By Mazen Mahdi, Foreign Correspondent
Bahraini female officers take part in yesterday's graduation ceremony at the UN House in Manama. Mazen Mahdi / The National
MANAMA // Mixed assessments about the extent of discrimination and violence against women in Bahrain were offered yesterday as the country marked the 10th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
“I’m optimistic about the prospects of addressing this issue across the Gulf states,” Dr Banna Bazaboun, the head of the Manama-based Batelco Care Centre for Family Violence Cases (BCCFVC) said following a graduation ceremony for a new police officers who had been trained with the United Nations’ help to deal with such cases.
“The efforts are no longer limited to the civil society, but they have expanded to encompass the government and official levels who are seeking to tackle this issue by improving their policing and court systems,” Dr Bazaboun said.
She added that across the Gulf serious efforts were being made to combat violence against women by taking preventive steps and raising awareness. She mentioned Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar as places where significant progress has been made.
Her optimism was not shared by the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS), which released its annual report yesterday, painting a much less hopeful picture of the situation in the country because of unfulfilled legislative commitments and continued reports of human trafficking.
The report criticized the government for not fulfilling its international commitments to treaties protecting women’s rights that it had ratified and for not allowing the human rights groups and civic organizations to play a bigger rule in drafting legislations and recommendations addressing women’s rights.
A study carried out by the Bahraini Supreme Council for Women (SCW) in 2006 found that violence against women was carried out mainly by their husbands (89.8 per cent), followed by their brothers (18.4 per cent fathers (16.2 per cent), strangers (6.8 per cent). Other relatives were responsible for the remaining violence perpetrated against Bahraini women, according to the study.
Women’s rights in the region have received renewed attention during the past three years, after several Gulf and Middle East countries – including Bahrain – were identified by the US state department’s annual human trafficking report as states that tolerate the practice.
The Bahraini government had rejected the claims, but has since embarked on legislative reforms, carried out law enforcement operations and taken part in joint civic and international efforts to address the issue of women’s rights.
The BHRS report welcomed the adoption of an anti-human trafficking law in Bahrain last year, but expressed reservations over the fact that the law did not call for compensation for the victims. It also said that trafficking in people was still taking place and that most of the victims were women from Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and some Arab countries that were either contracted or misled into working in nightclubs and bars.
The BCCFVC, which opened in 2007, claims to be the first of its kind, a specialised centre in the Arab world to offer preventive and therapy services for victims of family violence. According to the centre’s figures, it has dealt with 6,016 cases in the past two years.
Dr Bazaboun said 10,045 people had so far benefited from the centre’s direct awareness seminars and services since they began operating at the centre, while it continues to carry out awareness campaigns in the media alongside its specialised training.
The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, on Tuesday pushed the UN drive to combat violence against women even further by introducing a new initiative.
“Today I launched a Network of Men Leaders who will support the UNiTE [to End Violence Against Women] campaign and act as role models for men and boys everywhere. Members of the Network will work to raise public awareness, advocate for adequate laws, and meet with young men and boys,” Mr Ban said in New York.
He said that up to 70 per cent of women, at some point in their lifetime, experienced physical or sexual violence by men. Most suffered at the hands of their husbands, partners or someone they know.
“This means men have a crucial role to play in ending such violence as fathers, friends, decision makers, and community and opinion leaders,” he said.
Dr Bazaboun, who has carried out specialised training for police officers in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, as well as in Bahrain, also emphasised the importance of men participating in the training and awareness seminars, as they represented the other part of the equation in the cycle of violence.
“It is important to have men play a role in combating violence against women. Three quarters of our board is made up of men at the BCCFVC, and at the centre we train policemen and policewomen side by side because they whole society should be involved in this effort,” she said.
mmahdi@thenational.ae
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
MENA: Sheikha Alyaziah bint Saif heads delegation to Rome NAM First Ladies Summit
Sheikha Alyaziah bint Saif al Nahyan, wife of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs today concludes a two day trip to Rome to attend the second Non-Aligned Movement First Ladies Summit on the subject of food security and women's access to resources.
Sheikha Alyaziah was representing Sheikha Fatimah bint Mubarak, first lady of the UAE at the conference in which the UAE submitted a speech that urged the need for global action to combat hunger worldwide and ensure women's access to resources.
