Political Crisis in Mali and the Rise of Fundamentalisms

FRIDAY FILE: A coup d’état and the occupation of northern Mali have left many searching for answers to a deepening crisis.

AWID spoke with Head of Cooperation at the Netherlands Embassy in Mali, To Tjoelker, and socio-anthropologist Lalla Mariam Haidara, native of Timbuktu and specialist on women’s rights in Mali, to shed light on the situation.

By Ani Colekessian

Kürt Kadınları: Çifte ayrımcılık karşısında direniş

CUMA DOSYASI: Türkiye’de yaşayan Kürtler büyük çoğunlukla Doğu ve Güneydoğu’da ikamet etmektedirler. Ülkedeki en büyük azınlıklar olan Kürtler, modern Türkiye’nin kurulumundan bu yana marjinalize edilmiş ve baskı görmüşlerdir.

Militarism, Violence and Conflict – How Women Bear the Brunt of War

FRIDAY FILE: Militarism, conflict and violence are on the rise and have a range of gender-specific impacts. Increased spending on defense, arms and security often means that spending on social services is being cut. In the context of militarism and conflict violence against women also increases and attacks on women’s human rights defenders are growing and are increasingly normalized.

Reflections Ten Years after the Argentinean Economic Crisis of December 2001

FRIDAY FILE: December 2011 marks the ten-year anniversary of the economic collapse in Argentina, which culminated in civil unrest and political turmoil in the country. The protests and the violent police repression on 19 and 20 December 2001 left several people dead and precipitated the fall of the government. AWID invited Argentinean sociologist Norma Sanchís * and economist Alan Cibils** to contribute their reflections ten years after the crisis.

By Gabriela De Cicco

Bringing the Pope to account for widespread and systematic crimes against humanity

FRIDAY FILE: On September 13, 2011, the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR)[1] and the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP)[2] filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC)[3] to investigate and prosecute the Pope, the Vatican Secretary of State and two Cardinals for rape, other forms of sexual violence, and torture as crimes against humanity.

Getting to Zero on HIV and AIDS: Persistent women’s rights challenges

FRIDAY FILE: This week, the world marked World AIDS Day whose 2011 theme was “Getting to Zero.” AWID explores some of the themes that have either come to the fore or persisted since the last World AIDS Day 2010, and which affect women’s getting to zero.

By Kathambi Kinoti

Women Seeking Refuge in Africa – Highlighting the Challenges and Finding solutions

FRIDAY FILE: Conflict, violence, famine and natural disasters are just a few reasons why women are forced to flee their homes and become displaced. To better understand the situation of women refugees and internally displaced women in Africa, AWID interviewed Yifat Susskind, MADRE’s Executive Director.

The Centrality of Investing in Women’s Rights Organizations and Leadership: The Launch of the Dutch FLOW Fund

FRIDAY FILE: In May of this year, the Dutch government launched the Funding Leadership and Opportunities for Women (FLOW)Fund— which represents the replenishment of the successful MDG3 Fund.Women’s rights and civil society organizations that meet the criteria can apply for FLOW through July 29, 2011.

Gender-Inclusive Justice: Spotlight on the International Criminal Court

FRIDAY FILE: Every year, the Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice produces a Gender Report Card that assesses the progress of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in rendering gender-inclusive justice. AWID spoke with Brigid Inder, the Executive Director of the Women’s Initiatives, about the issues highlighted by the ICC Gender Report Card 2010.

By Kathambi Kinoti

Microcredit Pitfalls: The Experience of Dalit Women in India

FRIDAY FILE: Microfinance is often regarded as having significant potential to alleviate poverty. Despite some success stories, though, micro-credit arrangements with unscrupulous lenders frequently contribute to making bad situations worse by driving women deeper into poverty and desperation. Many Dalit women have experienced the down-side of microcredit, the most common form of microfinance.

By Kathambi Kinoti