Triple Talaq: First August Will Be Celebrated as Muslim Women’s Rights Day in India
New Age Islam News Bureau
26
Jul 2020
•
Egyptian Female Students at Higher Institute of Cinema Speak Out Against Sexual
Harassment
•
Women Gather Across Turkey in Support of Anti-Violence Treaty
•
Israel Keeps Two Palestinian Female Prisoners in Isolation: Palestinian
Commission
•
Garment Workers to Graduates: Bangladeshi Women Aim to Shake Up Textile Sector
•
Turkey Supports Women’s Employment In Sudan
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/triple-talaq-first-august-be/d/122472
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Triple
Talaq: First August Will Be Celebrated as Muslim Women’s Rights Day in India
Abhinandan
Mishra
July
25, 2020
Muslim women celebrate the passage of Triple Talaq Bill
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New
Delhi: August 1 will be celebrated as “Muslim Women’s Rights Day” from now on,
as it was on this day last year that the triple talaq bill got the Presidential
nod. This plan has been made by the Bharatiya Janata Party with the intention
to increase its acceptability within the Muslim community, say sources.
Sources
say that the BJP will celebrate this “historic day” in a big way, with
prominent faces from the Cabinet, including Smriti Irani, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi
and Ravi Shankar Prasad, addressing Muslim women through virtual conferences.
Other party leaders have also been asked to hold virtual conferences and
similar programmes across the country, in a move, which the party feels, will
strengthen communal harmony in the country and expand the party’s reach among
Muslims.
Naqvi,
who is the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, is playing a prominent role in
designing the details of the programmes that will focus on reaching out to
Muslim women.
“Our
government is painted as anti-Muslim by many people and yet it was only our
government that brought the bill to abolish the cruel practice of triple talaq.
The abolition of triple talaq has improved the social and economic status of
Muslim women across the country, especially those who are in the lower strata. The
positive impact of this Act will be seen in the years to come,” a senior BJP
leader told The Sunday Guardian.
The
bill, which provides for a jail term for Muslim men who practise triple talaq,
was passed in the Lok Sabha on 25 July 2019, with 303 MPs voting in its favour
and 82 against it. It was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 30 July, with 99 MPs
voting in its favour and 84 opposing it.
As
per the numbers collated by the Ministry of Minority Affairs, there has been an
82% decline in instances of triple talaq or talaq-e-biddat after the passing of
the “The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019”, which has
criminalised triple talaq.
According
to ministry officials, from 1985 and until August 2019, at least 383,000
instances of triple talaq were reported in the country. However, post July
2019, only 1,039 cases of triple talaq were recorded. These numbers, as per
ministry officials, were collected from various Waqf boards, minority
commission and local administrations.
Before
August 2019, the maximum number of triple talaqs was reported from Uttar
Pradesh (63,400), West Bengal (51,800), undivided Andhra Pradesh (41,382),
Maharashtra (39,200) and Bihar (38,617).
https://www.sundayguardianlive.com/news/1-august-will-celebrated-muslim-womens-rights-day
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Egyptian Female Students at Higher Institute of Cinema Speak Out Against Sexual Harassment
JULY
25, 2020
Egyptian female students at the Higher Institute of Cinema conducted a survey over the past two weeks on sexual harassment at the institute, revealing that 56.7% of 157 students suffered from sexual harassment.
According
to the survey, 30.9% were subjected to online harassment, while 63.9% were
subjected to verbal harassment and other forms of non-verbal sexual harassment
on campus and outside campus.
The
students set up the Instagram page (@womenofcinemainstitute) to raise awareness
and share the 146 responses that were received in less than a week. On July 23,
they created a petition to call for an anti-harassment policy at the institute
that guarantees their rights.
The
hashtag “#حق_طالبات_معهد_السينما”
(The Rights of Female Students at the Cinema Institute) also began circulating
on Twitter for the past few days to call for change.
According
to a statement, the young women are calling for: the implementation of a
compulsory code of conduct for students and faculty members, commitment to a
clearly defined definition of sexual harassment and gender-based violence, the
establishment of safe channels to report incidents, a push by the institute to
encourage all individuals to report and demonstrate its willingness to take
decisive action, a system that reacts promptly to reports of prohibited conduct
and ensures disciplinary action, and heightened awareness about sexual
harassment, including its consequences.
