PRESS CLIPPINGS

UN WOMEN HQ COMMUNICATIONS
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10 MAY 2012
PRESS CLIPPINGS- 10 May, 2012
The following is a compilation of gender related stories from leading media: The New York
Times, Financial Times, BBC, Al Jazeera English, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Times of
India, China Daily, El País (Spain), El Mundo (Spain), Clarín (Argentina) NOTIMEX (Mexican News
Agency), O Globo (Brazil), Le Monde (France) and Le Figaro (France).
AL JAZEERA
Afghanistan: Girl Power
More than a decade after the Taliban were driven from power in Afghanistan, the plight of the country's
women remains dire, with threats and attacks by insurgents on women leaders, schoolgirls, and girls'
schools, and harassment of women for "moral crimes" such as running away from forced marriages or
domestic violence.
Despite the best efforts of the international community and some of the more 'enlightened' elements of
the current Afghan government, the kind of aggressive ultra-misogyny that marked the Taliban years
(when religious police forced all women off the streets of Kabul, and ordered people to blacken their
windows so that women would not be visible from the outside) is still evident in parts of the country.
"I think when you are born a woman in Afghanistan you are taught every day to hate yourself .... We
don’t know how to respect women, neither men nor women, no one knows it. Women don't respect
themselves. This is how everyone is treated, every woman, any woman who dares to take off her burqa
and walk like a human being is treated like this."
But earlier this year the case of a 15-year-old girl named Sahar Gul was particularly shocking. There was
international outrage when television pictures of her bruised and battered body being wheeled down a
hospital corridor were shown around the world. She had just been rescued from weeks of imprisonment
and torture at the hands of her husband's family.
Sold to the family to pay off a debt, Sahar Gul had refused to become a prostitute to bring in more
money. Her 'punishment' was to be cut, burned with cigarettes, beaten to a pulp and have many of her
fingernails ripped out. She was barely alive when police found her.
The tragedy, say campaigners, is that her story may be far from unique, it just happened to come to
light. Women are mostly illiterate in this impoverished country, and they still do not enjoy anything near
the freedom accorded to men.
Indeed their human rights are under constant pressure. Although these are supposedly enshrined in the
Afghan constitution, as recently as 2009 a bill passed by the Afghan parliament sought to make it illegal
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for a woman from the country's Shia community to resist her husband's sexual advances. Another
provision required a husband's permission for a woman to work outside the home or go to school. And a
third proposed to make it illegal for a woman to refuse to "make herself up" or "dress up" if that is what
her husband wanted.
The government later rowed back on some of these provisions, violence against women was made a
criminal offence that same year, and there have since been improvements in education, maternal
mortality, employment, and the role of women in public life and governance.
But for many Afghan women, especially those who challenge the status quo, deep-seated prejudice and
discrimination are a fact of life. As a report from the NGO Human Rights Watch in March 2012 made
clear: "Women … have suffered harassment, threats, and sometimes murder. Forced marriage,
underage marriage, and domestic violence are widespread and too widely accepted."
The battle for gender equality
The fear is that with the 2014 departure of NATO troops drawing ever closer, the plight of Afghan
women could actually worsen rather than improve. Whatever else they may be held responsible for,
those forces have tried to use their leverage to promote and protect women's rights. When they go, any
gains made could be reversed. Also likely to decrease is the foreign aid that pays for schools and clinics
that have changed many lives. Afghan women dread being abandoned again by the rest of the world, as
they were during the Taliban era.
Against this background, it is perhaps not surprising that the case of Sahar Gul was taken up by those
seeking to advance women's rights. But what is unusual is just how powerful a motivating force her
story has been to one of the more extraordinary and progressive of those campaigners.
"I see now a generation of amazing young women who are so progressive and smart and determined to
make a change and to sustain change within society. There's this other extreme where I just see that in
some ways men are going a bit backwards."
Like Sahar Gul, Noorjahan Akbar is a teenager who grew especially close to Sahar Gul in the weeks
following her rescue. But as this film from Australian journalist Trevor Bormann reveals, there is far
more to the articulate 19-year-old Noorjahan Akbar than just being a kindly 'big sister' to a vulnerable
younger girl recovering in hospital.
