Rights Group Criticizes the Ongoing Intimidation of Female Human Rights Defenders in Saudi Arabia
New Age Islam News Bureau
10 March 2021
• Rutgers University Issued A Statement Expressing Support For Audrey Trucshke
• Women’s Healthcare Start-up Planning Saudi Expansion
• Saudi Female Biker Eyes 2022 Dakar Rally
• Pakistan- Women Can Do Wonders If Empowered
• Equal Opportunities Sought For Women In Health,
Education Sectors
• Yet Another Incident of Violence against Woman As
Issue Remains Rampant In Turkey
• On International Women’s Day, Sisi’s Wife Praises Egyptian
Women
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
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Rights Group Criticizes the Ongoing Intimidation of Female Human Rights Defenders in Saudi Arabia
A human rights group says Saudi Arabia has intensified its crackdown on women in recent years, despite promises of improving their social standing
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09 March 2021
A human rights group says Saudi Arabia has intensified
its crackdown on women in recent years, despite promises of improving their
social standing, stressing that female activists in the kingdom are paying an
“exorbitant” price for forcing the regime to make a set of reforms in favour of
women’s most basic rights.
The European Saudi Organization for Human Rights
(ESOHR) published a report on March 8, marking the International Women’s Day.
It explained that the Saudi regime has in the recent
years expanded the repression of women and treated them boldly “in horrible
ways” in a campaign that has seen the use of brutal torture, widespread
arrests, intimidating investigations, and pledges that instill fear and limit
their activities.
The rights group criticized the ongoing intimidation
of female human rights defenders, saying such a treatment belies the regime’s
official propaganda about “reforms” in the area of women’s rights.
According to statistics gathered by ESOHR with great
difficulty, at least 47 women, including human rights defenders, are still in
prison for political reasons.
“Likewise, other women are still under trial, and
restrictions are still imposed on those who were released. Women who are
accustomed to raising human rights demands on social networks are today more
anxious and filled with dread that they will be exposed to repression,” the
organization said.
It added that the relentless and influential struggle
of women's rights defenders has forced the Saudi government to change its
attitude towards women’s rights as it has issued a number of decisions and
promises.
The ESOHR cited the lifting of the driving ban on
Saudi women, the only ban of its type in the world, in June 2018 as the most
notable example of change, which came after successive campaigns launched by
female activists.
However, it said, the Saudi government detained the
most prominent activists who demanded the lifting of driving ban just days
before it took effect.
“After that, the activists were subjected to multiple
violations and crimes, including torture and denial of the right to a fair
trial, among others,” the rights body added.
It pointed to Saudi Arabia’s various types of violence
against women in public life and said the government cannot still protect women
in their family lives.
“In spite of new laws, which the government stated
will protect women, the mechanism to protect them from domestic violence is
still deficient and unable to protect the victims of violence.”
The ESOHR also reported that a bad reputation
continues to haunt the care homes, which “in reality are prisons for women and
have many defects.”
It cited the Saudi Press Agency as reporting in August
2019 that the Passports and Civil Status Departments began the implementation
of the travel documents law and its amended regulations, which give women the
right to travel without a guardian’s permission.
However, men in Saudi Arabia are legally allowed to
impose restrictions on women’s travel in a number of ways, including filing
disobedience cases before the courts, the report added.
It said Saudi Arabia amended laws with regard to the
employment sector in July 2019 to ensure that “citizens are equals in terms of
the right to work without any discrimination based on sex, disability, age, or
any other form of discrimination.”
However, the government refrained from taking any
serious measures to stop the discriminatory acts as women still need male
approval to open a bank account, leave a government-run prison, or file a
lawsuit.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2021/03/09/646938/Saudi-Arabia-women-human-rights-ESOHR-driving-ban-travel-International-Women%E2%80%99s-Day
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Rutgers University Issued A Statement Expressing
Support For Audrey Trucshke
Audrey Truschke. Photo: Twitter
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March 10, 2021
New Delhi: Rutgers University in Newark, US has issued
a statement expressing support for Audrey Trucshke, who teaches South Asian
history there, after people from the Hindu right-wing wrote an open letter to
the varsity “expressing concerns” over the views she expressed on Twitter. In addition
to this open letter that was reportedly signed by more than 5,000 people, the
historian was subjected to a vicious online campaign and a number of violent
threats.
