Issues

Sex discrimination at work costs women in poor countries $9 trillion each year – more than the combined GDPs of Britain, France and Germany. This huge inequality exists because women get paid less than men and do not enjoy the same rates of employment: the ‘gender employment gap’.

Shahindokht Molaverdi, the head of women’s and family affairs, told the eighth meeting of women’s affairs advisors and executives that she feels she is completely blocked from taking any action in her governmental capacity.

Download Full Publication in PDF HERE: REALIZING SELF-RELIANCE- London Conference      

Lebanon’s religion-based personal status laws discriminate against women across the religious spectrum and don’t guarantee their basic rights, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The quest for expanding the membership of the UN Security Council has taken various turns since the last and only expansion in 1965. The Council’s response and lack of response to the developments following the Arab Spring and the Ukraine Crisis have rejuvenated discussions on reforms globally.

Growing numbers of Central Asian citizens, male and female, are travelling to the Middle East to fight or otherwise support the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIL or ISIS).

In an age when information equals power, Armanshahr/OPEN ASIA has created a powerful informative tool for Persian-speakers through its weekly thematic bulletins. Generally short of time, individuals usually cannot allocate much time to monitor news or various sources every day and keep abreast of the important political, social, cultural and human rights issues.

Based on its indirect relationship with the elite, educators and students through book publishing, Armanshahr/OPEN ASIA has been endeavouring to establish direct contact and dialogue with the young generation by organising a series of book reading sessions in Kabul and Herat since 2009.

Finally, Afghanistan has a cabinet, pending parliament’s approval of course, three and a half months after Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah were inaugurated as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of a national unity government.

Afghan women have come a long way since the dark days of the Taliban regime. Yet a key obstacle to this progress continues to be high levels of violence against women. The legal system has failed to protect women when it comes to some of the most common crimes against them.