 June-July 2005
American Friends Service Committee Peacework Magazine Sara Burke, Jaime Lederer Pat Farren, Founding Editor 2161 Massachusetts Ave. Telephone number: Fax number:
pwork@igc.org Peacework has been published monthly since 1972, intended to serve as a source of dependable information to those who strive for peace and justice and are committed to furthering the nonviolent social change necessary to achieve them. Rooted in Quaker values and informed by AFSC experience and initiatives, Peacework offers a forum for organizers, fostering coalition-building and teaching the methods and strategies that work in the global and local community. Peacework seeks to serve as an incubator for social transformation, introducing a younger generation to a deeper analysis of problems and issues, reminding and re-inspiring long-term activists, encouraging the generations to listen to each other, and creating space for the voices of the disenfranchised. Editorial material in Peacework is published under a Creative Commons Views expressed are those of the authors, not necessarily of the AFSC. |
Mind the Gaps: Promote Women's Human Rights Ritu Sharma is President of the Women's Edge Coalition, 1825 Connecticut Avenue NW Suite 800, Washington, DC.20009; 202/884-8396, <www.womensedge.org>. This statement is excerpted from her remarks at an International Women's Day event in San Francisco, CA, March 8, 2005. Women's freedom and economic viability are key to our collective global well-being. Yet wars, natural disasters, and economic challenges hit women hardest. To reverse this trend, we need to address the following ten gaps: 1. The education gap. Out of 120 million children not in school, more than 65 million are girls. 2. The health gap. Millions of women are dying each year from preventable causes. 3. The employment gap. Due to women's family roles in taking care of children and the household, many don't have as much time to work in the paid labor force. 4. The safety gap. Up to 58 percent of women in Latin America, Asia and Africa have experienced some form of physical violence in the home.?One in three women in the US and Europe have been battered. 5. The time gap. Women around the world work two to eight hours more than men. 6. The leadership gap. Eleven percent of parliamentarians worldwide are women; 11 to 12 percent of corporate officers are women.? 7. The money gap. Women have less access to credit than men and less control over money they earn. 8. The rights gap. In many countries, when a woman becomes widowed, she is denied land and property rights. 9. The donor consciousness gap. The best investment that donors can make is to invest in women and girls.
10. The action gap.?We need to advocate for
the US to support the rights and economic opportunities of women
around the world. 
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