In the ongoing series, Document Women highlights noteworthy news related to women and girls across the globe. This week’s post covers January 1 to January 7.

India

This week, The Karnataka High Court ruled on January 2 that “If the son remains a son, married or unmarried, a daughter shall remain a daughter, married or unmarried. If the act of marriage does not change the status of the son, the act of marriage cannot and shall not change the status of a daughter.”

The Karnataka HC has ruled that a married daughter remains a daughter in the same manner that a married son remains a son, quashing a guideline issued by the Department of Sainik Welfare and Resettlement that barred married daughters from availing dependent cards for children of ex-defence personnel.

The ruling came after a petition was filed by Priyanka Patil, the daughter of a former Army officer, Subedar Ramesh Khandappa Patil, who was martyred while clearing mines during “Operation Parakram” in the year 2001.

Read more here.

Turkey

This week, Zeki Sayar, Advisor to the Presidency of Religious Affairs, said, “unless women are accompanied by their sons or husbands, it is inappropriate that they travel alone for a distance further than 90km.”

It is not the first time Turkey’s state religious body has gone after women’s freedoms. In the past, the body criticized women for their appearance, encouraged women to accept domestic violence, and even claimed that boys and girls who have reached puberty are eligible for marriage.

In a 2008 article, the directorate released a series of “recommendations” outlining how women should and should not behave.

It said women “have to be more careful, since they possess stimulants; [women] have to be covered properly so as not to show their ornaments and figures to strangers; [women] should speak in a manner that will not arouse suspicion in one’s heart and in such seriousness and dignity that they will not let the opposite party misunderstand them.”

Read more here.

Angola

In Angola, gender-based violence is seen as the top challenge to women’s rights. A recent Multiple Indicator and Health Survey reports that 32 per cent of Angolan women have suffered physical violence since the age of 15; 8 per cent will be victims of sexual violence at some point in their lives; and 34 per cent have been victims of physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their husbands or partners.

This is despite the Angolan government ratifying international conventions and instruments to combat GBV, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (United Nations, 1979) and the Maputo Protocol (African Union, 2003).

The country’s laws against domestic violence and National Policy on Equality and Gender Equity seek to protect women against violence.

Read more here.

The United Arab Emirates

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in the UAE, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, condemned the Taliban’s ban on women’s education.

Abdullah emphasized that this ban, along with earlier ones, violate fundamental human rights. He said Islam devotes significant attention to women, grants them a privileged position, and safeguards their rights. He affirmed the need to guarantee women’s rights, as well as the importance of full and equal participation of women and girls in all aspects of life.

Read more here.

Global

In its new campaign, M&Ms pays tribute to women with its first-ever all-female limited-edition packs featuring M&M’s three female characters – Purple, Brown and Green.

“The M&M’S brand is on a mission to use the power of fun to create purposeful connections, as we work to create a world where everyone feels they belong,” said Gabrielle Wesley, chief marketing officer, Mars Wrigley North America. “Women all over the world are flipping how they define success and happiness while challenging the status quo, so we’re thrilled to be able to recognize and celebrate them – and who better to help us on that mission than our own powerhouse spokescandies Green, Brown and Purple?”

Read more here.