An Islamic Perspective on Violence Against Women
This is a statement describing how those who perpetrate violence against women are not following the true tenants of the Quran.
European Parliament Report on Female Genital Mutilation in the European Union (pdf)
"This new report found that over 500,000 women in Europe, especially refugees and immigrants, have been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM). The report highlights various reasons for the prevalence of FGM and incorporates different frameworks for addressing the problem, including the human rights perspective, a women’s rights view, and children’s rights."
Everything Left Behind: Internal Displacement in Colombia (pdf)
"According to a new report there are currently between 3 and 4 million internally displaced people in Colombia, among the highest in the world. Internal displacement disproportionately affects women who are indigenous, Afro-descendant, or peasant farmers. For displaced women and girls, sexual assault, exploitation, and abuse are constant threats from armed groups or people who believe the women and girls are involved with armed groups. Displaced women and girls face discrimination from the communities they move to, presenting a significant barrier to assistance for victims of violence."
Gender Based Violence: Emerging Issues in Programs Serving Displaced Populations (pdf)
This report provides background and current information about gender-based violence programming with populations affected by armed conflict. It gives concrete advice and examples of programming addressing gender-based violence, and lists valuable resources for further information.
This report intends to improve international and local capacities when addressing gender-based violence in refugee, internally-displaced and conflict settings.
Immigrant and Refugee Power and Control Wheel
Throughout the world, women are victims of domestic violence just as there are battered women in the United States. Immigrant and refugee women know that in their countries of origin, women have been tortured with sexual abuse by the army/rebels, kidnapped into prostitution, forced into marriages, killed in honor killings, used for sexual slavery, stoned to death and often experience other gender related abuses. This Immigrant and Refugee Power and Control Wheel is an adaptation of the Duluth Power and Conrol wheel created by attendees Immigrant & Refugee Women Support Group in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
This report details 173 incidents of rape and other forms of sexual violence, involving 625 girls and women, committed by Burmese army troops in Shan State, mostly between 1996 and 2001. The report reveals that the Burmese military regime is allowing its troops systematically and on a widespread scale to commit rape with impunity in order to terrorize and subjugate the ethnic peoples of Shan State. The report illustrates there is a strong case that war crimes and crimes against humanity, in the form of sexual violence, have occurred and continue to occur in Shan State.
Lives Blown Apart: Crimes Against Women in Times of Conflict
This report attempts to explore some of the underlying reasons for this violence. Evidence gathered by Amnesty International in recent years supports the view that conflict reinforces and exacerbates existing patterns of discrimination and violence against women.
More Than A Name: State Sponsored Homophobia and Its Consequences in Southern Africa (pdf)
This report evaluates the effects of State-sponsored homophobia on the human rights of sexual and gender minorities in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Report on the Taliban's War Against Women
Released November 17, 2001. Includes an Executive Summary, information on the Taliban's War Against Women; quotes by and about women in Afghanistan; and electronic resources on women in Afghanistan.
Routinely Targeted: Attacks on Civilians in Somalia
"The report documents sexual violence and killing of Somali civilians by Ethiopian troops, militias, and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces."
Sexual Orientation and Human Rights in the Americas (pdf)
This document highlights the human rights violations (institutional and individual) of sexual minorities in the Americas.
Sexual Violence and its Consequences among Displaced Persons in Darfur and Chad
This briefing paper documents how the Sudanese security forces, including police deployed to protect displaced persons, and allied Janjaweed militias continue to commit rape and sexual violence on daily basis. Even as refugees in Chad, women and girls fleeing the violence in Darfur continued to face the risk of rape and assault by civilians or militia members when collecting water, fuel or animal fodder near the border.
"The long-standing civil conflict in the Shan States of Burma is investigated as a contributing cause to the trafficking of ethnic Shan women and girls into the Southeast Asian sex industry, and to the subsequent high rates of HIV infection found among these women. The context of chronic human rights abuses in the Shan states is explored, as well as the effects of recent forced population transfers on the part of the Burmese Military Regime."
So Much to Fear: War Crimes and the Devastation of Somalia (pdf)
A Human Rights Watch report on the human rights violations being committed in the ongoing conflict in Somalia. It studies the conflict since late 2006, when the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) came to the aid to Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) to overthrow the Islamic Courts Union (ICU). The report also includes several recommendations to the parties, as well as the African and European Unions, and the United Nations.
The Crushing Burden of Rape: Sexual Violence in Darfur
This report offers a glimpse into the ongoing violence against women in Darfur and includes statistics and short stories from survivors. It concludes by giving recommendations for stopping the rapes in Darfur and in the conflicts throughout the world.
The Impact of Conflict on Women and Girls in West and Central Africa and the UNICEF response (pdf)
"This first-of-its-kind study by UNICEF on the situation of war-affected girls and women in the region highlights innovative programmes being implemented with partners to address the impact of conflict, and recommends how UNICEF can more proactively champion the rights of girls - particularly adolescent girls."
The Invisible Exodus: North Koreans in the People's Republic of China.
This report presents a comprehensive overview of this human rights disaster, grounded in first-hand accounts of North Koreans who escaped to the South, and humanitarian workers who aided them and many less fortunate. It examines the complex and harrowing decision of migrants to leave, an illegal act often deemed tantamount to treason; the months and even years of hiding in China; the desperate circumstances that lead women to sell themselves as sexual companions; and the vulnerability these migrants have that open them to every and any abuse.
The Right to Survive: Sexual Violence, Women and HIV/AIDS
This report describes the unparalleled situation experienced by women who were raped and infected with HIV/AIDS during the Rwandan genocide.
We'll Kill You If You Cry: Sexual Violence in Sierra Leone Conflict
The report presents evidence of horrific abuses against women and girls in every region of Sierra Leone by the rebel Revolutionary United Front (RUF), as well as other rebel, government and international peacekeeping forces. The report is based on hundreds of interviews with victims, witnesses and officials, details crimes of sexual violence committed primarily by soldiers of various rebel forces —the RUF, the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), and the West Side Boys. The report also examines sexual violence by government forces and militias, as well as international peacekeepers.
Women at the Edge: Colombian Refugees in Ecuador (pdf)
"The study looks at the differential impact of armed conflict on women and men. Women in Colombia represent more than half of the total displaced population and suffer the consequences of conflict to a higher degree putting them in a more vulnerable situation than men. This study analyzes the situation of women that are legally recognized as refugees as well as the experiences of women who have been pressured to migrate by army movements because of their country situation." This publication is printed in Spanish.
Women in Mongolia: Mapping Progress under Transition
This publication tells of Mongolian women's experiences in the context of the political and economic transformation of their country. It shares reports of women encouraged to bear many children, inadequate health care or resources, and high rates of maternal mortality. Recommendations informed through case studies are presented for improving their social and economic status and increasing their political participation.
This report covers many areas of concern, from the gender dimensions of violence and displacement during conflict to the role of peacekeepers and the need for women to play a central part during peace negotiations and reconstruction. Key recommendations focus on finding ways to protect and empower women.