailing their plan to buy land in India and forcibly relocate Romani people.
The plan, titled “The Final Solution to the Gypsy Issue in the Czech Lands,” was reported on this week by Czexh news organizations and is an extreme example of the prejudice that still exists against Roma in Europe.
Ivan Vesely, chairman of the Dzeno Association, stated that “Romanies have lived here for over 500 years and we are still considered foreigners.” Dzeno, a leading Roma rights organization, is a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP). AP Peace Fellow Colby Pacheco is volunteering with the organization in Prague this summer.
- Read the full article.
- Read Colby’s blog.
Artists Gather in Bosnia to Promote Disability Rights
August 1, 2008, Mrkonjic Grad, Bosnia and Herzegovina: Dozens of artists and art students – both with and without disabilities – gathered at Balkana Lake last week for the fourth Regional Art Colony Balkana. With the theme “Arts beyond borders and barriers,” the event aimed to raise public awareness on the critical issue of disability rights as human rights, and on other issues such as social inclusion, post-war recovery, survivorship and reconciliation. The artists came from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro to participate in the colony, and were joined by students of Art Academies from Sarajevo, Banja Luka and Belgrade.
This year’s event called for the adoption of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Person with Disabilities. After the event, the participating artists were asked to use the advocacy skills they learned to raise awareness of and support for the convention.
The art colony was organized by the Survivor Corps Regional Office for Southeast Europe, in partnership with Landmine Survivors Network-Bosnia and Herzegovina (LSN-BiH). Survivor Corps is a partner of The Advocacy Project, and AP sent Peace Fellow Antigona Kukaj to volunteer with LSN-BiH this summer. Read more about the 2008 Art Colony Balkana and the participating artists on Antigona’s blog.
Violence Continues in Congo Despite Peace Agreement
July 30, 2008, Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo: Violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues six months after the signing of a peace agreement, a new coalition of 64 aid agencies and human rights groups reported this week.
The Congo Advocacy Coalition was created this July to focus attention on the protection of civilians as part of the peace process in eastern Congo. The first report from the coalition reveals that at least 150,000 people have been forced to flee from their homes due to ongoing fighting since the Goma peace agreement was signed on January 23, 2008. United Nations officials have reported at least 200 ceasefire violations between January and July.
Three Advocacy Project (AP) partners in the DRC – Initiative Congolaise pour la Justice et la Paix (ICJP), Centre de Recherche sur l'Environnement, la Démocratie et les Droits de l'Homme (CREDDHO), and Solidarité pour la Promotion Sociale et la Paix (SOPROP) – are members of the coalition.
- Read the full article.
- Read the report.
Radovan Karadzic Extradited to The Hague
July 30, 2008, The Hague: Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader indicted for genocide and other war crimes was flown from Serbia to The Hague early Wednesday to face a U.N. war crimes tribunal.
Serbian authorities issued an extradition order for Mr Karadzic a little more than a week after he was captured, ending almost 13 years on the run. Mr Karadzic will now be held in a detention center in the Netherlands, where he will appear before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. A trial is not expected to begin for several months.
Mr Karadzic was one of the two architects of the Srebrenica massacre, which claimed the lives of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men in July 1995. His extradition comes after about 15,000 far-right Serbian nationalists rallied in his support in Belgrade Tuesday. Advocacy Project (AP) Peace Fellow Janet Rabin, who is volunteering with Women in Black-Serbia in Belgrade this summer, describes the change in the city after Mr Karadzic’s arrest in her blog.
Israeli Soldiers Kill 10-year-old Boy in Ni'lin
July 29, 2008, Ni’lin, West Bank: A 10-year-old was killed by Israeli forces on Tuesday evening during a demonstration in the village of Ni'lin, west of Ramallah.
Eyewitnesses reported that the child, Ahmad Husam Yousef Musa, was shot in the head and died immediately. His body was transferred to Ramallah hospital.
The shooting occurred as bulldozers were finishing their daily work on a separation wall being built to protect an Israeli settlement. According to news reports, Israeli troops fired live ammunition directly at demonstrators who had gathered at the construction site.
Israeli forces have cracked down on Ni’lin ever since residents there began protesting what they call the “apartheid wall” – a barrier of razor-wire fences and concrete barricades that cuts into their land and has been deemed illegal by the World Court.
