The Pakistan Beauty Salons Employing Acid Attack Survivors and Giving Them An Opportunity To Rebuild Their Lives
New Age Islam News Bureau
16
Jul 2020
• Saudi Court
Rules That Saudi Woman Living Alone 'Should Not Be Punished'
• Move to
Boost Saudi Women’s Citizenship Rights
• Saudi
Arabia: ‘Historical’ New Court Ruling Boosts Gender Equality
• Afghan Women
Players Call for Arrest of Ex-Afghan Football Boss
• UAE, Saudi
Women Are World's Biggest Spenders on Beauty Products - Report
• Brother of
Anti-Hijab Activist Sentenced To Eight Years In Iran
• Extremist Fighter's
Ground-breaking Sex Slavery Trial Opens At ICC
• Arab Businesswomen
Discuss Their Pandemic Experiences
• Why Women’s
Shelters InTurkey No Longer Provide Safety
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/the-pakistan-beauty-salons-employing/d/122387
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The Pakistan
Beauty Salons Employing Acid Attack Survivors and Giving the Opportunity To
Rebuild Their Lives
14 Jul 2020
Saria does a
customer’s makeup. Her fiancé threw acid over her when she resisted his
attempts to take her away from her family home. Photograph: Sipa/REX
-----
Margaret Heera
runs her fingers through her customer’s hair. “You must manage time for
yourself and your skin,” she says, as she ties the hair into an elaborate knot.
The beauty
salon in Lahore is busy. Sitting between potted plants on chairs facing
full-length mirrors, women are waiting to get their hair cut or styled, for
manicures and pedicures.
The salon is a
place of sanctuary for women in the city. But for Heera, 29, it’s much more.
One day in
2013, Heera’s husband of two years locked her in a room and poured acid over
her face and body. He was unhappy about the small dowry she’d received from her
parents when they had married.
Every year
many women in Pakistan are attacked with acid, despite legislation aimed at
preventing such attacks.
Heera is one
of seven women currently working in the Depilex salon as part of a jobs scheme
for acid attack survivors who are often shunned, overlooked for jobs and
treated as outcasts.
“At first,
most of the clients were shocked when they saw me, my scars … they wouldn’t
allow me to work for them, but now it’s all good. Everyone is very supportive,”
says Heera. “Now, I am independent. I am investing in my son’s education.”
Launched in
1980 by businesswoman Masarrat Misbah, the salon chain has spread across the
country. In 2005, Misbah set up the DepilexSmileagain Foundation to support
burn victims, particularly survivors of acid attacks, with reconstructive
surgery, counselling, vocational training, and jobs in her salons.
AbdiyaShaheen,
Smileagain’s programme manager, said that out of 750 women registered with the
foundation, 460 are survivors of acid attacks.
Most acid
attackers are men, and the majority of victims are women. The attacks often
happen because women are perceived to be shunning gender traditions, by
refusing a marriage proposal for example. Women have also been attacked with
acid for giving birth to girls.
Legislation
introduced in Pakistan in 2011 saw offenders face between 14 years and life
imprisonment, as well as a fine of 1 million rupees (£4,700).
According to
data collected by NGO the Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF), between 2007 and
2018 there were 1,485 reported cases of acid attacks in Pakistan. About a third
involved children splashed with acid when family members were attacked.
Last year, 80
acid attacks were reported, a 50% drop since 2014. But while the fall in cases
is seen by some as evidence that the legislation is effective, others believe
many more incidents go unreported.
Conviction
rates of offenders are not encouraging, and dropped by almost half between 2016
and 2018 – from 63.6% to 38.4%.
In Punjab
province, where more than 80% of Pakistan’s acid attacks are reported,
authorities do claim to be taking the law seriously.
One reason for
the high number of cases is the difficulty in controlling the sale of acid,
used for farming cotton, a key industry in Punjab. Cotton products account for
10% of the country’s GDP.
In 2012, the
state authorities ruled that acid attacks would be prosecuted in courts that
were originally established to try terror suspects. The state says using these
special courts both speeds up the legal process and sends a strong message
about the importance the government places on ending acid attacks.
The approach
seems to be working. According to ASF, which also works with police and
lawyers, only 2–3% of acid attacks were reported in Punjab before the law
changed. Now, more than 90% of cases are reported.
Last year,
Punjab’s chief minister, Usman Buzdar, committed 100 million rupees to helping
survivors of acid and burn attacks undergo rehabilitation and come “back to
life”. The money is expected to provide support to 1,000 survivors.
