News

28/1/2014

HRW: Women's rights declining in Afghanistan

HRW report says women's rights in Afghanistan declined during 2013 as the world loses interest in the country.

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Afghanistan’s human rights situation has regressed in key areas during 2013, increasing uncertainty about the country’s future, Human Rights Watch has said.

The 2014 deadline for the withdrawal of international armed forces and continued debate over the presence of US troops beyond 2014 have negatively affected the Afghan government's policies on human rights, HRW reported.

24/1/2014

WLUML welcomes Chechen networkers from Grozny-based Women for Development

January 24th 2014

We are pleased to announce that members of Grozny-based Women for Development have recently joined the WLUML network. The group take a holistic approach to women rights, putting on art exhibitions, street actions, and information campaigns.

As well as hosting seminars on pressing problems - such as domestic violence – Women for Development work to foster the artistic ambitions of young women. The group recently showcased the work of young Chechen artists in an exhibition entitled ‘Peace through women’s eyes’. This was a rare opportunity to give women’s take on the concept of peace and to encourage their artistic expression; a vital undertaking in a situation where political stability has been secured at the expense of women’s freedoms.

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24/1/2014

Morocco to change rape marriage law

24th January 2014

The Moroccan government has said it plans to change a law that allows rapists to avoid charges if they marry their victims.

The move comes nearly a year after 16-year-old girl committed suicide after being forced to marry her alleged rapist.

Women's rights activists on Tuesday welcomed Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid's announcement, but said it was only a first step in reforming a penal code that does not do enough to stop violence against women in this North African kingdom.

A paragraph in Article 475 of the penal code allows those convicted of "corruption" or "kidnapping" of a minor to go free if they marry their victim and the practice has been encouraged by judges to spare family shame.

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The suicicde of a teenager forced to marry her alleged rapist triggered protests and calls for legal reform [AP]

23/1/2014

“Powering the African Dream”: An Urgent Action Fund-Africa Leadership Initiative

From September 9th-11th 2013, Urgent Action Fund-Africa (UAF-Africa), along with their partners, organized the Women Steering Innovative Leadership in Africa Conference (WSILA) in Lilongwe, Malawi. The groundbreaking International Conference convened 300 women and men from over 30 African countries working in diverse fields and thematic areas to discuss the role of women in shaping the discourse of ‘African leadership’ on the continent. The conference set to invigorate the approach to leadership by drawing examples from “traditional” and “non–traditional” leadership sources.

23/1/2014

New study in Oman shows high prevalence of FGM all over the country

January 22nd 2014

64% of all female participants said FGM was still practiced in the family.

According to a new study from Oman, female genital mutilation constitutes a widespread phenomenon in Oman in all age groups, and among women from all regional and educational backgrounds. Out of 100 women questioned 78 stated to be circumcised. The human rights activist and statistician Habiba Al Hinai conducted the study “Female Genital Mutilation in the Sultanate of Oman” in cooperation with Stop FGM Middle East for which she interviewed 100 female and 100 male participants in hospital waiting areas, shoppings malls and fast food restaurants in the capital Muscat.

22/1/2014

Nuba Mountains: Unlawful killings, Mass Rapes and Arbitrary Arrests of Civilians

Published on January 7, 2014 in

16/1/2014

Algeria: The Pride of Working Women

A new ILO study examines the constraints on working women in Algeria and the opportunities available to them.

16th January 2014

ALGIERS (ILO News) – “I am proud of my work, but the men say that we have taken their jobs. Our society is unyielding.”

This statement by a 42 year old Algerian woman from Tissemsilt shows that the employment of women is still a matter for debate in Algeria – as in numerous other countries.

13/1/2014

After advocacy by women's movement, Morocco makes major reform to rape law

January 9th, 2014

Following significant advocacy by WLP Morocco/ADFM and other Moroccan women’s rights organizations, on January 8, 2014, the Moroccan Parliament finally adopted the draft law to amend article 475 of the Criminal /penal Code, which allowed rapists to escape prosecution if they married their victim. This article has mainly been used to justify the traditional practice of pressuring the victim to marry her rapist in the name of “preserving the honor of the girl’s family.” This new amendment removes the second paragraph of the article, lifting the immunity of the rapist and preventing him from marrying his victim.

9/1/2014

Syrian Women's Charter

In collaboration with a group of independent Syrian women representing all spectrums of Syrian society and Syrian Women Forum for Peace, on January 6, 2014, more than 60 Syrian women from a number of Syrian districts and governorates met in Damascus to discuss the role of women in peacemaking and develop priorities of Syrian women under the Geneva Conference 2.

6/1/2014

Religious leaders denounce child marriage in Nepal

Religious leaders from four different faiths – Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim – denounce child marriage in a new video by UNFPA and UNICEF Nepal.

In the video, the leaders take an unequivocal stand against child marriage in Nepal, explaining that children do not have the physical, psychological or social maturity needed to enter marriage.

The announcement will be played on national television, radio and on the Internet in Nepal, a Hindu-majority country where 40% of girls are married before their eighteenth birthday.