International Women's summit: July 2007 Kenya

The first and largest-ever global gathering of women living with HIV and AIDS. The meeting was the first of its kind - more than 500 positive women coming together to discuss and do valuable work on HIV/AIDS.
This summit addresses the impact of AIDS on women and girls, explores issues such as poverty, violence against women, children's rights and access to decision-making and resources.

Please visit following website to learn a bit more about the topics discussed:
http://www.global-campaign.org/clientfiles/Intl-Womens-Summit-NPT.pdf

Rate of HIV/Aids had dropped 5.9% in Kenya

The Kenyan government said June 26 the rate of HIV and Aids infections had dropped 5.9 percent, but the disease still posed a major challenge in the country. The state-run National Aids Control Council (NACC) said the rate fell from 6.1 percent in 2004 to the current 5.9 percent of the country's nearly 35 million people. "Of notable significance is the decline in new infections from 85, 000 in 2004 to 60,000 in 2005 as well as the drop in HIV prevalence from 6.1 percent to 5.9 percent in the same period," said NACC chairperson Miriam Were. (Independent Online)
(Newsletter Global Development briefing)

Create awareness: End Violence against Girls and Women

In cooperation with HIDO, the designer Tomasz Ochotny designed this poster for RENOCP to END violence against girls and Women in Africa once and for all. The aim of this poster and this awareness campaign is for women to speak out and not to suffer in silence anymore. There are people out there who are willing to listen and to help you to get out of the situation you are in. Never think that you are alone or that nobody can help you.

Contact RENOCP for more information or let them help you dealing with your gender-based-violence issues.

www.renocp.net
info@renocp.net

AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa May 2007

Sub-Saharan Africa is still on top of the global epidemic, with Southern Africa being the epicenter: HIV infection levels in pregnant women are at least 20% in six countries: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe.

Declines in adult national HIV prevalence appear underway in Kenya, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Changes in sexual behaviour are being credited, but people are not sure if this is really the case in Kenya, there are questions about whether the decline is due to the AIDS epidemic’s natural ‘progression’ or due to behaviour changes.

Generally, women are less informed about HIV than men. In all but three countries in sub-Saharan Africa for which data is available, on average, young men were 20% more likely to have correct knowledge of HIV than young women. Recent findings published between 2000-2005 revealed that, in 24 countries, at least two-thirds of young women (aged 15-24 years) lacked comprehensive knowledge of HIV transmission. Education levels are highly correlated with knowledge of HIV transmission. Thus, barriers in access to education facing women and girls remain a major concern.

For more info visit the USAIDS website http://www.unaids.org

A New book on Sexual Violence Against Women and Girls in Conflict

A book which was last month released is called AFRICA: SHAME OF WAR.
This new book on Sexual violence against Women and Girls in Conflict is a reference book and photo essay of portraits and testimonies of sexual violence women suffer when their men go to war. It shows the different ways the international community is addressing sexual violence against women and girls during and after conflict.
Most societies prohibit such violence -- yet the reality is that too often, it is covered up or condoned," said Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations

The actual aim of the book is to shock and to create a 'one-voice' saying 'Enough!'
We are fighting a double war here, one agianst violence against women and girls and another one against the culture of impunity that protects the perpetuators and their accomplices.


More info on the book:

The Shame of War: Sex Violence Against Women and Girls in Conflict
Author: Jeanne Ward, Christopher Horwood, Claire McEvoy, Pamela Shipman, and Lauren Rumble
Publisher: UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
Publication Date: March 7, 2007
Copyright: 2007
Publisher Website: http://www.irinnews.org
Language: en
Category: Conflict, Peace and Security, Sustainable Development, Women and Gender, Human Rights, Crime and Corruption, Civil War and Communal Conflict

Awareness project: 'END violence against girls & women'

CALL FOR ENTRIES

'END violence against girls and women'

Regional Network on Child Protection (RENOCP) and the Humanitarian International Design Organisation (HIDO) are working on a awareness project and would like to invite designers/creative people to create a poster to promote 'END violence against girls and women'. This poster will be distributed in schools in African rural areas, starting in Kenya.

We are looking for a graphically attractive poster with a dynamic and inviting message to attract girls/women to discuss these gender based violence issues. With this poster we would like to motivate girls to contact the local organisation RENOCP for further help and support.

Look here for more details, rules and guidelines.
http://www.humanidesign.org/contestposter.html
contest@humanidesign.org

For more info on RENOCP
http://www.renocp.net