Zainab
Qaiserani, project coordinator at ASF, says the authorities still need to do
more.
“We are currently
advocating for a bill on a provincial and federal level to ensure free
provision of medical and rehabilitation services to acid attack and burn
victims, along with developing a monitoring and funding mechanism,” she says.
“The process
is not that fast. Especially with the advent of Covid-19, the immediate
priorities of the government have shifted to respond to the pandemic and the
issues arising from it.”
Sabra Sultana,
manager of the Depilex salon in Jhelum, was attacked with acid in 1993 by her
husband in a dowry dispute. She took the case to court, but her husband accused
her of being mentally unstable, and he walked free.
Sultana, who
began training as a beautician in 2006, says she now lives life on her own
terms and supports other survivors.
“So many lives
[have been] torn apart, but we are fighting this now,” she says. “It’s never
too late.”
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/jul/14/now-im-independent-the-pakistan-beauty-salons-employing-acid-attack-survivors
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Saudi Court Rules
That Saudi Woman Living Alone 'Should Not Be Punished'
15 July, 2020
Saudi women
are subject to a male guardianship system [Getty-file photo]
------
A Saudi court
ruled this week that a Saudi woman living alone should not be punished, after
family in the ultra-conservative kingdom filed a complaint.
It comes after
public prosecutors pursued the Saudi woman in court for being absent from her
family home and travelling to Riyadh without her father's permission.
The prosecutor
demanded the court punish the woman for her "repeated absense" from
the family home.
The judge
dismissed the complaint saying that a "sane adult woman" has the
right to live in a seperate home and the defendent should not be punished,
according to Saudi Gazette.
"The
court said in its ruling that the independence of the defendant in a separate
house is not deemed a criminal offense that requires punishment," the
Saudi daily wrote.
Under Saudi
Arabia's guardianship laws, Saudi men have almost complete control over the
lives of women relatives.
A Saudi woman
needs a male guardian present to complete numerous administrative tasks and
allows fathers, husbands and siblings to regulate everyday aspects of their
lives.
Saudi Arabia
has recently eased some of the restrictions for women aged-21 and over,
allowing them to travel abroad without the permission of male relatives and to
obtain a passport.
Critics say
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's reforms are "too little too late"
and a veneer that hides a sweeping campaign of repression against activists,
including women's rights' campaigners.
A driving ban
on women was also overturned last year, in a change dubbed "cosmetic"
by human rights campaigners.
Detained Saudi
activist Loujain Al-Hathloul has been behind bars for two years, after
protesting the male guardianship system and the ban on women drivers.
Hathloul has
been subjected to torture, sexual harrassment and threats of execution and rape
during her detention, her family have said.
She has not
been freed despite the change in law and the threat of coronavirus in Saudi
prisons.
Saudi
authorities have also been linked to a sexist smear campaign of women
journalists deemed critical of the kingdom's ruler.
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/7/15/court-rules-that-saudi-woman-living-alone-not-punishable
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Move to Boost
Saudi Women’s Citizenship Rights
July 15, 2020
Ramadan Al
Sherbini
Currently
children of a Saudi woman married to a non-Saudi man are placed under the
sponsorship system.
Image Credit:
AFP
-------
Cairo: Several
members of the Saudi advisory Shura Council has proposed giving permanent
residency to children of Saudi women married to foreigners to boost human
rights and women’s status , according to a media report.
The proposal,
made by eight Shura members, points out that eligibility for such
free-of-charge residency requires that marriage between a Saudi woman and a
foreigner should have been approved by the competent agencies in the kingdom,
Saudi newspaper Okaz reported, citing unidentified sources.
Currently
children of a Saudi woman married to a non-Saudi man are placed under the
sponsorship system.
The proposal
aims at fulfilling social justice, enhancing family ties, safeguarding human
rights and eliminating any form of discrimination, the sources added.
Authors of the
draft seek to consolidate Saudi women’s citizenship rights and stop damage
resulting from their children’s failure to obtain permanent residency, they
added.
Children of a
Saudi woman married to a foreigner have to find another sponsor after their
mother’s death, a matter that involves psychological and social problems for
them, the sources said.
The authors
have backed up their proposal by citing the UN Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) joined by Saudi Arabia, the
objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 and the status of the kingdom as a member
of the Group of 20.
