WEAR A BLUE RIBBON FOR PEACE, DEMOCRACY AND RULE OF LAW
Show Your Support for Peace, Democracy and the Rule of Law by Wearing a Fiji Blue Ribbon:
"The Blue Ribbon" was first used by the women's peace vigil coordinated by members of the National Council of Women Fiji (NCWFiji) in 2000, and has continued to be a symbol to further strengthen women's active participation in decision making on matters relating to peace and security, within a women's human rights framework, including advancing the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (Women, Peace and Security, 2000).
For the women who came together in 2000, the Fiji blue ribbon (from the colour of our flag) continues to represent a unified stand for the promotion of peace, reconciliation and unity, based on the principles of human rights, democracy and the upholding of the 1997 Constitution.
In November 2006, femLINKpacific, as a NGO Coalition on Human Rights (NGOCHR) revived the blue ribbon campaign for peace and democracy.
"We call on Fiji's citizens to wear a blue ribbon everyday, as a symbol of their support for peace, democracy, the rule of law and active non-violence," said campaign founding member Sharon Bhagwan Rolls.
Active non-violence is the acceptance that through ongoing dialogue and respect, we can find solutions to conflict. It is about dealing non-violently with other parties when conflicts arise, and resisting violent responses, to bring about sustainable long-term resolution.
ISLAND WOMEN LIFT TABOO
Issues of reproduction and sex are taboo on these islands and are not talked about openly. The YWCA has established awareness and support programmes for women who will embrace it in various villages.
Ms Bradburgh knows only too well the effects of HIV/AIDS and the stigma that surrounds it for young women around the world. She is a youth officer for the Ministry of Youth Employment Opportunities and Sports in Fiji and a member of the world executive committee of the World YWCA.
She said young women were being encouraged to join the association and participate in decision-making processes.
To raise their concerns and issues, to share their dreams and skills and to be the voice of other young women whose voices may not be heard because they are marginalised."
There is growing concern about the epidemic of HIV/AIDS in islands such as Papua New Guinea, Fiji and the Solomons.
Ms Bradburgh has witnessed first-hand women who live with HIV/AIDS, who live in violence and who have suffered mutilation. The YWCA provided excellent home-care projects in Africa, where the disease was rampant, she said.
Date: Saturday, May 14, 2005
Source: New Zealand Press Association
femLINKPACIFIC
In May 2000 Fiji experienced, for the second time, the illegal overthrow of a democratically elected government.
Women, through the National Council of Women, came together through the active action of non violence and staged a daily peace vigil in the capital city, calling for the release of the political hostages and the return to parliamentary democracy.
The mainstream media, in their response to the crisis, did not offer women the same space that was offered to men. This under representation put into light the need for women to access the information networks. In order to re-establish the balance and give a voice to women’s views, femLINKpacific was set up to produce and distribute women’s community media.
It was in the context of this peace initiative that femLINKPACIFIC was established in September 2000. Click here to find out more about femLINKPACIFIC
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