UN Want Perpetrators Of Sexual And Gender-Based Violence Against Women And Girls Accountable, Urges Government To Do More

As the continual abuse of women and girls in Liberia sexually by individuals with impunity, the United 

Nations Security Council has expressed serious concern over these ‘uncivilized’ acts by perpetrators, noting that women and girls Liberia continue to face a high incidence of sexual and gender-based violence.

Show your support and sign the #WithRefugees petition - WithRefugees

Show your support and sign the #WithRefugees petition - WithRefugees: Now more than ever, we need to stand #WithRefugees. More than a million people have pledged their support. Please join them by signing the petition today!

Schoolgirls to fly to Google HQ after inventing app to end Female Genital Mutilation

Animated chatter spills out from a corner of tech giant Google's Nairobi offices as five Kenyan schoolgirls discuss their upcoming trip to California where they hope to win $15,000 for I-cut, an app to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

A failure to protect

Economic growth means nothing if we can’t keep girls and women safe from abuse

Bangladesh is going through hard times.

“People” have grown too dependent on their rulers, and the rulers are suffering from a lack of perspective being surrounded by sycophants, leading to disjointed decisions being made regarding the future of our nation.

On the February 27, the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017 was passed despite nationwide protests and requests from the more civil parts of our society. In order to make a decision which may have devastating effect on the lives of women, the administration resorted to a game of semantics to confuse and confound us.

What kind of a law is it that allows the parents of a girl who was raped to marry her off to the rapist himself?

The state could have delivered a stern warning by rejecting the bill, signaling that perpetrators of violence against women and girls wouldn’t be spared, and that the victims of violence would get better legal and physical assistance.

Human trafficking: A terror run for her life

Nomsa* still cannot believe that the police did nothing after she told them she’d escaped from a gang of human traffickers.

After she escaped from the boot of a car – traumatised and petrified – the young South African woman immediately told the police about her ordeal and informed them about the other young girls who had also been kidnapped.

But the response from the authorities was cold. Indifferent.

Stop female genital mutilation Twenty-six U.S. states still do not prohibit it, including Pennsylvania

When immigrants from around the world come to the shores of America, they bring with them wonderful culinary and artistic traditions. But some also bring traditions that are barbaric and inhumane. One such practice, prevalent in Africa and parts of the Middle East and Asia, is female genital mutilation. It is now being practiced clandestinely in this country.

Mutilation probe widens as deportation fears mount: Robert Snell, The Detroit News

Detroit — The grand jury investigation of female genital mutilation has spread to at least three more states as federal agents have identified new targets, according to federal court records.

The targets live in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, according to federal court records and interviews with people close to a criminal case that, until now, was focused solely on conduct involving girls from Michigan and Minnesota.

Britain Cracking Down on Gender Stereotypes in Ads

LONDON — One ad for baby formula showed a little girl growing up to be a ballerina and a little boy becoming a mathematician.

Another ad, for a weight-loss drink, asked if viewers were “beach body ready” and showed a bikini-wearing woman whose bronzed image, critics said, promoted an unrealistic standard of beauty.

A third ad, for the video game “Game of War,” showed the American actress Kate Upton scantily dressed on a horse, making it seem as though sexual desirability were a prerequisite for leadership.

Britain’s advertising regulator, reacting to these ads and similar ones, announced Tuesday that new rules would be developed to ban advertising that promotes gender stereotypes or denigrates people who do not conform to them; sexually objectifies women; or promotes unhealthy body images.

The regulator, the Advertising Standards Authority, released a report, titled “Depictions, Perceptions and Harm,” asking whether existing regulations address “the potential for harm or offense arising from the inclusion of gender stereotypes in ads.”

Ending gender-based violence against women garment workers by Sangeeta Chowdhry and Brandee Butler | Global Fund for Women

If eliminating gender-based violence in the garment industry sounds like an ambitious goal, it’s because it is...

Four years ago, the collapse of the Rana Plaza Building killed more than a thousand garment workers in Bangladesh. Most of the workers in the building were young women in their teens and early twenties. Many had recently migrated from the countryside to seek work in the factories, yearning for a good job and a better life.

