A Saudi woman held at Bangkok airport said she would be killed if she was repatriated by Thai immigration officials, who confirmed the 18-year-old was denied entry to the country on Sunday.

The incident comes against the backdrop of intense scrutiny of Saudi Arabia over its investigation and handling of the shocking murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year, which has renewed criticism of the kingdom's rights record.

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun told AFP she was stopped by Saudi and Kuwaiti officials when she arrived in Suvarnabhumi airport and her travel document was forcibly taken from her, a claim backed by Human Rights Watch.

"They took my passport," she told AFP, adding that her male guardian had reported her for travelling "without his permission".

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Kuwait airlines and Saudi embassy work together!! They took my passport
— Rahaf Mohammed (@rahaf84427714) <a href="https://twitter.com/rahaf84427714/status/1082081214742224896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
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They are liars!!!!! <a href="https://t.co/I9zgoQVRBz">https://t.co/I9zgoQVRBz</a>
— Rahaf Mohammed (@rahaf84427714) <a href="https://twitter.com/rahaf84427714/status/1082080876823928832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
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I’m calling for all people inside the transit area in Bangkok to protest against deporting me to Kuwait 
Please I need u all 
I’m shouting out for help of humanity
— Rahaf Mohammed (@rahaf84427714) <a href="https://twitter.com/rahaf84427714/status/1082097331279970304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Qunun said she was trying to flee her family, who subjected her to physical and psychological abuse.&nbsp;

"My family is strict and locked me in a room for six months just for cutting my hair," she said, adding that she is certain she will be imprisoned if she is sent back.&nbsp;

"I'm sure 100 per cent they will kill me as soon as I get out of the Saudi jail," she said, adding that she was "scared" and "losing hope".

Qunun was stopped from entering Thailand when she flew in from Kuwait on Sunday, Thailand's immigration chief Surachate Hakparn told AFP.

"She had no further documents such as return ticket or money," he said, adding that Rahaf was currently in an airport hotel.

"She ran away from her family to avoid marriage and she is concerned she may be in trouble returning to Saudi Arabia. We sent officials to take care of her now," he said.&nbsp;

He added that Thai authorities had contacted the "Saudi Arabia embassy to coordinate".&nbsp;

'Can't escape'&nbsp;

But Qunun disputed his account, saying that she was only in transit to seek asylum in Australia, and was accosted by Saudi and Kuwaiti embassy representatives when she arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport.&nbsp;

She took to Twitter to plead her case, creating a profile with an Arabic bio that reads "I just want to survive".

During a video livestream showing her walking around a carpeted hallway, Qunun spoke in Arabic about how her father had told Saudi embassy officials she was a "psychiatric patient" who had to be returned, even though she had "an Australian visa".

"I can't escape the airport," she said in the live video. "I tried but there's a security (official) watching me."

In a sign of growing desperation over the last few hours, the woman live tweeted barricading her hotel room door with furniture.

Immigration head Surachate said Qunun would be sent back to Saudi Arabia by Monday morning.&nbsp;

"It's a family problem," he said of the case.&nbsp;

But Human Rights Watch said Thai authorities must allow the teenager to make a refugee claim with UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency.&nbsp;

"Saudi women fleeing their families can face severe violence from relatives, deprivation of liberty, and other serious harm if returned against their will," said &nbsp;Michael Page, HRW deputy Middle East director.&nbsp;

"Thai authorities should immediately halt any deportation, and either allow her to continue her travel to Australia or permit her to remain in Thailand to seek protection as a refugee."

'Family problem'

Abdulilah al-Shouaibi, charge d'affaires at the Saudi embassy in Bangkok, acknowledged the woman's father had contacted the diplomatic mission for "help" to bring her back.

But in an interview with Saudi-owned channel Rotana Khalijial, he denied that her passport had been seized and that embassy officials were present inside the airport.

Saudi Arabia has come under fierce criticism following the murder of dissident journalist Khashoggi inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate on October 2 -- a case that stunned the world.

The ultra-conservative kingdom has long been attacked for imposing some of the world's toughest restrictions on women.

That includes a guardianship system that allows men to exercise arbitrary authority to make decisions on behalf of their female relatives.

In addition to facing punishment for "moral" crimes, women can also become the target of "honour killings" at the hands of their families, activists say.&nbsp;

A Saudi woman held at Bangkok airport said she would be killed if she was repatriated by Thai immigration officials, who confirmed the 18-year-old was denied entry to the country on Sunday.

A Saudi woman held at Bangkok airport said she would be killed if she was repatriated by Thai immigration officials, who confirmed the 18-year-old was denied entry to the country on Sunday. The incident comes against the backdrop of intense scrutiny of Saudi Arabia over its investigation and handling of the shocking murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year, which has renewed criticism of the kingdom's rights record. Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun told AFP she was stopped by Saudi and Kuwaiti officials when she arrived in Suvarnabhumi airport and her travel document was forcibly taken from her, a claim backed by Human Rights Watch. "They took my passport," she told AFP, adding that her male guardian had reported her for travelling "without his permission". Kuwait airlines and Saudi embassy work together!! They took my passport — Rahaf Mohammed (@rahaf84427714) January 7, 2019 × They are liars!!!!! https://t.co/I9zgoQVRBz — Rahaf Mohammed (@rahaf84427714) January 7, 2019 × I’m calling for all people inside the transit area in Bangkok to protest against deporting me to Kuwait Please I need u all I’m shouting out for help of humanity — Rahaf Mohammed (@rahaf84427714) January 7, 2019 × Qunun said she was trying to flee her family, who subjected her to physical and psychological abuse. "My family is strict and locked me in a room for six months just for cutting my hair," she said, adding that she is certain she will be imprisoned if she is sent back. "I'm sure 100 per cent they will kill me as soon as I get out of the Saudi jail," she said, adding that she was "scared" and "losing hope". Qunun was stopped from entering Thailand when she flew in from Kuwait on Sunday, Thailand's immigration chief Surachate Hakparn told AFP. "She had no further documents such as return ticket or money," he said, adding that Rahaf was currently in an airport hotel. "She ran away from her family to avoid marriage and she is concerned she may be in trouble returning to Saudi Arabia. We sent officials to take care of her now," he said. He added that Thai authorities had contacted the "Saudi Arabia embassy to coordinate". 'Can't escape' But Qunun disputed his account, saying that she was only in transit to seek asylum in Australia, and was accosted by Saudi and Kuwaiti embassy representatives when she arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport. She took to Twitter to plead her case, creating a profile with an Arabic bio that reads "I just want to survive". During a video livestream showing her walking around a carpeted hallway, Qunun spoke in Arabic about how her father had told Saudi embassy officials she was a "psychiatric patient" who had to be returned, even though she had "an Australian visa". "I can't escape the airport," she said in the live video. "I tried but there's a security (official) watching me." In a sign of growing desperation over the last few hours, the woman live tweeted barricading her hotel room door with furniture. Immigration head Surachate said Qunun would be sent back to Saudi Arabia by Monday morning. "It's a family problem," he said of the case. But Human Rights Watch said Thai authorities must allow the teenager to make a refugee claim with UNHCR, the United Nations refugee agency. "Saudi women fleeing their families can face severe violence from relatives, deprivation of liberty, and other serious harm if returned against their will," said Michael Page, HRW deputy Middle East director. "Thai authorities should immediately halt any deportation, and either allow her to continue her travel to Australia or permit her to remain in Thailand to seek protection as a refugee." 'Family problem' Abdulilah al-Shouaibi, charge d'affaires at the Saudi embassy in Bangkok, acknowledged the woman's father had contacted the diplomatic mission for "help" to bring her back. But in an interview with Saudi-owned channel Rotana Khalijial, he denied that her passport had been seized and that embassy officials were present inside the airport. Saudi Arabia has come under fierce criticism following the murder of dissident journalist Khashoggi inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate on October 2 -- a case that stunned the world. The ultra-conservative kingdom has long been attacked for imposing some of the world's toughest restrictions on women. That includes a guardianship system that allows men to exercise arbitrary authority to make decisions on behalf of their female relatives. In addition to facing punishment for "moral" crimes, women can also become the target of "honour killings" at the hands of their families, activists say.

Saudi woman held at Bangkok airport fears she will be killed if repatriated

Saudi Arabia on Saturday said it detained 17 people for "undermining" the kingdom's security, in what campaigners have dubbed a sweeping crackdown against activists just weeks before a ban on women driving ends.

Rights groups earlier reported arrests of at least 11 people last month, mostly identified as women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative Islamic country's male guardianship system.

Without naming anyone, the public prosecutor's office said the number of detainees stood at 17, adding that eight of them had been "temporarily released" until the investigation is completed.

Nine suspects, including four women, remain in custody after they "confessed" to a slew of charges such as suspicious contact with "hostile" organisations and recruiting people in sensitive government positions, it said in a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency.

The statement accused the detainees of "coordinated activity undermining the security and stability of the kingdom".

Previous reports in state-backed media branded some of the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies".

Campaigners have dismissed the reports as a "smear" campaign.

The crackdown has also sparked a torrent of global criticism, casting a shadow on the kingdom's much-publicised liberalisation push launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The self-styled reformer has sought to break with long-held restrictions on women and the mixing of the genders, with the decades-old driving ban on women slated to end June 24.

The European Parliament last week approved a resolution calling for the unconditional release of the detained activists and other human rights defenders, while urging a more vocal response from EU nations.

"The Saudi Arabian authorities' endless harassment of women's rights activists is entirely unjustifiable, and the world must not remain silent on the repression of human rights defenders in the country," Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns, said last week.

"Saudi Arabia's allies -- in particular the US, UK and France -- must push Saudi Arabian authorities to end their targeted repression of human rights activists in the country."

Rights groups earlier reported arrests of at least 11 people last month, mostly identified as women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative Islamic country's male guardianship system

Saudi Arabia on Saturday said it detained 17 people for "undermining" the kingdom's security, in what campaigners have dubbed a sweeping crackdown against activists just weeks before a ban on women driving ends. Rights groups earlier reported arrests of at least 11 people last month, mostly identified as women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative Islamic country's male guardianship system. Without naming anyone, the public prosecutor's office said the number of detainees stood at 17, adding that eight of them had been "temporarily released" until the investigation is completed. Nine suspects, including four women, remain in custody after they "confessed" to a slew of charges such as suspicious contact with "hostile" organisations and recruiting people in sensitive government positions, it said in a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency. The statement accused the detainees of "coordinated activity undermining the security and stability of the kingdom". Previous reports in state-backed media branded some of the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies". Campaigners have dismissed the reports as a "smear" campaign. The crackdown has also sparked a torrent of global criticism, casting a shadow on the kingdom's much-publicised liberalisation push launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The self-styled reformer has sought to break with long-held restrictions on women and the mixing of the genders, with the decades-old driving ban on women slated to end June 24. The European Parliament last week approved a resolution calling for the unconditional release of the detained activists and other human rights defenders, while urging a more vocal response from EU nations. "The Saudi Arabian authorities' endless harassment of women's rights activists is entirely unjustifiable, and the world must not remain silent on the repression of human rights defenders in the country," Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns, said last week. "Saudi Arabia's allies -- in particular the US, UK and France -- must push Saudi Arabian authorities to end their targeted repression of human rights activists in the country."

Saudi Arabia says 17 detained in sweeping crackdown

Saudi authorities have released a fourth women's rights advocate following her detention in a sweeping crackdown against activists, a month before the kingdom lifts its ban on women drivers, campaigners said Friday.

Walaa al-Shubbar, said to be in her 20s, was among at least 11 activists arrested last week, mostly identified by rights groups as veteran women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative Islamic country's male guardianship system.

News of her freedom comes after campaigners including Amnesty International confirmed the release of Aisha al-Mana, Hessa al-Sheikh and Madeha al-Ajroush, elderly activists well-known for being part of a group that launched the first Saudi protest movement in 1990 for the right to drive.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials and campaigners said the terms of their release are not known.

"We call on Saudi authorities to release all other human rights defenders unconditionally and immediately," said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns.

"This wave of repression in Saudi Arabia must end. These arrests are completely unjustified."

Without naming those detained, authorities last week accused the detainees of "suspicious contact with foreign parties", providing financial support to hostile nations and attempting to undermine the kingdom's "security and stability".

The names of the four released activists did not appear in reports of state-backed media that branded the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies".

The detainees include three generations of activists, among them 28-year-old Loujain al-Hathloul, also held in 2014 for more than 70 days for attempting to drive from neighbouring United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia, and Aziza al-Yousef, a retired professor at Riyadh's King Saud University.&nbsp

Their fate remains unclear.

The Gulf Centre for Human Rights voiced concern that Hathloul, one of the most outspoken activists, was being held incommunicado, while other campaigners said the detainees had no access to lawyers and their whereabouts were unknown.

The crackdown has sparked a torrent of global criticism, casting a shadow on the kingdom's much-publicised liberalisation push launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who recently undertook a global tour aimed at reshaping his kingdom's austere image.

The self-styled reformer has sought to break with long-held restrictions on women and the mixing of the genders, with the decades-old driving ban on women slated to end June 24.

"It seems Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman -- who presents himself as a 'reformer', having pledged to increase women’s employment and overseeing the royal decree allowing women to drive -- sees no irony in taking credit for the symbolic change, while targeting the women responsible for pushing for it," Amnesty said earlier this week.

Also read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-ahead-of-lifting-of-ban-on-woman-driving-7-womens-rights-activists-detained-138252">Saudi Arabia detains seven activists ahead of </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-ahead-of-lifting-of-ban-on-woman-driving-7-womens-rights-activists-detained-138252">lifting</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-ahead-of-lifting-of-ban-on-woman-driving-7-womens-rights-activists-detained-138252"> of driving ban</a>

Saudi authorities have released a fourth women's rights advocate following her detention in a sweeping crackdown against activists, a month before the kingdom lifts its ban on women drivers, campaigners said Friday

Saudi authorities have released a fourth women's rights advocate following her detention in a sweeping crackdown against activists, a month before the kingdom lifts its ban on women drivers, campaigners said Friday. Walaa al-Shubbar, said to be in her 20s, was among at least 11 activists arrested last week, mostly identified by rights groups as veteran women campaigners for the right to drive and to end the conservative Islamic country's male guardianship system. News of her freedom comes after campaigners including Amnesty International confirmed the release of Aisha al-Mana, Hessa al-Sheikh and Madeha al-Ajroush, elderly activists well-known for being part of a group that launched the first Saudi protest movement in 1990 for the right to drive. There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials and campaigners said the terms of their release are not known. "We call on Saudi authorities to release all other human rights defenders unconditionally and immediately," said Samah Hadid, Amnesty International's Middle East director of campaigns. "This wave of repression in Saudi Arabia must end. These arrests are completely unjustified." Without naming those detained, authorities last week accused the detainees of "suspicious contact with foreign parties", providing financial support to hostile nations and attempting to undermine the kingdom's "security and stability". The names of the four released activists did not appear in reports of state-backed media that branded the detainees traitors and "agents of embassies". The detainees include three generations of activists, among them 28-year-old Loujain al-Hathloul, also held in 2014 for more than 70 days for attempting to drive from neighbouring United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia, and Aziza al-Yousef, a retired professor at Riyadh's King Saud University. Their fate remains unclear. The Gulf Centre for Human Rights voiced concern that Hathloul, one of the most outspoken activists, was being held incommunicado, while other campaigners said the detainees had no access to lawyers and their whereabouts were unknown. The crackdown has sparked a torrent of global criticism, casting a shadow on the kingdom's much-publicised liberalisation push launched by powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who recently undertook a global tour aimed at reshaping his kingdom's austere image. The self-styled reformer has sought to break with long-held restrictions on women and the mixing of the genders, with the decades-old driving ban on women slated to end June 24. "It seems Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman -- who presents himself as a 'reformer', having pledged to increase women’s employment and overseeing the royal decree allowing women to drive -- sees no irony in taking credit for the symbolic change, while targeting the women responsible for pushing for it," Amnesty said earlier this week. Also read: Saudi Arabia detains seven activists ahead of lifting of driving ban

Saudi Arabia frees fourth activist after crackdown: Report

Ireland votes on Friday in an abortion referendum that could be a milestone on a path of change in a country that, only a few decades ago, was one of Europe's most socially conservative.

Polls suggest Irish voters are set to overturn one of the world's strictest bans on terminations. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, in favour of change, has called the referendum a "once-in-a-generation" chance.

Voters in the once deeply Catholic nation will be asked if they wish to scrap a prohibition that was enshrined in the constitution by referendum 35 year ago, and partly lifted in 2013 only for cases where the mother's life is in danger.

Ireland has been changing fast. It legalised divorce by a razor-thin majority only in 1995, but three years ago became the first country in the world to adopt gay marriage by popular vote.

A decades-old battle over abortion has played out in a fiercely contested debate that divided political parties, saw the once mighty church take a back seat and became a test case for how global internet giants deal with social media advertising in political campaigns.

Unlike in 1983, when religion was front and centre and abortion was a taboo subject for most people, the campaign was instead defined by women on both sides publicly describing their personal experiences of terminations.

"The conversation that has resulted in me going to the ballot box to vote 'Yes' with certainty hasn't been a straightforward one," Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney wrote in the Irish Independent newspaper on Thursday.

"I have found it difficult, I have stumbled but I have met extraordinary women and men along the way who have changed my perspectives on this deeply emotive issue."

"Yes" campaigners like Coveney have argued that with over 3,000 women travelling to Britain each year for terminations and others ordering pills illegally online, abortion is already a reality in Ireland.

Government plans ''extreme''

Although not on the ballot paper, the "No" camp has seized on government plans to allow terminations with no restriction up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy if the referendum is carried, calling it a step too far for most voters.

"More and more people are realising that this government has planned to introduce an extreme abortion law, the only way to stop this is to vote 'No'," said Mary Butler, an anti-abortion lawmaker from the main opposition party, Fianna Fail.

Opinion polls have put those who favour changing the law in a clear lead. The two most recent surveys showed the "Yes" side pulling further ahead.

Polling stations close at 2100 GMT and national broadcaster RTE plans to publish an exit poll at 2230 GMT. The first indications of the result are expected mid-morning on Saturday, after the count begins at 0800 GMT.

Many expatriate Irish have travelled home to vote in one of the few European Union countries that does not allow those abroad to vote via post or in embassies.

Those away for less than 18 months remain eligible to vote at their former local polling station, and a majority appeared to back change.

Analysts said a high turnout, particularly in urban areas, would likely favour the "Yes" side.

"If anything, I'm sitting a little bit more comfortably after the last week having viewed the debates and the general moods and commentary of the 'No' camp," said Richard Colwell, chief executive of Red C, whose latest poll on Sunday showed 56 per cent for, 27 per cent against and 14 per cent still undecided.

"But that's what everybody thought when Brexit happened. We can't be complacent about it but it does appear that it's going to be a 'Yes' vote at this stage."

