In 2007, progressive laws were passed in Sierra Leone to address sexual violence and reinforce women’s rights; in the two years since the adoption of these laws, sexual violence continues to pervade the nation, with “government and social services struggl[ing] to implement the laws,” as IRIN reports. The 2007 Gender Act criminalized violence against women and sexual abuse, both inside and outside of marriage. In speaking with government officials and local NGOs, IRIN reports that none could cite a case of the successful prosecution of perpetrators owing to the new law.

Fatu Kargbo, director of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs, recently told IRIN that “up to 67 percent of urban Sierra Leonean women were victims of domestic violence in 2008.” A lack of adequate infrastructure and funding leaves counseling and treatment clinics without the capacity to respond to victims, one magistrate even attempts to serve 360,000 citizens. Many cases are dismissed even before entering the court, since medical certificates, required in rape cases, are very difficult to obtain with only one doctor for every 18,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.

The relatively new law has not yet been popularized, which NGO workers and government officials such as Isha Bangura, director of the police Family Support Unit, are trying to remedy. Bangura believes that despite gaps in capacity, political will is mounting to effectively address sexual violence. Coordination between various government agencies and the NGO field is seen as critical to responding to violence against women in Sierra Leone.

SIERRA LEONE: Sexual violence defies new law

July 31- A verdict in the trial of Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi has been further delayed, reports The New York Times, until August 11. Charged with violating the terms of her house arrest, which has been imposed for 14 of the last 20 years, Suu Kyi is currently being detained and faces a prison sentence if convicted. Suu Kyi had this to say of the impending ruling:

“I’m afraid the verdict will be painfully obvious.”

Jared M. Gesner, a lawyer specializing in trials of political prisoners and working with American non-profit Freedom Now on Suu Kyi’s case, expressed his opinion that the delay was an intentional move to “push off the verdict until the middle of August when numerous government and United Nations officials around the world will be on vacation.”

Myanmar Dissident’s Verdict Delayed-The New York Times

Burmese court adjourns Suu Kyi trial-Financial Times

In late March, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon wrote to the President of the General Assembly requesting that the body confirm Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand, as Administrator of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for a term of four years. With a career in politics that spans nearly 30 years, Clark has most recently served as Prime Minister of her native New Zealand, governing from 1999 to 2008. As the eighth Administrator and the first woman to lead UNDP, Clark was chosen after an extensive selection process.

UNDP has released a statement on the confirmation of Clark, in which it is noted that “Miss Clark has the needed leadership and international recognition that would allow her as the new Administrator to build on her predecessors’ legacy.” UNDP further adds:

“She would bring a strategic perspective coupled with fresh thinking and impetus for change.”

As Prime Minister, Clark has “led her country’s policy debate on a wide range of economic, social, environmental and cultural issues, including sustainability and climate change, and the development of an inclusive multicultural and multi faith society,” as the UNDP describes. A strong supporter of development efforts and a leader on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in her region, Clark recently expressed her enthusiasm in her new role during a luncheon co-sponsored by Vital Voices on ‘Women in Power’, hosted by the Women’s Foreign Policy Group.

Secretary-General nominates Helen Clark as new UNDP Administrator-UNDP Newsroom 

A report released by the Women and Work Commission yesterday, July 29, revealed shocking news on pay equity in the United Kingdom: since 2007, the gap has widened.

Women in the UK make an average of 22.6% less than male counterparts, or in other words, about 88 cents on the dollar. The discrepancy has increased 1% since 2007, a setback in progress.

Conversely, the United States suffers from pay inequity on an average of about 78 cents on the dollar.

The report attributes the inequity to occupational segregation (i.e. stereotypes that women are nurses and men are doctors, for example) and general gender discrimination in same skill jobs.

Cited amongst potential remedies is the implementation of government programs to provide apprenticeships and entitlements for women in non-traditional occupational sectors. In addition, the report proposes diversity education for school guidance counselors.

Full Report
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The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that there may be as many as 5,000 women victims of honor killings annually, as IRIN news reports. Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently welcomed Syria’s move to enforce minimum prison sentences of two years for those convicted of honor killing, yet urges that more be done: “Two years is better than nothing, but it is hardly enough for murder. The Syrian government should punish all murders alike –no exceptions,” said Nadya Khalife, Middle East and North Africa women’s rights researcher at HRW.

