Empowerment

Au Sénégal, les femmes et les fillettes en situation de handicap sont, tous les jours, confrontées à des violences physiques et sexuelles (sévices physiques, viols, mariages précoces et forcés, rejet ou viol par le conjoint,…) et des abus psychologiques (préjugés, mépris, insultes, rejet,…). Leur handicap les expose quotidiennement à des préjugés culturels qui prennent diverses formes, tout au long de leur vie. 

This report is part of a WLUML three-part series on women’s rights in the context of the ‘Arab uprisings’. Next week: Syria: Debates on women’s bodily autonomy and sexual violence.

In the wake of the 25 January Revolution in Egypt, and throughout ongoing political developments, women’s and human rights organization in Egypt have been fully aware of what they have to gain – or lose. Seeking to build on women’s participation in the revolution and capitalize on a moment of immense hope and possibility, different groups have joined forces to demand greater representation for women in parliament and on national councils and committees. Their main concerns are the need both to expand women’s roles in a new, democratic Egypt and to safeguard hard-earned gains in women’s rights achieved over the past few decades.

Dear High Representative Ashton, We are leading Saudi Women’s rights activists and we write this open letter - endorsed by citizens throughout the EU - to express our deep concern over the EU's public silence on the issue of Saudi women's right to drive. [You can sign the petition here: http://www.change.org/petitions/catherine-ashton-publicly-support-saudi-womens-right-to-drive]

The Global Campaign, Violence is not Our Culture (VNC) has published Strategising Online Activism: A Toolkit. The toolkit is available for free download and distribution. Through this toolkit VNC hopes that campaigners will acquire the following skills: An understanding of why and how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be appropriated by women's rights and human rights groups in their advocacy skills through their use of online tools, including networking and mobile tools for advocacy and campaigning; The ability to develop an advocacy / communication strategy; Knowing what social neworking is and the various spaces and tools they could use in their online activism; An understanding of online privacy and security issues relevant to building their online activism.