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ARAB WOMEN: Cairo Conference Examines Discrimination, Violence -..."Even if she [Arab woman] works, she is paid less and harassed in poor working conditions"...said conference organizer Hoda Badran. (UN Wire, 13 May 2003)

Thais mark 10th anniversary of world's worst factory fire -...History's worst factory fire claimed the lives of 189 mostly young and female workers 10 years ago...Hundreds more were injured. (William Barnes, Financial Times, 11 May 2003)

Union push for maternity law [Papua New Guinea] - The PNG Banks and Financial Institutions Workers Union has urged Minister for Labor and Industrial Relations Peter O’Neill to push legislation through Parliament to enact the maternity leave protection bill for female employees in the country. The Union’s general secretary Johnny Waxie said such a bill should be enacted so that PNG fully complied with the International Labour Organisation Convention protecting the rights of women. (The National [Papua New Guinea], 12 Mar. 2003)

Women's Group to Target Augusta Members [USA] - The leader of efforts to force the Augusta National Golf Club to admit women said Tuesday she will take her protest next to companies whose top executives belong to the club. Martha Burk, head of the National Council of Women's Organizations, said her group plans to request meetings with the top officers of several corporations - among them IBM, General Electric, AT&T, Ford and Microsoft - who hold memberships at the golf club, home to the prestigious Masters tournament. She said her group also is considering appealing to pension fund administrators and other investors to sell stock in companies whose executives belong to the golf club. (Jonathan D. Salant, Associated Press, 15 Apr. 2003)

Silicosis deaths in Pondicherry [India] - Silicosis strikes glass factory workers, most of them women, in Pondicherry. Seven people are dead and more may be dying. But the government and the factory management tout technicalities in the face of the workers' suffering. (Asha Krishnakumar, Frontline [India], 29 Mar.-11 Apr. 2003)

International standards:

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979) {···français···español} 

Equality of rights between men and women: General comment (Human Rights Committee, 2000)

United Nations, World Bank and ILO websites:

Gender and Development (Sustainable Development Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations):

Gender equality (International Labour Organization)

Gender Issues and Women at Work: Publications (International Labour Organization)

GenderNet (World Bank)

A Rights-Based Approach to Gender (A Programme Note: Implementing a Rights-Based Approach to Development in the Asia Region, United Nations Development Programme, Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific)

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)

WomenWatch: The UN [United Nations] Internet Gateway on the Advancement and Empowerment of Women

Other websites:

Amnesty International documents: Women

Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD)

Asian Immigrant Women Advocates [California]

Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) 

AWARE - Association of Women for Action and Research (Singapore)

Equality between women and men, Council of Europe Directorate General of Human Rights

Equality Now

Gender and Health (Eldis: the gateway to development information)

Gender and Human Development (Global Development Gateway)

Gender and Inequality (Global Policy Forum)

Gender and Social Issues (Global Development Gateway)

Human Rights Watch:

International Women's Tribune Centre

Pilot project: Southern Africa Business and Gender Initiative [companies participating: ABSA, SAB-Beer Divisions, Vodacom, Toyota, Old Mutual] (Resource Centre for the Social Dimensions of Business Practice)

Pregnancy/maternity: Novo Nordisk equal opportunities toolbox in Novo Nordisk equal opportunities toolbox (Novo Nordisk)

Sex Discrimination (Australia Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission)

Women (Council on Economic Priorities)

Women [India] (InfoChange [India])

Women-Friendly Workplace Campaign (National Organization for Women [USA])

Women and Human Rights Links (University of Minnesota Human Rights Library)

Women Working Worldwide

Women's Human Rights Net

Women's Human Rights Resources (Bora Laskin Library, University of Toronto)

Women's Issues (International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation [ITGLWF])

Women's Rights (Anup Shah, Global Issues)

Women's Rights and Gender Issues (Third World Network)

Other materials:

2003:

ARAB WOMEN: Cairo Conference Examines Discrimination, Violence -..."Even if she [Arab woman] works, she is paid less and harassed in poor working conditions"...said conference organizer Hoda Badran. (UN Wire, 13 May 2003)

Thais mark 10th anniversary of world's worst factory fire -...History's worst factory fire claimed the lives of 189 mostly young and female workers 10 years ago...Hundreds more were injured. (William Barnes, Financial Times, 11 May 2003)

Women's Group to Target Augusta Members [USA] - The leader of efforts to force the Augusta National Golf Club to admit women said Tuesday she will take her protest next to companies whose top executives belong to the club. Martha Burk, head of the National Council of Women's Organizations, said her group plans to request meetings with the top officers of several corporations - among them IBM, General Electric, AT&T, Ford and Microsoft - who hold memberships at the golf club, home to the prestigious Masters tournament. She said her group also is considering appealing to pension fund administrators and other investors to sell stock in companies whose executives belong to the golf club. (Jonathan D. Salant, Associated Press, 15 Apr. 2003)

Silicosis deaths in Pondicherry [India] - Silicosis strikes glass factory workers, most of them women, in Pondicherry. Seven people are dead and more may be dying. But the government and the factory management tout technicalities in the face of the workers' suffering. (Asha Krishnakumar, Frontline [India], 29 Mar.-11 Apr. 2003)

ACTU may launch paid maternity case [Australia] - The ACTU will launch a test case on paid maternity leave if the forthcoming federal budget does not make provision for a national scheme. (AAP, 25 Mar. 2003)

'Secrecy' prevents equal pay [UK] - Salary discussions remain a "taboo subject" that is maintaining the pay gap between men and women, according to the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). The EOC said secrecy over pay rates in the UK meant firms could shirk their responsibility to check if they were paying women fairly. Its research suggested the average pay gap between men and women was 19%, but as high as 40% in some companies. (BBC News, 24 Mar. 2003)

{···français} Les femmes s'organisent en réseau dans les entreprises françaises [France] - La mixité dans la hiérarchie contribuerait à améliorer les performances des entreprises..."La discrimination positive? Elle existe à 200% en faveur des hommes", rétorque Annick Mathieu. (Annie Kahn, Le Monde, 17 Mar. 2003)

TECHNOLOGY: UNIFEM, Task Force Work To Increase Access For Women - The U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) and the U.N. Information and Technologies Task Force signed an agreement last week aimed at strengthening collaborative efforts to increase women's access to information and communication technologies. The agreement calls for the joint mobilization of resources to encourage countries, international organizations and the private sector to provide equal opportunities for women in employment, training and advancement in the technology sector. (UN Wire, 17 Mar. 2003)

Flight attendants lose travel vouchers won in discrimination suit [USA] - Flight attendants who fought Trans World Airlines for almost 20 years over its policy of grounding pregnant employees won't get the free travel they were promised to settle the discrimination case in 1995. A federal appeals court ruled Thursday that American Airlines, which bought bankrupt TWA in 2001, does not have to honor the flight vouchers (David B. Caruso, Associated Press, 14 Mar. 2003)

Women still find slow rise to power positions [Canada] - Hold only 14% of corporate officer jobs in Canada (Janet McFarland, Globe & Mail, 13 Mar. 2003)

