• Cambodia/ Malaysia: Domestic Workers Face Abuse
    Oct 31, 2011
    The Cambodian and Malaysian governments’ failure to regulate recruiters and employers leaves Cambodian migrant domestic workers exposed to a wide range of abuses. Tens of thousands of Cambodian women and girls who migrate to Malaysia have little protection against forced confinement in training centers, heavy debt burdens, and exploitative working conditions.
  • Libya: Transitional Government Should Support Victims
    Sep 19, 2011
    The National Transitional Council (NTC), the de facto authority that controls most of Libya, should investigate allegations of sexual violence perpetrated during the Libyan armed conflict and provide medical services, treatment, and support for survivors. Heads of state from the group of countries who have pledged to support Libya as it moves toward democratization – the so-called Friends of Libya – are gathering this week at the United Nations to discuss the future of the country.
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Reports

Domestic Violence

  • A chance for Congress to help Haitian women
    Jan 24, 2012
    Haiti desperately needs legal reform on gender-based violence. Haitian law prohibits domestic violence against minors but does not classify domestic violence against adults as a distinct crime. The penal code includes penalties for rape but does not address marital rape. Women and girls cannot seek protection orders from judicial officers.
  • Yemen Could Seize Moment to Ban Child Marriage
    Dec 20, 2011
    Yemen's version of the Arab Spring has eclipsed urgent social concerns both in debates within Yemen and with donor countries. One of these issues is the widespread forced marriage of girls; very young girls in some cases.Now that President Ali Abdullah Saleh has agreed to cede power, there may be an opportunity to press for social reform as part of the transition process.
  • How many women does it take to win a Nobel peace prize?
    Dec 12, 2011
    In Norway on Saturday, three women stepped up to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2011. The awarding of the Nobel to Leymah Gbowee, Tawakkul Karman and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf is a long-awaited and, some may think, overdue testament to women's courage. While just three women ascended to the podium in Oslo, the victory will be shared by many, many more -- and couldn't have come at a better time.
  • Cambodia/ Malaysia: Domestic Workers Face Abuse
    Oct 31, 2011
    The Cambodian and Malaysian governments’ failure to regulate recruiters and employers leaves Cambodian migrant domestic workers exposed to a wide range of abuses. Tens of thousands of Cambodian women and girls who migrate to Malaysia have little protection against forced confinement in training centers, heavy debt burdens, and exploitative working conditions.
  • Keeping Health Systems Accountable: A Critical Component of the Every Woman, Every Child Campaign
    Oct 20, 2011

    Abeba M., an Ethiopian refugee living in Port Elizabeth, a small coastal town of South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province, developed severe high blood pressure during her pregnancy. She went to a district hospital for treatment of this dangerous condition, but left because “the nurses and doctors did not treat me well,” she told me. She had to return when her condition worsened, though, and was admitted. Instead of getting the help she needed, she experienced treatment delays, abuse, and negligence.

  • Libya: Transitional Government Should Support Victims
    Sep 19, 2011
    The National Transitional Council (NTC), the de facto authority that controls most of Libya, should investigate allegations of sexual violence perpetrated during the Libyan armed conflict and provide medical services, treatment, and support for survivors. Heads of state from the group of countries who have pledged to support Libya as it moves toward democratization – the so-called Friends of Libya – are gathering this week at the United Nations to discuss the future of the country.
  • Protecting Women from Domestic Violence
    Sep 1, 2011

    The Convention on Domestic Violence –  launched in May and so far ratified by 15 countries – calls for establishing hotlines, shelters, medical and forensic services, counseling, and legal aid services. It is designed to help the estimated 25 percent of women in the European region who experience physical or sexual abused in their lifetime.

  • US: Ruling Should Spur Domestic Violence Reform
    Aug 18, 2011
    The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has ruled that the United States violated international obligations when the government failed to enforce a restraining order against an abusive husband, Human Rights Watch said today. The couple’s daughters were found dead with gunshot wounds in the back of the husband’s truck in Colorado in 1999.
  • Lebanon: Law Reform Targets ‘Honor’ Crimes
    Aug 11, 2011

    Lebanon’s repeal of a criminal code provision that mitigates sentences for so-called honor crimes is an encouraging step to address gender-based violence. The Lebanese parliament should remove and amend other criminal provisions that discriminate on the basis of gender, and enact a law to protect women from domestic violence.

  • A step backward for Puerto Rican women
    Aug 4, 2011
    When it comes to ending violence against women, Puerto Rico has taken a giant step backward. To be sure, the islands have had a comprehensive law to protect women and girls against domestic violence since 1989. But the Puerto Rican Supreme Court has blocked a lot of women from its protection.
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