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Courtney Connors

To Fight Femicide in Guatemala, New Law, But Same Culture (SB#4) - 0 views

www.rhrealitycheck.org/...emala-new-law-but-same-culture

Femicide Feminism Machismo Violence War Corruption

shared by Courtney Connors on 18 Nov 09 - Cached
  • Women are being tortured, raped and murdered on a regular basis, with total or almost total impunity, regardless of numerous and unanimous claims for justice from the civil society and even from the international community
    • Courtney Connors
      Courtney Connors on 18 Nov 09
       
      It is going to take more than "urging the Guatemalan Government" to make effective changes for them to actually occur. International sanctions for war crimes against human rights must take place.
  • gone unpunished mainly because of negligence and the lack of effective investigation and prevention strategies of the Guatemalan authorities.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • Guatemalan
  • The CEDAW Committee and the European Parliament have both urged the Guatemalan government to take all necessary steps to effectively combat violence against women, ensuring full respect for human rights
  • April 9, 2008 the Guatemalan Congress passed the Law against Femicide and other Forms of Violence against Women (Decree 22-2008), that aims to severely punish any kind of gender-based violence, guaranteeing the life, freedom, integrity, dignity and equality of all women, in the private or public sphere, promoting and implementing strategies to prevent and eradicate femicide and any kind of physical, psychological, sexual or economic violence against women.   
  • Decree literally recognizes that the violence and discrimination against women in the country has flourished because of the "power inequality between men and women in the social, economic, legal, political, cultural and family spheres." 
  • The Law typifies femicide as a crime and defines it as the murder of a woman committed because of her gender within a context of unequal exercise of power; it imposes punishments that range from 25 to 50 years imprisonment.
  • "forced prostitution and denying [a woman] the right to use contraceptive methods, whether natural or hormonal, or taking measures to prevent sexually transmitted infections" are considered sexual violence crimes. 
  • 25% of women consider their partner's disapproval as a reason for not using a family planning method. 
  • the dominant 'macho culture' in Guatemala will make it difficult to implement the law."
  • Courtney Connors on 18 Nov 09
     
    Although the previously bookmarked article seeks to establish an outline of the human or women rights violations that occur within Guatemala, here, author Karim Velasco, sheds light upon newly distinguished laws and explains despite their hopeful goals, why they have ceased to work effectively. She argues that because of the "lack of effective investigation and prevention strategies of the Guatemalan authorities", women continue to be raped, tortured, and murdered at an increasing rate. Because of pressures from the European Parliament to abide by human rights laws, "on April 9, 2008, Guatemalan Congressed passed the 'Law Against Femicide and other Forms of Violence against Women Act' to severely punish any kind of gender-based violence..." However, because the violence stems from the power inequality between men and women in the first place, there is little belief or evidence that this Act will be implemented or strongly enforced by the men in power who seek to represent masculinity or display a constant idea of machismo.
Elizabeth Hughes

Church leaders to fight Guatemalan family planning law - Catholic Online - 0 views

www.catholic.org/...international_story.php

Birth Control Contraception Sexual Education Religion Fertility

shared by Elizabeth Hughes on 15 Sep 09 - Cached
    • Elizabeth Hughes
      Elizabeth Hughes on 15 Sep 09
       
      This article discusses family planning laws being enforced in Guatemala and the Catholic churches response to it. Birth control methods would be available to the public and sexual education would be incorporated into schools. Even though the Catholic Church is fighting against the law, many are happy because it will decrease abortion, poverty, and maternal mortality rates. As we continue to read Fixing Men, we can look at reproductive health reformations in other Latin American countries and see how people respond to them.
  • Elizabeth Hughes on 15 Sep 09
     
    This article discusses family planning laws being enforced in Guatemala and the Catholic churches response to it. Birth control methods would be available to the public and sexual education would be incorporated into schools. Even though the Catholic Church is fighting against the law, many are happy because it will decrease abortion, poverty, and maternal mortality rates. As we continue to read Fixing Men, we can look at reproductive health reformations in other Latin American countries and see how people respond to them.
David Schroeder

