Archive for July, 2009
“My mother was surprised that my breasts were getting bigger, and told me to go to the clinic to take a pregnancy test. The nurses told me I was pregnant and so I cried. I cried because I thought I was too young to have a baby and I thought I wouldn’t manage.” Asanda*, from [...]
Government Should Enforce Its ‘Zero-Tolerance’ Policy on Sexual Violence The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo should urgently investigate and prosecute senior army officials allegedly involved or complicit in rampant sexual crimes against women and girls, as part of its efforts to combat sexual violence, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. [...]
Police in Angola, one of Africa’s biggest oil producers, are struggling to contain a surge in gang-related crime and rape cases in a nation where the majority of the population is young and poor, a senior police official was quoted as saying. “What has worried us is that lately crimes have become repulsive, violent. We [...]
Rwandan refugee women in Uganda face particular hardships under a repatriation push that started in April, with a July 31 target date for completion, a local advocacy group finds. Second of three stories on women and the repatriation turmoil. Rwanda’s post-conflict recovery has a number of impressive signposts. One is the economy, which grew at [...]
Rwanda’s draft law that would make compulsory HIV testing and require the sterilisation of all people with intellectual disabilities, has been contested by the Human Rights Watch. The organisation, one of the world’s leading independent ones in defending and protecting human rights, says provisions of the draft are deeply flawed and should be expunged. The [...]
Also Causes Delays for Many Who Do Obtain the Procedure Approximately one-fourth of women who would obtain a Medicaid-funded abortion if given the option are instead forced to carry their pregnancy to term when state laws restrict Medicaid funding for abortion, because they lack the money to pay for the procedure themselves. According to a [...]
A dramatic plunge in international donor funding for family planning is threatening to undermine other humanitarian goals such as fighting poverty and hunger, as well as efforts to counter global warming, according to the UN and other specialists. An estimated 200 million women lack contraception; the potential surge in the world’s population could well reverse [...]
A new maternal mortality study names HIV and AIDS as the cause of one in four maternal deaths in Zimbabwe. The first comprehensive assessment of deaths resulting from pregnancy or childbirth revealed that 725 Zimbabwean women out of every 100,000 who deliver, die due to complications. “The study findings have confirmed our worst fears: that [...]
The well-being of millions of people could be put at risk as HIV prevention and treatment programmes fall victim to funding cutbacks as a result of the global economic crisis, warns a new report released today by the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Bank. The report, “The Global Economic Crisis and [...]
A law will be passed banning female genital mutilation (FGM) in Uganda, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced Friday. In his announcement, Museveni referenced a resolution passed last year by the United Nations that declared FGM a violation of women’s rights. President Museveni said in his announcement, “The way God made it, there is no part [...]
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree last week that increased the penalty for honor killing to a minimum prison sentence of two years. The law previously limited the maximum sentence to one year. According to the BBC, activists believe about 200 women are the victims of honor killings every year, murdered by male family [...]
Afghanistan’s Justice Ministry released a revision of the controversial Shia law that legalized rape within marriage, among other provisions. The Associated Press reports that the new version omits original provisions that allowed men to demand sex from their wives and that required women to ask their husbands’ permission to leave their home. The law sparked [...]
Rapists in Afghanistan too often get away with their crime, whilst rape victims lack access to justice and experience stigma and shame, according to a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). “In some areas, alleged or convicted rapists are, or have links to, powerful commanders, members of illegal [...]
The Wellington Sexual Abuse Network (WSAN), a.k.a. the joined forces of Wellington Rape Crisis, Wellington Sexual Abuse HELP and WellStop vote ‘Yes’ have a plan to prevent sexual violence among young people. WSAN, with support from the Ministry of Justice, will pilot a revolutionary six-week Sex & Ethics programme at Victoria University over the next [...]
