Asia

Since the beginning of the Arab Spring – starting with the unrest in Tunisia in early January – questions have been raised about the role of women in the uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East.

Photography of demonstrations in Egypt's Tahrir Square reveals the presence of women of all ages. The same appears to be true in other parts of Egypt, and in Tunisia, Syria, and Bahrain.

The day Fawzia Koofi was born, her parents, disappointed she wasn't a boy, left her to fry in the sun. It was a cruel introduction to the world, but Koofi was not deterred. She says she has faced every challenge her country has thrown at her and is still willing to die for a country that's threatened to kill her from day one.

Sakena Yacoobi has worked tirelessly to educate the women of Afghanistan. Now, she hopes to bring some of them to Saskatoon.

A program designed to pair Afghan women with Saskatchewan mentors is underway and despite the hurdles, organizers are hoping to launch the project this fall.

When Lauryn Oates started raising money to send women in Afghanistan to school, she wasn't sure they would ever emerge from the underground classrooms that kept them hidden from the threat of the Taliban.

In recent times, Bangladesh has been witnessing a sharp and steep decline in social and moral values -- values that dignify and distinguish a society. Everyday newspapers carry series of harrowing, gruesome tales that were unheard of a few decades ago. What has happened that the Bangladeshi society is sadly sliding into such a social and moral depravity?

As Iraqis meet to talk about creating an interim authority to govern their country, they will need to overcome divisive ethnic, religious, tribal and political barriers. Experience elsewhere shows that one sure way to achieve the necessary consensus and compromise is to involve women extensively.

Women entrepreneurs have demanded incentives and tax breaks in the Federal Budget 2011-12, saying that progress can only be achieved by providing equal opportunities to the 52 percent of the population of the country.

Human trafficking and rehabilitation of the rescued have emerged as major concerns for the state government. Though Bihar is one of the few states to have prepared an action plan named 'Astitva' to deal with the issue, it largely remains unimplemented.

'Astitva', the state plan of action with a vision of "Trafficking-Free Bihar," was approved by the state cabinet in 2008.

Although the apex court's decision acquitting five persons went against Mukhtaran Mai, yet she remains victorious. To many it would seem strange, but the way in which Mai raised her voice throughout the world to get justice has no parallel. In fact, she can be called the Rosa Parks of the 21st century. Her struggle is a beacon of hope for those who are suffering from discrimination.

The Canadian-funded textbooks and computers aren't overly expensive — certainly not compared to the price Afghan women risk having to pay for using them.

The sort of mundane learning most westerners have long taken for granted carries a persistent and very real threat for female students in southern Afghanistan: injury or death at the hands of the Taliban.

For the determined, however, it's no deterrent.