IN THIS ISSUE
CONFERENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) Regional Consultation Meeting
Call for Proposals, Resisting and Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms: Learning from Experience
Arab Women Journalists Workshop: Middle East Media Challenges, Skills, Courage

NEWS & ARTICLES
GENDER
GENDER RIGHTS
Together, Demanding a Law to Protect Women from Sexual Harassment
Labor Day Campaign for Domestic Workers in Lebanon
Saudi Scholar Finds Ancient Women's Rights
Saudi Women Can Work as Maids in Saudi Households  
Joining Forces to End Trafficking: A Multi-National Approach in Israel
Morocco Training Female Clerics to Promote Moderate Islam
GENDER ECONOMY
Bahrain Government Rejects Proposal to Allow Women to Work from Home
GENDER & CITIZENSHIP
Bahrain: More Than 2,000 Families Waiting To Become Bahrain Citizens
Kuwaiti Women Hope to Enter Parliament despite Obstacles 
GENDER INITIATIVES
Financing for Women's Empowerment and Equality: Creative Grassroots Solutions for Communities & Families
GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
Justice Not Working for Rape Victims in Mauritania
Saudi Young Woman Married at 10 years Old Must Pay for Divorce
Teenage Girl Killed for Loving a British Soldier in Iraq
Iranian Authorities Calls for Ban on Barbie Doll
GENDER POLITICS
Bahrain May Appoint Jewish Woman As Envoy To U.S.

BOOKS & REPORTS
GENDER
GENDER RIGHT
Discrimination and Intolerance in Iran’s Textbooks
State of the World's Mothers 2008: Closing the Child Survival Gap
Because I Am a Girl: The State of the World's Girls 2008
Gender, Culture, and Conflict Resolution in Palestine
United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women

RESOURCES & TRAINING MATERIALS
NGO & PROJECT PROFILE
Gender, Migration and Remittances' Programme
New Women's Radio Station in Algeria
GENDER RESOURCES 
New Magazine on Sex, Sexuality and Pakistan
ocial Watch Gender Equity Index 2008
Commission on the Status of Women 52 - 2008
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Decision-Making tool for family planning clients and providers

CONFERENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES
Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) Regional Consultation Meeting
This year’s Africa RCM is to strengthen linkages and facilitate networking between WGNRR members both in Africa and other regions. It will address regional reproductive and sexual health and rights (RSHR) issues and have a specific focus on this year’s call for action “Women and Conflict”. The RCM will take place from November 11-13.
For more information: membership@wgnrr.org

Call for Proposals, Resisting and Challenging Religious Fundamentalisms: Learning from Experience
Are you confronting religious fundamentalisms or regressive political-religious movements in your daily life and work? Are you witnessing important links between different types of fundamentalisms (economic, national, social, cultural and religious) and seeing similarities in how these work across religions and regions? Read more

Arab Women Journalists Workshop: Middle East Media Challenges, Skills, Courage
Vienna - Women's Feature Service- Life is tough in certain parts of the Middle East and tougher for women there. However, for female journalists working in the region, the daily grind can seem more treacherous and demanding than any place on earth. Read more

NEWS & ARTICLES
GENDER
GENDER RIGHTS
Together, Demanding a Law to Protect Women from Sexual Harassment
On March 6, 2008 the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights launched a “Million Signatures Campaign” in support of a new law to criminalize sexual harassment. Their volunteer-based Campaign Against Sexual Harassment, Making Our Streets Save for Everyone, began in 2005 in response to the many complaints that ECWR received from Egyptian and foreign women who experienced sexual harassment in the street.
Read more

Labor Day Campaign for Domestic Workers in Lebanon
A campaign to protect domestic workers from abuse and exploitation challenges employers to ‘Put Yourself in Her Shoes’. Lebanese employers, placement agencies, and the Lebanese authorities should improve the treatment of domestic workers by ensuring fair contracts, timely payment of wages, and a weekly day’s leave, Human Rights Watch said today, on the eve of Labor Day. For more information

Saudi Scholar Finds Ancient Women's Rights
When clerics, ministers and businessmen gathered at a forum in Riyadh last month to discuss women in the workplace, there were no women in sight. Typically for Saudi Arabia, the women who took part were seated in a separate room so the men could only hear them. Read more

Saudi Women Can Work as Maids in Saudi Households  
Arab and Saudi women can work as maids in Saudi households and the Ministry of Labour could not interfere if Saudi women, due to difficult financial conditions, wished to work as cleaners and cooks in people’s homes. For more information

Joining Forces to End Trafficking: A Multi-National Approach in Israel
Isha L'Isha - Haifa Feminist Center: Read Document

Morocco Training Female Clerics to Promote Moderate Islam
Morocco has recently started recruiting and training mourchidat, female Muslim clerics whose role is to help usher in a more moderate Islam. Funded by the government, the initiative is part of a wave of liberal reforms begun by King Muhammad VI in 2004. For more information

GENDER ECONOMY 
Bahrain Government Rejects Proposal to Allow Women to Work from Home
The government of Bahrain has rejected a parliamentary proposal to allow women to work from home on grounds of gender bias. According to the government, the proposal is biased as it doesn't include men. For more information

