Global Voices

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The world is talking, are you listening?

On January 23, 2013, an excerpt from the annual report of l'ACAT-France, A World of Torture 2013, makes a fresh assessment of the state of torture in the world [fr]:

“A report called A World of Torture in 2013, assesses torture practices that continue to be alarming, from Pakistan to Italy, by way of South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Bolivia. From authoritarian regimes to democratic countries, none are exempt from criticism on the topic. In 2013, torture remains as endemic, omnipresent and multi-faceted as ever”.

A protester saying “No Harassment” by “Mauritania Today” on Facebook.

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Jihadis venture capitalism extended to an even more lucrative business: kidnapping western hostages all over the Sahara yielded over 90 Million Euros over a decade [..] The modus operandi was very simple: why get killed trying to create an Islamist emirate in “apostate-ruled” neighboring countries when you can build your own sanctuary AND have the West pay for it?

Nasser Weddady unpacks the reasons for the current troubles in Mali. He opines that the roots of the problem are more complex than the existing narratives in the media lead us to believe.

A group of Mauritanian women launched an initiative against rape and all other forms of violence against women in their country. Entitled “Etkelmi or Speak up” [ar and fr], this campaign aims according the blog “Al Tasfera” [ar] to break the wall of silence surrounding rape and encourage victims to demand their rights and to be integrated in society.
Al Tasfera adds:

نسعى إلي توصيل رسالة لكافة أطياف المجتمع تتلخص في ضرورة مؤازرة المغتصبة ومعاقبة الجاني طبقا لقوانين الجريمة.
كما تسعي المبادرة إلي توطيد العلاقات ما بين الأهل والضحية في سبيل التكافل الأسري وتهدف المبادرة إلي تشجيع المغتصبات علي الإندماج في الحياة الاجتماعية والانخراط في السلك المهني كما تأخذ علي كاهلها رفع القضايا الراكدة للمغتصبات وتسليط الضوء علي المعاناة التي تحضنها المراكز والمنظمات

We strive to convey a message to all segments of society about the necessity of supporting the victims of rape and punishing the rapist according to the penal and criminal code. The initiative also aims to strengthen the ties between the victims and their parents in order to ensure the family solidarity. In addition, it aims to encourage those who were subjected to the act of rape to integrate in social life and engage in a career. Moreover, it shall endeavor to voice their issues and highlight their suffering which are now confined to centers and organizations.