Advocacy Project (AP) Peace Fellow Willow Heske is volunteering with the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center (DWRC) in Ramallah this summer. Her tasks include following the negative effects of the separation barrier on workers from Ni’lin. The DWRC, an AP partner, advocates for the rights of Palestinian workers and promotes principles of democracy and social justice in the Occupied Territories.
Rural Radio Program Celebrates One Year on the Air
The program, “Constituent Assembly and Human Rights,” was launched in 2007 by the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP), a grassroots human rights organization in Nepal, with support from The Advocacy Project (AP) in Washington. It aired its 52nd episode July 27.
Initially, the radio program helped marginalized groups in Nepal – such as women and lower-caste Dalit – understand the country’s complex electoral system and participate in the historic elections held in April 2008. Now, the show focuses on getting the voices of these groups heard by members of the Constituent Assembly as they draft a new constitution.
A big obstacle to raising political awareness in Nepal is the remoteness of the rural areas, where 86 percent of people in the Western region live. In these villages, there is usually no access to newspapers, television, or mobile phones. For these citizens, the connection to the rest of Nepal comes through radio.
Yogendra Milan Chhantyal, who produces the COCAP show, takes questions from rural Nepalis and members of disadvantaged groups and gets answers from members of parliament. The weekly half-hour show broadcasts in 17 districts in Western Nepal, and has the capacity to reach more than 1.9 million Nepalis each week.
AP Peace Fellow Tassos Coulaloglou helped get the program started in 2007, and AP has sent Peace Fellow Shubha Bala to volunteer with COCAP Radio this summer. However, despite a staff of dedicated volunteers, the show is in danger of shutting down because it cannot keep up with airtime and production costs.
To air the show for one week on one radio station costs $15. To help keep “Constituent Assembly and Human Rights” on the air, or to listen to past episodes, please visit the show’s web page. All donations go directly to COCAP Radio.
Advocates Demand Justice for Palestinian Shot with Rubber Bullet
The incident occurred July 7 in Ni’lin, a village in the West Bank where residents have protested against the construction of a separation barrier to protect Israeli settlements. The Palestinian, Ashraf Abu-Rahma, 27, was stopped by soldiers, who cuffed and blindfolded him for about 30 minutes. Abu-Rahma said the soldiers beat him and then led him to an army Jeep, where the battalion commander held his arm and another soldier shot him in the foot. The rubber-coated steel bullet hit his left toe, he received treatment from an army medic, and was then released by the soldiers.
The video was filmed by a young girl who witnessed the shooting from her home in Ni’lin. Until the video appeared, the Military Police had not conducted an investigation or taken any measures against the soldier or the battalion commander. Residents of Ni’lin stated that, the day after the incident, they saw the soldier still serving in his unit.
Now, according to media reports, the Military Police have opened an investigation and arrested the soldier who fired the shot. The Ni’lin Popular Committee Against the Illegal Apartheid Wall has started an online petition calling for full prosecution and justice for the human rights abuses committed in Ni’lin.
Israeli soldiers have cracked down on the village ever since residents there began protesting what they call the “apartheid wall” – a barrier of razor-wire fences and concrete barricades that cuts into their land and has been deemed illegal by the World Court.
Willow Heske, an Advocacy Project (AP) Peace Fellow volunteering with the Democracy and Workers’ Rights Center (DWRC) in Ramallah this summer, created a presentation on the wall’s negative effects on the workers of Ni’lin. The DWRC, an AP partner, advocates for the rights of Palestinian workers and promotes principles of democracy and social justice in the Occupied Territories.
Landmine Survivors Network -El Salvador Wins $50,000 to Help People With Disabilities
July 24, 2008, El Salvador: Landmine Survivors’ Network-El Salvador (LSN-ES) recently won a $50,000 grant from the Gloria Krete Foundation during this year’s Helping Those Who Help Others awards gala (Ayudando a Quienes Ayudan 2008).
The award is given every year to human rights organizations that are helping to address social issues in El Salvador. In total, ten finalists were awarded a grand total of $345,000 during the July 17 gala.
LSN-ES will be using the award money to buy prosthetics and accompanying materials for disabled individuals, as well as putting some of the money towards developing disability services in the hospitals.
Advocacy Project (AP) Peace Fellow Larissa Hotra is volunteering with LSN-ES this summer.
- Read more in Larissa’s blog.
