Clipmarks | Deepti's 'women' clips

Proposed Legislation in Iran Would End Death by Stoning

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:15:44 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Iran's state media announced Wednesday that Iran has suspended the use of stoning as a way to carry out the death penalty. According to AFP, Iran's judiciary drafted legislation that would end stoning as a death penalty, the current Islamic punishment in Iran for adulterers

In 2002, Ayatollah Shahroudi, the head of Iran's judiciary banned the practice of stoning but did not remove the laws from the books. Execution by stoning continued, including the stoning of Jafar Kiani in 2007, which sparked international outrage

BBC News reports that eight women and one man are currently awaiting death by stoning in Iran

The majority of those sentenced to death by stoning are women. Women are not treated equally with men under the law and by courts, and they are also particularly vulnerable to unfair trials because their higher illiteracy rate makes them more likely to sign confessions to crimes they did not commit

Tags: iran, stoning, legislation, legal system, punishment

Global Database of Quotas for Women

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:19:39 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: Obstacles to women's political participation exist throughout the world in prevailing social and economic regimes, as well as in existing political structures. In 2005, the representation of women reached nearly 16 percent globally. Although this total has increased in recent years, the minimal progress globally means that the ideal of parity remains a long way off. Given the slow rate at which the representation of women is increasing, various methods -- such as electoral quotas -- have been proposed or implemented to address the present gender imbalance in decision-making. Consequently, governments and political parties have experimented with different types of quotas.

As the debate about the use of quotas as a tool to increase the political participation of women gains momentum, International IDEA and Stockholm University are collaborating on a research project leading to the production of a comparative knowledge and resources on their implementation and impact.

Clip Source: www.quotaproject.org

Afghanistan

27.3%

Australia

24.7%

Canada

20.8%

China

20.3%

Denmark

37.4%

France

18.5%

Germany

31.8%

India

8.1%

Iraq

25.5%

Lebanon

4.7%

Mauritania

17.9%

Pakistan

21.3%

Philippines

20.4%

South Africa

32.8%

Sweden

47.3%

Switzerland

29.5%

United Kingdom

19.8%

Sri Lanka

4.9%

Spain

36.3%

Senegal

22.0%

Rwanda

48.8%

Argentina

35.0%

Bangladesh

2.0%

Belgium

36.7%

Burundi

30.5%

Costa Rica

38.6%

Egypt

2.0%

Guyana

30.8%

Iceland

31.7%

Norway

37.9%

Tanzania, United Republic of

30.4%

Total # countries with constitutional, electoral or political party quotas:	97
Average level of representation for women countries with quotas:	19.8%

Tags: countries, women, representation, government, quota, global, database

Modern 'Witch Hunts'

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 04:56:20 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.feminist.org

According to Reuters-India, every year dozens of Indian women are killed for being witches or practicing "black magic." A woman in Bhubaneswar, India, was beaten, gagged and burned to death last week when accused of witchcraft

CNN reports that another Indian woman was tied to a tree and beaten by a mob on Friday. The woman had been hired by a man "to use magic and prayer to improve his wife's health," but was accused of being a witch when his wife’s health deteriorated

In Kenya last week, eight women and three men were killed when a mob dragged them from their houses and burned them individually, according to the BBC. Villagers reported finding evidence that the eight were witches in an exercise book found at a local school with minutes of a "witches meeting."

Feminist News Wire has recently noticed an increase in news stories about the killing of women accused of witchcraft in Asia and Africa. While many consider 'witch hunts' a historical matter, they continue to affect women today

Tags: killing, women, witch, hunt, asia, africa

Study links arms and legs with memory loss

Tue, 06 May 2008 13:50:32 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Having short arms and legs may raise a person's risk of developing memory problems later in life, U.S. researchers said

They said women with the shortest arm spans were 50 percent more likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer's disease than women with longer arm spans. And the longer a woman's leg from floor to knee, the lower her risk for dementia

In men, only a shorter arm span was linked with higher dementia risk, according to the study, which was published in the journal Neurology

The researchers said several studies have suggested that early life environment plays a role in susceptibility to chronic disease in later life. Short limbs may be a sign of nutritional deficits early in life that ultimately play a role in brain development

Other studies have found a link between limb length and dementia in populations in Asia, and Huang wanted to see if the trend would hold true in a U.S. population, where 80 percent of height is thought to be inherited

Tags: arms, legs, length, dementia, alzheimers, risk

Women Officers in India Seek Permanent Commissions in Military

Mon, 05 May 2008 05:03:35 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.feminist.org

The Ministry of Defense in India is considering proposals to give permanent commissions to women officers in non-combat roles. The Indo-Asian News Service reports that in the armed forces in India, women are only eligible for permanent commissions in the medical, nursing, and dental services. Women are allowed to serve 14 years in uniform, but, because they do not have permanent commissions, do not receive pensions after their service

Defense Minister A. K. Antony told the Times of India, "It's a commitment we all must honor and endeavor to achieve this objective on priority...It's high time women officers were given their due."

