Violence against women

Update: Iran: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani could be Hanged in Iran'

An Iranian woman whose sentence of death by stoning for adultery provoked an international outcry could be executed by hanging instead, the country's judicial authorities have indicated.

Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a 44-year-old mother of two, was convicted of conducting an "illicit relationship outside marriage" in 2006 and has since been kept in Tabriz prison in the west of Iran.

Liban: 'Au Liban, Les Femmes Se Mobilisent Contre Le Viol et La Violence'

Les visages sont graves au collectif féministe Libanais Nasawiya tandis que les histoires de harcèlements sexuel verbaux et physiques défilent, et que le viol et le meurtre perpétrés sur Myriam Achkar fait la une des journaux.

« L’heure est venue de faire quelque chose, cette situation ne peut plus durer », déclare Farah, activiste des droits de la femme de longue date et membre du collectif.

Pakistan: 'An Unforgivable Sin'

The murder of infants, particularly girls, by poverty-stricken parents in Pakistan appears to be on the rise.

Late at night two months ago in a village in Pakistan’s Punjab Province, the parents of a two-day-old infant girl smothered the child, and then buried her tiny body in a distant field, carefully patting down the soil to hide any signs of digging. The mother cries often and says she still has nightmares about the event.

Egypt: 'Female Protesters Systematically Targeted'

Local human rights watchdogs on Sunday accused the Egyptian military of systematically targeting female political activists, and demanded that Egypt’s military rulers admit to violations committed against demonstrators.

In a joint statement, five human rights organizations accused military rulers of exercising "unprecedented violence against protesters, with the targeting of female activists being a distinctive feature of the proceedings to disperse sit-ins, as depicted in pictures and video clips showing protesters being arrested, beaten, dragged and stripped of their clothes.”

Afghanistan: 'Afghan TV Challenges Attitudes Towards Domestic Violence'

Afghanistan has been called one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman, and much of that danger lies in the home.

According to the United Nations, more than 87 per cent of all women there suffer from domestic violence.

But now, a radical television show is challenging attitudes to this abuse, inviting women to speak candidly and anonymously about their problems at home.

From Kabul, Tahir Qadiry reports.

Please go to the BBC link below to see the video report.

Afghanistan: 'Niqab, une émission qui ose donner la parole aux femmes'

Sami Madhi, un Afghan de 27 ans, a décidé que les choses devaient changer dans son pays. Il a créé une émission de télévision où les femmes peuvent parler en toute liberté de la violence dont elles sont victimes: de leur mari qui les frappe, de leur père qui les marie à l'âge de 10 ans ou du silence de la société qui ne fait rien pour les aider. L'émission fait fureur. Au moment où le procès Shafia se déroule à Kingston, notre journaliste Michèle Ouimet et notre photographe Ivanoh Demers se sont rendus à Kaboul.

Mexico: 'Mexican Women's Rights Activist Shot in Cuidad Juarez'

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico – A group of gunmen shot and wounded a women’s rights activist in this northern Mexican border city, civil society groups said. Norma Andrade, one of the leaders of the May Our Daughters Return Home non-governmental organization was shot several times Friday by a group of armed men while leaving work in Ciudad Juarez, the All Rights for All national network of human rights organizations said in a statement.

Afghanistan: 'Karzai Orders Release of Rape Victim'

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered the release of an Afghan woman imprisoned for adultery after a relative raped her. The move comes after Afghan judicial authorities met to consider the case and proposed a pardon for her on Thursday. CNN is identifying her only as Gulnaz to protect her identity.

International: 'Rape: a basic tool of militarism'

Women’s groups such as Women in Black have long led the way in challenging the mindsets and structures of patriarchal power and militarism, but men must recognise that they have the primary responsibility to make the changes, says Rebecca Johnson

Egypte: 'femmes en danger'

Elle parle à voix basse, chuchotant presque, d’un timbre fluet. Mais, derrière cette timidité, se loge une volonté farouche. Celle d’une jeune fille qui pose nue pour affirmer sa liberté, les yeux plantés dans l’objectif, et publie ensuite sa photo sur Internet, provoquant un gigantesque scandale chez les Egyptiens. « Je ne regrette rien, affirme Aliaa el-Mahdy. Ce ne sont pas les menaces de mort qui me feront changer d’avis, au contraire… » Du haut de ses 20 ans, la jeune étudiante veut changer le monde, propager la révolution et faire sauter les tabous, à commencer par ceux du machisme et du conservatisme écrasants qui pèsent sur l’Egypte. Cette image en noir et blanc montre Aliaa debout, en bas et en ballerines rehaussées de rouge, une fleur dans les cheveux. La jeune femme dénudée regarde le spectateur droit dans les yeux, comme l’« Olympia » de Manet qui scandalisa la France il y a plus d’un siècle.