[hr-education] "La Rosaria" newsletter #2

The Institute of Gender, Law and Development is a non-profit,
non-governmental NGO that is dedicated to the defense and promotion of the
human rights of women and children. It was founded in 1994 in Rosario and
this is their bimonthly informative bulletin.

La Rosaria
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
Number 2

Published for:  The Institute of Gender, Law and Development
España 225, 1· C, tel/fax:  4252242    		
Email: insgenar@tau.wamani.apc.org

DECEMBER 1999 & JANUARY 2000

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

In this edition:

51st ANNIVERSARY... of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Competition results ceremony of the Paraphrasing Contest.
HUMAN SECURITY: on the 5th and 6th of November, in Rosario, the first
seminar on "Civil Security and Human Rights" was held...
FIRST PRIZE: We are extremely proud to announce that Mariana Jurado García,
Susana Chiarotti and Gloria Schuster were rewarded first place winners in
the Competition of Rehearsals of the Forum by the Reproductive Rights.
UPCOMING EVENTS
DID YOU KNOW...?  Neo-Nazi congress in Chile.
HUMAN RIGHTS POETRY and Phrases: Fragments from Maya Angelou

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51st Anniversary of the Universal Declaration

December 10 is celebrated as the International Day of the Human Rights.
The Institute of Gender, Law and Development will celebrate this important
day by carrying out at the "Bernardino Rivadavia" Cultural Center, the
presentation of prizes of the Competition, "Paraphrasing the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights".  A contest borne out of the Institute and
generously supported by the Ford Foundation and PDHRE, (People's Decade
for Human Rights Education), an NGO in New York.

In this contest, school children from grades 2 and 3 of the EGB Schools of
Rosario, participated and competed with the objective of school children
learning and becoming aware of the Declaration while paraphrasing it with
their own words. The activity was publicised in all the schools of the
city, public and private. More than twenty proposals were from schools in
Rosario and surrounding areas, and all entries were submitted and
participated in, diligently with their analysis and reflection.

Final decisions were based on creativity, originality and gender-sensitive
content consisting of a well diversified and capable jury; Rosario's
Ombudsman, Secretary of the Women's Department of the Municipality of
Rosario, the School of Letters of the Humanities and Arts Faculty, the
Commission of Human Rights from the Faculty of Political Science and
International Relationship, the Ecumenical Movement for Human Rights, the
"Paulo Freire Research Institute" of the Law Faculty, Normal School Nº 1
and finally, the Program "The newspaper in the School" of the newspaper,
"El Capital".  It is important to highlight that this is the first time
that a competition of these characteristics was developed here in Rosario,
where the Universal Declaration was paraphrased by school children.  We
wish to thank all the teachers, school directors, parents and especially
students who made the contest a success with their hard work and
enthusiasm.

First prize in Investigation

Susana Chiarotti, Mariana Jurado García and Gloria Schuster, were rewarded
with the first prize in the Essay Writing Contest, "Peligro para la Vida y
la Salud de la Madre" (Danger for the Life and Health of the Mother) that
was summoned by the Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Rights. The jury
consisted of Gloria Careaga from Mexico, Eva Giberti from Argentina and
Silvia Pimentel from Brazil.

As this is a very hot and controversial topic in a mostly Catholic country
with growing concern and advocacy for women's rights, we are honoured and
encouraged by the essay itself and it's victory.

The authors won with the essay, "The forced pregnancy and the therapeutic
abortion in the mark of human rights." Who takes care of the psychic
health of a woman that suffers a forced pregnancy? Isn't psychic health
considered part of the overall health of a person? Can you consider that a
risk only exists when the life of a person is in danger?

These are some of the queries that the authors thought about. The certain
thing is that, in these days, the concept of health has changed, it has
transformed and widened, allowing us to understand that forced pregnancy
constitutes a danger to the health of a woman including her physical and
psychic integrity, which cannot be avoided but with its interruption. If
it so happens that if the interruption is not practised or used, Article
86, Parenthesis 1 of the Republic of Argentina's penal code would be
transgressing, where the punishment of abortion is exempted:

1. -  "Si se ha hecho con el fin de evitar un peligro para la vida o la
salud de la madre y si este peligro no puede ser evitado por otros medios"
(if it has been made with the purpose of avoiding a danger for the life or
the mother's health and if this danger is not possible avoided by other 
means).

