In a February 17 article, The New York Times reports that 12 women in Iraq have formed a political party of their own, “with a platform built on women’s rights and a jobs program for Iraq’s more than 700,000 widows.” After interviews with local women, the NYT writes that “some women say a new female political class is starting to emerge.”

Read the full article: Iraqi Women Are Seeking Greater Political Influence- The New York Times

The following is a post written by Alison Chatfield, an intern in the Middle East and North Africa Program at Vital Voices. She is a senior at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University and is majoring in International Development Studies.

“If a woman feels secure with her rights and her family, she will have the chance to venture out for other things,” MENA Business Women’s Network President Afnan Al Zayani said in a January 18 interview with the Gulf Daily News.

Women in Bahrain are currently experiencing a conflict of interest in making the tough compromises necessary to juggle a professional and a personal life. Ms. Al Zayani asserted in her statements that traditional roles and responsibilities are still preventing many women from entering or re-entering the workplace. She said that these challenges can be overcome if Bahrain were to provide more reasonably priced services that support women who work and also have responsibilities to their families. These services include a reliable public transport system, care centers for infants, affordable home cooked food, and care for the elderly.

Bahrain considers its people as its greatest resource, making it equally important for women to be given the same employment opportunities as men. Without supportive services to facilitate the interconnectedness of many Bahraini women’s professional and personal lives, many feel they cannot cope under the pressure and are therefore much more likely to give up work or not return to work after having children. Agency is a key ingredient to professional success, and an increase in accessible and affordable services in Bahrain would give women the opportunity of a level playing field.

Al Zayani’s statements were issued at the second annual Regional Women and Leadership Conference, the same in which Labor Minister Dr. Majeed Al Alawi stated that Bahrain had allocated a budget of BD 24 million, equivalent to just over 63 million US dollars, to be used to help 4,500 university graduates find jobs in the private sector in the next 24 months. Seventy-five percent of those graduates are women. He added that “Empowering women is not propaganda to show we are a liberal society, it’s about employing 50 percent of all assets. We don’t want to lose them, we want to make sure female talents have equal opportunities as men.”

Ms. Afnan Al Zayani will be recognized for her work both in business and public life in Bahrain at the Vital Voices 2010 Global Leadership Awards at the Kennedy Center on March 10.

Source: Workplace Help for Women-Gulf Daily News

On November 21, the 2009 Global Women’s Mentoring Walk took place in six countries across the globe, convening established women leaders and rising professionals in an effort to foster the leadership potential of the next generation of aspiring women leaders. Organized locally by Vital Voices alumnae of the FORTUNE/US State Department Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership, the first walk to be held in Egypt was carried out with great success. Participant and organizer Noha Khattab, senior vice president at a regional private equity firm, writes on her experience and the mentoring walk in the post below.

Fellow FORTUNE/US State Department Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership alumnae Ghada Darwish, Nermeen Nosseir and myself are proud to report the success of Egypt’s first mentoring walk. Held under the auspices of the Ministry of Family and Population, and sponsored by ExxonMobil and Al Azhar Part, our walk had 120 participants from many disciplines including business, NGOs, media, advertizing, medicine, and education among others.

Before the walk, we had matched mentors with mentees; some mentors walked with only one mentee, while others walked with as many as three mentees. The event was kicked off when Ghada, Nermeen and I gave an overview of the idea of mentoring, and what the walk will be about. We spoke about how we were introduced to the idea of mentoring through the FORTUNE/State Department Global Women’s Mentoring Program, and how we hope that this walk, which is Egypt’s first, would be the first of many to come. We said that we want to work towards reaching out to more and more women, especially marginalized women.

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On November 6, 1990, forty women publicly drove their cars into the capital of Saudi Arabia. Each citizen was detained, stripped of their passport, and fired from their job because in Saudi Arabia, women do not have the right to drive.

In commemoration of these brave women, political activist Wajeha al Huwaider launched the “Black Ribbons Campaign” in peaceful protest of the rights denied to women. Activists in the campaign demand that women are given the same legal capacity to drive, travel, marry, inherit, and represent themselves in official matters.

Activists invite proponents of equal rights to wear a black ribbon around their wrist on November 6th.

Saudi Women’s Activists launch the “Black Ribbons Campaign” on November 6th- Middle East Transparent

In an interview with CNN, the mother of Neda Soltan, a protester fatally shot in the aftermath of the Iranian election, shares her last memory of her daughter. On the night before her death, Neda told her mother, Hajar Rostami, that she had dreamt of a struggle, and of her role in it:

“There was a war going on, and I was in the front.”

