Brigham Young University Issues in Human Rights Activism Today Paper What urgent issues dominate Human rights activism today? **PLEASE INCLUDE ATTACHED RE

Brigham Young University Issues in Human Rights Activism Today Paper What urgent issues dominate Human rights activism today?

**PLEASE INCLUDE ATTACHED READINGS TO ANSWER QUESTION**

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-threat-of-a-new-nuclear-arms-race/2012/09/22/7cefd01a-01d7-11e2-bbf0-e33b4ee2f0e8_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.37907865bf7f

https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/cjil4&div=19&id=&page=&t=1560529865 EQUALITY NOW
Action 38.5
December 2013
Egypt: Enforce FGM law & properly investigate Soheir al-Batea’s death
In July 2013 Equality Now issued Action 38.3 calling for enforcement
of the anti-FGM law and justice in the case of 13-year-old Soheir alBatea who died after Dr. Raslan Fadl allegedly performed female genital
mutilation (FGM) on her at her father’s request in a clinic north-east of
Cairo. Dr. Fadl was interrogated by prosecutors and released on bail
pending investigation. After traveling to Soheir’s village in November to
follow up on the case, Equality Now is concerned that the investigation
is being sidelined by the authorities.
The long-delayed forensic report lists Soheir’s cause of death as an
allergic reaction to penicillin and makes no mention of FGM, despite her
father’s initial statement to the police that she had been brought to the
clinic to be subjected to the procedure. We also understand that Dr. Fadl
paid Soheir’s family 50,000 Egyptian Pounds ($7,257 USD) and they no
longer want to pursue the case. Furthermore, Soheir’s father has changed
Equality Now’s Suad Abu-Dayyeh at
his statement to match Dr. Fadl’s statement that Soheir suffered from
the home of Soheir al-Batea
genital warts and the family brought her to the doctor to treat them.
Meanwhile, Dr Fadl continues to practice in his clinic and reportedly performs FGM procedures daily in
clear violation of the law banning the practice.
While in Egypt, Equality Now staff heard reports of another girl who died from FGM, but upon further
investigation, we were told by Police that they had received no such report. We are concerned that this
case and others like Soheir’s are occurring but not being properly investigated.
FGM has been a criminal offence under the Egyptian penal code since 2008. Despite this ban, UNICEF
reports that medicalization is on the rise in Egypt with an estimated 72% of procedures being performed
by doctors in private clinics. Without strong messages from the government, such as proper
implementation of the law and swift punishment for the perpetrators, FGM may become more acceptable
in Egypt, with women’s rights increasingly taking a back seat at all levels.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Please join Equality Now and our Egyptian partners, the Center for Egyptian Women’s Legal Assistance
(CEWLA) and the Egyptian Coalition for Children’s Rights (ECCR) in calling on the government of
Egypt to live up to its domestic and international obligations by:
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Effectively enforcing its FGM law by properly investigating and fully prosecuting violations and
in particular ensuring that Soheir’s death is properly investigated including by arranging for
medical experts to review the forensic report
Ensuring that Dr. Fadl is promptly investigated and held accountable for continuing to violate the
law and measures immediately taken to ensure he is no longer allowed to practice medicine and
is prevented from performing FGM
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Supporting and enhancing community education to change cultural perception and beliefs on
FGM and acknowledging FGM as a human rights violation with harmful consequences
Ensuring that health care providers are given comprehensive education and training on the health
and human rights implications of FGM and refrain from performing any form of the practice
Letters should go to:
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Interim President Adly Mansour, El Etahadiya Presidential Palace, Merghiny St., Heliopolis, Cairo, EGYPT
Fax & Tel.: +202 239 019 980
Prime Minister Mr. Hazem El-Beblawi, Magless El Shaàb Street, Al Kasr El Einy, Cairo, EGYPT
Tel.: +202 2793 5000, Fax: +202 2795 8048, Email: pm@cabinet.gov.eg
Minister of Justice, Judge Hisham Abed El Hamid, Lazoghly Square, Cairo, EGYPT
Tel.: +202 279 22263, Fax: +202 279 58103, Email: mjustice@moj.gov.eg
Minister of Health & Population, Dr. Maha El-Rebat, 3 Magless El Shaàb Street, Al Kasr El Einy, Cairo,
EGYPT
Tel.: +202 2795 1821, Fax: + 202 2795 3966, Email: webmaster@mohp.gov.eg
Attorney General, Mr. Hisham Barakat, Attorney General’s Office, High Court, 26th of July Street
Ambulance Square, Cairo, EGYPT
Tel.: +202 2574 3751-2576 0468, Fax: +202 2577 4716
Please keep Equality Now updated on your work and send copies of any replies you receive to:
Equality Now, P.O. Box 20646, Columbus Circle Station, New York, NY 10023 USA, Fax: +1-212-586-1611; or
Equality Now, P.O. Box 2018 – 00202, Nairobi, KENYA, Fax: +254-20-271-9868; or
Equality Now, 1 Birdcage Walk, London SW1H 9JJ, UK, Fax: +44-207-973-1292
Email: info@equalitynow.org / Website: www.equalitynow.org / Twitter: @equalitynow
EQUALITY NOW
Action 52.1
October 2013
Kenya: Protect girls by enforcing FGM and child marriage laws
Equality Now has been monitoring multiple cases of Kenyan girls running away from
their homes or avoiding going home from school during holidays to escape female genital
mutilation (FGM) and child marriage, particularly during the August and December
school holidays when mass mutilations are performed. The Pokot region, especially, has
had a high number of reports of girls running away from home or refusing to return home
from school. Despite the existence of Kenyan laws against FGM and child marriage, it is
clear that they are not being implemented in the region to protect girls.
