La legge, approvata dal governo di centro-destra, entrerà in vigore il primo maggio e consentirà anche alle coppie dello stesso sesso di sposarsi civilmente.

Questo significa che anche le lesbiche (e gli uomini gay) avranno la possibilità di accedere al matrimonio acquisendo di conseguenza tutti i diritti ed i doveri ad esso connessi, incluso il riconoscimento sociale. Per le coppie eterosessuali tutto proseguirà come prima, senza alcun cambiamento.

La Chiesa di Svezia si pronuncerà in autunno sull'eventualità o meno di celebrare i matrimoni religiosi anche in chiesa.

Sweden's parliament passed new legislation by a wide majority on Wednesday that will allow homosexuals to marry in church and civil weddings

The law will come into force on May 1st.

"Parliament on Wednesday adopted the bill on a gender-neutral marriage law," parliament said in a statement.
 

http://www.thelocal.se/18608/20090402/

Le nazioni che, al momento riconoscono il matrimonio tra persone dello stesso sesso sono oltre la Svezia: Olanda, Belgio, Canada, Spagna, Sudafrica, Norvegia e, negli Stati Uniti il Massachussets, il Connecticut, il Vermont e l'Iowa.

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Gli Stati Uniti sono l'unica nazione del mondo occidentale che, al momento, non abbia ancora ratificato la Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discriminations Against Women. Sinora 185 nazioni l'hanno ratificata.

Il documento approvato chiede che "President Obama and Secretary Clinton place the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in the highest category of priority in order to accelerate the treaty's passage through the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the full United States Senate with the goal of ratification by the United States."

Ecco il testo del documento:

 http://apps.leg.wa.gov/documents/billdocs/2009-10/Pdf/Bills/Senate%20Passed%20Legislature/8012.PL-Discrimination%20against%20women.pdf

 

 

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La loi sur le quota de 30% de femmes sur les listes électorales au Burkina Faso a été adoptée par 87 voix sur 103 députés présents, jeudi dans la soirée par l'Assemblée nationale en vue de réduire l'écart entre les hommes et les femmes dans la gouvernance politique.

Cette loi, a expliqué le président de l'Assemblée nationale, Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, vise à lutter contre les inégalités à l'égard des femmes et à promouvoir leur pleine participation à la vie politique.

http://www.africatime.com/burkina/nouvelle.asp?no_nouvelle=457873&no_categorie=

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Lo stato del Maine ha approvato una legge che rende legale il matrimonio civile tra coppie gay. Negli Usa è il quinto stato che garantisce la piena eguaglianza giuridica tra coppie eterosessuali e coppie gay e lesbiche. Gli altri stati sono il Massachussetes, il Connecticut, il Vermont e l'Iowa.

The bill authorizes marriage between any two people rather than between one man and one woman, as state law currently allows.

The activist group Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders has targeted all six New England states for passage of a gay marriage law by 2012.

"I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law, and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage," Baldacci, a Democrat, said in a statement released as he signed the bill.

 "This law is simply about making sure that loving, committed couples, and their families, receive equal rights and responsibilities. This is a step that will strengthen Maine families," Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said in a written statement.

 http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/06/maine.same.sex.marriage/index.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30602151/

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Un'interessante intervista relativa alla situazione sociale e politica delle donne in Tunisia.

Advocate Bochra Bel Haj Hmida shares her opinions on what is left to accomplish in the field of women's rights and the threats to existing advancements.

Magharebia: In statements earlier this year, you warned against the risk of a decline in Tunisian women's gains. Do you still maintain those ideas? Can you tell us about the nature and source of that risk?

Hmida: Like many human rights activists, I believe that we managed to secure significant gains, starting with the Personal Status Code issued half a century ago, as well as all the supporting and complementing laws, along with the rise in the number of educated girls and family planning policies, in addition to all other measures aimed at enhancing women's position in society.

Nonetheless, those gains remain retractable for a number of reasons.

Magharebia: Why aren't there more Tunisian women in leadership positions in politics, unions, and NGOs, which support your call for gender equality?

Hmida: Tunisia has not made much progress in this area, despite progress in the law. It can be traced back to mentalities, to what we ask of women, and to rivalry in the field of politics. The feminist movement itself was not settled through a feminist perspective, but rather through a political, state-like vision. In my opinion, that situation requires adopting bold measures, such as the principle of quota. Also, enhancing discussions even within women's organisations and within society is important so that women's candidacy and voting for women would not be different from men's candidacy and voting for men. In other words, women are not required to be perfect.

 http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2009/04/21/feature-02

 

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Decisamente una bella differenza rispetto al predecessore George. Posso dire che Obama è un bravo ragazzo! Sicuramente è anche importante il fatto che sia una donnalatina, oltre che, ovviamente, una giudice competente.

President Obama has named Sonia Sotomayor, the federal appeals judge, as America’s first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, a woman with a remarkable personal story that began on a housing project in the south Bronx.

In making the first Supreme Court nomination by a Democratic president in 15 years, Mr Obama has said that the most important quality he was looking for was someone with empathy for ordinary citizens. Announcing his choice in the White House he said: “Even as she has accomplished so much in her life she has never forgotten where she began, never lost touch with the community that supported her. What Sonia will bring to the court is not only the experience acquired over the course of a brilliant legal career but the wisdom accumulated from an inspiring life’s journey.”

Judge Sotomayor said that Mr Obama’s decision to pick her was “the most humbling honour of my life” and that “never in my wildest childhood imaginings did I ever envision this moment”.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8068637.stm

 http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6368289.ece

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/01/sonia-sotomayor-supreme-c_n_194470.html

 

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The Los Angeles City Council's approval on May 18 of funds for testing the physical evidence in rape cases is a major step toward reducing a huge backlog of "rape kits," Human Rights Watch said.

The new funding, while very positive, only addresses one element of the problem. The City Council's allocations only affect the testing of rape kits under the Los Angeles Police Department's jurisdiction, but will not help reduce the backlog of about 7,000 more rape kits stored by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and independent police departments in the 47 other cities in Los Angeles County.

The new funding enables the Los Angeles Police Department to allocate more resources and expedite testing. New York City was able to eliminate its backlog of over 17,000 rape kits through similar means within three years.

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/05/19/us-la-vote-rape-evidence-backlog-major-step

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-tofte/making-rape-victims-pay_b_203212.html

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A Montreal-based group that would like to see fewer religious symbols in Quebec is calling on the provincial government to draw up a new "social contract" making the province secular and banning religious garb for anyone working in the public sector.

They don't want people wearing hijabs, kippahs, crosses or other religious items on the job and think buttons and pins that show political leanings should be banned, too.

"To maintain the neutrality of the state we must remove all religious symbols," said Marie-Michelle Poisson, president of the MLQ.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/more+religious+symbols+group+urges/1617902/story.html

«Les immigrants ne sont pas plus religieux que la moyenne des Québécois, disons, de souche», prétend Mme Poisson, du MLQ.

Ces femmes se rangent derrière la position du Conseil du statut de la femme, qui suggère au gouvernement Charest d'interdire le port de tout signe religieux ostentatoire dans la fonction publique, ce que stipulerait une éventuelle «Charte de la laïcité». 

http://www2.canoe.com/infos/quebeccanada/archives/2009/05/20090521-070100.html

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"All pupils, including immigrant girls, have the right to swimming lessons and to take part in physical and sexual education classes," Björklund and Sabuni argue in an opinion article in Dagens Nyheter on Sunday.

Liberal party leader and education minister, Jan Björklund, and integration minister, Nyamko Sabuni, write that the right to exemptions from these classes will be removed in a new legislative proposal to be circulated for consideration during the summer.

This situation can result in girls being denied the right to participate in physical and sexual education classes, something the ministers hope the new law will put a stop to.

