Ending Violence Articles

Happy Summer!

It is my great pleasure to be part of the FAWCO Ending Violence Against Women And Children team. I became a member of the American Women's Auxiliary in Melbourne Australia twenty years ago and have continued my involvement through multiple moves to Germany, back to Australia and now in the US.

In 2010, as my club's FAWCO representative, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the 63rd United Nations DPI/NGO Conference held in Melbourne. When my family moved to New York City last year, I became a FAWCO UN-NGO representative for the United Nations, New York.  This is a role I have enjoyed enormously!   

My professional background is in healthcare management and business development. I have an undergraduate degree in International Relations and completed a Master of International Health at Curtin University in Perth. Studying international health has significantly raised my awareness of the challenges faced by women around the world, both in a health context and as a human rights issue.

At the FAWCO conferences in Marrakech and Dublin, I began to understand the unique opportunity FAWCO women have to work together on such issues. I have seen first hand what can be accomplished when women join forces through my involvement in the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and my committee participation in the Working Group on Girls (WGG). This year the focus of both these organizations is the "elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls" as it will be the priority theme for the upcoming CSW Annual Conference in March 2013.  

I hope to take this opportunity as co-chair of the EVAWAC team, to combine my passion with the knowledge I gain at the UN in a way that supports the FAWCO community and the good work the team is doing to end violence against women and children.

Erica Higbie

Co-Chair 

The issues that comprise violence against women and children seem insurmountable.  One of the challenges that the team has faced over the last couple of years is how to get this information to you while still inspiring you to get involved.

After much thought, we decided that having an Executive Committee (EC) was the way to go.  This new committee will focus on specific areas of violence against women and children in the hopes that our team members will find it easier to pick an area or subject that their clubs can work on.

The EC is divided into four (4) categories:

1. Women, War & Peace (Therese Hartwell) 
2. International Impact of Domestic Violence (Karen Lewis) 
3. Human Rights
4. Socioeconomic Impact of Modern Day Slavery & Violence Against Women & Children

If you have an interest in any of these areas (or have something you would like to suggest) please contact us for more information.  

In the meantime, keep reading to learn about the dynamic women who are heading up the Executive Committee! 

Seven years ago, my husband, then 14-year-old daughter and I moved to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Having lived in Houston, Texas all my life, this move was a huge transition for me, especially because our daughter was not at all pleased about being ripped out of her cozy environment.   

However, looking at the move from this vantage point, I now treasure my experiences in Saudi and the extraordinary impact they have had on my life.  I feel so, so blessed to have had a chance to live in a totally different culture (although I am insulated from it to a large degree), to travel to so many wonderful and different places (which I have taken full advantage of) and to have met, through the company women's group and life in our compound, people from all over the world.  Through these experiences, I have learned that when you meet individual people, regardless of where they are from, the outer trappings of nationality, ethnicity, religion, politics, etc. fall away and you relate to each other as human beings--at least you do if you allow yourself to.   

I have had so many incredible experiences in this regard and they have led me to abhor war and the terrible toll it takes on human beings and particularly on women and children and to become committed to doing all I can to contribute to a more peaceful world.  I became involved with FAWCO last year as the representative for The American Women of the Eastern Province (AWEP) and this year as AWEP's president.  I was immediately impressed by the dynamism and energy of the women of the organization and firmly believe that working together we can accomplish just about anything.   

I am delighted to join the Executive Committee of the Ending Violence Against Women Team and hope to be able to share some of the information I have learned about the violence perpetrated against women during war and ways that we can all contribute to a more peaceful world.

Therese Hartwell

Executive Committee Chair 

Working with Karen Lewis as Co-Chair of the team has been an invaluable experience.  While it is sad that Karen is no longer co-chair, we are SUPER excited that she will be taking on the role of liaison for the International Impact of Domestic Violence Executive Committee.

She will be the liaison between Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center (AODVC), where she is an executive board member, and the EVAWAC team.  She will work to keep members up-to-date with training and outreach efforts of AODVC, as well as legislative information on domestic violence efforts in the US and around the world.

We know that there are some exciting things happening so stay tuned for more updates from Karen and what's happening and what to mark your calendars for!

June Events

Monday, June 4, 2012 

International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression

 Yesterday was the annual United Nations' (UN) International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression.  Every year this day is observed for the purpose of  acknowledging the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. This day affirms the UN's commitment to protect the rights of children.   

Upcoming Events

Make sure to always check the calendar for events going on that pertain to ending the violence against women and children.  We will have annual dates observed by the UN as well as domestic and international dates of commemoration. 

If you or your club has an event that you are going to host or take part in, please let us know and we can put it on the calendar.