International: Campaign to Promote Sexual & Bodily Rights across Muslim Societies One Day Struggle 2010

On November 9, 2010, the 2nd international “One Day One Struggle” Campaign to promote sexual and bodily rights in Muslim societies will take place in 12 countries across Middle East, North Africa, South and Southeast Asia. With diverse, groundbreaking actions and events, almost 50 participating Human Rights organizations, Universities and Municipalities will simultaneously call for public attention to issues like Right to Information, Sexuality Education, Sexual Health, Bodily Autonomy and Sexual Rights of Individuals, LGBTTQ Rights, Sexual Diversity and Islam, Sexuality and Shari’a as well as the struggle to stop sexual rights violations ranging from Polygamy to killings of women, gay people and transsexuals. 

Hundreds will gather at panels, workshops, video and film screenings, theater performances, photo exhibitions and press release hearings in Bangladesh, Egypt, Ghana, Indonesia, Iran, Lebanon, Malaysia, Pakistan, Palestine, Sudan, Tunisia and Turkey to assert that sexual and reproductive rights are universal human rights based on the inherent freedom, dignity and equality of all human beings. 

Launched by the Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies (CSBR), “One Day One Struggle” is a unique effort to underscore the joint struggle against the violation of sexual and bodily rights in Muslim societies.

Human rights, including sexual and bodily rights and freedoms continue to be under fierce attack in Muslim societies. Rising conservatism fueled by militarism, increasing inequalities, the politicization of religion and Islamophobia have strengthened patriarchal and extremist religious ideologies that use sexuality as a tool of oppression. This has manifested itself in various forms over the last year, be it as the revocation of the permit for the regional Asia Conference of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex Association (ILGA) by the police in Indonesia, or the harassment of conference participants by radical Islamist groups, or political pressure on a women’s group promoting women’s rights in Islam in Malaysia, or women like Sakineh Ashtiani being sentenced to death by stoning in Iran, or killings of hundreds of women and transsexuals in Turkey under the pretext of honor and morality. 

Despite the differences among Muslim societies in terms of the progress made or the backlash encountered regarding sexual and bodily rights at the national levels; we believe that in the post 9/11 social and political context, religion is misused as a powerful instrument of control and sexual oppression with the goal of legitimizing human rights violations in the domain of sexuality. This indicates us that sexuality is not a private issue but rather a site of political, social, and economic struggles for equality, human rights, democracy and peace at the national and international levels.

“One Day One Struggle” was conceptualized in response to this context and launched on November 9, 2009. Over 20 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) successfully staged bold actions in 11 countries to promote sexual and reproductive rights in the scope of the 1st international campaign organized by the Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies (CSBR). The 1st Campaign succeeded in stirring international public attention and was very positively reviewed by national and international media and organizations who defined it as a historical and timely event. The ongoing human rights violations, as well as the international public appraisal of the 2009 campaign, have encouraged CSBR to continue this initiative and organize the 2nd “One Day One Struggle” on November 9, 2010. 

With doubled number of participant organizations from twelve countries, this year we raise our voice even more strongly to claim our sexual and bodily rights and to carry on our struggle against violations of our rights and freedoms.   

CSBR is a globally renowned solidarity network of progressive NGOs and premier academic institutions in the Middle East, North Africa, South and Southeast Asia, working to promote sexual and bodily rights as human rights in Muslim societies. www.wwhr.org/csbr.php

For more detail please contact Women for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR) - New Ways at:  newways@wwhr.org - Tel: +90 212 251 00 29 

There are two other organizations participating in the campaign, which are not named in the below list due to security reasons.

