The Movement To End Genocide

by Jen Nedeau

category: Global Feminism

Published November 05, 2009 @ 11:57AM PT

• 7967 Views

For those interested in global women's rights, the Pledge2Protect conference in Washington, DC should be on your agenda this weekend.

From November 6 - 9, Genocide Intervention Network's (GI-NET) student-led division, STAND, is bringing together a powerful network of 1,000 students and community leaders and activists from across the country to Capitol Hill for Pledge2Protect: a conference designed to educate, empower, and highlight the work of activists who are driving the movement to prevent and stop genocide and mass atrocities.

In collaboration with core partners Save Darfur Coalition and The Enough Project, Pledge2Protect aims to eqip activists with grassroots organizing and advocacy skills, plus in-depth education on conflicts of concern.

I am going to be attending and speaking at the conference on Saturday. My panel is called, "Internet and Politics: Leveraging the Online Space for Social Change." I am speaking with Alan Rosenblatt,  T. Neil Sroka, and  Tom Burton. I hope it will be an engaging conversation about using online efforts to create conversation around important issues such as the women's rights movement and stop genocide efforts.

For those interested in attending, here are a few other panels relevant to women's rights:

Wars against Women and the Pursuit of Peace: the Case of Darfur

Speakers:

• Jehanne Henry, Researcher, Africa Division, Human Rights Watch
• Niemat Ahmadi, Darfuri Liaison Officer, Save Darfur Coalition
• Rebecca Hamilton, Author of the forthcoming book The Promise of Engagement; Open Society Fellow; Visiting Fellow at the National Security Archives
• Mohammed Ahmed Abdallah, MD, Physician and Professor of Medicine at el-Fasher University in Darfur, Sudan, until recently director at the Amel Center for the Treatment & Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture in Darfur (RFK Prize Winner)

Featuring fresh reports from the ground in Sudan and Chad, this panel will shed light on the daily challenges faced by Darfuri women who have survived years of displacement, violence, and the endemic use of rape as a weapon of war. Panelists will discuss what the concepts of peace and security would really mean for Darfuri women — addressing areas including protection from violence; mental and physical recovery and health; women’s ability to provide for the basic needs of themselves and their children; pursuing justice for crimes in Darfur; and women’s participation in peace negotiations. Panelists will highlight how the U.S., international community, and activists can impact the daily lives of Darfuri women.

Sexual Gender-Based Violence / Rape as a Weapon of War in Congo

Speakers:

• Professor Lee Ann De Reus, Professor at Penn State University and Carl Wilkins Fellow
• Dr. Roger Luhiriri, Human Rights Advocate, Columbia University / Panzi Hospital

Frequently called the “worst place in the world to be a woman”, panelists discuss current efforts to treat sexual gender-based violence and rape in Congo and steps that can be taken to help prevent it.

Let me know if you'll be able to make the conference and please stop by the panel and say "Hello!" You can also follow the conference via Twitter here.