14 Oct 2014 - NPWJ News Digest on FGM & women's rights

Articles

Bangladesh: Don’t Lower Marriage Age
By Human Rights Watch, 13 Oct 2014

(New York) – The Bangladeshi government should set 18 as the minimum age for marriage to comply with international prohibitions against child marriage, Human Rights Watch said. Recent media reports indicate the prime minister’s cabinet is considering a revision to the law to make 16 the minimum age of marriage for girls. The minimum age for men would be 18. The proposed revisions would reverse stated government aims to reduce child marriage among girls, Human Rights Watch said. At the July 2014 Girl Summit in London, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pledged to take steps to reduce, and ultimately end, child marriage in Bangladesh.

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UK government commits further £330k to eradicate FGM
By The Guardian, 11 Oct 2014

The government is to commit a further £330,000 towards the battle against female genital mutilation (FGM) and forced marriage within at-risk groups in England, in an announcement timed to coincide with the UN’s international day of the girl on Saturday. The announcement comes after campaigners had complained that while £35m has been pledged by the government to eradicate FGM abroad, just £1m has been allocated to tackling the problem in the UK. The new funds from the government equalities office will be used for projects that offer expertise and support to vulnerable groups, with £100,000 for work to support victims and survivors of forced marriage, and £150,000 for community engagement in the highest risk areas for FGM and forced marriage.

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Tanzania's Proposed Constitution Guarantees Land Rights for Women
By TeleSur, 10 Oct 2014

Tanzania's parliament endorsed the proposed constitution last week. The proposal will first go through a referendum. Tanzania's parliament have introduced a new article for the country's constitution that will secure more rights for women. According to Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, the law will be put through a referendum before general elections in October 2015. Article 22 of the proposed constitution reads "Every woman is entitled to acquire, own, use or develop land under the same conditions as for men." Formal laws currently do not guarantee Tanzanian women to access and own land. In a majority of cases, women rarely do not own the land that they farm.

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New campaign to end female genital mutilation in Africa
By London Evening Standard, 09 Oct 2014

A new campaign to end female genital mutilation in Africa will launch tomorrow.
The Girl Generation: Together To End FGM is funded by the department for international development. It will publicise the changes already taking place in Africa, with the aim of extending those measures to stamp out FGM on the continent for good. The five-year programme will work in 10 countries, beginning with Kenya, Burkina Faso and Nigeria. It will spread stories of change, support media campaigns and organise events. Human rights groups Equality Now and Forward will run the project with communications firm Ogilvy & Mather Africa.

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Muslim youth summit told female genital mutilation is not part of Islam
By The Guardian, 08 Oct 2014

A youth summit of more than 100 young Gambians has been told by an Islamic scholar that the practice of female genital mutilation is not Islamic. Hama Jaiteh told the Muslims gathered at the first youth summit on female genital mutilation (FGM) in Banjul, Gambia, that Islam was being used to “shield an evil intention [that is] harmful to a person’s development”. The event was arranged to help build up a legion of young people ready to tackle the practice across the nation. Taking on the religious arguments used to justify FGM – a procedure that can create lifelong mental and physical problems for the women subjected to it – was key to altering preconceptions and practices across the country, where almost 80% of girls were cut as children, Jaiteh said.

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