Look To The Stars News: UNIFEM

Nicole Kidman Takes Anti-Violence Message To Kenya

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Nicole Kidman is reportedly to travel to Kenya to raise awareness of women affected by domestic violence.

 The Australian actress wants to tour the African country as part of an initiative launched by the United Nations Development Fund for Women. Kidman will visit the Kenyatta Hospital and a school this week as part of her role as a goodwill ambassador for the organization.
 
“[African women] need and deserve our support,” she said. "Not with a box of band-aids, but with a comprehensive, well-funded approach that acknowledges that women’s rights are human rights. It is time for policies that intentionally involve society’s key communities – from health and education departments to the police and judiciary – to deliver on that commitment. To succeed, it requires political will at the highest levels.”

Last month, Kidman addressed Congress about domestic violence on behalf of UNIFEM.

Nicole Kidman Takes Anti-Violence Message To Congress

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:30:00 -0000

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman and Mallika Dutt, anti-violence group Breakthrough’s Executive Director, supported the call for a comprehensive approach by the United States to address ending violence against women yesterday.

Kidman and Dutt, speaking to members of the U.S. House of Representatives Sub-Committee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight, emphasized the urgency to invest in women, partner locally and provide resources for effective programs in developing countries.

They joined Ambassador for Women’s Global Issues Melanne Verveer, Congresswoman Janice D. Schakowsky, Vice-Chair of the Women’s Caucus, and former Congresswoman and President of Shared Hope International Linda Smith in supporting the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA), which represents an unprecedented commitment by the U.S. government to create a comprehensive strategy to reduce violence in countries that have severe levels of violence against women and girls.

Today’s hearing provided Kidman an opportunity to amplify the voices of the women she has met through her work with UNIFEM and share their stories. Speaking of women survivors of violence from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kosovo by whom she was inspired, Ms. Kidman observed: “These champions need and deserve our support. Not with a box of band-aids, but with a comprehensive, well-funded approach that acknowledges that women’s rights are human rights. It is time for policies that intentionally involve society’s key communities — from health and education departments to the police and judiciary — to deliver on that commitment. To succeed, it requires political will at the highest levels.”

Breakthrough’s Executive Director Mallika Dutt spoke about her organization’s multimedia campaign in India that mobilizes women to take a stand and engages men in addressing violence against women. The campaign was supported by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, which is managed by UNIFEM.

“In villages and towns in every corner of the world, women are challenging social and cultural norms and laws that made them second-class citizens,” Dutt said. “Through strong leadership and local partnerships across a range of actors, the International Violence Against Women Act could have a direct and immediate impact on saving the lives of millions of women and girls.”

Goodwill Ambassador Kidman will continue to shine a light on ending violence against women solutions and stories during her upcoming field mission to Kenya, where UNIFEM will launch its global advocacy action initiative Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women. The innovative web platform is a call for action, which will spotlight efforts on the ground and is designed to contribute towards the high-profile UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s multi-year campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women.

Reese Witherspoon Launches New Women's Empowerment Necklace

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Actress Reese Witherspoon has launched a new campaign to end violence against women.

The 32-year-old has launched the new Women’s Empowerment necklace, designed to save and improve women’s lives worldwide, at an event in Washington DC on Tuesday, March 3.

“Nearly a billion women worldwide are affected by violence,“ she said during the launch. “The Empowerment Necklace is an easy way for all women to take action and demonstrate solidarity to reduce the worldwide epidemic of violence against women.”

Witherspoon is a global ambassador for cosmetics brand Avon and an honorary chairperson of the Avon Foundation for Women. The necklace follows the release of the Women’s Empowerment Bracelet that was released last year to raise awareness of the issue. According to the Foundation’s website, “the Women’s Empowerment initiative was created to raise awareness about the need to speak out against the violence that affects women around the globe. In support of this mission, proceeds from the Women’s Empowerment Bracelet launched the Avon Empowerment Fund, which contributed $1 million to the UNIFEM-managed UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women and funded local UNIFEM projects in 13 countries. In addition, more than 30 Avon countries around the world launched partnerships with local domestic violence agencies during 2008, and Avon global grantmaking for the cause exceeded $7.4 million.“

“I think we all know people who have been touched by domestic violence in our lives, whether it’s your mother, your sister or your girlfriend,” Witherspoon told ABC News. “I personally know many people who have dealt with the situation, and I think it’s important to stress that there are ways to talk about it.”

