OnlineWomen Bulletin August 19, 2004: Motherhood may be blocking women's rise as national leaders (Singapore)
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OnlineWomen Bulletin
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19 August 2004

This bulletin highlights Asia Pacific women's involvement in politics, governance,
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SHE SAID:
"Our sole objective is to increase women’s participation in the decision-making process of [India]. Everyone knows what has happened to the reservations bill. Even if it is passed, at 33 per cent, women will still remain a minority. We want to bring the participation to 50 per cent, matching our numbers in the population."

-Avisha Kulkarni
General secretary of the Womanist Party of India on the occasion of the party's registration by India's Election Commission

ON THIS ISSUE:

A. Women in Politics News
Singapore: Motherhood may be blocking women's rise as national leaders
Singapore: PM Lee wants more women to enter politics
India: 'All women' party to contest State polls'
Singapore: Three women made ministers

B. Other News
Indian Kashmir assembly stalled over women's rights
Philippines: New law allows abused women to sue partners
Laos gets funds to promote women's rights
Singapore: All working mums entitled to longer maternity leave
Papua New Guinea: Women have had enough of violence (Opinion)
Bangladesh: No discrimination against women commissioners
Pakistan: 'Women's economic empowerment is vital'
Pakistan: Hiraj criticises ministerial body for women in distress
China not planning to send women to space
Singapore lawyer wins seat on UN women's rights body
New Zealand: Law fails to protect women
Philippines: Women groups to join caravan vs war games
Female Olympians break more gender barriers

C. Other Features
Post Your Events
Support OnlineWomen
Contact OnlineWomen

WIP NEWS

Singapore: Motherhood may be blocking women's rise as national leaders
With little fanfare, Singapore now has two women in national leadership as Ministers of State, and a third in local government as one of the five mayors. The absence of excitement can be read as a sign of maturity. Women in top positions are no longer deemed newsworthy by virtue of their rarity value. In accordance with the well-established principle of meritocracy, it is the capability of the individual that matters, not the gender.
For the full story: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/analysis/2004/0819_paternity.htm
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0819_sg_maternity.htm

Singapore: PM Lee wants more women to enter politics
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday urged more women to step forward to take part in the local political scene. Speaking at his first official function since becoming the prime minister, Mr Lee said he is particularly happy to have more women in his team. 'We want more women to come into the team,' he said. 'And I think there's talent out there, and I say to them, don't be shy. Come forward. Come and work with us.'
For the full story: http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/story/0,4567,125573,00.html
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0816_sg_WIP.htm

India: 'All women' party to contest State polls
Prabha Rau, Margaret Alva and Smriti 'Tulsi' Irani better watch out. The Womanist Party of India (WPI), formed on October 31, 2003, has been offered registration by the Election Commission. This party, the first of its kind in India exclusively for women, will be testing the waters in the coming Maharashtra Assembly polls. "We plan to contest from all 288 constituencies in Maharashtra. We do not expect much as we have very little time on our hands. But we will surely make an impact," says Avisha Kulkarni, general secretary of the WPI. For the
full story: http://sify.com/cities/mumbai/fullstory.php?id=13545140
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0816_in_womanist_party_of_india.htm

Singapore: Three women made ministers
Women are back on the front benches of government after three years of absence and they want more to follow their lead into the political arena. The appointment of not just one, but three women office-holders sends a "clear and positive" signal that they can and should play a role in determining Singapore's future, said Lim Hwee Hua.
For the full story: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/8/12/asia/8642689&sec=asia
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0812_sg_womenministers.htm

OTHER NEWS

Indian Kashmir assembly stalled over women's rights
The assembly of insurgency-torn Indian Kashmir was stalled on Thursday due to a proposal to deprive women of their residency status if they married men from outside the Muslim-majority state. Non-Kashmiris are banned from buying property in the scenic Himalayan region, but supporters of restricting women's residency status say the age-old law is circumvented through marriages of convenience.
For the full story:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2004/August/subcontinent_August656.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0819_in_kashmir_residencybill.htm

Philippines: New law allows abused women to sue partners
A new law allows women to sue their boyfriends or live-in partners for physical, emotional and verbal abuse even if they are only on a dating relationship and not yet married. Penalty includes imprisonment and a fine of not less than a hundred thousand pesos. Republic Act 9262, or the Antiviolence Against Women and their Children law of 2004, coauthored by Rep. Bellaflor Angara Castillo, penalizes all acts of violence against women-whether they are married, in a live-in setup or in a relationship.
For the full story:
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2004/aug/19/yehey/metro/20040819met1.html
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0819_ph_RA9262_abuse.htm

Laos gets funds to promote women's rights
The Asian Development Bank Wednesday granted $250,000 to Laos to promote gender equality among ethnic communities. The Manila-based ADB said women in the country have to work harder and yet have fewer rights, including property rights, particularly those who live in more remote areas.
For the full story: http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=eaf502ffe0a7abde
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0818_pg_violence.htm

Singapore: All working mums entitled to longer maternity leave
For his first factory opening as Trade and Industry Minister, Mr Lim Hng Kiang found himself at a diaper factory. 'I see this as a good omen in our effort to encourage more babies in Singapore,' he quipped in a speech to open the new Kimberly-Clark factory. Omens aside, there will be fresh moves from next week to encourage Singapore women to have more babies. All working mothers in all companies will get longer, more flexible maternity leave no matter where they work, Mr Lim told reporters at the Kimberly-Clark factory opening in Tuas.
For the full story: http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/topstories/story/0,4386,267837,00.html?
Or: http://www.onlinhttp:/www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0819_sg_maternityleave.htm

