User:Rhododendrites/Women's rights in 2012

Pussy Riot
In February the Russian feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot staged a performance at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior to protest the Russian Orthodox Church's support of Vladimir Putin. In the following weeks, three of the group's members, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, were arrested. After serving six months in custody awaiting trial, in August the three were convicted of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred" and each sentenced to two years imprisonment. Although Samutsevich's sentence was reduced to probation in October, the other two women remained imprisoned until December 2013. The Church's head, Patriarch Kirill I, said the group was doing the work of the devil. Putin, the most frequent target of Pussy Riot's criticism, stated the band "undermined the moral foundations" of the nation and "got what they asked for".

The trial and sentence attracted considerable criticism. According to the BBC, writing about coverage of the sentencing, there was "almost universal condemnation in the press". Amnesty International designated the women prisoners of conscience. Support for the band persisted until their release at the end of 2013.

Girls' right to education in Pakistan
14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, an advocate for the right to education for girls, outspoken critic of the Pakistani Taliban for their policies to the contrary, and recipient of Pakistan's first National Youth Peace Prize, was shot in the head in October. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the shooting, citing her promotion of "Western thinking". The event quickly drew international press and many vigils were organized worldwide in her honor.

Sexual violence in India
In December 2012, a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern was beaten and gang raped in Munirka while on a bus to Delhi. The event drew international attention to sexual violence in India and sparked large-scale demonstrations in which thousands of protesters clashed with security forces. Demonstrators attempted to march to the president's residence, the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, but were met with tear gas and water cannons. The victim died due to her injuries 13 days after the attack.

A judicial committee was set up in December 2012 to research and solicit suggestions for how to modify laws to provide quicker investigation and prosecution of sex offenders. The committee's findings and subsequent report resulted in passage of new laws and procedural changes in 2013.

Ireland
The Criminal Justice (Female Genital Mutilation) Act 2012.

Nicaragua
Law no 779- Integral Law against Violence against Women (Ley Integral contra la Violencia hacia la Mujer).