US embassy recognizes Indonesian NGO`s fight against gender violence

Antara News, Thu, December 8 2011

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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The US Embassy`s Political Section has presented Misiyiah of the women`s advocacy NGO KAPAL Perempuan with a certificate of appreciation recognizing her work with abused women in Ciliwung, West Java.

The embassy said in its official website here on Thursday that the appreciation was provided on December 5, in conjunction with the NGO`s 16 Days Campaign to End Gender Violence.

Misiyiah led KAPAL Perempuan`s efforts to develop a curriculum on gender equality, women`s rights, and economic empowerment at the grassroots level. She also mobilized volunteers to teach underprivileged women in an informal setting in rural areas of West Java. All of the teachers who participated in KAPAL Perempuan`s project were volunteers.

Misiyiah graciously accepted the award, saying that KAPAL Perempuan`s volunteers did the real work. Misiyiah added that her organization still had much work to do. She noted that gender equality and religious tolerance go hand-in-hand.

She said she hopes that her organization would one day be able to spearhead the effort to get modules on gender equality and religious tolerance included in the national curriculum.

The 16 Days Campaign to End Gender Violence began in 1991 when the Center for Women`s Global Leadership (CWGL) of Rutgers University, along with 23 participants of the first Women`s Global Institute on Women, Violence and Human Rights, called for a global campaign to end all forms of violence against women.

Participants chose the dates, November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and International Human Rights Day on December 10, to bookend the campaign to emphasize that violence against women and girls is a violation of human rights.

This groundbreaking idea was proclaimed by Secretary Clinton, then serving as First Lady, in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing - the first time the connection between women`s rights and human rights was articulated at such a high level.

Editor: Priyambodo RH