Sheikha Alyaziah's speech highlighted that the issue of food security is one that goes to the very heart of the challenges that face the world today. "It is intimately connected with a whole host of other issues - like climate change, the conservation of our natural environment, population growth, poverty and education. And, of course, it is also related to the allocation of global economic resources between North and South and how they are managed." The UAE submission also praised the continued support of UAE President Sheikh Khalifah bin Zayed al Nahyan in empowering women and ensuring their equal access to resources. A core part of the UAE's policy focuses on giving aid to countries around the world, in particular for building up infrastructure and contributing to irrigation and education projects.
The meeting, timed to take place on the sidelines of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization summit (FAO) will present its recommendations to the FAO World Food summit over the coming two days.
During the two-day summit, Sheikha Alyazia held bilateral meetings with a number of first ladies including Suzanne Mubarak of Egypt, Hero Talabani of Iraq and Leila Ben Ali of Tunisia in which discussions were held on a number of issues of mutual interest and co-operation.
The UAE delegation, headed by Sheikha Alyaziah included Noura al Suwaidi, Director-General of the General Women's Union, Ambassador Abdulaziz Al Shamsi, UAE ambassador to Italy, Lana Nusseibeh, Director of Research at the Ministry of State for the Federal National Council, Fatimah al Amri, Director of Public Relations at the General Women's Union, Rowda al Otaiba and Alya al Shehhi from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Rome,16 Nov, 2009 (WAM)
Sheikha Alyaziah was representing Sheikha Fatimah bint Mubarak, first lady of the UAE at the conference in which the UAE submitted a speech that urged the need for global action to combat hunger worldwide and ensure women's access to resources.
Sheikha Alyaziah's speech highlighted that the issue of food security is one that goes to the very heart of the challenges that face the world today. "It is intimately connected with a whole host of other issues - like climate change, the conservation of our natural environment, population growth, poverty and education. And, of course, it is also related to the allocation of global economic resources between North and South and how they are managed." The UAE submission also praised the continued support of UAE President Sheikh Khalifah bin Zayed al Nahyan in empowering women and ensuring their equal access to resources. A core part of the UAE's policy focuses on giving aid to countries around the world, in particular for building up infrastructure and contributing to irrigation and education projects.
The meeting, timed to take place on the sidelines of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization summit (FAO) will present its recommendations to the FAO World Food summit over the coming two days.
During the two-day summit, Sheikha Alyazia held bilateral meetings with a number of first ladies including Suzanne Mubarak of Egypt, Hero Talabani of Iraq and Leila Ben Ali of Tunisia in which discussions were held on a number of issues of mutual interest and co-operation.
The UAE delegation, headed by Sheikha Alyaziah included Noura al Suwaidi, Director-General of the General Women's Union, Ambassador Abdulaziz Al Shamsi, UAE ambassador to Italy, Lana Nusseibeh, Director of Research at the Ministry of State for the Federal National Council, Fatimah al Amri, Director of Public Relations at the General Women's Union, Rowda al Otaiba and Alya al Shehhi from the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Rome,16 Nov, 2009 (WAM)
Friday, November 13, 2009
Yemen: Islah party lacks unity and clear platform
A volatile mix of competing factions within Yemen’s major Islamist party is preventing the group from developing a clear platform. Tribal, Muslim Brotherhood, and Salafi elements within the Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah) has led to a lack of unity and hampered the party’s performance, explains Amr Hamzawy in a new paper.
Originally an ally of the ruling General People’s Congress (GPC) and a junior member in the government following the unification of North and South Yemen in 1990, Islah joined the opposition in 1997 in protest over the government’s lack of progress on democratic reforms. It has continued to switch sides on key policy issues between the ruling party and the opposition ever since.
Key Conclusions:
• Although Islah has emerged as the strongest opposition group in Yemen, it has failed to secure any major legislative accomplishments since leaving the ruling coalition in 1997.
• Islah emphasizes peaceful political participation. It recognizes the rights of secular movements and supports democracy as compatible with Islam. Islah has also democratized its internal procedures and decision-making processes.
• Since moving into the opposition, Islah, which started its political participation calling for the Islamization of state and society, has focused less on religious and moral legislation, instead prioritizing political, social, and economic reforms.
• Like many Arab Islamist movements, Islah has created religious, charitable, and educational institutions to enlarge its base by delivering social services.
• To counter Islah’s growing strength, the GPC has sought to deepen the rifts between Islah’s various factions, and to limit the group’s control over mosques.