Two arrested for forcing two 16-year-olds into prostitution in Brooklyn apartment

Two 16-year-old girls were forced into prostitution in a Brooklyn apartment where younger children were living, police sources said Monday.

A 21-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman were arrested Saturday after one of the victims escaped the Crown Heights rental on Lincoln Place and ran home.

The victim then told cops she had been in captivity for about a month and pointed police to the lair.

When cops got there, they found a second victim being held against her will.

'Submit to your husbands': Women told to endure domestic violence in the name of God

Research shows that the men most likely to abuse their wives are evangelical Christians who attend church sporadically. Church leaders in Australia say they abhor abuse of any kind. But advocates say the church is not just failing to sufficiently address domestic violence, it is both enabling and concealing it.

By Julia Baird with Hayley Gleeson
Illustrations by Rocco Fazzari

No special homes, schemes for poor single mothers: India

VISAKHAPATNAM: Unwed or single mothers are struggling to find a footing in society to bring up their children with respect. Most of these women were either cheated with promises of marriage or were victims of sexual assault and abandoned by their families.

But there is no exclusive government scheme or home for such mothers. While some work as domestic helps to earn a living, some are undertaking vocational training imparted by NGOs.

Why Trump's travel ban hits women the hardest: Michelle Chen

Trump’s “Muslim ban” is a frontal assault on many universal human rights principles. But the latest temporary reinstatement of the order’s 120-day refugee ban – pending an anticipated October Supreme Court ruling – is already quietly undermining the most fundamental universal humanitarian rule: it puts women and children … last.

Female genital mutilation, forced marriages criminalized in Estonia

A legislative amendment that entered into force in Estonia last week criminalizes female genital mutilation and forced marriages.

Although these offenses are not widespread in Estonia, defining them as criminal offenses in law is necessary due to the globalizing world and increased migration, the Ministry of Justice said.

Thousands of Canadian girls are at risk of female genital mutilation: officials

Thousands of Canadian girls are at risk of female genital mutilation, government officials believe. And some are being taken overseas to have the dangerous procedure done — an illegal act known as “vacation cutting.”

Officials from the federal government’s Global Affairs Ministry warn that, as with forced marriage, the “one chance rule” applies to these cases, meaning a professional might get only one opportunity to speak to a potential victim and save her, according to documents obtained by the Star.

And yet Canada has done little to understand the scope of the problem and is lagging far behind other developed countries in efforts to prevent it, experts say.

African female Judges demand domestication of conventions promoting inheritance for women: Nigeria news

Women judges have called on African governments to domesticate international conventions that promoted the rights of inheritance for women and children born under vulnerable circumstances.

kenyans-lured-with-jobs-but-end-up-in-forced-labour-and-sex

Corruption within law enforcement and lack of funds continue to fuel human trafficking in Kenya, a recently released report by the United States Department of Justice has said. The Trafficking in Persons Report says despite some marginal gains made in recent years, the country is still a major transit and conduit for victims and traffickers. “Corruption in sectors of the government perpetuated traffickers’ ability to obtain fraudulent identity documents from complicit officials, the report says.

Gender Stereotyped Roles and the Middle East Scott Douglas Jacobsen and guest, Joana Aziz, discuss her experience living in Syria and Lebanon, and sense of Saudi Arabia.

Joana Aziz is a student in Spain. She is a friend with experience growing up in Syria followed by Lebanon. Now, as a student, she is in graduate school. I wanted to get her perspective on gender roles in the Middle East based on real experience. This is part of an initiative, from me (possibly others), to expand the flavor of narratives for and in The Good Men Project. Here is the first session in this educational series.

*Audio interview edited for clarity and readability.*

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: I wanted to talk about gender roles in the Middle East. I ask you this because we are friends and colleagues and have discussed these issues casually over Skype. I wanted to make a short educational series from an educated person – and gather their thoughts on the Middle East or the Middle East-North Africa region, generally, and those roles. What is the range of restriction on gender roles?

In Somali drought, women fighting sexual predators as well as hunger

(CNN)With more than a third of Somalia's population now facing starvation, new statistics show that in addition to hunger, many women in Somalia are at risk for being raped.

