Grace Davies

On Tuesday this week, London's Trafalgar square was transformed into a temporary "refugee camp" by the UNHCR in an awareness raising initiative to highlight the ongoing situation in Darfur, which saw similar scenes in 20 countries across the world. Zrinka blogged earlier this week about her own unexpected reaction to the exhibition. The hope is that the day-long camp had an impact on those who know nothing about Darfur, the UNHCR or refugees in general, the "absent majority" as Jenny put it in an earlier post.

Grace Davies

In a very timely piece published on openDemocracy today, Charlie Beckett offers some useful insights on "networked journalism" that I think are worth bringing in to this debate. Beckett, of the Polis journalism and society centre at LSE has a book out Supermedia: Saving Journalism So It Can Save The World and argues that new tools of communication and forms of journalism can have a huge impact on the public sphere and democracy itself.

Grace Davies

Asylum is a subject that is rarely out of the headlines in Britain. Immigration, a constant topic of debate in Westminster. But increasingly, a space for informed, open debate of the relevant issues has been squeezed out by widening divisions leading to a "toxic stand-off".

At openDemocracy we believe that debate changes minds, changes policy and ultimately leads to change in practice. With this as our goal, we will be running an editorial project, MigrantVoice on refuge to bring unheard voices, new ideas and testimony of the lived experiences of refugees in Britain to the attention of our readership and into the public debate during Refugee Week (16-22 June 2008).

Grace Davies

A Human Rights Watch report released yesterday delivered a stark reminder of the ongoing crisis of sexual violence in Darfur, and of the need to step-up pressure on the Sudanese government and international forces to address the problem effectively.

Grace Davies

A new report aiming to protect women and girls in eastern DRC argues that policies to prevent sexual violence be closely linked to established and ongoing conflict resolution and peacemaking initiatives already underway.

Grace Davies

A ten year old Bruce Lee fanatic attached to her Adidas trainers and determined to become a future prophet is not your average leading lady. Meet Marjane, of Marjane Satrapi's Oscar-nominated film Persepolis, adapted from her autobiographical graphic novel of the same name. At a packed ICA screening in London this week, part of the Bird's Eye View festival, much of the audience fell in love.

Grace Davies

Now in its fourth year, Bird's Eye View is a London-based international film festival celebrating women filmmakers from around the world. Ten days of documentaries, new features, workshops, retrospectives and short films showcase the best new work by female directors. And in an overwhelmingly male-dominated industry, it is much needed. With a few notable exceptions such as Sofia Coppola and Mira Nair, the female director is - or is thought to be - a rarity. The packed programme of this year's festival gloriously proves otherwise.

Grace Davies

Last month, this blog along with many others celebrated the award of the prestigious Olof Palme prize to Iranian women's rights activist Parvin Ardalan. Now, just a few weeks on, Ms Ardalan has been denied a right to travel abroad. On her way to Sweden yesterday to accept the internationally recognised award, she was detained by security officials before the plane could leave. Ardalan explains: "(Officials said) I was banned from travel and that I could not exit Iran. They also seized my passport."

Grace Davies

From 25 February - 7 March 2008, the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) meets in New York. Bringing together representatives from 45 countries, hundreds of NGOs and several thousand women working for women's human rights, the Commission evaluates progress on gender equality and sets new standards for global policy. It takes place in the lead-up to International Women's Day on 8 March. This year, the meeting will focus on financing for gender equality and women's empowerment, and exploring gender perspectives on climate change.

Grace Davies

Women's access to family planning advice and contraception is widely acknowledged as a universal human right, yet in many countries around the world, contraception and abortion services are restricted and, in some cases illegal. We have previously covered the global crisis of unsafe abortion and its daily toll on women's lives in this blog, and highlighted obstacles to change such as the United States' "global gag" rule.

Grace Davies

Internationally lauded microcredit schemes, avid consumption of "throwaway" cheap fashions, $2 shampoos, and a minority of 'high-powered' women business executives. These all formed part of an energetic discussion on women's economic empowerment chaired by the IDS pathways of women's empowerment RPC yesterday, a theme also due to be addressed as part of the UN Commission on the Status of Women kicking off at the end of this month.

