The Middle East & North Africa
"Gender and Development E-Brief”
January 2011

NEWS & ARTICLES
GENDER ACTIVISM
Call for Signatures for Greater Political Representation of Women in Libya
Advocacy for Right to Nationality - Women,  Husbands, Children in Jordan
Egyptian Women: Performing in the Margin, Revolting in the Centre
Activists demand equal citizenship rights for women
Hundreds of Lebanese men and women march against rape
New Arab Woman Forum takes on Arab Spring

ZOOMING ON ARAB SPRING
Arab Spring, Islamist Summer...Feminist Fall?

GENDER & HUMAN RIGHTS
Prime Minister May Support Abortion for Rape, Incest In Morocco
Why Women are at the Heart of Egypt's Political Trials and Tribulations
Saudi women to run, vote without male approval
Universities are the first test for Tunisian secularism
Having a Conversation on Other Terms: Gender and the Politics of Representation the New Moroccan Government

GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
Campaign Against Draft Law on Male Heritage Nationality on  Lebanon
Beirut bar cancels event inviting guests to dress as domestic workers
Conflict, Pain & Loss, Mother's Tears in Iraq
Gender-Based Violence - Call for Justice - Study in Southern Sudan
Revolution hasn't made Egypt safer for women

RESOURCES & CALLS
BOOKS AND REPORTS
2011 UN Millennium Development Goals Report - Gender

The MENA Gender and Development e-Brief receives material from various sources for its publication. Should you wish to refer to these sources/ sites directly, the list includes publications from: AVIVA, www.aviva.org, AWID: www.awid.org, Democracy Digest: www.freedomhouse.org, Development Gateway: www.developmentgatway.org, Dignity: www.dignity.org, e-Civicus: www.civicus.org, Eldis: www.eldis.org, ESCWA: www.escwa.org.lb, GDB: www.developmentex.com, Global Knowledge Partnership: www.globalknowledge.org, IGTN: www.IGTN.org, ILO: www.ilo.org One World: www.oneworld.net, Siyanda: www.siyanda.org, The Daily Star: www.dailystar.com.lb, The Drum Beat: www.comminit.com, The Soul Beat: www.comminit.com, The World Bank: www.worldbank.org, UNDP: www.undp.org, Wicejilist: www.wicej.addr.com, WLP: www.learningpartnership.org; WIDE: www.wide-network.org; IRIN News: www.irinnews.org, Women’s UN Report Network: www.wunrn.com, Women Living Under Muslim Laws: www.wluml.org

NEWS & ARTICLES
GENDER ACTIVISM
Call for Signatures for Greater Political Representation of Women in Libya
Women for Libya asks the National Transitional Council to ensure that Libyan women are included as equal participants in international conferences and national meetings to discuss the future of our country. To exclude women is to exclude a vital force in the reconstruction of a stable, transparent and democratic Libya. Libyan Women are an essential part of the future of Libya, they must be openly and transparently included in discussions and promoted to participate at all levels in conflict prevention, reconciliation and involved in rebuilding Libya’s political, social and economic institutions. Women have always played important roles within society and will continue to do so. However, the moment has come for these contributions to be acknowledged and further respected, encouraging women to step forward into prominent positions. For more information please follow the link  http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/women4libya/#sign_petition

Advocacy for Right to Nationality - Women,  Husbands, Children in Jordan
According to a study conducted by the Information and Research Centre (IRC)-King Hussein Foundation, into the status of families of Jordanian women married to foreigners, there is a need to amend Article 22 of the1973 Residency Law, which denies residency to the foreign husband of a Jordanian woman.....Through a new research approach, the IRC conducted the study on the children of these marriages: “Most of these children felt a sense of loss and confusion over their identity between what they considered their homeland, Jordan, and their country of nationality, i.e., their father’s country of origin,” the IRC Director highlighted. In a ballroom in an Amman hotel, a major research project is about to be unveiled. There is a buzz in the room as the Information and Research Centre (IRC) of the King Hussein Foundation discusses the first results of their EU-funded project on the discrimination facing Jordanian women who marry foreigners. Next to me are sitting two women who feel personally affected by project; Mai, a 45 year old Jordanian women who married an Egyptian and Farah, her 20 year old Jordanian-born daughter by that marriage. Because Jordanian women cannot pass on their nationality, Farah is not a Jordanian citizen and has to stay in the country on a renewable residency permit. She also, like her father, has to pay to access many public services and requires a permit to work. 65,000 Jordanian women are in the same position as Mai, with their husbands and Jordanian-born children not recognized as Jordanian citizens. IRC argues that the 50 million dinar it would take to incorporate these families into the state would be covered by the 60 million dinar direct benefit of doing so, and that there would be greater indirect benefits. To read more about the research findings please follow the link  http://www.ichrpblog.org/2011/12/right-to-nationality.html#more

