Brazil has become the third and largest Latin American country to give a de facto green light to same-sex marriage.
News & Analysis
Women's Rights in the News
In El Salvador, a Country Awaits the Supreme Court Decision on Beatriz’s Life
15 May 2013
On Wednesday, May 15 the Supreme Court of El Salvador will hear testimony from Beatriz, the 22-year-old woman who has petitioned the court to allow her to have a life-saving abortion, a procedure prohibited under all circumstances in El Salvador and punishable by lengthy prison terms.
Historic conviction brings long-awaited justice in Guatemala
13 May 2013
The conviction of Guatemala’s ex-president General Efraín Ríos Montt for genocide and crimes against humanity during his time in office is a historic step in the nation’s long struggle for justice, Amnesty International said.
Issues & Analysis
Bangladesh's garment workers face exploitation, but is it slavery?
21 May 2013
It may be splitting hairs over what is and is not slavery, but mislabelling paid workers as slaves could harm their cause.
US Embassy in Tel Aviv excludes Palestinians from reception honoring the LGBT community in Israel
16 May 2013
Aswat- Palestinian Gay Women was recently invited to attend a reception hosted by the US Embassy in honor of the LGBTQI community in Israel, planned for Thursday 16th May. Enquiring about speakers at the event, Aswat learned that no Palestinian LGBTQI activists had been approached to speak, and that only Jewish Israeli campaigners were invited to speak. Despite requests on our part to be included in the list of speakers, the Embassy repeatedly made the excuse that arrangements had been finalized and that there had not been room to include us in the list of speakers.
New Rule for State-Paid Childbirth Stirs Discontent in Armenia
15 May 2013
A government decree in Armenia that bars pregnant women who are not residents of Yerevan from receiving free childbirth services in the capital is causing discontent in outlying regions.
AWID's Friday Files
The First Arms Trade Treaty Recognises Gender-Based Violence
16 May 2013
FRIDAY FILE - On April 2, 2013, a decades long campaign culminated in the signing of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) at the UN General Assembly. The ATT prohibits arms sales when there is a risk that weapons could be used to violate international humanitarian or human rights law.
Some Advances in Legal Rights for Domestic Workers in Latin America
10 May 2013
FRIDAY FILE - Long working hours, lack of rest time and poor treatment and compensation, in the absence of national legislation, often turns domestic work into a form of slavery in many countries. We reflect on some of the changes taking place in Latin America regarding decent work for domestic workers.
Post-2015 Development Agenda - A Strong Call for Human Rights and Justice for All
03 May 2013
FRIDAY FILE – From 20-22 March, about 250 people, largely from civil society organizations (CSOs) and another third from other stakeholders such as the United Nations (UN), gathered in Bonn, Germany for an international conference on Advancing the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda. There was an active group of women’s rights organizations and advocates who made it clear that “We will not be mainstreamed into a polluted stream!”
New Resources
Glossary on sustainable Development and Gender Equality
15 May 2013
The glossary offers initial thinking and basic explanation of some of the inter-linkages between development and gender equality and institutional mechanisms such as treaties and conventions that make explicit links between Development and Gender Equality.
Interventions to Reduce the Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in African Countries
15 May 2013
This systematic review examined empirical research on: the effectiveness of interventions to reduce the prevalence of FGM/C in African countries; and on contextual factors that may help explain the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of such interventions.
Beyond appearances brief on the main issues facing girls in Canada
14 May 2013
As the evidence in this issue brief clearly indicates, many advances have been made to improve the status of girls in Canada, yet significant real-life challenges remain especially for girls who are marginalized.
Special Focus
CSW Special Focus
AWID is pleased to launch a special focus section on CSW 57. Follow the proceedings and keep up to date on events, news, analysis, and official and CSO statements in preparation for and coming out of the two-week meeting.
Democratic Republic of Congo
AWID is alarmed by the escalating violence in the North Kivu province of the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and is dismayed by the lack of international response to protect civilians and women human rights defenders. We stand in solidarity with our sisters in DRC and our partners who are working closely to ensure that WHRDs in the area are out of harm's way.
Parliamentary Coup in Paraguay
On June 22, 2012, the Paraguayan Senate found President Fernando Lugo guilty of impeachment charges in a 39 to 4 vote, resulting in his removal from office.
Rio+20
The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 20-22 June 2012 marking the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED).
Crisis in Haiti
Two years after a 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti’s capital of Port-Au-Prince, on Tuesday, 12 January 2010 the nation is still trying to rebuild their country and their lives.
What's new on awid.org?
Announcements
Background on recent proposed Resolution on 'Protection of the Family'
15 May 2013
During the most recent session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) (March 2013), Egypt tabled a Resolution on ‘Protection of the Family.’ The resolution called for a UN panel discussion on the issue and a follow-up report to be prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The resolution was ultimately postponed for consideration at a later date.
Letter to Members of the High Level Panel on post-2015
15 May 2013
As you meet to finalize your recommendations for the Secretary General, we write to reiterate the calls of women’s human rights, youth and gender justice advocates at the High Level Panel Meeting in Monrovia, International Civil Society Conference in Bonn, and subsequent meetings of the High Level Panel in Bali and Guadalajara, for specific attention and priority to women and young people in all their diversity throughout the post-2015 framework.
Civil Society Statement on SOGI at the Human Rights Council
14 May 2013
Statement of Human Rights Defenders on the Need for an Integrated and Comprehensive Approach to the Protection of Human Rights related to sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions at the Human Rights Council