European Court OKs Separation of Roma Students in Croatia
July 21, 2008, Croatia: The European Court of Human Rights issued a ruling last week upholding Croatia’s policy of separating students into all Roma and non-Roma classes.
The Roma children, now aged between 14 and 20, had argued they suffered from being separated from the other students in school, and were taught only a third of the curriculum. The schools contended that they were separated only until their language skills improved enough for them to keep up with other students.
The ruling could have implications for Roma children throughout Europe, where it is common practice for Roma (gypsies) to be placed in either special classes, or in some cases, in special schools.
The Dzeno Association, a leading Roma rights organization and Advocacy Project (AP) partner, is carrying out a campaign in the Czech Republic to ensure that Roma youth receive an equal opportunity in the classroom. In a similar case last year, the court found in favor of Roma students and insisted they be integrated in Czech schools.
Colby Pacheco, an AP Peace Fellow, is volunteering with Dzeno this summer.
- Read more in Colby’s blog.
- Read the full article about the decision.
Governments at Biennal Meeting of States Agree to Do More to Trace Weapons
July 18, 2008, New York: Delegates at the UN’s Third Biennial Meeting of States on small arms adopted a draft outcome paper Thursday to strengthen global efforts to mark and trace weapons.
Formally called the “International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons,” the paper commits states to mark existing stocks of weapons held by governments, armies and security forces, in order to reduce the chances of their flow to war zones.
The move came just before the conclusion of the weeklong meeting, which brings together governments and civil society organizations around the world to work on implementing a program to combat the trafficking of weapons.
IANSA, a strategic partner of The Advocacy Project (AP), brought a delegation of more than 50 people to the meeting in New York, including AP intern Jessie Schwartz and Peace Fellow Jennifer Scott.
- Read the full article on the BMS.
Serbian Women Condemn War Crimes Committed “In Their Name”
July 17, 2008, Belgrade, Serbia: More than 30 people from the Women in Black Network from Serbia traveled to Srebrenica last week to mark the 13th anniversary of the brutal 1995 massacre committed by their countrymen. Holding signs which said “Solidarity” and “Never Forget Srebrenica,” Women in Black joined the Women of Srebrenica Civic Association of Tuzla and more than 40,000 others to mourn the 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys killed and to rebury 307 recently-identified victims.
Janet Rabin, an Advocacy Project Peace Fellow volunteering with Women in Black this summer, traveled with the group to Potocari, Bosnia, for the ceremony and was struck by the warm relationship between the Serbian and Bosnian women. These friendships, and Women in Black’s efforts, are building blocks of trust and bold first steps toward reconciliation in a region deeply scarred by ethnic conflict.
“These two groups have been working together, and mourning together, for years,” Ms Rabin said. “In the midst of so much tragedy I could not comprehend, the small gestures of kindness and friendship between these women was a glimpse of something familiar, and more importantly, something hopeful.”
While many in Serbia remain in denial about the atrocities committed at Srebrenica, Women in Black has called for army commander Ratko Mladic, who ordered the massacre, to be brought to justice. Mladic and former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic have both been indicted by a United Nations war crimes tribunal on charges of genocide for masterminding the slaughter. Both remain at large in the Balkans.
Last week, Women in Black held an event on the main square in Belgrade where they screened the film “Women of Srebrenica Speak.” The short film features the testimonies of women who lost family members in the Srebrenica massacre, and provided a way for the Srebrenica victims to address the Serbian public. Women in Black also held one of its trademark silent demonstrations in the square. Its members wore black, but carried white roses in honor of the massacre victims.
- Read the blogs of AP Peace Fellow Janet Rabin.
- Read more about events marking the Srebrenica anniversary.
Former Sudanese child soldier discusses children and guns in zones of instability
July 14, 2008, New York: The International Network on Small Arms (IANSA) will be hosting a panel discussion with Emmanuel Jal, a former child soldier and Sudanese musician, during the United Nations Third Biennial Meeting of States this week. The discussion, “Conflict of Interests: Children and Guns in Zones of Instability,” will be held from 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, in Conference Room 4 at the UN.
Mr Jal will speak, as well as give a musical performance. The talk is also being supported by the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, the Belgian government, and UNICEF.
The Biennial Meeting of States meeting brings together governments and civil society organizations around the world to work on implementing a program to combat the trafficking of weapons.
- Learn more about the panel discussion and Emmanuel Jal.
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