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14 April 2015 - NPWJ News Digest on Gender and Human Rights
Articles
Rights groups welcome release of Chinese women activists
By The BBC, 14 Apr 2015
The women, who had planned protests against sexual harassment, were detained shortly before International Women's Day on 8 March. The US, UK and European Union had all called for their release. The five have not been charged but their bail conditions mean charges could be brought at a later date. Their lawyer, Liang Xiaojun, said they would need to regularly update the authorities on their whereabouts. Human Rights Watch's Maya Wang said on Twitter that their release "shows international pressure works on China, when it is strong enough", and that the authorities should "cease harassment". Amnesty International's William Nee said in a statement that the release was "an encouraging breakthrough", but that "the authorities must now follow through and drop all charges and restrictions against the women".
A Yazidi captive's tale: Sold by ISIS as a sex slave
By CNN, 14 Apr 2015
In the canvas expanse of the Shariya refugee camp, thousands of Yazidis live within hearing distance of one of Iraqi Kurdistan's frontlines with ISIS. The vast majority of the camp's occupants are from the town of Sinjar and fled the ISIS assault there back in August. But not everyone escaped. ISIS took thousands of Yazidis captive. Men faced a choice -- convert to Islam or be shot. But the Islamist militants separated the young women and girls to be sold as sex slaves. In its fourth edition of "Dabiq," the ISIS online magazine, an article titled "The revival of slavery before the hour," outlines the group's twisted justification and guidelines for the enslavement of the Yazidis. "One should remember that enslaving the families of the kuffar (infidels) and taking their women as concubines is a firmly established aspect of Shariah," the article reads.
#JusticeForLiz: With this conviction, the Kenya we want is within reach
By The Guardian, 13 Apr 2015
Justice has finally been served for a 16-year-old girl who was gang-raped and left for dead in Kenya’s Busia county in June 2013. The girl, known as Liz because her full name cannot be disclosed for legal reasons, has been supported by nearly 2 million people, and her case spawned the #JusticeForLiz social media campaign. On Monday morning, three men were convicted and sentenced to 15 years for rape, and seven years for causing grievous bodily harm. The case has exposed the cracks in Kenya’s legal system, where prosecutions are few and far between for sexual violence and cases have complex challenges to overcome.
Afghan women activists face rising violence, Amnesty says
By The Washington Post, 07 Apr 2015
Afghan women activists who are working to improve the human rights situation in their country face increased violence, including threats, sexual assault and assassinations, Amnesty International said Tuesday. The London-based watchdog criticized Afghan authorities in a new report released in Kabul, saying that both the Afghan government and the international community have abandoned the women activists despite the gains made in the past decade. Based on interviews with more than 50 women rights defenders and their relatives across the country, Amnesty said it found that Afghan authorities consistently ignored or refused to act on threats against women. “The lack of protection is simply shocking,” Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s secretary general, told reporters. He said that out of the 50 cases Amnesty examined, in only one instance was an arrest made. In all the other cases, complaints were neglected or ignored by officials.