Women's health issues discussed at conference

The old colonial empires may be disappearing from the world’s atlases but their lingering legacies still affect women’s health throughout the globe. An upcoming conference, “Building Alliances for Living, Working, Research and Practice: Women’s Health in the Postcolonial Context,” June 16-18 at UVic, will examine the health status of women and children at home and throughout the world. The speeches and presentations will focus on how political interests and corporate profits are served at the expense of women and children’s health.

UVic faculty members and graduate students will be among those making presentations on topics ranging from HIV/AIDS among Aboriginal women, health issues and dating among adolescent girls, health issues among sex trade workers, and physical inactivity among adolescent females. The complete program of presentations is available at the conference website at: www.uvcs.uvic.ca/conf/ICOWHI/

There will be three keynote addresses, all in the David Lam Auditorium (MacLaurin A144). Dr. Joan Anderson, the Elizabeth Kenny McCann Professor at UBC’s school of nursing, will speak on, “Decolonizing Practice: Social Suffering, Social Justice and a Path to Healing,” at 11 a.m. on June 16. Anderson has conducted extensive research with women living with a chronic illness and has published widely on when the intersection of gender, class, culture and class result in marginalization and vulnerability. [Please note that keynote addresses and conference sessions are open only to delegates and members of the media.]

Kathleen Mahoney, a professor of law with the University of Calgary, will discuss “The Prognosis for Women’s Health: A Human Rights Challenge,” at 11 a.m. on June 17. The co-founder of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (W-LEAF) was counsel and advocate on a team of international lawyers representing Bosnia and Herzegovina in their genocide action against Serbia and Montenegro in the International Court of Justice, focusing primarily on the issue of systematic rape as a crime of genocide.

Dr. Sheila Dinotshe Tlou, a professor of nursing at the University of Botswana, will speak on “Women and HIV/AIDS in Africa: Building Alliances in Research and Practice,” at 11 a.m. on June 18. She has worked with non-governmental and community organizations and grass-roots women’s groups to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS and is a founding member of the Botswana chapter of the Society for Women and AIDS in Africa.

Two Victoria artists will exhibit their works in conjunction with the conference. “Women’s Vision,” an exhibition of art by Joanne Thomson and Susan Taylor will run June 16 to 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the A. Wilfrid Johns Gallery (on the first floor of the A Wing in the MacLaurin Building). The artists will be in attendance and art cards and prints of their work will also be available.

-- 30 --