The New York Times
By Robert Mackey
Updated | May 8 A young Saudi woman has launched an online campaign using YouTube, Facebook and Flickr to get Saudis to discuss, and possibly reconsider, the ban on women drivers in the Kingdom.
As an article published last month in the English-language Saudi newspaper Arab News explained, the project, called “We the Women,” was started by Areej Khan, a 24-year-old Saudi woman currently studying design in the United States. According to Arab News, she started thinking about how onerous the ban was when she saw that her retired father was forced to spend much of his time “chauffeuring her, her mother and three sisters.”
The core of the campaign is a set of stickers, in the form of speech bubbles and bumper stickers, which Saudi men and women are encouraged to download from Flickr, fill in with their thoughts, and then display. Some people are also taking pictures of what they write on their stickers and then adding those photographs to the project’s Flickr set of “Declarations.”
Printed at the foot of each sticker is the simple message: “To drive, or not to drive, that is the question.”
As the project description on Flickr explains, Ms. Khan wants to hear other voices, not just amplify her own:
We the Women is a campaign that aims to raise the issue of women driving in Saudi Arabia and to start a real, public conversation. The We the Women declaration bubbles and bumper stickers were created as a space for self expression. Feel free to fill it out with your opinion on the issue and stick it wherever you feel it needs to be.
An image posted on the We the Women “Declarations” set on Flickr.
The images of the speech bubbles posted on Flickr so far have already sparked debate. Here is part of an exchange Ms. Khan had in the comments thread beneath a speech bubble that said, simply, “I don’t like the backseat!” with two other Flickr users, calling themselves Mac Moo and Mr. Nice 2009 (web punctuation intact):
Mac Moo says:
lol….my dear….u are goood at writing,,,but its for your own safety… women must not left alone…in islam…and thats for good of both man and women…. you know how exactly west world is…..i think the government is doing it rite.
N7nu - We the Women says:
just to clarify…This is a user submission. I did not write this. Secondly, do you think that if women were allowed to drive we would be westernized as a society? How come women in the time of the prophet were allowed to ride camels. Isn’t that the same thing?
Mr. Nice 2009 says:
how pleasure it’s to be drived. the roads in the kingdom need fast driving and braveness. if u got some1 to do for u the driving, u should be proud of. i am against that if woman drive there is alot of dangers, but my confidence in saudi women is high. not driving does not mean u r denied right, but means u r well cared of. Thank ur creator for that.
Other speech bubbles posted on Flickr include: “God did not say I can’t drive” and “I saved 1500 SR by driving myself around Saudi.”
In addition to the back and forth on Flickr, the campaign’s Facebook page has 1,100 fans, who are engaged in an active debate of whether the ban should be lifted, and comments have appeared on the promotional video for the campaign posted on YouTube (the version embedded above is in English, other are in Arabic). The video was shot in Oregon, but Ms. Khan told Arab News “I had to make look like it was in Saudi.”
According to Arab News, there is apparently wide support in Saudi Arabia for ending the ban: “Although there are no specific statistics on the number of people who are for or against women driving, most women believe it is their God-given right to drive.”
Showing posts with label awareness campaign. Show all posts
Showing posts with label awareness campaign. Show all posts
Friday, May 8, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Jordan: Recast as a ‘movement’, gender equality campaign expands its outreach
The Jordan Times
By Thameen Kheetan
AMMAN - Women's rights activist Zein Qandour had no idea that an Arabic rock concert in the capital earlier this week would introduce her to a local gender equality campaign.
The 26-year-old social worker, who went to King Hussein Park on Saturday with some friends to watch her favourite band Jadal perform, discovered that the concert was part of a launch ceremony for the Gender Equality Movement (GEM).
During the 10-hour event, around 1,500 Jordanians and foreigners discussed human rights and equality between the two genders in an open day that also featured a skit on women's rights by two Jordanian actors.
Qandour believes that gender equality depends on various factors, including people's "social level, financial situation and education".
She noted that those who have more money are better educated, and thus are more aware of gender equality.
Qandour attributed this relationship between economic status and equality awareness to less interest in the issue in remote areas of the country compared to the capital - the richest city in Jordan - according to an official study conducted last year by the Department of Statistics.
While some at the open day lauded and encouraged the GEM initiative, others said they considered the rights and responsibilities of men and women to be different.
Iraqi national Diaa Jamil, 54, described the movement's idea as “interesting”, but added that equality would only become possible through "educating people".
"I am with any sort of equality that does not contradict our values, norms and religious teachings," said 40-year-old Saleh Zioud, explaining that males and females have "different natures”.
A 60-year-old woman, who requested anonymity, told The Jordan Times that there is no such thing as gender equality noting that each side had its own duties and rights in accordance with her religion, Islam.
"There is cooperation, giving and taking, but not equality," she said.
But Rawan Bazzari disagreed.
The 30-year-old believes society, not religion, is an obstacle to equality. Calling for "total" equality between men and women, Bazzari acknowledged that she does not foresee such a situation in Jordan in the near future.
"Not any time soon… we are in a tribal society where customs and traditions do not favour gender equality," she told The Jordan Times, but added that she is treated as an equal by her brothers at home and her male colleagues at work.
According to Bazzari, women take advantage of their unequal status to gain favours and shirk responsibilities. "Being a female, she usually gets things done for her."
Saturday’s event, funded by Freedom House, also hosted awareness booths representing 13 local and international NGOs and civil society organisations, including the Jordan Breast Cancer Programme and the Jordanian National Commission for Women.
From campaign
to movement
Held under the official sponsorship of the Greater Amman Municipality, the launch marked the transformation of the former Gender Equality Campaign into a “movement”, a decision organisers said was aimed at emphasising the continuity of their action.
Contrary to "movement", the word "campaign" suggests that it will come to an end, according to GEM leader Dina Liddawi, who said the new name would tell the public the initiative is "endless".
To this end, she and six other GEM volunteers will now focus their efforts on fundraising for the movement's future activities.
During its first year, the campaign commenced with street dialogues in different cities where young activists used brochures, stickers and word of mouth to raise awareness on the issue of gender equality.
This week's event was part of a new approach that GEM activists will use to open a societal debate on the issue of gender equality among Jordanians, incorporating larger events and performances to make their cause more visible.
Liddawi noted that the movement’s expanding presence is in large part thanks to the energy of its volunteers.
"The boys and the girls working with us have become more committed," she said, adding that this made it easier for the movement to address the public.
"People are accepting the idea of gender equality more and more," she noted.
Among the newcomers in GEM is university student Tamara Abu Khader, who said she heard about the campaign through a friend.
"When you explain the professional, societal and educational aspects of gender equality to people, they accept the idea," she told The Jordan Times.
"We do not have anything to do with either religion, or customs and traditions… we’re talking about political, legal and civil rights."
By Thameen Kheetan
AMMAN - Women's rights activist Zein Qandour had no idea that an Arabic rock concert in the capital earlier this week would introduce her to a local gender equality campaign.
The 26-year-old social worker, who went to King Hussein Park on Saturday with some friends to watch her favourite band Jadal perform, discovered that the concert was part of a launch ceremony for the Gender Equality Movement (GEM).
During the 10-hour event, around 1,500 Jordanians and foreigners discussed human rights and equality between the two genders in an open day that also featured a skit on women's rights by two Jordanian actors.
Qandour believes that gender equality depends on various factors, including people's "social level, financial situation and education".
She noted that those who have more money are better educated, and thus are more aware of gender equality.
Qandour attributed this relationship between economic status and equality awareness to less interest in the issue in remote areas of the country compared to the capital - the richest city in Jordan - according to an official study conducted last year by the Department of Statistics.
While some at the open day lauded and encouraged the GEM initiative, others said they considered the rights and responsibilities of men and women to be different.
Iraqi national Diaa Jamil, 54, described the movement's idea as “interesting”, but added that equality would only become possible through "educating people".
"I am with any sort of equality that does not contradict our values, norms and religious teachings," said 40-year-old Saleh Zioud, explaining that males and females have "different natures”.
A 60-year-old woman, who requested anonymity, told The Jordan Times that there is no such thing as gender equality noting that each side had its own duties and rights in accordance with her religion, Islam.
"There is cooperation, giving and taking, but not equality," she said.
But Rawan Bazzari disagreed.
The 30-year-old believes society, not religion, is an obstacle to equality. Calling for "total" equality between men and women, Bazzari acknowledged that she does not foresee such a situation in Jordan in the near future.
"Not any time soon… we are in a tribal society where customs and traditions do not favour gender equality," she told The Jordan Times, but added that she is treated as an equal by her brothers at home and her male colleagues at work.
According to Bazzari, women take advantage of their unequal status to gain favours and shirk responsibilities. "Being a female, she usually gets things done for her."
Saturday’s event, funded by Freedom House, also hosted awareness booths representing 13 local and international NGOs and civil society organisations, including the Jordan Breast Cancer Programme and the Jordanian National Commission for Women.
From campaign
to movement
Held under the official sponsorship of the Greater Amman Municipality, the launch marked the transformation of the former Gender Equality Campaign into a “movement”, a decision organisers said was aimed at emphasising the continuity of their action.
Contrary to "movement", the word "campaign" suggests that it will come to an end, according to GEM leader Dina Liddawi, who said the new name would tell the public the initiative is "endless".
To this end, she and six other GEM volunteers will now focus their efforts on fundraising for the movement's future activities.
During its first year, the campaign commenced with street dialogues in different cities where young activists used brochures, stickers and word of mouth to raise awareness on the issue of gender equality.
This week's event was part of a new approach that GEM activists will use to open a societal debate on the issue of gender equality among Jordanians, incorporating larger events and performances to make their cause more visible.
Liddawi noted that the movement’s expanding presence is in large part thanks to the energy of its volunteers.
"The boys and the girls working with us have become more committed," she said, adding that this made it easier for the movement to address the public.
"People are accepting the idea of gender equality more and more," she noted.
Among the newcomers in GEM is university student Tamara Abu Khader, who said she heard about the campaign through a friend.
"When you explain the professional, societal and educational aspects of gender equality to people, they accept the idea," she told The Jordan Times.
"We do not have anything to do with either religion, or customs and traditions… we’re talking about political, legal and civil rights."