Union push for maternity law [Papua New Guinea] - The PNG Banks and Financial Institutions Workers Union has urged Minister for Labor and Industrial Relations Peter O’Neill to push legislation through Parliament to enact the maternity leave protection bill for female employees in the country. The Union’s general secretary Johnny Waxie said such a bill should be enacted so that PNG fully complied with the International Labour Organisation Convention protecting the rights of women. (The National [Papua New Guinea], 12 Mar. 2003)

Moral call on maternity leave [Papua New Guinea] - A unionist who wrote the provisions on paid maternity leave now enjoyed in the public service called on employers to grant this to all women on maternity leave. (Post-Courier [Papua New Guinea], 10 Mar. 2003)

It's not women's day in the boardroom - yet [Singapore] -...At just over 6 per cent of all company directors in Singapore - little changed from a year ago - women remain a token presence in the boardroom. (Anna Teo, Business Times [Singapore], 8 Mar. 2003)

Int'l Women's Day today [Bangladesh] - Members of the National Garment Workers Federation stand in a human chain blindfolded at Muktangan in Dhaka yesterday to protest repression on women at work. (Daily Star [Bangladesh], 8 Mar. 2003)

IOM Calls for an End to Violence Against Migrant Women and the Trafficking of Women and Children into Sexual Bondage (International Organization for Migration, 7 Mar. 2003)

Good Practice Guide on Domestic Violence and the Workplace Launched [UK] - Opportunity Now in partnership with Women’s Aid (the national charity working to end domestic violence against women and children) have produced The Good Practice Guide for Employers on ‘Domestic Violence and the Workplace’. (Business in the Community, 7 Mar. 2003)

WOMEN'S DAY: Annan Calls Gender Equality Vital To Development; More Marking International Women's Day, March 8, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and ranking officials from a host of U.N. agencies linked gender equality to meeting the Millennium Development Goals, saying social gains for women translated into improved societies. (UN Wire, 7 Mar. 2003)

T&G helps women to stay safe at work [UK] - The Transport and General Workers’ Union will be helping women to stay safe at work with the launch of a new health and safety guide to coincide with International Women’s Day (Saturday 8th March 2003). The practical guide identifies workplace hazards and provides advice on how employers and employees can overcome them. (Transport & General Workers’ Union, 7 Mar. 2003)

Latin America And Caribbean Countries Make Progress In Gender Equality But Continue To Limit Participation Of Women In The Labor Market (World Bank, 5 Mar. 2003)

Working through 'the change' [UK] - Almost every woman passes through the menopause, but very few employers know how to deal with the issue - it's often treated as an embarrassing, hidden illness, rather than a normal part of human life. It wasn't long ago that pregnancy was treated exactly the same, but now many employers have policies about pregnancy, and although problems still remain, we can do the same for the menopause. (Trades Union Congress, 4 Mar. 2003)

JAL plans to pluck mothers from the sky - Japan Airlines' (JAL) labor union is up in arms after the airline decided to cut the number of flight attendants excused from night duties because they have pre-school children. (Mainichi Shimbun [Japan], 3 Mar. 2003)

The unromantic side of red roses from Ecuador -...large growers here have been accused of misusing a toxic mixture of pesticides, fungicides and fumigants to grow and export unblemished pest-free flowers...Doctors and scientists who have worked in the region say serious health problems have resulted for many of the industry's 50,000 workers, more than 70 percent of them women...studies that the International Labor Organization published in 1999 and the Catholic University issued in Ecuador last year showed that women in the flower industry had more miscarriages than average in the region and that more than 60 percent of all workers suffered headaches, nausea, blurred vision or fatigue. (Ginger Thompson, New York Times, in International Herald Tribune, 14 Feb. 2003)

Women Respond Positively to HIV/Aids Workplace Programme - Labour Commissioner Kambuto [Malawi] (Mallick Mnela, Chronicle Newspaper [Malawi], 10 Feb. 2003)

MERCURY: Advocates Urge U.S. Not To Block Treaty Talks -...The UNEP group stressed a particular need to protect children, women of childbearing age, indigenous people, people dependent on fish and those who may be exposed at work. (UN Wire, 28 Jan. 2003)

EOC calls on UK plc to address sthe shocking shortage of women on the board [UK] - The shocking shortage of women non-executive directors shows that companies are still failing to capitalise on the talents of many women, Julie Mellor, Chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) said today. (Equal Opportunities Commission [UK], 20 Jan. 2003)

Women losing gender pay battle [UK] - The gap between men and women's pay widened in 2002, despite a number of initiatives aimed at greater equality. (BBC News, 20 Jan. 2003)

Brink's to pay $30,000 to Peoria area woman for failure to accommodate religious beliefs [USA] - EEOC Suit Said Pentecostal Employee Fired for Refusal to Wear Pants as Part of Uniform (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2 Jan. 2003)

2002:

Indigenous women: UNIFEM Head Decries Feminization Of Poverty - Mexico's 6.7 million indigenous women, most of whom are employed in the informal sector, have seen their condition worsen with globalization...Heyzer called on countries to address the feminization of poverty by applying a gender perspective to budgets, taxes, employment and land use. (UN Wire, 3 Dec. 2002)

Launch of the First Women-Oriented ITU Internet Training Centre at Makerere University - Makerere University in Kampala (Uganda) has been chosen as the site of the first women-oriented facility established by the ITU Internet Training Centres Initiative for Developing Countries (ITCI-DC). The ITCI-DC is an initiative between ITU and the private sector in which Cisco Systems Inc. is a key partner. (International Telecommunication Union, 2 Dec. 2002)

Report: Gender & Codes - If You Want to Help Us Then Start Listening to Us! From Factories and Plantations in Central America, Women Speak out about Corporate Responsibility -...for this study we focus on women workers in Nicaragua, in two sectors - clothing factories and banana plantations...Across Central America women workers have organised, calling on companies to address their concerns, including health and safety, discrimination, sexual harassment, low salaries, long working hours, freedom of association and right to collective bargaining, especially given weak enforcement of national and international labour legislation. (Marina Prieto and Jem Bendell, New Academy of Business, Dec. 2002)

Women activists seek rights' protection [Indonesia] [includes reference to sexual harassment and violence in the workplace, exploitation of female laborers] (Debbie A. Lubis, Jakarta Post, 26 Nov. 2002)

New report reveals women bear the brunt of mining operations in Indigenous Australia and abroad -...Contributors from Indigenous Australia, Papua New Guinea, India, Indonesia and The Philippines give various examples in which mining projects have overlooked or disregarded women's rights, resulting in further gender inequality, marginalisation, impoverishment and abuse of women. (Oxfam Community Aid Abroad, 25 Nov. 2002)

Wal-Mart Stores faces 'unprecedented' union drive [USA] - AFL-CIO - Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the top US retailer, faces an unprecedented pressure campaign to allow its workers to join unions and end alleged labor abuses and unfair business practices, the AFL-CIO said Monday. (AFX News, 18 Nov. 2002)

Slave Labor: Trafficking in women and children -...Q: How did you estimate that 50,000 women and children are sold annually in the US?  A:...Many women and children are trafficked into the sex industry, but not all. Other trafficking involves things like sweatshop labor (Kristen Lombardi, The Phoenix [USA], 14-21 Nov. 2002)