• Yemeni Salafis are skeptical of democratic participation, but continue to view Islah as their best available option, and have voted for its candidates in recent presidential and local elections.
“Although Islah’s long-standing internal divisions have hindered the party’s parliamentary prospects, more than anything, the concentration of power in the hands of President Saleh and the ruling GPC has stifled its legislative success,” Hamzawy cautions. “At this level, the experience of Islamists in Yemen corresponds to the wider regional pattern of Islamist parties and movements, which have proven ineffective in opposition to authoritarian regimes.”
Originally an ally of the ruling General People’s Congress (GPC) and a junior member in the government following the unification of North and South Yemen in 1990, Islah joined the opposition in 1997 in protest over the government’s lack of progress on democratic reforms. It has continued to switch sides on key policy issues between the ruling party and the opposition ever since.
Key Conclusions:
• Although Islah has emerged as the strongest opposition group in Yemen, it has failed to secure any major legislative accomplishments since leaving the ruling coalition in 1997.
• Islah emphasizes peaceful political participation. It recognizes the rights of secular movements and supports democracy as compatible with Islam. Islah has also democratized its internal procedures and decision-making processes.
• Since moving into the opposition, Islah, which started its political participation calling for the Islamization of state and society, has focused less on religious and moral legislation, instead prioritizing political, social, and economic reforms.
• Like many Arab Islamist movements, Islah has created religious, charitable, and educational institutions to enlarge its base by delivering social services.
• To counter Islah’s growing strength, the GPC has sought to deepen the rifts between Islah’s various factions, and to limit the group’s control over mosques.
• Yemeni Salafis are skeptical of democratic participation, but continue to view Islah as their best available option, and have voted for its candidates in recent presidential and local elections.
“Although Islah’s long-standing internal divisions have hindered the party’s parliamentary prospects, more than anything, the concentration of power in the hands of President Saleh and the ruling GPC has stifled its legislative success,” Hamzawy cautions. “At this level, the experience of Islamists in Yemen corresponds to the wider regional pattern of Islamist parties and movements, which have proven ineffective in opposition to authoritarian regimes.”
Thursday, November 12, 2009
MENA: Middle East Youth Initiative Study
By the Dubai School of Government and Brookings Wolfensohn Center
The demographic transition being experienced in the Middle East is leading to high unemployment and social exclusion, making it one of the most critical economic development challenges in the region, research on the Middle East's youth has found.
The research, entitled Generation in Waiting: The Unfulfilled Promise of Young People in the Middle East, was launched at the Dubai School of Government (DSG) on Monday.
With over 100 million people between the ages of 15 and 29, the Middle East has the largest youth cohort in the history of the region, according to the research.
It is a project by the Middle East Youth Initiative, a joint program between the Dubai School of Government and the Wolfensohn Center at the Washington DC-based Brookings Institution, and is packed with statistics and is targeted for policy-makers in the region.
It has been edited by DSG dean Dr Taiq Yousef and Nivtej Dhillon, former policy director at the Middle East Youth Initiative.
Foreword by Anwar Gargash [UAE State Minister]
Specifically focusing on Iran, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Syria and Yemen, the research included a foreword by Anwar Gargash, minister of state for foreign affairs, and James Wolfensohn, the former president of the World Bank.
Dr Yousef said that the research showed that the "most important segment in the region is not to be taken for granted", referring to the Middle East's youth.
He also criticized the region's governments for not giving youths due attention, saying the weakest ministries in the region were those dealing with youth matters, that they were also the most underfunded and lacked a political mandate.
The research found that while more of today's youth are educated in comparison to previous generations, the quality of the education in the region is poor and does not qualify them for the private sector, leading many to rely heavily on the already saturated government sectors.
The phenomenon, said Dr Yousef, coupled with low quality, low paid jobs and a lack of social protection is leading the region's youth to get married later in life, which he said was unusual for a conservative region as the Middle East. Marriage as an institution, he added, was under "assault".
According to the research, nearly 50 per cent of males between the ages of 25 and 29 are unmarried. "The marriage market is closely linked with the employment market, the education market, and the housing market," says the study.
Tip of the iceberg
Unemployment, said Mary Kawar of the International Labor Organization was "the tip of the iceberg" in the difficulties facing the region's youth. Young people in the region, she said, faced problems making the transition from school to the workplace.