The proposal
marks the third time for members in the Shura Council to attempt to address the
situation of children of Saudi women married to foreigner
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/move-to-boost-saudi-womens-citizenship-rights-1.1594801106904
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Saudi Arabia:
‘Historical’ New Court Ruling Boosts Gender Equality
July 15, 2020
Samir Salama
Sabeeha
al-Fakher, a 68-year-old Saudi widow, drives her pearl-silver Lexus in the
coastal town of Qatif, about 400 kilometres east of the capital Riyadh
Image Credit:
AFP
------
Abu Dhabi: A
new Saudi court ruling has stated that “an adult, rational woman living
independently is not a crime” and this could help to improve gender equality in
the kingdom. Lawyer Abdul Rahman Al Lahim described the ruling as “historical”
as “it ends tragic stories many women lived in the past.”
Under the old
“absenteeism” law, parents were allowed to file a report with the police
against a woman in the event of her disappearance or living independently,
without obtaining a prior permission from the guardian.
Dr.Muflih Al
Qahtani, chairman of the National Society for Human Rights, explains that the
right to housing is a basic human right in general, and a woman has the right
to obtain appropriate housing for herself with her family or relatives or in a
safe and secure independent house, if her living with her family poses a threat
to her life or is harmful to her.
“Balance must
be made between ensuring the protection of women, providing adequate housing
for them and the cohesion of the family and the maintenance of its stability,”
Al Qahtani told Asharq Al Awsat.
Saudi Arabia
has eased travel restrictions on women but observers say loopholes still allow
male relatives to curtail their movements and, in the worst cases, leave them
marooned in prison-like shelters.
In August last
year, the kingdom allowed women over the age of 21 to obtain passports without
seeking the approval of their “guardians” - fathers, husbands or other male
relatives.
The move, part
of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s plan to revamp the national image, ended
a longstanding rule that prompted some extreme attempts to flee the kingdom.
But
campaigners warned it is easy to sidestep the reform.
While allowing
travel documents, Saudi Arabia has not done away with “taghayyub” - a legal
provision that means “absent” in Arabic and which has long been used to
constrain women who leave home without permission.
Guardians can
still file a police complaint that their female relatives are ‘absent’, which
would lead to their arrest and possible detention in Dar Al Reaya (women’s
shelter).
The system of
shelters operated around the kingdom is opaque but accounts of conditions there
paint a dire picture.
Saudi fathers
can’t stop the girls getting passports but they can still declare them missing
to local police who will then track them down for the parents.
In 2018,
members of the Saudi advisory Shura Council recommended the Justice Ministry
stop accepting taghayyub cases as a way to slowly dismantle the guardianship
system, but the suggestion seems to have been ignored.
The move was
celebrated as a historic leap for gender equality, triggering humorous online
memes featuring women dashing to the airport with suitcases - alone.
But it also
prompted lamentation for the perceived loss of men’s control.
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-historical-new-court-ruling-boosts-gender-equality-1.72602223
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Afghan women
players call for arrest of ex-Afghan football boss
July 15, 2020
Karim was last
year found guilty of assaulting several female Afghan footballers
Afghan women
players on Wednesday called for the arrest of fugitive ex-football chief
Keramuddin Karim after his life ban for "appalling" sexual abuse was
upheld.
Karim was last
year found guilty of assaulting several female Afghan footballers, with Fifa
delivering their toughest sanction -- a life ban and a fine of 1 million Swiss
francs ($1 million, 934,000 euros).
The Court of
Arbitration for Sport on Tuesday upheld the Fifa verdict, saying Karim had
"violated basic human rights and damaged the mental and physical dignity
and integrity of young female players".
"With his
appalling acts, he had destroyed not only their careers, but severely damaged
their lives," Lausanne-based CAS, the highest court in sport, said in a
statement.
Karim, who had
previously denounced the accusations as part of a "conspiracy", has
been on the run since Afghan authorities issued a warrant for his arrest last
year.
KhalidaPopal,
the former Afghan women's captain who campaigned against Karim, said the ruling
had sent out a message.
"It is a
strong statement that there is no room for abuse and violation of human rights
in football," Popal told AFP.
Popal had
reportedly collected accounts against Karim from former teammates that included
sexual violence, death threats and rapes.
"Karim
should have been arrested long ago, but we are still happy that the world has
not forgotten him," added a female footballer, on condition of anonymity.
"The
world should put more pressure on the Afghan government to arrest him."
The scandal
involving Karim rocked Afghan women's football, with many players forced to
stop training and quit the sport under pressure from their families.
Several matches
planned for the national women's team were cancelled as sponsors terminated
contracts.
