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The Women’s Network at The UN Biennial Meeting of States. New York 7-11 July 2003

On International Women’s Day, 8 March 8 2006, IANSA Women’s Network members drew the worlds’ attention to the impact of guns on women through a wide variety of events and activities. The proliferation and misuse of small arms contributes to inequality between women and men and gender-based violence in countries all over the world, whether war affected or at peace. While the majority of those who use and are killed or injured by small arms and light weapons are men, women are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence at the barrel of a gun and intimate partner violence is more likely to be lethal when a firearm is present in the home. Women are also disproportionately affected by the damage to health, education and other social services caused by armed violence. To find out more about the impact of guns on women’s lives, watch a flash animation (English , français, español, Arabic, Japanese or Portuguese), read the Control Arms report (English, français, español, Portuguese) or read IANSA’s position paper on gender and small arms (English, français). You can make others aware of the impact of guns on women’s lives by sending a Control Arms e-card.

IANSA members carried out the following events and activities in support of International Women’s Day:

Argentina

• Asociación Civil Espacios para el Progreso Social launched a new report in Mendoza, “Passion and death: Women killed in Mendoza 2004-2005,” at a press conference. The report shows that women represent 9% of total homicides in Mendoza, which has 1,700,000 inhabitants. 51% of those killed were killed by a firearm and most of them were killed following arguments with their partner or a family problem. A copy of the report is available here. For more information, contact Gabriel Conte gconte@desarme.org

Bangladesh

• The South Asia Partnership (SAP-Bangladesh) held a rally and a cultural show in Mohammadpur, Dhaka. The rally started from from Manik Mia Avenue and concluded at Rabindra Sarobar via Russell Square. The cultural show took place place directly following the rally at Rabindra Sharobar (Mukta Mancha) and included street drama by a street children’s’ theatre group, Pot Song, and performances by celebrities such as Momtaj and Ferdous Ara. In addition, a press release was available and a signature campaign was launched in the venue of the cultural show. For more information, contact Nadira Mallik sapbdesh@citechco.net.

Brazil

• Viva Rio held a meeting in Rio de Janeiro with mothers of victims of gun violence and a Spanish doctor and advocate for victims’ rights.  The meeting was part of a series of workshops Viva Rio is running with victims to help articulate their needs and objectives as a group and to develop a plan for pushing forward their policy objectives and to provide psycho-social and other support. For more information, contact Jessica Galeria jessica@vivario.org.

• Sou da Paz participated in the annual women’s March in São Paulo on Paulista Avenue and took pictures for the million faces campaign. Over 15,000 women participated in the march. For more information, contact Heather Sutton heather@soudapaz.org.

Burundi

• Dagropass Amagaranikindi in Bubanza launched a press release.  For more information, contact Honorate Nizigiyimana dagropass@yahoo.fr.

• Ligue Iteka joined with the government, other NGOs and UN agencies in Burundi to celebrate International Women’s Day through a week of activities. On 11 March, it is joining with the Centre for the Training and Development of Ex-combatants to collect and destroy weapons of ex-combatants in the province of Muramvya in recognition of the fact that the existence of weapons facilitates violence against women. For more information, contact Celcius Barakinduka baracelcius@yahoo.fr

Canada

• IANSA members were among the 30 women’s organizations from across the country who signed letters to leaders of major political parties stressing the importance of gun control to the safety of women and children. The letters denounce proposals to repeal the 1995 Firearms Act, to weaken or eliminate licensing and remove the requirement to register all firearms, noting that women and children are more likely to be killed with rifles and shotguns since they are the firearms most often found in the home. The letters received much publicity and a press release can be found here.

Gambia

• WANEP Gambia held a symposium on women and guns, which will include a Peace March.  It will also launch a press release. Wanep’s activities were publicized in the Daily Observer newspaper. For more information, contact Pamela Cole wanepgambia@yahoo.co.uk.

Haiti

• The Organisation de femmes pour l’avancement de la commune de Thomonde (OFAT Haiti) held a day of events under the theme “No to Violence!” The day included presentations by a local judge and a theatrical performance about family violence. Click here to read a report of the day in French.

India

• The Research Academy for Rural Enrichment (RARE) in Sonepur, Orissa facilitated a meeting of women’s groups in the remote village Bardakata.  Around 600 women participated.  For more information contact Ghasiram Panda raresonepur@hotmail.com or visit www.raresonepur.org.

• Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) celebrated the day with events in Nashik, Maharashtra and Agra, Utter Pradesh.  For more information, contact Arun Mitra idpd2001@yahoo.com.

• Sasanet in Mumbai met with the Indian Association of Secretaries and Administrative Professionals (IASAP), a prominent women’s organisation, regarding the Million Faces campaign. Mr.Arvind S Inamdar, Former Director General of Police, Maharashtra addressed the forum, which was attended by 200 women administrative professionals and secretaries. The organisation also collected supporters for the Million Faces campaign from a Working Women's hostel. For more information, contact Vijayam Raghunathan.

