02 March 2021 - NPWJ News Digest on FGM & Women's Rights

Articles

Shunned and banished: Victims blamed for incest in Burkina Faso
Aljazeera, 01 Mar 2021

Incest – defined as sex with one’s father, mother, brother or sister – is illegal in Burkina Faso and punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $9,000 according to the penal code. But beyond the legal consequences, sex between family members, including cousins, carries deep-seated societal stigma and consequences, with women and children paying the highest price.

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Women supporting women: Female bus conductors drive out violence in Bhutan
UNFPA news, 01 Mar 2021

The pandemic has laid bare many painful truths, not least how tough and isolating the road is when we go through difficult times alone. We’ve seen how working in solidarity is the way to reach where we are heading faster. This International Women’s Day, on 8 March, we celebrate the women supporting other women, even when their own burdens are great and growing. When women uplift other women, we all rise. Bus conductor Kelsang Tshomo is just such an example.

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Zimbabwe: 'NPRC, Human Rights Commission Underutilized in Conflict Management'
AllAfrica, 01 Mar 2021

Formal peacebuilding and conflict resolution initiatives continue to ignore or marginalise issues of gender, and young women's involvement in formal missions and talks remains low, studies have shown.

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Why this teen set up a prize-winning fake cosmetics shop
BBC News, 01 Mar 2021

In April, Krystyna, who was 17 at the time, decided to launch the fake online shop "Camomiles and Pansies" to sell those cosmetics. The idea is that the victim can hide requests for help from their abuser at home by appearing to be shopping online. When a victim writes asking to buy a cream, a psychologist responds instead of a salesperson and asks how long the "skin problems" have been going on for, or how the affected skin reacts to alcohol. If someone places an order and leaves an address, it is actually code asking for authorities to visit their home.

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‘Protecting dignity’: Iran’s push to fight violence against women
Aljazeera, 28 Feb 2021

After almost a decade in the making, Iran may finally be on track to pass legislation that, while far from perfect, would signal progress in addressing a wide range of issues relating to violence against women. A draft bill called Protection, Dignity, and Security of Women Against Violence, which has been in the works since the administration of former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was approved by the government in early January.

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Japan women's minister opposes plan to allow keeping of birth names
The Guardian, 26 Feb 2021

Japan’s minister for women’s empowerment and gender equality, Tamayo Marukawa, is among a group of conservative MPs who have opposed a legal change that would allow women to keep their birth name after marriage. Japan is one of only a few industrialised countries where it is illegal for married couples to have different surnames. The country’s civil code, introduced in 1896, requires married couples to share a surname and while it does not stipulate which name they should adopt, in practice women take their husband’s name in 96% of cases.

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