AWID News

WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN THE NEWS    

Tunisian Gender-parity 'revolution' Hailed

"In a regional breakthrough, parties must present equal numbers of male and female candidates in Tunisia's July vote.

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Liberia: Protect Refugees Against Sexual Abuse

Dozens of Ivorian refugee women and girls recently arrived in eastern Liberia say they have had to engage in sex to get adequate food, shelter, or money, Human Rights Watch said today.

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Egypt's Buthayna Kamel Makes History As The First Woman To Run For President

For the first time in the history of Egypt, a woman is running for president.

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Iran's Nobel Laureate Ebadi Warns Of Unrest Among Ethnic Arabs In Iran

Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi has warned the United Nations of the possible spread of unrest in Iran's Khuzestan Province, home to most of the country's ethnic Arab minority.

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The Egyptian Center For Women's Rights Condemns The Exclusion Of Women From Being Appointed As New Governors

Changing a number of governors without having any woman among them was disappointing and contradictory to the principles of citizenship, justice and equality - principles which the 25th of January revolution demanded. It was especially disappointing as there was an announcement that for the first time there will be a woman governor. This exclusion occurred after women participated effectively in all phases of the revolution and after they were present side by side with men in Tahrir Square.

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Iranian Journalist Charged Over 'Unauthorized Blog'

Prominent Iranian journalist and human rights activist Zhila Baniyaghoub is facing a new criminal charge based on statements written on her blog, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports.

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Syrian Women March To Demand Release Of Men Held In Security Swoop

'We want the men of Baida' chant hundreds in coastal highway protest at mass arrests, as others demonstrate in city of Banias

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The Necessity Of Considering Women's Rights An Integral Part Of Human Rights And Setting Them On The Agenda Of The New Council For Human Rights

The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights and the Egyptian Coalition for Civil Education and Women's Participation received the news of the reformation of the National Council for Human Rights with great satisfaction: The appointments were fair, included the most distinguished people of the society in all fields and members with broad experience in the field of human rights

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Tunisia Approved The Equal Membership In The National Constituent Assembly

The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights received the approval of the decree by the large majority of the High Commission which states the parity between men and women in the membership of the National Constituent Assembly with happiness. The decree helps achieving the goals of the revolution and the democratic transition in Tunisia. With this step Tunisia became the first country in the Arab world to do so.

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Pakistan Considers Life Sentence For Acid Attacks On Women

Pakistan's National Assembly is considering a bill that would toughen the punishment for people who commit acid attacks on women, RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal reports.

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The Egyptian Center For Women's Rights Condemns The Overuse Of Force In Ending Sit-ins

The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights expresses its great concern about the incidents that happened in Tahrir Square on the dawn of Saturday, which according to the Ministry of Health resulted in the death of people and the injuries of 71 persons.

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Women Playing Critical Role In North African Democracy Movement, UN Official Says

Women have played a critical role in the pro-democracy protest movements that have swept across North Africa and the Middle East this year, and their rights and leadership potential must continue to be encouraged, the head of the new United Nations entity for gender equality and women's empowerment said today.

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Kidnapping And Torture Of Al Tahrir Organizer Alaa Nabil By Iraqi Intelligence

"Last week, a youth activist organizing pro-democracy protests in Iraq was kidnapped, detained and tortured. MADRE learned of the attack on Alaa Nabil from our partner organization, the Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq (OWFI). Alaa Nabil and OWFI believe the men who carried out the attacks to be Iraqi security agents. Today, MADRE and OWFI sent an official letter to the Iraqi government condemning the attacks and calling for action to protect Iraqis against such human rights violations..."

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Press Release: Egyptian Center For Women's Rights: The Law Of The Salafi's Challenges The Law Of The State And Terrifies Women In Egypt

"The Egyptian Center for Women's Rights received the news on incidents in Minufiya governorate, for it witnessed a dangerous incident for the first time: 350 Salafis confronted the state law and surrounded a house of a woman in Sadat city, forced her out of her house, threw her house's furniture on the street, burned the house and threatened to kill her if she returned to her home. They did so claiming that her conduct was immoral and dishonorable.

