GEP - Current Events Email - November 1, 2009

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Dear Educator:

Each month World Savvy will highlight breaking news and current events that can be connected to the classroom, including links to articles at various reading levels and connections to the standards. For complete background information on a range of contemporary issues, visit the World Savvy Monitor.

Violence against Women

Violence against women is a universal problem, but recent attention to women’s issues has been increasing in recent months. Much of this attention has been positive, from the release of books like Nicholas Kristof’s Half the Sky, to the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor to the US Supreme Court, to Nicole Kidman, a UN Goodwill Ambassador, testifying before Congress about violence against women. Women’s issues have also been a topic at the UN in recent weeks, particularly the use of rape as an instrument of war. During a September 30, 2009 meeting of the United Nations Security Council, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton led the issue of a “mandate [for] peacekeeping missions to protect women and children from rampant sexual violence during armed conflict.” Read more...

November 25 is recognized by the United Nations as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – learn more or take action on this day to stand up for women.

For complete background information on women’s issues around the world, read the May 2009 issue of the World Savvy Monitor. To read the October 2009 update to the edition, with more recent developments relating to women, click here.

Recommended Articles:

Advanced Article: CNN: Rape of Women, Girls a weapon of war in Congo
Intermediate Article: Voice of America News: Human Rights Groups Want US Leadership in Fighting Violence against Women
Beginner Article: AFP: Nicole Kidman Highlights Violence against Women

Multimedia:
V-Day: The Global Movement to End Violence against Women and Girls
International Museum of Women

Discussion Questions:

1. What is the International Violence against Women Act, and what would it do if passed by the US Congress?
2. What conditions are some women and girls facing in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
3. Read background information from the World Savvy blog, and from the “Global Status of Women” edition. What are some of the root causes of violence against women worldwide? What can the international community do to address this?

Curriculum:

1. World Savvy Monitor – Classroom Companion for “Global Status of Women”
2. International Museum of Women – lessons

California Standards:

Government: 12.2 – Citizenship and Rights, 12.10 – Tensions within Constitutional Democracy

World History: 10.10 – Contemporary Nation Building

US History: 11.10 – Civil Rights, Contemporary America

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The views expressed in the articles and resources listed above are not the views of World Savvy. They are listed here as resources for educators but do not necessarily reflect the opinions and priorities of World Savvy. If you ever want to unsubscribe from this list, just send an email to Kelly at kelly@worldsavvy.org.