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Jordan: Women continue to be exploited by their employers, denied basic rights - study
Jordan Times
22 April 2009
AMMAN - Despite laws and regulations protecting women's labour rights, they continue to be exploited by their employers and denied their basic rights, according to a study released on Tuesday.
The study, carried out by the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA), attributed the practice to the fact that the majority of working women are ignorant about their rights guaranteed by labour laws.
NCFA Secretary General Haifa Abu Ghazaleh said the study examined and analysed laws and regulations governing women's employment to provide a supportive environment that encourages women to take part in the country's sustainable development process.
"The council seeks to study and analyse all laws related to the family and women, and find legal loopholes that prevent women from enjoying their rights endorsed by international conventions and human rights principles," Abu Ghazaleh said yesterday.
The study called for awareness-raising programmes to acquaint women with their rights and responsibilities, particularly those pertaining to working hours, night shifts, minimum wage, dangerous workplaces and types of occupations that negatively affect women's health.
The study also proposed legal amendments to articles that hinder gender equality such as the clause related to minimum wage when working conditions are similar between men and women.
Abu Ghazaleh said the study also recommended establishing nurseries in institutions for children of working mothers.
The NCFA secretary general noted that the study will be sent to the Lower House and Senate, as well as to legal advisers and those concerned with family and women's issues.
Established in 2001, the NCFA is a civil society organisation which supports, coordinates and facilitates the work of its partners and relevant institutions that are involved and influential in the field of family affairs.
The council seeks to contribute to a better quality of life for Jordanian families through a national vision that supports the country's development policies and enables the family to attain optimal aspirations.
By Hana Namrouqa
22 April 2009
AMMAN - Despite laws and regulations protecting women's labour rights, they continue to be exploited by their employers and denied their basic rights, according to a study released on Tuesday.
The study, carried out by the National Council for Family Affairs (NCFA), attributed the practice to the fact that the majority of working women are ignorant about their rights guaranteed by labour laws.
NCFA Secretary General Haifa Abu Ghazaleh said the study examined and analysed laws and regulations governing women's employment to provide a supportive environment that encourages women to take part in the country's sustainable development process.
"The council seeks to study and analyse all laws related to the family and women, and find legal loopholes that prevent women from enjoying their rights endorsed by international conventions and human rights principles," Abu Ghazaleh said yesterday.
The study called for awareness-raising programmes to acquaint women with their rights and responsibilities, particularly those pertaining to working hours, night shifts, minimum wage, dangerous workplaces and types of occupations that negatively affect women's health.
The study also proposed legal amendments to articles that hinder gender equality such as the clause related to minimum wage when working conditions are similar between men and women.
Abu Ghazaleh said the study also recommended establishing nurseries in institutions for children of working mothers.
The NCFA secretary general noted that the study will be sent to the Lower House and Senate, as well as to legal advisers and those concerned with family and women's issues.
Established in 2001, the NCFA is a civil society organisation which supports, coordinates and facilitates the work of its partners and relevant institutions that are involved and influential in the field of family affairs.
The council seeks to contribute to a better quality of life for Jordanian families through a national vision that supports the country's development policies and enables the family to attain optimal aspirations.
By Hana Namrouqa
Monday, April 20, 2009
Saudi Arabia: Rape scene on TV stirs debate
Najah Alosaimi | Arab News
RAISING THE BAR: Lamia’a Tareq, left, and Rana Abu Ghali who played raped sisters. (AN photo)
RIYADH: On a recent Friday night, thousands of television viewers across the Kingdom were shocked to see an explicit portrayal of a violent rape of two Saudi women.
Unprecedented for a Saudi TV, the three-minute scene showed two sisters being kidnapped by two men they met online, taken to a weekend home outside Jeddah, beaten and then violently raped.
While one girl is shown tearfully pleading for help, the other is seen having her abaya stripped away. The scene ends when one rapist threatens to circulate picture of the rapes via Bluetooth if they dare go to police.
The scene was a part of “Asakinat fe Qolubena,” (Dwellers in our Hearts) a new television series drama being aired on MBC1. It illustrates how Saudi drama has become more bold and sophisticated in exposing social problems.
“Yes, we expected the program to be controversial,” said Hassan Assiri, executive director of the producing company Al-Sadaf for Audio and Visual Production. “Until recently, Saudi drama tended to tackle taboos only implicitly.”
This program aims to move these taboos into the public eye in order to make people realize on their own that such violence is unacceptable.
“There have been some women who had similar shocking incidents inside the Kingdom recently... so we are not making up stories!” he said.
Indeed, technology was the tool that revealed scandals that shocked society, such as the Panda girl incident where a black man rapes a teenage Saudi girl, followed by Al-Nahdah pedestrian bridge incident, in which four Saudi boys filmed themselves sexually harassing girls.
The rape episode, entitled “Eqab,” was one of many other bold ones shown at that ongoing weekly series, which discussed many topics that have never been openly talked about, such as, rape, AIDS and marital abuse. The overall series topics revolve around forms of problems facing women in Saudi Arabia.
The program has been revealed as the top-rated program on all of television since January, according to a ratings survey carried out by Ipsos-Stat.
Assiri justified choosing women to be the core of his drama.
“Some men still think that decent women should never leave their homes and if they do, then they deserve any danger that might happen,” he said.
Assiri, who is an actor as well, refused to describe his series as “provoking.” “I think the Turkish soap operas, which are popular among Saudis, are bolder,” he said, adding that many people blame him for discussing social problems in his series.
“Violence against women persists in every country; why we are ashamed to admit it in our country?”
The series has its share of attacks and criticisms from critics and the public as well. Drama critic Mamdooh Al-Mehainy, encourages programs that bring social problems into the open, but he thinks the way such topics are addressed to viewers particularly in “Asakinat fe Qolubena” is onedimensional.
Talking specifically about “Eqab” episode, he said it conveyed the wrong message to me as viewer.
“Instead of putting emphasis on the new e-crimes law that specifies a range of offenses and penalties, including fines and imprisonment for computer hacking or harassment, the episode shows that men could kidnap and rape girls they meet online without any control,” he said, adding it also gives the impression that women who use the Internet invite scandal, which implies women should not use the Internet.
“I believe the episode has frightened people instead of educating them,” he said.
He added that Saudis are emotional and such topics probably would make them to reject technology or prevent their women from using Internet.
However, viewers received the drama message differently. “It freaked me out,” said Maha Sa’ad, a mother of four teenage girls.
“Honestly, I couldn’t sleep that night because I was thinking if these girls were my daughters.”
She hopes this could be a wake up call for the girls who believe in relationships before marriage.
Likewise, Abdullah Al-Hamrani, a father in his late 40s, thinks that such dramas distort the image of Saudi society especially that million of viewers around the Middle East have watched the program.
“Regardless whether this incident has ever occurred in our society or not, don’t we have other bright stories to tell our Islamic society? These incidents are not happening every day,” he said.
Asakinat fe Qolubena was filmed in Riyadh, Jeddah, Manama and Damascus. The program featured Gulf stars such as Lamia’a Tareq, Badriyah Ahmed, Turky Al-Yousif and Jasim Al-Nabhan.
RAISING THE BAR: Lamia’a Tareq, left, and Rana Abu Ghali who played raped sisters. (AN photo)
RIYADH: On a recent Friday night, thousands of television viewers across the Kingdom were shocked to see an explicit portrayal of a violent rape of two Saudi women.
Unprecedented for a Saudi TV, the three-minute scene showed two sisters being kidnapped by two men they met online, taken to a weekend home outside Jeddah, beaten and then violently raped.
While one girl is shown tearfully pleading for help, the other is seen having her abaya stripped away. The scene ends when one rapist threatens to circulate picture of the rapes via Bluetooth if they dare go to police.
The scene was a part of “Asakinat fe Qolubena,” (Dwellers in our Hearts) a new television series drama being aired on MBC1. It illustrates how Saudi drama has become more bold and sophisticated in exposing social problems.
“Yes, we expected the program to be controversial,” said Hassan Assiri, executive director of the producing company Al-Sadaf for Audio and Visual Production. “Until recently, Saudi drama tended to tackle taboos only implicitly.”
This program aims to move these taboos into the public eye in order to make people realize on their own that such violence is unacceptable.
“There have been some women who had similar shocking incidents inside the Kingdom recently... so we are not making up stories!” he said.
Indeed, technology was the tool that revealed scandals that shocked society, such as the Panda girl incident where a black man rapes a teenage Saudi girl, followed by Al-Nahdah pedestrian bridge incident, in which four Saudi boys filmed themselves sexually harassing girls.
The rape episode, entitled “Eqab,” was one of many other bold ones shown at that ongoing weekly series, which discussed many topics that have never been openly talked about, such as, rape, AIDS and marital abuse. The overall series topics revolve around forms of problems facing women in Saudi Arabia.
The program has been revealed as the top-rated program on all of television since January, according to a ratings survey carried out by Ipsos-Stat.
Assiri justified choosing women to be the core of his drama.
“Some men still think that decent women should never leave their homes and if they do, then they deserve any danger that might happen,” he said.
Assiri, who is an actor as well, refused to describe his series as “provoking.” “I think the Turkish soap operas, which are popular among Saudis, are bolder,” he said, adding that many people blame him for discussing social problems in his series.
“Violence against women persists in every country; why we are ashamed to admit it in our country?”
The series has its share of attacks and criticisms from critics and the public as well. Drama critic Mamdooh Al-Mehainy, encourages programs that bring social problems into the open, but he thinks the way such topics are addressed to viewers particularly in “Asakinat fe Qolubena” is onedimensional.
Talking specifically about “Eqab” episode, he said it conveyed the wrong message to me as viewer.
“Instead of putting emphasis on the new e-crimes law that specifies a range of offenses and penalties, including fines and imprisonment for computer hacking or harassment, the episode shows that men could kidnap and rape girls they meet online without any control,” he said, adding it also gives the impression that women who use the Internet invite scandal, which implies women should not use the Internet.
“I believe the episode has frightened people instead of educating them,” he said.
He added that Saudis are emotional and such topics probably would make them to reject technology or prevent their women from using Internet.
