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Rights falling short

The UN Commissioner on Human Rights is set to hit out at the lack of women’s rights in the Gulf.

In a speech due to be delivered today before the UN’s human rights council, Navi Pillay condemns the Gulf’s women’s rights record as falling “well short of international standards”.

She called on Gulf States to stop exempting themselves from women’s rights provisions of international treaties.

However Pillay, the UN’s most powerful human rights official, praised a number of recent moves, including the election of nine women to the United Arab Emirates’ Federal National Council.

The Federal National Council, which advises the UAE Cabinet, has included nine women since 2006.

Pillay also notes that four women were elected to the Kuwait parliament and the appointment of a female dep-uty minister in Saudi Arabia. She will call on Gulf States to ratify key human rights conventions and remove “numerous reservations expressed by the many Gulf countries” on the human rights treaties they have already signed.

Such reservations “severely hamper” the applicability of these treaties she warned.

Fatima Rhemtulla, a conservative Muslim and working mother, says she has never encountered problems since she moved to the UAE from the UK three years ago.

“There is greater equality between men and women in the UK, but that’s more of a cultural difference.

“I have never had any major problems,” she said.

Ahmed Shabeeb Al Dhaheri, deputy speaker of the UAE national council, said that the inclusion of women on the council has enriched it. “It adds to the experience of the council and helps deepen understanding of issues,”Al Dhaheri said.

Dubai Ruler HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum recently called for improved female education and work opportunities across the Arab world, citing the UAE as a positive example.

 
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COMMENTS

HAHA Pa Loser, haha...to u too. if you are so principled then you should boycott the middle east. But then that would mean you having principles.... may be not . HAHA!!

Posted by: The Black Knight [29.Sep.09 9 : 11 AM]

The article is talking of Womens Humans Right Issues - yet so many people from ME getting very touchy about the subject. Reality is the laws regarding women and girls need to be addresses and updated as women out here have very little say in any thing with laws heavy towrad the males. Even divorce is a nightmare for a woman as courts dont recognised any abuses on women as ground fo divorce even with proof. We have 21st Century structures popping up everywhere in ME so how about 21st Century Laws to go with it.

Posted by: A. A. Ali [28.Sep.09 11 : 11 AM]

HAHA Paranoid much Black Night? yeah we are all here on a crusade just against you. HAHA

Posted by: Palooza [17.Sep.09 10 : 51 AM]

Thank you yet again Gravity Police for your racist comments. Yet again you lose. First of all I am not from third world country, secondly if it wasn't for people from the third world you probably would not be able to use the computer in the first place. Maybe all of you Middle East bashers would like to go back to your so called principled western countries or are you here on a secret crusade?

Posted by: The Black Knight [16.Sep.09 2 : 13 PM]

The UN happens to be in the US and if you hadn't realised as yet happens to have a permanent security council made up of Western powers. You are too naive to understand what the UN is and what these occasional 'reminders' to the middle east about womens rights and democracy actually mean. Better you live in your naive little world of believing everything you read. It just shows what sort of mindset you have. If you are so principled maybe you should not live in the Middle East.

Posted by: The Black Knight [16.Sep.09 11 : 58 AM]

Veritas.....Thank you! Your brilliant! You certainly hit the nail on the head. Now let's try to knock some sense into Blacknight! :-)

Posted by: jamay [15.Sep.09 8 : 42 PM]

Black Knight, just because something is not in the news, does not mean to say that it does not happen. It's just not talked about or acknowledged.

Posted by: veritas [15.Sep.09 6 : 55 PM]

Sorry - typo!

Posted by: Gravity Police [15.Sep.09 6 : 42 PM]

Hahahaha.....Gravity Police....you mean give them access to "type writer's" LOL!!!

Posted by: jamay [15.Sep.09 6 : 21 PM]

Why thank you Jamay, it's rather amusing isn't it. This is the problem when you get people (albeit in denial) from 3rd world countries and give them access to a world wide web...

