24x7 Free Helpline for LGBT is here
Daily News and Analysis - Mumbai, India, 9/30/2013
A new 24x7 helpline for men who have sex with men (MSM) has become an important step in allaying fears around sexually transmitted infections and psycho-social and legal issues. The helpline called Sahaay Helpline, has been launched by Family Health International 360 (FHI360) as part of an operational research study to determine effectiveness in reaching out to MSM and promoting HIV and AIDS safe behaviour and will be accessible in the states of Chhatisgarh, Delhi and Maharashtra. Callers can speak to a counsellor, hear recorded messages on interactive voice response or receive automated texts.
Woman’s Reproductive Health Must be Assured
The Nation - Karachi, Pakistan, 9/30/2013
At a discussion organised by a local organisation on September 30, 2013, health experts and activists appealed to the government to address the issues regarding health systems governance so that reproductive health rights are accessed by all and policies are implemented with immediate effect. They stressed the need to tackle social determinants of health by adopting an integrated approach to women’s reproductive health which would include addressing the challenges posed by rampant poverty, malnutrition, lack of food security, early age of marriage and many others. A research report presented also shed light on the stigmatisation of sexual minorities who continue to remain deprived of opportunities and rights.
China Police Rescue 92 Kidnapped Children: State Media
Reuters - Beijing, China, 9/28/2013
Chinese police have rescued 92 children and two women kidnapped by a gang for sale and arrested 301 suspects, state media said on September 28, 2013, in one of the biggest busts of its kind in years. A traditional preference for boys, especially in rural areas, and a strict one-child policy have contributed to a rise in the trafficking of children and women in recent years. Kidnapped women are sold to men in remote areas who are unable to find brides due to a sex imbalance resulting from the draconian one-child policy, which has also encouraged sex-selective abortions. A U.N. committee is scheduled to issue on October 4 its findings on China`s implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Beijing ratified in 1992.
HIV Patient Denied Surgery at Govt Hospital
The Himalayan Times - Rajbiraj, Nepal, 9/27/2013
A doctor in Gajendra Narayan Singh Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital denied operating a woman suffering from delivery pains for 30 hours, who was infected with HIV and AIDS. Gynecologist denied operation to the woman although she admitted at 10:00 am Tuesday. She was to be operated after there was no normal delivery. He also denied recommendation for referring her to other hospitals. Her husband who returned from Saudi Arabia wondered, ‘If the doctors themselves fear of it who will treat it?’
Now, Same Benefits for Same Sex Couples
The Times of India - Mumbai, India, 9/27/2013
Organisations like Google, The Royal Bank of Scotland NV (RBS) and L’Oreal are paving the way for LGBT rights in the corporate sector. They are offering benefits including relocation allowance, adoption and paternity leave and insurance policies to partners of their LGBT employees as well. Of course, since same sex marriage in India is still not legal, benefits like hospitalization insurance policy, gratuity and provident fund are restricted to spouses from the opposite sex only. These steps though, however small, are in the right direction.
Chinese Youth Short on Safe Sex Awareness
China Daily, China, 9/26/2013
In an attempt to check the alarming increase in the number of abortions taking place in China every year, family planning officials have called for strengthened sexual health and contraception education, particularly among those aged 15 to 24. It has been observed that young people have a severe lack of knowledge about safer sex and contraception since Chinese parents consider sexuality education a taboo topic and believe that it may encourage premarital sex.
First Sexual Health Curriculum Launched in Pakistan
The Express Tribune - Islamabad, Pakistan, 9/25/2013
Pakistan based Hayat Lifeline Campaign has, in collaboration with different government departments, launched the country’s first sexual health curriculum in an attempt to impart formal education to youngsters on sexual and reproductive health and rights. The curriculum which will operate on two different levels and separate editions for boys and girls with level one is for children aged 10-12 years and level two designed for adolescents aged 13 -15 has been developed through close engagement with religious scholars, government officials, parents, teachers and youngsters.
Gender Sensitization Training for DTC Staff
The Times of India - New Delhi, India, 9/25/2013
The Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has launched its first ever gender sensitisation programme with an exhaustive list of do’s and don`ts for all the drivers and conductors working with DTC. The programme, in the next six months, will provide a list of measures to the DTC staff which have to be taken if an incident of sexual harassment or molestation occurs. The programme informs the DTC staff that incidents like, sexual harassment, whistling at women, molestation or exhibitionism - need to be reported and help to be provided.
Pakistan Blocks First Gay Website Queerpk.Com
BBC Urdu - Islamabad, Pakistan, 9/25/2013
Pakistan`s first website Queerpk.com which was set up in July, 2013 to offer support to the gay community was blocked by Pakistan`s Telecommunication Authority (PTA).The founder contended that since the website did not contain any explicit or offensive content; the PTA’s decision to close down the website without any notice was unconstitutional and opposed freedom of speech.
Female Education Linked to Under-5 Mortality Rate
The Hindu - New Delhi, India, 9/25/2013
According to a recent study conducted by UNESCO, under- five mortality rate in India and Nigeria would have been 61 percent and 43 percent lower respectively if every women in the two countries had completed secondary education. The study sets the tone for the UN General Assembly’s upcoming discussions on the post 2015 development agenda. UNESCO’s new analysis proves that in South and West Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, nearly three million girls are married by the age 15 years - below the legal age of marriage. If all young women completed primary education, the number of child brides would be reduced by almost half a million.
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