25 Feb 2020 - NPWJ Digest on FGM & women's rights

Articles

With human rights under attack, UN chief unveils blueprint for positive change
By UN News, 24 Feb 2020

Among the other priorities, the UN Secretary-General highlighted that much more needs to be done to prevent violence against women. “Violence against women is the world’s most pervasive human rights abuse,” he said, in a call to “every country” to support policies that promote gender equality, repeal discriminatory laws…ensure sexual and reproductive health and rights, and strive for women’s equal representation.

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Uganda: Sebei Trains Groups to Fight FGM Practice
By AllAfrica, 24 Feb 2020

Community grass root groups have been trained in Sebei Sub-region as part of efforts to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The groups, which are composed of 40 members each, were commissioned at the weekend in Kapchorwa Town. They were identified and trained by Uganda Human Rights Commissions (UHRC) to support the ongoing efforts to achieve zero tolerance to FGM within not more than two years.

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Doctor, parents face trial in Egypt for girl's death after genital cutting
By Reuters, 23 Feb 2020

A retired doctor and the parents of a 12-year-old girl who died after female genital mutilation (FGM) surgery are to stand trial in Egypt, with child rights campaigners calling for jail terms to deter others from the illegal practice. […] Genital cutting of girls was banned in Egypt in 2008 but a 2016 survey by the U.N. Children's Fund found 87% of women and girls aged 15-49 had undergone the ritual, which typically involves the partial or total removal of the external genitalia.

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Support for women's strike in Mexico gains ground
By Reuters, 21 Feb 2020

 MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A women’s event in Mexico planned for next month, fuelled by growing disgust with a spate of high-profile femicides, gained ground on Friday as Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said public servants could participate. During his regular morning news conference, Lopez Obrador said government workers could join the event but suggested some activists were simply seeking to use the protest to undermine his government. The strike is scheduled for March 9. Promotions began circulating this week on social networks under the slogan “A Day Without Women.” It comes amid public outrage sparked by the murder of a seven-year-old girl and a woman skinned by her partner.

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Argentina abortion rights activists renew push for legalisation
By Aljazeera, 20 Feb 2020

 Buenos Aires, Argentina - Women across several generations rallied at the foot of political power in Argentina on Wednesday to repeat their demand for the government to legalise abortion. The political ground has shifted significantly since 2018, when legalisation advocates narrowly lost a vote in the Senate that would have turned Argentina into the largest jurisdiction in South America region to legalise abortion in the first 14 weeks.

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