Ráday Salon

Further reading on abortion in Argentina

Maria Lis Baiocchi, who discussed the criminalization of abortion in Argentina at our last Salon, was kind enough to pass along a few links for those who are interested in learning more about the topic. First, she directs us to a report from Human Rights Watch -- Decisions Denied: Women's Access to Contraceptives and Abortion in Argentina, which can be downloaded or read online at the Human Rights Watch website. Those who read Spanish (or are familiar with online translation tools such as Google Translate :o) ) may also want to take a look at despenalizacion.org.ar and abortolegal.com.ar.

Photos from "Women's Rights Are Human Rights" Salon

We've posted a new photo album on the blog with pictures from our "Women's Rights Are Human Rights" Salon.  Enjoy!

RE: VERZIO Documentary Film Series

Each fall, Budapest is the site of Verzio, an excellent human rights film festival that brings to the screen dozens of human rights documentaries from dozens of countries around the world. The 2008 Verzio Festival included more than 50 films from over 27 countries -- and still, this leaves out many worthy films that do not make the final selection.

Fortunately for us, the Verzio organizers have introduced a spring film series to help fill the gap. The 2009 RE: VERZIO Documentary Film Series showcases seven films --  four audience favorites at the 2008 festival, and three new films that were not shown at the fall festival.

The first film in the RE: VERZIO Series is Anna, 7 Years on the Frontline, winner of the Audience Award at the 2008 Verzio Festival. The film (which we were able to see back in November) is a compelling portrait of the Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who became well known for her passionate commitment to reporting on the conflict in Chechnya, and whose October 2006 murder remains unsolved. The documentary includes interviews with Politkovskaya's colleagues and friends, as well as many conversations with the journalist herself, as she describes her work, its dangers and challenges, and what drives her to keep pressing on. 

Anna, 7 Years on the Frontline will be shown Wednesday, April 1, at 6pm, at the OSA Archivum, Arany János u. 32., (in the 5th district near Arany János metro stop). 

All films in the RE:VERZIO Series are shown in the original language with English subtitles.  

The series continues with a film every week for the next seven weeks.  To see the full schedule, keep reading below.

Soul School International Women's Day 2009 episode

As we mentioned at our most recent Salon, Michael dedicated the March 8th episode of Soul School to International Women's Day, and featured a specially selected playlist in honor of the occasion.

We've uploaded the audio files of that show for those who would like to listen.  The episode is available in two parts, which you can find by clicking the links below.

Enjoy!

• Soul School International Women's Day Show - part 1
• Soul School International Women's Day Show - part 2

Ráday Salon evening -- Women's Rights Are Human Rights -- Thurs. Mar. 26, 7pm

As promised, we have prepared a special program for this coming Thursday, March 26th, at 7pm, commemorating International Women's Month. For this evening, we will be joined by a team of presenters from Central European University -- Maria Lis Baiocchi (Argentina), Robin Chaurasiya (USA), and Rachel Horst (USA) -- to give us a multi-faceted international perspective on some pressing problems affecting women around the world.

Women's Rights Are Human Rights:
International Perspectives on Domestic Violence, Criminalization of Abortion, and Human Trafficking

March has come to be recognized globally as International Women's Month — in acknowledgment of women's worldwide struggles for political and economic rights. It is a month to bring about awareness in societies around the world of the gender-based disparities that are still present and to reflect on the struggles women must still fight in order for the promise that "women's rights are human rights" to be fulfilled. This Ráday Salon will invite participants to learn about and reflect on some of the major types of discrimination women still face, including domestic violence, criminalization of abortion, and human trafficking — using the cases of the USA, Argentina, and India as specific examples.

Rachel Horst will focus on domestic violence as a problem in the United States (as it is globally), with a special focus on the state of Pennsylvania. The presentation will describe the institutions in place and the legal options for women who are victims of domestic violence as well as the community efforts to combat it and the public/private sphere implications of the problem. She will also address how this problem cuts across societal lines — which include but are not limited to the divisions present between urban and rural areas, low income and high income regions, as well as immigrant populations, white communities, and communities of color.

María Lis Baiocchi will address the criminalization of abortion in Argentina and its impact on the lives of women. The presentation will give a brief overview of the legislation in place as far as abortion is concerned and provide a background of the devastating consequences of it. It will provide a historical overview of how, over the course of the past two decades, the issue of abortion went from being completely absent from public debate to being located at the very center of it as primarily an issue of public health. The presentation will consider sociological explanations for the impossibility of pro-choice social actors to frame the issue as a matter of women's human rights and full citizenship rather than of public health, and the detriments and benefits of such framing as far as the advancement of the right to legal, safe, and free abortion is concerned.

Robin Chaurasiya will provide an introduction to the global scale of human trafficking, with an emphasis on sexual trafficking of women. The presentation will then focus on trafficking in India and cover Hindu practices that enable trafficking within the country when girls are designated as Devadasis, Joginis, and Mathammas. The presentation will include a short audio slideshow covering the Devadasi system, as well as several examples from Robin's work in Mumbai at an NGO. She will conclude with a discussion and critique of anti-trafficking NGOs in India, her current research topic at CEU.

