"Text now for women's rights": Africa mobile phone users rally for women's rights/Declaration sur les droits de la femme: les utilisateurs du telephone mobile en Afrique se mobilisent en faveur des droits de la femme.Contrary to the opinion that Africa has yet to take advantage of the information technology explosion, a growing constituency of mobile phone users, in Africa is being mobilised to send text messages in support of a petition for women's rights The effort to secure equal rights for women and to remove gender discrimination from laws, institutions, and behavioral patterns. The women's rights movement began in the nineteenth century with the demand by some women reformers for the right to vote, known as suffrage, and in Africa. Mobile phone users across the world can now send SMSs (Short Message Service/text messages) from their mobile phones to sign an online petition in support of a campaign urging African governments to ratify the African Union's Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa. "To our knowledge, this is the first time that SMS (1) (Storage Management System) Software used to routinely back up and archive files. See HSM. (2) (Systems Management Server) Systems management software from Microsoft that runs on Windows NT Server. technologies will have been used on a mass scale on the African continent in support of human rights," said Firoze Manji, Director of Fahamu, a human rights organisation that developed the technique. "The facility enables those with poor or non-existent Internet access See how to access the Internet. to sign the online petition and takes advantage of the fact that there are about eight times more mobile phone users compared to email users in Africa." Initial testing of the SMS function indicates that it will be possible for mobile phone users to send SMSs from many countries and mobile phone networks in Africa. "We cannot be certain that people in every country will be able to use this facility, but we think most should be able to," said Manji. The Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa was adopted by the African Union African Union (AU), international organization established in 2002 by the nations of the former Organization of African Unity (OAU). The AU is the successor organization to the OAU, with greater powers to promote African economic, social, and political integration, on July 11, 2003 but has not yet entered into force because only three countries (Comoros, Libya and Rwanda) out of a required 15 have ratified it to date. The Protocol covers a broad range of human rights issues and is a comprehensive legal framework that African women can use to exercise their rights. A coalition of human rights groups, Oxfam GB, Equality Now Equality Now is a non-governmental organization that works to protect the human rights of women around the world. The group provides an international framework for spreading awareness of issues and providing support to local grassroots groups working to address issues of concern to , FEMNET, CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights, Fahamu and the National Committee for Human Rights, Djibouti; the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, The Gambia; Cellule cellule /cel·lule/ (sel´ul) a small cell. cel·lule n. A small cell. de Coordination sur les Pratiques Traditionelle Affectant la Sante des Femmes et des Enfants, Guinea Conakry; the Coalition on Violence Against Women, Kenya; the Association des Juristes de Mali; the Foundation for Community Development, Mozambique; Sister Namibia; Women's Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative, Nigeria; Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa South Africa, Afrikaans Suid-Afrika, officially Republic of South Africa, republic (2005 est. pop. 44,344,000), 471,442 sq mi (1,221,037 sq km), S Africa. ; Women in Law and Development in Africa, Zimbabwe and Togo; and Akina Mama wa Afrika, Uganda, has developed a campaign to promote the ratification and popularisation Noun 1. popularisation - an interpretation that easily understandable and acceptable popularization interpretation - an explanation that results from interpreting something; "the report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence" 2. of the Protocol, which includes a petition addressed to African leaders. "Once it enters into force, the Protocol will be a powerful new tool to achieve equal rights for women in Africa. It could well serve as a model for the rest of the world," said Faiza Jama