Muslim Women, Abandoned By Their Husbands to Escape the Consequences of Triple Talaq Struggle to Live In Hyderabad
New
Age Islam News Bureau
25
November 2021
•
Body Search of Women by Policemen under Any Circumstances Is Illegal: Peshawar
High Court
•
Princess Nourah Prize Opens Nominations for 4th Edition to Honor Outstanding
Saudi Women
•
Riyadh Conference Focuses on Women’s Empowerment
•
From Protection to Prevention, How Saudi Arabia’s Stance on Violence against
Women Has Changed
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/triple-talaq-hyderabad-muslim-women/d/125841
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Muslim
Women, Abandoned By Their Husbands to Escape the Consequences of Triple Talaq
Struggle to Live In Hyderabad
Picture
used for representational purpose only
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Nov
25, 2021
HYDERABAD:
Majority of Muslim women from the city abandoned by their husbands to escape
the consequences of triple talaq either have meagre income or beg to survive.
Desperate
for money, food and shelter, many have taken to odd jobs, living on less than
Rs 2,000 a month or have temporarily moved in with their family and relatives,
shows a recent survey conducted by women members of a city-based social
organisation.
The
social organisation’s study covered about 350 women living in various colonies
of Shaheen Nagar.
“Though
the survey is limited to one pocket, it is reflective of the condition that
most of these women are in today,” said Nikhat Begum from Helping Hand
Foundation, who headed this survey in the city along with a team of volunteers.
At
least 45% respondents are victims
Their
findings show that at least 45% of the respondents — aged between 18 and 35 years
— are victims of abandonment. “The numbers have increased lately,” added
Nikhat, alluding to this being a result of the ban on instant talaq.
Shaheen
Begum, one among those left stranded almost suddenly, has taken up work on a
farm. “I end up earning a maximum of Rs 100 per day and that’s just not enough
to take care of three children and myself,” the 40-year-old said. Her daughter,
also divorced recently, has started some tailoring work to support the family.
Many
younger girls have taken to peeling garlic that fetch them Rs 25 for every kg,
become domestic helps or are engage in menial jobs for textile traders. Even
their pay is poor. “I get orders for just two or three kg of garlic. Not only
is the money insufficient, it even damages the skin,” said another woman from
Habeeb Nagar.
Mujtaba
Hasan Askari, founder of the foundation admitted to receiving a “steady flow of
abandonment cases of women from underprivileged sections looking for social
support”. Speaking about the startling revelations of the survey, he said: “By
circumventing the law, men are pushing women into deeper social stress as all
their legal entitlements like ‘mehr’, which is like a social security net, are
unpaid,” he said.
Source:
Times of India
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Body
Search of Women by Policemen Under Any Circumstances Is Illegal: Peshawar High
Court
Photo
courtesy of Nazish Brohi. (Representational use)
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November
25, 2021
PESHAWAR:
The Peshawar High Court has declared that policemen are not allowed to conduct
body search of a woman under any circumstances and that under the law, a woman
could be subjected to body search by a woman only.
Justice
Mussarat Hilali of a single-member bench observed that under the Code of
Criminal Procedure, a woman was entitled to ‘special treatment’ regarding body
search.
“Section
52 of the CrPC provides that whenever it is necessary to cause a woman to be
searched, the search should be made by another woman with strict regard to
decency.
“Under
no circumstances, male police personnel shall actually touch the person of a
woman for making search or arrest,” it ruled.
Court
grants bail to woman in drug case
The
bench made the order while accepting bail petition of a woman suspect,who was
arrested by the officials of Pishtakhara police station on Sept 6, 2021, on the
charge of narcotics smuggling.
It
granted bail to the petitioner on condition of furnishing two surety bonds of
Rs100,000 each.
The
FIR of the case was registered under Section 9-D of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Control of Narcotics Substance Act.
The
police had alleged that they had seen the petitioner stand on the roadside on
the Ring Road in Peshawar with a shopping bag in her hand and that the search
led to the seizure of 3,280 grammes of heroin in the bag.
The
petitioner’s counsel, Umer Zafran, contended that his client was falsely
implicated in the case. He stated that the petitioner was six weeks pregnant
and was a mother of three children.
He
said on record, there was no female constable with the police team which
claimed of recovering contraband from her possession. He added that the
petitioner was arrested on Peshawar’s Ring Road which was a busy public place
without a female constable.
The
bench observed when the petitioner was searched by police on public road in
presence of all male police personnel, the norms of decency could not have been
observed.
“The
question is how the petitioner, who is pregnant of six weeks, was searched on
road side where there no prior information of her being involved in trafficking
narcotics,” it observed.
The
bench also expressed concern about the policemen keeping that woman in their
custody for three long hours.
“It
has also been noticed with great concern that though the FIR was registered
against the petitioner at 1650 hours but she was sent to Women Police Station
at 1950 hours Ice after a delay of three hours during which she remained in
exclusive male police custody as no female constable is shown to have been
associated with the proceedings,” it observed.
The
court added that the situation was extremely intolerable, undesirable and
against the statutory and executive directions.
