TheNewsGuru

Tag: Rights

  • Fight for equal rights for women continues – Angela Merkel

    German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, said that the “fight for equal rights for women continues’’ in spite the progress made so far, in an Instagram post for International Women’s Day.

    In a video message on Thursday, Merkel said: “many women before us made sacrifices and fought doggedly for women to have more rights.

    “It is now 100 years since women themselves could vote.

    “But we are of course not happy just to vote, we also want to shape policies in all areas: to take on political responsibility in the family, in the world of work.”

    Merkel also hinted at greater female representation in her new government.

    She is set to be re-elected for a fourth term as German chancellor next week after her conservative bloc hammered out a hard-won coalition deal with the Social Democrats (SPD) almost six months after an inconclusive election result.

    “I am permitted also to say today that the new cabinet will definitely be an interesting mix of men and women,” Merkel said.

    She went on to say there was still much to do in Germany to achieve full equality between men and women, but even more in countries where women lack even basic rights.

    “Today is not just a day to look back on what we have achieved, but also a day on which we say: The fight for equal rights for women continues,” she concluded.

    At a G20 women’s summit in April 2017, Merkel refused to answer a question about whether or not she was a feminist, saying that she felt uncomfortable taking credit for activists’ successes.

     

  • International Women’s Day: UNFPA advocates increased access to reproductive health rights to women

    The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) on Wednesday said economic inequalities plaguing much of the world today were reinforced by many other forms of inequalities, including inequality in sexual and reproductive health.

    Dr Natalia Kanem, the Executive Director, UNFPA, made this known in a statement by Mrs Kori Habib, the Media Advisor, UNFPA Nigeria in Abuja.

    The UNFPA boss said over 200 million women, many of them poor and living in rural and remote parts of the world, lacked access to voluntary family planning methods.

    She added that more than 800 pregnant women, many in fragile socio-economic situations die each day from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.

    According her, access to services is particularly limited or even non-existent for rural and indigenous women, undermining their ability to exercise their reproductive rights in many parts of the world.

    “Without addressing the discrimination that these women face in both private and public spheres, many of them will remain caught in a vicious cycle of poverty, repeated pregnancies, diminished capabilities, unfulfilled human rights and unrealized potential.

    “The denial of reproductive rights not only harms individuals, it can also put a drag on economies and stifle countries’ development,’’ she said.

    She said making reproductive health care universally accessible would help fulfill a rural woman’s reproductive rights.

    He added that access to reproductive health care services would also enable her to stay healthy, get an education and participate in all facets of life, including economic life.

    She the benefit of access to reproductive health services accrues to the woman her family and her country.

    She said it was the mission at UNFPA to work with its partners to end unmet demand for family planning information and services, and bring an end to preventable maternal deaths.

    She added that the agency was also committed on ending gender-based violence and other harmful practices against women and girls by 2030.

    “Addressing inequalities and discrimination has always been at the heart of UNFPA’s work.

    “ We work to ensure that no one is left behind through programmes that improve the lives of excluded and marginalized women,’’ she said.

    The Executive Director therefore urged stakeholders to renew commitment towards addressing many forms of inequalities that hold women back on this International Women’s Day.

    Kanem said a more equal world depends on it.

    March 8 is celebrated as International Women’s Day.

    The UN adopted day in 1977, the day was mostly celebrated in socialist and Communist countries; The UN celebrates the day on the basis of different themes. This year, the theme is #PressforProgress.

     

  • Slave trade: Amnesty International accuses EU of abetting migrant rights violations in Libya

    Amnesty International on Tuesday accused European governments of abetting grave human rights violations in Libya through their support for authorities there that often work with people smugglers and torture refugees and migrants.

    Determined to cut African immigration across the Mediterranean, the governments, via the EU, have provided support to Libya, trained its coastguard and spent millions of euros through UN agencies to improve conditions in detention camps where Libya puts the migrants.

    The advocacy group said up to 20,000 people were now held in these centres and subject to “torture, forced labour, extortion, and unlawful killings.”

