Asia

Women's precarious rights in Afghanistan have begun seeping away. Girls' schools are closing; working women are threatened; advocates are attacked; and terrified families are increasingly confining their daughters to home.

Iran's conservative establishment appears to have reacted coldly to an entreaty by Brazil's president to allow an Iranian woman convicted of adultery to take asylum in Brazil rather than face execution by stoning at home.

In a room thousands of miles from her prison cell in northeastern Iran, the fear that has gripped Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani for years was clear and almost palpable. “The day I was given the stoning sentence, it was as if I fell into a deep hole and I lost consciousness,” said a human rights advocate, reading aloud from a letter attributed to Ashtiani.

The Lebanese Parliament should adopt proposed domestic abuse legislation as soon as possible, UN representatives urged on Friday. The call was made at the closing session of a three-day event “Implementing the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and ending violence against women” which was jointly organized by the Lebanese Parliament and the UN Development Program (UNDP).

While Aung San Suu Kyi remains the most widely-known woman suppressed for her political views in Burma, the jails in that military-ruled country continue to be filled by lesser-known women dissidents being held on a range of questionable charges.

The levels of violence against women are shocking and show that two out of three women have experienced violence from their partners during their life time.

The statement was made by Honiara City Council Mayor Andrew Mua who was the guest of honor at the Media for Campaign on the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Children last Friday with the theme ‘NAF NAO'.

''My choreography lays out the complex relationship between dance as a form of cultural practice and its significance as created through negotiations with structures of power. It focuses on Indonesia, which has a history of colonialism, dictatorship, genocide and global tourism.'' This is how Dr Rachmi Diyah Larasati, dance scholar, choreographer and cultural theorist, describes her work.

Women representatives from Asia Pacific countries shared their experiences on the impact of militarism in their homes at a conference on “Women Resisting Violence And War” held at the Igorot Lodge, Camp John Hay from July 19 to 21.

Women directly affected by the 12 year long armed conflict have drawn the attention of the Government towards ensuring access of women in all sectors from the policy making to the implementation level and building a non-discriminatory social structure and just society. They also pointed out the need to address gender inequality, imbalance of power and lack of opportunities for the conflict affected women.

President Lula asked Iran to allow Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani to accept the offer.

Ms Ashtiani's case prompted international outrage when she was initially sentenced to death by stoning.Although that threat was apparently lifted last month, she may still face execution by hanging.