Amongst the group of women experts gathered by IDS, the clearest tensions came between an individualistic need (for control over own income and expenditure) and the goal of a collective, structural framework of empowerment. As Takyiwaa Manuh explained, in Ghana the microcredit model is attractive and indeed vital for poverty-stricken women in asserting control over their lives, yet there is an accompanying danger that the institution itself fosters a belief that such a scheme is "all you need". Effectively, "problem solved".

This is of course not the case, as Santi Rozario has written elsewhere on openDemocracy, and discussion of cultural, political, emotional, social and bodily empowerment peppered the talks. Gender equality and justice can never be achieved in just one sphere of life. However, a focus on economic issues does allow room for exploring the complexities of working for gender equality in a globalised world.

Tensions between the formal and growing informal economies, international corporates and State powers, and a rapidly changing economic context along these lines highlight the global challenge.

The extent of private sector interest and investment in gender-specific issues worldwide is part of this transformation. We learned of innovations such as Unilever's recruitment of networks of women traders in Africa and Asia. (They also established the frankly hideous iVillage network in 2000). Wal-Mart too faced a sex-discrimination lawsuit in America back in 2004, and has since learnt its lesson. Bluntly, women are big money as both producers and consumers, and they are no longer ignored.

As a consequence of this interweaving, the current global credit crunch will have a huge effect over the coming years on the millions of women employed - directly or indirectly - by corporate powers. The global operations of these corporations are simultaneously dis/empowering for women. The challenge is to find the "points of leverage" to enact change - such as ActionAid's support of a South African woman farm-worker in 2006 to buy a single share in Tesco in order to attend the AGM and present her case on unfair pay and conditions.

Sarojini Thakur reminded us of the need not to write off State responsibility completely - the transient nature of markets, and the capitalist objectives of the corporates leaves no room for the kind of social protections essential for the emancipation of women worldwide. Furthermore, the support of fragile states to engage with both corporate powers and more dominant states, is key. Other neglected issues included the role of migrant workers - over 50% of whom are now women - and the importance of land and property rights and the care economy.

The targeting of women as both consumers and producers - demonstrated most strikingly in the "cheap fashion" industry - by corporate powers underlines the need for women's rights activists and campaigners to act now or risk being left behind.

Such a transformation must offer windows of opportunity for campaigners to advance women's rights and opportunities, the challenge, listening to the ideas yesterday, is in realising those opportunities and acting now.

Grace Davies

This blog has previously featured writing from and about women in Iran, in particular the inspiring One Million Signatures campaign. It is therefore with sadness that we received the following news from Nayereh Tohidi of California State University about the revocation of the license of the Iranian feminist magazine, Zanan. Nayereh writes:

Dear colleagues and friends,

As you might have already heard, on January 28, 2008, the Press Supervisory Board of Iran backed by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance has announced revocation of the license of Zanan magazine, Iran's most prominent and important feminist journal.

05 - 02 - 08

1 comment

Grace Davies

Listening to the news last night, I was struck by a particularly depressing story - that of a British woman beaten to death by her boyfriend in August this year. Just one day after the official 16 Days Against Gender Violence campaign ended, news of yet another tragic and preventable death. The case was raised in the UK parliament, but, it seems, for all the wrong reasons.

Grace Davies

"It's a big day ... the spotlight's on Cambodia". So said Peter Foster, spokesman for the Cambodian genocide tribunal, on hosting its first public hearing today. Kang Kek Ieu, or "Duch", former head of Tuol Sleng jail in Phnom Penh, and "alleged chief torturer" of the Khmer Rouge is the first former leader of the regime to be charged by the court. The UN-backed tribunal was finally set up last year following years of political and financial wrangling.

Grace Davies

Sexual abuse by doctors, inflated prices charged by providers and high rates of suicide as a result of unwanted pregnancies were just some of the experiences raised by some amazing individuals providing clandestine abortion services around the world.

Grace Davies

This week, London played host to the world's first international conference on safe abortion. 800 delegates from over 60 countries around the world attended, and openDemocracy was there to report, speaking to advocates, practitioners and campaigners.

In these first blog reactions, Jane Gabriel reports on the scale of the problem, one woman's amazing work in Ghana, and says it's time to break the silence on gender and power. Jessica Reed investigates the medical abortion revolution, anti-choice tactics, and abortion as a human right. Plus: crossing borders for abortion and the inspiring work of clandestine providers.

Grace Davies

The plight of the many women having to undertake long, distressing, often expensive journeys in order to gain access to safe abortion due to restrictive legislation in their home countries was the focus of discussion on day one of the conference.