Polls suggest Irish voters are set to overturn one of the world's strictest bans on terminations

Ireland votes on Friday in an abortion referendum that could be a milestone on a path of change in a country that, only a few decades ago, was one of Europe's most socially conservative. Polls suggest Irish voters are set to overturn one of the world's strictest bans on terminations. Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, in favour of change, has called the referendum a "once-in-a-generation" chance. Voters in the once deeply Catholic nation will be asked if they wish to scrap a prohibition that was enshrined in the constitution by referendum 35 year ago, and partly lifted in 2013 only for cases where the mother's life is in danger. Ireland has been changing fast. It legalised divorce by a razor-thin majority only in 1995, but three years ago became the first country in the world to adopt gay marriage by popular vote. A decades-old battle over abortion has played out in a fiercely contested debate that divided political parties, saw the once mighty church take a back seat and became a test case for how global internet giants deal with social media advertising in political campaigns. Unlike in 1983, when religion was front and centre and abortion was a taboo subject for most people, the campaign was instead defined by women on both sides publicly describing their personal experiences of terminations. "The conversation that has resulted in me going to the ballot box to vote 'Yes' with certainty hasn't been a straightforward one," Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney wrote in the Irish Independent newspaper on Thursday. "I have found it difficult, I have stumbled but I have met extraordinary women and men along the way who have changed my perspectives on this deeply emotive issue." "Yes" campaigners like Coveney have argued that with over 3,000 women travelling to Britain each year for terminations and others ordering pills illegally online, abortion is already a reality in Ireland. Government plans ''extreme'' Although not on the ballot paper, the "No" camp has seized on government plans to allow terminations with no restriction up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy if the referendum is carried, calling it a step too far for most voters. "More and more people are realising that this government has planned to introduce an extreme abortion law, the only way to stop this is to vote 'No'," said Mary Butler, an anti-abortion lawmaker from the main opposition party, Fianna Fail. Opinion polls have put those who favour changing the law in a clear lead. The two most recent surveys showed the "Yes" side pulling further ahead. Polling stations close at 2100 GMT and national broadcaster RTE plans to publish an exit poll at 2230 GMT. The first indications of the result are expected mid-morning on Saturday, after the count begins at 0800 GMT. Many expatriate Irish have travelled home to vote in one of the few European Union countries that does not allow those abroad to vote via post or in embassies. Those away for less than 18 months remain eligible to vote at their former local polling station, and a majority appeared to back change. Analysts said a high turnout, particularly in urban areas, would likely favour the "Yes" side. "If anything, I'm sitting a little bit more comfortably after the last week having viewed the debates and the general moods and commentary of the 'No' camp," said Richard Colwell, chief executive of Red C, whose latest poll on Sunday showed 56 per cent for, 27 per cent against and 14 per cent still undecided. "But that's what everybody thought when Brexit happened. We can't be complacent about it but it does appear that it's going to be a 'Yes' vote at this stage."

Ireland votes in 'once-in-a-generation' abortion referendum

More than a third of girls in South Asia miss school during their periods, often because they lack access to toilets or pads, and many receive no education about menstruation before reaching puberty, a study showed on Tuesday.

The report by charity WaterAid and UNICEF found most countries in the region fell well short of the World Health Organization standard of one toilet for every 25 girls, making it difficult for students to attend school during their periods.

In one district in Nepal there was just one toilet for every 170 girls, it said.

“Girls have an irrevocable right to education, which is lost if they feel unable to attend lessons because of a lack of sanitary products or clean, private toilets at school,” said WaterAid Chief Executive Tim Wainwright.

“Governments simply need to ensure that every school has clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.”

Education about menstruation is lacking across the region, the report said. In Sri Lanka, two-thirds of girls said they received no information before starting their periods.

That can be damaging in a region where taboos surrounding menstruation already exist, said Thérèse Mahon, the report’s co-author.

“Girls often turn to their mothers and teachers for support, but if they lack the confidence and information themselves, they may instead perpetuate taboos,” said Mahon, who is WaterAid’s regional program manager.

“A common perception is that periods are a dirty secret.”

Some South Asian cultures consider women to be impure during menstruation, when they are barred from religious shrines, subjected to dietary checks or forced to live in isolation.

They often face social discrimination, reproductive health problems and low self-esteem due to a lack of awareness about periods.

The topic is rarely discussed openly, and the silence burdens young girls by keeping them ignorant and subject to social exclusion, campaigners say.

Many end up suffering from infections and disease since they are not informed early enough about the physiological process and hygiene practices to follow.

Several South Asian nations have begun to add menstrual information in school curriculums but the report, launched ahead of World Menstrual Hygiene day on May 28, said there was still much to be done.

“Removing the stresses associated with menstruation can help girls and boys adjust and contribute better to the world around them,” UNICEF’s regional director Jean Gough told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Reporting by Annie Banerji @anniebanerji, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters that covers humanitarian issues, conflicts, land and property rights, modern slavery and human trafficking, gender equality, climate change and resilience. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories

The report by charity WaterAid and UNICEF found most countries in the region fell well short of the World Health Organization standard of one toilet for every 25 girls, making it difficult for students to attend school during their periods

More than a third of girls in South Asia miss school during their periods, often because they lack access to toilets or pads, and many receive no education about menstruation before reaching puberty, a study showed on Tuesday. The report by charity WaterAid and UNICEF found most countries in the region fell well short of the World Health Organization standard of one toilet for every 25 girls, making it difficult for students to attend school during their periods. In one district in Nepal there was just one toilet for every 170 girls, it said. “Girls have an irrevocable right to education, which is lost if they feel unable to attend lessons because of a lack of sanitary products or clean, private toilets at school,” said WaterAid Chief Executive Tim Wainwright. “Governments simply need to ensure that every school has clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.” Education about menstruation is lacking across the region, the report said. In Sri Lanka, two-thirds of girls said they received no information before starting their periods. That can be damaging in a region where taboos surrounding menstruation already exist, said Thérèse Mahon, the report’s co-author. “Girls often turn to their mothers and teachers for support, but if they lack the confidence and information themselves, they may instead perpetuate taboos,” said Mahon, who is WaterAid’s regional program manager. “A common perception is that periods are a dirty secret.” Some South Asian cultures consider women to be impure during menstruation, when they are barred from religious shrines, subjected to dietary checks or forced to live in isolation. They often face social discrimination, reproductive health problems and low self-esteem due to a lack of awareness about periods. The topic is rarely discussed openly, and the silence burdens young girls by keeping them ignorant and subject to social exclusion, campaigners say. Many end up suffering from infections and disease since they are not informed early enough about the physiological process and hygiene practices to follow. Several South Asian nations have begun to add menstrual information in school curriculums but the report, launched ahead of World Menstrual Hygiene day on May 28, said there was still much to be done. “Removing the stresses associated with menstruation can help girls and boys adjust and contribute better to the world around them,” UNICEF’s regional director Jean Gough told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Reporting by Annie Banerji @anniebanerji, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters that covers humanitarian issues, conflicts, land and property rights, modern slavery and human trafficking, gender equality, climate change and resilience. Visit news.trust.org to see more stories

Third of girls in South Asia miss school during periods: Study

More than 70 films and documentaries focusing on diverse themes of women's issues, gay rights, terrorism and youth will be showcased at the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) in the month of May.&nbsp;

Bringing together artists and filmmakers from the Indian subcontinent to American audiences, the 18th annual NYIFF will run from May 7 to 12 and will showcase 78 films, documentaries and shorts in 11 languages - English, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Bengali and Assamese.&nbsp;

The films will "focus on the themes of women's issues, lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), terrorism and children and teenagers grappling with realities of life," Aroon Shivdasani, an Executive and Artistic Director of the not-for-profit arts organisation Indo-American Arts Council, which organises the film festival, told PTI in an interview.&nbsp;

Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF Director and author of veteran actor Shashi Kapoor's biography "Shashi Kapoor: The Householder, the Star", said the festival gives an opportunity to audiences in New York to experience cinematic excellence emanating from the subcontinent. "I am very excited with the line-up this year. There are some wonderful new directors that we have discovered and whose work we will be showcasing this year. The festival is an opportunity for people to experience some brilliant new work coming out of India," and the subcontinent, he said.

The festival will open with the US premiere of Ravi Jadhav's Marathi language film "Nude" and close with the New York premiere of director Hansal Mehta's Rajkummar Rao-starrer biopic on Islamic fundamentalist Omar Saeed Sheikh, "Omerta".

Other highlights of this year's festival include a tribute to late actor Sridevi and Shashi Kapoor, who passed away in 2017 and a retrospective of the films by producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory.&nbsp;

Panel discussions on the film and television market in India and shooting films in New York state have also been planned.&nbsp;

Also premiering at the festival is "Breaking the Bee", a documentary which focuses on the rise and dominance of Indian-American children in spelling bees.&nbsp;

It follows four second-generation NRI children, ages 7 to 14, over the course of a year, or "bee season", as they train to reach and win the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee.

Chhabra, who travels extensively to film festivals across the world, said the NYIFF showcases films that may sometimes get lost and not reach audiences. "It is exciting to get a new crop of films that we have discovered over the months and bring it to the festival," he said.

The festival will also showcase Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi films.&nbsp;

Shivdasani added that the festival has always aimed at being inclusive and diverse, showcasing a variety of work from artists hailing from India and other nations. "The NYIFF was initially an Indian diaspora film festival but it has grown over the years to become a larger festival. We hope to continue showing more relevant films from the subcontinent? on pressing issues to audiences in New York," he said.

Shivdasani called for more government support and financial assistance, in India and the US, for such film festivals, to enable the NYIFF to bring in more artists and movie makers from across the world and help them showcase their work to a global audience. 
&nbsp;

The 18th annual NYIFF will go on from May 7 until May 12. Along with Indian movies, the festival will also showcase Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi films.

More than 70 films and documentaries focusing on diverse themes of women's issues, gay rights, terrorism and youth will be showcased at the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) in the month of May. Bringing together artists and filmmakers from the Indian subcontinent to American audiences, the 18th annual NYIFF will run from May 7 to 12 and will showcase 78 films, documentaries and shorts in 11 languages - English, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Bengali and Assamese. The films will "focus on the themes of women's issues, lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender (LGBT), terrorism and children and teenagers grappling with realities of life," Aroon Shivdasani, an Executive and Artistic Director of the not-for-profit arts organisation Indo-American Arts Council, which organises the film festival, told PTI in an interview. Aseem Chhabra, NYIFF Director and author of veteran actor Shashi Kapoor's biography "Shashi Kapoor: The Householder, the Star", said the festival gives an opportunity to audiences in New York to experience cinematic excellence emanating from the subcontinent. "I am very excited with the line-up this year. There are some wonderful new directors that we have discovered and whose work we will be showcasing this year. The festival is an opportunity for people to experience some brilliant new work coming out of India," and the subcontinent, he said. The festival will open with the US premiere of Ravi Jadhav's Marathi language film "Nude" and close with the New York premiere of director Hansal Mehta's Rajkummar Rao-starrer biopic on Islamic fundamentalist Omar Saeed Sheikh, "Omerta". Other highlights of this year's festival include a tribute to late actor Sridevi and Shashi Kapoor, who passed away in 2017 and a retrospective of the films by producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory. Panel discussions on the film and television market in India and shooting films in New York state have also been planned. Also premiering at the festival is "Breaking the Bee", a documentary which focuses on the rise and dominance of Indian-American children in spelling bees. It follows four second-generation NRI children, ages 7 to 14, over the course of a year, or "bee season", as they train to reach and win the 2017 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Chhabra, who travels extensively to film festivals across the world, said the NYIFF showcases films that may sometimes get lost and not reach audiences. "It is exciting to get a new crop of films that we have discovered over the months and bring it to the festival," he said. The festival will also showcase Pakistani, Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi films. Shivdasani added that the festival has always aimed at being inclusive and diverse, showcasing a variety of work from artists hailing from India and other nations. "The NYIFF was initially an Indian diaspora film festival but it has grown over the years to become a larger festival. We hope to continue showing more relevant films from the subcontinent? on pressing issues to audiences in New York," he said. Shivdasani called for more government support and financial assistance, in India and the US, for such film festivals, to enable the NYIFF to bring in more artists and movie makers from across the world and help them showcase their work to a global audience.

New York Indian Film Festival to pay tribute to Sridevi, Shashi Kapoor

A senior executive said Microsoft Corp thoroughly investigates issues raised by women in the workplace and fired about 20 employees last year over complaints of sexual harassment as the company seeks to counter claims that it treats female workers unfairly.

In an email to employees publicly released late on Thursday, Microsoft Chief People Officer Kathleen Hogan said Microsoft had 83 harassment complaints in 2017 out of a US-based workforce of over 65,000 employees.

Nearly 50 per cent were found to be supported at least in part following an investigation, she said, and more than half of those resulted in the termination of an employee who engaged in unacceptable behaviour.

The unusual publication of such data comes as the world&#39;s largest software company is defending a lawsuit which alleges it systematically denied pay raises or promotions to women. Microsoft denies it has ever had such a policy.

The lawsuit, filed in Seattle federal court in 2015, is attracting wider attention after a series of powerful men have left or been fired from their jobs in entertainment, the media and politics for sexual misconduct.

Microsoft also investigated 84 complaints of gender discrimination last year, Hogan said, and found around 10 per cent of those to be supported at least in part.

Earlier this week, Reuters reported on the contents of unsealed court documents which showed that out of 118 gender discrimination complaints filed by women in U.S.-based technical jobs at Microsoft between 2010 and 2016, only one was deemed &quot;founded&quot; by the company.

Attorneys for the women described the number of complaints as &quot;shocking&quot; in the court filings, and said the response by Microsoft&#39;s investigations team was &quot;lacklustre.&quot;

Hogan&#39;s email on Thursday&nbsp;said the numbers cited by plaintiffs were misleading.

&quot;Reports that we rarely reach a conclusion in favour of the complainant are based on a faulty reading of a partial data set,&quot; Hogan wrote.

Hogan&#39;s email did not provide additional figures about the time period cited in the court documents.

The plaintiffs based their numbers on documents disclosed by Microsoft during pre-trial discovery in the lawsuit. Kelly Dermody, an attorney for the plaintiffs, declined to comment on Hogan&#39;s email.

Alaina Percival, chief executive of Women Who Code, an organization that helps companies increase their number of women developers, said publicly releasing this kind of data can help businesses learn from each other about the best ways to handle sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

&quot;I think other tech companies should follow suit, and I would expect to see that happen,&quot; Percival said

Microsoft Chief People Officer Kathleen Hogan said Microsoft had 83 harassment complaints in 2017 out of a US-based workforce of over 65,000 employees

A senior executive said Microsoft Corp thoroughly investigates issues raised by women in the workplace and fired about 20 employees last year over complaints of sexual harassment as the company seeks to counter claims that it treats female workers unfairly. In an email to employees publicly released late on Thursday, Microsoft Chief People Officer Kathleen Hogan said Microsoft had 83 harassment complaints in 2017 out of a US-based workforce of over 65,000 employees. Nearly 50 per cent were found to be supported at least in part following an investigation, she said, and more than half of those resulted in the termination of an employee who engaged in unacceptable behaviour. The unusual publication of such data comes as the world's largest software company is defending a lawsuit which alleges it systematically denied pay raises or promotions to women. Microsoft denies it has ever had such a policy. The lawsuit, filed in Seattle federal court in 2015, is attracting wider attention after a series of powerful men have left or been fired from their jobs in entertainment, the media and politics for sexual misconduct. Microsoft also investigated 84 complaints of gender discrimination last year, Hogan said, and found around 10 per cent of those to be supported at least in part. Earlier this week, Reuters reported on the contents of unsealed court documents which showed that out of 118 gender discrimination complaints filed by women in U.S.-based technical jobs at Microsoft between 2010 and 2016, only one was deemed "founded" by the company. Attorneys for the women described the number of complaints as "shocking" in the court filings, and said the response by Microsoft's investigations team was "lacklustre." Hogan's email on Thursday said the numbers cited by plaintiffs were misleading. "Reports that we rarely reach a conclusion in favour of the complainant are based on a faulty reading of a partial data set," Hogan wrote. Hogan's email did not provide additional figures about the time period cited in the court documents. The plaintiffs based their numbers on documents disclosed by Microsoft during pre-trial discovery in the lawsuit. Kelly Dermody, an attorney for the plaintiffs, declined to comment on Hogan's email. Alaina Percival, chief executive of Women Who Code, an organization that helps companies increase their number of women developers, said publicly releasing this kind of data can help businesses learn from each other about the best ways to handle sexual harassment and gender discrimination. "I think other tech companies should follow suit, and I would expect to see that happen," Percival said

Microsoft hits back at claims it ignored sexual harassment

This women&rsquo;s day, I will not talk about equality, or how women all across the world, and especially in India, still struggle to exercise their autonomy in the smallest of ways. It is futile to compare our privileges with the male counterpart as even today, we don&rsquo;t even have the utmost autonomy to exercise full control and agency over things that are purely and exclusively ours &ndash; our bodies!

Less than a fortnight back, a 27-year-old woman from a pristine corner of Kerala made headlines. Malayali poet, writer and model <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kerala-model-breastfeeds-on-local-magazine-cover-gets-praised-on-twitter-34372">Gilu</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/kerala-model-breastfeeds-on-local-magazine-cover-gets-praised-on-twitter-34372"> Joseph</a> exercised her right to portray one of the most beautiful experiences of a woman &ndash; motherhood. Her face shone with unparalleled radiance as she posed for the cover of a Malayalam magazine Grihalakshmi with a baby tugging on to her breast. Her image evoked infinite emotions in my tiny heart, in a second I remembered my mother, her undying love for me while feeling an urge to experience motherhood, that indomitable power to nurture another life.

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<h5>Joseph&rsquo;s unsullied image, that epitomises motherhood, was easily tarnished as people hurled condemnation.</h5>
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Sadly, not many share similar thoughts while looking at Gilu on that ambitious magazine cover; Joseph&rsquo;s unsullied image, that epitomises motherhood, was easily tarnished as people hurled condemnation.

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Translation - &quot;Do not stare at us while we are breastfeeding&quot; 
 
Really glad to see Grihalakshmi a leading magazine is breaking the Society norms without sexualizing it 
 
I love the way Gilu Joseph (Model) stares at the reader straight in to your eyes. The message is a bang on! <a href="https://t.co/SFYvNgDQrS">pic.twitter.com/SFYvNgDQrS</a>
&mdash; The Great Dictator.! (@tittoantony) <a href="https://twitter.com/tittoantony/status/968805785185800192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Joseph and the publisher of Grihalakshmi now face charges under Section 3 and 4 of Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) act 1986. The society has long known to twist and misinterpret things according to its convenience, while images of scantily clad women on high-end fashion magazines are considered part of modernity and empowering the sex, the same society shows its hypocrisy and double-standards over incidents like Joseph&rsquo;s appearance on a magazine cover.

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<h5>If our bodies, our right to exercise what is exclusively ours makes the society so uncomfortable then why is it not questionable when depicted as part of religious mythology?</h5>
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If you think this is just an example of truncated mentality plaguing Indian society, let me remind you of the global outcry sparked by Time Magazine&rsquo;s cover where 26-year-old Jamie Lynne Grumet posed breastfeeding her three-year-old son. The magazine&rsquo;s edition was all about &quot;attachment parenting&quot; and extended breastfeeding, but the junta clearly missed the bus.

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Are you mom enough? <a href="https://twitter.com/TIME?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TIME</a> magazine&#39;s intrepid cover for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MothersDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MothersDay</a> says it all <a href="http://t.co/GTh3rzikND">pic.twitter.com/GTh3rzikND</a>
&mdash; Paul Omondi (@omondipaul) <a href="https://twitter.com/omondipaul/status/446333118304096256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 19, 2014</a></blockquote>
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If our bodies, our right to exercise what is exclusively ours makes the society so uncomfortable then why is it not questionable when depicted as part of religious mythology? Why is the half-naked portrayal of Goddess Kali such a revered image, touted as a symbol of power? What about the hyper-sexual sculptures and figures at Khajuraho? Or the unquestionable portrait of &lsquo;Nursing Mary&rsquo; or &lsquo;Lactation of St Bernard&rsquo; which depicts Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus in one hand and sprinkling drops of her breast milk on St Bernard? The image has been recreated over centuries with some of the earliest portrayals going back to the 12th century.

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<div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;">&nbsp;</div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/4ewPMtEqsw/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">#AlonsoCano #Prado #LactationofStBernard #milk #chest #fountain</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/maricmarianne/" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Marianne Marić</a> (@maricmarianne) on <time datetime="2015-06-28T17:03:49+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Jun 28, 2015 at 10:03am PDT</time>
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For over centuries women fought, lost lives to feel like an equal, to exercise equal participation. The 19th-20th centuries saw a tumultuous wave of movements where women fought for voting rights or to be able to write and get published as a woman. Sure, we all have come a long way, from times when women writers were branded as &lsquo;witches&rsquo; and burned to death for &lsquo;transgression&rsquo; or when some of the most gifted writers of all times, like Charlotte Bronte and George Eliot, wrote under pseudonyms to the 21st century when women made to the moon and are seen flying fighter jets. But, deep within, the heart of a woman knows it all -- I know that the freedom I enjoy is not absolute. Women in most parts of the world still have no choice &ndash; no choice to say no to wearing a headscarf, no choice to marry out of religion, no choice to even wear what she wants.

A society that questions a woman over exercising her right over her own body, and later on blames her for acts of utter perversion directed at her, will always carry a pent-up subversive attitude toward its women.

