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The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice

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Issue 10, March-April 2004

News from AP’s partners:

• Nigerian and Italian civil society unite to protect trafficked women deported from Italy
• Nepal network monitors police violence during street protests, battles NGO corruption
• Palestinian civil society takes the lead in calling for a new non-violent Intifada
• Afghan Women’s Network calls for urgency in registering women voters
• International Roma Women’s Network (IRWN) urges EU to intervene on behalf of Slovakia’s Roma
• IRWN petitions British government over ‘discriminatory’ housing policy
• Roma e-Riders form NGO in Bulgaria
• Kosova Women’s Network calls for electoral reforms, condemns ethnic violence
• Relatives of disappeared Tamils demand information as peace process wobbles
• Croatian center offers comprehensive therapy for war victims in Vukovar

News from The Advocacy Project:

• Carpet exhibition in Washington raises over $3,000 for Srebrenica weavers
• New AP membership drive
• Two Georgetown graduate students join AP as webmaster and partnership coordinator

News From AP's Partners

Nigerian and Italian Civil Society Unite To Protect Trafficked Women Deported From Italy

In an important example of women’s civil society working at both ends of the trade in trafficked women, two AP partners in Nigeria and Italy are cooperating to protect Nigerian girls who are trafficked to Italy and then deported back to Nigeria.

The two groups are the Women’s Consortium of Nigeria (WOCON) in Lagos and the Turin branch of the Italian Transnational AIDS/SIDA Prevention Among Migrant Prostitutes in Europe Project (TAMPEP).

TAMPEP has raised funds from the European Union for a project (‘Alnima’) in Benin City, Nigeria, which is the starting point for most of the thousands of Nigerians who have been trafficked to Italy.

Alnima seeks to help trafficked Nigerians who are arrested in Italy and immediately deported, wearing only the clothes on their back. Rosanna Paradiso, the director of TAMPEP, said the experience leaves many girls deeply traumatized. Rather than face unemployment and ostracization in their villages, many choose to return to trafficking.

WOCON’s role is to meet deported girls at the Lagos airport, help them through customs and police procedures, put them up in hotels, and then put them in contact with TAMPEP in Benin City, where TAMPEP also works with a network of Nigerian NGOs to prevent trafficking. This is done by spreading the word about the violence that awaits girls who are trafficked. TAMPEP is also exploring the possibility of small microenterprises for vulnerable young women.

The project is still in its infancy. Although TAMPEP and WOCON have received some encouragement from Italian corporations in Nigeria, they are not helped by the indifference of the Italian and Nigerian authorities. On March 1, Italy deported 60 girls without any advance notice. WOCON staff hastened to meet them at the airport, but were only able to contact about 20. It also appears that many of the girls were able to bribe the police and immigration officials and escape. So far, only two have contacted the Alnima project in Benin City. This points to the need for more promotion and training on all levels.

AP sent interns to work with WOCON and TAMPEP last summer, and plans to promote both their partnership and their projects. Among its other work, WOCON also campaigns against the use of child slaves in stone quarries. TAMPEP works in jails in Turin with young Moroccans and Albanians who entered Italy illegally and face deportation.

• Read about the trafficking between Nigeria and Italy
• Contact TAMPEP
• Contact WOCON

Nepal Network Monitors Police Violence During Pro-Democracy Protests, Battles NGO Corruption

The Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP), an AP partner, has taken the lead in monitoring abuses and mediating during the current wave of pro-democracy riots in Nepal, which have left hundreds injured. COCAP is the only regular source of news on civil society’s role in the crisis, which has shaken Nepal. The network’s central role is described in a recent April 8 AP press release. 

The demonstrations have overshadowed COCAP’s own struggle to secure a public inquiry into the January 13 beating of COCAP’s Director, Dinesh Prasain. While details of the attack indicate it was carried out by security officials, Mr. Prasain has suggested that it might have been instigated by other NGOs that he had accused of corruption. On March 24 and 25, the Kathmandu Post investigated, and appeared to uncover, corruption at the Center for Victims of Torture (CVICT).

Meanwhile, COCAP is providing a strong foundation for civil society in Nepal at a dangerous time. After just two years, COCAP has 24 members, and more are applying. COCAP recently posted a highly professional website.

COCAP provides its members with the opportunity to meet international partners and contribute towards the network’s consolidation in a democratic manner. Members reviewed strategies and met with COCAP’s main funder, Miseror from Germany, at a semi-annual meeting in March. Also in March, COCAP organized two meetings between government officials, NGOs, media and donor organizations, and hosted a presentation by International Alert, which was attended by aid organizations and covered by the media in Nepal.

