Annual Conference 2010: Strategic Imperatives for Ending Violence Against Women

The National Council for Research on Women in Partnership with the US National Committee for UNIFEM

Annual Conference 2010
June 11-12

Hunter College, CUNY, West Building, New York City

Strategic Imperatives for Ending Violence against Women: Linkages to Education, Economic Security and Health
 

Hosted By
The Women and Gender Studies Program and Roosevelt House,
Hunter College, CUNY (City University of New York)

SPONSORS

Anushka Wiransinha Foundation; Cassidy Turley; Project 5-0; Roosevelt House; Women's Funding Network; The Young Professionals’ Committee of the Metro New York Chapter, US National Committee for UNIFEM

Donors: Grace Richardson; The Walter and Leslie Wright Charitable Fund

Co-hosts: Anglican Women's Empowerment; Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; International Museum of Women; SAKHI for South Asian Women; US National Network to End Domestic Violence; Women's eNews; Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO); YWCA of Brooklyn
 

To get the latest violence against women facts and figures, visit NCRW's Big Five Campaign and download our  policy brief and fact sheets.

Stay up to date on recent news regarding violence against women by visiting NCRW's blog, The Real Deal.

Friday, June 11, 2010

PRE-CONFERENCE PROGRAM & ACTIVITIES
There will be an early check-in for these sessions. Conference check-in begins at noon.

8:00am—2:00pm Young Professional Leadership Training
                  (by Registration only)
                  This pre-conference training for young professionals and students offers two tracks: one for those interested in 
                  or currently working in the nonprofit sector and the other for those aspiring to or already serving on boards or 
                  committees. Lunch provided by Chipotle.

8:30am--12:30pm Kick-Off NCRW American Express Building the Next Generation Program
                (closed to NCRW’s American Express grantees)

The National Council for Research on Women expresses our deep gratitude  to the American Express Foundation for supporting this program.
 

12:30pm--1:45pm NCRW Member Center Meeting/Awards Presentation 
                   (box lunch to be provided at  12:00 pm for attendees)
                   Upon conclusion, member center participants will proceed to annual conference at Hunter College.
                   This event is open to all attendees.
            
CONFERENCE AGENDA

12:00pm – 6:00pm Registration Opens

2:30pm Opening Greetings 
               City Proclamation made by Christine Quinn, City Council Speaker, New York

3:15pm – 4:20 pm: Topical Meetings by Co-Host Organizations
These meetings are a chance to look further in-depth at some of the issues related to gender-based violence, its roots, and ways to curtail it.

1. Global Action Against Violence
Update on the global response to the UN Secretary General's UNiTE Campaign and UNIFEM's Say NO to Violence Against Women. Learn about the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women and about the global knowledge network. Become part of the action on UNIFEM's web portals to share information and action to end violence against women.

Speakers:
Cheryl Benton, President, Metro NY Chapter, US National Committee for UNIFEM (moderator)
Dina Deligiorgis, Knowledge Management Specialist, Ending Violence against Women, UNIFEM
Adriana Quinones, UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women
Urgasi Rudra, UNIFEM Say NO Campaign

2. Linking Violence and Human Security Issues
This session will explore efforts to construct gender-based violence debates and strategies through a human security lens.  Panelists will offer recommendations to policymakers, community activists and service providers on how to create an agenda for human security and rights that mobilizes stakeholders to mitigate violence.

Speakers:
Marianne Møllmann, Human Rights Watch (moderator)
Lisa McClain, Boise State University
Claudia Powell, University of Arizona
Purvi Shah, Generations Ahead
Deborah Thomas, University of Pennsylvania
Melissa Upreti, Center for Reproductive Rights

3. Sexual Exploitation of Girls
Despite a wide range of awareness, public policy change and other interventions for victims, the number of girls being sexually exploited continues to rise. This panel will present data on the number of sexually exploited girls in target states such as Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota and New York and the demand study on Men Who Buy Sex From Adolescent Girls. Panelists will present strategies undertaken by the Women’s Funding Network to end this human rights violation against girls that is taking place in our own backyards.
Sponsored by the Women's Funding Network

