No Plans to Legalise Prostitution: Govt.
The Hindu, India, 2/26/2015
The Government on February 26, 2015, said it does not plan to legalise prostitution. Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi informed the Rajya Sabha that the government has not proposed to legalise sex work, but is implementing a number of programmes and schemes for the welfare and economic empowerment of women.
Gender Bias: Survey Shows Mirror to Haryana
The Times of India - Chandigarh, India, 2/23/2015
A survey conducted by a human rights organisation called Breakthrough which involved 10,000 girls and boys from school and colleges of Haryana within the age group of 12-25 years, found that as many as 66% of the teens and youths mentioned they don't see women outside after dark. The survey, which touched different aspects related to gender bias, was conducted as part of the organisation's 'Mission 1,000' which aims at achieving gender balance in the society. The survey also indicated sizes of families were bigger that had more girls while couples stopped having children after having sons.
Looking For A Revival: 'Bring Back The Lady Health Workers'
The Express Tribune - Karachi, Pakistan, 2/22/2015
The speakers at a seminar titled ‘Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Pakistan: Priorities for Action’, held at the Aga Khan University auditorium on February 21, 2015 urged the Government to bring back the system of lady health workers to the province. Citing reasons for the high maternal mortality in Sindh, University of British Columbia professor Dr Peter Von Dadselszen said that the lack of autonomous decision-making by women and delays in responsive treatment make deliveries complicated.
Bikaner: Gram Panchayats Pledge Not To Have Child Marriages
Times of India - Jaipur, India, 2/22/2015
The villagers of Benisar and Surjansar Gram Panchayats of Bikaner district are taking an important initiative to stop child marriages. The people of the Gram Panchayats took a pledge on Thursday, February 19, 2015, in the presence of UNICEF and Zila Parishad officials, to not allow child marriages in their areas.
Thailand Bans Commercial Surrogacy After Series Of Scandals
The South China Morning Post - Bangkok, Thailand, 2/20/2015
Thailand’s legislature has passed a law that bans foreigners from using Thai surrogate mothers and bans all commercial surrogacy after a string of scandals last year, one of which involved an Australian couple whose surrogate had twins, but the Australians abandoned one of them, called Gammy, who had Down’s syndrome. It later emerged that the father was a convicted paedophile. Critics say making commercial surrogacy illegal could push the industry underground, making it harder for patients to access quality physicians and medical care.
Banning Migrant Domestic Work Is Short Sighted, Says Activist
The Jakarta Post - Jakarta, Indonesia, 2/19/2015
Human Rights Watch Associate Women’s Rights Director, Nisha Varia, said in a statement on Thursday that President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo’s instinct to address the abuse of Indonesian workers abroad by banning migration may be well intentioned, but is also harmful and counterproductive. She also said that many women, desperate for jobs, migrate anyway, but under more dangerous conditions, putting them at heightened risk of trafficking and other forms of abuse.
Poor Access To Maternal Healthcare For Assam Adivasi Women: Report
The Hindu - Guwahati, India, 2/19/2015
A report titled “No Time to Lose: Fighting Maternal and Infant Mortality through Community Reporting” on the access to healthcare of Adivasi women working in tea gardens in northern Assam’s Sonitpur district, has revealed that these women face many obstacles like corruption, lack of services and poor quality of treatment denying them suitable access to maternal healthcare. It states that most common violation of health rights of these women was undue payment or informal fees for medical services that should be provided free of cost.
Section 377 Damaging Psychological Well-Being Of Homosexuals: Law Commission Chairman Justice Shah
Daily News & Analysis - New Delhi, India, 2/16/2015
The existing laws [...] are damaging the psychological well-being of homosexuals in the country and Section 377 is discriminatory in its application, unreasonable in its intent, deprives a group of its personal autonomy and violates individual privacy and human dignity, Law Commission Chairman Justice A P Shah said on February 16, 2015. He was speaking at the book launch of 'Sexual orientation and Gender Identity' authored by Justice Michael Kirby, former judge of the High Court of Australia at an event was organised by Society of India Law Firms (SILF) at Hyatt Regency.
Safer Sex: The Motto
The Hindu - Delhi, India, 2/14/2015
Observing International Condom Day on February 13, 2015, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), a global AIDS organisation which provides medical care to the people living with AIDS, came forward to sensitise people regarding safer sex behaviour. Concerned about the condom supply shortage in states, including Haryana, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh, which have relatively high HIV prevalence rates, AHF members along with representatives from India met senior Union Health officials to raise the matter and provide immediate measures.
How China Became the Abortion Capital of the World
Beijing Today, China, 2/13/2015
An investigation by China’s CCTV’s program News 1+1 found that more than 50 percent of abortion patients are younger than 25 years old with the youngest being only 13. Data from more than 300 hospitals in 30 cities of China, shows that 31 percent are younger than 24 and 3.1 percent are younger than 19. Nine in ten Chinese women with premarital sexual experience have had an abortion, according to the Institute of Population Research at Peking University, which has worried doctors. This could be due to the prevailing social attitudes, as statistics from the China Population Communication Center have revealed that three in four children have never spoken with their parents about sex and that half of them are get their information on sexuality online through pornography or adult forums, where sex is often not addressed in the context of responsibility or consequences.
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