The new necklace costs $5 and is available here.

Nicole Kidman Delivers Anti-Violence Petition To UN

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:00:00 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Nicole Kidman has presented U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with a petition that calls on world leaders to end impunity for perpetrators of violence against women, provide services for survivors and, most importantly, invest in prevention.

The petition was run online throughout this year and contained 5,066,549 names. UNIFEM Executive Director Ines Alberdi said the campaign’s supporters included 29 world leaders, 188 ministers and over 600 parliamentarians, and celebrities such as Hilary Swank and Bob Geldof.

“I think in some ways I’ve always been heading towards wanting to put some meaning into my life and this is probably how I see myself doing it,” said Kidman, who has been a UNIFEM Ambassador since 2006. “The reason I chose the subject of women is because I was raised by a mother who was very passionate about … having her daughters educated, and wanted her daughters to have an equal opportunity. I was the product of that, and now I’m out there hoping to pass on to the next generation and work in a greater capacity then just as an actress.”

Over the past decade, 120 countries have received much-needed support for hundreds of projects through UNIFEM’s Trust Fund. Last year, $5 million was awarded to various initiatives, including a community-based referral system supporting survivors of domestic violence in Albania, implementation of criminal code provisions prohibiting female genital mutilation in Egypt, awareness programs on HIV/AIDS and violence against women in Peru, and implementation of national laws on violence against women in Rwanda.

Ban Ki-moon has now called for greater efforts “to combat attitudes and behavior that condone, tolerate, excuse or ignore violence committed against women.”

Witherspoon Speaks Out In Brazil

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Actress Reese Witherspoon visited the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo last week to show her dedication to ending violence against women.

The Legally Blonde star is the ambassador for Speak Out Against Domestic Violence, a joint campaign launched in 2004 by UNIFEM and Avon.

In March of this year she launched the campaign’s Women’s Empowerment Bracelet, an emblem in the fight against domestic violence, created to raise awareness about the need to speak out. Proceeds from the sale of the bracelets go to the Avon Empowerment Fund, which provides funding for UNIFEM and its UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.

Witherspoon’s appearance in the South American country on Thursday was in celebration of the bracelet’s success since its launch: 1.5 million have been sold so far. The Avon Foundation matched the first $500,000 in sales to make a total of $1 million given to helping people speak out and stop the abuse.

Speaking to reporters in Sao Paulo, the actress said, ”There isn’t a woman in the world that doesn’t have a friend or a partner who’s actually experiencing some sort of violence against them, so I think although domestic violence hasn’t happened to me personally, I certainly know women who are dealing with this struggle every day. Domestic violence affects women who are famous, who are not famous, women who have money, women who have no money. This is an issue that crosses all boundaries and it certainly affects everyone.”

To purchase a bracelet and show your support, visit the Avon Foundation online.

Nicole Kidman Pushes The Anti-Violence Point

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:23:30 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Actress Nicole Kidman spoke out against violence towards women at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, and urged people to add their names to a website that calls on world leaders to end impunity for perpetrators, provide services for survivors and, most importantly, invest in prevention.

The 40-year-old, who is seven months pregnant, attended the news conference to encourage world leaders and the general public to join the global fight to end violence against women, what she calls the “most widespread human rights violation of our time.”

“One in three women will encounter violence in some way, shape or form against them in their lifetime,” said the heavily-pregnant Kidman. “That’s an extraordinary statistic. Yet do we ever hear it?”

The Australian star became a UNIFEM goodwill ambassador in January 2006, and used Tuesday’s meeting to urge people of all nations to add their names to the www.saynotoviolence.org website and demand “that ending violence against women be made a top priority for governments everywhere.” She also encouraged the private sector to contribute to the U.N. Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, which provides grants for programs in the developing world to help fight the scourge.

The website was established in November 2007, and has so far gathered over 211,000 names in its mission to raise awareness of the issue. In January, the U.N. Foundation said it would donate $1 to the fund for each of the first 100,000 signatures – a milestone that has been and gone, and still the number of people showing their support has shown no sign of slowing down.

