The World’s Craziest Anti-Women Laws

Where You Can Freely Abduct a Woman

In Malta and Lebanon, crimes are literally erased once the offender marries the victim. For instance, in Malta, if a kidnapper “after abducting a person, shall marry such person, he shall not be liable to prosecution,” the law says. If the marriage occurs after a trial and conviction, the abductor’s sentence will immediately be wiped. Similarly, in Lebanon, crimes including rape and kidnapping, will be halted at the time of marriage. If there’s divorce within five years of a felony crime, the prosecution or penalty can resume.

Similar abominable laws were overthrown in Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Peru and Uruguay, in the past decade.

It’s Legal for Women to Be Beaten

In Nigeria, violence “by a husband for the purpose of correcting his wife” is considered lawful. Violence is similarly allowed if a parent or schoolmaster is punishing a child, or a “master for the purpose of correcting his servant.”

Where It’s Illegal for Women to Do Labor

In China, women can’t “work down the pit of mines,” or do difficult physical labor, or, specifically, “other work that female workers should avoid.” Similar laws are repeated in books across the globe—making for a totally geographically diverse triangle. In Madagascar, women cannot be employed at night in an “industrial establishment” unless it’s the family business. And Russian lawmakers decided that “labor of females on hard, dangerous and/or unhealthy trades...is forbidden.” This sweeping statement covers 456 different types of work, including driving trains, carpenting, frontline firefighting, and sailing.

More Crazy Anti-Women Laws atThe Daily Beast

Saudi Arabian Women's Conference

An image of a conference in Saudi Arabia on the topic of “women in society” – with not a single female present - has gone viral. The picture features row upon row of men in traditional headscarves and white thobes. A single Westerner in a flannel shirt is the only person breaking up an otherwise uniform sea of what appear to be Arab men.

We traced the picture back to Beladalorb.com, which says it was published in Saudi newspaper Okaz last year. The conference was reportedly held at the University of Qassim and was apparently attended by representatives of 15 countries.

Much is being made of absurdity and hypocrisy of the image, but when you consider Saudi Arabia is a country where women are not permitted to drive, it seems less so. Religious police in the Gulf Kingdom which is governed by Sharia Law only recently lifted a ban on females riding motorbikes and bicycles – as long as they wear the full-length veil and are accompanied by a male relative.

Huffington Post

Fox News Host takes on Sexism

Megyn Kelly takes on sexism

British MP Attacks 'Aggressive Homosexuals'

Gay weddings moved a step closer on Monday evening after David Cameron was forced to accept Ed Miliband's help to defeat an attempt by backbench Tory MPs, who complained about the "aggressive homosexual community", to derail the legislation. Anti-gay marriage Conservatives had tabled an amendment to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill that, if passed, would have introduced civil partnerships for heterosexuals at the same time as gay marriage.

However the government had warned that to do so could cost up to £4bn and significantly delay the implementation of the entire bill. A vote in the Commons saw the amendment overwhelmingly defeated by 375 votes to 70. Pro-gay marriage campaigners cautioned MPs that the amendment, tabled by Tim Loughton, was a cynical attempt to kill the legislation rather than a genuine desire to allow straight couples to have civil partnerships in the interets of equality. On Monday morning it appeared as if Loughton and his colleagues would be successful after the Labour Party, which backs gay marriage, indicated it would vote with the Tory backbenchers to defeat the government and secure equal civil partnerships.

Huffington Post

'Rainbow across my electorate'

Pakuranga MP Maurice Williamson has New Zealand parliamentarians roaring in their seats during the third marriage equality bill reading.

12-Year-Old Son Of Gay Parents Gives Amazing Gay Marriage Speech

"All they want is to be treated fairly. But unlike most of you, they have to come again here year after year and explain over and over why their love is equal to yours."

More on Huffington Post

Vatican, Russia and Iran resist U.N. efforts to fight abuse of women

The Vatican, Iran and other religious states are resisting efforts by a U.N. conference, which started Monday, to demand tougher global standards to prevent violence against women and children.

More than 6,000 non-governmental groups are registered at the annual U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, one of the biggest events held at the U.N. headquarters and one that regularly turns into a diplomatic battle. This year’s meeting has been made more emotive after an attack in October by the Taliban on 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai for her attempts to promote girls’ education in Pakistan and widely publicized gang rapes in India and South Africa.

Diplomats said the Holy See, Iran and Russia are leading attempts to wipe out language in a final statement that says religion, custom or tradition must not be used as an excuse to avoid a government’s obligation to eliminate violence. They have also opposed references to rape by a woman’s husband or partner, diplomats said. “Violence against women must be seen as a human rights issue and that has nothing to do with culture or religion,” Norway’s Gender Equality Minister Inga Marte Thorkildsen told AFP.

“The Vatican, conservative religious forces within the United States and Europe, Catholic and Muslim countries are joining forces to stop women from gaining sexual rights,” the minister said, predicting tough negotiations during the two-week conference.

The Daily Star (AFP)

Openly Gay Mayoral Candidate Was Burned, Beaten and Left for Dead

The openly gay mayoral candidate from Clarksdale, Mississippi, USA who was found dead last week was burned and beaten, according to his family.

The Associated Press reports that candidate Marco McMillian’s family received the information from the county coroner. McMillian’s godfather, Carter Womack, told the AP that “the coroner told family members that someone dragged McMillian's body under a fence and left it near a Mississippi River levee last week.”

“We feel that this was not a random act of violence based on the condition of the body when it was found,” McMillian’s campaign said in a statement.

McMillian’s death received national attention because his campaign said he was the first openly gay candidate for public office in the state. As AlterNet's Steven Hsieh noted, "reports characterize McMillan as a rising star with an already impressive record. The candidate served for four years as International Executive Director for the historically black Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. A  statement released by the fraternity notes that McMillan 'was responsible for securing the first federal contract to raise the awareness of the adverse impact of HIV/AIDS on communities of color.'”

More on Alternet

Rabbi Blames Hurricane Sandy on Gays, Marriage Equality

Rabbi Noson Leiter of Torah Jews for Decency blames Hurricane Sandy on gays and lesbians, calling it "divine justice" for New York's marriage equality law.

rightwingwatch.org