“Rutgers emphatically supports Professor Truschke’s
acadmic freedom in pursuing her scholarship, abhors the vile messages and
threats that are being directed at her, and calls for an immediate end to them.
Scholarship is sometimes controversial, perhaps especially when it is at the
interface of history and religion, but the freedom to pursue such scholarship,
as Professor Truschke does rigorously, is at the heart of the academic
enterprise,” the university said in a statement.
In addition, the university has also said that it will
begin a dialogue with members of the Hindu community who are studying at
Rutgers. “…Rutgers emphatically affirms its support for all members of the
Hindu community to study and live in an environment in which they not only feel
safe, but also fully supported in their religious identity. After all, our
academic excellence is inseparable from our diversity of perspectives and
voices. We remain committed to fostering full, open, and respectful engagement
on ideas across this spectrum.”
Truschke thanked the university administration for
calling for an end to the online harassment she has been facing.
On Monday night, Truschke said she had been facing an
“avalanche of hate speech, anti-Muslim sentiments, misogyny, violent threats,
things endangering my family (yes, I have to leave that vague for safety
reasons), and aggression towards my students”. Saying she was blocking
thousands of accounts, she too called for the harassment to stop.
Hindus for Human Rights, a US-based advocacy group,
expressed its support for Truschke and said she is “not alone in the resistance
to hate”.
Truschke has been attacked by the Hindu Right several
times in the last few years for her research on medieval India and her
opinions.
https://thewire.in/rights/rutgers-university-stands-by-audrey-truschke-after-online-attacks-statement-from-hindu-group
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Women’s Healthcare Start-up Planning Saudi Expansion
March 09, 2021
JEDDAH: Nabta Health, a UAE-based startup dedicated to
supporting women’s health, is planning to expand into Saudi Arabia this year,
amid growing demand for its services in the Kingdom.
The company offers personalized healthcare to women in
emerging markets. Its platform allows users to diagnose conditions at home
using an Al-powered health assistant.
“We have 225,000 women every month across the MENA who
interact with our platform, and Saudi Arabia is the fastest-growing market,”
Sophie Smith, CEO and co-founder of Nabta Health, told Arab News.
“Currently, we are speaking to a number of
high-profile doctors and scientists for potential collaboration opportunities
both in clinical research and piloting our model of care,” she added.
The startup is focused on expanding across the Middle
East, then Africa and Asia, with Saudi Arabia currently in its sights.
“Saudi Arabia is a really interesting market for us
for many reasons. The healthcare ecosystem is growing very fast, the compound
growth rate is said to be at 7 percent by 2024,” Smith said.
She noted that the company has also initiated contact
with Saudi authorities to help work with the new Accountable Care
Organisations, which are being set up as part of the Vision 2030 goals to
develop the Kingdom's healthcare sector.
Saudi Arabia’s healthcare transformation plan seems
akin to what NHS England has built, Smith said. “It will look like the next
generation NHS without its legacy infrastructure problems… and it is very
interesting to see.” Launched in March 2017, the startup spent the first three
and half years at the Research and Development phase, before recently beginning
to commercialize the platform.
“We first raised a seed-round for $500,000 to develop
the platform and now we are raising a seed-plus to commercialize it,” she said.
“And before we launch in Saudi Arabia, we will raise
first a Series A growth round.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1822226/business-economy
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Saudi Female Biker Eyes 2022 Dakar Rally
March 09, 2021
MAKKAH: Saudi biker Dania Akeel sustained three pelvic
fractures while participating in the Bahrain Season, but she has not been
discouraged from planning to compete in the 2022 Dakar Rally.
She is one of the most prominent names in next year’s
event, after arduous rounds in different rallies and getting being trained by
professionals in the UAE and Spain.