NIGERIA: Oil Giant, UNDP Sign Development Accord For Volatile Niger Delta - U.S. oil giant ChevronTexaco today said it signed an agreement with the U.N. Development Program to assist Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta region, which is the source of more than 90 percent of Nigeria's foreign earnings but one of its most underdeveloped and violent areas.  Chevron...will work with the UNDP on projects for health, education, agriculture and empowerment of youth and women (UN Wire, 11 Nov. 2002)

I pick cocoa beans but I've never tasted chocolate [Ghana]...But Day Chocolate is different. It buys all its cocoa through Fairtrade...Kuapa Kokoo is the only cocoa-buying company in Ghana which integrates women's projects into its business...To date, there have been 504 loans from Kuapa Kokoo to help women set up businesses in 22 cocoa-farming communities. (Jill Foster, Mirror [UK], 5 Nov. 2002)

Delhi Climate Justice Declaration -...We recognize that the impacts of climate change are disproportionately felt by the poor, women, youth, coastal peoples, indigenous peoples, fisherfolk, dalits, farmers and the elderly; We recognize that climate change is being caused primarily by industrialized nations and transnational corporations;... (India Climate Justice Forum, 1 Nov. 2002)

Women’s Health a Special Concern at Regional Migrant Workers Conference in Bangladesh -...attendees were especially concerned about the particular risks faced by female migrant workers, including sexual abuse by employers, diseases such as AIDS and forced or illegal abortions. Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand were criticized for subjecting migrant workers to mandatory AIDS tests and immediately deporting workers found to be positive. Singapore and Malaysia also automatically deport migrant workers found to be pregnant. Other issues addressed at the conference included low pay, dangerous working conditions and inadequate access to health care. (BSR [Business for Social Responsibility] News Monitor summary of 11 Oct. 2002 article from Inter Press Service, 16 Oct. 2002)

Woes of women in work [Bangladesh] - Some 51 women workers of different factories and institutions were sexually abused, five of them were brutally killed after rape in the first six months of this year in the country. Disclosing a recent report prepared by Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) on the basis of reports published in 12 national dailies, executives of the BILS told a press conference yesterday that of the total rape victims, 31 were garment workers, 10 housemaids, three were workers of fish processing units, two NGO workers and five of other sectors. (Independent [Bangladesh], 1 Oct. 2002)

Trailblazers pay 'in blood' for legal action on rights [Australia] - Employers must be flexible enough to accommodate their workers' family responsibilities or risk legal action, lawyers are warning after women successfully took their bosses to court. The law protecting working women's rights has become considerably clearer over the past year following a series of legal victories by trailblazers who took on their companies. (Sherrill Nixon, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 Sep. 2002)

Five years off for parents: new test case [Australia] - Employers would have to hold open the jobs of working parents for up to five years after the birth of a child under a union test case to extend unpaid maternity leave. In a far-reaching bid to entrench working parents' rights in the industrial system, the case will also claim parents are entitled to part-time work, flexible hours and extra holidays. (Sherrill Nixon, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 Sep. 2002)

From diamonds to development [India] - The Bhansalis [one of India’s leading diamond merchants] have ploughed a substantial part of their profits from the diamond trade into health, women’s education and disaster management since 1969 (InfoChange [India]) [added to this website on 10 Sep. 2002]

Basic change in rural India: Basix (India Ltd) provides integrated technical and financial assistance to the rural poor -...Basix (India Ltd) provides integrated technical and financial assistance through micro-credit schemes to the rural poor and women...The support services of IGS, which works in collaboration with various government co-operatives, NGOs and private sector firms, include arranging farmer-training programmes in collaboration with the local staff, supply companies as well as agro-business companies. (InfoChange [India]) [added to this website on 10 Sep. 2002]

Gender pay gap slow to narrow [New Zealand] - Women's income over the past 17 years has gained little ground against men, with the gap narrowing just 5 per cent (Louisa Cleave, New Zealand Herald, 4 Sep. 2002)

Caught in the Supply Chain: Strengthening Rights for Women Workers -...BSR has conducted a study of the general and reproductive health needs of women in global supply chains. The study – focused on China, India, Indonesia and Mexico – details the health needs faced by women working in the supply chains serving global companies. It also profiles innovative projects to improve women’s health as well as partnerships between companies and local and international NGOs. (Aron Cramer, Business for Social Responsibility, Sep. 2002)

Kentucky Bourbon King Faces Government Hearing On Denial Of Bathroom Access [USA] - Mothers, Menstruating Women and Older Workers Bear the Brunt of Jim Beams Bathroom Ban - Rally to Support Jim Beam Workers Noon, August 28 Shepherdsville, Kentucky - Almost half the workers, mostly women, on the Jim Beam bottling line in Clermont, Kentucky have been disciplined for using the bathroom, and some long time workers are even facing firing. According to worker reports, they were told to "train their bladders" to correspond to scheduled break periods and one unscheduled bathroom time; or face discipline, including dismissal. (United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, 27 Aug. 2002)

Pakistan media project aims to change attitudes about women -...The [UNDP] project has trained 400 media professionals, helping them develop ways to present women in Pakistan in a new light in programmes aired by the Pakistan Television Corporation and ensure that all the corporation's productions are sensitive to the issue of gender and avoid reinforcing biases against women. (U.N. Development Programme, 20 Aug. 2002)

Women nearing retirement confront pay gap [USA] - Those within five years of the normal retirement age have made no progress – relative to men's earnings – since 1975...Discrimination? Perhaps. But the findings suggest other factors are at work. (Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Aug. 2002)

Rethinking women's work [USA] (Stephanie Salter, San Francisco Chronicle, 14 Aug. 2002)

Shell, Chevron Invasion: Protesters Raise Alarm Over 15 Missing Women [Nigeria] - Itsekiri, Ijaw and Ilaje women who seized the Warri operational headquarters of Shell and Chevron-Texaco last Thursday claimed, weekend that 15 of them were missing. About 800 were injured in their encounter with security agents during the seizure, they told newsmen in Warri...They issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Shell and Chevron-Texaco managements to find the missing women or face further action. (Sola Adebayo, Vanguard [Nigeria], 12 Aug. 2002)

Norway Tells Businesses to Get Women on Board: Government says 40-percent quota for women on corporate boards is the only way to change the 'old boys' network' (Ethics Newsline, Institute for Global Ethics, 12 Aug. 2002)

Women's Protests Against ChevronTexaco Spread Through the Niger Delta [Nigeria]: Initial Demands Met, Issues Remain (Sam Olukoya, special to CorpWatch, 7 Aug. 2002)

Woman sacked for revealing UN links with sex trade: How a [UK] tribunal vindicated an investigator who blew whistle on workers in Bosnia -...After a two-year battle, an employment tribunal ruled yesterday that Ms Bolkovac was unfairly dismissed by DynCorp, an American company (Daniel McGrory, Times [UK], 7 Aug. 2002)

Ijaw Vs Chevron: Women to the Rescue [Nigeria] [refers to terms of 8-page Memorandum of Understanding signed on 24 July, under which Chevron agrees to a number of local economic development & education initiatives] (Mike Oduniyi, This Day [Nigeria], 2 Aug. 2002)

