Women of the World

Event Cancelled on 3/16

2011-03-15T10:06:00.007-05:00

The event, "Violence Against Women is a Violation of Human Rights", which was supposed to occur on 3/16 has been cancelled.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and will reschedule in the future.

Thank you,

WOTW

Let Women's History Month Continue

2011-03-10T09:37:00.003-06:00

By: Shelby Knox

If you’ve ever read this blog or been subjected to me inserting “this day in women” facts into dinner conversation, you can imagine I’m very excited for today, the first day of women’s history month. Whether they truly want to or not, the rest of the parts of the internets I visit are going to be as obsessed with the women of the past as I am for a whole 31 days!

Gerda Lerner, one of the first American women’s historians, said in 1986, “When I started working on women’s history about thirty years ago, the field did not exist. People didn’t think that women had a history worth knowing.” Women’s History Month as it’s celebrated now wasn’t established until 1987, expanded to the whole month six years after Sen. Orrin Hatch and Rep. Barbara Mikulski co-sponsored a a joint Congressional resolution proclaiming a national Women’s History Week. Each year the President issues a proclamation officially declaring the month. In his statement yesterday, President Obama said, “We must carry forward the work of the women who came before us and ensure our daughters have no limits on their dreams, no obstacles to their achievements, and no remaining ceilings to shatter.”

Well, yes! My excitement about this month is not as unbridled as it might seem., however. A month of Women’s History implies that the other 11 months belong to men’s history or, as it’s known, history. No one is a bigger advocate of celebrating women’s history than me and I’m too young to be completely cynical but it’s hard not to look at the state of the nation for women and feel like these designations are just a pat on the head from the group of cigar smoking patriarchs who say with that pat, “Now dearie, we gave you a whole month to talk about you and your friends, what more could you want now?” We’ll take the month, thanks, and we’ll use it to educate and inspire but if you think it will hold off our revolt you’ve got another thing coming – we’ll use this month to plan that, too.

Women’s History Month is also yet another occasion in which women of color are asked to bifurcate their identities. WHM directly follows Black History Month and precedes Asian American History Month in May. Are Black women supposed to shed their gender during February and their race in March? Those of us who make our income speaking know that demand soars during “our month” – I can only imagine how many qualified women of color speakers lose gigs because bookers can only see them as filling one part of a quota. As we celebrate WHM, it’s important to point out as often as possible that each and every part of a person’s identity – gender, race, sexuality, cis or trans status, ability, class, nationality, religion – make them who they are and no one should be asked to do the impossible of shaving off one part of themselves to fit into a month-shaped or any shaped box.

Problematic as it is, I’m excited about Women’s History Month because we’ve got the opportunity to make it rich and diverse and meaningful. I’ll take any platform I’m given to change how young girls and boys see the notable people of the past so they can better imagine and fashion themselves into that of the future. (See, still naïve and idealistic!) I’m going to try to be active on the blog this month, with features on both women of history and women making history, round-ups of great WHM events happening on the web and in cities across the country, and fun quizzes, quotes, and pictures. I’ll also be using my Facebook and Twitter feeds as women’s history tributes and continuing to chronicle each day in women’s history via the Radical Women’s History Project. If you’ve got an event, quote, any fun women’s history thing I should know about, please let me know!

For more information on Shelby Knox and her work as a writer, speaker and revolutionary, visit: www.shelbyknox.com or follow her on Twitter @ShelbyKnox

The 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day

2011-03-09T11:33:00.002-06:00

Hillary Clinton

U.S. Secretary of State

Posted: March 8, 2011

March 8th is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. And, as many of you know, this anniversary is important to me. At the 1995 Beijing conference, I was so humbled by the positive response to my message that human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights. But 16 years later, women still bear the brunt of poverty, war, disease, and famine. And when it comes to the boardroom meetings, government sessions, peace negotiations, and other assemblies where crucial decisions are made in the world, women are too often absent.

It is clear that more work needs to be done -- to consolidate our gains and to keep momentum moving forward.

The United States continues to make women a cornerstone of our foreign policy. It's not just the right thing to do. It's the smart thing. Women and girls drive our economies. They build peace and prosperity. Investing in them means investing in global economic progress, political stability, and greater prosperity for everyone -- the world over.

So let us mark this day by finding ways to ensure women and girls' access to education, health care, jobs, and credit, and to protect their right to live free from violence.

VDAY

2011-02-23T15:47:00.001-06:00

We Will Not Stop Until the Violence Stops

In 1994, a play called The Vagina Monologues, written by playwright and activist Eve Ensler, broke ground, offering to the world a piece of art like nothing it had seen before.

On Valentines Day, 1998, Eve, with a group of women in New York City, established V-Day, a global activist movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sex slavery.

Through V-Day campaigns, local volunteers and college students produce annual benefit performances of The Vagina Monologues, A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer, Any One Of Us: Words From Prison, screenings of V-Day's documentary Until The Violence Stops, and the PBS documentary What I Want My Words To Do To You, Spotlight Teach-Ins and V-Men workshops, to raise awareness and funds for anti-violence groups within their own communities.

Performance is just the beginning. V-Day stages large-scale benefits and produces innovative gatherings, films and campaigns to educate and change social attitudes towards violence against women

In 2010, over 5,400 V-Day benefit events took place produced by volunteer activists in the U.S. and around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls.

V-Day's mission demands that violence against women and girls must end. To do this, once a year, in February, March, and April, Eve allows groups around the world to produce a performance of the play, as well as other works created by V-Day, and use the proceeds for local individual projects and programs that work to end violence against women and girls, often shelters and rape crisis centers.

The V-Day movement is growing at a rapid pace throughout the world, in 130 countries from Europe to Asia, Africa and the Caribbean and all of North America. V-Day, a non-profit corporation, distributes funds to grassroots, national and international organizations and programs that work to stop violence against women and girls. In 2001, V-Day was named one of Worth Magazine's "100 Best Charities," in 2006 one of Marie Claire Magazine's Top Ten Charities, and in 2010 was named as one of the Top-Rated organizations on GreatNonprofits. In eleven years, the V-Day movement has raised over $80 million and reached over 300 million people.

The 'V' in V-Day stands for Victory, Valentine and Vagina.

To learn more about how to organize a V-Day event, click here.

Off the Beaten Path: Violence, Women and Art

2011-02-17T16:14:00.001-06:00

The Chicago Cultural Center hosts the exhibition Off the Beaten Path: Violence, Women & Art through April 13. This exhibition features the work of 29 internationally renowned artists from 25 countries, including Laylah Ali and Yoko Ono. The exhibit addresses violence against women and their basic human right to safety, security and justice around the world through artistic responses to gender-based violence. It is organized by Art Works for Change and is curated by Randy Jayne Rosenberg.

Chicago Cultural Center 4^th FL

78 E. Washington Street.

January 22 - April 13, 2011

Admission is Free

Rape Victim Advocates helped co-organize the special performance, Stories on Stage which will be a featured event on February 17,2011. For More information on Rape Victim Advocates, you may call 312.443.9603 or contact them by e-mail at info@rapevictimadvocates.org

Women of the World's Opening Event of 2011

2011-02-17T10:40:00.007-06:00

In collaboration with The University of Chicago Women’s Business Group

“Gen Y Women – Paving the Highway to the Future”

On Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at the Mid-America Club an expert panel moderated by Noeleen McGrath, McGrath Communications featured:

· Elene Cafasso, President, Enerpace & VP Programs, UCWBG

· Janet Deatherage, Associate Dean, Loyola University & Director of Women’s Leadership

· Laura Waleryszak, College & Community Campaigns Associate, VDAY

The connection between "generation Y", those born in the mid 1980’s and later (also known as the Millenials), and "baby boomers", those born between 1946 and 1964, is one where both generations are learning from one another while working together.

Janet Deatherage stated that there is a paradigm shift in which new graduates are mentoring the baby boomers. Elene Cafasso believes Gen Y have flexibility and balance because of their behavioral patterns. After leaving work Gen Y’s are online at night, which means that they can work from home at any time. Laura Waleryszak, a Gen Y herself, is able to work on VDAY activities from anywhere while also being connected to many others around the country.

This is a two-way street, both Gen Y and baby boomers can learn from one another. It is never too late.

Be Yourself. Own Yourself.

2011-02-16T10:13:00.003-06:00

I Own Me Campaign

On February 9^th Ad 2 Tampa Bay released a public service campaign as part of its annual effort to work with a nonprofit with impact and significance.

For the 2010-2011 year, it chose The Spring of Tampa Bay, Hillsborough County's only certified domestic violence prevention and emergency shelter agency. Its mission is to prevent domestic violence, protect victims and promote change in lives, families and communities.

I Own Me is a campaign designed to increase awareness about the violence that may occur during teen dating relationships. The campaign emphasizes a teen girl's ability to exercise her independence by acknowledging that she owns her own actions, words, and body.

I Own Me is a collaborate effort with the following Domestic Violence shelters:

· CASA – St Petersburg

· The Haven of R.C.S. – Clearwater, Sunrise Domestic and Sexual Violence Shelter

· Salvation Army Domestic Violence Program of West Pasco

· Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center – Sarasota County

· Hope Family Services – Manatee County

· Peace River Center Domestic Violence Shelter- Hardee, Highlands and Polk Counties

Will you own yourself? Take the pledge.

“Because I own me, I pledge to demand respect from my boyfriend or girlfriend. I expect to be treated properly by establishing personal boundaries and to be honored in my decisions concerning privacy, sex, and affection. I will not tolerate being physically, verbally, or emotionally hurt.”

Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women

2011-02-07T15:28:00.002-06:00

Clothesline Project

The clothesline project is a national art project started by women in Massachusetts as a memorial to the victims and survivors of domestic violence. The project involves designing shirts to remember the women and children murdered as a result of domestic violence and child abuse. The shirts then are hung on a clothesline and displayed in a public location. The purpose is to create a visual memorial to the casualties and survivors of the war against women.

The Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women started the Minnesota clothesline in June 1992 at a statewide conference for battered women and advocates in Brainerd, MN. In October 1992, MCBW co-sponsored a statewide display of the clothesline with the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, in which over 300 shirts were hung by participants from all over the state to commemorate their own, or other women's and children's, experience as victims of the war against women and children. Included were shirts designed by Arts Against Domestic Violence for each of the women and children who died from domestic violence in 1992. A 1993 Clothesline honoring the women and children murdered in Minnesota in that year as a result of domestic violence premiered at Battered Women's Action Day at the Capitol in March, 1994.

Clotheslines from 1992 to the present honoring the women and children in Minnesota murdered as a result of domestic violence are available for exhibit throughout the state to raise public awareness of the prevalence and severity of domestic violence and child abuse. Clotheslines from the different years travel to communities throughout the state of Minnesota.

The shirts on each Clothesline are designed by volunteer artists. Most of the artists did not know the woman or child they honored with a shirt, but had information collected mainly from news accounts. Beginning in 1993, the Clothesline has included shirts designed by family members and friends for their loved ones.

Besides bearing witness to the victims of the war against women, the Clothesline Project is also a powerful healing tool for survivors of this violence. Survivors can be invited to participate in the Clothesline Project by decorating a shirt paying tribute to their own survival. Organizers planning to exhibit the Clothesline may want to consider offering shirt-making workshops alongside the exhibit. For more information, please contact the National Clothesline Project.

Please read these facts about the victims affected by violence at the National Teen Dating Violence Prevention Initiative. Your outreach for the victims and survivors can help bring a victim or their family out of the darkness and into the light.

