OWAAT Cyprus Launches World's First Greek International Human Rights Self-Help Website For Abused Women

ONE WOMAN AT A TIME (OWAAT) furthers the U.S. Fulbright global mission to demonstrate how Cyprus became the first nation to declare the international human rights campaign, "Zero Tolerance of Abuse Against Women."

OWAAT is a sustainable, community-court collaboration to prevent all forms of non-physical, non-violent abuse against women, as unwanted contact interference in violation of their international human right to privacy.

OWAAT was initially launched between August 2014 to May 2015, in Cyprus by a U.S. Fulbright Scholarship grant to Patricia M. Martin, a Denver Colorado attorney who modeled her project after Denver’s County Courthouse “Project Safeguard” and Denver Legal Nights. Today, Ms. Martin continues to help guide OWAAT volunteers in Cyprus to achieve its aims also encouraged and supported by the President of the Supreme Court of Cyprus, a newly elected Justice of the European Court of Human Rights from Cyprus, President of Family Courts in Nicosia and the President of Family Court in Larnaca.

OWAAT aims at empowering women to first know what human rights they have and then be guided to self-help as self-represented civil litigants seeking immediate civil protections court orders for no contact to end their own abuse. 

OWAAT outreach extends to predominantly impoverished women who are usually isolated and need easy, inexpensive ready access to self-help legal options for emergency civil protections and legal enforcement.

OWAAT trained pre-law students on international human rights law; developed self-help civil protection application templates forms for emergency protection order application and self-help divorce applications; conducts human rights legal research and related community program development; facilitated Cyprus Complaint Centers also in cooperation with NGO’s; provides OWAAT Website Training Workshops for NGOs, educators, medical professionals and social services; and offers English and Greek language, web-based hyperlink access to human rights information in simplified, downloadable Powerpoint presentations, complete with pdf fill-in-the-blank self-help forms and related instructions.

The OWAAT website was created by women in Cyprus who volunteered their specialized internet technical expertise to help launch it on December 24, 2014, a gift to their Nation. The website provides the first international, replicable self-help toolbox that allows abused women to learn how to fill-in the legal forms, which previously precluded them from gaining access to court for emergency civil protections. 

 OWAAT volunteers refer abused women to the website’s help guide to obtain more information or disseminate information on applicable international treaties, such as the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention of Human Rights, which require that member states like Cyprus ensure and secure citizen human rights protections. 

In January 2016, OWAAT volunteers launched its website in Greek, and plans for this year include translation to Russian and Arabic.

OWAAT’s goals are also furthered in collaboration with state NGOs, like Freedom Dolls Initiative (FDI) to prevent sex trafficking; Association for the Prevention and Handling of Violence in the Family (SPAVO); Cyprus Bar Association Members; UN Women-Cyprus; Cyprus Certified Meditators Association; Cyprus government and municipal officials; Cyprus church and religious leaders; Cyprus law school, middle school and grammar school educators and guidance counselors; and numerous other professional services providers throughout the nation. For more information, visit OWAAT at www.owaat-cy.com.

The Woman Behind The Whistleblower: Human Trafficking and a Culture of Corruption

A non-CLE Teleconference Panel Discussion proudly presented by

ABA Section of International Law Women's Interest Network

By Teleconference Only 

Monday, March 17, 2014 

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT 

REGISTER NOW!

FEATURED SPEAKER: 

★ Kathryn Bolkovac, formerly employed with DynCorp as UN International Police Force Monitor 

MODERATORS: 

★ Olufunmi Oluyede, Co-Chair, Women's Interest Network 

★ Linda Strite Murnane, Vice-Chair, Women's Interest Network 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Kathryn Bolkovac worked as a United Nations International Police Force Monitor under contract with DynCorp in the Balkans, following years as a police investigator in Nebraska. In 2001, she filed suit against DynCorp when they terminated her employment after she reported the involvement of many of her co-workers in human trafficking and in procuring prostitution services. Ms. Bolkovac won a unanimous decision from a British employment tribunal finding that the actions of DynCorp were illegal. During her time in Bosnia as an investigator, Ms Bolkovac uncovered evidence of girls who refused to have sex being beaten and raped in bars by their pimps while peacekeepers stood and watched. She discovered that one UN policeman who was supposed to be investigating the sex trade paid £700 to a bar owner for an underage girl who he kept captive in his apartment to use in his own prostitution racket. Ms. Bolkovac will discuss her experience and her efforts to end human trafficking and sexual exploitation in this one hour non-CLE teleconference in honor of International Women's Day. 

