INTERNATIONAL: Rape must never be minimized as part of cultural traditions, UN envoy says

Sexual violence during conflicts is all too often downplayed and treated as part of local cultural traditions instead of being viewed as a war crime, a senior United Nations official has warned as she called for much greater international action to defeat the scourge.

OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Why Violence Against Women is Widespread

Nahla*, aged 30, from Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, said she was physically and mentally abused for more than 10 years by her husband before being granted a divorce three months ago.

Fear and cultural factors prevented her from seeking help from women's organizations.

INDIA: 63 Women Raped in Kashmir By Soldiers: Police

A police spokesman Thursday revealed that 63 women were raped in the Indian administered Kashmir by Indian security men from 1996 to 2009.

In a statement issued here, a police spokesman said 38 rape cases by Indian security men were reported in Kashmir from November 2002 to October 2005. "From November 2005 to July 10, 2008 13 rape cases by Indian soldiers were reported," he said.

AFRICA: AU Calls to Protect the Rights of Women and Children

African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) said incidents of violence against women and children in armed conflicts continued unabated in many parts of Africa.

AU Commission Gender and Development Directorate presented its report at the AUPSC 122nd meeting on Tuesday under the theme Mitigating Vulnerabilities of Women and Children in Armed Conflicts.

ZIMBABWE: New Constitution - Give Women a Bigger Say

Biata Beatrice Nyamupinga

opinion

Harare — Zimbabwe is in the process of formulating a new constitution, following the signing of the Global Political Agreement (GPA) in September 2008, and the formation of the inclusive Government in February 2009.

AFGHANISTAN: An Afghan Politician Pushes for a Comeback

By CAROLINE BROTHERS

PARIS — The people who want to silence Malalai Joya, the youngest elected politician in Afghanistan, are doing a pretty good job of it in her own country.

She has been expelled from Parliament. She has been barred from appearing in the Afghan media after denouncing the role of the warlords in politics.

LIBERIA: A Female Approach to Peacekeeping

By DOREEN CARVAJAL

MONROVIA, LIBERIA — When darkness comes to Congo Town, women in crisp uniforms take the streets, patrolling with Kalashnikov rifles and long, black hair tucked into baby-blue caps.

INTERNATIONAL: CEDAW: designed to be used

CEDAW is not just a wish list from which politicians in the UK can ‘pick-n-mix' when drawing up their shopping lists of “things to do about women”. Jane Esuantsiwa Goldsmith argues that in the run up to the general election it is an instrument we can use to call our politicians to account.

International: Secretary-General Appoints Margot Wallström of Sweden as Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Margot Wallström of Sweden as his Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Ms. Wallström has been a long-time advocate of the rights and needs of women throughout her political career -- first as Swedish Minister and later as Environment Commissioner and Vice-President of the European Commission.

INTERNATIONAL: New U.N. Envoy to Crack Down on Sexual Violence

When the Security Council adopted resolution 1325 back in October 2000, it was a historic event: for the first time the U.N.'s most powerful political body dealt with a gender-related issue, explicitly linking women to peace and security.

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