The hotel GM and his 'chin-chin' [Philippines] -...Last July 19, "R" [a massage therapist with the Clark Hatch Fitness Center located at the Dusit Hotel Nikko in Manila] filed charges of sexual harassment and attempted rape at the Makati Prosecutors Office against Fujimoto [the hotel's general manager] and the management of the hotel. Makalaya (Manggagawang Kababaihang Mithi ay Paglaya), a national women workers' organization, is providing legal and moral assistance to her. (Rina Jimenez-David, Inquirer [Philippines], 2 Aug. 2002)

Bahrain human rights centre gets go-ahead - The establishment of the region's first human rights centre in Bahrain has been given the official go-ahead...."We hope to carry out our activities on a Gulf-wide basis,"...Children's rights and women's rights issues will be among the priorities of the centre (Indira Chand, Gulf Daily News [Bahrain], 30 July 2002)

NIGERIA: Women end siege of ChevronTexaco facilities -...The officials said under the terms of the agreement signed on Thursday with a chief of the Gbaramutu community, whose women had occupied four ChevronTexaco facilties for eight days, the company would build a hospital and provide fair access to employment for qualified people from the area. (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks, 26 July 2002) 

'Stop sending women workers to Middle East' [from Indonesia] -..."a serious effort is needed to ensure that Indonesian women working in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries are treated humanely," the minister [Indonesia's State Minister of Women's Empowerment Sri Redjeki Sumaryoto] said...Sri Redjeki also suggested that workers going overseas should be protected by legislation that threatens stiffer penalties against any party found guilty of extorting workers or using violence against women (Jakarta Post, 26 July 2002)

New effort to reach women with tetanus vaccine could save thousands of lives - Pre-Filled Injection Device Is Helping Reach Remotest Communities - UNICEF today announced concentrated efforts to reach women in poor, hard-to-reach communities with vaccine against maternal and neonatal tetanus...Uniject™ is manufactured by BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) and another company, Bio Farma, produces the vaccine and fills the syringe. The two companies have jointly donated 9 million units to UNICEF over the next three years for use in the collaborative effort to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. "This is an excellent example of a partnership between the public and private sectors," Bellamy [Carol Bellamy, Executive Director of UNICEF] said. (UNICEF, 26 July 2002)

HUMAN RIGHTS: WHO Launches Publications On Health, Rights - The first in a new series of publications on the linkages between health and human rights was posted on the Internet by the World Health Organization yesterday. The WHO said 25 Questions and Answers on Health and Human Rights is meant for "governments and others concerned in developing a human rights approach to public health work." (UN Wire, 25 July 2002)

Nigerian women's oil protest ends - Hundreds of local women in Nigeria's Delta region have ended the 12-day occupation of oil pipeline stations belonging to the American company, ChevronTexaco. The women had accused the company of exploiting the people of the region and not distributing enough of the wealth it obtains from oil. (BBC News, 25 July 2002)

'Oil to us is a tragedy' [Nigeria; occupation of ChevronTexaco pumping stations] -..."The discovery of oil in our communities has brought misery and sorrow," laments Mary Olaye, 42, leader of a group of women who have occupied four oil pumping stations in protest. "Our rivers are polluted and fish die because of the toxins." (Cape Times [South Africa], 22 July 2002)

Internationally-recognised Core Labour Standards in the 15 Member States of the European Union - Report for the WTO General Council review of the trade policies of the European Unions  (Geneva, 24 and 26 July 2002) - All eight of the core ILO conventions have been ratified by all fifteen European Union (EU) member states. In certain areas however, law and practice in several EU countries require further government efforts in order to respect the commitments to fundamental workers’ rights [refers to pay gap between men and women, child labour, trafficking in women and girls for the purposes of forced prostitution] (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 18 July 2002)

Chevron near deal to end women's sit-in [Nigeria] - Chevron, Nigeria's third-largest oil producer, said it was drawing up a memorandum of understanding in response to the women's demands for jobs for their sons and greater community development. (Michael Peel, Financial Times, 17 July 2002)

'Deal reached' in Nigeria oil protest - Women protesters who have besieged an oil terminal in southern Nigeria for more than a week say they have reached a deal with the refinery owners to end their blockade...According to Mr Filgate [of Chevron Texaco], the company has agreed to build a town hall in the village of Ugborodo - home to many of the protesters - and build schools and electrical and water systems. "We now have a different philosophy, and that is do more with communities," AP quoted Mr Filgate as saying following talks with the women. (BBC News, 15 July 2002)

Augusta resists pressure from women's group [USA] - A leading women's coalition has asked Augusta National Golf Club [site of The Masters tournament] to open its membership to women, but chairman Hootie Johnson says the club will not be coerced into changing its membership...Johnson said in his statement that he feared a public relations campaign against the club and tournament sponsors IBM, Citigroup and Coca-Cola. (Jerry Potter, USA Today, 10 July 2002)

NIGERIA: Women protesters hold 700 oil workers hostage - At least 150 women protesters have besieged Chevron-Texaco’s main oil export facility in Nigeria’s southern oil region to back demands for jobs for their children...Disruptions of oil operations are common in the Niger Delta oil region, where impoverished local people accuse oil companies and their government partners of neglect despite the huge oil wealth pumped from their land. But this is the first such action taken exclusively by women. (U.N. Integrated Regional Information Networks, 10 July 2002)

Smoke could ruin child's fertility - Smoking while pregnant appears to put the future fertility of any female children at risk. (BBC News, 3 July 2002)

ARAB STATES: U.N. Study Shows Lack Of Freedom Hinders Development - The development of Arab nations is significantly hindered by lack of freedom, repression of women and an inadequate education system, according to a U.N. Development Program-sponsored report slated for release today in Cairo...Arab scholars and experts compiled the report over an 18-month period, with the result representing the first such study conducted by Arab rather than outside experts (UN Wire, 2 July 2002)

Hormone pollution wrecks sperm - Chemicals found in the environment pose a threat to human fertility, scientists say. Men and women may have been exposed to these chemicals from paints, pesticides and cleaning products, as well as beer, vegetables and soya. It is likely to be female exposure which carries the most threat, say researchers. (BBC News, 2 July 2002)

2,000 Women Retirees Protest in Daqing [China] - China Labour Bulletin has learned that over 2,000 retired women workers of Daqing Petroleum Administration Bureau (DPAB) staged protests in front of the bureau's headquarters on 24 June, 2002 to demand better pension payments. The women pensioners receive only 50 yuan a month from the DPAB. The wage necessary for a minimum standard of living in the poorer cities of China usually averages around 150 yuan per capita per month. (China Labour Bulletin, 28 June 2002)

EPA says 28 pct of US lakes have contaminated fish - More than one-fourth of the nation's lakes have advisories warning consumers that fresh-caught fish may be contaminated with mercury, dioxins or other chemicals, the Environmental Protection Agency said yesterday...Eating fish that contain high concentrations of mercury, dioxins, PCBs and other industrial chemicals can be especially harmful to pregnant women and children, according to the EPA. (Reuters, 26 June 2002) 

NOW Blasts Wal-Mart Workplace Abuses, Names the Company a Merchant of Shame [USA] - "Today the National Organization for Women is naming Wal-Mart — the nation's largest company with close to one million employees — a Merchant of Shame," said NOW President Kim Gandy. "Wal-Mart faces numerous allegations of sex discrimination in pay, promotion and compensation; of wage abuses, violation of child labor laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act; exclusion of contraceptive coverage in employee insurance plans and discrimination on the basic of sexual orientation. (National Organization for Women [USA], 22 June 2002)