Akeel took part in competitions in Dubai in 2019, as
well as in Bahrain Season.
“In the last season, I suffered an accident and
sustained three pelvic fractures, affecting my spine in the Bahrain in March
2020, which forced me to return to Saudi Arabia to undergo medical tests and
physical therapy,” she told Arab News.
She described the Saudi rally’s standards as very high
and said that champions from around the world traveled to the Kingdom to take
part in the Dakar Rally, one of the toughest events.
Akeel has been a fierce competitor in races including
the Hail and Northern Region Rally, which is a stage of the International
Motorsport Federation’s world rally championship.
“I was lucky that rallies in Saudi Arabia are very
advanced internationally, and I was encouraged by the Saudi Automobile and
Motorcycle Federation (SAMF). I also became the first Saudi woman to have
received the Speed Bikes Competition license after competing in the UAE.”
She thanked SAMF Chairman Prince Khalid bin Sultan and
Sports Minister Prince Abdul Aziz bin Turki for supporting women who were
entering events at an international level.
She said that Saudi women had been given the maximum
opportunity to discover themselves and become key partners in all occasions,
celebrations and diverse sports.
It was the element of adventure that attracted her to
rallies, she explained, because racing was a sport that required a
comprehensive partnership and navigation with a co-pilot. The diversity of
rallies, in terms of distance and duration, also appealed to her.
“The Sharqiyah International Baja Toyota Rally is my
personal first race. It is an incentive for me to participate in the 2022 Dakar
Rally and a race that introduces me to the future world of racing.”
She aimed to continue in the rally with good health
and safety measures in place and learn from her experiences which, she said,
was important for the “real takeoff and acquisition of essential skills in this
kind of races.”
There was a great passion for the sport, she observed,
especially among ambitious Saudi women who had discovered challenging worlds
and areas that reflected their reputation.
“They can now prove to the world their ability to
compete and participate in international racetracks in different sports.”
Akeel, who holds a master’s degree in international
business, said that motorbikes had helped her to discover herself and learn
about concentration, mastery, responsibility and participation skills. She also
learned about mental clarity.
“This is a sport that needs full commitment to
training, physical and mental fitness and control.”
Akeel has been passionate about driving since her
childhood. She rode her first quad bike aged 8, and her first 150cc dirt bike
in the desert at 14.
“I believe it is only natural for me to partake in one
of the most challenging desert championships around the world, which also
happens to take place in our sandy backyard,” she said.
Akeel was also the recipient of the “Rookie of the
Year” award during her first racing season, for the Ducati Cup in the UAE
National Sportbike Super series 2019/2020 season.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1822201/saudi-arabia
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Pakistan- Women Can Do Wonders If Empowered
3/8/2021
8th March is always celebrated in honour of women all
over the world as a recognition of their contributions to society and is
observed as a national holiday in many parts of the world.
The empowerment of women is pivotal to bring forth the
hidden talent which always remains unserved because of the patriarchal society
we live in.
Especially in a province like KP, where, even today,
women are not allowed to study let alone have a voice of their own.
But as the clock of time is ticking by, slowly and
gradually things have been changing, for the good, as women of KP are now
emerging in almost every field to showcase their skills and have a recognition
of their own.
This has also set the trend of women's politics in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Today we will celebrate the achievements of a couple
of Pakistani females from KP, who have accomplished much to make Pakistan
proud.
The names that appear are not the only ones that
deserve a mention, those that have been left out are just as worthy of our
admiration. In All women of Pakistan deserve recognition for their contribution
to making this country and world a better place.
Among these amazing women is Sabia, a cyclist from
Haripur, Hazara Division, who started training on her maternal uncle's old
bicycle inside her home as she couldn't ride the bike outside the house because
of the fear of society.
In 2013, she won the National Cycling Championship
surprising people including her family.
Upon seeing her determination, the Cycling Federation
supported her in terms of training and Sabia is a member of the national,
provincial and Army team.
Sabia not just has the support of her family now but
also of her husband who support her dearly in pursuing her dreams. She has
taken part in international cycling events too.