In
response, Dr. Enas Abdel Dayem, Minister of Culture, and Dr. Ashraf Zaki, head
of the Academy of Arts, addressed the accusations and announced that
investigations will take place, affirming in a statement that the academy is in
full readiness to receive any complaint and that it would protect the
confidentiality and privacy of all survivors during investigation.
Egypt’s
National Council for Women, headed by Dr. Maya Morsy, released a statement
commending Dr. Enas Abdel Dayem and Dr. Ashraf Zaki’s timely response to the
complaints of students of the Higher Institute of Cinema. “All institutions
should follow the example of the Academy of Arts in taking such steps, which is
worthy of respect and appreciation to help protect Egyptian girls from sexual
harassment,” the statement read.
Dr.
Maya Morsi also called on all girls and women who have been subjected to any
form of harassment to report their cases in order for institutions to take the
necessary legal measures.
Since
the beginning of July, there has been a wave exposure of sexual predators on
Egyptian social media, following the case of Ahmed Bassam Zaki who was accused
of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment of more than 50 Egyptian and
foreign women.
After
Zaki’s arrest, Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly approved a legislative
amendment in the criminal code to protect the identities of victims of
harassment, rape and assault during court cases.
The
amendment enables prosecutors to conceal the data of victims coming forward with
their reports in order to protect them from possible retribution from
perpetrators or external parties.
The
decision was praised by many, including the National Council of Women, with
hopes that it will encourage more victims of sexual crimes to expose sexual
predators.
Most
recently, Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church’s spokesperson announced that Pope
Tawadros II has decided to defrock priest Rewiess Aziz Khalil, following
allegations of sexual abuse and paedophilia.
https://egyptianstreets.com/2020/07/25/egyptian-female-students-at-higher-institute-of-cinema-speak-out-against-sexual-harassment/
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Women
Gather Across Turkey in Support Of Anti-Violence Treaty
July
26, 2020
Women gathered across Turkey to implore the government to stick with the landmark Istanbul Convention, which combats violence against women. (AFP)
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ANKARA:
Women across Turkey gathered on Sunday in support of a landmark treaty on
combating violence against women as fears grow over Ankara’s possible
withdrawal from the agreement.
The
demonstrations are part of the rising anger in Turkey at the growing number of
women killed, including the murder of university student Pinar Gultekin this
month.
There
is speculation Turkey could withdraw from the Istanbul Convention that Ankara
ratified in 2012, which is the world’s first binding instrument to prevent and
combat violence against women, from marital rape to female genital mutilation.
The
ruling party’s deputy chairman, Numan Kurtulmus, earlier this month described
signing the convention as “wrong” and suggested Turkey could withdraw.
In
an Ankara park where there was a heavy police presence, dozens of women came
together on Sunday for a meeting organized by Ankara Women’s Platform in
support of the treaty.
“If
this convention is taken away from us, all women will be alone,” Cansu Ertas of
the Ankara Women’s Platform told AFP. “The state will have dismissed the
responsibility that falls on them” to protect women, she added.
In
Istanbul, local media reported women were blocked from entering a park and so
dozens decided to walk in the streets of Besiktas district, chanting, “we will
not leave the streets or the squares,” according to video posted online.
For
women’s rights activists, Turkey may have ratified the convention and
established law 6284 to protect women but it is not implemented properly,
leaving women vulnerable to violence often by their former partners, husbands
or relatives.
The
murder of Gultekin reportedly at the hands of her ex-boyfriend has become one
more femicide known across Turkey as women demand more protection from the
state.
Rights
group “We Will Stop Femicides Platform” says 146 women were killed by men in
the first half of 2020.
Last
year, 474 women were killed, according to the group. It was 440 in 2018.
The
protests in Turkey come after the Polish justice minister said at the weekend
his country would start preparation on the formal process to withdraw from the
treaty on Monday.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1710401/middle-east
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Israel
keeps two Palestinian female prisoners in isolation: Palestinian commission
26
July 2020
Two
Palestinian women prisoners are currently behind bars in an Israeli jail in
isolation and under extremely harsh conditions, a Palestinian commission says.
