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India/Pakistan: In a First, Meira Kumar to Visit Pakistan

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2012-02-08 19:02

Summary: 

Giving a push to the people-to-people contact between India and Pakistan, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar is set to visit Islamabad for a five-day visit from February 21. Top officials claim this will be the first-ever official visit by an Indian LS speaker to Pakistan's National Assembly. Kumar's trip is aimed to forge better ties between the two parliaments and the people across the border.

Both India and Pakistan currently have women speakers in their Parliament's lower house.

Body: 

Read the complete story at Hindustan Times, published 7 February 2012.


Pakistan: Women Hope to Gather Gains As Bill Moves Forward Toward Senate

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Thu, 2012-02-02 23:07

Summary: 

The National Assembly in Pakistan passed a new bill unanimously on January 19 to protect women’s rights in the region,allowing the work of Pakistan’s National Commission for Women to have ‘more teeth.’ The new bill is expected to pass easily through Pakistan’s Senate.

The goal for the bill is to hold back the tide in the growing incidence of domestic violence, honor crimes and acid violence in the Pakistan regions. Basic human rights for women under the law and in court will also be an important part of the goal as the National Commission for Women. Once the bill has been approved by the Senate, the Commission will be given the freedom to act as an autonomous agency with the power to inspect conditions for women in prison. It will also be given the power to act on complaints of justice against women in civil court.

Body: 

Read the complete story at Women News Network.


Pakistan: Women participation in parliamentary affairs must to make progress

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Sun, 2012-01-29 21:18

Summary: 

Dr Marilyn Wyatt, wife of US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron P.Munter Saturday appreciated the legislation done by Pakistan’s parliament especially related to women for their empowerment and to give them due rights and for their protection.

Dr Wyatt said while 2011 was very good year for the women of Pakistan as during this year, the National Assembly of Pakistan passed laws stiffening the punishment for acid attacks on women and punishing such practices as marrying off young girls to settle tribal disputes, there was still much to do.

Body: 

Read the complete story at the Pakistan Observer, published January 29, 2012.


A Practical Guide to Constitution Building

A Practical Guide to Constitution Building provides an essential foundation for understanding constitutions and constitution building. Full of world examples of ground-breaking agreements and innovative provisions adopted during processes of constitutional change, the Guide offers a wide range of examples of how constitutions develop and how their development can establish and entrench democratic values. Beyond comparative examples, the Guide contains in-depth analysis of key components of constitutions and the forces of change that shape them.

Chapter 2 includes a section on "Principles related to gender" and Chapter 3 includes a section on "The rights of women".

Pakistan: Assembly Elections: Women Lawmakers Demand 10% Quota for General Seats

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2011-12-07 07:09

Summary: 

Women parliamentarians from across the country demanded a mandatory quota of 10 per cent of general seats in the National Assembly, Senate and provincial assemblies on Saturday.

Women parliamentarians from all four provincial assemblies demanded that political parties develop consensus among themselves to amend the Political Parties Act so as to provide a mandatory quota of 10 per cent of general seats to women in order to bring them into the mainstream of the electoral process before the next elections, in addition to the already available reserved seats for women.
 

Body: 

Read the whole story at The Express Tribune, published November 27, 2011.  


Pakistan: bill passed to protect women's rights

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2011-11-18 11:39

Summary: 

Women’s rights groups in Pakistan have welcomed the passing of a bill which will punish those who force women into marriages or deny them inheritance.

Anyone convicted of forcing a woman into marriage or of receiving her inheritance will be sentenced to prison for 3-10 years, or will have to pay a fine of about $6,000, when the Anti-Women’s Practices Bill comes into effect.

But rights groups have raised concern about how the amended legislation will be enforced due to the prevailing attitude towards women in the country.

Body: 

Read more on AlJazeera, published 18 Nov


UNDP: Women's Representation in Parliament Only 18pc in Asia- Experts

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2011-10-28 09:09

Summary: 

We are still far away from reaching the target of minimum 30 per cent women representation in parliament all over the world which was adopted by the United Nations in Beijing Platform for Action in 1995,” they said while addressing the Regional Conference on South Asia Women’s Political Leadership at a hotel here on Sunday. 

They said the target could be reached by the year 2025 if the current rate of progress in the women’s representation continues. 

The Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly organized the conference under the framework of “Improving Democracy through Parliamentary Development” in cooperation with the UNDP Asia Pacific Regional Centre.

Body: 

Read the whole story in The News Today.


Asia Pacific Feminist Forum

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2011-10-28 07:55
2011-12-12
2011-12-14
Etc/GMT-4
Click here
City & Province/State: 
Chiang Mai
Country: 
Thailand
Venue: 

Furama Hotel

54 Huay Keaw Road, Muang Chiang Mai 50300
Tel: (66) 5341 5222 Fax: (66) 5341 5200
 

Description: 

The Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) will hold the first ever Asia Pacific Feminist Forum (APFF) on 12-14 December 2011 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This event will bring together 100-150 activists- women lawyers, academics, advocates and youth leaders. It will be an occasion to celebrate our collective achievements, reflect on our challenges and political climates, deepen feminist knowledge and analysis, strengthen our sisterhood, solidarity and collaboration, and reaffirm our resolve to advance women’s rights.

 

Workshops:

Workshops will be divided into four categories:

1. Knowledge building: to share new scholarship, analysis, and understandings in key areas of challenges confronting the women’s movement in the region

2. Skills building: to share successful strategies and skills in advocacy for reform

3. Movement building: to share successful efforts at building our movement across nations or regions. Discussions on what has worked for the movement.

4. Our well-being: Massage, dance, songwriting workshops, and other creative workshops for our well-being

Find more information at this link.


Call for Applications: Asia Pacific Feminist Forum

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Fri, 2011-10-28 07:35
2011-10-28
2011-11-04
Etc/GMT-4
Click here
City & Province/State: 
Chiang Mai
Country: 
Thailand
Description: 

The Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) will hold the first ever Asia Pacific Feminist Forum (APFF) on 12-14 December 2011 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The APFF will bring together women activists, lawyers, academics, advocates and youth leaders to celebrate our collective achievements, reflect on our challenges and shifting political environments, deepen feminist knowledge and analysis, strengthen our sisterhood, solidarity and collaboration and reaffirm our resolve to advance women’s rights.

For more information visit the APWLD website. 

Workshops will focus on:

1.  Knowledge building: to share new scholarship, analysis, and understandings in key areas of challenges confronting the women’s movement in the region.

2. Skills building: to develop strategies and practical skills that can aid women’s rights advocacy.

3. Movement building: to strengthen collaboration across nations or regions and build new movements that reflect current challenges.

4. Our Well-being: Massage, dance, song writing workshops, and other creative workshops for our well being.


Pakistan: In politics, it's still a man's world

Submitted by iKNOW Politics on Wed, 2011-07-20 07:02

Summary: 

On Tuesday, Hina Rabbani Khar became the first woman and the youngest parliamentarian ever in Pakistan's history to hold the post of Foreign Minister.

Does this mean that we start cheering? No.

Women like Hina Rabbani Khar may be educated, hardworking parliamentarians, but their elevation to their jobs has been through their political influence, rather than their skills or political knowledge. Her election as member of the National Assembly has been on the basis of her last name and her feudal lineage -- as part of the Khar family, her father is a politician, her uncle was Punjab's Chief Minister in the 1970s -- as opposed to her popularity amongst the masses, or her achievements as a restaurant owner, or as deputy finance minister in the Musharraf regime.

Body: 

Read the whole article at Foreign Policy