Women's Rights in the News

500,000 Pregnant Women at Risk in Pakistan Floods

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 1 (IPS) - Aid groups and U.N. agencies are raising the alarm over the vulnerability of pregnant women and babies in flood ravaged Pakistan.

After Years of Organizing, Domestic Workers Win Bill of Rights Law in New York

New York Governor David Paterson has signed into law a measure establishing a landmark set of working standards for housekeepers, nannies and other domestic workers.

UN Reports over 500 Rapes in Eastern DRC

The United Nations reported on Tuesday that more than 500 systematic rapes were committed by armed combatants in eastern DRC since late July -- more than double the number previously reported -- and accepted partial responsibility for not protecting citizens.

Philippines: Proposed divorce bill stirs controversy

A controversial bill to legalize divorces in the Philippines has stirred controversy among congress members in the archipelago.

Iran: Registration of "temporary marriages" voted down

The controversial Family Protection bill was dealt a blow at the Islamic parliament today as one of its articles outlining legal registration of "temporary marriages" was voted down.

Haitian Women Fight Sexual Violence

A small group of women in colorful shirts, jeans and skirts stands in a circle, singing and clapping. Some are smiling. All are dancing, shaking their bodies to the sound of their voices strong and loud.

OHCHR Civil Society Section: News about Special Procedures Mandate-Holders

The Consultative Group has submitted its report on candidates for appointment at the 15th session of the Human Rights Council and the updated Public List as at 31 July 2010 is now available. In view of the low response rate to date, the Secretariat has sent a final reminder to candidates who have not responded to the earlier request.

ISSUES ANALYSIS AND APPEALS

Rape Victims Forced to Undergo “Finger Test” to Gauge Their Sexual History

Here’s how some Indian doctors, lawyers and judges are going the extra mile to traumatize rape victims, according to a Human Rights Watch report:

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Women's rights group: Egyptian political system marginalizes women

Egyptian political parties marginalize the role of women within party structures and higher committees, according to a new report issued by the Cairo-based Egyptian Center for Women's Rights.

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Iran: A mysterious judicial system

The arrest and trial of human rights activist Shiva Nazar-Ahari is part of an ongoing narrative.

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Abstinence program partners Chinese officials with U.S. evangelicals

If all goes according to plan, this fall a girl somewhere in China's Yunnan province will tell her boyfriend she can't have sex with him. And he'll have an abstinence program from the United States to thank.

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USA: California Senate condemns Ugandan bill and U.S. religious groups

The California Senate passed a resolution Aug. 30 condemning the pending bill in Uganda that would jail gays and lesbians for life and punish some with the death penalty. The vote was 21 - 14.

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Ethiopia: U.S. Foreign Policy and Unsafe Abortion in Africa

United States foreign policy abortion restrictions have often hampered African NGOs’ efforts to reduce deaths and disabilities associated with unsafe abortion procedures. In a positive recent development, however, the fight for African women’s access to safe abortion services took a small but important step forward.

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Philippines: Criminal Ban, Stigma Drive Unsafe Abortions

"I felt scared. When I looked around, all the mothers had finished giving birth, while I was still there. The blood that flowed from me had already dried and caked onto my body," Lisa, a 19-year-old married mother of three, says, recounting her experience in post-abortion care at a public hospital here in the Philippine capital.

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Czech Republic: Education Ministry rescinds sex-ed guide

Parents' group protests school curriculum church calls 'criminal'

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Iran: The One Million Signatures Campaign from a Different Perspective

Introduction to a series of articles published to mark the campaign's 4th anniversary

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Economic Powerhouse Japan: What about Women's Rights?

FRIDAY FILE: How do women fare in this rich nation with a relatively poor women’s rights record?

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What's new at AWID?

The Impact of the Crisis on Women: Main Trends across Regions

We are pleased to announce the launch of Brief 11: The Impact of the Crisis on Women: Main trends across regions, from our series: The Crisis’ Impact on Women!

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Feminists on the Frontline: Case Studies of Resisting and Challenging Fundamentalisms

The Resisting and Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms team is delighted to announce the launch of Feminists on the Frontline, a collection of 18 case studies on strategies of resistance to the rise of religious fundamentalisms.

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Young Women’s Forum at the World Youth Conference 2010

UNIFEM is organizing a Young Women’ Forum (YWF) on 24 August 2010 from 10:30 to 19:30, during the Global Interactive Forum at the 5th World Youth Conference taking place in Leon, Mexico, on 23–27 August 2010.

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Call for Applications: AWID Young Women’s Dialogue in Tbilisi, Georgia this October

AWID Young Women’s Dialogue on Resource Mobilization and Movement Building in the SEE/CEE/CIS Region on October 19th – 20th 2010 in Tbilisi, Georgia

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Briefs: The Impact of the crisis on Women

This series presents different sub-regional perspectives on the impacts of the crisis on women’s rights.

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High Diplomacy and Fragile Consensus Limit UN to Development Cooperation

The central role of the United Nations, or the G192, in economic governance nearly vanished!

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Policy Coherence with Gender Equality, Equity and Rights in Development Cooperation

The WWG welcomes the 2010 High-Level Segment that includes sessions on the Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) with the theme “Implementing the Internationally Agreed Goals and Commitments in regard to Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women” and the Development Cooperation Forum (DCF) which focuses on “Development Cooperation in Times of Crises: New Commitments to Reach the MDGs.”

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