The acting head of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), Lakshmi Puri, stressed the role women have played in the political life of the country and called for zero tolerance against all forms of violence against women and girls after reports of rape during protests.

“Egypt’s women have been at the heart of the vibrant civil society movement that continues to press for the rights of all Egyptians,” UN Women said in a news release.

“Their participation in public life and the inclusion of their needs and priorities in any political solution is a prerequisite for inclusive democracy in Egypt.”

On Wednesday, 3 July, the Egyptian military deposed President Mohamed Morsy, suspended the Constitution and paved they way for an interim Government. Since then, Mr. Morsy’s foes and supporters have continued to face off in huge demonstrations, with security forces and police adding to the deepening chaos.

More than 80 people have reportedly been killed and thousands more have been injured in the protests. In addition, media reports stated that over 90 women have been raped during the clashes.

“UN Women is concerned by reports of the high prevalence of sexual assaults against women in public spaces,” the agency said. “UN Women adds its voice to calls on all parties to take a firm stand and show zero tolerance for all forms of violence against women and girls. Egypt’s women have the right to fully participate in political dialogue without fear or threat of violence. Their voices are essential to a peaceful and prosperous Egypt.”

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay have spoken out several times on the need for all parties in Egypt – which has been undergoing a democratic transition since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak two years ago – to exercise restraint, protect human rights and resort to dialogue to peacefully resolve differences.

“At times of great uncertainty, such as during an election, it is important that homes, communities, and schools continue to be havens of safety for children and that they have uninterrupted access to basic social services,” UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said in a press release.

“Children are not political and should be sheltered, in all countries, from political turbulence,” he stated.

Speaking at the end of a two-day visit to the southern African country, Lake wished Zimbabweans a peaceful election, saying it was everybody’s duty to ensure that children and women suffered no violence and disruption to their lives during the 16 March referendum and later general elections.

The referendum will decide a new constitution which, if adopted, will pave the way for elections after June when the current presidential and parliamentary terms expire.

Last month, independent UN experts urged Zimbabwean authorities to ensure that fundamental rights are respected in the run up to the referendum, following reports of civil society organizations being subjected to searches, harassment and intimidation by the police.

While in Zimbabwe, Lake met with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicholas Goche, and welcomed their assurances on the protection of children.

He also visited St. Joseph’s rural health clinic and St. Vincent Primary School which have received medicines and textbooks, respectively, through a donor-supported funding mechanism managed by UNICEF.

Of these 140 million girls, 50 million will be under the age of 15, according to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which added that young girls who marry before the age of 18 have a greater risk of becoming victims of intimate partner violence than those who marry later.

“Child marriage is an appalling violation of human rights and robs girls of their education, health and long-term prospects,” said UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin. “A girl who is married as a child is one whose potential will not be fulfilled. Since many parents and communities also want the very best for their daughters, we must work together and end child marriage.”

Child marriage is increasingly recognized as a violation of the rights of girls as it interferes with their education, blocks their opportunity to gain vocational and life skills, and increases their risk to sexual violence as well as their chances to contract HIV.

“No girl should be robbed of her childhood, her education and health, and her aspirations. Yet today millions of girls are denied their rights each year when they are married as child brides,” said the Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), Michelle Bachelet.

In addition, child marriage also exposes girls to the risks of child-bearing at an early age, which can have fatal consequences. According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), complications from pregnancy and childbirth are the leading causes of death for girls aged 15-19 years in developing countries. Still births and newborn deaths are also 50 per cent higher among mothers under 20 than in women who get pregnant in their 20s.

“Child marriage makes girls far more vulnerable to the profound health risks of early pregnancy and childbirth – just as their babies are more vulnerable to complications associated with premature labour,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.

While 158 countries have set the legal age for marriage at 18 years, laws are rarely enforced since the practice of marrying young children is upheld by tradition and social norms. The practice is most common in rural sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

These issues are the focus of a special session on child marriage being held today by the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York. Strategies to be discussed include supporting and enforcing legislation to increase the minimum age of marriage for girls to 18 years; providing equal access to quality primary and secondary education for girls and boys; mobilizing girls, boys, parents and leaders to change practices that discriminate against girls; providing girls who are already married with options for schooling, employment and sexual and reproductive health information and services; and addressing the root causes of child marriage, including poverty, gender inequality and discrimination.

Currently, the 10 countries with the highest rates of child marriage are: Niger, Chad, the Central African Republic, Bangladesh, Guinea, Mozambique, Mali, Burkina Faso, South Sudan, and Malawi. However, in terms of absolute numbers, because of the size of its population, India has the most child marriages – in 47 per cent of all marriages there, the bride is a child.