Egyptian Women: Performing in the Margin, Revolting in the Centre
"We are constantly aware of our gender and of being watched and judged because of it, so we end up "performing". But in taking to the streets there are no performative acts and there is no audience. Now I feel that there is no going back, After all, there is no text to follow, and no director. It is as it has always been: us and them", says Zainab Magdy.  On the issue of removing her head scarf after wearing it for over five years, a close friend of mine was hesitant - and it w  as not on religious basis. It was rather over the issue of facing the different audiences she has: the conservative audience and the liberal one. It made me think of my audiences and whether I "perform" in a certain way to each one. In September 2011, Egyptian writer Ahmed Elesseily published an article in Al Tahrir newspaper called "Revolution of Girls", in which he said that the duty of Egyptian "girls" (including those in their twenties) in our society is to please her audiences who are constantly watching her. I caught myself again thinking whether I do that, and again, I thought of the performances that are required of us and the effort we put into perfecting our roles. This has nothing to do with my love of theatre, but we – Egyptian women – are always on stage.  We are not on stage because we are appreciated, no, on the contrary, we are on the podium because we are threat. All of us are a threat: those who conform and those who don't. In either part of the stage an Egyptian woman is standing on – conformist, non-conformist, or that shady part in the middle – she is always under the scrutiny of her audience. To read more please follow the link http://www.wluml.org/news/egypt-egyptian-women-performing-margin-revolti...

Activists demand equal citizenship rights for women
Several hundred activists met outside the Interior Ministry in Sanayeh Thursday to protest against unequal citizenship rights for women, led by the collective “My nationality is a right for me and my family.”  Lebanese women cannot currently pass their nationality on to their children, and activists have been campaigning against this for years, in July passing a draft law on the issue to Prime Minister Najib Mikati.  However the approval two weeks ago by the Cabinet of a draft law which would grant citizenship to expatriates with a Lebanese father or grandfather, even if they themselves had not been born in the country, has further frustrated campaigners.  Lina Abou Habib, executive director of the Collective for Research and Training on Development-Action, a Beirut-based regional gender equality center, which is spearheading the nationality campaign, said that Thursday’s event “was prompted by this shameful decision by Cabinet.”
“We are protesting against these clearly sexist and patriarchal policies and the complete exclusion of women from everything,” she said.
The crowd was comprised of men and women of all ages, and included the actress Carmen Lebbos, who told The Daily Star she was not confident of change any time soon.
Omar Abi Azar, a theater director, was there as he believes, “It is a completely absurd law and it’s more than discriminatory. It’s saying that women are not equal to human beings.”
He said the law is a symptom of the political system, which, he added, needs an entire overhaul.
“The Arab region is living through a turning point right now. But whereas the absurdities of the system were much more flagrant in, say, Egypt or Syria, here in Lebanon we have been taught that they are just an inevitable part of the system. So it will take longer here to overcome them.”
Born in Lebanon to a Lebanese mother, 10-year-old Lynn Hornig attended the protest with her American father Thomas Hornig.
“Here today I feel 50 percent American and 50 percent Lebanese. But normally when someone asks me about my nationality I just say that I was born here but I am American. It’s easier now than when I was younger, but it’s still hard,” she said. Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2011/Dec-30/158340-activists...

