Condoms to be Given Out at Gay Nightspots
Bangkok Post - Bangkok, Thailand, 3/31/2011
Health authorities will set up ‘Condom Points’ to dispense free condoms at entertainment venues frequented by gay men in a bid to reduce risky sexual behaviour and the transmission of HIV and AIDS. Under the pilot project, purple plastic boxes filled with 300 condoms of different sizes and lubricant gel packs will be installed at entertainment spots targeting men who have sex with men (MSM) such as discos, karaoke bars, fitness centers, saunas and beauty salons. The project is part of a national Aids prevention plan among this particular group.
Reproductive Health Services Improve
Viet Nam News - Ha Noi, VietNam, 3/30/2011
Thirteen years ago, Quang Ninh province`s Reproductive Health Care Centre provided abortion to at least 40 women a day. In those days, it could only afford to buy five manual vacuum kits to do the job. ‘This meant that between five and seven women had to share the same kit in the one day,’ said centre director Phung Thi Kim Dung. ‘A high risk of infection was unavoidable. Things are totally different now as each manual vacuum kit is used only once,’ said Dung. In 1998, the second phase of Reproductive Health Projects (RHPs), a partnership between the Ministry of Health, provincial health institutions and three non-governmental organisations – Pathfinder International, Engender Health and IPAS – set out to improve the quality and range of services in reproductive health-care centres in 17 provinces throughout the country .
Malaysia`s First Gay Film is a Controversial Hit
Guardian, UK, 3/30/2011
The first homegrown movie with gay themes to be shown in Malaysia has proved an unexpected box office success in the conservative Muslim country. Prior to filming, writer and producer Raja Azmi Raja Sulaiman had to submit details to the country`s strict censorship board, which nevertheless gave its approval following a couple of amendments. Malaysian films are not allowed to show support for gay lifestyles: the country still maintains a law against sodomy, which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, though prosecutions are rare. However Sulaiman told the Associated Press she believed the box office results ‘prove that Malaysian audiences can handle such movies, that they`re more open and not so conservative anymore.’ She added: ‘I hope it`ll inspire more films that are meaningful and linked to the reality of people`s lives.’
Taking On the Big Bad Wolf
The Telegraph - Calcutta, India, 3/30/2011
When it comes to sexual violence, children are among the most vulnerable members of the community. India is no exception. A survey conducted by the ministry of women and child development - Study on Child Abuse: India 2007 - reveals that 53 per cent of Indian children are subjected to sexual abuse at some time or another. To address this problem and curb the growing incidence of sexual abuse of children, the ministry of women and child development has mooted the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill, 2011. The bill got the nod from the Cabinet earlier this month and once it is passed in Parliament, it could become an effective tool for bringing child abusers to book.
`RapeLay` Video Game Goes Viral Amid Outrage
CNN, Japan, 3/30/2011
The game begins with a teenage girl on a subway platform. She notices you are looking at her and asks, ‘Can I help you with something?’ That is when you, the player, can choose your method of assault. With the click of your mouse, you can grope her and lift her skirt. Then you can follow her aboard the train, assaulting her sister and her mother. It is little wonder that the game, titled RapeLay, sparked international outrage from women`s groups. Taina Bien-Aime helped yank the game off store shelves worldwide. ‘This was a game that had absolutely no place on the market,’ said Taina Bien-Aime of women`s rights organization Equality Now which has campaigned for the game to be taken off the shelves.
Pregnant Teen HIV and AIDS Rate Up
Bangkok Post - Bangkok, Thailand, 3/30/2011
The head of HIV and AIDS surveillance of the Bureau of Epidemiology Chawetsan Namwat said HIV and AIDS cases are now increasing among pregnant teenagers. About 16 % of the 10,097 new HIV and AIDS patients this year were pregnant teenagers under 20 years of age, Dr Chawetsan said. Dr Chawetsan was presenting the findings of his current report on growing HIV and AIDS cases among pregnant teens at the 13th National HIV and AIDS Conference. Other HIV and AIDS activists expressed concern over teenagers who have had high-risk sexual behaviour who could contract HIV and AIDS because they did not use condoms during sex. The activists blamed an absence of condom use promotion, saying health authorities have not done enough to promote the use of condoms among teenagers.
Government Can Play ‘Critical Role’ In Protecting Women
The Jakarta Post - Jakarta, Indonesia, 3/29/2011
Parliamentarians play a critical role in curbing violence against women, a UN official says. Kiran Bhatia, a regional adviser on gender at the United Nations Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Asia and the Pacific regional office, said Saturday that parliamentarians could introduce new policies and support initiatives to protect women, as well as amend outdated laws that were discriminatory to women. Bhatia said research carried out by the agency was concerned with how to best provide reproductive health services for women, as most women still lacked access to those services.
RI in First Ever Case in Human Smuggling
Daily Mirror - Colombo, Sri Lanka, 3/29/2011
Delivering a judgment in the first ever human trafficking case in which women were brought to Sri Lanka to be used as sex workers, Colombo High Court yesterday sentenced three persons including an Uzbek national to nine years rigorous imprisonment. The Court convicted Uzbekistan woman T. Tokey Banu, her Sri Lankan husband A. H. Maheer and a three-wheeler driver M. B. Husain who were indicted for trafficking two Uzbek women to Sri Lanka and forcing them to engage as sex workers. Trafficking women and forcing them to engage as sex workers in this manner was an international menace and the judgment in this case would be have an international impact.
85 Nations Sign UN Statement Defending LGBT People
Bay Windows - Geneva, Switzerland, 3/29/2011
In what LGBT advocates described as ‘a stunning development for the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,’ 85 nations signed a pro-gay statement that was read out by Colombia’s representative at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 22. The statement ‘express[es] concern at continued evidence in every region of acts of violence and related human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity’ and ‘call[s] on states to take steps to end acts of violence, criminal sanctions and related human rights violations committed against individuals because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.’
If Only the Internet Knew No Gender
The Times of India - Mumbai, India, 3/28/2011
It is said that the internet knows no gender. While that does not ring true for women when it comes to cyber bullying and stalking, it does have a perverse element of truth about it. ‘Men, too, are approaching the police with complaints about fake profiles or real ones on social networking web sites being hacked into. Recently, we received three such complaints,’ said an officer from the cyber crime investigation cell of the police. One of the complainants, a father of two who fell out with his business partner, found his sexual preference on his profile changed to `gay`. Soon he started receiving calls from homosexual men in hot pursuit of him.
News Archives
2022
248