Björklund and Sabuni argue that the figures indicate that the problem with "honour culture oppression" could be greater than previously apparent.

"Taken to its extreme the oppression is a direct threat to the child's life, but even if it does not go to such drastic lengths it almost always violates the child's fundamental rights."

http://www.thelocal.se/19778/20090531/

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The High Court gave a landmark judgment today in the first application of its Sexual Harassment Guidelines pronounced on 14 May

One year ago, in May 2008, four women students at Jahangirnagar University made complaints of serial sexual harassment against their teacher and the Chairperson of the Drama Department, Sanowar Hossain Sunny. The University appointed three separate inquiry committees, which examined witnesses and issued reports with clear findings against the teacher. During this period, the students continued to face threats and harassment.

Today the High Court held that the decisions taken by the University to exonerate Sunny on the one hand, and to expel the students on the other, were both without lawful authority. It also directed the University to hold a fresh inquiry into the incident, with independent persons, on the basis of the new Guidelines on Sexual Harassment pronounced in BNWLA v Bangladesh . Citing judgments of the Supreme Courts of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, the Court held that corroboration was not always required to prove allegations of sexual violence, and further that the standard of ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ could not be applicable in cases of this nature, relating to disciplinary inquiries regarding allegations of sexual harassment. The Court also noted that Jahangirnagar University authorities had failed ‘for reasons best known to themselves’ to adopt their own guidelines on sexual harassment, and therefore in the absence of any applicable law, the High Court’s new guidelines should be applied to any fresh inquiry.

http://www.wluml.org/english/newsfulltxt.shtml?cmd[157]=x-157-564621

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Ennesima dimostrazione che, quando c'è la volontà politica, i problemi si risolvono.

The so-called 24-year rule was introduced in 2002 to prevent unwanted arranged marriages and affected those coming to Denmark under family reunification schemes by requiring both parties in the marriage to be at least 24 years of age.

The new study shows that the number of women from an immigrant background married by the age of 23 in Denmark dropped from 46 percent in 2000 to 19 percent in 2008. The study classed those from non-Western countries, who moved to Denmark before the age of 15 and had lived here for at least two years as having an immigrant background.

In comparison the marriage rate among 23-year-old Danish women remained unchanged at five percent.

"With young immigrants now waiting to get married, they can manage to get an education or a job and get a foothold in the labour market before they get married and have children,’

 http://www.cphpost.dk/news/national/88-national/45829-24-year-rule-affects-marriage-rates.html

 

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The Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, on Monday passed the first reading of a bill on domestic violence against women, severely increasing the penalties for such violence.

Up until now, there has been no such crime as domestic violence on the Mozambican statute book. When a husband beat up his wife, this was treated as

 

The bill states that in any case of domestic violence, the minimum and maximum prison terms established for crimes such as assault and causing grievous bodily harm will be increased by a third. But, after assessing the family situation, the court may replace a prison sentence by a period of community work.

The bill defines domestic violence as a "public crime" - which means that prosecuting the offender does not depend on a complaint from the victim. The police can act without waiting for a complaint, and anybody else who becomes aware of the violence can denounce it to the police or prosecution service.

Helena Zitha pointed out that widows in the Mozambican countryside are victims of pitiless violence from their late husbands' relatives. "Everything that a widow managed to obtain when she was living with her later husband is torn away from her", she said.

Nobody pushed their objections to a vote, and so the bill passed unanimously and by acclamation. It will now be amended in committee before coming back to the plenary for a final vote in mid-July.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200906291384.html

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Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Judy Biggert (R-IL) today reintroduced the Equal Rights Amendment in the U.S. House, along with Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee John Conyers (D-MI), Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Rep. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and over 50 other original co-sponsors.

“Women have made incredible progress in the past few decades. But laws can change, government regulations can be weakened, and judicial attitudes can shift.  The only way for women to achieve permanent equality in the United States is to write it into the Constitution,” Rep. Maloney said. “These 54 words, when passed by Congress and ratified by 38 states, will make equal rights for women not just a goal to be desired but a constitutional right.”

“The time is long overdue for a constitutional guarantee of equality between the sexes. Throughout the history of this country, women have faced systematic and purposeful discrimination.  Women were conspicuously absent from the Constitution when it was drafted more than 200 years ago, and today, women still have no explicit legal guarantee of equal protection. As such, we know the ERA must be ratified to ensure meaningful and lasting equality for all women,” Terry O’Neill, newly-elected President of the National Organization for Women said.

The ERA was first introduced as the “Lucretia Mott Amendment” at the celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the 1848 Seneca Falls “Declaration of Sentiments,” considered the founding of the women’s rights movement in the U.S.  It came closest to ratification in the 1970’s, when 35 states approved it, falling just 3 states short of the two-thirds necessary for a constitutional amendment to be ratified.

http://maloney.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1899&Itemid=61

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On July 1, 2009, President Bashar al-Assad abolished Article 548 of the Penal Code, which had waived punishment for a man found to have killed a female family member in a case "provoked" by "illegitimate sex acts," as well as for a husband who killed his wife because of an extramarital affair. The article also lowered penalties if a killing was found to be based on a "suspicious state" concerning a female family member. The article that replaced it still allows for mitigated punishment for "honor killings," but requires a sentence of at least two years.

"Two years is better than nothing, but it is hardly enough for murder," said Nadya Khalife, Middle East and North Africa women's rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The Syrian government should punish all murders alike - no exceptions."

The new text of Article 548 reads: "He who catches his wife, sister, mother or daughter by surprise, engaging in an illegitimate sexual act and kills or injures them unintentionally must serve a minimum of two years in prison." In the previous text, the killer benefited from a complete "exemption of penalty".

"The recommendations set out at the National Forum showed the government the way forward," said Khalife. "But there is a long way to go to rid Syria of this vicious practice."

http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/07/28/syria-no-exceptions-honor-killings

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Da dove cominciare? Dal fatto che non ci dovrebbero essere leggi diverse per le singole comunità etniche e religiose? (la legge in questione è diretta alla minoranza sciita). O dal fatto che si tratta di una legge barbara che dovrebbe essere rigettata nella spazzatura della storia?

Afghanistan has quietly passed a law permitting Shia men to deny their wives food and sustenance if they refuse to obey their husbands' sexual demands, despite international outrage over an earlier version of the legislation which President Hamid Karzai had promised to review.

The new final draft of the legislation also grants guardianship of children exclusively to their fathers and grandfathers, and requires women to get permission from their husbands to work.

"It also effectively allows a rapist to avoid prosecution by paying 'blood money' to a girl who was injured when he raped her," the US charity Human Rights Watch said.

The law has been backed by the hardline Shia cleric Ayatollah Mohseni, who is thought to have influence over the voting intentions of some of the country's Shias, which make up around 20% of the population.

"These kinds of barbaric laws were supposed to have been relegated to the past with the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, yet Karzai has revived them and given them his official stamp of approval."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/14/afghanistan-womens-rights-rape

Western leaders and Afghan women's groups were united in condemning an apparent reversal of key freedoms won by women after the fall of the Taliban.

Now an amended version of the same bill has passed quietly into law with the apparent approval of President Karzai.

Women's groups say its new wording still violates the principle of equality that is enshrined in their constitution.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8204207.stm

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The bill outlawing domestic violence passed by the National Assembly on Tuesday is a step in the right direction. The abuse of women and children is endemic in the country, particularly in the domestic sphere where some estimates put the figure over 95 per cent for various forms of physical and emotional violence taken together.

Once enacted into law, the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill will make Pakistan one of the few dozen countries to adopt specific legislation on the issue. The 28-clause bill lays out provisions for protection orders and monetary and other forms of relief for victims, and punishment in the form of fines and jail terms for those who violate protection orders.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/16-a-step-forward-hs-01

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  No comment.

