TERM 1, 2018

ESSENTIAL KIT FOR CHANGEMAKERS

Amnesty International Australiawww.amnesty.org.au

Start Something

WOMEN’S RIGHTS

TERM 1 2018: WOMEN’S RIGHTS

Never miss an issue Sign up to receive an email with new school resources at the start of each term and find previous resources at: www.amnesty.org.au/schools

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL START SOMETHING TERM 1, 2018

Inside this kit:Women’s rights around the world

Women human rights defenders you should know about

Giving girls in prison a brighter future

Time’s up for Twitter: violence against women online

Like this resource? Tell us about it!youth@amnesty.org.au

@amnestyOz Facebook.com/amnestyOz

Coming up in 2018: TERM 2: The rights of refugees and asylum seekersOver 1.19 million women, men and children need to be resettled in a safe country, yet only 30 countriesoffer just over 100,000 annual resettlement places.

TERM 3: The rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peopleGet a better understanding of the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and learnabout the contemporary issues facing Indigenous children.

TERM 4: Defend the braveStand up for some of the bravest people around the world who face persecution, jail and harm – just for peacefully defending human rights.

Cover: Malala Yousafzaidefied the Taliban to call for access to education forwomen and girls in Pakistan.Here she accepts Amnesty’s2013 Ambassador ofConscience award in Dublin,Ireland. © AI

Amnesty International is an independent, globalmovement that campaigns courageously for humanrights for everyone. We use our passion andcommitment to bring torturers to justice, changeoppressive laws and free people imprisoned justfor voicing their opinion. We campaign, conductresearch and raise money for our work. Our activemembers, such as school action groups, play avital role in achieving our aims through writingletters, sending online actions, organising creativeawareness-raising activities and fundraising intheir communities.

Amnesty Internationalacknowledges the traditionalowners of the land on whichour offices are situated. We thank the elders past andpresent for their continuedcustodianship. This alwayshas been and always will beAboriginal land.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL START SOMETHING TERM 1, 2018

Note from Naomi

Welcome back! I hope you had a really great summer break and areready to take on another year of human rights action and social change.2018 is going to be big and it’s fantastic to have you on board.

We’re kicking off 2018 with a focus on women’s rights. Women and girlsare entitled to all of the rights enshrined in the Universal Declarationof Human Rights, including the right to live free from discrimination,slavery and violence. Yet, some women and girls are still denied thesebasic rights simply because of their gender.

In this issue we are highlighting some brave women fighting for theirrights; looking at the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islandergirls within the justice system; and investigating the impact thatonline abuse has on women.

What else is coming up in 2018? Each term we are going to explore an area of human rights that Amnesty is working on, in Australia andaround the world. We’ll give you loads of background info, up-to-datestats, challenging and inspiring stories of human rights defendersworking to make the world a safer place for everyone – and of course,we’ll help you create change and inspire others to do the same.

Remember to get in touch throughout the year at youth@amnesty.org.au.Thank you again for everything you did last year to stand up andcreate change for human rights. We can’t wait to see what you’llachieve in 2018.

Cheers

NaomiYouth CoordinatorAmnesty International Australia

© AI

Meet the Schools Network Outreach TeamAmnesty International’s Schools Network Outreach Team, fondly known asSNOTs, works to help empower students and teachers to take action forhuman rights and encourage a deeper understanding of human rights issuesand social change. Schools Outreach Teams support student activismthrough diverse events, programs and leadership opportunities andencourage students to be the change they wish to see in the world. SNOT teams are able to support schools in the following ways:

• School visits: deliver presentations and workshops about AmnestyInternational, human rights and campaigns.

• School group support: help students and teachers start and buildAmnesty action groups.

• Resources for students and schools: provide schools, students andgroups with campaign information, resources and materials.

You can find out more and request a visit by getting in touch atyouth@amnesty.org.au or by completing the online form at amnesty.org.au/schools

Success stories2017 had some incredible moments of hope, inspiring activism, and morethan a few moments to celebrate! Here are a few of our favourites.