However, viewers received the drama message differently. “It freaked me out,” said Maha Sa’ad, a mother of four teenage girls.
“Honestly, I couldn’t sleep that night because I was thinking if these girls were my daughters.”
She hopes this could be a wake up call for the girls who believe in relationships before marriage.
Likewise, Abdullah Al-Hamrani, a father in his late 40s, thinks that such dramas distort the image of Saudi society especially that million of viewers around the Middle East have watched the program.
“Regardless whether this incident has ever occurred in our society or not, don’t we have other bright stories to tell our Islamic society? These incidents are not happening every day,” he said.
Asakinat fe Qolubena was filmed in Riyadh, Jeddah, Manama and Damascus. The program featured Gulf stars such as Lamia’a Tareq, Badriyah Ahmed, Turky Al-Yousif and Jasim Al-Nabhan.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Egypt: Egypt launches campaign against the niqab
By Ramadan Al Sherbini, Correspondent
Published: April 16, 2009, 19:23
Cairo: In a bid to curb the surge in donning the niqab (a full-face veil), among its female employees, the Ministry of Waqfs (Religious Endowments), has embarked on a controversial campaign to discourage wearing this garb.
"We are not asking the niqab wearers to take it off. The aim of our campaign, based on awareness-raising seminars, is to prove to them that the niqab was originally an Arabian costume in pre-Islamic times," said Selim Abdel Gelil, an aide to the Minister of Waqfs and the one responsible for the campaign.
The campaign got off the ground this week at the premises of the ministry in Cairo and is planned to cover other cities and provinces of this predominantly Muslim country, according to the same official.
"Islam requires women to be decently dressed without obliging them to cover their faces and hands," Abdel Gelil told Gulf News.
"A telling proof is that during the haj (Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia), women are not asked to put on the niqab."
Over recent years, the niqab, which covers the woman from head to toe, has become popular in Egypt. Shops, apparently cashing in on the revival of Islamism, have sprung up in working-class and fashionable areas to sell items for Muslim women.
"I don't see any good reason for this questionable attack against Muslim outfits, including the niqab," said a fully veiled woman employee at the Ministry of Waqfs, who gave her name only as Soad.
"This campaign is a waste of public money. What harm is there for wearing the niqab?" she added.
Soad, who said she has been wearing the niqab since getting married five years ago, urges the authorities to shift focus to scantily clad girls. "These girls deserve more attention than the niqab wearers because after all they are the ones who arouse men's desires."
As part of the campaign, the ministry will publish a book titled "Niqab a Habit, not a Worship" to be distributed for free to female attendees of the seminars.
"There will also be question-and-answer sessions in order to help correct misconceptions about the niqab," said Abdel Gelil.
"Wearing the niqab is not an obligatory duty based on Islamic Sharia (Law). I think Muslims make a big mistake by concentrating on appearances and superficial things, thereby giving a bad idea about Islam," Minister of Waqfs Hamdi Zaqzouq was recently quoted as saying in the local press.
He added that niqab-wearers at his ministry would not be assigned preaching missions.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dr Hatem Al Gabali has recently warned that female nurses wearing the niqab would be re-posted from hospitals to administrative jobs, saying the costume hampers them from efficiently serving patients.
Published: April 16, 2009, 19:23
Cairo: In a bid to curb the surge in donning the niqab (a full-face veil), among its female employees, the Ministry of Waqfs (Religious Endowments), has embarked on a controversial campaign to discourage wearing this garb.
"We are not asking the niqab wearers to take it off. The aim of our campaign, based on awareness-raising seminars, is to prove to them that the niqab was originally an Arabian costume in pre-Islamic times," said Selim Abdel Gelil, an aide to the Minister of Waqfs and the one responsible for the campaign.
The campaign got off the ground this week at the premises of the ministry in Cairo and is planned to cover other cities and provinces of this predominantly Muslim country, according to the same official.
"Islam requires women to be decently dressed without obliging them to cover their faces and hands," Abdel Gelil told Gulf News.
"A telling proof is that during the haj (Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia), women are not asked to put on the niqab."
Over recent years, the niqab, which covers the woman from head to toe, has become popular in Egypt. Shops, apparently cashing in on the revival of Islamism, have sprung up in working-class and fashionable areas to sell items for Muslim women.
"I don't see any good reason for this questionable attack against Muslim outfits, including the niqab," said a fully veiled woman employee at the Ministry of Waqfs, who gave her name only as Soad.
"This campaign is a waste of public money. What harm is there for wearing the niqab?" she added.
Soad, who said she has been wearing the niqab since getting married five years ago, urges the authorities to shift focus to scantily clad girls. "These girls deserve more attention than the niqab wearers because after all they are the ones who arouse men's desires."
As part of the campaign, the ministry will publish a book titled "Niqab a Habit, not a Worship" to be distributed for free to female attendees of the seminars.
"There will also be question-and-answer sessions in order to help correct misconceptions about the niqab," said Abdel Gelil.
"Wearing the niqab is not an obligatory duty based on Islamic Sharia (Law). I think Muslims make a big mistake by concentrating on appearances and superficial things, thereby giving a bad idea about Islam," Minister of Waqfs Hamdi Zaqzouq was recently quoted as saying in the local press.
He added that niqab-wearers at his ministry would not be assigned preaching missions.
Meanwhile, Minister of Health Dr Hatem Al Gabali has recently warned that female nurses wearing the niqab would be re-posted from hospitals to administrative jobs, saying the costume hampers them from efficiently serving patients.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Maghreb: Maghreb activists propose new marriage contract to protect women
Magharebia
By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 15/04/09
In an ambitious plan to educate women in the Maghreb about married life, activists from Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia drafted a new marriage contract that, if certified, will provide better protection for women's rights.
The idea was presented Saturday (April 11th) in Tunis at a meeting organised by the Global Rights Maghreb organisation and attended by human rights activists, members of women's organisations and legal experts.
"Many women in the Maghreb region usually ignore their right to incorporate certain conditions that would protect their rights when they sign the marriage contract," said Stephanie Willman Bordat, the regional director of British NGO Global Rights. Her group operates in African, American, and Asian countries to help non-governmental organisations get the necessary legal tools to address pressing human issues, including gender equality.
The draft contract is the result of a year-long study in which more than 1400 women from different backgrounds participated. More than 70 associations and 177 lawyers contributed to the study.
The findings were alarming.
"Women are suffering from complete ignorance of their rights upon signing the marriage contract," said Moroccan legal expert Saida Kouzzi.
Although the law granted women the right to add certain demands in a marriage contract, "women still consider it is inappropriate, if not disgraceful, to impose conditions on their husbands," she said.
"Cultural and social reasons still control our habits and customs. Women still believe that daring to take such a step would reduce their chances in marriage."
Moreover, the study showed that some women "looked at the marriage contract as a way to have a legal sexual relationship, or, in other words, to protect the right of their children to care and inheritance and to protect their rights upon divorce," said Tunisian Amel Ellafi, who supervised a discussion workshop for women.
The draft marriage contract includes 18 articles, including guarantees against polygamy, the wife's right to work and continue her education, guarantees against domestic violence and insurance of the freedom of movement and travel.
And, to raise women's awareness of their rights and present the new draft contract to Maghreb society, participants in the meeting launched a comprehensive educational campaign. The co-ordinated effort will help exert pressure on legislative and judicial authorities to accept the contract and enable civil society organisations and authorities to defend it.
"This initiative is aimed at making people who are about to get married shoulder the responsibility, allow them to know and preserve the rights and duties, and behave rationally and realistically to avoid the consequences of passionate love in the face of everyday life details," said Tunisian lawyer Saida Guarrach, who participated in drafting the contract.
"It will enable women to get acquainted with the existing legislation in their countries, and how to take advantage of the positive laws thereof by imposing them as conditions included in the marriage contract," added Bordat of British Global Rights.
By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 15/04/09
In an ambitious plan to educate women in the Maghreb about married life, activists from Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia drafted a new marriage contract that, if certified, will provide better protection for women's rights.
The idea was presented Saturday (April 11th) in Tunis at a meeting organised by the Global Rights Maghreb organisation and attended by human rights activists, members of women's organisations and legal experts.
"Many women in the Maghreb region usually ignore their right to incorporate certain conditions that would protect their rights when they sign the marriage contract," said Stephanie Willman Bordat, the regional director of British NGO Global Rights. Her group operates in African, American, and Asian countries to help non-governmental organisations get the necessary legal tools to address pressing human issues, including gender equality.
The draft contract is the result of a year-long study in which more than 1400 women from different backgrounds participated. More than 70 associations and 177 lawyers contributed to the study.
The findings were alarming.
"Women are suffering from complete ignorance of their rights upon signing the marriage contract," said Moroccan legal expert Saida Kouzzi.
Although the law granted women the right to add certain demands in a marriage contract, "women still consider it is inappropriate, if not disgraceful, to impose conditions on their husbands," she said.
"Cultural and social reasons still control our habits and customs. Women still believe that daring to take such a step would reduce their chances in marriage."
Moreover, the study showed that some women "looked at the marriage contract as a way to have a legal sexual relationship, or, in other words, to protect the right of their children to care and inheritance and to protect their rights upon divorce," said Tunisian Amel Ellafi, who supervised a discussion workshop for women.
The draft marriage contract includes 18 articles, including guarantees against polygamy, the wife's right to work and continue her education, guarantees against domestic violence and insurance of the freedom of movement and travel.
And, to raise women's awareness of their rights and present the new draft contract to Maghreb society, participants in the meeting launched a comprehensive educational campaign. The co-ordinated effort will help exert pressure on legislative and judicial authorities to accept the contract and enable civil society organisations and authorities to defend it.
"This initiative is aimed at making people who are about to get married shoulder the responsibility, allow them to know and preserve the rights and duties, and behave rationally and realistically to avoid the consequences of passionate love in the face of everyday life details," said Tunisian lawyer Saida Guarrach, who participated in drafting the contract.
"It will enable women to get acquainted with the existing legislation in their countries, and how to take advantage of the positive laws thereof by imposing them as conditions included in the marriage contract," added Bordat of British Global Rights.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Jordan: WARCATI seeks to educate women on their legal rights
The Jordan Times
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN - The Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) on Monday launched the third phase of a project aimed at legally empowering Jordanian women and their children.
