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4/3/2014
Women in Saudi Arabia demand end to ‘absolute’ male control

March 2, 2014

RIYADH // A group of Saudi women have petitioned the Shura Council to back a demand to curb the “absolute authority” of male guardians over women in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia imposes a strict interpretation of Islamic law, forbidding women to work or travel without the authorisation of their male guardians.

It is also the only country that bans women from driving, and a woman cannot obtain an identification card without the consent of her guardian.

4/3/2014
Azerbaijan Urged to Act Faster on Domestic Violence
Women’s rights activists note rise in murders and suicides in the home.
 

Rights activists in Azerbaijan say the government has yet to live up to its promises to protect women from domestic violence, as key provisions of a 2010 law have yet to be put into practice.

According to Mehriban Zeynalova, head of the Clean World group which helps the victims of abuse over the last year, the headline figures are alarming.

28/2/2014
Sultan of Brunei threatens his citizens following online criticism of Sharia law plan

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiam, who is worth $20 billion, ominously said people will be sorry they criticized the plan once Sharia law is in place.

27/2/2014
Khadija Ghaznawi: ”The key to peace lies within Afghanistan, not outside”

Wednesday 26th February

Khadija Ghaznawi was the only woman who presented as a candidate for the 2014 presidential elections. She was disqualified from running by the Independent Election Commission. Born in Badakhshan, the largest and most underdeveloped province of Afghanistan, she describes herself as a peace activist. Ghaznawi is also a successful entrepreneur and President of the Ibrahim Asia Group of Companies. 

26/2/2014
WLUML Welcomes New Members to the Board and Council!

Following WLUML’s Annual General Meeting, we are delighted to welcome aboard the new members of our Board and Council.

File 2408

To the Board we welcome Ariane Brunet (Canada), Codou Bop (Senegal), and Najia Haneefi (Afghanistan). 

26/2/2014
Greater Efforts Needed to Curb Sexual Violence in Mogadishu

NAIROBI/MOGADISHU, 25 February 2014 (IRIN) - Sexual and gender-based violence is a major issue in Somalia, especially for internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in south and central Somalia. A Mogadishu-based NGO working to protect women and children, Save Somali Women and Children (SSWC), has recorded more than 2,000 survivors of sexual violence in Mogadishu since it was set up in July 2012. 

25/2/2014
Rollback of Women's Rights: Not Just in Afghanistan

Polygamy, stoning of adulterers, virginity testing, and laws that protect batterers are on the rise in increasingly conservative nations.

24/2/2014
France and Islamic feminism: intersectionality in the Republic

ADRIANE CHOUKOUR WALI 

The fact is that Islamic feminists in western countries, and especially in France, struggle with identity affiliations and fight against multiple forms of oppression that bind them to post-colonial and anti-racist movements.

24/2/2014
Hala Shukrallah succeeds ElBaradei as head of Constitution Party
 
The 59 year old has become the first woman and Copt to serve as the president of a major political party
21/2/2014
UN human rights experts urge Kenya to repeal discriminatory sections in Matrimonial Property Act

GENEVA (17 February 2014) – A group of United Nations human rights experts today urged Kenya to repeal sections of the Marriage and Property Act which effectively deny women the right to marital property upon divorce or death of their spouse, unless they can prove they made a contribution to the acquisition of the property during their marriage.

“It is expected that very few women will be able to demonstrate such a contribution under the new provisions, since few Kenyan women have land title deeds in their own names and even less hold deeds jointly with men,” warned independent expert Frances Raday, who currently heads the UN Working Group on discrimination against women in law and practice.