Vision

A world in which all women, particularly those who are marginalised due to their gender or sexual expression, ability, profession, or marital status:

• live lives free of violence
• live in communities that are inclusive
• have equal access to all services including medical, legal and educational
• are able to  exercise the full extent of their human rights
• are not discriminated against in law, practice or policy

Conference Background

Even as strides are being made towards gender equality and women's empowerment in many parts of the world, violence continues to be a constant threat in the lives of countless women. While research increasingly indicates that women from the North and South experience alarming rates of physical abuse and sexual violence, as well as various forms of discrimination in both public and private spheres, we have little evidence on the nature of violence and discrimination faced by marginalised women including sex workers, lesbians, disabled and single women, and trans people. Preliminary research suggests that women who are marginalised often face multiple layers of violence. A recent UNDP Report, for example, found that disabled women are twice as prone to violence when compared with able-bodied women (UNDP). Another survey of sex workers in Bangladesh reported that 49% of the women had been raped and 59% beaten by police in 1997 (Jenkins). Violence against women who are marginalised on the basis of sexuality or gender expression is particularly high, yet it remains underreported and under addressed because of stigma and discrimination. Count Me In! aims to change this reality by focusing on violence against sex workers, lesbians, disabled and single women, and trans people, and working to end all forms of violence against marginalised women.

Objectives

• Learn from sex workers', lesbians', disabled women and trans people's innovative models of resistance.
• Engage with the women's movement, and locate ways in which it can address violence against marginalised women.
• Build knowledge and scholarship on violence against South Asian sex workers, lesbians, disabled women and trans people.
• Use theater, film, dance, music and art as strategies to resist violence against marginalised women.
• Influence policy-makers to prioritize ending violence against sex workers, lesbians, disabled and single women, and trans people.