In his message marking International Day for Persons with Disabilities, Ban also pointed to next year’s UN General Assembly’s high-level meeting on disability and development, saying it is meant to “spur action to bridge the gap between well-meaning commitments and long-overdue actions.”

Today’s International Day marks the official launch of preparations for the High-Level Meeting, which will take place in September at UN Headquarters in New York, and build on development targets world governments are setting to succeed the anti-poverty agenda enshrined in the 2000-2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“This gathering will take place as the international community works to forge a post-2015 development agenda, presenting an opportunity to ensure that the rights, concerns and contributions of persons with disabilities are fully taken into account,” Ban said.

More than one billion people – about 15 per cent of the world’s population – live with some form of disability. The UN has promoted an International Day on behalf of the disabled since 1992, when the General Assembly recognized the International Day of Disabled Persons, changing its name to the present one in 2007.

It was also in 2007 that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities opened for signature. Entering into force in 2008, the Convention recognizes the barriers disabled people face are a central component of their respective disabilities and, because of that, it says that disabled people have fundamental rights to both accessibility and inclusion.

As of last month, 126 countries, representing two-thirds of UN Member States, had ratified the Convention. Saying that the international community must “strive to achieve” the Convention’s goals, Ban noted that this summer’s UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which took place in Brazil, had already highlighted that – as they searched for a formula for a “sustainable” future in which human needs are met through resource-use that preserves the environment.

“Our challenge is to provide all people with the equality of access they need and deserve,” Ban said. “Ultimately, this will create a better world for all,” he added, recalling that Rio+20 negotiators “agreed (that) accessibility is critical to achieve the future we want.”

In his message, the Secretary-General also said that people with disabilities had already made a “significant positive impact” on society, but stressed that their contributions can be even greater “if we remove barriers to their participation.”

“This year’s Paralympic Games were a reminder of the immense potential of persons with disabilities to soar and to inspire,”  Ban noted, citing the international multi-sport competition that took place in London this year, and which coincide with the Olympic Games every four years.

The UN chief also used his message to salute the American musical performer Stevie Wonder for his work behalf of the world’s disabled. Wonder, himself blind since shortly after birth, has served as UN Messenger of Peace since 2009.

“After playing a spectacular UN Day concert at our Headquarters this year, he said, ‘I haven’t even touched one iota of what I want to do for and through the United Nations to help heal this world,’” Ban said of  Stevie Wonder, adding that the singer “embodies the spirit of service to others.”

In the case of India, the attitude of the police towards rape was put under scrutiny when two undercover Tehelka’s reporters posed as research scholars to interview 30 police officers in the Delhi–National Capital Region. Tehelka reported that senior cops of a dozen police stations across Gurgaon, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad were caught on camera blaming everything from revealing clothes to having boyfriends as the main reasons for rape. Further more, some of them believed that if a woman has consensual sex with one man, then she can’t complain if his friends  join in.

Therefore, as for India, any investigations following a case of rape can be expected to be driven by prejudice, a lack of accuracy and respect, and a low rate of conviction of the perpetrators.

The situation is not different in other countries. A 2012 report by Human Rights Watch on the “Imprisonment of Women and Girls for ‘Moral Crimes’ in Afghanistan” describes similar injustices perpetrated against female victims of rape or sexual assault. The report states that prejudices of those entrusted with enforcing the law help male perpetrators of sexual violence to get away with it. The report reveals that “when women decide to leave because of abusive relationships and unhappiness,” male family members control them by making false accusations and the “ authorities [are] too willing to accept their allegations at face value.”

The report analysed three dozen cases and in most cases the judges allowed their own discretion to prevail: in the case of Tahmina J., 18, instead of pursuing her allegations of rape, the court’s decision warned that women should know that it is not safe for them to go out at night. As a result, she was convicted of zina, a broad meaning that indicates any haram (prohibited) act, and sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison.

The problem touches every continent. For example, violence against Native American women in the United States is perpetrated at an astronomical level. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs described the plight of Native American women as a human rights crisis. Amnesty International reported that Native American women are 2.5 times more likely to be stalked and their murder rate is 10 times the national average. Most disconcerting is that Native women report that the perpetrators of more than 85 percent of sexual assaults are non-Native men, as stated by the U.S. Department of Justice.

In Colombia at least two women are raped every hour, according to the Instituto Nacional de Medicine Legal y Ciencias Dorenses (National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Colombia). In 2011, a number of groups, including Oxfam and the Casa de la Mujer, a non-profit Bogota-based aid organization, teamed up to produce a report called the “First Survey on the Prevalence of Sexual Violence Against Women in the Context of the Colombian Armed Conflict 2001-2009.” The study showed that from 2001 to 2009, in the 407 municipalities that have an active presence of armed forces, 18 percent of women reported a form of abuse, from rape to forced prostitution. “This means that during the nine years in which the study was carried out, 489,687 women were victims of sexual violence. This is an average of 54,410 women per year, 149 per day, or 6 women per hour,” the report states.

