International Men's Day 8 March 2006 - If men are raped they need four female witnesses to support charge

Excerpt from The Secretary-General's remarks on International Women's Day:

The theme of this year's International Women's Day -- the role of women in decision-making -- is central to the advancement of women around the world, and to the progress of humankind as a whole.

As the Beijing Declaration tells us, "women's empowerment and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society, including participation in the decision-making process and access to power, are fundamental for the achievement of equality, development and peace."

More than ten years after the Beijing Declaration, we still have far to go in ensuring that half the world's population takes up its rightful place in the world's decision-making.

Yeah sure, whatever. How ridiculous would it sound for men to need an International Men's Day?



Photo via Photo via Congo Watch: Sexual abuse by men continues and women take brunt of human rights abuse.

Women and girls faced "horrific" levels of abuse in 2004 worldwide, Amnesty International said in its annual human rights review, blaming widespread rape and violence on a mix of "indifference, apathy and impunity". What has changed since 2004? Not a lot.

Hey guys - especially the ones in Khartoum - celebrate International Women's Day by reading The Crushing Burden of Rape Sexual Violence in Darfur.



And read about the janjaweed rape babies.

If you are a woman in Darfur who has been raped and you want to lay a charge, it is virtually certain that legal officers will automatically reduce your allegation to one of assault. If you persevere with your rape accusation, you will be told to do the impossible and provide four male witnesses to support your charge. As a result, sexual violence goes almost totally unpunished and is one of the biggest violations of women's rights in Darfur. Good eh? Well done chaps.