The project, “Women and Children's Rights through Access to Information” (WARCATI), uses computer programmes and technology to educate women on their legal rights.
The software will be distributed to women and installed on computers at courthouses, including Sharia courts, JNCW Secretary General Asma Khader said at the launch yesterday.
Implemented by UNDP's Information and Communication Technology for Development in the Arab Region (ICTDAR), WARCATI is a women’s empowerment initiative that uses technology as a tool to give women greater understanding and knowledge of their rights.
It is specifically designed to benefit women in difficult circumstances, such as those in failed marriages who find themselves without any means to support themselves or their children.
The initiative uses ICT to empower women’s support mechanisms by developing relevant legal information in a digital format and disseminating it through CDs, websites, video and audio tapes, and telephone hotlines.
The content, in Arabic, includes full keyword-searchable legal text, as well as information on civil, legal and religious issues relating to family law, including child support payments, marriage, divorce, labour, adoption and custody.
"I hope that this project will ensure the rights of women in the Arab world and that no woman would fall victim to ignorance, fear or violence,” said Ziad Haddara, senior programme officer at ICTDAR. “Then we are certain that we are advancing in the human development field," he added.
The project materials developed in Jordan include CDs, booklets and a website (www.warcati.jo), which contains in-depth information on hundreds of FAQs, legal forms, requests and pleas in digital and printable format.
In addition, there will be training programmes for community workers that assist women in court to guarantee the proper use of the project materials.
Development of the computer software was the third and last phase of the project, which was developed in partnership with ICTDAR and support from the Spanish embassy and began in 2007.
By Rana Husseini
AMMAN - The Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW) on Monday launched the third phase of a project aimed at legally empowering Jordanian women and their children.
The project, “Women and Children's Rights through Access to Information” (WARCATI), uses computer programmes and technology to educate women on their legal rights.
The software will be distributed to women and installed on computers at courthouses, including Sharia courts, JNCW Secretary General Asma Khader said at the launch yesterday.
Implemented by UNDP's Information and Communication Technology for Development in the Arab Region (ICTDAR), WARCATI is a women’s empowerment initiative that uses technology as a tool to give women greater understanding and knowledge of their rights.
It is specifically designed to benefit women in difficult circumstances, such as those in failed marriages who find themselves without any means to support themselves or their children.
The initiative uses ICT to empower women’s support mechanisms by developing relevant legal information in a digital format and disseminating it through CDs, websites, video and audio tapes, and telephone hotlines.
The content, in Arabic, includes full keyword-searchable legal text, as well as information on civil, legal and religious issues relating to family law, including child support payments, marriage, divorce, labour, adoption and custody.
"I hope that this project will ensure the rights of women in the Arab world and that no woman would fall victim to ignorance, fear or violence,” said Ziad Haddara, senior programme officer at ICTDAR. “Then we are certain that we are advancing in the human development field," he added.
The project materials developed in Jordan include CDs, booklets and a website (www.warcati.jo), which contains in-depth information on hundreds of FAQs, legal forms, requests and pleas in digital and printable format.
In addition, there will be training programmes for community workers that assist women in court to guarantee the proper use of the project materials.
Development of the computer software was the third and last phase of the project, which was developed in partnership with ICTDAR and support from the Spanish embassy and began in 2007.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Egypt: Egypt Wrestles With 'Female Genital Mutilation'
[Cairo, Egypt] In June 2007, 12-year-old Badour Shakour died as a result of a circumcision operation. The death sparked a battle within the country over the use of the controversial medical procedure.
Women’s and children’s rights groups were galvanized into action, pushing for more stringent penalties against those who carry out what is increasingly becoming known as female genital mutilation (FGM).
Shakour’s cause of death was an overdose of anesthetic, but her memory was the cause of an awakening that reached to the upper echelons of government.
In summer 2008, Egypt’s parliament passed a law that ostensibly bans the controversial procedure, not that it should have needed to legislate against FGM – it was already officially banned in the country during the mid-Nineties. But with doctors continuing to perform the procedure on girls as young as five, parliament felt it was necessary to intercede.
The new law stipulates a fine of 1,000–5,000 Egyptian pounds ($185–$900) and a prison term of anywhere between three months and two years if caught performing FGM.
A doctor could also lose his medical license. In the case of Shakour, the doctor who performed the procedure remains in prison after being convicted of manslaughter.
But despite the rising number of deaths and injuries that have resulted from FGM, including a young girl who was left struggling for her life in November after the procedure, many Egyptians are fighting against the ban.
A 2005 report by UNICEF contended that 97 percent of single Egyptian women between 15 and 49 have undergone some form of FGM, although other estimates put the number at 70 percent.
Member of Parliament Mohamed Al Omda, from a small opposition party, brought his three daughters to the floor of the People’s Assembly to protest the ban last year. One of his daughters carried a sign that read: “No to any attempt to forbid what is divinely allowed. No to any attempt to allow what is divinely forbidden.” Two of his three daughters are circumcised.
Many conservative Muslims in the country maintain that the practice is condoned in Islam. The country’s Muslim Brotherhood has come under fire over many of their members’ denunciations of the parliamentary bill. The powerful Islamic group and many Islamic scholars argue that the ban is akin to “imposing Western ideals” on Egyptian society, which they maintain is based in Shari’a (Islamic law).
"Religion does not prohibit or criminalize female circumcision," prominent Islamic scholar Mustafa Al Shaka said to the local press shortly after the bill was passed.
The Brotherhood told The Media Line that they were currently reviewing FGM in terms of its legitimacy within Islam and did not want to comment. Despite this assertion, last summer, their MPs – who won one-fifth of the People’s Assembly as independents – were the most ardent opponents of the bill.
Progressive Islamic scholar Gamal Al Banna – brother of late Brotherhood founder Hassan Al Banna – says there is simply no precedent in Islam for this kind of practice. He argues that it was imported into society as a means of forcing women into the background of everyday life.
“It didn’t exist in Islamic history and those who argue it is Islamic or part of the Shari’a are wrong,” the 87-year-old argued. “Religion does not subscribe to this kind of treatment that can cause death and other horrible results. It is un-Islamic.”
Al Azhar, the Sunni Islamic world’s leading religious authority, agrees with Al Banna. In 2007, the Council of Islamic Research issued a statement saying that FGM and cutting are “harmful, have no basis in core Islamic law and should not be practiced.”
But Egyptian society remains divided into opposing camps over the issue, says National Council for Motherhood and Childhood secretary-general Moushira Khattab. She believes that although the ban will remain permanent, it will take time to educate the population over the long-term effects of cutting a woman’s clitoris.
“Nobody is going to say no to something that has negative effects caused by the procedure and, in time, Egyptians will see this,” she begins. “So the punishments that are being handed out against those who conduct this practice are vitally necessary.”
UNICEF estimates that three million girls in Africa undergo FGM annually, including in Egypt. The practice is a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989.
The practice remains common in Egypt, especially among the rural communities outside the capital Cairo and Alexandria. According to a 2005 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey, the majority of FGM procedures have been performed by trained medical personnel.
Human rights groups and doctors in the country argue that the involvement of medical workers in the procedure is a major reason the procedure continues.
“We have to work slowly and cannot expect everything to change with one law. Egyptians are stubborn and if they believe this is part of their religion, then it is very difficult to convince them otherwise, even if they are trained doctors,” said a female doctor at the country’s Doctor’s Syndicate, who asked not to be named, as the controversy continues inside its doors.
With children in danger, the doctor argues that Egyptians must move forward in order to limit these sorts of practices.
“We are struggling as a country, and until everyone is being educated, it is so difficult to achieve progress on anything, let alone FGM.”
Like so many controversial issues facing Egypt today, the seemingly endless battle between secularism and Islam continues to put opposing sides on the defensive. Al Banna believes that issues such as FGM will not be resolved within society until there is space for open debate on all things, including religion.
“We need to be able to debate religion freely, or else we will not be able to have people making their own decisions; instead they will follow their local sheikh as if he were the only source for reason,” he concludes.
SOURCE: The Media Line
AUTHOR: Joseph Mayton
DATE: 20/04/2009
Women’s and children’s rights groups were galvanized into action, pushing for more stringent penalties against those who carry out what is increasingly becoming known as female genital mutilation (FGM).
Shakour’s cause of death was an overdose of anesthetic, but her memory was the cause of an awakening that reached to the upper echelons of government.
In summer 2008, Egypt’s parliament passed a law that ostensibly bans the controversial procedure, not that it should have needed to legislate against FGM – it was already officially banned in the country during the mid-Nineties. But with doctors continuing to perform the procedure on girls as young as five, parliament felt it was necessary to intercede.
The new law stipulates a fine of 1,000–5,000 Egyptian pounds ($185–$900) and a prison term of anywhere between three months and two years if caught performing FGM.
A doctor could also lose his medical license. In the case of Shakour, the doctor who performed the procedure remains in prison after being convicted of manslaughter.
But despite the rising number of deaths and injuries that have resulted from FGM, including a young girl who was left struggling for her life in November after the procedure, many Egyptians are fighting against the ban.
A 2005 report by UNICEF contended that 97 percent of single Egyptian women between 15 and 49 have undergone some form of FGM, although other estimates put the number at 70 percent.
Member of Parliament Mohamed Al Omda, from a small opposition party, brought his three daughters to the floor of the People’s Assembly to protest the ban last year. One of his daughters carried a sign that read: “No to any attempt to forbid what is divinely allowed. No to any attempt to allow what is divinely forbidden.” Two of his three daughters are circumcised.
Many conservative Muslims in the country maintain that the practice is condoned in Islam. The country’s Muslim Brotherhood has come under fire over many of their members’ denunciations of the parliamentary bill. The powerful Islamic group and many Islamic scholars argue that the ban is akin to “imposing Western ideals” on Egyptian society, which they maintain is based in Shari’a (Islamic law).
"Religion does not prohibit or criminalize female circumcision," prominent Islamic scholar Mustafa Al Shaka said to the local press shortly after the bill was passed.
The Brotherhood told The Media Line that they were currently reviewing FGM in terms of its legitimacy within Islam and did not want to comment. Despite this assertion, last summer, their MPs – who won one-fifth of the People’s Assembly as independents – were the most ardent opponents of the bill.