Hundreds of Lebanese men and women march against rape
Women and men from across Lebanon marched together over the weekend to call for changing the law governing rape crimes and support for victims of such acts.
The march, which began at noon in the Beirut district of Sanayeh, and ended in Parliament Square, drew over 600 people Saturday. Marchers held signs reading, “It is time to hear the screams of all the mothers and daughters the law has silenced,” “Change the laws against marital rape,” and “Skirt length is not an invitation.”  Meanwhile, men attending held signs saying, “Manhood is not coercion,” “Real men take no for an answer,” and “I respect my mother. The law should too.”  The march was organized by feminist collective Nasawiya with the goals of raising awareness of the crime and protesting a lack of legislation against spousal rape as well as laws that drop sentences for rapists who agree to marry their victims. Organizers are also calling for better facilities for rape victims to report the crime.  “Although I’m a man, this is important to me because we all have sisters, mothers, friends and cousins who are affected by this,” said Michael Oghia, a sociology student at the American University of Beirut who also runs the blog LOVEanon, which focuses on love and relationships in Lebanon.  “If anything is going to change, men will need to be a part of it,” Oghia, who attended the rally, said. “Men are part of the problem, and they can also be part of the solution.”  Nick Jensen-Thomas, a psychology student at AUB, was also one of the men showing his support at the demonstration. He said he was attending the demonstration for several reasons.
“There’s a culture of rape, and it’s promoted that men should have a domineering stance, especially sexually,” he said. “It’s not just particular to Lebanon. It happens everywhere. I’d march against it in the U.S. and I’m marching against it in Lebanon.” Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Jan-16/159984-hundreds-...

New Arab Woman Forum takes on Arab Spring
Prominent women from across the region will come to Beirut next month to take part in a forum on the pivotal role that females have played in the Arab Spring protests that are reshaping the geopolitical map of the Middle East.
The New Arab Woman Forum, the fifth edition of which will take place at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beirut Feb. 1-2 under the theme of “Women and the Arab Spring,” will also seek to identify ways to ensure that women reap the benefits of changes sweeping the region. “We saw that Arab women have played a major role during these revolutions and this is not something we can deny,” NAWF founder and executive chair Nadine Abu Zaki told The Daily Star following a news conference Tuesday at the Bristol Hotel. “The most important thing is ... how to make this Arab Spring an Arab Spring for women.”  The announcement of this year’s theme was welcomed by a panel including Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour, NAWF honorary president MP Bahia Hariri, MBC Group spokesperson Mazen Hayek and the Director of the French Institute, Aurélien Lechevallier.  Abu Faour highlighted the role women played in Arab Spring, saying that females, as partners in the protests, should also be partners in the gains of the revolutions.  “The Arab Spring should not be an autumn for the Arab woman. The slogans of the revolutions were to remove oppression and achieve democracy. Arab rulers have fallen into the trap of claiming they are gods that do not fall and are not replaced, thus the Arab man should not fall into the trap of tyranny and domination.”  Organized by Al-Iktissad Wal-Aamal Group and Al-Hasnaa Magazine, the forum will bring together speakers, both male and female, for two days of discussions. Panels will address themes such as the role of social media in asserting individual and women’s rights, East-West relations and the West’s perception of the Arab woman, artistic and literary expression in the Arab Spring, women in business and the future of reforms guaranteeing the political and social rights of women.  Sponsored by the Social Affairs Ministry and satellite TV station MBC, the event will also involve the French Institute for the first time.  Another new aspect of this year’s forum is a special prize for NAWF’s Woman of the Week. The NAWF website has been featuring profiles of distinguished Arab women weekly since September. Online voters and forum participants will select the winner from among these candidates, who include Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakel Karmen from Yemen, Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki, Egyptian journalist and human rights activist Bothaina Kamel and blogger Lina Ben Mhenni of Tunisia.  Al-Hasnaa Magazine is also organizing a march at the close of the conference from the Four Seasons Hotel to Downtown Beirut under the slogan “sawa sawa” (“together together”). “This march is a message from Arab women to Arab society to tell them that there is no Arab Spring without women,” said Abu Zaki, adding that around 500 people are expected to attend the forum from 25 countries.Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/Jan-11/159452-new-arab-wo...

