Category Archives: Women’s rights

PBS to Air Film on Disability Advocates

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Diana Braun and Kathy Conour in Body & Soul

Diana Braun and Kathy Conour in Body & Soul

New film on PBS highlights the lives of two women with disabilities who defied the odds and lived independent lives

The film BODY & SOUL: DIANA & KATHY chronicles the life of two of the country’s most remarkable advocates for people with disabilities. Diana Braun, who has Down syndrome, and Kathy Conour, who has cerebral palsy, met three decades ago and vowed to fight to live independent lives. Fearful of being shut away in a nursing home or forced into a state-run institution, Diana and Kathy broke the rules, escaped the system, and modeled a grand experiment in independent living.

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Karzai appears to be changing Afghan ‘rape’ law

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Maybe, says NDP MP Dawn Black “Show me”

By Stephen Pate,  NJN Network,  Charlottetown,  PEI,  Canada,  April 6, 2009 with stories from The Guardian UK CBC and Fox News.

Bowing to international pressure to remove a new law that removed human rights for women, Afghanistan’s President Karzai appears to be withdrawing the law or his support for it. They’re sending it back to the drawing board. In Canada women’s rights are part of the same Charter sentence that protects minorities including the disabled. Ironically, Canadian soldiers may be dying in Afghanistan to protect women’s right but the disabled are abused everyday by Canadian institutions. Continue reading →

Afghanistan Karzai bows to international calls to scrap Afghan ‘rape’ law

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Gordon Brown tells President Hamid Karzai that British soldiers could not die defending regime that oppresses women

By Jon Boone in Kabul, guardian.co.uk, Sunday 5 April 2009

Afghanistan is to review legislation which the UN says would legalise rape within marriage after a dramatic reversal from the president, Hamid Karzai, who signed the rules into law last month. Karzai has bowed to intense international pressure to scrap the law, described by the UN human rights chief in Afghanistan as “reminiscent of the decrees made by the Taliban regime”.
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Afghan rape law outrages Canada, unreported in US

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Afghan law strips women of rights, echoes of Taliban

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada, April 2, 2009
with story and video from CBC

A new Afghan rape law, supported by President Karzai, would make it illegal for women to refuse sex, strips them of property rights, grants custody to fathers and grandfathers. While reported in Canada, it is virtual unknown in US media. Women cannot leave their homes without permission from the husband. Canadian politicians are raising red flags along with women’s groups. Does this signal Canada is looking for a back door out of the war or real concern for women’s rights. The latter is hard to believe when Harper and Ignatieff allowed Pay Equity laws in Canada to be rescinded last week. Ignatieff is especially wishy washy on the issue. Will he ever stand up for anything other than getting power? Continue reading →

Can you afford to lose half your customers?

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The story of how sexism and discrimination put some people out of business but created opportunities for others.

Sexism and other forms of human rights discrimination can drive your sales down faster than high prices.

Let’s face it guys, we haven’t always given women equal billing.

Some men are holding onto the “good old boy” thing far too long.

Remember intuition? Women can sense a male sexist pig faster than tickety-boo.

When a woman feels she is being treated with discrimination she is likely to move her business elsewhere.

Since women make up more than 50% of the population can you afford to lose her as a customer along with her partner, children and other relatives?
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