    “European governments have not just been fully aware of these abuses; by actively supporting the Libyan authorities in stopping sea crossings and containing people in Libya, they are complicit in these crimes,” John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s head for Europe, said.

    The European Union’s executive arm, the European Commission, was not immediately available for comment.

    Libya is the main gateway for migrants trying to cross to Europe by sea, though numbers have dropped sharply since July as Libyan factions and authorities have begun to block departures under pressure from Italy, the main landing point.

    No fewer than 600,000 have made the journey over the past four years.

    Amnesty said the Libyan coastguards – which the EU backs to intercept people heading for Europe, work hand-in-hand with people smugglers, including in torturing people to extort money.

    “By supporting Libyan authorities in trapping people in Libya … European governments have shown where their true priorities lie: namely the closure of the central Mediterranean route, with scant regard to the suffering caused,” said Dalhuisen.

    With Libya being largely a lawless states since the fall of veteran ruler Muammar Gaddafi, some EU officials and diplomats chafe at what they see as being forced to rely on sometimes shady characters in the matrix of alliances between militias.

    However, EU leaders meeting for their final gathering this year in Brussels on December 14 to 15 will recommit themselves to this strategy, which they see as bearing fruit in the form of fewer sea crossings.

    The presidency of Libya’s UN-backed government said in November it was a victim of illegal migration, not a source of it, and appealed to foreign powers to help stop flows from migrants’ countries of origin.

  • CPC set to curb abuse of rights of insurance consumers

    CPC set to curb abuse of rights of insurance consumers

    The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) on Saturday said efforts were being put in place to curb the abuse of the rights of insurance consumers in the country.

    The Director General of CPC, Mrs Dupe Atoki said this at the ongoing Annual National Insurance Consumers’ Colloquium held in conjunction with Pastures Consult Ltd. and Dividend in Lagos.

    The theme of colloquium is “100 Years After: Is Insurance Working in Nigeria?’’

    She said that the council would not expose such efforts at the colloquium, adding that the council had gathered that consumers were faced with numerous challenges.

    According to her, the challenges include sale of fake insurance policies, incessant delays in payment of claims among others.

    Atoki, who was represented by her deputy, Mr Joshua Yakubu said that the council would develop synergy with insurance consumers and regulators for a common ground in dealing with already identified challenges.

    She, however, enjoined every Nigerian to get involved in insurance policies not for personal reasons alone but for national prosperity.

    Mr Jude Modilim, the Group Head, Energy and Special Risk of International Energy Insurance Plc, who spoke on the economic importance of insurance to national development, said that the industry needed to combat low awareness of insurance in the country.

    Modilim urged practitioners to embrace consumerism, which meant that consumers’ interest should always be promoted.

    “Once the citizens are conscious of insurance, national growth and development will be rapid.

    “This is because insurance goes beyond providing security, insurance generates financial resources for investment in bonds. It is also an important source of capital formation,’’ he said.

    Mr Toke Falana, who delivered a lecture on “Enforcement of Insurance and Insurance Related Laws “ said that the country needed to do more by investing in education, health and other social insurance.

    Section 14 (2b) of the Constitution provides that the welfare and security of the people shall be the primary purpose of the government

    “Nigeria with all abundant resources has not been able to insure the life of her people by investing in education, health and other social services,“ he said.

    He said that the insurance laws applicable in the country were deficient in many areas because the rights guaranteed by those laws are usually breached with impunity.

    “Importantly, I would conclude by calling on insurers to ensure that claims are paid promptly by insurance companies.

    “The government also needs to execute some provisions in insurance laws and embark on enlightening programmes for citizens to appreciate the benefits of insurance,“ he said.

    One of the participants, Gabriel Offor, commended the organisers for putting the colloquium together.

    According to Offor, all stakeholders in the industry have a role to play as everything must be transparent.

    The Annual National Insurance Consumers’ Colloquium is a platform for an in-depth discussion and a means of taking practical steps in dealing with and managing the various challenges concerning insurance consumers.