MCBW is a well-established, membership organization with 90 member programs located throughout Minnesota with a strong history of effectively carrying out programming that advances women's safety and security. MCBW has existed for almost 30 years as the state's primary voice for battered women. The Coalition has a dedicated and experienced staff, and its capacity is strengthened by the leadership of its members and by a deeply committed and involved board of directors.

February is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month

2011-02-03T15:06:00.005-06:00

Love Is Respect

Do you feel like you might be in an abusive relationship? Do you ever feel scared? If so, here is a quiz that can help you determine if you are being abused…

Does your boyfriend/girlfriend:

Look at you or act in ways that scare you?

Act jealous or possessive?

Put you down or criticize you?

Try to control where you go, what you wear or what you do?

Text or IM you excessively?

Blame you for the hurtful things they say and do?

Threaten to kill or hurt you or themselves if you leave them?

Try to stop you from seeing or talking to friends and family?

Try to force you to have sex before you’re ready?

Do they hit, slap, push or kick you?

If you have answered yes to any of the above questions, it is time to take ownership of YOUR life and save yourself. You are a human being that deserves to be respected. Love does not abuse.

Each year, about one in four teens report being the victim of verbal, physical, emotional, or sexual violence.

Don’t be another statistic and get the respect you deserve.

Loveisrespect.org is an organization that provides resources for teens, parents, friends and family, Peer Advocates, government officials, law enforcement officials and the general public. To contact the National Teen Dating Abuse Helpline at 1-866-331-9474 or visit www.LoveIsRespect.org to receive immediate and confidential advice and referrals.

Buy the Cookies!

2011-01-25T14:02:00.010-06:00

I was an active Girl Scout through third grade, and I hated almost every minute of it. I hated being told what to do, so I hated the uniforms and the badge-earning activities, and I just wasn’t touchy-feely enough to enjoy the singing or promises of friendship forever. My mom forced me to stay enrolled in a troop until high school graduation, but from the age of nine I did not go to meetings or earn a single badge. However, when Girl Scouts come around my neighborhood (or, more commonly, when the solicitation emails from old babysitting clients and family friends flood my inbox), I pay $4 a box for some Thin Mints or Samoas. While I may have hated being a Girl Scout, I love the Girl Scouts.

How could I not? Girl Scouts gets right what everything else seems to get wrong. It has an official policy of nondiscrimination [PDF] (unlike the Boy Scouts). It fosters leadership, individuality, teamwork, service and both physical and intellectual achievement. Girl Scouts actively supports racial and ethnic diversity, and as early as 1956 Martin Luther King, Jr. described them as a “force for desegregation.” Every year, Girl Scouts celebrate “Thinking Day,” when different troops represent different countries and learn about cultures around the world.

Admittedly, badges once skewed toward typically gendered activities such as cooking and sewing, but today girls can earn patches by learning about aerospace technology, conflict resolution and archery. Scouts also toughen up by going camping (I still remember learning how to build a fire at the tender age of 7, all the while complaining bitterly about how cold I was).

Girl Scouts talks about sex and puberty—perhaps in a more informed way than some of the school systems do. It fosters an environment for girls to learn who they are and what they are capable of: 55 percent of Girl Scouts believe they have a high chance of becoming President, as opposed to only 35 percent of non-Girl Scouts. More than 50 million women in the United States can call themselves Girl Scout alumnae, including former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Ms. founder Gloria Steinem and CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric.

Miss America might claim to recognize scholars but Girl Scouts creates them. And if all that is not a good enough reason to shell out four bucks for a box of cookies, how about this: They’re absolutely delicious.

Photo from Flickr user yuki80 under Creative Commons 3.0.

Saving Women & Girls from Slavery in India

2011-01-20T10:56:00.008-06:00

Focus on: Sunita Krishnan

"For two years we nurtured Amina, with all the care.. with all the compassion we possessed."

Despite, or perhaps because of, her history of being gang-raped as a teenager and beaten up many times for her work, Sunita never ceases to act as a spark to awaken the world.

One of the most passionate speakers in the world, Sunita Krishnan fights to save women & girls from Trafficking & Slavery in India. To listen to her talk about rescuing children or to read her blogs is a true inspiration.

Below is one of Sunita's recent blogposts:

When Protectors turn Predators

Amina is a 12yr old special child. She came to me as a 10yr old... gang raped and mute. The police just dumped her with us for safe care,as no case could be booked. The child was hardly in a position to point out who had barbarically torn her!

For two years we nurtured Amina,with all the care..with all the compassion we possessed. We even got two of my staff trained in National Institute of Mental Health(NIMH) to gain skills to take care of special children.

Two years later Amina could speak a lot of words...she would come running to me…hugging me tight not allowing other children to come near me until she had her full.

As Amina grew older we felt quite at a disadvantage as we were less equipped to handle Amina and 7 other kids in the home who were mentally retarded. After a lot of internal discussion all of us in the team felt it would be better for these children if they were admitted in a home for special children, where they would be educated/trained with other special children. I was told many organizations were even specialized in providing occupational therapy which will in the long run make them employable. And hence it was decided to shift Amina and other special children to specialized home …convinced that would give them a better opportunity for mainstream life.

Our search for a good home was filled with challenges and hurdles. The name ‘Prajwala’ became a curse as it meant not just an anti trafficking organization but also a group who took care of a large number of trafficked HIV positive persons. Most reputed homes point blank refused admission on the presumption that Amina could be HIV positive(incidently she is not). We even took the support of Commisioner, Disabled Welfare to pressurize organizations who had Grant in Aid from Government of India to take these children. We were rejected by all. Most homes were willing to get into the bad books of the authorities but not take these children!

A newspaper classified ad that appeared in a leading English daily was the first ray of hope for us. Child Development Mission,an organization willing to take special children had advertised. We rushed to meet the organization. The friendly reception of the staff and the over enthusiasm of the team to welcome us at that time was really heart warming (after all the cold reception this was a welcome respite). But for some unknown reason (maybe it was our paranoid outlook) we decided not to admit all our children in the same place. Only Amina was admitted. Our team members informed the organization that we would be visiting every week to monitor Amina’s welfare which the organization strongly discouraged. We concluded as we had an organizational policy maybe they too had regarding visitors for residents.

In spite of the discouragement our team members went once a month to visit Amina. The first two meetings was uneventful. On the third visit we realized the organization had shifted its home. Panic set in when no neighbors could tell us where the organization had moved out and all phone numbers we had did not work. During this time I was traveling so Deepa my Director,Programs organized a team of senior members to hunt the organization. On a lead she even organized a decoy operation which finally lead us to the main functionary of Child Development Mission. The phone conversation with this gentleman was perhaps one of the most rude conversation we ever had. Only after our team threatened police action that this man mellowed down and gave us a cock and bull story of all children being sent away for Puja holidays and only Amina being housed in a care taker’s house.Such was our anxiety for Amina’s well being that we did not even question him why he had not informed us of the same…or why they had shifted…or what has happened to all phone numbers.In spite of all the persuasion he would not divulge the information where Amina was kept,just went on repeating that we could pick up Amina the next day. That night was the longest night for all my team members

The next day our people rushed to the designated spot, a small room in a slum. The sight that awaited us was shocking to say the least. A totally unrecognizable Amina…with swollen face, swollen legs, barely able to stand …she was sitting in the room with a old woman who looked like a beggar. We brought back Amina, more shocks awaited us we when thoroughly examined her body. There were marks of bruises, burns all over her body. The greatest helplessness-Amina could not tell us what exactly happened.

Amina is now undergoing treatment for the last one week. We are planning legal action against the organization.

And I as I sit and mull over all these events, filled with untold guilt for the trauma we have caused in Amina’s life, would it have been better if Amina was with me without any real options for mainstream life…(until I am skilled to handle this issue…I don’t know how many more skills I need to master before I can handle it all)…living in a safe place but without any clear future ahead.

But my larger feeling is of anger and outrage.

When people/organizations claiming to be protectors and saviors turn predators doesn’t the world lose faith in the word TRUST.

...There's so much desensitization that has happened, so much normalization of exploitation that has happened, so much internalization of trauma that has happened...

Re posted from A Safe World For Women

SOURCE

When protectors turn to abusers: - by Sunitha Krishnan

YOU Can Help Stop Human Trafficking

2011-01-14T12:50:00.003-06:00

Finally: Social Justice through Mobile Applications

2011-01-13T18:14:00.003-06:00

Leading human rights agency International Justice Mission (IJM) and leading mobile application development firm Brushfire Media are announcing the launch of a first-of-its-kind mobile application that will connect users to the fight for justice around the world through functionality never before used in a mobile application.

IJM is a human rights organization that works in thirteen countries to secure justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. This mobile application will deliver breaking news from IJM’s field offices – alerting users about successful rescue operations to free slaves, arrests of suspected perpetrators of violent crimes, convictions of traffickers and slave-owners and other real-time updates. The application – which will be offered as a free download – will also provide users with opportunities to support the work of investigation, rescue, victim aftercare and perpetrator accountability; equipping them with tools for advocacy within their own communities, educational resources on justice issues, opportunities to connect with others by forming groups within the application and much more.

Gabe Cooper, President of Brushfire Mobile, explains the significance of his firm’s collaboration with IJM: “Never before have people that care about a cause—like slavery and sex trafficking—been able to so intimately connect with the work through a mobile device. IJM’s breakthrough application helps people see and experience the impact of their support on the front lines, while offering creative ways to stay engaged in the justice movement.”

“Every night more than 27 million children, women and men around the world go to sleep without freedom,” says Amy Lucia, IJM Vice President of Global Communications. “Our new mobile application presents tangible ways for people to join IJM in the fight for justice—within a technology platform specially designed to help rapidly grow the movement to bring freedom to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people. Everyone can do something to stop these crimes—it is our hope that millions of Americans will download this free application and interact regularly as a community of supporters.”

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to secure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to ensure that public justice systems – police, courts, and laws – effectively protect the poor.

A Salute to Eve Ensler – When will the violence stop?

2011-01-12T11:08:00.002-06:00

On January 20, three leaders in the women’s movement in Haiti were proclaimed dead as a result of the quake. Myriam Merlet, Magalie Marcelin, and Anne Marie Coriolan were three innovative leading women who empowered other women by peacefully negotiating against violence and establishing rape as a crime in Haiti — a crime that was prevalent before it was made punishable.

MYRIAM

Myriam,

Almost a year has passed

since 2010 cracked open at its spine.

A year since I began calling you

calling and calling,

believing the ring

would find you and wake you,

your cell gripped in your buried hand.

A year since

those days of exploding

living rooms and limbs

a blizzard of cement and bone.

Those days of body bags

And not enough body bags

Of silent babies wandering the remains

And mad digging

and sometimes screams, cheers, prayers.

Those days right after

Haiti collapsed

like a house of cards.

You who had been holding it up

Now, suddenly under it.

Myriam,There are women

in the streets, in cars

In camps, in ragged patchwork tents

Women hardly clothed

Grabbed by hungry, angry men

Filled with babies not their own

There are women who

in order to work

must leave

their daughters,

women with blood on their legs

terrified to take a bath.

There are women waiting to sleep

Waiting for doors and roofs and walls

and

there are women refusing to wait

women calling up your memory

your name.

You worked so hard to change all this

like the biblical prophetess

returned to your land

tambourine in hand

to sing the stories of your women.

You knew the future of Haiti depended on it.

You and Magalie and Ann Marie and all the others

Who broke down the gates

Who changed the street names, packed the courtrooms, made new laws.

