Zainab Bangura, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe.
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 17 2016 (IPS)- The governments of Rwanda and Iraq have agreed to work together to fight rape as a weapon of genocide, noting disturbing similarities between sexual violence in Iraq today to the Rwandan genocide twenty years ago.
Just as targeted rape was as much a tool of the Rwandan genocide as the machete, an estimated 3000 Iraqi Yazidis under ISIL’s captivity are currently facing acts of genocide and targeted sexual violence, including sexual slavery.
A ripple of benefits unfold when women have secure, recognized rights to the land they rely on for their livelihoods. Women gain increased economic independence and bargaining power, and enjoy greater status and say in household decision-making.
Despite promising studies about reduced domestic violence with greater land rights, other studies report increased incidence, with no definitive resolution of whether such an increase is a mere temporary spike in violence as a result of unsettled gender dynamics.
Because they are often perceived as subverting or upending traditional power relations, women must grapple with gendered violence whether they seek to claim their own land rights or champion their communities’ land rights.
22 November 2016 - The United Nations has rejected a move from African nations to halt the work of the independent expert on LGBTI rights.
Thai international law professor, Vitit Muntarbhorn, was appointed the first UN Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. He has been charged with a four year mission to explore where LGBTI people may face discrimination around the world.
A close vote on November 21, 2016, by a United Nations General Assembly Third Committee affirmed that the newly appointed UN expert to address violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity should continue his work is a victory for human rights.
Non-standard forms of employment – including temporary work, part-time work, temporary agency work and other multi-party employment arrangements, disguised employment relationships and dependent self-employment – have become a contemporary feature of labour markets the world over.
This report documents the incidence and trends of non-standard forms of employment across different countries of the world and explores the reasons behind this phenomenon, including increased firm competition, shifting organizational practices of firms, and changes and gaps in the regulation of work.
