Human Rights and Women
A meeting next April on human rights and women is being sponsored by GABRIELA Women's Coalition in the Philippines. Below, we print their letter explaining the conference:
Next year's WISAP (Fourth Women's International Solidarity Affair in the Philippines) proposed theme is Towards Greater Concern and Commitment for the Protection of Human Rights of Women. The increasing human rights abuses committed against women not only m the Philippines but also in other countries especially in the Third World, prompted us to focus WISAP '89 on this theme.
In the Philippines, the militarization of poor communities both in the rural and urban areas has left countless innocent women, men and children homeless and separated from their loved ones. Bombings, hamletting and massacres continue to sow fear among the populace and threaten their very survival. Efforts of women, especially those at the grassroots level, to organize themselves around their rights and welfare, which the present government continues to ignore, are met with harassment from the military and armed civilian groups.
In other countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore, both governments' Internal Security Act have caused the arrests and detention of women development workers and feminists. The banning of anti-apartheid women activists of Africa such as Winnie Mandela, the sexual violence committed on the women of Chile and El Salvador as well as other countries of Latin America, remain a grave concern among women worldwide.
GABRIELA believes that concerted actions of women must be done to stop human rights violations on women and to safeguard the rights of women to organize and express themselves. WISAP' 89 program includes: international fact-finding mission and community-based women's tribunal in the areas of Mindanao, Panay, Negros and Southern Luzon as well as the urban poor workers' communities in Metro Manila; visits to and discussion with government agencies and officials, women political detainees, women organizations and multi-sectoral organizations; conference workshops on roots of human rights violations, strategies to counter human rights violations and actions and resolutions for the protection of human rights of women; and a solidarity cultural night among WISAP '89 participants.
We welcome any materials such as reports on human rights and women you may already have made. We would appreciate it if you can send them to us ahead. Likewise, you are welcome to suggest possible topics for workshops.
Interested persons and organizations
can contact:
GABRIELA International Relations Officer P.O. Box 4386 Manila 2800 Philippines
Attention Grassroots Women
An international group of women who call themselves GROOTS (Grass Root Organizations Operating Together for Sisterhood), are planning a Grassroots Forum to be held in Madras, India in 1990. The Working Women's Forum, an organization of 37,000 women in South India, will host the meeting.
.The forum will aim to enable women from community-based organizations to share problems of day to day organizing and exchange technical and managerial resources. Special attention will be paid to Community development strategies that help women overcome oppressive situations in the home, workplace, etc.
Further information can be had from:
Al-Raida, IWSAW Quarterly Beirut University College 475 Riverside Drive, Room 1846 New York, NY 10115
Communication for Community
The World Association for Christian Communication announces a World Communication Congress to be held on October 15-19,1989 in Manila, Philippines.
With the theme. Communication for Community, the congress will be a forum to explore moral and ethical communication issues, exchange ideas and experiences and express concerns, visions and realities.
For further information, write to:
Congress '89
World Association for Christian Communication 375 Kennington Lane, London SE ll 5QY. UK
