Spain to ban sex adverts from national newspapers

30 July 2010 in Europe, Government, Media, Prostitution

President says ban is part of a strategy to fight people trafficking and sexual exploitation rife in Spain The Spanish government has put itself on collision course with the national press with the announcement that it wants to ban adverts offering sexual services from their classified sections. The explicit adverts, which fill at least a [...]

Uncertain Role for Female Shariah Judges in Malaysia

30 July 2010 in Asia, Equality, Faith, Gender Mainstreaming, Legal Police, Women's Group

Women’s groups have applauded the recent appointment of two female judges to Islamic courts in Malaysia, but its significance is not yet clear: The new judges will have to wait a month before finding out whether they will be prevented from hearing certain cases. A committee of 20 senior judges is scheduled to begin considering [...]

NGOs blame lax government for rise in human trafficking in Nepal

30 July 2010 in Asia, Government, Prostitution, Trafficking

Lax government enforcement of human anti-trafficking laws has led to an increase in the trafficking of young Nepalese women and girls, mainly for exploitation in Indian brothels, local activists say. Nepal’s 2008 Human Trafficking and Transportation (Control) Act stipulates punishment for traffickers of up to 20 years in prison and US$2,600 in fines, and provides [...]

Sex Workers Face Unlawful Arrests and Detention in Cambodia

29 July 2010 in Asia, Government, Legal Police, Prostitution, Publication, Violence Against Women

Officials Should Investigate and Close Government Centers Where Abuses Occur The Cambodian government should act quickly to end violence against sex workers and permanently close the government centers where these workers have been unlawfully detained and abused, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Human Rights Watch also urged the Cambodian government [...]

Iraq fights another form of violence – in the home

29 July 2010 in Domestic Violence, Government, Middle East

* Two family protection centres open in Baghdad * Location at police stations a problem As the violence of sectarian warfare ebbs, Iraq’s government has taken tentative first steps to combat another kind of violence — domestic abuse, primarily against women. The Interior Ministry has opened two “family protection” centres in Baghdad police stations, the [...]

Domestic violence deaths rise 40 percent in Argentina

29 July 2010 in Domestic Violence, South America, Women's Group

A total of 126 women died as a result of domestic violence in Argentina during the first half of this year, 40 percent more than during the same period in 2009, according to statistics published by the organisation La Casa del Encuentro. The report is based on the cases reported in Argentine news media. ‘With [...]

The link between HIV and gender violence discussed at a workshop in Jamaica

29 July 2010 in HIV/AIDS, South America, Violence Against Women

With a recent survey showing that at least 12 per cent of women between 15-49 years were the victims of forced sexual abuse at one point during their lifetime, the National Family Planning Board (NFPB) hosted a workshop to look at gender-based violence (GBV) and its implications for the fight against HIV/AIDS. In addition to [...]

Polygamy ups HIV infection risk in Kenya

29 July 2010 in Africa, Family Marriage Partnership, HIV/AIDS

Thirteen of every 100 married Kenyan women have co-wives. This means they are married to men who have at least one or more other wives, according to the latest official statistics on population trends. Although the figure represents a drop from the 16 of every 100 married women who had co-wives in 2003, the Kenya [...]

Women in Ghana told to insist on their decisions on sex

29 July 2010 in Africa, Equality, HIV/AIDS

Women have been urged to be more assertive and insist that their partners respect their decisions about sex. Mr Patrick Amoateng-Mensah, Executive Director of the Centre for Development of People (CEDEP), a non-governmental organization, who made call, said that could help check their vulnerability to the HIV-AIDS infection. He was speaking in Kumasi at the [...]

A Preventable Childbirth Injury That Ruins Lives in Kenya

29 July 2010 in Africa, Childbirth Pregnancy, Health, Publication

Tens of thousands of Kenyan women and girls suffer from obstetric fistula, a childbirth injury causing leakage of urine and feces, a direct result of inadequate health services and failed government policies, Human Rights Watch said in a report released earlier this month. The 82-page report, “‘I Am Not Dead, But I Am Not Living’: [...]

