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Our biweekly news bulletin on issues related to international women's health and human rights. Click on the headlines to read the full story. Economic & Political Rights Women in Saudi Arabia: Unshackling Themselves The Economist (May 17, 2014) The tide in Saudi Arabia is running in women’s favor as women are slowly gaining rights, an expanded role in government, and prestigious jobs as newspaper editors and lawyers. Despite these reforms, there is still a long way to go until women have equality—many discriminatory laws and practices against them remain. What also remains? A multitude of different opinions among women on their ultimate role in society and tactics to achieve their goals. Feminist Roma Women Defending Their Rights in Spain Gabby De Cicco, AWID (May 17, 2014) AWID interviews Maria José Jiménez Cortiñas and Aurora Fernández, President and Secretary of Asociación Gitanas Feministas por la Diversidad (AGFD), an organization dedicated to fighting discrimination against Roma women. They describe how these women face “three-fold” discrimination: for being women, Roma, and part of an ethnic minority, which leads to ridicule, stereotyping, racism, etc. The interview describes the work and action of AGFD and identifies changes to be implemented at the local and national level. Gender Discrimination is at the Heart of the Wage Gap Anthony Carnevale and Nicole Smith, Time Magazine (May 19, 2014) This article details the injustice of the gender wage gap in the United States, where women earn 77% of what men earn. Harvard economist Claudio Goldin uses wage data for men and women with identical degrees and experiences, showing that gender discrimiatnion is the leading cause for this injustice. Methods to close the gender wage gap include the Paycheck Fairness Act and shifting the norms and stereotypes communicated to youth, and the way we view working women. International Law & Organizations World Health Assembly guest speakers focus on gender-based violence and newborn health World Health Organization (May 20, 2014) The World Health Organization is currently hosting the World Health Assembly. This press release discusses a presentation by Dr. Christine Kaseba-Sata, First Lady of Zambia (WHO Goodwill Ambassador against gender-based violence) and Melinda Gates, co-Chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They call for improved maternal health and remind the audience of the responsibility that the health sector has to address violent discrimination against women. Later this week, the Assembly will release a new action plan for newborns that will have a “triple return on investment.” UN Refugee agency takes a big step to make women’s and girls’ lives SAFEr Megan Gerrard, Women’s Refugee Commission (May 21, 2014) This past week, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) released the Safe Access to Fuel and Energy (SAFE) Strategy seeking to transform the way refugees and vulnerable people meet their energy needs. Currently, women and girls bare the brunt of obtaining energy for communities through dangerous and unhealthy practices such as biomass collection. This new act, seeking to develop new, healthier, safer, and more sustainable energy practices in refugee communities, will therefore directly protect and improve the health and environment of women and girls. More information on SAFE can be found here. Reproductive Health & Rights Iran’s population drive worries women’s rights, health advocates Michelle Moghtader, Reuters (May 27, 2014) Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei recently called for an increase in Iran’s population to replace the drive to encourage contraception dating from the 1980s. Health and women’s rights advocates fear that this could lead to an increase of AIDS, force women to stay home and focus on child rearing, as well as “undermine” the position of women in society. Pregnant Pakistani woman’s public stoning draws outrage Fahran Bokhari, CBS News (May 28, 2014) 25 year old Farzana Parveen was brutally stoned to death by her own family due to her choice of defying the decisions to wed one of her cousins. Instead, she married Mohammad Iqbal out of choice and was muredered in this “honor killing” while pregannt. Honor killing is no particularly uncommon in Pakistan; unfrotunately, what makes this case unusual is that it occured outside Lahore’s “hihg court”, supposedly one of the safest sites int he country. ACtivisits and members of the opposition party suggest that this demonstrates poor law enforcement and lack of desire by authorities to support women’s rights. Sudanese Woman Sentenced To Death For Apostasy Gives Birth Harriet Sherwood, The Telegraph (May 27, 2014) 27-year-old Meriam Ibrahim recently gave birth to a baby girl in a Khartoum prison. She has been sentenced to death for her marriage to a Christian man, which resulted in her getting charges for apostasy and adultrey. Although she has denied the charges and told the court she grew up as a Christian, authorities refuse to remove her death sentence. The international community, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have criticized her sentence and asked for her release. Youth & Adolescents Egyptian doctor to stand trial for female genital mutilation in landmark case Patrick Kingsley, The Guardian (May 21, 2014) Egyptian doctor Raslan Fadl is set to stand trial for the death of a 13-year-old schoolgirl who reportedly died due to a complication in a FGM operation last year. Although FGM is illegal in Egypt, it is still widely practiced. Many Egyptians, particularly those living in rural areas, support FGM. Activists hope that this landmark case, though expected to be “short and procedural”, will be a stepping stone towards the halting of this violent practice. Schools warned over FGM risk to girls during summer holidays Alexandra Topping, The Guardian (May 25, 2014) Summer is typically the season with the highest occurance of FGM; therefore, the British Departmnet of Education has urged schools to be vigiliant in working to prevent FGM prior to summer