Migration Category: Global Old Site

Many gay, lesbian, and HIV-positive Somali refugees now fear persecution, jail, and even death sentences upon their return home after fleeing to Kenya to avoid harsh punishmentsharsh punishments under Sharia law.

Next month Kenya will be host to international leaders and groups like the International Organization for Immigration as they discuss the impending repatriation of the over one million Somali refugees still living on Kenyan soil. Meanwhile, refugees like Said Elmi maintain that a return to Somali would only result in deadly persecution for LGBT refugees. After having experienced this harsh treatment firsthand, he insisted that “all gays, lesbians, HIV/AIDS positive people and other minorities will be killed. It will be a massacre.”

This reality for marginalized Somali refugees has seemingly been ignored by leaders like UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and UNHCR officials, who show no sign of slowing plans for orderly return of the refugees. While the UN urges a return to the homeland in order to alleviate the overcrowded Kenyan refugee camps, threatened Somali refugees see their homeland as nothing more than “a death chamber for gays and lesbians” while rebel war lords still run the state.

The life threatening pregnancy of an 11-year-old rape victim is sparking debate around abortion in the socially conservative country of Chile. The girl is fourteen weeks into the pregnancy, and doctors are reporting that both she and her fetus are at high risk. The pregnancy is the result of rape by her mother’s partner. The man, who has confessed to repeatedly raping the young girl for two years, is now in police custody.

Until 1973 Chile allowed limited abortions due to medical reasons, but during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet all abortions were outlawed. Today the socially conservative Latin American country still strictly prohibits abortions under any circumstances despite legislative attempts to challenge the harsh restriction. This past year, three bills that could have loosened the ban,allowing exceptions for medical reasons or rape were rejected in the Chilean Senate. But in light of this case, many Chileans are contemplating the need for change. Citizens of Chile took to social media sites Friday to express outrage, and some even started an online campaign advocating for different amendments to the law. Eduardo Hernandez, a 30-year-old web designer stated, “When I heard about this little girl my first reaction was to support abortion because I think it’s the best option in this case.” He continued, “It’s the first online petition I’ve signed in my life, but I think this case really deserves it. We should have a law. I hope this case serves as precedent to have a serious discussion about abortion.”

The case comes on the heels of several others in which women with life threatening conditions were denied the right to terminate the pregnancy. Most recently, a woman in El Salvador who was dying of kidney failure had to undergo an early C-Section because she was denied the right to terminate her unviable pregnancy. Ireland made international headlines last year when a woman died after she was denied an abortion while miscarrying. In 2012, a 16 year old woman with cancer in the Dominican Republic was denied an abortion and not given chemotherapy because it would harm her fetus.

Chile is one of six countries in the world that has such extreme abortion restrictions, where terminations are not granted in order to save the mother or the fetus.

The Irish Parliament voted to support a bill that would allow a pregnancy to be terminated if the woman’s life is at risk. After a vote of 138 to 24 it now faces a second reading and possible amendments. The final vote on the legislation will take place next week. Ireland has had a constitutional ban on abortion since 1986, meaning that the lives of the woman and the unborn fetus are defined equally under the law. This new bill would allow abortions for women who are suicidal and at risk of ending their lives because of the continuation of the pregnancy. The consent of three doctors would be required prior to the abortion. The Catholic Church is criticizing the bill because they believe that the suicide-threat rule is too vague and therefore at risk of being abused. Ireland’s absolute abortion ban came under international scrutiny last year when a woman died after being denied an abortion. Savita Halappanavar was 17 weeks pregnant when she arrived at University Hospital Galway complaining of severe back pain in October 2012. Hospital staff determined she was miscarrying, however doctors refused to remove the pregnancy until three days later. After the pregnancy was removed, Savita was transferred to intensive care where she died three days later of what was determined to be septicaemia (similar to blood poisoning).