"We are
getting back on our feet. It takes time to recover but I am happy at least
justice is served," said another female footballer, who preferred to
remain unnamed. She also called for Karim's arrest.
Afghan
authorities are still searching for Karim, whose whereabouts are unknown.
The Afghan
attorney general's office said it had done a "thorough investigation"
but Karim never came forward for interrogations.
"He is at
large, we have asked the police to arrest him," said Jamshid Rasuli,
spokesman for the attorney general's office.
"Whenever
he is arrested... the court will decide his fate."
The Afghan
Football Federation, which was headed by Karim until the scandal broke out,
declined to comment when approached by AFP.
Authorities
sacked several other AFF officials along with Karim when news of the scandal
broke in Britain's Guardian newspaper in November 2018.
Last year,
Karim's defence lawyer Ivo Sigmond dismissed the accusations against his client
as "ghost stories" fuelled by the #MeToo movement.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/afghan-women-players-call-for-arrest-of-ex-afghan-football-boss
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UAE, Saudi
women are world's biggest spenders on beauty products - report
15 JULY, 2020
Women in the
UAE and Saudi Arabia have topped the global charts in spending on makeup and
skincare products, making the two countries the world’s cosmetics capitals,
according to a new report.
The biggest
spenders are Saudi women, who rack up $909 (3,350 UAE dirhams) in yearly bills,
followed by Emirati women, with an annual tab of 694 dollars (2,550 dirhams),
according to a study by discount site Picodi.com.
Picodi polled
more than 9,000 respondents over 40 countries worldwide to understand the
cosmetics preferences of consumers in different markets.
Asian
consumers outdid Europeans in the top ten list, with Hong Kong’s $568 annual
spending landing in the third position, followed by the United Kingdom ($505)
in the fourth spot and Romania ($479) in the fifth. Rounding up the top ten
most cosmetics-obsessed markets in the world are Ireland ($444), Thailand
($441), Singapore ($427), Australia ($405) and Finland ($397).
The beauty and
personal care market in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) have been rising in
recent years. The market’s retail value jumped by eight percent to $34.9
billion in 2019, from $32.4 billion a year earlier.
According to
Euromonitor International, personal care spending in the UAE alone could reach
8.8 billion dirhams by 2022.
Nikolay
Kashcheev, an analyst at Picodi, said that wearing make-up or using skincare
products is a big part in the Arab culture, despite restrictions around
dressing in public.
“In Arab
culture, women need to hide almost their entire body in public. But regardless
of the laws and customs, women want to look special and wearing make-up is the
way to do so,” Kaschcheev told Zawya.
However, the
current economic slowdown due to the coronavirus pandemic could impact overall
spending on beauty products this year. Buying make-up, which is a non-essential
item, may take a back seat as consumers prioritize basic necessities.
“We expect
people to cut their budgets, including cosmetics. Our survey shows that women
regularly use 10 out of 23 owned cosmetics. This means that for some time, they
would not buy new products just because they want it,” said Kascheev.
Preferences of
Emirati women
In its latest
study, Picodi found that Emirati women’s toiletry bags are quite spacious. On
average, they contain 23 cosmetics products.
They’re also
quite particular with brands when they go out shopping, with 60 percent of them
saying a product’s label play a crucial part in their purchasing decisions. A
smaller number, (34 percent) also said they prefer premium items, the ones that
are on the pricier side.
Eco-friendly
products are quite popular as well in this market, but 63 percent of the women
said they take home green products only when the price is reasonable.
According to
the Picodi study, while many are brand-conscious and have the tendency to go
for luxury items, overall, most women prefer value for money, with 71 percent
of Emiratis saying they choose price as a major factor determining the
purchase.
https://www.zawya.com/mena/en/business/story/UAE_Saudi_women_are_worlds_biggest_spenders_on_beauty_products__report-ZAWYA20200715063706/
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Brother Of
Anti-Hijab Activist Sentenced To Eight Years In Iran
July 16, 2020
A
revolutionary court in Iran’s capital Tehran has sentenced the brother of an
exiled anti-compulsory hijab activist to eight years in jail.
The Islamic
Republic intelligence agents arrested Masih Alinejad's brother, Alireza, in
Tehran in September last year, in what was labeled by rights groups and
activists as a retaliatory measure against his sister who lives in the United
States and has a following among women and anti-hijab activists in Iran.