holiday. Teachers and administrations have een urged to be attentitve to keeping their female students safe in order to prevent FGM. Imam Baba Leigh: 'FGM is not a personal issue. It is a worldwide issue' Amanda Holpuch, The Guardian (May 21, 2014) A prominent Muslim cleric and activist, Imam Baba Leigh, has come out in support of a campaign to end female genital mutiliation. Leigh, originally from the Gambia, but now residing in the United States, has been a target of the government due to his advocacy and political clout. He "supports a campaign by Jaha Dukureh, a 24-year-old survivor of FGM, to petition the US government to create a comprehensive plan to end FGM and provide services to people who have already been subjected to the practice." Leigh's support of ending FGM is proving influential, emphasizing that it is a cultural, rather than religious, practice and a violation of human rights that will eventually be ended. Op-Eds & Events Why it’s time to put women’s issues at center of foreign policy
Janet Fleischman, CNN (May 16, 2014) Fleischman exhorts the Obama Administration to prioritize women’s issues in its foreign policy agenda. At the beginning of Obama’s term, women’s empowerment, education and other issues related to women’s health were a central component of his foreign policy plan. Since then, the momentum has slowed. The tragic kidnapping of the Nigerian schoolgirls reminds us of the importance of gender equality. End the Stigma: Why Menstruation Matters to Women’s Rights Kriti Sharma, Huffington Post (May 28, 2014) Kriti Sharma writes on the importance of endigms stgima on mensturation, particularly in the context of women and girls with disabiliities. Often, wome who have disabilities are discriminated against and are abused when they menstruate; consequenetly, ften they either drop out of schol or have a forced steraliziation. Sharma argues that mensturation, a basic human right, should no longer be allowed to be taken away for women, used as a stigma, or take away their dignity. The African Women’s Education Terror Antidote Pius Kamau, Huffington Post (May 16, 2014) Written on behalf of the organization Africa America Higher Education Partnerships (AAHEP), Pius Kamau’s opinion piece focuses on the idea that the best way forward for Africa is through education. He argues that the West must rethink where its African development funds are invested towards educating African girls and women. Education of African women is “indifferent at best," highlighted by the Boko Haram terrorist case. A paradigm shift towards a society that values education of women would greatly benefit the continent. International Day Against Homophia and Transphobia Taking Place in Over 120 Countries Huffington Post (May 17, 2014) May 17th, 2014 is the ninth annual International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHOT), the largest LGBTI solidarity action in the world. Beginning in 2004, across the globe, people participate in marches, demonstrations, debates, and acts of solidarity. International leaders also participate in importance discussions regarding violence, HIV funding, safety and security of LGBTI refugees. The theme of this year's IDAHOT is “Free Expression” and is turning into the largest to date, with millions of individuals gathering bravely in solidarity for basic human rights. To learn more about the other 2014 events that are taking place around the world as well as the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia please go to www.dayagainsthomophobia.org and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
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Our biweekly news bulletin on issues related to international women's health and human rights. Click on the headlines to read the full story. Nigeria abducted schoolgirls: Malala Yousafzai urges action May 7th (BBC News) Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani women’s education campaigner who survived a shooting by Taliban insurgents, urges the world to not stay silent over the abduction of 200 girls in Nigeria. These girls were kidnapped over three weeks ago by Islamist Boko Haram militants who are strongly against women’s education. The international community has taken action action working to find these girls, including dispatching teams of experts to the country, organizing campaigns such as #BringBackOurGirls, and providing support from international intelligence and satellite services. Maternal deaths in childbirth rise in the US May 2, 2014 (The Washington Post) The United States is one of eight countries in the world that had an increasing rate of maternal mortality. This is most likely due to an increase in the number of pregnant women with diseases, underreported and mischaracterized maternal death reports, and risky pregnancies. Regardless, the United States maternal death rates is almost at the highest in a quarter of a century. Report on global maternal deaths: United Nations agencies report steady progress in saving mothers’ lives (WHO, May 6, 2014) Maternal mortality down 45% globally, but 33 women an hour are still dying May 7, 2014 (By Leila Haddou, The Guardian) A recent WHO study reports steady progress in maternal deaths; in fact, there has been a 45% reduction in maternal deaths since 1990. Although this is promising, there are still many hundreds of thousands of women dying worldwide due to maternal mortalities. This is primarily due to pre-existing medical conditions including HIV, malaria, obesity, and diabetes as well as death from severe bleeding in childbirth. These articles describe many of the causes of maternal deaths, provides data on the countries with highest maternal deaths, and articulates some preventative measures. Education Protects Women From Abuse May 15, 2014, By Olga Khazan (The Atlantic) This article, in response to the kidnapping of nearly 300 Nigerian schoolgirls, discusses reasons for why extremists are opposed to empowered women. It cites research that educating women reduces sexual violence, where each additional year of schooling leads to a 1% increase among women who refuse forced sex with their