This No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) news digest rounds up some of the week’s top FGM & Women’s Rights stories for the week ending 25 June:
Saudi Arabia Granted Women the Right to Drive. A Year on, It’s Still Complicated.
The New York Times, 24 Jun 2019
Saudi Arabia granted women the right to drive one year ago, a historic move that cracked open a window to new freedoms for women who have long lived under repressive laws. The measure was enacted by the country’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who also eased other restrictions on women, leading some to hail him as a feminist reformer.
Middle East survey sees patchy progress in views on women’s and LGBT+ rights
Reuters, 24 Jun 2019
The wide-ranging study, conducted by researchers at Princeton University, found although support for women’s rights and for female leaders was growing, many people still felt men should have the final say in family matters. “Opinions regarding women’s rights and their roles in society are progressing unevenly in the Middle East and North Africa,” said Aseel Alayli of Arab Barometer, the research network that conducted the survey. “There is little agreement that women should play equal roles in public or private life.”
Abortion, equal pay, family leave: Here are all the women’s rights policies proposed by 2020 candidates so far
CNBC, 24 Jun 2019
As the 2020 presidential campaign continues to heat up — with 23 democratic candidates in the race so far — conversations around women’s rights and policies have taken centre stage in many political discussions. From the fight for equal pay and paid parental leave to the push for abortion rights and better maternal healthcare, many presidential hopefuls are aware that they’ll need to address these key issues in order to win over women, who, have historically voted at higher rates than men.
Missouri’s last abortion clinic is running out of time after judge’s latest ruling
The Washington Post, 24 Jun 2019
The only remaining abortion clinic in Missouri is taking its fight to stay open to a state appeals panel. Three days after the Missouri Health Department denied the St. Louis Planned Parenthood’s application for a permit to perform abortions, a judge ruled Monday that the clinic must take its case to the Administrative Hearing Commission.
Zimbabwe: School Heads Reject Pregnant Students
AllAfrica, 21 Jun 2019
Secondary school heads have warned the proposed law seeking to allow pregnant school girls back into classrooms will turn learning institutions into virtual maternity wards. This follows a proposal through the Education Amendment Bill that pregnant girls should be readmitted to class after they deliver and should not be excluded or suspended from class.
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