FRIDAY FILE : It’s been one year since the abduction by Boko Haram of 276 female students from their boarding school in Chibok, Borno State in northeastern Nigeria. The #BringBackOurGirls campaign began following the kidnapping but the whereabouts of most of the young girls remains unknown[1]. AWID spoke to Nigerian and Cameroonian feminist activists to learn more about the situation of women and girls in Nigeria and neighboring countries as well as the national and international response, and challenges of taking appropriate and efficient action a year after the Chibok kidnappings.

FRIDAY FILE: Tens of thousands from around the world[1] gathered in Tunis, Tunisia from March 24th to 28th for the World Social Forum. It brought together social movements, civil society organizations, formal and informal networks and activists to oppose neo-liberalism, capitalism and imperialism, debating, exchanging, sharing experiences and developing proposals.

FRIDAY FILE - Following the recent announcement by local NGOs that more than 700 women accused of witchcraft had been murdered in Tanzania in a year, AWID spoke with Valerie Yvette Banlog, Founding President of the NGO Femme Action et Développement En Zone CEMAC (FADEC - Women Action and Development in CEMAC Areas) to discuss violence against women accused of witchcraft and the absence of appropriate and effective responses.

FRIDAY FILE - The latest World Health Organization's (WHO) Ebola situation report estimates the death toll in the current Ebola virus epidemic at nearly 9,400 with close to 23,300 people infected[1], AWID spoke to Liberian activists to learn more about the impact of the epidemic on women and girls in the region.

FRIDAY FILE: AWID spoke with Lucinda O’Hanlon, Adviser on Women's Rights from the Women's Rights and Gender Section of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) about the office’s current Campaign “Beijing + 20: Women Human Rights Defenders Campaign”.

In the global North, news headlines frequently play on deeply-rooted prejudices. For example, following the Oklahoma bombing in the US in 1995 or, more recently, the post-9-11 Washington sniper attacks, the media were quick to blame Muslim "terrorists." In both cases, the perpetrators turned out to be disaffected US nationals with no links to the Islamic world or faith. In Britain, and in Europe more generally, the media most often portray minorities as homogeneous groups, frequently represented by religious 'leaders'.

"By now is clear that most responses to the crisis have been gender-blind and therefore not effective in mitigating the effects of the crisis on women. It is key to ensure that responses to the crisis incorporate a clear analysis of its impact on women and are gender-sensitive, taking into account different dimensions, but particularly, the reproductive economy," said Lydia Alpízar Durán, Executive Director of AWID, in the CSW.

54th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

United Nations Headquarters - NYC, March 1-12, 2010

This Friday File is the first of a two part series featuring select highlights from AWID’s action-research Initiative “Where is the Money for Women’s Rights”. It illustrates some of the most significant general trends and opportunities that are impacting the current funding landscape.

À chaque nouveau numéro, nous discutons avec une lectrice d’Affronter les fondamentalismes et partageons un bref récapitulatif des derniers évènements en lien avec la religion, la tradition, la culture et les efforts d’organisation pour les droits dans différents contextes. (Si vous avez une idée qu’il vous tiendrait à cœur de voir dans cette chronique, faites-le-nous savoir!)