AUSTRALIA PASSES MARRIAGE EQUALITY

Australia finally said yes to marriage equality, with parliament passingamendments to Australia’s marriage laws to include same-sex couples in December. Amnesty’s NSW LGBTQI Network Convenor Lizzi Price said:“This is a historic and long-overdue moment for Australia. This outcome is due to the hard work, determination, and courage of so many people.LGBTQI Australians, community groups, activists and allies stood up, spoke out and built an unstoppable movement for equality. For that alone,there is such a lot to celebrate here.”

JOURNALIST FREED IN UZBEKISTAN

Muhammad Bekzhanov was freed after 17 years in prison in Uzbekistan. He was one of the longest-imprisoned journalists in the world. Over 100,000people worldwide wrote for his freedom.

CHELSEA MANNING WALKS FREE

Chelsea Manning walked free on 17 May last year, after her 35-year prisonsentence was reduced by outgoing US President Barack Obama. She hadbeen jailed for exposing classified information, including evidence of possiblewar crimes committed by the US military. More than a quarter of a millionpeople wrote demanding her release as part of our Write for Rights campaignin 2015. In a letter to Amnesty, she wrote: “I support the work you do inprotecting people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.”

COMPANIES RESPOND TO PALM OIL ABUSES

Following Amnesty’s report, The Great Palm Oil Scandal, which exposedlabour rights abuses on Wilmar’s palm oil plantations in Indonesia, workershave now reported improvements to their working conditions and terms ofemployment. The workers are now being paid a daily wage not linked totargets, they have received wage increases, and most of the women workershave been made permanent.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL START SOMETHING TERM 1, 2018

Amnesty supporters at a marriage equalitycelebration in Perth. © Private

Muhammad Bekzhanov © Private

Chelsea Manning© Jim Spellman

A child working on a palm oilplantation in Indonesia. © AI

Our NSW SNOT teamtake a selfie! © Private

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL START SOMETHING TERM 1, 2018

Women’s rights around the world

Women and girls are entitled to all of the rights enshrined in the UniversalDeclaration of Human Rights, including the right to live free fromdiscrimination, slavery and violence. Yet, some women and girls are stilldenied these basic rights, simply because of their gender.

WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE?

Despite improvements in the lives and experiences of women and girls,many continue to experience discrimination and violence as part of theireveryday lives.

Around the world women and girls are prevented from making decisionsabout their lives and bodies. Too many still experience violence, as well asother abuses of their human rights, including being:

• forced into child marriage

• denied sexual and reproductive rights

• denied access to education and political participation

• denied equal rights with men, including a lack of equal participationand workplace protection

• subjected to discriminatory laws relating to marriage and divorce.

Amnesty International campaigns to ensure that women and girls are able to live with dignity and equality, free from discrimination and violence and are empowered to make decisions about their own bodies and lives.

Some things we want to see:

• governments stop using criminal law to control women’s reproductive rights

• governments prohibit all forms of violence against women.

• women are empowered to make their own decisions about their bodiesand live their lives without interference from others

• sexual and reproductive health services, education and informationare available and easy to access

Almost 750 million women and girls

alive today were married before their

18th birthday.

i

Amnesty members and supporters jointhe women’s march in Washington DC,21 January, 2017. © Amnesty USA

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL START SOMETHING TERM 1, 2018WOMEN’S RIGHTS AROUND THE WORLD

WIDESPREAD DISCRIMINATION

From legislations that forbid women from working at night, to loopholesthat let sexual offenders go free by marrying their victims, sexist laws stillexist today.

In Russia, the government recently voted to decriminalise domestic abuse.The new law states first-time offenders will no longer face criminal charges,and repeated offenders will receive leniency so long as the abuse “happensno more than once a year”.

In Northern Nigeria, a man is allowed to hit his wife so long as he can provethat the beating is “for the purpose of correcting his wife” and does notresult in “grievous bodily harm”. The same clause defines “bodily harm” as injuries that leads to over 21 days of hospitalisation.

