Social development
Gender
The challenge for Asia's female politicians
Asia is seeing a new wave of successful female politicians, but getting to the top requires hard choices. What a disastrous few months for women in politics. The world started 2016 with the hopes of seeing both the first female UN secretary general and first ...
Malaysia proposes raising marriage age for Muslim girls
Malaysia has proposed to raise the minimum age for marriage to 18 for Muslim girls in a bid to reduce teenage pregnancy rates and enhance social protection for minors. The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development has engaged stakeholders, including various state religious affairs ...
Doctors say survey underestimates number of women dying from botched abortions
Women denied the right to an abortion are injuring and killing themselves in an attempt to end their pregnancies, doctors and specialists say. In Yangon’s Central Women’s Hospital, it is estimated that from one-third to half of pregnancy deaths occur because of botched abortions, often ...
Activists say urban insecurity hampers women’s capacity
Women’s rights activists have called on the government to consider the needs of women in its delivery of public services while also increasing its budget for women, and enacting and enforcing laws and policies to protect and promote their rights. Action Aid Myanmar, in cooperation with ...
Abuses prevalent for Cambodia's transgender women: study
An overwhelming majority of transgender women on Cambodia’s city streets are subject to “shocking” harassment and abuse, according to a new report from the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights. The report, released on September 21, also shines a light on a disturbing new practice that has allegedly ...
Misconceptions an obstacle to contraception use: study
The greatest obstacle to increased contraception use in Cambodia isn’t the price of birth control or the social stigma around using it, a new study has found, it is fear of side effects. What’s more, this fear may arise from the many disparate medical systems operating ...
More Cambodian women trafficked to Saudi, officials say
The number of Cambodian women now thought to be caught in Saudi Arabia’s sex industry after being trafficked in the past year has risen to more than 20, officials said on August 24. However, the government remained tight-lipped about its efforts to rescue the women, while ...
There is ‘no room’ for the gay community, Indonesia says
Indonesia said on August 10 there was “no room” for the gay community in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, as activists blasted officials for an unprecedented series of LGBT attacks. A wave of angry rhetoric directed at homosexuals earlier this year – including a call to ...
Vietnam launches national day against trafficking in persons
Vietnam held a ceremony was held in the northern border province of Lao Cai on July 30, aiming to raise public awareness of the importance of human trafficking prevention and control. Speaking at the event, President of the Vietnamese Women’s Union Nguyen Thi Thu Ha said ...
Laos, Vietnam exchange ideas on female progress
The Lao Women’s Union and Vietnamese Women’s Union met in Vientiane recently to promote women’s development and to upgrade the lives of those lacking opportunities in both countries. Former Head of the Central Party Committee, former President of the Vietnamese Women’s Union, and Head of the ...
