Pakistan to Launch Crackdown against Mercury Used Cosmetic Products
New Age Islam News Bureau
10 October 2020
• Woman Lecturer of the Swat University Has Accused the Registrar, Deputy Registrar and Provost of Sexually Harassing Her
• ‘All Women Are Represented’ In Juba Peace Agreement,
Says Fawateh El Nur
• Tehran Ambassador to Denmark Accused of Forcing Islamic-Style
Divorce on Women
• Emiratis, Israelis Meet in Dubai as Part of Women’s
Forum Event
• Bangladesh PM Urged To Take Action on Rape Cases
• Pakistan Woman Cricketer Tests Positive for Covid-19
Ahead Of National Camp
• Woman Planning Suicide Attack Arrested In Philippines:
Military
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/pakistan-launch-crackdown-mercury-used/d/123103
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Pakistan to Launch Crackdown against Mercury Used Cosmetic Products
9 Oct 2020
Pak to lauch crackdown on injurious cosmetic products,
particularly the whitening creams in the market after December
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ISLAMABAD, Oct 9 (APP): Minister of State for Climate
Change Zartaj Gul Friday said the government would launch crackdown against
production, marketing and sale of injurious cosmetic products, particularly the
whitening creams in the market after December.
She said the decision was taken on media complaints
regarding the use of mercury in beauty creams as the main reason of skin
infections and diseases among women.
Talking to a private news channel, the state minister
said the ministry would hold a workshop with skin experts and CEOs of the
national and international brands to convince them for phasing out mercury from
their products in accordance with the government’s compliance, before
imposition of ban on marketing of such illegal products.
The government has no plan to close down the cosmetic
industry rather, it has proper plan for abandoning the sub standard products on
one side and surviving the industry on the other side, she expressed
https://www.app.com.pk/national/govt-to-launch-crackdown-against-mercury-used-cosmetic-products-zartaj-gul/
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Woman Lecturer of the Swat University Has Accused the
Registrar, Deputy Registrar and Provost of Sexually Harassing Her
Fazal Khaliq
10 Oct 2020
SWAT: A woman lecturer of the Swat University has
accused the registrar, deputy registrar and provost of sexually harassing her.
Assistant Professor Dr Zakia told reporters that the
university’s registrar and deputy registrar had harassed her asking her to
accept their ‘illegal demands’, and on refusal, she was removed as the head of
the women’s campus and was transferred to the men’s campus.
“I have done PhD but the VC and registrar demoted me
and promoted a lecturer with MA degree to head the women’s campus, which is an
injustice. When I raised voice, the registrar and deputy registrar began
threatening me with dire consequences. Now, the registrar is repeatedly calling
me to issue threats,” she said.
The lecturer said she had reported harassment and
threats to the Kanju police station.
“I need protection from the registrar, deputy
registrar and others, who are threatening me,” she said.
SHO of the Kanju police station Mujeeb Alam confirmed
that he had received a harassment and threat complaint from Dr Zakia against
the university’s registrar, deputy registrar and provost.
“We have begun a proper inquiry into the matter and
once it is complete, we will register an FIR under the relevant sections of the
law and will take action,” he told Dawn.
When contacted, public relations officer of the
university Rafiullah Khan denied the assistant professor’s allegations and
called the matter a minor one.
“Dr Zakia was neither harassed nor threatened and she
was only transferred to the main campus,” he said.
The PRO said instead of going to the police station
and media, Dr Zakia should have approached the university’s grievances
committee for the resolution of the issue.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1584189/swat-varsity-teacher-accuses-registrar-others-of-harassment
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‘All Women Are Represented’ In Juba Peace Agreement,
Says Fawateh El Nur
October 10 – 2020
(Albert Gonzalez Farran / UNAMID)
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The main beneficiaries of the Juba Peace Agreement
will be women living in conflict and marginalised areas in Sudan, says Fawateh
El Nur, member of the peace negotiations committee of the Sudan People’s
Liberation Movement-North faction headed by Malik Agar (SPLM-N Agar) in Blue
Nile state.
According to El Nur, Member of the Tripartite
Committee for the Implementation of the Humanitarian Issues Agreement and the
official spokesperson for the Security Arrangements Committee during the peace
negotiations in the South Sudanese capital of Juba, women in these areas are
most in need of peace. They have lost their husbands and children to the war
and have become the head of the family and the breadwinner.