Your bodies may be lying

Amidst the steel and dust

But you did not perish there

We are not giving up

We are singing your song

Emboldened by your name

Myriam Myriam Myriam

Eve Ensler January 2011

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day: 1.11.11

2011-01-10T11:28:00.006-06:00

A TRAFFICK FREE World

How will you participate in bringing awareness about human trafficking?

Tomorrow, January 11^th is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day as passed by the senate to raise awareness of, and opposition to, human trafficking. Chicago anti-trafficking organizations, such as Traffick Free, are partnering together to create some high impact events that you won’t want to miss:

Shop for a Cause: Join Illinois Rescue and Restore on Tuesday January 11th from 10am -3pm and “Shop for a Cause!”

DHS, 401 S. Clinton, Training Room #1

Local vendors will sell jewelry, purses, soaps, baked goods, and other items to raise funds to directly help aid victims of trafficking and exploitation in Illinois.

For more information about Shop for a cause please go to, www.dhs.state.il.us/rescueandrestore

With your help and Traffick Free’s commitment to creating awareness of human trafficking. When we all take active steps at any level, we can end the demand for trafficking and free those enslaved now and forever.

Welcome to a new world - one that is Traffick Free.

“I ask everyone to join me to create a society free of trafficking”

2011-01-07T12:39:00.005-06:00

Anuradha Koirala: Dedicates Her Life to Save the Lives of Others

On November 24,2010 Anuradha Koirala, the founder and Executive Director of Maiti Nepal, won the CNN Hero of the Year Award for her commitment to save the lives of many women in need.

Ms. Koirala started Maiti Nepal, founded in 1993, in a small house in Kathmandu with her own savings. Maiti Nepal serves as a shelter for the protection and rehabilitation of trafficking victims forced into prostitution that have been rescued and returned to orphans and girls. The shelter home provides awareness training, informal education, vocational training, as well as voluntary testing and counseling and medical advice to survivors of trafficking. An average of 100 survivors live in this house of rehabilitation from time to time. This social organization also actively works to find justice for the victims against their abusers through legal means.

With Ms. Koirala and her workers, who are mostly rescued women, dedication to combating sexual exploitation of women and children, more than 12,000 Nepalese girls and women have been rescued from human trafficking and sexual exploitation, according to CNN.

"First you have to learn to take them as your own child. Then you will feel the sorrow and then the strength comes out from you to protect them.” – Anuradha Koirala

Although, Ms. Koirala’s work is often dangerous and requires great personal sacrifice, her dedication to her beliefs continues to stay strong. The criminal elements to victims are a ruthless enemy and have connections at the highest political level in India and Nepal. Maiti Nepal's main office in Kathmandu has been destroyed twice and Maiti workers must travel with a bodyguard when overseeing rescue missions in India.

“I ask everyone to join me to create a society free of trafficking. We need to do this for all our daughters," Koirala said at the CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute which aired Thanksgiving night.

Ms. Koirala and her group received an additional $100,000 award along with the $25,000 Hero award, which will be used in their work in Nepal and its borders. In doing so, their courageous efforts will continue to help victims live healthy, sustainable lives.

The Perryville Prison ATHENA World Café

2011-01-06T13:03:00.006-06:00

Leadership in Prison by Martha Mertz, founder, Athena International

I wish you could have been with me. I had been invited to speak about leadership at a women’s prison in Arizona. My friends knew how worried I was, not about the prospect of going to the prison, but about truly touching hearts and minds there. It started with the warden. She seemed quite stern to me, as a warden would be, responsible for adhering to expectations and standards. I was already out of the box when I called her to ask for a microphone which would allow me the freedom to walk around while speaking, and permission to bring in colorful tablecloths – to provide a different atmosphere for an ATHENA World Café. She didn’t have the mike but she granted me the right for the color and I hurriedly gathered 16 tablecloths out of my cupboards and from my friends.

This was to be the final talk of the year for women in the minimum security block. I’d had good coaching from a former resident who advised that I not wear anything orange (inmates) or brown (authorities). I was also blessed to be accompanied by three college interns and a seasoned volunteer.

The skies were darkening and the security was tight as the five of us with sacks of books, donated to bolster the library, piles of tablecloths and other paraphernalia entered the prison grounds. Obviously, we were expected. From a side door someone rolled a large cart over to greet us and help ferry the supplies into the large building where our meeting would be held.

Walking into that setting framed the beginning of an entirely different reality, a little like walking into a movie. It was a large room that usually serves as the cafeteria. There were 125 orange clad women already seated at tables (I was informed later that they had worn their dress oranges for the occasion) and the atmosphere was expectant, quietly buzzing.

I met the warden at the front of the room. She was cautiously cordial as she pointed out the karaoke microphone she’d managed to commandeer for the evening. For that I was exceedingly grateful, which pleased her. Then, as the interns spread the tablecloths and placed a sign with one of the eight “principles” on each table, I asked that everyone be allowed to blindly pick from a basket a slip of paper, each with one principle, in order to identify the table where they’d be re-seated. This is my standard procedure for a World Café. It sorts people away from their friends into new groups. She told me that each table had been arranged according to the yard the women lived in and that wouldn’t be possible. I told her that bringing people together with new faces was part of building relationships, important for my exercise. She cast her head back thinking she’d say no but in a very magical instant something changed and she agreed. The concessions she made set a tone for the rest of the evening. My hat is off to her for bending what I was later to learn a never-bent rule. Of course the mass re-seating was a momentarily chaotic scene which must have caused some heartburn for those in charge, but I was thrilled.

So we began. The first part was spent explaining the format of a World Café and then I launched into a description of each of the leadership principles. Leadership was framed as something that all of us deal with, beginning with the idea of “leading” our lives, being first of all responsible for ourselves. The room was raptly attentive. I watched people begin to nod in agreement as one point or another resonated with them.

Then the assignments began. The first is a request that each table (of 8) introduce themselves to each other and then adopt a team name and motto. They are only given 5-6 minutes to do this so there’s always a sense of urgency. I’d been warned that requests for creative expressions were often really difficult for this group. We’d provided butcher block paper and a few marking pens (both of which I’d inadvertently neglected to have sanctioned ahead of time) at each table. What happened next was amazing. Everyone started talking, drawing, laughing, and discussing. The energy was electric. I watched the warden, off to the side. Her face reflected what seemed like disbelief. When I brought the participants attention back and asked one from each table to report to the entire group, I gave them the option of speaking from the table or coming to the mike. In every case they came to the mike. Again I thought the warden was surprised.

They’d obviously had fun with this. The creative juices were alive and flowing. The large sheets were filled with thoughts, flowers, pictures. Now, I’d wish I’d kept them. The only team name I can recall was the one called “MOJO Collaborators”, which the authors richly enjoyed. After each presentation the entire audience roared in appreciation. They were together in a quest and enjoying the opportunity.

Next I asked them for the real focus of this evening. “What kind of difference would it make if these leadership principles were practiced in that setting?” This time they became more serious, still drawing and outlining their thoughts on paper. When it was time to report out the hands went up – people wanting to be the first to share what they’d talked about.

The statements from these women would have moved you to tears. They were caring, thoughtful, heartfelt, ardent. People were engaged in a personal exploration and the wish to be heard. We had time for one more such exercise and then an open question – what would our world look like if everyone practiced these principles? I watched the warden. She was now wandering through the room, listening to the conversations, occasionally adding her comments – she was learning too.

As we drew to a close the group stood, vociferously appreciative of the moment. They were also appreciating the warden, as I was, who by then was broadly beaming. Everyone had been touched because we’d dared to share very private thoughts, hopes and dreams that evening.

I’ve had the privilege of talking about leadership in hundreds of cities and more than a handful of countries to people who are celebrated as leaders, but never before to women who have temporarily lost footing in the world. In this circumstance, well more than in any previous World Café session, I witnessed profound hunger for the chance at recommitment, at reviewing and reshaping values, at the thought of making a positive difference throughout one’s sphere of influence.

I’m recommitting too, hoping for the chance to make a difference in this way again

A Woman. A Prostitute. A Slave.

2011-01-05T17:45:00.003-06:00

By Nicholas Kristof

Americans tend to associate “modern slavery” with illiterate girls in India or Cambodia. Yet there I was the other day, interviewing a college graduate who says she spent three years terrorized by pimps in a brothel in Midtown Manhattan.

Those who think that commercial sex in this country is invariably voluntary — and especially men who pay for sex — should listen to her story. The men buying her services all mistakenly assumed that she was working of her own volition, she says.

Yumi Li (a nickname) grew up in a Korean area of northeastern China. After university, she became an accountant, but, restless and ambitious, she yearned to go abroad.

So she accepted an offer from a female jobs agent to be smuggled to New York and take up a job using her accounting skills and paying $5,000 a month. Yumi’s relatives had to sign documents pledging their homes as collateral if she did not pay back the $50,000 smugglers’ fee from her earnings.

Yumi set off for America with a fake South Korean passport. On arrival in New York, however, Yumi was ordered to work in a brothel.

“When they first mentioned prostitution, I thought I would go crazy,” Yumi told me. “I was thinking, ‘how can this happen to someone like me who is college-educated?’ ” Her voice trailed off, and she added: “I wanted to die.”

She says that the four men who ran the smuggling operation — all Chinese or South Koreans — took her into their office on 36th Street in Midtown Manhattan. They beat her with their fists (but did not hit her in the face, for that might damage her commercial value), gang-raped her and videotaped her naked in humiliating poses. For extra intimidation, they held a gun to her head.

If she continued to resist working as a prostitute, she says they told her, the video would be sent to her relatives and acquaintances back home. Relatives would be told that Yumi was a prostitute, and several of them would lose their homes as well.

Yumi caved. For the next three years, she says, she was one of about 20 Asian prostitutes working out of the office on 36th Street. Some of them worked voluntarily, she says, but others were forced and received no share in the money.

Yumi played her role robotically. On one occasion, Yumi was arrested for prostitution, and she says the police asked her if she had been trafficked.

“I said no,” she recalled. “I was really afraid that if I hinted that I was a victim, the gang would send the video to my family.”

Then one day Yumi’s closest friend in the brothel was handcuffed by a customer, abused and strangled almost to death. Yumi rescued her and took her to the hospital. She said that in her rage, she then confronted the pimps and threatened to go public.

At that point, the gang hurriedly moved offices and changed phone numbers. The pimps never mailed the video or claimed the homes in China; those may have been bluffs all along. As for Yumi and her friend, they found help with Restore NYC, a nonprofit that helps human trafficking victims in the city.

I can’t be sure of elements of Yumi’s story, but it mostly rings true to me and to the social workers who have worked with her. There’s no doubt that while some women come to the United States voluntarily to seek their fortunes in the sex trade, many others are coerced — and still others start out forced but eventually continue voluntarily. And it’s not just foreign women. The worst cases of forced prostitution, especially of children, often involve home-grown teenage runaways.

No one has a clear idea of the scale of the problem, and estimates vary hugely. Some think the problem is getting worse; others believe that Internet services reduce the role of pimps and lead to commercial sex that is more consensual. What is clear is that forced prostitution should be a national scandal. Just this month, authorities indicted 29 people, mostly people of Somali origin from the Minneapolis area, on charges of running a human trafficking ring that allegedly sold many girls into prostitution — one at the age of 12.

There are no silver bullets, but the critical step is for the police and prosecutors to focus more on customers (to reduce demand) and, above all, on pimps. Prostitutes tend to be arrested because they are easy to catch, while pimping is a far harder crime to prosecute. That’s one reason thugs become pimps: It’s hugely profitable and carries less risk than selling drugs or stealing cars. But that can change as state and federal authorities target traffickers rather than their victims.

