Arab world must not lose focus on the crisis of violence against women and girls
New
Age Islam News Bureau
26
November 2023
•
Arab world must not lose focus on the crisis of violence against women and
girls
•
Activists Call for Rights on Intl Elimination of Violence Against Women Day
•
Israel-Hamas war Day 51: Israeli authorities release 33 children, 6 Palestinian
women under hostage deal. Top 10 updates
•
Saudi Arabia leading the way when it comes to getting women into work
•
Iran’s para shooter javanmardi among 2023 best female athlete
•
The last of their kind: The unique life of Pakistan's Wakhi shepherdesses
•
Tears of Joy, Crackers Welcome Palestinian Women, Child Prisoners Freed by
Israel
•
Testimonies of liberated Palestinian women to Al Mayadeen
•
'Century of Türkiye' will be century of women: President Erdogan
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
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Arab
world must not lose focus on the crisis of violence against women and girls
Laila
Baker
25
November ,2023
Syrian
girls, who fled the ongoing conflict in Syria, stand in line at an all girls
school in the south of Khartoum. (AFP)
------------
Every
hour, five women and girls are killed by someone in their own family. One in
three women experience violence in their lifetime, and in parts of the Arab
world the situation is even more devastating as nearly two-thirds of women
suffer violence in their lives. Their stories are often buried by norms, stigma
and shame.
“After
the war came to Aleppo, I stopped being a girl, because the world stopped
treating me like one,” Sara told UNFPA. “Girls like me were targeted. Many were
abducted, raped, or killed. For those who weren't, the prospects weren't much
better.”
Rape,
sexual slavery, sex trafficking and forced marriage are widespread. These
tragic violations of human rights and dignity are used to cause fear, pain,
silence and submission.
“I
felt powerless,” says Khadijo, whose name was changed for privacy. She’s an
11-year-old survivor of rape in a camp for the displaced in Somalia. “I looked
around but it was too dark to see who had done this to me.”
Women
and girls suffer disproportionately during and after war, as existing
inequalities are magnified and put them at high risk. Evidence has shown that
violence against women and girls in the Arab world increases as a result of
conflict and displacement, particularly in crowded, deprived and highly tense
environments. Climate emergencies such as drought that cause further
displacement can lead to thousands of people being crammed into camps and
shelters which negatively impacts women and girls.
In
Somalia, for example, we witnessed the rise in female genital mutilation - a
source of income in some communities - in the displacement areas. Female
genital mutilation, a dreadful, dangerous and degrading practice, remains
stubbornly high in the region. In Somalia, nearly 99 percent of girls between
5- and 11-years report being cut. In Sudan, nearly three-quarters of girls are
affected.
UNFPA
also draws attention to the most recent attack on the population in Gaza and
where protection from gender-based violence (GBV) has been impossible due to
the lack of access to services, partners and supplies for personal hygiene. In
Yemen, around 80 percent of the 4.5 million people displaced are women and
children. Yemen has consistently ranked near last in the World Economic Forum’s
Global Gender Gap Index and was listed as the worst place in the world to be a
woman in 2017.
Similarly,
forcing girls into marriage robs them of their childhoods and futures, yet
despite progress, more than 20 percent of girls in the Arab region are married
before the age of 18.
And
for many women and girls, even those living in more prosperous parts of our
region, no place is truly safe. Violence invades their homes, schools and
workplaces and is becoming alarmingly extensive in their digital lives, on
their phones, tablets and computers.
Nearly
two-thirds of women and girls in the Arab region have experienced some form of
technology-facilitated gender based violence. They are stormed with toxic
social media posts, hate speech and violent content, or have their images
sexualized, distorted and shared without their consent.
The
solution lies in robust responses, including supporting women’s rights
organizations and investing in prevention. Yet globally only 1 percent of
gender-focused state aid is directed to women’s organizations and just 0.2
percent goes toward preventing violence against women.
Laws
and policies that uphold human rights, dignity and gender equality are also
crucial. All Arab states must put in place laws that put the minimum age of
marriage at 18. They must improve data on violence against women, and we must
work with communities to chip away at the norms and barriers that hold women
and girls back and prevent them from speaking out.
Thirty
years ago, at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD)
in Cairo, the world united behind a shared vision of the future, recognizing
that women and girls’ rights are central to global development and are key to
reaching humanity’s potential.
Today
is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and we
stand with the words of Ruba, a teenage girl from Idlib, Syria, who said: “I
know the world I want to live in. Help me build it, and I will never stop
working.”