REGISTRATION RATES: 

$15 - Section of International Law Members 

$25 - SIL Non-Members 

REGISTER NOW 

Upcoming International Human Rights Programs and Events

United Nations Voluntary Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery Call for Online Applications! 
The Secretariat of the United Nations Voluntary Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery launched in 2013 an online system to allow organizations to submit applications for funding and reports on the use of grants in a more user-friendly and paperless fashion. The registration and application for requests for funding for 2015 will be opened from 15 January to 1 March 2014. Late applications will NOT be considered.


RightsCon 2014 - Where Advanced Technological Solutions Are Applied to Global Human Rights Challenges - This March 3-5 at Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco, Access is bringing the RightsCon summit back to Silicon Valley, where human rights experts, investors, corporate leaders, engineers, activists, and government representatives from around the world work to advance solutions to human rights challenges by concentrating on the possibilities within the technology sector. The conference will kick off on Monday March 3rd with interactive programming and a fascinating array of satellite events. Tuesday and Wednesday will see the conference enter full swing. Plan for attendance for all three days.

Learn more or register for the conference here.


Urban Justice Center's Human Rights Project Is Accepting Application for 9th Annual Human Rights Institute - The Human Rights Project at the Urban Justice Center (HRP) is currently accepting applications for their ninth annual Human Rights Institute, which will be held from April 2- 4, 2014 in New York City.

The Institute is a three-day professional development conference that brings select human rights advocates and policymakers from across the country to network, share ideas, and collaborate with others who are working to advance domestic human rights. Participants have the opportunity to learn about the international human rights framework, apply it to their local organizing efforts and become contributors to the growing domestic human rights movement. HRP is delighted to offer this event in partnership with the U.S. Human Rights Network.

Additional information and application materials are available here. Please note that the application process is open until February 7th. A limited number of scholarships are available for those eligible for financial assistance, those applications should be submitted by February 1st.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact cprice@urbanjustice.org.


The Constitutional Court of South Africa Is Accepting Applications For Foreign Law Clerks - The Justices of the Constitutional Court of South Africa are pleased to invite applications from outstanding recent law graduates and young lawyers interested in serving as foreign law clerks. Candidates may be appointed to start as soon as 1 July 2014.

Applications for foreign clerks are accepted and considered on a rolling basis. Applications must include: (1) a cover letter describing the applicant’s interest in the Court’s work, indicating the time frame for which he or she would like to be considered; (2) a full curriculum vitae; (3) copies of all post-secondary academic records (unofficial transcripts are permitted); (4) a legal writing sample of approximately 10-25 pages; and (5) a list of three referees (at least one academic and one professional). Reference letters are preferred.

Applications should be submitted to Mr Mosala Sello in the Chambers of Justice Johann van der Westhuizen, who will respond with an email acknowledging receipt of each application:

Post
Constitutional Court of South Africa
Attn: Mr Mosala Sello
Private Bag X1
Braamfontein
2017
Email: Mr Mosala - Sellosello@concourt.org.za

Further details on the programme may be found on the Constitutional Court website: www.constitutional court.org.za. Applicants requiring additional information, or wishing to confirm receipt of their application, may also contact Mr Sello via email (sello@concourt.org.za) or telephone (+27 11 359 7427).

Venice Academy of Human Rights 2014: "Judicial Legitimacy and the Rule of Law" - The Venice Academy of Human Rights is an international programme of excellence for human rights education, research and debate. It forms part of the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC).

The Academy offers interdisciplinary thematic programmes open to academics, practitioners, doctoral and master students with an advanced knowledge of human rights. Participants attend morning lectures, participate in discussion sessions and workshops and can exchange views, ideas and arguments with leading international scholars and experts. This includes the opportunity for a number of participants to present and discuss their own “work in progress” such as drafts of articles, chapters of books or doctoral theses and receive comments from faculty members (including P. Alston, A. Føllesdal, G. Ulfstein and J. Waldron) and peers. At the end of the programme, participants receive a Certificate of Attendance issued by the Venice Academy of Human
Rights.

The Venice Academy of Human Rights will take place from 7-16 July 2014. The theme of this year’s academy is ‘Judicial Legitimacy and the Rule of Law’. Online applications are accepted until 4 May 2014. The Academy offers an "early bird" registration with a reduced participation fee until 15 March 2014.

Contact
Human Rights European Inter-University,
Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation (EIUC) 
Human Rights Village
Knut Traisbach | Programme Responsible | Venice Academy of
Monastero di San Nicolò | Riviera San Nicolò 26 | 30126 Venezia - Lido | Italy
http://www.eiuc.org/veniceacademy