Reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act!

Congress is about to adjourn for the year and they still haven't reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act. In order to ensure that no funding is lost for the domestic violence and sexual assault programs and services that depend on VAWA, it needs to be voted on before the end of the year - basically this week!

You can help by signing onto Amnesty International USA's petition or by calling your congress members directly. To find your MemberÂ’s contact information, including phone and fax numbers, visit http://www.house.gov/, http://www.senate.gov/, or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask for your Senators and Representative.

Yesterday, a group of people representing AIUSA (including Marla and myself from the action team), Girls Inc., NOW, and Break the Cycle delivered over 100,000 petitions to key members of congress. My arms are still sore from lugging the huge binders of signatures around all afternoon. The highlight of my day was swiping a Little Debbie snack from Bill Frist's lobby -it's the little things in life . . . The real high point of the day for me was meeting the people behind the scenes (the government relations folks at NOW, AIUSA, Girls Inc., and Break the Cycle as well as the congressional staffers) who have been working so hard to get VAWA reauthorized.

I should have pictures to post soon - Janel

Ni Una Mas!

I'm finally posting an update on the Juarez rally the action team organized a couple of weekends ago. On a very cold Saturday in early December, between 40-45 people showed up for a rally to support the murdered and disappeared women of Ciudad Juarez and their families (If we counted the bike messengers gathering for a Saturday ride next to our group, we would have well over a hundred!)

We had a great group of speakers that helped build public awareness about the situation in Juarez. Eric Olson (AIUSA), Matthew Pietz (DC Women's Human Rights Action Team), Macrena Cardenas (Mexican Solidarity Network), and Laurie Freeman (Washington Office on Latin America) all spoke about the femicide in Ciudad Juarez. In between the experts' speeches, members of the action team read stories of the disappeared and murdered women in an attempt to give them a voice at the rally.

We gathered over 60 signatures to submit to the Mexican Embassy here in Washington, DC. We'll send the signatures in with pictures from the rally. Thanks to everyone who came out! Janel

Join the DC Women's Human Rights Action Team on Saturday, December 3 at Dupont Circle to demand justice for the women of Ciudad Juarez.

On March 9 resolutions conveying the U.S. Congress’ sympathy to the families of the nearly 400 young women who have been murdered and abducted in Ciudad Juarez and Chihuahua, Mexico since 1993 were introduced in the House and Senate. The goal is to raise public awareness about the tragedy, express Congressional concern, and propose a set of actions to deal with the murders and abductions of these young women.

This weekend the DC Women's Human Rights Action Team is planning a rally in support of this legislation. We are hoping to help raise awareness of the tragic violence against women in Mexico and to ensure that the Mexican authorities seek justice in these cases through our support of the legislation.

¡Ni Una Mas!: End Femicide in Mexico!
Time: 2:30 pm in
Place: Dupont Circle.

For more information about the rally or the DC Women's Human Rights Action Team email dcwhrat@yahoo.com. For more information about the femicide in Mexico or to take action online go to Amnesty International's Online Action Center.

October Meeting

DC Women’s Human Rights Action Team Monthly Meeting
12 October 2005

Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference Update
The Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference will be held 21-23 October 2005 in Philadelphia. Folabi Olagbaju, the Director of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office talked about some of the multiple purposes of the conference: (1) To get members into Amnesty’s priority campaigns, by having workshops etc; (2) To have members participate in the resolution process; and (3) To bring members together to meet each other. This year, there will be a lot of focus on the human rights abuses connected with the War on Terror. There will also be many interesting speakers, including women’s human rights defenders from both Turkey and Bahrain. There will also be workshops on specific topics such as CEDAW, health as a human right and its intersection with violence against women.

In addition, Marla updated us on the Reproductive Rights Table at the Ideas Fair. Marla gave us some more background on the newly introduced resolution on reproductive and sexual rights, and the current status of this issue and the process of the resolution within Amnesty. Prior to the Conference, the Steering Committee will be putting together a resolution packet with background information, resource implications, and arguments for various options.

16 Days of Activism Update
DC WHRAT is planning a serious of events for the 16 days of activism, which runs from November 25- December 10. This year’s theme is “For the Health of Women, For the Health of the World.” Janel recapped the previous week’s planning meeting. We are hoping to create a handout to circulate, which would give people a specific kind of action (big or small) to take on each of the 16 days. Additionally, we are planning to have both one educational event, such as a panel, and one more action-oriented event, such as a rally. The planning team had come up with a couple options for each, and everyone at the meeting voted on the options. We decided on: (1) an educational panel on the intersection of gender, health, and violence against women (with a possible focus on the DRC and/or Darfur); and (2) a rally in support of women in Juarez/Chihuahua, which will be linked to the current legislation related to Juarez/Chihuahua. Finally, Janel passed around a sign up sheet for those interested in helping to plan either the panel or the rally. Planning meetings and follow-up will be taking place outside of the regular meetings via emails, calls, and additional meetings if necessary. If you are interested in helping to plan the rally, please contact Janel, and if you are interested in helping to plan to panel, please contact Erica.