Europe's firms are 'wasting women' - European women's chances of progressing into senior positions in business are slimmer than in the US, according to new research. (BBC News, 19 June 2002)

The Strategic Logic of Diversity -...If we want to recruit and retain the best women we won't succeed if we tolerate what one commentator has described as "a golf club culture" which can implicitly, if not explicitly, exclude women and sometimes minorities as well. If we want to be an employer of the most able people who happen to be gay or lesbian, we won't succeed unless we offer equal benefits for partners in same sex relationships. (Lord Browne, Group Chief Executive of  BP, keynote speech at the Women in Leadership conference [Berlin], 19 June 2002)

Report examines wage gap between sexes [in Canada] (Darren Yourk, Globe and Mail [Canada], 19 June 2002)

Globalization narrows gender gap: World Bank - Economic globalization has been proven able to reduce gender inequalities across the world, a senior economist at the World Bank said on Wednesday. (A'an Suryana, Jakarta Post, 13 June 2002)

U.S. Vows to End Human Trafficking - The government is committed to ending worldwide trafficking in humans, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday..."Approximately 50,000 people are trafficked into the United States every year," Powell said. "Here and abroad, the victims of trafficking toil under inhuman conditions in brothels, sweatshops, fields and even in private homes." Most of the victims are women and children, he said. (Harry Dunphy, Associated Press, in Washington Post, 5 June 2002)

Councils Armed To Drown Sweatshops [Australia] - Five Sydney councils hold the key to rooting out clothing industry sweatshops that employ predominatly immigrant, female labour for as little as $2 an hour. (Workers Online, Labor Council of New South Wales, 31 May 2002)

AWU working with country women to boost farm safety - The Australian Workers’ Union has joined forces with the Country Women’s Association in a WorkSafe campaign to stop workplace deaths on farms. (Australian Workers Union, 27 May 2002)

Voices from Cambodia -...In this photographic journey, women workers in Cambodia's garment industry tell it like it is (Oxfam GB, 21 May 2002)

National Labor Committee calls on Disney "to stay in Bangladesh while working with its contractor clean up the factory [Shah Makhdum Garments Factory] and finally guarantee that the human and worker rights of these women will be respected" (National Labor Committee, 16 May 2002)

Issue Brief: Global Empowerment of Women (Calvert Group, 15 May 2002)

TANZANIA: ILO Project Targets Child Labor, Women's Work Opportunities - The International Labor Organization has launched a project in cooperation with the government of Tanzania and the Akiba Commercial Bank to reduce the use of child labor in Tanzania by bolstering employment opportunities for women. (UN Wire, 6 May 2002)

WOMEN'S HEALTH: Doctors' Federation Launches International Fund - The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) yesterday announced creation of the FIGO Global Fund for Women's Health, aimed at helping to provide women around the world with emergency obstetric care. The Pharmacia Foundation has provided $300,000 for the fund...Pharmacia Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Fred Hassan said FIGO and the Pharmacia Foundation "share the common goal of assuring access to health care for people around the world." (UN Wire, 26 Apr. 2002)

EAST ASIA: Region's Poor Shortchanged by Trade Rules - Activists - East Asia's farmers, fishermen and women workers are being shortchanged by trade policies that offer few real opportunities to get out of poverty, activists with the international development agency Oxfam here say [includes reference to rice farmers in Thailand, coffee growers in Vietnam, fishermen in Philippines, women in Cambodia's garment industry] (Marwaan Macan-Markar, Inter Press Service, 25 Apr. 2002)

Socially Reponsible Consumers Give High Marks to New Online Shopping Site -...IdealsWork.com allows consumers to shop and compare brands on the basis of companies' records on issues that include diversity, the environment, labor practices, women's issues, human rights and animal cruelty. (IdealsWork.com, 22 Apr. 2002)

Employers must assess workplace risks to pregnant women, EAT rules [UK] - The failure of a nursing home to carry out an assessment of the risk posed by working conditions for new or expectant mothers was sex discrimination, according to a recent decision made by the Employment Appeal Tribunal. (Equal Opportunities Commission [UK], 15 Apr. 2002)

press release: The Great Trade Robbery: Rich world swindles millions from the benefits of trade as global wealth divide widens to all time high - OXFAM today accused the rich world of robbing the poor world of $100 billion a year by abusing the rules governing world trade and denying millions of poor people their best escape route from poverty. (Oxfam, 11 Apr. 2002)

ICFTU hails coming into force of International Criminal Court as a milestone for international justice:...Victims of gross human rights violations, of forced labour with torture, victims of gender-based violence as well as families of murdered trade unionists now have some hope that the international community is moving resolutely towards an international justice system that could contribute to redressing wrongs. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 10 Apr. 2002)

Viet Nam encourages expansion of the private sector: Viet Nam and UNDP are pumping in another US$2 million to help expand the private sector and thus create more jobs for the country's young population, reduce poverty and foster human development...It [the project] will give special attention to the role of small businesses, enterprises located in rural areas, and enterprises headed by groups that traditionally have had limited access to government assistance, including ethnic minorities and women. (U.N. Development Programme, 5 Apr. 2002)

Enthusiasm and Some Concerns Voiced Over Partnership Proposals: The idea of using the World Summit on Sustainable Development as a launching pad for new partnerships between governments, the private sector, and community and citizen groups gained considerable momentum during a wide-ranging discussion of the concept at PrepCom III for the Summit [but qualifications expressed by EU, and concerns expressed by Third World Network and Women's Caucus] (United Nations website for the Johannesburg Summit 2002 - the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2 Apr. 2002)

New partnership promotes business for women and HIV/AIDS education in Africa: UNDP and the Business Women's Network [parent company is New York-based iVillage] recently launched a new alliance to help expand women's entrepreneurship and HIV/AIDS education throughout Africa. (U.N. Development Programme, 28 Mar. 2002)

Women plantation workers poisoned by toxic pesticides [Malaysia]: study - Two non-governmental organisations today called for a ban on paraquat and other toxic pesticides as plantation workers exposed to them suffered poisoning and developed serious medical conditions. Tenaganita and Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific (PAN-AP) said those affected were women plantation workers who sprayed these toxic pesticides. (Kevin Tan, Malaysiakini, 21 Mar. 2002)

ICFTU report condemns Mexican core labour rights abuses: Fierce anti-union discrimination, shocking working conditions in the maquiladoras, some 1.5 million unrecognised domestic workers with no legal rights and widespread discrimination against women and the indigenous population: these are among the findings of a new critical report on Mexico released by the ICFTU to coincide with the 20-22 March WTO trade policy review of the country. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 20 Mar. 2002)

Spotlight on unions and women [Mauritania]: Mahjouba Mint Saleek (CGTM, Mauritania) (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 13 Mar. 2002)

Bahamas Votes Against Women’s Rights: Bahamians last week voted against two women’s rights amendments to the Bahamas constitution. One would have protected women against job discrimination (Feminist Daily News Wire, 12 Mar. 2002)