In Iran, a woman can be jailed for ignoring the country’s strict dress code.Iran’s strict dress code requires women to wear a hijab in public, or risk finesand up to a two-month jail term. In 2016, an Iranian woman was arrestedfor posting a photo of herself without a hijab on Instagram. In recent years,a website called My Stealthy Freedom encourages Iranian women to postphotos of their uncovered heads in protest of the law. The movement hassince gained over 1 million Facebook followers.

WHERE DOES VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN FIT IN?

The UN defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violencethat results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harmor suffering to women.” Violence against women continues to be one of themost prevalent human rights abuses in Australia, and around the world.

At home:• One in three women in Australia will experience violence in her lifetime

and one in five will experience sexual violence.

• Australian police deal with 5,000 domestic violence matters on averageevery week.

THE MOVEMENT FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS

Thanks to the hard work of many incredible, inspirational women over many years, we are gaining ground towards achieving equality for women and girls. In early 2017 the Women’s March on Washington in the US sparked hundreds of similar marches all across the world – with an estimated 5 million people participating. According to the Washington organisers it was meant to “send a bold message to our new administration on their first day in office, and to the world that women’s rights are human rights”.

Another piece of good news – from June this year, women in Saudi Arabia will be legally allowed to drive for the first time. Women activists in Saudi Arabia have been campaigning for the right to drive for years.

Change is possible – and it’s happening every day.

11-year-old Jenabou (right) from the villageof Boguera in Central African Republic. © AI

Amnesty supporters celebrate International Women’s Day 2017 in Argentina. © Amnistía Internacional Argentina

Amnesty ‘Shine a light’ event in Vienna,Austria, 2011. © Laurent Ziegler

Moroccan activists call on governments around theworld to protect women’s rights, 8 March 2014. © AI

8MAR

International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8 March. Mark it on your calendar!

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL START SOMETHING TERM 1, 2018WOMEN’S RIGHTS AROUND THE WORLD

Women human rights defendersyou should know about

MALALA YOUSAFZAI, PAKISTAN

Perhaps one of the most famous women’s rights activists of today,Malala Yousafzai campaigns for girls and women’s rights toeducation. For her peaceful activism, Malala was shot in the headby a Taliban gunman in 2012, but survived and went on to receivethe Nobel Peace Prize. Malala now lives in the UK where shecontinues her work for women and girls’ rights to education.

One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.Malala Yousafzai

WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS, CHINA

In March 2015 the Chinese authorities detained women’s rights activists Wu Rongrong, Wei Tingting, Li Tingting, Wang Man and Zheng Churan on suspicion of ‘picking quarrels and provoking troubles’. Their crime? The women had made stickers with slogans saying “stop sexual harassment, let us stay safe” and “go police, go arrest those who committed sexual harassment!” which they had planned to distribute at International Women’s Day events.

Just over a month later the women were released on bail, after pressure from the global community and Amnesty supporters.

© AI

(Left to right) Wu Rongrong, Wei Tingting, Li Tingting, Wang Man andZheng Churan. © Private

Brave human rights defenders across the globe are risking it all to protectthe rights of others. This term we’re looking at just a few of the women who are standing up and making their voice heard for human rights.

KHADIJA GBLA, AUSTRALIA

Khadija Gbla was born in Sierra Leone andresettled in Australia with her family as ateenager. Khadija survived female genitalmutilation (FGM) at the age of nine, but hadblocked out the trauma of the event until shereached adulthood.

“I knew then that this terrible act of childabuse had happened to me and it washappening to other little girls across theworld,” says Khadija. Khadija later co-foundedNo FGM Australia, an organisation thatsupports survivors of FGM and educates girlswho might be at risk of FGM. Though shereceives constant threats over her advocacywork, she says it’s all worthwhile when shehears the words: “You saved my life”.

