User:Rhododendrites/Women's rights in 2013

Overview
The World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report for 2013...

http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GenderGap_Report_2013.pdf

Sexual violence in India
The year saw continued international attention on violence against women in India as well as the passage of new laws seeking to address the problems.

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. Protests continued into 2013. In September, an Indian court sentenced the four perpetrators to death, denying requests for lightened sentencing. The presiding Judge, Yogesh Khanna, said that the crime "shocked the collective conscience of India" and "falls in the rarest of rare categories and warrants the exemplary punishment of death.

(2013 Mumbai gang rape)

One Billion Rising
On February 14, women in 207 countries protested to end violence against women as part of the One Billion Rising movement, founded by Eve Ensler in 2012. Its name comes from the UN statistic that one in three women will be raped or beaten in their lifetime.

Protests against sexual harassment in Egypt
On the two year anniversary of the revolt that led to a regime change in Egypt, protesters gathered to draw attention to the harassment of women during the uprising.

Sexual violence in South Africa

 * Sexual violence in South Africa

Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development
In August representatives from 38 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean convened at the Regional Conference on Population and Development to revisit the Program of Action that came out of the 1994 United Nations-organized International Conference on Population and Development. At the end of the session, the group adopted the Montevideo Consensus on Population and Development, which draws connections between global development and sexual and reproductive rights and wellness. It provides a definition of sexual rights, "which embrace the right to a safe and full sex life, as well as the right to take free, informed, voluntary and responsible decisions on their sexuality, sexual orientation and gender identity, without coercion, discrimination or violence."

The agreement imposes on governments several priorities concerning reproductive health and gender equality. (add)

Pussy Riot protests and release
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, members of the Russian feminist punk rock band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years imprisonment in 2012 after a performance at Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior. International criticism of the verdict continued through 2013. By July, hundreds of musicians, entertainers, and other celebrities had publicly called for the women's release. Amnesty International, which had designated them prisoners of conscience, published an open letter asking Russian authorities to reconsider the sentences. Named in support of the letter were more than a hundred well-known musical artists including Adele, U2, Yoko Ono, Radiohead, Ke$ha, Paul McCartney, Sting, Bjork, Coldplay, Ozzy Osbourne, The Clash, Arcade Fire, Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Pete Townshend, Michael Stipe, Bonnie Raitt, and Paul Simon.

In December the state Duma approved a general amnesty for various prisoners, including Tolokonnikova and Alyokhina, who called the amnesty a "PR stunt".

Dominican Republic
In May a court in the Dominican Republic rejected a legal complaint filed by the Catholic Church against an ad campaign run by Profamilia, the Dominican Association for Family Welfare. The print and television ads used the slogan "Your Sexual and Reproductive Rights are Human Rights", aiming to promote sexual and reproductive rights and wellness. The Church's complaint claimed the ads violated the Constitution in multiple ways, including promoting abortion and sex at a young age. Judge Minaya Perez rejected the claims and reinforced Profamilia's freedom of expression.

India
In December 2012, following the widely publicized Delhi gang rape, a judicial committee was formed to research and solicit suggestions for how to amend laws to provide quicker investigation and prosecution of sex offenders.

The committee's report, the Justice Verma Committee report, led to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 being passed in March and enacted in April. The amendment recognized new offenses like acid attacks, sexual harassment, voyeurism, and stalking. It also modified the legal definition of the word "rape" and enacted stricter penalties for offenders.

The legislation met with criticism from human rights and women's rights groups who said it did not sufficiently address the issues and suggestions in the.

Saudi Arabia
The Council of Ministers passed a draft law in August which criminalizes domestic abuse.

The country also saw its first widescale effort against domestic violence, the "No More Abuse" ad campaign.

United States
Texas passed bill SB5, which places additional restrictions on access to abortions. In protest, senator Wendy Davis carried out a 13-hour filibuster.

In California, nurses and other non-physician medical personnel were granted the right to perform abortions.