RADAR ALERT: UN Violence Report: Three Strikes and You're OUT!

Submitted by Matt on Mon, 2006-10-30 02:44

The United Nations recently released its biased Violence Against Women report. The report is filled with half-truths and distortions about violence against women, and absurdly claims that the root cause of domestic violence is male "patriarchy".

So last week, RADAR issued an Alert and press release that went to 17,000 media contacts. But that was just the warm-up pitch. In honor of the recently-concluded World Series, this week we're fielding our whole ball team.

RADAR and 90 other organizations from 9 countries around the world have formed a coalition to stop this dangerous report. These organizations are based in the United States, Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Australia, and New Zealand.

This is what two of these groups are saying about the UN report:

"The UN Report ignores the plight and pain of half of all victims of domestic violence. In effect this report 'sanctions' male victims and ignores the terrorism that fills their lives simply because they are men." — Lee Newman, executive director, SAFE International

"While the UN report purports to be an 'in-depth study,' it ignores the failings of the current system. Many severely-abused victims discover to their surprise that trivial and false claims are consuming the resources that should be going to those most in need." — Terri Lynn Tersak, president and CEO, True Equality Network

The members of this coalition have signed a Resolution Regarding the UN Study on Violence Against Women. The Resolution notes that the UN report "uses misandrous and inflammatory language" to falsely stereotype men, and calls on the UN to "discourage implementation of the recommendations of the Study on Violence Against Women until its effects on families and children are analyzed and understood."

The full Resolution and list of co-signers can be viewed at: http://www.mediaradar.org/docs/UN-ViolenceReport-Resolution.pdf.

So this week, we're asking everyone who reads this Alert to throw three pitches.

We'd like you to contact UN Ambassador Terry Miller (he represents the US delegation on the Third Committee, the body that handles social and economic issues at the UN) and throw him:

  • 3 fast balls (e-mail him at usa-at-un.int),
  • 3 sliders (fax him a letter at 1-212-415-4443), or
  • A change-up (a combination of e-mails and faxes)

Three strikes and you're out!!

If you want to send Ambassador Miller a copy of the Resolution along with a short cover note, that's fine. Always be polite and respectful, but be firm in your request that the United Nations:

  1. Simply "Note" (but not "Welcome") the recent Secretary-General's report (merely "noting" a report is the diplomatic equivalent of saying, "this report stinks").
  2. Discourage implementation of the recommendations of the Study on Violence Against Women until its effects on families and children are analyzed and understood.
  3. Request incoming UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to undertake a counterpart Study on Violence against Men.

This is our first global campaign to stop DV bias. And it's a whole new ball game.

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Date of RADAR Release: October 30, 2006

Sign up today to receive RADAR's Alerts! Go to http://www.mediaradar.org/, enter your e-mail address in the upper right hand box, then hit Subscribe!

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/.

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Comments

Anybody else having trouble figuring out what this muddled RADAR request is asking us to do???

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Submitted by MR on Mon, 2006-10-30 04:59

After working 21 hours this weekend, I had only a little trouble finding what to do. It tells you what to do at around the halfway mark...

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Submitted by canaryguy on Mon, 2006-10-30 14:27

I was able to put this together from RADAR's very muddled alert (a real pain in the neck on a Monday morning, back to work day). Maybe this will help some others:

To: Ambassador Terry Miller

From: XXXXXX

Date: October 30, 2006

Re: Secretary-General's study on violence against women

Dear Ambassador Miller:

I "Note" the Secretary-General of the United Nation’s recent report on Violence Against Women. The report is filled with half-truths and distortions about violence against women, and absurdly claims that the root cause of domestic violence is male "patriarchy".
The United Nations report uses “misandrous and inflammatory language” to falsely stereotype men.

"The UN report ignores the plight and pain of half of all victims of domestic violence. In effect this report 'sanctions' male victims and ignores the terrorism that fills their lives simply because they are men." — Lee Newman, executive director, SAFE International

"While the UN report purports to be an 'in-depth study,' it ignores the failings of the current system. Many severely-abused victims discover to their surprise that trivial and false claims are consuming the resources that should be going to those most in need." — Terri Lynn Tersak, president and CEO, True Equality Network

#1 I discourage implementation of the recommendations of the Study on Violence Against Women until its effects on families and children are analyzed and understood.

#2 I request incoming UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to undertake a counterpart Study on Violence against Men.

Sincerely,
Name, Address, and Phone #

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Submitted by MR on Mon, 2006-10-30 15:24

In all of RADAR's urgings to "contact" our elected reps and various luminaries about men's rights issues, RADAR always advises --

"Always be polite and respectful."

What's the difference between "polite and respectful" and SUBSERVIENT AND MARGINAL?

I swear, RADAR is one frat boy from Winnetka IL. enjoying his university's free broadband just to publish this vanity press.

Just because I am tolerant does not mean I am a fool.

* Does RADAR have a Board of Directors?
* Who are they?
* Are they of legal age?
* How many females sit on that Board?
* Are they of legal age?
* What data can RADAR provide illustrating its effectiveness as a men's advocacy org?
(.pdfs of replies from Congresspersons would be appreciated....)

Finally, just a rhetorical question for a rhetorical entity ---

If RADAR farts into the wind, does a butterfly flap its wings?

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Submitted by Roy on Mon, 2006-10-30 16:18

I got this email response to my email from USUN Public Affairs:

"Thank you for your message to Ambassador Miller. Our delegation has taken note of your concerns relating to the UN report on Violence Against Women. At this time, the delegation is working on an update to the annual resolution on Violence Against Women and is also deliberating on the recommendations contained in the UN report by the Secretary-General."

I got a letter reply to the first letter I FAXed to the UN. I'll try to scan it and post a link to it later. They included a copy of some report on violence against children. Do they know the single largest group doing the violence against children is biological mothers???

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Submitted by MR on Tue, 2006-10-31 00:27

I like the way you have really grabbed the bull by the horns on this one. Good job!!
Do you mean a link to the document you sent, or to their response letter?
-Axolotl

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Submitted by axolotl on Tue, 2006-10-31 01:34

On the 1st RADAR alert to the U.N. I FAXed them a letter. I was amazed, when a few days later I got a reply in the mail. They are very fast in replying, not like our elected reps. I'll scan their letter and put in a place on the internet, then post a link here at Mensactivism.

Now that I've said that, I better go do it before I forget.

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Submitted by MR on Tue, 2006-10-31 02:30

Here is what I sent to the U.N. from the first RADAR Alert,
1st Letter FAXed to U.N.

Here is their reply (below):

Page 1

Page 2 (enclosure)

Page 3 (enclosure)

Page 4 (enclosure)

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Submitted by MR on Tue, 2006-10-31 03:08

It's interesting that the U.N. sent me that study on Violence Against Children in response to my concern about their flawed report on Violence Against Women. If the U.N. really cared about violence against children they'd take a long hard look at this Health and Human Services (HHS) pie chart (United States only) showing how biological Mothers are the single biggest group contributing to child fatalaties (neglect and abuse leading to child death), and that there's an 8% rise in those numbers from the previous year. Biological Fathers only had a .1% rise from the previous year.

2004 Child Fatalities

2003 Child Fatalities

It's kind of funny (hypocritical) how they see violence against women, but not violence by women.

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Submitted by MR on Tue, 2006-10-31 04:05

I guess many of us read Carey Roberts' anti-feminist column anyway, but here is one he wrote on the U.N. issue (October 17th):

Carey Roberts on the U.N.

-Axolotl

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Submitted by axolotl on Wed, 2006-11-01 00:10