ARETHA BROWN, AUSTRALIA

Aretha is a 17-year-oldGumbayngirr woman living in Melbourne who is proudlymaking her mark to achieveequality and justice for bothIndigenous and LGBTQI peoples.Her achievements include beingthe first first female elected to the National Indigenous Youth Parliament. She has alsoappeared on ABC’s QandAProgram and has spoken atMelbourne invasion day rallies –in front of 50,000 people!

© Private

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL START SOMETHING TERM 1, 2018WOMEN’S RIGHTS AROUND THE WORLD

SHACKELIA JACKSON, JAMAICA

In 2014 a police officer shotShackelia Jackson’s brother,Nakiea, while he was working inhis shop. Nakiea died from hiswounds.

Shackelia took on the Jamaicancourt system to fight for justice.Since speaking out, Shackeliaand her family have been raided,harassed and intimidated bypolice but refuse to be silenced.

School students in Australiawrote letters on behalf ofShackelia and Nakiea in Term 4last year, calling on the PrimeMinister of Jamaica to protectShackelia and ensure justice forall those killed by police.

Shackelia wrote to Amnesty International supporters recently to say thank you:

You gave me a source of hope; to live again, to dream again … continue to be a beacon of change and a light unto our pathway. I am excited by the prospects of our sustainedpartnership for the best is yet to come.

PHYOE PHYOE AUNG,MYANMAR

The Myanmar authoritiesimprisoned student activistPhyoe Phyoe Aung in March2015 after she helped organisea student protest. After spendingjust over 12 months in prison,Phyoe Phyoe Aung was releasedas part of a prisoner amnesty in Myanmar. Amnesty activistswere very vocal in calling forPhyoe Phyoe Aung’s release and in Australia we sent over30,000 letters, emails, tweets,and petitions for her.

Since the start of 2014, theauthorities in Myanmar haveincreasingly stifled peacefulactivism and countlessjournalists, human rights defenders and students have been threatened,harassed and jailed for nothing but peacefully speaking their minds.

Thank you very much each and every one of you. Not just for campaigning for my release, but forhelping to keep our hope and our beliefs alive.Phyoe Phyoe Aung

ACT NOW >>Ready to defend human rights? Read Buzainafu’scase file below, then write a letter to the Chineseauthorities calling on them to release Buzainafuimmediately. There’s an example letter to help youget started below.

BUZAINAFUABUDOUREXITI, CHINA

Buzainafu Abudourexitiis facing the risk oftorture and terribleconditions in the UrumqiWomen’s Prison, China.

The Chinese authoritiestook BuzainafuAbudourexiti from herparents’ home in March.

She was sentenced in asecret trial to seven yearsin prison. No one hasbeen able to communicate with her and her family don’t even know what she’s been charged with.

Buzainafu Abudourexiti belongs to the Uighur ethnic minority group in China. For decades the Chinese authorities have targeted the Uighur, detaining and imprisoning them without trial, banning the Uighur language and imposing severe restrictions on freedom of religion.

At the time of her arrest Buzainafu Abudourexiti was newly married and about to join her husband in Australia where they could begin their lives together.

Address your letter to:Jingye ChengAmbassadorEmbassy of the People’s Republic of China 15 Coronation Drive Yarralumla ACT 2600

Start you letter with: Your Excellency

Example letter:Your Excellency,

I am concerned for Buzainafu Abudourexiti who is serving seven years following a secret trial inJune 2017. She is currently held incommunicadoin Urumqi Women’s Prison, where she is at graverisk of torture and other ill-treatment.

I am calling for the immediate and unconditionalrelease of Buzainafu Abudourexiti, unless there is sufficient credible and admissible evidence that she committed an internationally recognisedoffence and is granted a fair re-trial in line withinternational standards.

Please ensure that Buzainafu Abudourexiti hasregular, unrestricted access to family and lawyersof her choice, and is not subjected to torture andother ill-treatment, and receives regular andunrestricted access to medical care on request or as necessary.