She set up a group called Young Women for Change which has been taking the battle for gender equality
out onto the streets of the capital - eager to understand why Afghan men are still so uneasy with the
notion of women's rights but determined to change those attitudes by persuasion, debate and example.
She says: "Almost every woman you ask in Afghanistan if she would rather be a man, she would say yes.
I wouldn't, because now I realise that even though I am a woman in Afghanistan, there are many things I
can do."
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Can Norah and her group make a difference? Maybe, maybe not, but they will not give up trying.
There have been some very positive developments since the film was made, at least as far as Sahar Gul
herself is concerned. She has now left hospital and is completing her recovery at a women's refuge. She
has resumed her education and hopes one day to become a doctor and a women's leader. On May 1,
2012 a court in Kabul sentenced her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law to 10 years in prison.
Her husband and brother-in-law are still being sought by the police.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2012/05/2012597434870372.html
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Live Chat: What’s Holding Women Back?
At the just-concluded Women in the Economy Conference in Florida, the focus was on what women in
leadership roles can contribute to their company’s success and to the larger economy. But according to
the latest research from McKinsey & Company, while 53% of new workers entering the workforce are
female, only 3% of CEOs are women. (Read the special report: Women in the Economy, An Executive
Task Force.)
McKinsey director Joanna Barsh discussed her company’s findings about what companies are doing –
and not doing – to develop female leaders on May 7. She was joined by WSJ’s “Work & Family”
columnist Sue Shellenbarger in a live chat with readers. Read the full transcript.
http://blogs.wsj.com/juggle/2012/05/04/live-chat-whats-holding-women-back/?KEYWORDS=women
THE GUARDIAN
The Muslim women who are excelling at top-level sport
On a recent weekday evening at London's Wembley Stadium, half a dozen Muslim women, some
wearing headscarves, were taking it in turns to flip over some male opponents with impressive shoulderheight kicks.
These women, demonstrating Safari Kickboxing's female-only Muay Thai Kickboxing classes, were taking
part in a ground-breaking celebration of Muslim women in sport. Pioneered by the Muslim Women's
Sports Foundation (MWSF) and supported by the FA, the evening's Ambassador Awards showcased the
diverse sporting talent of Muslim women across the UK and abroad.
"I cannot think of a better backdrop to these inaugural awards than Wembley," says the FA's chairman
David Bernstein. "It is a stadium synonymous with achievement, excellence, inclusivity, variety and
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success … I've seen what Muslim women have achieved – it will be an inspiration for the wider
community."
With awards ranging from UK Sportswoman of the Year to Volunteer of the Year, the MWSF is keen to
recognise different forms of sporting success – both at professional and grassroots levels. The
organisation strongly believes that faith and sport for both genders are entirely compatible and that the
culture of sport is an essential part of Islamic history. Since its establishment in 2001 it has been at the
forefront of encouraging physical activity amongst women from British ethnic-minority communities,
particularly focusing on the cultural sensitivities of Muslim women.
So why aren't enough Muslim women getting involved in sports? The recurring theme seems to be
cultural attitudes. Salma Bi, a 26-year-old cricketer, and the only female Muslim umpire at Level 1A, has
founded her own coaching academy, and believes "the main challenge is the support of the family". It is
much harder to excel in anything if your loved ones don't understand why it's important to you.
Moreover, concerns over maintaining modest dress and contact sports with members of the opposite
sex can also make traditional sports clubs off-putting. Ayesha Abdeen, MWSF's Chief Executive says, "we
found that Muslim women are the hardest to get active – if you can cater to their requirements, you can
cater to anybody's".
Offering female only sports clubs or sessions has helped to combat this and provide opportunities where
more Muslim women feel comfortable in enjoying sport. MWSF also allows mothers to bring their kids
along to some training sessions.
