Indonesian Women Scientists Win Fellowships for COVID-19 Innovations
The Jakarta Post - Jakarta, Indonesia, 11/30/2020
L’Oréal Indonesia has awarded the 2020 L’Oréal-UNESCO National Fellowship for Women in Science (FWIS) to two Indonesian scientists. Anggia Prasetyoputri from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and Latifah Nurahmi from the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) in Surabaya, East Java, were found to have made extraordinary contributions to innovations to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Anggia won the fellowship for her research on bacterial coinfections in COVID-19 patients using swab sample sequencing. Latifah developed a robotic system that could significantly reduce physical contact between patients and doctors, decreasing risks during surgery. Each winner will receive Rp 100 million (US$7,125.71) in support of their research.
‘Pakistan has the Highest Rate of Breast Cancer in Asia’
Dawn - Islamabad, Pakistan, 11/30/2020
Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer in Asia, as approximately 90,000 women are diagnosed with the disease every year out of whom 40,000 pass away. This was pointed out by speakers at a webinar, “Breast cancer awareness: give hope, save lives”, organised by Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS). Dr. Farheen Raza from the radiology department of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences said screening and the need for community-based health education, including group discussions, must be organised in order to overcome taboos attached to the disease. She also suggested the establishment of a one-stop breast cancer clinic aimed at addressing the financial, cultural, mental and physical needs of women, under one roof.
Saudi Arabia: Court’s Appointment of Female Citizen as Arbitrator is First of its kind in Kingdom
Gulf News - Cairo, Egypt, 11/28/2020
A commercial court in Saudi Arabia has ordered the appointment of a female citizen to arbiter two cases for the first time. The decision was made by the commercial appeals circuit at the Commercial Court in the Saudi port city of Jeddah as part of efforts to empower Saudi women in the area of trade arbitration. The Saudi Justice Ministry has recently accorded more attention to employing and serving women in its departments and law courts. In recent years, Saudi Arabia has taken steps to empower women in different domains as part of dramatic socio-economic reforms in the country. In 2018, the kingdom allowed women to drive for the first time in its history, ending a decades-old ban on female driving.
Vietnam Returns Eight Cambodian Women Tricked into Illegal China Work
The Star Online - Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 11/27/2020
Eight Cambodian women who were tricked into working illegally in China have been sent back to Cambodia from Vietnam after the intervention of the Cambodian embassy and Vietnamese authorities. According to the embassy, the women from Kandal, Kampong Cham, Banteay Meanchey and Phnom Penh were being transported to China via Vietnam. Four of the women are juveniles. Secretary of State of Ministry of Interior and permanent vice-chair of the National Committee for Counter Trafficking of Cambodia (NCCT) Chou Bun Eng told The Post the women were deceived into going to China. She said the women believed in promises of fake marriage certificates and work with high salaries.
Transgender Persons Get Portal for Gender Certificate
The Indian Express, India, 11/26/2020
The Indian Government has launched a portal for transgender persons to help them apply for gender identity certificates online. During the e-launch, Union Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, Thawar Chand Ghelot said that the portal will allow transgender persons to upload an affidavit declaring their gender, which will become the basis of their identity certificates. The portal will also allow them to report any grievances. He added that the government hopes that people will come forward and get their certificates according to their self-perceived identity, an important aspect of The Transgender Protection (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
Venezuelan Migrant Women’s Rights at Risk Due to Informal Jobs - Report
Reuters - Bogota, Colombia, 11/25/2020
According to a report, the majority of migrant women living in Colombia work informally in unstable jobs which is a major risk to their fundamental rights such as access to healthcare, education, and housing. As per the findings of the report by Canadian charity Cuso International and the Universidad Externado de Colombia, more than 90% of migrant women were earning lower than the minimum monthly wage of about 240 dollars. Alejandro Matos, director of Cuso International, said that structural violence among migrant women is prevalent in Colombia and can be seen in the working environments. The report also revealed that in some cases, women migrants face xenophobia and stigmatisation related to sex work.
Haryana, MP, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, UP Account for 66.92% Rape Cases in 2019 — Report
The Print - New Delhi, India, 11/24/2020
According to a report titled ‘Gender Violence in India 2020’ by Prajnya Trust, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have reported the majority of crimes committed against women in 2019. The report, released on November 24, 2020, presented National Crimes Bureau data and other relevant statistics on gender crimes by state agencies and Non-Governmental Organisations. As per the report, the sex ratio over the years has gone down. The report compared the data from 1955 to 2019. It revealed that incidents of rape, first recorded in 1975, have grown 10 times from 3,376 to 32,033 in 2019. The five states – Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh together account for 66.92% of the total cases of rape reported in 2019.
Treat Plea Seeking Menstrual Leave as Representation: Delhi High Court to Centre
NDTV - New Delhi, India, 11/23/2020
The Delhi High Court on November 23, 2020 directed the Central government to treat a plea seeking directions to give paid leave to women employees in all professions including daily wage, contractual and outsourced workers during their menstruation as representation. The Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed by the Delhi Labour Union, also sought directions from the respondents to ensure separate and clean toilet facilities, periodic rests and free sanitary products for women employees. Rajiv Aggarwal, an advocate who represented the petitioner, said that female employees form a significant part of the workforce in the offices of the Central and State governments.
Acid Attack Victims Not Paid Compensation in 62% of the Cases: NCW
Deccan Herald, India, 11/22/2020
The National Commission of Women (NCW) recently stated that in 799 out of 1,273 cases, acid-attack survivors have not been paid compensation. NCW demanded urgent action on the matter in an online meeting with nodal officers and representatives of 24 states and Union Territories. NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma expressed her concern over the non-payment of compensation to victims/survivors. She added that the number of cases updated till date on NCW’s MIS system was not adequate as the number of cases reported across the country did not match with the commission’s data. Rekha Sharma further said that she has taken up the matter with the chief secretary of states where the data was not being maintained.
Tamil Nadu: Sex Workers May Get Benefits, Say Decriminalisation is the Goal
Times of India - Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 11/21/2020
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the states to provide temporary documents to support sex workers get health and welfare benefits. The Supreme Court had earlier directed all the states to provide dry rations to all sex workers identified by National AIDS Control Organization and legal service authorities. Rani, a 33-year old woman from Pune said that they can now expect basic healthcare and rations. She said, “Since the advisory and order, people are starting to accept that I am like everybody else.” K. Santhakumari, president of Tamil Nadu Federation of Women Lawyers, said that while this is a positive step, the ultimate goal is decriminalisation of sex work.
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