Currently only 2.5 to 7 percent of officers in the branches of the Indian armed forces are women.

Tags: women, india, army, pensions, permanent, defense

Malaysia travel-restriction plan for women sparks anger

Sun, 04 May 2008 13:00:37 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

A government proposal to restrict women in Malaysia from traveling overseas on their own sparked outrage among Malaysian women’s groups on Sunday

If the proposal is approved, women in Malaysia will have to get a written consent from families or employers before they can travel alone

The foreign and home ministries defended the idea, saying it is a response to a string of cases where women traveling alone were used by syndicates to smuggle drugs across borders

Tags: malaysia, women, travel, restriction, proposal

British team finds two genes for osteoporosis

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:52:12 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

British researchers have identified two common genetic mutations that increase the risk of osteoporosis and related bone fractures, according to a study released on Tuesday

These changes were present in 20 percent of the people studied and highlight the potential role of screening for the bone-thinning disease that mainly affects women after menopause

Osteoporosis

affects about one in three women and one in five men around the world

In the Lancet study, the team scanned the genes of 2,094 female twins and identified a link between decreased bone mineral density and changes in chromosomes 8 and 11

In chromosome 11 the change was associated with a 30 percent increased risk of the condition and related fractures and for chromosome 8 the mutation raised risk by 20 percent

For people who had both changes, their risk went up by 30 percent

The findings are an important step forward toward better understanding of the genetic basis of osteoporosis, other researchers wrote in a Lancet commentary

Tags: osteoporosis, bone, density, genes, research

Vikings acquitted in 100-year-old murder mystery

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:48:18 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: The discovery of the ornate Oseberg oak longboat in south Norway, with a curling prow and the bodies of two women, was one of the archaeological sensations of the early 20th century

The old woman suffered from Morgagni's syndrome, a hormonal disturbance that gave her a man-like appearance with a beard and a thick-set body

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Tests of the bones of two Viking women found in a buried longboat have dispelled 100-year-old suspicions that one was a maid sacrificed to accompany her queen into the afterlife, experts said on Friday

The bones indicated that a broken collarbone on the younger woman had been healing for several weeks -- meaning the break was not part of a ritual execution as suspected since the 22-metre (72 ft) long Oseberg ship was found in 1904

The fracture could have been caused by stumbling

the older Oseberg woman

had cancer

the skeletons were exhumed last year to see if modern technology could discover more about them than when they were re-buried in 1948

The studies also indicated both women were of high rank -- their diets were largely of meat when most Vikings lived off fish. The teeth of the younger woman showed she used a metal toothpick, a rare 9th century luxury

Historians have

suspected that one of the two was Queen Aasa, mother of Halfdan the Black

father of

Harald Fairhair

first king of

Norway

Tags: viking, norway, history, find, research

Saudi Women "Kept in Childhood"

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:09:07 GMT

clipped by: sahara
clipper's remarks: "For Saudi women, reaching adulthood brings no rights, only responsibilities."

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Saudi women are being kept in perpetual childhood so male relatives can exercise "guardianship" over them, the Human Rights Watch group has said.

Saudi women have to obtain permission from male relatives to work, travel, study, marry or even receive health care.

Their access to justice is also severely constrained, it says.

The group says the Saudi establishment sacrifices basic human rights to maintain male control over women.

Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive.

The report says that Saudi women are denied the legal right to make even trivial decisions for their children - women cannot open bank accounts for children, enrol them in school, obtain school files or travel with their children without written permission from the child's father.

