26 July 2022 – FGM & Women’s Rights

26 Jul, 2022 | News Digests

U.N. rebukes only Israel for violating women’s rights

UN Watch, 25 Jul 2022

Geneva, July 25, 2022 — Indonesia, Libya, Nigeria, Russia, and Zimbabwe were among members of the UN’s 54-nation Economic and Social Council, a principal organ of the world body, who voted on July 22nd to single out Israel as the only country in the world to be rebuked by the council this year for allegedly violating women’s rights. In a resolution adopted 40 to 6, with 4 abstentions (see breakdown below), the Jewish state was accused of being a “major obstacle” for Palestinian women “with regard to the fulfillment of their rights, and their advancement, self-reliance and integration in the development of their society.”

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UN Urges Support for Afghan Women’s Rights Activists

VOA News, 25 Jul 2022

The U.N. Women’s agency representative in Afghanistan said Monday that the rollback on women’s rights in that country is an “alarm bell” to the world that shows how decades of progress can be wiped away in months. “Anywhere in the world, the act of walking outside your front door is an ordinary part of life,” said Alison Davidian, deputy country representative for U.N. Women in Afghanistan. “But for many Afghan women, it is an act that is extraordinary. It is an act of resistance.”

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Press briefing: The situation of women and girls in Afghanistan

Relief, 25 Jul 2022

Statement by Ms. Alison Davidian, Country Representative a.i. for UN Women in Afghanistan, on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, during the daily press briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 25 July 2022.

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Women’s Rights, Human Rights: The Connectivity of Humanity

La Progressive, 24 Jul 2022

The struggle for women’s equal rights has been a long one, marked by noteworthy gains as well as tragic setbacks. A high point along this trajectory was the Seneca Falls Convention, July 19-20, 1848, the first women’s rights gathering in the US. Today I’m celebrating its 174th anniversary, in the shadow of the US Supreme Courts’ recent decision to overturn Roe, despite the unpopularity of bans on abortion and widespread support for women’s reproductive rights. That controversial 5-4 decision was a jolt to our nation, and it reminded me once again of the consequences we face when women are not fully represented in our government.

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Ivorian bill that would legalise polygamy for men earns the ire of women’s groups

France24, 19 Jul 2022

A proposed bill at the Ivorian parliament that would legalise polygamy – but only for men – has prompted strong reactions from women’s rights advocates, which have dubbed it a step back in the fight for equality. Polygamy is prohibited in many parts of the world but remains widespread in West African countries.

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Top Turkish court upholds exit from key treaty protecting women

AL Jazeera, 19 Jul 2022

A top administrative court in Turkey has ruled that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to pull the country out of a key European treaty protecting women from violence was lawful, rejecting petitions seeking its cancellation, the state-run news agency reported.

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