The reported cases of rape and sexual violence in drought-affected areas are on the rise, in what UNICEF calls another troubling consequence of the crisis.

It is a part of what one UN official is calling the world's largest humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II.

Between November and March, UNICEF and partners responded to about 300 cases of rape, sexual assault and gender related violence on average each month. In June, however, the number tripled, with 909 reported cases. So far, that's the highest number of reported cases in a single month in 2017.

"Gender-based violence was an issue before the current drought in Somalia, but we see with the current drought the way it has increased," says Jean Lokenga, head of UNICEF Child Protection in Somalia.

Many people in Somalia have been displaced because of the drought, forced to look for food and resources elsewhere as a means of survival. As of last November, the number of displaced people in Somalia has surpassed 700,000.

Woman facing deportation wins reprieve after Theresa May told child faces female genital mutilation on return: UK News

A woman facing deportation to Nigeria has won a reprieve after Theresa May was told her three-year-old daughter faced female genital mutilation if they were returned.

A decision to refuse Lola Ilesanmi's application to remain in the UK has been withdrawn and Ms May has ordered immigration minister Brandon Lewis to personally oversee a review of her case.

Ms Ilesanmi's MP Hannah Bardell, of the Scottish National Party, appealed for Ms May to intervene at Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons earlier this month, telling her that the former RBS employee had been beaten, forced to have an abortion and had her face "smashed with an iPad" by her estranged husband because of her refusal to subject their daughter to FGM.

READ MO 

The Blues will wear orange socks for their ‘Carlton Respects’ game that focuses on gender equality: Austrialia

CARLTON will shun its traditional navy blues socks in favour of a bright orange option this weekend as part of its ‘Carlton Respects’ campaign.

The campaign aims to take action in regards to gender equality, with a key focus on the prevention of violence against women.

Carlton defender Sam Docherty said he was proud to see the club taking a role in pushing for gender equality.

“It does make you step back and make you think of life as a whole I reckon,” Docherty said on AFL 360 on Thursday.

“I’m proud the Carlton Footy club is stepping up in this area to be honest.

“Something needs to change. Not just with violence against women but equality is becoming more prevalent in society.

“As a football club, I’m extremely proud that we’re stepping up.”

Ecuador Launches National Plan to Combat Violence Against Women: Latin America

Women's organizations in Ecuador have welcomed President Lenin Moreno's decision to hold talks with them and his plan of action to address gender violence in the country.

Around 50 representatives from women's groups took part in the discussions on Wednesday“The meeting recognizes decades of struggles of feminist movements and women groups and it contributes to making gender violence more visible,” Lily Rodriguez, President of the Ecuadorean Center for Women's Promotion and Action, or CEPAM told teleSUR.

Rodriguez said the meeting promoted citizen participation as well as diversity in the country.

She added that although the previous government of Rafael Correa made efforts to eradicate gender violence, she believed they were “not enough..indigenous and rural women were not included, and above all there was no real intention to hold dialogue with women and civil society.”

Grant helps child victims of trafficking find foster homes BY: Denise Olivas

EL PASO, Texas - The Texas Criminal Justice Division recently awarded the El Paso Center for Children a $550,000 grant to help the victims of child trafficking be placed in more foster homes.

The center has been providing services for 100 years. It helps place children in foster care, while helping foster parents transition to make their home a safe place.

El Paso has been identified as one of the top three locations for sex trafficking and one of the top 20 human trafficking jurisdictions in the country by the U.S. Department of Justice.

"We're on the border, it's real easy for youth to be trafficked," said Veronica Lowenberg, director of the center's foster program.

The center will soon move to a larger location, but its current center holds about nine children- with another 30-40 children currently in foster care.

Lowenberg said there is a shortage of foster homes and volunteers.

The grant will assist potential foster parents with specialized traning. Lowenberg said this will help build a positive relationship with the victim so they can return to a health lifestyle.

MICHIGAN: Female genital mutilation will get you up to 15 years in Michigan prison under new law

LANSING, Mich. –  Doctors, parents and others involved in female genital mutilation in Michigan will face up to 15 years in prison under new laws signed Tuesday that were sparked by an ongoing criminal case involving six young girls.

