A new United Nations report, published by the UN Joint Program on HIV/AIDS, predicts that approximately half of all 15 year olds in AIDS-affected African countries will die of the disease. Women in Africa struggle with cultural taboos that discourage use of contraceptives. According to the report, the HIV infection rates of young women in […]
The outcome of the Mexican presidential elections this weekend may depend on women’s vote, but little from the candidates’ supposedly woman-oriented dialogue will advance women’s rights. The candidates, Vicente Fox Quesada of the National Action Party (PAN) and Francisco Labastida Ochoa of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), have focused on the women’s vote to gain […]
Women in Swaziland suffer from torture and brutalization by the Royal Swaziland Police. One survivor of such abuse explains how her local police force, the Manzini Swazi police, attacked and attempted to suffocate her in order to extract information. The police force, currently confronting a multitude of lawsuits, has denied that it uses torture and […]
Malaysia will establish a women’s bureau to enlarge its focus on women involved with consumer issues. The increased participation of women in the workforce and in the economy has forced this change, expressed Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Minister of the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry. The bureau, which will seek employment from women, would […]
Amnesty International has reported that Pakistan has recently deported former Kabul University Professor Mohammad Rahim Elham in violation of an agreement between Pakistani government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for joint assessment of Afghan refugee claims prior to deportation. Elham’s whereabouts are currently unknown, and human rights activists are alarmed. He was […]
In a late-night session at 1:41 a.m., the U.S. House placed a domestic anti-abortion “gag-rule” amendment on the Quality Health-Care Coalition Act of 2000, which extends collective bargaining powers to doctors working under HMOs. The harsh and punitive amendment, introduced by Representative Tom Coburn (R-OK), would prevent doctors from discussing abortion or referring patients for […]
On June 29th the U.S. succeeded in implementing one of its three pronged strategies to weaken the International Criminal Court (ICC), the first international court to include gender crimes as crimes against humanity. The U.S. has been pushing over the past two years a series of proposals that would provide a 100 percent exemption for […]
With a razor-thin Supreme Court decision declaring abortion bans unconstitutional, women and feminists in the U.S. are letting politicians know that protecting access to abortion rights will be a major issue in the upcoming elections. Pro-choice, anti-abortion, and candidate reactions have varied widely, but all agree that the 5-4 vote reveals the fragility of abortion […]
After being imprisoned and tortured in Iran for four years, the women’s rights and human rights advocate Mahnaz Samadi was jailed in the U.S. for allegedly leading “coordinated attacks designed to liberate Iran.” Ms. Samadi, who has not committed any crimes in the US and was granted political asylum in 1995, has been praised by […]
The raping and enslavement of women and children were rampant during Sierra Leone’s eight years of civil war, according to the New York-based Human Rights Watch and U.N. groups. Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels seized and repeatedly raped girls as young as 10 years of age, coercing them into sexual slavery and often infecting them […]
After seventy-one years of struggle for democracy in Mexico to overthrow the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the world’s longest ruling political party with a history of corruption and economic irresponsibility, feminists and lesbian and gay rights activists face an even greater threat to their equality in Sunday’s upcoming elections: the possibility of the National Action […]
UN report cites continued violations against the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. This week United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan presented his most recent report on the situation in Afghanistan to the U.N. Security Council, citing the ongoing systematic violations of human rights committed by the Taliban regime. Annan reported, “Despite some limited improvements, […]
FDA Debates Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pills This week the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is debating the permissibility of some current prescription drugs including birth control pills being made available for over the counter purchase. An FDA decision granting over the counter sales of birth control pills at local pharmacies in grocery stores or […]
Abortion Issue Catapulted To Higher Profile In The Presidential Campaign The razor thin (5-4) Supreme Court decision in Carhart vs. Stenberg on June 28th striking down a dangerous anti-abortion ban passed by Nebraska legislators and 31 other states, pushed the abortion issue to the center of the presidential election. Democratic Presidential Candidate, Al Gore, who […]
The Coburn Amendment to the Agricultural Appropriations Bill, which would limit the FDA’s ability to continue research on mifepristone (formerly known as RU486), is expected to be introduced this week. Mifepristone is an early abortion pill that has been available to women outside of the U.S. for 12 years. In addition to its uses in […]
The Commission to Combat Police Corruption, created by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, in a draft report released on June 28th cited inexperienced prosecutors and lengthy delays as serious obstacles in the NYPD’s internal system for handling police misconduct including accusations of the use of excessive force and failure to respond, as in the recent Central Park […]
Tampons are not necessary, or so Australian women are being told. July marks the kickoff for the Australian Goods and Services Tax (GST), the new system that will reduce the government’s slice of workers’ paychecks while slapping a 10 percent levy on the price of almost all consumer goods, except most food and necessary health […]
Under pressure from the Pakistani and Iranian governments, some Afghan refugees are returning to Afghanistan despite deadly drought, threat of renewed fighting and landmines, and denial of basic rights such as education for women and girls. According to United Nations data, women and children make up over 80 percent of the refugees repatriated in 1999. […]
An international network of women’s activists from the United States and East Asian countries aim to expose U.S. military’s involvement in multiple cases of rape and sexual abuse towards women and children. The pre-summit meeting, which prepared proposals that will be submitted at the upcoming Group of Eight summit in July, drew 40 delegates from […]
Women’s rights activists in Argentina’s capital, as well as health advocates and physicians, are celebrating a momentous advancement in promoting the reproductive rights of women. On June 23rd the Buenos Aires legislature approved a new law that guarantees women and girls free access to contraceptives and information on reproductive health. The groundbreaking law, which sparked […]