Source:
English.Alarabiya.Net
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Activists
Call for Rights on Intl Elimination of Violence Against Women Day
25-11-2023
November
25 is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Some
activists in the field of women's rights are worried about the situation of
women in the country, and on this day and they asked the Islamic Emirate to
remove the restrictions imposed on the women of the country.
On
this day, António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, called on everyone to
work to eliminate violence against women.
At
the same time as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against
Women, the European Union in Afghanistan, Amnesty International and some
activists in the field of women's rights said they are concerned about the
situation of women in Afghanistan.
The
EU for Afghanistan wrote on X: “EU Afghanistan stands united with its partners
UN, and UNDP and calls to end gender-based violence.”
The
UN Secretary-General called the violence against women a horrific violation of
human rights and a major obstacle to sustainable development.
"Violence
against women is a horrific violation of human rights, a public health crisis,
and a major obstacle to sustainable development. This year’s theme of the UNiTE
campaign – “Invest to Prevent Violence against Women & Girls” – calls on
all of us to take action,” António Guterres said.
EU
wrote on X: "Women and girls worldwide continue to be disproportionately
exposed to violence and EU Afghanistan stands united with its partners UN, and
UNDP and calls to end gender-based violence.”
“Women
are not only deprived of their rights, but psychologically, they strongly feel
violence against themselves,” said Suraya Paikan, a womens’ rights activist.
“The
biggest violence against girls is that the doors of schools and universities
are closed to them and their rights are ignored, women live with an unknown
fate. Hoping for the day when the government of the Islamic Emirate will take
care of the rights of all Afghan people, especially women,” said Tafsir
Syahposh, a womens’ rights activist.
Meanwhile,
some women said that the restrictions imposed by the Islamic Emirate have
multiplied the challenges faced by women in the country.
“Our
request to the International Community is that they should do something for
Afghan women and take action so that girls can study and women can return to
their jobs," said Zuhra Rajabi, a student.
Meanwhile,
since the coming of the Islamic Emirate into power again in Afghanistan, more
than a dozen restrictive decrees have been imposed by the leader of the Islamic
Emirate on women and girls, including banning girls above the sixth grade from
going to schools and universities, and banning them from going to parks. And
the presence of women without masks in the media is one of the most prominent.
Source:
Tolo News.Com
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186199
-----
Israel-Hamas
war Day 51: Israeli authorities release 33 children, 6 Palestinian women under
hostage deal. Top 10 updates
26
Nov 2023
Israel-Hamas
ceasefire deal: Israel has said the truce can be extended an extra day for
every additional 10 hostages freed. (AFP)
------------
Under
the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, the Israeli prison authorities
released 39 Palestinian detainees, including 33 children and six women on
Sunday. Television images showed prisoners being welcomed home in annexed east
Jerusalem. On the other hand, Hamas released 13 Israeli and four Thai
nationals. Overall, Hamas is to release at least 50 Israeli hostages, and
Israel 150 Palestinian prisoners, during the four-day truce -- all women and
minors.
Israel
released 39 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday following Hamas' release of 13
Israelis and four foreigners in the second round of swaps under a ceasefire
deal.
On
the first day of the ceasefire, Hamas released 24 of the roughly 240 hostages
taken during its October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war.
On
day 1 of the ceasefire, Israel freed 39 Palestinians from prison. Those freed
in Gaza were 13 Israelis, 10 Thais, and a Filipino.
As
per the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, the former will release 150
Palestinian prisoners and the latter will have to release 50 hostages. Israel
has said the truce can be extended an extra day for every additional 10
hostages freed.
Israeli
leaders have said they won't stop until Hamas, which has controlled Gaza for
the past 16 years, is crushed. Israeli officials have argued that only military
pressure can bring the hostages home.
The
Israeli offensive has killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the
Health Ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza government. Women and minors have
consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead.
Israeli
troops killed six Palestinians in the occupied West Bank on Saturday, the
Palestinian Ministry of Health said. A 25-year-old doctor was killed early in
the morning outside his home near Jenin.
Thousands
of protesters on Saturday carried placards, waved Palestinian flags, and
chanted slogans before Canada's Parliament in Ottawa, demanding a permanent
ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.
Qatar
is hoping to extend the truce between Israel and Hamas beyond the agreed-upon
four days, a Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson said. Qatar is also working
with partners in Egypt, the United States, and both parties of the conflict to
ensure the agreed amount of aid trucks are allowed into Gaza.
