Asia
Pakistan: Sexual Harassment Act in place, but fears of reporting remain
ISLAMABAD: Despite the introduction of Harassment Act 2010 in the country, most women are more afraid of repercussions which may cause them to loose their job or face retaliation, so they save themselves by remaining quite.
Women are hesitant of lodging complaints as they feel they would face abusive language, forced late sitting, unnecessary work load and rumors about their characters.
Talking to APP Chairperson National Implementation Watch Committee on Harassment, Dr Fauzia Saeed said, “Whatever lip service we do and how much we show ourselves committed to the cause of women, the fact is that women issues receive lowest priority in our system.
Indonesia: Government regulation on female circumcision must be repealed
VNC is supporting the demand by Indonesian women's groups that the Indonesian government repeal the recent regulation issued by the Ministry of Health which allows female genital circumcision to be carried out by medical professionals.
Pakistan: Woman paraded naked in shaming in Haipur
Update: In response to the June 6, 2011 public shaming of a woman in Haipur, who was forcibly paraded naked in front of her entire village, Pakistani civil society organizations and NGOs formed a broad coalition to push authorities, including the chief minister, the high court and the police department, to take appropriate action. With public support, media coverage and strong rights-based advocacy, law enforcement agencies have extended their suppor to the victims and their families. Support work is ongoing.
ISLAMABAD: A woman was forcibly paraded naked through a village after her sons were accused of sleeping with a married neighbour who became pregnant, police said Tuesday.
Malaysia: Muslim women's rights leaders spoke against the Obedient Women's Club
Interview by Fathol Zaman Bukhari. There has been much furore over the formation of the Obedient Wives’ Club by a fringe Islamic group causing heated debate among women and men, alike. Ipoh Echo sought the views of two Malay Muslim women who helm a women’s rights movement here in Ipoh. Dr Sharifah Halimah Jaafar and Puan Halida Mohd Ali are from the Perak Women for Women Society. Here are their answers to our questions:
Nepal: Widows' Organization to Address Discrimination & Rights
By Lily Thapa, Director and founder of Women for Human Rights, working to support single women who have lost their husbands.
When my husband died I was 29 years old with two young children. I was educated and from a professional middle-class family in Katmandu, the capital of Nepal. My husband was of similar background.
But with his death I realized for myself that education could make inroads into a society only up to a point.
Afghanistan: Virginity-related penalties unfair for women
Virginity is not mentioned in the Afghan penal system and other laws, but hundreds of women unfairly face penalties over it.
KABUL, 26 April 2011 (IRIN) - The penalties that Afghan women suffer whenever allegations of pre-marital sex and loss of virginity emerge, including death, are extreme, discriminatory and not in the penal code, activists said.
“I saw a woman who was publically humiliated and tortured because she had allegedly lost her virginity before her wedding night,” said Suraya Subhrang, a women’s rights commissioner at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC). Extra-judiciary penalties, she added, were prevalent and deep-rooted in the country.
Malaysia: The Obedient Wives’ Club Signals State’s Failure to Uphold Women’s Rights in the Family
The ASEAN Progressive Muslim Movement (APMM), a network of twenty one (21) non-governmental organizations working for the protection and promotion of women’s rights in the ASEAN region, jointly with and the Global Campaign to Stop Violence Against Women in the name of "Culture" (), view the recent formation of The Obedient Wives’ Club (OWC) in Malaysia as disturbing and offensive. The Syarie Lawyers Association (PGSM) in Malaysia has attacked the Club for encouraging women to fulfill their husbands' needs by being "good prostitutes".
Decade
"Decade" was made by students of Punjab University, Lahore for Shirkat Gah's film festival "Violence Is Not Our Culture". The film highlights the struggle of a brave woman who decides to open a school despite intense pressure from the men of the village. Her hard work pays off when in 10 years, hence the name Decade, the whole village is transformed. Watch the video.
UPR Submission on Sexual Rights in Tajikistan
Equal Opportunities (Tajikistan), LGBT Organization Labrys (Kyrgyzstan) and The Sexual Rights Initiative submitted report on Sexual Rights in Tajikistan for the 12th Round of the Universal Periodic Review in October 2011.
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a new and unique mechanism of the United Nations which started in April 2008 and consisting of the review of the human rights practices of all States in the world, once every four years. For more details please visit web site .
Most Understanding Husband Campaign - Equal Access, Nepal (UN Trust Fund Grantee)
As part of the radio series Samajhdari ('Mutual Understanding'), Equal Access created the Most Understanding Husband Competition, a unique initiative to provide positive male role models. Inviting men to nominate themselves as "the most understanding husband", Equal Access received messages from thousands of men across Nepal. Ten husbands were selected as finalists, with their stories featured on the national radio series. Watch video below.