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Implementation SC 1325

Un Women: Afghanistan- Inclusion of Protections for Women and Girls Central to Transition Security Sector Framework

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2012-05-15 04:21

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Kabul — The Government of Afghanistan and NATO should ensure that protections for women and girls are a central component of transition and post-transition security frameworks for Afghanistan, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund said today.

As heads of state and NATO prepare for the NATO Summit in Chicago on 21-22 May, UNAMA, UNFPA and UN Women called on NATO and the Afghan government to fulfill UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which requires all parties to take special measures to protect women and girls in armed conflict and stresses the critical role of women in all efforts to promote peace and security.
 

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For the full story published on 14 May 2012, see UN Women.


Namibia: Violence Against Women Triggers Protest

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2012-05-15 02:29

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Windhoek — About 100 people, of whom 56 were men, held a peaceful march to protest violence perpetrated against women and children under the theme 'men for healthy relationships' on Saturday.

The march started at the UN Plaza in Katutura where men, women and children gathered to show they do not condone violence committed specifically against women and children.

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For the full story, published 14 May 2012, see All Africa.


UN Women: Pakistan - Pro-women laws take hold

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2012-03-28 02:12

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26 Mar 2012 - Women in Pakistan have faced formidable challenges in their efforts to achieve gender equality and address gender-based violence in their country, with particular problems posed by elements among customary norms and practices.

Yet throughout the past few years, breakthroughs in pro-women legislation have shown that both the efforts of Pakistan’s government, and the advocacy of groups working toward women’s empowerment in the country, are taking effect.

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For the full story, see UN Women.


Pakistan: Empowering the oppressed

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2012-03-13 06:16

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13 Mar 2012 - Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s Oscar-winning documentary ‘Saving Face’ has rightly brought laurels to her and to her teammates for highlighting globally an issue that had hitherto remained unnoticed and unreported even in Pakistan. The 40-minute documentary focusing on acid attacks against women in our country is indeed a bold attempt to change lives but more than that, it unveils the true face of a society, the bulk of which is still living in medieval times.

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For the full story, see The News.


Tanzania: Struggle Continues for African Women and Girls

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Mon, 2012-03-12 08:31

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12 Mar 2012 - Activists have said it over and over again that it is not easy being a woman in Africa and from the input at last week's gender week held in Arusha, they may add that it is more difficult being a woman in Arusha.

Under traditional laws in many of the communities in the Northern Zone, namely the Maasai, the Meru, Barbaig, Iraqw (Mbulu) and Chagga, girls do not inherit property (especially land) and their mothers do not have any say in the matter either.

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For the full story, see All Africa.


Sierra Leone : Saturday courts tackle gender-based violence

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2012-03-09 09:34

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07 Mar 2012 - Freetown, Sierra Leone – Survivors of sex- and gender-based violence in Sierra Leone are having their day in court, as the judiciary now sits on Saturdays in a critical first step towards clearing an estimated 700-case backlog.

In the year since their inception in February 2011 the Saturday courts have heard more than 630 cases, and processed more than half of them.
 

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For the full story, see UNDP.


Lebanon: Tussle over gender violence law in Lebanon

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2012-03-09 06:17

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09 Mar 2012 - Civil society organizations demand Lebanese parliament uphold draft law criminalizing honour crimes, marital rape amid religious courts’ opposition.

Proposed amendments to a draft law on gender violence in Lebanon have sparked demands from civil society organizations that parliament uphold an original draft criminalizing “honour crimes”, marital rape and other abuses

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For the full story, see Middle-East Online.


Egypt: Islamists want 'family' not women's council

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2012-03-09 05:52

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9 Mar 2012 - A women's conference organised by the dominant Islamist bloc in the Egyptian parliament has called for a council for families to replace the existing National Council for Women, a state-owned daily reported on Friday.

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For the full news story, see AFP.


Afghanistan: President Backs Strict Guidelines for Women

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2012-03-07 15:07

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Afghanistan's president on Tuesday endorsed a "code of conduct" issued by an influential council of clerics that activists say represents a giant step backward for women's rights in the country.

President Hamid Karzai's Tuesday remarks backing the Ulema Council's document, which allows husbands to beat wives under certain circumstances and encourages segregation of the sexes, is seen as part of his outreach to insurgents like the Taliban.

Both the U.S. and Karzai hope that the Taliban can be brought into negotiations to end the country's decade-long war. But activists say they're worried that gains made by women since 2001 may be lost in the process.

Shukria Barikzai, a parliamentarian from the capital Kabul who has been active in women's issues, said she was worried that Karzai and the clerics' council appeared to be ignoring their country's own laws.

"When it comes to civil rights in Afghanistan, Karzai should respect the constitution," Barikzai said. The Afghan constitution provides equal rights for men and women.

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Read the complete story at New England Cable News, published 6 March 2012.


Myanmar: Burma's Rebels: Women Demand a Say

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Tue, 2012-02-07 22:04

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In late January, a group representing the Karen, one of the biggest ethnic groups in Burma, issued a statement calling for women to be given a bigger role in the peace talks between Karen rebels and the government.

Similar agreements have been struck recently between the government and other ethnic rebel armies, including the Shan State Army-South, the United Wa State Army, and at least seven other armed groups.

Unfortunately, the participation of ethnic women in these conflict resolution processes is disturbingly low. It is a tragedy that the people who have suffered the most from these conflicts are those who seem to have the least say in the process of their "resolution."

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Read the complete story at Foreign Policy, published 6 February 2012.