The 13th Annual International Women’s Day Celebration
March 15th, 2008
Panels and Workshops at IWD
Panels and Workshops – Session I (10:30-11:45)
When Women Lead… (Mississippi Room)
Humphrey International Fellows from various countries come together on a panel to speak about challenges, strengths, and accomplishments of their work and the role of women in their respective countries. Presentations will cover issues such as the role of women in community development in impoverished favelas of Brazil; women’s political participation and advancement through policy reform and anti-discrimination initiatives in Yemen; the role of women in war time and advocacy for the rights of persons with disabilities in Iraq; and the post-communist demographic crisis and government responses in Bulgaria. The Humphrey women will connect their personal stories of overcoming challenges to achieving their goals.
Presenters: Rana Merza (Iraq), Amal Abdullah Al-Hakimi (Yemen), Christina Popivanova (Bulgaria) and Eliana Sousa Silva (Brazil), Humphrey International Fellows, U of M; Kim Walsh, Human Rights Center, U of M
Local Women Respond to Global Water Crisis: Issues of Scarcity, Control, Quality and Health (President’s Room)
For centuries women have been known as the guardians of water, as they are intimately connected to its use in the daily activities of their community life and rituals. Today they are increasingly concerned about the scarcity of clean water fit for human consumption as well as its commodification by multinational corporations seeking control over its source and distribution. This workshop will discuss how women are rising up to meet these challenges in their communities. It will also highlight international actions women are taking to reaffirm water as a human right to be treated as a common good.
Presenters: WILPF Arts Committee; Caroline Martin and Katie Zerwas, Women’s Environmental Institute; Angie Van Den Hemel and Anika Walz, St. Joseph's Kenya Water Project
Around the World with Women’s Rights: Speed Workshopping! (Room 303)
Learn about the most pressing issues in women’s rights in four countries. Participants will visit four stations, where they will hear about grassroots efforts toward domestic violence legal reform in Morocco; domestic violence, polygamy and suicide in Tajikistan; challenges in implementation of the new domestic violence law in Bulgaria; and the partnership between police, judges and advocates as they face down domestic violence in Georgia. Participants will rotate among the four stations until everyone has “visited” each of the four countries. For the final 15 minutes, workshop presenters and participants will reconvene as a group for an open Q&A.
Presenters: Rosalyn Park and Cheryl Thomas, The Advocates for Human Rights; Laura Nelson, Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, LLP; Judge Kathryn Quaintance, Hennepin County District Court
Safe in a New Home: Women and Asylum, with a Focus on Kenya and Cameroon* (Room 324)
This workshop will acquaint participants with the human rights abuses faced by women in Kenya and Cameroon and the remedy of asylum in the United States. The presenters will discuss how issues such as FGM and domestic violence, among others, threaten the human rights of women and girls in Kenya and Cameroon. They will also describe why women flee those countries seeking safe haven. An attorney will discuss how an asylum claim can be based on such persecution and the unique challenges of such a case in the current legal landscape.
Presenters: Malinda Schmiechen, The Advocates for Human Rights; Zipporah Mesesi (Kenya); Beatrice Sime Sopsec (Cameroon)
Economic Empowerment: Challenges and Opportunities in the 21st Century (Room 325)
The United Nations theme for International Women’s Day 2008 is “Financing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.” To honor this theme, this panel’s presenters will look at the impact of economics and finance on women’s lives. Topics include gender-based budgeting and government spending priorities for sustainable development; economic issues and opportunities women face today in both developed and developing countries; and key factors behind the persistent gender wage gap.
Presenters: J. Trout Lowen, Center for Economic Progress; Dr. Deep Shikha, College of St. Catherine; Tené Wells, WomenVenture
Women in Armed Conflict (Board Room – 307)
In Sri Lanka, Mindanao in the Philippines and Guatemala, women are both actors for peace and victims of violence. The Nonviolent Peaceforce experience relates to both in this workshop. Women have suffered in Sri Lanka’s Civil War for the past twenty-two years. Sri Lanka has seen the origination of child soldiers. Some women are successfully returning their children, and the U.N. has taken notice of this issue. In Mindanao of the Philippines, women and their families are frequently uprooted by violence. Women in Guatemala are in the forefront of documenting abuses of human rights. Their lives are often threatened, but they do not desist.
Presenters: Patricia Keefe and Donna Howard, Nonviolent Peaceforce
*Application will be made for one CLE credit.
