A weekly selection of stories on women's rights from TrustLaw and other media
LONDON (TrustLaw) – Here is our selection of this week’s stories on women's rights from TrustLaw and other media.
AFRICA
Wangu’s story: from rape victim to campaigner
TrustLaw, Kenya
Only one out of 20 women in Kenya reports being raped, according to Kenya’s Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA. Women fear being stigmatised if their rape becomes public knowledge, particularly if they are unmarried because women’s virginity is prized in many Kenyan communities.
Zimbabwe: Govt Approves Abortion Treatment
allAfrica.com
Women who illegally abort and seek post abortion care at clinics and hospitals will no longer be reported to the police, a Zimbabwe government official has said. The Zimbabwe government is intensifying its efforts to reduce maternal complications. Abortion is among the top five causes of maternal deaths in the country.
South Africa: reclaiming control of our bodies
allAfrica.com
It is Women's Month in South Africa, that time of the year when we celebrate women and recommit to empowering them as our progressive constitution stipulates. The theme for 2012 is "Addressing unemployment, poverty and inequality: together contributing towards the progressive future for women."
AMERICAS
Sharp rise in number of women murdered in Honduras, dozens killed every month
TrustLaw, Colombia
The number of women murdered in Honduras has more than quadrupled since 2002, the national human rights commission says, with more than 90 percent of the killings going unpunished in the country which has the world's highest murder rate.
ASIA
Disfigured victim's plea to die exposes India's acid violence
TrustLaw, India
Sonali Mukherjee, 2, was disfigured by an acid attack when she was only 18. She is now seeking justice and support by appealing to the Indian government for medical support for skin reconstructive surgery as well as tougher penalties on her three assailants, who were released on bail after only three years in prison.
Prostitution: their bodies, their rights
TrustLaw, India
It is seen as a job no woman would want to do -- a job no woman would willingly do. Yet, spending time in one of Asia’s largest red-light districts gives a view of prostitution that jars with what many feminists, gender rights activists and, in fact, society in general believe.
UN Women establishes Civil Society Advisory Group in Pakistan
UN Women
A diverse group of sixteen women’s rights advocates and champions for gender equality have been selected for UN Women’s Civil Society Advisory Group in Pakistan. The members, both female and male, will meet in mid-August for the group’s first meeting. The aim of the group is to ensure strong, effective civil society engagement with the organization.
MIDDLE EAST
Museums in the Middle East: It’s a woman’s world
The Economist, UK
The Women's Museum of the United Arab Emirates is the creation of Rafia Obaid Ghubash, an academic, psychiatrist and former president of the Arabian Gulf University who campaigns for women's education. Her aim is to educate visitors—locals, expats and tourists—that Emirati women have enjoyed more power and influence than is recognised. She also wants to re-connect the fast-moving modern Emirates with its history and tradition.
GLOBAL
High youth HIV infection rate makes AIDS-free generation a distant dream
TrustLaw, United States
Young people account for 40 percent of new HIV infections globally, a fact that puts the goal of an AIDS-free generation out of reach for years, according to experts. Infections among young women are twice the rate of those of men of similar age.
Women 'are the foot soldiers of climate change adaptation' - expert
AlertNet, Sri Lanka
In 2006, when the Asian Development Bank (ADB) decided to launch a multi-million dollar rural water project in eastern and north central regions of Sri Lanka, there was one overriding requirement – women would be placed in key positions. As a result, experts say, the $263 million program, aimed at providing drinking water to over 900,000 people by 2011, has been a particular success.
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