As part of AP’s support for COCAP, AP sent a Georgetown student, Kate Kuo, to COCAP last summer. This year, AP hopes to arrange for a graduate student from American University in Washington, DC, to intern with COCAP.

• COCAP is issuing regular press updates on the current crisis in Nepal. Email or visit the COCAP website.
• Read the COCAP appeal.

Palestinian Civil Society Takes the Lead in Calling For New Nonviolent Intifada

Seventy leading Palestinians, including representatives from civil society, have called for a new nonviolent intifada (uprising) against Israeli forces.

The declaration was drafted by Middle East Nonviolence and Democracy (MEND), an AP partner, following the assassination by Israeli forces of the Hamas leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in Gaza City.

The declaration was published in the Palestinian paper Al Ayyam on March 25 and March 27, and has attracted considerable publicity. It expresses understanding at the anger felt by Palestinians, but calls for restraint: ‘At this time, when we are in a state of shock and on the brink of an emotional explosion, we call upon our people in every region of the country to be guided by the greater good of the country, and, in order to take back control from the criminal occupying gangster, to hold back the torn up feelings within us, and rise up again in a new popular nonviolent intifada, with a broad base, clear goals, and measured speech.’

The declaration is seen as a gamble because any call for a new intifada may seem to be adding fuel to the fire. On the other hand, urging nonviolence could alienate the growing number of Palestinians who feel that violence is now their only option. In spite of this debate, there was no direct response to the declaration from Hamas, and within two days 186 prominent Palestinians had signed the declaration.

MEND’s advocacy appears to be having an impact. MEND itself has produced a popular biweekly radio program (‘It’s Our House’), which promotes nonviolence and is heard by an estimated 60 percent of young people in the West Bank and Gaza. A recent feature by the US-based National Public Radio concluded that nonviolence offers a ‘competing attitude’ to militancy.

• For more information about MEND, visit their website.
• Read the blogs by AP intern Caitlin Williams who worked with MEND in 2003.

The Afghan Women's Network Calls For Urgency in Registering Women Voters, Receives $25,000 For AWN Registration

The Afghan Women’s Network (AWN), an AP partner, has criticized the United Nations mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for not moving fast enough to register women voters in advance of the September elections in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the AWN has received a grant of $25,000 from the company Working Assets for the AWN’s own registration program.

The UN’s goal is to register 10 million Afghans, out of the population of 27 million, but in a March 29 press release, the AWN says that the process has slowed because women in particular face several obstacles. These include inadequate information about the process, poor security, and lack of transportation. Additionally, many women need permission from a close male relative to register. The release urges that more mobile registration teams be sent into remote areas ‘where women are waiting eagerly’ to register.

The AWN represents 65 women’s groups and over 3,000 individuals, and its grassroots network is being put to use in registering women. According to the release, the AWN registered 1,300 women from Kabul between March 8 and March 10 alone.

An official from Working Assets, which distributes profits from its telephone and other services to nonprofits, said that the company had raised $100,000 for women’s groups in Afghanistan. It decided to grant $25,000 to the AWN after reviewing material which included coverage of the AWN on The Advocacy Project website.

Meanwhile, 30 students graduated in March from AWN’s journalist-in-training program. 143 women have graduated from the program since it was initiated last spring under the direction of AP consultant, Mary Moore. Most of the program’s women had no opportunity for higher education elsewhere.

• Visit AWN's website
• Email AWN

International Roma Women's Network Urges European Commission to Intervene on Behalf of Slovakian Roma

The International Roma Women’s Network (IRWN), an AP partner, has challenged the European Commission to intervene in Slovakia. In recent months the Slovakian government has suppressed protests by Roma over cuts in social welfare.

In a March 1 email to Romano Prodi, President of the Commission, Soraya Post, President of the IRWN, wrote that the situation in Slovakia had become intolerable. ‘We Roma cannot accept this everyday struggle just to survive any longer.’

Another AP Roma partner, the Dzeno news agency in Prague, has been publishing regular reports on the crisis in Slovakia, which erupted in February after the government announced cuts in the welfare program. These cuts are particularly damaging to Slovakia’s Roma, who suffer from an unemployment rate of 87.5 percent, compared to the national average of 14.2 percent. The cuts prompted street protests and even raids on grocery stores, which were suppressed by troops.

