Violence against women

Update: Afghanistan: Women's Groups Secure Independence of Shelters

In Afghanistan, women's groups are claiming a rare victory. Last winter, the government was planning to bring battered women's shelters under government control.

Women's rights advocates sprang into action, complaining that the new rules would turn shelters into virtual prisons for women who had run away from home because of abuse. But after a flurry of media attention, the Afghan government agreed to re-examine the issue. And this month, President Hamid Karzai's Cabinet quietly approved a new draft that has support from women's groups.

Pakistan: 'Suffering in Silence'

MULTAN, 28 September 2011 (IRIN) - Being beaten almost daily by her husband is a routine part of Saadia Bibi’s life. “Ever since I was married nearly seven years ago, I have been slapped, punched or kicked virtually every day. Once or twice my husband has burnt me with cigarettes,” she told IRIN in Multan, in conservative southern Punjab, displaying the distinct, circular scars on her shoulders and legs.

The “misdemeanours” Saadia has been beaten for include cooking food which is “tasteless”, speaking “too loudly” on the telephone or “arguing back”.

Myanmar: 'Military Guilty of Rape, Activists Say'

CHIANG MAI, 26 September 2011 (IRIN) - Human rights activists are reporting an increased incidence of rape against Kachin women in areas of recent military attacks by government forces in northern Myanmar.

In Kachin State alone, at least 18 cases of rape - sometimes aggravated with murder - were documented over an eight-day period in June by the Kachin Women's Association of Thailand (KWAT), following renewed fighting between government and Kachin forces.

Iran, Sudan, Libya, Egypt: Social Media Helps Give Women a Voice

A young woman is speaking to the camera, her face obscured to prevent her being identified.

Colombia: 'Colombian Authorities Fail Survivors of Sexual Violence

The Colombian authorities have failed to tackle the lack of justice for women and girl survivors during the country's long-running armed conflict, Amnesty International said in a new report today.

"Women and girls in Colombia are often treated as trophies of war. They are raped and sexually abused by all the warring parties as a way to silence and punish them," said Susan Lee, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

Iraq: 'Fight for Women's Rights Begins All Over Again'

BAGHDAD, Sep 13, 2011 (IPS) - When a middle-aged mother took a taxi alone from Baghdad to Nasiriyah, about 300 kilometres south earlier this year, her 20-year-old driver stopped on the way, pulled her to the side of the road and raped her. And that began a telling legal struggle.

"She is not a simple case," says Hanaa Edwar, head of the Iraqi rights-based Al-Amal Association, established in Baghdad after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Iran: Women's rights activist, Faranak Farid, beaten severely in detention

Faranak Farid was arrested on 3 September in Tabriz, north-west Iran, during demonstrations over the drying of Lake Oroumieh, which is situated between the Iranian provinces of East and West Azerbaijan. She is reported to have been tortured and otherwise ill-treated in detention.

Jordan: 'Rape Case Turns Focus to Jordan's Factory'

IRBID, Jordan (AP) — After a garment factory worker told Jordanian police she had been raped three times by her boss, the case escalated into an international campaign that threatens to close down Jordan's largest garment exporter to the U.S.

It could also force government and business to do more to improve conditions in an industry that has been crucial to this kingdom's economy — and to its relations with the United States.

التجريم حسب النوع: النظر لقوانين الزنا باعتبارها عنفا ضد المرأة في البيئات الإسلامية

تتعامل الأحكام الإسلامية الشرعية مع أي علاقة جنسية من أي نوع خارج مؤسسة الزواج الشرعية باعتبارها جريمة تقع تحت طائلة حكم الزنا، والذي يُعرف بدوره على أنه أي ممارسة جنسية صريحة بين الرجل والمرأة. ولا تختلف عقوبة الزنا للرجل عن المرأة وهي: الجلد مائة جلدة لغير المتزوجين والرجم حتى الموت للمتزوجين - على الرغم من أن التاريخ نادراً ما يذكر أمثلة لمثل هذه العقوبات.

لا يوجد عدل في التبريرات: العنف ضد المرأة تحت مسمى الثقافة والدين والتقاليد

العنف ضد المرأة حالة مستوطنة في جميع أنحاء العالم ولا يمكن إنكارها، وتشترك في ذلك جميع الثقافات والأديان والأمم. حيث يتجلى العنف في أشكال مختلفة، لا توجد بلد في العالم لا تواجه النساء العنف فيه لأنهم ببساطة نساء. ومع ذلك، بغض النظر عن الطبيعة العالمية للعنف ضد المرأة، لا تزال وسائل الإعلام وبعض المسؤولين الحكوميين يميلون إلى الحد من مناقشاتهم حول مدى انتشار العنف ضد المرأة إلى أجزاء معينة من العالم كمؤشر على التخلف الثقافي و/أو الديني في تلك المناطق