The most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of
women in the world.

Latest items for GEW-PRACTICE-1

Oct. 10, 2024, 1:33 p.m.
Countries: D R Congo
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

Women are used as a weapon in the Congo. People rape women in front of their children. Sharp weapons are used against female genitals. Dr. Gisele Ndaya Luseba, former Minister of Gender, Family, and Children, described an image she has in her head of a mother who is dead, but her baby continues to breastfeed. Dr. Luseba has made many trips to the Eastern Congo to talk with women who have experienced these traumas. Children are abandoned in the street because their parents are dead. Dr. Luseba continues to encourage the government to protect these women and help them in any way they can.
July 18, 2024, 6:38 p.m.
Countries: Guatemala
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"Regarding investigations of acts of violence against women committed in conflict situations, the Office of the Prosecutor for Human Rights of the Public Prosecution Service investigates cases of sexual violence that occurred during the internal armed conflict. The Office also investigates the whereabouts of missing persons. As part of the Sepur Zarco case, the Public Prosecution Service has exhumed human remains, recovering 54 bones that have not yet been identified. Individuals capable of locating clandestine burial sites continue to be sought, and arrangements have been made with the Ministry of the Interior to provide the victims and their families with perimeter security. The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of...more
April 30, 2024, 8:26 p.m.
Countries: Haiti
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"Kidnappings of women and children are surging in Haiti as gang violence worsens, with the number of abductions in the first half of 2023 nearly reaching last year’s total" (para 1). "Most often, the women and children were taken by armed groups 'for financial or tactical gains', said the agency. It called for the immediate release of those kidnapped" (para 3). "The UN said in November that armed gangs controlled large swathes of the capital, where they carried out murders, kidnappings and sexual violence in an effort to expand their influence and 'terrorise' residents" (para 7).
Feb. 20, 2024, 6:27 p.m.
Countries: D R Congo
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"[There is not] a comprehensive national policy to provide reparations to victims of sexual crimes and ensur[e] the availability of funding for its implementation" (4). "[A] fund for the reparation of harm caused by State officials is provided for in the budget of the Ministry of Justice" (5). "[T]here is no specific law to protect victims and witnesses" (5).
Feb. 20, 2024, 2:56 p.m.
Countries: D R Congo
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"[There is t]he lack of access to reparations for victims of conflict-related sexual violence, the absence of a comprehensive national policy aimed at ensuring adequate reparations to victims and the complexity and high cost of the procedure, as well as the fear of stigma and reprisals for reporting cases of sexual violence, which prevent the victims from seeking reparations; [and t]he lack of timely and adequate multisectoral assistance provided to survivors of sexual violence, including medical and psychosocial assistance, legal support and socioeconomic reintegration programmes" (3).
Feb. 11, 2024, 3:38 p.m.
Countries: South Sudan
Variables: LRW-PRACTICE-1, SEGI-PRACTICE-1, GEW-PRACTICE-1