The
Israeli military has detained the director of northern Gaza's Al-Shifa
hospital, Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of
using the hospital for combat and command purposes.
Source:
Livemint.Com
-----
Saudi
Arabia leading the way when it comes to getting women into work
NADIN
HASSAN
November
25, 2023
RIYADH:
No country in the world has been able to keep up with Saudi Arabia’s remarkable
strides in female labor force participation, a top executive at the World Bank
has claimed.
Speaking
to Arab News, Safaa El-Kogali flagged that the share of women in the Kingdom’s
workforce now stands at 36 percent – up from just over 17 percent in 2017.
The
country director for the Gulf Cooperation Council at the World Bank attributed
the rise to factors within the Vision 2030 initiative aimed at diversifying the
Saudi economy away from oil.
“I
think the train has already left the station when it comes to women’s labor
market participation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I think the changes that
were done are structural and the reforms that were put in place, whether
they’re legal reforms, or policies, are there now,” she added.
These
legal reforms contributed to a broader shift in societal perceptions and norms
regarding the significance of female participation in the labor market.
According
to a World Bank report released on Nov. 22 that focused on women’s labor force
participation in the Gulf region, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Saudi
Arabia “created a positive demand shock” which “accelerated” the number of women
in work.
“For
the rest of the GCC and MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region, important
lessons can be drawn on advancing female labor force participation,” the report
said.
El-Kogali
pointed out the important role education is playing in ensuring women are able
to meet the demand in the Kingdom’s fast developing economy.
“When
I say the train has left the station, I see the shift in social norms and
perceptions. I used to come to Saudi Arabia a few years ago and coming now I
see the changes just visibly as I walk around Riyadh,” she continued.
Overall,
the private sector workforce in Saudi Arabia has experienced consistent growth,
reaching 2.6 million in the early months of 2023, according to the World Bank
report.
This
expansion aligns with broader trends of increased participation in the labor
force, a higher employment-to-population ratio, and a reduction in unemployment
rates.
The
structural changes introduced through Vision 2030 include policy reforms
removing challenges for women, providing increased workplace protection, and
the introduction of programs supporting females in their careers.
“Many
impediments for women to work were removed. At the same time, new protections,
like the right to equal pay, and many new programs to support women in the
workforce were implemented including, labor law reforms to eliminate
discrimination in employment, sexual harassment in the workplace,” El-Kogali
commented.
Safaa
El-Kogali also emphasized the legal code reforms that removed specific
challenges for women, contributing to a broader shift in societal perceptions
and norms regarding the significance of female participation in the labor
market.
She
added: “Together with a change in social norms about women working, which was
very much facilitated by government communication and awareness campaigns,
these changes resulted in this extraordinary expansion of female labor force
participation among Saudi women.”
The
World Bank also revealed trajectories regarding the GCC’s economic growth,
forecasting it to grow by 3.6 percent in 2024 and 3.7 percent in 2025.
This
will come after a 1 percent growth in 2023, with the weaker performance driven
primarily by lower oil sector activities reflecting successive production cuts
by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, known
as OPEC+, and the global economic slowdown.
According
to the report, the Kingdom’s overall gross domestic product will show a
contraction of 0.5 percent in 2023 before reporting a recovery of 4.1 percent
in 2024 to reflect expansions of the oil and non-oil sectors.
“The
region performed strongly in 2022 with an average growth that surpassed 7
percent, led mostly by Saudi Arabia, which is the biggest economy in the GCC
and it’s also globally the fastest growing large economy,” El-Kogali said.
“This
growth is not just due to buoyant hydrocarbon prices, but also a continued
growth of the non-oil sectors, and the latter was the result of persistent
structural reforms undertaken by several of the GCC countries, of course, including
Saudi Arabia,” she continued.
El-Kogali
was clear that the transformations observed in recent years, particularly in
the willingness of Saudi women to engage in employment, are not temporary but
enduring.
“The
change is visible across all age groups – it is not only young Saudi women who
are now more willing to take up work, but also their mothers,” she said.
She
added: “Important lessons for other MENA countries can be drawn, and we as the
World Bank will share the Kingdom’s experience in this important area with
other countries who are trying to implement similar reforms.”
Source:
Arab News
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2415166/business-economy
-----
Iran’s
para shooter javanmardi among 2023 best female athlete
Nov
26, 2023
The
Para shooter claimed a silver medal in the P2 - Women's 10m Air Pistol SH1 of
the 2022 Asian Para Games.
She
will vie for the accolade with athletes from Japan, Chinese Taipei, China,
South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.
