NIA to Investigate Human Trafficking Cases Soon
The Tribune - New Delhi, India, 2/28/2018
With Union Cabinet giving its nod on February 28 to a draft Trafficking of Persons (Prevention, Protection and Rehabilitation) Bill, the National Investigation Agency will soon become the nodal authority for investigating cases of human trafficking. The federal anti-terrorism investigation agency will receive financial aid under Nirbhaya Fund for safety of women in order to set up a cell for investigating human trafficking. Aggravated offences will include forced labour, bonded labour, forced surrogacy, use of narcotics to induce forced labour, trafficking in the garb of marriage and those that lead to a pregnancy or infections such as HIV and AIDS.
Health Minister JP Nadda Rolls Out Free Viral Load Tests for HIV
The Indian Express - New Delhi, India, 2/27/2018
Health Minister JP Nadda on February 26 launched free Viral Load Tests, which measure the quantity of virus in the body. The move is likely to benefit 12 lakh people living with HIV and AIDS in the country. Calling it a ‘historic day,’ Nadda said the viral load test is a ‘big step’ towards the treatment and monitoring of people living with HIV. ‘This test is of immense importance to monitor the effectiveness of treatment of patients taking lifelong anti-retroviral therapy,’ he said. He added that ending the stigma towards people living with HIV was essential to enable them to access health services.
Education Department Enforces Policy to Tackle HIV/AIDS in Schools
IOL - Johannesburg, South Africa, 2/26/2018
The Department of Basic Education has implemented a policy to help fight challenges brought by sexually transmitted diseases in schools including HIV and AIDS. The department said Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) and the provision of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services are some of the key levers in the policy which are also recognised globally as key strategies to prevent new HIV infection amongst the youth. ‘We further urge parents and the community to partake in parental and community dialogues in their respective locations and to continue engaging in crucial conversations with their children on sexual and reproductive health,’ said Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga.
Second Chance for Teens - Diversion Programme Keeping Children Who Experiment With Sex Out of Custody
The Gleaner, Jamaica, 2/25/2018
More than 200 children who have committed sexual offences in 2016 and 2017 have been spared criminal charges as a result of a diversion pilot programme that was introduced by the Ministry of Justice. According to police records, 104 adolescents under the age of 16 were diverted in 2016 and another 109 were referred to the programme in 2017. They were all found to have had sexual contact with a person under 16, which is a criminal offence. They must first agree to complete a three-month counselling programme at the Women Centre of Jamaica Foundation and receive the approval of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Pakistan Acquits 12 Men Accused of Child Sex Abuse
The Times of India - Lahore, Pakistan, 2/24/2018
A Pakistani court acquitted 12 men of child sexual abuse and blackmail charges on February 24, the latest verdict in a massive paedophilia scandal that rocked the country in August 2015. The abuse and extortion scandal, which authorities have called the largest in Pakistan's history, allegedly involved hundreds of victims in Punjab province. Two of the accused were jailed for life in April 2017. Judge Chaudhry Ilyas acquitted the men of ‘sexual abuse of a young boy and making a video to blackmail his family,’ a court official told AFP. Prosecutors produced 16 witnesses against the accused men, but could not prove the charges, the official said.
Can Court Nix Marriage Between Adults, Asks SC
The Times of India - New Delhi, India, 2/23/2018
Questioning the legality of a Kerala High Court decision annulling the marriage of Hadiya nee Akhila to Shafin Jahan on a petition by her father, the Supreme Court asked whether a court had the power to scrap a marriage between consenting adults on the ground it was not in their best interest. After interacting with Hadiya, the SC had released her from parental custody and granted her freedom to pursue her studies and lead a life of her choice. But her father, through senior advocate Shaym Divan, defended the HC decision to annul the marriage and said the court had taken a judicious decision after getting to know the ground reality.
Rights Group Challenges Kenya's Anti-Gay Laws in Court
Daily Herald - Nairobi, Kenya, 2/22/2018
Kenya's High Court on February 22 began hearing arguments in a case that challenges parts of the penal code seen as targeting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. The National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission argues that sections of the code are in breach of the constitution and deny basic rights by criminalising consensual same-sex relations between adults. They are also used to justify violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the East African nation, the commission's Executive Director, Eric Gitari, said in a statement. It was not immediately clear when a ruling is expected.
Rights Panel Seeks Report on Sexual Abuse of Students
The Tribune - Faridkot, India, 2/20/2018
Taking suo motu cognisance of The Tribune report ‘Sexual abuse: DIET students accuse Education Dept of inaction’ published on February 15, the Punjab State Human Rights Commission told the Secretary, School Education, to submit a report about the case by April 10. An inquiry had found six male teachers of the District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Muktsar, prima facie guilty of exploiting girl students. The second-year students of DIET were terrorised and could not muster courage to name any erring teacher. The inquiry officer had recommended shifting of these teachers, but the Education Department failed to do the needful, the students had alleged, while threatening to end their lives.
New Indonesia Internet System Blocks More Than 70,000 ‘Negative’ Sites
The Indian Express - Jakarta, Indonesia, 2/19/2018
Indonesia has blocked more than 70,000 websites displaying ‘negative’ content such as pornography or extremist ideology in the first month of using a new system to help purge the internet of harmful material, the communications minister told Reuters. The world’s most populous Muslim-majority country has stepped up efforts to control online content after a rise in hoax stories and hate speech, and amid controversial anti-pornography laws pushed by Islamic parties. The so-called ‘crawling system’ was launched in January, using 44 servers to search internet content and issue alerts when inappropriate material is found. ‘We just put some sort of key words there, most of them are pornographic,’ said Minister of Communication and Information Rudiantara.
Centre to Reintroduce Transgender Bill with Suggested Changes
Hindustan Times - New Delhi, India, 2/19/2018
The government is set to reintroduce the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 in the budget session of Parliament, which resumes on March 5, after incorporating some of the suggestions made by a parliamentary committee, including dropping the phrase ‘neither wholly male or female’ from the definition of transgender, officials familiar with the matter said on February 18. The Centre is also considering doing away with the need for medical screening committees at the district level, as demanded by transgender persons since the bill was first tabled in August 2016. Karthik Bittu, an associate professor of biology and psychology at Ashoka University who organised committee depositions from fellow transgender people, said the changes were essential.
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