Women Rights

Turkish police detain protesters demanding stronger protection for women

Police detained dozens of people in Istanbul who tried to join a rally on Monday calling for greater protection for women in Turkiye, where more than 400 women have been murdered this year. The demonstrators tried to enter the main pedestrian street, Istiklal, to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, in defiance of a ban on all protests in the area. Earlier, police barricaded all entrances to Istiklal and to the city's main square, Taksim, while authorities shut down several metro stations to prevent large gatherings. Many demonstrators were protesting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision in 2021 that withdrew Turkiye from a landmark European agreement known as the Istanbul Convention. The treaty, which aims to protect women from violence, was signed in Istanbul in 2011. Erdogan's decision came after some members of his Islamic-rooted ruling party accused the treaty of promoting LGBTQ+ rights and other ideals they said were incompatible with

Afghan women banned from hearing other women's voices in new Taliban rule

Taliban's latest decree further limits women's freedom by barring them from reciting prayers aloud, even in the presence of other women

Sri Lanka's presidential election: No female contender amongst 38 nominees

But since Sri Lanka introduced the universal franchise in 1931, the number of women in parliament has never crossed a threshold of 7%

UN to engage with Taliban in Afghanistan despite new laws limiting women

The United Nations will continue to engage all stakeholders in Afghanistan, including the Taliban, a U.N. spokesman said, even though Afghanistan's rulers issued a ban on women's voices and bare faces in public and severed ties with the U.N. mission after it criticized them. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric in New York defended the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, and its head Roza Otunbayeva, who said that the new laws provided a distressing vision for Afghanistan's future. She said last week the laws extend the " already intolerable restrictions on the rights of women and girls, with even the sound of a female voice outside the home apparently deemed a moral violation. The laws were issued after they were approved by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. The Taliban had set up a ministry for the " propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice after seizing power in 2021. They say the laws are based on their interpretation of Sharia law. The ministry

Justice Hima Kohli fierce protector of women's rights: CJI Chandrachud

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud hailed Justice Hima Kohli on Friday, saying she is not just a woman judge but also a fierce protector of the rights of women. The CJI was holding a ceremonial bench for Justice Kohli, who is due to retire on September 1. Justice Kohli was the ninth in seniority among the apex court judges. With her retirement, the top court will be left with only two women judges -- Justice B V Nagarathna and Justice Bela M Trivedi. "It has been a pleasure to sit with Justice Kohli. We have exchanged very serious ideas and thoughts. There have been times when she supported me. Hima, you are not just a woman judge but also a fierce protector of the rights of women," the CJI said. Attorney General R Venkataramani said Justice Kohli dedicated her entire life to the cause of justice. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said, "We have always seen a very tough exterior on the bench but we have also seen a very soft, humane and compassionate side of Justice Kohli." "She

Arizona Supreme Court clears way for voters to decide on right to abortion

The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a 200-word summary that abortion advocates used to collect signatures for a ballot measure is valid, clearing the way for voters to decide on the constitutional right to an abortion. Under the measure, abortions would be allowed until an embryo or foetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks. There are some exceptions for later-term abortions to save the mother's life or to protect her physical or mental health. The decision comes on the heels of a Thursday ballot printing deadline in Arizona. The Arizona Right to Life, the organisation that sued the ballot measure campaign, argued that the petition summary was misleading. The high court justices rejected that argument, as well as the claim that the summary for the proposed amendment failed to mention it would overturn existing abortion laws if approved by voters. We have noted that (r)easonable people can differ about the best way to describe a principal provision,

Over 18.4 mn women-owned MSMEs in the country, says Jitan Ram Manjhi

There are over 1.84 crore women-owned MSMEs in the country and the government has taken a number of initiatives to increase the participation of women in the sector, Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Jitan Ram Manjhi said on Thursday. He said in the Lok Sabha that the women owners of Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) registered on Udyam and Udyam Assist Platform (UAP), since the launch of Udyam on July 1, 2020 and the launch of UAP on January 11, 2023 in the country, is 39 per cent. "Number of women-owned MSMEs as on July 23, 2024 is 1,84,59,809," he said during Question Hour. Manjhi said the government has taken a number of initiatives to increase the participation of women in MSMEs in the country such as amendment of the Public Procurement Policy in 2018 and mandating central ministries and departments and undertaking to procure at least three per cent of their annual procurement from women entrepreneurs to benefit women entrepreneurs. He said to suppor

