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Middle East program

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Middle East program

On Tuesday, February 25, 2014 12:35 PM, Wilson Center <mep@wilsoncenter.org> wrote:

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The latest developments on women’s issues in the Middle East and North Africa region

MENA Women’s News Brief

February 11-24, 2014

Bahrain

February 12: Bahrain pledges to boost women's rights

“Bahrain has stressed its commitment to implementing laws to improve the status of women and ensure they become equal partners in decision-making. The kingdom's National Action Charter and the Constitution ensure law enforcement and respect for rights and freedoms, including the principle of equality between men and women, of which laws, policies and programs assure implementation on the ground.” (Trade Arabia)

Egypt

February 19: Egyptian security forces abuse female detainees

“In Egypt, women who have been arrested and human rights organizations are raising their voices about the physical and psychological abuse women are subjected to in prisons, detention centers and police departments. While the number of women arrested since the June 30 events is unknown, according to the Wiki Thawra website 21,317 people were arrested between June 30 and Dec. 31, 2013. This figure includes women, some of whom reported being subject to abuses during and after their arrest.” (Al-Monitor)

February 22: Meet Egypt’s first female political party leader

“Breaking through Egypt's political glass ceiling, Hala Shukrallah succeeded former Egyptian Vice President Mohammad ElBaradei to become the Constitution Party’s president. Her win not only represents women, who are a minority in Egyptian politics; she is also a Coptic Christian, a community that makes up 10 around percent of the country’s population.” (Al-Arabiya)

February 23: Dancing for women’s rights

“A flash mob in Cairo on 14 February organized to raise awareness for women in Egypt. The event was part of the One Billion Rising initiative. According to their website: “The One Billion Rising is a global call to women survivors of violence and those who love them to gather safely in community outside places where they are entitled to justice – courthouses, police stations, government offices, school administration buildings, work places, sites of environmental injustice, military courts, embassies, places of worship, homes, or simply public gathering places where women deserve to feel safe but too often do not.” (Daily News Egypt)

Iran

February 11: Abortion on the rise in Iran

“On Jan. 28, Dr. Mohammad Esmaeel Motlagh, director of the Health and Population Bureau of Iran’s Ministry of Health, became the first Iranian official to present statistics related to illegal and underground abortion in Iran… [He] said the number of illegal abortions taking place in Iran over the course of an average year is 250,000; bringing it to an hourly average of 28.5 cases. This number is announced despite the fact that such abortions are not registered, and is thus perceived to be an estimation. Motlagh added that the average rate of illegal abortions has tripled over the past 15 years.” (Al-Monitor)

Iraq

February 10: Independent Female Candidate Confident of Winning Iraqi Polls

“Berivan Navkhosh, the assistant head of the Akre health department in Duhok, Kurdistan Region, is one of only two women [independent candidates] hopefuls running in Iraq’s upcoming parliamentary elections. Running on an independent slate, Navkhosh says, “It is to show the public that there are independent individuals running for the parliament and to show that political parties are not the only ones who nominate candidates.” (Rudaw)

Israel

February 22: Gender gap in Israel matches EU countries, study shows

“Women were paid 15% less hourly than men in 2012. The smallest pay discrepancy was for police officers, firefighters and prison guards, but disparities of more than 20% were reported in engineering and architecture.” (Haaretz)

February 24: Cabinet supports female director for rabbinic courts

“A key cabinet committee lent its support this week to a bill that would allow, for the first time, for a woman to become director general of Israel’s rabbinic court system.” (Times of Israel)

Libya

February 20: Libya to compensate women raped during 2011 uprising
“Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani said the cabinet had issued a law that would recognize women raped during the conflict as war victims, putting them on the same level as wounded former rebel fighters requiring medical treatment.” (Chicago Tribune)

Lebanon

February 12: Party Politics, Religion, and Women's Leadership

Fatima Sbaity Kassem recently published a book on women’s leadership, “Party Policies, Religion, and Women’s Leadership: Lebanon in Comparative Perspective.” Sbaity Kassem is the former Director of the UN-Centre for Women, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA). She has participated in a number of Wilson Center meetings and contributed to numerous Wilson Center publications on women’s issues in the MENA region

February 22: Women’s group calls for domestic violence law

“A women's association urged officials to pass a domestic violence draft law after a woman was allegedly poisoned to death by her husband, the latest in a string of domestic violence murders targeting women in Lebanon in recent weeks.” (The Daily Star)

Morocco

February 15: Beyond the law: Protecting Morocco's women (Op-Ed)

“The last few weeks in Morocco have seen heightening efforts by civil society and media campaigners to shed more light on gender violence in the country, a society in which both de facto and de jure shortcomings in women's rights exist. Coupled with a deeply entrenched culture of impunity - especially with issues concerning honor - the country's legal system suffers from bureaucratic weaknesses that stall investigation and implementation. Moreover, female victims of violence are often presumed to be accomplices and questions of consent overshadow the harm they've incurred.” (Al-Jazeera)

Palestinian Territories

February 12: Palestinian women make strides in high-tech

“Abeer Abu Ghaith, founder of StayLinked, is the first female high-tech entrepreneur in the West Bank, setting up an Internet employment brokerage and software development firm. Last month, the Palestinian trailblazer was recognized by regional high-tech leaders as a recipient of the Women in Technology Awards in the Middle East and Africa for 2014.” (Times of Israel)

Qatar

February 21: Qatar said to be considering female military service

“Qatar is considering allowing women to enlist in its armed forces, commander of the country’s air force and head of national service has said, according to local media. However, women would not be allowed to go into combat and would be restricted to security organizations and given social, cultural and medical roles.” (Arabian Business)

Saudi Arabia

February 16: Women investors pump $16bn into Saudi economy

“The total volume of investments by women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia is estimated at more than SR60 billion ($16 billion), nearing 21 per cent of the overall private sector investments.” (

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