Posted by: Gravity Police [15.Sep.09 5 : 52 PM]

Gravity Police....Thank you! You're brilliant. Yes, I to am in the 21st century....I also have a computer. LOL! Excellent point with regards to stat's. They are only accurate and worth comparing with, if other countries actually take these statistics seriously and they are reported and with integrety and accuracy. Unfortunately in many parts of the world they are NOT.

Posted by: jamay [15.Sep.09 5 : 14 PM]

Black night..."and the western world go and sort out their rape problem's before trying to teach the rest of the world about women's rights" First of all, PLEASE READ!!!! Is the "UN" a "WESTERN"/"AMERICAN" organization????? You are such an IDIOT! The only thing that is American about the "UN" is that it's HQ is located in NEW YORK City. So if it was located in London, should I condemn those English???? Stay on the topic, and get a life and an education!!!!

Posted by: jamay [15.Sep.09 5 : 09 PM]

Ancient X.....are you a western female?? I didn't think so. So please don't think that you can speak for us! NOW, I am a western woman, Muslim, and I will say that we do have rights. I have the right to seek any level of education, compete with and against males for the same job. I even have the right to chose a job that would be primarily reserved for males in most developing/3rd world countries. I have the right to choose my spouse, or remain single, without pressure or even being kidnapped and forced into marraige. Women in the western world (not just the US) are CEO's, CFO's, Astronaut's,Judges,police officers, even heads of military unit's etc. etc. We even have an advisor to the President (Hillary Clinton). SO please, I suggest you stop talkining if you don't know what your talking about. My daughter's do have the right to be and achieve anything without fear of being opressed, tortured, murdered, etc. etc. Oh and for all you who love to through out statistics, please take into consideration that the population of the entire US is over 300 million. SO when comparing.......you get the point.

Posted by: jamay [15.Sep.09 4 : 52 PM]

Blacknight.....you are truly unbelievable! As a former crime scene investigator, and having been trained by the FBI, I KNOW MY STATISTICS!!! Your ignorangce has truely shrunk to a new low. So although women in the United States (and around the world)for that matter are raped, they are NOT beat, tortured, set on fire, and murdered at the rate that they are in other countries! In addition, when women in America become victims, there are NUMEROUS, and may I emphasize NUMEROUS support systems put in place to treat, and help the victim to a full physical and psychological recovery. When such atrosities happen, the entire country is outraged. I believe that is the main difference between America and other developing countries. I would not like to single out the UAE, although they do have problems,which country doesn't? I think they deserve credit for striving to create change. The Gulf is comprised of more than just the UAE. When a country does not honor and respect the women, they will have dire consequences. The women is the heart of the society. She after all tends to the children and nurtures and trains up the next generation. WHen she is neglected and disregarded, the intire society will reap that of which they have sown.

Posted by: jamay [15.Sep.09 4 : 43 PM]

My apologies Gravity police- let me rephrase that ' You probably are one of the people who live in the middle east , enjoy all the benefits yet don't think twice about running it down from behind the safety of your (wait for it ) COMPUTER ' there- does that feel better? You are still an ingrate. I think if there were rapes every two minutes no amount of lying stats could hide them.

Posted by: The Black Knight [15.Sep.09 4 : 31 PM]

still going on about crime statistics? Lets stick to the topic at hand and its a fact that womens rights in the middle east are far worse than ANYWHERE else in the world East or West. Instead of crying about how many people are raped in America maybe you try to understand why womens rights are poor in the region and help improve it??

Posted by: Palooza [15.Sep.09 4 : 30 PM]

Thank you Mr. Knight, we have computers in our century...not typewriters. I have never been to our never intend to go to America so they can keep their stats. If you want to look at stats, very difficult to compare when most from this part of the world are lies.

Posted by: Gravity Police [15.Sep.09 4 : 23 PM]

Thank you Gravity police, coming to the rescue of your friend with a sweeping racist statement without proof. immigrants or no immigrants the statistics are there to prove it. You probably are one of the people who live in the middle east , enjoy all the benefits yet don't think twice about running it down from behind the safety of your typewriter. You talk about my ignorance, how about your ignorance of facts and figures regarding rapes in America. Or is that just an incovenient statistic that you would like to avoid? Well Done.