Speakers:
Deborah Richardson, Women’s Funding Network (moderator)
Kaffie McCullough, A Future. Not A Past.
Layli Phillips Maparyn, Georgia State University 
Alex Trouteaud, Shapiro Research Group
 

4:20pm - 4:30pm Break

4:30pm – 5:45 pm: Topical Meetings by Co-Host Organizations

1. Domestic and Global Social Investments: The Role of Philanthropy
This session will focus on how women's funds and the donor community can play a role in shaping the agenda for addressing the needs of vulnerable communities in domestic and global arenas. From grassroots to national and international initiatives, the philanthropic community has a transformative role to play in addressing issues like gender-based violence, economic security, education, and health for women and their families. Panelists will explore the challenges of understanding the real needs of local communities, assessing the impact of philanthropy, and providing long-term sustainable solutions.

Speakers:
Alison Bernstein, Ford Foundation (moderator)
Penny Abeywardena, Clinton Global Initiative  
Patricia Eng, Ms. Foundation 
Mia Herndon, Third Wave Foundation
Vivien Labaton, Atlantic Philanthropies
Ana Oliveira, New York Women's Foundation
Pamela Shifman, NoVo Foundation

5. Roles and Responsibilities of the Media in Communicating Situations of Violence
Women’s eNews, an online women’s news service, brings together a panel to address how to hold the media to be more accountable relative to issues of violence against women.
Sponsored by Women’s eNews

Speakers:
Rita Henley Jensen, Women’s eNews (moderator)
Nanette Braun, UNIFEM
Jimmie Briggs, The Man Up Campaign
Patti Chang, Women's Media Center
Susannah Sirkin, Physicians for Human Rights 
Amy Terpeluk,Ruder Finn 

3. Theater of the Oppressed: Empowerment, Democracy and Liberation
This workshop introduces participants to the basic concepts and to some of the games and exercises of the Theater of the Oppressed, a form of participatory and developmental theater established by the late Augusto Boal (Brazilian playwright and political activist). Participants in this workshop work collectively and use theater to explore urgent issues impacting their lives; they engage in dialogue to analyze these issues; and they act to transform their lives and the oppression they face. No theater experience necessary to participate, please wear comfortable clothing.

Facilitator:
Carmelina Cartei

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm Reception: Celebrating the First UN World Conference on Women and Global Women's Movement  Reception honoring some of the women whose leadership during the First UN World Conference on Women (Mexico City, 1975) empowered women worldwide to begin working together, forging a global women’s movement. Invited guests include the Mission of Finland on behalf of HE Helvi Sipila, Rosalind Harris (Conference of NGOs), Mildred Persinger (World YWCA), and honoring the memory of Esther Hymer (first chair of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women, NY). Also recognized will be organizations that were conceived at the Conference, including UNIFEM and INSTRAW, International Women's Tribune Center, Women's World Banking, Project 5-O, and the Women's Environment and Development Organization. (This reception is a benefit for the US National Committee for UNIFEM.)

6:00 pm -- 7:00 pm Celebration of NCRW Member Centers
                    Lumi restaurant, 963 Lexington Ave (corner of 70th Street)
                    This event is open to all attendees, cash bar
                    Informal networking with representatives from NCRW's member centers to share ideas on research and 
                    collaboration.

Saturday, June 12, 2010

8:30am Check-In Continues (Auditorium Entry Area, 7th Floor, Hunter College West Building)

8:30am – 9:30am NCRW Member Center Working Groups 
                   (open to all conference participants)

1. Economic Security
Discuss NCRW's new initiative on economic recovery and its impact on low-income women of color in several US states. Find out how you can be a part of this collaborative initiative and explore how your research and advocacy fits in with a larger women's economic agenda.