"80 to 90 per cent of young people in the countries we surveyed had an unsuccessful transition," she said. The "unsuccessful" classification, she said, included those that had taken jobs that they were unhappy with, or "non-career jobs".
"A lot of young Arabs choose to be unemployed because they want to have good jobs," she said.
Nader Qabbani, of the Syria Trust for Development, compared the value of education in job markets between the Arab world and the rest of the world, saying that an extra year of education amounted to a 10 to 15 per cent extra annual income on a global level. "In the Arab world, an extra year would bring six per cent, and in Syria, three per cent," he said.
Ahmed Younis, a consultant at pollster Gallup, painted a bleak picture of the state of the region's youth through statistics. Vast majorities of Arab youths believe that corruption is widespread in the private sector and many believe that having wasta [influence] is the best way to get a job in the region, and most are not willing to relocate for a job, even within their own country.
Dr Yousef said it was refreshing to learn that the research project was not approached from a security perspective.
"In Washington, most [such] discussions were couched in terms of national security, terrorism and counter terrorism… They would say who is going to be the next [Osama] Bin Laden, and how do we stop him… This [research] is refocusing the angle to where the crux is," he said.
The demographic transition being experienced in the Middle East is leading to high unemployment and social exclusion, making it one of the most critical economic development challenges in the region, research on the Middle East's youth has found.
The research, entitled Generation in Waiting: The Unfulfilled Promise of Young People in the Middle East, was launched at the Dubai School of Government (DSG) on Monday.
With over 100 million people between the ages of 15 and 29, the Middle East has the largest youth cohort in the history of the region, according to the research.
It is a project by the Middle East Youth Initiative, a joint program between the Dubai School of Government and the Wolfensohn Center at the Washington DC-based Brookings Institution, and is packed with statistics and is targeted for policy-makers in the region.
It has been edited by DSG dean Dr Taiq Yousef and Nivtej Dhillon, former policy director at the Middle East Youth Initiative.
Foreword by Anwar Gargash [UAE State Minister]
Specifically focusing on Iran, Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Syria and Yemen, the research included a foreword by Anwar Gargash, minister of state for foreign affairs, and James Wolfensohn, the former president of the World Bank.
Dr Yousef said that the research showed that the "most important segment in the region is not to be taken for granted", referring to the Middle East's youth.
He also criticized the region's governments for not giving youths due attention, saying the weakest ministries in the region were those dealing with youth matters, that they were also the most underfunded and lacked a political mandate.
The research found that while more of today's youth are educated in comparison to previous generations, the quality of the education in the region is poor and does not qualify them for the private sector, leading many to rely heavily on the already saturated government sectors.
The phenomenon, said Dr Yousef, coupled with low quality, low paid jobs and a lack of social protection is leading the region's youth to get married later in life, which he said was unusual for a conservative region as the Middle East. Marriage as an institution, he added, was under "assault".
According to the research, nearly 50 per cent of males between the ages of 25 and 29 are unmarried. "The marriage market is closely linked with the employment market, the education market, and the housing market," says the study.
Tip of the iceberg
Unemployment, said Mary Kawar of the International Labor Organization was "the tip of the iceberg" in the difficulties facing the region's youth. Young people in the region, she said, faced problems making the transition from school to the workplace.
"80 to 90 per cent of young people in the countries we surveyed had an unsuccessful transition," she said. The "unsuccessful" classification, she said, included those that had taken jobs that they were unhappy with, or "non-career jobs".
"A lot of young Arabs choose to be unemployed because they want to have good jobs," she said.
Nader Qabbani, of the Syria Trust for Development, compared the value of education in job markets between the Arab world and the rest of the world, saying that an extra year of education amounted to a 10 to 15 per cent extra annual income on a global level. "In the Arab world, an extra year would bring six per cent, and in Syria, three per cent," he said.
Ahmed Younis, a consultant at pollster Gallup, painted a bleak picture of the state of the region's youth through statistics. Vast majorities of Arab youths believe that corruption is widespread in the private sector and many believe that having wasta [influence] is the best way to get a job in the region, and most are not willing to relocate for a job, even within their own country.
Dr Yousef said it was refreshing to learn that the research project was not approached from a security perspective.