Panels and Workshops – Session II (2:00-3:15)
Women’s Human Rights and Religious Gender Models (Mississippi Room)
Workshop participants will hear from a panel of representatives from four of the many spiritual and religious traditions that co-exist in the global community today: Christianity, Hinduism, Indigenous (Native American), and Islam. Each panelist will discuss what her spiritual or religious tradition has to say about gender equality, violence against women, and women’s roles historically and today. The panelists will also discuss spiritual and religious definitions of gender roles as compared to standards contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Presenters: Zarina Baber, Islamic Center of Minnesota; Nelda Goodman, Menominee/Potawatomi Elder; Sarah McClellan, Quaker Interfaith Minister; Suhag Shukla, Hindu American Foundation; Mary Ellison, The Advocates for Human Rights
Taking Action to Serve the Community: Empowering Immigrant Women for Civic Engagement (President’s Room)
The workshop will feature a panel of dynamic women who have served as advocates for the Hmong, Latina and African immigrant communities. These powerful activists will share their experiences in empowering immigrant women for civic engagement on issues relating to HIV/AIDS prevention, domestic violence, education and employment. By forming alliances within and outside their respective communities, these women not only identify and address concerns but also transform the lives of immigrant women who are voiceless. The panel discussion will include suggestions for engaging other immigrant women to take action within their own communities.
Presenters: M. Liliana Espondaburu, Casa de Esperanza; Charity Tatah Mentan, Africa Network for Development, Inc.; Ly Vang, Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women in Minnesota; Noro Andriamanalina, U of M Graduate School; Lyda Morgan, Asian Women United of Minnesota
¡Ubícate! Engaging Young Latinas in Leadership (Room 303)
This workshop, presented by Casa de Esperanza’s Latina Youth Peer Educators, is an opportunity for organizations that work with Latina youths or are interested in creating a peer education program for Latino youth to learn firsthand the issues affecting young Latinas in Minnesota and the impact that participation in this program has had on Latina youth. The Peer Education Initiative is a tool to encourage the self-development of Latina youth through peer education by enhancing their abilities to identify their own strengths and talents and to use them in educating other youths about topics important to Latino youth, including healthy relationships, teen dating violence, self-esteem and body image and gender roles in the media.
Facilitator: Lumarie Orozco; Peer Educators: Chelsea Spellerberg, Alejandra Mejia, Kimberly Cedillo, Jessica Limontitla, Cinthia Liborio and Alejandra Ortiz, Casa de Esperanza
Laws, Rights and Healthcare Conditions Facing LBT Women Here and Around the World (Room 324)
Using criteria established by Amnesty International to examine various conditions around the world, this discussion of Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (LBT) women’s issues will examine U.S. policies and laws in comparison to other countries. Healthcare conditions specifically affecting LBT women will be highlighted. Lesbians and women who have sex with women have higher rates of breast, ovarian and cervical cancer and of sexually transmitted infections than heterosexual women, due to several reasons and risk factors. Local research on the barriers to quality sexual health care as well as things people can do to actively promote LGBT equality will be presented.
Presenters: Monica Meyer, OutFront Minnesota and Leah Hebert, Midwest Health Center for Women
Maze of Injustice: The Failure to Protect Indigenous Women from Sexual Violence in the USA* (Room 325)
Sexual violence is experienced by one in three Indigenous women in the United States, making them more than 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than other women in the U.S. (according to U.S. government statistics). The majority of perpetrators are non-Native men who are not brought to justice due, in part, to a complex and confusing web of tribal, state and national law and jurisdiction issues. Amnesty International’s workshop will describe this local and national “Maze of Injustice” while informing Native and non-Native participants of what they can do to become involved and take action.
Presenters: Sarah Deer, Tribal Law and Policy Institute and Kelly Baker, Amnesty International – Minnesota
Breaking Barriers to the Health Education of Immigrant Women (Board Room – 307)
Immigrants are entitled to the same information and healthcare as everyone else despite barriers hindering this. The International Health Education Alliance (IHEA) has learned to overcome barriers in communication, such as cultural gaps and language differences, in order to provide proper health education to immigrant women. With years of experience working in immigrant communities and as an immigrant herself, Dr. Niccu Tafarrodi will give others the knowledge and insight to sensitively communicate with immigrant women so that these women can understand common risks to their health, such as breast and cervical cancer, and have the necessary tools to engage in their prevention and early detection.
Presenter: Dr. Niccu Tafarrodi, International Health Education Alliance
*Application will be made for one CLE credit.
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