Mohamed, Africa Regional Director of Equality Now. But African countries have been slow to follow through. Echoing concerns about the lack of political will on the part of African countries to push forward with ratification, Mary Wandia of FEMNET noted, "Until it comes into force, the rights granted to women in the Protocol will simply remain hypothetical and the strenuous lobbying efforts undertaken by civil society groups to ensure that the Protocol reflects a comprehensive list of rights for women will all be wasted." "African leaders need to wake up to the fact that women constitute half of Africa's population of roughly 800 million. To indefinitely delay the institutionalisation This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. of women's rights is tantamount tan·ta·mount adj. Equivalent in effect or value: a request tantamount to a demand. [From obsolete tantamount, an equivalent, from Anglo-Norman to indefinitely delaying the development of the African continent," emphasised Rotimi Sankore, Coordinator of CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights. In the light of the UK Treasury announcement that UK aid is set to increase by UK1 billion [pounds sterling] from next year, this technology could further assist to ensure that African people The term African people can be used in two ways. First, it may refer to all people who live in Africa, see also demographics of Africa. Second, it is commonly used to describe people who trace their recent ancestry to indigenous inhabitants of Africa, in particular Sub-Saharan can influence the way that these funds will be spent in Africa. "The use of such mass- based technology is going to be critical in getting people's voices heard in the 2005 G8 meetings to be chaired by Britain's Tony Blair Noun 1. Tony Blair - British statesman who became prime minister in 1997 (born in 1953) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair, Blair ," said Irungu Houghton, Oxfam's Pan Africa Policy Advisor. Africa currently has 52 million mobile phone users and figures indicate that the continent has caught on to the global SMS fad, with 450 million SMS messages SMS message SMS n → (message m) SMS m sent in December 2002, compared to 350 million for December 2001, nearly a 30% increase in one year. AS one of the fastest growing mobile phone markets, Africa is set to reach 67 million mobile phone users by the end of 2004. Commenting on why IDRC IDRC International Development Research Centre (Canada) IDRC International Development Research Council IDRC International Disaster Reduction Conference (UNESCO) IDRC International Display Research Conference had supported this initiative, Sandy Campbell Sandy Campbell is an American actress and singer. A versatile performer, based in Southern California, she gained national attention with her debut solo CD, Crazy World. said, "Fahamu's strategy with SMS marries advocacy with the technology people actually have, not the technology we hope they have." Those wishing to SMS their support for the Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa can do so by sending an SMS to +27-83-2-93-3934, with the word 'petition' and their name in their message. Senders will be charged the cost set by their network for sending an international SMS. People wishing to subscribe to Verb 1. subscribe to - receive or obtain regularly; "We take the Times every day" subscribe, take buy, purchase - obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction; "The family purchased a new car"; "The conglomerate acquired a new company"; free SMS alerts can sign up at www.pambazuka.org. The campaign will run until December. The online petition can be signed at: http://www.pambazuka.org/petition Fahamu developed the technology enabling people to sign the online petition using mobile phones with the support of the Canadian development agency, IDRC and Oxfam GB. CONTACT DETAILS Firoze Manji Tel: +44-(0)-7980-985-997 firoze@fahamu.org Patrick Burnett Tel: +27 -21-788-3607 Patrick@fahamu.org.za Faiza Jama Mohamed Tel. +254-722-805539 fmohamed@equalitynow.org Mary Wandia Tel. +254-733-860036 wandia@femnet.or.ke Rotimi Sankore Tel: + 44 207 7875501 media@credonet.org FAHAMU Unit 14, Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA Fahamu SA Trust P.O. Box 70740, Overport, Durbon, KwaZulu Natal Natal, city, Brazil Natal (nətäl`), city (1991 pop. 606,887), capital of Rio Grande do Norte state, NE Brazil, just above the mouth of the Potengi River. 4067, South Africa Contrairement a l'opinion selon laquelle l'Afrique ne profiterait pas encore de l'explosion des technologie de l'information, une collectivite croissante d'utilisateurs du telephone mobile se mobilise pour envoyer des SMS dans le cadre d'une petition en faveur des droits de la femme La Femme is a women-only beach in Marina, Egypt which caters to Muslims who want to swim in comfort away from prying and prurient view of "men and cameras". External links