Tens of thousands of people in Mali's capital, Bamako, have been protesting against a new law which gives women equal rights in marriage.

The law, passed earlier this month, also strengthens inheritance rights for women and children born out of wedlock.

The head of a Muslim women's association says only a minority of Malian women - "the intellectuals" as she put it - supports the law.

"We have to stick to the Koran," Ms Dembele told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme. "A man must protect his wife, a wife must obey her husband."

"It's a tiny minority of women here that wants this new law - the intellectuals. The poor and illiterate women of this country - the real Muslims - are against it," she added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8216568.stm

More than 50,000 Muslims in Mali on Saturday protested against the new family code adopted by the Parliament, which their leaders argue, is not Malian but rather "modeled on Western civilization".

The president of a national women's association of NGOs, Oumou Touré, said the family code was a â?constitutional and democratic demand' that promoted social justice.

'Many girls married at 10, 11 or 12 have died in recent years in the region of Kayes, (500km northeast of Bamako)'

'The new code will put the brakes (on this) because the guilty will from now on be punished and fined.'

IRIN said Amnesty International estimated in 2005 that more than 60 per cent of young women in Mali married before the age of 18.
 

 http://www.afriquejet.com/news/africa-news/mali:-malian-muslims-reject-new-family-code-2009082433848.html

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A new family law in Mali is causing a furore, partly because it no longer stipulates that wives have to obey their husbands.

Such has been the anger in the majority Muslim country that President Amadou Toumani Toure has sent the law back to parliament for MPs to re-consider.

For many people here the new law is an attack on their religion and traditions and there have been loud protests against it ever since it was adopted by parliamentarians at the start of August.

Kane Nana Sanou, a women's rights activist who is on the committee that has been lobbying for the new family law, says women across Mali should be overjoyed at the new code and disputes the idea that the majority of women are against it.

"How can people say that the majority of women in this country are against the code? Have they done a poll to find that out? They haven't.

"I believe this new law is good for Mali. It makes all citizens equal before the law."

Ms Sanou says she understands why some women might argue that the law should contain a provision that they have to obey their husbands, even if that might mean less rights for them.

"Like me, these women have grown up in traditional families. They have always been told that it's the right thing to do to obey your husband, so of course they believe that," she says.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8223966.stm

Tens of thousands have turned out at protests in Bamako in recent weeks and there have been other demonstrations against the law across the country.

It is a political defeat for President Toure, who was a strong backer of the new law.

It has only been the continuing angry protests by Muslim groups that have forced him to send the law back to parliament.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8223736.stm

 

 

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Transsexuals in Uruguay will soon be able to legally register a change of name and gender after the country's senate approved a controversial bill.

The law, which was passed unanimously, is strongly opposed by the Roman Catholic Church and opposition conservatives.

Under the new legislation, transsexuals will be able to change their name on all official documents, from birth certificates to passports, to reflect the gender of their choice.

Under the new proposal, documents reflecting the original gender and name will not be destroyed, but archived and amended.

The amendment also restricts the change of gender and name to those over 18 and stipulates that five years have to pass before an applicant can request another change.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8304123.stm

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Kuwait's highest court granted women the right to obtain a passport without their husband's approval, the case's lawyer said Wednesday, in the latest stride for women's rights in this small oil-rich emirate.

Attorney Adel Qurban, whose case the court was ruling on, said the landmark decision "freed" Kuwaiti women from the 1962 law requiring their husband's signature to obtain a passport.

His client, Fatima al-Baghli, is one of thousands of women who have been petitioning courts for this right.

The court found the article in the decades-old law "unconstitutional" because it goes against the principal of equal rights for men and women.

"It undermines her free will and compromises her humanity," the court explained according to a copy of the decision provided by the lawyer.

Activist Aisha al-Rsheid hailed Tuesday's ruling, but said females in this traditional male-dominated society were still a long way from the equality promised by the 1962 constitution.

"We want to see women judges and prosecutors, we want women to give their citizenship to their children, and we want women to have the right to state-provided houses," just like men, she said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ipuO23204915pjCRtzQYSZHA-aaAD9BFEHE00

 

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Uccidere una persona a causa dell'odio motivato dalla disabilità, dal genere, dall'orientamento sessuale e dall'identità di genere della vittima sarà un'aggravante.

Questi crimini non solo solo attacchi personali ma mandano un messaggio ad un determinato gruppo sociale, ad esempio le donne, con il quale si intende trasmettere la paura ad entrare negli spazi pubblici.

US President Barack Obama Wednesday condemned crimes meant not to break only bones "but to break spirits" as he celebrated a landmark hate crimes law as a new step forward for US civil rights.

Obama signed an act outlawing offenses motivated by a person's race, gender, identity, color, sexual orientation, or mental of physical disability, ending a years-long crusade by crime victims and relatives.

"Today, we have taken another step forward," Obama said. "This is the culmination of a struggle that has lasted more than a decade."

  http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091028/ts_alt_afp/uspoliticssocialrightsobama

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/10/28/hate.crimes/index.html

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Governor David A. Paterson today signed five bills into law including a bill to protect women’s access to reproductive health care facilities and a bill to ensure voters’ access to their correct polling places. Additionally, the Governor vetoed two bills that would have cost taxpayers $18.6 million over the next two years.

The signed bills include A.8924/S.6112, which provides enhanced penalties if a person causes physical injury to someone seeking to provide, obtain or assist in reproductive health care services. The bill was written shortly after the murder of Dr. George Tiller in Kansas, a tragedy that many health workers believe has emboldened those who engage threatening behavior and violent rhetoric at reproductive health care clinics.

“Given the history of violence committed against patients and employees of women’s health clinics across the United States and in New York State, establishment of these new offenses is appropriate,” Governor Paterson said. “I will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to quality, affordable health care in a safe environment.”

http://www.state.ny.us/governor/press/press_1028092.html

The main provisions of the new law include:

• Causing physical injury to someone at a reproductive health clinic rises from a misdemeanor to a new Class E felony that can lead to a sentence of up to seven years in prison.

• Causing serious physical injury becomes a Class C felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

• Repeat offenders can face more serious charges and longer sentences than they now do.

• Volunteers are explicitly covered under the new law, in addition to people providing or obtaining reproductive health care.

The bill’s quick bipartisan passage by large measures in both the Assembly and the State Senate proves that clinic violence has no place in New York, said Karen J. Nelson, chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood of Western New York.

Lynne Slepian has made few public appearances in the 11 years since her husband, an abortion provider, was gunned down in their Amherst home by a sniper James C. Kopp, firing from a wooded area behind the house.

http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/844548.html

 

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Il fatto che dei giudici di una nazione come il Canada debbano soppesare il pro e il contro della poligamia è decisamente inquietante. Significa che l'uguaglianza tra uomini e donne è praticamente irrilevante rispetto ai cosidetti diritti religiosi. E questo è il risultato nefasto del multiculturalismo, corrente di pensiero secondo la quale tutte le culture e tutte le religioni sono da considerare alla stessa maniera. Anche se  i diritti delle donne sono calpestati.

There is a paradox in Canadians' prized tolerance -- taken to its extreme, we inevitably will be asked to countenance the intolerable. Where that line is between tolerance and the intolerable is something that the courts are dealing with on several fronts. Polygamy is the most recent.Polygamy is the most recent. Last week, B.C. Attorney-General Mike de Jong asked the Supreme Court of British Columbia to determine whether banning polygamy is a justifiable limit on the constitutional guarantee of religious freedom. It was provoked by fundamentalist Mormons in Bountiful, who believe that having multiple wives is essential to their religion and have continued that practice despite the 110-year-old Criminal Code sanction against it.

The chief justice has been asked to appoint a lawyer to make the case for polygamy being a justifiable religious practice.