Progressive Islamic scholar Gamal Al Banna – brother of late Brotherhood founder Hassan Al Banna – says there is simply no precedent in Islam for this kind of practice. He argues that it was imported into society as a means of forcing women into the background of everyday life.
“It didn’t exist in Islamic history and those who argue it is Islamic or part of the Shari’a are wrong,” the 87-year-old argued. “Religion does not subscribe to this kind of treatment that can cause death and other horrible results. It is un-Islamic.”
Al Azhar, the Sunni Islamic world’s leading religious authority, agrees with Al Banna. In 2007, the Council of Islamic Research issued a statement saying that FGM and cutting are “harmful, have no basis in core Islamic law and should not be practiced.”
But Egyptian society remains divided into opposing camps over the issue, says National Council for Motherhood and Childhood secretary-general Moushira Khattab. She believes that although the ban will remain permanent, it will take time to educate the population over the long-term effects of cutting a woman’s clitoris.
“Nobody is going to say no to something that has negative effects caused by the procedure and, in time, Egyptians will see this,” she begins. “So the punishments that are being handed out against those who conduct this practice are vitally necessary.”
UNICEF estimates that three million girls in Africa undergo FGM annually, including in Egypt. The practice is a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989.
The practice remains common in Egypt, especially among the rural communities outside the capital Cairo and Alexandria. According to a 2005 Egypt Demographic and Health Survey, the majority of FGM procedures have been performed by trained medical personnel.
Human rights groups and doctors in the country argue that the involvement of medical workers in the procedure is a major reason the procedure continues.
“We have to work slowly and cannot expect everything to change with one law. Egyptians are stubborn and if they believe this is part of their religion, then it is very difficult to convince them otherwise, even if they are trained doctors,” said a female doctor at the country’s Doctor’s Syndicate, who asked not to be named, as the controversy continues inside its doors.
With children in danger, the doctor argues that Egyptians must move forward in order to limit these sorts of practices.
“We are struggling as a country, and until everyone is being educated, it is so difficult to achieve progress on anything, let alone FGM.”
Like so many controversial issues facing Egypt today, the seemingly endless battle between secularism and Islam continues to put opposing sides on the defensive. Al Banna believes that issues such as FGM will not be resolved within society until there is space for open debate on all things, including religion.
“We need to be able to debate religion freely, or else we will not be able to have people making their own decisions; instead they will follow their local sheikh as if he were the only source for reason,” he concludes.
SOURCE: The Media Line
AUTHOR: Joseph Mayton
DATE: 20/04/2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
Yemen: Giving a Voice To The Women Activists In Yemen
Rising Voices
The Republic of Yemen is an Arab country of more than 23 million people located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. It is the only republic on the Arabian Peninsula (not led by a hereditary monarch) and is one of the poorest countries of the region. Its capital is Sana'a and the language is Arabic. Yemen is so often ignored by the international media and people know little about the country. With an internet penetration of less than 2% we do not usually get alternative perspectives from the citizen journalists. This has so often led to stereotyping of Yemenis.
For example Yemenis enjoy some unique freedom as an expat blogger Jalilah informs:
The veiling of women is not law in Yemen as it is in Saudi Arabia. Many younger, educated women merely cover their heads, but not their faces, and some do not veil at all. Those who do, do so in deference to tradition, not to law. [..]
Yemeni Arabic is quite different from other Arabic dialects and the women additionally speak a dialect all their own. I later learned that this was to insure more privacy and to avoid being understood by the men!
Women constitute only 30 percent of the Yemeni workforce and approximately 70 percent of women in Yemen are illiterate. The gap between men and women is very wide in terms of political empowerment and economic participation but the literacy rate is not that different from men. Various social, religious and political factors are responsible for women's low status (source) and women rarely have the platforms to voice their opinions.
But the Yemeni women are fighting back. For example, Yemeni women activists are fighting against the fundamentalists to prove that Islam does not contradict the use of contraceptives an family planning. But these activities are not much visible to the world. It is the high time when they start to harness the power of internet to help spread their activism and widen their campaigns.
Ghaida'a Al Absi plans to change the situation with a Rising Voices micro grant. She writes in her blog:
Human rights are being violated in many countries of the world, particularly developing countries, but there are a lot of people do not tolerate it and is trying to promote what is happening in their countries and to the whole world […] But..Yemen has several cases of gross human rights violations are not known to the world, and because of the weakness of civil society institutions and their lack of knowledge of right-wing.
In the project proposal Ghaida'a mentioned that her goal is:
to prepare and conduct a training course in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen. The project will focus on the Politicians women and the women workers in the field of Human Rights. In addition, the main objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of those women to be able to express their own thoughts through the Internet. The training course will be conducted monthly for four days, two hours a day.
The targeted community is the activists women who work in politics or in the field of human rights. The trainings will give the targeted community the ability to use Internet in order to publish their point of views, documenting their activities and will give them the space to publish the issues they are fighting for.
Now let us learn more about Ghaida'a. She works at the SOUL Organization for Women and Children Development as WIT program assistant. The WIT (Women in Technology) program is about empowering Women in Technology. She is also doing some voluntary work in the organization like preparing training sessions in various topics for the Yemeni girls in WIT Forum.
She is also a volunteer in Yemeni Observatory for Human Rights, and the founder and coordinator of the Hand in hand Initiative, which is which is a forum of a group of youths engaged in raising awareness and rehabilitation of young people to make them able to change the future for the better, through education, information and capacity-building. In addition, she is a member of the MEPI Alumni.
We interviewed her recently in Germany at a conference on new media activism in the Middle East. In this interview she introduces herself and discusses the contents of the workshops, the challenges the project will face, and what she expects from the Rising Voices community.
The contents of the curriculum of this project will cover the use of Internet in publishing the issues concerning the activists and will be generated by three experts (including Ghaida'a) in new media. The guide will be in Arabic language, and will be arranged in handouts to be distributed to the targeted community.
The participants will be taught to create blogs to document their activities, voice their opinions and create a community of activists.
We are eager to follow the activities of the “Empowerment of Women Activists in Media Techniques” project and wish its success.
The Republic of Yemen is an Arab country of more than 23 million people located on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia. It is the only republic on the Arabian Peninsula (not led by a hereditary monarch) and is one of the poorest countries of the region. Its capital is Sana'a and the language is Arabic. Yemen is so often ignored by the international media and people know little about the country. With an internet penetration of less than 2% we do not usually get alternative perspectives from the citizen journalists. This has so often led to stereotyping of Yemenis.
For example Yemenis enjoy some unique freedom as an expat blogger Jalilah informs:
The veiling of women is not law in Yemen as it is in Saudi Arabia. Many younger, educated women merely cover their heads, but not their faces, and some do not veil at all. Those who do, do so in deference to tradition, not to law. [..]
Yemeni Arabic is quite different from other Arabic dialects and the women additionally speak a dialect all their own. I later learned that this was to insure more privacy and to avoid being understood by the men!
Women constitute only 30 percent of the Yemeni workforce and approximately 70 percent of women in Yemen are illiterate. The gap between men and women is very wide in terms of political empowerment and economic participation but the literacy rate is not that different from men. Various social, religious and political factors are responsible for women's low status (source) and women rarely have the platforms to voice their opinions.
But the Yemeni women are fighting back. For example, Yemeni women activists are fighting against the fundamentalists to prove that Islam does not contradict the use of contraceptives an family planning. But these activities are not much visible to the world. It is the high time when they start to harness the power of internet to help spread their activism and widen their campaigns.
Ghaida'a Al Absi plans to change the situation with a Rising Voices micro grant. She writes in her blog:
Human rights are being violated in many countries of the world, particularly developing countries, but there are a lot of people do not tolerate it and is trying to promote what is happening in their countries and to the whole world […] But..Yemen has several cases of gross human rights violations are not known to the world, and because of the weakness of civil society institutions and their lack of knowledge of right-wing.
In the project proposal Ghaida'a mentioned that her goal is:
to prepare and conduct a training course in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen. The project will focus on the Politicians women and the women workers in the field of Human Rights. In addition, the main objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of those women to be able to express their own thoughts through the Internet. The training course will be conducted monthly for four days, two hours a day.
The targeted community is the activists women who work in politics or in the field of human rights. The trainings will give the targeted community the ability to use Internet in order to publish their point of views, documenting their activities and will give them the space to publish the issues they are fighting for.
Now let us learn more about Ghaida'a. She works at the SOUL Organization for Women and Children Development as WIT program assistant. The WIT (Women in Technology) program is about empowering Women in Technology. She is also doing some voluntary work in the organization like preparing training sessions in various topics for the Yemeni girls in WIT Forum.
She is also a volunteer in Yemeni Observatory for Human Rights, and the founder and coordinator of the Hand in hand Initiative, which is which is a forum of a group of youths engaged in raising awareness and rehabilitation of young people to make them able to change the future for the better, through education, information and capacity-building. In addition, she is a member of the MEPI Alumni.
We interviewed her recently in Germany at a conference on new media activism in the Middle East. In this interview she introduces herself and discusses the contents of the workshops, the challenges the project will face, and what she expects from the Rising Voices community.
The contents of the curriculum of this project will cover the use of Internet in publishing the issues concerning the activists and will be generated by three experts (including Ghaida'a) in new media. The guide will be in Arabic language, and will be arranged in handouts to be distributed to the targeted community.
The participants will be taught to create blogs to document their activities, voice their opinions and create a community of activists.
We are eager to follow the activities of the “Empowerment of Women Activists in Media Techniques” project and wish its success.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Saudi Arabia: 'Don't strip me of my humanity'
Riyadh: The one-minute video airing on Saudi-owned satellite channels shows an Arab businessman screaming at his maid, pleading poverty when a domestic server asks to be paid, and denying an employee time off to visit his daughter in the hospital.
The clip closes with the businessman at prayer, pleading God for compassion, before fading to a line that reads: "He who is not merciful himself, will not be afforded mercy [by Allah]".
The video is part of the 'Mercy' campaign, a privately funded public service effort aimed at reminding Gulf Arabs that their religion requires them to treat employees, particularly their omnipresent maids and drivers, in a humane way.