Yours sincerely

© Private

© AI/Richard Burton

© Private

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL START SOMETHING TERM 1, 2018

Giving girls in prison a brighter future

If you think of a children’s prison, you might picture a yard of boys. But girlsare very much the hidden face of kids in prison, and their invisibility increasesthe potential for abuse and discrimination. It’s time for girls to have theirvoices heard and rights respected.

THE ISSUE

Amnesty has reports of girls in Australia’s youth prisons being kept ininappropriate conditions, humiliated and subjected to strip searches andsexual abuse. Girls in youth detention in the Northern Territory andQueensland have reported sexual abuse and harassment by staff. Concernshave been raised in Western Australia and Victoria over attitudes of staff andother detainees towards girls in detention, with jokes about violence againstwomen, threats of rape, and belittling language not uncommon. In onereport, prison staff subjected a girl to 72 hours of solitary confinement.

Indigenous girls are over-represented in youth detention, and have oftenfaced violence or disadvantage in their lives. Locking up more girls is not the way forward. There’s a simple solution – keeping girls strong in cultureand community, and we need you to get behind it.

THE SOLUTION

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have the answers when itcomes to helping kids out of the quicksand of the justice system. There areso many incredible Indigenous-led programs that empower Indigenous girlsand help prevent them getting caught in the prison system. Here are just a few:

1. Deadly Sista Girlz. Delivered by strong Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander role models through the Wirrpanda Foundation, Deadly Sista Girlzhelps Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls build their self-esteemand identity, and become leaders in their community.

2. Sisters Inside. For almost a decade Sisters Inside have run weekly artworkshops for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls, to connect withtheir culture and be mentored by older women. These workshops culminatein auctions to raise funds for the program.

3. Yiriman Project. The Yiriman Project is an Indigenous-led cultural programfor kids at risk of being caught in the justice system. The Yiriman Projectcontributes to the healing of young people, provides an opportunity todevelop and assert culture, language and bush skills, and createsmeaningful employment that values and maintains culture.

ACT NOW >>Write a letter to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulland ask him to commit to investing in Indigenous-led prevention and prison programs that empoweryoung women.

Start your letter with: ‘Dear Prime Minister’.

In your letter ask the Prime Minister to:

1. stop the abuse of girls in detention

2. show leadership on this national crisis

3. invest in Indigenous-led prevention and prisonprograms for girls.

Post your letter to: Amnesty Youth Team, PO Box 3178,Rundle Mall SA 5000. We will tally your letters andsend them in one big batch to the Prime Minister.

LISTEN IN

Learn about race, inequality and the justice systemfrom some of the strongest women around … with TED talks!

TEDWomen 2016: A Conversation with thefounders of Black Lives Matter: Born out of a socialmedia post, the Black Lives Matter movement hassparked discussion about race and inequality acrossthe world. Here the movement’s three foundersshare what they’ve learned about leadership andwhat gives them hope and inspiration in the face ofpainful realities. Their advice on how to participatein ensuring freedom for everybody: join something,start something and “sharpen each other, so thatwe all can rise.”

TEDxFulbright Sydney 2017: Free to Be Kids – We Need to Overhaul the Youth Injustice System:Roxanne is a Noongar woman and human rightslawyer from Margaret River in Western Australia.She is an Indigenous Rights Campaigner withAmnesty International, focussing on youth justice.

1. Once you’ve checked them out, share themwith three people.

2. Seen a great TED Talk? Know a great humanrights podcast? Send suggestions toyouth@amnesty.org.au – first three people tosend through their ideas will get some Amnestymerch in the post.

Activists create a ‘sea of hands’ outside Parliament House toprotest the high rate of Indigenous kids in prison. Canberra,November 2017. © AI

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL START SOMETHING TERM 1, 2018

Time’s up for Twitter: violence against women online

Research by Amnesty International has revealed the huge impact that abuseand harassment on social media are having on women, with women aroundthe world reporting stress, anxiety or panic attacks as a result of theseharmful online experiences.

Social media plays such a huge role in our everyday lives – we use it to keepin touch with friends, family and what’s happening in the world. It’s how welearn about music, movies and sport, how we share stories, and how we reachout to change makers. But the actual experience of many women show thatfor many of us social media is a space of fear, threats and potential violence.

