Women, Children Take to the Streets Against CPEC in Gwadar
ANI - Islamabad, Pakistan, 11/30/2021
To protest against China’s multi-billion belt and road project that have had adverse effects for fishermen, hundreds of women took to the streets in Pakistan’s Gwadar district. After a ban imposed on border trade left fishermen deprived of earning their livelihood. The march began from Al Johar Public School and concluded at Marine Drive. Women could be seen in large numbers demanding an end to illegal fishing by trawlers and lifting trade restrictions with Iran. The leader of the movement reiterated that every citizen of Gwadar had mobilised for their basic rights. Pictures and videos of women holding placards and chanting slogans like “Gwadar ko haq do” (Give rights to Gwadar) went viral on social media platforms. The demonstrations saw participation from female students, political workers and working women who came from areas including Turbat, Ormara, Jewani and Pasni.
557 Women Army Officers Granted Permanent Commission
The Times of India - New Delhi, India, 11/29/2021
In accordance with the Supreme Court directive from February 2020 to end gender bias in the force, the army has granted permanent commission to 557 women officers. For too long the military brass had been opposed to permanent commission for women citing “operational, practical and cultural problems”. Earlier women could only serve for a maximum of 14 years as short service commission officers, however the defence ministry issued the formal order to grant permanent commission to women in July 2020. Women are still not allowed to join main combat arms like infantry, mechanised infantry, artillery and armoured corps in the Army but eight other branches of the Army in addition to the existing ones of the legal and educational wings have been opened up.
Ritu First Transgender UP Chairperson in Bangladesh
The Daily Star, Bangladesh, 11/28/2021
At the Trilochanpur union of Kaliganj in Jhenaidah, Nazrat Islam Ritu, a member of the transgender community was elected as the chairperson during the third phase of the Union Parishad (UP) elections. Ritu was running as an independent candidate and bagged 9,569 votes while her rival, Awami League-backed candidate Nazrul Islam Sana, got 4,517 votes. As per Ritu, she has very strong bonds with the people of Trilochanpur. She had previously commissioned two mosques in her ancestral village of Daudapur. Recently the transgender community can be seen in the political arena. Pinki Khatun, another person who identifies as transgender had previously been elected vice chairman of Kotchandpur upazila in Jenaidah.
Nine Awarded for Their Endeavours to End Violence Against Women
The Dawn - Islamabad, Pakistan, 11/27/2021
To celebrate the beginning of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence campaign an event titled ‘2020 in Retrospective - Celebrating Pledges Made to End Violence Against Women’ was held at the residence of the Swedish ambassador to Pakistan. The event was organised by UN Women Pakistan in collaboration with the Swedish embassy celebrated champions who have made active efforts towards ending violence against women and girls in the past year. Nine awards were presented to individuals from the federal capital, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh to appreciate the commitments and actions taken on pledges. The event culminated in a song performance by singer-songwriter Natasha Humera Ejaz. A recitation of the famous poem written by Maya Angelou was also performed by UN Women Global Ambassador Muniba Mazari.
Women Across Mexico March Against Violence as Femicides Remain Unchecked
Mexico News Daily - Mexico, 11/26/2021
To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, thousands of women took to the nation’s streets in order to protest against gender violence. Similar marches could be seen in many parts across the country including cities like Mexico City, Acapulco, Oaxaca, Chihuahua, Culiacán, Mérida, Cancún, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Morelia and Tuxtla Gutiérrez. Families of those who died by femicide were also present at the march which took place from the Angel of Independence monument to the main square. Women could be seen holding placards and wearing t-shirts with slogans supporting the cause to spread their message. Many protestors voiced out their concern about the inaction of the government and judiciary against acts of violence against women.
National Family and Health Survey: More Women than Men in India for the 1st Time
Hindustan Times, India, 11/25/2021
India now has 1,020 women for every 1000 men, is not getting any younger, and no longer faces the threat of a population explosion. All three radical findings are part of the summary findings of the fifth round of the National Family and Health Survey (NFHS), which were released by the Union health ministry. According to NFHS-3, conducted in 2005-06, the ratio was equal, 1000: 1000; it went down to 991:1000 in 2015-16 in NFHS-4. This is the first time, in any NFHS or Census, that the sex ratio is skewed in favour of women. The average life expectancy at birth for men and women was 66.4 years and 69.6 years respectively in 2010-14, according to data from the Census of India website.
48% of Companies Aim to Bring Women Back to the Workforce: Report
Mint - Mumbai, India, 11/23/2021
About half of Indian companies are actively hiring women returnees, according to a survey of 300 companies conducted by JobsForHer. Nearly 50% of Indian women drop out of the corporate employment pipeline between junior and mid-levels. In 2019-2020, 48% of Indian companies formed special initiatives (returnee programs for women in India) to bring women back into the workforce. A returnee program is an internship for professionals returning to the workforce after a period of unemployment. The number of women employed in the IT industry in India has seen an upward trend in the last decade, with more than 30% of the entry-level being women, but participation of women in tech starts declining as we move up in the career ladder.
Afghanistan: Taliban Issue Guidelines against Women Actors
The Indian Express, Afghanistan, 11/22/2021
Taliban authorities issued a series of “religious guidelines” on Sunday which, among other things, called on Afghanistan’s television networks to not broadcast soap operas or dramas featuring women actors. The directive came from the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice and was the first of its kind issued to the country’s media networks. The guidelines also set out that women journalists appearing on television should wear hijabs. The depiction of male bodies, including unclothed torsos, was also deemed inappropriate by the ministry. “These are not rules but a religious guideline,” ministry spokesman Hakif Mohajir said.
2-day National Conference for Women Lawyers
The Times of India - Nashik, Maharashtra, 11/21/2021
A two-day national conference is being organised in Nashik by the All-India Federation of Women Lawyers. The conference will take place on November 27 and 28, 2021 to discuss various issues related to empowerment of women and gender equality. The theme of the conference is “Stronger the Nation, Stronger the Women”. The conference will have women legislators from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Goa. and aims to discuss matters including sexual abuse, offences against women, domestic violence and sexual exploitation of children. There will also be an awareness workshop on cyber security and safety. Former judge of Supreme Court Justice Hemant Gokhale, Chief Justice of Bombay high court Dimpankar Datta, Justice MS Karnik, Bharti Dangre, Sitharam Murthy, Shalini Joshi-Phansalka , district judge of Nashik MV Bhatia will be present as chief guests.
Noida Metro Makes Provision of Toilet Facility for Transgender People
Times of India - Noida, Uttar Pradesh, 11/20/2021
To mark the Transgender Day of Remembrance, toilets will be opened by the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) at the Aqualine stations for transgender people. A ‘toilet for all’ will be provided with no restrictions on gender, identity ability etc. NMRC already has 21 such toilets across its stations with utilities such as multi-purpose foldable table-tops in it. These toilets are an attempt to provide a safe space for transgender people so that gender-based discrimination against them may be prevented. However, any transgender person who wishes to use a gender-based toilet as per self-identified gender can continue to do so.
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