The 'Mercy' campaign also includes brutally candid ads in Saudi newspapers, including one that depicts a maid peeking out from a doghouse with a chain around her neck. "Don't Strip Me of My Humanity!" the title reads.
"We want to raise public interest, to make people talk...and remind people what Islam is saying," says Kaswara Al Khatib, managing director of FullStop, the Jeddah-based advertising firm producing the public service ads, or PSAs.
Social responsibility
Al Khatib says the campaign is part of his company's social responsibility. "I look at what is going on around us and try to do something about it," he says.
The way some people treat their household help is "not good enough", he says, noting that 13-hour workdays are common and that living conditions are sometimes poor. "We think it's normal, but maybe we need to check, to go the extra mile," he says. "We need to treat them as equals."
Mercy is an important virtue in Islam. According to its scriptures, the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) once said: "The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Have mercy on those on earth, and the Lord of the Heavens will have mercy on you."
And before beginning most endeavours, Muslims invoke God's blessing by saying, "In the name of Allah the most Merciful, the most Compassionate."
Nonetheless, the treatment of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries is a sensitive and controversial matter, with critics charging that they are often underpaid and overworked.
There are an estimated 5.6 million foreigners living in Saudi Arabia, whose native population is 22.5 million, according to the CIA World Factbook. Many foreign workers are from poor Asian countries, such as Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
In July, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report about the conditions of the estimated 1.5 million household staff workers in Saudi Arabia. The report, titled As If I Am Not Human, said that these workers "receive less protection in Saudi Arabia than other categories of workers, exposing them to egregious abuses with little or no hope of redress.
"While many domestic workers enjoy decent work conditions," the report said, others endure "slavery-like conditions" that included "nonpayment of salaries, forced confinement, food deprivation, excessive workload, and instances of severe psychological, physical, and sexual abuse."
Exaggerated
The report caused a furore in Saudi Arabia, where newspaper columnists and government officials slammed it for being one-sided and exaggerated.
Many Saudis say that they, too, are victims, citing instances of maids running away to look for higher paying jobs after their employers had paid several hundred dollars to bring them to the kingdom.
"I'm sure there are abuses," Turki Al Sudairy, president of the government-appointed Human Rights Commission, said in a phone interview. "But a neutral person would think that all Saudis are doing this...We want a fair judgment. They [HRW] never thought that there are cases where the girls are hurting their employers."
Mazen Hayek, spokesman for the Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC) in Dubai, said that there has not been a lot of viewer feedback about the television ads of the 'Mercy' campaign.
He attributed this to the fact that "it's not an accusatory campaign, it's an awareness campaign...It calls for basic human rights and good treatment of human beings...It's not controversial".
MBC and MBC-owned Al Arabiya TV, which are popular throughout the Middle East, are both airing the three 'Mercy' videos "free of charge as part of its commitment to society," Hayek says.
MBC is owned by an in-law of the late Saudi King Fahd.
Rotana, another popular satellite television network among Arab audiences, which is owned by Saudi Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal, is also planning to air the 'Mercy' videos, Al Khatib says.
Glimpses
Apart from the clip of the Arab businessman, two others show an Arab housewife shouting abuse at her maid, who appears to be Filipina. In one, she tells the maid to "get out of my sight" and in another, she yells at her "not to sleep until the house is spotless" as she apparently retires for the night.
The 'Mercy' ads are not appearing on Saudi government-owned television stations, Al Khatib says.
One Saudi newspaper offered the print version of the campaign declined to take it, but several others are running it, he added.
He says he'd only seen one negative comment so far from one newspaper reader. The $100,000 cost of the videos and print ads, which were all produced in Saudi Arabia, was borne by an individual who wanted to remain anonymous, Al Khatib says.
His firm has done other public service campaigns in the past, he adds, including ones against smoking and gossiping. Others have encouraged people to be good to their mothers, be devout Muslims, and demonstrate their patriotism by helping to improve Saudi society.
-- Caryle Murphy, Christian Science Monitor
The clip closes with the businessman at prayer, pleading God for compassion, before fading to a line that reads: "He who is not merciful himself, will not be afforded mercy [by Allah]".
The video is part of the 'Mercy' campaign, a privately funded public service effort aimed at reminding Gulf Arabs that their religion requires them to treat employees, particularly their omnipresent maids and drivers, in a humane way.
The 'Mercy' campaign also includes brutally candid ads in Saudi newspapers, including one that depicts a maid peeking out from a doghouse with a chain around her neck. "Don't Strip Me of My Humanity!" the title reads.
"We want to raise public interest, to make people talk...and remind people what Islam is saying," says Kaswara Al Khatib, managing director of FullStop, the Jeddah-based advertising firm producing the public service ads, or PSAs.
Social responsibility
Al Khatib says the campaign is part of his company's social responsibility. "I look at what is going on around us and try to do something about it," he says.
The way some people treat their household help is "not good enough", he says, noting that 13-hour workdays are common and that living conditions are sometimes poor. "We think it's normal, but maybe we need to check, to go the extra mile," he says. "We need to treat them as equals."
Mercy is an important virtue in Islam. According to its scriptures, the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) once said: "The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Have mercy on those on earth, and the Lord of the Heavens will have mercy on you."
And before beginning most endeavours, Muslims invoke God's blessing by saying, "In the name of Allah the most Merciful, the most Compassionate."
Nonetheless, the treatment of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries is a sensitive and controversial matter, with critics charging that they are often underpaid and overworked.
There are an estimated 5.6 million foreigners living in Saudi Arabia, whose native population is 22.5 million, according to the CIA World Factbook. Many foreign workers are from poor Asian countries, such as Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
In July, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a report about the conditions of the estimated 1.5 million household staff workers in Saudi Arabia. The report, titled As If I Am Not Human, said that these workers "receive less protection in Saudi Arabia than other categories of workers, exposing them to egregious abuses with little or no hope of redress.
"While many domestic workers enjoy decent work conditions," the report said, others endure "slavery-like conditions" that included "nonpayment of salaries, forced confinement, food deprivation, excessive workload, and instances of severe psychological, physical, and sexual abuse."
Exaggerated
The report caused a furore in Saudi Arabia, where newspaper columnists and government officials slammed it for being one-sided and exaggerated.
Many Saudis say that they, too, are victims, citing instances of maids running away to look for higher paying jobs after their employers had paid several hundred dollars to bring them to the kingdom.
"I'm sure there are abuses," Turki Al Sudairy, president of the government-appointed Human Rights Commission, said in a phone interview. "But a neutral person would think that all Saudis are doing this...We want a fair judgment. They [HRW] never thought that there are cases where the girls are hurting their employers."
Mazen Hayek, spokesman for the Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC) in Dubai, said that there has not been a lot of viewer feedback about the television ads of the 'Mercy' campaign.
He attributed this to the fact that "it's not an accusatory campaign, it's an awareness campaign...It calls for basic human rights and good treatment of human beings...It's not controversial".
MBC and MBC-owned Al Arabiya TV, which are popular throughout the Middle East, are both airing the three 'Mercy' videos "free of charge as part of its commitment to society," Hayek says.
MBC is owned by an in-law of the late Saudi King Fahd.
Rotana, another popular satellite television network among Arab audiences, which is owned by Saudi Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal, is also planning to air the 'Mercy' videos, Al Khatib says.
Glimpses
Apart from the clip of the Arab businessman, two others show an Arab housewife shouting abuse at her maid, who appears to be Filipina. In one, she tells the maid to "get out of my sight" and in another, she yells at her "not to sleep until the house is spotless" as she apparently retires for the night.
The 'Mercy' ads are not appearing on Saudi government-owned television stations, Al Khatib says.
One Saudi newspaper offered the print version of the campaign declined to take it, but several others are running it, he added.
He says he'd only seen one negative comment so far from one newspaper reader. The $100,000 cost of the videos and print ads, which were all produced in Saudi Arabia, was borne by an individual who wanted to remain anonymous, Al Khatib says.
His firm has done other public service campaigns in the past, he adds, including ones against smoking and gossiping. Others have encouraged people to be good to their mothers, be devout Muslims, and demonstrate their patriotism by helping to improve Saudi society.
-- Caryle Murphy, Christian Science Monitor
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Bahrain: Move to Integrate Arab Youth with Regional Development
Manama — About 400 Arabs have showed their keenness to become members of the first Arab Youth Society in the region. The society will be established officially in Bahrain after Eid Al Fitr.
President of Bahrain Youth Society and founder of Arab Youth Society Ali Sharafi told Khaleej Times on Tuesday that the society is a dream come true to unite the Arab youth in a single organisation and associate themselves with regional development.
The Ministry of Social Development here announced in August the launch of the Arab Youth Society that will soon set up its offices in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.
“From the second day of Eid, I will start my second tour to Arab cities starting with Doha to attract more youth to join the organisation,” he said while highlighting that 19 Arabs are official members in the society. Membership is open to all Arab youth as the society aims to promote youngsters in the region.
- Khaleej Times
President of Bahrain Youth Society and founder of Arab Youth Society Ali Sharafi told Khaleej Times on Tuesday that the society is a dream come true to unite the Arab youth in a single organisation and associate themselves with regional development.
The Ministry of Social Development here announced in August the launch of the Arab Youth Society that will soon set up its offices in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.
“From the second day of Eid, I will start my second tour to Arab cities starting with Doha to attract more youth to join the organisation,” he said while highlighting that 19 Arabs are official members in the society. Membership is open to all Arab youth as the society aims to promote youngsters in the region.
- Khaleej Times
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Plight of Women Gets Deserved Attention
Recent national initiatives increased public awareness among women and addressed misconceptions that lead to regulatory discrimination against Saudi women. The media is also keeping pressure on by exposing violations and outmoded attitudes about women. There is a genuine effort by all to keep the public informed about social concerns and government directives that are influencing change and reinforcing reforms.
The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) should be commended for its vigorous campaign to raise the level of awareness among women about their legal rights. The chamber’s Center for Law and Arbitration launched an initiative to spur research on divorce and custody laws. The initiative included research on three major categories, divorce under Shariah, the rights of divorcees in Islam and the custody rights of children in Islam.
