“They use these girls like sewers” – sexual exploitation of minors racks up billions

25 April 2008 in Children Parenting, North America, Prostitution, Rape and Sexual Assault, Violence Against Women

* The economic rule of supply and demand drives the market for everything from toothpaste to sports cars. It also drives the sexual exploitation of minors. * If adults weren’t interested in paying $120 or $200 to have sex with a child or teenager, girls and boys would not be peddled on the street by [...]

Growing concern about how rape cases are handled by US contractors and military

25 April 2008 in Government, North America, Rape and Sexual Assault, Violence Against Women

A handful of high-profile rape cases is spurring Congress to examine whether the government is adequately protecting military service members and contractors who allege sexual assault. U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, is researching how best to respond to a list of 29 answers the Marine Corps gave him regarding the slaying of Lance Cpl. Maria [...]

Latin American Women Promote Resilience Through Grassroots Organizing & Development

25 April 2008 in Employment Work, Equality, Financial, Gender Mainstreaming, Global, Government, Health, South America, Women's Group

More than 50 leaders representing 25 grassroots and indigenous organizations concluded a three day experience sharing workshop entitled “The Role and Power of Grassroots and Indigenous Women’s Groups in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)” by launching a regional networking platform to publicize women’s good practices and ensure public representation in disaster related policy and local decision [...]

Chile Birth Control Case Spurs Women to organise a mass ‘Apostasy’

25 April 2008 in Abortion Contraception, Faith, Government, South America, Women's Group

Chilean judges, siding with the Vatican, have dealt a major blow to the Bachelet government by ending free emergency contraception in public clinics. A women’s rights group is organizing a mass renunciation of Catholicism to express their outrage. Hundreds of Chileans are planning to renounce their membership in the Roman Catholic Church on April 29 [...]

Indonesian women are calling on the Government to abolish polygamy

25 April 2008 in Asia, Equality, Government, Legal Police, Women's Group

A coalition of Indonesian women’s groups is calling on the Government to change the nation’s marriage laws and abolish polygamy. Under Indonesia’s marital laws, a Muslim man can have more than one wife if permission is granted by a local court and the wife gives her consent. The religious adviser for the Australian Federation of [...]

Bangladesh Women’s Liberation Council calls for immediate government action on women’s policy

25 April 2008 in Asia, Equality, Gender Mainstreaming, Government, Women's Group

Bangladesh Naree Mukti Sangsad (Bangladesh Women’s Liberation Council) asked the government Thursday not to delay in implementing the proposed national women’s policy. BNMS convenor Hazera Sultana said: “The fundamentalist and communal fanatics in the country are whipping up tension and agitation and opposing the women’s policy with a view to diverting the nation’s attention from [...]

Domestic Violence Associated With Chronic Malnutrition In Women And Children In India

25 April 2008 in Asia, Children Parenting, Domestic Violence, Health, Violence Against Women

In a new, large-scale study exploring the link between domestic violence and chronic malnutrition, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that Indian mothers and children experiencing multiple incidents of domestic violence in the previous year are more likely to be anemic and underweight. “This is strong evidence that domestic violence [...]

The Government of Canada makes major investments to combat violence against women and promote women’s economic security in Quebec

25 April 2008 in Domestic Violence, Funding, Government, North America, Women's Group

The Government of Canada today announced investments in community projects that will help thousands of women in Montréal and across Quebec better protect themselves from violence and abuse, and gain new skills and training that will improve their economic situation. The Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, today [...]

Virgin Islands governor meets with domestic violence and sexual assault council

25 April 2008 in Domestic Violence, Government, North America

In recognition of Domestic Violence Month, Governor John deJongh, along with the Attorney General’s Office, the Virgin Islands Police Department, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Education, as well as senior members of Government House staff, recently held a first-ever meeting with the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Council ( DVSAC). “I welcome [...]

Brunei Lacks Legislation On Domestic Violence

25 April 2008 in Children Parenting, Domestic Violence, Middle East

Currently Brunei Darussalam has no legislation specific to domestic violence and a draft of the domestic violence order is still being considered by relevant authorities as the nation has been seeing a steady rise in domestic violence cases year-on-year from 2000 to 2006. Datin Hjh Adinah bte Hj Othman, Director of Community Development Centre; Ministry [...]

Together Against Domestic Violence in Mongolia

25 April 2008 in Asia, Domestic Violence, Human Rights, Violence Against Women

According to surveys, every tenth woman in Mongolia is suffering a violence from her husband, and every second child comes to be a victim of the domestic violence. Drawing attention to this tragic fact, the National Center for Human Rights is carrying out a targeted project in Dornod, Ovorkhangai, Bayankhongor, Khovd, Tov, Dundgobi, and Selenge [...]

Call for action against murderers of women in Baghdad

25 April 2008 in Middle East, Violence Against Women, War Conflict

Residents of a western Baghdad neighbourhood have said militant groups in the area are hunting down women and killing them, and have appealed to parliament to do something, a member of parliament (MP) said on 22 April. “Over the past six months 15 women were killed in al-Salam neighbourhood for religious reasons or because they [...]

Militants target “Western entertainment” shops, girls’ schools in Pakistan

25 April 2008 in Asia, Children Parenting, Education, Equality

Driving across Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province (NWFP), which lies along the country’s western border with Afghanistan, more and more often, in the bazaars of small towns such as Kohat, Bannu or Tank, ruined buildings stand desolately, resembling a scene of war. Now such scenes are also becoming more commonplace in Peshawar, NWFP’s provincial capital [...]

Only 35 pct of Afghan schoolchildren are girls-aid group

25 April 2008 in Asia, Children Parenting, Education, Equality

Only 35 percent of Afghan schoolchildren are girls and while the number of children going to school is going up, the proportion of girls in education has remained the same, an aid group said on Monday. The Taliban banned girls from school when they were in power from 1996 to 2001, but there are now [...]

Sex Segregation Keeps Women Out of Public Life in Saudi Arabia

25 April 2008 in Employment Work, Equality, Government, Health, Human Rights, Middle East, Publication

Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship of women and policies of sex segregation stop women from enjoying their basic rights, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today (April 21, 2008). Saudi women often must obtain permission from a guardian (a father, husband, or even a son) to work, travel, study, marry, or even access health [...]

Women’s Voice Still Muffled At Local Leadership Level in Uganda

25 April 2008 in Africa, Equality, Government

Although affirmative action has gone a long way in providing women with leadership roles, their impact in local councils (LCs) and Parliament is yet to be realised. Affirmative action allows for at least 30% women on any of the LCs. Up to 1995, women representation was through the Secretary for Women Affairs seat, until the [...]

More Muslim women protest against biases in the south of India

25 April 2008 in Asia, Faith, Feminism, Women's Group

* Muslim women in south India have been remarkably successful in fighting for their rights * They are active in issues such as dowry harassment, spousal abuse, employment opportunities, property rights, entry to mosques * Better education, literacy levels than in the north helped them achieve their goals * So has Islamic tradition in the [...]