ZOOMING ON ARAB SPRING
Arab Spring, Islamist Summer...Feminist Fall?
Nine months after the overthrow of the former president, Tunisia has voted in the first open and fair election in the region. The Islamist party al-Nahda has claimed victory by a fairly large margin, assuring the party a strong say in future political processes. What will this victory mean for Tunisia’s historical legacy of women’s rights?   In a three-part article published on openDemocracy, UNRISD Research Analyst Kristine Goulding examines the transformation of gender relations from the Arab Spring, throughout the Islamist summer, and into the feminist fall. Goulding warns against framing Islamism in direct opposition to women's rights. Instead, the Arab Spring should be seen as an opportunity to redefine the roles of both women and the Islamist party al-Nahda: the two cannot be seen as mutually exclusive. In the final part of the article, Goulding argues that if a "feminist fall" does not come to fruition, it will not be only because of an Islamist agenda or the failures of the interim government and its policies. The failure will come from the citizens of Tunisia, who have shown democratically that feminism is not decisively on their agenda. To read more please follow the link  http://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/kristine-goulding/tunisia-womens-winte...

GENDER & HUMAN RIGHTS
Prime Minister May Support Abortion for Rape, Incest In Morocco
Less than two months after winning power in Morocco’s elections, the moderate Islamic party of Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane is surprising opponents by moving to relax the country’s strict abortion laws.  In an interview last week, a top aide to Mr. Benkirane, Mustapha Khalifi, speaking in a personal capacity, confirmed media reports that the prime minister would support an initiative to allow abortions in cases of rape and incest.   Mr. Khalifi, subsequently appointed the communications minister, said in an interview that the government should push ahead with a proposal, drafted by the social and family affairs minister in the previous government, Nouzha Skalli, to address the steep rise both in illegal abortions and in the number of unmarried mothers caught in the poverty trap.   “We should start dealing with this issue,” Mr. Khalifi said in Rabat. “We can’t ignore it any more.”   The government’s new position on the issue was unexpected. Before the elections when it was in opposition, Mr. Benkirane’s party, Justice and Development, or P.J.D., took a tough line on moral issues. It lobbied unsuccessfully, for example, for a ban on a performance by the British singer Elton John at the 2010 Mawazine Music Festival because of Mr. John’s homosexuality.  But the party appears to have acquiesced to a shift in public opinion after a recent rise in back street procedures made abortion a topical political issue.   On Dec. 12, three weeks after the Justice and Development Party won 107 seats out of 325 in the parliamentary elections, an opinion poll published by the popular French-language magazine Actuel showed that half of respondents wanted abortion to be legalized in cases of incest or rape.   Morocco is one of the more liberal Muslim countries and allows the early termination of pregnancy, with spousal consent, to save the life of the woman or to preserve her physical or mental health. Still, abortion is stigmatized socially, legally and religiously, and abortions for unmarried women are illegal, resulting in high numbers of illegal terminations. A 2008 study, the most recent available, put the number of abortions in Morocco as high as 600 a day. More information through 
http://www.wunrn.com/news/2012/01_12/01_09/010912_morocco.htm

Why Women are at the Heart of Egypt's Political Trials and Tribulations
The Egyptian elections delivered a parliament that has one of the lowest rates of female representation in the world. Yet this is the parliament that expresses the political will of the people of Egypt. It may also be one that ignores the social realities of gender and of women’s political participation, says Hania Sholkamy.  The mostly free and somewhat fair elections held in Egypt over the past two months have given the Freedom and Justice Party of the Muslim Brotherhood an overwhelming majority in parliament (approximately 40 %). The runners up are the Salafis who did very well at the ballot box and hold up to twenty percent of seats. Trailing behind, but with heads held high are the liberals, the revolutionaries  and a number of highly respected individuals who profess a secular creed. Almost all of these newly minted representatives of the people are men. In this protracted battle of multiple voting days, legal challenges, re-runs and complicated allocations of seats across proportionate party lists and individual seats only 8 of the 480 + seats went to women. (There are still ten seats to be allocated by presidential fiat ) http://www.wluml.org/news/egypt-why-women-are-heart-egypts-political-tri...

