29 Jul 2014-NPWJ News Digest on FGM & women's rights

Articles

Stop female genital mutilation, Obama says
By: The New Zealand Herald, 29 Jul 2014

 Gender oppression in Africa is "crippling" parts of the continent, US President Barack Obama said, as he urged young leaders there to empower women and eliminate traditions like female genital mutilation and violence against women. Obama held up an inaugural class of young African fellows who are getting six weeks of leadership training in the United States as inspiring examples of what the continent can achieve. He drew cheers as he announced their program is being expanded and renamed after former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Read More

Paid Leave Encourages Female Employees to Stay
By: The New York Tmes, 28 Jul 2014

A mysterious fact that economists are wrestling with is that the percentage of women in the United States who are working or want to work has been declining, after a decades-long climb. The drop is small (and less dramatic than the decline of men in the labor force) but is contributing to a dip in overall labor force participation, which policy makers see as an impediment to economic recovery.
 

Read More

Ingram Micro Hosts Inaugural Women of Technology Event
By: Market Watch, 28 Jul 2014

 BUFFALO, NY, Jul 28, 2014 (Marketwired via COMTEX) -- A group of Ingram Micro Inc. IM -2.84% customers and colleagues will gather at the Park Country Club in Buffalo, N.Y., on Thursday, July 31, to celebrate the contributions of women in the IT industry and discuss what the industry can do to help encourage a more diverse workforce to take advantage of the opportunity found in IT.

Read More

Taliban and ISIS: Passing the Baton of Women’s Oppression
By: Liberty Voice, 28 Jul 2014

Taliban militants, although they have called for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) to tone down their extreme views and agenda, are looking to create a council that could potentially be a mere passing of the baton of women’s oppression in Iraq . Although they have been disbanded and removed from power in Afghanistan, they are re-emerging in the region and are gaining ground in Pakistan once again. This terror group wielded power and influence in Afghanistan in the first decade of the 21st century, and may seize control of the country once again.

Read More

Women's and Immigrant's Rights, Hand in Hand
By: The Huffington Post, 26 Jul 2014

Beverly Upton, head of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium, addressed a crowd from the steps of City Hall in San Francisco. She was flanked by advocates from queer and transgender groups, but mostly by women's rights groups. The event was "Women Against SCOMM," and they were protesting Secure Communities (SCOMM), a program which allows local police to enforce immigration law typically enforced only by federal officers. Upton spoke of how SCOMM had unique consequences for women and girls, who often refuse to go to the police after instances of domestic violence or sexual assault.
 

Read More