On Monday, the United Nations passed a resolution to address the use of rape as a war tactic and establish the rights of victims of war-time rape to include comprehensive sexual and reproductive health. UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon addressed the Security Council before the debate, “Sexual violence, whenever and wherever it occurs, is a vile crime. It must be exposed and met with the anger and action that it deserves.” Resolution 2106 [PDF] was approved unanimously by the 15 member UN Security Council. In the Resolution, the UN states that it

“Affirms that sexual violence, when used or commissioned as a method or tactic of war or as a part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilian populations, can significantly exacerbate and prolong situations of armed conflict and may impede the restoration of international peace and security; emphasizes in this regard that effective steps to prevent and respond to such acts significantly contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security; and stresses women’s participation as essential to any prevention and protection response.”

Resolution 2106 urges member states to provide victims with comprehensive reproductive healthcare. The resolution continues [PDF],

“Recognizing the importance of providing timely assistance to survivors of sexual violence, urges United Nations entities and donors to provide non-discriminatory and comprehensive health services, including sexual and reproductive health, psychosocial, legal, and livelihood support and other multi-sectoral services for survivors of sexual violence, taking into account the specific needs of persons with disabilities.”

UN Special Envoy Angelina Jolie addressed the Council, urging the members to have a realistic picture of rape as a war crime. “Let us be clear what we are speaking of: Young girls raped and impregnated before their bodies are able to carry a child,” she demanded. The Global Justice Center’s President Janet Benshoof applauded the decision, saying “Although the word ‘abortion’ was not used, the ‘non-discriminatory health services’ provision is an enormous breakthrough in the fight to end the deadly denial of abortion for female victims impregnated by war rape.”

On Wednesday, Pope Francis announced the creation of a new committee that will be responsible for overseeing the activities of the Vatican Bank in response to allegations of money laundering and corruption.

The bank, known officially as the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), has been plagued with scandals of money laundering and tax evasion. Last year, Moneyval, the European anti-money laundering committee, determined that the IOR did not meet international standards to prevent money laundering. Last year, the Vatican announced that six attempts of money laundering using IOR were detected. This year there have already been seven discovered.

Further evidence of corruption was discovered in 2012 when the personal butler of Pope Benedict XVI leaked private documents to journalists.

The commission will have access to all internal documents, meetings, and management and report to Pope Francis directly.

An 18 year old actress in Pakistan is in critical condition after being attacked with acid for refusing a marriage proposal.

The actress, known as Bushra Waiz, was sleeping with her family when a man climbed the wall around their home and threw acid on her while she slept. She was rushed to Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar where it was determined that she suffered burns on over a third of her body.

Her family believes the attacker is Shaukat Khan, a local TV producer, who was trying to force Waiz to marry him. When she refused his proposal, he resorted to violence. According to Waiz’s mother, Khan has also not been paying Waiz for her work and lead to many verbal arguments that pushed Waiz to quit working with him.

On Monday, Waiz was reported in stable, but critical condition. Her attack comes less than a week after a bomb attack forced the only women’s university in the Balochistan province to close its doors indefinitely. funny photos

In the wake of a bomb attack on Saturday, the Sardar Bahadur Khan (SBK) Women’s University has shut its doors indefinitely. The Bolan Medical Complex, which was attacked while Doctors treated victims of the university bombing, is also closed indefinitely.

The target of the bomb was a bus transporting female students and teachers from Sardar Bahadur Khan Women’s University in Quetta, located in the southwestern part of Pakistan. A homemade explosive device killed 14 of the passengers and injured 19 others. The victims were rushed to the nearby Bolan Medical Complex, where there was a second explosion. After the explosion, militants took nurses, doctors, and patient visitors, many of whom were visiting those hurt in the bus explosion, hostage. 11 people were killed at the hospital. Security officials regained control of the hospital Saturday evening and reported that four of the five militants were killed and the fifth was in custody. A banned Sunni extremist group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

SBK University is the only women’s university in the province of Balochistan province. In response to the attacks, Sunday was declared an official day of mourning in Quetta. Many other organizations have announced more days and even strikes in mourning.

A bus for a women’s university in Pakistan and the hospital that treated victims from the blast were bombed on Saturday, killing 14 students and 24 others at the hospital.

