Human Life International (HLI) is an anti-rights actor that advocates a regressive definition of ‘the family’, anti-LGBTQ and anti-choice policies.
Responding the legalisation of pro-choice decisions on abortion in The Dominican Republic, HLI says “it comes as no surprise that life and family are under attack from within the Dominican Republic, traditionally a Catholic country. The wealthy nations’ promotion of abortion has gained momentum with collaboration from the United Nations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like International Planned Parenthood, Amnesty International, and the Center for Reproductive Rights. This anti-life mentality is even seeping into the Dominican public school system as efforts are now underway to mandate sex education and to remove references of God.”
The Guttmacher Institute published a Fact Sheet on Adolescents’ Need for and Use of Abortion Services In Developing Countries.
In most developing countries, stigma against sexual activity among unmarried adolescents is pervasive, unmet need for contraception among women in their teenage years is high, and abortion is highly legally restricted, constraining access to safe services for adolescents and all women.
Accurate and complete information about sex and provision of contraceptive methods are first-line defenses against unintended pregnancy, but many adolescents in developing countries lack access to these essential services.
In the event of an unintended pregnancy, access to safe abortion services is critical to prevent potentially fatal injury and infection from unsafe abortion. Where safe abortion is unavailable, post-abortion care (PAC) services are necessary to treat the complications that result from unsafe procedures, the most severe of which can result in infertility and death.
Global Rights published an unofficial translation of the Moroccan Family Code (Moudawana) of 5 February 2004.
Table of Contents
BOOK ONE: OF MARRIAGE
- Title One: Of Engagement and Marriage
- Chapter I: Of Engagement
- Chapter II: Of Marriage
- Title Two: Of Capacity, Tutelage and the Dowry
- Chapter I: Of Capacity and Tutelage in Marriage
- Chapter II: Of the Dowry
- Title Three: Of Marriage Impediments
- Chapter I: Of Permanent Impediments
- Chapter II: Of the Temporary Impediments
- Title Four: Of Volitional Conditions in the Marriage Contract and their Effects
- Title Five: Of Marriage Categories and Provisions
- Chapter I: Of the Valid Marriage and its Effects
- Section 1: Of the Husband and Wife
- Section 2: Of Children
- Section 3: Of Relatives
- Chapter II: Of the Invalid Marriage and its Effects
- Section 1: Of the Null and Void Marriage
- Section 2: Of the Defective Marriage
- Title Six: Of the Formalities and Administrative Measures to Legalize a Marriage Contract
BOOK TWO: OF THE DISSOLUTION OF THE BONDS OF MATRIMONY AND ITS EFFECTS
- Title One: General Provisions
- Title Two: Of Death and Anullment
- Chapter I: Of Death
- Chapter II: Of Annulment
- Title Three: Of Repudiation
- Title Four: Of Divorce
- Chapter I: Of Divorce Sought by Either Spouse for Irreconcilable Difference
- Chapter Two: Of Divorce for Other Causes
- Section 1: Of Non Respect of One of the Conditions in the Marriage Contract or Harm
- Section 2: Of Non Maintenance
- Section 3: Of Absence
- Section 4: Of The Latent Defect
- Section 5: Of Abstinence or Abandonmen
- Section 6: Of Divorce Suits
- Title Five: Of Divorce by Mutual Consent or Divorce in Exchange for Compensation
- Chapter I: Of Divorce by Mutual Consent
- Chapter II: Of Divorce in Exchange for Compensation (khol)
- Title Six: Of Divorce and Repudiation Categories
- Chapter I: Of Interim Orders
- Chapter II: Of Revocable and Irrevocable Divorces
- Title Seven: Of the Effects of the Dissolution of the Marriage Contract
- Chapter I: Of the Legal Waiting Period (iddat)
- Section 1: Of the Legal Waiting Period Following the Death of the Husband
- Section 2: Of the Legal Waiting Period of the Pregnant Woman
- Chapter II: Of the Overlapping of Legal Waiting Periods
- Title Eight: Of Divorce Certification Procedures and Content
BOOK THREE: OF BIRTH AND ITS EFFECTS
- Title One: Of Filiation and Paternity
- Chapter I: Of Filiation
- Chapter II: Of Paternity and Modes of its Proof
- Title Two: Of Custody
- Chapter I: General Provisions
- Chapter II: Of People Entitled to Custody and their Order of Priority
- Chapter III: Conditions for Awarding Custody and Causes for its Withdrawal
- Chapter IV: Of Child Visitation
- Title Three: Of Financial Maintenance
- Chapter I: General Provisions
- Chapter II: Of Maintenance Paid to the Wife
- Chapter III: Of Maintenance Paid to Close Relatives
- Section 1: Of Maintenance Paid to Children
- Section 2: Of Maintenance Paid to Parents
- Chapter IV: Of the Commitment to Pay Maintenance
BOOK FOUR: OF LEGAL CAPACITY AND REPRESENTATION
- Title One: Of Legal Capacity, Causes of Guardianship due to Legal Incapacity (Al-Hajr), and Acts of Disposal
- Chapter I: Of Legal Capacity
- Chapter II: Of Grounds for Al-Hajr (Placing Under Guardianship due to Incapacity) and Procedures to Establish it
- Section 1: Of the Grounds for Al-Hajr
- Section 2: Of the Procedures to Establish al-Hajr and to Remove it
- Chapter III: Of the Acts of the Person Placed Under Guardianship
- Section 1: Of the Acts of a Person Devoid of Capacity
- Section 2: Of the Acts of a Person Not Fully Capable
- Title Two: Of Legal Representation
- Chapter I: General Provisions
- Chapter II: Of the Functions and Responsibilities of the Legal Representative
- Section 1: Of the Legal Tutor
- Section 2: Of the Testamentary Guardian and the Court-Appointed Guardian
- Chapter III: Of Judicial Oversight
BOOK FIVE: OF WILLS (Not translated)
BOOK SIX: OF INHERITANCE (Not translated)
BOOK SEVEN: OF INTERIM AND FINAL PROVISIONS
The Global Post published an article on Anti-LGBT groups are making inroads across East Africa on 15 June 2015.
