Single Mothers in UAE Will Shoulder the Blame after Most Divorces
New Age Islam News Bureau
7 March 2013
• Morocco Eyes Law on Rape and Child Marriage
• Prosecutors Accused Of Passivity in Bali Paedophilia Trial
• Kuwait Girl Sleepless After Losing Intimate Pictures
• Forbidden Love Wins Pakistani Hearts as TV Tackles Social Taboos
• University Students in Iran Threatened With Punishment for Violating Dress Code
• French mother Bouchra Bagour on trial for 9/11 T-shirt
• Emirati Businesswoman Wins International Leadership Award
• 10 Years in Jail for Abu Dhabi Man Who Raped Step Daughter
• Jakarta Man Allegedly Murdered, Dismembered Wife in Jealous Rage
• Plan to Give Women and Girls Better Schooling, Health and Finance in Indonesia
• Two Indonesian Women Who Made It Big In Saudi Arabia
• 4 Female BNP Mps Picked Up
• In The Philippines, Muslim Women Stand Up For Peace
• Women, Fearing Repercussions of Appearing In Family Photos, Seek Alternatives in Private
• 15 Saudis among 100 Most Powerful Arab Women
• Envoys Deliver Speech at UNCSW Meeting, Oppose Violence against Women
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo: Morocco Eyes Law on Rape and Child Marriage
-------------
Single Mothers in UAE Will Shoulder the Blame after Most Divorces
Ayesha Almazroui
Mar 7, 2013
Since she separated from her husband, Fatma Salim has been through a tough journey that started on the very first day after the divorce. First and most importantly, she faced obstacles as she fought over the custody of her son.
Her 10-year-old would often beg her to move back in with him and his father so that the three of them could live together as they once did. And so she had to convince her son that it was better for him - and for her and her former husband - for them to live apart. It reached a point where the son knew that the only way he would be able to live with his mother again was for his father to pass away. It was a heartbreaking realisation.
Being a single mother is a challenge for any woman, regardless of which country she lives in. Under any circumstances, parenting is an enormous challenge that requires consistent effort and sacrifice. But in some societies, including in the UAE, social stigma adds another dimension to a single mother's struggle.
Ms Salim is just one example of a woman who lost custody of her child, after authorities found in favour of the father. But then she had to fight another battle against the society that surrounds her. Unlike many others, however, she wanted to tell her story, and she told me that many people blamed her for leaving her husband. She also has to tolerate constant questions about the reasons why she divorced, and not-so-subtle suggestions that she should have stayed with her ex-husband regardless.
Her son was the one who paid the price for the divorce, but that did not mean that his mother was guilty of some sort of dereliction of parenthood - in her marriage, divorce seemed like the only solution.
Ms Salim also told me that she felt that many women looked at her as a bad role model for their young daughters. And men who want to get to know her with a view to marriage always change their minds when they find out that she has a child, even though her son does not live with her all the time.
Her case is somewhat rare among divorcees in the UAE, as women are generally awarded custody of their children until they reach majority, as long as the women meet specific conditions and do not remarry. And so many divorced mothers will not even consider getting married again given the risk that they might lose custody of their children, especially if they are very young.
This sometimes means that single mothers will have to take the entire responsibility for their children, as the breadwinner as well as the caregiver, when their ex-husbands start new lives and new families. In this society, men typically have more opportunities to start over than women do.
According to the letter of the law, fathers are required to continue to financially support children and provide a residence. But in practice, many fathers abandon this responsibility and provide very little assistance - "deadbeat dads", they are called in the United States - and so many cases end up in court.
A friend told me about her mother, who has four children and faced many difficulties after she left her husband because he chose to marry someone else. Without my friend's grandmother, the family would not have been able to survive financially. Many newly single women have never held a job in their lives.
In that case, the children were lucky to have a grandmother around to lend support. In other cases, single mothers rely on family members for support, but are seen as a burden, and treated poorly as a result.
Divorce rates are increasing in the UAE. According to a survey by Euromonitor International, the total number of single-parent households more than doubled between 2006 and 2011, to more than 110,000. There are some single fathers, but most of these households are headed by single mothers.
These women face so much pressure from society, which in most cases blames women more than men. That adds to their emotional burden as many of them are made to feel that they are the reason that their children live without fathers, even if divorce or separation wasn't their decision.
