Nazi hunting and comfort women.

In its 8th Annual Status Report on the Worldwide Investigation and Prosecution of Nazi War Criminals, which covers the period from April 1, 2008 until March 31, 2009, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and the ´nazi hunter´ Dr Efraim Zuroff affirmed that since January 2001, there have been 76 convictions against Nazi war criminals, and at least 48 new indictments. The trial of Demjanjuk, which started today in Munich, is proof that while Nazi convictions in Germany have tended to give ridiculously low sentences, there is still political will to put these wrongs right and to bring Nazis who committed crimes against humanity to justice. Of course, none of this is shocking since Nuremberg is often cited as constituting the birth of international justice, crimes against humanity (or crimes against jewish peoples) and genocide (although it was not charged at such during the Nuremberg Trials).

What the indictments and investigations also demonstrate is that the defects of the sister Tribunal - the international military tribunal for the far east - have yet to be seriously addressed. Perpetrators of sexual slavery and other horrific fundamental rights abuses suffered by comfort women have not been brought to justice. Coming up to ten years after the people´s tribunal in Tokyo in Prosecutor v Hirohito, there remains impunity and no reparation for what these women suffered. This direct comparison with the nazi investigations, demonstrates that legal mechanisms such as universal jurisdiction exist to hold these persons to account. Let´s hope that a decade after the people´s tribunal, accountability will finally be ensured for these women.

Election of two new ICC Judges

Fantastic News! After worrying over the nomination of Colombian judge Monroy Cabra, two female judges, Kuniko Ozaki of Japan and Silvia Alejandra Fernandez de Gurmendi of Argentina, were elected today to be judges of the ICC.

All of the profiles of the nominated judges can be found here: http://www.iccwomen.org/news/docs/Profile-of-Judicial-Candidates_Nov2009_FINAL_5-Nov..pdf

The nomination and election of female judges is particularly important in the field of internationalised justice, where female judges have made a real and substantial difference concerning gender based crimes. (Think Nava Pillay in the ICTR in Akayesu and Odio Benito in the ICTY, both of whom re-qualified crimes in order to include gender based crimes). More recently in the SCSL Renate Winter started sowing classes for women so that they would be able to earn a living as a part of a victim re-integration and transformative justice programme.

The ICC Statute specificially recognises the importance of gender equality and geographical equality providing that 'state parties shall also take into account the need to include judges with legal expertise on specific issues, including, but not limited to, violence against women or children'. This knowledge is particularly important considering that gender based crimes often go unpunished.

Now, it would be nice to see the UN in general following suit and implementing a gender equality policy that ensures true parity within the UN and more specifically with regards to the implementation of 1325 and 1820.

Congratulations Judges!!

Abortion Update

The right to access safe abortion services in certain circumstances has been recognised as a human right by various UN committees and courts around the world. Despite this, (seemingly obvious conclusion) the battle to ensure that women have the right to choose remains hotly contested around the globe.

In Europe, the ECHR Grand Chamber will have to a chance to decide on the 9th of December whether Irish law violates article 8 of the Convention in A,B,C v Ireland. This case, following on from the Court's decision in Tysiac could be the most important case concerning sexual and reproductive rights decided by the Strasbourg court to date. In February 2009 the Court confirmed its decision of Open Door Counselling in Women and Waves v Portugal holding unanimously that article 10 (the freedom of expression guarantee) means that information on abortion services cannot be outlawed. The decision is important from a freedom of speech point of you, but also for sexual and reproductive health since women will be informed about alternative means to procure abortions such as those found on websites such as Women on the Web. (see http://www.womenonweb.org/)

In terms of legislation, the Spanish government are facing tough opposition from the PP (conservative party led by Rajoy) in their attempts to expand the circumstances in which women have the right to choose. While in the US abortion has been decriminalised since 1973 following the historic decision of Roe v Wade, it looks like the Stupak amendment of the health care bill will make it virtually impossible for women to obtain government subsidised abortions. This is particularly worrying since today most policies cover abortion services while in the future companies will have no incentive to provide abortion coverage, leaving as usual, those women most in need of safe abortion services without the means to access them.
(see this article on Abortion and Health Care Debate http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2009/11/23/091123taco_talk_toobin#ixzz0XDIyYCoK)

Then of course, there's Latin America, where the abortion debate is raging in Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Honduras, Nicaragua and around the continent generally. In Colombia, while the Constitutional Court found that abortion is legal and more recently that sex education in schools must teach students about the availability to therapeutic abortion in certain circumstances, the Procurador and the Consejo de Estado are doing their hardest to undermine this legal right. (see http://www.womenslinkworldwide.org/pdf_press/press_release_20091022_en.pdf) In Nicaragua, where the government criminalised abortion in all circumstances in 2008, the Constitutional Court has still failed to deliver its judgment on the constitutionality of the law pending since May 2009 (http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/nicaragua-constitutional-court-must-decide-legality-new-abortion-law-200).

Although there have been some recent victories in granting women the right to choose an abortion (Portugal and Monaco for example) sexual and reproductive rights remain de-prioritised and constantly under threat. Conservatives, Catholics and others fighting for the 'right to life' of the fetus would do well to remember that unsafe abortions deny 70,000 women globally their right to life.

Lets hope by the next update we'll have some more good news to share.

Sam Taylor Wood

Yesterday I went to the second part of the Lagrimas de Eros exhibition. While the main exhibition takes place in the Thyssen, the second part is free and held near Sol. The exhibition brings together works of all types from different centuries which are linked by a singular theme: eroticism. While walking around the small second part, I had the joys of re-discovering Sam Taylor Wood's art. Although many people huddled around the Endymion-esque Beckham, my attention was attracted by one of her self portraits which reminded me of her single shot video featuring Robert Downey Jr. for Elton John's song 'I want love' (link below). Nominated for the Turner Prize, Taylor Wood is a female artist working through mediums of photography and cinema. Her work explores themes such as the public and private and self absorbtion often including her own image in her works.

Sam Taylor Wood is my female artist of the month!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_u6l7EsQMc

Lydia Cacho

Today I was reminded about the wonders of Mexican journalist and feminist superstar Lydia Cacho and have decided to make her my 'feminist of the month'.

Ms Cacho is a political activist who has refused to be silenced and continues to defend the human rights of women and fight against corruption and impunity. This is all despite the fact that the HRC recommended that she leave Mexico and seek political asylum after she was illegally detained by police following the publication of her book 'Demons of Eden'. Ms. Cacho has won various prizes for her journalism and bravery including the Francisco Ojeda Award for Journalistic Courage and has received international recognition for her human rights activism.

More recently she has investigated the murders of women (femicidios) in Ciudad Juarez in Mexico. Hundreds of women (largely young women between 15 to 25 years old) have been sexually abused, raped, murdered and sometimes mutilated. Despite these well known facts (see also 2666 by Roberto Bolano) , there is large scale impunity for the crimes.

She is a journalistic role model for us all!!

Here is the link to her blog: http://www.lydiacacho.net/

Fighting Trafficking with Place mats?

Today the Spanish government announced a new strategy for fighting trafficking against women (trata de mujeres) by placing 5 million place mats in 13,000 bars, clubs and restaurants in the country. The ministra de igualdad provided no information on research or how the government came to the conclusion that these place mats would be an effective means of fighting trafficking.

Instead perhaps the government should think about clamping down on newspapers, which advertise prostitution services and do not have any mechanisms for ensuring that the girls and women are not victims of trafficking! El Publico should be commended for not publishing these adverts.

http://www.abc.es/20091103/sociedad-/contra-explotacion-sexual-posavasos-200911031112.html