It's astonishing that the Saudi government denies adult women the right to make decisions for themselves but holds them criminally responsible for their actions at puberty

Farida Deif,
Human Rights Watch

Tags: world, human rights, women

Chest pain in middle-age an ominous sign

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 14:05:19 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

In a long-term follow-up study, chest pain felt by men and women in their 40s was a major risk factor for premature death due to heart disease later on

The risk of death from heart disease was much higher in men and women with angina than in those without, the investigators report in the medical journal Heart

The relative excess risk conferred by angina is similar to that associated with modest elevations in cholesterol and blood pressure, they note

This study, the investigators say, supports results of a previous study indicating that "Rose angina" is not a benign finding and warrants investigation in both sexes

Tags: angina, heart, death, disease, health

UAE Appoints First Female Judge

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 05:59:05 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: ap.google.com

The Emirati president has appointed the first female judge in this conservative Muslim country

The appointment makes the United Arab Emirates only the second Persian Gulf nation — after Bahrain — with a woman in a high-profile judiciary position

Kholoud Ahmed Juwan al-Dhahiri will serve as a primary judge for Abu Dhabi's Judiciary Department

A primary judge handles civil and criminal cases, and al-Dhahiri could judge both in Abu Dhabi — one of seven emirates, or states, making up the UAE — and at the federal level

There are four female Cabinet Ministers in the UAE, and eight women have been named to the 40-seat advisory council, a panel that is the closest body the country has to a parliament

the decree by President Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan proves the oil-rich Gulf city-state's "commitment to engage women in the Emirate's development."

Tags: uae, woman, judge, appoint, first, muslim, arab

Women Living under Muslim Laws

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 05:51:16 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: Interesting website regarding news, views, publications etc all about Muslim women everywhere

Clip Source: www.wluml.org

An international network that provides information, solidarity and support for all women whose lives are shaped, conditioned or governed by laws and customs said to derive from Islam.

Tags:

Saudi Arabia opens its first women-only hotel

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:22:25 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

For a country that goes to such great lengths to segregate unrelated men and women, it took Saudi Arabia a long time to hit on the idea of women-only hotels

The kingdom's first hotel exclusively for females opened on Wednesday, offering plush lodgings with a full-range of health and beauty facilities for ladies to pamper themselves away from the accusing eyes of a male-dominated society

New rules announced in January allow women to stay in standard mixed-gender hotels without a male family member in tow, but bureaucracy and conservative family values mean few have been able to make use of their new-found freedom

The Luthan Hotel & Spa is owned by a group of 20 Saudi princesses and businesswomen, but it was left to seven princes headed by Sultan bin Salman, a son of Riyadh's powerful governor, to officially inaugurate it on Wednesday evening

The few female journalists who came along liked the hotel but not the fact that men dominated the opening ceremony

Tags: saudi arabia, women, conservative, islam, arab, muslim, segregation, hotel, spa

New marriage law proposed for Muslim women in India

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:09:03 GMT

clipped by: Deepti
clipper's remarks: Controversial points of new nikahnama

--Triple talaq said in one go will not be acceptable
--Talaq to be spaced out over a period of 3 months
--Talaq not be allowed via phone or SMS
--New Nikahnama insists on free will for the girl in case of nikah
--Talaq cannot be given under the influence of alcohol
--Talaq given to pregnant woman should be considered illegal

Clip Source: www.gulfnews.com

The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) has released the Shariat Nikahnama that they claim would give equal rights to both Muslim men and women

Women belonging to both the Shiite and Sunni sects, are demanding a revolutionary nikahnama that does away with contentious issue of triple talaq (divorce)

If the board has its way, a Muslim woman would be entitled to seek divorce if her husband was found having illicit relationship with another woman

The board has also rejected any divorce done through SMS, email, phone as well as video conferencing, besides rejecting divorce done on provocation

A Muslim woman can seek divorce if she is forced by her husband to indulge in unnatural sex. She can also seek divorce if her husband contracts Aids

The new nikahnama has 17-point guidelines for marriage under the sharia for bride and groom, while eight points on the divorce process

Tags: india, women, muslim, islam, sharia, rights, marriage, divorce, equality, law

Bangladesh Government Abandons Women's Rights Policy

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 05:20:18 GMT

clipped by: Deepti

Clip Source: www.feminist.org

The government of Bangladesh retreated from a policy that would have given women equal property rights. Last week, the military backed government introduced a policy that would give women equal rights to inherit property. However, Agence France Presse (AFP) reports that Muslim clerics protested the policy, claiming it violates sharia law

Bangladesh's population is 90 percent Muslim, but its legal system is largely secular. Women's rights groups drew attention to the disparities in the law’s treatment of men and women over the weekend in honor of International Women's Day, according to the Independent Bangladesh. As well as fighting for equal rights to property, women called for setting aside a third of parliamentary seats for women in the National Women Development Policy 2008. The policy has frequently been under attack by extremist religious groups

Tags: women, bangladesh, policy, equality, human rights, muslim