Across many parts of Africa, homophobic organizations as well as religious and political leaders are increasingly pushing an anti-gay agenda into the public discourse. This determined march against the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in Africa contrasts with the movement in favor of equal rights that is underway in the US and Western Europe, capped last month by the vote in Ireland that overwhelmingly approved a referendum making same-sex marriage legal.
While there is a global wave in favor of gay rights, it has not reached all shores. Many countries still punish homosexual acts with prison time, torture and even death. And the place where the battle lines for the rights of LGBT individuals are most starkly drawn is in Africa, where 37 of the continent’s 54 countries consider homosexual acts criminal.
The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women was proclaimed by UN General Assembly resolution 48/104 of 20 December 1993.
The 1993 Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women became the first international instrument explicitly addressing violence against women, providing a framework for national and international action. It defines violence against women as any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.
The UN Resolution 63/155 on the ‘Intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women’ was adopted by the General Assembly on 30 January 2009.
It “urges states to continue to develop their national strategy and a more systematic, comprehensive, multisectoral and sustained approach aimed at eliminating all forms of violence against women, including by achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women, and by using best practices to end impunity and a culture of tolerance towards violence against women, inter alia, in the fields of legislation, prevention, law enforcement, victim assistance and rehabilitation”.
The UN Resolution S-23/3 on ‘Further actions and initiatives to implement the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action’ was a adopted by the General Assembly on 10 June 2000.
The 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing marked a significant turning point for the global agenda for gender equality. The Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, adopted unanimously by 189 countries, is an agenda for women’s empowerment and considered the key global policy document on gender equality. It sets strategic objectives and actions for the advancement of women and the achievement of gender equality in 12 critical areas of concern:
- Women and poverty
- Education and training of women
- Women and health
- Violence against women
- Women and armed conflict
- Women and the economy
- Women in power and decision-making
- Institutional mechanism for the advancement of women
- Human rights of women
- Women and the media
- Women and the environment
- The girl-child
The Beijing conference built on political agreements reached at the three previous global conferences on women, and consolidated five decades of legal advances aimed at securing the equality of women with men in law and in practice. More than 17,000 participants attended, including 6,000 government delegates at the negotiations, along with more than 4,000 accredited NGO representatives, a host of international civil servants and around 4,000 media representatives.
In 2000, the General Assembly decided to hold a 23rd special session to conduct a five-year review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, and to consider future actions and initiatives. “Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development, and Peace for the Twenty-First Century” took place in New York, and resulted in a political declaration and further actions and initiatives to implement the Beijing commitments.
The UN Resolution 69/150 on ‘Intensifying global efforts for the elimination of female genital mutilations’ was adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 2014.
It “stresses that the empowerment of women and girls is key to breaking the cycle of discrimination and violence and for the promotion and protection of human rights, including the right to the highest attainable standard of mental and physical health, including sexual and reproductive health”. Furthermore, it “urges states to pursue a comprehensive, culturally sensitive, systematic approach that incorporates a social perspective and is based on human rights and gender-equality principles in providing education and training to families, local community leaders and members of all professions relevant to the protection and empowerment of women and girls in order to increase awareness of and commitment to the elimination of female genital mutilations”.
The UN Resolution 67/142 on ‘Preparations for and observance of the twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family’ was adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 2013.
It “encourages member states to continue their efforts to develop appropriate policies and programmes that address family poverty, social exclusion, domestic violence, work-family balance and intergenerational issues and to share good practices in those areas”. As stated in previous resolutions, member states are called on to “create a conducive environment to strengthen and support all families”.
The UN Resolution 68/191 on ‘Taking action against gender-related killing of women and girls’ was adopted on 18 December 2013.
It mainly calls for preventive approaches to gender-related killings, comprehensive research into the causes and protective national legislation.