Women This Week: Around the World in 5
In the ongoing series, Document Women highlights noteworthy news related to women and girls across the globe. This week’s post covers December 2 to December 10.
Scotland
On Friday, the Scottish government moved to reassure members of Parliament that its plans to facilitate how transgender people change the sex on their birth certificate will not compromise its work to advance women’s rights.
In a letter sent on Friday, the cabinet secretary for social justice, Shona Robison, insists the reforms do not “in any way conflict with our work and commitment to protect women from discrimination and advance women’s rights and equality”.
Scotland’s gender recognition reform bill is to introduce a self-declaration system for obtaining a gender recognition certificate (GRC) and drop the age at which people can apply from 18 to 16.
Read more here.
United States of America
The United States finally secured the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner in exchange for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, who has been held in an American prison for 12 years. Griner had been detained and charged with a nine-year jail term after vape canisters with cannabis oil were found in her luggage.
Read more here.
Iran
This week, medical personnel treating protesters in Iran observed the differences in the type of injuries inflicted on men and women by the security forces — with the female activists often being shot in their faces, breasts and genitals.
In interviews with the Guardian, multiple doctors and nurses who have been secretly caring for wounded demonstrators during months of unrest said it appeared that officers tasked with stopping the protests have been targeting specific body parts in women.
Read more here.
Nigeria
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Nigerian authorities to investigate allegations of systemic and coerced abortions reportedly perpetrated by its army.
On Wednesday, Reuters reported that the Nigerian Army has been running a secret illegal abortion programme in the country’s northeast since at least 2013 and have terminated at least 10,000 pregnancies among women and girls Boko Haram abducted.
Read more here.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
The United Nations said MRC rebels killed 131 civilians, and raped 27 women and girls in two days in November.
The attacks took place on November 29 and 30 in the villages of Kishishe and Bambo in the eastern Rutshuru territory amid clashes between the M23 and rival groups, the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, Monusco, said this week. Eight more civilians were wounded, and 60 people were kidnapped, it added.
Read more here.