In the wake of Women&rsquo;s Day, I just wish for a society that is not too sexual in its mindset, which shakes off voyeurism just for a bit. I wish people take charge of their sexuality and stop sexualising some of the basic facets of our everyday lives. Amen!&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

If our bodies, our right to exercise what is exclusively ours makes the society so uncomfortable then why is it not questionable when depicted as part of religious mythology?

This women’s day, I will not talk about equality, or how women all across the world, and especially in India, still struggle to exercise their autonomy in the smallest of ways. It is futile to compare our privileges with the male counterpart as even today, we don’t even have the utmost autonomy to exercise full control and agency over things that are purely and exclusively ours – our bodies! Less than a fortnight back, a 27-year-old woman from a pristine corner of Kerala made headlines. Malayali poet, writer and model Gilu Joseph exercised her right to portray one of the most beautiful experiences of a woman – motherhood. Her face shone with unparalleled radiance as she posed for the cover of a Malayalam magazine Grihalakshmi with a baby tugging on to her breast. Her image evoked infinite emotions in my tiny heart, in a second I remembered my mother, her undying love for me while feeling an urge to experience motherhood, that indomitable power to nurture another life. Joseph’s unsullied image, that epitomises motherhood, was easily tarnished as people hurled condemnation. × Sadly, not many share similar thoughts while looking at Gilu on that ambitious magazine cover; Joseph’s unsullied image, that epitomises motherhood, was easily tarnished as people hurled condemnation. Translation - "Do not stare at us while we are breastfeeding" Really glad to see Grihalakshmi a leading magazine is breaking the Society norms without sexualizing it I love the way Gilu Joseph (Model) stares at the reader straight in to your eyes. The message is a bang on! pic.twitter.com/SFYvNgDQrS — The Great Dictator.! (@tittoantony) February 28, 2018 × Joseph and the publisher of Grihalakshmi now face charges under Section 3 and 4 of Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) act 1986. The society has long known to twist and misinterpret things according to its convenience, while images of scantily clad women on high-end fashion magazines are considered part of modernity and empowering the sex, the same society shows its hypocrisy and double-standards over incidents like Joseph’s appearance on a magazine cover. If our bodies, our right to exercise what is exclusively ours makes the society so uncomfortable then why is it not questionable when depicted as part of religious mythology? × If you think this is just an example of truncated mentality plaguing Indian society, let me remind you of the global outcry sparked by Time Magazine’s cover where 26-year-old Jamie Lynne Grumet posed breastfeeding her three-year-old son. The magazine’s edition was all about "attachment parenting" and extended breastfeeding, but the junta clearly missed the bus. Are you mom enough? @TIME magazine's intrepid cover for #MothersDay says it all pic.twitter.com/GTh3rzikND — Paul Omondi (@omondipaul) March 19, 2014 × If our bodies, our right to exercise what is exclusively ours makes the society so uncomfortable then why is it not questionable when depicted as part of religious mythology? Why is the half-naked portrayal of Goddess Kali such a revered image, touted as a symbol of power? What about the hyper-sexual sculptures and figures at Khajuraho? Or the unquestionable portrait of ‘Nursing Mary’ or ‘Lactation of St Bernard’ which depicts Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus in one hand and sprinkling drops of her breast milk on St Bernard? The image has been recreated over centuries with some of the earliest portrayals going back to the 12th century. #AlonsoCano #Prado #LactationofStBernard #milk #chest #fountain A post shared by Marianne Marić (@maricmarianne) on Jun 28, 2015 at 10:03am PDT × For over centuries women fought, lost lives to feel like an equal, to exercise equal participation. The 19th-20th centuries saw a tumultuous wave of movements where women fought for voting rights or to be able to write and get published as a woman. Sure, we all have come a long way, from times when women writers were branded as ‘witches’ and burned to death for ‘transgression’ or when some of the most gifted writers of all times, like Charlotte Bronte and George Eliot, wrote under pseudonyms to the 21st century when women made to the moon and are seen flying fighter jets. But, deep within, the heart of a woman knows it all -- I know that the freedom I enjoy is not absolute. Women in most parts of the world still have no choice – no choice to say no to wearing a headscarf, no choice to marry out of religion, no choice to even wear what she wants. A society that questions a woman over exercising her right over her own body, and later on blames her for acts of utter perversion directed at her, will always carry a pent-up subversive attitude toward its women. In the wake of Women’s Day, I just wish for a society that is not too sexual in its mindset, which shakes off voyeurism just for a bit. I wish people take charge of their sexuality and stop sexualising some of the basic facets of our everyday lives. Amen! (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: On Women's Day, why breastfeeding Goddess Kali a symbol of power while Gilu Joseph is not

Spain marked International Women&#39;s Day Thursday with an unprecedented strike in defence of their rights that saw hundreds of trains cancelled and massive protests held in Madrid and Barcelona.

Called by 10 unions to demand gender equality, particularly where salaries are concerned, the 24-hour strike dominated headlines with famous female presenters noticeably absent from radio or television shows.

&quot;This should be a starting point to change things. We are far from real equality,&quot; Maria Angels Pina, a teacher in her 60s, told AFP at an evening march in Barcelona attended by around 200,000 people according to municipal police.

In Madrid tens of thousands of people, many wearing purple or holding up purple balloons &nbsp;-- a colour long associated with gender equality -- marched along the central Gran Via boulevard, chanting and holding signs that read &quot;Justice!&quot; and &quot;Revolution&quot;.

Smaller protests were held in dozens of cities across the country as women hung aprons on their balconies in a pre-arranged sign they were ditching domestic chores for the day.

Feminist groups also called on women not to spend money, particularly on items such as deodorant whose versions created for women often cost more.

Spain&#39;s two main unions -- the CCOO and UGT -- were not part of the grouping that called the 24-hour strike but asked their members to stop work for just two hours on Thursday.

They estimated that 5.9 million men and women had observed the short stoppage.

Change the culture

The strike was attempting to emulate Iceland&#39;s 1975 work shutdown, when women took a day off in October to demonstrate their vital contribution to the country&#39;s economy and society.

Pilar Lahoz, a 35-year-old office worker who carried a sign that read &quot;Without us the world stops&quot; at the protest in Madrid, said she has struggled to change jobs because potential employers rule her out when she says she is planning on having children.

&quot;While we have advanced a great deal there is still much to do,&quot; she told AFP.

The strike comes as countries around the world mobilised for #InternationalWomensDay, a worldwide trending topic on Twitter, and comes hot on the heels of #MeToo and #Timesup campaigns that went global with allegations of sexual misconduct in Hollywood.

Belen Ramiro, 40, who wore stickers that read &quot;feminist strike&quot; on her jacket at the march in Madrid, said she did not cook or do any other housework as part of the strike and her daughter did not go to school.

&quot;We want to change the culture that it is women who are caretakers,&quot; she told AFP.

Countless sarcastic memes circulated on social media and mobile messaging apps, with one video showing a man desperately trying to start a vacuum cleaner, pulling at the retractable plug cable like he would power up a lawnmower.

Spain fights hard

Spain is a leading country in the fight for women&#39;s rights and against gender violence, even though much remains to be done.

In 2004, for instance, the then Socialist government approved a law on violence against women that the European Council has upheld as an example to follow.

The groundbreaking legislation set up a hotline that would not appear on users&#39; phone bills, offered free legal aid and established special courts for victims.

Last year, though, 49 women died at the hands of their partners or ex-partners, an increase on 2016 when 44 were killed, official statistics show.

Women earn 14.9 percent less than men in Spain, slightly better than the EU average of 16.2 percent, according to the bloc&#39;s statistics agency Eurostat.

It was not yet clear how many Spaniards went on the 24-hour strike, but trains on the Madrid and Barcelona undergrounds were less frequent than usual.

Meanwhile, more than 300 intercity and long-distance trains were cancelled throughout Spain.

Deputy PM speaks out

High-profile women politicians and business leaders also spoke out strongly against inequalities.

Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria on Wednesday spoke of the discrimination she has suffered: &quot;There are still many things that need changing because even as deputy prime minister you experience unacceptable sexist behaviour.&quot;

Famous actresses such as Penelope Cruz and Rossy de Palma were also striking, with Cruz cancelling planned events and letting her partner Javier Bardem take care of their two children.

Ana Botin, the head of Santander, Spain&#39;s largest bank, tweeted that &quot;the motherhood penalty is not a myth&quot;.

&quot;After a first child, a women&#39;s income drops sharply, and never fully recover,&quot; she added.

Called by 10 unions to demand gender equality, particularly where salaries are concerned, the 24-hour strike dominated headlines with famous female presenters noticeably absent from radio or television shows

Spain marked International Women's Day Thursday with an unprecedented strike in defence of their rights that saw hundreds of trains cancelled and massive protests held in Madrid and Barcelona. Called by 10 unions to demand gender equality, particularly where salaries are concerned, the 24-hour strike dominated headlines with famous female presenters noticeably absent from radio or television shows. "This should be a starting point to change things. We are far from real equality," Maria Angels Pina, a teacher in her 60s, told AFP at an evening march in Barcelona attended by around 200,000 people according to municipal police. In Madrid tens of thousands of people, many wearing purple or holding up purple balloons -- a colour long associated with gender equality -- marched along the central Gran Via boulevard, chanting and holding signs that read "Justice!" and "Revolution". Smaller protests were held in dozens of cities across the country as women hung aprons on their balconies in a pre-arranged sign they were ditching domestic chores for the day. Feminist groups also called on women not to spend money, particularly on items such as deodorant whose versions created for women often cost more. Spain's two main unions -- the CCOO and UGT -- were not part of the grouping that called the 24-hour strike but asked their members to stop work for just two hours on Thursday. They estimated that 5.9 million men and women had observed the short stoppage. Change the culture The strike was attempting to emulate Iceland's 1975 work shutdown, when women took a day off in October to demonstrate their vital contribution to the country's economy and society. Pilar Lahoz, a 35-year-old office worker who carried a sign that read "Without us the world stops" at the protest in Madrid, said she has struggled to change jobs because potential employers rule her out when she says she is planning on having children. "While we have advanced a great deal there is still much to do," she told AFP. The strike comes as countries around the world mobilised for #InternationalWomensDay, a worldwide trending topic on Twitter, and comes hot on the heels of #MeToo and #Timesup campaigns that went global with allegations of sexual misconduct in Hollywood. Belen Ramiro, 40, who wore stickers that read "feminist strike" on her jacket at the march in Madrid, said she did not cook or do any other housework as part of the strike and her daughter did not go to school. "We want to change the culture that it is women who are caretakers," she told AFP. Countless sarcastic memes circulated on social media and mobile messaging apps, with one video showing a man desperately trying to start a vacuum cleaner, pulling at the retractable plug cable like he would power up a lawnmower. Spain fights hard Spain is a leading country in the fight for women's rights and against gender violence, even though much remains to be done. In 2004, for instance, the then Socialist government approved a law on violence against women that the European Council has upheld as an example to follow. The groundbreaking legislation set up a hotline that would not appear on users' phone bills, offered free legal aid and established special courts for victims. Last year, though, 49 women died at the hands of their partners or ex-partners, an increase on 2016 when 44 were killed, official statistics show. Women earn 14.9 percent less than men in Spain, slightly better than the EU average of 16.2 percent, according to the bloc's statistics agency Eurostat. It was not yet clear how many Spaniards went on the 24-hour strike, but trains on the Madrid and Barcelona undergrounds were less frequent than usual. Meanwhile, more than 300 intercity and long-distance trains were cancelled throughout Spain. Deputy PM speaks out High-profile women politicians and business leaders also spoke out strongly against inequalities. Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria on Wednesday spoke of the discrimination she has suffered: "There are still many things that need changing because even as deputy prime minister you experience unacceptable sexist behaviour." Famous actresses such as Penelope Cruz and Rossy de Palma were also striking, with Cruz cancelling planned events and letting her partner Javier Bardem take care of their two children. Ana Botin, the head of Santander, Spain's largest bank, tweeted that "the motherhood penalty is not a myth". "After a first child, a women's income drops sharply, and never fully recover," she added.

International Women's Day: Spanish women stage unprecedented strike for rights

Today is International Women&rsquo;s Day again, a day that has been marked for more than a 100 years now, and has been important in reminding the world about women&rsquo;s struggles in their fight for equality and justice. &nbsp;Last year, this time, it seemed like a continuing, never-ending struggle. &nbsp;But this year something fundamental has shifted that seems to provide more hope than usual that we could actually be making some progress.

In recent months, there have been headlines as never before about the rampant abuse and harassment of women across the world and across sectors&mdash;in Hollywood and Bollywood, in academia, in business, and much closer to home, in the development sector. &nbsp;There has been an outpouring of cries from women who have been abused for too long and who have decided to come forth. &nbsp;It has shocked us all to know that we are not alone and has made us brave enough to speak up and finally break the silence that has surrounded this issue forever. When Facebook and other social media exploded with #MeToo, we looked at each other afresh, asking each other #YouToo?

In Oxfam, this day this year comes as a day of deep reflection for us. We were founded in 1942, in the middle of World War II, by a handful of people who felt that it was the duty and responsibility of every human being to help others in suffering. From that moment, Oxfam grew into one of the largest humanitarian organisations in the world, responding to all the major disasters all over the world, restoring livelihoods, providing water and sanitation, and preventing epidemics by promoting public health and hygiene training. Oxfam has a long history in India since it is the first country that it came to, outside of Europe, at the time of the Bihar famine in 1951. &nbsp;Today, it is a network of 21 Oxfams with 10,000 staff working in more than 90 countries. &nbsp;The humanitarian imperative&mdash;of helping others in distress&mdash;remains in our DNA and is core to who we are. But we have gone beyond humanitarian work to become a development organisation that works to empower poor and marginalised communities, and puts women&rsquo;s empowerment at the heart of what we do.

In India, we formed Oxfam India as an independent member of this global network in 2008. During the last 10 years, we have responded to 31 natural disasters and conflicts and have provided assistance to 12 lac beneficiaries directly. Literally, on the day we were founded in September 2008, the Kosi floods hit in Bihar and our team swung into action and we have never stopped since. In this effort to reach out to vulnerable people and help them rebuild their lives, we have been supported by the people of India who have given their time and money generously for these efforts.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
In recent weeks, Oxfam has been in the news because a few privileged men abused the very people they were meant to protect &ndash; and our processes were too weak to stop them. We have made mistakes in how we handled these cases. And we should have been more transparent in our communications with the authorities and with the public. &nbsp;We are learning that social expectations &ndash;due to movements such as #MeToo and others&mdash;have changed dramatically in the last eight years. What has once considered a benchmark for best practices is no longer adequate. Our supporters feel that their trust has been broken. We hope that our apologies &ndash; but far more importantly our deeds and the steps we are taking &ndash; will begin to restore people&rsquo;s trust in us. Our resolve is to make sure we never make the same mistakes again and that we strengthen safeguarding systems across the organisation to stamp out abuse.&nbsp;

A number of women in the aid and humanitarian sector have come together with an open letter condemning violence against women and girls perpetrated by aid workers. They are asking for three fundamental reforms to shift the patriarchal bias in aid:

Trust women: Organisations need to take action as soon as women report sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse; allegations must be treated with priority and urgency in their investigation; the subject of a complaint of this nature must be immediately suspended or removed from their position of power and reach of vulnerable women and girls.

Listen: Foster a culture where whistleblowing is welcome and safe - the way to win back the trust of donors, the public and the communities we work with is, to be honest about abuses of power and learn from disclosures. Sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse should no longer have to be discussed in hushed tones in our offices.

Deeds not words: We need effective leadership, commitment to action and access to resources. It is not enough to develop new policies, which are never implemented or funded - with the right tools; we can end impunity at all levels in the sector.

This is the very least we all must commit to doing. On International Women&rsquo;s day in March 2019, we want to be able to look back with satisfaction at the progress we -- and the whole development sector--have made to honour our commitment to support women in their struggles for a more equal and just world.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

In order to restore the trust, Oxfam affirms to support women in their struggles for a more equal and just world.

Today is International Women’s Day again, a day that has been marked for more than a 100 years now, and has been important in reminding the world about women’s struggles in their fight for equality and justice. Last year, this time, it seemed like a continuing, never-ending struggle. But this year something fundamental has shifted that seems to provide more hope than usual that we could actually be making some progress. In recent months, there have been headlines as never before about the rampant abuse and harassment of women across the world and across sectors—in Hollywood and Bollywood, in academia, in business, and much closer to home, in the development sector. There has been an outpouring of cries from women who have been abused for too long and who have decided to come forth. It has shocked us all to know that we are not alone and has made us brave enough to speak up and finally break the silence that has surrounded this issue forever. When Facebook and other social media exploded with #MeToo, we looked at each other afresh, asking each other #YouToo? In Oxfam, this day this year comes as a day of deep reflection for us. We were founded in 1942, in the middle of World War II, by a handful of people who felt that it was the duty and responsibility of every human being to help others in suffering. From that moment, Oxfam grew into one of the largest humanitarian organisations in the world, responding to all the major disasters all over the world, restoring livelihoods, providing water and sanitation, and preventing epidemics by promoting public health and hygiene training. Oxfam has a long history in India since it is the first country that it came to, outside of Europe, at the time of the Bihar famine in 1951. Today, it is a network of 21 Oxfams with 10,000 staff working in more than 90 countries. The humanitarian imperative—of helping others in distress—remains in our DNA and is core to who we are. But we have gone beyond humanitarian work to become a development organisation that works to empower poor and marginalised communities, and puts women’s empowerment at the heart of what we do. In India, we formed Oxfam India as an independent member of this global network in 2008. During the last 10 years, we have responded to 31 natural disasters and conflicts and have provided assistance to 12 lac beneficiaries directly. Literally, on the day we were founded in September 2008, the Kosi floods hit in Bihar and our team swung into action and we have never stopped since. In this effort to reach out to vulnerable people and help them rebuild their lives, we have been supported by the people of India who have given their time and money generously for these efforts. In recent weeks, Oxfam has been in the news because a few privileged men abused the very people they were meant to protect – and our processes were too weak to stop them. We have made mistakes in how we handled these cases. And we should have been more transparent in our communications with the authorities and with the public. We are learning that social expectations –due to movements such as #MeToo and others—have changed dramatically in the last eight years. What has once considered a benchmark for best practices is no longer adequate. Our supporters feel that their trust has been broken. We hope that our apologies – but far more importantly our deeds and the steps we are taking – will begin to restore people’s trust in us. Our resolve is to make sure we never make the same mistakes again and that we strengthen safeguarding systems across the organisation to stamp out abuse. A number of women in the aid and humanitarian sector have come together with an open letter condemning violence against women and girls perpetrated by aid workers. They are asking for three fundamental reforms to shift the patriarchal bias in aid: Trust women: Organisations need to take action as soon as women report sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse; allegations must be treated with priority and urgency in their investigation; the subject of a complaint of this nature must be immediately suspended or removed from their position of power and reach of vulnerable women and girls. Listen: Foster a culture where whistleblowing is welcome and safe - the way to win back the trust of donors, the public and the communities we work with is, to be honest about abuses of power and learn from disclosures. Sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse should no longer have to be discussed in hushed tones in our offices. Deeds not words: We need effective leadership, commitment to action and access to resources. It is not enough to develop new policies, which are never implemented or funded - with the right tools; we can end impunity at all levels in the sector. This is the very least we all must commit to doing. On International Women’s day in March 2019, we want to be able to look back with satisfaction at the progress we -- and the whole development sector--have made to honour our commitment to support women in their struggles for a more equal and just world. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Oxfam vows to support women on International Women's day

Islamic headscarves and veils continue to be the subject of intense debate in Europe. Countries&rsquo; approaches toward the burqa and niqab, which cover the face, range from tolerance in the UK to an outright ban in France. Reactions of Muslim women to restrictions have varied, including protests by some, reluctant acceptance by others and also support for bans.

But what happens when a woman who has worn a niqab, sometimes for years, makes the decision to leave it behind?

Hanane and Alexia &ndash; whose names are pseudonyms to protect their identity &ndash; were both born in France. Hanane grew up in a non-practicing Muslim family, while Alexia converted to Islam at age 22. For five years they both wore a niqab. Hanane began in 2009, just before France banned the full-face veil, while Alexia adopted it later. Once ardent defenders of the right to wear the niqab, both women have now completely abandoned it. But the transition took place gradually and was accompanied by a growing distance from extreme Salafist ideology.&nbsp;

&lsquo;Start living again&rsquo;

On January 10, during the New Year&rsquo;s discount sales in France, Alexia and I met near Paris&rsquo; Gare du Nord train station. She wanted to buy clothes and &ldquo;start living again&rdquo;. In the first shop she bought four slim pairs of pants and a trim jacket. She then tried out some Nepalese clothes designed for Western tastes, including a colourful jacket and pants with huge bell bottoms.