You can contact following organizations for further details on select campaign events:  

LEBANON

Nasawiya: farah@nasawiya.org

Helem 

Meem 

An independent women shelter

BANGLADESH

Manusher Jonno Foundation: mohuya@manusher.org

Bandhu Social Welfare Society

Centre for Gender, Sexuality and HIV/AIDS James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University (BRAC UNIVERSITY)

Shomporke Naya Shetu

EGYPT 

New Women Foundation: nebeid@hotmail.com

INDONESIA

GAYa NUSANTARA: gayanusantara@gmail.com 

JAMAK

Institut Pelangi Perempuan (Indonesian youth LBT Women Center): pelangiperempuan@gmail.com

IRAN

Women activists in Iran: nafise.azad@gmail.com

MALAYSIA

Sisters in Islam (SIS): nazreen@sistersinislam.org.my

Women’s Aid Organisation

All Women’s Action Society (AWAM)

Pink Triangle (PT) Foundation

PALESTINE

Women Against Violence (WAV): wav_org@hotmail.com 

PAKISTAN

Aahung: fatima.haider@aahung.org

World Population Foundation: nazoora@wpfpak.org

Organization for Participatory Development (OPD): draslambajwa@hotmail.com

TUNISIA

ATFD (Association Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates) femmes_feministes@yahoo.fr

TURKEY

Women for Women’s Human Rights – New Ways: zeynep.ozdal@wwhr.org

Umraniye Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups

Gazi Society Center Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups: denizhayat@yahoo.com

Van Women Association (VAKAD): kadindernegi@gmail.com

Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality Center for Research and Application on Women's Issues (DIKASUM): hulyadegirmencikanat21@hotmail.com

Epidem Women Education and Consultation Association

Selis Women Consultation Association

Kardelen Women Cooperative

Ceren Women Cooperative

Bağlar Women Cooperative 

Elder - Women Support Center: elder17kdm@gmail.com

Canakkale Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups

Municipality Social Works Department 

Marmaris Women Support Association: sukriyegursoy@hotmail.com

Mamak Society Center Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups: supotkal@gmail.com

Izmir Metropolitian Municipality’s City Council Women Assembly

Izmir Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups: pelinerda@hotmail.com

Akdeniz University Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups: nadak@akdeniz.edu.tr

Hatay Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups: tomruksuyu@hotmail.com

 

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ONE DAY ONE STRUGGLE EVENTS

09.11.2010

“Sexual Rights are Human Rights!”

BANGLADESH

Bandhu Social Welfare Society and Manusher Jonno Foundation will organize together a thematic discussion on sexuality and screenings of films Jihad for Love and Love for Share. 

mohuya@manusher.org

EGYPT

New Women Foundation will prepare on line visual activities through video shots and interviews on sexual education by using the new media. 

nebeid@hotmail.com

GHANA

A group of NGO’s in Ghana will hold a seminar on sexuality and the role of Islam in promoting responsible sexual behaviors and bodily rights of individuals.

INDONESIA

GAYa NUSANTARA and JAMAK will hold a Public Dialog entitled "Islam and the (Homo) sexuality" in order to abolish the restlessness among Moslem LGBTI who can’t escape from the reality of their gender and sexual identity, while at the same time would still need to meet the standards of Islamic piety.

gayanusantara@gmail.com 

Institut Pelangi Perempuan (IPP - Indonesian youth LBT Women Center) is going celebrate the launching of its long awaited website which would – a very important resource for young queer women in Indonesia. 

pelangiperempuan@gmail.com

IRAN

Women Activists from Iran will have a one-day workshop about sexuality concepts.

nafise.azad@gmail.com

LEBANON

Nasawiya, Helem and Meem will organize a viral video campaign with The Awareness Clips on the question of autonomy. Through this activity they will discuss the following questions: How are our bodies our own, our freedom of expression, our freedom to be? How do racism and sexism limit us? How does the system restrain us and our sexualities? They will share their videos on the webpage designed for the campaign and on Youtube.

farah@nasawiya.org

An independent women shelter in Lebanon will have a workshop on trauma and violence against women in the form of rape, war, abuses of all kinds.