On
the sidelines of the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) General Assembly and
Executive Board elections underway in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, APC announced the
names of seven candidates for the accolade.
Source:
En.Mehrnews.Com
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/208803/Iran-s-para-shooter-javanmardi-among-2023-best-female-athlete
-----
The
last of their kind: The unique life of Pakistan's Wakhi shepherdesses
By
Farhat Javed
26-11-2023
For
centuries, Pakistan's Wakhi shepherdesses have trekked to remote mountain
pastures to graze their flocks. The income they generated has been pivotal in
transforming their community, helping to pay for healthcare, education and the
first road out of their valley. As their way of life dies out, BBC 100 Women
joined them on one of their last trips to the pastures.
The
women whistle and holler at the sheep, goats and yaks to stop them straying
from the narrow paths and falling down the mountainside.
"There
used to be a lot more cattle than now," says Bano, who is in her late 70s.
"The animals would jump here and there and run away. Some would come back
and some of them wouldn't."
In
years gone by, every summer dozens of Wakhi shepherdesses would make this trek
through the rugged Karakoram mountains of north-east Pakistan. Carrying their
young children on their backs, they would leave the men at home to farm in the
Shimshal valley below.
We
walk for eight hours a day through rain, snow and scorching heat. The journey
that used to take the women three days takes us five. The elderly shepherdesses
are always way ahead of the rest of us as we acclimatise to the altitude.
The
threat of landslides is ever present and the thud of the sheep's hooves
vibrates through the ground, bringing rocks and dust crashing down.
"My
brother gave me two pairs when I got married," she says. "People used
to come just to see them. They would often borrow them and my dress for
weddings."
BBC
100 Women names 100 inspiring and influential women around the world every year
- Michelle Obama and Amal Clooney are on this year's list, while Melinda French
Gates was listed in 2021
When
we finally reach Pamir, almost 5,000m (16,000ft) above sea level, the lush
green pastures unfold and streams of shimmering glacial water carve their way
through the landscape, surrounded by rugged snow-capped peaks.
"We've
walked these lands alongside our mothers and grandmothers. Like us, they were
shepherdesses, churning butter, and making yogurt," says Annar, as the
women sing and dance.
As
the eldest shepherdess, Annar kisses the door of one of the ranches, says a
prayer and steps inside carrying a hotplate with burning leaves.
"Our
elders taught us to use the spandur plant. They told us to always keep it near,
as it keeps trouble away," she says as she makes sure the smoke touches
every animal.
There
were personal hardships too. There were no doctors or healthcare facilities in
the mountains and she recalls how one summer they buried 12 children in the
pastures. Her son and daughter were among them.
Over
the years, the shepherdesses became successful businesswomen. "We would
collect milk from the animals to make yoghurt and dairy products. We sheared
the sheep and made things to take to the village," says Bano.
The
Wakhi community relied on barter and in return for their goods people would
build the women huts and houses. Afroze earned enough to build two homes, one
in Shimshal and another further away in Gilgit, the nearest city.
The
combination of the women's shepherding and the men's farming brought a turning
point for the whole community, which was disconnected from the rest of the
world until the early 2000s. They helped fund the only road out of the Shimshal
valley, linking the village to the Karakoram highway which runs between
Pakistan and China.
Journeys
that used to take days were reduced to hours and life was transformed. There
was better access to healthcare and education and new ideas flooded in.
Bano's
son, Wazir, leads a very different life now. He runs a tourist company
organising trekking, mountaineering and cultural tours.
Fazila,
who is 24, owns the first guest house in Shimshal valley, which her father
built before he passed away. Her mother was a shepherdess, although her failing
health meant she couldn't go to the pastures this year.
"Our
mothers encouraged us to focus on our studies rather than shepherding. They
told us not to endure the same hardships that they did," she explains.
"We have the freedom to do what we wish. If I hadn't pursued my education,
I'd be living the same hard life as they did. The cycle would have
continued."
As
he drives his jeep through the rugged mountains, Wazir agrees: "Because of
our mothers we have doctors, engineers and many other professionals."
Sitting
together sharing memories, the elderly shepherdesses are happy to see their
children doing well, but there is a tinge of sadness that the trips to the
Pamir pastures are no longer viable.
Source:
Bbc.Com
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-67510670
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Tears
of Joy, Crackers Welcome Palestinian Women, Child Prisoners Freed by Israel
By:
Shankhyaneel Sarkar
NOVEMBER
25, 2023
Firecrackers
lit up the night sky Friday as raucous celebrations — mixed with defiance —
marked the release of Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons in
exchange for the first wave of hostages freed by Hamas in Gaza.