Melinda Gates to donate $1 billion over next 2 years for women's rights

Melinda French Gates says she will be donating USD 1 billion over the next two years to individuals and organisations working on behalf of women and families globally, including on reproductive rights in the United States. It's the second billion-dollar commitment French Gates has personally made in the past five years. In 2019, she pledged over ten years to expand women's power and influence. Earlier this month, French Gates announced she would step down from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and vowed to focus on women and families. As a part of leaving the Gates Foundation, French Gates received USD 12 billion from Bill Gates for her philanthropy going forward. French Gates, one of the biggest philanthropic supporters of gender equity in the US, said on Tuesday in a guest essay for The New York Times that she's been frustrated over the years by people who say it's not the right time to talk about gender equality. "Decades of research on economics, well-being and governance

Battleground 2024: Women share their struggle and hope in Haryana

As Haryana gears up for elections on 25th May, women's issues, the treatment of the women wrestlers and farmer protests weigh heavily on the minds of the voter

Streedhan: Understanding and protecting a woman's right over assets

The husband's family should also document all gifts to avoid false allegations

Lakshwadeep LS polls: Women voters demand gynaecologists, better transport

"We need good hospitals as well as doctors. For better access to education, we need more schools as well as teachers," a woman voter from Lakshwadeep said

Despite legislative progress, gender issues still on margins: Experts

In the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the discourse surrounding women's issues has garnered renewed attention with the slogan of 'Nari Shakti' but several activists are apprehensive that the core concerns of women may again get subdued in the broader economic and political debates. There is a need for political parties to prioritise gender-sensitive policies, not merely as token gestures but as integral components of their core agendas, Poonam Muttreja, executive director of the Population Foundation of India (PFI) said, criticising the "marginalisation" of women's issues within the broader electoral discourse. "To truly empower women and address their unique concerns, it is imperative that political parties and leaders integrate gender-sensitive policies into their core agendas and manifestoes as a priority. "This includes not only increasing women's representation in political spaces but also ensuring that their voices are heard and acted upon in decision-making processes," she ..

Women focal point of all governance initiatives: Assam CM Himanta Biswa

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday said the focal point of all initiatives of his government is women. On #InternationalWomensDay, celebrating the women of Assam; courageous, enterprising, resilient and changemakers. We are committed to ensure that each women in the State gets a fair opportunity to grow as the focal point of all our governance initiatives are women! the CM said on X. In another post, Sarma thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reducing cooking gas cylinder prices by Rs 100. With the earlier cut of ?200 & latest cut of ?100 on LPG cylinders, our mothers and sisters can now significantly save and put this money to better use. On behalf of entire #ModiParivarAssam, I sincerely thank Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, for this bold decision, he added. Announcing the price cut on the occasion of International Women's Day on Friday, the PM said it will significantly ease the financial burden on millions of households across the country, ...

Being woman has become crime in 'jungle raj': Priyanka slams UP govt

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday slammed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh over the issue of crimes against women, alleging that "being a woman has become a crime in this jungle raj". The Congress general secretary said two minor girls, who were victims of gang rape, had committed suicide in Kanpur and now their father has also committed suicide. "It is alleged that pressure was being put on the victim's family to compromise," Priyanka Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X. "In Uttar Pradesh, if victimised girls and women ask for justice, it has become a rule to destroy their families. From Unnao, Hathras to Kanpur, wherever women were tortured, their families were destroyed," she alleged. "Being a woman has become a crime in this jungle raj where there is no such thing as law and order left," Priyanka Gandhi said. What should crores of women of the state do and where should they go, she said. Two girls were found hanging from a tree in a field near the brick kil