Masih
Alinejad, the founder of "White Wednesdays" anti-compulsory hijab
movement, tweeted, "Despite months of pressure and keeping my brother in
solitary confinement, the criminals (Islamic Republic authorities) who know
nothing but execution and hostage-taking, failed to force him to disown me and
atone."
In another
tweet Alinejad accused the Islamic Republic of trying to use her brother to
lure her to Turkey and kidnap her. Last year, Iranian intelligence kidnapped
another foreign-based activist in Iraq.
Alireza
Alinejad received five years jail for "assembly and collusion for action
against the country's security," two years for "insulting the Islamic
Republic Supreme Leader," and one year behind bars for "propaganda
against the regime," his attorney, Saeed Dehqan tweeted on Wednesday, July
15.
Amnesty
International had earlier sharply criticized the arrest. Alinejad’s verdict is
subject to appeal, but if security organs decide to keep him in prison, an
appeal will not be successful.
"Arresting
the relatives of an activist in an attempt to intimidate her into silence is a
despicable and cowardly move," Amnesty International's Research and
Advocacy Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Philip Luther, said in
a statement on September 25, 2019.
"Instead
of harassing and detaining the family members of Masih Alinejad, Iran's
authorities should release them immediately and end their campaign of
repression against women," Philip Luther asserted.
Masih
Alinejad-Ghomi, 43, is a self-exiled Iranian journalist-author, political
activist and women's rights advocate, based in New York. She currently works as
a presenter/producer at VOA Persian Service, and active in other foreign-based
Persian media.
https://en.radiofarda.com/a/brother-of-alinejad-sentenced-to-eight-years-in-iran/30729790.html
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Extremist
Fighter's Ground-breaking Sex Slavery Trial Opens At ICC
14 Jul 2020
The trial of a
former Islamic militant who allegedly forced hundreds of women into sexual
slavery has opened at the international criminal court, where he has been
accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and in a first, persecution on
the grounds of gender.
Al Hassan Ag
Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud, 42, was transferred to the court’s custody
more than two years Ago from Mali, where he had been held by local authorities
for more than a year.
Prosecutors in
The Hague have accused him of torture, extrajudicial punishments and participation
in a policy of forced marriage, which “led to repeated rapes and sexual
enslavement of women and girls”.
He also been
charged with persecution on the grounds of gender, which was welcomed as a
“historic step” and a “milestone for justice” by campaigners.
The alleged
offences were committed during a six-month period when the Malian city of
Timbuktu was occupied and ruled by radical Islamist groups in 2012 and 2013.
Al Hassan
remained impassive throughout the early part of the hearing, which was televised,
speaking in Arabic only to return the greeting of Judge Antoine Kesia-MbeMindua
and say he understood the charges against him.
Asked to enter
a plea to each of the charges he refused, telling judges 13 times: “I cannot
answer that question.”
His defence
lawyers told the court al Hassan was suffering form post-traumatic stress
disorder and was unfit to stand trial. Restrictions due to the Covid-19
pandemic had meant a full psychological assessment had not been carried out,
they argued.
Timbuktu fell
to a coalition of Tuareg rebels and Islamist militant factions, including
al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and a local group called Ansar Dine, in
mid-2012. They enforced a harsh version of sharia law in areas under their
control, banning music, forcing women to wear the burqa, preventing girls from
attending school and demolishing saints’ graves.
Al Hassan
joined Ansar Dine shortly before its occupation of the city and led a force of
religious police, prosecutors say.
Born in a
village north of Timbuktu, Al Hassan is also alleged to have worked closely
with the religious tribunals set up by the occupiers to impose a harsh version
of Islamic law, and is accused of participating in the torture of detainees.
The extremists
withdrew from Timbuktu when French soldiers advanced in January 2013. Al Hassan
fled Mali; according to court documents, he later rejoined his former comrades
and was eventually detained by French troops after a gun battle in the north of
Mali.
Al-Hassan’s
defence team have previously argued that Al Hassan was too minor an actor to
justify trial at the ICC, that the alleged crimes were unrepresentative and
that the prosecution unfairly targeted the Islamic faith.
The trial is
only the second of an Islamist militant at the ICC. Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, a
senior militant in Timbuktu during the occupation, was sentenced to nine years
in prison by the ICC in 2016 for his role in the destruction of world-famous
religious shrines and monuments in Timbuktu. Mahdi pleaded guilty to the crime
and apologised. He said he had been overtaken by evil spirits and urged Muslims
not to follow his example.
Mali remains
plagued by Islamic militancy and has been plunged into a political crisis in
recent weeks, further undermining efforts to restore security by local troops,
a large French force and UN peacekeepers.