"Invoking religious freedom to conceal one's identity and promote a political ideology is disingenuous," the Muslim Congress said in a press release that noted Egypt's highest Muslim authority and dean of al-Azhar University, Sheik Mohamed Tantawai, has already issued an edict against wearing them.

Why this reluctance to set limits? Fatah says it's not because Canadians are tolerant. It's because we're stupid.

We'd rather be run over by others than stand up and tell the truth to everyone who lives in Canada or wants to come here.

And the truth is that there are some customs and religious practices that are simply intolerable.

 http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Limits+tolerance+needed+multicultural+Canada+work/2167717/story.html

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On November 6. 1990, 40 brave Saudi women drove their cars publicly in the capitol of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, to demand their right to drive. They were subsequently detained, their passports were confiscated, and fired from their jobs.

On the 19th anniversary of this event, Saudi women’s activists, led by Wajeha al Huwaider, are launching the “Black Ribbons Campaign”, demanding that:

A) Saudi woman be treated as a citizen just like her male counterpart

B) Saudi woman enjoys her rights to marry, divorce, inherit, gain custody of children, travel, work, study, drive cars and live on an equal footing with man

C) Saudi woman gain the legal capacity to represent herself in official and government agencies without the need of a male guardian.

We, Saudi women activists appeal to all those who support Saudi women’s rights, inside and outside the Kingdom, to participate in the campaign by wearing a black ribbon on their wrists as a symbolic and peaceful gesture of their .advocacy to Saudi women’s rights.

This campaign is raising the motto: “we will not untie our ribbon until Saudi women enjoy their rights as adult citizens”.

Please make sure to wear a black ribbon on November 6th.

http://www.metransparent.com/spip.php?page=article&id_article=8564〈=en

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Pakistani women's rights activists won a victory when the National Assembly passed a bill calling for harsher punishment for sexual harassment of women.

The bill, which will next be considered by the senate, expands the vague definition of harassment in current law to facilitate prosecution, Dawn newspaper reported Thursday.

The punishment under the new bill, which was approved unanimously by the assembly, will be three years in jail and a fine of up to 500,000 Pakistani rupees ($6,000). Under current law with the phrase "insult (to) the modesty of a woman," the maximum punishment is one year in prison and an unspecified fine.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2009/11/04/Harsher-punishment-for-sexual-harassment/UPI-81461257394025/

Civil society groups advocating protection of women against all forms of violence dubbed the passage a "historic move.

"The bill is significant," said Khawar Mumtaz, chief executive officer of Shirkat Gah Women's Resource Center, a women’s rights group in Pakistan. "Firstly, it acknowledges the incidence of domestic violence. Secondly, it recognizes that it can no longer be ignored or remain invisible," Mumtaz told IPS.

For too long, "treating domestic violence as a private affair has given protection to perpetrators of violence and has led to victimization of women," she said. "The passage of the bill "is a measure of success of women's advocacy." 

The United Nation’s Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) said at least one out of three women around the world has been "beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime — with the abuser usually someone known to her. Violence against women and girls is a universal problem of epidemic proportions."

UNIFEM said only 89 countries have legislative provisions on domestic violence against women and only around 60 states have passed specific domestic violence laws, a significant rise from only 45 countries with such a law in 2003.

Pakistan could become the 61st country outlawing domestic violence should the Senate pass the bill.

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48354

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Women in North Africa have made tremendous progress in promoting and upholding their rights. Women in this region—commonly known as the Maghreb—are at the forefront of the Arab world in terms of individual rights and gender equality, and constitute models for other Arab women to follow. A number of lessons may be drawn from the inspiring experience of women in North Africa, especially in Morocco and Tunisia.

Access to justice has been greatly facilitated by the new Family Courts in Morocco as necessitated by the Moroccan Family Code of 2004. When women marry, they are now able to retain ownership of their property thanks to Article 49 of the code, which allows for a separate contract on property alongside the marriage contract. This is in accordance with Islamic law, in which women may remain the sole owners of their property and have no legal obligation to share it with their husbands.

In addition, mothers married to foreign nationals in Morocco and Tunisia can now pass on their citizenship to their children—a privilege previously allowed only to men.

 Women are also more visible in economic and academic spheres than before in the Maghreb. Nationwide youth literacy is gradually becoming a reality with women demanding accessible and standardised educational opportunities. And women often spearhead business ventures, are increasingly choosing their professions freely and feeling safer at the workplace as a result of laws that combat sexual harassment, and have better access to clinics and more independence in making decisions about their reproductive health.

http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=26736&lan=en&sid=1&sp=0

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Un grande passo in avanti.

Female genital mutilation has been outlawed in Uganda under a bill passed unanimously by the Parliament, lawmakers said.

Ugandans convicted of the practice, also known as female circumcision, face up to 10 years in prison. If a girl dies from the surgery, which involves cutting off the clitoris to reduce sexual feeling, convicted offenders would be sentenced to life in prison.

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/12/12/Uganda-bans-female-genital-mutilation/UPI-25661260646788/

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Lawmakers voted to ease Spain's abortion law Thursday, approving a bill to allow the procedure without restrictions up to 14 weeks.

The measure now goes to the Senate, where passage is expected some time early next year.

The vote in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies was 184-158 with one abstention.

Under the current law, which dates back to 1985, Spanish women could in theory go to jail for getting an abortion outside certain strict limits - up to week 12 in case of rape and week 22 if the fetus is malformed.

The bill approved Thursday wipes away the threat of imprisonment and declares abortion to be a woman's right.

"We are legislating women's right to decide whether to be mothers," said Carmen Monton, the Socialists' spokeswoman on gender issues.

The new bill would also also allow 16- and 17-year-olds to have abortions without parental consent, as is the case in other European countries such as Germany, Britain and France.

This clause proved to be among the bill's most controversial ones.

In the end, the ruling Socialist party agreed to amend it so that such minors must inform their parents or legal guardian if they plan to undergo an abortion - although still with no need for their permission - except if they can show that doing so would expose them to violence within their family, threats or coercion.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_SPAIN_ABORTION?SITE=WBEZELN&SECTION=POLITICS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

 

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The Pakistani government should quickly reintroduce legislation to protect women and children from domestic violence, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill was passed unanimously by the National Assembly on August 4, 2009, but the bill lapsed after the Senate failed to pass it within the three months required under the country's constitution.

"Victims of domestic violence have long faced a double injustice - abuse at home and then no protection from the government," said Ali Dayan Hasan, senior South Asia researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The proposed law has widespread support in Pakistan, and the government should make passing it a priority."

Human Rights Watch said that an amendment to the penal code passed in November that criminalizes the sexual harassment of women is a step forward.

The measure makes sexual harassment or intimidation punishable by three years in prison, a 500,000 rupee fine [US $6,000], or both. The bill includes protection in public places such as markets, public transport, streets, or parks, and more private settings, such as workplaces, private gatherings, and homes.

"The new sexual harassment protections in the penal code are some of the most impressive and extensive in South Asia," Hasan said. "If it displays the will, Pakistan's government can be a regional leader in safeguarding women's rights."

"Pakistan's parliament has passed only half the legislation needed against sexual harassment," Hasan said. "If the government is serious about protecting women, it should present the companion measure for parliamentary approval immediately

 http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2010/01/11/pakistan-expedite-domestic-violence-legislation

 

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Albanian rights groups and the Alliance against the Discrimination of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) welcomed the law as a powerful legal tool to protect against any kind of discrimination.

This law is not simply a fulfilment of requirements that Albania has undertaken for European Union integration and visa liberalisation. Above all, it is a victory for democracy and for human rights for all Albanians,' the LGBT community said.

