Asia

Hundreds of Balinese women declared an "Indonesian Women`s Association for Global Peace (IWAG-Peace)" in the Bajra Sandi monument area here on Monday night.

"The declaration of IWAG-Peace was intended to neutralize violent conflicts in the name of religion in various areas across the country," event coordinator Putu Sri Puji Astuti said here on Tuesday.

Civil society has called upon the government to take special measures for reducing gender gaps as are revealed in national and international reports, particularly in the area of education and health sectors.

Seven years after the arrest and killing of Maina Sunuwar, the government of Nepal should take immediate steps, with the full cooperation of the Nepal Army, to ensure that criminal proceedings move forward, Advocacy Forum (AF), Amnesty International (AI), Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said today.

The Asean Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) met for the first time today seeking to promote the well-being, development, empowerment and participation of women and children in the Asean Community building process.

The commission also promotes public awareness and education of their rights.

Women in rural areas are particularly vulnerable to oppression by family and society because of lack of education and awareness in the rural areas hence timely measures must be taken to improve the status of women by providing equal educational opportunities. Speakers at a seminar ‘Tribute to Women's Leadership at grassroots level: Actions and Achievements” were of the view here Friday.

2011 is going to be the year of women for the world's largest and most powerful international Muslim body. The 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has prepared an action plan to advance the status and rights of women among its member states. And the OIC's next chair-nation, Kazakhstan, is set to make that issue a priority.

In a meeting on Sunday with more than 20 representatives of women's organisations in the Kurdistan Region, President Masoud Barzani reiterated his strong support for women's rights.

Physical torture, abuse, forced abductions, sexual harassment, forced marriages, and other brutal practices are everyday events in the Islamic republic of Pakistan. Women in Pakistan still face daunting hardships in the male-dominated society. Although seemingly every other day the government announces plans to secure the rights of women — it has been of no use.

Human rights has been a hot topic in Afghanistan since the Taliban's near-medieval treatment of Afghan girls and women became known. Now that Afghanistan is working toward a more modern society and government, the rights of the nation's female population are moving front and center for those in charge of NATO Training Mission Afghanistan and Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan.

Two years ago, a small team of female Marines -- drivers, engineers, cooks and other specialists -- began conducting "female engagement" initiatives with women in southern Afghanistan.