Women This Week: Around the World in 5
This ongoing series highlights women's news and information about foreign policy. This week’s post covers March 27 to April 01.
Iran
Two women have been arrested in Iran after being attacked with yoghurt, for not covering their hair in public.
In the video, which has gone viral on social media, two women are approached by a man, who begins talking to them. He then takes what appears to be a bucket of yoghurt from a shelf and angrily throws it over their heads.
Judicial authorities in a town near the northeastern city of Mashhad issued arrest warrants for the man seen pouring yoghurt over the heads of the two women, a mother and her daughter.
Iran's judiciary said the two women have been detained for showing their hair, which is illegal in Iran.
Read more here.
Nigeria
According to UNICEF, 82,000 Nigerian women die yearly from pregnancy-related complications. On Thursday, the UNICEF Chief of Health in Nigeria, Eduardo Celades, in Lagos State, hosted a dialogue on COVID19 and Routine Immunization, hosted by UNICEF Nigeria.
According to the statement, the new death rate arising from pregnancy-related complications doubled the figure released by the Federal Ministry of Health, just in March 2022.
He said from 2000 to 2020, the global maternal mortality ratio (MMR) declined by 34 per cent – from 342 deaths to 223 deaths per 100,000 live births, adding that the country also records eight million childbirth yearly.
Read more here.
South Africa
Tshepo Nxumalo, 20, was charged with two counts of rape and common assault on Wednesday and appeared in the Standerton Magistrate Court.
Nxumalo is suspected of having enticed his 17-year-old victim over Facebook before sexually assaulting her in the mountains near Standerton on March 25. On March 28th, he was taken into custody.
Read more here.
Switzerland
Over 2000 elderly women in Switzerland are suing their government in an attempt to compel action against climate change. The case is being heard in the European Court of Human Rights, the women claim that their country’s failure to address climate change violates their human rights.
Read more here.
Women in Golf
On Thursday, University of Texas sophomore Bohyun Park made the first hole-in-one in Augusta National Women's Amateur history after she aced the par-3 eighth at the Champions Retreat.
Read more here.