Asia

The head-to-toe burqas that made women a faceless symbol of the Taliban's violently repressive rule are no longer required here. But many Afghan women say they still feel voiceless eight years into a war-torn democracy, and they point to government plans to forge peace with the Taliban as a prime example.

Herat's Department of Women Affairs (DoWA) held a two-day workshop at the Afghan Journalism Centre last week to establish a better working relationship with the media.
From 25 to 26 May 2010, 20 representatives from local television channels, radio stations and magazines discussed with UN and provincial gender specialists, in the presence of a representative of the Afghan religious institutions, how better they could work together.

Bangladesh's first female contingent to be deployed to an UN peacekeeping mission arrived today (1 June) in quake-ravaged Haiti to carry out humanitarian activities and community policing. A total of 110 female Formed Police Unit (FPU) will work alongside their male colleagues to serve the UN Stabilization mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

As Afghanistan's most powerful men arrive in Kabul for a major conference aimed at starting a peace process with the Taliban, many women are worried the event could lead to a compromise of their hard-won rights.

It might be hard to imagine that a woman's attendance at a university would be contingent upon the way she dresses.

But during Friday Prayers at Tehran University on May 21, Ayatollah Jannati, an influential member of Iran's Guardian Council, suggested just that, demanding that a strict version of the Hijab Islamic covering be a requirement for female students.

Almost seven years after Naila Farhat, 20, became another victim of an acid throwing attack by a spurned suitor, she is finally seeing more vigorous efforts toward the passage of a law seeking to amend existing legislation to reinforce protection of women against violent assaults.

Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has reiterated the commitment for social, political and economic empowerment of women to ensure their active participation in the national development process.

He was inaugurating three-day women convention on the Role of women Parliamentarians in peace, security and reconciliation here Tuesday organised by Women Parliamentarians Caucus.

This past March, Pat Mitchell, President and CEO of The Paley Center for Media, hosted a round table discussion in conjunction with the U.S. – Afghan Women's Council. The focus was to examine how to support Afghan women in media. The agenda also addressed the type of stories about Afghan women that continue to grab the headlines – when stories make it to the public's awareness.

For sustainable solution to existing security situation faced by the country due to ongoing conflict at western borders, it is vital to involve women at all levels of reconciliation and rehabilitation process.

A village leader and woman farmer, Bakhtawar knows all too well about the problems facing farmers in the southeastern Sindh province. Dry weather over the past two years has driven up food prices to levels millions of people can no longer afford. But instead of growing more, farmers are growing less because the costs of seed and fertilizer have shot up as well.