To encourage researchers to participate, a cash award will be offered to the best, and the best nine studies will be printed in a book that will be distributed to the public free of charge. It is hoped that such studies will help bring about solutions for many unresolved divorce and custody cases and address the suffering of many women and children who are victims of injustice or misinterpretation of the Shariah law.
Meanwhile, the Khadija Bint Khuwailed Center for Businesswomen hosted a lecture by Al-Jawhara Al-Angari, vice chairman of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), on the legal, social, political and civil rights of women in Islam. Al-Angari addressed unimplemented laws and regulations that favor women and criticized the deficiencies in other regulations. The human rights advocate recommended that a civil family code be distributed with every identity card issued to a woman in order to inform her of her rights.
She then addressed the issue of business representatives imposed on women conducting business in the Kingdom. She said women should take advantage of the legal assistance provided by the Khadija Bint Khuwailed Center. The center, she said, could assist by drawing up specified powers of attorney that do not give absolute power to such representatives.
Al-Angari also urged women to be more active in promoting change. In her lecture, she noted that ignorance about their legal rights and under-appreciation by society are the reasons for the current plight of Saudi women.
The chamber publicized the event well and ensured that many women attended. Transportation was provided from every charity organization in Jeddah. Flyers were posted at colleges and universities along with SMS message and e-mail campaigns. As a result, 600 enthusiastic women showed up and used the opportunity to discuss issues that affect their lives. The lecture was an eye-opener for many women who had lost hope in government or society providing any protection or support.
The center presented Maha Fitaihi, wife of Jeddah’s mayor, lecturing on “Women in Islam.” She stressed the importance of recognizing women as a source of strength and pride, and she said that we should concentrate on building the character of our young girls and women to allow them to serve their country and religion. It is important, she said, to define the true Muslim identity of the Saudi woman so that she can take her rightful place in the international community and contribute toward global prosperity. Women left the hall inspired with a sense of pride in their identity and history.
Meanwhile, in Riyadh a group of Saudi legal and medical experts appealed to scholars at the Board of Senior Ulema and the Ministry of Justice to enact a law that bans child marriage. They highlighted many negative reports about this rural phenomenon and related many instances of abuse against child wives, in which judges citing Shariah law ruled against the victims. The experts urged the launch of an intensive awareness campaign to highlight the destructive effects of this practice. They called for an end to child marriage and stressed that those who indulge in this practice should face criminal penalties.
Arab News recently reported about women being locked up in their homes with their children when their husbands go to work. This practice is always discouraged by the police and Civil Defense officials as most Saudi homes lack fire-escape routes and almost all have iron security bars. Civil Defense officials continuously point out the dangers of such practices and urge against locking any family member or servant in the house. Police remain helpless because they cannot intervene without an official complaint. “If the wife consents willingly the law cannot interfere,” one official said. This is another example of how lack of awareness among women leads them to stay passive and accept such dangerous and demeaning situations — not only for themselves but for their children as well.
These efforts to raise awareness and the extensive campaign to enlighten women about their rights must continue in order to provide every woman with an opportunity to live in dignity.
Many women remain resistant to change out of fear of the unknown or distorted views of their culture and faith. It is the duty of every sociologist, government official or employee and every educated citizen, man or woman, to improve the welfare of our sisters, mothers and daughters. We have a responsibility to help our society evolve and recognize the need to support women who may be isolated and unaware of a better way to live. Moreover, our educated and progressive women should accept a greater responsibility to lead by example to remove the suspicions of those who are against modernization and progress. We all — men and women — need to work together to devise laws and regulations that maintain respect and protect women both at home and in the workplace.
— Arab News, Samar Fatany is a Saudi radio journalist based in Jeddah
The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) should be commended for its vigorous campaign to raise the level of awareness among women about their legal rights. The chamber’s Center for Law and Arbitration launched an initiative to spur research on divorce and custody laws. The initiative included research on three major categories, divorce under Shariah, the rights of divorcees in Islam and the custody rights of children in Islam.
To encourage researchers to participate, a cash award will be offered to the best, and the best nine studies will be printed in a book that will be distributed to the public free of charge. It is hoped that such studies will help bring about solutions for many unresolved divorce and custody cases and address the suffering of many women and children who are victims of injustice or misinterpretation of the Shariah law.
Meanwhile, the Khadija Bint Khuwailed Center for Businesswomen hosted a lecture by Al-Jawhara Al-Angari, vice chairman of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR), on the legal, social, political and civil rights of women in Islam. Al-Angari addressed unimplemented laws and regulations that favor women and criticized the deficiencies in other regulations. The human rights advocate recommended that a civil family code be distributed with every identity card issued to a woman in order to inform her of her rights.
She then addressed the issue of business representatives imposed on women conducting business in the Kingdom. She said women should take advantage of the legal assistance provided by the Khadija Bint Khuwailed Center. The center, she said, could assist by drawing up specified powers of attorney that do not give absolute power to such representatives.
Al-Angari also urged women to be more active in promoting change. In her lecture, she noted that ignorance about their legal rights and under-appreciation by society are the reasons for the current plight of Saudi women.
The chamber publicized the event well and ensured that many women attended. Transportation was provided from every charity organization in Jeddah. Flyers were posted at colleges and universities along with SMS message and e-mail campaigns. As a result, 600 enthusiastic women showed up and used the opportunity to discuss issues that affect their lives. The lecture was an eye-opener for many women who had lost hope in government or society providing any protection or support.
The center presented Maha Fitaihi, wife of Jeddah’s mayor, lecturing on “Women in Islam.” She stressed the importance of recognizing women as a source of strength and pride, and she said that we should concentrate on building the character of our young girls and women to allow them to serve their country and religion. It is important, she said, to define the true Muslim identity of the Saudi woman so that she can take her rightful place in the international community and contribute toward global prosperity. Women left the hall inspired with a sense of pride in their identity and history.
Meanwhile, in Riyadh a group of Saudi legal and medical experts appealed to scholars at the Board of Senior Ulema and the Ministry of Justice to enact a law that bans child marriage. They highlighted many negative reports about this rural phenomenon and related many instances of abuse against child wives, in which judges citing Shariah law ruled against the victims. The experts urged the launch of an intensive awareness campaign to highlight the destructive effects of this practice. They called for an end to child marriage and stressed that those who indulge in this practice should face criminal penalties.
Arab News recently reported about women being locked up in their homes with their children when their husbands go to work. This practice is always discouraged by the police and Civil Defense officials as most Saudi homes lack fire-escape routes and almost all have iron security bars. Civil Defense officials continuously point out the dangers of such practices and urge against locking any family member or servant in the house. Police remain helpless because they cannot intervene without an official complaint. “If the wife consents willingly the law cannot interfere,” one official said. This is another example of how lack of awareness among women leads them to stay passive and accept such dangerous and demeaning situations — not only for themselves but for their children as well.
These efforts to raise awareness and the extensive campaign to enlighten women about their rights must continue in order to provide every woman with an opportunity to live in dignity.
Many women remain resistant to change out of fear of the unknown or distorted views of their culture and faith. It is the duty of every sociologist, government official or employee and every educated citizen, man or woman, to improve the welfare of our sisters, mothers and daughters. We have a responsibility to help our society evolve and recognize the need to support women who may be isolated and unaware of a better way to live. Moreover, our educated and progressive women should accept a greater responsibility to lead by example to remove the suspicions of those who are against modernization and progress. We all — men and women — need to work together to devise laws and regulations that maintain respect and protect women both at home and in the workplace.
— Arab News, Samar Fatany is a Saudi radio journalist based in Jeddah
Monday, April 14, 2008
Saudi Arabia: ‘Know Your Rights’ Campaign Launched
Riyadh - The National Association for Human Rights in Saudi Arabia has launched an introductory campaign to inform people of their 39 legal rights in cases of arrest, investigation, inspection and trial in the form of a booklet entitled ‘Know Your Rights’ published in the Arabic language.
An official at the National Association for Human Rights told Asharq Al-Awsat that they are about to review draft versions of the information booklet in other languages for the benefit of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, outlining the rights of the accused.
The association based these rights on the set of rules regarding criminal procedure that was issued under royal decree on August 22, 2006 at a time when severe criticism was leveled against several forces for failing to adhere to the law.
The human rights association stated in the preface of the booklet that the penal system “respects the rights of citizens and residents and stresses the necessity to deal with them in an appropriate manner that preserves their dignity and upholds respect for their material and moral rights and prohibits violation of their freedom and whatever may harm them, their money or their honor.”
The National Association for Human Rights has distributed approximately 20,000 copies of the booklet and participated in several cultural events that were held recently in the Saudi capital Riyadh such as the Riyadh International Book Fair.
An official at the association, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated that a delegation from the human rights association handed out some of the booklets to detainees in Buraiman prison in Jeddah when a delegation visited the prison recently. The source added that the association intended to distribute the information booklets at police stations.
The information booklet is divided into four parts. According to the booklet, the law prohibits physical and moral abuse as well as the use of torture and degrading behavior. Moreover, individuals can only be detained in areas allocated for such purposes and for a period that is specified by a competent authority.
The penal code states upon the invalidity of arresting or detaining an individual without a warrant issued by one of the authorities. The accused should be treated in a decent manner that preserves his dignity and should be informed of the reason for his detention and of his right to contact whomever he wishes to inform.
According to the set of rules, the accused has the right to a legal representative to defend him throughout the course of the proceedings. The legal representative has the right to accompany the accused throughout the procedures of the investigation.
The rules that are clearly explained in the booklet assert that no one should be arrested unless there is evidence that the individual has committed a crime. Furthermore, the officer responsible for the arrest should file a report and deliver it immediately to the investigation and public prosecution panel.
According to the law, the accused should be questioned within 24 hours. In fact, the law asserts upon the necessity of questioning the accused shortly after arrest otherwise the investigation department should order his release. The accused should not be detained for more than 24 hours unless a written order is issued by the investigator. The statements should be listened to immediately. If the accused does not present any evidence that could acquit him, he should be interrogated within 24 hours and consequently detained or released.
In cases where an individual has been arrested or detained, the law states that the accused should be informed immediately of the reasons behind his arrest or detention. Members of the investigation and public prosecution panel should visit prisons and detention centers outside of official working hours so as to make sure that no detainees have been arrested on an illegitimate basis. They should also meet the accused to hear any complaints.
