Asia

Kurdish women broke the silence through their long lasting struggle against suppressions and general assimilations as well.

The forum was organised by the Southeast Asian Human Rights Network and other partner organisations such as Mahidol University's Centre for Human Rights Studies and Social Development.

Some experts like Carlos P Medina, executive director of the Human Rights Centre in Manila believes the region's human rights mechanisms don't have teeth and merely concentrated on promotion, not protection.

Despite increasing pressure from Uzbek authorities on independent journalists and human rights advocates, Vasila Inoyatova, chair of the non-governmental group Ezgulik (Mercy), is among the civic leaders of Uzbekistan determined to continue working, the activist said in a recent interview with EurasiaNet in Warsaw.

When Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva was selected to be President of Kyrgyzstan, she became the first woman head of state in the predominantly Muslim Central Asian region.

And she also took on a mission. Her mission is to pave the way for parliamentary democracy in a country that was formerly a part of the Soviet Union.

The haunting portrait of a young, disfigured Afghan woman on Time magazine's cover this summer issued a stark reminder that the stakes in Afghanistan are high -- and that the consequences of failure are brutal, especially for women.

TENSION exists in every community but the role of men and women in conflicts must be analysed separately, says a gender and conflict advisor.

Addressing participants at a regional training on eliminating violence against women yesterday, Office of the Commissioner of Human Rights representative Indai Sajor said despite the cause of conflict, the impacts of violence on men and women varied.

Kyrgyz voters cast their ballots yesterday to create the first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia in an election many hope can unite the country four months after the widespread bloodshed.

Women are not being adequately utilized to bring about peace in the Middle East, according to Finnish President Taria Halonen. Speaking at news conference in Helsinki before departing for the region, Halonen suggested that women should become more active players in bridging gaps and correcting misconceptions in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Female servicemembers are going where their male counterparts often can't: inside Afghan homes to engage with women barred by custom from talking to male strangers.

The Female Engagement Team program officially started Oct. 1, though some teams have been operating since late May.