Sensitization on Child Sex Ratio in MBBS Curriculum
The Hindu, New Delhi, 7/31/2013
Drawing attention to the sharp decline in child sex ratio in the country in the past three decades, the Medical Council of India (MCI) has decided to include a chapter on issues relating to child sex ratio in its course on ethics for MBBS students. Child sex ratio is the number of girls against 1,000 boys in the age group of 0-6 years. Unscrupulous medical practitioners and technicians have also been instrumental in promoting sex determination and female foeticide. The proposed course will aim at inculcating values among the students and changing their mindsets.
Activists: Legalising Gay Marriages in Asia Won’t Solve Malaysia’s LGBT Issues
The Star Online, Malaysia, 7/30/2013
LGBT Activists in Malaysia have said that while the initiatives of Thailand and Vietnam in attempting to legalise same sex marriages should be appreciated, Malaysia is a long way from adopting the same attitude of acceptance, as exhibited by its neighbouring countries. The strict laws in place in Malaysia are evidence of this discriminatory attitude. Section 377A of Malaysia`s Penal Code prohibits carnal intercourse against the order of nature, which includes oral and anal sex. According to Section 377B of the same, offenders can be punished with up to twenty years in prison and are also liable to whipping.
Gay Community Talks Gender Concerns Over Books, Tea
The Times of India - Chennai, India, 7/29/2013
In Chennai, a new club by the name of Orinam`s Quilt, a reference to Ismat Chugtai`s 1941 short story `Lihaaf` (The Quilt), has begun an initiative on the last Saturday of every month where a group of around 12 to 15 members and supporters of the queer community in Chennai gather in a coffee shop in with a stack of published queer literature and sheaves of their own writing while addressing diverse concerns of gender minorities.
Act Against Child Rights Violations: SC Judge
The New Indian Express - Bangalore, India, 7/29/2013
Supreme Court Judge Justice V Gopala Gowda expressed disappointment at the lack of will and delay in the implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO Act) in Karnataka. He advocated that along with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the KSCPCR, Special Juvenile Police Units, District Child Protection Officers, local police and head of educational institutions must come together and see to it that the POCSO Act comes as an aid to protect little children.
Child Domestic Workers Most Abused
The Daily Star - Dhaka, Bangladesh, 7/29/2013
Speakers at a seminar organized by ‘Save the Children’ identified domestic workers as one of the most vulnerable groups among the working children. ‘Child domestic workers are not only abused and killed, but a vast majority are not allowed access to education, adequate rest and recreation and handle hazardous jobs involving fire and sharp objects,’ said Supreme Court judge Justice M Imman Al.
Act Against Child Rights Violations: SC Judge
The New Indian Express - Karnataka, India, 7/28/2013
Speaking at the workshop conducted by the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) and Karnataka State Legal Services Authority (KSLSA), Supreme Court judge Justice V Gopala Gowda expressed disappointment at the lack of will and delay in the implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO Act) in Karnataka.
Pakistani Cartoon Series to Depict a Burqa-Covered Woman Protecting Girls` Rights
The BBC, Pakistan, 7/26/2013
Beginning early August a new Pakistani animation series, Burqa Avenger, will portray its female superhero fighting thugs bent on shutting down a girls` school. The country`s answer to Wonder Woman and Supergirl uses books and pens against bad guys trying to shut the girls` school where she works. The animated series is the brain child of Pakistani pop singer Aaron Haroon Rashid, who had actually set out to develop an iPhone game app by the same name last year.
Asia’s Most Gay-Friendly Country
The Bangkok Post, Nepal, 7/25/2013
Yubaraj Ghimire, a leading columnist in Nepal, said the acceptance of LGBT rights in one of the world’s poorest countries reflects the large presence of donors and international NGOs, lobbying and the resultant awareness, unlike in other countries in Asia. ‘Nepal is a land of minorities, and it’s easy for minorities to understand and support each other’, said Pant the petitioner whose case led to the 2007 court order. ‘All political parties support LGBT rights, and the media are also very supportive.’
Morality Police Target Women in Indonesian Shariah Stronghold
Jakarta Globe, Indonesia, 7/24/2013
Rights activists complain that Islamic shariah regulations in Aceh are becoming increasingly sexist and unreasonable, and that the shariah police - who operate independent of the regular police - are picking on women. In Lhokseumawe, the mayor has called on women passengers to sit side-saddle on motorbikes, claiming straddling is sexually suggestive, unfeminine and un-Islamic. But headscarves are the least controversial of issues in Aceh, the only province to implement shariah law in Indonesia, home to the world’s biggest Muslim population.
Afghan, Myanmar Women Win Magsaysay
The Times of India - Manila, Philippines, 7/24/2013
Afghanistan`s first woman governor (Habiba Sarabi) and a Myanmar civil society organiser (Lahpai Seng Raw), who both helped families displaced by conflict in their home nations, are among five winners of Asia`s equivalent of the Nobel Prize this year. In addition, the Manila-based foundation honoured Ernesto Domingo, a 76-year-old Filipino doctor who saved millions from life-threatening illness by vaccinating babies against hepatitis B and almost eliminating the chance of their getting infected.
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