Grace Davies

Going to a screening of Michael Moore's Sicko last week, I was in two minds - does the world really need another Moore "shockumentary"? What was I going to learn other than that in America, you pay?

A bit more than that, as it turns out. In Sicko, Moore puts the US health care system under the microscope. His main attack is on the country's Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs), and the willingness of those on Capitol Hill to hand over the reins to the Insurance and Pharmaceutical industries. It's clear the system is rotten, he says, and must be overhauled.

Grace Davies

Amnesty International yesterday reported the jailing of seven student activists and a beautician under two separate articles of the Syrian penal code after calling for peaceful political reforms online. Sentenced to between five and seven years for allegedly "taking action or making a written statement or speech which could endanger the State or harm its relationship with a foreign country...", their story is unfortunately an all too familiar one.

The imprisonment of Shi Tao in China and Abdel Kareem Suleiman in Egypt are just two other high profile cases reflecting a worldwide struggle for freedom of expression online.

Grace Davies

This Friday's "blog of the week" comes from openDemocracy staffer and resident kiwi Tan Copsey:

In a bout of unabashed patriotism I have to suggest the best blog in New Zealand. Russell Brown was a feature of student radio throughout my youth, taking on those bastards in Wellington. He now writes a wonderfully informed blog on NZ and global politics, tech-related nonsense, with a sideline in nifty NZ music and culture (and rugby). Perfectly approachable for those who presume New Zealand is merely a land of Hobbits. 

20 - 10 - 06

Comment...

Grace Davies

Due to a high volume of targeted spam directed at openDemocracy's blogs, we have been obliged to disable the comment functions on oD Today. Normal service to be resumed in the New Year.

Grace Davies

As you read this, trade ministers from around the world are arriving to attend the 6th Ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Hong Kong. At the Hong Kong Convention Centre, beautifully situated at the Hong Kong harbour, they aim to push forward with their free trade agenda.
 
Not far from where the ministers are meeting, the real face of free trade reveals its ugly side. Hong Kong, shoppers’ paradise, is not just one of the world’s most free economies; it is, as a result, also a ‘freeport’ for the world’s electronic waste.

China is quickly becoming a toxic trash bin for the world. As much as 4.000 tonnes of toxic e-waste are discarded every hour. Since most mobile phones, computers and other electronic products are made using toxic ingredients, it makes it far easier (and of course, cheaper!) to dump products in developing countries instead of disposing of them appropriately at the place of origin or use. Many electronic products are routinely, and often illegally, shipped from Europe, Japan and the US to China and other Asian countries. Workers at scrap-yards such as Guiyu in China’s Guangdong province are exposed to the toxic chemicals in these products, when they break the products apart by hand, usually under appalling conditions. This is what “free trade” looks like!

In the name of free trade, some governments at the WTO Ministerial meeting aim to eliminate tariffs on electronic goods as part of the Non Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) negotiations. If the experience of the Information Technology Agreement, signed by 29 WTO Members in 1996, is anything to go by, this will inevitably result in more electronic goods being traded. Sadly, this also means that even more electronic waste will be generated. As long as effective social and environmental regulations are not in place, this will result in even more electronic waste being dumped in scrap-yards such as Guiyu.

According to its preamble, the WTO exists “to protect and preserve the environment” and to achieve “the optimal use of the world’s resources in accordance with the objectives of sustainable development”.

In reality, the WTO trade system forces countries to compete to trade more. As a result, the use of natural resources is spiralling upwards. One fifth of global oil consumption is just to move goods around the world. The current negotiations, especially the NAMA negotiations, continue to ignore the environment. This is true for electronic goods and the waste they will inevitably become. It is most shameful in case of forests, where an official sustainability impact assessment, commissioned by the European Union, shows that further liberalization under NAMA will have negative results. The study shows how free trade magnifies existing problems and fuels demand for unsustainably sourced timber. Sadly, the study does not appear to be worth the paper it is printed on; the EU government has chosen to ignore the findings of a study it commissioned. Unwilling to admit unpalatable truths, they aim to move forward with the NAMA negotiations in Hong Kong, and to agree on concrete liberalisation steps in 2006.

Instead of blindly pursuing free trade at all cost, governments should halt the NAMA negotiations. Plans for liberalisation in ecologically sensitive areas - such as trade in forest products - must be abandoned, since negative impacts are already proven.

