Women This Week; Around the World in 5
In the ongoing series, Document Women highlights noteworthy news related to women and this week’s post covers October 29 to November 4.
Nigeria
This week, Document Women premiered its web series Kallabi tsakanin Rawunna (Headscarves amongst turbans) at Sokoto Book and Arts Festival running from November 4 - 6.
It follows the lives of four women in Nigeria’s northern “Arewa” community who excel in the non-traditional male-dominated sports industry.
Watch the trailer here.
United States × Iran
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the U.S. will work with partners to attempt to remove Iran from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the forty-five-member “principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.”
This move comes in the wake of the Islamic Republic’s unrelenting crackdown on the protests in Iran, which continued to escalate this week.
“The United States believes that no nation that systematically abuses the rights of women and girls should play a role in any international or United Nations body charged with protecting these very same rights,” said Harris.
Read more here.
Global
This week, recently-appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, voiced concerns about the rising “pushback” against women’s rights around the world.
Pointing to the violent crackdown on protests in Iran, Mr Türk talked more broadly about “the rise in misogyny and misogynistic attitudes,” and efforts to weaken the rights of women and girls.
Read more here.
Ghana
This week, a study revealed that of the 35 companies listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange in 2022, women held 25 per cent of the seats on the board and 27 per cent of non-executive director seats, which is not different from what pertained in 2021.
The revelation is contained in the 2022 Board Diversity Index Report released this month by The Boardroom Africa in partnership with the GSE.
According to the report, the figures indicated that progress towards gender diversity had stalled since last year.
However, in terms of the aggregate number of women directors, the financial services sector outperformed all with 45 per cent of all female directors in GSE-listed companies being from the sector.
Read more here.
Rwanda
Salima Mukansanga has become one of three women to referee at the World Cup for the first time since it's creation.
The Rwandan will join France's Stephanie Frappart, Japan's Yoshimi Yamashita and 36 others to officiate the tournament.
She has been a FIFA registered international referee since 2012. She was selected to officiate both the 2019 Women's World Cup and the Tokyo Olympic Games.
Read more here.