As she came out of the dressing room, Alexia gauged herself in front of the mirror: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s really me, I finally feel like myself again after years of being locked up.&rdquo; With her hair brushing her face, she looked like a modern woman, fully alive. I was impressed with her metamorphosis: it&rsquo;s hard to imagine that she wore a niqab for five years and was one of the most radical women I&rsquo;d ever met.

I met Alexia in August 2011 in the context of my research on the full-length veil during a demonstration by the Salafist group Forsane Alizza (literally Knights of the Pride) in a city near Paris. She was wearing a niqab and presented herself as the wife of one of the group&rsquo;s leaders.&nbsp;

Alexia remembers that time:We considered all Muslim supporters of the French Republic to be unbelievers. We were doing the takfir (excommunication) against those who did not practice like us. We were opposed to the taghout (idolatry in the broad sense), i.e., the state and institutions. We defined ourselves as gh&ucirc;lat, which means &lsquo;extremists&rsquo; in Arabic.

Estimates of the number of women who wear the niqab vary widely, from a few hundred to several thousand. In terms of even France&rsquo;s Muslim population the percentage is tiny.

&lsquo;The niqab was protecting me&rsquo;

I&rsquo;ve known Hanane even longer than Alexia. We met during a January 2010 demonstration of women in niqab at the Place de la R&eacute;publique in Paris and then in front of the National Assembly. She and others were protesting a proposed measure that would outlaw concealing one&rsquo;s face in public.

At the beginning of 2017, Hanane reached out to ask me to help her write a book about her life. In the book she&rsquo;d like to write, Hanane doesn&rsquo;t want to denounce the niqab, but to tell the story of the rapes she says were repeatedly inflicted by her father-in-law. To her, they help explain her involvement in Salafism.

Religion brought a lot that helped me escape from the trauma of rape. I was 19 to 20 years old when I started wearing the niqab, I took it off when I was 25. The further I went, the more I wanted to cover myself. The niqab protected me, I liked hiding from men. I could see them, but they couldn&rsquo;t see me.

Unlike Alexia, who decided on her own to begin wearing a veil, Hanane remembers the influence of her social circle at the time:

We were a bunch of girlfriends and wore niqab almost all at the same time. In our group the earliest was Ayat Boum&eacute;di&egrave;ne, who adopted it more than two years before the law. At first everything was normal with her, and then she started to organise gatherings to encourage us to take up arms. It was her husband, Ahmadi Coulibaly, who turned her head &ndash; he was low-key until he went to jail. Ayat wanted to introduce me to a man she said I should marry, she really pushed hard. He was later imprisoned for murder. Thank goodness I didn&rsquo;t give in &ndash; I&rsquo;d be in Syria today.&nbsp;

On January 9, 2015, Ahmadi Coulibaly attacked the Hyper Cacher market near Paris. Boum&eacute;di&egrave;ne left Paris one week earlier, and was spotted at the Istanbul airport. She remains at large. Coulibaly killed five people during his attack and died when the police assaulted the grocery store in which he was holding hostages.&nbsp;

&lsquo;I felt like I was getting out of jail&rsquo;

When France banned full-length veils in 2010, some of the women who wore the niqab switched to the jilbab, which covers the whole body except the face, while others gave in to public pressure and ceased wearing it. Both Alexia and Hanane are different: they say they&rsquo;ve turned the page completely.

Alexia has even become a fierce opponent of the Islamic veil and Salafism. She continues to define herself as a Muslim but reads the texts with a critical eye. Hanane admits that she has become less diligent in her rituals: &ldquo;I often skip prayers or make them late. Some days I don&rsquo;t even have time to pray. When I wore the niqab I was a little more regular, even though I was often late.&rdquo;

Both say they&rsquo;ve put aside the more radical texts they once favoured, and no longer frequent fundamentalist websites. But this process didn&rsquo;t happen all at once &ndash; it took several months. Alexia says she decided to remove the niqab on the advice of the man who shared her life at the time. A convert to Islam and Salafism, he was a supporter of conservative dress for women, but nonetheless suggested she cease wearing the niqab:

When he saw my physical condition, he asked me to remove the niqab &ndash; he feared for my health. I had worn it to please Allah, but because of the lack of sunlight I wasn&rsquo;t synthesising vitamin D any more &ndash; my health was failing. I followed his advice, but it&rsquo;s been long and hard.&nbsp;

Alexia remembers:&nbsp;When I took the niqab off, I felt like I was getting out of jail. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean I was released &ndash; I still felt bad. It takes years to get by and I haven&rsquo;t finished cleaning my head yet.

Hanane abandoned her veil after the attacks on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015 because she feared for her safety, facing more and more insults in the street. She said the hardest part has been the exclusion from her social circle.&nbsp;Since I removed my veil, many of my Muslim sisters no longer want to talk to me. I find them stuck-up and unfair, because anyone can choose to take off their veil. A few rare ones talk to me, but it&rsquo;s not like it used to be.

For a long time Alexia would put her veil back on when returning to her old neighbourhood in northeast Paris where social and religious conservatism is strong in certain communities. Then she finally changed her life entirely.

My life began to change when I enrolled in a gym, which allowed me to get out of the Salafist social networks that were my only source of socialisation before. Then I got a job and then I finally said goodbye to my past.

And it was at this job that she met the man whom she would marry. He is not Muslim and the civil marriage took place at city hall, an unthinkable choice for this woman who once hated French institutions.&nbsp;

A bitter taste

In hindsight, neither Alexia nor Hanane spoke of their &ldquo;exit&rdquo; from the niqab as a liberation. Instead, the experience has left them with a bitter taste. They say they were convinced at some point in their lives of the importance of wearing a full-length veil: Alexia believed that she was achieving Muslim perfection and giving meaning to her life &ndash; she imagined meeting the pious and virtuous man who would save her from her life as a single mother. For Hanane, the goal was to heal the wounds of an adolescence torn apart by family trauma and foster care.

Alexia now feels that this period cost her years of her life and expresses anger at the propaganda coming from Saudi Arabia. She blames the entire system that indoctrinated her, even though she acknowledges it was, in a sense, voluntary. According to her, the Islamic State benefits from the naivety of those who believe they are committed to Salafism for legitimate reasons.

Even if they&rsquo;ve both renounced the niqab, neither Hanane nor Alexia support the 2010 ban. Hanane told me recently: &ldquo;The law is counterproductive. The only way out is by yourself. The ban will never convince any woman to take it off.&rdquo; Alexia has the same reaction, saying that the law that has led some women to cut themselves off from society and that some might adopt it as a rebellious gesture.

Testimonies of those who&rsquo;ve chosen to &ldquo;leave the niqab behind&rdquo; are rare. The number of women who have adopted it is extremely low, and the ones who then choose to renounce it must often sever their old relationships and adopt what is in many ways a new identity &ndash; they change their e-mail addresses, phone numbers and move on completely. For them the full-length veil has become something firmly in the past, representative of a transitional stage in their lives.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

When France banned full-length veils in 2010, some of the women who wore the niqab switched to the jilbab, which covers the whole body except the face, while many others ceased wearing it.

Islamic headscarves and veils continue to be the subject of intense debate in Europe. Countries’ approaches toward the burqa and niqab, which cover the face, range from tolerance in the UK to an outright ban in France. Reactions of Muslim women to restrictions have varied, including protests by some, reluctant acceptance by others and also support for bans. But what happens when a woman who has worn a niqab, sometimes for years, makes the decision to leave it behind? Hanane and Alexia – whose names are pseudonyms to protect their identity – were both born in France. Hanane grew up in a non-practicing Muslim family, while Alexia converted to Islam at age 22. For five years they both wore a niqab. Hanane began in 2009, just before France banned the full-face veil, while Alexia adopted it later. Once ardent defenders of the right to wear the niqab, both women have now completely abandoned it. But the transition took place gradually and was accompanied by a growing distance from extreme Salafist ideology. ‘Start living again’ On January 10, during the New Year’s discount sales in France, Alexia and I met near Paris’ Gare du Nord train station. She wanted to buy clothes and “start living again”. In the first shop she bought four slim pairs of pants and a trim jacket. She then tried out some Nepalese clothes designed for Western tastes, including a colourful jacket and pants with huge bell bottoms. As she came out of the dressing room, Alexia gauged herself in front of the mirror: “It’s really me, I finally feel like myself again after years of being locked up.” With her hair brushing her face, she looked like a modern woman, fully alive. I was impressed with her metamorphosis: it’s hard to imagine that she wore a niqab for five years and was one of the most radical women I’d ever met. I met Alexia in August 2011 in the context of my research on the full-length veil during a demonstration by the Salafist group Forsane Alizza (literally Knights of the Pride) in a city near Paris. She was wearing a niqab and presented herself as the wife of one of the group’s leaders. Alexia remembers that time:We considered all Muslim supporters of the French Republic to be unbelievers. We were doing the takfir (excommunication) against those who did not practice like us. We were opposed to the taghout (idolatry in the broad sense), i.e., the state and institutions. We defined ourselves as ghûlat, which means ‘extremists’ in Arabic. Estimates of the number of women who wear the niqab vary widely, from a few hundred to several thousand. In terms of even France’s Muslim population the percentage is tiny. ‘The niqab was protecting me’ I’ve known Hanane even longer than Alexia. We met during a January 2010 demonstration of women in niqab at the Place de la République in Paris and then in front of the National Assembly. She and others were protesting a proposed measure that would outlaw concealing one’s face in public. At the beginning of 2017, Hanane reached out to ask me to help her write a book about her life. In the book she’d like to write, Hanane doesn’t want to denounce the niqab, but to tell the story of the rapes she says were repeatedly inflicted by her father-in-law. To her, they help explain her involvement in Salafism. Religion brought a lot that helped me escape from the trauma of rape. I was 19 to 20 years old when I started wearing the niqab, I took it off when I was 25. The further I went, the more I wanted to cover myself. The niqab protected me, I liked hiding from men. I could see them, but they couldn’t see me. Unlike Alexia, who decided on her own to begin wearing a veil, Hanane remembers the influence of her social circle at the time: We were a bunch of girlfriends and wore niqab almost all at the same time. In our group the earliest was Ayat Boumédiène, who adopted it more than two years before the law. At first everything was normal with her, and then she started to organise gatherings to encourage us to take up arms. It was her husband, Ahmadi Coulibaly, who turned her head – he was low-key until he went to jail. Ayat wanted to introduce me to a man she said I should marry, she really pushed hard. He was later imprisoned for murder. Thank goodness I didn’t give in – I’d be in Syria today. On January 9, 2015, Ahmadi Coulibaly attacked the Hyper Cacher market near Paris. Boumédiène left Paris one week earlier, and was spotted at the Istanbul airport. She remains at large. Coulibaly killed five people during his attack and died when the police assaulted the grocery store in which he was holding hostages. ‘I felt like I was getting out of jail’ When France banned full-length veils in 2010, some of the women who wore the niqab switched to the jilbab, which covers the whole body except the face, while others gave in to public pressure and ceased wearing it. Both Alexia and Hanane are different: they say they’ve turned the page completely. Alexia has even become a fierce opponent of the Islamic veil and Salafism. She continues to define herself as a Muslim but reads the texts with a critical eye. Hanane admits that she has become less diligent in her rituals: “I often skip prayers or make them late. Some days I don’t even have time to pray. When I wore the niqab I was a little more regular, even though I was often late.” Both say they’ve put aside the more radical texts they once favoured, and no longer frequent fundamentalist websites. But this process didn’t happen all at once – it took several months. Alexia says she decided to remove the niqab on the advice of the man who shared her life at the time. A convert to Islam and Salafism, he was a supporter of conservative dress for women, but nonetheless suggested she cease wearing the niqab: When he saw my physical condition, he asked me to remove the niqab – he feared for my health. I had worn it to please Allah, but because of the lack of sunlight I wasn’t synthesising vitamin D any more – my health was failing. I followed his advice, but it’s been long and hard. Alexia remembers: When I took the niqab off, I felt like I was getting out of jail. But that doesn’t mean I was released – I still felt bad. It takes years to get by and I haven’t finished cleaning my head yet. Hanane abandoned her veil after the attacks on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in 2015 because she feared for her safety, facing more and more insults in the street. She said the hardest part has been the exclusion from her social circle. Since I removed my veil, many of my Muslim sisters no longer want to talk to me. I find them stuck-up and unfair, because anyone can choose to take off their veil. A few rare ones talk to me, but it’s not like it used to be. For a long time Alexia would put her veil back on when returning to her old neighbourhood in northeast Paris where social and religious conservatism is strong in certain communities. Then she finally changed her life entirely. My life began to change when I enrolled in a gym, which allowed me to get out of the Salafist social networks that were my only source of socialisation before. Then I got a job and then I finally said goodbye to my past. And it was at this job that she met the man whom she would marry. He is not Muslim and the civil marriage took place at city hall, an unthinkable choice for this woman who once hated French institutions. A bitter taste In hindsight, neither Alexia nor Hanane spoke of their “exit” from the niqab as a liberation. Instead, the experience has left them with a bitter taste. They say they were convinced at some point in their lives of the importance of wearing a full-length veil: Alexia believed that she was achieving Muslim perfection and giving meaning to her life – she imagined meeting the pious and virtuous man who would save her from her life as a single mother. For Hanane, the goal was to heal the wounds of an adolescence torn apart by family trauma and foster care. Alexia now feels that this period cost her years of her life and expresses anger at the propaganda coming from Saudi Arabia. She blames the entire system that indoctrinated her, even though she acknowledges it was, in a sense, voluntary. According to her, the Islamic State benefits from the naivety of those who believe they are committed to Salafism for legitimate reasons. Even if they’ve both renounced the niqab, neither Hanane nor Alexia support the 2010 ban. Hanane told me recently: “The law is counterproductive. The only way out is by yourself. The ban will never convince any woman to take it off.” Alexia has the same reaction, saying that the law that has led some women to cut themselves off from society and that some might adopt it as a rebellious gesture. Testimonies of those who’ve chosen to “leave the niqab behind” are rare. The number of women who have adopted it is extremely low, and the ones who then choose to renounce it must often sever their old relationships and adopt what is in many ways a new identity – they change their e-mail addresses, phone numbers and move on completely. For them the full-length veil has become something firmly in the past, representative of a transitional stage in their lives. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: French Muslim women felt freed not covering their face

The United Kingdom violates women&#39;s rights in Northern Ireland by unduly restricting their access to abortion, a report by the UN&nbsp;Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) said on Friday.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Denial of abortion and criminalisation of abortion amounts to discrimination against women because it is a denial of a service that only women need. And it puts women in horrific situations,&rdquo; the committee&#39;s vice-chairwoman, Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, said in a statement.

&ldquo;The situation in Northern Ireland constitutes violence against women that may amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,&rdquo; she said.

In a response to the report, the United Kingdom government said it did not accept women in Northern Ireland had been subject to grave and systematic violations of their rights.&nbsp;

The report recommended changing the law to stop criminal charges being brought against women and girls undergoing abortion or against anyone assisting in the abortion, with a moratorium on the application of existing laws in the interim.

It said abortion should be legal at least in cases of rape or incest or where a woman&#39;s physical or mental health was threatened, or in cases of severe foetal impairment.

Among its other recommendations were ensuring contraception was available, combating gender-based stereotypes regarding women&#39;s primary role as mothers, and protecting women from harassment by anti-abortion campaigners.

The British government said that for years women from Northern Ireland had travelled to England, Scotland and Wales to access abortions, which was legal, although they had to pay for abortions, which are available for free on the National Health Service for residents of those parts of the United Kingdom.&nbsp;

Since June 2017, women from Northern Ireland have no longer had to pay for abortions in England, and Scotland and Wales had similar plans to ensure they were not charged, it said.&nbsp;

Northern Ireland does not currently have its own government, since Irish nationalists Sinn Fein withdrew from the power-sharing government with their rivals, the Democratic Unionist Party, more than a year ago.

&quot;The Committee&rsquo;s findings and recommendations which focus on changes to the criminal law on abortion cannot be addressed in the absence of a legislature with authority to legislate on such matters in Northern Ireland,&quot; Britain`s response said.&nbsp;

But the report will be brought to the attention of a minister as soon as one was appointed, it added.

CEDAW is composed of 23 independent human rights experts and oversees the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women by countries that have ratified it, but it does not have powers of enforcement. 
&nbsp;

In a response to the report, the United Kingdom government said it did not accept women in Northern Ireland had been subject to grave and systematic violations of their rights

The United Kingdom violates women's rights in Northern Ireland by unduly restricting their access to abortion, a report by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) said on Friday. “Denial of abortion and criminalisation of abortion amounts to discrimination against women because it is a denial of a service that only women need. And it puts women in horrific situations,” the committee's vice-chairwoman, Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, said in a statement. “The situation in Northern Ireland constitutes violence against women that may amount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment,” she said. In a response to the report, the United Kingdom government said it did not accept women in Northern Ireland had been subject to grave and systematic violations of their rights. The report recommended changing the law to stop criminal charges being brought against women and girls undergoing abortion or against anyone assisting in the abortion, with a moratorium on the application of existing laws in the interim. It said abortion should be legal at least in cases of rape or incest or where a woman's physical or mental health was threatened, or in cases of severe foetal impairment. Among its other recommendations were ensuring contraception was available, combating gender-based stereotypes regarding women's primary role as mothers, and protecting women from harassment by anti-abortion campaigners. The British government said that for years women from Northern Ireland had travelled to England, Scotland and Wales to access abortions, which was legal, although they had to pay for abortions, which are available for free on the National Health Service for residents of those parts of the United Kingdom. Since June 2017, women from Northern Ireland have no longer had to pay for abortions in England, and Scotland and Wales had similar plans to ensure they were not charged, it said. Northern Ireland does not currently have its own government, since Irish nationalists Sinn Fein withdrew from the power-sharing government with their rivals, the Democratic Unionist Party, more than a year ago. "The Committee’s findings and recommendations which focus on changes to the criminal law on abortion cannot be addressed in the absence of a legislature with authority to legislate on such matters in Northern Ireland," Britain`s response said. But the report will be brought to the attention of a minister as soon as one was appointed, it added. CEDAW is composed of 23 independent human rights experts and oversees the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women by countries that have ratified it, but it does not have powers of enforcement.

Northern Ireland abortion laws violate women's rights: UN body

Activists in Afghanistan are speaking out against corruption and spreading messages of peace and social justice with murals, many painted on concrete blast walls that have risen to ward off militant bombs.

The activists call themselves the ArtLords, as opposed to the warlords and druglords who have brought so much strife and misery to Afghanistan, and say their art is a tool for social change.

&quot;We&#39;re painting against corruption, we&#39;re painting against the injustices that are happening in society, for women&#39;s rights,&quot; said the group&#39;s co-founder, Omaid Sharifi.

&quot;We&#39;re encouraging people to come and join us, let&#39;s raise our voices against all this nonsense.&quot;

Blast walls have gone up along Kabul&#39;s streets over the years, against a tide of violence as Taliban and other militants battle the government and US-led forces, nearly 17 years after Afghanistan&#39;s latest phase of war began.

Some city streets have been turned into concrete canyons, the walls shielding embassies, military camps, government offices and the homes of the rich.

On many of these grey slabs, the ArtLords have their say.

Watchful eyes peer from a wall protecting the headquarters of the main security agency.

&quot;I can&#39;t go to school because of your corruption. I can see you,&quot; is the message on a mural of a girl on blast walls near the interior ministry.

Another mural, of a black SUV with its windows tinted, takes a dig at the powerful and privileged.

&quot;What are you carrying, that your windows are black?&quot; reads the message. &quot;You don&#39;t have a license plate and don&#39;t stop for searches.&quot;

A painting of a shoeshine boy says: &quot;Don&#39;t set off an explosion here, innocent people get killed.&quot;

Other murals extol the city&#39;s street-sweeper &quot;heroes&quot;, encourage anti-polio efforts, and call for women&#39;s rights.