Guatemala's new Arms and Ammunition law starts today - 0 views

www.guatemala-times.com/...munition-law-starts-today.html

Guatemala guns violence crime gangs

shared by David Schroeder on 18 Nov 09 - Cached
  • David Schroeder on 18 Nov 09
     
    Guatemala has implemented a new arms and ammunition law. The law makes it much harder for citizens to own a gun. There is even a training test that the user must compete before they are able to purchase the gun. The law aims to make it harder for criminals to obtain weapons and give classification of who owns guns in Guatemala. The law also puts a cap on the amount of ammunition one is allowed to buy for their firearm. This law will hopefully lower the number of guns on the street and lower crime in Guatemala.
Jordan Costello

Guatemala News | Guatemalas Government fight for transparency and against corruption. - 0 views

www.guatemala-times.com/...cy-and-against-corruption.html

Guatemala Republic Human Rights Congress Corruption

shared by Jordan Costello on 18 Nov 09 - Cached
  • Jordan Costello on 18 Nov 09
     
    This article deals with steps to help contain corruption in Guatemala. They are trying to pass a law for free access to public information and transparency in public institutions. This law needs to be passed to show improvement when it comes to corruption in Guatemala and if the republican congress really cares then they will have to pass this law.
Liza Detenber

EDUCATION-LATIN AMERICA: Let's (Not) Talk About Sex - IPS ipsnews.net - 0 views

ipsnews.net/news.asp

AIDS_HIV Sexual Education Sexual Intercourse Birth Control Childbirth

shared by Liza Detenber on 15 Sep 09 - No Cached
    • Elizabeth Hughes
      Elizabeth Hughes on 15 Sep 09
       
      Many countries-Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, and Cuba-are considering it mandatory to teach sexual education in primary schools. Many believe that the exclusion of sexual education has impacted the number of cases of sexual abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and teenage pregnancies. The goal is to bring awareness to these issues in hopes of decreasing the rates and to teach children how to make choices responsibly.
  • Elizabeth Hughes on 15 Sep 09
     
    Many countries-Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, and Cuba-are considering it mandatory to teach sexual education in primary schools. Many believe that the exclusion of sexual education has impacted the number of cases of sexual abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and teenage pregnancies. The goal is to bring awareness to these issues in hopes of decreasing the rates and to teach children how to make choices responsibly.
  • ...1 more comment...
  • janegelb on 15 Sep 09
     
    Sexual education is not a universally required subject in schools across Latin America and the Caribbean. Even in countries with laws requiring that students be taught sexual education, there are huge gaps in the laws. Countries and schools that have adopted sexual education have found a significant drop in the rate of pregnancy in young women, school dropouts due to pregnancy and/or marriage, and contraction of HIV/AIDS. Many conservative sectors, including the Catholic Church, are strictly against this form of education, in favor of an abstinence only education, or simply no sexual education at all.
  • Maria DiGioia on 15 Sep 09
     
    Almost all of Latin America is required to provide sexual education classes for their students, however, these laws are widely ignored. Many children do not receive the proper knowledge about sex until the age of 12 or 13, even though a study conducted in Cuba shows that this is the age children are becoming sexual active. Without the knowledge of the issues of sex it leads to an increase in sexual abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and many abandoned babies. The article also states that children in Argentina do not receive sexual education at all because of the conservative sectors in the area. Many committees and groups are lobbying to help make sexual education more prevalent in students education.
  • Liza Detenber on 15 Sep 09
     
    This article discusses the role of sexual education and how it affects the prevention of STDs, unplanned pregnancies, sexual abuse, and HIV/AIDS. Many countries in Latin America have laws stating that sexual education must be taught at schools, however in many of these countries this is not happening. Studies have shown that because these children are not receiving sexual education there are higher rates of unplanned pregnancy, STDs, sexual assault, and earlier ages of engaging in dangerous sexual activities.
Courtney Connors