The legislation stemmed from a federal case against six people connected to an India-based Muslim sect called Dawoodi Bohra who are accused of being involved in the genital mutilation of two girls from Minnesota and four from Michigan. The procedures were allegedly carried out by a doctor at a clinic in suburban Detroit.

I-94 Project spotlights human trafficking By JULIA FAIR jfair@kenoshanews.com

When Nancy Yarbrough was 17, she worked at a truck stop in Rockford, Ill., selling sex in order to meet her pimp’s daily quota.

“They see the vulnerabilities in you,” said Yarbrough, now 48, looking back at that time in her life.

PATRICIA SUKORE FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN: Rising domestic violence against women alarming: D...

PATRICIA SUKORE FOUNDATION FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN: Rising domestic violence against women alarming: D...: Srinagar, Jul 10 (KNS): National Conference (NC) President and Member of Parliament from Srinagar, Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Monday said the r...

Rising domestic violence against women alarming: Dr Farooq (India)

Srinagar, Jul 10 (KNS): National Conference (NC) President and Member of Parliament from Srinagar, Dr. Farooq Abdullah on Monday said the rise in incidents of domestic violence against women was alarming and called for a genuine introspection and united action from the society.

Violence against women violates the tenents of Christianity : Rev. David Wilson Rogers

The message was made very clear. “Men are subject to temptation,” the preacher reminded his faithful congregation, “which means that you women are responsible for dressing in a way that does not tempt the men in your presence.”

He went on to say that if the women did not understand the power of their sexuality, they were subject to causing men to sin and would subsequently face the wrath of God for their lack of modesty.    

(Photo: Rick Cruz/PDN

Although preached nearly three decades ago in a community far from Carlsbad, it was a sermon that made a lasting impression. 

Man, 60 arrested for child trafficking : Ghana News

Eric Akwesi Amponsah has been arrested by the police for allegedly attempting to traffic six children from the area to the Central Region upon a tip-off.

A passenger onboard an Accra bound Metro Mass bus at Kpassa in the Nkwanta North District of the Volta Region volunteered information to the police.

The 60-year-old suspect was arrested by the Kpassa Police last Friday.

Mr. Amponsah was arrested with six minors, three males and three females, aged between 10 and 17 years last Friday.

He was transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) of the Volta Regional Police Command in Ho.





                                                                                               Eric Akwesi Amponsah has been arrested by the           police for attempting to traffic six children        

Summer sees rise in Female Genital Mutilation cases : Thames (UK)

We're being encouraged to look out for signs that girls in the Thames Valley are victims or at risk of female genital mutilation.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for the region has advice on what to do in these situations as well.

What is it?     

FGM is a practise where girls can be left with long-term damage and is a crime in the UK.

It involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other damage to the genital organs, for supposed cultural, religious or non-medical reasons. This practice inflicts severe physical and psychological damage to the child which can last a lifetime.

Around 66,000 girls and women living in England and Wales have undergone FGM, with a further estimated 20,000 girls under the age of 15 at risk.

It is routinely practiced in some African and Middle Eastern countries - in some places up to 98 per cent of young women have undergone the FGM procedure.

Whilst it is thought the crime predominantly takes place outside the UK, it is believed to be vastly under-reported.

The summer holidays are a particularly high risk time for potential victims of this practice when girls may be taken out of the country for the procedure.

'Vital' to know

Anthony Stansfeld, Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley said:

6,100 women and children trafficked in 2016

KATHMANDU , July 4: As many as 6,100 women and children were reportedly trafficked from the country during the fiscal year 2072-73 BS, a report reveals. 

The 'Trafficking in persons' National Report released by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today showed that 98 % among the trafficked were women. 

The Report has projected that 13,600 women and children are vulnerable to human trafficking. Some 3,900 women and children are still missing and over 70 % of them are children, according to the report. 