Crowds
across the West Bank cheered and waved Palestinian and Hamas flags, along with
kaffiyeh scarves after two white coaches — escorted by armoured vehicles —
exited the Ofer military camp with the prisoners.
“I
am happy but my liberation came at the price of the blood of the martyrs,” said
Marah Bakir, 24, referring to the nearly 15,000 deaths across the Gaza Strip
that its Hamas-led government says were caused by Israel’s military offensive.
“I
spent the end of my childhood and my adolescence in prison, far from my parents
and their hugs,” she told AFP after returning to her family home in Beit Hanina
in annexed east Jerusalem.
A
total of 39 prisoners were released by Israeli authorities under a truce
agreement to pause the fighting in Gaza, after 13 hostages from Israel had been
handed over.
The
October 7 attack by Hamas militants on southern Israeli communities left 1,200
people dead — the worst death toll since the creation of Israel in 1948 —
according to Israeli authorities.
On
the Palestinian side officials say more people have died in Gaza in the current
wave of Israeli strikes than during the two intifadas put together.
Hanan
Al-Barghouti, 58, released after two months in Israeli custody, lauded the
armed wing of Hamas, its leader, and the people of Gaza.
“We
were inside the prison, eating bitterness. They were sadists. They insulted us
and humiliated us, but our pride is high and our dignity is elevated, thanks to
the resistance.”
Palestinian
prisoners wearing grey jumpers were paraded in Beitunia in the occupied West
Bank in front of euphoric supporters, many of whom broke down in tears.
Before
their release, clouds of white smoke filled the air close to the prison as
Israeli authorities fired tear gas to disperse the crowds. The Palestinian Red
Crescent said three people were shot and wounded by Israeli security forces.
“The
Israeli police are at our house and are preventing people from coming to see
us,” said Fatina Salman, the mother of Malak, 23, who was arrested on the way
to school in 2016 for trying to stab a police officer in Jerusalem.
In
the West Bank, occupied by Israel since 1967, more than 200 Palestinians have
been killed by Israeli soldiers and settlers since the October 7 attacks,
according to the health ministry of the Palestinian Authority.
Heavily
armed Israeli troops are again carrying out raids in Palestinian towns,
manoeuvres supposedly eliminated in some areas of the West Bank by the Oslo
accords.
Source:
News18.Com
-----
Testimonies
of liberated Palestinian women to Al Mayadeen
25
Nov 2023
Shortly
after being liberated as part of the temporary truce enforced by the
Resistance, a number of formerly imprisoned Palestenian women made short
statements to Al Mayadeen expressing their sour-sweet felicity of liberation
and offering an insight into the cruel conditions in Israeli prisons.
Rawan
Abu Ziyadeh told Al Mayadeen that Palestinian female prisoners are subjected to
severe violations in Israeli prisons.
"Agonizing
pain has set in considering the loss of a significant number of martyrs,
particularly in Gaza," Abu Ziyadeh added.
On
her part, liberated prisoner Falastin Farid Najm told Al Mayadeen, "Our
feeling of freedom is indescribable, and were it not for our Resistance in
Gaza, we wouldn't be among our people now."
"Gaza,
the resilient Resistance, if we thanked it every day, it wouldn't
suffice," she added.
"We
celebrate our freedom despite all the occupation's threats," she said,
knowing that the Israeli occupation issued orders to avoid all forms of
festivities following the Palestinian prisoners' release.
Source:
English.Almayadeen.Net
-----
'Century
of Türkiye' will be century of women: President Erdogan
26-11-2023
The
century of Türkiye will be the century of women, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
has said.
Addressing
an Istanbul event to mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence
Against Women on Saturday, Erdogan said they have adopted ending violence
against women as the basic policy of the state.
“We
believe that the Board of Coordination for Combating Violence Against Women,
which we established with our new circular, will carry out activities worthy of
the Century of Türkiye,” he said at Halic University.
The
aim, he said, is to raise awareness of violence against women, adding that
Türkiye has reached an advanced level in this regard.
"We
will build a violence-free Türkiye together with you by fighting in solidarity
with men, women, and young and old people” he added.
Erdogan
also said that they provide state protection for women subjected to violence
with shelters for women, violence prevention, and monitoring and social
services centres operating across Türkiye.
Source:
Trt World.Com
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/arab-world-crisis-violence-women/d/131184