Nobel Women's Initiative

A staggering number of women around the world will experience rape or other violence in their lifetimes. The UN Secretary General says 1 out of every 3. That is one billion women.  Imagine One Billion Women Rising to end the violence! And a billion men rising with us.  

   

Organizations and individuals around the world have been working long and hard to stop rape and gender violence in conflict.  The International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict, spearheaded by the Nobel Women’s Initiative, is bringing them together to develop and carry out coordinated plans of action to help end this wanton scourge.

An unprecedented number of women ran in the latest elections in Guatemala, which wrapped up on Sunday. The list of nine candidates for president included Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Mayan activist Rigoberta Menchú Tum.

"We are the voice of the thousands of silenced people, who have no room (in the system) and who only take orders," said Menchú Tum. She emphasized the fact that she is a woman, specifically an indigenous candidate, in a country that is “‘machista,’ racist and excludes people."

Archbishop Tutu and the Dalai Lama call on President to build clean energy legacy

OTTAWA (September 7, 2011) -  Nine distinguished recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize have written to President Obama, urging him to reject the proposed Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline, saying his decision offers "a critical moment" to make good on his pledge to create a clean energy economy.

"We urge you to say no" to the pipeline and "turn your attention back to supporting renewable sources of energy and clean transportation solutions," says the letter (Download PDF), sent today. "This will be your legacy to Americans and the global community: energy that sustains the lives and livelihoods of future generations."  Read the full text of the letter below.

The Nobel Women's Initiative has called on the President of Azerbaijan to immediately stop the forced evictions and illegal demolitions of private property in the city of Baku. This comes after the demolition of the home of colleague Leyla Yunus, a staunch defender of human rights. Her house was home to the Institute for Peace and Democracy, the Azerbaijani Campaign to Ban Landmines, and the Women's Crisis Centre.  All of their documents and equipment were destroyed in the demolition.

Last week Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Honduras to negotiate a free trade agreement between the two countries.  While economic opportunities are pursued, Honduras still struggles with a poor human rights record, especially pertaining to women and girls.

Yolanda Ordaz de la Cruz, a crime reporter for a daily newspaper Notiver, was abducted from her home by gunmen on July 24. Her decapitated body was found two days later near the building of another newspaper.

She is the seventh Mexican journalist to be killed this year - the third from the state of Veracruz, a critical route for the trafficking of drugs and humans. A note found with the body has lead to the belief that her murder is connected with that of another Notiver columnist, Miguel Angel Lopez, in July.

The national court of Spain has announced they will launch a full legal investigation into sexual abuse inflicted on women in Guatemala during the civil war.  Women who have been denied justice for many years, may now have the chance to share their stories and demand recourse.

Militants and soldiers raped over 100,000 women from 1960-1996, and the impunity for perpetrators is still present today.

Rigoberta Menchu Tum, Nobel Peace Laureate and Laura Reyes are two indigenous women running for office in the upcoming Guatemalan presidential election.   Systemic violence and abuse of women prevails in the country, and the political involvement of these indigenous women is a call for gender inclusion, and recognition of indigenous rights.