Spotlight on unions and women [Germany]: Ursula Engelen-Kefer of the German DGB [German Trade Union Confederation] -...Legislation [in Germany] is definitely not discriminatory: on the contrary it guarantees male-female equality in many areas such as fixed-term contracts and part-time work. However, in practice equality is still hard to achieve. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 12 Mar. 2002)

Spotlight on unions and women: Barbro Budin of the IUF [International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations] -...Women suffer from musculoskeletal disorders linked to repetitive work and this is a real scourge in both Northern and Southern countries. Some women become completely paralysed after a few years’ work, particularly in the food industry, hotels and agriculture...In agriculture, a new ILO convention should help us to fight pesticide abuse more effectively. These pollutants have caused many deaths and brought other serious health problems to women, such as sterility. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 12 Mar. 2002)

HIV/AIDS: Court Orders South Africa To Provide Nevirapine During Appeal - South Africa's High Court in Pretoria yesterday ruled that although the government may appeal the court's December ruling calling for the key HIV/AIDS drug nevirapine to be administered at all suitably equipped state hospitals for HIV-positive pregnant women, the drug must be made available in the meantime. (UN Wire, 12 Mar. 2002)

Spotlight on unions and women [Belgium]: Mia de Vits, FGTB Belgium -...The gap between men and women remains very large, with a 30% difference in pay for jobs of equal status...That is all compounded by other factors, such as sexual harassment, which are increasingly being brought to light with women often being the victims. In Belgium, a law providing for a protection procedure is currently in draft form. With regard to sexual harassment, we have managed to get companies to designate members of staff whom employees can confide in. (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 11 Mar. 2002)

Spotlight on unions and women [India]: Christine Nathan of the Indian IFBWW [Indian Federation of Building and Woodworkers] [refers to rights of women workers] (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 11 Mar. 2002)

Businesses cool to new gender-equality law [Taiwan]: As the Gender Equality Labor Law went into effect on Friday, nearly 70 percent of Taiwan's businesses believe that the law will cause difficulties in terms of management, according to the results of a poll released yesterday. (Taipei Times, 10 Mar. 2002)

Women Tell of Rape in Farms [Kenya]: Women workers in flower farms in Naivasha and Ruiru yesterday narrated shocking stories of their daily experiences at the hands of their superiors in the farms. During a workshop to mark the International Women's Day in Nairobi, they recounted how they are daily subjected to sexual harassment-including rape-but they don't complain for fear of victimisation. (Njue Lloyd, East African Standard [Nairobi], 9 Mar. 2002)

Protesters march for Women's Day [Indonesia]:...IWLTUF [Indonesian Women Leader's Trade Union Forum] coordinator, Ester S. Tuange, said they were demanding equal treatment for women and equal opportunities in the labor market. She said companies must not practice wage discrimination as between men and women, and must eliminate the exploitation of women. (Jakarta Post, 9 Mar. 2002) 

'Drop your pants' outrage at Indonesian shoe factory: Oxfam says workers were put through humiliating examinations before getting the menstrual leave they were entitled to - Indonesian workers at a shoe factory supplying Nike and Adidas have had to prove to company doctors that they were menstruating in order to get their allotted sick leave. (AFP, in Straits Times [Singapore], 8 Mar. 2002)

Nike and Adidas 'have failed to stop sweatshop abuses': Indonesian workers producing sports shoes for the multinational companies Nike and Adidas live in extreme poverty and face prosecution and physical assault for trade union activity, according to a report published yesterday. (Richard Lloyd Parry, Independent [UK], 8 Mar. 2002)

Oxfam challenges Nike, Adidas to pay workers [Indonesia] (Miranda Korzy, AAP, 7 Mar. 2002)

Spotlight on unions and women: Nancy Riche [President of the Canadian Labour Congress] and Elsa Ramos [Director of the ICFTU Equality Department] (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 7 Mar. 2002)

A fresh start for human rights in Pakistan:...The purpose of this project is to help vulnerable working people - particularly, but not exclusively - those who are not covered by existing labour law. This includes women workers, bonded labour, child labour, home based workers, contract and casual labour and workers in EPZs. (Labour and Society International, 5 Mar. 2002)

African entrepreneurs join forces with UNIFEM to shrink digital divide for women: UNIFEM announced today the formation of a unique Global Advisory Committee comprised of African IT entrepreneurs living in the Diaspora and in Africa, as well as representatives from the private sector [including Cisco] and the UN system. (UNIFEM - United Nations Development Fund for Women, 1 Mar. 2002)

Sweatshop Labor, Sweatshop Movement [USA] [book review of Sweatshop Warriors: Immigrant Women Workers Take on the Global Economy, Miriam Ching Yoon Louie]: Miriam Ching Yoon Louie offers an important and insightful look at sweatshops in the United States. (Bill Fletcher, Jr., Monthly Review, Mar. 2002)

Women workers urged to unionize: Indonesian women employed in the transport and tourism field should form their own union to put an end to widespread gender discrimination in the workplace, an activist said. (Jakarta Post, 25 Feb. 2002) 

HIV/AIDS: South Africa To Boost Drug Research, Not Offer Universal Access - South Africa said today it will expand research on use of Nevirapine to curb mother-to-child HIV transmission instead of providing immediate universal access to the drug as activists and some opposition figures have asked. Boehringer-Ingelheim, the manufacturer, has offered South Africa free Nevirapine for the next five years. (UN Wire, 22 Feb. 2002)

Labour abuse worries centre [South Africa]: Masonwabisane Women's Support Centre in Butterworth has expressed concern about the increased incidence of labour abuse in the area...Solwandle said small businesses and factory owners did not adhere to the labour laws. She said her organisation had managed to settle about 24 cases involving non-payment of domestic, contractor and general workers who were mostly women, with their employers. (Madoda Dyonana, Dispatch [South Africa], 19 Feb. 2002)

Women's Progress? Not As Much As You Thought - A new report shows that women are still far from equal in nearly every measure of corporate success (Toddi Gutner, Business Week, 18 Feb. 2002)

Guatemala: Women and Girls Face Job Discrimination - U.S. Companies Contract With Abusive "Maquilas" - Women in Guatemala's largest female-dominated labor sectors face persistent sex discrimination and abuse, Human Rights Watch charged in a report released today. (Human Rights Watch, 12 Feb. 2002)

Gildan bows to Fund: T-shirt maker implementing code of conduct [SA8000] after allegations of pregnancy testing of Honduran employees air in TV report (Jan Ravensbergen & Melanie Verhaeghe, Montreal Gazette, 26 Jan. 2002)

Securicor put camera in female locker room [UK]:...Union leaders last night demanded compensation for female employees worried about "peeping toms" and threatened legal action under data protection legislation and the Sex Discrimination Act. (Kevin Maguire, Guardian [UK], 19 Jan. 2002)

U.S. Companies Promote Gender Apartheid in Saudi Arabia: McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Burger King all promote sex discrimination in Saudi Arabia as these restaurants “all have two designated areas: one for families and the other for singles, all males,” said Ann Rozenich, an employee of McDonald’s in the communications office. (Feminist Majority Foundation, Feminist Daily News Wire, 15 Jan. 2002)

Women and work: The thorn in the rose - Working women worldwide are increasingly endangering their health by doing demanding jobs in which they have too little control (Judy Siegel-Itzkovich, Jerusalem Post, 13 Jan. 2002)