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Elizabeth from Churo village was barred from attending school by her parents
who planned to subject her to FGM and marry her off. She found refuge with her
aunt for a while and was attending school, but was forced to run away when her
father tried to remove her from her aunt’s home at age 16. She walked for three
days before arriving at a rescue center for girls. Her father came to the center and
tried to force her back home, but when the center’s management threatened him
with police action, he left and did not return.
Alsine from Tangulbei village was pulled out of school by her parents at age 14 and subjected to FGM to ‘prepare
her for marriage’. She ran away to her older sister’s home, but her father forcibly removed her from her sister’s
home and began marriage preparations. She managed to escape once more, and after spending two nights sleeping
outdoors, was directed to a rescue center for girls where she is once again attending school.
Cana Rescue Center, which aided both Alsine and Elizabeth, is one of the few rescue centers in the region. Unfortunately
it has neither the capacity or resources to house and educate all the girls who are seeking refuge, nor the ability to
indefinitely shelter these girls. NGO rescue centers, while providing an essential service, are not a permanent solution as
girls need to grow up within their families and communities. Although Kenya has laws banning FGM and child marriage,
Equality Now partner, Women Rights Institute for Peace (WRIP), has informed us that government officials in the Pokot
region where Alsine and Elizabeth are from, have done little to prevent violations or protect and support girls when they
seek refuge.
In the Pokot region, over 50% of girls between the ages of 10 and 21 years have been subjected to FGM; local officials
indicate that over 80% of girls either do not join school or drop out prematurely after undergoing FGM, as girls are often
married off immediately following the procedure. The Pokot government needs to work within communities to protect
and support girls and enforce laws to make sure violations are adequately addressed. Equality Now partner Tasaru
Ntomonok Initiative (TNI), based in Narok, Kenya, which also has a high prevalence rate of FGM and child marriage, has
developed a model that incorporates local government and law enforcement officials and chiefs from practicing villages,
to strengthen support systems and facilitate enforcement of laws. Implementation of similar interventions by national and
regional governments would help to protect and support girls and ensure safe and healthy childhoods.
In Kenya, prevalence rates for FGM and child marriage are approximately 27% and 26%, respectively, but there are
significant regional variations with rates as high as 98% in certain regions. FGM is generally performed on girls aged
between 12 and 18, but recent studies have shown that girls are being cut as young as age seven. FGM can have
detrimental lifelong health consequences including chronic infections, severe pain during urination, menstruation, sexual
intercourse, and childbirth, infertility, and psychological trauma.
FGM and child marriage are human rights violations and have a host of negative physical and psychological implications
on girls and women. Kenya, as a party to the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights
of Women in Africa, requires State parties to prohibit both FGM and child marriage and to ensure “protection of women
who are at risk of being subjected to harmful practices.” Kenya has also ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and both the
Committees associated with these treaties have called for an end to FGM and child marriage. In Kenya’s national legal
framework, FGM is prohibited under the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act 2011 and both FGM and child
marriage are prohibited under the Children’s Act 2001. In addition, Kenya’s Constitution contains provisions against both
FGM and child marriage.