[1] en Afrique. Les utilisateurs du telephone mobile a travers le monde n. 1. The world; a globe as an ensign of royalty. Le beau monde fashionable society. See Beau monde. Demi monde See Demimonde. peuvent desormais envoyer des 'SMS' sur leur telephone mobile pour signer une petition en ligne dans le cadre d'une campagne pressant les gouvernements africains a ratifier le Protocole de l'Union africaine sur les droits de la femme en Afrique. "A notre connaissance, c'est la premiere fois que les technologies des 'SMS' seront utilisees par les masses pour soutenir les droits de l'homme", a declare Firoze Manji, Directrice de Fahamu, l'organisation des droits de l'homme qui a lance cette technique. "Cette technique permet a ceux n'ayant pas un acces facile (language) Facile - A concurrent extension of ML from ECRC. http://ecrc.de/facile/facile_home.html. ["Facile: A Symmetric Integration of Concurrent and Functional Programming", A. Giacalone et al, Intl J Parallel Prog 18(2):121-160, Apr 1989]. a l'Internet de signer la petition en ligne, etant donne que l'Afrique compte huir fois plus d'utilisateurs de telephones mobiles que d'utilisateurs des messages electroniques." Un essai initial des operations du 'SMS' indique qu'il sera possible aux utilisateurs du telephone mobile d'envoyer des 'SMS' a partir de plusieurs pays et de reseaux de telephones mobiles en Afrique. "Nous ne pouvons pas etre surs que cette technique puisse etre utilisee par les personnes de tous les pays, mais nous croyons que la plupart des personnes devrait pouvoir le faire", a declare Manji. Le Protocole sur les droits des femmes en Afrique a ete adopte par l'Union africaine le 11 juillet 2003 mais n'est pas encore entre en vigueur parce que jusqu'a present il n'a ete ratifie que par trois pays, alors que pour entrer en vigueur, il est necessaire qu'il soit ratifie par 15 pays. Le Protocole qui couvre un grand eventail de questions de droits humains, est un cadre juridique complet que les femmes africaines peuvent utiliser pour exercer leurs droits. Une coalition de groupes de droits de l'homme a lance une campagne en vue de la promotion de la ratification et la popularisation du Protocole qui comprenait une petition adressee aux dirigeants' africains. Les membres de ladite coalition sont : Oxfam GB, Equality Now, FEMNET, CREDO pour la liberte d'expression et les Droits y relatifs, FAHAMU et le Comite national des droits de l'homme de Djibouti, le Centre africain d'etudes democratiques et des droits de l'Homme de la Gambie, la Cellule de coordination sur les pratiques traditionelles affectant la sante des femmes et des enfants operant operant /op·er·ant/ (op´er-ant) in psychology, any response that is not elicited by specific external stimuli but that recurs at a given rate in a particular set of circumstances. op·er·ant adj. en Guinee Conakry; la Coalition sur la violence faite aux femmes, Kenya; association des juristes du Mali; Fondation pour le developpement communautaire, Mozambique ; Sister Namibia ; Promotion des droits de la femme et alternatives protectrices, Nigeria; Centre des droits de l'homme de l'universite de Pretoria, Afrique du Sud ; Femmes juristes et developpement en Afrique, Zimbabwe et Togo ; et Akina Mama wa Afrika, Ouganda. "Des qu'il sera entre en vigueur, le Protocole sera un nouvel outil puissant puis·sance n. Power; might. [Middle English, from Old French, from poissant, powerful, present participle of pooir, to be able; see power. permettant de realiser l'egalite des droits des femmes en Afrique. Il pourrait servir de modele au reste du monde," a declare Faiza Mohammed, Directrice regionale de Equality Now. Mais la reponse des pays africains se fait lente. Parlant du manque man·qué adj. Unfulfilled or frustrated in the realization of one's ambitions or capabilities: an artist manqué; a writer manqué. de volonte politique des pays africains a proceder rapidement a la ratification du Protocole, Mary Wandia de FEMNET a fait cette observation : "Tant qu'il n'est pos entre en vigueur, les droits accordes aux femmes dans le Protocole resteront purement hypothetiques