108 Women ‘Killed for Honor’ in 2019 Alone: Police Report
Dawn, Pakistan, 1/31/2020
According to a report released by the police on January 31, 2020, 108 cases of honour killings were recorded in Sindh in the year 2019. According to the report, 126 people, who were suspected of being involved in the honour killings, had been arrested. Other human rights violations in 2019 outlined by the report include 1158 cases of kidnappings of adolescent girls, 312 cases of murders of adult women, 95 cases of rape and 66 cases of children’s kidnappings. The police claimed that this was the first time that courts wrapped up so many criminal cases in the province. Former chief justice of Pakistan, Asif Saeed Khosa, has also taken the initiative of establishing model courts across the country to ensure speedy dispensation of justice.
Study: Climate Challenges Linked to Gender Based Violence
Africa Times, Africa, 1/31/2020
According to a study titled ‘Gender-based violence and environmental linkages: The violence of inequality’ from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), climate change and related environmental changes are implicated in gender-based violence and discrimination. The impact of climate change is most notable in sub-Saharan Africa’s fishing and timber industries, with rise in practices such as ‘sex-for-fish’ in parts of Eastern and Southern Africa – where fishermen ask for sexual favours from women in exchange for fish. Africa’s charcoal production was also a common source of abuses, with rise in illegal logging due to weak law enforcement. According to the report, the deterioration of agricultural markets has forced women, a majority of whom were farmers, to seek employment in the illegal and corrupt logging industry.
Islam Does Not Bar Women from Mosques: All India Muslim Personal Board
The Hindu, India, 1/30/2020
The All India Muslim Personal Board (AIMPLB) clarified to the Supreme Court on January 29, 2020, that Islamic doctrine, tenets and beliefs do not prohibit Muslim women from entering mosques to offer prayer. The counter affidavit filed by the Board, a 47-year-old expert body which works to protect the Muslim personal law, is in response to a PIL plea filed by Yasmeen Zuber Ahamed Peerzade in 2018, challenging the prohibition on Muslim women from entering mosques to offer namaz (prayer) as unconstitutional and an affront to their right to life, equality and dignity. ‘The Muslim woman is differently placed...she is entitled to the same religious reward (sawab) for praying as per her option either in masjid or at home,’ AIMPLB said.
Law Tweak May Make it Easier for Single Women to Abort Too
The Times of India, India, 1/29/2020
The Union Cabinet is likely to approve changes in the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (MTP) recognising ‘failure of contraceptive’ as a lawful reason for abortion, including for unmarried women. This will make it easier for single women to safely and legally access abortions. Currently, the law recognises ‘failure of contraceptive’ and ‘unplanned pregnancy’ as legal reasons for abortion only in the case of married women. Unmarried women cannot cite contraceptive failure as a reason for abortion. As per the law, in the case of minors, a written consent from the parents is required. The proposed amendment also includes extending of the gestation period from ‘20 weeks’ to ‘24 weeks’ for ‘special categories’ which may also include single women and women with disabilities.
Plea in Kerala High Court Seeks Recognition for Same-Sex Marriages
Hindustan Times, India, 1/28/2020
The Kerala High Court asked the Centre and state government on January 27, 2020, to respond to a petition demanding recognition of same-sex marriages on the grounds that it amounted to discrimination and a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution. If the writ petition is successful, it would the first time in India that a same-sex marriage is officially recognised. The petitioners - 35-year-old Nikesh Pushkaran and 31-year-old Sonu MS - argued that some provisions of the 1954 Special Marriage Act barred their marriage, which took place in July 2018, from being officially recognised, and asked the court to strike them down. They also argued that lack of recognition of the marriage violated their fundamental rights to equality and non-discrimination.
'It's Dangerous': Sinaga Case Fuels LGBT Backlash in Indonesia
Aljazeera - Jakarata, Indonesia, 1/27/2020
The recent media coverage around Indonesian exchange student Reynhard Sinaga, who sexually assaulted nearly 200 men in Manchester, has received major backlash from the Indonesian LGBTQIA+ community for its homophobic nature. Instead of focusing on the real problem of sexual abuse, the local news coverage on the case had paid more attention to Sinaga’s sexual orientation, furthering stereotypes that gay men are ‘predatory’. This form of homophobic reporting has sparked further stigma and hate against the LGBTQIA+ community in Indonesia, leading to Mayor Mohammad Idris announcing raids specifically targeting the community. Though Indonesia's parliament has debated introducing laws criminalising same-sex conduct on several occasions over the years, with the exception of the autonomous, remote region of Aceh, homosexuality is not illegal in Indonesia.
Dedicated Centre to Tackle Online Sex Abuse of Kids to Come Up in Kerala
News18 - Kerala, India, 1/25/2020
A dedicated centre to tackle online sexual abuse of children in Kerala, working in coordination with Interpol, National Crime Records Bureau, among others, will come into being on January 26, 2020, and will be inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The facility, which will have 70 officers, had already constituted a team back in March 2019, and has till now arrested 42 people from across the state and registered 38 cases of child sexual abuse and for spreading child pornography. Apart from this, the state police will also launch the Children and Police project which will implement various projects for children. As part of this project, there will also be a 24x7 call center to receive information on anything that is concerned with children.
Mauritania: Gay Couple Arrested in Nouakchott after Marriage
The North Africa Post, Mauritania, 1/24/2020
Police in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott has detained a gay couple after their union sparked an outcry in the North African country, which criminalises homosexuality. The defendants are set to appear before a court, a Moroccan news outlet reported. The Mauritian penal code condemns homosexuality, and those convicted for it can even face the death penalty. Reportedly, the police have also detained several attendees at the wedding. Records suggest that despite the existence of the anti-gay law, the Mauritanian LGBTQIA+ community has hardly been targeted by legal authorities before this. However, LGBTQIA+ people in Mauritania do experience marginalisation and stigma, and often do not receive health benefits, especially in cases involving HIV and AIDS.
Activists Seek Action in Violence, Abuse Against Sex Workers
The New Indian Express - Tamil Nadu, India, 1/23/2020
Every second person involved in voluntary sex work faces some kind of violence, according to a survey conducted by Sarvojana, a coalition of NGOs working towards the empowerment of sex workers. The survey covered 1,000 female sex workers in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Pune. The results of the survey also showed that 63 per cent of those surveyed feared consequences for taking legal action. Out of the 50 per cent who faced violence, only 2 per cent sought legal action. Earlier on January 21, 2020, SIAAP, along with Vadamalar Federation of Voluntary Sex Workers in Tamil Nadu, conducted a discussion with Tiruchy Range police personnel where sex workers shared their testimonies of violence and sought support from law enforcement.
Ecuador’s LGBT+ Community Seen Suffering Deadliest Year in a Decade
Reuters - Mexico City, Mexico, 1/22/2020
2019 was the deadliest year in at least a decade for gay and transgender people in Ecuador, with 16 murders or violent deaths involving LGBTQIA+ people in the country, according to a report released by the LGBTQIA+ rights group Silueta X Association. The group said these were the highest numbers recorded since it began keeping track of violence against LGBTQIA+ people in 2010, and most of the victims were transgender women. LGBTQIA+ rights activists have said the rise in violence could be a backlash to the recent legalisation of same-sex marriage in the country - which still tends to have conservative attitudes to homosexuality. The report was based on both media coverage of LGBTQIA+ deaths, as well as complaints lodged with Silueta X directly.
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