Nearly 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, it’s time to wipe out the remnants of slavery in this country.

I invite you to visit my blog, On the Ground. Please also join me on Facebook, watch my YouTube videos and follow me on Twitter.

Just Say No to Human Trafficking

2011-01-04T09:21:00.004-06:00

The Blue Blindfold Campaign

Human Trafficking happens all around the world, yet many are unaware of this type of modern day slavery. January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Month and Canada has launched an anti-trafficking ad campaign to encourage its citizens to take off their blind folds and open their eyes.

"Most are women and children and their cases often go unnoticed and unreported due to threats from offenders, language barriers or mistrust of authorities.” –Public Safety Minister Vic Toews.

Crime Partners has collaborated with both Public Safety Canada and the Royal Canadian Mountain Police’s Human Trafficking National Coordination Centre, for their Blue Blindfold campaign in the form of print ads, televised commercials and informational brochures, exposing the reality of this horrific crime to the light of day.

In the Blue Blindfold campaign, which has also been used in the UK, ordinary people are featured engaged in everyday activities while blinded to the human trafficking victims around them.
So many of us live our lives overlooking this issue. If we educate ourselves to the signs of human trafficking, we can bring awareness, save lives, and prevent this egregious crime. We encourage you all to remove your blindfolds, take a look around you and scream NO to human trafficking.

Visit http://www.blueblindfold.co.uk/ to find out more about the campaign and follow us on Twitter @womenwotw1 to see all of our latest updates about human trafficking.

Thank You

2010-12-31T11:33:00.003-06:00

danke…merci…grazie…arigato….gracias…tack

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no
path and leave a trail”. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Women of the World has embarked upon a journey of
purpose and passion in 2010. We have combined hundreds of
admirable, influential women and supportive men in a myriad
of events and relevant topics. We have formed relationships
with like-minded organizations, built confidence and support,
and emphasized the importance of speaking in a unified voice
to raise awareness of the need to prevent violence against
women.

Where do we go in 2011? We go the way suggested by
Emerson, “…Go instead where there is no path and leave a
trail.” We will continue to advocate for the rights of women,
and this always begins at the grass roots level. We must
inspire each other to identify and promote a new generation of
socially responsible women. Never let adversity break you. It is
a learning experience that will make you stronger in the future.

I am so grateful for your support locally and globally. The
call to action is now. You have enhanced the vision of what is
possible and support Women of the World as an organization
that is based on purpose and passion and champions the truth
that safe, healthy, educated women influence prosperity.

Always inspired,

Donna Gutman

Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center

2010-12-28T11:39:00.004-06:00

A place where survivors of sexual assault and abuse can heal and mobilize the community toward action to end sexual violence.

In August 1981, the Advisory Board and Coordinating Council of Lake County Health Department formed a Rape Victim Advocacy Task Force to study the need for rape victim advocacy services in Lake County. Original Task Force members represented agencies, both public and private, which were involved or potentially interested in providing services to rape victims. The Task Force began meeting in January 1982 and concluded its needs assessment one year later. Their findings documented that current services to rape victims in Lake County were inadequate and fragmented.

Joe Howard, Director of Development, has taken programs to a higher level, encouraging & advocating for programs that educate men.

10 Things Men Can Do To Prevent Gender Violence

· Approach gender violence as a MEN'S issue involving men of all ages and socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds. View men not only as perpetrators or possible offenders, but as empowered bystanders who can confront abusive peers.

· If a brother, friend, classmate, or teammate is abusing his female partner -- or is disrespectful or abusive to girls and women in general -- don't look the other way. If you feel comfortable doing so, try to talk to him about it. Urge him to seek help. Or if you don't know what to do, consult a friend, a parent, a professor, or a counselor. DON'T REMAIN SILENT.

· Have the courage to look inward. Question your own attitudes. Don't be defensive when something you do or say ends up hurting someone else. Try hard to understand how your own attitudes and actions might inadvertently perpetuate sexism and violence, and work toward changing them.

· If you suspect that a woman close to you is being abused or has been sexually assaulted, gently ask if you can help.

· If you are emotionally, psychologically, physically, or sexually abusive to women, or have been in the past, seek professional help NOW.

· Be an ally to women who are working to end all forms of gender violence. Support the work of campus-based women's centers. Attend "Take Back the Night" rallies and other public events. Raise money for community-based rape crisis centers and battered women's shelters. If you belong to a team or fraternity, or another student group, organize a fundraiser.

· Recognize and speak out against homophobia and gay-bashing. Discrimination and violence against lesbians and gays are wrong in and of themselves. This abuse also has direct links to sexism (e.g. the sexual orientation of men who speak out against sexism is often questioned, a conscious or unconscious strategy intended to silence them. This is a key reason few men do speak out).

· Attend programs; take courses, watch films, and read articles and books about multicultural masculinities, gender inequality, and the root causes of gender violence. Educate yourself and others about how larger social forces affect the conflicts between individual men and women.

· Don't fund sexism. Refuse to purchase any magazine, rent any video, subscribe to any Web site, or buy any music that portrays girls or women in a sexually degrading or abusive manner. Protest sexism in the media.

· Mentor and teach young boys about how to be men in ways that don't involve degrading or abusing girls and women. Volunteer to work with gender violence prevention programs, including anti-sexist men's programs. Lead by example.

Zacharias Center's services are free and are available to all survivors regardless of race, gender, language, ability, sexual orientation, or religion.

Zacharias Center seeks to be an active presence in the community to speak up in support of and in partnership with all survivors of sexual violence. Zacharias Center provides services to the community at large and to other professionals and service providers to enhance the understanding of the impact of sexual violence on everyone.

Zacharias's constantly growing services presently include: 24-hour hotline; 24-hour medical and legal advocacy; individual and group counseling for survivors and their loved ones; training of professionals who work with victims (i.e., police, emergency room personnel, court services staff); children's counseling program; Child Assault Prevention (CAP) program in both Spanish and English throughout the Lake County School System; and community education which includes sexual assault awareness, risk reduction, and information on incest. They have expanded their service and outreach to the Spanish-speaking community with bicultural and bilingual staff members in the Community Education, Advocacy, and Clinical programs. Today, 16 full-time and 2 part-time employees along with 75-150 active volunteers staff Zacharias Center.

Remember, sexual assault hurts everyone, not just the victim.

http://www.zcenter.org/donations.htm

24-Hour assistance support line: 847-872-7799.

Between Friends

2010-12-27T09:48:00.006-06:00

Building a Community Without Domestic Violence

Between Friends is a nonprofit agency dedicated to breaking the cycle of domestic violence and building a community free of abuse.

In 1986, Between Friends was founded by volunteers from the National Council of Jewish Women and the North Shore Junior League of Evanston as a small grantmaking body dedicated to raising funds for local domestic violence programs. The clear disparity between the growing numbers of domestic violence victims needing help and the limited programs available to assist them prompted Friends to expand its effort in 1991 to include direct crisis intervention services for individuals and families.

Today, Between Friends' comprehensive programs and services include a toll-free Crisis Line (800-603-HELP), counseling for victims and their children, court advocacy, and prevention and education efforts, including healthcare education and our extensive teen dating violence prevention program, REACH (Relationship Education: A Choice for Hope). Each year, we work with thousands of individuals through these programs, all offered free of charge. Friends' offices are located in Rogers Park, on Chicago's north side.

Between Friends provides a safe, violence-free, supportive, self-help environment for women and children in crisis. Between Friends' counselors support women in making their own decisions and choices, rather than making choices for them. Between Friends helps victims and children to recognize that their experience is shared and that the problem of domestic violence is social and political.

Know that abuse is a crime.

· Physical Abuse is any forceful or violent physical behavior.

· Sexual Abuse is any non-consenting sexual act or behavior.

· Verbal or Emotional Abuse includes hurting another person's feeling by saying cruel, unfair comments or by name-calling.

· Psychological Abuse is a threat to do bodily harm to a partner, child, family member, friends, pets or one's self (suicide). Psychological abuse involves hurt, anger, fear and degradation. Psychological abuse can render you emotionally insecure about your own self worth and can make you helpless to escape further physical, sexual and/or psychological abuse.

· Economic Abuse includes controlling an intimate partner’s access to money through behaviors such as preventing a partner from going to work or causing a woman to lose her job.

If you feel that you or someone you know may be in an abusive relationship, read more about the signs of abuse.

Click here to learn about the programs and services we provide.

Mariska Hargitay and Olivia Benson

2010-12-23T10:31:00.005-06:00

The birth of the Joyful Heart Foundation

“When I started playing Detective Olivia Benson on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit a decade ago, my eyes were opened to the silenced epidemics of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse in this country. It wasn't just in the scripts for the show, but in the many emails I received from viewers disclosing their stories of abuse, many for the first time.

I felt a great responsibility to these brave men and women and wanted them to know that they had been heard and that they could have hope. I studied the subject, trained to become a crisis counselor, and used my visibility as an actress to become an advocate. The result was the Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing support and encouragement for survivors.

When people are abused and assaulted, it is like the doors to their souls slam shut. The goal of Joyful Heart is to let the light, and the life, back in--to banish the darkness and let the healing begin."

- Mariska Hargitay, President and Founder, Joyful Heart Foundation

The mission of the Joyful Heart Foundation is to heal, educate and empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse and to shed light into the darkness that surrounds these issues.

Joyful Heart is not a crisis center and does not provide emergency services including: crisis intervention, counseling, housing, legal or financial assistance. We are able, however, to connect you to information and resources where these services are available. We encourage you to take the next step and contact the appropriate resource.

A closing thought from Mariska:

“It is my wish that you live the healthiest, most fulfilled lives you can, in full acknowledgement and awareness of the demands of your calling. May you find ways, in the midst of your mission to serve and protect others, to do the same for yourselves.”

With admiration and gratitude,

www.joyfulheartfoundation.org

Me and Ro supports The Joyful Heart Foundation through a customized piece of jewelry reflecting the beliefs and ideals of Robin Renzi, founder and CEO. Her art is inspired by human need to adorn and communicate through jewelry. She created the FEARLESSNESS pendant, which serves as a reminder that embracing fearlessness inspires one to approach life with an open heart and to be strong in the face of adversity. 100% of the proceeds from this pendant go directly to The Joyful Heart Foundation.

Saving Children with UNICEF

2010-12-22T10:05:00.003-06:00

Help Raise $2 Million by December 31^st

On January 12^th, the worst earthquake in 200 years struck Haiti, which changed the lives of hundreds of children forever. The United Fund for UNICEF continues to save kids with numerous acts of donations.

“She never did tell me her name or her age. She just told me that when the earthquake struck her home in Haiti, she thought it was God teaching her to fly. In fact, her world had been shattered, and her family was gone.”- UNICEF

The facts:

22,000 kids who died every day from a preventable cause
Every 6 seconds, a child died from malnutrition
Every day, 400 children died from measles

UNICEF is dedicated to changing these statistics because this largest humanitarian organization believes the number of children who died every day from a preventable cause should be ZERO. How is this accomplished?

Education – In the aftermath of war or natural disaster, children often feel safest in a classroom. UNICEF developed the School-in-a-Box kit so that a classroom could be set up anywhere to restore a sense of normalcy and help break the cycle of poverty.

Emergency relief – Children are often separated from their families in the chaos after a disaster. UNICEF sets up child protection centers to provide these kids with a safe environment, clean water, shelter and help in finding their lost loved ones.