Prior to the new Syrian policy, the penal code had allowed for an “’exemption of penalty’ for the killing of female family members who had been found committing ‘illegitimate sex acts’, and for the murder of wives having extramarital affairs,” as IRIN news describes. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has since replaced the code with an article declaring that a man who “catches his wife, sister, mother or daughter by surprise, engaging in an illegitimate sexual act and kills or injures them unintentionally must serve a minimum of two years in prison.” Human rights advocates and organizations have called for the total abolition of the article, as well as provisions that allow for a judge to discriminate and adjust sentencing for crimes based on honor.

Without official records of honor killings, estimates serve to suggest that as many as 200 deaths occur each year in Syria, with 5,000 deaths occurring across the world.

As recently as this week, rights groups are condemning the murder of a 27-year-old mother of five in Gaza, who was killed by her father to “preserve the honor of the family,” as CNN reports.

SYRIA: Half measures against honour killings not enough – HRW-IRIN News

Rights groups decry Gaza ‘honor killing’-CNN News

On July 3, 2009, Lobna Ahmed al Hussein, a female journalist and U.N. employee in Sudan, was arrested for wearing trousers in a restaurant. Along with a dozen other women, Ms. Hussein faced a fine up to 250 Sudanese pounds (about $105 USD) and 40 lashes for indecent dress.

At her trial on July 29, she was informed that her status as a UN employee granted her immunity from the lashes.

The UK Times reports that Ms. Hussein said she would resign from her position at the U.N. in order to continue the trial as a private citizen.

Ms. Hussein’s defense attorney, Nabil Adib Abdullah, said, “First of all she wants to show she is innocent, and using her immunity will not prove that. Second, she wants to fight the law.”

The UK Times reports that activists outside the courthouse held up signs that read, “A Woman is Not for Flogging” and “Lashing People is Against Human Rights”.

The judge adjourned the case until Tuesday, August 4.

Sudanese woman risks flogging over ‘indecent’ trousers- Times

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Today, July 30, marks the 40th day since Iranian election protester Neda Agha-Soltan was fatally shot during a demonstration. Crowds of 2,000-3,000 people gathered to commemorate the last official day of mourning in the Shiite faith.

Iranian security forces barred candidates Mir Hossein Moussavi and Mehdi Karrubi from the gathering at Agha-Soltan’s gravesite.

CNN reports that there may have been as many as nine beatings by the militia at the site.

Source: CNN
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Shadi Sadr, Iranian women’s rights activist, lawyer and journalist, was released from prison on July 28 along with another 140 detained Iranians, as Deutsche Presse-Agentur reports. The release came after an announcement from Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Shahrudi on July 27, which stated that all prisoners without major charges against them were to be released on bail within one week. The Associated Press additionally reports that Ayatollah Khamenei has announced the closing of Kahrizak prison, where at least three detainees have died. There are believed to be 150 political prisoners remaining in Iran.

140 prisoners from Iran election crackdown freed-Associated Press

On July 28, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recognized the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for its classification of rape as a form of genocide. The ICTR is presently holding hearings for individuals accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and crimes of genocide committed during the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Ban Ki-moon reiterated the finding of the ICTR, insisting that the sexual violence perpetrated in Rwanda was “a step in the process of group destruction of the spirit, of the will to live, and of life itself,” as AllAfrica news reports.

The Secretary-General went on to describe an alarming trend: “In a number of contemporary conflicts, sexual violence has taken on particularly brutal dimensions, sometimes as a means of pursuing military, political, social and economic objectives.” Ban Ki-moon expressed concern with the “inadequacy of measures to prevent sexual violence” and further called for the ratification of international human rights treaties to address impunity.

Africa: UN Chief Hails Recognition of Rape as a Form of Genocide-AllAfrica News

After five years of planning, the 28th women’s bank in Tanzania opens on July 28 in Dar es Salaam. The Minister for Community Development, Gender and Children, Margaret Sitta, explained to Tanzanian newspaper The Citizen that “women would not only be empowered through the bank, but it will be open to all people interested in the commercial activities offered like those of any other bank.” The bank is the realization of a commitment by the Tanzanian government.

Minister of Parliament Gertrude Mongella commented that the opening would contribute substantially to women’s progress in the nation, bringing “a true revolution to our country,” and serving as “an honor for Tanzanian women who have struggled over the years to see their dream come true.”

Women’s bank all set for launch-The Citizen