Palestinian woman preparing for an exam to become a qualified female Palestinian truck driver. ‘(Society) has changed a little. There have been some developments, but not enough’ As the 30-ton truck weaves through the crowded Palestinian streets, groups of men stop and gawp at the diminutive figure of Dalia Al-Darawish in a purple headscarf seated behind the wheel. Darawish is preparing for an exam to become one of only a handful of qualified female Palestinian truck drivers, a test the 26-year-old sees as about more than just driving. “It is symbolic,” she said. “It shows we can do anything — that as a woman you can work, drive a trailer or whatever.” The mother-of-two is among several Palestinian women pushing boundaries in the traditionally conservative city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, amid a growing assertiveness of women’s rights. Darawish said she had faced criticism from both sexes as…

Sport is one of the most powerful platforms for promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls and Asian women are poised to make their mark in women sports. On Sunday the 29th of September 2019, Indian women held their host Great Britain to a 1-1 draw in the second match of their Tour of United Kingdom. India’s Lalremsiami scored the equalizing goal in the 32nd minute after Great Britain had taken an early lead in the match. India was out of the blocks quicker, and earned a couple of penalty corners within the first two minutes. Britain’s custodian Maddie Hinch was at hand to ensure India didn’t get an early lead though. Soon it was Great Britain, who reciprocated, winning a penalty corner from a swift counter. Despite a smart save by the Indian defence, an infringement meant the hosts were awarded a penalty stroke, which was duly converted…

The welfare ministry is considering crafting a new law to strengthen the protection of women, including school girls, from sexual exploitation, according to sources. The law would provide the legal basis for prefectural consulting centers for women, a role currently played by a law that deals primarily with prostitution. According to the sources, the change would allow the centers to provide more flexible support to a wider range of girls and women, such as those coerced to appear in adult videos. It would also be aimed at high school girls, or joshi kōsei in Japanese, exploited in the so-called JK business to entertain men. The ministry hopes to introduce the bill during the next ordinary Diet session, which will start early next year, the sources said. The law against prostitution defines the centers as places to protect and rehabilitate women who may prostitute themselves. A panel of experts set up by the…

In a recent Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi, a decision that approves the scheme of providing free bus ride for women was taken. The policy allows for the scheme of providing free bus ride for women, but put a rider on female employees of the city government that they have to give up their transport allowance to avail the facility. The free-ride scheme is slated to begin in two months’ time. The Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal termed his cabinet’s approval to the scheme a “revolutionary step” towards “empowerment and safety of women”. According to the Chief, he said in a tweet: “I believe those opposing this step will in the future see it as a milestone towards empowerment of women. Poor and lower middle class will get maximum benefit from it”. A statement revealed that, women employees of the Delhi government, local bodies and undertakings…

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) has launched a directory of female members with qualifications and experience to be corporate directors to promote gender diversity in join company boardrooms. Professional services firms have progressed faster than corporate in achieving gender diversity, said Aruni Rajakarier, chairperson of the CA Sri Lanka Women Empowerment and Leadership Development Committee. “Many men say that there is no talent pool among women, but this directory shows that there is actually a talent pool and this talent pool could be greater if we accept that there are gender differences and help women stay in,” she said. The directory is an important initiative aimed at supporting the country’s vision to have 30% women on boards by 2020, a statement said. CA Sri Lanka said it is trying to break gender barriers in boardrooms with its ‘Board Ready Female Members Directory’ which promotes…

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s aim of bridging the gender-equality gap is beginning to take shape in Parliament, although it is largely thanks to women from opposition parties. Twenty-eight women were elected to the upper house of Parliament recently, tying the record set in the previous upper-house election three years ago. That represented 23% of the 124 seats at stake. Sixteen of the 28 new women came from outside Mr. Abe’s ruling coalition, which retained its majority in the election, putting Mr. Abe on track to become the nation’s longest-serving leader. In elections that focused on diversity to an extent that is rare for Japan, opposition parties hoped that fielding a large number of female candidates would loosen Mr. Abe’s grip on power. A record 28% of candidates were women, in the first national election held since a gender-parity law was implemented last year saying that political parties must aim…