Cultural barriers to participation were recently highlighted in Saudi Arabia, when the country refused to
allow Saudi women to compete in the Olympics. The institutional barrier, by contrast, can be seen in
Fifa's ban on women wearing hijab on the pitch. The Iranian women's football team could not complete
their 2012 Olympic second-round qualifying match against Jordan because they refused to remove their
headscarves.
The new awards will hopefully provide role models for other Muslim women. One such role model for
many will be the MWSF's International Sportswoman of the Year, Ibtihaj Muhammad. She is an
American sabre fencer and Olympic hopeful who has made the last two US World Championship teams
is ranked second in the US and hopes to be the first Muslim woman representing the US in any sport
whilst wearing hijab. Although she has said it is "extremely difficult being different in the sports world –
be it for religion or race" issues of faith, race, gender and sport need not clash. "I would never fence if it
compromised who I am and my religion – I love that the two work together."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2012/may/10/muslimwomen-excelling-at-top-level-sport?INTCMP=SRCH
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SPANISH
CLARIN
Para la Justicia, es lícita la prostitución ejercida voluntariamente en un ámbito privado
La Cámara del Crimen consideró legal la oferta de sexo a cambio de dinero en un sitio privado donde no
exista “ni el menor indicio” de explotación sexual. Lo hizo en un caso en el que tres mujeres ejercían la
prostitución en un de un departamento.
Un fallo de la Cámara del Crimen consideró que la prostitución ejercida voluntariamente por una
persona en un ámbito privado es una actividad “lícita”, siempre y cuando no haya trata ni explotación de
personas.
La resolución fue adoptada ante una denuncia promovida por la Dirección General Inspección del
Ministerio de Ambiente y Espacio Público, del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, ante la aparición
de carteles pegados de manera informal en el mobiliario urbano porteño con ofertas de sexo y un
teléfono de contacto.
La causa se inició el 13 de diciembre de 2011 "ante la fijación indebida de anuncios publicitarios en
distintos mobiliarios urbanos, y en virtud de haberse intentado localizar al infractor se pudo inducir la
posible infracción a la ley de profilaxis", sostenía la acusación.
Los camaristas Luis Bunge Campos y Gustavo Bruzzone confirmaron un fallo de primera instancia que
hizo referencia a la “licitud” de la actividad, realizada en un “ámbito privado” donde "no existe ni el
menor indicio de la existencia de persona alguna que explote, promueva o facilite la prostitución”,
informaron fuentes judiciales.
La Cámara del Crimen afirmó como lícita la actividad realizada en un departamento de la Ciudad por
“tres mujeres que estarían brindando servicios sexuales a cambio de dinero”, en la medida que ello no
implique violación a la ley de profilaxis, ni explotación o trata de personas.
El juzgado de primera instancia y luego la Cámara del Crimen confirmaron que “no surgen motivos para
presumir que en el domicilio citado se esté violando la ley de profilaxis”, pues “sólo puede deducirse que
en el lugar habría tres mujeres que estarían brindando servicios sexuales a cambio de dinero”.
“La actividad que allí se desarrollaría sería lícita, toda vez que no existe ni el menor indicio de la
existencia de persona alguna que explote, promueva o facilite la prostitución", sostuvieron los
camaristas.
http://www.clarin.com/sociedad/Ratifican-prostitucion-ejercida-voluntariamenteprivado_0_697730439.html
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FRENCH
LE MONDE
L'ambivalence des hommes face à la montée des femmes dans l'entreprise
Faire émerger des paroles d'hommes sur la question de l'égalité entre hommes et femmes, à la fois dans
l'entreprise et dans la vie privée : l'initiative est peu commune. Répondant à une commande de
l'Observatoire de la responsabilité sociétale des entreprises (ORSE), un réseau associatif qui rassemble
des grandes entreprises publiques, privées et des syndicats, l'inspectrice des affaires sociales Brigitte
Grésy et la psychanalyste Sylviane Giampino rendent public, jeudi 10 mai, un rapport décryptant des
regards masculins sur ces questions.