Sharifi says he always gets permission for his work, though it can be a struggle. The group gets commissions from Afghan and international groups for &quot;awareness raising and advocacy&quot; and sells smaller artworks.

Recently, on a cold, grey morning, the ArtLords were at the American University of Afghanistan, working on a mural on the tightly guarded campus to highlight resilience against violence.

A 2016 militant attack on the university killed 16 people and shattered its image as an island of liberalism and learning.

Students came to help paint a picture of a young man and woman picking up their books, with a phoenix rising and the words: &quot;I am back because education prevails&quot;.

&quot;Kabul has been surrounded with blast walls which infuriate people but this art has a message of hope,&quot; said student Faisal Imran, who took his turn with a brush.

The activists call themselves the ArtLords, as opposed to the warlords and druglords, and say their art is a tool for social change

Activists in Afghanistan are speaking out against corruption and spreading messages of peace and social justice with murals, many painted on concrete blast walls that have risen to ward off militant bombs. The activists call themselves the ArtLords, as opposed to the warlords and druglords who have brought so much strife and misery to Afghanistan, and say their art is a tool for social change. "We're painting against corruption, we're painting against the injustices that are happening in society, for women's rights," said the group's co-founder, Omaid Sharifi. "We're encouraging people to come and join us, let's raise our voices against all this nonsense." Blast walls have gone up along Kabul's streets over the years, against a tide of violence as Taliban and other militants battle the government and US-led forces, nearly 17 years after Afghanistan's latest phase of war began. Some city streets have been turned into concrete canyons, the walls shielding embassies, military camps, government offices and the homes of the rich. On many of these grey slabs, the ArtLords have their say. Watchful eyes peer from a wall protecting the headquarters of the main security agency. "I can't go to school because of your corruption. I can see you," is the message on a mural of a girl on blast walls near the interior ministry. Another mural, of a black SUV with its windows tinted, takes a dig at the powerful and privileged. "What are you carrying, that your windows are black?" reads the message. "You don't have a license plate and don't stop for searches." A painting of a shoeshine boy says: "Don't set off an explosion here, innocent people get killed." Other murals extol the city's street-sweeper "heroes", encourage anti-polio efforts, and call for women's rights. Sharifi says he always gets permission for his work, though it can be a struggle. The group gets commissions from Afghan and international groups for "awareness raising and advocacy" and sells smaller artworks. Recently, on a cold, grey morning, the ArtLords were at the American University of Afghanistan, working on a mural on the tightly guarded campus to highlight resilience against violence. A 2016 militant attack on the university killed 16 people and shattered its image as an island of liberalism and learning. Students came to help paint a picture of a young man and woman picking up their books, with a phoenix rising and the words: "I am back because education prevails". "Kabul has been surrounded with blast walls which infuriate people but this art has a message of hope," said student Faisal Imran, who took his turn with a brush.

Afghanistan's ArtLords daub walls with messages of defiance, hope

&nbsp;

Three Women Pradhans

Recently, I had an opportunity to visit Gram Panchayats (GP) in the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The purpose was to understand how Gram Panchayats are making plans. Recently, the fourteenth Finance Commission has devolved a significant amount of fund to the Gram Panchayats of the country and, therefore, there is a renewed thrust on planning at the GP level.&nbsp;

In course of our travels, we encountered three elected heads of GP who are women. Although, studying the impact of reservation for women was not the objective of our visit, I was curious to know how the reservation was working out in reality. I shall come to the debate and the data later, but let me tell the story first.&nbsp;

In one Gram Panchayat in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, I saw that a young lady, mid-twenties at the most, came and joined the discussion. She was wearing a sari and her veil covered her face. We were told that she was a master degree holder. She sat in the discussion but did not utter a word. She was surrounded by men, mostly village elders and some GP officials. I could see that she was curious but she did not speak a word.&nbsp;

One of the village elders, we found out, was her sasur-ji (father-in-law). He and a few others did most of the talking. Midway through the conversation, the father-in-law left for some business and the woman Pradhan immediately removed her veil. She still kept quiet, but the veil was off. Half-an-hour later the sasur-ji returned and she promptly covered herself once more.&nbsp;

From this GP, we moved to another GP in the same district. There the Pradhan is supposedly a woman, but she did not appear before us. It was clear that her husband, a dynamic young man and a Modi bhakt, was the real Sarpanch. He told us of the wonderful efforts their GP has taken to achieve Open Defecation Free status, the first in the district. His complaint was that in all the training that the state was giving, it was his wife who was getting the invitation and not him although he was the obvious head of the GP. We agreed that this is a big problem.&nbsp;

In Indore district of Madhya Pradesh, we encountered a woman Pradhan who took us on (research team from Kolkata, no joke) with full confidence. She was middle-aged, she was educated and had been an LIC agent for some time. She was able to confidently answer most of our queries. After about an hour, her husband joined the conversation and it was clear that he was also an important informal player in the running of the GP. However, he was not able to dominate the process and talked more like a husband-wife team rather than like the de facto ruler.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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<h5>Romantics often like to pick up stories of this woman doing this amazing act...but the general reality is that most women who are getting elected to become Pradhans are not exactly challenging patriarchy.</h5>
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&nbsp;

The Report

These three stories, in a way, reflects the present status of empowerment of women that is happening through the policy of reservation of seats in the panchayati raj. As tokenism, this looks great.&nbsp;Particularly, to the outside world, this looks like a progressive gesture, but it is doubtful whether the Indian patriarchal society is really shaken and stirred or not. Romantics often like to pick up stories of this woman doing this amazing act, that woman leaving MBA and becoming Pradhan, but the general reality is that most women who are getting elected to become Pradhans are not exactly challenging patriarchy. They are usually planted by their families to occupy the seat for five years.&nbsp;

How can I come to such a conclusion on the basis of three anecdotes? No, I can&rsquo;t. Fortunately, there was a large-scale study commissioned by Ministry of Panchayati Raj when Mani Shankar Aiyar was the Minister. This study was carried out by AC Nielsen and ORG Marg in 2008, under the supervision of a panel of reputed academicians. This is the only large-scale survey available which was carried out across the country.&nbsp;

What did this <a href="http://file:///Users/madhumitasaha/Downloads/Study-on-EWRs-in-Panchayati-Raj-Institutions%20(1).pdf">report</a> say? A snapshot from the concluding chapter:

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; Women Pradhans usually have very little or no political background unlike the male Pradhans (p157). In other words, those women who are becoming Pradhans are rarely coming through a process of doing politics in the public space which usually grooms a young person to become a political leader.&nbsp;

&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; Reservation of seat leads to entry into the political sphere as it allows women to contest from these seats and then become Pradhans. However, since reservation is for 5 years per seat, the overwhelming majority of women do not continue as Pradhan once the seat becomes a general seat (p.160). Only about 14 per cent got re-elected once the reservation was removed. In other words, most women are dummy candidates, planted by their families and removed once the reservation for that GP is removed after 5 years. Even if they contest, they usually lose. For most of these women, there ends their political career.&nbsp;

News media usually loves to highlight the glorious exceptions. NGOs love to give awards to some of the exceptional cases. But the success of a policy depends not on the exceptions but on what is happening to the majority for whom the policy is framed.&nbsp;

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<h5>In other words, most women are dummy candidates, planted by their families and removed once the reservation for that GP is removed after 5 years.</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=In other words, most women are dummy candidates, planted by their families and removed once the reservation for that GP is removed after 5 years. " target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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&nbsp;

Policy Implications

Does this mean that I am opposing reservation for women? No, certainly not. But we need to understand that Indian patriarchy is much stronger than what is often imagined. It can co-opt progressive legislations.&nbsp;

There is one suggestion, that the tenure for reservation should be for 2 terms per GP rather than one. This is a good suggestion but it will not solve the problem of an influential family planting their bahu-rani (daughter-in-law) as a dummy. It is possible, however, that if there is political will, training support to women who become head of GPs can be considerably improved.&nbsp;

However, nothing can replace education as a mean of empowerment. &nbsp; Social and political movements through which women come to power is what scares the patriarchy, not reservation.&nbsp;

Coda

The large-scale study mentioned here was done in 2007-08. It is time for a repeat study to see whether the situation has changed or not. There have been studies with small sample sizes in different parts of the country, but they are not useful to understand whether the policy is working nationally or not.&nbsp;

Social and political movements through which women come to power is what scares the patriarchy, not reservation

Three Women Pradhans Recently, I had an opportunity to visit Gram Panchayats (GP) in the states of West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. The purpose was to understand how Gram Panchayats are making plans. Recently, the fourteenth Finance Commission has devolved a significant amount of fund to the Gram Panchayats of the country and, therefore, there is a renewed thrust on planning at the GP level. In course of our travels, we encountered three elected heads of GP who are women. Although, studying the impact of reservation for women was not the objective of our visit, I was curious to know how the reservation was working out in reality. I shall come to the debate and the data later, but let me tell the story first. In one Gram Panchayat in Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, I saw that a young lady, mid-twenties at the most, came and joined the discussion. She was wearing a sari and her veil covered her face. We were told that she was a master degree holder. She sat in the discussion but did not utter a word. She was surrounded by men, mostly village elders and some GP officials. I could see that she was curious but she did not speak a word. One of the village elders, we found out, was her sasur-ji (father-in-law). He and a few others did most of the talking. Midway through the conversation, the father-in-law left for some business and the woman Pradhan immediately removed her veil. She still kept quiet, but the veil was off. Half-an-hour later the sasur-ji returned and she promptly covered herself once more. From this GP, we moved to another GP in the same district. There the Pradhan is supposedly a woman, but she did not appear before us. It was clear that her husband, a dynamic young man and a Modi bhakt, was the real Sarpanch. He told us of the wonderful efforts their GP has taken to achieve Open Defecation Free status, the first in the district. His complaint was that in all the training that the state was giving, it was his wife who was getting the invitation and not him although he was the obvious head of the GP. We agreed that this is a big problem. In Indore district of Madhya Pradesh, we encountered a woman Pradhan who took us on (research team from Kolkata, no joke) with full confidence. She was middle-aged, she was educated and had been an LIC agent for some time. She was able to confidently answer most of our queries. After about an hour, her husband joined the conversation and it was clear that he was also an important informal player in the running of the GP. However, he was not able to dominate the process and talked more like a husband-wife team rather than like the de facto ruler. Romantics often like to pick up stories of this woman doing this amazing act...but the general reality is that most women who are getting elected to become Pradhans are not exactly challenging patriarchy. × The Report These three stories, in a way, reflects the present status of empowerment of women that is happening through the policy of reservation of seats in the panchayati raj. As tokenism, this looks great. Particularly, to the outside world, this looks like a progressive gesture, but it is doubtful whether the Indian patriarchal society is really shaken and stirred or not. Romantics often like to pick up stories of this woman doing this amazing act, that woman leaving MBA and becoming Pradhan, but the general reality is that most women who are getting elected to become Pradhans are not exactly challenging patriarchy. They are usually planted by their families to occupy the seat for five years. How can I come to such a conclusion on the basis of three anecdotes? No, I can’t. Fortunately, there was a large-scale study commissioned by Ministry of Panchayati Raj when Mani Shankar Aiyar was the Minister. This study was carried out by AC Nielsen and ORG Marg in 2008, under the supervision of a panel of reputed academicians. This is the only large-scale survey available which was carried out across the country. What did this report say? A snapshot from the concluding chapter: • Women Pradhans usually have very little or no political background unlike the male Pradhans (p157). In other words, those women who are becoming Pradhans are rarely coming through a process of doing politics in the public space which usually grooms a young person to become a political leader. • Reservation of seat leads to entry into the political sphere as it allows women to contest from these seats and then become Pradhans. However, since reservation is for 5 years per seat, the overwhelming majority of women do not continue as Pradhan once the seat becomes a general seat (p.160). Only about 14 per cent got re-elected once the reservation was removed. In other words, most women are dummy candidates, planted by their families and removed once the reservation for that GP is removed after 5 years. Even if they contest, they usually lose. For most of these women, there ends their political career. News media usually loves to highlight the glorious exceptions. NGOs love to give awards to some of the exceptional cases. But the success of a policy depends not on the exceptions but on what is happening to the majority for whom the policy is framed. In other words, most women are dummy candidates, planted by their families and removed once the reservation for that GP is removed after 5 years. × Policy Implications Does this mean that I am opposing reservation for women? No, certainly not. But we need to understand that Indian patriarchy is much stronger than what is often imagined. It can co-opt progressive legislations. There is one suggestion, that the tenure for reservation should be for 2 terms per GP rather than one. This is a good suggestion but it will not solve the problem of an influential family planting their bahu-rani (daughter-in-law) as a dummy. It is possible, however, that if there is political will, training support to women who become head of GPs can be considerably improved. However, nothing can replace education as a mean of empowerment. Social and political movements through which women come to power is what scares the patriarchy, not reservation. Coda The large-scale study mentioned here was done in 2007-08. It is time for a repeat study to see whether the situation has changed or not. There have been studies with small sample sizes in different parts of the country, but they are not useful to understand whether the policy is working nationally or not.

Women empowerment: Does patriarchy fear reservation in Gram Panchayats?

Italy might soon give working women paid menstrual leaves. However it is expected to be limited to women who suffer from excruciating pain during periods every month.&nbsp;

Currently, the lower house of Italy&#39;s Parliament has started discussing a draft law that if approved, will mandate companies&nbsp;to give&nbsp;three paid days off every month as part of &ldquo;menstrual leave policy&rdquo;. If the motion goes through, Italy will become the first Western country to&nbsp;offer&nbsp;paid days for painful periods. It is an existing law in Japan and Indonesia where working women are allowed time off during painful days every month.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Health experts and local media outlets have&nbsp;praised the proposal, calling it&nbsp;a step in the right direction which would shed light on the silent plight of women suffering from debilitating cramps that can sometimes affect their ability to work.

But it seems like that the&nbsp;bill has&nbsp;critics, even among the working women it seeks to protect.

Some fear that the law might backfire and would&nbsp;penalise&nbsp;women in a country where they are already struggling to participate in the workforce. Lorenza Pleuteri in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.donnamoderna.com/news/lavoro/congedo-mestruale-italia-donne">Donna Moderna</a>, a women&#39;s magazine&nbsp;said, &quot;If women were granted extra days of paid leave, employers could become even more oriented to hire men rather than women.&rdquo;

As reported in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/03/24/giving-italian-women-menstrual-leave-may-backfire-on-their-job-prospects/?utm_term=.563a68c8d915" target="_blank">The Washington Post</a>, Italy has female-friendly labour laws on paper. Five months of paid maternity leave are mandatory both for employers and&nbsp;employees, meaning that companies must grant the leave and women, with few exceptions, cannot renounce it. During this period, a new mother receives 80 per cent of her salary, paid by INPS, Italy&#39;s version of Social Security. After that, parents of both genders have the right to take six extra months of parental leave, which is optional and paid at 30 per cent of their salaries.

This law may have an unfortunate unintended consequence that forces&nbsp;women&nbsp;to decide what hurts more, the workplace implications of this legislation, or their period.&nbsp;

(WION)

If approved, companies will have to give?three paid days off to women who suffer 'excruciating' pain at that time of the month

Italy might soon give working women paid menstrual leaves. However it is expected to be limited to women who suffer from excruciating pain during periods every month. Currently, the lower house of Italy's Parliament has started discussing a draft law that if approved, will mandate companies to give three paid days off every month as part of “menstrual leave policy”. If the motion goes through, Italy will become the first Western country to offer paid days for painful periods. It is an existing law in Japan and Indonesia where working women are allowed time off during painful days every month. Health experts and local media outlets have praised the proposal, calling it a step in the right direction which would shed light on the silent plight of women suffering from debilitating cramps that can sometimes affect their ability to work. But it seems like that the bill has critics, even among the working women it seeks to protect. Some fear that the law might backfire and would penalise women in a country where they are already struggling to participate in the workforce. Lorenza Pleuteri in Donna Moderna, a women's magazine said, "If women were granted extra days of paid leave, employers could become even more oriented to hire men rather than women.” As reported in The Washington Post, Italy has female-friendly labour laws on paper. Five months of paid maternity leave are mandatory both for employers and employees, meaning that companies must grant the leave and women, with few exceptions, cannot renounce it. During this period, a new mother receives 80 per cent of her salary, paid by INPS, Italy's version of Social Security. After that, parents of both genders have the right to take six extra months of parental leave, which is optional and paid at 30 per cent of their salaries. This law may have an unfortunate unintended consequence that forces women to decide what hurts more, the workplace implications of this legislation, or their period. (WION)

Italy may soon give working women paid 'menstrual leaves'

Morocco has banned the production and sale of full-face Islamic veils, citing security reasons, media reports said on Tuesday.

There has been no official announcement but the reports say the ban comes into effect from this week.

&quot;We have taken the step of completely banning the import, manufacture and marketing of this garment in all the cities and towns of the kingdom,&quot; the Le360 news site quoted a high-ranking interior ministry official as saying.

Security concerns prompted the decision &quot;since bandits have repeatedly used this garment to perpetrate their crimes,&quot; reports stated.

Most women in Morocco, whose King Mohammed VI favours a moderate version of Islam, prefer the hijab headscarf that does not cover the face, AFP said.

The burqa, which leaves the area around the eyes uncovered, is also worn in in more conservative regions in the north.

The Media 24 website reported that the interior ministry officials conducted awareness campaigns in some commercial districts of Casablanca to &quot;inform them of this new decision&quot; on Monday.

Reports also said that authorities have directed traders in Taroudant in southern Morocco to stop making and selling burqas and to liquidate their stock within 48 hours. Similar instructions were given to retailers in the northern town of Ouislane.

It is illegal to wear full veils in public in France and Belgium. It is unclear whether Morocco plans to follow suit.

&quot;Is Morocco moving towards banning the niqab that Muslim women have worn for five centuries?&quot; Salafist sheikh Hassan Kettani wrote on Facebook.

&quot;If true it would be a disaster,&quot; he added.

(With inputs from AFP)

Security concerns have prompted the decision 'since bandits have repeatedly used this garment to perpetrate their crimes'

Morocco has banned the production and sale of full-face Islamic veils, citing security reasons, media reports said on Tuesday. There has been no official announcement but the reports say the ban comes into effect from this week. "We have taken the step of completely banning the import, manufacture and marketing of this garment in all the cities and towns of the kingdom," the Le360 news site quoted a high-ranking interior ministry official as saying. Security concerns prompted the decision "since bandits have repeatedly used this garment to perpetrate their crimes," reports stated. Most women in Morocco, whose King Mohammed VI favours a moderate version of Islam, prefer the hijab headscarf that does not cover the face, AFP said. The burqa, which leaves the area around the eyes uncovered, is also worn in in more conservative regions in the north. The Media 24 website reported that the interior ministry officials conducted awareness campaigns in some commercial districts of Casablanca to "inform them of this new decision" on Monday. Reports also said that authorities have directed traders in Taroudant in southern Morocco to stop making and selling burqas and to liquidate their stock within 48 hours. Similar instructions were given to retailers in the northern town of Ouislane. It is illegal to wear full veils in public in France and Belgium. It is unclear whether Morocco plans to follow suit. "Is Morocco moving towards banning the niqab that Muslim women have worn for five centuries?" Salafist sheikh Hassan Kettani wrote on Facebook. "If true it would be a disaster," he added. (With inputs from AFP)

Morocco bans production and sale of burqas: Reports

Japan recalled its ambassador to South Korea on Friday to protest the placing of a statue symbolising victims of Japanese wartime sex slavery outside its consulate in the city of Busan last month.

In a move likely to reignite a feud over the so-called &quot;comfort women&quot;, Japan&#39;s chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga also announced that Japan is ordering home its consul-general in Busan and suspending discussions over a Japan-South Korea currency swap.

&quot;Japan and South Korea are neighbours,&quot; Suga said. &quot;It&#39;s a very important country. It&#39;s extremely regrettable we had to take this action.&quot;

&quot;The Japanese government will continue to strongly urge the South Korean government as well as municipalities concerned to quickly remove the statue of the girl,&quot; he added.

Mainstream historians say up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea but also other parts of Asia including China, were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II.

The plight of the women is a hugely emotional issue that has marred relations between the two Asian neighbours for decades and which, for many South Koreans, symbolises the abuses of Japan&#39;s 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula.