The bill guarantees citizens against discrimination on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_487023.html

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Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO) has urged government to facilitate progress in giving effect to the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

BOCONGO noted that CEDAW has not been fully integrated into domestic law in Botswana. Even where attempts have been made to incorporate some aspects of the convention, this has been done in a piecemeal fashion, which limits the effectiveness of such reviews. Chigedzi Chinyepi, the BOCONGO Gender and Development Sector coordinator said government has in response to a list of issues and questions raised by the CEDAW committee, indicated that following the review in 1997 of all laws affecting the status of women in Botswana, some laws were not amended in line with the convention. The laws, which were not amended are Deserted Wives and Children Protection Act, Penal Code Amendment on Abortion, Law of Delicts and Customary Law.

BOCONGO stated that government has failed to ensure both de jure and de facto compliance with the provisions of CEDAW and that the inadequate dissemination of CEDAW and all laws that affect the status of women has denied them the benefits of the convention. Chinyepi said rural women, ethnic women, sexual minorities and women with disabilities are especially disadvantaged as there are no targeted interventions for their needs.

Chinyepi said because abortion is illegal in Botswana except in very limited cases, many women resort to unhygienic termination of pregnancies, which are unsafe and can result in long-term complications or fatalities. BOCONGO contends that failure to provide adequate, safe and affordable sexual and reproductive health services for all women amounts to a violation of their right to health

http://www.mmegi.bw/index.php?sid=1&aid=69&dir=2010/February/Thursday4

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State Minister for Women and Children Shirin Shjarmin Chowdhury said the National Women's Development Policy-1997 would be broad-based and reintroduced to include rights of tribal women, those who are physically and mentally challenged and those hit by climate change.

"We will also include a provision to ensure women's rights to information," The Daily Star quoted her as saying Monday.

Singer Shuvro Dev said: "As a man, I am ashamed that in over 95 percent cases it is a man who throws acid at women. It really hurts me. I swear to work so that no woman is burnt by acid anymore."

Magician Jewel Aich said he didn't believe "the acid throwers are men. They are cowards and worse than the beasts. We have to resist them".

"Women's movement is part of a democratic movement in the sub-continent, including Bangladesh," said Ayesha Khanam, president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad.

http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a119955.html

 

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C'è da chiedersi come sia possibile ancara gli Stati Uniti non abbiano ancora ratificato la Convenzione sull'eliminazione di tutte le forme di discriminazione contro le donne. 

The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is the most complete international agreement on basic human rights for women and was adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 1979. To date, 185 countries have ratified CEDAW. Even though the U.S. helped draft the treaty, it is the only industrialized country left to ratify.

CEDAW promotes not only women's empowerment, but also a foundation for peace and justice around the world. Women in the U.S. and around the world have already waited 30 years for the world's superpower to sign onto this important treaty. Demand President Obama and the Senate RATIFY WOMEN! by prioritizing and passing CEDAW without restrictions.

http://www.now.org/issues/global/cedaw/

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/5996/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1364

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Dans cette veine, le Rajya Sabha, la Chambre haute du Parlement indien, a adopté il y a trois semaines une loi établissant que 33 % des sièges seront à l'avenir réservés aux femmes à la législature fédérale et dans chacune des assemblées des États. Un vote qu'il n'est pas exagéré de qualifier d'historique et de révolutionnaire. Soixante-deux ans de vie démocratique n'excluent pas que l'espace politique qu'y occupent les femmes demeure extrêmement restreint. Il n'y a que 10 % de députées au Lok Sabha, la Chambre des communes indienne.

«Sans quotas, impossible de faire élire des femmes au Parlement», dit clairement et simplement Mausam Noor, députée du parti du Congrès. C'est un premier pas, estime-t-elle. Or, la nouvelle loi, qui doit encore franchir d'autres étapes difficiles avant d'entrer en vigueur, a ceci de particulier — rien n'est simple — que les 33 % de sièges réservés feront l'objet d'un système de rotation, d'élections générales en élections générales. 

http://www.ledevoir.com/international/asie/285929/un-tiers-pour-les-femmes

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THERE is a significant sense of change among women’s lives in Kisarawe following public education on their land rights, saving them from cultures and traditions which had confined them to the fence of family property.

Findings from this oldest district of 100 years with 76 villages and 15 wards revealed an unfolding impact of public education on the lives of mothers who had suffered for years under disguises of culture and traditions whose character of succession were discriminatory against women.

The ‘Daily News’ pitched camp for two days in this district of 100,000 people to find out if local authorities are conforming to the principle equality between women and men under the watch of different village councils.

Women in the age group of 40 to 60 , who had suffered discrimination in inheritance of family property for decades, are now able to use the information empowerment about their rights to save their colleagues who face the ruthlessness of their in-laws over land when their husbands dies
 

The Community Development Officer at ministry of Community Development, Gender and Children, Ms Grace Mbwilo said the radical move, which was initially facing resistance by forces supportive of cultures and traditions had confined women to the fence of family property, had gradually received acceptance as more women armed themselves with information on what their land rights are and where they can report in case of difficulties.

“We have to right the cultural and social economic wrongs that hinder the economic progress of women and other traditional disadvantaged groups, in all rural Tanzania”,she said

Land rights issues which were initially seen to be putting tradition and modernity in a confrontation is currently gaining approval on either side as girls are viewed as stakeholders of their family land. 

http://dailynews.co.tz/feature/?n=8693

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The High Court yesterday in a ruling said none can force women, working at public and private educational institutions, to wear veils or cover their heads against their wills.

The court directed the education ministry to ensure the execution of its order.

It is their personal choice if they wear scarves or cover their heads, the court said.

The HC asked the education secretary to make sure that women are not harassed by their superiors at educational institutions.

The verdict came after a writ petition was filed seeking HC directive following a newspaper report that an upazila education officer of Kurigram insulted a female teacher by making a disgraceful remark in June last year.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=133602

The Court observed “It is the personal choice of a woman to wear a veil. If any person tries to compel a woman to wear a veil against her consent or will that amounts to a violation of her fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution”.

The Court observed “It is the personal choice of a woman to wear a veil . If any person tries to compel a woman to wear a veil against her consent or will that amounts to a violation of her fundamental rights as enshrined in the Constitution. It is her personal choice to do so or not to do so. In Bangladesh there has been no uniform practice of veiling or head covering among women. In recent years there have been reported instances of attempts to forcibly impose this not only by private persons but also by government officials. The instant case demonstrates the harassment of women and girls in public spaces, schools, educations and places of higher education both public and private.”

http://www.sacw.net/article1394.html

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Norwegian politics since the fifties, have been to pave the way for making able women and girls visible in the labour market and to be eligible to high positions in the economy and decision-making processes.

Headwords are:
• Greatly extended and improved parental leave rules and benefits.
• Flexibility in work-life when having young children
• A rapid increase in kindergardens and day-care centers

Norway “invented” the father’s quota in 1993. Our parental leave scheme reserves today 10 weeks for the obligatory, nontransferable father’s quota. 90 per cent of the fathers make use of their right to the father’s quota, and the Cabinet intends to expand the father’s quota to 14 weeks.

These strategies have given very good results. Norway is today one of the front runners (no. 3 in the world) with regard to the level of equality between women and men. 80 per cent of all women aged 25 to 66 are in the labour force.

We believe that talents are equally distributed between men and women. A majority of university graduates are women, and increasingly also from business schools. 

By introducing the quota-legislation, Norway was the first country in the world to demand gender balance on company boards.

Recent statistics also prove more women in management positions and in boards not covered by the law. Being on a board is a stamp of approval, they are visible and they have contacts - and as a result of this; offers of management position follows.

By this law gender equity in the business sector was put on the agenda and up for public debate – bringing in new perspectives and new stakeholders. Today women are more visible in corporate Norway than ever.

