In February and March 2002, the East Timor Action Network/ U.S. (ETAN) will hold a national speaking tour with an East Timorese woman activist, focusing on justice and women's issues. The tour will stress the need for an international tribunal -- highlighting the fact that the ad hoc Indonesian Human Rights Court will not hear any cases of crimes of violence against women -- and educate people on issues currently facing East Timorese women, including meaningful inclusion in political and social dialogues, domestic violence, and the plight of women still trapped in Indonesian refugee camps.
FILOMENA BARROS DOS REIS will be joining us as the tour speaker. Filomena has worked for justice and an end to military and domestic violence since 1997. Like many Timorese, she led a double life during the Indonesian military occupation, organizing with the underground resistance while working as a civil servant for the Indonesian regime. In 1997, Filomena started volunteering with FOKUPERS, the Communication Forum for East Timorese Women, in their education and training division. She helped train isolated women in rural communities on human rights, gender, and reproductive health issues. She helped produce radio programs on these and other civil society concerns as a part of broader educational efforts. Filomena also worked with FOKUPERS to provide counseling for women victims of Indonesian military and domestic violence, important work she continues to do today. Filomena was a delegate to the United Nations' "Beijing Plus Five" international conference on women's issues in June 2001, and represented the East Timorese Women's Network at the East Timor Donors' Conference in Belgium in December 2000. She is currently the advocacy officer for the NGO Forum, the umbrella organization for non-governmental organizations in East Timor. In this capacity, Filomena helps grassroots groups to have input on official policies and processes, focusing on NGO-identified priorities, including an international tribunal, the Constitutional process, the refugee crisis, and women's issues. Filomena also volunteers as a youth mentor with the Boy and Girl Guide Scouts and organizes educational activities for street children. ** If you are interested in hosting ETAN's spring speaking tour, please contact field organizer Diane Farsetta at 608-663-5431 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] ASAP. The tour will begin on the east coast in mid/late-Feb and will end on the west coast in mid/late-Mar. It is important for those hosting the tour to raise funds to cover travel and other tour expenses. ** ____________________________________________ Diane Farsetta East Timor Action Network field organizer ETAN field office [EMAIL PROTECTED] Social Justice Center office 608-663-5431 1202 Williamson St cell 608-347-4598 Madison, WI 53703 home 608-255-4598 fax 608-227-0141 Check out these internet sites! the East Timor Action Network/US http://www.etan.org Madison, WI - East Timor projects http://www.aideasttimor.org Madison's Social Justice Center http://www.socialjusticecenter.org "We struggled for more than 24 years for independence. We've learned the lesson that even small people have a voice." -East Timorese leader Mari Alkatiri, during the August 30, 2001 Constituent Assembly vote