The statue is a copy of one that sits across the road from the Japanese embassy in Seoul and that for more than five years has been a rallying point for supporters of the few surviving South Korean former sex slaves.

The statue in Busan was initially removed by local authorities after South Korean activists placed it in front of the Japanese consulate in the southern port city last week. But they did not stop it being put back after Japan&#39;s hawkish defence minister Tomomi Inada offered prayers at a controversial war shrine in Tokyo the next day.

Suga, however, made no mention of Inada&#39;s visit to the shrine, which honours millions of mostly Japanese war dead -- but also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes. Her visit drew harsh criticism in South Korea as well as China.

&#39;Very regrettable&#39;

South Korean foreign ministry Spokesman Cho June-Hyuck lamented Japan&#39;s actions as &quot;very regrettable&quot;, but struck a conciliatory note.

&quot;Even if there exist difficult issues, the government emphasises again that it will continue developing South Korea-Japan relations based on trust between the two governments,&quot; he said.

However, later in the day South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-Se summoned the Japanese ambassador.

Jiji Press said they spoke for about an hour and that Yun expressed &quot;regret&quot; over Japan&#39;s actions.

Activists had first placed the new statue outside the consulate to mark their opposition to a South Korea-Japan agreement reached a year ago to finally resolve the &quot;comfort women&quot; issue.

Under that accord, which both countries described as &quot;final and irreversible,&quot; Japan offered an apology and a one-billion yen ($8.6 million) payment to surviving Korean comfort women.

But critics said the deal did not go far enough in holding Japan responsible for wartime abuses.

The statue in Seoul &mdash; a bronze of a young woman seated with a small bird on her shoulder &mdash; has proved a popular symbol.

Japan says it should have been removed after the comfort-women accord was signed, but Seoul argued it had only agreed to look into the possibility of moving it.

(AFP)

The plight of the women is a hugely emotional issue that has marred relations between the two Asian neighbours for decades

Japan recalled its ambassador to South Korea on Friday to protest the placing of a statue symbolising victims of Japanese wartime sex slavery outside its consulate in the city of Busan last month. In a move likely to reignite a feud over the so-called "comfort women", Japan's chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga also announced that Japan is ordering home its consul-general in Busan and suspending discussions over a Japan-South Korea currency swap. "Japan and South Korea are neighbours," Suga said. "It's a very important country. It's extremely regrettable we had to take this action." "The Japanese government will continue to strongly urge the South Korean government as well as municipalities concerned to quickly remove the statue of the girl," he added. Mainstream historians say up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea but also other parts of Asia including China, were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II. The plight of the women is a hugely emotional issue that has marred relations between the two Asian neighbours for decades and which, for many South Koreans, symbolises the abuses of Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula. The statue is a copy of one that sits across the road from the Japanese embassy in Seoul and that for more than five years has been a rallying point for supporters of the few surviving South Korean former sex slaves. The statue in Busan was initially removed by local authorities after South Korean activists placed it in front of the Japanese consulate in the southern port city last week. But they did not stop it being put back after Japan's hawkish defence minister Tomomi Inada offered prayers at a controversial war shrine in Tokyo the next day. Suga, however, made no mention of Inada's visit to the shrine, which honours millions of mostly Japanese war dead -- but also senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes. Her visit drew harsh criticism in South Korea as well as China. 'Very regrettable' South Korean foreign ministry Spokesman Cho June-Hyuck lamented Japan's actions as "very regrettable", but struck a conciliatory note. "Even if there exist difficult issues, the government emphasises again that it will continue developing South Korea-Japan relations based on trust between the two governments," he said. However, later in the day South Korean foreign minister Yun Byung-Se summoned the Japanese ambassador. Jiji Press said they spoke for about an hour and that Yun expressed "regret" over Japan's actions. Activists had first placed the new statue outside the consulate to mark their opposition to a South Korea-Japan agreement reached a year ago to finally resolve the "comfort women" issue. Under that accord, which both countries described as "final and irreversible," Japan offered an apology and a one-billion yen ($8.6 million) payment to surviving Korean comfort women. But critics said the deal did not go far enough in holding Japan responsible for wartime abuses. The statue in Seoul — a bronze of a young woman seated with a small bird on her shoulder — has proved a popular symbol. Japan says it should have been removed after the comfort-women accord was signed, but Seoul argued it had only agreed to look into the possibility of moving it. (AFP)

Japan recalls S Korea envoy over wartime sex slave statue

More than two weeks after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Indian government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court against the practice of triple talaq, that allows Muslim men to divorce their wives with the utterance of word &#39;talaq&#39; (divorce), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the government could not allow lives of Muslim women to be destroyed.&nbsp;

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&quot;It is the responsibility of the government, and the people of the country, to give justice to Muslim women under the (India) Constitution,&quot; Indian daily DNA quoted him as saying. Modi was addressing a rally in Mahoba, a district in the impoverished Bundelkhand region of northern Uttar Pradesh state.

&nbsp;

&quot;The debate should be between Muslims who want reforms and those who do not want reforms.&quot;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Modi also requested the people not to politicise the issue. &nbsp;&quot;I request (the) people who participate in TV debates not to make women rights into Muslim-Hindu issue. Women&#39;s right is a development issue. Let&rsquo;s take proper measures to give equal rights to women as well.&quot;

&nbsp;

Earlier in its affidavit filed on October 7, India&#39;s ministry of law and justice had referred to the constitutional principles such as gender equality, secularism, international covenants, religious practices and marital law prevalent in various Islamic countries to drive home the point that the practice of triple talaq and polygamy needed to be adjudicated upon afresh by the apex court.

&nbsp;

The law panel&#39;s move was significant as the Supreme Court had recently said it would prefer a wider debate, in public as well as in court, before taking a decision on the constitutional validity of &#39;triple talaq&#39;, which many complain is abused by Muslim men to arbitrarily divorce their wives.

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from DNA)&nbsp; 
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Indian Prime Minister asked people to not to 'politicise and turn a women's rights issue it into a Hindu-Muslim issue'

More than two weeks after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Indian government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court against the practice of triple talaq, that allows Muslim men to divorce their wives with the utterance of word 'talaq' (divorce), Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the government could not allow lives of Muslim women to be destroyed. "It is the responsibility of the government, and the people of the country, to give justice to Muslim women under the (India) Constitution," Indian daily DNA quoted him as saying. Modi was addressing a rally in Mahoba, a district in the impoverished Bundelkhand region of northern Uttar Pradesh state. "The debate should be between Muslims who want reforms and those who do not want reforms." Modi also requested the people not to politicise the issue. "I request (the) people who participate in TV debates not to make women rights into Muslim-Hindu issue. Women's right is a development issue. Let’s take proper measures to give equal rights to women as well." Earlier in its affidavit filed on October 7, India's ministry of law and justice had referred to the constitutional principles such as gender equality, secularism, international covenants, religious practices and marital law prevalent in various Islamic countries to drive home the point that the practice of triple talaq and polygamy needed to be adjudicated upon afresh by the apex court. The law panel's move was significant as the Supreme Court had recently said it would prefer a wider debate, in public as well as in court, before taking a decision on the constitutional validity of 'triple talaq', which many complain is abused by Muslim men to arbitrarily divorce their wives. (WION with inputs from DNA)

Triple talaq destroying lives of Muslim women, says Indian PM Narendra Modi?

The Dutch parlimanet voted on Tuesday in favour of banning the Islamic full-face veil from some public places such as schools and hospitals.

The motion &quot;to ban all clothing which completely covers the face&quot; from government buildings was approved by 132 members in the 150-seat house, news agency AFP reported.

The legislation will also ban burqas and face coverings with eye-slits from public transport.

&quot;The law is adopted,&quot; said the speaker of the lower house of parliament, Khadija Arib.

The legislation has to be approved by a Senate before it can be a law. The Dutch cabinet had approved the plan in mid-2015.

The tensions with the Islamic communities in Europe continues to rise. Similar bans have also been imposed in France and Belgium.

It backed the legislation due to the &quot;necessity to be able to interact face-to-face, for instance in places where public services are performed and safety must be guaranteed,&quot; the government said, reported AFP. &quot;The government sees no need to impose the ban on all public spaces,&quot; it added.

Violaters would be fined up to 410 euros (around $430).

The ban does not apply to waering helmets, or full-face safety protection while working playing sport or &quot;during a festive or cultural event&quot;.

The anti-Islam Freedom Party (PVV) of firebrand politician Geert Wilders, who is leading opinion polls ahead of March elections supported the ban.

&quot;How do we even know there&#39;s a woman under this Islamic textile?&quot; said PVV lawmaker Machiel de Graaf, AFP reported. &quot;It might as well be a well-trained jihadist who completed his training in Raqa of course,&quot; he said in a parliamentary debate last week.

Public newscaster NOS said only about 150 women in The Netherlands wear the burqa, most of them only occasionally.

And MP Tunahan Kuzu, who vehemently fought against the draft legislation, said freedom of expression allowed people &quot;to be who they are and dress how they want&quot;, AFP said.

&quot;It is reprehensible to exclude these women and isolate them because of a subject anxiety among certain citizens,&quot; he said.

Karima Rahmani, who attended the parliamentry debate last week in a burqa, argued that there were already rules which identified women wearing the burqa.

&quot;When we go to the town hall we have to identify ourselves, as well as at Amsterdam&#39;s Schiphol airport where we have to remove it,&quot; she told NOS. &quot;The obligation to identify oneself is already provided for in the law.&quot;

A burqa ban in France was lawed in 2011, imposing a 150 euro fine on violation. There have been 1,500 arrests in the past five years.

The European Court of Human Rights in 2014 backed the French ban, rejecting arguments that outlawing full-face veils breaches religious freedom, reported AFP.

Some parts of Switzerland have followed France&#39;s lead and similar bans are being considered in other European countries. This summer some French towns also controversially banned burkinis, the full-body Islamic swimsuit.

(With inputs from AFP)

The legislation must now go before the Senate for approval before becoming law

The Dutch parlimanet voted on Tuesday in favour of banning the Islamic full-face veil from some public places such as schools and hospitals. The motion "to ban all clothing which completely covers the face" from government buildings was approved by 132 members in the 150-seat house, news agency AFP reported. The legislation will also ban burqas and face coverings with eye-slits from public transport. "The law is adopted," said the speaker of the lower house of parliament, Khadija Arib. The legislation has to be approved by a Senate before it can be a law. The Dutch cabinet had approved the plan in mid-2015. The tensions with the Islamic communities in Europe continues to rise. Similar bans have also been imposed in France and Belgium. It backed the legislation due to the "necessity to be able to interact face-to-face, for instance in places where public services are performed and safety must be guaranteed," the government said, reported AFP. "The government sees no need to impose the ban on all public spaces," it added. Violaters would be fined up to 410 euros (around $430). The ban does not apply to waering helmets, or full-face safety protection while working playing sport or "during a festive or cultural event". The anti-Islam Freedom Party (PVV) of firebrand politician Geert Wilders, who is leading opinion polls ahead of March elections supported the ban. "How do we even know there's a woman under this Islamic textile?" said PVV lawmaker Machiel de Graaf, AFP reported. "It might as well be a well-trained jihadist who completed his training in Raqa of course," he said in a parliamentary debate last week. Public newscaster NOS said only about 150 women in The Netherlands wear the burqa, most of them only occasionally. And MP Tunahan Kuzu, who vehemently fought against the draft legislation, said freedom of expression allowed people "to be who they are and dress how they want", AFP said. "It is reprehensible to exclude these women and isolate them because of a subject anxiety among certain citizens," he said. Karima Rahmani, who attended the parliamentry debate last week in a burqa, argued that there were already rules which identified women wearing the burqa. "When we go to the town hall we have to identify ourselves, as well as at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport where we have to remove it," she told NOS. "The obligation to identify oneself is already provided for in the law." A burqa ban in France was lawed in 2011, imposing a 150 euro fine on violation. There have been 1,500 arrests in the past five years. The European Court of Human Rights in 2014 backed the French ban, rejecting arguments that outlawing full-face veils breaches religious freedom, reported AFP. Some parts of Switzerland have followed France's lead and similar bans are being considered in other European countries. This summer some French towns also controversially banned burkinis, the full-body Islamic swimsuit. (With inputs from AFP)

Dutch parliament approve partial ban on burqa wearing in public

A Moroccan television channel partly-owned by the state has apologised following outrage over the broadcast of a programme tutoring women on what make-up to use after they have been hit.

The programme was broadcast by 2M last week on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

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<h5>The programme was broadcast by 2M last week on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women</h5>
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The programme &quot;Sabahiyate&quot; showed &quot;the type of make-up to use when a woman has been hit&quot;.

A woman with a swollen face was depicted with the presenter showing how to &#39;&#39;camouflage the reddish part&#39;&#39;. The green applied with a brush should be followed by &quot;an orange corrector then yellow, then a foundation&quot;, she said.

The presenter clarified that the woman had not really been hit, the bruises were just &quot;cinematic effects&quot;.

The aim of the tutorial was to &quot;provide solutions to women who need such advice so they can continue with their daily lives and go to work&quot;.

On Monday, 2M said it was sorry in a video posted on Facebook.

&quot;We have always put women at the centre of our debates and have taken the defence of their rights to heart,&quot; it said. &quot;We apologise for broadcasting the makeup segment, the result of an error of judgment on our part, and beg your indulgence and understanding.&quot;

The video gained more attention when it was uploaded to the channel&#39;s website after its initial broadcast on Wednesday. Social media reacted with outrage and shock Friday, after which it was removed from the website.

&quot;So 2M has decided to celebrate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women with anti-bruise makeup!&quot; was one comment, AFP reported.

Another social media user noted: &quot;Ladies, 2M has the solution if you get punched in the face by your husband, father or brother.&quot;

&quot;Black eye? Bruising? No problem! 2M&#39;s makeup artist has a miracle product!&quot; wrote another.

Last Friday, the channel&#39;s management had issued a statement offering &quot;sincere apologies given the sensitivity and seriousness of the subject&quot; and called the sequence &quot;completely inappropriate .

Human Rights Watch acting women&#39;s rights division director Janet Walsh wrote on Monday that Morocco was &quot;still discussing a draft domestic violence law&quot;&nbsp;

The New York-based HRW has said that violence against women is common in the North African country, AFP said.

In an official 2009-2010 study, it was found that almost two thirds of Moroccan women had been physically, psychologically, sexually or economically abused, and that of those, some 55 per cent said they had suffered domestic violence.

(With inputs from AFP)

2M broadcast a programme last week tutoring women how to cover up their bruises with make-up after they've been hit

A Moroccan television channel partly-owned by the state has apologised following outrage over the broadcast of a programme tutoring women on what make-up to use after they have been hit. The programme was broadcast by 2M last week on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The programme was broadcast by 2M last week on International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women × The programme "Sabahiyate" showed "the type of make-up to use when a woman has been hit". A woman with a swollen face was depicted with the presenter showing how to ''camouflage the reddish part''. The green applied with a brush should be followed by "an orange corrector then yellow, then a foundation", she said. The presenter clarified that the woman had not really been hit, the bruises were just "cinematic effects". The aim of the tutorial was to "provide solutions to women who need such advice so they can continue with their daily lives and go to work". On Monday, 2M said it was sorry in a video posted on Facebook. "We have always put women at the centre of our debates and have taken the defence of their rights to heart," it said. "We apologise for broadcasting the makeup segment, the result of an error of judgment on our part, and beg your indulgence and understanding." The video gained more attention when it was uploaded to the channel's website after its initial broadcast on Wednesday. Social media reacted with outrage and shock Friday, after which it was removed from the website. "So 2M has decided to celebrate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women with anti-bruise makeup!" was one comment, AFP reported. Another social media user noted: "Ladies, 2M has the solution if you get punched in the face by your husband, father or brother." "Black eye? Bruising? No problem! 2M's makeup artist has a miracle product!" wrote another. Last Friday, the channel's management had issued a statement offering "sincere apologies given the sensitivity and seriousness of the subject" and called the sequence "completely inappropriate . Human Rights Watch acting women's rights division director Janet Walsh wrote on Monday that Morocco was "still discussing a draft domestic violence law" The New York-based HRW has said that violence against women is common in the North African country, AFP said. In an official 2009-2010 study, it was found that almost two thirds of Moroccan women had been physically, psychologically, sexually or economically abused, and that of those, some 55 per cent said they had suffered domestic violence. (With inputs from AFP)

Morocco TV says sorry for make-up for battered women

Indian government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court today to oppose&nbsp;the practice of polygamy and triple talaq (divorce) in&nbsp;the Muslim community.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

In the affidavit, the Indian ministry of law and justice said that there is no reason that&nbsp;women in India should be denied their constitutional rights, Indian news agency ANI reported.

&nbsp;

&quot;Validity of Triple Talaq and polygamy have to be seen in light of gender justice, equality and dignity of women,&quot; the affidavit read.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The affidavit also referred&nbsp;to the&nbsp;constitutional principles like gender equality, secularism, international covenants, religious practices and marital law prevalent in various Islamic countries to urge the country&#39;s top court that triple talaq and polygamy should be adjudicated upon afresh by the apex court, Indian news agency PTI reported.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;It is submitted that the issue of validity of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy needs to be considered in the light of principles of gender justice and the overriding principle of non-discrimination, dignity and equality,&quot; the affidavit filed by Mukulita Vijayawargiya, additional secretary in the ministry said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&quot;The fundamental question for determination by this court is whether, in a secular democracy, religion can be a reason to deny equal status and dignity available to women under the Constitution of India,&quot; it said.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The affidavit also referred to the principles of the&nbsp;Indian constitution, saying that &quot;any practice by which women are left &#39;socially, financially or emotionally vulnerable&#39; or subject to the whims and caprice of men-folk is incompatible with the letter and spirit of Article 14 and 15 (Right to Equality) of the Constitution&quot;.

&nbsp;

Linking the issue with the Right to Life and Personal Liberty, the central government in its 29-page affidavit also mentioned that &quot;gender equality and the dignity of the women are non-negotiable, overarching constitutional value and can brook no compromise.

&nbsp;

&quot;These rights are necessary in letter and in spirit not only to realise the aspirations of every individual woman who is an equal citizen of this country but also for the larger well-being of the society and progress of the nation, one-half of which is made up by women,&quot; the ministry further mentioned.&nbsp;

 
(WION with inputs from PTI)&nbsp;

The ministry of law and justice in an affidavit said: 'Gender-equality and the dignity of the women are non-negotiable'

Indian government filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court today to oppose the practice of polygamy and triple talaq (divorce) in the Muslim community. In the affidavit, the Indian ministry of law and justice said that there is no reason that women in India should be denied their constitutional rights, Indian news agency ANI reported. "Validity of Triple Talaq and polygamy have to be seen in light of gender justice, equality and dignity of women," the affidavit read. The affidavit also referred to the constitutional principles like gender equality, secularism, international covenants, religious practices and marital law prevalent in various Islamic countries to urge the country's top court that triple talaq and polygamy should be adjudicated upon afresh by the apex court, Indian news agency PTI reported. "It is submitted that the issue of validity of triple talaq, nikah halala and polygamy needs to be considered in the light of principles of gender justice and the overriding principle of non-discrimination, dignity and equality," the affidavit filed by Mukulita Vijayawargiya, additional secretary in the ministry said. "The fundamental question for determination by this court is whether, in a secular democracy, religion can be a reason to deny equal status and dignity available to women under the Constitution of India," it said. The affidavit also referred to the principles of the Indian constitution, saying that "any practice by which women are left 'socially, financially or emotionally vulnerable' or subject to the whims and caprice of men-folk is incompatible with the letter and spirit of Article 14 and 15 (Right to Equality) of the Constitution". Linking the issue with the Right to Life and Personal Liberty, the central government in its 29-page affidavit also mentioned that "gender equality and the dignity of the women are non-negotiable, overarching constitutional value and can brook no compromise. "These rights are necessary in letter and in spirit not only to realise the aspirations of every individual woman who is an equal citizen of this country but also for the larger well-being of the society and progress of the nation, one-half of which is made up by women," the ministry further mentioned. (WION with inputs from PTI)

'Women should not be denied constitutional rights': Indian government opposes triple talaq in Supreme Court

Mahasweta Devi&rsquo;s Draupadi continues to rile the establishment. At least in the north&nbsp;Indian state of Haryana.&nbsp;The registrar of the&nbsp;Central University of Haryana in Mahendragarh sought an&nbsp;explanation on Septemeber 22&nbsp;from the organisers of a commemorative event celebrating Devi&#39;s life. 
 
