Across rural China, there is a transformation taking place. More and more women are stepping out of their traditional roles and into positions of power. UN TV (Multimedia) travelled to a remote region of China to meet women leaders who are shaping a new future for their country. Pung Weiling talking to a group of women For interest sake, here is a first hand report of our women in the Shanghai area of China. Excerpt from 5 Things the Foreign Media Gets Wrong About China By Andrea … [Read more...]
DRC: Surge in sexual violence in North Kivu* – Take Action!
December 7, 2012 by
MINOVA, 7 December 2012 (IRIN) - Sexual violence is on the rise as armed groups continue to move across the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) North Kivu Province, officials say. Since mid-November, the provincial capital, Goma, has been a site of battle, with rebel group M23 taking control of the city on 20 November. Following negotiations with neighbouring countries, M23 relinquished control of the city on 1 December, and the Congolese national army, FARDC, is back in charge. … [Read more...]
Archbishop Desmond Tutu asks “Will you sign my petition?”
December 7, 2012 by
MESSAGE from our esteemed Archbishop Desmond Tutu "You may not know his name, but my friend Liu Xiaobo is a global icon for freedom. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights. Today, this hero remains in jail, as China's most famous political prisoner. Xiaobo is serving an 11-year term for his activism demanding that the Chinese government make his country more democratic and make its courts more independent. His … [Read more...]
SOUTH SUDAN: Women and children bear brunt of Jonglei violence
December 6, 2012 by
SOUTH SUDAN: Women and children bear brunt of Jonglei violence Women and children are increasingly being caught up in violent attacks Women and children disproportionately affected Disarmament stalled in Pibor Fears of violence grow as dry season arrives JUBA, December 2012 (IRIN) - Women and children are increasingly being caught up in violent attacks related to cattle rustling and inter-communal rivalries in South Sudan’s Jonglei State, say officials.Photo: Hannah … [Read more...]
Women’s Economic Empowerment and Equality, OIC Member States
December 6, 2012 by
Women’s Economic Empowerment and Equality at the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Women’s Role in Development of OIC Member States Participants at the 4th Ministerial Conference on Women’s Role in Development of OIC Member States pose for a group portrait. Pictured in the front row, left to right: Maryam Mojtahedzadeh Larijani of Iran, outgoing Chairperson of the Third Ministerial Conference on the Role of Women in Development in OIC Member States; Linda Amaliasari Agum Gumelar, State … [Read more...]
COTE D’IVOIRE: Marital equality law sparks controversy
December 5, 2012 by
ABIDJAN, December 2012 (IRIN) - The adoption by Côte d'Ivoire’s parliament of a law on equality between legally married couples has sparked anger, especially among religious people. For them, this law will create more problems in the home than it will solve. Adopted on 21 November, the law says family affairs should be managed jointly by both spouses in the interests of the household and children. The previous law stated that the husband was the sole head of the family. "To remove this … [Read more...]
Women’s Rights in ACCRA – 16 days of activism, Visiting an “outcast” home
December 5, 2012 by
December 2012 - They number about 600, including women, children and men. They have come to Tindang, a small community in Gnani outside Yendi, out of fear from accusers who threaten them as witches and murderers. The Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) on Wednesday said it was conducting checks on reports alleging that 20 girls selling iced water had been arrested by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) taskforce on various streets of Accra. The Ministry also said … [Read more...]
Palestine as the world’s 194th state!!!
November 30, 2012 by
Avaazers, it's time to celebrate! UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations has voted overwhelmingly to recognize a Palestinian state, but the Palestinians still face enormous limitations: They don't control their borders, airspace or trade, they have separate and competing governments in Gaza and the West Bank, and they have no unified army or police. In an extraordinary lineup of international support, more than two-thirds of the world body's 193 member states approved the … [Read more...]
UN Security Council condemns M23 at Goma
November 30, 2012 by
The UN Security Council, acting under the enforcement provisions of the Charter of the United Nations on Wednesday strongly condemned the M23 and all its attacks on the civilian population, MONUSCO peacekeepers and humanitarian actors. The Council also strongly condemned the M23 abuses of human rights, including summary executions, sexual and gender based violence and large scale recruitment and use of child soldiers. It further condemned the attempts by the M23 to establish an … [Read more...]
