Bill is backdoor effort to stop abortion say MDs in Canada

16 April 2008 in Abortion Contraception, Government, Legal Police, North America

Unborn Victims of Crime Act seen as wedge to make termination of pregnancy a crime Staking out a rare political position on federal matters, the Quebec Federation of Medical Specialists yesterday denounced Bill C-484, the “Unborn Victims of Crime Act,” as a backdoor attempt to recriminalize abortion. Gaétan Barrette, president of the 8,000-member federation, criticized [...]

Saudi women’s rights activists are pressing for reforms to lift the sharp restrictions they face in their conservative society.

16 April 2008 in Equality, Government, Middle East

Some believe the time has finally come and they will soon have the right to drive. A woman drives a car in a grainy video posted on YouTube, her silhouette framed by a loose veil as she congratulates women on March 8, International Women’s Day. She is Wajiha al-Huweidar, a Saudi women’s rights advocate. “Obviously, [...]

Nursing home fuels Danish debate over prostitution

16 April 2008 in Europe, Prostitution

When a male resident at Kildegaarden nursing home in Denmark made an indecent sexual proposal to a member of the staff, the home’s director, Inger Marie Kristensen, told a nurse to telephone for a prostitute. “There was a considerable change in his demeanor after the escort girl had paid him a visit,” Kristensen said in [...]

Alleged rape victim ‘worn down for 3 days’ by female barrister in Australia

16 April 2008 in Australasia, Legal Police, Rape and Sexual Assault, Women's Group

The Rape Crisis Centre has welcomed news the New South Wales Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has complained about Sydney barrister Tania Evers’ conduct. The judge repeatedly warned Ms Evers about her aggressive questioning of the teenager, who was 13 when she was allegedly sexually assaulted. He aborted the trial in its fifth week, meaning [...]

European report calls for Irish abortion law change

16 April 2008 in Abortion Contraception, Europe, Faith, Government

The Council of Europe, including Irish parliamentarians, will this week debate a report calling for the legalisation of abortion in Ireland. The Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) published the report last month, calling on member states that had not already decriminalised abortion [...]

UNICEF and V-Day put rape in Democratic Republic of the Congo front and center

16 April 2008 in Africa, Campaign, Rape and Sexual Assault, Violence Against Women

V-Day 2009 focuses on stopping rampant rape in the DRC UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman and playwright and V-Day founder Eve Ensler today announced a partnership focused on ending rape of women and girls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They were joined by Dr. Denis Mukwege and Christine Schuler Deschryverha from the [...]

Prostitute protest in Zambia Stopped

16 April 2008 in Africa, Government, Prostitution, Women's Group

Zambian police, last week dispersed hundreds of women demonstrating against the reported use of prostitutes at an exclusive hotel for members of parliament. The women converged at the cabinet office, where they attempted to hold a protest march, demanding the resignation of a deputy minister who was quoted in the local press supporting the deputies [...]

Mother challenges domestic violence and “machistas” culture in Spain

16 April 2008 in Domestic Violence, Europe

The mother of a girl murdered by a former boyfriend is calling for a radical change in society’s attitudes and a toughening of the law regarding gender violence. Isola Martín is channeling her energies into an organization she has created in memory of her daughter called Asociación Beatriz (The Voice of Victims, their Families and [...]

Field trip brings college class to Nevada brothel

16 April 2008 in Education, North America, Prostitution

Va. students interview prostitutes for course on American consumption Nicki Amouri hands her camera to a friend, throws her arm over another and smiles wide as she leans in for a shot with the monument her class came to visit. It’s a typical field trip memento — except that Amouri is in a brothel. The [...]

Scores hurt as Bangladesh Islamists battle police over plans to give women rights

16 April 2008 in Asia, Equality, Faith, Government

Hundreds of members of a group campaigning for Islamic rule in Bangladesh clashed with police on Friday over a plan to give women equal inheritance rights. Police fired teargas and used batons to break up the protests after members of the Islami Constitution Movement threw rocks and stones as they emerged from Friday prayers at [...]

Every third woman in Swaziland sexually abused as a child says report

16 April 2008 in Africa, Children Parenting, HIV/AIDS, Rape and Sexual Assault, Violence Against Women

One in three Swazi women has suffered some form of sexual abuse as a child, while one in four experienced physical violence, a new United Nations survey revealed this week. The study by the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is the first of its kind conducted in a country where anecdotal evidence suggests an alarming number [...]

Mozambique Assembly Passes Bill Against Human Trafficking

16 April 2008 in Africa, Prostitution, Trafficking

The Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, on Thursday passed a bill imposing heavy penalties on people found guilty of trafficking in human beings, particularly in women and children. Previously there has been no specific offence of human trafficking on the Mozambican statute book. However, cases of trafficking could be dealt with under the [...]

Rise in human trafficking largely unnoticed in Canada, experts say

16 April 2008 in North America, Prostitution, Trafficking

Human traffickers peddle young girls to work as sex slaves in Canadian cities for as little as $2,000 – a situation most people believe only happens in foreign lands, activists say. An increase in human trafficking in Canada has gone largely unnoticed because Canadians think young girls choose to take up the sex trade, according [...]