• The Indian Institute for Peace, Disarmament, and Environmental Protection (IIPDEP) held an awareness raising seminar for women in Nagpur about the proliferation and misuse of small arms in India. For more information, contact Mrs. Nalini Kurvey.

Jordan

• Zaha Farhan Al-Majali of the Amman Centre for Human Rights Studies published an article in the Al-Ghad daily newspaper on armed violence against woman. For more information, contact Zaha zahafarhan@yahoo.com.

Macedonia

• Journalists for Children and Women's Rights and Protection of the Environment held a press conference on 8 March to present the latest research on gun violence and women in Macedonia. They also presented the IANSA Women's Network fact sheets on women and gun violence. After the press conference there was an open day in the Macedonian Assembly where government officials will sign a petition. Following this there was a march from the Assembly into the centre of town. For more information please contact Natasa Dokovska ndokovska@vreme.com.mk

Nepal

• The Institute of Human Rights Communication Nepal (IHRICON) held a rally in Katmandu on the impact of small arms on women.  For more information, contact Shobha Gautam ihrocon@mos.com.np.

New Zealand

• Women Say NO to War organised peaceful protests against the war in Iraq in Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland. For more details about the forum and the link to a great poster, see the listing for 8 March here.

Nigeria

• Safeguards International held an awareness-raising event about armed violence against women at the Lagos airport. For more information, contact Aigbe Joachim aigbejoeus@yahoo.com.

• The Human Rights Network planned a series of programme to commemorate the day.  For more information, contact Bill Emoni humanrightnetwork@justice.com.

Papua New Guinea

• The Leitana Nehan Women's Development Agency held a one-day seminar in Bougainville that is open to all women.  The seminar addressed violence against women and children, HIV AIDS, and women, peace and security. For more information, contact Helen Hakena leitananehan@daltron.com.

Peru

• Armas Peru, along with other women’s organisations, participated in a large concert.  On March18th, the organisation will hold a candlelit vigil in honour of the women killed by small arms worldwide. For more information, contact Ana María Watsong watsong1@terra.com.pe.

Senegal

• The Movement Against Small Arms in West Africa (MALAO) held a day on gender and small arms in Dakar.  For more information, contact Christiane Agboton-Johnson malao@malao.org.

• GRA-REDEP held a panel discussion on gender and an awareness raising meeting on women’s rights in Bignona Ziguinchor and Linkiring Vélingara Kolda. For more information, contact Gaspard Onokoko Onosal graredep@sentoo.sn.

• The Movement Against Small Arms in West Africa (MALAO) held a day on gender and small arms in Dakar. For more information, contact Christiane Agboton-Johnson malao@malao.org. An article on the day appeared in a daily newspaper from Dakar, Wal Fadjri.

Somalia

• GLED Somalia marked International Women's Day by holding various events all over the country. In, Baidoa, the Prime Minister opened the day of celebration. GLED held a media briefing at a press conference in Mogadishu, where the Chairman called on the Somali authorities to act to control arms. The minister for women and family affairs of Somalia Fowsiya Mohamed Sheikh urged Somali women to stand up for their rights and fight for protection. For more information, contact Anfa Amin bintisharaf@hotmail.com

South Africa

• The Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation launched its Stop Violence Against Women Bus Campaign on 8 March in Johannesburg in order to raise awareness about gender based violence and inform women of their rights. The bus departed from Constitution Hill in Johannesburg on 8 March and will stop at every province along the way until it reaches Cape Town on 7 April.  At each stop, workshops will be held and pamphlets will be distributed.  In Cape Town, a petition will be handed over to a member of the portfolio committee on justice.  For more information, contact Heather Van Niekerk slangtry@mweb.co.za.

Sri Lanka

• Samasevaya held a women's rally at 2:00 pm in Kinniya, Trincomallie and an event with women at the Dharmavijaya Auditorium Bandarawela, Badulla.  For more information, contact Samson Jayasinghe samasev@sltnet.lk.

Turkmenistan

• Unity of Journalists Turkmenistan held a round table discussion on the Central Asian nominees of the 1000 Women for the Noble Peace Prize on 6 March. 

United Nations- Geneva

• The NGO Working Group on Peace, part of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, held a Disarmament Seminar, “Fissile Materials- Women’s Voices on What, Where, Who and Ways Forward.”  The seminar was followed by a presentation to the Conference on Disarmament on 9 March. For more information, send an email to WILPF marchseminar@wilpf.ch.

USA

• Amnesty USA hosted an online discussion on the state of women's rights in Darfur with Rev. Gloria E. White-Hammond, M.D, National Chairperson of the Million Voices for Darfur campaign.