Our 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
ICRW, Ethiopia
A joint programme by the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) and CARE Ethiopia is helping Ethiopian child brides build a better life for themselves by nurturing their entrepreneurial skills and providing health counselling.
Witchcraft used as excuse for violence against older women in Tanzania
The Guardian, UK
Extreme violence against older women related to witchcraft allegations is common in Sukumaland, according to the NGO HelpAge International. The Tanzania Legal and Human Rights Centre said that between 2004 and 2009 more than 2,585 older women were killed in eight regions of the country because of alleged witchcraft.
MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA
Egypt protest wants women's rights enshrined in constitution
Agence France Presse (AFP)
Some 200 protesters gathered in central Cairo to demand that women's rights be protected in the new constitution, as leaks of parts of the proposed text have caused alarm among women and activists. Article 36 has been of particular concern - seeking to lower the age of marriage from 18, legalise female genital mutilation and use Islamic jurisprudence in a way that could limit women's rights to work and education.
Women’s empowerment essential to freedom in Middle East
Women News Network
The massive wave of social and political protests of the Arab Spring shook up the status quo in the Middle East, making the voice of the region's women heard with unprecedented power. Yet, in the post-revolutionary phase, this initial rise in the status and influence of women has been reversed.
AMERICAS
Colombia failing to punish sexual violence – Amnesty report
TrustLaw, Colombia
The Colombian government must do more to provide justice and support to the thousands of women and girls who have been raped and sexually abused by warring factions in the country’s long-running armed conflict, rights group Amnesty International has said.
INTERVIEW – Mexican journalist risks life to take on sex traffickers
TrustLaw, Colombia
TrustLaw's correspondent in Bogota, Anastasia Moloney, spoke to Lydia Cacho, a Mexican journalist who has been forced to flee her country after publishing a book on sex trafficking.
ASIA
Cambodia acid attack law raises hopes, concerns
TrustLaw, Thailand
High expectations accompanied Cambodia's Acid Attack Law, which came into force last December, criminalising such assaults, setting sentences of up to 30 years’ jail for convicted attackers and regulating the sale and distribution of acid. But concerns over the law persist. It lacks details on medical and legal support for victims, and the sub-decree on regulating acid sales is still being drafted. Nor has anyone yet been tried under the new legislation.
EUROPE
Film captures tragic story of honour killing victim Banaz Mahmod
TrustLaw, UK
The murder of Banaz Mahmod shocked Britain, waking it up to the phenomenon of honour violence thought to affect thousands of women in the country every year, but which remained hidden until a few years ago.
UK looks at failure to try genital mutilation crimes
TrustLaw, UK
Britain’s chief prosecutor called on Friday for greater efforts to bring people to trial for the “abhorrent” crime of female genital mutilation (FGM). Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said it was unrealistic to expect victims to report on their parents, so one option might be to mount undercover operations to catch the people who make the arrangements for FGM.
GLOBAL
Gender violence needs crisis approach - expert
TrustLaw
The world should tackle violence against women as a major crisis, using lessons from how it has got to grips with HIV/AIDS, says an official with UN Women.
UN takes new step to include women in international peace talks
AlertNet
Women often suffer the most in times of conflict, but they are rarely represented in peace negotiations. In fact, no woman has ever been the lead negotiator in U.N.-sponsored peace talks, a situation the United Nations is now seeking to redress through a unique training programme.
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