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Jodie Martin's BlogPosted by Jodie Martin Gristmill has published a good post on thinking outside the Oxfam by Holly Richmond. It looks at a series of videos produced by Oxfam on climate change and poverty, and discusses in particular the effects on women, illustrating that climate change is a feminist issue. The feminization of poverty and the links between women and climate change are topics I’ve touched upon in articles before and the lack of action on this issue is concerning. While many Western countries are ignoring the facts of climate change, for poor and developing countries global warming is already causing serious and devastating effects on peoples’ livelihoods. It is now widely known that 70 per cent of the world’s poor are women. And big surprise, women are most likely to be the first affected, and most adversely so, by climate change. Check out Oxfam’s campaign on climate change or Friends of the Earth climate change campaigns worldwide to see how you can help. Posted by Jodie Martin It’s about time. One of Australia’s largest supermarket chains has announced paid maternity leave for its workers, making it Australia’s largest private employer to do so. As of July 2008, permanent employees who have worked for at least two years at Woolworths (including Australian Woolworths divisions Big W, Dick Smith Electronics, Dan Murphy’s and Safeway) have been able to take up to eight weeks paid maternity leave, and up to two years leave from work. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has welcomed Woolworth’s new plans and ACTU President Sharan Burrow said “it shows that the company values its women workers and wants to hold onto them. I wonder if more big businesses will follow suit? With a little more pressure, the Rudd government might just have to work on a national parental leave program sooner than they think. Posted by Jodie Martin Have you heard about the MisFortune500? MisFortune500 is a project challenging corporate practices and illegal action against women worldwide. MisFortune500 is a project of the Women’s Environment and Development Organization, a great organisation* I mentioned in my post on the top three ecofeminist organisations. A parody of the Fortune500, the MisFortune500 list exposes the corporate practices that “violate women’s rights, threatens lives and livelihoods, and destroy the environment.” The MisFortune500 list includes the details of company misconduct and the company’s response. The MisFortune500 website also highlights good practices of companies that are working to stop discrimination against women in the workplace. There are news updates, information on policy and governance, ways to get involved, advocacy tools and featured publications as well. I think MisFortune500 is a great initiative, so I hope you take a minute to check out the MisFortune500 website. Posted by Jodie Martin Ecofeminism isn’t really a *hot* topic in the news. So where can you find out more about the work of ecofeminist organisations? Below are my favourite ecofeminist organisations and their respective websites. Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) The Women’s Environment & Development Organization is an international organization that advocates for women’s equality in global policy. WEDO works closely with key global forums (including the United Nations) and “advocates for and seeks to empower women as decision makers to achieve economic, social and gender justice, a healthy, peaceful planet and human rights for all.” Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) Women’s Voices for the Earth is a U.S., women-centered environmental health and justice organisation based in Missoula, Montana. WVE “works to eliminate or substantially reduce environmental toxics impacting human health and to increase women’s participation in environmental decision-making.” Women and Life on Earth (WLOE) Women and Life On Earth is focused on cutting through the blockade of mainstream media using a multi-lingual website that provides a centre for “information, analysis and action” on peace, ecology and global justice. WLOE has offices in Berlin and Bonn, Germany. The website can be viewed in English, French, German and Spanish. I’d love to hear about your favourite websites for individuals, groups or organizations involved in ecofeminism! Posted by Jodie Martin The International Conference on Child Labour and Child Exploitation will be held from 3 to 5 August 2008 in Cairns, Australia. The Conference will "evaluate the progress and achievements made in relation to the eradication of the worst forms of child labour and will explore the challenges ahead in securing rights for children in the 21st century and meeting the Millennium Development Goals by 2015." The program will include plenaries, panel discussions and workshops for attendees. Some of the speakers will be:
For more information or to register, check out the International Conference on Child Labour and Child Exploration website. Posted by Jodie Martin On 12 June 2008, World Day Against Child Labour will be marked around the world. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), child labour is "work that harms children's well-being and hinders their education, development and future livelihoods." The theme for the 2008 World Day Against Child Labour is "education is the right response to child labour." The ILO has highlighted three key aims:
I think this is a great theme as the economic exploitation of children can only end when education is accessible to all children. This is a child's right. ILO estimated that some 165 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are involved in child labour, damaging to their mental and physical health and their future. According to the ILO website: "Child labour is closely associated with poverty. Many poor families are unable to afford school fees or other school costs. The family may depend on the contribution that a working child makes to the household’s income, and place more importance on that than on education. And when a family has to make a choice between sending either a boy or girl to school, it is often the girl who loses out." The right to education is a fundamental human right, and humanitarian organizations such as the ILO and the United Nations say that that education is essential for exercising other human rights and development. You can find out more about World Day Against Child Labour by visiting the official website. Posted by Jodie Martin Are you an activist looking for better ways to manage your campaign? Or a beginning activist wanting to find out how to get more involved? These top three free activism guides should help you to achieve your goals! The guides below focus on youth, social and student environmental activism but they are useful for activists in all areas. 1. Youth Activism: The Freechild Project "Guide to Social Change Led By and For Young People" by Adam Fletcher and Joseph Vavrus looks at the cycle of youth engagement, youth issues and actions, and tools for youth activism. - Guide to Social Change [PDF] 2. Social Activism: Oxfam America has produced an excellent "Just Add Consciousness: A Guide to Social Activism" is an excellent resource for beginning activists. The guide covers mobilizing people to take action, educating your community, influencing key decision-makers, and how to organize campaigns and get media coverage. - Just Add Consciousness [PDF] 3. Student Activism: Student Environmental Action Coalition offers a free online version of its 104-page "SEAC Organizing Guide". This guide is great for both beginners and experienced activists. It covers all angles of student organizing and action, including information on starting or reviving a group, launching a campaign, building your organization and mobilizing students. - Organizing Guide [PDF] Posted by Jodie Martin For readers in NW US interested in animal rights, a great conference is being held at the end of June and all are welcome. The Let Live North West Animal Rights Conference will be held from June 27 to June 29, 2008 in Portland, Oregon at Portland State University. The conference aims to provide a grassroots forum for new and experienced animal rights activists to learn skills and strategies for better advocacy for animals. The Let Live crew states on their website that "animals belong to themselves, not to us. They should not suffer in our systems of food, science, entertainment and fashion. Instead, they should live free of the tyranny we put upon them. But they cannot claim this freedom alone." The conference organizers hope to bring together people who want to help, and to work to build a stronger animal liberation movement. Let Live NW Animal Rights Conference is being organized by Vegans for Animal Advocacy and is supported by No Compromise, Herbivore Magazine and Food Fight Grocery. Some of the confirmed speakers for the conference include Lauren Ornelas (Food Empowerment Project), Peter Young (a former animal liberation prisoner), Isa Chandra Moskowitz (The Post Punk Kitchen), Pulin Modi (PETA2), and more great speakers from fantastic animal advocacy groups. Topics at the conference workshops and seminars will include media training, organizing a grassroots group, dealing with law enforcement, student activism and campaign development, strategy and tactics. Let Live are suggesting a registration donation of $10 (to help with the costs of the event). Due to space restrictions, they're limiting the number of attendees to 250 people, so get in quick and register on their website! |
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