2011 Peace and Global Security Workshops
Together we will explore ways that we can organize in our communities to address issues related to peace and global security. Topics will include the role of women in peacebuilding, disarmament and transitional justice; the current deficit hysteria and how we can be both fiscally and morally responsible on the budget; the future of peacemaking and the Church: just peace and the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation; refugee resettlement as a peace and security tool for women and children; ending practices of torture and abuse, with a particular look at practices that impact women including shackling women prisoners during childbirth; selective conscientious objection and women in the military; and ending the war in Afghanistan responsibly, including the vital role of women.
Workshops Coordinator: T.C. Morrow, Director of Finance, National Religious Campaign Against Torture
Saturday, March 26, 2011
The Future of Peacemaking and the Church: Just Peace and the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation (IEPC)
No additional information provided.
Deficit Hysteria: How Can we be Both Fiscally and Morally Responsible on the Budget?
(Co-sponsored with Domestic Workshops)
Current political rhetoric centers a good deal around the deficit, the debt and the fiscal peril facing the nation. What are the real issues at stake? How does our national checkbook reflect our priorities as a national community? Is our spending really driving this impending financial doom? What federal spending is worth our investment, and what only makes us more vulnerable in the long run? Come learn from experts on the federal budget, who will discuss these issues and delve into the serious threats currently facing spending for those most in need; urge intense scrutiny of the military budget and U.S. continuing investments in nuclear weapons; and discuss how all of these issues impact vulnerable communities – women and girls, in particular.
Speakers:
- Amelia Kegan, Policy Analyst at Bread for the World
- Katherine Gallagher Robbins, Senior Policy Analyst at the National Women’s Law Center
- Kathy Crandall Robinson, Public Policy Director at WAND (Women’s Actions for New Directions)
Moderator: Leslie Woods, Representative for Domestic Poverty & Environmental Issues at the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) Office of Public Witness.
Role of Women in Peacebuilding, Disarmament and Transitional Justice
Ten years after UN Security Council Resolution 1325 was passed, the role of women in the fields of peacebuilding, disarmament and transitional justice is increasingly significant. Women are engaged in critical peacebuilding processes, from facilitating peace talks between warring parties to peace-keeping during and after conflict, from negotiating major peace treaties to serving on truth commissions and shaping disarmament-related policies at the United Nations and in the U.S. government. In this session hear women involved in these fields discuss their experience and the impact women can have in this area.
Speakers will include: Sister Elsie Monge, MM, President of Ecuador’s Truth Commission (2009-10)
Refugee Resettlement as a Peace and Security Tool for Women and Children
Refugees are people who cannot return to their home country due to a well-founded fear of persecution because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Approximately 50 percent of those uprooted are women and girls. Stripped of the protection of their homes, their government and often their family structure, women and girls are particularly vulnerable. Of the 10 million refugees worldwide, a mere 1 percent are referred for resettlement to another country. Join us for a time of testimony and discussion about how the United States promotes peace and security abroad and at home by choosing to welcome these courageous and resilient men, women and families into our communities. Come hear testimony, learn about the refugees resettled with the help of congregations like yours and how you can be a part of this important tool to provide safety from violence and oppression.
Ending the War in Afghanistan Responsibly: Demilitarization, Development, and the role of Afghan Women
(Co-sponsored by Middle East and Asia/Pacific)
No additional information provided.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Women Survivors of Torture and of Shackling during Childbirth: Ending Torture and Abuse in the U.S. and Abroad
This workshop will feature as speakers a woman who was shackled during childbirth when she was in prison in Arkansas and a woman from Cameroon who was tortured by her government. It will also examine the nature of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons and the harm it can cause to prisoners. The panel discussion will conclude with good news about the efforts of the religious community to end these abuses and with suggestions for working on this issue in your congregation and community.
Speakers:
- Shawanna Lumsey, who was shackled during the birth of her son
- Cecile Okala, a torture survivor from Cameroon
- Amy Fettig, Staff Counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project
- Linda Gustitus, President of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.
Selective Conscientious Objection and Women in the Military
No additional information provided.