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21 Mar 2017 - NPWJ News Digest on FGM & women's rights
Articles
Mauritius: National Assembly Speaker Launches Parliamentary Gender Caucus
by AllAfrica, 21 Mar 2017
The Parliamentary Gender Caucus, a permanent structure established at Parliamentary level to provide a platform for members of all political persuasions to deliberate on, and advocate for gender equality, was officially launched yesterday by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mrs Santi Bai Hanoomanjee, at the Receptorium of the National Assembly in Port Louis, in the presence of various Ministers and Members of Parliament. The chief guest for the occasion was the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Mr Akbar Khan. The Member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Republic of Rwanda and Deputy Chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Unity, Human Rights and Fight against Genocide, Mrs Mwiza Espérance; the United Nations Resident Co-ordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, Mr Simon Springett; and other personalities also attended the event. In her address, the Speaker of the National Assembly said that the official launching of the Parliamentary Gender Caucus heralds a new chapter in the history of parliamentary democracy in Mauritius. "By incorporating the Caucus in our Standing Orders as a Permanent Committee, we are first of all ensuring perenniality; and by opting to legitimise the Caucus through a formal statute, the Caucus will enjoy visibility in and outside Parliament and greater attention when it voices its opinion," recalled Mrs Hanoomanjee. The Speaker further elaborated on the cross-party nature of the Caucus, which she said, will not only contribute to all Parliamentarians pulling their efforts together for gender parity, but also help in easily detecting constraints and obstacles in different spheres. Members of Parliament will have the opportunity to find ways and means to overcoming them, she added.
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We need to stop being coy about periods and tampons
by The Guardian, 21 Mar 2017
Periods are no fun, even when you’re safe at home with a drawer full of tampons, pads and a hot-water bottle. So it’s little surprise that some girls are missing school because they can’t afford the right equipment. Imagine the mess, anxiety and shame they could be facing. And that’s on top of all the other unpleasantness. This being on the women’s pages of the website, you’re probably already familiar with it: unpredictable bleeding – sometimes seeping, sometimes in worrying great blurts – the aches, smells and dealing with a part of your body that you may not be too keen on. But perhaps the people in charge of public happiness, health and hygiene don’t know all this. Maybe they think that periods are a breeze. I have only had one tiny bad experience of having no access to sanitary products. There I was – 14, at home with asthma, mum in hospital nearly dead from a brain haemorrhage, dad at work, a childminder looking after me – and, late one night, I got my first period. The minder initially refused to give me a sanitary towel as she needed the few she had for herself. And those were the days of scratchy, nonabsorbent toilet paper. Eventually, she gave me one. Horrid, but not a microscopic patch on what those schoolgirls, plus refugees, homeless or incarcerated women and millions in the developing world have to deal with.
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Teenager 'murdered by ex-boyfriend' after police fined her for wasting their time over her fears about him, court hears
By The Independent, 19 Mar 2017
A teenager who was found dead with her throat slit months after reporting her ex-boyfriend to police was issued with a fine for wasting police time, a murder trial has heard. The body of Shana Grice (19) was discovered in her bedroom in Portslade, East Sussex, following an attack last August. An attempt had been made to start a fire in two separate areas of her flat. Her former boyfriend, Michael Lane (27) is standing trial for her murder, which he denies. Jurors were told that Lane became “obsessed” with the teenager after she got back together with her previous partner, Ashley Cooke. She told police Lane was stalking her in February 2016, after he allegedly hid outside her house, left unwanted flowers and a note that read “Shona will always cheat on you” on Mr Cooke’s car. One month later, Ms Grice reported that Lane had assaulted her, but he denied the allegation and provided texts that suggested she wanted to be in a relationship with him. The court heard that Ms Grice was then charged with “having caused wasteful employment of police by making a false report” because she failed to disclose that Lane was her on-off boyfriend, and was issued with a fixed-penalty notice.
Jaha's Promise: FGM film premieres at Copenhagen film festival
by The Guardian, 17 Mar 2017
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark was the special guest at the world premiere on Thursday evening of Jaha’s Promise, a feature documentary on female genital mutilation (FGM) following the life story of a 26-year-old campaigner Jaha Dukureh. The film, made by the Guardian and Accidental Pictures, got a standing ovation from the audience at the annual film festival. Dukureh, who is a Time 100 leader, survived FGM as a child in the Gambia and then at 15 was flown to New York to marry a man she had never met. In the US the horror of what happened to her body became apparent. The film crew follow her as she confronts her past, her family, her culture, her religion, country and its leaders. Jaha becomes a lightning-rod for change in Gambia, leading to the eventual government ban on FGM and child marriage and a working relationship with the Obama administration. The Danish minister for equality Karen Ellemann congratulated Dukureh for putting a “human face to FGM”. “From the whole Danish government, we can only say thank you.” Co-director Patrick Farrelly said: “It is astonishing that FGM is not the top priority for the feminist movement, the women’s movement and the whole human rights movement. Two hundred million women and girls have been mutilated in the world today and it isn’t top of any of those agendas.”
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Donald Trump sends 'hate group' to a UN conference on women's rights
by The Independent, 16 Mar 2017
Two groups who have advocated against expanding rights and funding for women and the LGBTIQ community are attending a United Nations meeting on women’s rights, on behalf of the US. Both groups were named by the State Department as part of the US delegation to the 61st annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women taking place in New York this month. The Center for Family and Human Rights (C-FAM) is a think tank that has been labelled as a “hate group” for their international anti-LGBTQI advocacy work and violent rhetoric by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a legal advocacy organisation which specialises in protection of civil rights. C-FAM’s aim is “discrediting socially radical policies” at the UN, as outlined in their mission statement. They have referred to gay marriage and adoption as “truly harmful” to society and “public health". The Heritage Foundation does not advocate violence nor are they called a 'hate group'. They are often referred to as right-wing and have published researched reports citing the UN’s “misguided women’s agenda” and how UN conventions on women “undermine family, religion, and sovereignty". They have also called for deep cuts in Mr Trump’s upcoming proposed federal budget to programmes meant to combat violence against women, according to a statement from OutRight Action International, international human rights advocacy group. The Heritage Foundation wrote that funding those programmes in their recent “Blueprint to Balance” report on the federal budget as a “misuse of federal resources and a distraction from concerns that are truly the province of the federal government.”
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