A successful
prosecution of Al Hassan would be a boost to the ICC, but is unlikely to end
criticism from some quarters. The US has threatened an economic and legal
offensive against the institution following a recent decision by judges to open
an investigation into war crimes in Afghanistan.
Melinda Reed,
the executive director of Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice, a civil
organisation based at The Hague that focuses on the ICC, said the Al Hassan
case was groundbreaking not just because of the use of the charge of
persecution based on gender for the first time, but also because it included
non-sexual violence too.
“The charging
documents include cases where women were hunted down and detained in inhumane
conditions for the sole reason of wearing a headscarf considered as too
beautiful or not wearing gloves at the market,” Reed said.
“In addition,
the case includes the crime of forced marriage as distinct from sexual slavery.
This gives recognition to the gendered dimension of forced marriage, separate
from sexual violence, as well as recognising the social stigma faced by
victims.”
Reed said the
case was a good example of prosecutors using multiple charges and could create
an important legal precedent.
“In many
cases, persecution is charged on ethnic or religious grounds without the
recognition that persecution can be seen on both religious and gender grounds,
as seen [here],” she said.
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2020/jul/14/ex-islamist-militant-in-court-accused-of-forcing-women-into-sexual-slavery
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Arab
Businesswomen Discuss Their Pandemic Experiences
15/07/2020
São Paulo –
Sarah Ayed is the Chief Strategy Officer at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce, in
Saudi Arabia, and Yomna El Sheridy is director and CEO with Special Foods and
chair of Business Women of Egypt 21 organization. This Wednesday (15) saw them
join Brazilian businesswomen for a webinar hosted by the Arab Brazilian Chamber
of Commerce (ABCC). The online event also featured the launch of the ABCC
Women’s Committee and got viewed by over 800 people in Brazil and the world
over. Pictured above is Sarah Ayed.
The executives
related how they’ve adapted to the worldwide lockdown, what changed within
businesses, the work from home and at manufacturing plants, and shopping
behavior. Yomna said she couldn’t implement remote work, since she’s in olive
production and needs people at the plant. People are having to step out of
their comfort zones, she said. “Women will always find a way to overcome
problems,” Yomna argued.
The Egyptian
businesswoman said she had to find new ways to connect with clients and keep
the business going. “The pandemic forced us to fast-track our digitization. Our
digitization project had always been kind of brushed aside, but the crisis led
us to put in place online payment methods fast, and we weren’t that used to
this system. We also worked with other platforms to enable us to sell to other
parts of the world,” said Yomna.
She created
her own page online and is working with platforms such as Amazon, which helps
her reach out to clients. Yomna managed to keep all her staff, but many other
factories in Egypt couldn’t. She also had to make adaptations regarding
markets.
“We used to
export 100% of our output. Everything we made used to be for export. For the
first time ever, we stopped and said ‘Let’s look into the local market. Let’s
do something different for the local market’,” she said. She and her employees
had to tackle new challenges. They had to deal with local clients, figure out
their profiles, and work out the market to find ways to keep revenue streaming
in and keep the business afloat amid the pandemic. “In practical terms, I’d
argue that a few positive things have come from this crisis,” she said.
Yomna discussed
two other aspects that had to be changed. One was the use of different media to
promote her products. “Another thing is we started working online, and this
meant having more women take on leadership positions,” she said. “We’re always
fighting to survive and to get the best out of this crisis.”
Sarah Ayed
Saudi
businesswoman Sarah Ayed said everyone in her company will keep working from
home until at least mid-August or September. She recalled that early on in the
lockdown was a difficult time for everyone. “In the beginning it was all very
confusing. The communities, the businesses and the people didn’t know what was
going on. And we all had to face a lockdown. In different time windows, we had
to go home. The businesses shut down,” she said.
Sarah also
mentioned the impact on workers’ mental health, and the importance of ensuring
the wellbeing of families. “Many businesses were ready to go into virtual mode,
but it was tough for people to get in the mood. Because it’s not just about
working from home; you need to be mentally prepared for it. As the schools
closed, the children went home with their parents. We had to work to make sure
the families, the teams, the people were doing well. We had to focus on health
aspects with a lot of responsibility in everything we’d do,” she said.
Sarah’s work
involves communication in the services industry. She said she deals with people
and needs to approach what’s going on from the work and family perspectives.
“At home, anywhere in the world, at least when it comes to our business, we can
log into the company system, check out our panel and get to work,” she said.
