women's rights

More participation of women in politics will go along way in making democracy in Nigeria an interesting game, even as it would help in stamping out corruption in the political system. This position was made by the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi.

Amaechi called on women in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to actively participate in politics and win elective positions in the upcoming 2015 elections.

Women political participation in Pakistan is constrained due to deep-rooted gender inequality and politics of patronage. There is need to not only sensitize political leadership but also introduce broader legislative and electoral reforms to strengthen women political leadership in Pakistan.

There is a need for women to organise themselves as a pressure group to be able to carve a niche in the political sphere, three Delhi-based women journalists said Saturday.

Women may get 79 or 14 percent of the total seats in the House of Representatives following April's legislative election; a figure that was lower than the historic high of 18 percent or 103 seats in the 2009 election, researchers said Monday.

This is despite more women candidates, accounting for 37 percent or 2,467 of the total 6,619 candidates, contesting the 560 House seats.

It is already the fifth time today that Rama makes a cross in the last column of the table that is displayed on her monitor screen. The column is reserved for sexual harassment. A 16-year-old girl has just informed her on the phone that she "was threatened with a weapon."

Rama works at "Helpline 181," an emergency service for women. "I like to work here," says the 20-year-old, adding that "in my own case, the police did not help me and I felt being left alone. By working here, I can help other women so that they have it better."

A top politician in northern Spain has been shot dead in public and two women have been arrested.

Isabel Carrasco, head of the provincial government in Leon and a member of the governing People's Party (PP), was shot as she crossed a footbridge.

Spanish media say the arrested women are the wife and daughter of a local police chief.

We invite you to read the full article published May 13, 2014

Canada faces a "crisis" over the living conditions of its aboriginal residents, the UN special rapporteur for the rights of indigenous peoples has said.

James Anaya said Canada had taken "positive steps" but that "daunting challenges" remained, including a lower level of "well-being".

He said aboriginal women and girls remained vulnerable to abuse, and noted a lack of trust of the government.

Political power has not insulated women from facing gender-based violence. A recent report by the United Nations (UN) has found that verbal-sexual abuse and character assassination of women are rampant in South Asia politics. Worse, Karnataka is one of the three states in India affected by such behaviour.