Safe drinking water – When children are thirsty, it doesn't matter if a river is clouded and polluted, they'll drink from it. UNICEF's simple solutions like clean water tablets make it safe for children to drink when they are thirsty – anywhere, anytime.

Every day of every year, UNICEF uses these proven, low-cost methods to save kids in need. Due to UNICEF’s efforts, the annual number of under-five deaths dropped from 13 million in 1990 to 8 million in 2010.

There is no reason why a child should die from a cause that has long been solved in the developed world.

No other organization has saved more children's lives than UNICEF.

Philanthropy comes in all sizes: donate now to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF. Every donation is 100% tax-deductible. Your 100% tax-deductible gift will support the best child survival and protection team on the planet:

www.UNICEF.org

The Story of Valentina

2010-12-20T13:23:00.003-06:00

“So when life hands you a lemon, you can either toss it aside and wait for an apple or you can take life as it has come to you and make a glass of lemonade to share with others through the positive light and influences that you emit” -Jill Eisnaugle

An estimated 40,000 people with HIV live in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Valentina, an HIV-positive resident, was only 34 years old when she realized that she needed help. With the help of MAMA+, a Russian non-governmental organization Doctors to Children with the support of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, Valencia was able to overcome her struggle.

She was a soon to be mother who had contracted HIV a few years earlier from her late drug-abusing husband. Valentina suffered from financial issues, depression and was concerned for the life of her unborn child. With the efforts of MAMA+, which strives to provide medical and social services to HIV-positive pregnant women and new mothers, her life improved. When her daughter was born, she was pleased to learn that the baby had not contracted HIV.

Soon after, Valentina experienced yet, another obstacle. After giving birth, Valentina’s new partner became very violent. “The worst thing was that our little daughter was constantly exposed to danger, living between two fires,” she recalls.

She turned to MAMA+ once again for assistance, and was soon able to move to the programs Halfway House for Women with Children in Difficult Life Situations. This helped her regain control of her life. “With psychological support from MAMA+, I could become emotionally more stable. My daughter became much quieter and more sociable," she says.

Valentina began building a new future for herself and her daughter. She is a courageous women who, today, lives on her own with her daughter and works as an assistant nurse at a hospice for people living with HIV. In addition, she counsels other HIV-positive women and makes home visits to HIV-affected families to offer advice and material support.

Since 1996, The United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women has supported critically needed programmes and services in 124 countries. It relies exclusively on voluntary contributions, but the demand for funds outstrips supply by far. In 2009 alone, the Fund received $857 million in funding requests, but could offer only $20.5 million in grants. Make the UN Trust Fund your cause this holiday season.

Source: http://www.saynotoviolence.org/around-world/news/mama-helping-hiv-positive-women-rebuild-their-lives

Saving the Life of a Woman & Child.

2010-12-17T17:53:00.003-06:00

How you can personally save the life of a woman and her children after domestic violence

A common theme in domestic violence is that the man takes control of all of the finances. Therefore, most women leave with no financial assets whatsoever- often with the clothing they could pack and whatever they can fit into one car. Since 1 in 5 women in the U.S. are victims of domestic violence, and it cuts across all lines equally- education, economic, race, religion, culture- many women and their children have no skills or resources to deal with sudden abject poverty. In addition, please understand that living for one day or ten years being demeaned, controlled, watching your children battered…leaves a woman in an emotional state afterwards that is just like coming out of a warzone.

With all that said, here are 7 concrete ways you, your company, friends, and community can make a true, lasting, and immediate impact to save the lives of women and children from domestic violence.

Sponsor One Family

When we came out of hiding, we were left with essentials I could fit into our van- mostly clothing that didn’t fit the kids for long, a crockpot for cooking in motel rooms, vital documents for the children, and barely any leg space on the floor. We had lost every single thing I had ever owned, created, or even photographed. When we got into a house, neighbors “lent” us a folding table and a couple of foam mattresses and sheets, a few pots and plates. First I thought we could get back our stored items, and then when I realized everything was lost, I didn’t want to tell the community that we had nothing.

The pre-school noticed that the youngest two didn’t have much in clothing, backpacks, etc. A teacher came by with pizza to “visit” and kindly walked around for a tour of the house (I later realized she was looking to see what we had.) With our permission, and without our names, the preschool printed on the front page of their newsletter a list of items needed for a local family, thinking of everything from naming pieces of furniture, to listing school supplies, giving the sizes of the family for used clothing, kitchenware by item, etc. A director at the National Institute for Health was sent a copy by a friend and, on her own, passed on the list to her friends and co-workers.

In one week- the week between Christmas and New Year’s of 2008- trucks and men to carry items appeared daily. Within that week we had sofas, mattresses, kitchen supplies, chairs, clothing for everyone, toiletries, and even toys for the kids. Almost none of it was new, and that didn’t matter whatsoever- we had a home.

Though there are many organizations to whom you may donate used furniture or clothing, it is impossible for a single mother coming out of abuse to even transport the items, let alone go from place to place trying to get free items. Having a home is essential for the family to be able to get back on their feet.

Mentor a Woman for One Year

While every woman after abuse should enter therapy, that does not help with the overwhelming amount of logistics that come into play trying to re-establish the family, simultaneously with court cases, empty pantries, new schools, and real fear. I graduated top of my class in university, and ran several successful businesses, and I still couldn’t manage all of the details. If you would give a 1-3 hours a week to one woman to help her sort through all of the minutia and practical challenges that happen in the first year out, that hand up could be her way to a new life. If you could even oversee help for her, and have assistants or others help with the details- it would literally change her and her children’s lives. If you are looking for a family ask the local shelter, court agency that helps women, police department, social service agency or local organization that help women of domestic violence- they can confidentially approach their best recommendation for a woman in the most need and most likely to use the support to recover- and if she agrees, then connect you personally.

Mentor a Child

The lists for Big/Brothers/Sisters are horribly long, and there is no priority, just a long, long wait list. It’s the same for other mentor organizations- too many kids, too few adults. Children coming from abuse, especially if they are separated from their family and friends and only have their mother, are in desperate need of personal attention, fun to help them be kids and forget the past and the difficult present, and positive role models. Men are especially needed for young boys who may have never known a man who doesn’t hit women or children. The only way to break the cycle is with those children. Doing something fun for a couple hours a week can make an enormous difference in the life of the child, and also be a great relief to the mother. Your organization can also think of giving tickets to fun activities, events, etc to children from violence. For most of these kids, their childhood was stolen from them. You can help give it back. It’s priceless.

Legal Help

I am well aware that the reason there is virtually zero legal help for women in custody cases after domestic violence is that these can be long, expensive affairs. Men tend to continue the abuse through the court system- often hiring expensive attorneys while the women go in self-represented and afraid. I knew a woman whose ex-husband continued to molest her daughters for 10 years after she left because his attorney had gotten him unsupervised weekend visitation despite having been convicted of child abuse and molestation. A protective order only helps a bit in the beginning. The real place children’s lives are lost is in the divorce-custody trials that occur where the natural court prejudice is in favor of equal access for both parents, and often disregards the safety of the children.

If every large firm accepted one case a year pro-bono, thousands of children would be saved. If you are in private practice, make a group amongst each other where there is an attorney of record, but each of you agrees to share in the caseload required to represent the woman and child. There is no default court appointed attorney, or even investigator, for children of abuse (which I think there should be) and therefore, the court cases almost always go in favor of the abusive father- allowing them to harm the children indefinitely even after the woman has left.

Help Provide Supervision

Another big hole in the system is that there is a real lack of supervised visitation centers. Child welfare in most states previously provided court-ordered supervision, but among the many services closed for budget cuts, generally now only supervises foster children. Because there is no supervision that the court can order, the default becomes that the abusive father is given unsupervised visitation. Liability issues can help be alleviated by having the mother sign a release. Appropriate opportunities to help with supervision include: an office that already has security guards available; retired individuals from the military or law enforcement; a therapy center that has access to security guards, etc. I know this is a scary suggestion, but it’s more frightening for the children and mothers who have to live through unsupervised visitations with a proven abuser.

Political Advocacy

The system is incredibly broken when it comes to the rights of children and women who leave domestic violence. I could list dozens and dozens of ways that state and federal legislation could be changed to help protect these families. But for this, I will choose one: Under the Family Stabilization Act, Child Welfare offices around the U.S. are funded to provide a wide-range of voluntary services to help women get on their feet. However, the act was worded that the children who receive the services are at risk for abuse or neglect. Therefore, it was connected to child protective services. Since the mothers have primary custody of the children, that means that in order to receive services and help for their children, they have to have child protective services in their home. Not only is this intimidating- but there is a real fear: CPS is required to report and then cite a neglect violation to anything they see in the home, which can and does include “fire exits” (like windows) being blocked by toys. Women from domestic violence have been through so much already, it makes no sense that the victim is the one put under the microscope to get help for the children. Since the funding is already there- the solution is merely to separate out the Family Stabilization Act from CPS and put it under Health and Human Services.

In Conclusion

The number one question I am asked is “Why didn’t you leave?” I’m educated, I’ve been repeatedly successful in business, I can advocate for my children. Leaving is difficult and dangerous for anyone. But if there is no life to offer your children after you leave, and unsupervised visitation means the children are even more at risk, and there is no help for you to get back on your feet, and your children go from a comfortable life to a life of abject poverty…getting hit once in awhile seems like a small price to pay. That’s reality. I did leave. And we did suffer. And I did fight for my children tooth and nail. But most women don’t have the background to fight alone.

You can personally help end violence against women by helping them create a new life for themselves and their children. Living in a shelter, receiving hand-outs from the government or charities, is not a life. Women want a hand-up, not another hand-out.

I encourage you to read about the author Gail Zahtz at www.alifeguide.com. Her story reminds us how women can rise above adversity and empower themselves to positively change their life.

Little Known Ways to Help Families

2010-12-16T09:20:00.005-06:00

Reaching Out With CARE

CARE, a leading humanitarian organization fighting poverty, is helping mothers around the world live better lives to better support their families.

Families in poverty stricken areas around the country need your help. One hard-working woman, Marie, a mother of three and a widow living in the Androy region of Madagascar, struggled to support her family for many years with farming, but only earned 75 cents a day.

Marie explains, "In the lean season, we ate only once a day — at night. During the day, we had only mangoes and cactus fruit as substitutes for meals."

Once Marie began participating in a CARE-supported farmers' association, she exercised her right to 25 acres of her family's farm. She is now able to feed her children three meals a day and also earns as much as $5 a day at the market by selling the wider variety of crops she learned to grow.

CARE encourages YOU to help mothers like Marie improve their skills, feed their families and earn their way out of poverty by making a tax-deductible gift today.

Here are some ways your support can make a difference:

$56 can give 7 women like Marie seed packets to start their own garden and increase their family's income.

$92 can supply 2 women like Dedicaciona in Peru with garden tool kits — including a spade, watering can and more — to cultivate their crop

$150 can provide a woman like Farida in Bangladesh with a soil testing kit so that she can
improve her harvest and help her community.

Marie says, "I have many goals I want to achieve in the future. I want to improve my family's lives and save for my children."

With YOUR help, you can help women like Marie, their families and those in their communities from living in poverty.

WOTW and Care thank you for your support. To learn how to continue helping others, please follow @womenwotw1 and @CARE on Twitter.

Tis' the Season to be Giving!

2010-12-15T09:26:00.005-06:00

Here’s a Way to Give a Meaningful Holiday Gift

Now is the time to contribute to helping women survivors of war rebuild their lives with Women for Women International’s Gifts That Give Back.