Still, it is of course important to keep in mind that any affirmative action is likely to fall through without a more or less gender equal society where women and girls are educated and working on equal footing as men.

 http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/bld/aktuelt/taler_artikler/ministeren/taler-og-artikler-av-barne--likestilling/2010/Global-Roundtable-on-Board-Diversity.html?id=599588

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Anche se la notizia è riportata all'interno di un articolo che tratta di un argomento correlato nella stampa danese, ritengo giusto segnalarlo. Evidentemente in Islanda intendono seguire l'esempio vincente della Norvegia.

Iceland also recently passed a law that demanded boards that are comprised of more than three people have each gender represented by at least 40 percent before the start of September 2013.

http://www.cphpost.dk/business/119-business/48730-businesswomen-against-gender-quotas.html

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Le scrutin uninominal a des avantages, mais il ne favorise pas la présence de femmes », confirme la députée UMP Chantal Brunel (photo), rapporteuse de l’Observatoire.

Mais alors que le gouvernement planche actuellement sur une réforme des collectivités territoriales qui prévoit notamment d’élire 80% des conseillers territoriaux (qui remplaceront les conseillers généraux et régionaux) au scrutin uninominal, il y a urgence d’agir. Au sein de ces nouvelles assemblées, la part des femmes pourrait en effet chuter à 17,3% (contre 24% aujourd’hui), rapporte « Le Monde »

Parmi les trois mesures phares, la députée propose de fixer des objectifs précis aux partis politiques qui ne veulent pas subir de retenue sur l’aide publique qui leur est accordée : ces derniers devront compter au moins 30% d'élues femmes en 2012, 40% en 2017 et 50% en 2022. Deuxième idée liée à la première : que les pénalités soient calculées non pas en fonction du nombre de candidates, mais en fonction du nombre d’élues.

http://www.elle.fr/elle/Societe/News/Parite-en-politique-bientot-une-loi-plus-contraignante/%28gid%29/1220744

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Muslims in Malawi have been angered by government plans to ban polygamy.

The gender minister said the ban was necessary to prevent women from being abused in polygamous relationships.

She said problems occurred because men could not give their full attention to more than one woman.

But Imran Shareef Muhammed - secretary general of the Muslim Association of Malawi - disputed this.

"The minister is lying - she didn't consult the Muslim community," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme.

"We are totally rejecting it. There are also other ethnic groups [who practise polygamy] and they also totally reject this," he said.

"If these people go ahead banning polygamous marriages it means many women will go into prostitution.

"Every woman has the right to be under the shelter of a man."

He said under Sharia law, polygamy was optional.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8654326.stm

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Un plauso alla Spagna che dimostra di avere a cuore la sorte delle donne.

Spain adopts measures to provide protection for battered women in domestic violence.

The justice minister, Francisco Camaño, managed today, despite opposition from the European Commission, supported by a sufficient majority of Member States to adopt the European order of protection for battered women, one of the priorities of the Spanish presidency. His goal now is to conclude in the coming weeks the details of the new standard and reach a political agreement in June, which must be ratified by the Parliament. 

http://www.barcelonareporter.com/index.php?/news/comments/spain_adopts_measures_to_provide_protection_for_battered_women_in_domestic_/2504100903am

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The CEDAW Women's Rights Treaty, formally known as the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, has been ratified by 185 countries, including all industrialized nations -- with the exception of the United States.

CEDAW was signed by President Carter, and 30 years later the Senate continues to drag its feet. NOW is calling on President Obama, who supports CEDAW, to throw the weight of his presidency behind the basic truth that women's rights are human rights and urge the Senate to RATIFY WOMEN! without delay or restrictions.

Though many cities have adopted resolutions calling on the Senate to ratify CEDAW, the city of San Francisco went a step further, becoming the first U.S. city to adopt an ordinance obligating itself to the principles of CEDAW. After ratification, the city adopted harsher sentences for domestic violence, implemented new flexible work schedules for its workforce and decreased the distance between streetlights for the purpose of women's safety. We can assume that this expansion of justice for women strongly suggests what could happen when our country ratifies CEDAW.

http://www.now.org/nnt/spring-2010/ratify.html

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An imam in Mali is living in fear after backing a new family law which no longer obliges wives to obey their husbands, angering Muslim groups.

He has received threatening phone calls and local Muslim leaders have tried to dismiss him.

In April, the imam of Kati, 15km (9 miles) north-west of the capital, Bamako, wrote a letter to Mali's High Islamic Council stating he saw nothing in the new family law which infringed the country's social values, much less Islam, the BBC's Martin Vogl in Mali says.

The High Islamic Council has said imams can only be dismissed by their congregation and it is unclear what weight the decision by local Muslim leaders to sack the imam will have, our reporter explains.

But the incident has highlighted the intense feelings among Muslims towards the new family law.

Its most contentious provisions give more rights to women.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8672618.stm

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A conservative opposition party asked Spain's highest court on Tuesday to throw out a new law allowing abortion without restrictions in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, calling it unconstitutional.

The center-right Popular Party filed suit with the Constitutional Court and asked it to block the law from taking effect as scheduled on July 5 while it deliberates.

The party objects to eight clauses in the legislation, which became law in February when the Senate confirmed passage given late last year by the lower chamber of Parliament.

In challenging the 14-week clause as unconstitutional, the Popular Party cited a 1985 ruling from the Constitutional Court that said a woman's rights could not systematically take precedence over those of an unborn child, but rather only in cases of rape, fetal malformation or when the mother's health is in jeopardy.

To establish a period for unrestricted abortion "violates the balance between the rights of the mother and the rights of the unborn," Popular Party lawmaker Sandra Moneo said.

The party also argued that letting teens have abortions without parental consent violates parents' right to have a say in the upbringing of their daughters.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37444714

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Almost seven years after Naila Farhat, 20, became another victim of an acid throwing attack by a spurned suitor, she is finally seeing more vigorous efforts toward the passage of a law seeking to amend existing legislation to reinforce protection of women against violent assaults.

Yasmeen Rehman, advisor to the prime minister on women’s development and a legislator, told IPS that the Ministry of Women Development (MoWD) was doing further research on a draft law against acid attacks.

"It is seeking help from the Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women, she said.

The ASF, in turn, is getting assistance from its parent organisation in Britain and Cornell Law School in the United States, said Sana Masood, a lawyer working with the Foundation, which provides medical, psychosocial, socioeconomic and legal aid to acid survivors. "We are currently involved in extensive research to help the MoWD in coming up with another bill," she revealed

"Realistically speaking, I should say we will be able to present it in tShahnaz Bokhari, president of the Islamabad-based Progressive Women’s Association, which assists victims of domestic violence, said she has supported 8,886 acid attack female survivors since 1994.

The incidence of acid attacks is particularly high in the southern part of Punjab, the south Asian country’s cotton belt and second largest province, said Khan.

"Lack of a regulating and monitoring framework regarding acid, cheap price, low level of socio-economic development" are some of the factors underlying these crimes, said Khan.

A bottle of concentrated sulphuric acid generally costs only 20 Pakistani rupees per litre (about 23 U.S. cents), said Bokhari.

"Acid is used for textile industry and cleaning cotton seeds before being replanted," explained Khan, whose organisation has provided medical, psychosocial, socioeconomic and legal aid to about 300 acid survivors in Punjab since 2006 when it was formed. he (legislative) assembly by July," said Rehman 

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=51644

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Based on an 8 March 2010 Seminar on Sharia Law, research, interviews, and One Law for All case files, the report has identified a number of problem areas:

- Sharia law’s civil code is arbitrary and discriminatory against women and children in particular. With the rise in the acceptance of Sharia courts, discrimination is being further institutionalised with some UK law firms additionally offering clients advice on Sharia law and the use of collaborative law.