As many of these women face difficulties starting new lives and finding new husbands, if they so choose, many of them have to fight the perception among some men that they are "easy". And some men do try to take advantage of their situation.
Single mothers - separated, divorced or widowed - all need community support. Blaming divorced mothers for not holding their families together, as if it was their fault alone, achieves nothing. Sometimes divorce, even if it is unfortunate, is the only solution. Single mothers deserve another chance to start new lives, and need respect from society to do so.
Ms Salim's family respected her decision and her right to choose what she thought was best for her and for her child. But so many women in our society struggle to fight a negative social stigma and mistreatment, sometimes coming from their very own families.
aalmazrouei@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @AyeshaAlMazroui
http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/single-mothers-in-uae-will-shoulder-the-blame-after-most-divorces#ixzz2MqP9jk5Q
-------------
Morocco eyes law on rape and child marriage
Morocco's parliament works to amend a law that legalizes the marriage of a rapist to him victim due to public pressure from supporters of women's rights in the North African kingdom
7 Mar 2013
Defenders of women's rights in Morocco are inching closer to a long-awaited goal as the kingdom's parliament works to amend a law that allows a rapist to escape prison by marrying his victim.
Morocco was shocked in March 2012 by the suicide of Amina Filali, 16, who was forced to marry the man who had raped her. He remained a free man under Article 475 of the kingdom's penal code.
A year later, the controversial article is to be amended after the Islamist government threw its weight behind a new bill now expected to be adopted by parliament at a spring session.
The justice ministry has said it supports altering the article, under which the rape of a minor is punishable by several years in prison unless the victim and aggressor wed.
"We have supported other amendments aimed at the better protection of minors," Justice Minister Mustapha Ramid told AFP, referring to new tougher punishments for rape of up to 30 years behind bars.
Rachida Tahri, a Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) member and former president of the Women's Democratic Association of Morocco, has already moved the fight to another level -- banning child marriage itself.
The number of child marriages in the North African kingdom rose to more than 35,000 in 2010 from 30,000 two years before, official figures show.
Article 19 of the family code adopted in 2004 prohibits marriage for anyone below 18 years of age, considered the age of adulthood, but judges have often waived the rule.
"We have noticed, particularly in rural areas, violations among girls who are just 13 years old," said Zoubida Bouayad, a socialist MP, adding that more than 10 percent of women marry before the stipulated age of 18.
A teenager from the central city of Meknes told AFP she was married when she was just 13 years and half, with false papers. "After I was drugged and tortured for a year, my husband repudiated me," she said on condition of anonymity.
The country's Islamist Justice and Development Party wants to make 16 the minimum age for marriage, while the defenders of women's rights have called for an outright ban on the marriage of minors.
"A teenager's place is in school," argued Khadija Rouissi, a member of the Party of Authenticity and Modernity.
"If one part of the law says there can be a marriage at 16 years, it sends a negative message to the people," said Tahri.
The campaigners are basing their case on the 2011 constitution, adopted during the Arab Spring, that calls for "equal rights" and urges the state to achieve gender parity.
They argue that reforms must go deep, and have the backing of local and international NGOs.
Several articles of the criminal code must be amended so that women "can be protected from violence and discrimination," said Amnesty International.
Khadija Ryadi, president of the Moroccan Association for Human Rights, called for a "complete overhaul".
"The principle of equality and non-discrimination must be included in every major law," said Tahri.
Last month, Bassima Hakkaoui, the sole female minister in the government, announced the creation of a commission of "High Authority of Parity" under the constitution.
The "dynamism" is there, said MP Bouayad. "But our concern is the delay."
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/8/66329/World/Region/Morocco-eyes-law-on-rape-and-child-marriage.aspx
-------------
Prosecutors Accused Of Passivity in Bali Paedophilia Trial
BY LUH DE SURIYANI
2013-03-05
The Support Network for Victims of Paedophilia (JPAKP) in Singaraja is urging the Bali Prosecutor’s Office to persuade the public prosecutor currently handling the paedophilia trial in Singaraja to strive for the maximum sentence possible.