December 15 is the last day to place your order for these one-of-a-kind gifts, such as…

A bakery kit! When the women we serve step into the kitchen to bake, they aren't just making treats for their friends and family - they are earning an income. Help these women learn the skills and acquire the tools they need to start bakeries that provide food for their communities and a source of income.

For a selection of other unique, meaningful gifts, go to Gifts That Give Back.

Here is how it works:
1. You choose a symbolic gift.
2. Your loved one receives a special holiday card describing the symbolic gift given in

their honor.
3. Your donation goes to work immediately to help women survivors of war

rebuild their lives and their communities.

Choose your gifts by December 15th to ensure that your loved one receives a printed card in the mail.

P.S. Should you miss the December 15th deadline, you'll still have the option of sending an eCard.

All donations made through Gifts that Give Back are considered gifts to Women for Women International's global mission. Women for Women International, in order to best help the women they serve, puts your donation to use where it can be most effective in helping women victims of war transform their lives.

For more information on Women for Women International visit: http://www.womenforwomen.org/

“Keep your holiday shopping meaningful by sharing an impact that will keep the philanthropic spirit alive well after the holidays are over.”

2010-12-07T13:05:00.003-06:00

On Monday, December 06, 2010, Women of the World partnered with the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, hosting a holiday party with purpose and passion.

A large group of women and supportive men celebrated the holiday season and contributed to United Way’s Adopt-A-Family program, donating gift cards and new toys.

This is United Way’s fifth annual Adopt-A-Family program, working with low-income families from around Chicagoland to ensure they are able to enjoy the holiday season. Because of the increased need, United Way hopes to help 110 families this year through this program. Individuals and companies can either pick a particular family to adopt or contribute to a pool of money to purchase gift cards, which are evenly distributed amongst the families.

The highlight of the evening was a performance by Betsey Means, founder of WomenLore. Her portrayal of Alicia Appleman-Jurman, a uniquely courageous young Polish Jewish girl who survived the Holocaust against all odds was extraordinary. “Alicia, My Story” is a story of dignity, survival, and strength.

Throughout December, Women of the World will offer suggestions for giving to those in need not only in our community but around the globe.

We begin with United Way’s program Adopt-A-Family .If you are interested in adopting a family please contact Gwen Sims at gsims@uw-mc.org or 312-906-2299.

The Story of Rosa Parks

2010-12-01T15:30:00.004-06:00

A Woman Who Stood Up for Her Rights

“Each person must live their life as a model for others.” – Rosa Parks

Today, 55 years ago in Montgomery, Alabama, an African American, civil rights activist, Rosa Parks took a stand for her right that changed a nation. Striving for equality for all, she refused to give up her seat when she was ordered by a bus driver, James Blake, to make room for a white passenger.

In 1955, when racial segregation was highly evident, Parks sat in the “colored” section in the back of the bus after a day at work. When the front of the bus filled with white passengers and there were no seats left for others to sit at the front, Blake moved the “colored” sign in back of the row where Parks was sitting and ordered four people to move. When Parks refused to listen to Blake, he called the police. She was arrested, taken to jail and was bailed out later that evening.

Soon after 35,000 handbills were passed out calling for a boycott of the buses. As a result, African Americans refused to ride buses for 381 days.

On November 13, 1956 the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregation was unlawful. The next month signs on buses were removed and the boycott was over.

Parks died at the age of 92, on October 24, 2005. Even after the passing of Parks, her courageous actions on this day continue to make an impact, allowing people to have the freedom they deserve.

It took one woman who truly believed in taking a stand for women’s rights to change history forever. The journey does not stop with Rosa Parks - it is up to us to continue her fight for equality and human rights for all.

9 Days of Gratitude

2010-11-27T19:25:00.005-06:00

Day 9

“Please and thank you are the magic words.”

As the Thanksgiving holiday ends, the need to extend a heartfelt thank you to other people is very important.

By asking others to please contribute to stopping violence against women by showing their support through taking action, WOTW thanks YOU for all that you have done.

For advocates who believe that violence is not the answer, you are truly making the world a better place. It is easy to say something but much harder to actually take steps to create change in things we believe in. Shouldn’t all women be given the respect in which they deserve? I’m sure you answered yes to that question and we are very pleased. In order to help women be respected in every way, we must work together to stop violence.

If you are helping your friends, family, community, others or even yourself to help stop violence, you are a rockstar!

WOTW would like to thank all of our board members, affiliates, followers and friends for joining us on this journey to once and for all stop violence against women. With your help, everyday we are making a difference in someone’s life.

9 Days of Gratitude

2010-11-26T11:00:00.003-06:00

Day 8

From of the blog of my dear friend and rockstar, Noeleen McGrath, McGrath Communications

“Giving Thanks to my friend in Abilene”

By Noeleen

With Thanksgiving fast approaching…

I wanted to express my gratitude while teaching journalism students a lesson too. I hope that you’ll indulge me and read the whole thing.

“TV news is a cutthroat business.” That’s the first thing I tell the journalism students that I mentor. “Newsrooms are filled with piranha. It’s rare to find even one person that you can trust. Rarer still– to find someone you can call a friend.” That’s why so few people last in TV news. To survive (mentally/emotionally)– you need friends. But friends are hard to come by.

I was fortunate to find a friend at every station I worked at. But the friendships didn’t happen right away. Always– there was a painful process of elimination. And sometimes the friends came in surprising packages like my intern, Brian.

Brian was a wunderkind. He was a freshman in high school when he started interning for me. I kicked his butt on a regular basis. I told him the newsroom wasn’t a playground and if he didn’t want to work– he should stay at home.

Prodigy that he was– he wanted to come to the newsroom– even though home was a great place to be. His mother, Elaine, is a wonderful, big-hearted woman. She opened her home to a few of us on Sundays for dinner, making us feel like we had a family in Abilene.

Truly, it’s people like Elaine that makes your television news experience in small markets bearable. Without her, I don’t think I could have survived the year and three months I was there. I missed my family. I was making almost no money; I qualified for food stamps. But Elaine always made me feel rich in her warm and welcoming home.

Brian and I have stayed in touch over the years. Yesterday he emailed me to tell me that his mom has stage four cancer. And I thought– No! Not this lovely woman. It’s not possible. Have I ever really told her how much her kindness meant to me? Have I properly expressed how grateful I was that she came into my life? Does she know that there were plenty of times that I thought about giving up? But I didn’t…because her kindness and encouragement gave me the strength to keep going when most would have packed it in.

It’s the people that you meet along the way that not only make the journey enjoyable– they make it possible.

Thank you, Elaine, for your friendship...your warmth… your generosity of spirit.

I couldn’t have done it without you.”

9 Days of Gratitude

2010-11-25T17:06:00.004-06:00

Day 7

A reprint from the Washington Post by

Brad Hirschfield

Named as one of the nation’s 50 most influential rabbis in Newsweek, and one of the top 30 “Preachers and Teachers” by Beliefnet.com

Thanksgiving: a path to happiness and health

Thanksgiving is here and I love the holiday. I also appreciate that being thankful can be challenging in difficult times, whether the challenges are related to finances, health, or relationships. But it's precisely when we find ourselves in challenging circumstances that thankfulness is especially valuable and helpful.   Gratitude is actually medically proven to lift our spirits and improve our health. And while this may disappoint some folks, the object of our gratitude is entirely irrelevant, at least in terms of the health and happiness benefits which it creates.

Whatever the reason, the following eight simple steps will actually help us all to stay a little more thankful this Thanksgiving and find new happiness because we are.

1. Find what you're grateful for. The real uncertainty we face about our futures can make us quite fearful and sad. Locating those things for which we can still be grateful, brings joy even in the face of those challenges without pretending they are not real.

2. Articulate it. Tell a friend or loved one a story about something for which you are grateful. Don't be surprised to find yourself smiling by the end of that story.

3. Consider the difference between wealth and value. While material wealth is important, it is not the only source of real value in our lives. We can all celebrate value, even when the material wealth in our lives is taking a beating.

4. Remember that wealth begins within. An ancient rabbinic teaching reminds us that we are wealthy when we are happy with what we possess.

5. Acknowledge that happiness and satisfaction are different. We can want more than we currently have and still be happy with what we've got. Wanting more does not have to get in the way of enjoying what we already have. If it does, we will never have enough.

6. Appreciate that abundance, be it relationships or in material wealth is all relative. A person who lives in a $100,000 house in a neighborhood of $75,000 homes experiences living in a mansion. The same house in a neighborhood of $500,000 homes may feel like a hovel.

7. Help yourself by helping others. The holidays are a great time to reach out to other people in need. Helping others address their needs is one of the best ways to relieve the anxiety we may feel about our own.

8. We all have something to give. No matter how difficult our circumstances may be, we can all offer support to those around us. Whether it's a penny, a hug, or much more, the act of giving always makes us feel as if we have more than we thought we had.

Happy Thanksgiving!

9 Days of Gratitude

2010-11-24T12:38:00.006-06:00

Day 6

With Gratitude for these benchmarks……… a reprint from AAUW

“The American Association of University Women would like to pause this Thanksgiving to give thanks for the many wonderful opportunities and advancements for women and girls during 2010. Here are just a handful of them”

· The increased number of female ambassadors to the United States. Twenty-five of 182 ambassadors in Washington are women, a fivefold increase since the late 1990s.

· The equal opportunities in the Navy for women to serve, and for all the women and men who serve our country in the military. For the first time ever, women will serve on submarines next year.

· Equal Rights Advocates in California fighting on behalf of female UC Davis students for increased opportunities in sports, and for the ACLU of Louisiana for contesting sex segregation in public schools. These Title IX advocates are increasing opportunities for girls and women everywhere.

· First Lady Michelle Obama for highlighting the epidemic of childhood obesity. Mrs. Obama is encouraging active families, schools, and communities, and promoting smart decisions about eating right through the “Let’s Move Campaign”

· Title IX legal victory in Michigan by a student who underwent years of bullying because his school failed to protect him and for the Justice Department lawyers in New York interpreting Title IX to cover discrimination based on gender stereotypes; the Civil Rights Division applied the law to a case on behalf of an effeminate teenage boy beaten up for his demeanor.

· The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s effort to combat the growing public health issue of teen dating violence, which included the release of an interactive web-based training for educators and others working with teens.

· The AAUW research report, Why So Few? Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, which explains the shortage of women in STEM fields. The acclaimed report received nationwide coverage in publications like New York Times, Washington Post, and TIME magazine.

· The first female president of Harvard University, Drew Gilpin Faust. Since she has begun to serve, Harvard has seen a record number of women among its faculty.

· The 40 % drop in the global maternal mortality rate since 1980 and the continued attention maternal health is receiving as part of the Global Health Initiative and from a UN Millennium Development Goals.

· The many, many tireless supporters of the Paycheck Fairness Act and pay equity in the workforce, like Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the House sponsor of the bill that was barely defeated in the Senate.

· The historic passage of the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. After years of advocacy led primarily by immigrant women of color, New York State's more than 200,000 domestic workers will be entitled to basic workplace protections including paid sick time, vacation days and overtime pay.

· The 90^th anniversary of the 19^th amendment.

· Julia Gillard, the first female prime minister of Australia, and for Dilma Rousseff, who will become the first female president on January 1, 2011 of Brazil.

· The creation of UN Women, or the UN Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women, headed by former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet. The entity will work to aid member states in successfully reaching their goals on gender equality and enhance the empowerment women worldwide.

