02 February 2016 - NPWJ News Digest on Gender and Human Rights

Articles

Child marriage in Mozambique: Desperate to escape
By Aljazeera, 01 Feb 2016

In this border town of Namaacha, and across this Portuguese-speaking southern African country of some 25 million people, the practice of child marriage is not uncommon. According to the United Nation's Children Education Fund  (UNICEF), nearly one in two women aged between 20 and 24 were married or in a union before they were 18 years old. The country has the tenth highest rate of child marriage in the world. In Mozambique, the legal age of marriage is 18, but where parents or guardians have given consent, the age is 16. At the town's primary school teachers have become accustomed to seeing their most promising female pupils drop out each term due to early unplanned pregnancies or because they get married. Low levels of education and a lack of reproductive health information leaves the young girls at an increased risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.

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Combating HIV among Teens
by IPS News Agency, 01 Feb 2016

 Keziah Juma is coming to terms with her shattered life at the shanty she shares with her family in Kenya’s sprawling Kibera slum where friends and relatives are gathered for her son’s funeral arrangements. While attending an antenatal clinic, Juma who is only 16 years discovered that she had been infected with HIV. “I went into shock and stopped going to the clinic, that is why they could not save my baby and I have been bed-ridden since giving birth two months ago,” she told IPS. Juma’s struggle to come to terms with her HIV status and to remain healthy mirrors that of many teens in this East African nation. Kenya is one of the six countries accounting for nearly half of the world’s young people aged 15 to 19 years living with HIV. Other than India, the rest are in Tanzania, South Africa, Nigeria and Mozambique, according to a 2015 UNICEF report Statistical Update on Children, Adolescents and AIDS. Yet in the face of this glaring epidemic, Africa’s response has been discouraging with statistics leaving no doubt that the continent is losing the fight against HIV among its teens. Government statistics show that one in every five youths aged 15 to 24 had sex before the age of 16 years. A revised version of the Reproductive Health Bill ,which will constitute Kenya’s primary health law for now, states clearly that condoms and family planning pills are not to be given to those under 18 years of age. While other African nations like Kenya have chosen to be in denial, leaving their young populations vulnerable to early deaths due to HIV, others such as Zimbabwe have launched the Condomise Campaign to prevent unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. The Condomise Campaign may, however, have come too late for several Zimbabwean teenagers like 16-year old Yeukai Mhofu who is already living with HIV after she was raped by her late stepfather. Regrettably, Mhofu said she may already have infected her boyfriend.“I had unprotected sex with my boyfriend at school and I am afraid I might have infected him. Although I was aware of my HIV status after my rape ordeal by my late stepfather, I succumbed to pressure from my school lover after he kept pestering me for sex and I feared to disclose my status”.

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'Before he beat us every day, but now it is less': domestic violence in South Sudan
By The Guardian, 01 Feb 2016

Domestic violence is rife in South Sudan. The 2014 state of the world’s children report, published by the UN children’s agency, Unicef, says 79% of South Sudanese women believe a husband has the right to hit his wife. Bakhita is involved in an experimental project that has brought together 200 women and men to take part in 15 weeks of group discussions about rape, domestic violence and forced marriage. Participants also learn techniques for non-violent communication. At the end of the project, each person makes a promise. For Masumi Yamashina, child protection and gender-based violence specialist at Unicef, which is supporting the project(pdf), these are small but significant changes. “In Warrap it was considered a sin for men to do any household work. When I went there last, I saw men pumping water in water points. That was unthinkable before. I hope it’s a model we can expand not only in South Sudan but in other countries where social norms are unfair to women and girls.”

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Peacekeepers Accused of Sexual Abuse in Central African Republic
The New York Times, 29 Jan 2016

The United Nations reported on Friday “extremely disturbing” new accusations of sexual abuse by European peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, adding to a long-running scandal that has reverberated at the highest levels of the world body. The United Nations human rights chief, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, called for further investigation of reports that members of a European Union peacekeeping contingent had raped two girls and had paid two others for sex. The girls were 14 to 16 at the time. The acts took place in 2014 and 2015 and involved troops from Georgia and another European country, the girls told investigators. The other country has not been publicly identified. In addition, United Nations human rights officials reported that a 7-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl said they had been paid by French peacekeepers for oral sex and that they knew of other children who had been repeatedly abused by French troops.The latest cases, uncovered by investigators in early January, add to concerns about the failure of the United Nations to curb what Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, called the “constant horror story of allegations” that have dogged international peacekeeping troops.“Far too many of these crimes continue to go unpunished, with the perpetrators enjoying full impunity,” Mr. al-Hussein said in a statement. “This simply encourages further violations,” he added, emphasizing the obligation of nations to investigate and prosecute abuse and to ensure that victims receive redress. Mr. al-Hussein said that he had discussed the latest accusations with the French, Georgian and European Union authorities, and that he was “heartened” by their initial responses.

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26th AU Summit: Women's rights beyond promises and paper tigers
by ISS Africa, 27 Jan 2016

 The African Union’s (AU) theme for 2016 is ‘Human rights, with a particular focus on the rights of women’. Halfway through the AU’s African women’s decade, the continent has yet to see the progress needed. The central question remains unchanged: what will the AU do to make good on its promises regarding women’s rights? There are various protocols and policies in place to protect, promote and fulfil the rights of women in Africa. Women and girls continue to face many challenges to enjoying equal rights and opportunities. Furthermore, women are disproportionately affected by conflict; and many countries in Africa are currently embroiled in some form of conflict. The ongoing crisis in South Sudan is one example where protracted conflict has led to numerous violations of women’s rights. In South Africa, despite relative peace, gender-based violence has become normalised. n many sub-Saharan Africa countries, traditional laws exclude women from owning or controlling land, even though women in Africa provide almost 70% of agricultural labour and produce 90% of the food. The same shortcomings can be seen in legal frameworks across the continent.Customary law is often used to reinforce gender inequality. In response to the lack of any dedicated political support for women’s empowerment, the AU should intensify its advocacy efforts at the highest levels. Cooperation with civil society organisations (CSOs) is a largely untapped resource, and the AU should extend its network of CSOs. These organisations can bridge the gap between the continental, regional, state and local levels, and provide a broader platform to work towards solutions that will truly bring about change for women.

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