"Human rights activist and sole Papua New Guinea (PNG) female elected parliamentarian Dame Carol Kidu as dragged by police Saturday while protesting the illegal eviction and partial demolition of Paga Hill Settlement, housing some 2,000 residents.
News & Analysis
Women's Rights in the News
Digital Security: Drop-in centre of Ugandan sex worker organisation raided
15 May 2012
“Sex work may be illegal in Uganda, but providing services for sex workers is clearly not,” reads a statement from 9 May 2012 by WONETHA, a health and human rights organisation, in response to a serious crack-down on its activities by Ugandan municipal police.
Argentina approves gender identity law
11 May 2012
Having become the first country in South America to allow gay couples to marry, Argentina has passed a bill giving transgender citizens the right to have their gender recognised in law.
Issues & Analysis
The Brothel Next Door
17 May 2012
Under the shade of a tree at an Istanbul cafe, Suzan, a voluptuous woman in her 50s with dyed blond hair and a warm, generous smile, describes how she went from teenage bride to full-time sex worker.
Kurdish Female Migrants Meet Isolation in Istanbul
08 May 2012
Life isn't easy for the female migrants continually flowing into Istanbul from Turkey's Kurdish region. Those who are illiterate or unable to speak Turkish can face particularly intense isolation from basic services.
Pinterest's Gender Trouble
04 May 2012
It’s one of the biggest online success stories of the decade, attracting a staggering 10 million monthly uniques faster than any site in history. But what makes the rise of the image-sharing Pinterest surprising isn’t its stampeding growth, or its sudden ubiquity on your friends’ Facebook walls. It’s the fact that it’s a raging success story with an unmistakably female bent.
AWID's Friday Files
From monitoring to demanding women’s rights in Latin America. The time is now.
18 May 2012
FRIDAY FILE: In December 2011, the Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women’s Rights (CLADEM) launched the campaign For a State that fulfills its duties towards women’s human rights[1]. AWID spoke to Elba Núñez Ibáñez, CLADEMS’s Regional Coordinator, about the goals and scope of this campaign.
[1] The Campaign is conducted by an Alliance including Inter-American Platform for Human Rights, Democracy and Development (PIDHDD), International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Red-DESC) and the Afro-Latin American, Afro-Caribbean and African Diaspora Women’s Network.
High Hopes For Malawi’s First Woman President
11 May 2012
On 7 April 2012 Joyce Banda made history by becoming the first female President of Malawi and the first in the Southern African Development Community (SADC)[1] following the sudden death of former President, Bingu wa Mutharika. The new President has an enormous undertaking to address the serious economic crisis in the country, and with a strong activist track record, civil society is hopeful that she will champion women rights.
Philippines: Likely progress on reproductive health and rights?
04 May 2012
FRIDAY FILE: A pending law in the Philippines may make women and girls’ reproductive rights and health more secure. AWID spoke to Junice Demetrio-Melgar of Likhaan Center for Women’s Health about the pending Reproductive Health Bill, 2001.
New Resources
A New Report: ILGA: "State-sponsored Homophobia: A world survey of laws criminalizing same-sex sexual acts between consenting adults"
21 May 2012
This annual report is characterized by contrasts - some victories to celebrate against a background of hateful laws still in force and hate crimes around the world. Roughly 60% of UN Members (113 of 193) has abolished (and a few never had) legislation criminalizing same-sex sexual acts between consenting adults, while roughly 40% (78 of 193) still clings to it in a misguided - as well as criminal - attempt to preserve their “cultural identities” in the face of globalization.
A New Resource: "Making Sense of the Information Wilderness: Library and Information Services for the Improvement of Human Rights Work"
21 May 2012
Sometimes institutional strengthening tactics applied inside an organization improve the way human rights practitioners do their work and what they can do. Organizations that use their resources effectively, can more effectively advance human rights work. In this notebook, the experience of the Human Rights Centre at the University of Sarajevo is presented. They built a strong information system and central role for an information specialist or librarian.
A New Resource: GenderIT.org, APC: "Critically Absent:Women's Rights in Internet Governance"
21 May 2012
In this policy advocacy toolkit, several relevant issues are addressed regarding women’s participation in shaping the internet as a democratic space, where women’s freedom of speech is respected and valued and where they can access and develop crucial information.
Special Focus: Crisis in Haiti
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Announcements
Press Release: Civil Society Celebrates the Creation of a Global Civil Society Advisory Group for UN Women
21 May 2012
"The Gender Equality Architecture Reform (GEAR) Campaign celebrates the formation of the UN Women Global Civil Society Advisory Group. Over the last years, the GEAR Campaign has advocated for strengthened civil society partnerships with UN Women at the global, regional and national levels.
Colombia: Final Letter: "Concern for attack on Monica Roa and Women’s Link Worldwide"
21 May 2012
Approximately 150 organizations and individuals from 40 countries signed on to the letter to Colombian authorities deploring the attacks against Monica Roa and Women’s Link Worldwide. The letter has been sent to the Colombian President, Prosecutor and Human Rights Ombudsman.
IDAHO - International Day Against Homophobia/Biphobia & Transphobia, May 17th
16 May 2012
May 17th is the International Day Against Homophobia/Biphobia and Transphobia. The primary aim of IDAHO is to provoke action. Actions can take place in a number of different forms: a debate in the classroom, an exhibition in a cafe, a demonstration in the street, a radio program, a screening in a neighbourhood home, a round table organized by a political party, a short story competition sponsored by a newspaper, an awareness campaign led by an association.