women's right activists

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Saudi Activist's Release Seen as a Nod to Biden

Prince Mohammed bin Salman may be trying to play nice by freeing Loujain al-Hathloul

(Newser) - US and Canadian authorities are celebrating the release of a Saudi women's rights activist after 1,001 days in prison, though allies say she is not yet "free." Loujain al-Hathloul, a 31-year-old activist who attended university in Canada, was arrested in 2014 as she defied a ban...

After Woman's Death, First Arrest Made in Age-Old Custom
Another Death Prompts First
Arrest in Age-Old Custom
the rundown

Another Death Prompts First Arrest in Age-Old Custom

Brother-in-law arrested in Nepal after woman dies in menstruation hut on cold night

(Newser) - It's called "chhaupadi," an age-old practice in Nepal in which women are forced out of the home while menstruating and into makeshift huts, even in the bitter cold. The nation outlawed the practice last year, but the custom persists. Now, however, a young woman's death has...

Rebel Behind the Wheel: Saudi Woman Flouts Driving Ban

She was summoned, though reportedly not arrested, for cruising in advance of ban being lifted

(Newser) - A Saudi woman who appeared in a video driving a car in Riyadh was briefly detained for violating the country's ban on women driving, which is set to be lifted in June , per the AP . The state-linked Sabq news website reported on Monday that the woman in the video,...

Biggest Inauguration Protest Is Brainchild of Hawaii Grandma

Permit for Women's March on Washington seeks accommodations for 200K

(Newser) - Teresa Shook didn't even know how to create an event on Facebook when she first came up with the idea for a protest march—which makes it more astounding that that demonstration, now the Women's March on Washington, will likely be the largest protest in the capital during...

Japan Supreme Court: Couple Must Use Same Surname

Women's rights activists say the rule is antiquated, discriminatory

(Newser) - Japan's Supreme Court issued a ruling Wednesday that maintains a longtime civil rule some say is unconstitutional and discriminatory: forcing married couples to officially choose one surname, the BBC reports. Presiding Justice Itsuro Terada said that the surname mandate wasn't discriminatory, since a couple could choose to use...

Young Afghans Like Western Clothes, Not Western Ideas

Women's rights not catching on

(Newser) - Young people in Afghanistan are sporting more Western clothes and haircuts these days, reports the New York Times , but one trapping they haven't picked up in a decade of Coalition troops on their streets: Western ideas. In particular, women's rights, which many young Afghan men—and women—continue...

Facebook Removes 'Rape Joke' Pages
Facebook Removes
'Rape Joke' Pages

Facebook Removes 'Rape Joke' Pages

Women's groups weren't laughing

(Newser) - Following months of pressure from women's rights group, Facebook has finally removed a series of "rape joke" pages. "There is no place on Facebook for content that is hateful, threatening, or incites violence," said the company after the pages were pulled. But some of the pages...

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