And Joanne Sandler, Acting Executive Director of UNIFEM, said progress has been made: 89 countries have laws on domestic violence, more than 100 have made rape a crime, 90 have provisions against sexual harassment, and 93 on human trafficking.

Celebrities Bring Attention To UN Efforts

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:11:03 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

With the press watching their every move, more and more stars are making their moves count by sharing the spotlight with United Nations missions.

In the past months alone, actress Drew Barrymore pledged $1 million to the United Nations’ World Food Program to bring attention to rising food prices; actress and Avon Global Ambassador Reese Witherspoon began raising money for the United Nations Development Fund For Women for education, job training and better laws for underprivileged women; Bono raised an impressive $42 million at his (RED) charity auction for the United Nations Foundation AIDs programs; and actress and UNICEF spokeswoman Salma Hayek promoted her anti-tetanus campaign on Oprah.

Outspoken actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow uses her celebrity in ways that politicians might not, relentlessly reminding us of the tragic details of Dafur. Farrow says, “I’m completely free to say anything I want. I have no trade agreements with anyone.”

George Clooney, the latest to be named Messenger of Peace by the United Nations for his efforts in Chad, Congo and Dafur, told ABC News, “I think what they’re looking to gain from [awarding me] is cameras following me to places that they’re trying to get attention to and that’s fine. That’s a good use of celebrity if you ask me.”

Celebrity faces fronting causes may help attract broader attention or raise bigger money more quickly, but it may also do something for the celebrity.

Actress and United Nations Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie, who is pushing governments to plan an Iraq refugee relief effort, told ABC News, “[Activism] gives celebrity some reason. Celebrity is very weird… So when you’re doing something good and you can bring attention to that or discuss that, then it feels like you have some sense in your life.”

Reese Witherspoon Launches Campaign Against Domestic Violence

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 11:18:38 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Legally Blonde actress Reese Witherspoon has launched a new UNIFEM campaign to end violence against women.

The Oscar winner is walking the line by promoting sales of the Women’s Empowerment Bracelet, which she hopes will raise awareness of domestic violence issues.

“Every economic opportunity created for a woman helps a child, helps a community, and raises awareness and education,” Witherspoon said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Women who feel economically empowered are much more likely to stand up for their own rights, and the rights of their children.”

The initiative is part of a collaboration with cosmetics firm Avon, who have vowed to match the first $500,000 raised in the campaign.

During her speech at United Nations Headquarters on Tuesday, Witherspoon said the money raised would go to a trust fund managed by UNIFEM to provide more education and job training for women, and to push for new laws that benefit their standing in some cultures.

“I am wearing the Empowerment Bracelet,” said the 31-year-old. “I want to point out that the clasp is an infinity symbol, representing a future without limitation for all women – a cause I truly believe in.”

Acting executive director of UNIFEM, Joanne Sandler, said that having a celebrity onboard for the campaign is “invaluable”.

“Domestic violence is hidden,” she said. “This gives women everywhere the courage to speak out.”

The bracelets are available at www.avon.com for $3. International Woman’s Day will be recognized this weekend, on March 8.

Nicole Kidman Supports UNIFEM

Tue, 25 Dec 2007 10:04:49 -0000

Written by Elizabeth Willoughby

After winning substantial libel damages from a British tabloid, Nicole Kidman plans to donate her compensation to the United Nations Development Fund For Women (UNIFEM). UNIFEM consider Kidman – a goodwill ambassador for them since January 2006 – a gift thanks to her visibility, voice and connections.

“Violence against women is an appalling human rights violation,” said Kidman during their Say NO to Violence Against Women campaign, launched last month in response to the ever-slow progress against abuses such as rape, household violence, trafficking and traditional practices. According to statistics, one in three women will experience violence in her lifetime.

The campaign invites people to add their names to www.saynotoviolence.org with the goal of getting enough signatures to put the issue on the global agenda. Although there are more and more legislative provisions addressing domestic violence today, implementation of laws and lack of resources is insufficient.

“As long as violence is pervasive and women do not dare to accuse their abusers, the issue needs to be much more prominent in public debate,” said Joanne Sandler, acting UNIFEM Executive Director.