The
Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission, which is run by the Palestinian
Authority (PA) in the occupied West Bank, announced the grim news on Sunday,
identifying the pair as Fadwa Hamada and Jihan Hashima, the Palestinian
Information Center reported.
The
women are being kept in total solitary confinement in Jalamah detention center
under harsh conditions, the commission said, adding that they are also watched
by three security cameras and deprived of their basic needs and rights.
“Since
we were transferred to Jalamah isolation jail, we have been wearing the same
clothes. They have not brought our things. We were given one blouse each and a
single tube of toothpaste with a worn and broken brush,” the Commission quoted
the prisoners as saying.
“When
we go out to see the lawyer, our legs are shackled and they do not provide us
with [protective] masks. Our families have also not been allowed to visit us
for months,” they added.
Late
last year, a number of Palestinian rights groups, including the Palestinian
Prisoners Society (PPS), revealed in a joint statement that the number of
Palestinian detainees currently being kept behind bars in Israeli detention
centers stands at around 5,000, including 50 women and 200 children.
Approximately
350 of these inmates are under the so-called administrative detention, which is
a sort of imprisonment without trial or charge that allows Israel to
incarcerate Palestinians for up to six months, extendable an infinite number of
times.
Israel
arrests Palestinian girl near West Bank village
On
Saturday, Israeli forces arrested a 16-year-old girl, identified as Rima
al-Kilani, in the vicinity of the village of Nazlet Zeid, southwest of Jenin,
in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Information Center reported.
Her
father, Abdul-Fattah, said that Israeli soldiers took his daughter to an
interrogation center inside the Israeli settlement of Ariel and later extended
Rima’s detention to four days after making false claims against her.
Separately
on Saturday, Israeli forces also arrested a boy from his home in Issawiya
district in Jerusalem al Quds, and later released him conditionally.
The
report, citing local sources, added that 13-year-old Zain Addin Issam was
arrested from his home in Obeid neighborhood in Issawiya and was later freed
after ordering his father to pay 5,000 shekels.
Back
in April, the Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs Commission said in
a report that nearly 200 Palestinian children and teenagers are being kept
behind bars in Israeli prisons in inhumane conditions, undergoing “very rough
interrogation process and torture.”
Every
year, between 500 and 700 Palestinian children at the age of 12-17 are arrested
and tried in Israeli military courts, the Defense for Children International
says.
In
March last year, the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said that around 40
Palestinian children had been killed and hundreds more wounded in a year of
anti-occupation protest rallies along the fence that separates the besieged
Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/07/26/630469/Palestine-Israel-women-prison-incommunicado-Jalamah--West-Bank-children-
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Garment
workers to graduates: Bangladeshi women aim to shake up textile sector
Naimul
Karim
July
27, 2020
Five
years ago, Sadeka Begum was working 12-hour shifts in a garment factory as the
main earner for her family in Bangladesh.
Today
the 23-year-old is one of the first graduates of a special university programme
that aims to inspire female workers to become leaders and boost women's rights
across industries.
Begum
now interns for the United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) and hopes to use
her economics degree to launch a project to improve the lives of the children
of Bangladeshi textile workers by addressing a lack of schooling and childcare.
"I
am an example of how education can change a person," said Begum, one of
four former garment workers to graduate from the Pathways for Promise course at
the Asian University for Women (AUW) - based in the southeastern port city of
Chittagong.
"Garment
workers are the reason why Bangladesh's economy is doing well," she added.
"Their children deserve better."
About
470 disadvantaged women including tea pickers and refugees have enrolled for
the free degree programme since it started in 2016, and receive a monthly
stipend while they study.
Dozens
of ex-textile workers are part of the cohort and the AUW's vice chancellor,
Nirmala Rao, said the university was involved in creating internships to tackle
a "dearth of female middle and senior managers" in Bangladesh's
garment industry.
While
up to 80 per cent of garment workers are women in largely junior positions such
as seamstresses, the majority of senior management positions are taken by men,
U.N. data shows.