The accused has the right to make an official verbal or written complaint at any time to the head of the prison or the detention center and for it to be delivered to the head of the investigation and public prosecution panel. The head of the prison should also provide the accused with evidence that his complaint has been passed on. The penal system prohibits inspection as a rule and only allows it with certain restrictions. The system considers people, their homes, offices and vehicles as “sanctities that should be protected.” The sanctity of the individual should protect his body, clothes, money and belongings. The sanctity of houses includes any place that is enclosed or surrounded by barriers or even prepared to be used as shelter.
If the accused is female, she can only be searched by another female who is to be appointed by the officer in charge. The law states that there should always be a female present to accompany the investigation team.
The penal system states that inspection should take place during the daytime unless it is suspected that a crime is taking place.
The system prohibits intercepting phone calls or opening letters unless there is a valid reason and for a specified period only.
In relation to the investigation procedure, the system asserts upon the invalidity of corrupting the will of the accused, forcing the accused to take an oath, or using coercive methods. It is also prohibited to investigate the accused away from the investigation premises unless it is absolutely necessary.
The system states that the suspect should not be detained for longer than five days unless the investigator believes that this period needs to be extended. In this case, the investigator must submit the necessary documents to the head of the investigation panel and public prosecution authority before the first five day period is over so that an extension may be granted. The accused however cannot be detained for longer than 40 days from the day of the arrest.
In cases where the accused needs to be held for longer periods, the case must be referred to the head of the investigation and public prosecution panel on the condition that the renewal does not surpass six months from the date of arrest. After this period, the accused should immediately be tried or released.
The accused is allowed to apply for release if the investigator believes that his release would not harm the investigation and that the accused would not flee and would attend whenever he is summoned. In this case, the investigator may allow his release.
The system prohibits bringing the accused into court bound by shackles and handcuffs; furthermore, the accused should not be prevented from attending the hearing unless he has acted in a way that requires such action to be taken. In this case, the court should inform the accused of any decisions that have been made during his absence.
The system gives the accused the right to be the last one to speak at the hearing sessions of his trial. It also grants the accused the right to be released immediately if the verdict states that he is not guilty or if his punishment does not include imprisonment or if he has already served an equivalent sentence during his detention period.
By Turki Al-Saheil, Al Sharq al Awsat
An official at the National Association for Human Rights told Asharq Al-Awsat that they are about to review draft versions of the information booklet in other languages for the benefit of foreign workers in Saudi Arabia, outlining the rights of the accused.
The association based these rights on the set of rules regarding criminal procedure that was issued under royal decree on August 22, 2006 at a time when severe criticism was leveled against several forces for failing to adhere to the law.
The human rights association stated in the preface of the booklet that the penal system “respects the rights of citizens and residents and stresses the necessity to deal with them in an appropriate manner that preserves their dignity and upholds respect for their material and moral rights and prohibits violation of their freedom and whatever may harm them, their money or their honor.”
The National Association for Human Rights has distributed approximately 20,000 copies of the booklet and participated in several cultural events that were held recently in the Saudi capital Riyadh such as the Riyadh International Book Fair.
An official at the association, who preferred to remain anonymous, stated that a delegation from the human rights association handed out some of the booklets to detainees in Buraiman prison in Jeddah when a delegation visited the prison recently. The source added that the association intended to distribute the information booklets at police stations.
The information booklet is divided into four parts. According to the booklet, the law prohibits physical and moral abuse as well as the use of torture and degrading behavior. Moreover, individuals can only be detained in areas allocated for such purposes and for a period that is specified by a competent authority.
The penal code states upon the invalidity of arresting or detaining an individual without a warrant issued by one of the authorities. The accused should be treated in a decent manner that preserves his dignity and should be informed of the reason for his detention and of his right to contact whomever he wishes to inform.
According to the set of rules, the accused has the right to a legal representative to defend him throughout the course of the proceedings. The legal representative has the right to accompany the accused throughout the procedures of the investigation.
The rules that are clearly explained in the booklet assert that no one should be arrested unless there is evidence that the individual has committed a crime. Furthermore, the officer responsible for the arrest should file a report and deliver it immediately to the investigation and public prosecution panel.
According to the law, the accused should be questioned within 24 hours. In fact, the law asserts upon the necessity of questioning the accused shortly after arrest otherwise the investigation department should order his release. The accused should not be detained for more than 24 hours unless a written order is issued by the investigator. The statements should be listened to immediately. If the accused does not present any evidence that could acquit him, he should be interrogated within 24 hours and consequently detained or released.
In cases where an individual has been arrested or detained, the law states that the accused should be informed immediately of the reasons behind his arrest or detention. Members of the investigation and public prosecution panel should visit prisons and detention centers outside of official working hours so as to make sure that no detainees have been arrested on an illegitimate basis. They should also meet the accused to hear any complaints.
The accused has the right to make an official verbal or written complaint at any time to the head of the prison or the detention center and for it to be delivered to the head of the investigation and public prosecution panel. The head of the prison should also provide the accused with evidence that his complaint has been passed on. The penal system prohibits inspection as a rule and only allows it with certain restrictions. The system considers people, their homes, offices and vehicles as “sanctities that should be protected.” The sanctity of the individual should protect his body, clothes, money and belongings. The sanctity of houses includes any place that is enclosed or surrounded by barriers or even prepared to be used as shelter.
If the accused is female, she can only be searched by another female who is to be appointed by the officer in charge. The law states that there should always be a female present to accompany the investigation team.
The penal system states that inspection should take place during the daytime unless it is suspected that a crime is taking place.
The system prohibits intercepting phone calls or opening letters unless there is a valid reason and for a specified period only.
In relation to the investigation procedure, the system asserts upon the invalidity of corrupting the will of the accused, forcing the accused to take an oath, or using coercive methods. It is also prohibited to investigate the accused away from the investigation premises unless it is absolutely necessary.
The system states that the suspect should not be detained for longer than five days unless the investigator believes that this period needs to be extended. In this case, the investigator must submit the necessary documents to the head of the investigation panel and public prosecution authority before the first five day period is over so that an extension may be granted. The accused however cannot be detained for longer than 40 days from the day of the arrest.
In cases where the accused needs to be held for longer periods, the case must be referred to the head of the investigation and public prosecution panel on the condition that the renewal does not surpass six months from the date of arrest. After this period, the accused should immediately be tried or released.
The accused is allowed to apply for release if the investigator believes that his release would not harm the investigation and that the accused would not flee and would attend whenever he is summoned. In this case, the investigator may allow his release.
The system prohibits bringing the accused into court bound by shackles and handcuffs; furthermore, the accused should not be prevented from attending the hearing unless he has acted in a way that requires such action to be taken. In this case, the court should inform the accused of any decisions that have been made during his absence.
The system gives the accused the right to be the last one to speak at the hearing sessions of his trial. It also grants the accused the right to be released immediately if the verdict states that he is not guilty or if his punishment does not include imprisonment or if he has already served an equivalent sentence during his detention period.
By Turki Al-Saheil, Al Sharq al Awsat
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Experts Call to Rein In Domestic Violence
Riyadh: Experts are warning against an alarming increase in attacks against women, children and the aged in the Saudi society.
Following a recently-concluded awareness campaign against domestic violence, they called for serious efforts to curb the menace. The warning came at a time when the Ministry of Social Affairs has issued a report outlining the unpleasant level of domestic violence against women and children in the Kingdom.
"Among the 508 cases of domestic violence received at the Riyadh-based Social Protection Committee last year, the victims in 452 cases were women. Regarding men, it is only 56," the report noted. Of the domestic violence involving women, 48 per cent of the victims were between the ages of 19 and 35. The percentage of minors and babies subjected to violence during the same period accounts for 17 per cent, while cases of the aged stood at 4 per cent. The report blamed parents and husbands as major culprits.
The issue prompted Saudi oil company Aramco to conduct an awareness campaign last weekend, featuring a wide variety of programmes and activities, including seminars, lectures, family orientation courses and the distribution of pamphlets.
Warnings
Several prominent academics, social scientists, psychiatrists and experts delivered lectures and presented working papers at sessions held at the main venue of the campaign, the Prince Sultan Centre for Sciences and Technology in Dammam.
Presenting a working paper on "The Psychological impact of domestic violence", Dr Ebrahim Al Mudaifer, head of the psychiatry department at King Abdul Aziz Medical City for National Guards in Riyadh, noted that many children, who have either been subjected to domestic violence or been brought up in such a family environment, show symptoms of psychiatric problems.
"This deals severe damage to their mental growth. Criminal tendencies in them are the highest," he warned.
By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent for Gulf News
Following a recently-concluded awareness campaign against domestic violence, they called for serious efforts to curb the menace. The warning came at a time when the Ministry of Social Affairs has issued a report outlining the unpleasant level of domestic violence against women and children in the Kingdom.
"Among the 508 cases of domestic violence received at the Riyadh-based Social Protection Committee last year, the victims in 452 cases were women. Regarding men, it is only 56," the report noted. Of the domestic violence involving women, 48 per cent of the victims were between the ages of 19 and 35. The percentage of minors and babies subjected to violence during the same period accounts for 17 per cent, while cases of the aged stood at 4 per cent. The report blamed parents and husbands as major culprits.
The issue prompted Saudi oil company Aramco to conduct an awareness campaign last weekend, featuring a wide variety of programmes and activities, including seminars, lectures, family orientation courses and the distribution of pamphlets.
Warnings
Several prominent academics, social scientists, psychiatrists and experts delivered lectures and presented working papers at sessions held at the main venue of the campaign, the Prince Sultan Centre for Sciences and Technology in Dammam.
Presenting a working paper on "The Psychological impact of domestic violence", Dr Ebrahim Al Mudaifer, head of the psychiatry department at King Abdul Aziz Medical City for National Guards in Riyadh, noted that many children, who have either been subjected to domestic violence or been brought up in such a family environment, show symptoms of psychiatric problems.
"This deals severe damage to their mental growth. Criminal tendencies in them are the highest," he warned.
By Mariam Al Hakeem, Correspondent for Gulf News
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