The second of these two amazing women is Tabassum
Adnan, from Swat Valley, who is an activist and a humanitarian. This courageous
lady did something amazing no woman has ever done in the history of the
patriarchal society such as Swat.
She became the voice of the oppressed women by forming
a Jirga (Council) of her own where she would solve the problems of the women
who in the traditional society don't have a say even about the matters of their
own lives.
Normally women and children are never allowed in
jirgas that are led by men but she broke that taboo and formed a council of her
own where the unheard voices would find a way to be heard and solved.
Because of this bold step, she got many life threats
from extremist forces to which she paid a deaf ear and continued serving the
women in Swat.
She is famous in Pakistan as well as abroad by the
name of ‘da Khwendo Jirga Mashra' (Leader of the Women Jirga Council).
Her most striking achievement, the Women Jirga has
emerged as a necessity due to the continuous violence against women in Pashtun
society.
Her achievements were acknowledged by the ‘Grand Male
Jirga' and she was invited to attend the male-led jirga sessions which is a
great milestone for any woman in the history of Pakistan, ever.
Apart from this, she has also raised her voice for the
minorities i-e Hindus and Christians, advocating the idea of the nonviolent
relationship between people from different faiths resulting in getting life
threats from extremist forces. But nothing could waver her courage and faith as
she continued serving women. She, indeed, is one gem of a person and the pride
of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Of course, there are a lot of women whose struggles
and achievements don't get to the media as their success stories are infinite.
So salute to all those women who face all the hurdles
of their lives gracefully and with a strong determination of not putting their
guard down in the face of many challenges they have to encounter daily. More
power to them.
https://menafn.com/1101718335/Pakistan-Women-can-do-wonders-if-empowered
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Equal Opportunities Sought For Women In Health,
Education Sectors
March 9, 2021
PESHAWAR: Different events were held in various areas
of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to mark International Women’s Day on Monday wherein
rights activists demanded of the authorities to provide equal opportunities to
women in health, education and business sectors besides politics.
One of the major functions was organised in Peshawar
by Aurat Foundation in collaboration with other organisations including
Feminist Fridays, Women Action Forum and others. Singing, poetry recitation and
speeches were parts of the event that were followed by a charter of demands for
the government.
Regional head of Aurat Foundation Shabeena Ayaza, head
of Enlighten Lab Tahira Kaleem, writer Asia Jamil and others addressed the
function. They lauded enactment of law to check domestic violence and demanded
of the government to frame its rules for early implementation.
Events held across KP to mark International Women’s
Day
The participants also demanded elimination of
discrimination against women and transgender persons in provision of
reproductive healthcare service and access to health services. They said that
violence against women on the basis of gender of newborn, for not being able to
conceive or for their decision of not giving birth for any reason should be
acknowledged as violence and proper policy procedures should be undertaken in
the light of KP Reproductive Health Policy.Apart from ensuring right to
property and inheritance of women, the participants demanded of the government
to take additional measures for transgender persons, who were deprived of their
inherited properties. They also demanded 33 percent representation of women in
all tiers of elected governments.
Also, a community dialogue was organised at Peshawar
Press Club by Blue Veins in collaboration with directorate of social welfare
and women development department. The theme of the dialogue was ‘Creating an
inclusive and gender just community.’
Meanwhile, Absar Welfare Foundation celebrated the day
with 18 energetic young girls, who aim to become world champions. Girls were
engaged in different modified games of table tennis and teqball with message of
life skills in each activity.
In Lower Dir, Progressive Alliance Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
arranged a seminar on the status of working women to mark International Women’s
Day in Adenzai Press Club.
Speakers on the occasion demanded of the government to
take practical measures to eliminate discrimination against women and ensure
that poor segments of society could also get higher education easily. They said
that all discriminatory laws against women in the country should be abolished
immediately. He said that women should be provided with equal opportunities of
education and employment.
Also in the day, civil society organisations like
Development Empowerment Women Association (Dewa), Women Voices and Leadership
Pakistan (WVL-P) in collaboration with Global Affair Canada and social welfare
department arranged a function in Balambat to mark the day.