Rubana
Huq, who heads the nation's largest trade association for garment manufacturers
and was also involved in designing the academic course, said seeing the graduates
taking on management positions in the sector would inspire other women to dream
big.
"They
have different exposure and their outlooks are very fresh," Huq told the
Thomson Reuters Foundation. "They will be able to contribute to how we
look at female empowerment."
WORKERS'
RIGHTS AT RISK
Bangladesh
is the world's second largest supplier of clothes to Western countries after
China, and relies on the garment industry for more than 80 per cent of exports
and four million jobs.
Yet
the sector has been rocked in recent years - first by the 2013 Rana Plaza
collapse on the outskirts of Dhaka that killed 1,136 workers, then by the novel
coronavirus pandemic.
The
2013 disaster sparked efforts to improve labour rights and conditions but the
coronavirus outbreak led to thousands of garment workers being laid off in
recent months as Western fashion brands cancelled orders due to global store
closures.
As
workers push for overdue wages and the jobless seek to find work, the AUW
graduates want to help to steady the sector and push for change by rising
through the ranks of management.
"I
want to see everyone with the same eye, it doesn't matter what category
someone's working in," said former factory packer Yesmin Akther. "I
want people to behave well towards workers."
A
recent report by a U.S. Senate committee found Bangladesh was backsliding on
garment workers' rights. Union leaders faced intimidation, hampering their
ability to investigate claims of threats and abuse - mainly from women workers
- the report said.
Factory
owners dismissed the findings of the report as inaccurate while local
researchers said verbal abuse of workers was more prevalent across smaller
factories and subcontractors.
GIVING
BACK
The
university, funded by donors including the Ikea Foundation and the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation, has female students from across Asia and the Middle
East pursuing degrees in subjects such as public health, philosophy and
politics.
The
students from the garment sector receive full pay - worth about $100 a month -
from their employers while studying.
This
proves vital as their families rely on the income, according to the AUW, which
said it had persuaded several factory owners to back the initiative and allow
some of their brightest female workers to leave the workplace for five years.
The
former textile workers, who had to pass a rigorous entrance exam for a place on
their courses, said adapting to academic life was challenging as was improving
their English.
One
of the graduates said she used to "just stare at people" at the start
because her English wasn't good enough, while another recalled practising the
language in front of the mirror.
Dipali
Khatun, who is set to graduate in December, said her ambition was to work for a
charity or to return to the garment sector in a human resources role where she
could have an impact.
"I
would ... ensure that there is no bad behaviour against any garment
worker," she said.
Kalpona
Akter, founder of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity, said she hoped
the all the garment worker graduates would return to the sector rather than
seek other opportunities.
"If
the 100 girls who are studying get into 100 factories, that can bring change
because they have seen how difficult lives are for workers," Akter said.
"If they join other industries, they will be empowered, but that won't
help our situation."
Yesmin
Akther is one such graduate who wants to give back.
"My
factory paid me for the last four years and supported me so I could
study," the 23-year-old said. "Given the chance, I would like to do
something good in return."
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/business/global/garment-workers-to-graduates-bangladeshi-women-aim-to-shake-up-textile-sector
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Turkey
supports women’s employment in Sudan
Omer
Erdem
26.07.2020
Turkey’s
state-run aid agency has distributed vocational equipment for 50 Sudanese women
to boost their employment.
The
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) distributed 10 sewing
machines, 10 embroidery machines, 10 leatherworking machines, 10 ovens, and 10
spice processing machines.
The
machines were provided to the women who previously received training in
sewing-embroidery and cooking by the Crafts for Sustainable Development
Association, which carries out craftwork activities for the people of the
region.
Speaking
at the handover ceremony, Turkey’s Ambassador in Khartum Irfan Neziroglu said
they wish to deliver equipment to hundreds of women in all provinces of Sudan.
“Sudanese
women are one of the strongest women in the world. Believe and trust yourself,”
Neziroglu added.
TIKA
Coordinator Bilal Ozden said that they will carry out similar projects in other
provinces, and they will develop projects for young people and professionals
with low-income who have not been able to start their business.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-supports-women-s-employment-in-sudan/1923278
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/triple-talaq-first-august-be/d/122472