Papua New Guinea: Women have had enough of violence (Opinion)
Women have had enough! For far too long they have been raped, brutally murdered, robbed, harassed, threatened and treated with total contempt. Their freedom has long been robbed from them. Their dignity as free citizens of this country long denied and they live in absolute fear for their lives. Now they are standing up for their rights.
For the full story: http://www.postcourier.com.pg/20040818/view01.htm
Or:
http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0817_bd_discrimination_women_commissioners.htm

Bangladesh: No discrimination against women commissioners
The High Court (HC) yesterday asked the government not to discriminate between women ward commissioners and their male counterparts in delegation of authority and voided a ministerial circular that it called contrary to the constitution. The verdict came after 10 women ward commissioners from reserved seats of Khulna City Corporation filed a writ petition last year, challenging the local government and rural development ministry's circular that did not allow the women commissioners to take part in census or issue nationality certificates or reference letters.
For the full story: http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/08/17/d4081701011.htm
Or:
http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0817_bd_discrimination_women_commissioners.htm

Pakistan: 'Women's economic empowerment is vital'
Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz on Sunday said the economic empowerment of women was vital for the country's socio-economic development. He told women leaders and a representative delegation of women and party workers from NA-59 that he had never worked for personal interests. "I have always kept national interest above the personal interest," he said. Highlighting the important role and contribution of women for the economic development, he assured them that the government would make more efforts for women's economic empowerment and their prosperity.
For the full story: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_17-8-2004_pg7_33
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0817_pk_women_empowerment.htm

Pakistan: Hiraj criticises ministerial body for women in distress
State Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights Raza Hayat Hiraj has expressed his dissatisfaction with a committee of the women's ministry that deals with women in distress. At the Women in Distress and Detention Fund's board meeting on Thursday, which he presided over, he said the committee did not meet often enough. He directed the board's secretary to ensure participation of all provinces in the fund's activities. He also stressed the need to develop monitoring mechanisms for timely implementation of the committee's workplan. The minister said a special meeting involving all the provinces should be held soon to assess the success of the fund's initiatives. He also asked the board's secretary to request the home department for data of women in prisons. Additional Secretary Ministry of Women Development and Social Welfare (MWD) Rukan Abdullah Gardezi informed the board that the MWD had planned to establish seven new crisis centres for women in distress. He said that the crisis centres would provide women with legal aid and medical assistance in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Mianwali and Kohat. Three such crisis centres were already operating in Islamabad, Sahiwal and Vehari, he said.
For the full story: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_13-8-2004_pg7_26
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0813_pk_Hiraj_womensministry.htm

China not planning to send women to space
China's space agency says it is not planning to send women into space in the near future, Xinhua reported Wednesday. However, Sun Laiyan, director of the China National Space Administration, reaffirmed his nation's intent to consider a plan to select woman candidates and train them for space missions. China has followed a policy of gender equality since New China was founded in 1949, said Sun.
For the full story: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-08/12/content_364724.htm
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0812_cn_women_outerspace.htm

Singapore lawyer wins seat on UN women's rights body
Veteran women's activist and family lawyer Anamah Tan has been elected to the United Nations expert body on women's rights issues. The 63-year-old is the first Singaporean to win a seat on the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (Cedaw). She will join 22 other men and women from around the world, all experts 'of high moral standing and competence in the fields covered by the Convention', next January.
For the full story: http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/topstories/story/0,4386,266531,00.html?
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0813_sg_lawyer-activist_CEDAW.htm

New Zealand: Law fails to protect women
Women's Refuges say protection orders are increasingly ineffective as breaches are not being taken seriously. Women's Refuge says the law is not protecting women from violence. A report released by the National Collective of Independent Women's Refuges says protection orders are increasingly ineffective as breaches are not being taken seriously.
For the full story: http://home.nzcity.co.nz/news/default.asp?id=42116&c=w
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0812_nz_protection_orders.htm

Philippines: Population management and women's rights
While there is an urgent need for government to address the growing population and its concomitant ills, women should not be taken to task or bear the burden of its population management program. The two proposed bills; the two-kids policy authored by Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and the five-year moratorium on childbirth proposed by Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, are viewed as anti-women and unrealistic by women's organizations and a violation of women's reproductive rights.
For the full story: http://www.mindanaotimes.com.ph/news/column.php?id=233
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0806_ph_populationmgt_womensrights.htm

Philippines: Women groups to join caravan vs war games
Progressive women organizations are set to join the caravan today to register their opposition to the on-going military exercises of Filipino and American soldiers. The caravan is set to pass through the urban centers of Davao del Sur and Cotabato and will culminate in a rally at the gate of Camp Lucero, Carmen, Cotabato, the venue of the military exercises.
For the full story: http://www.mindanaotimes.com.ph/news/story.php?id=1707
Or: http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0812_womenorgs_caravan_vs_war_games.htm

Female Olympians break more gender barriers
The summer Olympics opening tomorrow in Athens promise to make some notable contributions to women's sports history. While women's wrestling and women's saber fencing make their Olympic debut, a 47-year-old female tennis legend will become the oldest player--male or female--to compete for the U.S. Olympic team. Meanwhile, two Afghan women have broken down their country's Olympic gender barrier and will be part of Afghanistan's reentry into the games after an eight-year hiatus.
For the full story: http://www.womensenews.com/article.cfm/dyn/aid/1946
Or:
http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0812_female_Olympians_break_gender_barriers.htm

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Posted by Evelin at August 31, 2004 02:43 AM