Posted by: The Black Knight [15.Sep.09 4 : 12 PM]

Don't worry Mr. Palooza it's Black knights ignorance that will ensure he stays in the dark ages. True there are numerous rapes in the 'West'- mostly committed by immigrants!!

Posted by: Gravity Police [15.Sep.09 3 : 38 PM]

And by the way -why dosen't the western world go and sort out their rape problem before trying to teach others about womens rights. Why don't they protect the rights of their own women- that is what the article is about after all isn't it? Women's rights -how about the right of not being raped?? Another case of the condescending western attitude towards the middle east.

Posted by: The Black Knight [15.Sep.09 3 : 17 PM]

Dear Pa Loser, what a simplistic being you are. Read between the lines and stop being so naive...

Posted by: The Black Knight [15.Sep.09 3 : 12 PM]

There might be rapes in this region but I am pretty sure not every two minutes- SHAMEFUL...

Posted by: The Black Knight [15.Sep.09 3 : 09 PM]

I agree PMM womens rights in the UAE are much more advanced than those in say Iraq, Iran or saudi. Black Knight try reading the article before writing your brainless drivel. it is about womens rights in the gulf NOT rape crime in America

Posted by: Palooza [15.Sep.09 3 : 04 PM]

One crime does not justify the other. If there is a lack of womens rights in America, we have to fight for it as well. But in the Middle East it is definately much more needed.

Posted by: Jebel Ali Baba [15.Sep.09 2 : 54 PM]

The only rights the women in the west have is "doing whatever with no shame" & "wearing whatever with no shame" that is the so-called women rights they are practicing. Nevertheless, is that what human rights is all about? Anyways when you get to the nitty gritty of women rights women in the West are the most oppressed. Not my opinion but western women opinions.

Posted by: Ancient x [15.Sep.09 2 : 53 PM]

what u talking about black knight? There are plenty of rapes in this part of the world that unfortunately go unreported due to the social stigma attached to it. The article does not specify any Gulf country. Btw, before you type in more nonsense i think UAE women are educated, progressive and smart.

Posted by: P.M.M [15.Sep.09 2 : 44 PM]

Oh here we go again! Its the fault of the West,yes...no! Look, I admit women's rights is a big western thing etc and boy oh boy do I regret them having them sometimes ;) but lets be reasonable here, up till now the Middle East has had it's own way of doing things, primarily in accordance with their Islamic way of life. If more freedom and rights can be inroduced without compromising their way of life and culture and the ladies and gentlemen are happy them go for it!. Change has a habit of arriving when it is due!/ Peace Up.

Posted by: MonkeyAllen [15.Sep.09 2 : 27 PM]

Rape cases are plenty even in this region. They are called crimes. But here the subject is of women's rights. Islam gives women the freedom for education & to be modern too. It has still not precipitated into the society though. Hope this campaign will reach them there too.

Posted by: krkh [15.Sep.09 2 : 25 PM]

So it is ok to criticise the state of women in the Middle East , but not the western world- choice between being raped every two minutes or not driving what would you take? And by the way , Saudi Arabia does not constitute the entire middle east.

Posted by: The Black Knight [15.Sep.09 2 : 09 PM]

Black knight, what is your point? you either have misunderstood the article which by the way is about women's rights or are you implying that women being given their basic rights can lead to rape?

Posted by: P.M.M [15.Sep.09 1 : 22 PM]

Dont see what that has to do with womens rights? Women in Saudi cant drive, vote, testify in court, and so on and so on. Thats violation of womens rights i believe

Posted by: Palooza [15.Sep.09 12 : 44 PM]

'Somewhere in America, a woman is raped every 2 minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.' Go womens rights!!!

Posted by: The Black Knight [15.Sep.09 12 : 19 PM]

Womens rights in the Middle East? HAHAHAHA, oh wait you were serious? LOL

Posted by: Palooza [15.Sep.09 12 : 10 PM]

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