Womens Rights
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has triggered protests for withdrawing the country from an international agreement to prevent violence against women. The decision comes amid increasing calls for Turkey to combat domestic violence as femicide rates rise.
"The guarantee of women's rights are the current regulations in our bylaws, primarily our Constitution. Our judicial system is dynamic and strong enough to implement new regulations as needed," Family, Labour and Social Policies Minister Zehra Zumrut Selcuk said on Twitter.
Following international criticism of the dress code rules for women at the beach volleyball tournament in Doha, the organizers have now withdrawn the originally planned restrictions on women's workwear. Qatar Volleyball Association (QVA) has "confirmed that there will be no restrictions on female players wearing standard uniforms during the event in Doha if they so wish" according to a spokeswoman for the world federation
The Democratic State Rep. Athena Salman has published a series of tweets shedding light on legislation draft "HB 2650" handed in by multiple Republican State Representatives.
If the legislation would pass, all abortions would be classified as first degree murder and a "class 1 felony" which "is punishable by death or life imprisonment".
On Wednesday the cabinet of Egypt toughened penalties for female genital mutilation, authorizing prison terms of up to 20 years in a bid to curb a practice that has persisted despite religious edicts against it. Human rights activists have long advocated against it, but government efforts to end it have met with resistance. That notion, however, has been disputed by al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world's most respected religious institution, located in Cairo.
Changes are now being made to the approximately 12,000 personal and occupational terms that the Duden previously listed exclusively in the generic masculine form. Every designation will now also be listed in the female form. Ms. Kunkel-Razum, the head of the online Duden editorial department, says, "When we talk about specific people, the generic masculine is increasingly being questioned." In the meantime, she says, gender-sensitive language is a phenomenon that has taken hold of the broad masses.
According to the new FIFA regulations, professional female soccer players worldwide should be able to take paid maternity leave. For at least 14 weeks, two-thirds of the salary will be paid, and discrimination based on pregnancy will be prohibited. Also, clubs will be obliged to reintegrate the players after their return and to provide medical support. Now the FIFA Council still has to approve the new regulations.
With newly announced reform plans the United Arab Emirates aim to boost the country’s economic and social standing and “consolidate the UAE’s principles of tolerance,” according to the state-run WAM news agency.
As of now, it's unclear how the new regulations will put into law, but according to the report they aim to "protect women’s rights," and get rid of laws defending "honor crimes".
Brazil's women's national players will be paid the same as male players for representing their country, Brazil's football association (CBF) has said.
All players will be granted the same daily and prize amounts for taking part in preparation periods and games.
Rogério Caboclo, CBF president, stated: "What men will receive at the next World Cup will be proportionally equal to what is proposed by FIFA. There is no more gender difference, as the CBF is treating men and women equally."
US President Donald Trump has pardoned women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony, who had been convicted of participating in the 1872 presidential election. Trump announced the move on Tuesday at a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the right to vote for women in the USA at the White House.
Anthony's trial in 1873 fired up the women's movement in the United States and she had been sentenced to a fine. In August 1920 with the 19th Amendment to the American Constitution the United States introduced the right for women to vote. Anthony died in 1906 at the age of 86.
According to a survey by the children's aid organization "Plan" among 1,000 respondents between 16 and 71 years of age, the fear of harassment, threats, and insults is great. Big cities like Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne or Munich stand out here. One in five respondents stated in the survey that they had been the victim of a crime such as insults, threats or harassment. Girls and women feel most unsafe on the open street, followed directly by public transport and parks.
Françoise Brougher, Pinterest’s former COO, has filed a lawsuit accusing the company of gender discrimination. Brougher is suing the company to hold it “accountable for discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful termination in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), and the Labor Code,” according to a Tuesday filing in San Francisco Superior Court.
Brougher, who was abruptly fired from the company in April, states in the lawsuit that she had a less favourable equity compensation package than her male peers. She also claims that she was also left out of crucial decision-making by other executives, was subjected to a hostile work environment, and ultimately fired by CEO Ben Silbermann when she spoke up against her treatment.
The justice minister of Poland, Zbigniew Ziobro, has announced that his country will leave the Istanbul Convention - a treaty that aims to prevent violence against women.
He claims that it "contains elements of an ideological nature" as it requires all signed countries to teach children about gender.
Women across the country have protested on thousands.
After two cases of bridal kidnapping have been filmed and posted to social media platforms where they went viral, Indonesian officials have vowed to ban the practice. The practice is established in Sumba, a southern island in Indonesia where family members or friends of a man who wants to marry a woman kidnap her and bring her directly to the ceremony.
According to local historian Frans Wora Hebi "There are no laws against it, only sometimes there is social reprimand against those who practice it but there is no legal or cultural deterrent" adding that the practice is not part of any traditions but a way to force women into marriage.
Regional leaders in Sumba have now signed a declaration stating that they reject the practice and Indonesia's women's empowerment minister Bintang Puspayoga stated that there will be a government effort to end the practice.
Prosecutors had pursued a woman in Saudia Arabia for travelling to Riyadh without permission and thus being absent from her family.
The court has now ruled that the woman being in a separate home is not a punishable crime as the "woman is a sane adult who has the right to decide where she wants to live".
Abdulrahman al-Lahim, one of the lawyers involved in the case, has stated that "A historic ruling was issued today, affirming that independence of a sane, adult woman in a separate house is not a crime worthy of punishment".