Following Soraya Post’s letter to Romano Prodi, the IRWN received a carefully-worded response from Arhi Palosuo, head of the EC Slovakian unit. Mr. Palosuo agreed that the Slovakian protests were related to the welfare cuts, but appeared to put the blame on the Roma by saying that the Commission rejected ‘the use of any kind of violence as a way of making social or other claims.’

The protests come as Slovakia prepares to join the European Union. Slovakia’s EU membership was supposed to be conditional on a government commitment to improve conditions for the Roma minority.

Meanwhile, the IRWN has also protested Finland’s policy to deport Roma asylum-seekers from Slovakia. About 200 Slovakian Roma have arrived in Finland so far this year, and nearly all have been rejected. Roma activists say that the violence in Slovakia justifies their asylum claim.

• Visit Dzeno’s online news service for continuing coverage of Roma issues in Europe.
• Email IRWN
• To subscribe to the IRWN email list, and receive postings, email Janette Gronfors

IRWN Uses World Roma Day to Petition British Government Over 'Discriminatory' New Housing Policy

The IRWN has asked its network of European members to lobby against a new British government housing policy that it fears will result in the segregation of Gypsies and Travelers.

Under the new policy, local councils in Britain will put land aside for ‘nomadic’ people. While Gypsy activists agree that their people need land, they feel that setting aside sites could create a kind of apartheid. They also object to the classification of Roma, Irish Travelers, and all other migratory groups as ‘nomadic.’

Catherine Beard, from the National Association of Gypsy Women said that this collective categorization would strip the Roma of their racial identity. The Association is one of the IRWN’s most active members, and it planned to present a petition to the British government on April 8, World Roma Day.

The Association has asked that IRWN members send protests to British MP Yvette Cooper, in the office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

• Read a profile of IRWN president Soraya Post by Women’s eNews.

Roma eRiders Form NGO in Bulgaria

The Roma Information Project (RIP) has officially registered as an independent nongovernmental organization in Bulgaria.

RIP originated in 2002 as a joint project of the Open Society Institute and The Advocacy Project. The aim was to train a small network of East European technology consultants (eRiders) who could serve the IT needs of Roma communities, particularly OSI-supported initiatives. Over the past 18 months, the RIP eRiders have been active in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, serving over 55 NGOs, 14 networks, and 250 Roma activists. They have helped to prepare proposals, launch web sites, and conduct technology trainings.

RIP members have also been active in the Decade of Roma Inclusion project, which was launched by the World Bank and OSI. They have served as informal information officers for their country delegations at meetings in the US and Europe.

RIP will now make its services available as a nonprofit.

• For more information contact eRider Gyula Vamosi.

Kosova Women's Network Calls For Reform of the Electoral System, Condemns Ethnic Violence

The Kosova Women’s Network (KWN), an AP partner, has called on the United Nations to change electoral procedures before next November’s elections, so as to make the process more accountable and democratic. Meanwhile, the KWN has been helping to coordinate efforts by Kosovar civil society to curb the ethnic violence that has left scores dead and set back hopes for Kosovo’s peaceful transition.

The KWN comprises 40 women’s groups, and received support from The Advocacy Project in establishing a website and newsletter. It has been a strong advocate for women’s rights since the 1999 war, and frequently clashed with the UN administration.

Under the current electoral system, Kosovars vote for a party which then decides who will represent the area in parliament. Together with two other civil society networks – Reform 2004 and the Kosova Women’s Lobby - the KWN is demanding that voters be given a chance to elect individuals.

This package has been rejected by the UN, which argues that it would require a complete overhaul and lead to confusion among voters. In addition, it would reduce the quota of seats for women, which currently stands at 30. But civil society groups say they would accept this in return for a more democratic system.

The dispute is written up in the latest issue of the KWN’s newsletter (Women’s Voice). Among other items in the KWN newsletter:

— The KWN has endorsed a joint declaration by Kosovar civil society that condemns the recent violence in Kosovo, which led to scores of deaths and caused widespread destruction. A meeting of 50 NGOs on March 19 elected an ad-hoc group to coordinate emergency activities by civil society.

— 1,160 men and women from all ethnic communities have taken part in Kosovo-wide meetings organized by the KWN to identify problems facing women in the run-up to the November elections.

— KWN will organize six workshops on the environment with a Serbian women’s group, Zora.

— KWN has played an active role in drafting a National Action Plan for Gender Equality.

• For more information visit the KWN website.

Relatives of Disappeared Tamils in Sri Lanka Demand Information as Peace Process Wobbles

Relatives of Tamils who disappeared during the conflict in Sri Lanka have threatened to ‘bring the government to a halt’ unless the Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratanga, releases the names of persons detained in prison, according to AP’s partner in Sri Lanka, the Home for Human Rights.