Because of the war, girls did not have access to
education. “The war also led to the marriage of minors, meaning marriage at a
very early age due to the lack of any opportunities for women in war zones”.
In an interview with Radio Dabanga on Thursday, El Nur
said that all SPLM-N Agar women, “wherever they live, in camps for the
displaced, in refugee camps, or in war zones, are happy with the agreement and
say that the agreement will provide us with representation and a decent life”.
The government and most armed movements in Sudan
signed the peace agreement last weekend. All major armed movements in Sudan are
involved in the peace agreement, except Sudan People’s Liberation
Movement-North led by Abdulaziz El Hilu (SPLM-N El Hilu*) in South Kordofan and
parts of Blue Nile state and the mainstream Sudan Liberation Movement under the
leadership of Abdelwahid El Nur (SLM-AW**).
The signing ceremony was witnessed by a number of
heads of state and governments, and representatives of the African Union and
the United Nations.
Addressing all issues
She added that the agreement does not ignore women “as
it is rumoured”, but rather addresses all women’s issues “from the causes of
the marginalisation to enhancing their capabilities through education for
themselves and their children”.
This opens space for women to rely on themselves, she
said, indicating that organizations will contribute to rehabilitation,
training, and economic empowerment. This will also mitigate the chances of war
breaking out again, she said, referring to United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1325.
She also stated that peace contributed to the return
of families to their original areas. “It happened that families were literally
divided by the war, one part was living in areas freed by the movement, and the
other part in government-controlled areas. The opening of the routes in Blue
Nile state contributed to the return of the displaced and refugees to their
families they did not see for 10 years.”
The agreement will also help ensure delivery of aid to
the displaced, restore traffic, and provide treatment for those affected by the
consequences of war.
Participation
On the participation of women in the peace process,
she said that the SPLM-N Agar women were just like men in the negotiations. “We
demanded fair representation and our participation was real and not fake,” she
said.
“We were also successful in getting the UNSC
Resolution 3125 to be inserted in the Constitutional Document.”
The women also managed to raise the percentage of
women in all levels of government in Sudan to 40 per cent. The priority for
women now is psychologically overcoming the consequences of war, social
integration, return for the displaced, services and education, eliminating differences
between various groups, and stability, according to El Nur, “in addition to any
other things that will contribute to enhancing job opportunities.”
As for compensation, she emphasised that the agreement
dealt with the causes of material and in-kind compensation. The representative
of the peace agreement will compensate all people who lost their money and
housing. Compensation will also be provided for missing persons.
“The time has come to bridge the gap between the women
in the centre of the country and the marginalised women in the peripheries”,
said El Nur at the end of the interview. She appealed to all women to come
together and especially help those in conflict areas.
https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/all-women-are-represented-in-sudan-peace-agreement
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Tehran Ambassador to Denmark Accused of Forcing
Islamic-Style Divorce on Women
October 09, 2020
On Wednesday, October 8, Denmark summoned Tehran's
ambassador to Copenhagen, Afsaneh Nadipour, over reports that the Iranian Embassy
had allegedly contacted Iranian women living in the Scandinavian country and
pressured them to accept divorce terms drawn up by local clergies and Mosque
Imams.
The summons follows recent reports in Danish media
about Muslim women being forced to accept divorce deals made by imams in
Denmark. A contract made by one imam said that a woman, among other things, had
to admit that if she remarried, she would lose the custody of her children,
Associated Press reported.
"I take the rumors extremely seriously that the
Iranian Embassy, unsolicited, had contacted women living here to pressure them
to have their Danish divorce papers religiously validated," said Danish
Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod. "That is also why we react as quickly and as
clearly as we do."
Kofod added that the Scandinavian country would
"in no way accept if an embassy is involved in cases that are contrary to
Danish law — and contrary to our basic democratic values in Denmark."
"The kind of religious control that we have heard
about in the media does not belong in Denmark," he said.
Tehran has not yet responded to the summoning of
Nadipour to the Danish Foreign Ministry.
Wrapped in Islamic hijab, Nadipour presented her
credentials to Queen Margrethe II of Denmark on Monday, February 8, 2020. She
had earlier served in the Islamic Republic's representative offices in Tokyo,
Geneva, and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The
Hague (OPCW).
This is not the first case of summoning an Iranian
Ambassador to the Danish Foreign Ministry.