Trade ministers face a choice as they head to Hong Kong. They can either push forward with further trade liberalisation, ignoring the negative environmental and social impacts, or they can initiate a proper review of the global trade system. A new trade system must be built on the basis of such a review: One that has equity and environmental protection at its heart – not just in its preamble.

Only if governments take this step, can the Hong Kong meeting be described as a success.

Grace Davies

Today oD's London office received sad news from a friend and contributor to openDemocracy, John Adeleke, illustrating only too starkly the ongoing pain and suffering caused by Thursday's terrorist attacks. He writes:

"Glad you're recovering from the cruel acts of Thursday. We've just had some sad news. The son of family friends Marie and Alan Fatayi-Williams, it appears may have been killed by one of the bombs. Ironically his late grand-father was one one of our most respected Chief Justices, and a staunch moslem, from Lagos. We're all hoping that it might just be a case of mistaken identity."

Grace Davies

The BBC this morning reports that the police have cancelled a planned march to Gleneagles due to start in Auchterarder at 1pm today "amid fears for public safety". Organisers have said the march will go ahead regardless, citing people's democratic right to protest.

The Daily Mail predictably reports today's developments, following news of overnight violence in Stirling, as a result of "masked hooligans" conducting "running battles" with police in "the second outbreak of serious violence" since the G8 protests began. However, others view the cancellation of the key G8 alternatives march on the opening day of the summit as the culmination of police pressure and heavy handedness that began at Saturday's Make Poverty History rally, and escalated through the week. See these eyewitness accounts from Monday's Carnival for Full Enjoyment. Red Pepper's Make the G8 history blog also carries an eyewitness account from yesterday's protest at Dungavel detention centre where the Scottish Socialist Party's Carolyn Leckie was charged after refusing to let police search her handbag.

Grace Davies

In a Gerrard-esque U-turn, police in Scotland have reversed their earlier decision to cancel the anti-G8 rally at Gleneagles today. The march was scheduled to start at 1pm, but has been put back in order to allow buses to get to Auchterarder in time. The BBC's Mark Simpson reports the atmosphere in the village as "calm and good-natured".

Grace Davies

Panos London announced yesterday a G8 blog by 8 African journalists from Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Tanzania. Hoping to show the "human perspective" of G8, they will be in Scotland from tomorrow (2nd July) until the close of the summit, filing daily news, views and interviews. 

Elsewhere, all attention is focussed on tomorrow's Live8 and the Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh, both hoping to influence the Group of Eight leaders to "change the world".

Grace Davies

Welcome to openDemocracy's G8 blog for news and views on the 2005 summit. As part of our debate on G8: power, protest, publicity, we host the voices of those who have trekked north to Scotland to observe the action firsthand. From student activists to charity lobbyists, kitchen porters to oD's own Tom Burgis, we will be hearing from people on the ground in Edinburgh, Auchterarder, and the Gleneagles estate itself.

Grace Davies

Over the past few weeks, the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay has once again been making headlines, and interestingly, in the states there are signs of a shifting attitude towards it's status  from both politicians and the media.

Grace Davies

Paul Foreman, the Dutch head of the charity Medicins Sans Frontieres in Sudan was arrested and released on bail yesterday for "crimes against the Sudanese state", and the BBC today reports that a second aid worker has been arrested. This is in response to a report on rape in the Darfur region of the country released by MSF in March 2005. "The Crushing Burden of Rape: Sexual Violence in Darfur" is based on the treatment of 500 women over 4 and a half months. Sudan's attorney general Mohamed Farid told reporters that authorities had opened a criminal case following MSF's failure to hand over evidence on which the report was based; the charity says the information is confidential.

Grace Davies

The London Independent today dedicated its first five pages to a special report on the escalating crisis of health services in sub-saharan Africa due to the West's "poaching" of trained medical professionals. To read their coverage, go here. For more info, the BBC also reports on the increasing problem of the "brain drain" as highlighted by UK doctors.

Although it is easy to view the practice as a cynical extension of Britain and the developed world's imperialist attitude (200 years ago it was slaves, now it is the medical workforce), there is another side to the story. Many Africans want to leave for the West, where they can earn more money in order to invest and send remittances to family back home. David Styan has an interesting article on this topic, and the role of Africans in the global economy.