"In Washington, most [such] discussions were couched in terms of national security, terrorism and counter terrorism… They would say who is going to be the next [Osama] Bin Laden, and how do we stop him… This [research] is refocusing the angle to where the crux is," he said.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
UAE: Sheikha Fatima visits shelter for victims of human trafficking, donates AED 1 million
Abu Dhabi, 8 Nov. 2009 (WAM) - H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union and Supreme President of the Family Development Foundation today visited the centre for sheltering women and children who are victims of human trafficking which operates under the umbrella of the UAE Red Crescent Authority.
Sheikha Fatima donated AED 1 million to help the victims regain their normal lives.
Sheikha Fatima was received at the centre by Sara Shuhail, Executive Director of the centers and the women working there.
Sheikha Fatima, who was accompanied by Dr Maitha Al Shamsi, Minister of State, was briefed on the conditions of the victims. She talked to the victims and comforted them. She also reassured them that the centre was created to shelter and to protect them.
She reiterated UAE's rejection of such terrible crimes committed against innocent women and children and expressed support to all efforts to guarantee their financial and morale rights.
Sheikha Fatima toured the centre's different sections and praised the levels of services offered to the victims of human trafficking.
Sheikha Fatima donated AED 1 million to help the victims regain their normal lives.
Sheikha Fatima was received at the centre by Sara Shuhail, Executive Director of the centers and the women working there.
Sheikha Fatima, who was accompanied by Dr Maitha Al Shamsi, Minister of State, was briefed on the conditions of the victims. She talked to the victims and comforted them. She also reassured them that the centre was created to shelter and to protect them.
She reiterated UAE's rejection of such terrible crimes committed against innocent women and children and expressed support to all efforts to guarantee their financial and morale rights.
Sheikha Fatima toured the centre's different sections and praised the levels of services offered to the victims of human trafficking.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
UAE: Women muftis by end of 2010
DUBAI // The UAE will appoint what are likely to be the world’s first state-sanctioned female muftis next year, after the Grand Mufti announced details yesterday of plans to recruit and train them.
Six Emirati women are being considered for the training programme, said Dr Ahmed al Haddad, who is also the head of the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department. Once accepted they will begin the course, which will last several months, early next year.
The move follows a fatwa issued by Dr al Haddad in February that sanctioned women’s role as muftis. In May, he called on qualified Emirati women to apply for the programme, which includes instruction in Sharia law and legal thinking.
“We continue to accept new applicants until we begin the training,” said Dr al Haddad. “It is already part of the 2010 budget.”
The status of female muftis has caused controversy within the religious establishment elsewhere in the Muslim world, with Egypt’s Al Azhar University, a powerful centre of Sunni scholarship, rejecting the possibility of women becoming grand muftis.
However, Dr al Haddad said that debate did not affect whether women should serve in other roles.
“The controversy over female muftis is not necessarily over this point, but about whether or not a woman should be appointed as the grand mufti of a state,” he said. “And that is not what we’re trying to do at this point.”
The move is part of a broader push to recruit and train Emiratis to the department, especially in the role of advising and issuing decrees on religious matters.
They will be instructed according to the Maliki school of jurisprudence, one of four in the Sunni tradition and the one followed in the UAE. Instructors are typically from academic and religious institutions, including practising muftis.
Although women currently serve as religious advisers at the Abu Dhabi fatwa centre, their role is limited to advising women on “women’s issues”. The Dubai move would mark the first time women have acted as muftis on a par with their male counterparts.
In February 2008, the Egyptian family court appointed Amal Soliman as the first female Islamic notary with the ability to perform marriages and divorces. Her duties were not equal to those of a mufti.
Dr al Haddad, who has five daughters, one of whom is a student of Sharia, said his fatwa earlier this year was based on Islamic tradition, which he said was “rich in examples of highly learned women acting as muftis and issuing decrees on all matters”.
“A woman who is learned and trained in issuing fatwas is not limited in her role to issuing fatwas that relate to women only, but rather she is qualified to issue on matters of worship, jurisprudence, morality and behaviour,” he said.
He referred to a Quranic verse to support his decree that Islamic tradition has always sanctioned women to act as muftis on all matters that concern society.
A fatwa, or religious decree, is in effect a legal opinion derived from the Quran, hadith or precedents in the Islamic tradition.
“Evidence points to the fact that women too can order acts of virtue and ban acts of vice just like a man can,” he said, referring to the basic tenement of a mufti’s role.
“And of course she can do that only with acquired scholarship and training, which is what female contemporaries of the Prophet have done as well as the women who came after them.” (The National, Nov. 03, 2009)
Six Emirati women are being considered for the training programme, said Dr Ahmed al Haddad, who is also the head of the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department. Once accepted they will begin the course, which will last several months, early next year.