Foreign Policy: Gays in Latin America: Is the Closet Half Empty? - 0 views

www.foreignpolicy.com/...cms.php

Homosexuality Gay Rights Human Rights Political Movements Legislation

shared by Courtney Connors on 16 Sep 09 - No Cached
  • The region is becoming gayer. It's not that there are more gays and lesbians living in Latin America (we would never know)
  • he region is becoming more gay-friendly
  • Latin America was the land of the closet and the home of the macho
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • In 1998, Ecuador's new constitution introduced protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation. In 1999, Chile decriminalized same-sex intercourse. Rio de Janeiro's state legislature banned sexual-orientation discrimination in public and private establishments in 2000. In 2002, Buenos Aires guaranteed all couples, regardless of gender, the right to register civil unions. The policy changes just kept coming. In 2003, Mexico passed a federal antidiscrimination law that included sexual orientation. A year later, the government of Brazil initiated "Brasil sem homofobia" (Brazil without homophobia), a program with nongovernmental organizations to change social attitudes toward sexuality. In 2006, Mexico City approved the Societal Cohabitation Law, granting same-sex couples marital rights identical to those for common-law relationships between a man and a woman. Uruguay passed a 2007 law granting access to health benefits, inheritance, parenting, and pension rights to all couples who have cohabited for at least five years. In 2008, Nicaragua reformed its penal code to decriminalize same-sex relations. Even Cuba's authoritarian new president, Raúl Castro, has allowed free sex-change operations for qualifying citizen
  • regime change
  • homophobia
  • A recent survey in Brazil, the country with the largest gay-pride parades in the world, showed that 58 percent of respondents still agree with the statement, "Homosexuality is a sin against the laws of God," and 41 percent with "Homosexuality is an illness that should be treated."
  • Courtney Connors on 16 Sep 09
     
    This article proposes the idea that an increasing number of Latin American countries have become more acceptive of gay and lesbian ideals. Due to regime changes, the once "closeted macho" countries now welcome such legislation as protections against sexual discrimination; the decriminalization of same-sex intercourse; grants to health benefits, parenting, and so on in countries like Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, and NIcaragua.
Morgan Somer

Mexico City limits love affair with plastic bag - Yahoo! News - 0 views

news.yahoo.com/...X2xpc3QEc2xrA21leGljb2NpdHlsaQ

Mexico City Nacha Cattan limits plastic bags banning stores going green

shared by Morgan Somer on 09 Sep 09 - Cached
  • Morgan Somer on 09 Sep 09
     
    Mexico City is banning stores from packaging goods in plastic non-biodegradable bags. They passed the law in March and signed it in August giving the remainder of retailers who haven't already responded to this new act a year to abide by it. Mexico city is striving for an ambitious recycling program in their fairly new act towards going green. Mexico city has joined other cities around the world by restricting what is said to be one of the most omnipresent types of ocean litter killing marine life. There is some talk by officials that the city may even elect a "bag fee" stating that people could still get the old plastic bag only is they pay for them. Mexico City is trying to make a huge effort to abide by this law of banning bags especially in restaurants, stores and dry cleaners.
Laura Donovan

Domestic Violence: An Ongoing Threat to Women in Latin America and the Caribbean - Popu... - 0 views

www.prb.org/...tinAmericaandtheCaribbean.aspx

(Domestic Violence) Crime (Women's Rights) Gender Silance

shared by Laura Donovan on 03 Sep 09 - Cached
  • Jessie Davidson on 03 Sep 09
     
    To date, nearly 30 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region have enacted laws against domestic violence or have characterized the violence as a crime. Despite these laws, many women in Latin America and the Caribbean continue to be failed by the legal system. (October 2001)
  • Laura Donovan on 16 Sep 09
     
    This is an article discussing the lack of protection for women against acts of domestic violence in Latin America. The article addresses the difficulty for women to report these crimes due to lack of rights and enforcement of the laws.
Courtney Connors

