Europe

Government Starts Demanding Women Wear Headscarves. [Chechnya] The pro-Moscow Chechen government has started to demand that female state workers wear headscarves, women in the turbulent Muslim region said on Friday. "I received a verbal warning that if I did not wear a headscarf, I would lose my job. I had to wear it the next day so as not to bring trouble on my head," said one woman who works in the regional administration and asked not to be named. A spokesman for the region's new prime minister, Ramzan Kadyrov, who has pushed through a series of Islamic decrees, denied the headscarves were compulsory and said women were merely encouraged to cover their hair. But women used to the rough tactics of Kadyrov's government, which is accused of mass abduction and torture in its hunt for separatist rebels, took the suggestion as law.

Women's 'Constant' Body Worries. [England] Almost a third of women worry constantly about the way their body looks, according to a new survey. The poll of over 5,000 women for Grazia magazine found just one in 50 was happy with her body, with women wanting to lose an average of about nine kilos. Seven out of 10 women said life would improve if they had "better" bodies. The survey concluded the average British woman worries about her body every 15 minutes. Women had tried a range of extreme measures, such as laxative use and fasting in order to lose weight. Actress and TV presenter Kelly Brook, famed for her curves, was considered to have the best British female body in the survey. The Eating Disorders Association says body concerns are not illness - but warns anorexia and bulimia begin with a "distorted" body image. Virtually all those who completed the magazine and website survey said they had dieted at some point in their life - with 41% saying they constantly watched what they ate. Half admitted to lying about their weight.

Harry Potter Author Criticises Women's Obsession With Weight. [England] Harry Potter author Joanne "J.K." Rowling has launched an attack on waif-like models in the fashion industry, criticising them as "empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones". The best-selling writer said she was prompted to write about the subject on her website after reading a magazine featuring photographs of a thin woman who was "either seriously ill or suffering from an eating disorder". Her horror at seeing the woman on the front cover of the magazine was then exacerbated by a number of conversations with other women on the subject of weight, which all centred around the "insult" of being called "fat". Rowling, who entitled her online "rant" "For Girls Only, Probably...", said she was concerned her daughters Mackenzie, aged one, and 12-year-old Jessica would be forced to follow the same line of thinking. "I've got two daughters who will have to make their way in this skinny-obsessed world, and it worries me, because I don't want them to be empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones," she stated. "I'd rather they were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny -- a thousand things, before 'thin'.
Court Overturns Bar on Cancer Drug. [England] An appeals court declared Wednesday that a local health service had acted illegally in withholding a potentially lifesaving drug from a woman with breast cancer. The decision by the Court of Appeal overturned a lower court's ruling and meant that the woman, Ann Marie Rogers, 54, would receive a full course of the drug Herceptin from her local health service in Swindon. The ruling has potentially wide implications for breast cancer treatment throughout the taxpayer-financed National Health Service, under which the availability of medicines can depend on where people live. "It's pretty clear that the judgment provides guidance to all NHS authorities," Yogi Amin, a lawyer for Rogers, said in an interview. For patients, he said, it means that "if a doctor properly prescribes the drug, the local health authority can't issue a blanket refusal on the grounds of cost or regulatory reasons." Rogers went to court when her local health service, Swindon Primary Care Trust, refused to treat her breast cancer with Herceptin even after her doctor prescribed the drug. The drug, made by Roche, is licensed in Britain for use in late-stage breast cancer, but some studies have shown that it is effective in treating HER-2 early-stage breast cancer, the kind Rogers has.
Aluko Out of Women Squad. [England] England Women striker Eniola Aluko has withdrawn from England's squad to face Austria in the World Cup qualifying tie against Austria on 20 April. The 19-year-old Charlton forward is preparing for exams at the end of the first year of her law degree. Her withdrawal has enabled coach Hope Powell to call up Birmingham City defender Laura Bassett. "Eni's education is important to her. By notifying us, we've been able to prepare," Powell told thefa.com. England play Austria at Priestfield hoping to maintain their place at the top of their qualifying group.

