Campaigning for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, Democracy, the Rule of Law and International Justice
01 August 2017- NPWJ News Digest on FGM & women's rights
Articles
Jordan: Seize Opportunity to End Impunity for Rape
By Human Rights Watch, 01 Aug 2017
(Amman) – Jordanian lawmakers will decide on August 1, 2017 whether to remove or amend an infamous provision in the country’s 1960 penal code that allows people who commit sexual assault to avoid punishment if they marry their victims, Human Rights Watch said today. Removing the article completely would be a positive step to strengthen the rule of law and end impunity for violence against women. The government’s proposed law, first recommended in February 2017 by a royal committee tasked with reforming Jordan’s justice system, would abolish penal code article 308 entirely. The legal committee of the lower house of parliament, however, has proposed maintaining article 308’s impunity for those responsible for certain sexual offenses, including those who have sex with children between 15 and 17 years old – in practice men who have sex with girls.
Saudi Arabia: Women’s rights activist freed after 104 days of detention without her male guardian
By The Independent , 31 Jul 2017
A prominent Saudi Arabian women’s rights activist has reportedly been freed from prison after spending 104 days in detention without trial, without the presence or permission of her male guardian. Mariam al-Otaibi was arrested in April after her family grew angry at her for protesting the conservative kingdom’s laws, which mean many aspects of women’s lives are controlled by their male relatives. Activists in the country and around the world celebrated Ms Otaibi’s release on Sunday, which was all the more remarkable because her father was reportedly not involved in giving permission for her to leave detention.
Closing an HIV lifeline in Africa: the dire impact of Trump's abortion crackdown
By the Guardian, 29 Jul 2017
Celeste is a 30-year-old widow mother of two from the poor suburbs of Maputo, Mozambique’s capital. She is HIV-positive, and since her husband died from an Aids-related illness last year, she has no way of supporting herself, though she tries to help her mother work her small vegetable patch. One organisation is helping her through the darkest times, giving her advice and help, and ensuring that she takes her medication: Amodefa – the Mozambican Association for Family Development. The lives of the poorest women in southern Africa depend on organisations such as this. Yet they will be among the worst affected by Donald Trump’s crackdown on family planning groups around the world. Advocates across the region say the move risks undermining progress in tackling HIV and Aids in southern Africa, one of the areas hardest hit by the epidemic.
Afghan women launch social media campaign to fight for their identities
By The Independent , 28 Jul 2017
In Afghanistan's patriarchal society, a woman's name should not be revealed, even on her grave. But a women-led campaign on social media is starting to challenge the old Afghan tradition. #WhereIsMyName, recently launched by a small group of women's rights activists, wants to bring women's given names to official documents and to the lips of Afghan people. Thousands of Afghans, including authors, journalists and musicians have backed the movement on Facebook and Twitter, aided by widening access to the internet in the country.
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Malaysia MP: 'Denying husbands sex is abuse'
By BBC News, 27 Jul 2017
A Malaysian lawmaker has come under fire for saying that women denying sex to their husbands was a form of "psychological and emotional abuse".Che Mohamad Zulkifly Jusoh from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition was addressing a domestic violence debate during a parliamentary session.Malaysia is in talks to amend existing laws against domestic violence.The 58-year-old politician from Terengganu state said men "suffered emotional rather than physical abuse"."Even though men are said to be physically stronger than women, there are cases where wives hurt or abuse their husbands in an extreme manner," he said.