Women's Rights in the Middle East and North Africa: Progress Amid Resistance

(Paperback)

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Freedom Houses innovative publication Womens Rights in the Middle East and North Africa: Progress Amid Resistance analyzes the status of women in the region, with a special focus on the gains and setbacks for womens rights since the first edition was released in 2005. The study presents a comparative evaluation of conditions for women in 17 countries and one territory: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine (Palestinian Authority and Israeli-Occupied Territories), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The publication identifies the causes and consequences of gender inequality in the Middle East, and provides concrete recommendations for national and international policymakers and implementers.

Freedom House is an independent nongovernmental organization that supports democratic change, monitors freedom, and advocates for democracy and human rights.

The project has been embraced as a resource not only by international players like the United Nations and the World Bank, but also by regional womens rights organizations, individual activists, scholars, and governments worldwide. Womens rights in each country are assessed in five key areas: (1) Nondiscrimination and Access to Justice; (2) Autonomy, Security, and Freedom of the Person; (3) Economic Rights and Equal Opportunity; (4) Political Rights and Civic Voice; and (5) Social and Cultural Rights. The methodology is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the study results are presented through a set of numerical scores and analytical narrative reports.

Reviews

It is vital that MENA countries more urgently recognize that the status of women is the key determinant to the development of their societies. This report provides important data to encourage reform in women's rights. -- Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan
The struggle for women's rights is central to any lasting progress towards a more just and free society in the Middle East. Women's Rights in the Middle East and North Africa is an essential source for information and analysis about where that struggle is today, and where we need to make advances. I hope that this important study will inform the discussion about gender equality and mobilize concrete action in the region to bring about genuine change for the women of those societies. -- Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran; visiting fellow, Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)
These reports constitute valuable contributions to our understanding of both the advances made and the challenges that lie ahead for women of the Middle East and North Africa. -- Leila Ahmed, Harvard
Particularly thorough in providing an update on legislative developments that are relevant for women. Helps to identify some cross-regional trends with preliminary thinking about how to address common challenges. . . . Recommended. * Choice Reviews *

Author Bio

Freedom House is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that supports democratic change, monitors freedom, and advocates for democracy and human rights.