Leading to Change: Eliminating Violence Against Women in Muslim Societies

An International Symposium: WLP with the United Nations Population Fund

Event Details

  • Time

    09:30am

  • Date

    01 Mar, 2005

  • Location

    • Church Center for the United Nations
    • 777 United Nations Plaza New York, NY

  • Contact

    WLP

Mahnaz Afkhami

Founder and President, Women’s Learning Partnership (Iran/USA)

Charlotte Bunch

Founder and Executive Director, Center for Women's Global Leadership (USA)

Yakin Ertürk

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Its Causes and Consequences (Turkey)

Noeleen Heyzer

Executive Director, United Nations Development Fund for Women (Singapore)

Asma Khader

Minister of Culture and Government Spokesperson (Jordan)

Amina Lemrini

Board Member, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc, Rabat (Morocco)

Rabéa Naciri

President, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc, Rabat (Morocco)

Jacqueline Pitanguy

Co-Founder and Director, Cidadania, Estudo, Pesquisa, Informação e Ação (Brazil)

Sakena Yacoobi

Founder and President, Afghan Institute of Learning (Afghanistan)

WLP presents Leading to Change: Eliminating Violence Against Women in Muslim Societies with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on eliminating violence against women in Muslim societies. A panel of leaders in the global women's movement will address major challenges to eliminating violence against women and girls, and discuss grassroots, national, and regional measures needed to raise awareness, initiate reform legislation, and create synergy for ongoing efforts to prevent violence and to promote women's human rights.

Violence against women, a manifestation of the historically unequal power relations between men and women, today remains one of the primary obstacles to empowering women and achieving peace and security for all. Women have been systematically deprived of knowledge and skills that might help them to become better equipped to protect themselves against violence, including knowledge of the existing laws, religious texts, positive cultural resources, international injunctions on human rights, and the demands made by other women for rights in their community and elsewhere. 

In addition to WLP representatives, the following individuals contribute:

Hilary Fisher (United Kingdom) Director of “Stop Violence Against Women” Campaign, Amnesty International

Ayesha Imam (Nigeria) Chief of Gender, Culture, and Human Rights Branch, United Nations Population Fund

Nafis Sadik (Pakistan) UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, invited

 

Watch Leading to Change Panel 1: Breaking the Silence: Culture, Conflict, and Extremism

Watch Leading to Change Panel 3: Women, Empowerment, and Justice

 

2005 Leading to Change Eliminating Violence
Violence against women is an obstacle to the achievement of the objectives of equality, development, and peace. Violence against women both violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment by women of their human rights and fundamental freedoms. The longstanding failure to protect and promote those rights and freedoms in the case of violence against women is a matter of concern to all States and should be addressed…In all societies, to a greater or lesser degree, women and girls are subjected to physical, sexual and psychological abuse that cuts across lines of income, class, and culture.
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women

Agenda

9:30 – 10:00      Registration and Coffee

10:00 – 10:30     Welcome and Opening Remarks by Mahnaz Afkhami, Founder and President, Women’s Learning Partnership

10:30 – 12:30     Session 1: Breaking the Silence: Culture, Conflict, and Extremism

  • Chair: Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director, United Nations Development Fund for Women
  • Panelist: Ayesha Imam, Chief of Culture, Gender, and Human Rights Branch, United Nations Population Fund
  • Panelist: Sakena Yacoobi, Founder and President, Afghan Institute of Learning
  • Panelist: Asma Khader, Minister of Culture and Government Spokesperson, Jordan
  • Open Discussion

12:30 – 1:30       Lunch

1:30 – 3:00         Session 2: Shaping the Future Together: International Perspectives

  • Chair: Yakin Ertürk, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Its Causes and Consequences
  • Panelist: Hilary Fisher, Director of “Stop Violence Against Women” Campaign, Amnesty International
  • Panelist: Charlotte Bunch, Founder and Executive Director, Center for Women’s Global Leadership
  • Panelist: Devaki Jain, Founding Member, Development Alternatives for Women for a New Era
  • Open Discussion

3:00 – 3:15         Break

3:15 – 4:45         Session 3: Leading to Change: Women, Empowerment, and Justice

  • Chair: Mahnaz Afkhami, Founder and President, Women’s Learning Partnership
  • Panelist: Hafsat Abiola, Founder and Executive Director, Kudirat Initiative for Democracy
  • Rabéa Naciri. President, Association Démocratique des Femme du Maroc, Rabat
  • Amina Lemrini, Board Member, Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc, Rabat
  • Zainah Anwar, Executive Director, Sisters in Islam
  • Open Discussion

4:45 – 5:00         Closing Remarks

Resources

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