Asia

Fracha Begam has been unable to come to terms with the deaths of her two teenage daughters, killed by unknown gunmen in the latest incident of violence against women in the Kashmir Valley.

"I want to know what crime my daughters had committed which warranted their brutal killing," Begam demanded.

Perhaps one of the most significant developments emerging from the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions is the growing Arab women's rights movement that has spread to the anti-government demonstrations in Bahrain and Yemen.

At this juncture in human history, women and girls who have lived under some of the most repressive regimes might be afforded the window of opportunity to be released from traditions that have robbed them of the ability to develop to their fullest potential.

In the CNN-ised global village, we all stood in awe and disbelief when we viewed the dramatic political and social changes that taking place in North Africa and the Middle East.

A men's organization advocating gender equality was launched in Jakarta on Thursday, giving women an unlikely ally in the battle against male dominance.

The New Men Alliance (LLB) aims to promote awareness of women's rights among Indonesian men, according to the group's chairman, Nurhasyim.

He said the group had around 50 members from Jakarta, Aceh and East Nusa Tenggara.

Dozens of women in the war-torn Afghan capital took part in a march for peace ahead of the traditional new year, calling on the all parties to the conflict to ensure a violence-free year.

The march marked the launch of a three-day civil society peace campaign.

While it's been common for women to be fighting for gender equality and to be advocating for change in Nepal's patriarchal society, what remains mostly unheard of is the voice of males regarding this matter.

As Kathmandu progresses, the line between how sons and daughters are raised in an urban setting has already begun to evolve.

Nepali women migrant workers (WMWs) are more vulnerable to overseas job-related risks than men because of their poor access to skill trainings and job information. Around 22 per cent women are facing harassment in workplace, said Manju Gurung, president of Paurakhi, a non-governmental organisation working for safe migration.

The Second National Women Social Forum has demanded timely promulgation of the constitution to ensure a women-friendly republic.

Issuing a 27-point Kathmandu Declaration in the capital on Thursday, the Forum demanded proportional representation of women in all bodies of the government, guarantee of women's reproductive health, land, housing and other rights to be guaranteed as the fundamental rights.

Decades of armed conflict, ongoing violence and high unemployment have left millions of men and women in Iraq struggling to make ends meet and care for their families. Basic services such as health care, the supply of clean drinking water and sanitation remain largely inaccessible outside large population centres. In many places, very little funding and few services are available to help needy people.