The move follows a fatwa issued by Dr al Haddad in February that sanctioned women’s role as muftis. In May, he called on qualified Emirati women to apply for the programme, which includes instruction in Sharia law and legal thinking.
“We continue to accept new applicants until we begin the training,” said Dr al Haddad. “It is already part of the 2010 budget.”
The status of female muftis has caused controversy within the religious establishment elsewhere in the Muslim world, with Egypt’s Al Azhar University, a powerful centre of Sunni scholarship, rejecting the possibility of women becoming grand muftis.
However, Dr al Haddad said that debate did not affect whether women should serve in other roles.
“The controversy over female muftis is not necessarily over this point, but about whether or not a woman should be appointed as the grand mufti of a state,” he said. “And that is not what we’re trying to do at this point.”
The move is part of a broader push to recruit and train Emiratis to the department, especially in the role of advising and issuing decrees on religious matters.
They will be instructed according to the Maliki school of jurisprudence, one of four in the Sunni tradition and the one followed in the UAE. Instructors are typically from academic and religious institutions, including practising muftis.
Although women currently serve as religious advisers at the Abu Dhabi fatwa centre, their role is limited to advising women on “women’s issues”. The Dubai move would mark the first time women have acted as muftis on a par with their male counterparts.
In February 2008, the Egyptian family court appointed Amal Soliman as the first female Islamic notary with the ability to perform marriages and divorces. Her duties were not equal to those of a mufti.
Dr al Haddad, who has five daughters, one of whom is a student of Sharia, said his fatwa earlier this year was based on Islamic tradition, which he said was “rich in examples of highly learned women acting as muftis and issuing decrees on all matters”.
“A woman who is learned and trained in issuing fatwas is not limited in her role to issuing fatwas that relate to women only, but rather she is qualified to issue on matters of worship, jurisprudence, morality and behaviour,” he said.
He referred to a Quranic verse to support his decree that Islamic tradition has always sanctioned women to act as muftis on all matters that concern society.
A fatwa, or religious decree, is in effect a legal opinion derived from the Quran, hadith or precedents in the Islamic tradition.
“Evidence points to the fact that women too can order acts of virtue and ban acts of vice just like a man can,” he said, referring to the basic tenement of a mufti’s role.
“And of course she can do that only with acquired scholarship and training, which is what female contemporaries of the Prophet have done as well as the women who came after them.” (The National, Nov. 03, 2009)
UAE: GWU launches legal rights awareness drive for women's
WAM Abu Dhabi
A two month program was launched today by the General Women's Union (GWU) to educate women about their legal rights and build their capacity to defend these vested constitutional rights.
Being organized by the GWU in conjunction with the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), the ''Know Your Rights'' program will feature a series of 12 workshops to familiarize women leaders from government ministries and departments with international laws and conventions on rights of women, in addition to a bundle of UAE laws like the personal status code, and laws on civil service and labor. These activities will shed light on provisions enshrined in the UAE constitution in regards to personal status code, and laws of labor and human resources.
GWU Director General Noura Al Suweidi said ''The program seeks to raise awareness standard of women about their vested rights guaranteed by the UAE constitution and laws and build their capacity to defend their legal rights.
In today's workshop held at the GWU premises, Dr Mohammed Abdul Rahim of College of Law, UAE University, lectured about 40 women leaders on rights and duties of women in the view of the the personal status code.
A two month program was launched today by the General Women's Union (GWU) to educate women about their legal rights and build their capacity to defend these vested constitutional rights.
Being organized by the GWU in conjunction with the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), the ''Know Your Rights'' program will feature a series of 12 workshops to familiarize women leaders from government ministries and departments with international laws and conventions on rights of women, in addition to a bundle of UAE laws like the personal status code, and laws on civil service and labor. These activities will shed light on provisions enshrined in the UAE constitution in regards to personal status code, and laws of labor and human resources.
GWU Director General Noura Al Suweidi said ''The program seeks to raise awareness standard of women about their vested rights guaranteed by the UAE constitution and laws and build their capacity to defend their legal rights.
In today's workshop held at the GWU premises, Dr Mohammed Abdul Rahim of College of Law, UAE University, lectured about 40 women leaders on rights and duties of women in the view of the the personal status code.
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