""Yasmin Sooka said the incidents of gang rapes have been happening from 2013" (para 1). "A UN panel of experts on human rights in South Sudan has called on the government to investigate and prosecute top officials for their alleged role in sexual violence. It said the government should immediately remove from office and investigate state governors and county commissioners linked to systematic rape" (para 2-3). "'Nowhere in the world do you find so many women who experience conflict by being repeatedly gang raped... while the men responsible are promoted and rewarded,' said Yasmin Sooka, the chairperson of the panel" (para 5). "'This year we have seen the most dehumanising...more
Feb. 5, 2024, 1:29 p.m.
Countries: Central African Rep
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"The United States welcomes the first verdict issued by the Special Criminal Court (SCC) on October 31 against Issa Sallet Adoum, Yaouba Ousmane, and Mahamat Tahir, all members of the rebel group known as 3R. In the judgment, the accused were convicted of crimes against humanity and war crimes for severe violence committed in a massacre of at least 46 civilians in May 2019" (para 1). "The verdict, which is subject to appeal, comes on the heels of other successes for the SCC and Central African authorities, including the arrest of two former Central African Armed Forces members and one ex-Séléka militia general on charges of crimes against humanity. The...more
Jan. 28, 2024, 7:26 p.m.
Countries: Haiti
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"Armed gangs have used rape and collective rapes to instill fear, punish, subjugate, and inflict pain on local populations. Viewed as sexual objects, women, girls, and sometimes men, are also coerced into becoming the 'partners' of armed elements, in gang strongholds. Refusing such sexual demands can lead to reprisals including killing and arson attacks" (para 6). "The report further highlights that sexual violence occurs in the context of kidnappings, when some women and girls are repeatedly subjected to rape, by one or multiple armed captors, at times over the course of several days or weeks. The kidnappers have even used recorded videos of the rapes to press the victims’ families...more
Jan. 22, 2024, 7:07 p.m.
Countries: Ethiopia
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"A military campaign that was supposed to last days has stretched into months, inflicting severe suffering on untold numbers of people. War crimes, rape, torture, starvation and death have resulted in a humanitarian crisis, heading to full-blown genocide" (para 2). "Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for his role in ending the decadeslong conflict with its northern neighbor, Eritrea, and ushering peace into the region, is a full participant in the genocide. The pact Abiy made with Eritrean leader Isaias Afwerki led to both of them aligning against the people in the Tigray region of Ethiopia in an effort to, as one Ethiopian...more
Jan. 21, 2024, 10:46 a.m.
Countries: Russia
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"Patten said survivors have told her of genital mutilations and of soldiers 'equipped with Viagra' in what appears to be a 'military strategy' to dehumanise people" (para 4). "'When women are held for days and raped, when you start to rape little boys and men, when you see a series of genital mutilations, when you hear women testify about Russian soldiers equipped with Viagra, it's clearly a military strategy,' she said. 'And when the victims report what was said during the rapes, it is clearly a deliberate tactic to dehumanise the victims" (para 5-6). "The report 'confirmed crimes against humanity committed by the Russian forces, and according to gathered testimonies,...more
Nov. 3, 2023, 5 p.m.
Countries: Haiti
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"As Haiti’s toxic slate of gangs continue to plunder the crisis-stricken Caribbean nation, kidnapping, displacing and extorting civilians with nothing left to give, they are increasingly weaponizing women’s bodies in their war for control" (para 5)."Compounding that is severe underreporting, making it difficult for any authority to grasp the full extent of the damage. Women fear gangs will seek revenge on them and trust Haitian police just about as much" (para 16). If the police force is also perpetrating these crimes, that signifies a degree of acceptance by the governing body (MCP - CODER COMENT). "The country’s current government, which many view as illegitimate, declined to comment on what it...more
Oct. 4, 2023, 6:58 a.m.
Countries: Angola
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"[M]igrant and asylum-seeking women and girls with irregular migration status, most of whom are from the Democratic Republic of the Congo: [c]ontinue to be subject to the excessive use of force and sexual violence perpetrated with impunity by the State party’s security forces; [and a]re subject to sexual exploitation, including being compelled to engage in so-called “transactional sex” in exchange for food and other items necessary for survival, in settlement camps for refugees such as in Lóvua and Kamako" (14).
Sept. 22, 2023, 8:51 a.m.
Countries: Angola
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"The constitution and law prohibit all forms of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, but the government did not always enforce these prohibitions" (2).
Sept. 7, 2023, 10:14 a.m.
Countries: Kenya
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"The findings of this study augment this evidence in the context of Kenya, where women are found to primarily play enabling, supportive and facilitative roles in relation to violent extremist organisations...There was limited evidence of women as direct perpetrators of violent acts in the context of violent extremism in Kenya" (page 29). "There are various socio-cultural and religious norms in Kenya that may limit the roles women play in extremist organisations – Kenya and Somalia are both male-dominated societies where a woman’s role may be essentialised as that of nurturer and peacemaker, preferably within a domestic context" (page 30).
Aug. 31, 2023, 10:12 a.m.
Countries: Afghanistan
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"The revised Penal Code, which entered into force in February 2018, includes forms of conflict-related sexual violence as a war crime, crime against humanity and constitutive act of genocide. In August, UNAMA organized a dialogue with the Government, Afghan military and police forces, international military forces and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission to develop strategies for combating impunity for sexual violence. Following the launch in May 2018 by UNAMA of a report, entitled 'Injustice and Impunity: Mediation of Criminal Offences of Violence against Women', the Ministry of Women’s Affairs established a technical committee to review the Elimination of Violence against Women Law of 2009 (see A/73/624-S/2018/1092) and align its...more
Aug. 15, 2023, 5:22 p.m.
Countries: Bahamas
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"There were no reports of disappearances by or on behalf of government authorities" (1).
Aug. 15, 2023, 6:17 a.m.
Countries: Cote D'Ivoire
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"The Committee acknowledges the progress achieved by the State party in the fields of peace, security and justice following the post-electoral crisis of 2010–11, including through the establishment of national institutions with judicial and non-judicial mandates to seek truth and to investigate violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. It also notes the measures taken by the State party to prevent conflict-related sexual violence and to combat impunity for such crimes, such as the establishment in 2016 of a national committee to combat sexual violence related to the conflict, the adoption in July 2017 of an action plan against sexual violence by the armed forces of the...more
Aug. 8, 2023, 12:20 p.m.
Countries: Senegal
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"Article L.145 of the Senegalese Labour Code sets the minimum age for employment at 15 years. This is being raised to 16 years, in accordance with Act No. 2004-37 of 15 December 2004 (the National Education Guidance Act), which establishes the age for the end of compulsory schooling at 16 years, and with the ILO Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138), which provides that the age for employment must not be lower than the age at which compulsory schooling ends. However, pursuant to article L. 145, Decree No. 3723 of 17 September 1954 on exemption from the age of employment, fixed at 12 years, the nature of domestic work and...more
July 30, 2023, 5:32 a.m.
Countries: Russia
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"Russian troops are using rape as a weapon of war against Ukrainians, according to damning evidence collected by the UN...More than 100 cases of rape against Ukrainians during the eight-month war - but the true figure is almost certain to be higher." (Parag. 1) "Patten said survivors have told her of genital mutilations and of soldiers 'equipped with Viagra' in what appears to be a 'military strategy' to dehumanise people." (Parag. 4) If there's been testimonies of Russian soldiers 'equipped with Viagra' and is called a 'military strategy', we can infer that the goverment is not against using women and children as weapons. (MD - CODER COMMENT)
July 10, 2023, 9:26 p.m.
Countries: Maldives
Variables: LDS-PRACTICE-2, LDS-LAW-1, GEW-PRACTICE-1

