Colombia has been characterized by an internal armed conflict since the 1960s where several violations of the human rights have followed. Threats and violence against human rights defenders is one example and this is directed toward both men and women in an attempt to deter these brave individuals from continuing their work. This thesis focuses on the commitment of women’s human rights defenders in Colombia. Numerous international human rights organizations and institutions claim that women are a particularly vulnerable group, which is why I choose to focus on this group. Starting from different feminist theories and with regard to intersectional perspectives, I want to find out: What motivates women in Colombia to defend women’s human rights? Do they pursue any specifically important issues? How do they handle the obstacles they face in their work? These questions are posed in order to find out how these women’s human rights defenders work with human rights in relation to the obstacles that they face. I want to find out what strategies they use to handle the obstacles that they are faced with. The material of the thesis mostly consists of semi-structured interviews with women from domestic women’s human rights organizations in the capital of Colombia, Bogotá. The results show that women’s human rights defenders incentive is individual and cannot be too generalized. According to the common components in the women’s answers they are motivated by the need to fight injustices, mainly social- and political injustices in relation to being a woman and violations within the armed conflict. They are empowered to continue their work through each other, through the processes and the determination to not give up. There are many specifically important issues, for example land rights, gender-based violence and rights of the ethnic minorities. Some of these rights are even said to be today’s biggest challenge for the country. The women’s human right defenders handle the obstacles to their work through not giving up until the injustices are fought and through giving each other hope. They refuse to let the perpetrators win. / Colombia har präglats av en intern väpnad konflikt sedan 1960-talet där en rad kränkningar av de mänskliga rättigheterna har följt. Hot och våld mot människorättsförsvarare är ett exempel och detta riktas både mot kvinnor och män i ett försök att avskräcka dessa modiga människor från att fortsätta med sitt arbete. Den här uppsatsen fokuserar på kvinnorättsförsvarares engagemang i Colombia. Att fokus läggs på kvinnor beror på att flera internationella människorättsorganisationer och institutioner hävdar att kvinnor är en särskilt sårbar grupp. Med utgångspunkt i olika feministiska teorier och med hänsyn till intersektionella perspektiv ställer jag mig frågorna: Vad är det som motiverar kvinnor i Colombia att försvara kvinnors mänskliga rättigheter? Driver de några särskilt viktiga rättighetsfrågor? Hur hanterar de hindren som de möter i sitt arbete? Dessa frågor ställs för att ta reda på hur dessa kvinnorättsförsvarare arbetar med mänskliga rättigheter i förhållande till de hinder som de möter. Jag vill ta reda på vilka strategier de använder för att hantera dessa hinder. Uppsatsens material består till största del av semistrukturerade intervjuer med kvinnor från nationella kvinnorättsorganisationer i Colombias huvudstad, Bogotá. Uppsatsens resultat visar att kvinnorättsförsvarares motiv är individuellt och kan inte generaliseras för mycket. Enligt de gemensamma komponenterna i kvinnornas svar motiveras dessa kvinnor av behovet att bekämpa orättvisor, främst sociala- och politiska orättvisor i förhållande till att vara kvinna och kränkningar som den väpnade konflikten för med sig. De stärks i att fortsätta sitt arbete genom varandra och genom de förda processerna samt beslutsamheten att inte ge upp. Det finns flera särskilt viktiga frågor som drivs, exempelvis markrättigheter, könsbaserat våld och de etniska minoriteternas rättigheter. Några av dessa frågor anges dessutom vara dagens största utmaningar för landet. Kvinnorättsförsvararna hanterar hindren i sitt arbete genom att inte ge upp förrän orättvisorna har bekämpats och genom att ge varandra hopp. De vägrar att låta förövarna vinna.

The purpose of this study is, within the frame of media- and communication science, to find out how a large International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) forms a consensus among its members within the organization and try to find out how the members interpret the meaning of the organization and why the members interpret messages in a certain way. Furthermore the purpose is to investigate whether there are of importance to have a consensus in an INGO. To analyze the results, theories about communication, sensemaking, culture, and intercultural communication will be used. The selection of theories in this study is based on the assumptions that; communication is the means by which the organization reaches the members; sensemaking (of communication) is made in the context; culture is the context; intercultural communication is a part of the understanding of the culture. The design of the study is a case study within two sections connected to the organization Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). The qualitative methods used in this case study are participatory observations, 19 open-ended interviews, four focus group interviews and a study of organizational external and internal documents. The findings of the study shows that the traditional way of looking at communication and the discussion about that it is a necessity to have a strong consensus in organizations might not be the case for INGOs. The study also shows which intercultural challenges the world's INGOs are facing and why organizations might face problem and frustration.