Violence against women migrant workers - Report of the Secretary-General (United Nations, 9 Jan. 2002)

Nowhere to Run, Nowhere To Hide [Philippines]: The Agtas, peace-loving dwellers and guardians of Sierra Madre's forests, are slowly and painfully being erased from the Philippine anthropological picture, by oppression, exploitation and modernization..."Fifty summers ago, we were a proud race of people. Then the Ilokanos came, Ifugaos, Itnegs bringing along logging and mining. Our lives were never the same again."...In Salak's tribe, five women were raped by gold prospectors and loggers. (Michael A. Bengwayan, Fellow of the New York-based Echoing Green Foundation, 8 Jan. 2002)

U.S. Research Links Birth Defects To Ozone, Carbon Monoxide - Women living in areas with high levels of pollutants may be up to three times more likely to give birth to a baby with heart defects (UN Wire, 3 Jan. 2002)

Pollution linked with birth defects in U.S. study: Women exposed to air pollution during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to children with heart defects, researchers reported on Saturday. (Maggie Fox, Reuters, 1 Jan. 2002)

2001:

Break in career costs women their rights [UK]: Women who take a career break to bring up their children do not automatically retain employment rights, an employment tribunal has ruled. In a ruling with implications for thousands of working mothers, an employee of Barclays has been told that she cannot bring a case of unfair dismissal against the bank because she did not have continuity of service. (Alexandra Frean, Times [UK], 5 Dec. 2001)

Britain Urged to Act Against Sex-Slavery: Legislation is urgently needed to help fight the growth in the sexual trafficking of women and children into Europe, the British government was told Monday. (Daniel Nelson, OneWorld UK, 4 Dec. 2001)

A Trade Union Guide to Globalisation:...released...on March 26, 2002, focuses on the impact of globalisation on workers, and trade union responses...The Guide to Globalisation gives a tour of the wide array of new approaches in the field of corporate social responsibility, from the UN's Global Compact, to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises to unilateral codes of conduct....Central to the guide is the ever-increasing role of multinational enterprises...The guide points to "new management methods, sometimes ‘best practice,’ but too often ‘worst practice’, and the threat to relocate to countries with lower social or environmental standards and no independent trade unions." [other topics include export processing zones; exploitation & abuse of women workers] (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, Dec. 2001)

Earth on edge of a precipice - UN report: The human race is plundering Earth at an unsustainable rate, but the growing power of women over their own futures could save the planet from destruction, the United Nations said yesterday...The report, "Footprints and Milestones: Population and Environmental Change", said bluntly more people were using more resources more intensively than ever before. (Jeremy Lovell, Reuters, 8 Nov. 2001)

A Tip for Wall Street: Don't Help the Bad Guys - In 1998, Trillium Asset Management Corporation (TAMC) attended a shareholder meeting at California-based Unocal Corporation. TAMC was protesting a gas pipeline deal that would have put millions of dollars into the hands of a regime that oppressed women and ethnic minorities, sponsored the opium trade, and had connections to terrorists. The proposed partner was Afghanistan's fledgling Taliban regime. (Blaine Townsend, Trillium Asset Management, in Investing for a Better World, Nov. 2001)

INDONESIA: Government Sets Up Team To Fight Human Trafficking - Indonesia decided Wednesday to set up an interdepartmental team to handle several campaigns aimed at halting flourishing human trafficking networks, which commonly target women and children for the sex trade. The move comes in the wake of a U.N. evaluation that ranked Indonesia as one of the worst countries at handling human trafficking. (UN Wire, 19 Oct. 2001)

Migrating from Exploitation to Dignity: Immigrant Women Workers and the Struggle for Justice - An Interview with Miriam Ching Yoon Louie - Miriam Ching Yoon Louie is the author of Sweatshop Warriors: Immigrant Women Workers Take on the Global Factory. (Multinational Monitor, Oct. 2001)

RURAL WOMEN: Globalization Presents Opportunities, Challenges -- Annan: A report released yesterday by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, based on expert findings, concludes that globalization has brought opportunities and challenges to rural women. (UN Wire, 11 Sep. 2001)

Sixth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) (5-10 Oct. 2001, Melbourne, Australia):

Campaign to support the Free Trade Zone Workers Union of Sri Lanka - Freedom of Association in Sri Lanka: At a Critical Juncture - Freedom of association (FoA) and the right of workers to organise in the Free Trade Zones of Sri Lanka is currently at a critical juncture. (Clean Clothes Campaign, Sep. 2001)

Integrating Gender into the Third World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance [includes section entitled "Women and the Economy"] (South Africa 31 August-7 September 2001) (United Nations Development Fund for Women [UNIFEM], prepared in advance of the World Conference Against Racism, 31 Aug. - 7 Sep. 2001)

Women's Human Rights: Engendering the Agenda of the World Conference Against Racism (Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development [APWFLD], prepared in advance of the World Conference Against Racism, 31 Aug. - 7 Sep. 2001)

Between Poverty And Women: The concern for gender issues in poverty alleviation and employment promotion is premised not only on the principle of equity in economic opportunities and benefits between men and women. It is also advocated in the interest of economic efficiency. Several research studies and expert opinions have proved that sustained economic development can only be achieved if the full potential of all human resources, both men and women, is realised, and their respective economic activities are harnessed and developed. (Femi Boyede, The Guardian [Lagos], 27 Aug. 2001)

Treatment Action Campaign Takes Government to Court On AIDS Drug [South Africa]: The South African AIDS activist group, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), announced last week that it would take the government to court for denying HIV-positive pregnant women drugs that reduce the risk of transmitting the disease to their babies, Reuters reported on Wednesday. (UN Integrated Regional Information Network, 16 Aug. 2001)

Lack Of CEO Commitment Impedes Women's Advancement: There is a gap between executive women's leadership expectations and the actions and behaviour of business leaders, according to the first comprehensive Canadian study on chief executive commitment to gender diversity. The report, Chief Executive Commitment: The Key To Enhancing Women's Advancement, was released today by The Conference Board of Canada. (Conference Board of Canada, 14 Aug. 2001)

Malaysia tries to clean up gender discrimination laws: In a rare show of accord between government and opposition leaders, Malaysia's Parliament passed a constitutional amendment on Wednesday to prevent gender discrimination. (Associated Press, in Times of India, 2 Aug. 2001)

Equality-for-women move in Malaysia hailed: Malaysian human rights groups on Tuesday welcomed the government's plan to amend the Constitution to guarantee women equal rights with men. (AFP, in Straits Times [Singapore], 24 July 2001)

JORDAN: UNIFEM Technology Program Aims To Empower Women: The UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is collaborating with Cisco Systems and the Cisco Foundation on a $2 million project to empower women in Jordan's technology sector. (UN Wire, 10 July 2001)

Enforcing international humanitarian law: Catching the accomplices - Literally within days of the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the end of the Rome Conference in July 1998 the Financial Times...published an article warning "commercial lawyers" that the treaty's accomplice liability provision "could create international criminal liability for employees, officers and directors of corporations"...The Financial Times was therefore quite right to warn business executives that a new world was dawning with the adoption of the Rome Statute. (William A. Schabas, Professor of Human Rights Law at the National University of Ireland, Galway, and Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, in International Review of the Red Cross No.42, 29 June 2001)