This week, the case of Dutch national Jan Jacobus Vogel has entered the stage where the prosecutor sets out the sentence he is seeking for the defendant. Vogel allegedly molested four girls aged between 9-13, who live in Enjung Sanghyang hamlet in the impoverished village of Kaliasem in Buleleng regency.
“We are urging all prosecutors in Bali to commit to seeking maximum charges against defendants who are paedophilia suspects,” said Luh Putu Anggreni, head of the Denpasar chapter of P2TP2A (the Community Service Centre for the Protection of Women and Children). She was speaking after her meeting with the head of the Bali Prosecutor’s Office on Monday in Deposer.
According to Law No. 23/2002 on child protection, those convicted of child rape or child molestation face between three to 15 years in prison or a fine of between Rp 60 million and Rp 300 million (US$6,186-$30,930).
Anggreni said that the head of the prosecutor’s office had given his assurances that he would give his full attention to the ongoing paedophilia case in Singaraja.
During the first trial session on Jan. 8, the four victims and four key witnesses withdrew their testimonies. The prosecutor at the Singaraja district office in charge of the case, Putu Ambara, told the network in a meeting on Jan. 17 that the success of the case rested on the results of the police investigation.
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) based in Hong Kong has also written a letter requesting the special attention of Indonesia’s attorney general, Basrief Arief, for the Singaraja case.
“While subscribing to the view that the investigation conducted by the police plays an essential role, we wish to emphasize that the prosecutor should be more proactive in responding to the withdrawal of testimonies in this case. The lack of a proactive approach by the prosecutor to find more witnesses and convince the victims and current available witnesses to testify will lead to a weak prosecution that is likely to result in the acquittal of the perpetrator,” wrote an Indonesian desk officer at AHRC, Answer Styannes.
“We urge your institution and Putu Ambara, as the prosecutor in this case, to take into account the record of the interviews with the victims conducted by local activists.”
The letter further states that the failure of the prosecutor to take proactive measures is a violation of Article 19 paragraph (1) of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which imposes the obligation on its state parties, like Indonesia, to take all appropriate measures to protect children from all forms of abuse, including those of a sexual nature.
Despite the existence of a video recording containing the testimonies of two victims, the court also heard the surprising testimony of the head of the Buleleng of chapter the Child Protection Agency (LPA), Ni Made Cantiari, that was in favor of the defendant.
“The children told me they had never been harassed by the defendant. In the video, a child said otherwise because she was confused after being asked over and over again by the NGO people. The child said she even ran and hid under the bed, but they kept pushing her to admit being harassed,” said Cantiari. “I believe they are telling the truth. They swore to God,” she said recently.
In her testimony, Cantiari also stated that the victims’ parents and all the village residents in Kaliasem and other neighboring villages had received the defendant’s assistance over the past 11 years.
“The LPA has disregarded the fact that sexual attacks on children are often disguised by philanthropic approaches. The LPA did not involve child experts and failed to investigate the truth behind the victims’ statement withdrawals,” said Ayu Wulan Prami, a paralegal officer at P2TP2A Denpasar. During the police investigation, the four victims had admitted of being groped on the breasts and buttocks.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/bali-daily/2013-03-05/prosecutors-accused-passivity-pedophilia-trial.html
-------------
Kuwait Girl Sleepless After Losing Intimate Pictures
By Habib Toumi
17 March 6, 2013
Manama: A girl in Kuwait has solicited help from the local police to locate a flash memory stick that had compromising pictures.
The girl reportedly told the police that she was unable to sleep for three days after she lost the stick and that she was “extremely worried”, local Arabic daily Al Rai reported on Wednesday.
Pressed by the police, the girl who was not identified said that she had kept the memory stick with the car ignition key on a chain and that she could not recall how or where it was lost.
The stick contained private pictures of the girl in skimpy clothes as well as other compromising photos, she reportedly told the police in Jahra, northwest of the capital Kuwait City.
The police pledged to help and recorded a case of a loss of a personal item, the daily said.
Most readers expressed their sympathy online, but they posted that the incident should serve as “an eye-opener” for those who carry “compromising pictures” in public places.