The university&#39;s department of English and Foreign Languages had organised a dramatic performance of Devi&rsquo;s famous short story&nbsp;Draupadi&nbsp;on Sunday,&nbsp;September 21 to which a group of people objected. The vice chancellor, Prof M P Singh, has constituted a committee to look into the matter. 
 
Mahasweta Devi, one of the most celebrated contemporary Indian writers, passed away in July this year. The literary world came out with a profusion of messages expressing its loss and many events across universities have been organised to celebrate her life. 
 
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<h5>It has been alleged that the performance was deliberately timed to undermine the deaths of 18 soldiers in the recent terrorist attack in Uri sector of northern&nbsp;Jammu &amp; Kashmir state.&nbsp;</h5>
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In his condolence message, Indian&nbsp;President&nbsp;Pranab Mukherjee, had noted:&nbsp;&ldquo;She was a powerful voice against all forms of oppression and injustice. Her writings reflected the life of downtrodden and her voice was seen as the collective conscience of society reflecting its yearning for justice and equality.&rdquo; &nbsp;Ironically, the President of India is a Visitor of&nbsp;Central University of Haryana. 
 
A group of people had objected to the &lsquo;Epilogue&rsquo; wherein the issue of custodial rapes and sexual harassment by police and army personnel was raised. Perceiving the play as an affront to the dignity of soldiers, the student wings of India&#39;s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and along with&nbsp;Indian National Lok Dal have decided to carry out state-wide protests in Haryana. It has been alleged that the performance was deliberately timed to undermine the deaths of 18 soldiers in the recent terrorist attack in Uri sector of northern&nbsp;Jammu &amp; Kashmir state.&nbsp; 
 
In her reply to the registrar,&nbsp;Snehsata of Department of English and Foreign Languages denies the charges of deliberate maligning and quotes Supreme Court of India&rsquo;s observations regarding custodial atrocities. She also alleges that she&rsquo;s being singled out for &ldquo;being a woman who has raised the issues of women.&rdquo;&nbsp; 
 
(WION)

The varsity hosted a dramatic performance of Devi?s famous short story?Draupadi?to which a group of people objected

Mahasweta Devi’s Draupadi continues to rile the establishment. At least in the north Indian state of Haryana. The registrar of the Central University of Haryana in Mahendragarh sought an explanation on Septemeber 22 from the organisers of a commemorative event celebrating Devi's life. The university's department of English and Foreign Languages had organised a dramatic performance of Devi’s famous short story Draupadi on Sunday, September 21 to which a group of people objected. The vice chancellor, Prof M P Singh, has constituted a committee to look into the matter. Mahasweta Devi, one of the most celebrated contemporary Indian writers, passed away in July this year. The literary world came out with a profusion of messages expressing its loss and many events across universities have been organised to celebrate her life. It has been alleged that the performance was deliberately timed to undermine the deaths of 18 soldiers in the recent terrorist attack in Uri sector of northern Jammu & Kashmir state. In his condolence message, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, had noted: “She was a powerful voice against all forms of oppression and injustice. Her writings reflected the life of downtrodden and her voice was seen as the collective conscience of society reflecting its yearning for justice and equality.” Ironically, the President of India is a Visitor of Central University of Haryana. A group of people had objected to the ‘Epilogue’ wherein the issue of custodial rapes and sexual harassment by police and army personnel was raised. Perceiving the play as an affront to the dignity of soldiers, the student wings of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and along with Indian National Lok Dal have decided to carry out state-wide protests in Haryana. It has been alleged that the performance was deliberately timed to undermine the deaths of 18 soldiers in the recent terrorist attack in Uri sector of northern Jammu & Kashmir state. In her reply to the registrar, Snehsata of Department of English and Foreign Languages denies the charges of deliberate maligning and quotes Supreme Court of India’s observations regarding custodial atrocities. She also alleges that she’s being singled out for “being a woman who has raised the issues of women.” (WION)

India: Play based on Mahasweta Devi's Draupadi lands organisers in trouble in Central University of Haryana

France&#39;s highest administrative court yesterday suspended a controversial ban on the burkini by a French Riviera town, although other resorts remained defiant, vowing to keep the restrictions in place. 
 
The State Council ruled the measure was a &quot;serious and clearly illegal violation of fundamental freedoms&quot;, in a judgement expected to lead to bans being overturned in around 30 towns along the French coast.&nbsp; 
 
Restrictions &#39;still valid&#39; 
 
The case by two rights groups seeking to reverse the ban has triggered a debate in France on women&#39;s rights, and sparked censorious headlines around the world.&nbsp; 
 
Police action to fine Muslim women for wearing burkinis on beaches in several towns, including in the tourist resorts of Nice and Cannes, also triggered a debate on French state&#39;s strictly-guarded secularism.&nbsp; 
? 
But the ruling provoked defiance from several Riviera resorts, who pledged to continue imposing fines.&nbsp; 
 
In recent weeks, around 30 French municipalities decided to ban access to public beaches &quot;by anyone not wearing proper attire, which is respectful of good morality and the principle of secularism and not respectful of the rules of hygiene and bathing security&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
Nice town hall said it would keep the restrictions and continue to fine women wearing the burkini as long as its ban put in place on August 19 was not overturned. &nbsp;The far-right mayor of Frejus, David Rachline, also insisted his ban was &quot;still valid&quot;, telling the media there was &quot;no legal procedure&quot; against his ruling.&nbsp; 
 
Ange-Pierre Vivoni, Socialist mayor of the Corsican town of Sisco, said his Burkini ban, introduced this month following a confrontation between Moroccan bathers and locals, would also remain &quot;for the safety of property and people in the town because I risked having deaths on my hands&quot;. 
 
Meanwhile,&nbsp;United Nations hailed the suspension of the ban on the Islamic full-body swimsuit. But the ruling, which only applied to the ban imposed by Villeneuve-Loubet, was quickly dismissed by several other towns, including Nice. 
 
In a judgement expected to set a precedent, the State Council ruled that local authorities could only restrict individual liberties if wearing the Islamic swimsuit was a &quot;proven risk&quot; to public order. The judges said there was no such risk in the case before the court concerning Villeneuve-Loubet, one of around 30 towns to have introduced the bans. 
 
The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) hailed the ruling as a &quot;victory for common sense&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
And UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said &quot;we welcome the decision by the court,&quot; noting that the world body stresses &quot;the need for people&#39;s dignity to be respected.&quot; 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

The ruling was dismissed by several towns including Nice which vowed to continue imposing fines on wear who wear the full-body swimsuit

France's highest administrative court yesterday suspended a controversial ban on the burkini by a French Riviera town, although other resorts remained defiant, vowing to keep the restrictions in place. The State Council ruled the measure was a "serious and clearly illegal violation of fundamental freedoms", in a judgement expected to lead to bans being overturned in around 30 towns along the French coast. Restrictions 'still valid' The case by two rights groups seeking to reverse the ban has triggered a debate in France on women's rights, and sparked censorious headlines around the world. Police action to fine Muslim women for wearing burkinis on beaches in several towns, including in the tourist resorts of Nice and Cannes, also triggered a debate on French state's strictly-guarded secularism. ? But the ruling provoked defiance from several Riviera resorts, who pledged to continue imposing fines. In recent weeks, around 30 French municipalities decided to ban access to public beaches "by anyone not wearing proper attire, which is respectful of good morality and the principle of secularism and not respectful of the rules of hygiene and bathing security". Nice town hall said it would keep the restrictions and continue to fine women wearing the burkini as long as its ban put in place on August 19 was not overturned. The far-right mayor of Frejus, David Rachline, also insisted his ban was "still valid", telling the media there was "no legal procedure" against his ruling. Ange-Pierre Vivoni, Socialist mayor of the Corsican town of Sisco, said his Burkini ban, introduced this month following a confrontation between Moroccan bathers and locals, would also remain "for the safety of property and people in the town because I risked having deaths on my hands". Meanwhile, United Nations hailed the suspension of the ban on the Islamic full-body swimsuit. But the ruling, which only applied to the ban imposed by Villeneuve-Loubet, was quickly dismissed by several other towns, including Nice. In a judgement expected to set a precedent, the State Council ruled that local authorities could only restrict individual liberties if wearing the Islamic swimsuit was a "proven risk" to public order. The judges said there was no such risk in the case before the court concerning Villeneuve-Loubet, one of around 30 towns to have introduced the bans. The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) hailed the ruling as a "victory for common sense". And UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said "we welcome the decision by the court," noting that the world body stresses "the need for people's dignity to be respected." (WION with inputs from AFP)

French towns defiant as top court suspends burkini ban, will continue to fine women

France&#39;s highest administrative court will decide today whether to overturn the ban on wearing the burkini that has triggered controversy at home and abroad. 
 
The Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group are seeking to reverse a decision by the southern town of Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice, to ban the Islamic swimsuit. The State Council began hearing their arguements yesterday.&nbsp; 
 
The ruling is due at 3.00 pm (1300 GMT) today. It is likely to set a precedent for around 30 French towns which have banned the burkini, mostly in the southeast. The decision, however, will not be about the legality of the ban. 
 
The judge will only rule on whether there is basis&nbsp;enough to suspend the ban temporarily until a decision on its legality can be made. 
 
The court will, therefore, consider two things: whether the town&#39;s decree banning the&nbsp;burkini&nbsp;is a flagrant violation of civil liberties, and if the harm caused is serious enough to immediately suspend it. 
 
Nice denies &#39;undressing&#39; claims&nbsp; 
 
The burkini bans have triggered a fierce debate in France and elsewhere about the wearing of the full-body swimsuit, women&#39;s rights and secularism. 
 
&nbsp;A court in the Riviera city of Nice upheld the ban this week. 
 
Anger over the issue was further inflamed yesterday when photographs emerged in the media of police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a Nice beach removing a long-sleeved top. 
 
But the office of Nice&#39;s mayor denied that the woman had been forced to remove clothing, telling AFP she was showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, over a pair of leggings, when the picture was taken. 
 
The police issued her with a fine and she left the beach, the officials added. 
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<h5>Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he condemned any &quot;stigmatisation&quot; of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was &quot;a political sign of religious proselytising&quot;.</h5>
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Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he condemned any &quot;stigmatisation&quot; of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was &quot;a political sign of religious proselytising&quot;. 
 
&quot;We are not at war with Islam... the French republic is welcoming (to Muslims), we are protecting them against discrimination,&quot; he told BFMTV. 
 
But in a sign of the divisions within the Socialist government on the issue, education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the &quot;proliferation&quot; of burkini bans &quot;was not a welcome development&quot;. 
 
 
&#39;Neither provocation nor stigmatisation&#39;&nbsp; 
 
President Francois Hollande made his first comment on the issue yesterday, saying life in France &quot;supposes that everyone sticks to the rules and that there is neither provocation nor stigmatisation&quot;. 
 
The former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who this week launched his bid to regain the presidency, has described the burkini as a &quot;provocation&quot;. 
 
Vallaud-Belkacem, who is of Moroccan origin, took issue with the wording of the ban in Nice which linked the measure to the jihadist attack in the resort last month in which 86 people were killed. 
 
&quot;In my opinion, there is nothing to prove that there is a link between the terrorism of Daesh and what a woman wears on a beach,&quot; she said, using another term for Islamic State. But Valls contradicted his minister&#39;s claims, saying the bans were necessary to maintain &quot;public order&quot;. 
 
The administrative court in Nice ruled on Monday that the Villeneuve-Loubet ban was &quot;necessary&quot; to prevent public disorder after the truck attack in Nice and the murder of a Catholic priest by two jihadists in northern France. 
 
 
&#39;Burkini ban is racist&#39; 
 
The vague wording of the prohibitions has caused confusion, it seems. &nbsp;The so-called burkini bans never actually mention the word burkini, although they are aimed at the garment which covers the hair but leaves the face visible and stretches down to the ankles. 
 
Around 50 people held a protest outside the French embassy in London, recreating a beach and carrying placards saying &quot;Burkini ban is racist&quot;. 
 
Amnesty International called for the ban to be lifted immediately, saying it was &quot;fuelled by and is fuelling prejudice and intolerance&quot;. 
 
&quot;These bans do nothing to increase public safety, but do a lot to promote public humiliation,&quot; said the group&#39;s Europe director John Dalhuisen. 
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<h5>I don&#39;t think anyone should tell women what they can and can&#39;t wear. Full stop.&quot;- London mayor Sadiq Khan</h5>
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Apart from the incident featured in the photographs in Nice, a 34-year-old mother of two told AFP on Tuesday she had been fined on the beach in the resort of Cannes wearing leggings, a tunic and a headscarf. 
 
&quot;I was sitting on a beach with my family. I was wearing a classic headscarf. I had no intention of swimming,&quot; said the woman, who gave only her first name, Siam. 
 
Anouar Kbibech, the head of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), said he was &quot;concerned over the direction the public debate is taking.&quot; 
 
London mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, also condemned the bans as he visited Paris Thursday. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t think anyone should tell women what they can and can&#39;t wear. Full stop,&quot; he told the London Evening Standard newspaper. 
 
 
France firmly separates religion and public life and was the first European country to ban the wearing of the Islamic face veil in public in 2010. 
 
(Wion with inputs from Agencies)

The ruling is likely to set a precedent for around 30 French towns which have banned the burkini, mostly in the southeast

France's highest administrative court will decide today whether to overturn the ban on wearing the burkini that has triggered controversy at home and abroad. The Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group are seeking to reverse a decision by the southern town of Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice, to ban the Islamic swimsuit. The State Council began hearing their arguements yesterday. The ruling is due at 3.00 pm (1300 GMT) today. It is likely to set a precedent for around 30 French towns which have banned the burkini, mostly in the southeast. The decision, however, will not be about the legality of the ban. The judge will only rule on whether there is basis enough to suspend the ban temporarily until a decision on its legality can be made. The court will, therefore, consider two things: whether the town's decree banning the burkini is a flagrant violation of civil liberties, and if the harm caused is serious enough to immediately suspend it. Nice denies 'undressing' claims The burkini bans have triggered a fierce debate in France and elsewhere about the wearing of the full-body swimsuit, women's rights and secularism. A court in the Riviera city of Nice upheld the ban this week. Anger over the issue was further inflamed yesterday when photographs emerged in the media of police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a Nice beach removing a long-sleeved top. But the office of Nice's mayor denied that the woman had been forced to remove clothing, telling AFP she was showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, over a pair of leggings, when the picture was taken. The police issued her with a fine and she left the beach, the officials added. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he condemned any "stigmatisation" of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was "a political sign of religious proselytising". Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he condemned any "stigmatisation" of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was "a political sign of religious proselytising". "We are not at war with Islam... the French republic is welcoming (to Muslims), we are protecting them against discrimination," he told BFMTV. But in a sign of the divisions within the Socialist government on the issue, education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the "proliferation" of burkini bans "was not a welcome development". 'Neither provocation nor stigmatisation' President Francois Hollande made his first comment on the issue yesterday, saying life in France "supposes that everyone sticks to the rules and that there is neither provocation nor stigmatisation". The former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who this week launched his bid to regain the presidency, has described the burkini as a "provocation". Vallaud-Belkacem, who is of Moroccan origin, took issue with the wording of the ban in Nice which linked the measure to the jihadist attack in the resort last month in which 86 people were killed. "In my opinion, there is nothing to prove that there is a link between the terrorism of Daesh and what a woman wears on a beach," she said, using another term for Islamic State. But Valls contradicted his minister's claims, saying the bans were necessary to maintain "public order". The administrative court in Nice ruled on Monday that the Villeneuve-Loubet ban was "necessary" to prevent public disorder after the truck attack in Nice and the murder of a Catholic priest by two jihadists in northern France. 'Burkini ban is racist' The vague wording of the prohibitions has caused confusion, it seems. The so-called burkini bans never actually mention the word burkini, although they are aimed at the garment which covers the hair but leaves the face visible and stretches down to the ankles. Around 50 people held a protest outside the French embassy in London, recreating a beach and carrying placards saying "Burkini ban is racist". Amnesty International called for the ban to be lifted immediately, saying it was "fuelled by and is fuelling prejudice and intolerance". "These bans do nothing to increase public safety, but do a lot to promote public humiliation," said the group's Europe director John Dalhuisen. I don't think anyone should tell women what they can and can't wear. Full stop."- London mayor Sadiq Khan Apart from the incident featured in the photographs in Nice, a 34-year-old mother of two told AFP on Tuesday she had been fined on the beach in the resort of Cannes wearing leggings, a tunic and a headscarf. "I was sitting on a beach with my family. I was wearing a classic headscarf. I had no intention of swimming," said the woman, who gave only her first name, Siam. Anouar Kbibech, the head of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), said he was "concerned over the direction the public debate is taking." London mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, also condemned the bans as he visited Paris Thursday. "I don't think anyone should tell women what they can and can't wear. Full stop," he told the London Evening Standard newspaper. France firmly separates religion and public life and was the first European country to ban the wearing of the Islamic face veil in public in 2010. (Wion with inputs from Agencies)

France's highest court to rule on burkini ban

A 19-year-old acid attack survivor from India is all set to grace the New York Fashion Week catwalk next month in her first trip overseas. 
 
Reshma Qureshi, who lives in Mumbai, was attacked by her brother-in-law and pinned down by his friends who doused her face in acid in 2014. She lost sight in one eye and her face was horribly disfigured after the attack but Qureshi has been determined to build a life for herself. 
 
She has been invited to take part in the New York Fashion Week, the bi-annual style frenzy that brings together models, fashion editors, buyers and designers from across the world, by fashion production company FTL Moda.&nbsp; 
 
She is scheduled to walk the runway on September 8 in two shows during New York Fashion Week. 
 
The daughter of a taxi driver, she was filmed in a YouTube video wiping away tears and smiling when told by the charity Make Love Not Scars that she would be flying to New York. 
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Qureshi is also the face of &#39;Make Love Not Scars&#39;,&nbsp;a campaign to end the open sale of acid in India. 
 
 
Acid attacks rarely kill but leave severe physical, psychological and social scars. They are a particular problem in Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, the West Indies and the Middle East. 
 
The overwhelming number of victims are women and children. 
 
The London-based charity Acid Survivors Trust International estimates there are 500 to 1,000 acid attacks each year in India. 
 
FTL Moda is committed to challenging norms of beauty in the fashion world and last year invited Madeline Stuart, an Australian teenager with Down syndrome, to walk the runway, garnering rave reviews. 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)&nbsp;

Reshma Qureshi, who lives in Mumbai, was attacked by her brother-in-law and pinned down by his friends who doused her face in acid in 2014

A 19-year-old acid attack survivor from India is all set to grace the New York Fashion Week catwalk next month in her first trip overseas. Reshma Qureshi, who lives in Mumbai, was attacked by her brother-in-law and pinned down by his friends who doused her face in acid in 2014. She lost sight in one eye and her face was horribly disfigured after the attack but Qureshi has been determined to build a life for herself. She has been invited to take part in the New York Fashion Week, the bi-annual style frenzy that brings together models, fashion editors, buyers and designers from across the world, by fashion production company FTL Moda. She is scheduled to walk the runway on September 8 in two shows during New York Fashion Week. The daughter of a taxi driver, she was filmed in a YouTube video wiping away tears and smiling when told by the charity Make Love Not Scars that she would be flying to New York. The London-based charity Acid Survivors Trust International estimates there are 500 to 1,000 acid attacks each year in India. Qureshi is also the face of 'Make Love Not Scars', a campaign to end the open sale of acid in India. Acid attacks rarely kill but leave severe physical, psychological and social scars. They are a particular problem in Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, the West Indies and the Middle East. The overwhelming number of victims are women and children. The London-based charity Acid Survivors Trust International estimates there are 500 to 1,000 acid attacks each year in India. FTL Moda is committed to challenging norms of beauty in the fashion world and last year invited Madeline Stuart, an Australian teenager with Down syndrome, to walk the runway, garnering rave reviews. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Indian acid attack survivor all set to grace New York Fashion Week catwalk

India&#39;s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken into its custody three accused in the case of rape of a woman and her minor girl in northern India&#39;s Bulandshahr city last month. 
 