It
observed that despite the lapse of 65 days, the prosecution had failed to
produce the Forensic Science Laboratory report of the contraband allegedly
recovered from the petitioner.
Source:
Dawn
https://www.dawn.com/news/1660070/body-search-of-women-by-policemen-illegal-peshawar-high-court
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Princess
Nourah Prize opens nominations for 4th edition to honor outstanding Saudi women
November
25, 2021
RIYADH:
The secretariat of the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman Prize for Women’s
Excellence has opened nominations for its fourth edition, which is the first
annual award to celebrate and highlight the outstanding achievements of Saudi
women.
The
prizes for the winners will be awarded on March 8 by Minister of Education
Hamad Al-Asheikh, during a ceremony held under the patronage of King Salman.
The
award focuses on six areas:
-
Health sciences and women’s health
-
Natural sciences and energy and renewable energy
-
Human studies and scientific studies that highlight local identity and national
heritage
-
Artworks and Arabic calligraphy
-
Social work and women’s endowments
-
Economic projects and pioneering projects that contributed to supporting
domestic tourism.
Dr.
Inas Al-Issa, the president of Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University and
chair of the prize’s supreme committee, said that the unlimited support that
Saudi women receive from the Saudi leadership comes from the belief in their
abilities and confidence in their success in contributing to achieving
development plans in accordance with the Kingdom’s 2030 vision alongside their
male counterparts.
She
said honoring and celebrating women’s outstanding achievements and supporting
their participation in sustainable development is a living witness to King
Salman’s generous patronage of the Princess Noura Prize for Women’s Excellence,
which aims to support the presence and excellence of women locally and
globally.
She
added that the prize “is a platform that bears witness to the success stories
of Saudi women in all fields, and motivates new generations of women to
contribute seriously to comprehensive development.”
Nomination
for the prize will remain open until Jan. 15, and is available to government
agencies, the private sector, and reputable scientific and cultural bodies and
institutions or by individuals. Registration can be done through the website:
https://nourahprize.pnu.edu.sa.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1974921/saudi-arabia
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Riyadh
conference focuses on women’s empowerment
November
25, 2021
RIYADH:
The empowerment of Saudi women was the focus of a conference in Riyadh
organized by Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University under the patronage of
Princess Fahda bint Falah Al-Hithlain.
More
than 110 researchers representing more than 90 government and private sector
agencies discussed the empowerment of Saudi women, legislative reforms in the
era of King Salman, and the most important government initiatives.
The
conference sessions dealt with the reality of empowering Saudi women in state
institutions, the degree of empowerment and political participation of women,
and future proposals for empowering women within the framework of legislative
and institutional reforms supporting women’s empowerment and achieving the
goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
The
president of Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Dr. Enas Al-Issa,
said the process of empowering Saudi women had seen historic leaps in line with
the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. She said the total number of Saudi female faculty
members had reached 33,000 and that women constituted about 44 percent of the
total faculty members in Saudi universities. Of these, 37 percent had a
doctorate while 1,300 women held senior leadership positions in universities.
Nouf
Al-Ajmi, vice rector of the Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University for
female students, said the institution had made remarkable progress in the
indicators for women’s empowerment in university education.
“The
university is increasing activities, projects and initiatives directed at
developing the skills of its members, improving the work environment, removing
challenges and introducing new specializations for female students in the
fields of medicine, media and law,” she told the conference.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1974946/saudi-arabia
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From
protection to prevention, how Saudi Arabia’s stance on violence against women
has changed
November
24, 2021
JEDDAH:
To commemorate the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women,
let’s explore how Saudi Arabia’s progress in strengthening laws on violence
against women and preserving their rights.
In
1979, the UN adopted the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of
Discrimination Against Women, also known as the international bill of women’s
rights, comprehensively addressing what constitutes women’s rights.
In
1999, the UN General Assembly officially designated Nov. 25 as the
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. On this
occasion, governments, international organizations, and non-governmental
organizations work to raise public awareness on the issue.
Since
1991, 187 countries have endorsed the CEDAW, adopting it as the legally binding
international treaty that requires them to abolish discrimination against women
by providing them with the same access and opportunities as their male
counterparts.
According
to UN figures, fewer than 40 percent of women who experience violence seek help
of any sort. One-third of women aged 15 and above worldwide have been subjected
to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, non-partner, or both at
least once in their lifetime.
There’s
still a long way to go to change these figures. To date, only two-thirds of the
world’s countries have outlawed domestic violence, while 37 countries worldwide
still exempt rape perpetrators from prosecution if they are married to or
eventually marry the victim; 49 countries currently have no laws protecting
women from domestic violence.
In
the past two decades, Saudi Arabia has made a significant effort to empower
women through different initiatives that address matters of concern. In 2005,
and by royal decree, the National Family Safety Program was established. The
program established foundations of an aware and safe community, protecting and
defending individual rights and helping victims of domestic abuse.
