India Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi's Accuser Quits Sexual Harassment Inquiry
BBC News - New Delhi, India, 4/30/2019
A woman and former employee of the Supreme Court who had accused India's chief justice of sexual harassment has withdrawn from a court inquiry set up to investigate her allegations. In a statement, she questioned its fairness and said she felt ‘compelled to walk out’ over safety concerns. ‘I had hoped that the approach of the committee towards me would be sensitive and not one that would cause me further fear, anxiety and trauma,’ she said in her statement. She also claimed that she was not allowed to bring a lawyer to the committee hearings. Her initial allegations had been filed in the form of a sworn affidavit on April 19, 2019, in response to which a committee had been created to investigate her claims.
WB: Bangladesh Can Further Prosper with More, Better Jobs for Women
Dhaka Tribune, Bangladesh, 4/29/2019
Bangladesh can further prosper by ensuring new and better jobs for women, according to a World Bank report released on April 28, 2019. According to the report, titled ‘Voices to Choices: Bangladesh's Journey in Women's Economic Empowerment,’ Bangladesh is among the few countries in South Asia that has increased female employment in the last decade; while also cutting the wage gap between men and women significantly. Bangladesh should keep this momentum going to create more gender equality, the report added. While acknowledging Bangladesh's achievements, the report also notes that women still have limited choices, control, and decision-making power – over their employment, finances, and economic assets – even though the female labour force participation rate increased to 36% from 26% between 2003-2016.
Japan Police Develop App that Screams and Flashes SOS Message to Scare Off Molesters
Straits Times - Tokyo, Japan, 4/28/2019
The Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo has developed a smartphone app to help tackle potential street harassers and molesters, and activate a security alarm. Dubbed the Digi Police, the app has been downloaded more than 220,000 times so far. A voice would shout "Stop!" loudly when a Digi Police user activates the app's functions, and a message that reads "There's a molester. Please help", would also be displayed on the screen, for those who may be too scared to call out for help but could show the message to the people around them. The app also has a link to a ‘Safety of children and women’ site that maps out the nearby safe spaces (using the user's current location) where they can find shelter when being stalked.
Thousands Join Women’s March in Jakarta for Justice, Gender Equality
Jakarta Post - Jakarta, Indonesia, 4/27/2019
Thousands of people marched in Jakarta on April 25, 2019, for the 2019 Women’s March to support women's rights, and to commemorate the birthday of ‘Kartini’, a national heroine and women empowerment icon. People of different genders, occupations and religions gathered to show their support for better protection and empowerment of women amid rampant violence perpetrated against them. ‘This is an everyday struggle for all of us, to fight for justice and gender equality. Many problems that we are facing are because the political elite is trying stop us from seeking justice and equality. Don’t let them silence us,’ the march’s field coordinator, Ririn Sefsani, told the crowd. This year is the third celebration of the annual march.
K-Pop Sex Scandal: Burning Sun Nightclub Linked to Underage Trafficking, Violent Abuse by VIP Clients, Further Exposing Mistreatment of South Korean Women
South China Morning Post - Seoul, South Korea, 4/25/2019
South Korean investigative news programme Straight reported allegations of underage sex trafficking and violent sexual abuse of women taking place at Burning Sun, a club in Seoul that was co-owned by Seungri, a former member of k-pop band BigBang. Burning Sun allegedly provided secret services for its top VIP clientele – reportedly comprising men from powerful Korean families – to carry out this abuse without any repercussions, Straight reported. This is yet another addition to reports of an expanding sex abuse scandal that has rocked South Korea, with many social media users expressing anger over the allegations of corruption and the cultural mistreatment of women.
Report Highlights Online Abuse Experienced by Women Activists in Pakistan
Dawn - Karachi, Pakistan, 4/25/2019
Fifty-five per cent of Pakistani women journalists, social media activists and human rights defenders in digital spaces surveyed have been subjected to online abuse or harassment. Ninety-one per cent felt the abuse was gendered and personal in nature. These are the key findings of the report Fostering Open Spaces in Pakistan – Combating Threats to Women’s Activism Online, released on April 23, 2019, by the Digital Rights Foundation (DRF), an organisation working on online violence against women and online free speech. Besides highlighting the challenges female activists face online, the report also put forth recommendations to combat them, such as accountability mechanisms for treatment of harassment cases. It also called for more representation of women and the transgender community in the discourse surrounding digital safety of vulnerable groups.
Police to Allow Transgender Recruits in Pakistan Province
The Times of India - Karachi, Pakistan, 4/24/2019
Transgender people in Pakistan’s Sindh province will be able to serve as regular duty police officers, the police chief said, adding it was time to offer more opportunities to a minority group that was so far only relegated to menial jobs in government. After years of brutal persecution, transgender Pakistanis gained recognition in 2009 when the Supreme Court granted them special status with rights equal to other citizens. While discrimination still persists, the move to allow transgender police recruits would be a significant step for the community, activists say. Shahzadi Rai, a 29-year-old transgender activist who hopes to join the force said, ‘police behaviour and their complaint mechanism is not trans-friendly. I will try to make the police trans-friendly and educate colleagues when I join.’
In Landmark Move, Madras High Court Says the Term 'Bride' Also Includes Transwomen
News18 - New Delhi, India, 4/23/2019
The Madras High Court has ruled that the term, ‘bride’, as stated in the Hindu Marriage Act would not just be restricted to individuals who were born as women. It would also extend to transsexuals or anyone who identifies as a woman. This is a path-breaking judgement because, for the first time, the law goes beyond the spectrum of heteronormative labels. The judgement comes after a couple, Arun and Sreeja moved the Court. Sreeja, a transwoman, had been denied ‘female’ status when she wanted to issue a marriage certificate from an official registrar. The court upheld her right, and directed that a certificate be issued to the couple.
Self-Test Kits for HIV Now Available at Pharmacies
The Nation, Thailand, 4/21/2019
A latest move by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Thailand has made provisions to make self-testing HIV kits available at all pharmacies. In case a person wants to avoid going to a medical institution to get tested for HIV, they can use this self-testing kit to do so. “But, of course, if the kit shows a reactive result, they are highly recommended to seek a blood test at a medical service unit for help,” the FDA secretary-general said in a statement, clarifying that the testing kit isn’t a substitute for seeking help from a medical professional. As of 2017, it was estimated that there were about 440,000 people living with HIV in Thailand. Of them, about 98 per cent were aware of their HIV-positive status.
India Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi Accused of Sexual Harassment
BBC News - New Delhi, India, 4/20/2019
India's Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi has been accused of sexual harassment by a former Supreme Court employee. The 35-year-old woman has filed a sworn affidavit alleging two instances of sexual misconduct that took place in October 2018, shortly after Mr Gogoi was appointed. The complainant also claimed that her family was victimised after she refused the advances, and that she was also later wrongfully terminated from her position because of her refusal of the Chief Justice’s advances. In an official statement Gogoi ‘totally denied’ the ‘false and scurrilous’ accusations. A committee of Supreme Court judges has since been appointed to look into the allegations against Gogoi.
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