The following study is a phenomenological inquiry into five white, middle classwomen's experiences living with HIV and AIDS in British Columbia. The purpose, rather than describing AIDS as a medical phenomenon, is to document how being diagnosed HIV positive has affected the women's lives, health, relationships and livelihoods. A context for the women's stories is provided through a critical review of the biomedical model, as well as biomedical and community organizing perspectives on women and AIDS. Mostly verbatim accounts drawn from taped interviews conducted with the five women describes their lives with HIV and AIDS. Experiences surrounding their diagnosis, sources of information about their illness, strategies for coping, management of health, and management of personal and social identities are the themes explored. The women's participation, the role of the researcher, and the work produced are considered parts of an interactive process, demonstrating shared authority between the researcher and participants in the ethnographic process. Documentation of the women's experiences leads to a discussion of the ways in which they successfully manage and control their own health care and well being within the context of larger social forces of sexism, medical bias and stigma. The women are given the last word in the study. In conclusion, a review oftheir situations three years after their initial interviews contributes a significant emotional and descriptive time-depth to the study.

The succeeding pages contain scores of my music—Passage to Kublb, Dalamhati ni Osang, Pintig, and Talibun-ag. "Passage to kublb" , for large orchestra, is a travelogue. Using a certain number of intervals, the instruments go through a journey, signifying life's constant changes and ceaseless motion. Melodic and rhythmic motives are used, fragmentation, and variation of timbral colors. "Kublb" is a fictional place; in essence, a destination of one's life journey. "Dalamhati ni Osang" (Lament of Osang) for a soprano, bass clarinet and marimba, is a composition revolving around a hextatonic scale which goes through a process of change as the music progresses. The text, written in the Filipino language, conveys the lament of a woman wanting to escape from her sorrows as she pleads her beloved to "lull" her; thus the repeated phrase "iduyan mo, o hirang" which means lull me or cradle me, my beloved. The woman's concept of "sleep" is an end-goal from which she frees herself of bitter memories of the past. The nuances of the vocal lines point to some native materials common to the Filipino "kundiman"(ballad). Use of expressive lines in legato phrasing, repeated sections (ABA form), and in some instances, use of embellishments like the repeated grace notes. The hextatonic scale is the composer's own material injected to some pre-formed structure already existing as in the mentioned ballad. "Pintig" (Pulses of Mother Earth) which was originally written for the "Elektra Women's Choir" during a pre-Christmas choral reading is a study of tribal vocables and different vocal effects. Stomping of foot, tapping, and other ritual sounds are employed to concoct an amalgam of primitive or earthy vista. (Note that the recording provided with this thesis is simply a reading session of the piece). "Talibun-ag " is a coined title from the Filipino words "tali" and "bun-ag" (bondage and birth) which if combined literally can mean "birth of freedom". This is a music drama for a chamber ensemble (piano, alto flute and percussions), a mono-dramatist and a choral quartet.

This Thesis is a local study employing new definitions of political activism and using oral histories, personal records and organizational archived material to debunk the myth that the feminist struggle surrounding the Equal Rights Amendment was separate from issues of race. Black women were involved in the fight for the ERA although not necessarily in the ways that White men and women might expect. Additionally, even when not obviously present, proponents and opponents of the ERA argued over the idea of Black women and race. Concern about Black women, overt racism and coded race language were all a part of the struggle by Georgia ERA Inc. advocates as well as Stop-ERA members. Race is intimately tied to the struggle for the ERA in Georgia.