It might come as a surprise that similar cases of prejudice can be found also in Europe, like in the case of the 15-year-old rape victim in Rochdale, England, who had appealed for help through her parents to the social services. She told reporters that the “Social services told my Mum and Dad that I was a prostitute and it was a lifestyle choice and that because I was only six months off turning 16, they weren’t going to do anything.”

This event happened after the Council of Europe via the Committee of Ministers issued the European Assembly Recommendation 1887 (2009) on ‘Rape of women, including marital rape,’ which drawn the attention of member states’ governments for its implementation.

The situation is not necessarily better in Greece, where beside the normal routine of the Greek society where a heavy patriarchy rules, the Sharia law is applied to the Muslim women of Thrace. With the application of Sharia law by the Mufti, which is often ratified by Greek courts despite the conflicting Greek constitutional provisions and international obligations of Greece, an effective gray area is created on matters of sexual violence and rape.

Finally, Roma women not only confront multiple kinds of discrimination as women in Greece, but also as members of the Roma minority in Greece, a community with its own discriminatory patriarchy traditions and practices. Racism, patriarchy and economical disadvantages contribute to underplay any matters of sexual assault, and rape.

A panorama beyond all words horrible. There is nothing else a woman might add here.

A Programme Cooperation Agreement will be signed by Norway’s Deputy Minister for International Development, Arvinn Eikeland Gadgil, and UNESCO’s Director-General, Irina Bokova on Thursday at the agency’s headquarters in Paris, France, UNESCO stated in a news release.

The agreement stipulates that Norway’s additional contribution will be given over the next two years, and that UNESCO will support national development plans and contribute to coordination among development partners, particularly within the UN.

Following the signing ceremony last week, Norway will host a debate on women’s issues, entitled ‘Nora’s Sisters, Women Worldwide: Challenges of Freedom.’ at the Paris Institut du Monde Arabe.

Held under the patronage of UNESCO, the event will include a theatre performance and a panel with various women’s rights experts and activists, including a Saudi women’s rights activist, Manal al-Sharif, a French-Nicaraguan anthropologist, Milagros Palma, and Bunker Roy, an Indian social activist, entrepreneur and educator.

Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), noted in a statement that recent weeks have witnessed cases of “extreme abuse and appalling violence against women.”

They include the torture and rape of a young woman, Lal Bibi, by Afghan Local Police and the public execution of a young woman, Najiba.

“These cases have once again focused attention on the continuing and urgent need to protect women’s and girls’ rights as the world redefines its role in Afghanistan, and as the Government of Afghanistan moves forward in [its] transition,” she stated.

Ms. Bachelet said such brutality is “intolerable” and called on the Government to respond urgently to these crimes, bring the perpetrators to justice, put an end to a culture of impunity and create a culture of zero tolerance of violence and discrimination against women and girls.

It is vital, stressed the Executive Director, that the important gains made for and with women over the past decade are advanced and sustained and that women are fully engaged in charting the future of Afghanistan.

“If Afghan women and girls continue to be ignored within the major decision-making processes affecting their country, the vision of a more secure, prosperous and stable Afghanistan cannot be realized,” she stated.

“To ensure progress for Afghanistan, we must act in solidarity to prioritize women’s rights, equality and accountability, and in ending impunity for violence against women and girls,” she added. “UN Women remains committed to working with the Government and people of Afghanistan to advance women’s empowerment and gender equality.”

“Terrorism has a very real and direct impact on human rights, with devastating consequences for the right to life, liberty and physical integrity of victims and their families,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and counterterrorism, Ben Emmerson, during the presentation of his annual report to the UN Human Rights Council.

“It is a striking fact that despite the proliferation of international instruments dealing with counter-terrorism co-operation, there is none that directly addresses the rights of the victims – the victims want that put right,” he added.

The Special Rapporteur stressed that the victims’ call is “not for more torture, nor for more human rights abuse in countering terrorism,” and warned that some States have been willing to abandon core human rights values on the pretext of defending them.

“In the end, the politicians and officials responsible for human rights abuse in counter-terrorism strategies will always seek to justify what they do on the grounds that they are protecting the next generation of victims,” Mr. Emmerson said.

“The victims’ call is not for more torture, nor for more human rights abuse, in countering terrorism,” he said. “Their call is for the recognition of their human rights through adoption of a single normative framework which acknowledges their suffering, protects them from further abuse, and provides adequate support and reparation.”

