Join Dr. Sahar Khamis and her two guests, Dr. Abdul-Wahab Kayyali and Ms. Salma Al-Shami, in her program “The Bridge” this Friday, June 25th, from 8 to 9 a.m. (EST), LIVE on “U.S. Arab Radio” and Facebook simultaneously, as they discuss a very timely and important topic, namely: the shifts in the political, economic, social and media landscapes in the MENA region (Middle East…
Gender Issues
Women and COVID-19 in MENA
Key Findings: Women more concerned about COVID-19 than men COVID-19 increased family stress Perceptions of gender based violence tended to decrease during the pandemic Structural barriers to work more pressing than cultural barriers
Arab governments are doing too little to end honour killings
In some countries, more people approve of honour killings than of homosexuality Kuwait’s national assembly is so rowdy that debates sometimes descend into fisticuffs. But on one issue, at least, the mps have little to say. Sheikha al-Ajmi, a parliamentary employee, was killed by her brother in December. Some say he didn’t like her working as a security guard; others…
The Pandemic in the MENA Region, a Hardship But Also an Opportunity for Women
Covid-19 changed the life of almost everyone on the planet in a matter of months, and affected vulnerable people the most through economic hardship. For women, it has been doubled with a rise of domestic violence. And for women living in countries where gender inequalities are very present, like in the MENA region, the situation has significantly worsened, despite new…
Why the Middle East cannot ignore the ‘shadow pandemic’ of violence against women
This year, campaigners who took part in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), which started on 25 November, took on an immense challenge. Six women are murdered every hour across the world because of GBV, often carried out by partners and family members, in what international rights organisations are now calling the ‘shadow pandemic’. With lockdown measures forcing people…
Info-Deficiency in an Infodemic: The Gender Digital Gap, Arab Women and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Abstract: This commentary tackles the complex struggles faced by Arab women, including multiple layers of invisibility, marginalization and inequality,[1] all of which have significantly worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. This examination includes a special focus on how and why the “digital divide,” defined as the gap between the technological haves and have-nots, has been a major contributing factor to this…