The threat was contained in a recent memorandum from the ‘Parents and Guardian Association for the Disappearances in the North’ and the ‘Mothers Front,’ who have been campaigning for news about their missing relatives. Disappearances in the Tamil region of Jaffna have also been the subject of discussions between the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission and the Army Commander.

The news about disappearances can be found in the monthly round-up of human rights from the Home for Human Rights, one of Sri Lanka’s oldest and most prominent human rights monitoring organizations. The group also publishes a Quarterly Journal ‘Beyond the Wall.’

Meanwhile, there is concern for the Sri Lankan peace process following the recent re-election of President Kumaratanga with an increased majority. The Tamil Tigers have threatened to renew fighting if the Tamil areas are not granted autonomy and fierce fighting has broken out between Tiger factions.

• Email the Home for Human Rights.

Vukovar Center Offers Human Rights, Community Development and Conseling to War Victims

A combination of therapy, conflict resolution and human rights advocacy is the best way to heal the trauma caused by refugee displacement and war, according to Dr. Charles Tauber, director of the Coalition for Work With Psychotrauma and Peace (CWWPP) in Vukovar, Croatia.

Vukovar was captured by Serbian forces in September 1991 after a bloody siege, and retaken by the Croatian army in 1994. The city remains a lasting symbol of the war’s devastation, and Dr. Tauber estimates that virtually Vukovar’s entire population of 30,000 residents remains traumatized. ‘The situation continues to be poor and/or is deteriorating in the region,’ he writes in the latest CWWPP newsletter. ‘Suicides and domestic violence continue to increase.  The unemployment situation remains catastrophic.’

CWWPP, an AP partner, is one of very few NGOs in Vukovar. It does important work with trauma victims and specially affected groups such as former solders and families of schizophrenics, but has an excessive workload and is underfunded. Dr. Tauber hopes that a recent redesign of the website, which includes news, conference papers, and photographs, will attract new donors.

Among its future plans, the CWWPP would like to set up a suicide prevention hotline and establish a new Field Institute for Post-Conflict Studies and Peace Building, which will offer internships, research opportunities, and partnerships with academic institutions.

• Visit the CWWPP website.

News From The Advocacy Project:

Carpet Exhibition in Washington Raises over $3,000 for Srebrenica Weavers

The Advocacy Project raised over $3,000 for displaced Bosnian women at an April 1 exhibition of traditional Bosnian carpets (kilims) in Washington, DC.

The exhibition attracted more than 100 visitors and sold ten carpets – all of them hand-woven by widows who survived the notorious 1995 massacre at Srebrenica. It was organized on behalf of AP’s Bosnian partner Bosfam, which provides support and training for displaced women in eastern Bosnia.

The AP team was introduced by AP’s Manager, Adriana Boscov. AP’s Director Iain Guest presented a short AP film about Bosfam which was filmed and edited by two former AP associates, both graduate students from Georgetown University.

Earnings from the April 1 event will go to paying the individual carpet weavers, supporting Bosfam’s weaving centers, and covering the costs of sending an AP intern from Georgetown University’s Business School to work with Bosfam this summer. The intern, Pia Schneider, will help Bosfam prepare a business plan, network with other handicraft sellers and market its own carpets.

This is particularly important for Srebrenica, which remains devastated from the war. Only 2,300 Muslims have returned so far of the town’s pre-war Muslim population of 28,000.

Small cottage industries, like Bosfam’s carpet project, offer one of the few economic incentives to return. According to Beba Hadzic, Bosfam’s Director, 45 Bosfam members have returned to villages around Srebrenica and are now weaving in their homes. The first large kilim to be produced in Srebrenica was recently completed by Hajra Dzojic on a Bosfam loom transported from Tuzla. Hajra’s brother was killed in the 1995 massacre.

• For more information about Bosfam, read the report of Marta Schaaf, who interned with Bosfam last summer.
• See the Bosfam carpets
• Carpets can be ordered by contacting AP. Online ordering through the AP website will be available soon.

New Membership Drive

The Advocacy Project is now accepting membership donations directly via its website. All donations will directly support our work with partners around the world engaged in grassroots efforts to strengthen civil society.

New Staff

The Advocacy Project would like to introduce Michal Lacy and Luis Hestres, the newest members of our core staff. Michal is a graduate student at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute and will intern with The Advocacy Project as partnership coordinator. Luis is a graduate student in Georgetown’s Communication, Culture and Technology program, and will be AP’s webmaster.

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