UN: Rape, violence against women growing trend in Afghanistan

October 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Symbolically sweeping the courtyard of the Harijan Sevak Sangh here and then sharing a meal with Dalits, Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath Friday reiterated Mahatma Gandhi's message of non-violence, especially against women, on his 140th birth anniversary. "My message today is that of Gandhi-ji's -- that of non-violence and removal of intolerance from the society.

October 1st, 2009 Afghan legislation nudges women's rights forwardKABUL — The young Afghan woman got her first inkling of a life beyond her abusive husband when friends mentioned a government ministry dedicated to defending women. Then she saw a TV show about women's rights.

September 30th, 2009 A glance at crime victim programs in the stimulusThe federal stimulus includes $225 million to combat violence against women and $100 million for crime victims. Some victim services programs are also tapping other categories of law enforcement money.

September 30th, 2009 UN takes on sexual violence in war zonesUNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Wednesday condemning sexual violence in war zones, with U.S.

September 30th, 2009 Report: Sudanese refugees face rape daily in ChadNAIROBI, Kenya — Women and girls who fled the fighting in Darfur face rape and other violence daily in eastern Chad, even inside the very refugee camps where they have sought sanctuary, according to a report released Wednesday. The Amnesty International report says the women and girls are attacked by villagers living nearby, members of the Chadian army and aid workers in the camps.

September 17th, 2009 Mennonite man killed by brethrenLA PAZ, Bolivia — A Mennonite father of nine has died after being hung from a pole for nine hours by 22 of his brethren who accused him of rape, abuse and violating their religious rules, police said. There have been no arrests for the death of Franz Wieler Kloss, 37, but police said community members thought he was a participant in a two-year mass rape case that was uncovered this summer.

September 10th, 2009 Italy wraps up women conferenceROME — Participants at a conference on violence against women vowed Thursday to put women's rights at the center of the international agenda, saying world peace and security depended on women's leadership in government and society. U.N. officials, government representatives and activists participating in the two-day meeting approved a final declaration that will be presented to a Group of Eight foreign ministers' meeting later this month in New York.

September 9th, 2009 Italy hosts conference on violence against womenROME — The global economic downturn may be leading to increased violence against women worldwide, both by pushing them into unsafe jobs and by raising tensions within their families, U.N. officials said Wednesday.

August 8th, 2009 UN chief demands halt to sexual violenceUNITED NATIONS — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday demanded global action to stop government forces and armed groups from using sexual violence "like a grenade or a gun" to pursue their goals. He told the U.N.

July 9th, 2009 KABUL - A new United Nations report has called for an end to the prevailing abuse against women in Afghanistan, and warned that ignoring this culture of impunity will create an environment of political and social insecurity. The report, titled "Silence is Violence," documents the increasingly insecure environment for women in public spaces and the failure of state institutions to deal with it, reports the Christian Science Monitor.

June 19th, 2009 1 in 4 South African men surveyed admit to rapeCAPE TOWN, South Africa — A leading South African research group said one in four male South Africans it surveyed admitted to committing rape — a finding that cast a harsh light on a culture of sexual violence that victims groups say is deeply embedded in society. According to police statistics, some 36,000 women were raped in 2007 — nearly 100 per day.

May 31st, 2009 Doctors group: Rape is common against Darfur womenNEW YORK — A survey of dozens of women who fled violence in Darfur found that a third of them reported or showed signs of rape, and revealed a widespread fear of sexual violence in their refugee camp in Chad, a human rights group reported Sunday. About half the rapes were carried out in Darfur by janjaweed militiamen allied to the Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, and half were assaults by Chadian villagers near the U.N.

April 27th, 2009 Kyrgyz riot, say Kurds sheltered rape suspectBISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Authorities say hundreds of people in a village in Kyrgyzstan have smashed windows and overturned cars belonging to ethnic Kurds after the rape of a four-year-old girl. An official in Petrovka says Sunday's violence began after the head of the village's Kurdish community attempted to shelter a man accused in the assault.

April 17th, 2009 KABUL - Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has said that the controversial law permitting men to rape their wives will be changed. In an interview with CNN, Karzai said he was unaware of the provision in the legislation, which he signed into law last month.

March 6th, 2009 UNITED NATIONS - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has reiterated his call to bring an end to violence against women, a scourge whose impact is devastating and immeasurable, as the United Nations began a series of events to mark International Women's Day. 'It is sometimes said that women are weavers and men are too often warriors,' Ban said in an address to the commemoration of the day, observed annually March 8, in New York.