Asia

They are victims of a conflict which ended decades ago.
But daily suffering is still a fact of life for tens of thousands of wounded men and women in Cambodia, struck down by the countless land mines which lay dormant under its soil.

These images, taken this week in a rehabilitation centre in Kampong Cham, one of the largest cities in the country, show some of the nation's 25,000 amputees being helped through their injuries.

Indonesian women and religious minorities have faced heightened discrimination as a result of the government's failure to enforce human rights protections in 2013, Human Rights Watch (HRW) says in its World Report 2014.

The Indonesian government under President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono should reverse course and enforce laws protecting religious freedom, the New York-based non-governmental advocacy organization further said.

A new draft law in Afghanistan that would limit testimony in domestic violence cases is drawing international outcry, with activists warning it is part of a broader trend toward rolling back women's rights in the nation.

By breaking their silence, and documenting the outrages committed, local communities in Kachin are defending themselves against sexual violence from the Burmese military and police.

The Burmese government's chief peace negotiator, Aung Min, suggested that women's involvement in the ongoing peace process will be on the agenda during upcoming negotiations.

The Punjab Assembly passed The Punjab Commission on the Status of Women Bill 2013 on Wednesday.

According to the bill, the commission aims at empowering women, expanding opportunities for their socio-economic development and eliminating all forms of discrimination against them.

The Pakistan Women's Day was celebrated on Wednesday in commemoration of the events of February 12, 1983.

Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has come out strongly against sexual offences committed against women and children.
Bainimarama voiced his concern in Kadavu as our reporter Apisalome Coka reports.

It feels like a slap in the face of humanity: a new Afghan draft law effectively legalising domestic violence against women and children. If it were a movie this bill, which will automatically become law later this month unless President Hamid Karzai refuses to ratify it, would be called "The Patriarch Returns". So are we to take it that this is the price of peace?

Violence Against Women and Girls is rife in the Pacific and various programs are being developed to counter this.`26 participants from Fiji, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu and Tonga shared their ideas and experiences as the first day of their week long Stage 4 Pacific Male Advocacy Training of Trainers kicked off in Nadi yesterday.