partner and lowers violence by up to 36%. Unfortunately, the Boko Haram kidnapping could lead to Nigerian girls being nervous about attending class, but the article emphasizes that it’s crucial to change social norms and laws in countries with domestic violence. This could be done by partnering with men’s groups to lead to a paradigm change concerning “acceptable” violence against women. Closing Japan Gender Gap May Boost GDP 13%, Goldman Says May 6, 2014 (Bloomberg) Japan is currently working to increase women’s participation in the workforce. According to Goldman Sachs Group, if the gender employment gap were to close and women were to work equally to men, the country’s workforce would increase by as much as 13%. Women currently make up 62.5% of the labor force, which is low in comparison to the majority of other countries across the world, particularly in leadership positions. Toyin Saraki, Isha Sesay, others pledge to inspire next generation of women May 6, 2014 (The Guardian) This May, the Women Inspiration & Enterprise (WIE) Africa Symposium was held in Lagos. The symposium was led by the founder of WIE, Toyin Saraki, and businesswoman Bola Adesola; additionally, it featured many other inspiring women in media, design, television, and philanthropy. The theme of the conference was “The Global Leader” and the aim was to inspire women to shape the “Africa of tomorrow” and change perceptions of women in Africa. A Point Of View: The Paradox of growing old May 9, 2014 (BBC News) In this article, Mary Beard reflects on the way the elderly are treated in society. She analyzes the many faces of aging, where on the one hand, people age in a relatively healthy and affluent process while on the other hand, aging is a long decline to death. Beard also discusses the role of a caregiver in society and causes readers to reflect upon their treatment of the elderly. Boxer, Menendez, Collins, Kirk, Shaheen Introduce International Violence Against Women Act May 8, 2014 (Press Release from U.S. Senator Boxer) California Senator Barbara Boxer is among a group of senators to introduce the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA) that makes reducing the levels of violence against women and girls across the globe a US diplomatic priority. This legislation was catalyzed as a result of the recent kidnapping of Nigerian school girls, and works to empower and stop violence against women. The act would, among other things, require the development of a 5 year US global strategy, authorize the US assistance to respond to violence against women and girls, and codify in law many pre-existing acts combatting women’s violence. Indonesian gang-raped women could be caned for breaking religious laws May 6, 2014 (The Independent) An Indonesian woman was brutally gang raped as a punishment for having an affair with a married man. However, this sexual assault is not being taken into her punishment for her crime, and officials are currently determining her punishment, which would likely be caning. Canada orders extradition to India over bride killing May 9, 2014 (BBC News) Fourteen years ago, a Canadian woman was allegedly killed in an “honor killing;” now, officials are seeking justice. The mother and uncle of the murdered women have been extradited to India to stand in trial for this murder, which authorities believe was due to familial anger that the women had secretly married another man rather than the older man her family had reportedly preferred. Indian Court Says Forced Marital Sex Is Not Rape May 12, 2014 (By Malavika Vyawahare, The New York Times) A recent Delhi court ruled that sex between a husband and wife, “even if forcible, is not rape.” Women’s rights activists have been demanding to make marital rape a crime for years, and this recent ruling (in response to a woman seeking the criminalization of her husband who forced her into sex) will bring awareness to the table that forced sex in marriage exists. Female genital mutilation parties being held in UK, MP told May 8, 2014 (The Guardian) This article describes how health care experts have recently been reporting to British Member of Parliament that female genital mutilation parties are being held across the United Kingdom. In these parties, cutters are flowing into Britain and operate on as many as a dozen girls at one time. What complicates the situation is that by the time the place are alerted, cutters are already on the way back to their home country. Authorities are struggling with ways to cope with these crimes. US female genital mutilation petition collects nearly 37,000 signatures May 15, 2014 (The Guardian) 24 year-old Jaha Dukureh has created an online petition urging the United States to create a comprehensive plan to end FGM and to aid people who have been victims of this practice. The petition has collected more than 38,000 supporters since Thursday, and has been supported by UN secretary general Ban Ki - Moon. Although the US government outlawed FGM in 1996, hundreds of thousands of women are still thought to be affected by the crime. Op-eds & Events Op-Ed: Gender equality starts in childhood – with the chores
May 8, 2014 (By Lucy Fisher, The Guardian) A new law in Spain forces children to help with different household tasks. What makes this law revolutionary is that the tasks are the same regardless of gender. This gender neutral chore transformation gets rid of many gender stereotypes beginning at a young age, and demonstrates Spain’s commitment to enforcing gender equality beginning in childhood. EVENT: Women Water Seeds: Advocating for Women Empowerment May 5, 2014 (República) A new art exhibit in in Kathmandu titled “Women Water and Seed” highlights the leadership role that women play in farming communities. Organized by Australian artist Fern York, these works demonstrate “advocacy for feminism and human justice along with the conservation of mother nature.” |
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A roundup of stories related to women's health, development, law, culture and human rights from around the world. Archives
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