GENDER & CITIZENSHIP
Bahrain: More Than 2,000 Families Waiting To Become Bahrain Citizens
There are more than 2,000 families with foreign husbands who are married to Bahraini women. According to the nationality law, Bahraini men can pass on their nationality to their wives and children, but Bahraini women do not enjoy this right. More Information

Kuwaiti Women Hope to Enter Parliament despite Obstacles
Kuwaiti women are optimistic of winning seats next month when they contest legislative elections for only the second time, but analysts believe their chances are slim for lack of political support. More Information

GENDER INITIATIVES
Financing for Women's Empowerment and Equality: Creative Grassroots Solutions for Communities & Families
In spite of the lack of institutional resources and policy support, grassroots women’s organizations have been steadily advancing and scaling up creative solutions to problems faced by their communities. For more information

GENDER BASED VIOLENCE
Justice Not Working for Rape Victims in Mauritania
The Mauritanian government says it is trying to increase prosecutions of rape cases but poorly trained judges working with murky, outdated legal texts make for slow progress. More Information

Saudi Young Woman Married at 10 years Old Must Pay for Divorce
A 23 year old woman, forced to marry at ten in Saudi Arabia, was ordered to pay the equivalent of 16,750 euros to obtain a divorce from her husband, according to Saudi daily al-Watan. For more information

Teenage Girl Killed for Loving a British Soldier in Iraq
A 17-year-old Iraqi girl has been murdered by her father in an 'honour killing' after falling in love with a British soldier in Basra, The Observer can reveal. More Information

Iranian Authorities Calls for Ban on Barbie Doll
29/04/2008: "In the past, Barbie dolls have been targeted by Iranian authorities bridling at their revealing dress. In public Iranian women must cover their bodily contours - a rule, correspondents point out, that Barbie conspicuously fails to follow." More Information

GENDER POLITICS
Bahrain May Appoint Jewish Woman As Envoy To U.S.
Bahrain could be the first among several Persian Gulf states to appoint a Jewish woman as the country's ambassador to the United States. Speculation in political circles here is rife that Shura (Consultative) Council member Houda Ezra Nonoo might be considered to the post. For more information

BOOKS & REPORTS
GENDER
GENDER RIGHT
Discrimination and Intolerance in Iran’s Textbooks
The government of Iran is teaching the country’s children to discriminate against women and minorities, to view non-Muslims with suspicion if not contempt, and to perpetuate the regime’s theocratic ideology. More Information

State of the World's Mothers 2008: Closing the Child Survival Gap
Over 200 Million Children Lack Basic Health Care, Report Finds
The Best - and Worst - Places to be a Mother

Because I Am a Girl: The State of the World's Girls 2008
1 in 5 countries have used girls as child soldiers, and 100,000 are currently fighting in conflicts around the world, reveals a new report by Plan. Conflict can also force girls from their homes, leave them caring for younger siblings or at risk from rape, beatings and abduction. Download Full Report (PDF)

Gender, Culture, and Conflict Resolution in Palestine
Conflict resolution theory and praxis have been criticized for being insensitive to local cultures and, particularly, for not considering culturally specific gender roles carefully enough. Yet, on the other hand, culturally sensitive and gender-friendly approaches have also been found to be incompatible with each other—so what are we to make of these overlapping and contradictory criticisms of the relatively new scholarly discipline of conflict resolution? For more information

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women
In accordance with paragraph 10 of the Commission on Human Rights resolution 1994/45, the Special Rapporteur is mandated to carry out field missions, either separately or jointly, with other special Rapporteur and working groups, as well as to consult periodically with the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. More Information

RESOURCES & TRAINING MATERIALS
NGO & PROJECT PROFILE
Gender, Migration and Remittances' Programme
"In 2005 It was estimated that one of every 35 people lived outside of the country where he or she was born. Nearly 49.6% of the 190 million immigrants were women. The money that migrant sent regularly to their countries of origin seems little at... More Information

New Women's Radio Station in Algeria
An Algerian women's association has announced the launch of a radio station for women, an innovation in Algeria and in the Arab world. The station is aimed at "supporting the Algerian woman's great struggle against violence and extremism, and advancing it on the legal, media, and cultural level." More Information

GENDER RESOURCES 
New Magazine on Sex, Sexuality and Pakistan
"Chay Magazine" issues a call for submissions. (Chay Magazine)
"Having observed in Pakistani society, a disturbing tendency towards fear and shame around issues of sex and sexuality - that is to say, around a normal human interaction - the founders of Chay Magazine feel that sex and sexuality should enter the public discourse. More Information

Social Watch Gender Equity Index 2008
More than half the women in the world live in countries that have made no progress in gender equity in recent years. This is the main conclusion of the Social Watch 2008 Gender Equity Index (GEI) which, for the first time, shows recent evolution and trends in bridging the gap between men and women in education, the economy and empowerment. More Information

Commission on the Status of Women 52 - 2008
The Commission on the Status of Women recommends to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of the following draft resolution: Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women.

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
Last update: 15 February 2008
A CEDAW States party report demands much more than a generalised presentation of a country situation on the status of women. To view Country Status of CEDAW Ratification please follow this link

Decision-Making tool for family planning clients and providers
With such an array of different family planning methods, visual tools may help to provide patients with the necessary information to make an informed choice. This tool is designed as a flipchart for family planning practitioners to aid patients in their choice of a family planning method. It is intended to help patients make their own decisions about what method is best for them. More Information