women's rights

Egypt needs a revolution against sexual violence

In November 2011, after I joined a protest on Mohamed Mahmoud Street in Cairo with a friend, Egyptian riot police beat me – breaking my left arm and right hand – and sexually assaulted me. I was also detained by the interior minister and military intelligence for 12 hours.

After I was released, it took all I had not to cry when I saw the look on the face of a very kind woman I'd never met before, except on Twitter, who came to pick me up and take me to the emergency room for medical attention. (She is now a cherished friend.)

لبنان: نصف سكان لبنان غائبون عن الطرح العام

بيروت – يشكّل غياب النساء القائدات والخبيرات في الإعلام وفي المجال العام في لبنان أمراً صارخاً. وقلة هم المستهلكون للمنتجات الإعلامية الذين يفكّرون بذكر أن 50% من السكان نادراً ما يُرَون أو يُسمَع بهم في المناصب العليا.

Egypt: Egypt's new constitution limits fundamental freedoms and ignores women's rights.

‘It is appalling that virtually the only references to women relate to the home and family’ - Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.

مصر:نوال السعداوي:الدماء الحمراء ونحيب الأمهات

تتمخض النكبات والكوارث في حياتنا‏,‏ أو ما تسمي أحيانا أحداث مؤسفة‏'‏ عن أمهات فقيرات ينتحبن علي دماء أولادهن المراقة‏ , تشرب الارض الدماء, ترتدي النساء الحداد, ثم تخلعه أولا تخلعه, وتتكرر الأحداث, تعود الأمهات المنكوبات الي النحيب, وتشرب الأرض الدماء.

السعودية:يوسف الكويليت:الحقوق المنسية للمرأة

جدلية حقوق المرأة من أقدم الأمور المتشابكة التي كتب ودوّن بالوثائق عنها المؤرخون والحقوقيون وعلماء الاجتماع وغيرهم، إلاّ أنها ظلت الجانب الخاسر في المعركة لأن طبيعة توارث ثقافة الرؤية الدونية لها جعلها في نطاق وظيفتها البيولوجية في المتعة والإنجاب وعمل السخرة

TUNISIA : Woman Allegedly Raped By Police, Accused of "Indecency"

Tunisian civil society is rallying in support of a young woman who was raped by police officers in what they say is part of a broader assault on women's rights by religious conservatives.There is widespread outrage after 27-year-old victim was summoned by the investigating judge on Wednesday to face chargers of "indecency" from the two men accused of raping her, in what many argue is an attempt by the authorities to intimidate her.

International: UN Women congratulates the government and people of Tunisia

On National Women's Day, UN Women congratulates the Government and people of Tunisia on their leadership in women's empowerment and gender equality.Calls on the Tunisian people and Government to continue championing gender equality in the constitutional revision process.

Lebanon: 'What the World Does Not Know about Us'

“I want to make one thing clear: we women in Lebanon are NOT victims. Our tenacity and resilience, which we have gained through our own process of self-empowerment, allow us to continue waging a battle against patriarchy, which exists across the world and in many different religious contexts.”

Saudi Arabia: 'Saudi Feminism: Between Mama Amreeka and Baba Abdullah'

On 9 May 2012, Manal al-Sharif was awarded the Havel Prize for Creative Dissent at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway. This came shortly after al-Sharif was honored as one of TIME’s100 Most Influential People in the World at a Gala in New York City. Such events have given rise to a pattern: just as numerous pictures and videos of activists attending various conferences and receiving numerous awards surface, waves of criticism pour in. Their motives are viewed with suspicion, worthiness is questioned, and a movement’s progress is reassessed.

International: 'Culture versus Rights Dualism: a myth or a reality?'

Women’s human rights discourse and movements have become entangled within a culture-versus-rights dualism. Yakin Ertürk argues that this is a false dualism which serves both private patriarchy and public patriarchy of neo-liberal globalisation