The
program has come a long way since its establishment. Dr. Maha Almuneef, the
founder and executive director of the NFSP, told Arab News that the program has
gone through several stages since its initiation, and each step played a
pivotal role in paving the way for legislation and an extensive collaborative
effort between civil society, business, and government agencies in the Kingdom.
“The
first stage I’d like to call the recognition stage, where we recognize the
problem, one that was considered a taboo, and recognize it as a major public
health issue and not simply a family dispute. This period spanned approximately
10 years, where we focused on awareness, advocacy, changing the mindset from a
family dispute and taboo subject to a public health issue that is affecting the
health and well being of women,” said Dr. Almuneef.
The
next stage was the legislative stage. After recognizing the problem and finding
ways to deal with the taboo subject, in 2013, the Law of Protection from Abuse
was issued with 17 articles addressed.
“There’s
a political will to fix the issue after conducting all the necessary research.
The law that was issued to criminalize domestic violence and is one of the
strongest in the Middle East, with fines and imprisonment. If and when the
offense is repeated, the punishment is doubled according to article 13,” said
Dr. Almuneef.
By
2016, the program moved to the prevention stage through various women
empowerment laws that elevated their status politically, socially,
economically.
These
changes, according to the director, are the first steps to not simply
protecting women, but to also prevent the onset of abuse towards them through
empowerment.
The
Kingdom has shifted its efforts from protecting women to preventing the act
from happening by realizing the fifth UN Sustainable Development Goal: “To
achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”
Last
November, the Saudi Public Prosecution Office issued new penalties for abuse
against women that included imprisonment and hefty fines for any physical,
psychological, or sexual assault against women in the Kingdom. The Violence
Against Women laws are some of the strictest in the region, with the Public
Prosecution Office mandating a minimum jail sentence of no less than one month
and up to five years.
Assault
and harassment penalty fines reach as high as SR300,000 ($ 80,000).
Lawyer
Waleed bin Naif told Arab News: “The laws and regulations issued in the Kingdom
guaranteeing women’s rights are constantly evolving. A woman’s silence about
claiming her rights does not mean the forfeiture of her rights if she demands
it.
“A
case I recently handled was concerning a woman physically assaulted by her
husband, where the court found the defendant guilty and imprisoned him for a
month.”
He
added: “With that being said, the Saudi judicial system today ensures women’s
right to represent themselves in criminal cases of violent abuse and assault,
without the need to bring a Mahram (legal guardian). Only her presence is
required to submit the complaint before it is referred to Public Prosecution,
where the perpetrator is summoned for interrogation.”
One
of the ways Saudi Arabia is empowering women is by raising awareness on new
protection laws, providing clear channels for complaints, and moving away from
complex to simplified and confidential bureaucratic procedures.
Saudi
efforts to eradicate violence against women include preparing civil workers with
the tools and training to coordinate with the concerned authorities when
supporting victims of abuse.
With
the program’s backing and various initiatives to empower women, Saudi women
have greatly benefited from economic legal reforms, training initiatives, and
programs. They have been given the tools to not only protect themselves, but
also allow them to walk away unscathed due to the sheer number of entities and
agencies that support women, especially the most vulnerable.
Dr.
Almuneef believes that these achievements are significant and have further
protected women from discrimination and abuse, but there is still more to be
done.
The
NFSP partnered with the UN Development Program and made significant
achievements in capacity-building programs to promote mental and physical
health and social well-being. It also provides practitioners with critical
knowledge and diverse skills to deal with domestic violence cases.
This
initiative has enhanced the NFSP’s training programs to entice and support
qualified professionals to handle domestic violence cases.
“Since
its initiation in 2005, we’ve been in close contact with international
agencies, whether it be UNDP, UNICEF, UN Women or the World Health
Organization. Recently, there has been a major collaboration between the UNDP
and NFSP in terms of building capacities and training professions on how to
empower women, support them and deal with cases of violence against women,”
said Dr. Almuneef.
“We
could see a continuous rise in abuse cases in the next five to 10 years. In
Saudi Arabia, the expected rise will not be attributed to the worsening of the
situation, on the contrary, it will be due to women raising the issue with
relevant authorities, better documentation, quicker responses and
interventions,” said Dr. Almuneef, adding that women now have a better
understanding of their rights due to the laws that empower and support them.
With
the continued collaborative effort between relevant authorities, any complaint
on the NSFP’s hotline receives an immediate response from law enforcement, the
Health Ministry, and others to ensure the case is dealt with according to its
severity.
According
to the WHO, COVID-19-induced lockdowns increased the risk of violence against
women. In a report, it said: “Stress, the disruption of social and protective
networks, loss of income and decreased access to services all can exacerbate
the risk of violence for women.”
Last
year, official statistics found that cases of abuse in adults constituted the
vast majority of recorded cases, where 2,318 instances of abuse against women
were recorded in Saudi Arabia.
Of
them, 77 percent were physical abuse, 12.7 percent were psychological abuse,
7.8 percent of the cases involved neglect, and 2.4 percent were sexual assault.
For more on the updated rules and regulations, visit the official website for
the Ministry of Justice.
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1974791/saudi-arabia
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