-Sharia law is practiced in Britain primarily by Sharia Councils and Muslims Arbitration Tribunals. Both operate on religious principles and are harmful to women although Muslim Arbitration Tribunals are wrongly regarded as being of more concern because they operate as tribunals under the Arbitration Act 1996, making their rulings binding in law.

- Sharia Councils, on the other hand, claim to mediate on family issues but in practice often this differs little from arbitration: they frequently ask those appearing before them to sign an agreement to abide by their decisions; they call themselves courts, and the presiding imams, judges. Their decisions are then imposed and regarded as having the weight of legal judgements.

- There is neither control over the appointment of “judges” in Sharia Councils or Tribunals nor an independent mechanism for monitoring them. Clients often do not have access to legal advice and representation. The proceedings are not recorded, nor are there any searchable legal judgements, nor any real right of appeal.

- Sharia law cannot be compared to secular legal systems because it is considered sacred law that cannot be challenged. There is no scope to look at the interests of the individuals involved, as required by UK family law.

- These legal processes ignore both common law and due process, far less Human Rights, and provide little protection and safety for women in violent situations.

http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/new-report-sharia-law-in-britain-a-threat-to-one-law-for-all-and-equal-rights/

http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/New-Report-Sharia-Law-in-Britain.pdf

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Several hundred people joined One Law for All on 20 June at Downing Street to show their opposition to Sharia and religious-based laws in Britain and elsewhere and to demand universal rights and secularism.

MC Fariborz Pooya of the Iranian Secular Society said: “The One Law for All Campaign has brought to centre stage an important debate about the kind of society we want to live in whilst defending the rights of everyone irrespective of religion, race, nationality…; this Campaign is truly the voice of the voiceless.”

Women’s rights campaigner Yasmin Rehman said: “We Muslims have been a part of the UK for many, many years but the generations before me did not feel the need for or call for segregation in the way that is being demanded now. At the beginning of my career as a women’s rights advocate there was no need to apply for a certificate of Khula in divorce cases. Muslim women are now being told that divorces under the English legal system are not valued or recognised without a certificate of Khula – and should they remarry without this they will be committing Zina – a ‘crime’ punishable by death in many Muslim countries. This is not a view shared by all Islamic scholars but a view that is being pushed through the Islamic councils and tribunals across the UK.”

Sue Robson of the Gay And Lesbian Humanist Association said: “This is a human rights issue. Here in the UK, it’s an egalitarian issue; it’s a feminist issue. Elsewhere in our world, the issue is life – and death.”

Gerard Phillips of the National Secular Society said that Sharia Law was “nothing less than an attack on human rights and on equality.” He went on to say: “It undermines our democracy. It must be opposed.”

http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/successful-day-against-sharia-and-religious-laws-in-uk/

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Una buona notizia...

Støre, head of Labour’s integration panel that’s to present its report at next year’s Party Conference, argues there’s no place for a parallel system that makes judgements based on Islamic law. His Party has also given the principle the thumbs-down.

“We’re a constitutional state based on democracy, freedom of speech and religion, as well as equal opportunities and status,” says Støre.

Norwegian law forbids cultural traditions that discriminate against women, such as forced marriage and female circumcision.

“Practices not part of Norwegian culture shouldn’t be able to obtain legitimacy from alternative court systems,” he says.

http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/stre-bans-sharia-councils/

 

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Un passo in avanti importante. Vive la France!

 La création d'un délit de "violence psychologique" dans un Code pénal qui réprime déjà violences, menaces et autres faits concrets, suscite de vives critiques dans la magistrature, où l'on craint des problèmes de définition et de preuve.

Le délit de violence psychologique est défini par "des actes répétés, qui peuvent être constitués de paroles et/ou d'autres agissements, d'une dégradation des conditions de vie entraînant une altération de la santé physique ou mentale".
La peine maximale encourue est de trois ans d'emprisonnement et 75.000 euros d'amende.

La ministre de la Justice Michèle Alliot-Marie et Nadine Morano, secrétaire d'Etat à la Famille, défendent cette nouvelle disposition. "Le juge pourra statuer au regard de lettres, de SMS, de messages répétitifs puisqu'on sait très bien que les violences psychologiques sont faites d'insultes", a dit cette dernière.

On pourra aussi avoir recours aux témoignages des proches et à des certificats médicaux démontrant l'existence de dépressions nerveuses, par exemple, a-t-elle estimé.
La proposition de loi entend répondre à un phénomène jugé préoccupant.

Selon le gouvernement, 675.000 femmes ont été victimes de violences ces deux dernières années en France, 166 femmes sont décédées en 2007 et 156 en 2008.
Les meurtres au sein du couple représentent près de 20% de l'ensemble des homicides.

Le texte adopté comporte d'autres mesures comme la possibilité d'imposer le port du bracelet électronique à un conjoint violent ou bien encore la création d'une "ordonnance de protection" pour les victimes.

Il prévoit également la possibilité de retrait de l'autorité parentale au parent auteur ou complice d'un meurtre sur la personne de l'autre parent et instaure une journée nationale de sensibilisation aux violences faites aux femmes le 25 novembre. 

http://info.france2.fr/france/un-delit-de-violence-psychologique-conjugale-cree-63866781.html

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E speriamo che queste benedetta ratifica arrivi presto...

CEDAW is an international agreement on basic human rights for women and the most broadly endorsed human rights treaty within the United Nations, having been ratified by over 90% of UN member states. CEDAW outlines human rights such as the right to live free from violence, the ability to go to school, and access to the political system. It is clear that CEDAW is working in countries such as Australia, South Africa and Uganda who have incorporated CEDAW provisions into their constitution and domestic legal codes, and Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan, who have seen increased literacy rates amongst women in their countries after ratifying CEDAW. And yet, CEDAW has failed to make progress in the United States. Despite the fact that CEDAW was adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly and has been voted on favorably twice since then on a bipartisan basis by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, CEDAW has never been brought to the Senate floor for a vote. It is time to act, as our window of opportunity is rapidly closing.

Time and time again President Obama has declared his support for women worldwide and announced that the ratification of the CEDAW Treaty was an important priority. Now we need him to show leadership in advancing women and girls’ rights around the world. As women and men who believe in the basic rights of women and girls worldwide – the right to live free from violence, the ability to go to school, and access to the political system – we need President Obama to send a strong and urgent signal to the Senate that ratification of CEDAW is vital.

Don’t just call your Senators office…Send them $10,000 checks with ‘VOID UNTIL CEDAW PASSES’ written over the front. It’s time to misbehave, get loud, and make history.” 

http://www.ncrw.org/public-forum/real-deal-blog/cedaw-forum-there%E2%80%99s-no-time-present

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The appointment of the first two women judges to Malaysia's Islamic courts was hailed Thursday as a move to address the gender imbalance in the country's religious judiciary.

Premier Najib Razak announced the appointments, made by the king in May, as an example of the government's commitment to transforming the Sharia judiciary.

"The appointments were made to enhance justice in cases involving families and women's rights and to meet current needs," Najib was quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama last week.

Muslim pressure group Sisters in Islam welcomed the appointments as a "positive sign for Muslims" and a move that the group had been advocating for over a decade.

Women, family and community development minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the move would eventually see "an equal representation of men and women in decision-making positions".

"Now we must maintain the momentum of such progress and I would like to see all states emulate this move by appointing women into various state Sharia courts," she added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Malaysian-Islamic-courts-appoint-first-women-judges/articleshow/6143097.cms

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Global rights monitor Human Rights Watch urged the Indian government Monday to crack down on village councils and local politicians linked to a spate of recent "honour" killings.

The New York-based watchdog said the authorities should not only prosecute those responsible but also strengthen existing laws to prevent religion and caste-based violence.