Denmark announced in late October 2018 that the
Iranian ambassador to Copenhagen, Morteza Moradian, had been summoned to the
Danish Foreign Ministry following Danish security forces foiling an Iranian
plot to kill an exiled Iranian dissident.
Earlier, a Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin was
arrested on October 21, 2018 on suspicion of helping an unspecified Iranian
intelligence service '"to act in Denmark" and allegedly becoming
involved in an assassination plot, Danish security service chief Finn Borch
Andersen said.
Denmark recalled its ambassador to Iran after the
country accused Tehran of plotting to kill three Iranian dissidents living
there.
Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen and Foreign
Minister Anders Samuelsen both called the alleged Iranian attack in Denmark
"totally unacceptable."
https://en.radiofarda.com/a/tehran-ambassador-to-denmark-accused-of-forcing-islamic-style-divorce-on-women/30884806.html
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Emiratis, Israelis meet in Dubai as part of women’s
forum event
October 09, 2020
LONDON: A group of Emirati and Israeli women met in
Dubai for the first time, in a meeting held as part of the Gulf-Israel Women’s
Forum.
The group, co-founded by Jerusalem’s Deputy Mayor
Fleur Hassan-Nahoum and the co-founder of the Jewish Women’s Business Network
Justine Zwerling, is a division of the newly formed UAE-Israel Business
Council.
“I believe that women are natural peace builders. We
created the Gulf-Israel Women’s Forum in order to facilitate people-to-people,
grassroots peace building,” Hassan-Nahoum said.
“It was an honor to host this very memorable and
historic meeting of Israeli and Emirati women in Dubai, creating bonds and
making a better future for our children.”
The UAE-Israel Business Council, which was founded in
June, has grown to almost 2,000 members since the announcement in August of the
UAE and Israel normalizing relations, according to Hassan-Nahoum.
To date there are 250 Israeli companies trading with
the UAE, and the council aims to help increase that number over the next couple
of years.
In September, the energy ministers and tourism
officials from the UAE and Israel discussed possible cooperation, travel
opportunities and investment openings.
Also in September, Dubai’s Al-Habtoor Group announced
plans to open a representative office in Israel, and the Abu Dhabi Investment
Office said it will open its first office outside the UAE in the city of Tel
Aviv.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1746526/business-economy
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Bangladesh PM Urged To Take Action on Rape Cases
October 09, 2020
DHAKA: There were protests in Bangladesh on Wednesday
against recent incidents of rape and sexual violence, with some demonstrators
demanding that the prime minister introduce the death penalty for convicted
rapists.
According to data from the human rights group Ain O
Salish Kendro, 975 women were raped between January and September this year,
with 208 of those subjected to gang rape. Forty-five women were killed after
being assaulted, while 12 were reported to have killed themselves.
“It's happening due to the existing system of
lawlessness in society,” Asmani Asha, a spokesperson for the civil society
group Bangladesh Against Rape (BAR), told Arab News. “The whole system in the
country needs an overhaul to ensure a safe environment for women.”
The protests followed two gang-rapes in the country’s
Noakhali and Sylhet districts.
In the first case, which took place on Sept. 2, the
victim was attacked at her home. The perpetrators filmed the assault and shared
it on social media. There have been six arrests in Noakhali so far.
On Sept. 25, a woman who was with her husband at a
college campus in Sylhet city was abducted and gang raped in a dormitory.
Police have arrested six people, who are reported to be student leaders in the
ruling Awami League (AL) party headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“The ruling party’s activists were found accused in
connection with rape incidents, and many cases didn't come under the purview of
legal systems. Our prime minister is a woman too. So we expect a bold
initiative from her to protect the women of the country," Asha added,
demanding the death sentence for the perpetrators. “Our protests will continue
until the demands are met."
There is no provision for the death penalty for
sex-related crimes in Bangladesh, and individuals are sentenced to life
imprisonment if convicted.
The government has pledged to bring all perpetrators
to justice “irrespective of their political and social affiliations.”
Officials on Wednesday expressed their solidarity with
the victims.
“I am very saddened over the recent rape and violence
incidents in the country … I express my solidarity with the protesters and
personally believe that the culprits should be awarded capital
punishment," Fazilatun Nessa Indira, minister for women and children
affairs, told Arab News. She urged Bangladeshis to “boycott” the rapists.
