News and Views
Iraq: Kurdistan - Study Shows Prevalence of FGM - Urge to Ban
New survey reveals that majority of women in Kurdistan have undergone genital mutilation.
Catholics for the Right to Decide (CDD) El Salvador and Nicaragua Joint Declaration - February 2010
Católicas por el Derecho a Decidir of Nicaragua and El Salvador, meeting in the city of Managua, have analyzed and reflected upon the impact of the illegality of therapeutic abortion on the health and lives of women in both Central American countries, resulting in the following implications:
Afghanistan: Any agreement with Taliban must include women's rights - UN CEDAW Committee
Afghanistan: any agreement with the Taliban must include women’s rights - UN experts’ body
GENEVA (5 February 2010) - The Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women said Friday that “any agreement reached with the Taliban in Afghanistan should include a clear commitment to respect and protect women’s human rights.” The Committee urged the Afghan government and its international allies “to ensure that women representatives are included in the upcoming peace and development dialogues and negotiations with the Taliban,”
Fiji: Girl beaten by village headman for wearing pants
Clothes gone wrong ... Asenaca Vunibola, right, with her father Tui and mother Sala after her traumatic experience at Naqai outside Labasa yesterday.
Iran - Women Fight Polygamy Proposal
They say it weakens their role and status at home and in society.
Iranian women’s groups and other rights organisations are fighting a much discussed proposed law which they say would encourage polygamy by allowing a man to take a second wife without the permission of the first in certain circumstances.
Turkish girl, 16, buried alive for talking to boys
Death reopens debate over 'honour' killings in Turkey, which account for half of all the country's murders
The hole where a 16-year-old girl was buried alive by her relatives in Adiyaman, southeastern Turkey.
Philippines: Early Marriage of Muslim Girls - Risks
MANILA, 26 January 2010 (IRIN) - Nurina was 14 when she married Sid, who was 23. “We were close friends. He treated me like a younger sister,” Nurina said. “People started to gossip and my family insisted that we be married to avoid tarnishing my reputation.”
Ireland: Abortion limits violate human rights
(Dublin: January 28, 2010) The Irish government actively seeks to restrict access to abortion services and information both within Ireland and for its residents seeking care abroad, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
Bangladesh: 16 year old girl raped, pregnant, flogged 101 times. High Court now orders protection
(CNSNews.com) – Bangladesh’s High Court has ordered authorities in an eastern district to protect and produce in court a 16-year-old girl who was lashed 101 times earlier this month after becoming pregnant as the result of a rape.
France moves closer to banning full Muslim veil
Faiza Silmi, a 32-year-old Moroccan, walks in a Le Mesnil-Saint-Denis, France, on Tuesday. Silmi was refused French citizenship for what authorities said was her failure to assimilate into French culture.
Malaysia: Ban lifted on Sisters In Islam (SIS) book
KUALA LUMPUR: The SIS Forum (Malaysia) succeeded in throwing out the Home Minister’s order banning its 215-page book, Muslim Women and the Challenges of Islamic Extremism.
Iran: Women's Rights Campaign Activists - Arrests & Summons Report
Change for Equality: The following report, outlines the pressures faced by activists involved in the One Million Signatures Campaign, including arrests, summons, sentences, travel bans, and search of property. The report was compiled in November 2009 and updated in late December 2009. Several of the members of the Campaign who have been arrested in the past few weeks days are not included in the report, including:
Nepal: Suicide Leading Cause of Death for Women 15-49
KATHMANDU, 21 January 2010 (IRIN) - Suicide has emerged as the single leading cause of death among women in Nepal aged 15-49, outranking other causes such as accidents and disease, according to a government study.
Outrage over graphic T-shirts degrading women
T-SHIRT slogans condoning rape and featuring semi-naked and gagged women have outraged anti-exploitation advocates.
JON PIERIK
January 24, 2010
Fatwas against FGM in Mauritania and Niger
By Laurent Prieur and Abdoulaye Massalatchi
NOUAKCHOTT/NIAMEY, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Efforts to eradicate female genital circumcision in West Africa have taken a step forward with a fatwa against the practice in Mauritania and sanctions in Niger against mothers who subject their daughters to it.
Babies of child brides more susceptible to malnutrition: Research Study
A recent study by a Boston University professor found that children born to mothers who were married and gave birth before they were 18 are more likely to be malnourished.
Iran: No Information About Detained Women’s Rights Activist
Hundreds of Detainees in Similar Situations, Disappeared into Prisons
“Starred Student” was Blacklisted from Graduate Studies for her Peaceful Women’s Rights Activism
Aceh Shari'a police will not be disbanded despite rape case
A Sharia policeman speaks to two youths about the rules of Sharia law at the seaside area of Uleelheu in Banda Aceh.
Haiti: Women's Movement Mourns Deaths of 3 Leaders
Myriam Merlet was one of three leading activists in the Haitian women's movement who died, a victim of the earthquake.
By Jessica Ravitz, CNN
January 20, 2010
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Human Rights Watch published World Report 2010
January 20, 2010
Human Rights Watch publishes World Report 2010