Most "honour killings" in India target young couples who marry outside their caste, and are carried out by relatives in an attempt to protect the family's reputation.

There are no official figures on "honour" killings, although a recent independent study suggested that as many as 900 such murders were being committed every year in the northern states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.

Last month, police in New Delhi arrested the father and uncle of a girl who was stabbed, gagged and electrocuted along with her boyfriend in a suspected honour killing that caused widespread public disgust.

"Murder is murder, and customary sentiment should not prevail over basic rights and the laws of the land," Ganguly said.

India's Supreme Court has called on the federal government and several state administrations to file reports on killings believed to have been carried out by the victims' relatives.

The cabinet has considered introducing a new law to tackle the problem, and earlier this month appointed a panel of ministers to look into the possibility.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100719/wl_sthasia_afp/indiarightscrimesociety

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Spain's Parliament on Tuesday rejected a proposal to ban women from wearing in public places Islamic veils that reveal only the eyes.

However, the Socialist government has said it favors including a ban on people wearing burqas in government buildings in an upcoming bill on religious issues to be debated after parliament's summer vacation break.

Following a lower chamber debate, 183 lawmakers opposed the ban, 162 voted for it and two abstained.

The nonbinding proposal had been put forward by the leading opposition Popular Party, which portrayed it as a measure in support of women's rights. The ruling Socialist Party opposed the ban.

"It is very difficult to understand how it is that our troops are defending liberty in Afghanistan and the government doesn't have the courage to do so here, in Spain," said opposition spokeswoman Soraya Saenz de Santamaria in Parliament.

The issue nevertheless remains an emotional touchstone, and Justice Minister Francisco Caamano said that such garments were "hardly compatible with human dignity."

Caamano said in June the government would begin debating a ban on women wearing burqas in government buildings which would include courts, ministries and employment offices as part of the religious issues bill.

 http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iXTeJXk6d0HDxNRKn-1F_PM0GvSgD9H3008G0

 

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Da che parte starà Isreale? Si pronuncerà a favore del concetto basilare di parità tra uomini e donne o invece favorirà i cosidetti diritti religiosi che considerano le donne come cittadini di serie b? Staremo a vedere.

Eleven women’s groups got together last week to challenge gender discrimination that is written into Israeli law. As it stands, the Law for Appointing Judges bans women from applying for the position of Executive Director of the Rabbinical Court. Although such a law would have no doubt have been thrown out long ago from the American legal system, in Israel Version 2010, getting this law revoked is harder, it seems, than bringing the mountain to Moses, so to speak.

Last Wednesday, a group of women’s organizations, including the Israel Women’s Network, the Center for Women’s Justice, Naamat, WIZO, Kolech, ICAR, and several others, appealed to the Supreme Court in a suit against Justice Minister Ya’akov Ne’eman, to repeal the law on the grounds that it violates the basic human rights of women and women’s freedom of employment.

The appeal followed the Rabbinical Court’s job announcement published few days earlier seeking a replacement for the current executive director of the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court, Rabbi Eli Ben Dehan, who has been in the position for some 20 years.

Two women have already expressed interest in applying for the position: attorney Atara Kingsburg, current director of the Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women, and attorney and religious pleader Lily Horowitz.

 http://blogs.forward.com/sisterhood-blog/129827/

 

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Certain provisions in the proposed Constitution will dramatically alter the status of women in Kenya.

The executive director of Kenya's Federation of Women Lawyers, Grace Maingi, said the new constitution includes affirmative action to achieve gender parity in parliament. Women are guaranteed a minimum of one-third of elected and appointed posts in government.

"Under the proposed Constitution, 47 special seats have been set aside for women in Parliament," Maingi told IPS. "When political parties are nominating 12 members to the August House, they will have to pay special attention to gender parity - an obvious departure from what has been the norm."

Dr Joachim Osur, a reproductive health expert, says the proposed Constitution will guarantee better health for the people of Kenya and women in particular.

"Health services have been centered in the urban areas. And with devolution that comes with the proposed Constitution, services will be moved closer to the people, through the creation of Counties which will have their own budgets including a health budget," Osur said.

"We expect better deployment of health workers in all parts of the country, better nutrition and provision of health services. We expect more women to deliver in hospitals and a sharp improvement of family planning services."

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=52391

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The B.C. government asked the province's Supreme Court last year to decide if the section of the Criminal Code prohibiting polygamy also contravenes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The province launched the constitutional question after polygamy charges were dropped against two Bountiful, B.C., religious leaders.

A formal start date for the hearings has not yet been determined, but several affidavits for the case have been sworn in recent weeks.

One of them is from Mohammad Fadel, Canada research chair in Islamic law at the University of Toronto. Fadel was asked by the B.C. attorney general to address the relationship between polygamy and Islam.

But Alia Hogben, executive director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women, said in her affidavit she occasionally receives telephone calls from women that pertain to polygamy.

She said some of the Muslim women have refused to leave their "oppressive marital relationships" because they fear social stigma from other members of the community.

Hogben said some women have been warned that if they shame their husbands in any way, the Qur'an states the man may take disciplinary action, including causing bodily harm.

"Based on what I have learned through my experience as a social worker and front-line contact for Muslim women in crisis, and through my education as a Muslim, I believe that some men employ the authority of Islam to marry (polygamously) in order to suit their own sexual preferences," she said.

Hogben added not very much is known about the practice or incidents of multiple wives in Canada's Muslim communities.

The provincial government has said the constitutionality of the Criminal Code section that prohibits polygamy is of interest beyond Bountiful. It has said the practice of polygamy is accepted in other cultures, some of which have substantial and growing immigrant populations in Canada.

"The (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) and these communities are perfect examples about what we're trying to prove (that polygamy is harmful)," government lawyer Craig Jones said in March.

"I still expect the majority of evidence to be outside Bountiful."

Residents of Bountiful are members of the FLDS, a breakaway group from the mainstream Mormon church. The Mormon church renounced polygamy more than a century ago.

http://news.sympatico.ca/canada/court_case_wont_just_look_at_mormon_polygamists_muslims_under_scrunity_too/ae04da45

 

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Roba da matti!

Chargé de choisir entre différents projets d'amendements, Nicolas Sarkozy a décidé d'étendre la déchéance de nationalité aux seuls meurtriers des membres des forces de l'ordre et dépositaires de l'autorité publique. La proposition de Brice Hortefeux n'a pas été retenue.

Le discours de Grenoble, et rien de plus. Chargé d'arbitrer entre plusieurs projets d'amendements encadrant le projet d'élargissement des cas de déchéance de nationalité, Nicolas Sarkozy a décidé lundi matin de s'en tenir à la mesure annoncée fin juillet en Isère. La déchéance de la nationalité ne sera ainsi étendue qu'aux seuls meurtriers des membres des forces de l'ordre et dépositaires de l'autorité publique.

La pilule risque d'être lourde à avaler en revanche pour Brice Hortefeux. La proposition du ministre de l'Intérieur de faire de lapolygamie de fait un motif de déchéance a été rejetée par l'Elysée. Brice Hortefeux, qui s'est beaucoup investi dans l'offensive sécuritaire de la majorité cet été, prévoyait de punir «le fait pour une personne engagée dans les liens du mariage, de tirer profit ou de partager le produit, de manière habituelle, de prestations sociales indûment perçues». Un amendement très instable juridiquement selon les autres ministères, et qui risquait d'être retoqué par le conseil constitutionnel. Si la déchéance de nationalité est désormais exclue pour un tel délit, Nicolas Sarkozy a toutefois souhaité un renforcement des «sanctions pour fraude aux prestations sociales» dans le cadre de la polygamie, sans donner plus de détails.

http://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/2010/09/06/01002-20100906ARTFIG00556-la-polygamie-n-entrainera-pas-la-decheance-de-nationalite.php

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