Rostami expressed her thanks to the millions who have come out in support of her daughter to honor her memory in the four months since her death.

Read the full article: Neda’s mother: She was ‘like an angel’ -CNN

Related on blog:

Iran’s Neda Becomes Rallying Cry for Protesters

Neda- The New Face of Opposition in Iran Mobilizes Women Protesters

On October 27, Vital Voices held a roundtable discussion, featuring Mukhtar Mai, on women’s rights in Pakistan and the work of the Mukhtar Mai Women’s Welfare Organization. After surviving a brutal gang rape by four assailants, the punishment for the crime allegedly committed by her brother when he held hands with a girl of a higher caste, Mukhtar says she felt it was necessary to help others in similar situations because, she says, “when you experience hardship and do not get help it makes the experience that much more difficult to live through.” Her case reached international prominence when highlighted by New York Times columnist and author Nicholas Kristof, who wrote of Mai’s near unprecedented decision to prosecute her rapists. Mukhtar was recognized by Vital Voices in 2006 with the Fern Holland award and her story is among those featured in the play Seven.

In order to benefit the community, Mukhtar established the Mukhtar Mai Women’s Welfare Organization. The organization’s services include a free legal help clinic, two schools for girls, a shelter for abused women, and a telephone helpline service. Through these avenues as well as others, Mai and her staff are able to educate six hundred girls, provide assistance to over one thousand female victims of violence, and support the local school for boys.

Over the past two years, the Mukhtar Mai Women’s Welfare Organization has partnered with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in order to build the organization’s capacity as well as providing technical assistance. Kristin Kim Bart, a member of the IRC team working with Mukhtar, describes how she sees Mukhtar:

“Mukhtar and [her colleague] Nasim [are] visionaries who were able to see dreams and formulate their projects into monuments.”

Though Mukhtar has faced a number of death threats as a result of her advocacy, she remains determined to follow through on her promises to help the her community and sees no sacrifice as too costly in the fight for women’s human rights.

Yesterday, October 21, Kuwait’s highest court reversed a 1962 law forbidding women to obtain a passport without spousal consent. The court found that the law is in violation of a constitutional provision that protects equal rights for men and women. Women in Kuwait enjoy more rights than neighboring countries but some activists believe there is a long road ahead.

Activist Aisha al-Rsheid told the AP, “We want to see women judges and prosecutors, we want women to give their citizenship to their children, and we want women to have the right to state-provided houses.”

Kuwait grants women passports without spousal nod- AP

The creators of the One Million Signatures campaign were awarded with the Anna Politkovskaya award for courage Tuesday, October 6.

The signature campaign promotes greater rights for women in Iran by supporting the reformation of national laws regarding child custody, divorce, inheritance, and other matters.

Some women have been jailed or threatened over their participation in the campaign.

Mariana Katzarova, founder of Reach All Women in War, presented the award to the activists, describing them as “an extremely brave and courageous group of women… really changing the society in Iran, which is extremely difficult.”

Iranian women’s rights activists win courage award- Reuters

New legislation granting women greater rights in Afghanistan will come to a vote by Parliament soon.

The Elimination of Violence Against Women Act was first proposed in 2004, but only signed this summer by President Karzai. It outlaws the trading of women to settle debt, spousal abuse, child marriages, and other forms of violence against women.

Although Parliament is expected to approve the legislation, many fear provisions will be “watered down” to allow for minimal punishment of those convicted for these crimes.

Organizations such as the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission feel encouraged by this legislation but noted that it will take time for these rights to filter into traditional practices. However, if enacted, these laws will greatly aid women who take their cases to court.

Afghan legislation nudges women’s rights forward- AP

On September 24, The Century Foundation launched insideIRAN, a news and media site offering a unique perspective on the current political environment in Iran. A project initiated by the public policy research institution, insideIRAN will feature “articles, analysis and the latest media reports from some of the world’s most prominent Iranian scholars, journalists, and bloggers,” as The Century Foundation describes. As the political controversy within Iran continues to unfold, insideIRAN will serve as a valuable news source and platform for voices that have otherwise been stifled within the nation.

With topics ranging from domestic and foreign relations to clerics and the nuclear program, the site aggregates international news on Iran to provide a comprehensive view of the contemporary political reality. Current features include an commentary examining the political role of the technology, and an article considering public rifts among clerics.

insideIRAN.org

The Century Foundation