CBI sources refused to disclose the identity of the accused who were taken into custody by it but said they would be produced in the fast-track court of Bulandshahr on August 23. 
 
North India&#39;s Uttar Pradesh state police had arrested six persons, including the prime suspect, in connection with the rape of the woman and her 13-year-old daughter while they were travelling from Noida to Shahjahanpur on the intervening night of July 29-30. 
 
The case was transferred to CBI on the instructions of the Allahabad High Court. The agency had registered a case yesterday and sent a team of forensic experts and deputy inspector general-ranked officer to the crime scene. 
 
UP police, which received flak from the Allahabad High Court, had claimed to have solved the blind case within nine days of the incident with arrest of Salim Bawariya, the head of a gang from &nbsp;north-western state of Rajasthan. 
 
On the basis of his interrogation, two other gang members - Zubair and Sajid - were arrested by the Special Task Force of UP police. Later, three more accused - Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) - were arrested. 
 
(PTI)

The agency refused to disclose the identity of the accused but said they would be produced in a fast-track court on August 23

India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken into its custody three accused in the case of rape of a woman and her minor girl in northern India's Bulandshahr city last month. CBI sources refused to disclose the identity of the accused who were taken into custody by it but said they would be produced in the fast-track court of Bulandshahr on August 23. North India's Uttar Pradesh state police had arrested six persons, including the prime suspect, in connection with the rape of the woman and her 13-year-old daughter while they were travelling from Noida to Shahjahanpur on the intervening night of July 29-30. The case was transferred to CBI on the instructions of the Allahabad High Court. The agency had registered a case yesterday and sent a team of forensic experts and deputy inspector general-ranked officer to the crime scene. UP police, which received flak from the Allahabad High Court, had claimed to have solved the blind case within nine days of the incident with arrest of Salim Bawariya, the head of a gang from north-western state of Rajasthan. On the basis of his interrogation, two other gang members - Zubair and Sajid - were arrested by the Special Task Force of UP police. Later, three more accused - Naresh (25), Bablu (22) and Rais (28) - were arrested. (PTI)

Bulandshahr gang rape case: India's investigative agency takes custody of three accused

Rani Maya Shrestha was working on a neighbour&#39;s potato farm when the first of Nepal&#39;s two massive earthquakes struck last year. She rushed home to find her husband buried in the ruins of their house northeast of the capital Kathmandu.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I should have died with him,&quot; said Shrestha inside the tin hovel that has been her home for the last year. &quot;Without my husband, my life has become meaningless.&quot; 
 
The frail looking 45-year-old woman has no documents to prove her rights to her husband&#39;s property in the ancient town of Sankhu. She survives on around 75 cents a day from knitting mufflers and woollen caps. 
 
Twin quakes in April and May 2015 killed some 9,000 people in the Himalayan nation, leaving many women to fend for themselves in a country where widows face hostility, abuse, discrimination and even enslavement. 
 
Mina Adhikari says her life was shattered after she lost her school teacher husband in the disaster. She is now struggling to bring up their two sons alone. 
 
&quot;It drastically changed the way I am treated by society. Society does not accept me as one of them,&quot; the 33-year-old said by phone from the village of Gairigaon close to the 7.8 magnitude quake&#39;s epicenter in west Nepal. 
 
Women for Human Rights (WHR), a Nepali organisation which campaigns for widows&#39; rights, said women who had lost their husbands in the disaster faced a multitude of problems. 
 
&quot;There is superstition and stigmatisation. Widows have no status,&quot; said WHR&#39;s chief Lily Thapa ahead of International Widows&#39; Day on Thursday. 
 
She said many widows lacked documents to claim their dead husband&#39;s property or faced difficulties getting rebuilding grants because their marriage was not registered, as is common in Nepal. 
 
Some widows have also been abandoned when family members moved to new locations following the disaster, she added. 
 
Although Nepal has taken major steps to empower women since the end of its decade-long civil war in 2006, widowhood remains surrounded by taboos in this patriarchal society. 
 
Like other widows, Adhikari said she was no longer allowed to attend religious ceremonies or other celebrations because women who have lost their husbands are seen as inauspicious. 
 
In some places, widows are considered so unlucky that people steer clear of them in the street. 
 
Destitution and enslavement 
 
Nepal has around half a million widows. Many lost their husbands during the war or to HIV. Others were widowed when their husbands died in accidents while working overseas as migrant labourers.&nbsp; 
 
Another factor is child marriage, with girls in Nepal often married off as teenagers to much older men. 
 
When their husbands die many widows are left destitute. If they remain with their in-laws they may be confined to the house and treated like servants, activists say. In some cases the family may even blame the widow for her husband&#39;s death. 
 
The Loomba Foundation, a widows&#39; rights charity, said widows could face hostility because it was sometimes believed their husbands had died as punishment for immoral acts or crimes their wives had committed in a previous life. 
 
&quot;The younger the age of the husbands when they died, the greater the severity of the crime the widows (are believed to have) committed in the past life,&quot; the foundation said in a global report on widows last year. 
 
The charity says widows in Nepal are also regularly accused of killing their husbands deliberately or through neglect - including by passing on HIV. 
 
Traditionally, widows are required to shun merriment. They are banned from wearing red clothes and most jewellery. Many wear only white. 
 
Often forced into virtual seclusion, they are not supposed to remarry or move out of their in-laws&#39; homes, which leaves many open to exploitation. 
 
Most widows in Nepal are illiterate and two thirds are under 35, compounding the risks of abuse, activists say. 
 
In 2008, in recognition of the large number of war widows and popular aversion to widow remarriage, the government put forward a scheme to pay men $460&nbsp;incentive to marry widows. 
 
Widows protested, saying the proposal was open to abuse by traffickers and would turn them into commodities. Nepal&#39;s Supreme Court ordered the government to ditch the initiative. 
 
 
Widow President 
 
However, WHR&#39;s Thapa says things are slowly improving. Some widows have even defied tradition by wearing red during protests against discrimination. 
 
Thapa founded WHR 20 years ago following the death of her husband in the Gulf War while he was working with a peace mission in Iraq. 
 
The organisation, which has more than 2,000 widow groups nationwide, campaigns for better social and cultural rights, and helps widows secure property, economic independence and legal aid. 
 
Thapa says several discriminatory laws and policies have been amended in recent years. For example, a widow who remarries no longer needs to return her deceased husband&#39;s property. 
 
Social protections have also been strengthened, with all widows now entitled to a monthly allowance. 
 
Campaigners say it will likely take many years for old prejudices to die out. 
 
When Nepal&#39;s widowed President Bidhya Devi Bhandari visited a temple in the south last December some locals accused her of desecrating the shrine. 
 
The following day they &quot;cleansed&quot; the temple with holy water, saying her worship there had made it impure. 
 
Rights campaigner Durga Sob said the demeaning incident highlights the entrenched stigma faced by all widows in Nepal. 
 
&quot;This is extremely shameful,&quot; said Sob, head of Sankalpa, a network of women&#39;s groups. &quot;When the country&#39;s president is treated this way, just imagine what treatment the voiceless, uneducated and poor widows may be facing.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Women who lose their husbands have to fend for themselves in a country where widows face hostility, abuse, discrimination, even enslavement

Rani Maya Shrestha was working on a neighbour's potato farm when the first of Nepal's two massive earthquakes struck last year. She rushed home to find her husband buried in the ruins of their house northeast of the capital Kathmandu. "I should have died with him," said Shrestha inside the tin hovel that has been her home for the last year. "Without my husband, my life has become meaningless." The frail looking 45-year-old woman has no documents to prove her rights to her husband's property in the ancient town of Sankhu. She survives on around 75 cents a day from knitting mufflers and woollen caps. Twin quakes in April and May 2015 killed some 9,000 people in the Himalayan nation, leaving many women to fend for themselves in a country where widows face hostility, abuse, discrimination and even enslavement. Mina Adhikari says her life was shattered after she lost her school teacher husband in the disaster. She is now struggling to bring up their two sons alone. "It drastically changed the way I am treated by society. Society does not accept me as one of them," the 33-year-old said by phone from the village of Gairigaon close to the 7.8 magnitude quake's epicenter in west Nepal. Women for Human Rights (WHR), a Nepali organisation which campaigns for widows' rights, said women who had lost their husbands in the disaster faced a multitude of problems. "There is superstition and stigmatisation. Widows have no status," said WHR's chief Lily Thapa ahead of International Widows' Day on Thursday. She said many widows lacked documents to claim their dead husband's property or faced difficulties getting rebuilding grants because their marriage was not registered, as is common in Nepal. Some widows have also been abandoned when family members moved to new locations following the disaster, she added. Although Nepal has taken major steps to empower women since the end of its decade-long civil war in 2006, widowhood remains surrounded by taboos in this patriarchal society. Like other widows, Adhikari said she was no longer allowed to attend religious ceremonies or other celebrations because women who have lost their husbands are seen as inauspicious. In some places, widows are considered so unlucky that people steer clear of them in the street. Destitution and enslavement Nepal has around half a million widows. Many lost their husbands during the war or to HIV. Others were widowed when their husbands died in accidents while working overseas as migrant labourers. Another factor is child marriage, with girls in Nepal often married off as teenagers to much older men. When their husbands die many widows are left destitute. If they remain with their in-laws they may be confined to the house and treated like servants, activists say. In some cases the family may even blame the widow for her husband's death. The Loomba Foundation, a widows' rights charity, said widows could face hostility because it was sometimes believed their husbands had died as punishment for immoral acts or crimes their wives had committed in a previous life. "The younger the age of the husbands when they died, the greater the severity of the crime the widows (are believed to have) committed in the past life," the foundation said in a global report on widows last year. The charity says widows in Nepal are also regularly accused of killing their husbands deliberately or through neglect - including by passing on HIV. Traditionally, widows are required to shun merriment. They are banned from wearing red clothes and most jewellery. Many wear only white. Often forced into virtual seclusion, they are not supposed to remarry or move out of their in-laws' homes, which leaves many open to exploitation. Most widows in Nepal are illiterate and two thirds are under 35, compounding the risks of abuse, activists say. In 2008, in recognition of the large number of war widows and popular aversion to widow remarriage, the government put forward a scheme to pay men $460 incentive to marry widows. Widows protested, saying the proposal was open to abuse by traffickers and would turn them into commodities. Nepal's Supreme Court ordered the government to ditch the initiative. Widow President However, WHR's Thapa says things are slowly improving. Some widows have even defied tradition by wearing red during protests against discrimination. Thapa founded WHR 20 years ago following the death of her husband in the Gulf War while he was working with a peace mission in Iraq. The organisation, which has more than 2,000 widow groups nationwide, campaigns for better social and cultural rights, and helps widows secure property, economic independence and legal aid. Thapa says several discriminatory laws and policies have been amended in recent years. For example, a widow who remarries no longer needs to return her deceased husband's property. Social protections have also been strengthened, with all widows now entitled to a monthly allowance. Campaigners say it will likely take many years for old prejudices to die out. When Nepal's widowed President Bidhya Devi Bhandari visited a temple in the south last December some locals accused her of desecrating the shrine. The following day they "cleansed" the temple with holy water, saying her worship there had made it impure. Rights campaigner Durga Sob said the demeaning incident highlights the entrenched stigma faced by all widows in Nepal. "This is extremely shameful," said Sob, head of Sankalpa, a network of women's groups. "When the country's president is treated this way, just imagine what treatment the voiceless, uneducated and poor widows may be facing." (Reuters)

'I should have died too', Nepal's quake widows struggle to survive

<div style="text-align: justify;">Only three words were scrawled on the letter from her husband and posted to her parent&#39;s home in central India, but they were enough to shatter Sadaf Mehmood&#39;s life. 
 
Using an ancient&nbsp;Islamic practice, Mehmood&#39;s husband wrote &quot;talaq, talaq, talaq&quot; or &quot;I divorce you&quot; three times in Arabic, instantly ending his marriage of five years. 
 
&quot;I was completely shocked and shattered. We had differences soon after we wed but it never looked so bad,&quot; the mother-of-three told AFP. 
 
Mehmood, who is from Bhopal, is one of the many&nbsp;Indian Muslim women whose husbands dissolved their marriage using&nbsp;triple&nbsp;talaq. The messages were delivered by everything from traditional letters to Facebook and Whatsapp. 
 
Banned in many Muslim countries, India, which is officially secular, is one of the few nations that legally permits the practice. 
 
&quot;The talaqnama (divorce letter) came without any intimation or warning,&quot; said Mehmood, 31, adding that she now struggles to make ends meet without her husband&#39;s support. 
 
Now another divorcee, Shayara Bano, has asked India&#39;s Supreme Court to outlaw it, as a backlash against the practice gathers steam. 
&quot;I understand my marriage is over but something needed to be done so that other Muslim women do not suffer,&quot; Bano told AFP of her petition filed in February&nbsp;which has encouraged at least one other divorcee to follow suit. 
&#39;Second-class citizens&#39; 
India&#39;s religious minorities, including its 155 million Muslims, are governed by personal laws that are meant to enshine their religious freedom in Hindu-majority India. 
 
Women, however, say the Muslim Personal Law Application Act, which is based on the Sharia law and permits&nbsp;triple&nbsp;talaq&nbsp;is being misused, allowing men to instantly walk away from their families. 
 
&quot;Women are generally treated as second class citizens in our society and they are further discriminated against by those misinterpreting religion,&quot; said Sadia Akhtar, who works for Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, a charity helping to empower Muslim women. 
 
A survey of Muslim women by the charity last year found an overwhelming majority favoured abolition of the practice, deeming it un-Islamic. Some 500 of the 4,000 women surveyed said they had been divorced that way. 
 
In recent weeks about&nbsp;50,000 Muslims signed a petition organised by the charity as part of a campaign to ban it. 
 
The Holy Quran prescribes a procedure for divorce to be undertaken in 90 days, starting from the first utterance of&nbsp;talaq, followed by two more but with a 30-day gap in between each one. 
 
Islamic scholars say this gives couples time to reflect on their marriage and possibly reconcile. 
 
Most Muslim scholars say the instant&nbsp;talaq&nbsp;diverts from the Quran. Although it was given official approval during the rein of Islam&#39;s second caliph, Omar, in the seventh century, it was discouraged. 
 
Akhtarul Wasey, a professor of Islamic studies, said it was only supposed to be used as a last resort when husbands were &quot;traumatising their partners&quot; by endlessly pronouncing&nbsp;talaq&nbsp;and then revoking it. 
 
&quot;(But) It has lost its essence and become an arbitrary law,&quot; Wasey from New Delhi&#39;s Jamia Millia Islamia university told AFP. 
Many Muslim majority countries, including neighbouring&nbsp;Bangladesh, have already banned it, while legislation on the same is pending in Pakistan&#39;s parliament. 
Changes unacceptable 
India&#39;s Muslim leaders are reluctant to amend the personal law, fearing an erosion of their religious identity. Some fear Hindu hardliners will use such changes as an excuse to push for the law&#39;s entire abolition. 
 
The issue comes at a time of heightened concern among minorities of rising intolerance by Hindu&nbsp;hardliners&nbsp;who have become emboldened since Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s election in 2014. 
 
Modi&#39;s Hindu nationalist government is committed to replacing personal laws for all religious minorities with a common civil code&nbsp;to enhance national unity. 
 
Kamal Faruqui, member of an influential Muslim body, said Muslims have a right to practise their religion according to Sharia law and that should be protected at all costs. 
 
Faruqui conceded&nbsp;triple&nbsp;talaq&nbsp;was a &quot;problem for Muslims&quot; but changes to the personal law were &quot;unacceptable to us&quot;. 
 
&quot;We discourage Muslims to seek divorce and certainly&nbsp;triple&nbsp;talaq&nbsp;should never be used. Instead couples should go for the honourable exit route mentioned in the Quran,&quot; said Faruqui, from the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. 
 
Shaista Ali, also from Bhopal, said she appealed to clerics for assistance after her husband suddenly divorced her and she was shunted from the family home, but &quot;they sided with my in-laws&quot;. 
 
Divorcee Mehmood accepts that her marriage is over, but she remains hopeful of change so that other women are spared her ordeal. 
 
&quot;We can&#39;t stop talaqs but there should be some consequences so that men think 10 times before uttering&nbsp;talaq, talaq talaq,&quot; she said.</div>

Shayara Bano, a divorcee, has asked India's Supreme Court to outlaw 'triple talaq', as a backlash against the practice gathers steam

Only three words were scrawled on the letter from her husband and posted to her parent's home in central India, but they were enough to shatter Sadaf Mehmood's life. Using an ancient Islamic practice, Mehmood's husband wrote "talaq, talaq, talaq" or "I divorce you" three times in Arabic, instantly ending his marriage of five years. "I was completely shocked and shattered. We had differences soon after we wed but it never looked so bad," the mother-of-three told AFP. Mehmood, who is from Bhopal, is one of the many Indian Muslim women whose husbands dissolved their marriage using triple talaq. The messages were delivered by everything from traditional letters to Facebook and Whatsapp. Banned in many Muslim countries, India, which is officially secular, is one of the few nations that legally permits the practice. "The talaqnama (divorce letter) came without any intimation or warning," said Mehmood, 31, adding that she now struggles to make ends meet without her husband's support. Now another divorcee, Shayara Bano, has asked India's Supreme Court to outlaw it, as a backlash against the practice gathers steam. "I understand my marriage is over but something needed to be done so that other Muslim women do not suffer," Bano told AFP of her petition filed in February which has encouraged at least one other divorcee to follow suit. 'Second-class citizens' India's religious minorities, including its 155 million Muslims, are governed by personal laws that are meant to enshine their religious freedom in Hindu-majority India. Women, however, say the Muslim Personal Law Application Act, which is based on the Sharia law and permits triple talaq is being misused, allowing men to instantly walk away from their families. "Women are generally treated as second class citizens in our society and they are further discriminated against by those misinterpreting religion," said Sadia Akhtar, who works for Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, a charity helping to empower Muslim women. A survey of Muslim women by the charity last year found an overwhelming majority favoured abolition of the practice, deeming it un-Islamic. Some 500 of the 4,000 women surveyed said they had been divorced that way. In recent weeks about 50,000 Muslims signed a petition organised by the charity as part of a campaign to ban it. The Holy Quran prescribes a procedure for divorce to be undertaken in 90 days, starting from the first utterance of talaq, followed by two more but with a 30-day gap in between each one. Islamic scholars say this gives couples time to reflect on their marriage and possibly reconcile. Most Muslim scholars say the instant talaq diverts from the Quran. Although it was given official approval during the rein of Islam's second caliph, Omar, in the seventh century, it was discouraged. Akhtarul Wasey, a professor of Islamic studies, said it was only supposed to be used as a last resort when husbands were "traumatising their partners" by endlessly pronouncing talaq and then revoking it. "(But) It has lost its essence and become an arbitrary law," Wasey from New Delhi's Jamia Millia Islamia university told AFP. Many Muslim majority countries, including neighbouring Bangladesh, have already banned it, while legislation on the same is pending in Pakistan's parliament. Changes unacceptable India's Muslim leaders are reluctant to amend the personal law, fearing an erosion of their religious identity. Some fear Hindu hardliners will use such changes as an excuse to push for the law's entire abolition. The issue comes at a time of heightened concern among minorities of rising intolerance by Hindu hardliners who have become emboldened since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election in 2014. Modi's Hindu nationalist government is committed to replacing personal laws for all religious minorities with a common civil code to enhance national unity. Kamal Faruqui, member of an influential Muslim body, said Muslims have a right to practise their religion according to Sharia law and that should be protected at all costs. Faruqui conceded triple talaq was a "problem for Muslims" but changes to the personal law were "unacceptable to us". "We discourage Muslims to seek divorce and certainly triple talaq should never be used. Instead couples should go for the honourable exit route mentioned in the Quran," said Faruqui, from the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. Shaista Ali, also from Bhopal, said she appealed to clerics for assistance after her husband suddenly divorced her and she was shunted from the family home, but "they sided with my in-laws". Divorcee Mehmood accepts that her marriage is over, but she remains hopeful of change so that other women are spared her ordeal. "We can't stop talaqs but there should be some consequences so that men think 10 times before uttering talaq, talaq talaq," she said.

Muslim woman from India fights 'triple talaq' divorce

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