· The confirmation of Justice Elena Kagan as the fourth woman to serve on the Supreme Court; a third of the high court is now female for the first time in history.

· The first provisions of the new health care law kicked in this year, many of which specifically support women, including a focus on the health of children, lifetime caps, and free preventive care.

· The United States rising significantly in the World Economic Forum2010 Global Gender Gap Report rankings from 31st last year to 19th this year, the first time the United States has been in the top 20 since the report began five years ago.

· The publication of AAUW Legal Advocacy Fund Program Manager Holly Kearl Stop Street Harassment: Making Public Spaces Safe and Welcoming for Women and the Secrets of Powerful Women: Leading Change for a New Generation

9 Days of Gratitude

2010-11-23T12:11:00.003-06:00

Day 5

“Start Living a Fuller, Happier Life Today"

Living with Gratitude
By Jean Chatzky
October 09, 2007

Mike Robbins was living out his boyhood dreams as a professional baseball player for the Kansas City Royals. Then at the age of 23, he sustained an injury that ended his career but also gave him a fresh new perspective on life. "The one regret that I had had nothing to do with any of the games that I had lost or mistakes I'd made on the field—it was just that I didn't fully appreciate it while it was happening," he says. Jean talks with Mike about ways to put the power of appreciation and gratitude in action and start living a fuller, happier life today.

Appreciate yourself. Appreciating your strengths is the foundation for appreciating life,
Mike says. It shouldn't be confused with arrogance. "If we don't appreciate ourselves, it's
very difficult to accept the appreciation of any one else or really to attract a whole lot of
success into our lives," Mike says.

Confront the negativity in your life. Shift your focus away from the negative, fearful
messages you may be getting from the media, other people and your own mind. In the
workplace, this can include complaining and gossiping. "Notice that the more you focus
on what you don't like and what you're complaining about, a) it doesn't get any better and
b) it often makes things worse," Mike says.

Pay attention to what you're paying attention to. To shift your focus to the positive
side of life, consider keeping a gratitude journal or talking at family meals about things
you're grateful for. "We all have a choice—we're not victims of our lives, we're not
victims of our circumstances," Mike says. "We can consciously choose to focus on the
good stuff and it makes a big difference."

9 Days of Gratitude

2010-11-18T13:04:00.005-06:00

Day 4

Gratitude: “It's so important to let those who surround us know that we love them. We almost take it for granted that they will always be there but in life I have learnt that isn't always the case. So let the people you love know how they fill your life with purpose.”

Tomorrow-I'll tell him just what he means,
That living and loving with him is in my dreams
Tomorrow-I'll give a big hug to mum,
Say a quick thank you for all that she's done.
Tomorrow-I'll call or even drop by,
I'll say 'I love you' state all the reasons why.

Tomorrow-I'll go about getting in touch,
With forgotten friends I miss so much.
Tomorrow-I'll take the first step to my goal,
That I've always thought would make my life whole.
Tomorrow-I'll count all my blessings in life,
Consider it privilege to be a midwife …

But what should I do if that day never comes,
And all good intentions come undone.
If life should spin a crazy dance,
All these things and you never got the chance.
If you woke up tomorrow to find that they'd gone,
Looked at your list, realized you'd done none.

All the things you were going to do today,
A million things you never got to say.
Would you be confident that you'd given your all,
Or guilty that you didn't make that call?
Could you be at peace, content that they knew,
Just how much they all meant to you?

So, to avoid that nightmare never becoming real,
Love life, love others and show how you feel.

- Written in 2004 by Stephanie Ineson

9 Days of Gratitude

2010-11-18T09:45:00.005-06:00

Day 3

Life whispers in your soul and speaks to your heart. Sometimes, when you don't have the time to listen...

A young and successful executive was travelling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared, instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door.

He slammed on the brakes and spun the Jag back to the spot from where the brick had been thrown. He jumped out of the car, grabbed some kid and pushed him up against a parked car, shouting, "What was that all about and who are you?? Just what the heck are you doing?" Building up a head of steam, he went on. "That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"

"Please, Mister, please, I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do!" pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop." Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed around the parked car. "It's my brother," he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." Sobbing, the boy asked the executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me."

Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He lifted the young man back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped the scrapes and cuts, checking to see that everything was going to be okay. "Thank you, sir. And God bless you," the grateful child said to him.

The man then watched the little boy push his brother to the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long walk back to his Jaguar... a long, slow walk. He never did repair the side door. He kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention.

www.yourlifehappiness.com

9 Days of Gratitude

2010-11-17T12:30:00.004-06:00

Day 2

“It is better to give than to receive” – Mark Twain

I could not think of a more perfect time than Thanksgiving to share gratitude for health, good friends & family. Helping others at this time makes us better individuals. Reminding those less blessed that they are not alone can give them strength and hope that tomorrow will be better.

This inspirational poem published on Prayables (thank you Susan Diamond, Chief of Pray) expresses how we can share with others blessings we have been given.

Giving Back

As you've blessed me,
help me be a blessing to others.
Show me what I can bring
to the table so someone else
can have a better quality of life.
Help me to share what I have,
even if it's just my time, so that I know
there's a child who can sleep
in a warm bed tonight,
or a senior who will have a good meal,
at least for today.
Please allow me to help out my community
in that same spirit that You share with all.
- Ruth Williams

Remember, one act of kindness goes a long way. Bring peace and love into another person’s heart by healing them with care.

9 Days of Gratitude

2010-11-16T13:45:00.003-06:00

Day 1

“Thanksgiving is the therapy we all need to keep cognizant of the blessings and the beauty of living.”

As Thanksgiving approaches Women of the World will devote 9 days of gratitude on our blog. We begin with quotes that resonate & can readily be shared with your friends, loved ones, signature & social media outreach. We welcome contributions – if you have a story that reflects gratitude, appreciation, and acknowledgment – we will consider using your story on one of the upcoming days.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” –Melody Beattie

“Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind.” –Lionel Hampton

“Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone”. -G.B. Stern

“Grace isn't a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It's a way to live.” - Jacqueline Winspear

“Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.” -Estonian Proverb

“This year let's set aside a few minutes of the holiday to sit alone and think of the many things for which we should be thankful  - then this great holiday will have true meaning for us.”

Go forth, be thankful for all you have and spread love, not violence.

Who Else Wants to Stop Human Trafficking?

2010-10-21T11:21:00.007-05:00

Haitian Women Need Help, Too

Can you imagine a world without women? I hope not.

Human trafficking is one of the most serious issues that affect thousands of women and children globally. Many women vanish everyday leaving families emotionally torn apart.

WOTW acknowledges UNIFEM (part of the UN Women) for their work as an organization that is dedicated to advancing women’s rights and achieving gender equality.

UNIFEM believes that trafficking thrives in environments lacking in effective law and order or conflict-affected areas, such as Haiti.

Some women are even driven into the dangerous life of sex trafficking as a means to take care of their family. In many cases, women in Haiti find themselves to be victims of this journey. UNIFEM has been working to restore shelter for these women. More than 50 temporary shelters have been set up to replace those damaged by the January 2010 earthquake. Trained volunteers have served as a way to protect women; yet, there is still much more that needs to be done.

Let’s work together to stop violence against women.

For information on Human Trafficking follow us on Twitter @womenwotw1 or visit www.unifem.org.

The Pixel Project’s 10 Ways to Stop Violence

2010-10-05T10:18:00.004-05:00

Women of the World devotes this important month to spreading awareness about preventing Violence Against Women

How you can help prevent violence against women? I hope the thought has crossed your mind, especially during this month. Many organizations are eager to spread awareness about this critical issue by taking action to end the violence NOW.

Here are 10 simple ways to stop violence against women by helping The Pixel Project:

1. Virtual volunteering with us - If you have a few hours to spare per week, consider joining The Pixel Project team which includes volunteers from 4 continents, 12 timezones and over 10 cities worldwide. Have internet connection, will volunteer, we say!
2. Twitter Ambassador programme – A micro-volunteering program engaging Twitter users to spread awareness about VAW through regular re-tweets.
3. Twitter Tag Team – Join our team working behind our Twitter account to bring the global public VAW helplines from more than 20 countries, and the latest news and information about VAW round the clock.
4. Facebook page – Join our page to join a one-stop shop of up-to-date VAW news, ideas to stop VAW and a discussion forum for supporters and survivors to raise awareness about VAW.
5. “Wall of Support” programme -A growing chorus of people from around the world and all walks of life speaking up to end VAW in person, on video via YouTube. Why not make your own – stand up and have your voice counted!
6. Spread the word about The Pixel Project’s work through our banners and buttons. Just right click, save the button/banner of your choice and upload as your Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn avatar!
7. Share your stories on our blog – Where you are a survivor, a supporter, an activist, an advocate or a volunteer for the cause, we would love to hear from you!
8. Support our partners – The Pixel Project has partnered up with a diverse roster of partner organisations worldwide including UNIFEM’s “Say NO – UNiTE” campaign, The White Ribbon campaign and The Sisterhood is Global. Check out our monthly Call-to-Action Calender to find out which of our partners’ activities will be happening near you!
9. Partner with us – If you are a non-profit organization or charity working to end VAW, we’d love to hear from you!
10. Be a Social Media Ambassador - Do you have a Facebook account? A Twitter account? A blog? Take part in our social media campaigns and daily social media conversations. Better yet: Encourage your friends and family to get on board the cause by joining us on Facebook, following us on Twitter or checking out our website!

To see all of our latest updates follow us @womenwotw1

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

2010-09-30T16:26:00.002-05:00

Women of the World will devote the entire month to articles on prevention, support, resources, and advocates for women who are victims of violence.

One in every three women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence).

This month is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) in which organizations and people all across the globe are committed to ending violence within our homes, our communities, and our country.

Stopvaw.org explains how violence affects men, women and children of all ages and how it can be stopped. A person’s life may be severely affected by domestic violence. Women may suffer from a variety of medical problems, such as, depression, chronic pain, increased risk of sexually transmitted infections or unplanned pregnancies. In addition, women as well as men may miss work because of their medical problems. Domestic violence can also be fatal and victims of domestic violence are more likely to commit suicide.

40-70% of all female murder victims are killed by an intimate partner

Not only are victims affected by domestic violence; others close to them may also be affected by this global problem. Domestic violence has significant consequences for children, family, friends, co-workers, and the community. Family and friends may be targeted by the abuser in retaliation for helping a woman leave a violent relationship or find assistance. Children in homes where domestic violence occurs may be witnesses to abuse and possibly abused.

Womenshealth.gov lists 6 ways you can prevent domestic violence:

Call the police if you see or hear evidence of domestic violence.
Support a friend or family member who may be in an abusive relationship.
Volunteer at a local domestic violence shelter or another organization helping survivors or working to prevent violence.
Raise your children to respect others. Teach your children to respect others and to treat others as they would like to be treated. Lead by example.
Protect yourself. Take a self-defense class.
Become an activist.

For more information on our upcoming events to stop violence against women, please go to our Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Women-of-the-World/109693405726142?ref=ts

Fabulous Fashion Event!

2010-08-16T15:55:00.002-05:00

What is time well spent? For me, it’s shopping with a purpose. Women of the World will host Fashion Face Forward II luncheon on Oct 14 at the Mid-America Club. Talk about the best of both worlds - passion & purpose. Chicago designers Lauren Lein, Yana German, Nora Del Busto, Jermikko & Edla De La Rosa will take us into fall on the runway.