The bus was transporting female students and teachers from Sardar Bahadur Khan Women’s University in Quetta, located in the southwestern part of Pakistan. A homemade explosive device killed 14 of the passengers and injured 19 others. The victims were rushed to the nearby Bolan Medical Complex, where there was a second explosion. After the explosion, militants took nurses, doctors, and patient visitors, many of whom were visiting those hurt in the bus explosion, hostage. Security officials regained control of the hospital Saturday evening and reported that four of the five militants were killed and the fifth was in custody. It is unclear if the bus attack and the hospital siege are related.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari both called the attacks “cowardly and inhuman.” “No effort will be spared to save Pakistan from such acts of terror,” Sharif continued. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon also condemned the attacks, saying “violence against women and educators has increased in recent years. The aim being to keep girls from attaining a basic right to education.”

Yesterday, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) transferred responsibility for the country’s security forces to the Afghan government after a bomb blast targeting a political official left three civilians dead in Kabul.

The blast, which occurred in front of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Watch, was targeting Afghanistan’s second vice-president Mohammed Mohaqiq, who is also a Muslim cleric and leader of the Hazara minority. Three civilians were killed and 30 others were injured. Mohaqiq was not injured in the blast, though six of his bodyguards sustained injuries and one car in his convoy was damaged. The Afghan Independent Human Rights Watch was not a related target.

Just miles away, Afghan President Hamid Karzai accepted control of the security operations for Afghanistan from NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen. While NATO forces will still be in the country, the Afghan police force of over 350,000 officers will be in charge of operations.

Police arrested and detained 13 women’s rights activists Thursday after anti-rape protests swelled in West Bengal, India. The protests were centered on two recent high-profile rape cases in the state.

The Indian National Crime Records Bureau released statistics Thursday related to crime against women, spotlighting West Bengal as having the highest concentration of such crime in the country. According to their data, 12.67 percent of the 30,942 reported cases of crime against women in India in 2012 occurred in West Bengal. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee contested the report, stating that “we have been trying to curb the incidence of crime against women by taking swift actions.” Her claim that “the situation is comparatively better now as compared to other states” outraged women’s rights activists, who have perceived the state government’s handling of sexually violent crime as lacking.

40 activists gathered early Thursday morning near CM Banerjee’s residence at Kalighat temple. They planned to protest with rallies and demonstrations all day. They began marching toward the CM’s residence, but were approached by police who blocked their way and asked them to retreat. They refused, explaining that they wanted to present the CM with a memorandum. “It is not desirable to stage demonstration in front of someone”s residence,” Kolkata Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayastha told reporters, “especially in front of CM”s residence.” He defended his team, adding that “the CM is a Z-plus protective. She has threats to her life.”

According to protestors, police agreed to escort 4 women to the CM’s residence but then “turned hostile,” arresting some of the peaceful protestors and “packing [them] into a police van.” The women were taken to police headquarters at Lalbazar and did not receive an explanation of the charges against them.

Protests against the government have been ongoing in India since December, when a college student was tortured and gang-raped in New Delhi. “It is the beginning of our movement,” said Anuradha Kapoor, a member of civil rights group Maitree who was arrested. “We won”t give up so easily.”

On Tuesday, Russia’s Lower Parliament called the Duma unanimously passed a bill outlawing the distribution of LGBT “propaganda” to minors, essentially banning any form of support for LGBT rights in the country. 436 deputies voted in favor the bill, only one deputy abstained from the vote.

The bill bans “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” from being distributed to minors. However, the broad language of the bill could be interpreted to ban any public support of gay rights or face serious fines. Many cities already have such bans in place, but this bill would apply the ban nationwide.

During the debate, LGBT rights protesters held a “kiss-in” outside the Duma. Anti-gay protesters were also present, and some threw rotten eggs at LGBT activists. Other LGBT activists were physically assaulted. About 20 LGBT rights protesters were detained by the police.

The Duma also passed a bill that would outlaw religious offenses. In a vote of 308 to 2, the parliament approved a ban on “public actions expressing clear disrespect for society and committed to the goal of offending religious feelings of the faithful” punishable with fines and in some cases prison terms. This comes in response to the protest by Pussy Riot which condemned the ties between the Orthodox church and President Vladimir Putin.

