CAFRA

Annual Report > 2003

Annual Report 2003

National Linkages

Sunday 9 November 2003

Following are highlights of activities carried out by National Committees during the year under review.

BAHAMAS CAFRA Bahamas was engaged in research for the Video on HIV/AIDS commissioned by the CAFRA Regional Secretariat. Capacity building workshops on Gender Issues and Sexual and Reproductive Health were carried out among members. BARBADOS This year marked the return of celebrating IWD in Barbados after a 2-year lull. The CAFRA National Representative who also heads the Bureau of Gender Studies prepared a Calendar of Activities and hosted a televised panel discussion on gender and trade. The Women and Development Unit of the School of Continuing Studies, UWI, Cave Hill Campus hosted a Choreo-Poem entitled “Our Bodies, Our Maps” which highlighted the ways in which women’s bodies can either trap them or liberate them.	CUBA, PUERTO RICO AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC In April 2003, a 5-day workshop was held in Cuba for Spanish-speaking membership on the theme “Civil Mission for Peace”. The main objective of the workshop was to provide participants with the necessary theoretical and conceptual elements for peace, in order to achieve proposals based on values such as respect and human dignity. The training was delivered in four modules dealing with the following themes – Sensitization towards peace, Non-active Violence, Positive Conflict Resolution and the Art of Peace.
BELIZE CAFRA Belize conducted research on Women in Politics and presented a paper on the topic to the regional conference held in Guyana. CAFRA Belize also facilitated training sessions on Gender Analysis, and gender and Trade in particular. The issue of Violence in the Society was addressed through regular radio programmes. The CAFRA Belize Youth Group is in its beginning stages, and the CAFRA Gender Training Manual is proving useful in building awareness among them.	CURACAO The National Committee conducted research around Structural Adjustment and forced prostitution. The findings revealed that poverty in the Netherlands Antilles is increasingly a problem that affects women. It is the background for the pattern of high incidence of violence. According to the CAFRA Report, the government of the Netherlands Antilles has no active policy to combat trafficking in women. There has been explosive growth in clubs and bars where very young women are brought in under the guise of being “dancers” and are put to work as strip tease dancers and forced to work as prostitutes.
DOMINICA This year, the CAFRA Dominica National Committee commemorated International Women’s Day 2003 with a number of activities, the centrepiece of which was a lecture by Dr Rhoda Reddock, renowned Caribbean Scholar and a founding member of CAFRA. Dr Reddock spoke on the history of CAFRA and took questions from the wider public on the relevance of feminism in today’s world order, the marginalization of men in society and the role of popular media, especially calypso on the psyche of the society, namely the treatment of women. GUYANA CAFRA Guyana joined with the Women’s Affairs Bureau and other Women’s NGO’s to mount a Publications Photograph exhibition of CAFRA’s work. The CAFRA National Committee continued to work with youth on HIV/AIDS prevention, programmes to address violence in their communities, and trade literacy.	MARTINIQUE/HAITI The National Representative for Martinique was facilitated to attend a Women’s Health Forum in Haiti, organized as part of the Assembly of Caribbean Peoples. This Forum was very well attended by over 40 men and women and made several recommendations including: There should be a review of the laws of the Caribbean, which deal with violence against women, to determine what works and what does not, and make the appropriate changes. Women should be the primary focus of our public education on violence against women. Men should be engaged as participants in men’s collective activism against violence against women. St. Croix/U.S. Virgin Islands CAFRA St Croix completed its research on HIV/AIDS and shared the finding in several public activities. The campaign material was shared with the regional Secretariat and provided ideas for the other National Committees.
Jamaica The CAFRA National Committee in Jamaica worked with women’s organizations to produce an Alternative Country Report on Jamaica for presentation to CEDAW. The findings showed that for some women, the sex trade is a viable solution to unemployment. An alarming finding was that many young girls are dropping out of school, some with the consent of their parents, and entering the sex trade. The lure is usually to make money as a “go-go dancer”.	ST.LUCIA CAFRA St Lucia has established a Junior CAFRA League in secondary schools and other training establishments around the island. The CAFRA Junior League marks and important step in encouraging traditional leaderships in the women’s movement and aims to encourage young women to become powerful leaders of tomorrow. The move has proven very effective as the new members are participating in a wide range of activities to help them develop a greater social conscience, good leadership and effective communication skills.
ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES The CAFRA National Committee hosted the workshop on Women in Politics and continues to deliver training in this area. The Committee also conducts an ongoing programme with women farmers around gender and trade issues. A programme for young women was launched by one of the sister organizations – The Committee for the development of Women (CDW). SURINAME CAFRA Suriname focused on Gender and Trade and conducted a workshop on economic literacy which was attended by twenty-two men and women leaders. The district of Nickene where the workshop was held has a large number of women in the agriculture sector. However, because of the turbulence in rice production, women were forced to abandon their farms and stay at home. A 15 minute radio programme on gender and trade I snow being prepared. CAFRA Suriname also held a craft workshop and exhibition where many women entrepreneurs from different districts sold their products. An educational programme around HIV/AIDS and involving young people is continuing.	TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO CAFRA Trinidad and Tobago conducted extensive research on Commercial Sex Workers in the country. These findings, as well pointed to the growing number of school girls who were engaged in commercial sex as a means of paying their school fees, books and transportation. CAFRA Trinidad and Tobago is also engaged in training community groups in trade literacy.