2. Communications Workshop
The OpEd Project aims to expand the range of voices heard in the world, and to increase the volume of women thought leaders in the public sphere. Come and learn about how to develop effective messages, opinion writing and more broadly expand your thought leadership; expert mentor-editor Katherine Lanpher will discuss how to increase your communications impact across all platforms, including new media.

9:00am – 10:00 am US National Committee for UNIFEM Annual Meeting
Join the National Committee's experts and leaders in learning what is happening at the national and local levels of this dynamic organization.  Share in bringing an end to violence around the world. Become a part of a national network of leaders transforming societies to creat a world where women can live free from violence, poverty and inequality.  Awards will be presented and action taken on items affecting USNC. This event is open to all conference attendees.

10:00am – 10:15am The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women--CEDAW and the U.S. (Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, U.S. Representative for New York's 14th District)

10:15am – 11:00 am Keynote Panel: U.S. Foreign Policy Addressing Violence in the Global Hot Spots
By addressing the multiple linkages between the socioeconomic and cultural standings of women and their connections to gender-based violence, this panel of advocates will offer insight into what is happening to women in the global hot spots.

Moderator:
Carol Jenkins, Founding President, Women’s Media Center & Board Member, African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF USA)

Speakers:
Abigail Disney, Daphne Foundation
Nancy Dorsinville, Office of the UN Special Envoy to Haiti
Zainab Salbi, Women for Women International

Respondent:
Ellen Chesler, Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute, Hunter College

11:00am -- 11:15am Break

11:15 am – 12:15 pm Opening Plenary: Violence Against Women and Its Intersections with Key Social Investments
The Opening Plenary will address the complex linkages between violence against women and a range of structural issues like economic security, access to health and educational opportunity. Panelists will provide a framework for how ongoing systems of global militarization contribute to violence as well as the manipulation of culture, religion and politics that generate harmful practices against women. Speakers will provide concrete strategies to mitigate violence and suggest ways to build critical coalitions and partnerships.

Moderator:
Linda Basch, National Council for Research on Women

Speakers:
Radhika Balakrishnan, Rutgers University
Anika Rahman, Americans for UNFPA
Joanne Sandler, UNIFEM

12:15 pm – 1:00 pm Sex, Music & Videotape
Ending violence against women requires the participation of all community members. Media, art and culture provide powerful tools for expanding the base of change-makers, including making men and boys part of the solution. Mallika Dutt will share and reflect on Breakthrough's award-winning multimedia campaign, Bell Bajao (Ring the Bell) to illustrate the power of popular culture to transform public attitudes and mobilize action to end violence against women.

                   Presenter:                     
                   Mallika Dutt, Breakthrough

1:00—2:00 pm Lunch Break/Networking 
            The lunch hour is a time to meet and network. A special room will be set aside for young women to network 
            informally as a group.  NCRW and USNC want to support the efforts of young women professionals participating in
            the conference. 

2:00 pm – 3:15 pm Breakout Sessions:

1. Taking a Lead on Advocacy
A hands-on session to address ways in which non-profits can be effective in advocating for issues that address violence against women.

Speakers:
Karen Siegel, Metro New York Chapter, UNIFEM USNC  Board of Directors (moderator)
Alexandra Garita, International Women's Health Coalition
Lenora Lapidus, ACLU  Women's Rights Project
Crystal Lander, UNIFEM USNC Advocacy Chair

2. Economic empowerment, poverty and options for women
This breakout session will explore the effects of economic disadvantage and poverty on the life outcomes and experiences of women and girls. It will focus on the intersection of low socio-economic status and violence against women and girls. The session will also examine how social investments like education and housing can not only ameliorate economic conditions but also combat various effects of poverty like exploitation and disempowerment.