Both bills still have to be approved by the Upper Parliament and signed into law by President Putin before they can be enacted nationally.

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission accused the police of violence against women in a recently released report, attributing close to 15 percent of honor killings and sexual assaults in the region to the police force. The report follows over two years of data collection by the commission, in which they documented 163 sexual assault cases and 243 honor killings.

“The cultural impunity and the lack of follow up of these cases is something we’re very concerned about,” said Sima Samar, commission chair.

The Interior Ministry rejected the report, defending its 152,000 police officers against the claims. They said the police force had made progress in safeguarding human rights.

Violence against women in Afghanistan was widespread under the reign of the Taliban, though even significant international intervention has not prevented the nation from being consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous places to be a woman. In April, Human Rights Watch reported that women in the Afghan police force face sexual harassment, assault, and even rape from male colleagues. In May, HRW reported that 50% more women than ever were being incarcerated for “moral crimes” such as running away from forced or abusive marriages and families. In the same month, the Afghan parliament failed to pass the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which would have banned forced and underage marriage, beatings, and rape.

The story of Russian feminist punk band Pussy Riot will come to life tonight in the HBO documentary “Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer.” It will air at 9 PM EST. Three Pussy Riot members were charged in August of 2012 with “hooliganism” and sentenced to two years in prison for a performance protesting Vladimir Putin’s regime, and the separation of church and state.

The 2012 performance lasted only for forty seconds. After setting up in the pulpit of an Orthodox Church in Moscow, they were promptly arrested by Russian authorities and then went to trial. The 90-minute documentary follows not only Pussy Riot’s case but also their earlier actions,, adding to the now-familiar story with interviews of the women’s families and groups which supported their imprisonment.

Although Pussy Riot is an open movement which welcomes all interested members, the three members who faced trial were Nadezha Tolokonnikova, Yekaterina Samutsevich, and Maria Alekhina. All three were sentenced to two years in prison, although Samutsevich was recently released based on an appeal that she wasn’t able to plug in her guitar before her arrest at the infamous performance.

Between 450 and 600 garment factory workers in Gazipur near Dhaka, Bangladesh, were sent to the hospital on Wednesday after they became sick from suspected water contamination.

Workers at the Starlight Sweater company began to experience stomach cramps and vomiting two hours into their shifts on Wednesday. Once at various local hospitals, they were given fluids and evaluated. Those who were recovering were released on Thursday.

Officials have not confirmed what caused the illness. However, local industrial police officer Mahfuzur Rahman told reporters “Primarily we suspect the water supply of the Starlight Sweaters factory was poisoned or contaminated.” The eight story factory gets its drinking water piped to the roof from an underground reservoir. Tap water comes from a second source and employees are discouraged from drinking it. Factory CEO Muhammad Shafiur Rahman told reporters, “We have cleaned the reservoirs overnight and now the water there is safe for drinking.” The factory reopened on Thursday.

Meanwhile, over 1,000 factory workers and relatives gathered at Rana Plaza in protest of the government’s response to the building collapse that killed over 1,300 people in April. Protesters demanded back pay and/or compensation promised by the government and the parent organization of the factories involved, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters after they allegedly began throwing rocks when told to disperse.

On Saturday, the first Sound of Change Live concert highlighting women’s current struggles around the world was held in London, England.

Featuring performances by big name artists such as Beyonce, Florence + The Machine, Jennifer Lopez, and John Legend, the Sound of Change Live charity concert shared stories of women who faced abuse, educational disparity, and lack of basic health care around the world and urged viewers to take a step towards creating change. Gloria Steinem, Madonna, Ryan Reynolds, and Jada Pinkett Smith were some of the presenters. Attendees were given a code they could use after the show to put money from their ticket purchase towards one of the many projects that Chime For Change, the organization responsible for the concert, supports. Viewers at home were urged to learn more at the organization’s webpage and contribute to a project.