“A pervert mindset instigates people in such heinous
misdeeds. Our law enforcement agencies are working relentlessly to prevent the
miscreants. Our parents should be more caring to teach children about morality
and they should be more vigilant about their children's movement and
activities.”
AL general secretary and government minister Obaidul
Quader urged people to be patient and to inform authorities about any incidents
of violence against women.
“I will tell everyone to be patient, no need to
protest,” he told a party meeting on Tuesday. “The government is not releasing
anyone involved. That is why the government is bringing the perpetrators to
justice to solve the problem.”
But rights groups are pushing for the Women and
Children Repression Act to be revised and for authorities to make necessary
amendments so that perpetrators cannot exploit loopholes to evade justice.
“We need to see the whole situation from a holistic
approach,” rights activist Khushi Kabir told Arab News. “The authorities in
charge should keep in mind that their duty is to serve the state, not any
political party.”
She said that the government alone could not stop
violence against women, and that authorities should call for social unity to
make people aware of crimes against women.
Sheikh Hafizur Rahman Karzon, a law professor at Dhaka
University, said there needed to be a change in the existing trial process for
rape cases.
“In some cases, the laws are not women-friendly,” he
added. “The victims have to face another round of embarrassment during the
trials.”
Loopholes in the legal process meant that 3 percent of
rape cases tried in court resulted in convictions.
“If we don't change the procedures, we can't ensure
justice for the victims.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1746521/world
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Pakistan Woman Cricketer Tests Positive for Covid-19
Ahead Of National Camp
October 10, 2020
A Pakistan women player has returned positive in the
second round of Covid-19 testing, just ahead of the of the team's
high-performance camp scheduled to begin on Saturday in Karachi.
The player, whose identity has not been revealed, has
been removed from the bio-secure bubble and placed in self-isolation, stated
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in a statement on Friday.
Additionally, another player and a player support
personnel have also been withdrawn from the bio-secure bubble as a
precautionary measure after they both showed symptoms of Upper Respiratory
Tract Infection.
"The three squad members' progress will be
regularly monitored by the PCB's medical panel," the PCB statement read.
"They will be allowed to reintegrate with rest of
the squad after complete recovery subject to retesting with negative results as
per PCB domestic Covid -19 SOPs," it added.
The camp, which commences at the National Stadium, has
been set-up to help the players in their skill and match fitness. The camp
serves as an opener of the women's domestic and international cricket season
2020-21.
Pakistan women's cricket team last played competitive
cricket during the T20 World Cup in March where they bowed out in the group
stage itself after winning just one out of four games.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/cricket/pakistan-woman-cricketer-tests-positive-for-covid-19-ahead-of-national-camp
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Woman Planning Suicide Attack Arrested In Philippines:
Military
October 10, 2020
Arrest comes less than two months after a pair of
female suicide bombers blew themselves up on Jolo island.
An Indonesian woman suspected of planning a suicide
bomb attack in the southern Philippines was arrested Saturday in a pre-dawn
raid, the military said. The arrest comes less than two months after a pair of
female suicide bombers blew themselves up on Jolo island in the Muslim-majority
Sulu province, which killed 15 people and wounded 74 others.
Security forces blamed the August 24 attack on the Abu
Sayyaf militant group.
The Indonesian woman was identified as Rezky Fantasya
Rullie and was the widow of an Indonesian militant killed in Sulu in August,
the Joint Task Force for the restive region said in a statement.
She is also believed to be the daughter of two suicide
bombers who killed 21 people in an attack on a Catholic cathedral in Jolo early
last year, it added.
That attack was blamed on a group linked to Abu
Sayyaf.
"We have been pursuing foreign terrorist suicide
bombers in Sulu after the twin bombing of Jolo town (in August)," said
Brigadier General William Gonzales.
"Rullie was first on our list since we have
received intelligence reports that she is going to conduct (a) suicide
bombing."
A vest rigged with pipe bombs was seized along with
other improvised explosive device components from the Jolo island house that is
believed to be owned by an Abu Sayyaf leader, the military said.
Rullie was detained along with two women who are
married to members of Abu Sayyaf, it added.
Listed by the United States as a terrorist
organisation, Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of militants blamed for the
Philippines' worst terror attacks and kidnappings of foreign tourists and
Christian missionaries .
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/world/philippines/woman-planning-suicide-attack-arrested-in-philippines-military
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