Background: War disproportionately affects women and children, and gender based violence (GBV) has become an increasingly common means of fighting wars and targeting civilians. Such is the case in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), particularly in the eastern provinces, where among the multitude of human rights violations, sexual violence and abuses against women and girls are committed on a large scale. Documented efforts addressing GBV in refugee communities have mainly focused on medical, programmatic, and legal responses; few studies explore the prevalence of GBV among conflict-affected populations. Objective: To determine the prevalence and correlates of outsider violence during and after conflict, and lifetime and past year intimate partner violence (IPV). To determine differences in the proportions of violence victimizations, including the differences in the proportions of outsider violence during and after conflict, and the differences in the proportions of lifetime and past year IPV. To describe patterns of reporting and healthcare seeking related to violence victimization. Methods: Cross sectional data were obtained from a sample of 810 women of reproductive age (WRA) living in two Rwandese refugee camps. GBV was defined as physical violence, sexual violence, or controlling behavior that is committed by intimate partners (IPV) or persons outside the family (outsider violence). Univariate analysis was used to describe the study population as a whole. The chi-square test for independence was used to measure significant differences between women who had identified experiencing GBV and those who did not. A z-test was conducted to explore differences in the proportions of outsider violence during and after conflict, and lifetime and past year IPV. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the unadjusted and adjusted associations between GBV and select variables of interest during and after conflict. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 14.0 Results: 434 WRA experienced GBV; of which 399 reported experiencing outsider violence before and after conflict, and 130 reported experiencing IPV. The logistical model indicated that there was a consistently significant association between a period of one to five years spent in a refugee camp and outsider violence during conflict (Adj.OR= 0.16; 95%CI:0.10-0.27; P <0.0001), lifetime IPV (Adj.OR=0.17;95%CI:0.10-0.32, p<0.0001), and IPV in the last year (Adj.OR= 0.15;95%CI:0.08-0.28, p<0.0001). Discussion: The results of this study illustrate the importance of assessing the impact of conflict on GBV among refugee and displaced populations. The high prevalence of GBV among this study population, with a prevalence of 53.3% for all forms of violence, is evidence of the great burden GBV poses on this population. Ongoing violence generated by conflict is a major public health concern that urgently requires effective interventions. For example, legal, health, and psycho-social services should be well integrated to adequately screen and address the needs of violence survivors.

Magistro darbe "Sala šiuolaikinėje moterų prozoje" analizuojama salos tema pasirinktuose trijuose mterų romanuose - Birutės jonuškaitės "Didžioji sala", Sue Monk Kidd "Undinės krėslas", Victoria Hislop "Sala". Remiantis feministinės kritikos, hermeneutiniu ir lyginamuoju metodu buvo siektina atskleisti salos erdves - geografinę, dvasinę ir mitinę, bei jos funkcijas, prasmes moterų gyvenime. Klasikiniuose vyrų romanuose sala atsiskleidžia kaip veikėjų prieglobstis, kalėjimas, išbandymų vieta ar idealusis pasaulis.Darbo analizė atskleidžia gilesnį salos kontekstą - jos geografinė erdvė ir laikas susilieja su moters pasąmone, atveria moteriai vidinio pasaulio erdves. aiškinamasi, kokiu būdu moterų proza per įvairius mitinius simbolius analizuoja moters tapatybės, saviidentifikacijos problemą, kuri išsprendžiama tik salos kontekste. / In the Master’s degree work called „An Island in Women’s Contemporary Prose” it is analyzed the theme of an island. To analyze the following theme there were chosen three novels written by women―writers, i. e. Birutė Jonuškaitė „The Great Island”, Sue Monk Kidd „The Mermaid Chair” and Victoria Hislop „The Island”. The aim of the work is to reveal spiritual, mythological and geographical spaces of the island, as well as its funkctions and meanings in women’s life. The aim of revealing spaces was reached with the help of feminist criticism, as well as hermeneutic and comparative methods. In classical novels written by men―writers the island is show as the main character’s shelter, prison, challenge place or perfect world. Whereas, work analysis presents us another island’s concept in the novels written by women―writers. The island’s geographical space and time merge together with woman’s subconsciousness revealing spaces of inner world for the woman. In the work it is analyzed in which way women’s prose with the help of various mythological symbols analizes woman’s identity and self―identity problem which is solved only in the context of the island.