But clients’ conditions had to be taken into consideration to make sure that
deadlines were met. Flexibility enabled them to take on the pandemic’s challenges
together.
Regarding the
“new normal,” Sarah said that before going back into the office, a few
guidelines need to be worked out. “We can’t just drag people back to work if
the office isn’t ready. So we decided that people aren’t going back before at least
mid-August or September, so that we can prepare the office to comply with
regulations, because health is really important. Moreover, if people have to go
back, where will the children stay? That’s another factor to consider to make
sure everyone in the team is satisfied and ready to go back and all guidelines
are observed,” she said.
Sarah Ayed
also said that the Saudi administration created business stimulus packages, and
that she had been working under global mentorship and entrepreneurship programs
that got interrupted as the pandemic broke out. After than she started having
online sessions with business personalities from all over the world, giving
lectures in platforms like Instagram. “So what matters the most here is
adaptation. You need to work out an efficient, adaptable way for everyone,” she
said.
She
congratulated the ABCC on the creation of its WAHI Women’s Committee – wahi is
Arabic for ‘inspiration.’ “It’s a beautiful name for a truly admirable program.
Building bridges, reacting opportunities and connecting businesswomn in Brazil
and the Arab world is a great idea. This is an initiative we’d like to see more
of going forward,” she said.
Speakers in
the webinar also included Brazilian businesswomen Natalia Klafke, general
manager with Radix Engenharia e Software; and Ana Paula Kagueyama, senior
Global Customer Services director and site leader with PaypalBrasil. The event
kicked off with an address from ABCC president Rubens Hannun, with moderation
by ABCC commercial manager Daniella Leite.
Also featured
was ABCC Women’s Committee president Alessandra Frisso, who’s director of ABCC
member company H2R – a research institute. Previously filmed statements from
the Committee’s board members Claudia Yazigi Haddad, Janine Bezerra de Menezes
and Silvia Antibas were shown. Towards the end of the webinar,
MobilisaSoluçõesTecnológicas CEO Isabella Gelencsir and Dubai’s High Class
Corporate Services partner Cecilia Bicca asked questions. Both companies are
ABCC members.
https://anba.com.br/en/arab-businesswomen-discuss-their-pandemic-experiences/
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Why Women’s
Shelters In Turkey No Longer Provide Safety
Jul 15, 2020
With his blue
piercing eyes and a habit of baring his front teeth when angry, Ozan Guven
might well be one of the most charismatic actors of the Turkish screen. Known
for his portrayal of ambitious, hot-tempered and abusive characters in two of
Turkey’s top-rated soaps — “Phi” and “Magnificent Century” — Guven became
headline news in July when his girlfriend, Deniz Bulutsuz, filed a case against
him for violence and physical abuse. Guven may face up to 13 years of
imprisonment.
“So Guven is
Can Manay after all,” said one tweet, referring to the main character in the
Turkish series “Phi,” where the antagonist, a smooth-talking psychiatrist,
eventually reveals himself to be a psychopath with a history of abuse, violence
and even femicide.
The Turkish
opinion remained divided as Bulutsuz unfolded photos of her bruises, a black
eye and a testimony that said that she had been slammed against a wall by
Guven. Women’s activists and a group of screenwriters called on production
companies to blacklist Guven, while others, mainly male groups, accused
Bulutsuz of lying and charged Guven’s critics of lynching the actor with
nothing yet proven. MelisAlphan, a journalist and a longtime advocate of
women’s rights, faced a steady flow of online abuse when she tweeted that
members of the film sector should stop working with Guven.
“When it is a
man with power, fame and with fans, they rally to his side and insult the
victim or anyone who supports her,” Alphan told Al-Monitor. “I used to advocate
education to combat gender-based violence, but I can no longer say that — there
is so much abuse against women in academia too.”
MorCati, one
of the founders of the Purple Roof Women’s Shelter Association, which has
provided counseling, and psychological and legal support to violence victims
since the1990s, said the case had been emblematic for domestic violence
victims. “It is becoming visibly more difficult for women to speak about the
violence they face. Women who talk of what they have experienced are accused of
lying or of deserving what happened to them. Unfortunately, we live in a world
where there are men who use violence against women and then deny it — and a
public opinion that believes them,” said the association’s statement published
July 7.
The Purple
Roof called on women to protect their rights under Turkey’s laws and the
so-called Istanbul Convention, the major Council of Europe accord that protects
women from violence and abuse, which the government signed in 2011 and ratified
in 2012. The call came amid calls by some members of the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) that the ratification has been a mistake and the
government should withdraw from the accord that they claim protects the LGBTI
community and relationships outside marriage.