In Mansehra, the participants of a seminar attended by
men and women from different walks of life demanded of the government to
initiate sustainable development programmes for economic empowerment of women
in the province.
The seminar was organised jointly by district social
welfare department and Social Empowerment through Education and Knowledge
(Seek) to mark International Women’s Day.
In Swabi, a function was held in Women University
Swabi that was attended by faculty members, students and leaders of the ruling
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.
Addressing the function, speakers said that lifestyle
of Pakhtuns was totally different from other societies. They added that family
system in other communities had been destroyed and people had become more
materialistic.In Chitral, two different functions including a khuli kutcheri
were held in connection with International Women’s Day.
Women from different villages of the district attended
the khuli kutcheri in a large number. DPO Sonia Shamroze Khan issued directives
for resolution of the problems faced by women and ordered inquiries into other
issue mostly related to domestic issuesto ascertain the fact.
She asked them to reach the women desk, established in
every police station of the district, for lodging complaints. She asked the
women in distress to call at helpline 15 round the clock if they could not
attend the women desk.
The other function was held by social welfare department,
special education and women empowerment. The first ever shelter home for women
in the district was also inaugurated on the occasion.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1611436/equal-opportunities-sought-for-women-in-health-education-sectors
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Yet Another Incident of Violence against Woman As
Issue Remains Rampant In Turkey
March 07 2021
A woman was filmed being beaten up on the street by a
man before the eyes of her child on March 6, as the video went viral on Turkish
social media, with users calling out the issue which has failed to come to an
end in the country where femicide are also rift.
An abusive man in the Black Sea province of Samsun was
detained and later arrested on March 7, after a video of him beating up his
24-year-old ex-wife went viral on social media.
The video footage shows İbrahim Zarap brutally
punching and kicking his ex-wife, identified only by the initials E.M., in
front of their child on a street while residents in the neighborhood shouted at
the man to stop.
Zarap was prevented from escaping the crime scene by
passersby, who then handed him over to the police.
The perpetrator said that he was beaten by the people
who intervened in the incident and that he will file a complaint against them.
He was arrested on charges of “attempted murder,”
while the Samsun Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that the woman and
her child were taken under protection.
Multiple Turkish authorities released statements on
the issue after the massive fury on social media, with Justice Minister
Abdülhamit Gül saying that the perpetrator will receive the sentence he
deserves.
Family, Labor and Social Services Minister Zehra
Zümrüt Selçuk said that the ministry would join the criminal case so that the
perpetrator receives the heaviest punishment.
“All necessary social service models and psychosocial
support will be provided to the mother and our child,” she said.
Turkey is no stranger to acts of violence against
women or femicides, where a woman is killed by someone she knows almost every
day.
Some 67 women were murdered only in the first 65 days
of 2021, according to the Kadın Cinayetlerini Durduracağız Platformu (We Will
Stop Femicide Platform), a women’s rights organization that monitors violence
against women. Women’s rights groups are continuing to call for the full
implementation of the Council of Europe’s Istanbul Convention, an international
treaty obliging signatories to combat violence against women.
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/yet-another-incident-of-violence-against-woman-as-issue-remains-rampant-in-turkey-162955
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On International Women’s Day, Sisi’s Wife Praises
Egyptian Women
March 8, 2021
On Monday, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s
wife Entissar Amer paid compliments to the women of Egypt in light of
International Women’s Day.
On her official Facebook page, the First Lady praised
Egyptian woman for their work, production, patience, and sacrifice, asserting
that Egypt derives from its women strength and honor.
She added that Egypt celebrates its women on this day,
which reflects each woman’s giving journey, enthusiastic spirit, and sincere
determination in the face of all challenges.
Amer’s public appearances and involvement in the
community were scant during the first two year’s of her husband’s presidency,
but since 2016, she has stepped into the traditional role of First Lady.
https://egyptindependent.com/presidents-wife-entessar-el-sesi-presents-her-complements-to-egyptian-woman/
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