Asia

Indonesian Minister for Women Empowerment and Children Protection Linda Agum Gumelar said on Tuesday that more active gender equality socialization will reduce violence against women and children.

Nawara Belal dreamt of an Egypt where men and women stood side-by-side. Last month, she lived that dream in Tahrir Square.

"In moments of happiness, we had our total right to dance or sing or hug each other and men," she told us, recalling the pro-democracy protests. "In moments of fear or disappointment, we were not excluded."

More than 40 women's cooperatives have formed small businesses across Lebanon to revitalize communities that were economically devastated by the 34-day conflict with Israel in 2006.

Focusing on the well-being of women and wider communities in areas of Lebanon where some live on incomes as low as US$2.40 per day, the 42 cooperatives were resourced and trained with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The United Nations Security Council, in resolutions 1325 and 1820, recognized that women and girls need protection and support during and following all conflicts, and called for women's full participation in peacebuilding.

"Hope is dying in Afghanistan."

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Women Wing Sindh Information Secretary Ms Sharmila Farooqui left here on Sunday for the United States to attend the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day to be held next week in Washington under the aegis of the State Department and its programme `Year of Empowering Women and Girls through International Exchanges'.

Women in Sri Lanka won the right to vote in 1931, seventeen years before independence. In the post independence period, Sri Lankan women made rapid progress in relation to health, education and employment, and their human development indicators are still considered a model for South Asia.

The Cambodian government should reverse its decision to refuse a permit to the Cambodian Women's Movement Organization (CWMO) for a rally in central Phnom Penh, Human Rights Watch said today. The rally was intended to mark the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day on March 8, 2011.

Each year around the world, International Women's Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8. Not only on this day but throughout the month of March, hundreds of events ranging from political rallies, business conferences, government activities and networking events through to local women's craft markets, theatrical performances, fashion shows and more take place around the world to inspire women and celebrate achievements of women.

An outside observer of Burmese politics might assume women in Burma have made progress towards equality in a way that hasn't happened in many countries.