Asia

THE Fiji Women's Crisis Centre has been a pillar of strength for women in Fiji for more than two decades.

It is a bold and brave non-government organisation that goes the extra mile to give women justice.

Not only the work it does is admirable, the people who work in the centre are brave and admirable.

Anara Nyazova is proud of the changes that her job has introduced in the country. As Special Representative of the President of Kyrgyz Republic on gender issues in the Parliament from 2005 to 2007, she helped usher in changes such as gender quotas in the Election Code and the inclusion of an article on equal rights and opportunities for men and women in the Constitution of 2007.

Women's advocacy groups in the Pacific have welcomed a move to stop sexual violence towards women in conflict situations, but say it needs be implemented in conjunction with an earlier resolution.

They say that while the United Nation's Security Council Resolution 1820, which was adopted last year, is absolutely critical, it should be viewed as an implementation strategy to further the commitment to women, peace and security.

When Iranian girls go out these days, their friends warn them they face trouble if they are wearing makeup or are fashionably dressed. Their friends point out that they have a 1,000-dollar price tag on their heads.

Many Iraqi women refugees, sheltered temporarily in Syria, bear the scars and trauma of extreme violence suffered in their homeland. Ethnic and religious-based persecution tore apart previously stable communities in Iraq, removing these women and their children from their traditional support systems. Stripped of the normal protections of home and extended family life they exist on the margins of society.

An interview with Sharon Bhagwan Rolls of femLINKPACIFIC, a feminist communications organisation in Fiji.

AWID: Last month, there was a military coup in Fiji, the fourth in 22 years. What is the situation at the moment?

AS the world marks International Women's Day tomorrow, a new guide aimed at providing policy-makers and advocates with ideas on how to promote more women in Pacific legislatures was launched in the Pacific.

The International Knowledge Network of Women in Politics (iKNOW Politics) launched its website, iknowpolitics.org, in Indonesia on Thursday to provide a forum for women to learn about politics from other countries' experiences.

Creators said the website aimed to increase the participation and effectiveness of women in political life by stimulating dialogue, creating knowledge and sharing experiences.

The Ministry of Justice has began distributing new marriage contracts to marriage officials that contain a section that includes a question about bride's age, a move that has been described by human rights organizations and officials at the ministry as part of a new drive to stop underage marriages.

Noa Raz, a young woman waiting to board a bus, was recently attacked by a man because her arm bore the imprints of tefillin straps, which Jewish men wrap around their arms during morning prayers. "You're an abomination," the man shouted while kicking her.