The report was produced by the Verma Committee, which was named after former Chief Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma and set up in the wake of the death of a 23-year-old woman whose gang-rape in New Delhi last month sparked nationwide protests.

“This report and its far-reaching recommendations are not only a tribute to the brave young woman who was raped and murdered five weeks ago, but to all victims of sexual violence and assault in India,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.

“It is also a testament to the power of the young women and men of India, and the broader civil society, who have joined hands across the nation to say ‘Enough is Enough’.”

Pillay saluted Justice Verma and the Committee on producing a thorough report so quickly, and for involving women’s groups and civil society so fully in the process.

The report recommends a number of far-reaching changes, including punishment for marital rape, domestic rape and rape in same-sex relationships; requiring police officers to register every case of reported rape and ensuring that those who fail to do so face serious repercussions; ensuring accountability of police or armed forces personnel for sexual violence; and punishing offences such as stalking and voyeurism with prison terms.

Pillay praised the report for eschewing the death penalty and any lowering of the age of juvenile perpetrators, opting instead for heavy prison sentences ranging from seven years to life imprisonment.

The report also calls for a change in the way rape victims are treated by changing the humiliating protocol for medical examinations they experience; cracking down on extra-legal village councils, known as khap panchayats, which often issue edicts against women; implementing measures to improve sexuality education in schools and the community; and making new legal requirements and electoral reforms to ensure that people charged with criminal offences may not hold political office.

“The Committee’s recommendations are grounded in a framework of rights, equality and non-discrimination, and represent a paradigm shift towards recognition of women as holders of rights, not just objects of protection,” Pillay said. “The report should serve as a beacon for many other countries struggling to respect the rights of women more comprehensively by addressing sexual violence through legislation, policies and programmes.”

Pillay acknowledged some steps already taken by the Government, including the establishment of fast-track courts, and urged all political leaders of the country to rally around the Verma report and make it a national priority to execute its recommendations. She also reiterated her office’s readiness to assist in any aspect of the report’s implementation.

Najat Vallaud Belkacem, French Minister in charge of Women’s rights and spokesperson of the Government, has presented on 31 October an extensive plan to fight against homophobia, in the hope to see France as being at the forefront of the promotion of LGBT rights in Europe. The country’s left-wing government is also to present its draft bill on the subject on Wednesday, reported today ILGA-Europe (European region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association).

This plan addresses various issues faced by LGBT people like school bullying, hate crime, discrimination in the field of employment or healthcare, recognition of families etc.; and it is the result of a wide consultation process launched by the French government in September, in which many French LGBT rights organisations were involved as well as ILGA-Europe.

The Minister has already announced a series of specific measures: hate crimes targeting LGBT people will be reported and published annually to monitor them, police officers and prosecutors will be trained to make sure the victims are given the appropriate support.

What is more, textbooks and curricula will be reviewed to ensure that they address LGBT issues; a working group has been assigned the task of exploring the growing trend of ‘conversion therapies’ and organisations representing same-sex parents will be allowed to take part in official family organisations representatives bodies to make sure that their voice are heard.

At the news, the French Roman Catholic Church has voiced its opposition especially towards the government’s plans to legalise same-sex marriage. Church leaders are concerned about the provision to allow gay couples to adopt children.

Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois of Paris spoke at the annual plenary meeting of Catholic bishops at Lourdes: “Changes of this magnitude require a broad national debate that does not involve random sampling or pressure from some ostentatious lobby.”

The Cardinal called on the faithful to write and speak to their elected representatives, and stop the campaign for such a matrimonial law in France.

Uruguayan President José Mujica has signed into law a bill that waives criminal penalties for abortion in the first 12 weeks of gestation, with certain procedural requirements, and in the first 14 weeks of gestation in the cases of rape.

Mujica had promised he would sign the bill passed by the Senate to waive penalties for abortion with few restrictions in December 2011. However, it took until September 2012 for the bill to pass through the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Uruguay’s legislature. The lower house made significant changes to the Senate bill, adding procedural requirements that must be met for women to access abortions. The bill passed by a margin of just one vote. In October, Uruguay’s senate ratified the Chamber of Deputies’ version of the bill, clearing the way for the president’s signature. The final version retains abortion as a crime under the criminal code, but waives penalties.

Latin American countries have some of the most restrictive abortion policies in the world. Several countries, such as Chile, El Salvador, and Nicaragua have absolute bans on abortion with no exceptions whatsoever. These highly restrictive laws fuel clandestine abortions, putting women’s lives at risk. The United Nation’s World Health Organization estimates that 13 percent of maternal deaths in the region are from unsafe abortion.

“This bill is an important step forward to prevent the life-threatening risks of clandestine abortion,” said Amanda Klasing, women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The law requires women seeking abortions to inform a doctor of the circumstances of the conception and the economic, social, or family hardships which would prevent her from continuing the pregnancy. The same or next day, the doctor is required to consult an interdisciplinary team of at least three professionals, including at least one gynaecologist, one mental health professional, and one specialist in social support. The interdisciplinary team must meet with the woman to inform her about the law, the process of abortion, and any inherent risks of the procedure.

After the woman meets with the team, the law requires a five-day reflection period before she can reassert her choice to continue with the abortion. Upon her informed consent, a doctor can perform the procedure.

Nevertheless, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health has found that legal restrictions can make legal abortions impossible. Examples of abortion restrictions that the Rapporteur criticized in a 2011 report include: “requirements of counselling and mandatory waiting periods for women seeking to terminate a pregnancy” and “requirements that abortions be approved by more than one health-care provider.”

Every year, worldwide, about 42 million women with unintended pregnancies choose abortion, and nearly half of these procedures, 20 million, are unsafe. Some 68,000 women die of unsafe abortion annually, making it one of the leading causes of maternal mortality (13%). Of the women who survive unsafe abortion, 5 million will suffer long-term health complications.

Uruguay’s Ministry of Public Health is now charged with developing regulations to implement the law. There is hope these regulations will ensure that any woman who seeks an abortion within the legal time frame is not denied the procedure; otherwise, desperate women facing the financial burdens and social stigma of unintended pregnancy, will continue to risk their lives by undergoing unsafe abortions.

“Having taken this positive step, Uruguay should now ensure that in practice women seeking this essential medical service can do so without arbitrary interference,” Klasing said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every 8 minutes a woman in a developing nation will die of complications arising from an unsafe abortion; maybe it is time this reality to be something relegated in the past for Uruguay.