In its 2011 consideration of Kenya’s report, the CEDAW Committee stated its concern for the “negative impact of
harmful traditional practices, such as early and forced marriage, on girls’ education,” and “the continued prevalence of the
harmful practice of female genital mutilation in some communities, which is a grave violation of girls’ and women’s
human rights and of the State party’s obligations under the Convention.” They went on to call for effective
implementation of the law, prosecution and punishment of perpetrators and awareness-raising and education. In its 2007
consideration of Kenya’s report, the Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed concern that FGM “is still widely
practiced, especially among certain indigenous and minority groups” and called on Kenya to “strengthen its measures
regarding female genital mutilation and early marriages and ensure that the prohibition is strictly enforced” as well as to
conduct awareness-raising and sensitization campaigns.
Despite frequent reports about cases of FGM and child marriage and girls escaping to avoid these practices, there have
been no known investigations or prosecutions to date in the Pokot region and the government has taken no steps to protect
the girls who are running away to avoid being violated.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Please join Equality Now and our partners WRIP and TNI in calling on the national government of Kenya and the local
government in Pokot to take urgent action in accordance with Kenya’s international, regional and domestic obligations to
ensure that:
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Immediate steps are taken to protect, and provide support and shelter to, girls escaping FGM and child marriage
and to ensure that at-risk girls are not subjected to FGM at any time and in particular during the upcoming
December holiday season.
Laws against FGM and child marriage are effectively implemented with proper investigation and prosecution of
violations.
All concerned national and local level authorities work together to put into place protective measures within atrisk communities to protect girls from both child marriage and FGM, and to ensure that they are able to continue
their education.
Awareness-raising and education campaigns are conducted to change cultural perception and beliefs on FGM and
child marriage and acknowledging the practices as human rights violations with harmful consequences.
Letters should go to:
H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta
President of the Republic
of Kenya
P.O. Box 30040
Nairobi, Kenya
Email:
contact@statehousekeny
a.go.ke or
president@statehouseken
ya.go.ke
H.E Ms Anne
Waiguru
Cabinet Secretary
Ministry of Devolution
and Planning
P. O. Box 30005 – 00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Fax: +254 20 2218475
Email:
info@devolutionplanning
.go.ke
Hon. Prof Githu
Muigai., M.P.
Attorney General
Department of Justice,
National Cohesion and
Constitutional Affairs
Harambee Avenue
P.O Box 40112-00100
Nairobi, Kenya
Fax: +254 20 315105
Email:
info@justice.go.ke
H.E. Dr. Richard Belio
Kipsang,
Cabinet Secretary
Ministry of Education,
Science &Technology
Jogoo House B
Harambee Avenue
P.O. Box 30040
Nairobi, Kenya
Fax: +254 20 214 287
Benjamin C
Cheboi
Baringo County
Governor
P.O Box 53-30400,
Kabarenet, Kenya
Email:
governor@baringo
county.go.ke
Simon Kitalei
Kachapin
West-Pokot County
Governor
PO Box 1 – 30600,
Kapenguria, Kenya
Email:
info@westpokot.go.
ke
With a copy to: The Kenya Women Parliamentary Association, Email: info@kewopa.org
Please keep Equality Now updated on your work and send copies of any replies you receive to:
Equality Now, P.O. Box 20646, Columbus Circle Station, New York, NY 10023 USA, Fax: +1-212-586-1611
Equality Now, P.O. Box 2018 – 00202, Nairobi, KENYA, Fax: +254-20-271-9868
Equality Now, 1 Birdcage Walk, London, SW1H 9JJ UK, Fax: +44-20-7973-1292
Email: info@equalitynow.org / Website: www.equalitynow.org
EQUALITY NOW
Action 34.4
Update – September 2013
Yemen: End child marriages by enacting and enforcing a minimum age of marriage law
“My message to other parents is that they should not think of marrying their daughters
at a young age, girls should go to school. I don’t want any girl to suffer as I did. Girls
should be educated in order to be able to live happily and in dignity.” – Wafa, 11-yearold child bride, Yemen
Recent coverage in the press has highlighted the issue of child marriage in Yemen and
underscored the devastating impact the practice can have on girls. Equality Now has
been informed of a number of cases of young Yemeni girls who have undergone or
been at risk of child marriage which has left them subject to many harmful
consequences.
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11-year-old Wafa was married in 2010 to a 40-year-old farmer who repeatedly
raped and tortured her. Equality Now and local partner Yemeni Women Union
(YWU) were successful in arranging for a lawyer to take up her case and
Wafa, child bride
helped her to obtain a divorce.
11-year-old Safiyeh was married in 2010 to an older man and was hospitalized with injuries to her genitals
caused during sexual intercourse. Due to the intervention of YWU she was granted a divorce.
