Mali's President Bails on Women's Rights Law

Underage marriage outlawed, but Muslim leaders support it

(NEWSER) - In northern Nigeria, almost half the girls are married by age 15, and a law outlawing child marriage faces serious resistance from Muslim leaders, the Times of London reports. "We have no choice," says one teen who was brutally raped by her husband. As a result, fistula—a hole torn between the vagina and bladder or rectum during childbirth—and maternal death are common. More»

Amadou Toumani Toure steps down after military coup

(NEWSER) - A military coup in Mali is becoming a more orderly transfer of power and drawing support from the nation's rather nervous West African neighbors, Al Jazeera reports. About two weeks after a military coup , President Amadou Toumani Toure has agreed to step aside for parliament speaker Diouncounda Traore to take his place and help organize elections. In return, regional countries have agreed to end sanctions and, if needed, help fight a rebel insurgency in northeastern Mali. More»

Yemen, Congo, Niger among lowest ranking

(NEWSER) - To mark International Women's Day, AoL News takes note of countries that treat their women the worst. The findings are based on a UN index that factors in categories such as jobs, education, political representation, and reproductive health. The worst offenders:

1. Yemen: Its female citizens routinely face "violence and discrimination," says Amnesty International.

... To stop them from eloping

(NEWSER) - A council in northern India has forbidden all unmarried women from carrying cell phones, in an effort to prevent them from eloping with people of different castes. At least 23 young couples ran off and got married without their parents’ consent last year in Uttar Pradesh state, the AFP explains. “The panchayat (assembly) was convinced that the couples planned their elopement over their cell phones,” said one village elder. More»

They want political rivals to stop infighting

(NEWSER) - Kenyan women are withholding sex in hopes of forcing an end to the squabbling that threatens to break the government's fragile coalition and plunge the nation into chaos, the AP reports. Thousands of members of 11 women's groups are participating in the week-long strike, and they have asked the wives of the president and prime minister to join them. More»