Objectives: The objectives of the study was to describe how people who face partner violence against women, either as volunteers or as professionals in their everyday work, explain violence against women in intimate relationships and their suggestions for preventive activities. Methods: Twenty men and twenty women were strategically selected for five focus-group discussions. The interviews were analysed following the procedure for qualitative thematic content analysis. Findings: The study shows that the participants acknowledged violence against women as a multifaceted phenomenon grounded in the interplay betweenindividual, family-related factors and local community and socio-cultural factors. Men’s level of education, ‘social evils’, women challenging gender role expectations and women’s extensive work load were discussed as factors at individual and family level. Poverty in the local community and ‘feudal ideologies’ were referred to as explanatory factors at structural level. The informants suggested two main ways of preventing violence against women; improved gender equality through information, education and communication, and enforcing policies and law. Examples pertaining to different levels of society were given. Conclusions: This study shows that behind all of the explanations to intimate partner violence laid the culturally constructed messages about the proper roles of men and women mirroring gender inequality and women’s power disadvantage. A hesitation to intervene was found among some of the informants, the medical doctors, while all the others were eager to discuss activities but mainly those they were already undertaking and it seems the local level require further support to better handle this problem. / <p>ISBN 91-7997-161-x</p>

Edvinsson, J. &amp; Eriksson, I. (2014). Den sociala omgivningens påverkan på kvinnors hälsa - En kvalitativ studie om sju unga kvinnors upplevelser. Kandidatuppsats i pedagogik. Högskolan i Gävle, Akademin för Utbildning och Ekonomi, Avdelningen för utbildningsvetenskap. Den sociala omgivningen och dess processer har visat sig påverka individers upplevelser av vad hälsa är och även deras hälsoattityder- och beteenden. I dagsläget är däremot medvetenheten liten kring hur processerna påverkar dessa, samtidigt som kvinnor upplever sin hälsa sämre än någonsin. Det behövs mer forskning om fenomenet sociala processer och hälsa, som kan öka medvetenheten kring detta. Därför är syftet med denna studie att undersöka hur unga kvinnor beskriver hälsa samt hur de upplever att deras sociala omgivning påverkar deras hälsoattityder- och beteenden. Metoden som användes var kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju kvinnor mellan 20-30 år. Det insamlade materialet kategoriserades utifrån gemensamma teman och analyserats med inspiration av fenomenologi. Resultatet visade genom samlade upplevelser att kvinnorna upplevde hälsa som en balans mellan psykiskt och fysiskt välmående. Det fanns upplevelser av förväntningar och normer i omgivningen kring hälsoattityder- och beteenden, samtidigt som kvinnorna inte ansåg att dessa har någon påverkan på hur de upplevde hälsa. Omgivningen har med andra ord ingen uttalad påverkan på kvinnornas upplevelser av hälsa. Däremot går det inte att konstatera att påverkan inte sker eftersom det kan vara en omedveten process som sker i samspel med omgivningen. / Edvinsson, J. &amp; Eriksson, I. (2014). Den sociala omgivningens påverkan på kvinnors hälsa - En kvalitativ studie om sju unga kvinnors upplevelser. Bachelor thesis in Education. University of Gavle, School of Education and Economy, Department of education science. The social environment and its different processes have been shown to influence individual’s perception of health and peoples’ attitude toward health and behavior constructions. However, the range of knowledge about these processes and their influence is small, while women perceive their health worse than ever. It is essential that more research be conducted, on the phenomenon of social processes and health, which can increase awareness around this. increase the awareness of health and its benefits. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate how young women describe health and how they perceive that heir social environment and surroundings influences their attitude and behavior toward health. The method that was used in this study was qualitative semi-constructed interviews that were answered by seven women, aged 20-30 years. The data have thereafter been categorized by common themes and was then analyzed with the help and inspiration of phenomenology. The result, the common experiences that these women shared, showed that health was perceived as a balance between psychical and physical wellbeing. The social environment contain expectations and norms regarding the attitudes and behaviors toward health, however the women did not conceive these to have any impact on their experience of health. The environment and surroundings have therefore no pronounced influence over the women’s experience of health. It is impossible, however, to verify that there are no influence what so ever, as it may be an unconscious process in interplay with the surroundings.

ABSTRACT This work answers the question “Who was Frances Virginia?” by recovering the story of an Atlanta entrepreneur, Frances Virginia Wikle Whitaker, and her tea room foodservice business. It acknowledges “Frances Virginia,” as the public knew her; and focuses on her career as demonstrative of an under‐theorized form of women’s activism. Her education and proclivity in the once all‐female domain of home economics have important characteristics that are under‐ represented, and often misinterpreted, in today’s discourse. I use a womanist theoretical lens within a historical frame to examine her story as a home economist during the tea room movement of the U. S. feminist movement’s Transition Era, 1920s‐1960s. Together, these elements illuminate the significance of Frances Virginia and her particular form of activism.