Women This Week: Around the world in 5
The ongoing series highlights women's news and information from around the globe. This week's post covered February 6 - February 11.
The United Kingdom
A homeless man who joined in on the rape of a teenager, told police she had the "time of her life", a court heard.
Wesley Roden allegedly approached the 18-year-old while she was being attacked by a first suspect and asked: "Can I have a go next?"
The first man, who is still being searched for by police, told him: "Yeah, you can do what you like when I'm done".
Read more here.
Afghanistan
Mehbooba Siraj, who has worked for women’s rights in Afghanistan, has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for making constant efforts to provide shelter to Afghan women who are victims of domestic abuse.
She has been nominated jointly with jailed Iranian human rights activist and lawyer Nargis Mohammadi.
Read more here.
China
Last month, The Washington Post reported that China’s population is officially shrinking. In response, nationalists support a government campaign that encourages more births, while others argue that a campaign of this nature will put an undue burden on women to give more of their energy to birthing children, as opposed to investing in their careers.
Read more here.
Iran
Baraye,”—a song that has become the unofficial anthem for women-led protests in Iran—won the Grammy for “Best Song for Social Change,” a new category introduced at this year’s award ceremony.
“This song became the anthem of Mahsa Amini protests, a powerful and poetic call for women’s rights… Shervin was arrested but this song continues to resonate around the world with its powerful theme—women, life, freedom,” said First Lady of the United States, Jill Biden, who made the announcement.
Read more here.
Spain
This week, Spain's Constitutional Court upheld a 13-year-old law that allows women to abort on demand within the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, after the divisive issue resurfaced following a regional far-right party's effort to limit abortion access.
The ruling comes after the court was revamped in December with the conservative faction losing clout, which led it to dismiss the appeal brought by the center-right People's Party (PP) in 2010 against the law passed by the Socialist government that year.
Read more here.