"According to figures, the number of migrant workers in the country nearly tripled recent years, and eight percent of these are women. In the Maldives, migrant workers are subjected to exploitation and abuse, including confiscation of identification documents, non-payment of wages, and inhumane treatment. Most migrants would not know the procedural information to lodge a complaint, and even if they are aware, most would be hesitant to disclose their undocumented status due to fear of deportation and heavy debt they had incurred in the informal migration channels. It is also crucial to highlight that in several cases migrant female domestic workers are restrained from leaving the employers home through threats...more
April 19, 2023, 6:17 p.m.
Countries: North Korea
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"State media meanwhile reported that orphans had 'volunteered' en masse to take jobs in dangerous industries, including mining, as 120,000 were believed to be subjected to forced labour, torture and other ill-treatment within North Korea's borders." (para 21).
April 1, 2023, 9:26 p.m.
Countries: Uzbekistan
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"In accordance with the Anti-Human Trafficking Act of 17 April 2008, government agencies work to protect the rights and lawful interests of citizens who are victims of human trafficking and, together with non-governmental organizations, facilitate their return to the country. A national commission to combat human trafficking and forced labour was established by presidential decree of 30 July 2019 on additional measures to further improve the system for combating human trafficking and forced labour. It comprises a subcommission on combating trafficking in persons, headed by the Minister of Internal Affairs, and a subcommission on combating forced labour, headed by the Minister of Employment and Labour. The national commission is entrusted...more
Feb. 24, 2023, 12:54 p.m.
Countries: Nepal
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"Two high level transitional justice mechanisms: (a) The Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP), and (b) The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) are established and in operation as per the Commission on Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Act, 2014 (TRC Act). These commissions have separate offices with Chairpersons, members and secretariats to discharge duties and delivery of justice to conflict-affected persons including women. In each commission, Chairperson and members have been appointed with at least one woman member." (19)(NF - CODER COMMENT - The conflict mentioned is the Nepalese Civil war which lasted from 1996-2006 in which royalist forces of the Nepalese government fought against...more
Feb. 5, 2023, 7:42 p.m.
Countries: Ukraine
Variables: LRW-PRACTICE-1, GEW-PRACTICE-1