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ISSUES AND ANALYSIS

 

Corruption In Kenya Drives Rise In Girl-child Trafficking

Kenyan girl-child orphans are not receiving proper protection from traffickers because of lack of enforcement of Kenya's child laws

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Women's Rights Still An Uphill Battle In Republika Srpska

The Bosnian Serb entity officially stipulates gender equality, but the picture isn't so bright in reality.

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KENYA: Memories Of My Circumcision Have Haunted Me To Date

Nominated MP Sophia Abdi Noor tends to speak forcefully on most issues she is concerned about. But when she rose to contribute on the Bill to outlaw female circumcision in Parliament last week, her voice dropped as the House went silent.

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Banking On Women's Experience

Argentina's president is a woman, Cristina Fernández, and the country has one of the highest percentages of women lawmakers in the world. But women also have other leadership roles, outside the political system.

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Women In Politics Or Politics Over Women?

Amid soul-searching over what constitutes "national identity," Islam and Islamic symbols in the public space have become favorite topics of debate in electoral campaigns across the European continent.

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A Fresh Democratic Wind Blows From Women In Tahrir Square

The people of Egypt have just voted in a referendum, of sorts, on whether to say yes to limited reforms of the constitution, or to say no, and push towards more consequential democratic changes. There was overwhelming approval to accept the limited constitutional changes. An election will follow soon. What emerges from all this is yet to unfold?

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Belle De Jour, Aka Brooke Magnanti, Stands Up To Her Feminist Critics

Brooke Magnanti's third book, Sexonomics, an examination of third-wave feminism, will reignite the debate over sex for sale.

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Pelosi: There Is A War On Women

House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi told a summit of female activists she believes Republicans are engaged in a war on women and women's rights.

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Fewer Women Dying From Unsafe Abortion Though African Women Still Most At Risk

A new report from the World Health Organization confirms a significant decline in the number of deaths from unsafe abortion worldwide. However, the data show that women in least-developed countries and sub-Saharan Africa bear a disproportionate burden.

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Girls, G.I.R.L.s And Everyone In Between: Gender Identity In Video Gaming And/or Why I'm Male On The Internet

First of all a brief word about the title's acronym for those among us who may not be aware of its meaning. G.I.R.L. stands for "Guy In Real Life", a pejorative term used for somebody who pretends to be female in online video games for their own material gain.

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Bauxite Mining In Fiji - 7 Deadly Steps?

"There is a need to situate any discussion about mining in Fiji and the Pacific within a deeper and more complex discussion that touches on issues of regionality, trade, aid, militarisation, gender and ecological sustainability.

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Ground-breaking Statement On Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity By Record Number Of 85 States

"On 22 March 2011 the Human Rights Council (the Council) held a general debate on follow-up and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA). 

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AWID'S FRIDAY FILES

    
 

Gender-Inclusive Justice: Spotlight On The International Criminal Court

FRIDAY FILE: Every year, the Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice produces a Gender Report Card that assesses the progress of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in rendering gender-inclusive justice. AWID spoke with Brigid Inder, the Executive Director of the Women's Initiatives, about the issues highlighted by the ICC Gender Report Card 2010.

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The New Family Code Of Mali And Why Its Promulgation Has Been Delayed

FRIDAY FILE: The Personal Status and Family Code of Mali was adopted in 2009 by the National Assembly, but promulgation by the President of Mali has been delayed until now due to the mobilization of Muslim religious organizations opposed to it.

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The Effects Of The Global Economic Crisis And Structural Adjustment On Women And Gender Relations In Greece: First Wave

FRIDAY FILE: Growing unemployment, dwindling pensions, increasing taxes, domestic violence and a possible reinforcing of "traditional values" were just a few of the challenges facing women during Greece's first wave of economic crisis and structural adjustment.

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Women´s Rights And The Armed Conflict In Colombia

FRIDAY FILE: "The Colombian armed conflict has been going on for over 50 years and has developed alongside the situation of poverty in the country. Forced displacements, massacres of the Colombian people and other acts violating international humanitarian law are taking place, principally affecting women".

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