House Parties for Lifetime Trafficking Movie
Lifetime Television is about to premiere a movie on human trafficking, starring Mira Sorvino, who is also an Amnesty spokesperson for the SVAW campaign. Amnesty is urging all of its volunteers to host house parties for the premiere of the movie on October 24th at 9:00pm. If anyone has a home in the DC area which is metro accessible, has a TV with cable, and would like to host a small house party, please contact Erica.

Call for Volunteers to Design Our Website
Currently, the DC WHRAT has a blog, but we have been hoping to also get a website up and running. Janel has secured a domain name. We are now looking for a volunteer to help us design and start up our website. If anyone would be interested in doing this, or has a friend who would, please contact Erica.

Teach-in -- Amnesty 101 with Folabi Olagbaju, Director of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office
Thank you to Folabi Olagbaju, who provided us with a great introduction to Amnesty!!

Please remember:
The next meeting is: Wednesday 9 November 2005 at 7pm Amnesty International Office (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE) Eastern Market Metro.

10/12: DCWHRAT General Meeting and Amnesty 101 Teach-in

Please join us for our monthly meeting on next Wednesday 12 October 2005 at 7pm. We will first discuss Action Team business and at 7:45pm we will start the teach-in. The meeting will be held at the Amnesty International office (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, metro Eastern Market).

For the teach-in, we will be learning more about Amnesty International. This teach-in is a good opportunity to learn about Amnesty's structure and the human rights issues on which Amnesty works. We are honored to have Folabi Olagbaju, the Regional Director of the Mid-Atlantic office to talk to us.

Here is the agenda for the meeting:

Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference Update
- Presentation of Conference Activitie>

16 Days of Activisim Update
- Recap of Planning Meeting
- Vote on event options
- Call to Participate
- Schedule another meeting

House Parties for Lifetime Trafficking Movie
- Update on Planning

Call for Volunteers to Design Our Website

Teach-in -- Amnesty 101 with Folabi Olagbaju, Director of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Office

Please remember:Next Wednesday 12 October 2005 at 7pm (DC WHRAT general business), 7:45pm Amnesty 101 Teach-in
Amnesty International Office (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE) Eastern Market Metro

For more information please email dcwhrat@yahoo.com. We hope to see you there!

September Meeting

DC Women’s Human Rights Action Team Monthly Meeting
14 September 2005

Agenda

October 22nd and 23rd Amnesty International Regional Conference in Philadelphia
Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference will be held 21-23 October 2005 in Philadelphia. It is an opportunity to work with other activists and have our opinions heard. Everyone in the group is invited to come. The conference is a great way to learn about Amnesty. Janel passed around a sign-up sheet to see who is interested. We can possibly carpool and share rooms. The last day to get the special room rate of $109 is 30 September 2005. Full details about the conferences, i.e. workshops, will be sent out over the listserv. We do know that there will workshops on passing local resolutions on CEDAW and Women’s Health, HIV/AIDS and reproductive rights. There will also be a keynote speech by Turkish Women’s Human Rights Defender.

October 24th and 25th - House parties for the Lifetime movie on Trafficking
Lifetime Television did a movie on trafficking, starring Mira Sorvino. Mira Sorvino is an Amnesty spokesperson for the SVAW campaign. Amnesty is urging all of its volunteers to host house parties for the premiere of the movie on October 24th. DC WHRAT wants to put together a screening, possibly three (one in DC, one in Virginia, and one in Maryland). Any DC WHRAT member can volunteer to host a party in their home. There are toolkits with actions and discussion topics to use during the house party. The event is open to anyone (members and non-members). A sign-up list was passed around to see if anyone was interested in hosting. People can also email the coordinating committee members if they are interested. Erica will coordinate planning for the parties. If anyone has any questions, please email Erica.

November 25th - December 10th - 16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence
DC WHRAT would like to plan a series of events for the 16 days of activism. It starts on November 25th and ends on December 10th, International Human Rights Day. One year DC WHRAT did a series of little events, such as a vigil or letter-writing. In meantime, an event organizing group will be formed. A sign-up list was passed around to see if anyone was interested in hosting. People can also email the coordinating committee members if they are interested. Janel is coordinating the planning

9/14 DCWHRAT Meeting and Teach-in on VAWA

Please join us for our monthly meeting on Wednesday 14 September 2005 at 7pm. We will first discuss Action Team business and at 7:45pm we will start the teach-in. The meeting will be held at the Amnesty International office (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, metro Eastern Market).

For the teach-in, we will be discussing the Violence Against Women Act, which is up for renewal this month. We are honored to have Allison Randall from the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) share her expertise on this historic law. Allison will talk about the reauthorization of the VAWA. She will talk in particular about the new housing provisions in VAWA.

Here is the agenda for the meeting:

-Update on the sexual and reproductive rights resolution

-October 12th and November 9th - Speaker suggestions of October and November meetings

-October 22nd and 23rd Amnesty International Regional Conference in Philadelphia

-October 24th and 25th - House parties for the Lifetime movie on Trafficking

-November 25th - December 10th - 16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence

-Planning a panel on sexual and reproductive rights for 2006 Annual General Meeting

Please remember: Wednesday 10 August 2005 at 7pm (DC WHRAT general business), 7:45pm VAWA Teach-in
Amnesty International Office (600 Pennsylvania Avenue SE) Eastern Market Metro

For more information please email Erica at ericachandra@hotmail.com. We hope to see you there!