Citizens for Justice and Peace
Widespread sexual harassment and assault at the United Nations
23-Jan-2018
A Guardian investigation has found that “the United Nations has allowed sexual harassment and assault to flourish in its offices around the world, with accusers ignored and perpetrators free to act with impunity,” with “a culture of silence and a flawed grievance system that is stacked against victims”. The Guardian spoke to UN staffers working in more than ten…
Taiwan considering offering third gender option on IDs, passports
19-Jan-2018
The Thomson Reuters Foundation reported that Taiwan is considering if it should offer a third gender option for its national identity cards and passports, noting that a government spokeswoman said via email that “the government is actively assessing this proposal but has yet to make a final decision”. She told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the “proposed…
Building Lives after Domestic Abuse Civil, not Criminal Provisions will Empower Women
15-Jan-2018
In 2017, the Supreme Court of India stopped short of formally calling women ‘liars’. The judges, Adarsh Kumar Goel and Uday Umesh Lalit were presiding over the case of Rajesh Sharma vs. State of UP. The aggrieved woman charged that she was married to the accused and that her father gave dowry as per his…
LGBT people face violence, discrimination in Ghana: HRW report
11-Jan-2018
Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report, “‘No Choice but to Deny Who I am’: Violence and Discrimination against LGBT People in Ghana”. In its announcement on the report’s publication, HRW said that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Ghanaians face abuse and discrimination in both the public as well as family contexts. HRW said its report indicates…
Iceland makes Equal Pay for women law
08-Jan-2018
According to a CBS News report, Iceland has made it illegal for women to be paid less than men for the same job. CBS News said that all government bodies and companies with more than 25 employees are required to get an official certification indicating that they dispense equal pay for an equal value of work,…
Bull in a China Shop? Domestic Violence and Responses of the Indian State
27-Dec-2017
The allegation of misuse of Section 498A of the Domestic Violence act points to the fact that when women assert their right to a dignified life in shared household and/or matrimony, it becomes a matter of suspicion that the woman may ‘misuse’ it. The onus not being on men for perpetuating domestic violence but on…
Understanding LGBTQIA Community Resources
24-Dec-2017
Whether you are a person discovering your gender and sexuality or the parent of such a person, it is important to empower yourself with correct information. Here are a few resources that can help you learn about the vibrant LGBTQIA community. Understand the Law The first step is to understand the section of the law…
Tabular Critique of the Transgender Bill 2016 Community Resources
21-Dec-2017
This table compares the provisions in the Transgender Persons [Protection of Rights] Bill 2016 that will reportedly be tabled in the winter session of the Indian Parliament against the criticisms made by trans*, gender variant, and intersex groups, and the demands for revisions required to protect our rights. This was originally published on Sampoorna India Blog PROVISION…
योगा से होगा ! हरीश ऐय्यर समलैंगिक लोगों को दे रहे हैं रोज़ योग करने का सुझाव
16-Dec-2017
कुच्छ वर्ष पूर्व योग शिक्षक रामदेव ने दावा किया था की योग समलैंगिकता का इलाज है | पर हरीश ऐय्यर कहते हैं की देश विदेश के विभिन्न मनोवैज्ञानिक विशेषज्ञों और चिकित्सा के क्षेत्र की दिग्गज हस्तियों के अनुसार समलैंगिकता कोई बीमारी नहीं है | परन्तु योग करने से शरीर सुडौल और लचीला हो जाता है…
Indonesia’s Constitutional Court blocks bid to criminalise gay sex
14-Dec-2017
Indonesia’s Constitutional Court voted 5-4 to reject a petition to criminalise extramarital and gay sex, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. Last year, Family Love Alliance, a conservative group, petitioned the court to amend the criminal code to outlaw sex outside of marriage and homosexual acts. The court rejected the petition, contending that lawmakers, not the…
AP finds “sweeping and methodical” rape of Rohingya women and girls
11-Dec-2017
An Associated Press investigation that involved interviews with 29 Rohingya women and girls who escaped to Bangladesh from Myanmar found that Myanmar’s security forces have engaged in systematic rape against the minority. AP notes that there was “a sickening sameness” in the sexual assault survivors’ reports, “with distinct patterns in their accounts, their assailants’ uniforms…
Understanding Sex, Gender and Sexuality Equal Rights Activist Harish Iyer Explains the Difference
10-Dec-2017
Did you know Sex, Gender and Sexuality are three completely different things? Come understand the Rainbow with CJP and Equal Rights Activist Harish Iyer.
Australian parliament passes marriage equality bill
08-Dec-2017
Australia’s parliament has passed a bill, almost unanimously, that will let two people marry, irrespective of their sex, the Guardian reported. On December 7, 2017, Australia’s House of Representatives passed a bill that was approved by the Australian Senate in the prior week. 61.6% of the respondents to a national postal survey voted for marriage…
Same-sex marriage legalized in Austria
07-Dec-2017
Austria’s Constitutional Court has ruled that same-sex couples can get married starting 2019, Politico reported. Since 2010, the option of a registered partnership has been available to same-sex couples. “The distinction between marriage and registered partnership cannot today be maintained without discriminating against same-sex couples,” the court wrote, contending that current constraints on marriage inherently discriminate…
End “forced sterilisation” of transgender people: HRW to Japan
01-Dec-2017
In Japan, people wishing to change their legal gender are required to appeal to a family court under Law 111. Under the law, to qualify for a legal gender change, applicants are required to be single, without children under age 20, be diagnosed with “gender identity disorder” and “permanently lack functioning gonads,” The Independent reported…