"'Many found alcohol in [Ukrainian] houses and drank. There was a case in Andriivka when a mother and daughter were raped. Four men did it.' He denied that the sexual violence had the approval of the soldiers' immediate superiors yet said that troops seen as against Putin's invasion were in constant fear of physical and psychological pressure. 'One [rapist] ran away, and the rest were beaten by fellow soldiers and commanders using stools,' he said. 'They wanted to shoot them [for committing the atrocity]. 'They could not be charged because there was no evidence, so they were simply dismissed [from the army].'" (para 12-15).
Feb. 5, 2023, 7:41 p.m.
Countries: Russia
Variables: LRW-PRACTICE-1, GEW-PRACTICE-1

"'Many found alcohol in [Ukrainian] houses and drank. There was a case in Andriivka when a mother and daughter were raped. Four men did it.' He denied that the sexual violence had the approval of the soldiers' immediate superiors yet said that troops seen as against Putin's invasion were in constant fear of physical and psychological pressure. 'One [rapist] ran away, and the rest were beaten by fellow soldiers and commanders using stools,' he said. 'They wanted to shoot them [for committing the atrocity]. 'They could not be charged because there was no evidence, so they were simply dismissed [from the army].'" (para 12-15).
Feb. 5, 2023, 7:33 p.m.
Countries: Ukraine
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"On her eighth or ninth day in Russian detention, Olha, a 26-year-old Ukrainian, was tied to a table, naked to the waist. For 15 minutes, her interrogator leveled obscenities at her, then threw a jacket over her and let seven other men into the room. 'It was to frighten,' she remembered. 'I did not know what would come next.' Sitting in Olha’s cramped kitchen weeks later in Kherson, in southern Ukraine, Anna Sosonska, an investigator with the prosecutor general’s office, listened to her recount the ordeal — an account of forced nudity that, prosecutors say, added to an accumulation of evidence that Russian forces had used sexual crimes as a...more
Feb. 5, 2023, 7:33 p.m.
Countries: Russia
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"On her eighth or ninth day in Russian detention, Olha, a 26-year-old Ukrainian, was tied to a table, naked to the waist. For 15 minutes, her interrogator leveled obscenities at her, then threw a jacket over her and let seven other men into the room. 'It was to frighten,' she remembered. 'I did not know what would come next.' Sitting in Olha’s cramped kitchen weeks later in Kherson, in southern Ukraine, Anna Sosonska, an investigator with the prosecutor general’s office, listened to her recount the ordeal — an account of forced nudity that, prosecutors say, added to an accumulation of evidence that Russian forces had used sexual crimes as a...more
Jan. 12, 2023, 10:25 p.m.
Countries: Haiti
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"Armed groups have proliferated since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, and despite the rampant violence, a political solution has yet to materialise. Haiti’s de facto leader, Ariel Henry, has called for foreign troops to intervene, but nearly 100 civil society groups want a “Haitian-led solution” and oppose a foreign intervention." (para 15)."Gangs have also used sexual violence as a weapon against communities collaborating with rival factions." (para 23). "Lawyers have been assisting more than 30 women who have reported rapes, sexual assaults or exploitation at the Carrefour site – a gymnasium that once held more than 1,000 people but closed in July – according to Mario...more
Oct. 7, 2022, 12:27 a.m.
Countries: Ukraine
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"Women across Ukraine are grappling with the threat of rape as a weapon of war as growing evidence of sexual violence emerges from areas retaken from retreating Russian forces. Particularly difficult for many to comprehend is the scale of the sexual violence." (1) "As Russian troops have withdrawn from towns and suburbs around the capital in order to refocus the war effort on Ukraine’s east, women and girls have come forward to tell the police, media and human rights organisations of atrocities they have suffered at the hands of Russian soldiers. Gang-rapes, assaults taking place at gunpoint, and rapes committed in front of children are among the grim testimonies collected...more
July 1, 2022, 11:43 a.m.
Countries: East Timor
Variables: GEW-PRACTICE-1

"Government is providing financial support for women victims of violence during the conflict mainly through the funding of CSOs working with survivors and victims of the conflict such as ACbit and Fokupers.98 These organizations connect the victims with social and health services or engage them in activities focusing on livelihoods and memorialising female victims and survivors. However, no central institution oversees the support to the victims of the past conflict" (18). "CNC is currently developing two projects in cooperation with the Government focusing on female victims of sexual violence during the conflict: 1) A cooperation framework with MoJ to facilitate the civil registration and provision of birth certificate to children...more