GENEVA (ILO News) – Uruguay has become the first country to ratify a convention the ILO adopted one year ago which aims at bringing tens of millions of domestic workers under the realm of labour standards. The South American country presented its ratification of the Convention on Domestic Workers (2011) at the May 30–June 14 International Labour Conference in Geneva. “The process of ratification of this Convention has started. This first step opens the way,” said ILO Director-General … [Read more...]
Liberia celebrates 165 years of Independence – July 26, 2012
July 26, 2012 by
Liberia Independence Day Liberia Independence Day – July 26, 2012 Liberia Independence Day is a Public Holiday in Liberia. The Independence Day is the day Celebrated by the country to mark its Freedom. The Republic of Liberia is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d’Ivoire on the east. It covers an area of 111,369 km2and is home to about 3.7 million people. English is the official language, while over … [Read more...]
Women help lead the way in Rwanda’s transformation
July 25, 2012 by
Women help lead the way in Rwanda’s transformation Rwandans have been working tirelessly to rebuild their country since the 1994 genocide. Since then, the country has become one of the fastest growing economies on the African continent. Furthermore, women have now come to the forefront of national politics, making Rwanda the world's leader in the number of women parliamentarians. The advancement of women in Rwandan society is told in a documentary-style video launched by the UN … [Read more...]
Meena Seshu, founder of India’s SANGRAM: HIV,VIOLENCE & SEX WORK
July 25, 2012 by
As the founder of SANGRAM, an Indian non-governmental organisation that works with sex workers to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, Meena Seshu has strongly lobbied against the image of sex workers as powerless, irresponsible or even deserving of harm. Based in rural Maharashtra, the group seeks to empower the workers – most of whom are women – to form collectives and lobby for their rights. Here Seshu explains that in order to help reduce their vulnerability to HIV, any efforts must first help … [Read more...]
UN Women amplifies women’s voices at the International AIDS Conference
July 24, 2012 by
At the upcoming International AIDS Conference (IAC) held in Washington D.C (22 – 27 July) , UN Women aims to give visibility and amplify the voice of women, in particular women living with HIV. Held every two years, the IAC is the world’s largest conference on HIV and plays a fundamental role in shaping the global response to HIV and in keeping HIV and AIDS on the international political agenda. At this year’s Conference, UN Women will for the first time attend as an official co-sponsor of … [Read more...]
Female Afghan Official Assassinated
July 21, 2012 by
Afghan Women Murdered RAWA: Some Afghan women who have been murdered in the past few years (L to R): Shaima Rezayee, May 18, 2005 Malalai Kakar, September 28, 2008 Zaki Zaki, June 6, 2007 Second Row: Sitara Achakzai, April 12, 2009 Safia Amajan, September 25, 2006 Shokiba Sanga Amaaj, June 1, 2007 Afghan women are killed for demanding their rights A few of the women who have been killed or threatened for daring to demand their rights. Female Afghan … [Read more...]
Dr. Sharifa Sharif Ph.D. – WOMAN of ACTION™
July 21, 2012 by
A Celebration of Women™ is honored to Celebrate the Life of this pioneer. Dr. Sharifa Sharif is the author of the memoir On the Edge of Being: An Afghan Woman’s Journey (Sumach Press 2011).Painful and shocking, but often hopeful, the stories in On the Edge of Being illustrate the devastating impact of the split between body and voice that Afghan women are forced to navigate. The daughter of a progressive Afghan governor, Dr. Sharifa Sharif observed from an early age that life for women - … [Read more...]
UN Women celebrates first Woman head of African Union Commission
July 20, 2012 by
Celebrating first Woman head of African Union Commission Statement by Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women "UN Women welcomes the election of Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma of South Africa as Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the first woman to hold the post. In taking this decision, African leaders took a step forward to advance women’s leadership and representation. It is well-known that women leaders bring their own unique perspective and insights to … [Read more...]
Ramadan, 2012 begins on July 20th – in North America – on Saturday, the 21st
July 20, 2012 by
Ramadan in 2012 will start on Friday, the 20th of July and will continue for 30 days until Saturday, the 18th of August. Based on sightability in North America, in 2012 Ramadan will start in North America a day later - on Saturday, the 21st of July. *Note that in the Muslim calander, a holiday begins on the sunset of the previous day, so observing Muslims will celebrate Ramadan on the sunset of Thursday, the 19th of July. Although Ramadan is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, … [Read more...]
‘Mitochondrial Eve’ ~ To be or not to be?
July 20, 2012 by
Mitochondrial Eve is estimated to have lived around 200,000 years ago, most likely in East Africa, when Homo sapiens sapiens (anatomically modern humans) were developing as a population distinct from other human sub-species. On the first day of 1987, a scientific “discovery” seized the attention of the popular press. The original scientific article that caused all the commotion — “Mitochondrial DNA and Human Evolution”— appeared in the January 1, 1987 issue of Nature, and was authored by … [Read more...]
Senegal’s female parliamentarians almost doubles
July 19, 2012 by
With 44.6 per cent of female parliamentarians, Senegal has come close to achieving parity in its National Assembly. 64 women now occupy a total of 150 seats, up from 33. Adopted on 28 May 2010, the law on parity has ensured a major step forward in female political participation in the country. The legislation aims to secure full equality in all elective and semi-elective bodies, and at all levels – whether national, regional or local. It does so by requiring that political parties submit an … [Read more...]
RAPE in BOSNIA – Broken Silence leads to Way for a New World …
July 17, 2012 by
Breaking the Silence leads the way for all .... SREBRENICA GENOCIDE IS NOT A MATTER OF ANYBODY'S OPINION; IT'S A JUDICIAL FACT RECOGNIZED FIRST BY THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA AND SUBSEQUENTLY BY THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE. PHOTO #1: Traumatized woman, Bosniak rape victim. Serb forces used rape as a weapon of war in Bosnia. Photo taken by Antony Loyd, noted war correspondent and former British Army officer. Image used for Fair Use … [Read more...]