et les efforts intenses de pression des groupes de la societe civile pour s'assurer que le Protocole incorpore une liste complete des droits des femmes n'auront servi SERVI. This name was given by the Romans to their slaves; they were so called from servare, to preserve, from the ancient practice of the generals of the army, who were accustomed to sell their captives, and preserved them rather than kill them: servi autem ex eo appellati sunt, quod a rien." Les dirigeants africains doivent se rendre compre du fait que les femmes constituent pros de 800 millions d'habitants, soit la moitie de la population africaine. Retarder retarder, n a chemical added to a substance to slow a chemical reaction, prolong the set of the material, and provide more working time. indefiniment l'institutionnalisation des droits des femmes revient a retarder indefiniment le developpement du continent africain", insiste Rotimi Sankore, la Coordinatrice de CREDO pour la liberte d'expression et les droits y relatifs. Compte tenu de l'annonce du Ministere britannique des finances qui prevoit l'augmentation de l'aide du Royaume Uni par un milliard mil·liard n. Chiefly British The cardinal number equal to 109. [French, from Old French milliart, from milion, million; see million. de Sterling britannique sa partir de l'annee prochaine, cette technologie pourrait aider les peuples africains a influencer la maniere dont ces fonds sont utilises en Afrique. Dans le meme ordre d'idees, Irungu Houghton, Conseiller politique panafricain d'Oxfam, a declare : "l'utilisation de cette technologie par les masses sera tres critique pour l'expression des voix des peuples lors du Sommet du G8 en 2005 qui sera presidee par l'Anglais Tony Blair. L'Afrique compte actuellement 52 millions d'utilisateurs du telephone mobile, et les statistiques indiquent que la mode mondiale du 'SMS' est devenue tellement populaire sur le continent que 450 millions de messages ont ete envoyes en decembre 2002, contre 350 millions en decembre 2001, ce qui represente une croissance de pros de 30% en un on. Le marche africain ayant l'un des taux de croissance les plus rapides d'utilisation du telephone mobile, les previsions indiquent que l'Afrique aura 67 millions d'utilisateurs du telephone mobile d'ici la fin de 2004. Commentant sur les raisons pour lesquelles IDRC a supporte cette initiative, Sandy Campbell a declare : "La Strategie de Fahamu concernant les 'SMS' associe le plaidoyer a la technologie que les gens gens (jĕnz), ancient Roman kinship group. It was the counterpart of what is known in other societies as a patrilineal clan or sib, and the word has been used in social science as a generic term for such groupings. possedent effectivement, et non ET NON. And not. These words are sometimes employed in pleading to convey a pointed denial. They have the same effect as without this, absque hoe. 3 Bouv. Inst. n. 2981, note. a celle Celle (tsĕl`ə), city (1994 pop. 73,670), Lower Saxony, N Germany, on the Aller River. Its manufactures include food products, electronic components, chemicals, and textiles. Wax processing and horse breeding are important locally. que nous esperons qu'ils ont." Les personnes desirant envoyer leurs SMS pour supporter le Protocole sur les droits des femmes en Afrique peuvent le faire en envoyant un SMS au numero suivant : +27-832-933934, tout en mentionnant le mot 'petition' et leur nom sur leur message. Les expediteurs devront supporter les frais d'envoi international d'un SMS etabli par leur reseau ré·seau or re·seau n. pl. réseaus or réseaux 1. A net or mesh foundation for lace. 2. Astronomy . Ceux qui desirent s'abonner aux alertes SMS gratuites sont priees de le faire au site www.pambazuka.org. La campagne se poursuivra jusqu'en decembre. Signez la petition en ligne a : http://www.pambazuka.org/petition Fahamu a elabore la technologie permettant aux gens de signer la petition en ligne a l'aide de leur telephone mobile grace au financement de l'agence canadienne de developpement, IDRC, et OXFAM GB. COORDONNEES UTILES: Firoze Manji Tel: +44-(0)-7980-985-997 firoze@fahamu.org Patrick Burnett Tel: +27 -21-788-3607 Patrick@fahamu.org.za Faiza Jama Mohamed Tel. +254-722-805539 fmohamed@equalitynow.org Mary Wandia Tel. +254-733-860036 wandia@femnet.or.ke Rotimi Sankore Tel: + 44 207 7875501 media@credonet.org FAHAMU Unit 14, Standingford House, Cave Street, Oxford OX4 1BA Fahamu SA Trust: P.O. Box 70740, Overport, Durbon, KwaZulu Natal 4067, South Africa |
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