Speakers:
Inez Murray, Women’s World Banking (moderator)
Wendy Baldwin, Population Council
Lynne Patterson, Pro Mujer
Lynda Sagrestano, University of Memphis
Ada Williams-Prince, Women’s Refugee Commission

3. Migrations, Displacement and Sexual Exploitation
This panel will explore the impact to of displacement through migration, armed conflict and human trafficking on women and girls. How do you women cope with the intense abuses they encounter during migration, conflicts or trafficking? This discussion will also examine the legal outlets available to women and girls who are trafficked both on an international and national level. In this session there will be explanation of the barriers that hinder displaced women from receiving the proper care and legal protection. The panel will also explore the role of education in giving women and girls economic security to decrease their risk and exposure to exploitation.

Speakers:
Kyla Bender-Baird, National Council for Research on Women (moderator)
Taina Bien-Aime, Equality Now
Juhu Thukral, The New York Anti-Trafficking Network 
Gitta Zomorodi, American Jewish World Service

4. Where are the Men?
Men are often overlooked allies in the movement to end violence against women. This panel will offer the latest research and advocacy on the role of men in society, examine how men's role intersect with violence against women, and provide strategies for addressing masculinities.

Speakers:
Carl Murell,  Subcommittee on Violence for NGO Committee on the Status of Women, NY (moderator)
Nakeisha Blades, The Guttmacher Institute
Donald McPherson, former quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles
Quentin Walcott, CONNECT
 

3:15-3:30 pm- Break

3:30 pm – 4:45 pm Breakout Sessions
 

1. Cultures of Violence
Bringing together the perspectives of academia, journalism, and community-based advocacy, the speakers on this panel will question whether cultures are really violent or if there are larger societal circumstances such as race, class, and gender at play. They will offer critiques of a human rights framework, the victim narrative, and the culturalization of violence. In turn, the speakers will think through together alternatives to these approaches and offer new ways to think about culture, violence and women that will lead to policy and advocacy strategies such as greater investment in families and community.

Speakers:
Sujata Warrier, NYS Office of Prevention of Domestic Violence
Lila Abu-Lughod, Columbia University
Kala Ganesh, CONNECT
Esther Hyneman, Women for Afghan Women
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, journalist


2. Implications for Health
This break out session will discuss the many intersections between health and violence. The speakers will address the intersection between rape and sexual assault on women’s and girls’ health as well as the impact of HIV/AIDs on women, particularly women living in low-socioeconomic conditions. Discussion will include female genital mutilation/circumcision and existing disparities in health care for women while exploring how race, economic security, and sexual orientation impact a woman’s access to quality healthcare.

Speakers:
Bethany Cole, EngenderHealth (moderator)
Pamela Barnes, Global Partnership Addressing Sexual Violence Against Girls
Rebecca Fox, LGBT Health Coalition
Rosalind Petchesky, Hunter College
Khushbu Srivastava, International Women’s Health Coalition

3. Ending Violence Against Women Through Legal Instruments and Cultural Change
This breakout session will explore the legal instruments are available at the international, national, and local level to combat violence against women and girls. The speakers will examine the effectiveness of the legal system in ending violence against women. Also, this session will look at the role that education, advocacy and awareness can play in mitigating violence against women and girls. The discussion will delve deeper into the external influences that impact the safety and security of women around the world, like climate change, political instability and cultural practices.

Speakers:
Marcia Goffin, US National Committee for UNIFEM (moderator)
Norma C. Abbene, Office of the Mayor, NYC
Tiloma Jayasinghe, Sakhi for South Asian Women
Susan Kaufmann, University of Michigan
Sharon Stapel, New York City Anti-Violence Project

4:45-5:00 pm: Break

5:00 pm – 6:00pm Moving the Agenda Forward: Articulating Actions (Closing Plenary)

                              Ambassador Swanee Hunt, Hunt Alternatives Fund
                              Followed by a reporting of advocacy strategies collected from the sessions
 

6:00pm Adjourn

Co-Hosted By
Anglican Women's Empowerment; Brooklyn Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; The International Museum of Women; SAKHI for South Asian Women; US National Network to End Domestic Violence; Women's Environment and Development Organization; Women’s eNews; YWCA of Brooklyn

Attachment: 

Conference Launch Press Release March 11, 2010

NCRW Member Center Awards Press Release

Photos: