Saudi Arabia, UAE Top List Of Best Countries For Solo Female Travelers
New
Age Islam News Bureau
06 April 2023
•
British Embassyin Riyadh Hosts Ramadan Event Celebrating Women In Kingdom
•
Egyptian Women Arrested After Trying To Sell Child On Facebook
•
UN: Ban On Afghan Female Staffers By Taliban Unacceptable
•
Families Of Murdered Women Defend Anti-Femicide Group In Turkey Court
•
Canada Repatriating Women And Children From Syria – Lawyer
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Saudi
Arabia, UAE top list of best countries for solo female travelers
05
April ,2023
General
view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Unsplash, Ekrem Osmanoglu)
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Saudi
Arabia and the UAE have topped the list with some of the best places to travel
alone as a woman in terms of safety, things to do, and equality, a report has
found.
After
two years of restricted travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, travelers across
the world are eager to return to exploring.
For
solo female travelers, some of the main concerns when choosing a city to travel
to is safety and gender equality.
Leading
online travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip ranked 65 global cities
based on date points relating to cost, safety, gender equality, and the quality
of tourism.
Medina
The
safest city in the world is Saudi Arabia’s Medina, according to experts from
InsureMyTrip.
The
city’s overall safety score was 9.29, with a rank of 9.3 out of 10 for “absence
of worry about attacks based on gender” and a score of 82.75 for “feeling safe
walking alone at night.”
It
is ranked seventh in the list of best places for solo female travelers.
Riyadh
Saudi
Arabia’s capital city Riyadh saw the biggest increase in ratings in just one
year, moving from 60th place in 2022 to 24th place in 2023, according to the
data.
All
data points for Riyadh increased in the past year, but more specifically
“gender equality.”
The
Kingdom’s capital also came in at 23 out of 65 for the quality of tourism.
Dubai
The
UAE’s Dubai ranked first for the world’s best city for solo female travelers,
with an overall score of 8.12 out of 10.
The
city, which welcomes millions of travelers year-round, ranked 8.95 for safety
and had the highest score on the company’s list for “feeling safe walking alone
at night” with a rank of 10 out of 10.
Dubai
also overtook New York for the best tourism spot, coming in at 9.78 for the
“quality of things to do” and a 5/5 star ranking for “TikTok popularity.”
Lowest
ranking cities
The
least safe cities on InsureMyTrip’s list were Johannesburg, South Africa with a
score of 0.55 out of 10 for overall safety, and Kuala Lumpur with an overall
safety score of 3.36 out of 10.
Paris
came in as the third least safe city in the world with an overall safety score
of 3.62 out of 10.
According
to the data, the three countries with the lowest equality scores are Malaysia
with 6.75 overall, Russia with 7.31 overall, and Indonesia 7.56 overall – all
out of 10.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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British
Embassy in Riyadh Hosts Ramadan Event Celebrating Women In Kingdom
Lama
Alhamawi
April
05, 2023
The
British Embassy hosted a Ghabga, a women’s Ramadan event for UK alumni to
network, share experiences and celebrate Saudi women. (AN Photo/Lama Alhamawi)
-----------------
RIYADH:
The British Embassy in Riyadh recently hosted a Ghabga, a Ramadan event for
female UK alumni to network, share experiences and celebrate Saudi women.
“Women’s
networks anywhere in the world are incredibly important. I think women have a
special responsibility to other women to support them, to empower them, and to
help them progress their careers,” Eilidh Kennedy McLean, the country director
of the British Council, told Arab News.
The
event saw the alumni and guests have poetry readings and open discussions.
The
word Ghabga translates to gathering in Arabic and is an event that takes place
late in the evenings during Ramadan.
“We
wanted to have an event during Ramadan because it is a very special time for us
and all of our Saudi alumni in the country. We wanted to reconnect with all of
our female friends and celebrate this special time together,” said McLean.
The
event opened with McLean highlighting the gathering’s importance. “One of the
strongest networks we have as women is the support of other women,” she said.
“I
think this is a fantastic opportunity for us all to meet new friends, build our
networks and benefit from the kinship of other women,” McLean said.
The
women’s event also served as a celebration of the Saudi Year of Poetry.
Wedyan
Al-Madani, a Saudi staff member of the UK embassy, read out two poems about the
year of poetry and the Kingdom’s women.
Several
discussions were held including on challenges in the workplace. A talk on
health was led by Dr. Amina Butt, a consultant in obstetrics and gynecology.
The
participants tackled misconceptions and challenges women face around health,
with topics including contraception, treating menstrual pain, and menopause.
“Support
groups are really helpful to raise the awareness among women on certain
problems plus it’s also important that women can share their experiences and
their stories with each other and they are learning,” Butt said.
During
her discussion, many women in the audience highlighted the health challenges
they face, and the need for more support groups on miscarriage and menopause.
To
ensure inclusivity and accessibility Butt said these support groups “need to be
multicultural and multilingual so that everybody can share. Saudi is expanding
and we do need to work as a big society and not in small pockets.”
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2281771/saudi-arabia
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Egyptian
Women Arrested After Trying To Sell Child On Facebook
By
Mohammad Ayesh
5
April 2023
The
Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre in Badr city, 65 km east of Cairo,
during a government-guided tour for the media on 16 January 2022 (AFP)
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Egyptian
offers her child for sale on Facebook
An
Egyptian court on Tuesday sentenced two women - a mother and grandmother - to
three years in prison for offering a newborn baby for sale on the social media
site Facebook, according to the London-based newspaper Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed.
According
to the case details, the two women offered the child for sale because he was
the "result of a relationship outside the framework of marriage" and
they asked for a price of 50,000 Egyptian pounds ($1,600).
The
court also fined the two women 200,000 Egyptian pounds (about $6,400). Public
Prosecutor Hamada el-Sawy referred the two defendants in the case to the
criminal court on charges of human trafficking after the incident spread on
social media.
The
referral decision stated that the two women offered the child for sale and
commercially exploited him by agreeing to offer him for sale through the
personal account of the first defendant (the mother) on Facebook.
The
referral decision confirmed that they exposed the child's life to danger by
offering him for sale for money.
Jordanian
sentenced to read Quran
A
court in Jordan has sentenced a university student to recite the Holy Quran and
memorise parts of it rather than serve a jail term, after convicting him of
assaulting another young man and threatening him, according to the Jordanian
Petra news agency.
The
young man assaulted and threatened another person and caused him harm, but the
victim later dropped the charges.
The
court also found that the defendant was a university student and the sole
breadwinner for his family, and therefore decided to give him a chance to
reform himself through an alternative punishment by sending him to the Ministry
of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.
The
court said in its decision that it had proved that the defendant had committed
the crimes attributed to him, which warranted punishment.
However,
given that the defendant was still young, it said it was necessary to give him
a chance to reintegrate into society away from the sentence of imprisonment or
a financial penalty.
Algerian
officials' properties seized
Algerian
judicial authorities have begun confiscating the assets of former officials and
businessmen involved in corruption cases during the term of former President
Abdelaziz Bouteflika, according to a report published by the London-based
newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi.
One
of the most prominent cases dealt with by the Algerian judiciary is the file of
former health minister, AbdelmalekBoudiaf, in which the court issued a decision
to punish him with seven years of imprisonment and a financial fine of 4
million dinars ($30,000).
The
court also sentenced his son to four years in prison with a financial penalty
of 3 million dinars ($22,000), while his daughter was sentenced to 18 months of
suspended imprisonment, with the seizure of all movable properties and bank
accounts belonging to the family.
Algerian
authorities also decided to confiscate all properties of the former minister of
solidarity and family, Djamel Ould Abbas, after the Supreme Court rejected an
appeal against charges of embezzlement and squandering of funds of terrorism
victims.
The
Supreme Court's rejection of the appeals submitted by the former minister means
that two previous judgments against him have become final and effective, one
being a six-year prison sentence and another being a four-year prison sentence,
in addition to immediately initiating the confiscation of his immovable and
movable properties and bank balances that were not declared.
Source:
MiddleEastEye
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-arrested-sell-child-facebook-arabic-press-review
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UN:
Ban on Afghan female staffers by Taliban unacceptable
Apr
5, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
The UN said Wednesday it cannot accept a Taliban decision to bar Afghan female
staffers from working at the agency, calling it an “unparalleled” violation of
women's rights.
The
statement came a day after the UN said it had been informed by Afghanistan's
ruling Taliban that Afghan women would no longer be allowed to work for the
world body. That announcement came after the UN mission in the country
expressed concern that its female staffers were prevented from reporting to
work in eastern Nangarhar province.
The
Taliban decision is “an unparalleled violation of women’s rights, a flagrant
breach of humanitarian principles, and a breach of international rules,”
Wednesday's statement said.
The
Taliban have not commented publicly on the ban and have not released a
statement.
The
UN statement said several UN national female personnel have already experienced
restrictions on their movements, including harassment, intimidation and
detention.
“The
UN has therefore instructed all national staff – men and women – not to report
to the office until further notice,” the statement said.
Despite
initial promises of a more moderate rule than during its previous stint in
power, the Taliban have imposed harsh measures since taking over the country in
2021 as U.S. and NATO forces were pulling out of Afghanistan after two decades
of war.
Girls
are banned from education beyond sixth grade. Women are barred from working,
studying, traveling without a male companion, and even going to parks. Women
must also cover themselves from head to toe.
Afghan
women were already barred from working at national and international
non-governmental organizations, disrupting the delivery of humanitarian aid,
but the ban did not previously cover working for the UN
That
changed this week. On Wednesday, the UN mission said that according to the
Taliban order, no Afghan woman is permitted to work for the UN in Afghanistan,
and that “this measure will be actively enforced.”
The
ban is unlawful under international law and cannot be accepted by the United
Nations, the statement said.
The
secretary-general’s special representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, is
engaging Taliban authorities to convey the UN's protest and to seek an
immediate reversal of the order. The UN said it is also engaging member states,
the donor community and humanitarian partners.
“In
the history of the United Nations, no other regime has ever tried to ban women
from working for the Organization just because they are women," said
Otunbayeva. “This decision represents an assault against women, the fundamental
principles of the UN, and on international law.”
Otunbayeva
is a former president and foreign minister of the Kyrgyz Republic. She was
appointed by the secretary-general in coordination with the UN Security
Council. A UN spokesman said Tuesday there’s been no Taliban action regarding
the UN’s senior leadership.
The
UN has about 3,900 staff in Afghanistan, including approximately 3,300 Afghans
and 600 international personnel, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. The total
also includes 600 Afghan women and 200 women from other countries.
Dujarric
wouldn’t speculate when asked Tuesday if the UN can continue to operate in
Afghanistan if the Taliban don’t reverse the ban on Afghan women. The UN
contingency plan “is almost too tragic to contemplate,” he added later.
Taliban
restrictions in Afghanistan, especially the bans on education and NGO work,
have drawn fierce international condemnation. But the Taliban have shown no
signs of backing down, claiming the bans are temporary suspensions in place
allegedly because women were not wearing the Islamic headscarf, or hijab,
correctly and because gender segregation rules were not being followed.
Source:
Times Of India
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Families
of murdered women defend anti-femicide group in Turkey court
Apr
5, 2023
Istanbul:
The families of women murdered by men demonstrated Wednesday in defence of a
prominent Turkish anti-femicide campaign group accused of activity against law
and morals.
Prosecutors
had filed a lawsuit in April against We Will Stop Femicide Platform, one of the
country's leading feminist organisations. If convicted, it could be shut down.
The
group has been campaigning against the murder and abuse of women since its
foundation in 2010.
Protesters
gathered alongside the families of murdered women outside Istanbul's main court
ahead of the third hearing in the case, unfurling a large banner, "The
platform will not stop. Women's murders will stop".
"We
will defend the rights of everyone whose lives were stolen in this country. And
those days are close," group representative GulsumKav told reporters.
The
'We Will Stop Femicide Platform' was founded a year after a high-profile murder
case of 18-year-old MunevverKarabulut, whose body had been dumped into a waste
container in Istanbul.
The
grisly murder sparked widespread uproar and repulsion, especially after the suspect
managed to evade justice for more than six months.
In
the early days, the platform brought attention only to femicide trials, but now
they track all types of violence against women as well as LGBTQ individuals and
children.
The
group says 69 women have been killed in Turkey since January this year, after
397 last year and 427 in 2021.
FigenYetiskin,
a mother whose daughter was murdered, said the platform supported her in more
than a dozen court hearings and provided legal assistance, including hiring a
lawyer.
"They
always stood by me in court. Contrary to its shutdown, I believe that the
platform should be bolstered and supported more," she told the court.
"They
taught me I am a woman and I have rights, they supported me in 16 hearings for
the arrest of my daughter's murderer," she said.
"They
walked together with me and I will walk together with them forever".
'Make
our voice heard' - Saadet Irem Karlidag told the court the platform gave her
family huge support in shedding light on the murder of her aunt.
"My
aunt was killed in daylight before our eyes. We could make our voice heard
thanks to the We Will Stop Femicide Platform," she said.
"They
didn't leave us alone. And today I stand by them. I believe this case is
unlawful."
The
judge adjourned the hearing on Wednesday and it will resume on September 13.
The
association was a vocal critic of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision in
2021 to pull Turkey out of the Istanbul Convention, which requires countries to
set up laws aimed at preventing and prosecuting violence against women.
Social
conservatives in Turkey say the convention promotes homosexuality and threatens
traditional family values.
"This
case is aimed at civil society, and will deeply affect human rights defenders
as well as LGBTQ advocates," PolatYamaner, a lawyer for Turkey's Human
Rights Foundation, told the court.
"If
this unjust case is dropped, I will feel I am a lawyer again on this symbolic
day," said another lawyer, NazanMoroglu, referring to the April 5 marking
of Lawyers' Day in Turkey, in comments that received applause from the
audience.
Source:
Times Of India
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Canada
Repatriating Women And Children From Syria – Lawyer
By
Madeline Halpert
Canada
is repatriating a group of women and children who have been held at least three
years in Islamic State camps in Syria, their lawyer says.
The
federal government agreed in January to bring back six women and their 13
children, but pushed back on repatriating four imprisoned men.
Lawyer
Lawrence Greenspon said on Wednesday the women and children were "en
route" to Canada.
Ottawa
has yet to confirm they are in transit.
"I've
talked to their various family members here in Canada and they are absolutely
delighted that some three-and-a-half years after we started this process of
trying to bring the women and children home, their loved ones are on their
way," MrGreenspon said.
He
declined to comment on when or where they would arrive in Canada.
It
is unclear whether one woman, from the Canadian province of Quebec, and her six
children are among the group being repatriated, though MrGreenspon told the BBC
that his " information is that she is not on the flight".
Canada
offered to repatriate her children without her, as officials are still
conducting a security and risk assessment for the mother, said MrGreenspon, who
represents the family.
He
said Canada's department of foreign affairs, Global Affairs, told the mother
last week that she could either send her children home without her or keep them
in the camp with her.
"Her
choice was that she wants the children to be repatriated and her to be with
them at the same time," he said.
The
BBC has reached out to Global Affairs for comment.
Asked
by reporters on Wednesday whether Canada was breaking government policy by
asking a mother to send her children back to Canada without her, Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau said Canada was "engaged with all of our
responsibilities".
"The
situation in north-eastern Syria is incredibly volatile," he said.
"Canada is watching very, very closely."
He
declined to comment any further.
The
repatriation could be the biggest so far for Canada after the so-called Islamic
State caliphate was destroyed in 2019.
Last
October, the RCMP, Canada's federal police force, arrested a 27-year-old
Canadian woman returning from Syria and charged her with terrorism-related
offences. Another woman, who returned to Canada after marrying an Islamic State
fighter, was also arrested and released on bail while officials seek a peace
bond in her case.
It
is unclear if any of the women being returned this week may face charges. The
BBC has reached out to the RCMP for comment.
A
federal court has also ordered the Canadian government to repatriate four men
who have not been formally charged with crimes but are imprisoned in camps in
Syria. British-Canadian dual national, Jack Letts, whose British citizenship
was revoked, is one of the four.
Canada
has appealed the court decision to repatriate the men, arguing it had no
obligation to bring back citizens from Syria because it had closed its embassy
there in 2012.
Human
rights campaigners have pushed the government to repatriate its citizens.
Over
the past four years, only a handful of women and children have been brought
back to Canada.
More
than 42,000 foreign nationals, most of whom are children, are being held in
dangerous conditions in Islamic State camps across Syria, according to
non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch.
Source:
BBC
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65196882
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