13-year-old Ilham was married in 2010 to an older man. She died three days after marriage due to excessive
bleeding caused by a tear to her genitals during sexual intercourse.
10-year-old Sally Al-Sabahi was married in 2010 and beaten and raped repeatedly by her husband. She was
subsequently granted a divorce.
11-year-old Sarah was found in 2010 to have been imprisoned and chained by her father in an effort to force
her into marriage.
12-year-old Salwa committed suicide in 2010 by throwing herself from the roof of her house after being
forced into marriage by her father.
13-year-old Hind was married off in 2009 by her father and uncles to a 70-year-old man and tried running
away from her abuser but was caught by an uncle who kept her chained in the house for months. She was
finally freed in March 2010.
11-year-old Fawziya Abdullah Youssef was married off by her father in 2009 to a 25-year-old farmer. The
following year she died in childbirth after three days of painful labor resulting in a stillbirth.
11-year-old Reem was married off by her father in 2008 to her 31-year-old cousin. She ran away from her
abusive husband a week after marriage and was subsequently granted a divorce.
10-year-old Nujood Ali was married off by her parents in 2008 to an abusive husband. After her parents told
her that they could not help her escape as she was now her husband’s property, she took a cab and went to
court by herself and obtained a divorce.
Since 2009, Equality Now and Yemen Women’s Union (YWU) have been calling on the Yemeni government to take
immediate steps to protect Yemeni girls from the harmful consequences of child marriage. Despite the media attention
received by some of the highlighted cases, in particular those of Nujood and Reem, the Yemeni government has not
passed a law setting a minimum age of marriage. Equality Now issued Women’s Action 34.1 (November 2009),
Action Update 34.2 (April 2010) and Action Update 34.3 (May 2012) calling on the Government of Yemen to prevent
child marriages by enacting and enforcing a law establishing a minimum age of marriage. In 2009, the Yemeni
parliament considered a draft bill submitted by two government ministries and backed by Yemeni women and
children’s rights organizations that fixed the minimum age of marriage for girls at age 17 and included penalties and
punishment for those in violation. However, the passage of the bill was effectively blocked by the parliament’s
Shariah (Islamic law) Committee in October 2010.
The failure of the Yemeni government to ban child marriage is a violation of their international obligations under the
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW) both of which contain provisions against child marriage or practices prejudicial to the
health of children. In 2012, the UN Human Rights Committee in its examination of Yemen’s compliance with the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) expressed its concern that “a minimum age for marriage
has still not been set and encounters great resistance in the Parliament” and called on Yemen to “set a minimum age
for marriage that complies with international standards.”
In a promising new development Yemeni Human Rights Minister Hooria Mashhour has requested the reintroduction
of the 2009 parliamentary bill that would effectively ban child marriages in the country. Equality Now and YWU
support the Minister in her efforts to ensure that the government of Yemen lives up to its obligations under
international law by passing a law prohibiting child marriage so that girls are no longer forced to undergo the harmful
physical and psychological effects of child marriage.
Please join Equality Now and YWU in calling upon the government of Yemen to make the rights of women and girls
a priority, to pass and enforce a law prohibiting child marriage, and to ensure the safety and human rights of child
brides who have ended their marriages.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
? Contact the Yemeni President, Prime Minister and the Speaker of the House and ask them to:
1. Ensure that the draft bill banning child marriage is passed by parliament as soon as possible.
2. Ensure effective enforcement of this law once passed.
3. Take measures to protect and promote the rights of girls who have ended or escaped child marriages, including by
providing them with safe accommodation, education and counseling.
? Help us spread the word about this campaign by sharing this Action with your friends.
Letters should be addressed to:
Mr. Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi
President of the Republic of Yemen
President Residence
60 Street
Sana’a, Yemen
Fax: +967 1 276 866
Fax: +967 1 252 803
Tel: +967 1 621 062
Mohammed Salem Basindwa
Prime Minister
Fax: +967 1 282 686
Mr. Yahia El Raei
Speaker of the House
Yemeni Parliament
26 September Street
San’a, Yemen
Fax: +967 1 271 102
With a copy to: Minister Hooria Mashhour, Minister of Human Rights, Al-Steen Street, Sana’a, Yemen
Telephone: +967 1 444 834, Fax: +967 1 444 833, Email: ramif1973@yahoo.com
Please keep Equality Now updated on your work and send copies of any replies you receive to:
Equality Now, P.O. Box 20646, Columbus Circle Station, New York, NY 10023 USA or
Equality Now, P.O. Box 2018 – 00202, Nairobi, KENYA or
Equality …
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