Amnesty International heard from 4,000 women between the ages of 18 and55 in Denmark, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Sweden, the UK and theUS about their experience with social media. Nearly a quarter (23 per cent)of the women surveyed across these eight countries said they had experiencedonline abuse or harassment.

In a similar survey of 500 women in Australia, 47 per cent of those aged18–24 said they had experienced abuse or harassment online.

People protest for respect for human rights inthe Middle East and North Africa, holding uptheir mobile phones in solidarity. London, UK,12 February 2011. © AI

SupportIf you have experienced harassment or bullying,there are people you can talk to. Please reach outto a teacher, school counsellor or family member, or speak to someone at:

Lifeline: 13 11 14

Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800

Or online at headspace.org.au

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL START SOMETHING TERM 1, 2018TOXIC TWITTER: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ONLINE

ACT NOW >>The world is watching and calling out the abusewomen face at work, at home, in public and online.It’s time for Twitter to get on board.

Twitter isn’t doing enough to address the abuse andviolence that women are facing online. It’s their dutyto make sure that women can use Twitter equallyand without fear.

What we’re asking Twitter to do:1. Enforce its own policies on hateful conduct

and abuse.

2. Increase transparency around how it is tacklingonline abuse and share data about the levels ofabuse on their platform – and their response to it.

ACT NOW

Make copies of the Twitter Action Card included in your issue of Start Something – and then make a list of people in your school community to talk toabout this. You could talk to:

• your principal

• other teachers

• digital technology classes.

Use these key messages:• Women are silenced and driven off Twitter

by rampant abuse on the platform.

• Toxic abuse of women on Twitter is poisoningthe platform.

Ask them to add their voice and take action with a Twitter Action Card.

Post your signed action cards to: Amnesty YouthTeam, PO Box 3178, Rundle Mall SA 5000. We will add them to the tally and make sure theyget to Twitter Headquarters.

Online abuse against women is rampant, and Twitter is amongthe worst platforms. © AI/Karen Veldkamp

Social media has helped enhance freedom of

expression… But as offline discrimination and

violence against women have migrated into the

digital world, many women are stepping back

from public conversations.

Azmina Dhrodia

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Azmina Dhrodia is Amnesty International’s researcher on technology and human rights, and she says that online abuse against women can create lingering damage.

“It’s no secret that misogyny and abuse are thriving on social media platforms, but this research shows just how damaging the consequences of online abuse are for the women who are targeted,” she says.

“This is not something that goes away when you log off. Imagine getting death threats or threats of abuse whenever you open an app, or living in fear of personal and private photos being shared online without your consent.”

“The real danger of online abuse is how fast it can escalate – one abusive tweet can become an avalanche of targeted hate in a matter of minutes. Social media companies need to truly start taking this problem seriously.”

WOMEN ARE BEING SILENCED

Social media platforms, especially for women and marginalised groups, are an important space for individuals to exercise the right to freedom of expression. Online violence and abuse are a direct threat to this freedom of expression.

Over three quarters of the women surveyed who had experienced abuse or harassment on a social media platform made changes to the way they use the platforms, such as no longer posting content that expressed their opinion on certain issues.

SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES NOT DOING ENOUGH

All types of violence and abuse online need a strong response – from governments, the companies that own them, and the community.

Social media platforms state that they do not tolerate targeted abuse on the basis of a person’s gender or other forms of identity, and now more than ever they need to enforce their own community standards. They should also enable users to utilise security and privacy measures such as blocking, muting and content filtering. This will allow users to have a less toxic and harmful online experience.

“Social media companies have a responsibility to respect human rights, including the right to freedom of expression. They need to ensure that women using their platforms are able to do so freely and without fear,” says Azmina Dhrodia.

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Print this page at 100% (make sure ‘fit to page’ or ‘shrink to fit’ are not ticked in the printing options),

then fold here so the images are back to back.

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