General Women, Peace and Security

Stung by fresh US criticism of its ability to defeat the Taliban on the Afghan border, Pakistan is turning to women in its latest bid to quell the terror threat and reduce poverty.

The government's Benazir Income Support Programme is designating $750 million, nearly half from US coffers, to create jobs and alleviate poverty by providing women with funds for food, health and training in the tribal belt.

The Minister of State for Women's Affairs in the federal government revealed on Monday forming a joint committee with the Ministry of Culture to develop a joint work plan and identify mechanisms for its application, pointing out that she discussed with the Minister of Culture , mechanisms to broaden the participation of women in order to access the decision-making positions in cultural institutions.

The United Nations envoy for children and armed conflict and a political movement in the Philippines today agreed to develop an action plan to ensure that no children are among the ranks of the military group known as the New People's Army (NPA), or are involved in the armed conflict.

The raw courage demonstrated by Eman al-Obeidy in persisting in telling her story of alleged repeated gang rape and torture in Libya is helping to change the dialogue in Libya and the Middle East about the use of sexual violence as a weapon of repression.

On 20 March, the day before the Mother's Day holiday in Lebanon, 30,000 people of all ages took the streets of Beirut chanting slogans and demanding the abolition of the country's confessional system. This was the latest in a series of demonstrations that began on 27 February with 3,000 young people committed to demonstrating each Sunday for a secular Lebanon that guarantees equal rights for all its citizens.

The Namibia National Women's Organisation (Nanawo) has expressed serious concern over the Libyan situation and condemned attacks on Libya by "some European and American selfish economic expansion forces".

"It is very sad to note how international organisation fuels the situation through military intervention," said Nanawo's chief for information and mobilisation, Eunice Iipinge.

Colombian NGOs have condemned the "high level" of violence against black, indigenous and poor women in a country where the female body has become a "battleground", W Radio reported Friday.

This was the message from the first presentation of the Support and Defense of Women's Human Rights in Colombia Round Table.

The FWCC's Gender Training of Trainers continued into its second and last week yesterday in Pacific Harbour with the training facilitated by world reknowned and Australia based Gender Trainer Dr Juliet Hunt.

Hunt's teaching is aimed at strengthening the skills of current gender trainers to:

Israeli troops stormed a village near near Nablus early Thursday, arresting more than 100 women as they hunted the killers of an Israeli family, local officials said.

Hundreds of troops entered Awarta shortly after midnight and imposed a curfew after which they began rounding up the women, local council head Tayis Awwad told AFP.

Fiji Women's Crisis Centre hopes to create a society where people are aware of gender equality.

FWCC national co-ordinator Shamima Ali said women would enjoy their rights like men if there was gender equality.

Ms Ali said the centre was hopeful that trainers in gender equality would be able to work with various communities in their home countries and create awareness to ensure women enjoy their rights.