Uruguay approves Latin America's first gay adoption law - Yahoo! News (SB#1) - 0 views

news.yahoo.com/...yrightsadoption_20090909172330

Homosexual Adoption Gay Rights Human Rights Legislation Religion

shared by Courtney Connors on 16 Sep 09 - Cached
  • Uruguay lawmakers Wednesday adopted a trailblazing law allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt children, in an unprecedented move for Latin America
  • 17 out of 23 senators voting in favor of the legislation.
  • Gay adoptions remain contentious worldwide, and Uruguay, a nation of some 3.5 million people, is taking another step away from its more conservative neighbors after having already authorized gay civil unions last year
  • ...4 more annotations...
  • President Tabare Vazquez, the first leftist leader in Uruguayan history, already opened access for homosexuals to military schools in May
  • The Catholic Church is against the bill because "from Genesis in the Bible, it says that 'God created man and woman
  • Uruguay has a long tradition of leading the way in civil rights, and has shown a desire to move ahead quickly on such questions
  • Uruguay was the first country in the largely Catholic South American region to approve divorce in 1907, and gave women the right to vote in 1932
  • Courtney Connors on 16 Sep 09
     
    On Wednesday, September 9, 2009, the legislative branch in Uruguay passed a bill allowing for gay and lesbian couples to adopt children. This law had major support from the Senators in a 17 out of 23 vote and is unlike any other gay rights movement bill in Latin America. Liberal activists hope this is just the first step in a very long line of the liberation of not only gay rights, but human rights. Uruguay is also noted to be the first Latin American country to approve divorce and women's right to vote.
Atsuyoshi Ishizumi

Lawmakers in Uruguay Vote to Allow Gay Couples to Adopt - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...10uruguay.html

Government Policy Discrimination Sexuality Homosexuality Religion

shared by Atsuyoshi Ishizumi on 16 Sep 09 - Cached
  • Atsuyoshi Ishizumi on 16 Sep 09
     
    Lawmakers recently voted to extend adoption rights to gay couples in Uruguay, the latest measure to relax laws on homosexuality that has drawn criticism from Roman Catholic churches. Members of Congress said the law made Uruguay the first country in Latin America to permit gay couples to adopt. However, gay marriage still remains illegal, which means they cannot adopt jointly as a couple.
Courtney Connors

Brazilian President Will Seek to "Criminalize Words and Acts Offensive to Homosexuality" - 0 views

www.lifesitenews.com/...09043008.html

Homosexuality Discrimination Machismo Government Policy Gender Roles

shared by Courtney Connors on 16 Sep 09 - Cached
  • In a written address delivered to the Third Congress of the Brazilian Association of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transvestites, and Transsexuals (ABGLT), Lula denounced groups, most of them Christian, who have objected to plans to outlaw such speech, calling them "hypocrites
  • Lula has for several years sought to pass a "homophobia law" that would make it a crime to criticize homosexual behavior.
  • in many cases Brazilian courts already enforce existing laws as if they prohibit such speech
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • Religious groups and individuals have been censored and fined for criticizing homosexual behavior
  • "homophobic" murders are high,
  • Courtney Connors on 16 Sep 09
     
    President Lula of Brazil hopes to "pass a 'homophobia law' that would make it a crime to criticize homosexual behavior." Most homophobic criticism stems from religious conservative groups. This is a primary goal of Lula's as an increasing number of murders have begun to result from hatred and prejudice against homosexuals over the past years.
Jackie Moran

Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean / Issues and Analysis / Issues and Analysis... - 0 views

www.awid.org/...atin-America-and-the-Caribbean

abortion reproduction religion gender women's rights

shared by Jackie Moran on 16 Sep 09 - Cached
    • Jackie Moran
      Jackie Moran on 16 Sep 09
       
      This article relates to our course because it discusses the issue of abortion in Latin America, and how the region has some of the most restrictive laws concerning the topic in the world. Many women's organizations are fighting to pass laws that will enable them to the right to safe and legal abortion
  • Jackie Moran on 16 Sep 09
     