MALAYSIA 

Sisters in Islam, Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO), All Women’s Action Society (AWAM), Pink Triangle (PT) Foundation will hold a one day workshop to talk about sexuality & Shariah.

nazreen@sistersinislam.org.my

PAKISTAN

Aahung, T2F-Peaceniche, Dugdugi will organize an event entitled Love has NO boundaries the event will be composed Film screening (excerpts from a “Jihad for Love”) followed by a short theatre performance (Tere Naam) and panel discussion. 

fatima.haider@aahung.org

Organization for Participatory Development (OPD) will organize a joint workshop with other NGO’s on Sexuality and Islam and a debate with a Reknowned Religious Scholar, regarding Sexuality and Women Rights in Islam.

draslambajwa@hotmail.com

World Population Foundation – Pakistan (WPF) is going to have a Stage performance with the theme of Breaking the silence on the issues of sexual diversities and interactive audience discussions afterwards. 

nazoora@wpfpak.org

SUDAN

An organization from Sudan will hold a symposium and public film screening on the topic of “polygamy”. 

PALESTINE

WAV (Women Against Violence) will participate to the campaign with various events on violence against women.

wav_org@hotmail.com

TUNISIA 

ATFD (Association Tunisienne des Femmes Démocrates) will organize a conference on sexual violence and sexual rights in Tunisian Penal Code.

femmes_feministes@yahoo.fr

TURKEY

Women for Women’s Human Rights - New Ways will organize an event entitled “Born free, live free?” within the framework of the event, an award winning documentary film, titled Pure Evil, which is telling the true story of Medine Memi (16 years old Turkish girl who was buried alive and killed by her father and grandfather), will be screened.  The second activity will be a panel to discuss reproductive and bodily rights as well as the control mechanisms on people’s bodies, and revealing the link between non-recognition of bodily rights and the violence against women and LGBTT people. 

zeynep.ozdal@wwhr.org

Umraniye Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups will hold a panel on disorder of sexual functions and its link to the violence, mainly women who face with violence because of their sexual function disorders.

Gazi Society Center Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups will organize a workshop on sexuality. 

denizhayat@yahoo.com

Van Women Association (VAKAD) will have the screening of the film Pure Evil followed by a discussion. 

kadindernegi@gmail.com

Diyarbakir Metropolitan Municipality Center for Research and Application on Women's Issues (DIKASUM), Epidem Women Education and Consultation Association, Selis Women Consultation Association, Kardelen Women Cooperative, Ceren Women Cooperative, Bağlar Women Cooperative will issue a press release on the control of reproductive rights of women by the State and women killings, this event will be a part of campaign which will continue until November 25). They will also show the slide show of the collection of sexual violence incidents in the past year in Turkey, in a crowded street.  

hulyadegirmencikanat21@hotmail.com

Elder - Women Support Center and Canakkale Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups, Canakkale Municipality Social Works Department will have 3 simultaneous informative sessions on sexual and bodily right in 3 different Society Centers between November 9-12.

elder17kdm@gmail.com

Marmaris Women Support Association will organize a conference on women’s sexuality to raise awareness and open up new issues of debates on sexuality. 

sukriyegursoy@hotmail.com

Mamak Society Center Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups: “I will remove violence form my life and then will continue to live”: Panel on violence against women and women killings. Panel on sexual and bodily rights 

supotkal@gmail.com

Izmir Metropolitian Municipality’s City Council Women Assembly and Izmir Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups will have the screening of the film Pure Evil followed by a discussion and a press release on sexual and bodily rights. pelinerda@hotmail.com

Akdeniz University Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups will hold panel on sexuality to raise awareness on women’s sexuality.

nadak@akdeniz.edu.tr

Hatay Human Rights Education Program (HREP) Groups will organize a demonstration and a press release on sexual and bodily rights with the slogan “Don’t touch my body, my identity, my labor”. 

tomruksuyu@hotmail.com

Contact: CSBR international coordination office; Women for Women’s Human Rights – New Ways 

e-mail:newways@wwhr.org