Around the World in 5 is an ongoing series that highlights news related to women in five countries, updated every week. This week’s post covers September 11 to September 17.

Nigeria

Over 500 women’s rights organizations under the aegis of Womanifesto have faulted the statement credited to the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, in the ongoing investigation of the now-suspended Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Osim Ndifon.

Document Women had earlier reported that the minister had threatened students with dire consequences, including imprisonment, if they continued to pursue the case of sexual harassment against Ndifon.

The group has asked the minister to tender a public apology for allegedly working against the interest of women in Nigeria and urged that she desist from interfering in the case.

Read more here.

Ghana

Data from the first quarter of the 2022 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey (AHIES) indicates that among paid workers, women earned 34.2 per cent less than men.

The estimated gender wage gap adjusts for age, approximate years of work experience, highest level of education attended, main occupation, industry, employment sector, and region of residence.

The gender wage gap is lowest among paid workers with tertiary education or more where women earn 12.7 per cent less than their male counterparts.

The wage gap is highest among workers with basic education (60.1%) followed by workers with no education (54.0%).

Read more here.

Spain

This week, the Parliament of Catalonia awarded its Gold Medal of Honour this year to the FC Barcelona women’s football team.

No sports team has ever received this distinction before, which recognises everything that the club has done for the growth, recognition and professionalisation of the women’s game and equal opportunities. In a statement, the football club said “the team has set a wonderful example for young girls and has helped changed the social perception of the role of women in sport, all which forms part of the shift towards a better and fairer world for everyone.”

Read more here.

India

Later today, the Indian city of Kerala will see women and girls dressed in eye-catching apparel, their bicycles decorated with ribbons and balloons, pedal the roads for the joy of cycling and claiming public spaces for themselves.

The women will come together for the Fancy Women Bike Ride that is being organised by the Indus Cycling Embassy, a group formed to promote cycling, for the third year on the third Sunday of September.

Nearly 80 women and girls will take part in a short ride that will get under way at Manaveeyam Veedhi at 5 p.m.

Read more here.

Europe

This week, the European Parliament adopted a report the regulation of sex work. An earlier version of the report focused on the criminalization of sex buyers, but the version urges member states to focus on the “punishment” of clients without specifying what such punishments would entail, initiatives to reduce demand, and the decriminalization of sex workers.

With 234 votes in favor, 175 against, and 122 abstentions, this report triggered controversy between members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and sex workers.

Read more here.