In regard to an international legal framework, Mr. Emmerson said his proposed ‘Framework Principles’ set out a series of rights that are already recognised by regional human rights bodies concerning States’ obligations to take reasonable care to prevent acts of terrorism from occurring; to conduct prompt, independent and impartial investigations, with a view to securing accountability and learning lessons for the future. “They are not just about compensation,” he noted.

The Principles also call on States to ensure that victims of terrorism have an adequate opportunity to participate in the fair and public administration of criminal justice; to ensure that the privacy and physical integrity of the survivors and families are protected; and to guarantee their rights to form representative organisations.

“Whilst these rights have been recognised at the regional level, they have not so far been fully protected on the international plane,” he said. “That is why I am recommending the adoption of a specific international instrument, negotiated under the auspices of the UN.”

Independent experts, or special rapporteurs, are appointed by the Geneva-based Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not United Nations staff, nor are they paid for their work.

“We are nearing the goal of universal ratification, strengthening children’s protection from violence and bringing to an end the impunity for incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse,” the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, Marta Santos Pais, said in a statement. Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, added: “Ratification, followed by a proper implementation and rigorous enforcement, can make a real difference for children caught in conflict and vulnerable to exploitation.”

The campaign for universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child – a universally agreed set of non-negotiable standards and obligations, providing protection and support for the rights of children – was launched by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in May 2010. It is a UN system-wide effort, promoted by the Ms. Santos Pais, Ms. Coomaraswamy, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The Protocol on the Sale Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography provides guidance for States in their efforts to prohibit and prevent sexual violence and exploitation of children and the prosecution of perpetrators. It also protects children from sale or trafficking for purposes such as forced labour, illegal adoption or organ donation.

The Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict prohibits the use of children in hostilities and urges all States to set their minimum age of conscription at I8 years. It also prohibits the recruitment by armed groups of children under the age of 18.

Ms. Santos Pais and Ms. Coomaraswamy emphasized that although steady progress has been made, much more remains to be done, noting that 46 Member States have not ratified the protocol on child soldiers.

“I urge conflict-affected countries to ratify this treaty as a matter of urgency and those in peace and with no standing armies to follow suit in a symbolic gesture to end the outrageous practice of child recruitment,” said Ms. Coomaraswamy.

Ms. Santos Pais stressed that ratification is a crucial step towards implementation. “In our struggle to eliminate sexual exploitation of children there can be no room for complacency,” she said.

Human Rights Watch called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to put an end to the discrimination against women in sports in the kingdom a condition for Saudi Arabia’s participation in Olympic sporting events, including the 2012 London Games.
“The fact that women and girls cannot train to compete clearly violates the Olympic Charter’s pledge to equality and gives the Olympic movement itself a black eye, ”according to 
Christoph Wilcke, senior Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Saudi Arabia is one of only three countries in the world never to have sent a female athlete to the Olympics. The other two, Qatar and Brunei, do not bar women from competitive sports and their women athletes have taken part in other international sporting competitions. Qatar has supported sports for women over the past decade and said that it plans to send women athletes to the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The 51-page report, “‘Steps of the Devil’: Denial of Women and Girls’ Right to Sport in Saudi Arabia,” documents prejudice by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education in denying girls physical education in state schools, as well as discriminatory practices by the General Presidency for Youth Welfare, a youth and sports ministry, in licensing women’s gyms and supporting only all-male sports clubs. The National Olympic Committee of Saudi Arabia also has no programmes for women athletes and has not fielded women in past Olympic Games.

While the IOC has criticized Saudi Arabia for failing to send women athletes to the Olympics, it has not conditioned the kingdom’s participation on ending discrimination against women in sports. In July 2011, IOC spokeswoman Sandrine Tonge said that the IOC governing body “does not give ultimatums nor deadlines but rather believes that a lot can be achieved through dialogue.” The IOC charter, however, asserts that sport is a right for everyone and bans discrimination in practicing sports on the basis of gender. 
Human Rights Watch called on Saudi Arabia to act within one year to introduce physical education for girls in all schools, open women’s sections, and fund women’s sport in the youth ministry, the Saudi National Olympic Committee, and Saudi sports federations. The organization said that these steps are essential proof of a Saudi effort to end discrimination against women in sports and thus a precondition for allowing the kingdom to be represented in Olympic events.

Women and girls are not only denied the excitement of competition, but also the physical and psychological benefits, leading to longer, healthier lives, that participation in sports conveys. Obesity rates have been on the rise in Saudi Arabia in recent years, in particular among women, as have related diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In Saudi Arabia, between two-thirds to three-quarters of adults and 25 to 40 percent of children and adolescents are estimated to be overweight or obese, according to a scientific article in Obesity Review in 2011.