2. ­ "Si el embarazo proviene de una violación o de un atentado de pudor
cometido sobre una mujer idiota o demente" (if the pregnancy comes from a
violation or of an attack of chastity made on a woman who does not have full
capacity of her mental state).

The work also outlines that the fact of denying the women the possibility
to consent to the therapeutic abortion implies a violation of basic human
rights, as it is it the right to her health. In our opinion, we believe
that the enjoyment of these liberties are indispensable for the dignity
and the free development a woman.

This essay will be published along with other winning essays.  If you are
interested in reading this material or consulting with the authors, you
can directly reach the responsible persons here at the Institute during
our regular office hours.

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First Seminar on Civil Security and our Basic Human Rights

On the 5th and 6th of November, the very first Seminar on Civil Security
and Human Rights took place.  It was attended by important local figures
including, Roberto Parrado, Head of the Uruguayan Police Force, who shared
his experiences working in Montevideo. Different focuses were exposed in
regards to security and these were focused on in small group workshops
where problems and solutions were discussed.

The topic of human security collides with the traditional notion of
security like the prevention of the damage or the attack of the 'another'
and it outlines the challenge of thinking to the group of -social and
cultural necessary conditions - to reach the security understood as an
appropriate level of well-being. The objective was to open a debate space
and reflection on the problem of the security and the human rights between
different sectors and groups of our city.

The two day seminar was enriched by the participation of: the " Dr. Juan
Carlos Gardella Center of Study and Research in Human Rights" of the
Faculty of Law - U.N.R. National University of Rosario; the Rainbow
Collective Group on sexual minority rights; a Representative from the
Department of Internal Affairs, Justice and Religion of the Province of
Santa Fé; the Ombudsman, the Policy Academy of Santa Fé; the Group "Desde
del pie" (From the foot) representing the Ludueña barrio; the Institute of
Gender, Law and Development; the Ecumenical Movement for Human Rights and
the Municipal Department of Woman in Rosario.

The topics that were approached rotated around the relationship between
personal security and our Human Rights; police reformation; the
transformations in the government concerning public security; public
security and civil security; poverty and security; security for the
minority class and the realistic dangers they face here in Rosario: women,
children, homosexuals, transvestites, lesbians; myths and security; and
the discriminatory legislation's.

Concrete proposals were also elaborated at this time so to stimulate
future encounters and advance this topic with the Rosarina community. In
the following months suggestions made during the seminar should be
implemented. These conclusions and proposals are all available from the
Institute every Tuesday and Thursday between 1pm to 5pm.

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Upcoming Events

December 1999

1: Cinema encounter debates in the community Center Ludueña Sur,
coorganized by Juana Manuela.

6: Cinema encounter debates in Maximo Paz neighborhood.

10: International day of the Declaration of Human Rights

10: Results of Competition.

22: INSGENAR office closes until January 4th...HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

***********************************************************************
Did You Know...?

"Don't discriminate against me... to be able to discriminate against!!!"

"Chile is one of the few countries in the world that lacks
anti-discriminatory legislation and protects the minorities of those who
incite racial and ethnic hate"!!!

Taking advantage of this, and arguing that there are discriminators in other
countries, the Neo-Nazi organizations of the world are preparing a National
Congress in Chile for the year 2000.

We strongly encourage those opposed and outraged by this possibility  to
sign their name to a newly created Internet page.  Hopefully this web page,
listed below,  will diffuse this story and accumulate at least - one
million, five hundred ­ signatures that will then by sent to the Chilean
Government.  Therefore, anti-discriminatory laws will be recognized and
created and not allow this so called conference to ever take place.

Web page : http://www.geocities.com/gezai/campa.htm

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Human Rights Poetry and Phrases

...We, this people, on this wayward, floating body
Created on this earth, of this earth
we have the power to fashion for this earth
A climate where every man and every woman
Can live freely without sanctimonious piety
And without crippling fear
When we come to it
We must confess that we are the possible
We are the miraculous, the true wonders of this world
That is when, and only when
We come to it.

Fragments from, " A Brave and Startling Truth" by Maya Angelou



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