RADAR ALERT:
Intensive Global Efforts Bring Two Victories in One Week!
This past week our hard work was rewarded with two victories. And both of them stemmed from flawed reports from the United Nations.
1. UN Study on Violence Against Women
The first report was the UN secretary-general’s Study on Violence Against Women. The document amounted to an ideological denunciation of the “patriarchy” and recommended that every country around the world enact VAWA-like laws: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/vaw. Columnist Wendy McElroy described the report as “embarrassingly inaccurate, ideological, and biased against men.” (http://www.ifeminists.net/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.55)
What happened next was nothing short of miraculous.
RADAR drafted a resolution calling on the UN Third Committee to only “note,” not “welcome” the report. The resolution was sent around the world, and within a few short weeks 118 organizations in 14 countries had endorsed it: http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/UN-ViolenceReport-Resolution.pdf
Alerts were issued and over a one-month period, an estimated 30,000 e-mails were sent to US ambassador John Bolton. The delegations from other countries were deluged with messages, as well.
When the dust had cleared, the Third Committee decided to “note,” not “welcome” the secretary-general’s report! A change of a single word may seem insignificant, but it basically means that the Committee gave the Secretary General’s report a failing grade.
Please send Ambassador Bolton short “thank you” for voting to only “note” the flawed secretary-general’s report at usa@un.int.
2. Washington Times Article on Abused Wives in India
The second report came from a chart developed by the UN Population Fund. Whoever made the chart committed statistical malpractice, because it simply makes no sense. (http://mensnewsdaily.com/2006/11/19/feminist-takeover-of-the-un-is-an-issue-of-national-security)
But that flawed chart gave rise to this statement that appeared in a front-page article in the Washington Times: “A 2005 U.N. Population Fund report found that 70 percent of married women in India were victims of beatings or rape.” (http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20061113-120817-8603r.htm)
The statement was defamatory and beyond belief.
RADAR issued two Alerts, and the complaints POURED in. Messages came from the United States, Canada, India, and elsewhere.
So this past Tuesday, TWT finally ran the following retraction:
“Using a chart published in a 2005 U.N. Population Fund report – which the UN agency now says was misleading – a London Daily Telegraph article published in Nov. 13 editions of The Washington Times incorrectly stated the frequencies of wife abuse in India. The agency says that it does not have sufficient data to provide such a figure and that the chart was intended to show that 70 percent of Indian women who were abused by their husbands think such abuse is justified in at least some circumstances.” (http://washingtontimes.com/corrections/20061128-102228-2806r.htm)
These are major victories. Kudos for the messages you sent to the United Nations that would have otherwise treated half-truths and innuendo about violence against women as absolute truth. And kudos to all who complained to the Washington Times for publishing its inflammatory propaganda.
This Alert is sent in the spirit of appreciation and thanks for a job well done. This is an example of how a cooperative effort involving over 100 organizations in 14 countries around the world can truly make a difference.
Date of RADAR Release: December 4, 2006
R.A.D.A.R. – Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting – is a non-profit, non-partisan organization of men and women working to assure that the problem of domestic violence is treated in a balanced and effective manner. http://www.mediaradar.org.