“I really feel for this girl who is now entangled by this incident,” Faisal, an office clerk, said. “She will live in fear of a scandal for a long time because she cannot be really sure what happened to the memory stick and to her pictures. Maybe a discreet person will simply erase them and it will be over. But also, maybe a not so discreet person will post her pictures on the net or on social networks or use them against her,” he said.
http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/kuwait/kuwait-girl-sleepless-after-losing-intimate-pictures-1.1154887
-------------
Forbidden Love Wins Pakistani Hearts as TV Tackles Social Taboos
By Haris Anwar
Mar 7, 2013
As Nihal prepared to marry Behlul, not everything was going to plan. Wielding a gun, the bride’s stepmother declared undying love for the groom and said she couldn’t live without him.
Illicit liaisons were at the heart of “Ishq-e-Memnu” or “Forbidden Love,” the Turkish series that was the biggest hit on Pakistani television last winter. At its peak, the show on the Urdu 1 channel was watched by a third of the country’s cable and satellite audience. Still, the racy plotlines proved too much for conservative politicians, and a parliamentary committee found the “onslaught of foreign dramas” so harmful to the nation’s culture it suggested a ban.
Full report at:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-06/forbidden-love-wins-pakistani-hearts-as-tv-tackles-social-taboos.html
-------------
University Students in Iran Threatened With Punishment for Violating Dress Code
06 March 2013
NCRI – The State Security forces in Payame-nour University in north-western city of Orumieh, have threatened the students with punishment in case they wore ordinary clothes that or considered “non-Islamic.”
The security forces have posted leaflets in different areas in the university that read, students including girls and boys must fully obey dress code and avoid wearing short sleeve shirts and tight clothes.
Boys and girls who wear makeup or are not wearing “proper” dress will be dealt with and sent to the university's disciplinary office.
http://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/women/13025-university-students-threatened-with-punishment-for-violating-dress-code.html
-------------
French mother Bouchra Bagour on trial for 9/11 T-shirt
Mar 7, 2013
A mother has gone on trial in southern France for sending her son to nursery school wearing a T-shirt reading "I am a bomb" and "Born on 11 September".
Bouchra Bagour, 35, was reported to police by the teacher last September, and charged with "glorifying crime".
At the start of her trial in Avignon, she denied defending terrorism.
Ms Bagour's brother - who gave the T-shirt to her three-year-old son named Jihad - is a co-defendant in the case and also denies the charge.
Full report at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21697037
----------
Emirati Businesswoman Wins International Leadership Award
The National staff
Mar 7, 2013
An Emirati businesswoman has won an international leadership award as the only person from the MENA region.
Entrepreneur Badria Al Mulla, who is the president of the International Emirates Business Group, has been awarded the Master class Women CEO of the year by the Global Leadership Awards 2013. She is among 30 global leaders.
The award, organised by the American Leadership Development Association (ALDA) highlights contributions towards global economy and nation building.
newsdesk@thenational.ae
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/emirati-businesswoman-wins-international-leadership-award#ixzz2MqOmj7Ro
-------------
10 Years in Jail for Abu Dhabi Man Who Raped Step Daughter
Haneen Dajani
Mar 6, 2013
ABU DHABI // A man who raped his step daughter over a period of three years has been sentenced to 10 years in jail by the criminal court.
The Emirati man began raping the girl, now 15, she was 12 years old, the court heard. In a recent incident he drove her to the desert and raped her in his car while he was drunk.
When the girl returned home at dawn her mother noticed she was tired and asked her what had happened. When the victim told her mother she reported it to police.
Full report at:
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/courts/10-years-in-jail-for-abu-dhabi-man-who-raped-step-daughter#ixzz2MqP28ZAM
-------------
Jakarta Man Allegedly Murdered, Dismembered Wife in Jealous Rage
SP/Fana F.S. Putra | March 07, 2013
A Jakarta man accused of brutally murdering his wife, cutting up her body and disposing of the remains along the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road was arrested by East Jakarta Police on Wednesday.
Benget Situmorang, 36, allegedly beat 32-year-old Darna Sri Astuti to death in their bedroom after confronting her over suspicions she was having an affair, police said. The couple’s argument allegedly turned violent when Darna refused to tell her husband the name of the other man.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/jakarta-man-allegedly-murdered-dismembered-wife-in-jealous-rage/578119
-------------
Plan to Give Women and Girls Better Schooling, Health and Finance in Indonesia
Ridho Syukra | March 06, 2013
Empowering Indonesia’s women in order to improve their health, education and incomes is the focus of a new initiative launched by four government ministries on Tuesday.