    This article discusses how Latin America has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the world, and how women's organizations continue to fight for the right to safe and legal abortion. It is believed that to a certain extent, religion has influenced the criminalization of abortion. However, the women's movement in the region has made progress towards attaining the right to legal abortion.
Libba Farrar

HIV/AIDS and Human Rights in Mexico - 0 views

www.wcl.american.edu/...hivmex33.htm

HIV_AIDS Human Rights Government Policy Health Care Sex Education

shared by Libba Farrar on 05 Oct 09 - Cached
  • Libba Farrar on 05 Oct 09
     
    Mexican government made attempts to guarantee the General Health Law that mandated that the government was to enforce the right to health protection, making the law applicable in court cases. When entering into negotiations with neighboring countries in an attempt to enter the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mexican government could retained their reputation for its human rights violations; therefore, initiating a domino effect in Mexican government policies. In an attempt to address this issue developed human rights commissions and committees to enforce and tackle the barriers human rights violations presented to the government's involvement in foreign affairs. Although it can be argued that the enforcement of HIV/AIDS screenings at jobs, educational facilities, and the matrimonial sphere presented some violation of basic inalienable rights.
Morgan Foster

Guatemala: Agreement on identity and rights of indigenous peoples - 0 views

www.c-r.org/...identity-rights.php

Guatemala Identity Social Rights Economy Politics

shared by Morgan Foster on 17 Nov 09 - Cached
  • Morgan Foster on 17 Nov 09
     
    This article is provided by conciliation resourced. The creators of the laws found in this article discuss topics on the agreement on identity and rights of indigenous people. They include identity of indegenous people, struggle against discrimination, and cultural, civil, political, social and economic rights. It is interesting to see these laws and wonder how often they are followed (not very often at all).
Sophie Bergelson

Mexico City Struggles With Law on Abortion - NYTimes.com - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...25mexico.html

abortion government policy women's rights religion poverty healthcare

shared by Sophie Bergelson on 15 Sep 09 - Cached
  • Sophie Bergelson on 15 Sep 09
     
    This article is from 2008, one year after Mexico City legalized abortions. It talks about the continuing difficulties for poor women to receive safe abortions, even though they had been legalized. Women complained about long lines at understaffed public clinics, hostile treatment from hospital workers who opposed abortion, and unfair bureaucratic hurdles which made it difficult or impossible for them to get the procedure done. At the time this article was written, the abortion law was being challenged in the Supreme Court by the conservative government.
thomas hatley

BBC NEWS | Americas | Uruguay allows same-sex adoption - 0 views

news.bbc.co.uk/...8247540.stm

homosexuality religion discrimination (government policy) sexuality

shared by thomas hatley on 15 Sep 09 - Cached
thomas hatley liked it
  • "It's not about religion, philosophy or sociology. It's something which is mainly about the respect of human nature itself," he said in a statement quoted by AFP.
  • The change - opposed by the Catholic Church - is the latest in a series of liberalising measures supported by left-wing President Tabare Vazquez.
    • thomas hatley
      thomas hatley on 15 Sep 09
       
      Uruguay passed a trailblazing law on September 9th of this year, allowing homosexual couples to adopt children. Uruguay is a predominately catholic country, and same-sex adoption goes directly against some principles of catholicism. Uruguay was also the first Latin American country to allow divorce, and recently allowed homosexual individuals into military schools, as noted in the article.
  • thomas hatley on 15 Sep 09
     
    Uruguay passed a trailblazing law on September 9th of this year, allowing homosexual couples to adopt children. Uruguay is a predominately catholic country, and same-sex adoption goes directly against some principles of catholicism. Uruguay was also the first Latin American country to allow divorce, and recently allowed homosexual individuals into military schools, as noted in the article.
Courtney Connors