The presentations will be followed by an open discussion in which we especially encourage our guests to provide perspectives on womens' issues in their own countries and regions. We are sure it will be a thought-provoking and enlightening evening, and we look forward to seeing you there.

Human Rights Workshop and Screening of NO!

On Friday, March 27, Michael will be presenting a series of events as part of the Saluting Women's History Month program at the new American Corner at Corvinus University. The program includes a workshop on human rights, as well as a screening of Aishah Shahidah Simmons' groundbreaking documentary NO!. Our long-time guests will be well familiar with NO!, but if you are new to us and would like to know more about the film, you can find a wealth of information both on our website, and on the film website at http://notherapedocumentary.org/. The Saluting Women's History Month events at the American Corner are free and open to the public, but as space is limited, registration is required. For more information, including instructions on how to register, visit the American Corner events page.

"Living" Nonviolence Sign 2009

Beginning in 2004, activists of the Humanist Movement in Hungary have been marking the anniversary of the Iraq War with a "living peace sign" in Budapest's Heroes' Square, made up of hundreds of people holding up candles as the light fades and evening begins. (Click to see photos and video of the 2007 peace sign.) Every year, the event has grown, with peace signs appearing in dozens of cities around the world. This year the symbol, which will celebrate nonviolence, will be held on Sunday, March 22. The event begins at 6pm and participation requires a small participation fee (800Ft) to help cover the costs. Hungarian speakers can find more information at http://www.vilagbekemenet.hu/.

New Interview with Aishah about NO!

When we last updated you, we were preparing Christmas gifts to contribute to the "Shoebox Full of Love" project of HRSI (the student group at CEU) , and enjoying the uplifting documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown that put us in a happy holiday mood with some classic Motown music. Well, now the end-of-the-year holidays have come and gone and we've moved on to another holiday, International Women's Day -- which we here at the Raday Salon prefer to think of as International Women's Month. In honor of this holiday, we're busy preparing our next Salon to focus on women's issues. The program is not final yet, but we can tell you to save the date: Mark the 26th of March on your calendars -- the Raday Salon will be back for our first event of 2009.

For now we leave you with the following interview with Aishah Shahidah Simmons that was recently published online. In it, she talks about the film NO! and the intersections between race, gender, and sexuality that she explores in her creative work.

Ráday Salon evening -- Standing In The Shadows Of Motown -- Thurs., Dec 18, 7 p.m.

In keeping with the holiday season, we decided to end the Ráday Salon Fall 2008 season with an event to get us all in a happy holiday mood. This Thursday night, December 18th, We will be screening the 2002 documentary film Standing In The Shadows Of Motown, which, although not directly human-rights related, is an uplifting, energizing, feel-good celebration guaranteed to put a smile on every face.

The film is about The Funk Brothers, the group of musicians that played the music for almost all of the musical acts on the famous Motown record label from 1959 until 1972. As a group, the Funk Brothers were behind more Number 1 songs than any other music group in history. These hits included such well-loved songs as "My Girl", "Heard It Through The Grapevine" and "Dancing in the Streets" - yet the Funk Brothers have been virtually unknown in the United States.  Standing In The Shadows Of Motown tells the story of these remarkable musicians, through interviews, archival footage, and even a few live performances of classic hits. The musicians' story is so compelling, you may find yourself wishing you could have been a "fly on the wall" during some of their recording sessions -- and the music is so delicious, you may find it hard to resist tapping your toes and singing along.

We hope to see you all there, but we realize that some of you may have already left Budapest for the holidays. To those of you we won't be seeing, we wish you the very best for the holiday season, and look forward to seeing you in 2009.

A Shoebox Full Of Love

For our upcoming salon on December 18th (see above) we are adding another special event to bring out our holiday spirit. Our friends at the Human Rights Initiative (HRSI) at the Central European University are collecting gifts for needy children through the "Shoebox Full of Love" project, which collects shoeboxes filled with small gifts for children that will be distributed at Christmastime. We invite you to join us in this effort by bringing some gifts to the Salon. We will put the gifts together into several shoeboxes that will be donated in the name of the Raday Salon.

**We ask you to bring gifts that would be appropriate for a boy or girl aged 5-9.**

What to bring? HRSI provides the following list of suggestions:

1) TOYS: small cars, balls, dolls, teddy bears, yo-yos, jump ropes, toys that light up or make noise (with extra batteries), etc.
2) SCHOOL SUPPLIES: pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons or markers, stamps and ink pad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books, etc.
3) HYGIENE ITEMS: toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap (in a plastic bag), comb, washcloth, etc.
4) OTHER ITEMS: hard candy and lollipops, mints, gum, T-shirts, socks, ball caps, sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches, flashlights (with extra batteries), scarf, gloves, small storybook, word-game book, children's magazine, beads, earrings, etc.

Please do not bring: Used or damaged items; war-related items such as toy guns, knives or military figures; chocolate or food; liquids or lotions; medications or vitamins; breakable items such as snowglobes or glass containers; aerosol cans.

We encourage you to bring as many items as you like -- we will find a place for it all. We look forward to being able to send along as many shoeboxes as possible.

**We ask you to bring gifts that would be appropriate for a boy or girl aged 5-9.**