BAHAMAS

CAFRA Bahamas was engaged in research for the Video on HIV/AIDS commissioned by the CAFRA Regional Secretariat. Capacity building workshops on Gender Issues and Sexual and Reproductive Health were carried out among members.
BARBADOS This year marked the return of celebrating IWD in Barbados after a 2-year lull. The CAFRA National Representative who also heads the Bureau of Gender Studies prepared a Calendar of Activities and hosted a televised panel discussion on gender and trade.
The Women and Development Unit of the School of Continuing Studies, UWI, Cave Hill Campus hosted a Choreo-Poem entitled “Our Bodies, Our Maps” which highlighted the ways in which women’s bodies can either trap them or liberate them.

CUBA, PUERTO RICO AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

In April 2003, a 5-day workshop was held in Cuba for Spanish-speaking membership on the theme “Civil Mission for Peace”. The main objective of the workshop was to provide participants with the necessary theoretical and conceptual elements for peace, in order to achieve proposals based on values such as respect and human dignity.
The training was delivered in four modules dealing with the following themes – Sensitization towards peace, Non-active Violence, Positive Conflict Resolution and the Art of Peace.

BELIZE

CAFRA Belize conducted research on Women in Politics and presented a paper on the topic to the regional conference held in Guyana.
CAFRA Belize also facilitated training sessions on Gender Analysis, and gender and Trade in particular. The issue of Violence in the Society was addressed through regular radio programmes.
The CAFRA Belize Youth Group is in its beginning stages, and the CAFRA Gender Training Manual is proving useful in building awareness among them.

CURACAO

The National Committee conducted research around Structural Adjustment and forced prostitution. The findings revealed that poverty in the Netherlands Antilles is increasingly a problem that affects women. It is the background for the pattern of high incidence of violence.
According to the CAFRA Report, the government of the Netherlands Antilles has no active policy to combat trafficking in women. There has been explosive growth in clubs and bars where very young women are brought in under the guise of being “dancers” and are put to work as strip tease dancers and forced to work as prostitutes.

DOMINICA

This year, the CAFRA Dominica National Committee commemorated International Women’s Day 2003 with a number of activities, the centrepiece of which was a lecture by Dr Rhoda Reddock, renowned Caribbean Scholar and a founding member of CAFRA. Dr Reddock spoke on the history of CAFRA and took questions from the wider public on the relevance of feminism in today’s world order, the marginalization of men in society and the role of popular media, especially calypso on the psyche of the society, namely the treatment of women.

GUYANA

CAFRA Guyana joined with the Women’s Affairs Bureau and other Women’s NGO’s to mount a Publications Photograph exhibition of CAFRA’s work.
The CAFRA National Committee continued to work with youth on HIV/AIDS prevention, programmes to address violence in their communities, and trade literacy.

MARTINIQUE/HAITI

The National Representative for Martinique was facilitated to attend a Women’s Health Forum in Haiti, organized as part of the Assembly of Caribbean Peoples. This Forum was very well attended by over 40 men and women and made several recommendations including:

There should be a review of the laws of the Caribbean, which deal with violence against women, to determine what works and what does not, and make the appropriate changes.
Women should be the primary focus of our public education on violence against women.
Men should be engaged as participants in men’s collective activism against violence against women.

St. Croix/U.S. Virgin Islands

CAFRA St Croix completed its research on HIV/AIDS and shared the finding in several public activities. The campaign material was shared with the regional Secretariat and provided ideas for the other National Committees.

Jamaica

The CAFRA National Committee in Jamaica worked with women’s organizations to produce an Alternative Country Report on Jamaica for presentation to CEDAW. The findings showed that for some women, the sex trade is a viable solution to unemployment. An alarming finding was that many young girls are dropping out of school, some with the consent of their parents, and entering the sex trade. The lure is usually to make money as a “go-go dancer”.

ST.LUCIA

CAFRA St Lucia has established a Junior CAFRA League in secondary schools and other training establishments around the island. The CAFRA Junior League marks and important step in encouraging traditional leaderships in the women’s movement and aims to encourage young women to become powerful leaders of tomorrow. The move has proven very effective as the new members are participating in a wide range of activities to help them develop a greater social conscience, good leadership and effective communication skills.

ST VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES

The CAFRA National Committee hosted the workshop on Women in Politics and continues to deliver training in this area.
The Committee also conducts an ongoing programme with women farmers around gender and trade issues.
A programme for young women was launched by one of the sister organizations – The Committee for the development of Women (CDW).

SURINAME

CAFRA Suriname focused on Gender and Trade and conducted a workshop on economic literacy which was attended by twenty-two men and women leaders. The district of Nickene where the workshop was held has a large number of women in the agriculture sector. However, because of the turbulence in rice production, women were forced to abandon their farms and stay at home. A 15 minute radio programme on gender and trade I snow being prepared.
CAFRA Suriname also held a craft workshop and exhibition where many women entrepreneurs from different districts sold their products. An educational programme around HIV/AIDS and involving young people is continuing.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

CAFRA Trinidad and Tobago conducted extensive research on Commercial Sex Workers in the country. These findings, as well pointed to the growing number of school girls who were engaged in commercial sex as a means of paying their school fees, books and transportation.
CAFRA Trinidad and Tobago is also engaged in training community groups in trade literacy.

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