News

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11, 2015:

Rajina Dhillon

The government has missed the opportunity to help women realise that marital rape is wrong, according to the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO).

WAO executive director Sumitra Visvanathan said the organisation had witnessed several instances where women were unaware that they should not be coerced into having sex, whether they were in a marital relationship or otherwise.

The much-anticipated sequel to the infamous ‘Protection of the Family’ initiative at the Human Rights Council has finally arrived. Introduced at this June session, amidst rich debate and discussion on women’s rights, gender equality, challenging entrenched stereotypes and norms, one wonders how far detached from reality the sponsors of this initiative are.

 The UN has accused South Sudan's army of raping and then burning girls alive inside their homes during its recent campaign, a report by its mission in the country said.

by Abdifatah Hassan Ali

In 2012, the Somali government released a statement ordering IDPs living inside Mogadishu to move out of the city. At the time, the majority of IDPs were living in government-owned buildings which have not been maintained since the collapse of the government and the breakout of civil war in 1991. A minority voluntarily evicted the area while many fell victim to forceful eviction, all were not provided with alternative housing even though the government promised resettlement plans but that promise still remains unfulfilled. Apart from that, in most cases, the evictees are not provided with official written notice and enough time to vacate the area and as a result their properties are destroyed.