Calls to the rape crisis line have more than doubled as courageous victims taking on their attackers and winning have helped remove the stigma attached to sex assault. But disturbingly, new figures show that up to four women a week are being gang raped. Brave young women like Tegan Wagner – who gave up her [...]
Annual report of Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel sheds light on phenomenon of sexual assault in workplace. Number of complaints on harassment at work rises by 12% in 2008 The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel will submit its annual report to the Knesset on Monday morning, this time focusing on a [...]
Inspired by Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi’s brave promise last week to represent in court the family of Neda Agha-Soltan, murdered by Iranian militia during last weekend’s demonstrations in a rally in Tehran, the peace group CODEPINK has created a letter addressed to Ebadi for women worldwide to sign, a pledge of solidarity to [...]
In keeping with increasing instances of sexual misconduct by men in uniform and in positions of authority, the National Commission for Women (NCW) is pushing for a radical overhaul of laws on crimes against women, including the anti-rape law, to make punishment more stringent. The NCW is seeking higher punishment for policemen, public servants and [...]
A court ruled Thursday to decriminalize homosexuality in the Indian capital, a groundbreaking decision that could bring more freedom to gays in this deeply conservative country. The Delhi High Court ruled that treating consensual gay sex as a crime is a violation of fundamental rights protected by India’s constitution. The ruling, the first of its [...]
Bhakti Shah is challenging her dismissal from the Nepal Army for “immoral activities” Two years ago, 23-year-old Bhakti Shah, a cadet in the Nepal Army, was dismissed because she was seen to spend most of her free time with a fellow female cadet. “They sacked me and my friend just because they thought we were [...]
Recent postings- Towards a Future without Fundamentalisms: New Report Analyzes Religious Fundamentalist Strategies and Feminist Responses
- Statement on the Murder of Marisela Escobedo Ortiz, women’s human rights defender of Ciudad Juarez
- Sudan police arrest women protesting at flogging video
- UN Chief Leaves Women out of Year-End Summing Up
- Sex education is expelled from Egyptian schools
- Kurdish Parliament Turns Blind Eye to Prostitution
- Sexual harassment cases in Israel’s civil service rose 40% in 2010
- Women in south Sudan have been targeted in a string of abusive attacks by police cracking down on Western clothes
- Women and girls living in Haiti’s makeshift camps face an increasing risk of rape and sexual violence says Amnesty International new report
- Stand up against hatred and threats against LGBT in Malaysia
- new on womensgrid
- Where are the Women? Free cross university student led Women’s conference ~ 18th February 2012
- Louder Now! Launch Event – Feminism on Film season – Newcastle ~ 29th February 2012
- 6 February: An evening with Sister Fa – A celebration of progress made to end Female Genital Cutting
- Stalking consultation – closes 5th February 2012
- Woman who suffered years of domestic violence jailed because too terrified to testify
- I feel like as a woman I’m not welcome – Asylum Aid’s new research report combines legal and qualitative research in a gender analysis of the UK asylum system
- New report challenges social sector to smash the glass ceiling once and for all
- Leveson must back ban on sexualised images in media say women’s groups
- Ministers press on with controversial abortion changes
- Abolishing social fund will hit women and children hardest
- new on women in london
- Advocacy & Support Advisor – Complex Needs (Female*) – Solace – 9th February 2012
- 4 vacancies – Refuge – 3rd and 6th February 2012
- OBJECT present evidence at the Leveson Inquiry to end Page 3
- Support for women who have experienced sexual violence – Amina Scheme – Eaves
- Women Involved with the Criminal Justice System: One Day Training – Women in Prison – 29 March 2012
- Quiz Night – Womans Trust – 27th January 2012
- Development Manager – Clean Break ~ 6th February 2012
- Volunteer Bookkeeper – RASASC ~ 16th February 2012
- New Report – Silenced Voices Speak: Strategies for protecting migrant women from violence and abuse – ROW
- Hidden Value: Demonstrating the extraordinary impact of women’s voluntary and community organisations – WRC