Guatemala's 'Femicide' Crisis (SB#4) - 0 views

www.commondreams.org/...10-8

Violence War Feminism Masculinity Gender Femicide or Gendercide Corruption Gangs

shared by Courtney Connors on 18 Nov 09 - Cached
  • Her family has no idea why she was killed
  • violence against women - termed "femicide"
  • d by street ga
  • ...14 more annotations...
  • sed by street gangs
  • being
  • against
  • Gang-related violence has increased sharply here in recent years, amid an increase in drug-trafficking activity.
  • females are often killed simply because of their gender.
  • raped and killed
  • She was only three-years-old
  • justice imposed by the state is non-existent
  • Those who dare challenge the power of men in Guatemalan society often pay with their lives and only two per cent of crimes against women are solved.
  • We are a society that has gotten used to death
  • Women are not seen as great contributors to the country, so violence against them seems to be acceptable
  • femicide is often carried out with "shocking brutality"
  • absence of state guarantees
  • In April 2008, Guatemala passed a law against femicide, which officially recognised it as a punishable crime
  • Courtney Connors on 18 Nov 09
     
    The article entitled "Guatemala's 'Femicide' Crisis" seeks to explain the implications of the unnecessary and brutal mass killings occurring amongst women in Guatemala mostly by male gangs. Because the killings have exceeded such an unusual extent, it has been deemed a "Femicide", otherwise known as a "Gendercide" or a genocide directed mainly against females. The ages of girls or women discussed in this article being raped, beaten, and murdered range from three year old toddlers to middle aged women. Not only do gangs of men perform these acts for no reason other to establish masculinity within their affinity groups. Moreover, the law enforcement agencies are so corrupt that it was said, "justice imposed by the state is non-existent" and "only two per cent of crimes against women are solved." This article seeks to establish the problem that is still going on even after the forty-year civil war while other chosen articles are determined to look for solutions.
thomas hatley

chavismo at Bryan Derballa | Lovebryan - 0 views

lovebryan.com/...chavismo

Venezuela HugoChávez photojournalism BryanDerballa referendum

shared by thomas hatley on 08 Sep 09 - No Cached
  • thomas hatley on 08 Sep 09
     
    Bryan Derballa is from my hometown, and has done a great deal of excellent photojournalism work-recently traveling to Venezuela during the referendum vote Hugo Chávez (the current controversial president of Venezuela) put forth to eliminate the law limiting the amount of years he could run for re-election and remain in office. I frequent his blog, featuring Derballa's work along with other artists from North Carolina, California, and New York. The photos document both the support and protest towards Chávez during the referendum vote last February.
janegelb

Adam Isacson: Another Baby Step on Honduras - 0 views

www.huffingtonpost.com/...aby-step-on-hond_b_276972.html

Honduras democracy coup d'etat Clinton military

shared by janegelb on 08 Sep 09 - Cached
  • janegelb on 08 Sep 09
     
    This article (actually written by my brother-in-law), discusses Hilary Clinton's recent withdrawal of millions of dollars and assistance from Honduras. The removal of this assistance is a response to the coup d'etat that took place in Honduras on June 28th. The U.S. government is hoping to show Latin America that it supports the effort to keep the military out of politics.
janegelb

LATIN AMERICA: For a Day Against Homophobia - IPS ipsnews.net - 0 views

ipsnews.net/news.asp

homosexuality homophobia equal rights violence HIV_AIDS

shared by janegelb on 08 Sep 09 - No Cached
  • janegelb on 08 Sep 09
     
    The region including Latin America and the Caribbean is the area with the most homophobic crimes committed in recent years. Countries including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia have had an unfortunate recent history of homophobic crimes. This article, from ipsnews.net., describes how IDAHO (the International Day Against Homophobia Committee) is asking for an international day against homophobia. They chose May 17th as the day of recognition, because on May 17, 1990, homosexuality was removed from the World Health Organization's list of mental disorders. In the past few years, many Latin American countries have developed slogans and media campaigns against homophobia and the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Many activist groups in Latin America (and worldwide) are vying for political action and equal rights laws.
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