Over the past decade, 120 countries have received much-needed support for hundreds of projects through UNIFEM’s Trust Fund. This year alone, $5 million has been awarded to various initiatives, which include a community-based referral system supporting survivors of domestic violence in Albania, implementation of criminal code provisions prohibiting female genital mutilation in Egypt, awareness programs on HIV/AIDS and violence against women in Peru, and implementation of national laws on violence against women in Rwanda.

“As an integral part of our Internet campaign, the UN Trust Fund shows that violence against women is a problem with a solution,” said Sandler.

Kidman hopes to be a lifelong part of UNIFEM: “When you’ve been blessed with a fortunate life, it is very much your duty to find the places where you can give back.”

The Say NO to Violence against Women campaign will run until March 8, 2008, International Women’s Day.

Kevin Bacon Launches “SixDegrees.org”

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 10:02:12 -0000

Kevin Bacon has launched SixDegrees.org, a new web site that builds on the popularity of the “small world phenomenon” to create a charitable social network and inspire giving to charities online.

Bacon started the network with celebrities who are highlighting their favorite charities – including Kyra Sedgwick (Natural Resources Defense Council), Nicole Kidman (UNIFEM), Ashley Judd (YouthAIDS), Bradley Whitford and Jane Kaczmarek (Clothes Off Our Back), Dana Delany (Scleroderma Research Foundation), Robert Duvall (Pro Mujer), Rosie O’Donnell (Rosie’s For All Kids Foundation), and Jessica Simpson (Operation Smile) – and he encouraged everyone to be celebrities for their own causes by joining the Six Degrees movement.

“SixDegrees.org is about using the idea that we are all connected to accomplish something good,” said Bacon. “It is my hope that Six Degrees will soon be something more than a game or a gimmick. It will also be a force for good, by bringing a social conscience to social networking.”

The game, ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,’ made the rounds of college campuses over the past decade and lived on to be a shorthand term for the small world phenomenon.

Bacon created SixDegrees.org in partnership with the nonprofit, Network for Good, AOL, and Entertainment Weekly. Through SixDegrees.org, which builds on Network for Good’s giving system for donating to more than one million charities online and AOL’s AIM Pages social networking service, people can learn about and support the charities of celebrities or fundraise for their own favorite causes with their own friends and families. Bacon will match the charitable dollars raised by the top six non-celebrity fundraisers with grants of up to $10,000 each.

“People give to charity because someone they know or respect asks them. So charities are increasingly looking to their supporters – not just themselves – to raise awareness and money online. That means both celebrities and everyday people can make an enormous difference for people in need,” said Bill Strathmann, CEO of Network for Good.

SixDegrees.org harnesses two important online trends: the exponential growth of social networks and the increasing interest in using the web for raising money for charity among family and friends. Through SixDegrees.org, people can upload their own photos and stories and fundraise for the charity of their choice with their own charity badges and AIM Pages.

To kick off the launch of SixDegrees.org, Bacon will attend opening weekend of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT, where he and other celebrities will be encouraging charitable giving. Entertainment Weekly is celebrating SixDegrees.org and Kevin Bacon at its third annual Sundance Festival Opening Weekend Party on January 20 at Jean Louis in Park City. At the party, guests will be able to learn more about SixDegrees.org and celebrities will be encouraged to donate their “swag” to benefit charity. Items will later be listed on eBay using eBay Giving Works.

There will also be a representative from SixDegrees.org in Entertainment Weekly’s Main Street photo studio throughout the week so that when celebrities come to be photographed for the magazine, they can learn more about the organization and find out how they can get involved. Bacon will also be feted at an AOL reception where he will tape an episode of Moviefone.com’s Unscripted with Bradley Whitford, a SixDegrees.org participant and star of “An American Crime” premiering at Sundance.

“AIM Pages and Six Degrees are the perfect pairing as the immense popularity of social networking and the importance of individual giving converge. We look forward to building an important network of good-deed-doers via AIM Pages to benefit the scores of charities associated with Six Degrees,” according to Marcien Jenckes, VP/GM, Instant Messaging & Social Media, AOL.

Look To The Stars News: UNIFEM

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