On the weekend
of July 10-12, various women’s platforms from all around Turkey took to the
streets to end femicide, stop sexual abuse of children and uphold the
convention and Turkey’s law on preventing violence against women, known as Law
No. 6284.
The convention
— whose full name is the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combatting
Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence — is named after Istanbul, because
it was presented to the signatories in a meeting in the city. Turkey was the
first country to sign the accord, which says the state is responsible to
prevent all forms of violence against women, train police and justice officials
on victims’ rights, and work with nongovernmental organizations on the issue.
On July 2,
NumanKurtulmus, vice chair of the AKP, said in an interview that signing the
accord had been a mistake. In a televised interview, Kurtulmus indicated that
the government might consider withdrawing from the convention, saying that the
accord has played into “the hands of LGBT and marginal elements” — adding to
the homophobic statements by the government and top officials.
Though other
top brass of the AKP made similar noises on regretting the signing of the
accord in the past, Kurtulmus’ words brought the issue of withdrawal at a time
that women’s groups raised their voices on the increase of domestic violence in
light of the coronavirus lockdowns and lack of adequate measures, such as new
helplines or a quick reaction by police and shelter officials on complaints of
violence.
Women’s
associations and female politicians — including AKP deputies — raged against
Kurtulmus. Burcu Karakas, a journalist and a nonresident scholar at the Middle
East Institute, tweeted her outrage, saying, “Why bother with official
statements such as ‘withdrawal from the convention’? Why not say, simply and
plainly, say that you want to marry underage girls and beat up women?”
President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was prime minister when the accord was ratified,
remained noncommittal, at least for the time being. According to Hurriyet
daily, he simply asked his team to study it and see what the concerns are.
Ankara
observers cheekily point out that the president is stuck between two strong
stakeholders — the Ismailaga Congregation, a powerful and conservative group
that strongly opposes the accord, and his wife and daughter who support it.
According to Anka-Review, an Ankara insider, several female activists told the
newsletter on condition of anonymity that they believe that Sumeyye Erdogan,
the president’s daughter and co-chair of women’s association KADEM, is the
“guarantee” that Turkey would not sign off the accord as she had strongly
supported it in the past.
“The Istanbul
declaration would not be easy to discard, as many women — including the conservative
ones — were supporting it when it was signed. No one wants to see women killed
in front of their children,” MelekOnder of We Will Stop Femicide Platform, told
Al-Monitor. “The opposers are a vocal group, but they are a very small one.”
“We should not
even be debating withdrawal from the convention,” Alphan said. “Given the
situation on the ground, we should be reflecting on how we can implement it
better.”
Even with the
accord in place, women’s groups claim that the government is far from vigilant
on protecting women from violence or death. The Ministry of Interior Affairs
has claimed that the number of femicides has decreased in Turkey in the first
half of 2020 compared to last year, declining from 173 to 115. But several
femicides reported by the press revealed that women who have asked for
protection had not been given that, including one woman who was killed by her
husband after he found her at a women’s shelter.
In July,
Zeynep Topal, a 27-year-old mother of two from Bingol, traveled from her small
town to Istanbul to seek refuge in a women’s shelter, only to be found by her
husband and taken home. A few days after her departure from the shelter, she
was found dead in a backyard in Bingol, shot with her hands tied behind her
back. Her husband, Osman Topal, was arrested along with two relatives who are
believed to be accomplices.
A month
earlier, as Turkey was in lockdown, an unnamed woman went to a police station
and was sent to a shelter, again according to a statement by Purple Roof.
However, the officer at the police station, who is a friend of her husband,
shared the address of the shelter with him.
Onder said
that the coronavirus lockdowns, when women were forced to remain at home with
violent husbands or simply leave home in a hurry, had shown how inadequate the
shelters have been. “Under the law, municipalities with more than 100,000
inhabitants should have a shelter,” she said. “Few of them do.”
The July 7
statement by Purple Roof also stated that the 144 shelters for women throughout
the country are too few, and that some shelters do not provide women with
“emotional, social and legal support” but seek to unite families instead.
“[Some of the efforts of the shelters’ officials] to get those women to
reconcile with the very people who abused them can cost these women their
lives,” said the statement. “This approach, which puts family unity before the
safety of women, needs to end.”
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/07/turkey-istanbul-convention-violence-against-women-on-rise.html
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