Registration to provide Rs 1,000 monthly to women will start soon: Delhi CM

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday sought the blessings of women for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as he announced that registration will soon start for a scheme to provide them Rs 1,000 a month. While presenting the 2024-25 Delhi budget in the assembly on Monday, Finance Minister Atishi had announced a new scheme for women under which eligible non-income tax payees above 18 years will get the amount every month. The Lok Sabha polls are expected to be held in April-May and Delhi sends seven members to the Lower House of Parliament. The scheme, which will be implemented after the elections, is likely to benefit around 50 lakh women in the national capital. In a long post on X, Kejriwal said he was getting a lot of phone calls from women since the announcement of the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojna on Monday and they were asking about the registration for the scheme. The chief minister said he was working on the scheme and registration for it will start

Era of women-led development has begun in India, says President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Friday said that an era of women-led development has begun in India as girls are taking centre stage in all spheres of the nation building, and the trend is very encouraging for the country. Addressing the 25th convocation of Berhampur University at Bhanja Bihar in Ganjam district of Odisha, she said the participation of women in literature, culture, dance and music has been remarkable. The potential of our daughters is visible in every field from science and technology to police and army. Now, we are moving from the phase of women's development to women-led development, the president said. Noting that around 45,000 students are getting education in Berhampur University's postgraduate departments and its affiliated colleges, she said more than 55 per cent of students are women. Not only this, 60 per cent of the gold medal winners are also women and "half of the researchers, who received doctoral degrees today are also girls", the president said. This is

Most UNSC members demand Taliban rescind decrees oppressing women, girls

More than two-thirds of the U.N. Security Council's members demanded Monday that the Taliban rescind all policies and decrees oppressing and discriminating against women and girls, including banning girls education above the sixth grade and women's right to work and move freely. A statement by 11 of the 15 council members condemned the Taliban's repression of women and girls since they took power in August 2021, and again insisted on their equal participation in public, political, economic, cultural and social life -- especially at all decision-making levels seeking to advance international engagement with Afghanistan's de facto rulers. Guyana's U.N. Ambassador Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett read the statement, surrounding by ambassadors of the 10 other countries, before a closed council meeting on U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' conference with more than 25 envoys to Afghanistan on Feb. 18-19 in Qatar's capital, Doha. Afghan civil society representatives, including women, ...

In case of fire, break glass ceiling: Pune to get first lady firefighter

Breaking the gender barrier, 26-year-old Meghana Sakpal is set to become the first woman to join Pune Municipal Corporation's (PMC) fire brigade department. Firefighting seems to run in her family as her grandfather was a fireman and her father, Mahendra Sakpal, currently serves as a fire personnel. "I grew up listening to the tales of my grandfather's and father's heroic feats during firefighting in the city. They inspired me. I am very proud that I am the first woman to join the fire department of the Pune corporation," Meghana told PTI on Thursday. Until now, only Mumbai had women firefighters in Maharashtra. A commerce graduate, Meghana began to prepare for her dream job in 2019. After clearing online examinations and physical tests, she went to Mumbai for training, which was briefly interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. But she completed the training in November 2022. She had initially applied for a job with the Mumbai fire department, but could not clear the physical test. .

Indian women are taking lead as change makers: NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma

Indian women are taking the lead as change-makers in every field, NCW chairperson Rekha Sharma said here on Wednesday. She said sitting at home women are also trying to learn something new because of the societal mindset change. "Women are now the change makers, and we are not only changing for the better, but we are the change-makers in the society, whether entrepreneurship, start-ups or having own business, being in services, CEO of companies or a homemaker", the National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson said while talking to reporters here. "When the prime minister spoke from the Red Fort on Independence Day about women-led empowerment, the things around started changing and we have seen in the last nine years things are changing positively", she said. Asked about the increasing rate of crime against women, Sharma said people are saying there is an increase in crime against women because of increase in data. In the past, those in chair did not listen to women coming up to

UN expresses concerns over arbitrary detention of women, girls by Taliban

The experts also noted that females were detained in the provinces of Bamyan, Daikundi, Panjshir, Balkh, and Kunduz