Two incredible women, Eve Ensler & Representative Jan Schakowsky will receive the new Inspired Visionary Award for their ongoing efforts in raising awareness of stemming violence against women.
We will “Count Our Blessings” as we support the Chicago Metropolitan Women’s Network.
We will support the Gen Y’s with our newest launch “Raise Them Up.”
We will network and elevate awareness about the issue of violence against women.

And we can all share the chance for great takeaways:

* 2 tickets to the David Letterman show
* 2 tickets to ANY Southwest Airlines destinations
* 6 months of Professional Coaching
* Tickets to multiple sporting events
* Several varying hotel packages
* And more!

Sponsors welcome, tables available and volunteers are needed. Please go directly to the website for the opportunity to pave the path for the next generation of women leaders while speaking in a unified voice to Stop Violence Today.
http://www.womenwotw.org//fashionfaceforwardii.php

Volunteer Vacations

2010-07-29T13:53:00.005-05:00

Travel hungry? You want to see new places but may be challenged by
• no companion
• little money
• fear of the unknown

Here is your answer: volunteering vacations. The popularity of giving back and helping others has grown in the last few years. Think about the devastation of New Orleans and the ongoing havoc in Haiti. Connect your interest with a location and pack those bags!

Here are 9 good reasons to consider traveling with purpose.

1. Help out others in need
2. Get away but still feel productive
3. Stay close to home or travel to the farthest corners
4. Applauded for the service you donate
5. Save money while still seeing a new area
6. Network with a different community
7. Create new friendships with like-minded travelers

8. Enjoy the security of being in a group
9. Build your resume

If you are looking to do something a bit more philanthropic with those vacation days, a volunteer vacation is a great opportunity to get away while still giving back. Additionally, many of these trips (particularly domestically) are reasonably priced. Some vacations offer stipends, but the majority of trips are financed by the volunteer. However, other benefits can include free (or discounted) lodging or food. There are volunteer opportunities all over the US and worldwide – find a location that appeals to you and research volunteer projects in that area.

Here are a few websites that can take you to places with purpose & passion:

http://charityguide.org/volunteer/vacations.htm
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/listings/work/volunteer/index.shtml

Happy travels!

Eighth Event of 2010 for Women of the World

2010-07-26T12:21:00.002-05:00

Learn about a new way you change your life and make a positive change in the world.

Volunteers:
“Service to Others is the Rent you pay for Your Room Here on Earth”

Wednesday, August 18, 2010
8:00 am – 9:30 am
Mid-America Club

Featuring:

Patricia Vile: Volunteer Expeditions
Mary Gomez: Coordinator External Relations, Transport Team, Children’s Memorial Hospital
Additional speaker to be announced

“What in the world can I do to make a difference?” Help build a home, tutor a child, clean up a local park, and assist in natural disaster recovery. Whatever your interest, there is a need for your time, passion and skills. Volunteering changes lives, especially your own. These speakers will take us to the work in progress and desperately needed assistance in both Haiti and New Orleans. “There is no ‘I’ in Team but there is a ‘U’ in Volunteer!”

Striving For an End to Domestic Violence

2010-07-13T16:55:00.003-05:00

Women of the World’s “Violence Against Women- Shout it Out & Stop it Now” panel is July 21, just days away. We wanted to put the spotlight on another organization that stands up for the rights of women through advocacy, education and awareness in order to decrease domestic violence - Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network. With the vision of “working toward a future where domestic violence and oppression are eradicated and where women and children are safe in their homes,” the Network’s goals are closely aligned with Women of the World. We enthusiastically applaud their efforts as they raise awareness and create programs to eliminate violence against women.

Begun in 1980 by a modest group of women, the organization has grown rapidly. Their impact allows for CMBWN to touch a variety of issues in need of social change and support. They strongly “believe in a woman’s right to determination in all aspects of her life, and that living free from violence is a basic human right.” This conviction creates momentum - CMBWN continues to increase the number of volunteers, programs, members and sponsors. A variety of committees serve specific issues and groups such as the Children & Teen Issues Committee, Women of Color Committee and Legal & Legislative Issues Committee. As part of advocacy and education, the Network provides statistics and information on domestic violence locally and globally. CMBWN gives Chicagoans a chance to give back and assist in ending a frightening epidemic of marginalizing women through violence.

CMBWN offers a Centralized Training Institute where they “prepare participants to effectively respond and deliver quality services to victims of domestic violence and their children.” This training speaks to the long-term mission of the Network to eradicate violence, since the ability of people to respond and assist effectively helps to reduce and end domestic violence as it occurs. The Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network is a place where advocates, victims, organizations, and government affiliates can all unite under a common goal. We are proud to financially support the Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network at Fashion Face Forward on Oct 14, 2010 at the Mid-America Club in Chicago.

Violence Against Women: A Pervasive Pandemic

2010-07-01T15:41:00.007-05:00

Trekking the city streets of Chicago, one can easily get lost in the world of fast-paced business. Day in day out, the illusion of safety prevails. It is easy to forget that not every woman is so lucky as to be living and working in a life free from violence. In fact, 1 in 5 women are touched by some sort of domestic violence.

Violence against women affects millions each year and oftentimes is inflicted by a family member, friend, or close acquaintance. While there are instances of violent acts being reported, publicized, tried, or stopped, far too many women are paralyzed by fear and shame to speak up. Only half the acts of domestic violence are reported to the police.

In a 10-country study on women's health and domestic violence conducted by the World Health Organization,
o Between 15% and 71% of women reported physical or sexual violence by a husband or partner.
o Many women said that their first sexual experience was not consensual. (24% in rural Peru, 28% in Tanzania, 30% in rural Bangladesh, and 40% in South Africa).
o Between 4% and 12% of women reported being physically abused during pregnancy.

Other statistics include the following alarming facts:
• Every year, family members in the name of honor murder about 5,000 women each year worldwide.
• Trafficking of women and girls for forced labor and sex is widespread and often affects the most vulnerable. The United Nations estimates that 4 million women and girls are trafficked annually.
• Forced marriages and child marriages violate the human rights of women and girls, yet they are widely practiced in many countries in Asia, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa.
• Up to one in five women and one in 10 men report experiencing sexual abuse as children. Children subjected to sexual abuse are much more likely to encounter other forms of abuse later in life.

While much of the study conducted by the World Health Organization highlights the abuses endured by women in poor countries or countries in war, it is crucial to remember that this problem exists worldwide. Even in first world countries such as the United States, gender violence is epidemic. According to the Family Violence Interventions for the Justice System, boys who witness their fathers' violence are 10 times more likely to engage in spousal abuse in later adulthood than boys from non-violent homes.

If you are interested in learning more about this global pandemic, consider attending Women of the World’s next event “Violence Against Women- Shout it Out & Stop it Now.” Our esteemed panelists will present an overview on violence as a cultural legacy, the short and long term health ramifications, the legal rights of violated women and the educational awareness programs. Support the prevention and awareness of violence against women and register today: http://womenwotw.org/events.php

Seventh Event of 2010 for Women of the World

2010-06-17T11:54:00.002-05:00

Make sure to come to this riveting and informative event:

“Violence Against Women – Shout it Out & Stop it Now”

Wednesday, July 21, 2010
8:00 am – 9:30 am
Mid-America Club

An expert panel moderated by Noeleen McGrath of McGrath Communications:

Cheryl Jefferson – Author, “Use Your Anger: A Woman’s Guide to Empowerment”
Dr. Elif Oker – Medical Director, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois
Beth Fawver McCormack - Attorney, Kamerlink, Stark, McCormack & Powers
Cindy Wolfson - National Board Member NCJW - Silent Witness Initiative in Illinois

Violence against women is not just “fodder for TV cop shows” - it's a disturbing fact of life locally & globally. In addition to being a law enforcement issue, it is also a major health care concern. Each year countless lives are lost or changed forever by it. We will have the opportunity to hear from the legal, cultural & medical experts on this topic. We will also have the unique opportunity to view the “Silent Witness” life-size silhouettes honoring Illinois women who died in 1994 as the result of domestic violence.

The Zacharias Center Promotes Women Empowerment with Luncheon

2010-06-03T12:27:00.006-05:00

8th Annual
WOMEN HELPING WOMEN
Benefit Luncheon
Friday, June 11
The Zacharias Center
Gurnee, IL

“Women hold up half the sky” - Chinese proverb
The best way to fight poverty and extremism is to educate and empower women and girls.

Pulitzer Prize winner Sheryl WuDunn is the keynote speaker at this important fundraising luncheon. She will be leading the attendees through “a journey through Africa and Asia to meet an extraordinary array of women struggling under profoundly dire circumstances—and an equally astonishing group that have triumphed.” She and her husband, Nicholas Kristof, created the nonfiction best seller Half the Sky. It has been touted throughout the world as a groundbreaking work of literature, which addresses the issues of women marginalized by their gender. WuDunn points out that it is the time for women to step away from oppression and seize the respect and equality they deserve. In fact, WuDunn herself is paving the path for women as a prominent businesswoman, outstanding journalist and author, and the first Asian American to win a Pulitzer Prize.

“Their insight into gender issues and the role of women in development inspires hope, optimism, and most importantly, the will to change. Both a brutal awakening and an unmistakable call to action, this book should be read by all.” Melinda Gates

“Half the Sky is a passionate and persuasive plea to all of us to rise up and say ‘No more!’ to the 17th-century abuses to girls and women in the 21st-century world. This is a book that will pierce your heart and arouse your conscience. It is a powerful piece of journalism by two masters of the craft who are tireless in their pursuit of one of the most shameful conditions of our time.” Tom Brokaw

“I think it’s impossible to stand by and do nothing after reading Half the Sky. It does what we need most, it bears witness to the sheer cruelty that mankind can do to mankind.” George Clooney

“Women facing poverty, oppression, and violence are usually viewed as victims. Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s Half the Sky shows that unimaginable challenges are often met with breathtaking bravery. These stories show us the power and resilience of women who would have every reason to give up but never do. They will be an inspiration for anyone who reads this book, and a model for those fighting for justice around the world.” Angelina Jolie

Women of the World supports the mission and vision of Half the Sky. “We hope you join an incipient movement to emancipate women and fight global poverty by unlocking women's power as economic catalysts. It is a process that transforms bubbly teenage girls from brothel slaves into successful businesswomen. You can help accelerate change if you'll just open your heart and join in.”

This luncheon is a benefit for the Zacharias Center, a sexual abuse center with the following mission: to provide a place where survivors of sexual assault and abuse can heal and mobilize the community toward action to end sexual violence. By attending this luncheon, not only with the attendees step away with a new look at the amazing potential of women worldwide, but they will be supporting an end to sexual violence and the much needed work of the Zacharias Center.

To buy tickets or gather further information about this event, visit the Zacharias Center online: http://www.zcenter.org/index.htm

Sixth event of 2010 for Women of the World

2010-05-25T10:35:00.006-05:00

Join Women of the World for our next event- "Twitter While You Work"

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

8:00-9:30 AM

Mid-America Club

An expert panel moderated by Noeleen McGrath of McGrath Communications featuring:

Jeannie Walters – Founder, 360Connext.com
Keidra Chaney – Co-Founder & Analytics Specialist, The Web Farm
Jacqui Monieson – Founder, Gossip Genie

What is Twitter and why does it keep following me around? “Twitter has many uses for both personal and business use. It's a great way to keep in touch with your friends and quickly broadcast information about where you are and what you're up to. For example, "Nordstrom’s is having the best sale on shoes. Anyone like to join me?"

For business, Twitter can be used to broadcast your company's latest news and blog posts, interact with your customers, or to enable easy internal collaboration and group communication.” Thank you Twitternet, that was easy.