Women’s Groups Respond to Obama’s Ban on Abortion Coverage in High-Risk Insurance Pools

29 July 2010 in Abortion Contraception, Financial, Government, North America, Women's Group

Women’s health and rights advocacy groups responded immediately to the announcement that President Obama would exclude abortion coverage from the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (the temporary high-risk insurance pools created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to transition us into the new health care plan). Obama has decided that women in these pools [...]

Ignorance on abortion law in Ghana means death

29 July 2010 in Abortion Contraception, Africa, Health

Unsafe abortions account for more than one in 10 women who die in pregnancy in Ghana, according to new research by the US-based Guttmacher Institute, with ignorance of the law and inadequate facilities partly to blame, say health authorities. See http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/IB-Abortion-in-Ghana.pdf Abortion was declared legal in 1985 for women who have been raped, in cases [...]

Debate over legalising abortion intensifies in Argentina

29 July 2010 in Abortion Contraception, Government, South America, Women's Group

“My body is mine and I will decide what I do with it!” shouted the young feminist activist outside the Argentine Congress building in central Buenos Aires. “We demand a debate on abortion in society and a vote in Congress,” she said. After the recent vote by the Argentine Congress to legalise same-sex marriage, the [...]

Women’s Groups in Israel Petition to Include woman in Turkel Commission

28 July 2010 in Equality, Government, Middle East, War Conflict, Women's Group

Women’s groups demand that woman be added to commission investigating Gaza flotilla, claim this is stipulated by law The five members and two observers on the Turkel Commission are men, but women’s groups are demanding that this be changed. The women’s group, Itach Women Lawyers for Social Justice and the group WePower filed a petition [...]

Feminist Women’s Groups in Israel say Zoabi Vote ‘Sexist’

28 July 2010 in Equality, Government, Middle East, Racism

Feminist women’s groups and other leftist “social” organizations have accused the Knesset of sexism over the decision to strip Israeli Arab MK Hanin Zoabi (Balad) of privileges. The groups sent a letter of complaint to Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin, part of which was printed in the Hebrew-language daily Maariv. MKs who voted against Zoabi “are [...]

Women Resist All Male Czech Cabinet

28 July 2010 in Equality, Europe, Gender Mainstreaming, Government

Women’s rights campaigners say the Czech Republic’s new government has effectively told women they have no relevance to the country’s future after the new cabinet was formed – without a single female minister. Despite a record number of women elected to parliament in elections in May and pre-election pledges by party leaders that they wanted [...]

Women Join Forces for Political Equality in the Indian Ocean Islands

28 July 2010 in Asia, Equality, Gender Mainstreaming, Government

“Instead of moaning all the time, why don’t you create your own (political) party?” some men asked Brigitte Rabemanantsoa Rasamoelina, a female politician from Madagascar. She accepted the challenge and in February formed Ampela Mano Politika, a political party which started with only 22 female members and now has over 5,000 female members … and [...]

Talks in Afghanistan Shouldn’t Ignore Taliban Abuse of Women

28 July 2010 in Asia, Equality, Gender Mainstreaming, Government, Violence Against Women, War Conflict

Any Deals With Insurgents Should Guarantee Women’s Rights Ongoing Taliban attacks on women in Afghanistan show why women’s rights should be a priority in any political agreement with insurgent forces, Human Rights Watch said in a report released last week. The Afghan government and its international supporters have ignored the need to protect women in [...]

Women’s groups welcome amendments to penal laws in Jordan

28 July 2010 in Equality, Gender Mainstreaming, Legal Police, Middle East, Women's Group

Women’s groups have welcomed a recent measure by the Ministry of Justice to amend penal laws that would improve the safety and well-being of women and children in Jordan. During a meeting with ministry officials at the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW), they commended the amendments, saying it would reduce cases of domestic violence. [...]

New UN agency for women – first battle won

28 July 2010 in Equality, Funding, Global, Government

The new UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women will pump the bulk of its projected US$500 million annual budget into programming to directly benefit the world’s most vulnerable women, but this unprecedented boost may still leave the agency lacking influence and impact, civil society advocates say. The base funding for this [...]