Saudi women to run, vote without male approval
A Saudi official says for the first time, women in the conservative kingdom will not need a male guardian's approval to run or vote in municipal elections in 2015.
Shura Council member Fahad al-Anzi says that approval for women has already come from the Saudi king. The country's Shura Council is an all-male consultative body with no legislative powers. The state-run al-Watan newspaper announced the change Wednesday. Even so, women in Saudi Arabia cannot travel, work, study abroad, marry, get divorced or gain admittance to a public hospital without permission from a male guardian.  While King Abdullah has pushed for some changes on women's rights, he has been cautious not to push too hard against ultraconservative clerics, who have in the past challenged social reforms. Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Dec-28/158183-saudi-wo...

Universities are the first test for Tunisian secularism
Last Nov. 28, the dean of the Department of Letters, Arts and Humanities of Manouba University refused to give in to pressure from a group of protesters using violence to demand that classes be accessible to young women wearing the niqab, or face veil. Faced with this refusal the protesters erected barriers to block the professors and stu  dents from their classrooms and prevent classes from taking place. Numerous parents, students and professors quickly moved to protest these actions and defend the institution’s rules.
The preservation of neutrality in Tunisian public institutions, respect for their rules and the protection of the individual have been up for debate in recent months. The end of the previous regime of President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali and the subsequent political transition has allowed for greater openness and more public debate on key issues, such as ensuring the rights and freedoms of all Tunisians – including minority groups. The 217 deputies of the recently elected Tunisian Constituent Assembly, which is responsible for writing a new Tunisian Constitution, must work together to establish the basis for Tunisian democracy in the coming weeks. http://www.wluml.org/news/tunisia-universities-are-first-test-tunisian-s...

Having a Conversation on Other Terms: Gender and the Politics of Representation the New Moroccan Government
The recent parliamentary elections in Morocco have led to the creation of the first ever elected Islamist government in Morocco’s history. After winning more than forty percent of the votes in the November 25th elections, the Party of Justice and Development (PJD) led by Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane formed a coalition government with the socialist Parti du Progrès et du Socialisme (PPS), the nationalist Istiqlal party and the royalist Mouvement Populaire (MP). Benkirane’s first task as Prime Minister was to form the government by appointing ministers. After much speculation and many rumors in the press and social media, Benkirane finally introduced his cabinet on January 3, 2012 at the royal palace in Rabat where he was summoned by King Mohammed VI. The newly formed government is surprising in some respects but predictable in others. It includes controversial PJD members like Mustapha Ramid, an outspoken activist and critic who was appointed Minister of Justice despite rumors in the press that he was blacklisted by the palace. A polygamous man and the father of six children, Ramid has spoken out against limitations on freedom of the press and has argued in favor of limiting the powers of the king. A lawyer by training, he has expressed his support for the February 20th youth movement, has represented Salafi political prisoners as well as journalists like Rachid Nini, the editor of Almassae newspaper who was sentenced to one year in jail for criticizing the unfair trials of Islamists. However, the government of Benkirane, which had to be approved by the king, also includes the usual technocrats and palace loyalists who will ensure that the new government does not deviate much from the palace line or challenge the interests of the country’s elites. http://www.wluml.org/news/morocco-having-conversation-other-terms-gender...

GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
Campaign Against Draft Law on Male Heritage Nationality on  Lebanon
The Lebanese Cabinet issues a draft law to reinstate Lebanese nationality to descendants of Lebanese fathers and grandfathers…only...
In its meeting of 12 December 2011, the current Cabinet endorsed a draft law to reinstate Lebanese nationality to emigrants of Lebanese descent.  However, the draft law was endorsed after “minor modifications” according to the current Minister of Interior, Brigadier Marwan Charbel.  The “minor modification” was the specification that Lebanese descent shall be limited to fathers and grandfathers only - Not mothers or grandmothers.  The “minor modification” is yet again further proof of Lebanon’s persistent patriarchal mindset which clearly considers citizenship to be a male attribute.
The Claiming Equal Citizenship Campaign is deeply concerned by this latest development and by the government’s speedy endorsement of this draft law, and would like to point out to the following key issues:
1.    The Cabinet members justified their endorsement of this draft law by their desire to include emigrants of Lebanese descent in the economic and political life in Lebanon.  While this may be understandable, how does the Cabinet justify the fact that it has totally ignored the dire social and economic situation of Lebanese women married to non-nationals and their families who consider Lebanon to be their home and the Lebanese nationality to be their right?
2.    The current Cabinet has decided that this draft law is a priority and, as a result, endorsed it in record time.  We wonder, however, what happened to the law petition that the Nationality Campaign and its supporters submitted to the Prime Minister in July, 2011, and to which the Prime Minister failed to react or respond.
3.    As a matter of principle, the Nationality Campaign has always supported the right of emigrants, both women and men, to reclaim their nationality after proper discussion and after ensuring that the new law does not further institutionalize and codify any form of discrimination against women.  We reiterate however, that to this date, there is no sharing of information regarding the application and implication of the proposed discriminatory draft law.
4.    The Campaign objects to the repeated violation of women’s human and citizenship rights by Lebanon and the outright definition of “lineage” as being solely patriarchal.
5.    The Campaign notes that MP Nihmatallah AbiNasr, has finally made his dream since independence come true.  The Campaign also notes that MP AbiNasr considers nationality to be a right and not a favor.  At the same time, the Campaign is surprised at how MP AbiNasr insists on ignoring the citizenship rights of Lebanese women, both residents and non-residents, and the ways in which he considers Lebanese emigrants of male descent to have priority over Lebanese women.
The Campaign is asking the elected Lebanese Parliament to refrain from endorsing this draft law, and to carefully peruse all its justifications, implications and ramifications while considering equality and inclusive citizenship rights to be the guiding principles for any law.  The Campaign also calls on the Parliamentary Commissions for Human Rights and for Women’s Right to play an active role in paving the way for a long awaited reform of the discriminatory family law, and to contribute to making equality between women and men a reality. Read more through this link http://www.awid.org/Library/Lebanon-A-country-of-men-and-for-men-only

Beirut bar cancels event inviting guests to dress as domestic workers
A bar in the neighborhood of Gemmayzeh has canceled an event, originally scheduled for this Friday, which invited guests to dress up as migrant domestic workers for the chance to win $100.
Event details encouraged bar-goers to, “this Friday night, be Sinkara or Milenga ... be Soumatra or Domma ... create your own maid costume, speak like them and look like a Philippino [sic], Bengladish [sic], Sri Lanka [sic] or any maid you want and definitely win 100 U.S. dollars in cash.”
The details of the event were originally posted late Tuesday evening on the bar’s Facebook group. A Lebanese organization, the Anti-Racism Movement, then reposted the event on its blog, which soon drew much online criticism. The owner of the bar then removed all details of the event.
Speaking to The Daily Star Wednesday, the owner denied that the event was in any way racist. “You just put on a costume, it was supposed to be for fun. Some people misunderstood it and thought it was racist.”
On the emphasis on foreign nationalities in the posting, she said “We hadn’t meant it in that way at all. You didn’t have to dress as a foreigner, you could have just put on an apron and dressed as your mom.”
“We took the event down after two hours, as we realized people had misinterpreted it.”
Farah Salka, of the Anti-Racism Movement, called it one of the most shocking recent examples of racism that she has seen.
“I see examples of it all the time, but with this, I was just like ‘wow.’”
While happy that the event was removed so quickly, Salka said she was disappointed the owner had not apologized for posting it in the first place.
“I would love to buy her explanation that it was not intentionally racist, but how can it not be? When you are categorizing the 250,000 migrant domestic workers in this country as ‘them:’ Who is ‘them’?”
The event details also equated the $100 award for the best costume with the salary maids receive, writing: “They ... work all the month to get it,” but that bar-goers could claim the same amount back by “imitat[ing] them and win it in some few comedy moments.” Salka said this was “completely insensitive.”
It is time, Salka added, for a redefining of the word “racist” in Lebanon. “We need to revise the definition. Even the smallest details can be racist,” she said. Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/