Chime for Change was founded by Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Gucci Creative Director Frida Biannini, and Salma Hayek Pinault. According to the organization’s website, Chime for Change “serves to convene, unite and strengthen the voices speaking out for girls and women around the world. We focus on three key areas: Education, Health and Justice.” Beyonce said to the audience at the concert, “It’s time for change. Let’s chime for change. This is such an incredible night for me.” In all 50,000 people attended the concert the concert, raising $4.3 million in ticket sales for 200 organizations in 70 different countries around the globe.

Learn more about Chime for Change at their website.

Beatriz, a woman from El Salvador who was denied a lifesaving abortion by the Supreme Court, will undergo a C-Section to end the pregnancy that is threatening her life.

Last week, the Supreme Court of El Salvador denied Beatriz’s appeal to undergo an abortion to save her life. Despite suffering multiple severe medical conditions and the fetus being unviable, the court ruled that “rights of the mother cannot take precedence over those of the unborn child or vice versa.” Abortion in El Salvador is illegal in all circumstances with a penalty of up to 30 years in prison. After the ruling, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights issued a non-binding resolution ordering El Salvador to save Beatriz’s life.

The Health Ministry then ordered her doctors to perform a premature C-section, which the fetus is not expected to survive. Health Minister Maria Rodriguez told reporters, “It is very clear at this time that the pregnancy intervention is not an abortion, it is an induced birth, which is something else.” The surgery is planned for some time this week.

In a phone interview, Beatriz told Reuters, “I feel good because next week they will perform (a Caesarean). Right now, the doctors have not told me anything, but I believe everything will work out fine.”

On Tuesday, a court in the Tunisian city of Kairouan convicted a feminist activist with carrying a can of pepper spray given to her by a journalist.

Amina Sboui, also known as Amina Tyler and a member of the feminist group Femen, was arrested on May 19 while staging a protest. She was charged with carrying an “incendiary device” – a can of pepper spray a journalist gave her to protect herself in Tunisia’s conservative climate. She was convicted and fined $182. Sboui remains in custody pending further charges of desecrating a cemetery and offending public decency, which could carry penalties of two years and six months in jail respectively.

Sboui generated outrage in her community when she posted topless photos of herself with “My body is my own” written on her torso as part of a Femen protest earlier this year. After receiving death threats, Sboui went into hiding but reappeared in the city of Kairouan. In Kairouan, she was arrested after allegedly painting “Femen” on a cemetery wall near the city’s primary mosque. Police arrived as a mob formed around her.

Three other members of Femen have been arrested for staging a topless protest in front of a courthouse as they called for Sboui’s release. The three activists will have an open hearing in court on June 5 on charges of public indecency and attack on public morals. If convicted they could face six months in jail for each charge.

The Supreme Court of El Salvador ruled in a four to one decision to deny a life-saving abortion to a woman with an unviable pregnancy.

“Beatriz”, who is currently 22 and is already the mother of a young infant, was diagnosed with multiple severe illnesses including kidney failure and lupus and is now 26 weeks pregnant. The fetus will not survive more than a few days outside the womb (if at all) due to a severe fetal abnormality where part of the brain does not develop. Doctors fear that if she continues with the pregnancy, Beatriz could lose her life. However, abortion under any circumstance is illegal in El Salvador and abortion without approval from the Supreme Court could result in up to 30 years in jail for aggravated homicide.

In their ruling, the judges wrote, “This court determines that the rights of the mother cannot take precedence over those of the unborn child or vice versa, and that there is an absolute bar to authorising an abortion as contrary to the constitutional protection accorded to human persons ‘from the moment of conception.'” The one dissenting judge, Florentin Melendez, argued that the court needed to affirm Beatriz’s request to “guarantee that the medical personnel would not omit [any treatments] and would act diligently at all times, without having to recur to legal authorisation to protect the life of the mother and the human being she is carrying in her womb.”

Victor Hugo Mata, Beatriz’s lawyer, told reporters, “We cannot appeal the case because this was the last step, the Supreme Court… The only way now is to go to the international courts. [But] everyday, the health of Beatriz is [getting] worse. If they wait another week or two weeks, she will be too feeble to endure the operation.”