National Development Planning (Bappenas) Minister Armida Alisjahbana said the potential of Indonesia’s 120 million women and girls should be tapped to prevent them from being marginalized.
Full report at:
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/education/plan-aims-to-give-women-and-girls-better-schooling-health-and-finance/577211
------------
Two Indonesian Women Who Made It Big In Saudi Arabia
7 March 2013
Two Indonesian women, who came to work in Saudi Arabia as domestic helpers, have become millionaires after inheriting millions of riyals from their late Saudi husbands.
The Saudi men initially employed them as domestic helpers but later married them.
One of the women living in Riyadh received SR 5 million last week, while in another case the woman married to a Saudi real estate tycoon was given SR 20 million recently after a Taif court directed the heirs to pay her the amount.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/indonesian-women-who-made-it-big
-------------
4 female BNP MPs picked up
Mar 7, 2013
Police arrested four women lawmakers of the BNP from in front of the party’s Nayapaltan headquarters in the city as a shutdown disrupts normal life in the capital as well as elsewhere in the country.
Pickets vandalised and set fire to several vehicles and blasted cocktails in different parts of Dhaka to enforce a daylong hartal (shutdown) called by main opposition BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) and its key ally Jamaat-e-Islami.
Number of vehicles on Dhaka streets however was more than the previous shutdowns though very few private cars were seen plying the city streets. Rickshaws were seen plying on almost all of the thoroughfares.
Full report at:
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/hartal-progresses-almost-peacefully/
-------------
In the Philippines, Muslim women stand up for peace
By Nawal Nassreena Sampaco-Baddiri
07 March 2013
At the heart of Manila’s main thoroughfare, right at the People Power monument, a large group of Muslim women, gathered one Sunday (Oct. 14, 2012), in pink hijabs no less, sending an important message for the rest of the Filipino nation as the historic framework agreement on the Bangsamoro was about to be signed: “Religious understanding now, Bangsamoro for peace, yes to national unity.”
To me, the message is clear: Amidst cultural and religious diversity, respect and understanding are key to peace and progress. This has been a global challenge, from Pakistan to Gaza, from Myanmar to South Sudan.
Full report at:
https://www.devex.com/en/news/in-the-philippines-women-stand-up-for-peace/80454
-------------
Women, Fearing Repercussions of Appearing In Family Photos, Seek Alternatives in Private
7 March 2013
There are many photo studios throughout Yemen, where family pictures for special occasions, like for the two Eids or weddings, are taken. However, in all of these pictures, there’s one thing strikingly absent—women.
Abdulqawi Al-Asbahi works at Ajman Studio in Sana’a and says it’s incredibly rare for Yemeni women to appear in photos with her family, specifically alongside any man. It would also be shameful for a woman to pose in front of a male photographer, Al Asbahi says, even if she were to wear a veil.
Full report at:
http://www.yementimes.com/en/1657/report/2090/Women-fearing-repercussions-of-appearing-in-family-photos-seek-alternatives-in-private.htm
-------------
15 Saudis among 100 most powerful Arab women
7 March 2013
Fifteen Saudi women who are breaking new grounds in the social, educational, economic, political and cultural fields have been named in the list of the world’s 100 most powerful Arab women, published this week by CEO Middle East. The highest Saudi entry was second place Lubna Olayan, while Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel and Mona Al-Munajjed ranked third and ninth, respectively. UAE Minister for Foreign Trade Sheikha Lubna Al-Qasim tops the list.
Full report at:
http://www.arabnews.com/offbeat/15-saudis-among-100-most-powerful-arab-women
-------------
Envoys Deliver Speech at UNCSW Meeting, Oppose Violence against Women
Mar 7, 2013
TEHRAN (FNA)- Parliament members Nayyereh Akhavan Bitaraf and Sakineh Omrani, who represented Iran in the 57th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), underlined, during their address at the UN meeting, Iran's firm opposition to any kind of violence against women across the world.
Iran's envoys at the 57th session of UNCSW slammed all forms of violence against women and set out the Islamic Republic's proposals for preventing the phenomenon across the globe in New York on Tuesday.
Full report at:
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9107150682
-------------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/single-mothers-uae-shoulder-blame/d/10682