Counting the Hours

Canada, September 2008: - Discovering the Common Core - The 1st World Conference for Women’s Shelters

While attending the conference was an inspiring and powerful experience, it also was a stark reminder that the 800 female and male delegates from 51 countries were only a small percentage of shelter workers all over the world.

Considering all forms of violence against women – Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Trafficking, Honour Killings, Genital Mutilation - how many people actually do undertake work (paid and unpaid) because of gendered violence.

From direct service delivery in hospitals and health services, shelters, counselling services, neighbourhood centres, to police and court intervention and support,

From community education, advocacy, lobbying, social action campaigns to training, research and study,

From working with perpetrators, in support or legal capacities to housing or income support of all involved

From policy development, action plans, advisory panels, committees and working groups to administration of services and local / state and federal governments etc.

How many hours paid and or unpaid are spent each week worldwide by people working in the field of violence against women?

“The Secretary-General of the United Nations has said that violence against women is one of the gravest issues of our time.

Last fall, in an unprecedented initiative, a High-Level Panel on Reform of the United Nations recommended the creation of a new international agency for women. The recommendation was based on the finding that the record of the UN on gender has been abysmal. If that agency comes into being, headed by an Under-Secretary General, with funding that starts at $1 billion a year (less than half of UNICEF’s resources), and real capacity to run programmes on the ground, issues like violence against women would suddenly be confronted with indomitable determination.

The women activists on the ground, the women survivors on the ground, the women activist-survivors on the ground would finally have resources and support for the work that must be done” Remarks by Stephen Lewis, delivered at the 10th Annual V-Day Celebrations April 12, 2008, New Orleans, LA

What can we do??????

Lets count our working hours worldwide and send the information to Ban Ki –Moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, demanding the creation of a new international agency for women as recommended by the UN reform panel.

Please make this campaign a success by signing this petition and fill in the relevant fields. Please indicate how many hours per week you spend in your professional capacity in relation to violence against women. Please ensure that everyone in your organisation (paid and unpaid) participates. The more people contribute the more accurately we can draw our international map of working hours.

Please fill in your details only once and forward this campaign to all your networks.

Thank you for your participation.

Translations into other languages are on the way, please revisit often.

Kind regards
Sabine
Carrie's Place, Australia