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Women of Courage

Learn about the Women of Courage Delegates >>




From August 15–25, 2010, KAIROS partners from Africa and Asia, as well as Canadian women representing Indigenous, migrant justice and Québécois movements, travelled toColombia as part of the KAIROS Women of Courage delegation. Delegates will visit Colombian communities that face militarization and daily violence, before joining together to participate in the Women and People's Summit of the Americas against Militarization, which is sponsored in part by KAIROS partner the Organización Femenina Popular (Popular Women’s Organization, OFP). The tour will conclude with a roundtable between delegates and local partners, including the OFP.

The Women of Courage delegation is rooted in KAIROS’ commitment to gender justice and our history of working with women’s organizations and movements on issues related to human rights, violence and impunity, particularly in areas of conflict. Women are disproportionately affected by violence and militarism; yet despite this burden, they also have especially important roles to play in helping communities and nations put an end to violence. The presence of the Women of Courage delegation in Colombia will promote awareness and understanding of the human rights situation of women in Colombia and increase our collective capacity as Canadians to respond. It will also strengthen solidarity between KAIROS’ partners and supporters; build a common analysis and agenda around women’s issues, human rights, militarization and impunity; and help shape KAIROS’ advocacy directions on gender-rights issues.

In the weeks leading up to the delegation KAIROS will join with our partners to develop discussion papers and case studies on the situation of women and the context of human rights, gender-based violence and impunity in the delegates’ home regions, as well as on the work of our partners in responding to these contexts and proposing alternatives. After the delegation, we aim to publish an educational and advocacy resource that integrates these case studies with global learnings and strategies from the Women of Courage delegation and roundtable. We also plan to develop a video resource that documents the experiences of the delegation. This delegation represents the first step in a campaign that will focus on the voices and the work of courageous women around the world.

Watch this page for updates in the weeks to come.

You can follow the Women of Courage delegation’s journey and join in the discussion by visiting our blog.


LINKS

KAIROS Canada Women of Courage Blog >>

KAIROS Partner
Organizacion Femenina Popular

Sites for International gathering (in Spanish)
- Mujeres Contra la Guerra
- Encuentro Mujeresypueblo Facebook Group
- Call to Action for the Women and People’s Summit of the Americas against Militarization





WOMEN OF COURAGE NEWS

May 11, 2012 By
Chantal Bilulu

…. it’s vital that women not stay inactive, not submit day after day...On the contrary, we must stand up, act, and denounce. Let’s break the silence, claiming back from those who hold power the use of diverse legal instruments that protect the rights of women. In so doing, we can change the situation of women throughout the world.  Let women all over the world take their courage in hand to continue the struggle, this struggle that includes all of us. To keep ourselves silent is to kill ourselves little by little. May we be courageous. Chantal Bilulu, Hériters de la Justice, Democratic Republic of the Congo, KAIROS Living Courage Tour, Canada, October 2011. KAIROS joins human … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Dignity & Rights, Feature 2, Urgent Actions, Women of Courage Tagged With:
March 8, 2012 By
Don-SojournTwo

Our strategy should be not only to confront empire, but to lay siege to it. To deprive it of oxygen. To shame it. To mock it. With our art, our music, our literature, our stubbornness, our joy, our brilliance, our sheer relentlessness – and our ability to tell our own stories. Stories that are different from the ones we’re being brainwashed to believe. Arundhati Roy, War Talk March 8, 2012 Happy International Women’s Day from KAIROS! We take time today to celebrate women human rights defenders in Canada and around the world and to renew our commitment to support their work for human rights, and social and ecological justice. Today, we celebrate the strides that women have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Feature 2, Women of Courage, Women of Courage Blog Tagged With:
March 7, 2012 By
CC-DRC-12-03-NotaBene

Investir dans la femme rurale et la jeune fille pour un avenir meilleur Il est un être que, le 8 mars de chaque année, le monde entier met à l’honneur. Il s’agit de la femme, cet être qui est, à juste titre, considéré comme la mère de l’humanité dans la mesure où c’est elle qui est utilisée par le Très Haut dans son oeuvre de perpétuer la procréation. En effet, le 8 mars de cette année-ci, comme à l’accoutumé, le monde entier commémore la Journée Internationale de la Femme en mettant un accent particulier sur la femme rurale et la jeune fille. Le Thème de cette année.... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Congo (DR), Feature 2, Women of Courage, Women of Courage Blog Tagged With:
December 6, 2011 By
Blog-11-12-Advent3

Geneviève, Hélène, Nathalie, the two Barbaras, the two Anne-Maries, Maud, the two Maryses, Sonia, the two Annies and Michèle These are names engraved on my heart.  I was 22 on December 6th, 1989 when 14 women were killed at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal.  I had no connection to any of the women who died that day, but as a woman, a feminist young woman studying at a Canadian university, it was impossible to be untouched. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Feature 1, Reflections & Worship, Women of Courage Blog
November 24, 2011 By
16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence

Along with women's organizations and movements, partners in Canada and around the world, KAIROS marks November 25, the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women, with strengthened resolve and a renewed call to end violence against women, support women human rights defenders and make visible the important work of women in building just peace. We urge you to learn more about our partners' work in these areas and to support women of courage in Canada and around the world. November 25 also marks the beginning of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, a global annual campaign which aims to bring attention to gender violence and highlight the work of activists all over … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Feature 2, Women of Courage Tagged With: , ,
November 19, 2011 By
Petra speaking at the Victoria event

At each public event, participants have been asked the same question as the speakers: From your experience, what have been the most successful strategies for defending women’s rights and ending violence against women? The discussion has been both rich and hopeful. The KAIROS action points shared at every event were well received because “they are specific and concrete” , and  the ideas shared at these events will be extremely important making KAIROS’ action commitments real for the long term, and to creating a path for specific and ongoing action. Here’s an attempt to reflect some of these thoughts: First we need to understand what violence is, and what its roots … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Women of Courage, Women of Courage Blog
November 18, 2011 By
At Canada’s Parliament Hill with Sen. Mobina Jaffer, Chair of the Canada’s Senate Committee on Human Rights with the Living Courage Tour members: Vernie Yocogan-Diano (2nd from L), Chantal Binlulu (3rd from L) with staff of KAIROS.

Living Women’s Courage Against Extractive Industries and for Rights By Vernie Yocogan-Diano Cordillera Women’s Education Action Research Center cwearc09@gmail.com 11 November 2011 On the launching of the Canadian Tourism and Hospitality Center on 6 November 2011, Canadian Ambassador Christopher Thornlay told reporters that Canadian mining companies are staying in the Philippines and mining companies have been satisfied of government action. On the same report, Julian Payne, the President of Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines said that laws should have equal application to both small-scale and large-scale mining operators. The statements of the Ambassador and the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Women of Courage Tagged With: , , ,
November 9, 2011 By
Chantal Bilulu in Victoria

Chantal Bilulu, director of women's and children's programs at Héritiers de la justice offers this reflection to people of courage: Dans plusieurs pays du monde, la femme est victime des violences de toute genre. C’est pourquoi il est necéssaire que la femme ne reste pas inactive pour subir au jour le jour, ne pas croiser les bras. In many of the world’s countries, women are the victims of every sort of violence. That’s why it’s vital that women not stay inactive, not submit day after day, nor cross our arms. Par contre, elle doit se mettre debout, agir, denouncer. Brisons le silence et reclamer aux tenants du pouvoir la mise en application des differents instruments juridiques … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Women of Courage Blog
October 27, 2011 By

The conflict that raged in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from 1996 to 2003 was the world’s deadliest since the Second World War. Despite an official end to the fighting, violence and insecurity still prevail in the eastern region of the DRC, primarily driven by competition to control access to valuable minerals. The exploitation of, and trade in, minerals by armed groups and the military is causing serious human rights abuses against civilians. The most shocking abuse is the prevalence of sexual violence against women and girls. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Congo (DR), Countries of Concern, Dignity & Rights, Women of Courage
October 27, 2011 By

Sudan (now consisting of the Republic of Sudan and the new Republic of South Sudan) had endured over 20 years of a civil war that brought violence, death and destruction. New hope came with the signing of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the government in the North and the rebels in the South. Elections and a mandated self-determination referendum led to the creation of the Republic of South Sudan (RoSS) in 2011. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Countries of Concern, Dignity & Rights, Sudan, Women of Courage
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