Leur conclusion : les hommes interrogés dans leur enquête traversent une période de "brouillage" des
repères traditionnels. Confrontés à la montée des femmes dans le monde du travail, parfois tentés de
miser davantage sur leur vie privée, ils ne sont pas reconnus comme pères par l'entreprise, et certains
disent rencontrer des freins au sein même du couple.
Les deux auteures ne prétendent pas avoir effectué un travail scientifique. Elles ont interrogé une
vingtaine de dirigeants et cadres d'entreprises (BNP Paribas, La Poste, Total, Peugeot Citroën, Accenture,
France Télécom-Orange...), sollicités par l'ORSE et volontaires pour répondre. C'est un échantillon "non
représentatif" car composé de "personnes motivées", précise Mme Giampino : "Ce qu'ils disent peut
éclairer l'avenir, nous sommes davantage dans la prospective que dans le diagnostic."
L'ORSE, de son côté, poursuit un double objectif : impliquer un maximum d'hommes dans la recherche
de l'égalité car "ils ont beaucoup à y gagner", selon François Fatoux, délégué général de l'association. Et
convaincre les entreprises que la conciliation entre travail et vie privée intéresse aussi les hommes.
"L'idée qu'ils puissent s'investir dans la sphère privée est encore taboue, explique-t-il. Un homme qui
part à 18 heures ou demande un 4/5e est perçu comme pas motivé. Or il n'y aura pas d'égalité entre
hommes et femmes dans l'entreprise sans égalité dans la sphère privée, où les femmes restent très
désavantagées."
Premier constat : les hommes interrogés "sacralisent" le monde du travail et placent l'ambition
personnelle au premier rang de leurs préoccupations. L'un des hommes interrogés revendique "une
disponibilité à 100 %". "Je n'ai pas fait de sacrifices dans ma carrière, jamais !", dit un autre. "La focale
sur le travail est tellement profonde qu'elle est comme une force inconsciente entraînant les autres à
s'ajuster avec plus ou moins de difficultés", commentent les auteures.
Selon Mme Grésy, l'enquête fait cependant apparaître "un ébranlement des certitudes" parmi les jeunes
cadres interrogés, âgés de 30 à 40 ans. Ces derniers ressentent une certaine ambivalence à l'égard de la
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montée des femmes dans l'entreprise. Elles sont des "partenaires estimées" mais aussi des
"concurrentes enviées", voire "objets de soupçon". "Si quelqu'un est promu parce que c'est une femme
et qu'à cause de cela elle a plus de droits, alors ce n'est pas "fair", car nous, on nous demande de nous
sacrifier", dit l'un d'eux. "Les femmes sont en train de conquérir l'environnement professionnel dont ils
avaient les clés, observe Mme Giampino. Certains peuvent ressentir un sentiment de dépossession."
Or, en parallèle, ceux qui souhaitent s'investir dans la sphère privée peuvent en être découragés. "C'est
une injustice criante qu'un manager attribue (à un homme) des contraintes plus tardives le soir qu'à ses
collègues femmes", dit un enquêté. "Lors d'une proposition, j'ai dit que j'étais partant, mais qu'il fallait
que la RH trouve une solution pour ma femme. Que non, elle ne pouvait pas s'arrêter, car elle gagne
plus que moi (...). Et bien la proposition est tombée", relate un cadre.
Certains affirment rencontrer des freins chez eux. "Les femmes dans le quotidien de la maison et des
enfants veulent conserver un pré carré", dit un témoin. "On n'a pas de problème avec la parité si tout le
monde joue le même jeu avec les mêmes règles, résume un cadre. Mais il faut que ça soit aussi les
mêmes règles pour la parentalité." Leur conception de la parentalité est cependant davantage axée sur
les loisirs que les femmes, nuancent les auteures.
Ce type de discours "doit être entendu" par les femmes, selon elles. Mais l'enjeu est surtout que
pouvoirs publics et entreprises favorisent "un réel exercice de la parentalité quotidienne" pour les
mères... et les pères.
http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2012/05/09/l-ambivalence-des-hommes-face-a-la-montee-desfemmes-dans-l-entreprise_1698491_3224.html
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