How did women fare in 2006? A look at some of the women’s rights developments of 2006.

Last year saw large and small gains and setbacks for the rights and status of women all over the world. Liberia’s Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf made history when she became the first woman in Africa to be elected head of state. Johnson-Sirleaf, who says that she is a technocrat who happens to be a woman, pays special attention to women, children and societal needs. According to her, the biggest achievement of her government so far is that it has put the country’s financial house in order. [1]

The socialist democrat Michelle Bachelet also made it a first for Chile when she was voted in as President of the country. France moved a step closer to getting a woman leader at the helm when Segolene Royal was nominated to run for President on her party’s ticket.

Several other women became heads of their governments. Jamaica and South Korea got their first ever female Prime Ministers; Portia Simpson Miller and Han Myeong Sook respectively.

In Swaziland, whose annual reed dance has otherwise made the country’s culture infamous, Constance Simelane was appointed Deputy Prime Minister, a post that has previously only been held by men. Swaziland’s constitution was amended last year to guarantee women equal rights. The country’s commercial capital Manzini was the scene of protests against violence directed towards men by women. Such cases are however rare and social analysts say that ’Swazi men were less concerned by random acts of violence by women against men than the evolution of women’s role in society.’ [2]

In Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, for the first time women were allowed to vote and stand for elections. One woman succeeded in securing a seat in the United Arab Emirates polls. No Kuwaiti woman was elected to office in the elections that were held in June, but the poll was still significant for women. Candidates for office – whether women or men- had no choice but to address women’s issues in their campaigns. It also served as a learning experience for the inexperienced women candidates who were often up against seasoned male political opponents. [3]

There were a number of judicial and legislative developments all over the world last year. Nepal’s Supreme Court ruled against a law that allowed men to divorce their infertile wives. The same court banned the kamlari system by which poor parents sell their young daughters as indentured labourers to other families. India, Georgia and Zimbabwe enacted legislation against domestic violence. Kenya’s Parliament passed a progressive law against sexual offences while Togo’s Parliament enacted a comprehensive law against sexual harassment.

Pakistan’s Hudood ordinances, which are based on Sharia law came under scrutiny during 2006. The country has two parallel systems of law, one based on Sharia and the other on the laws of its former colonial master, England. President Pervez Musharraf sought to make amendments to the laws governing rape to remove the influence of Hudood law which among other things provides that a woman alleging rape should produce four male witnesses to corroborate her story or risk prosecution for adultery. Under Pakistan’s other system of law, the requirements to prove rape are not as stringent. Due to the opposing influence of conservative forces, the proposed reforms did not materialize and rape remains an offence punishable under Hudood. However President Musharraf released without bail several women held in Pakistan’s prisons most of whom were facing charges under the Hudood ordinances.

There were also significant developments in the area of women’s sexual and reproductive rights. Colombia’s highest court ruled that abortion be permissible when a pregnancy threatens a woman’s life or health, in cases of rape, and in cases where the foetus has alformations incompatible with life outside the womb. In contrast, Nicaragua’s legislature voted overwhelmingly to ban all abortions no matter what the circumstances surrounding conception. In the United States there were legislative attempts to undermine the landmark decision in the case of Roe v. Wade, which allowed women the choice to terminate pregnancies. South Dakota’s state legislature voted to ban all abortions, except those performed to save a pregnant woman’s life. However, the state’s voters did not agree and voted against a ban on all abortions.

In the area of women’s health, the World Health Organization declared women’s health a priority. African health ministers also pledged to make women’s health a primary concern, although the proof of their intention will be in the implementation of policies that promote women’s health. After watching a documentary on obstetric fistulae, Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade pledged that his government would offer free treatment to obstetric fistula patients. Female genital mutilation and early childbirth, facilitated by early marriages are major contributors to obstetric fistulae in women. President Wade also said that he would engineer a constitutional ban on forced and early marriages.

Conflict situations around the world exacerbated women’s rights violations. In Iraq, women’s rights suffered setbacks. A study showed that women were far better off during Saddam Hussein’s reign than they were under the current regime. Iraqi women are said to have enjoyed greater rights under Saddam Hussein than under the current regime. These rights extended to education, labour, marriage and divorce rights. The new constitution erodes these rights [4] . In Darfur, there was an escalation of sexual and other violence against women. The international community continued to delay getting involved to the extent needed; 2006 saw the perpetuation and increase of women’s rights violations as a result of the conflict in Darfur.

The UN moved closer to establishing a separate women’s agency to deal with women’s rights and gender equality issues. The much respected UN Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS Stephen Lewis lent his considerable voice to calls for a separate, adequately resourced and more powerful agency for women to amalgamate and expand the UN Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), the UN Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the aspects of other UN agencies that deal with women’s rights. Kofi Annan, the immediate former UN Secretary General declared that it was time a woman took up the mantle of heading the international body.

Women lost a valued Afghanistani women’s rights defender, Safi Amijan who was assassinated as she left her home for work as her province’s women’s department head. It is suggested that she may have been targeted by Taliban militants due to their opposition to women’s involvement in politics and education.