BOSNIA: UN Worker Allegedly Fired For Reporting Sexual Misconduct - Former UN human rights investigator Kathryn Bolkovac on Friday filed a civil lawsuit in the United Kingdom against a major US contractor, alleging that she was dismissed for investigating allegations of sexual misconduct in Bosnia by fellow UN personnel, the Washington Post reports. (UN Wire, 25 June 2001)

LATIN AMERICA: ECLAC [Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean] Addresses Role Of Women In Development (UN Wire, 14 June 2001)

Gender and globalisation (briefing paper for World Summit on Sustainable Development, published by IIED [International Institute for Environment and Development] and RING [Regional and International Networking Group], June 2001)

Forced labour, human trafficking, slavery haunt us still: Forced labour, slavery and criminal trafficking in human beings - especially women and children - are on the rise worldwide and taking new and insidious forms. A new study by the ILO Stopping Forced Labour, say slavery, oppression and exploitation of human beings have by no means been relegated to history. (World of Work - The Magazine of the ILO, June 2001)

ILO report: Stopping Forced Labour (International Labour Organization, June 2001):

Women Activists Share Experiences: On February 10-17, eight women from Asian labour rights and women’s organizations met in Nicaragua with their Latin American counterparts to exchange experiences and strategies. (Maquila Solidarity Network, June 2001) 

HIV/AIDS: UN Agencies To Fight Disease Among Women, Girls (UN Wire, 25 May 2001)

AFRICA: Trade Unions Push For Maternity Protection (UN Wire, 24 May 2001)

A Lobby Group Pushes For Women Advancement: A gender empowerment lobby at the least developing countries (LDC) conference in Brussels is pushing hard for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to establish an eminent persons group, to ensure that commitments to advance women become a reality (Farah Khan, Inter Press Service, 15 May 2001)

Economic Development and Gender-Based Discrimination: A Survey of Current Issues and Future Perspectives (paper submitted to U.N. World Conference Against Racism by The National Council of Negro Women [NCNW], 24 Apr. 2001)

Latin America: Scant progress in status of women, says UNIFEM (Gustavo Gonzalez, Inter Press Service, 10 Apr. 2001)

Women demand role in FTAA debate (Marcela Valente, Inter Press Service, 5 Apr. 2001)

Getting tougher on women's rights: The National Council for Women says it is getting tough on illiteracy and the personal status law.  Reem Leila digs into the NCW's five-year plan. [Egypt] (Reem Leila, Al-Ahram Weekly [Cairo], 29 Mar. - 4 Apr. 2001)

Union women take the lead in fight for women's rights (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 8 Mar. 2001)

Financing for the Future: Women involved in the UN Financing for Development (FfD) process are saying that economic growth is not synonymous with sustainable development and it’s time to rethink the current economic policies that aggravate poverty and gender inequity. Even though they constitute the majority of the world’s poor and are the first to feel the brunt of negative development policies, women worldwide have so far been excluded from defining the development process (Rajyashri Waghray, Women's Environment and Development Organization, Mar. 2001)

Indonesian Workers in Nike Plants List Abuses (Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2001)

Gender and Globalization (Christine Chinkin, UN Chronicle, Feb. 2001)

Breaking Boundaries, Building Alliances: A Latin America / Asia Women's Exchange for women organizers and advocates - On February 10-17, eight women from Asian labour rights and women’s organizations met in Nicaragua with their Latin American counterparts to exchange experiences and strategies. (Maquila Solidarity Network, Feb. 2001)

Honey pot: A Singapore investment fund with ethics is helping poor families beat the poverty trap - Unlike many ethical or socially responsible funds, this global-equities vehicle contributes one-third of its annual management fee of 1.5% toward Unifem projects...the United Global Unifem Singapore Fund--invests only in companies whose corporate practices are women- and family-friendly. (Trish Saywell, Far Eastern Economic Review, 11 Jan. 2001)

Asian Mutual Fund Sets New Standard for Promoting Women's Issues (SocialFunds.com, 9 Jan. 2001)

Mine thy neighbour: The Australian government needs to control Australian miners in Indonesia - A large proportion of foreign mining companies in Indonesia are Australian. They may be generating badly needed funds for the country, but the cost to those living near these mines has been very high. (Jeff Atkinson, Advocacy Coordinator, Community Aid Abroad [Oxfam Australia], Inside Indonesia, Jan.-Mar. 2001)

Social environment and standards at the work place in the garment industry in Bulgaria - Results from a preliminarily research carried out within a Clean Clothes Campaign international project (Bulgarian Gender Research Foundation, 2001)

Women's Rights (Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch World Report 2001, 2001)

2000:

Discrimination And Poverty Likely Bedfellows (Africa News, 20 Nov. 2000)

Working Women in Indonesia (speech by U.S. Ambassador Robert S. Gelbard, 20 Oct. 2000)

Globalisation heightening gender inequalities (Mithre Sandrasagra, Inter Press Service, 10 Oct. 2000)

Saudi Arabia: Time is long overdue to address women's rights [news release] (Amnesty International, 27 Sep. 2000)

Norway Looks to Advance Women in Private Sector (Jack Freeman, Earth Times, 9 Sep. 2000)

Only eight states close gender gap, says UNIFEM (Thalif Deen, Inter Press Service, 5 June 2000)

Director General's speech on Decent Work for Women (Juan Somavia, Director-General, International Labour Organization, 24 Mar. 2000)

{···español: Las mujeres en el mundo de hoy (Amnesty International, 8 Mar. 2000)}

Women and Globalisation - Some Key Issues (Shalmali Guttal, Focus on the Global South, Mar. 2000)

Advancing Gender Equality: World Bank action since Beijing (World Bank, 2000)

1999:

UN Backs Companies with Pro-Women Social Policies (Thalif Deen, Inter Press Service, 21 Dec. 1999)

Ethical Equities Fund will invest only in companies that are "women-friendly" (United Nations Development Programme, 20 Dec. 1999)

UNIFEM's National Committee in Singapore launches Ethical Equities Fund (UNIFEM Currents, Dec. 1999)

Women's Caucus Declaration to the World Trade Organisation meeting in Seattle, 30 Nov.-3 Dec. 1999 (Third World Network)

Report on a Labor Rights-Women's Rights Advocacy Dialogue: Women's Rights and Labor Rights in Global Trade (International Labor Rights Fund, Sep. 1999)

Sita and her daughters: Women workers at an Indian export-processing zone (T.K. Rajalakshmi, PANOS, 1 May 1999)

1998:

Mexico - A Job or Your Rights: Continued Sex Discrimination in Mexico's Maquiladora Sector (Human Rights Watch, Dec. 1998)

La globalización de la minería: El impacto sobre la mujer (Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Director, Fundación Tebtebba [Centro Internacional de Pueblos Indígenas para la Investigación en las Políticas y la Educación], Revista del Sur, julio 1998)

Women: Last in, first out (Prangtip Daorueng and Kafil Yamin, Inter Press Service, June 1998)

Rural and Indigenous Women Speak Out Against Globalization (Corporate Watch, 25 May 1998)

Human rights approaches to an expanded response to address women's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS [abstract] (Daniel Whelan, Health & Human Rights, vol. 3, no. 1, 1998) {···english···español···français}