Constitution and Legislative Reform

Parliament has been asked to ensure articles 8 and 36 of the Somaliland constitution are adhered to.

This was asked of the legislators during a women empowerment meeting organized by NAGAAD umbrella organization in Hargeisa where the women further told the legislators that constitutional rights were not for request.

The recent story of a 50-year-old Saudi man’s marriage to an 8-year-old girl made international news and generated renewed efforts to protect children from sexual abuse, including child marriage.In the case of that particular child, the outcome was the one desired: the husband agreed to divorce his child wife under pressure from within Saudi Arabia and without, but that is not the end of similar stories elsewhere.
To read the full article please visit The Jordan Times website.

Saudi rights activists have sent King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz a petition asking for an elected parliament, term limits on royal princes appointed to official posts, and an end to "secret tribunals" for Saudis charged with terrorism offences.The petition, which also requests that the post of prime minister be given to "a commoner," is another attempt by Saudi Arabia's tiny but persistent democracy movement to get its voice heard in an absolute monarchy that prohibits political parties.

One can be born in Lebanon and live here all one's life, and still not be a Lebanese citizen. Lebanon is one of few remaining countries in the Middle East where a mother is unable to pass citizenship to her children.
To read the full article, please visit IPS News Website.

MUTOKO North legislator Cde Mabel Chinomona has urged women to play an active role in the constitution-making process. Addressing more than 300 delegates at a workshop organised by Women in Politics Support Unit at Nyamuzuwe Mission in Mutoko on Saturday, Cde Chinomona said women's participation would ensure their issues were articulated and taken on board in the new constitution.
To read more see AllAfrica.com

Tajikistan's Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP), the only officially registered Islamic party in Central Asia, wants to boost its two-seat presence in the Tajik parliament in the next elections, scheduled for February 2010. To achieve that goal, the party is seeking to shrug off its old image of a conservative rural party, recruiting many women and young technocrats.
To read further please visit Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty website.