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 16 July:
Wolf signs bills to ban female genital mutilation, strengthen crime victim rights
Pennsylvania Capital-Star, 15 Jul 2019
With the Legislature out of session for the summer, Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday ceremonially signed six bills designed to boost the rights of crime victims in Pennsylvania.
‘No hope’ global development goals can be achieved without women, says UN Assembly President
UN News, 15 Jul 2019
“This is an obvious point to make, but it is, sadly, one that we cannot repeat enough”, she said, opening the day-long discussion at UN Headquarters in New York to identify best practices aimed to knock down barriers hindering women’s full participation and leadership, in what she called “our shared mission this year”.
Trump Abortion Restrictions Effective Immediately
The New York Times, 15 Jul 2019
Taxpayer-funded family planning clinics must stop referring women for abortions immediately, the Trump administration said Monday, declaring it will begin enforcing a new regulation hailed by religious conservatives and denounced by medical organizations and women’s rights groups.
Spike in femicides raises alert in Bolivia
The Washington Post, 12 Jul 2019
Grief-struck family members followed Mery Vila’s coffin outside the “Stairway to Heaven” funeral home in the Bolivian capital and angrily shouted: “Justice!” over and over again. Her mother, Luisa Ticona, said Vila’s partner killed the 26-year-old woman by striking her several times on the head with a hammer.
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Saudi Arabia ‘planning to relax male guardianship laws’
The Guardian, 11 Jul 2019
Saudi Arabia could be planning to relax the country’s strict male guardianship laws to allow women to leave the country without needing permission from a male relative, according to reports. Travel restrictions for women over the age of 18 are due to be lifted this year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, quoting Saudi officials familiar with the matter.
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