It is found that women and children have been coercively trafficked to China for sexual work and to Afghanistan, the United Kingdom and South Korea to engage them as security guard. 
At least 312 cases of human trafficking have been registered at Nepal Police during the fiscal year. RSS 

Female Genital Mutilation – more like genocide on female libido by Chandni Shahpara Malik

I would like to meet the people who wangled the pipe dream of the “shareef ghar ki larki”, literally “daughter of a pious household” syndrome and to show them how such a concept, under the right circumstances of patriarchal suffocation, can engender a rogue badass woman.

Before I introduce them to such a rogue charlatan element of society, I would like them to know what it is that they are asking for; I have a feeling they might not themselves have grasped the idea of a “shareef larki”. Enter Chandni.

Several years back, during my undergraduate years, I met a young Muslim student from Southeast Asia (thankfully not Pakistan) who was preparing for her wedding to a white American convert. She informed me that she was worried about being inadequate towards her husband's sexual needs as she was circumcised. For all obvious reasons, after having spurted my café mocha on her crisp blue top, I asked her, “so, you have a male genitalia? Crap! Have you been harbouring illicit desires towards me? Are you having them right now? I mean I'll pay for the dry cleaning.” She laughed, but in all seriousness asked me, “surely you know how some of us are circumcised? It's the right thing to do for us good Muslim women.” Me, sipping my coffee incessantly, “wait, what? Muslim women are supposed to be circumcised? Says who? Since when?” “You had the best circumcision of all time but, Imma go to town on my husband when I get married!” I said faking a Kanye West accent and a wink.

Liberia: Orwoch Trains Female Aspirants & CSOs

As part of efforts to enhance the capacity of female aspirants in the October 2017 Presidential and Legislative elections, a local advocacy group, Organization for Women and Children (ORWOCH) will today Friday June 30, 2017 hold a one-day training for female aspirants and CSOs at the YWCA Conference Hall, Congo Town.

The Organization for Women and Children is an organization that focuses on championing the cause of women increased participation in decision making process, and the reduction of sexual and gender based violence.

In a release, the Program Manager of the Group, Bowoulo T. Kelley, said that the training will be held under the theme 'Enhancing Women's Capacity as Right Holders to become Change Agents in the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence and increased Democratic Participation' is being supported by OXFAM with funds from the Government of Netherlands.

The release said the training is intended to build the capacity of participants to engage in political debates, lobby at the Legislature, and develop strategic advocacy techniques. The training targets young female politicians, decision makers, and heads of civil society organizations at the central and local levels to champion the prevention of violence against women.

"According to data by the United Nations Population Division, women make up 49.60 percent of the population in Liberia, with only 11% representation in Parliament. Thus, the percent of women in Liberia is critical to changing the paradigm of decision making in Liberia. Yet, years of patriarchy has prevented women from attaining the social and political advancement that should accrue to them as a group", the release said.

The release stated that the overall objective of this project is to support the participation of women in politics and in decision-making process, by creating an environment conducive for their meaningful participation, and to support capacity development of women before, during and after the elections at the central and local levels.

In recent times, there have been efforts by partners and the government of Liberia to ensure that marginalized groups such as women, youth, and the disabled are included in the national planning processes.

Nigeria: Human Traffickers earn over $150bn annually - ILO

AS the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, steps up its campaign against human trafficking and other forms of forced labour including child labour in Nigeria, human trafficking and other forms of forced labour have been on the increase globally because of huge profit being generated.

According to the International Labour Organisation, ILO, not less than $150 billion profits are earned annually by traffickers across the globe.

Photo: This Day








ILO, in its report lamented that an estimated 21 million victims are trapped in modern-day slavery with 14.2 million (68%) exploited for Labour, 4.5 million (22%) sexually exploited, and 2.2 million (10%) exploited in state-imposed forced labour.

ILO explained that Forced Labour takes place in many different industries stating that out of the 14.2 million trafficking victims exploited for Labour; 7.1 million (50%) forced Labour victims work in construction, manufacturing, mining, or utilities; 3.4 million (24%) forced labour victims are domestic workers; while 3.5 million (25%) forced labour victims work in agriculture.

It noted that 55% of trafficking victims around the world are women and girls and 45% are men and boys; 15.4 million victims (74%) are aged 18 or older, with the number of children under the age of 18 estimated at 5.5 million (26%).