[Previous entry: "The pipeline that will change the world"] [Next entry: "Arctic Leaders Appeal Over Global Warming"]

05/25/2005:

"Violence Against Women Rampant in Asia"

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- Violence and systematic discrimination against women was rampant in Asia last year, ranging from acid attacks for unpaid dowries in Bangladesh to forced abortion in China, rape by soldiers in Nepal and domestic beatings in Australia, Amnesty International said.

The London-based group's annual assessment of the state of human rights in the world reported abuses against women from almost every country in Asia in its report released Wednesday.

The largest section on women's rights was devoted to their plight in Afghanistan, where the group said the ouster of the conservative, Islamic Taliban regime in 2001 by U.S.-led forces did little to bring relief to women.

While women were a major focus of the Asian report, the group highlighted abuses ranging from summary executions in Nepal to restrictions on criminal defendants' choices of attorneys in Australia under new anti-terrorism laws.
Full: washingtonpost.com