Conflict, Pain & Loss, Mother's Tears in Iraq
Pictures by Judge Zakia Hakki from Iraq available at http://www.wunrn.com/news/2012/01_12/01_09/010912_iraq.htm

Gender-Based Violence - Call for Justice - Study in Southern Sudan
Southern Sudan has a history of gender-based violence (GBV) during times of conflict and instability. GBV is any act of violence against women that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, inc  luding threats of such acts, coercion or rbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.2
Five years after the official end of the civil war, GBV remains prevalent in Southern Sudan. Women and children are raped and abducted, with sex workers and women of foreign origin particularly vulnerable. With insecurity increasing in many regions of Sudan, GBV has become more frequent, and women are now specifically targeted during violent inter-ethnic conflict. Sudan’s security and armed forces are responsible for much of this violence. However, Sudanese authorities and the international community have failed to protect women from GBV or to hold perpetrators responsible. The number of GBV incidents will likely increase as tensions rise in the aftermath of the 2011 referendum on whether Southern Sudan should become independent. International actors concerned about Sudan’s future, including the United This study examines the extent and the sources of gender-based violence in Southern Sudan and analyzes the ability of GBV survivors to secure justice. During Sudan’s second civil war, which ended in 2005, many women experienced rape, forced marriage, and abduction.
The effects of Sudan’s civil wars linger in Sudan and may contribute to instability in the period surrounding Southern Sudan’s 2011 referendum.
http://www.wunrn.com/news/2012/01_12/01_02/010212_southern.htm

Revolution hasn't made Egypt safer for women
Despite an increasing feeling of empowerment experienced by many Egyptian women during and after the revolution, they continue to be sexually harassed and abused by men in public on a daily basis, as recent coverage of events in Cairo—from “virginity tests” conducted by the military to male assaults on female protesters—illustrated.
It is a problem that long predates the Arab Spring. In 2008, a survey by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights (ECWR) found that a staggering 83% of Egyptian women and 98% of foreign women were exposed to sexual harassment in Egypt.
The survey also concluded that 62.5% of Egyptian men actually admitted to sexually harassing women and many of them blame the victims. Furthermore, many women don’t realize that they are even being abused.
“Egypt is a male-dominated society and men see it as their right to verbally abuse women, grope them,” said Shahira Amin, a former Egyptian state TV anchor who currently freelances for CNN. “Women are ashamed to speak out and we’ve been brought up to think it is okay.” http://www.wluml.org/news/egypt-revolution-hasnt-made-egypt-safer-women

RESOURCES & CALLS
Books and reports
2011 UN Millennium Development Goals Report - Gender
Being poor, female or living in a conflict zone increases the probability that a child will be out of school.
Wide gaps remain in women’s access to paid work in at least half of all regions.
Despite proven interventions that could prevent disability or death during pregnancy and childbirth, maternal mortality remains a major burden in many developing countries. Direct Link to Full 72-Page UN Report: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/(2011_E)%20MDG%20Report%202011_Book%20LR.pdf
Gender and Development e-Brief receives material from various sources for its publication. Should you wish to refer to these sources/ sites directly, the list includes publications from: AVIVA, www.aviva.org, AWID: www.awid.org, Democracy Digest: www.freedomhouse.org, Development Gateway: www.developmentgatway.org, Dignity: www.dignity.org, e-Civicus: www.civicus.org, Eldis: www.eldis.org, ESCWA: www.escwa.org.lb, GDB: www.developmentex.com, Global Knowledge Partnership: www.globalknowledge.org, IGTN: www.IGTN.org, ILO: www.ilo.org One World: www.oneworld.net, Siyanda: www.siyanda.org, The Daily Star: www.dailystar.com.lb, The Drum Beat: www.comminit.com, The Soul Beat: www.comminit.com, The World Bank: www.worldbank.org, UNDP: www.undp.org, Wicejilist: www.wicej.addr.com, WLP: www.learningpartnership.org; WIDE: www.wide-network.org; IRIN News: www.irinnews.org, Women’s UN Report Network: www.wunrn.com, Women Living Under Muslim Laws: www.wluml.org