Top stories from DAWNS Digest
G8 Reaches Landmark Agreement to Fight Rape as a Weapon of War
A London meeting of foreign ministers from the G8 took some concrete steps to end this global scourge of war. “G8 states had agreed on six major steps to tackle the culture of impunity…including nearly $35.5 million (£23 million) in new funding from the G8 for the issue, including more than £10 million from Britain. Declaring war-time rape a breach of the Geneva Conventions–also known as the laws of war–gives G8 nations the responsibility to seek out and prosecute perpetrators regardless of their nationality and wherever they are in the world. The United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia will also back an international protocol setting out ideal standards for investigating rape and sexual violence.” (AlertNet http://bit.ly/10X3rVq)
Why this is so necessary: Truly harrowing reporting from Minova, DRC–the site of a mass rape in November. (Guardian http://bit.ly/16Qa0OM)
It Gets Better, Uruguay Edition
Uruguay became the second Latin American country (After Argentina) to legalize gay marriage. “The ‘marriage equality project,’ as it is called, was already approved by ample majorities in both legislative houses, but senators made some changes that required a final vote by the deputies. Among them: Gay and lesbian foreigners will now be allowed to come to Uruguay to marry, just as heterosexual couples can.” (FoxNews http://bit.ly/10X0lRu)
New Index Ranks 45 Countries on Their Commitments to Food Security
Guatemala is on top and Guinea Bissau on bottom of a new of the ranking index that measures developing countries’ political commitments to taking on hunger and malnutrition. “The Hanci index ranks 45 developing countries for their performance on 22 indicators of political commitment to reducing hunger and undernutrition, using information in the public domain from UN agencies and other bodies. The index looks at policies and programmes (e.g. national nutrition policy, plan or strategy) legal frameworks (e.g. constitutional right to food and women’s access to farmland) and public spending (e.g. spending on agriculture, nutrition budget).” (Guardian http://bit.ly/17tSpNK)