International Women's Day Kicks-Off Campaign Against Forced Prostitution. [EU] The EU must show the red card to forced prostitution and fight trafficking in human beings for sexual purposes, said participants in a seminar organised by the European Parliament's Committee on Women's Rights on the occasion of the International Women's Day on 8 March. In the light of alarming reports of a sharp increase in forced prostitution during big events, such as the upcoming football world cup in Germany, the Committee wanted to exchange views and discuss strategies and ways forward to combat forced prostitution. As Anna Záborská, chairwoman of the Committee said, "this is not the end of the debate, the debate will continue until the end of forced prostitution". A modern form of slavery. European Vice-President of the Commission Margot Wallström voiced deep concern and outrage about this "modern form of slavery" where women may be sold "for a price lower than  that of the ticket to the football arena". Fellow Vice-President Franco Frattini outlined some proposals to tackle the problem, including stronger external border control and the introduction of a short-term visa during the world cup for citizens from countries seen as the origin of trafficking. He couldn't give a concrete list, but mentioned "countries of Latin America, Sub-Saharan countries, Asia and the East of Europe". He also proposed a study on how different legislation on prostitution influences the scope of trafficking, and said it is necessary to look at demand as well as supply. Speaking for the governing body of European football, UEFA, Vice-President Per Ravn Omdal, said "UEFA supports the EU's efforts to fight all forms of human trafficking and exploitation". But he and FIFA President Joseph Blatter note that the football associations can't control what goes on outside the stadium.

Is France Ready to be Led by a Woman? [France] Can this woman save France? Can Ségolène Royal, the politician with the elegant profile and stratospheric poll ratings, drive the Socialists to victory in next year's presidential election? Certainly, in the political confusion that has gripped France in recent months - riots by immigrant youths followed by massive protests that turned violent - Royal, 52, is the only politician who looks good these days. On Thursday, she was on the cover of four French weekly magazines. "The Mystery Royal," announced Le Point. Le Nouvel Observateur asked "What Is in Her Head?" The news and entertainment weekly VSD wondered, "President Ségolène: Is She Ready?" "For the first time, the French say they are ready to vote for a woman. This is a historic event," she told Paris-Match in its cover story that proclaimed "The Irresistible Ascension." The media's interest in Royal is not accidental. Voters here are both disillusioned with President Jacques Chirac, who has been in office since 1995, and less than enthused by the gray-haired white men who have long run the opposition Socialist Party. With the government thrown into disarray by the student protests against a disputed youth jobs law and the Socialists doing little more than scoring points, Royal, a member of Parliament, regional president and former minister, and her image-makers have moved quickly to fill the vacuum. In poll after poll she is by far the most popular potential Socialist candidate for president. She even edged past Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, the law- and-order front-runner on the right, in two polls that were hypothetical runoffs for the presidency. For her, the new jobs law, which would allow younger workers to be hired and fired more easily, is "a scandal" and "a form of violence" against the youth of France. Asked in an interview late last month what she would do differently if she were in Chirac's shoes, she exclaimed, "I would be intelligent! Between the revolt in the suburbs last fall and the youth in the streets today, what a beautiful image of France we are giving to the world!"

Man Who Burned Woman Alive Jailed.  [France] A French court sentenced a man to 25 years in prison on Saturday for burning to death a teenage girl in a garbage depot in a Parisian suburb. Outrage over the death of 17-year-old Sohane Benziane in October 2002 produced a wave of feminist protest across France, with women rallying against an atmosphere of fear and violence haunting many girls in poor suburbs. In the trial, Jamal Derrar, 22, admitted having led Benziane into the garbage depot, dousing her with petrol and threatening her with a lighter, but he said he only wanted to scare her. "It's an accident," Derrar said during the trial. "I thought I'd control the situation, having fun threatening her ... I saw the fire starting all of a sudden," he said. Derrar said he had wanted to talk to Benziane about restarting their relationship, which she had refused. But witnesses said the two had never had a relationship. Derrar had argued with Benziane's boyfriend and wanted to unleash his anger on her, they said. "The image of a woman being burnt alive is sending us several centuries back," prosecutor Jean-Paul Content told the court on Friday. "Her death has become the symbol of the most extreme violence against women." The tragedy, which left Benziane rolling in agony on a patch of grass to try to extinguish the flames before she later died in hospital, sparked large rallies by women across France.

Just Call Us Madame, Say Women. [France] It's one of the first distinctions visitors to France learn to make: the title "Mademoiselle" for young unmarried women, and "Madame" for other women. But now a feminist group is trying to scrap the traditional French equivalent of the English "Miss" - and is promoting an online petition for it to be outlawed, leaving only "Madame" for all adult French women. "The United States and Great Britain are more advanced than us on this subject," says the petition, launched this month by a 40-year-old psychoanalyst and supported by the group Les Chiennes de Garde (literally "The Female Guard Dogs", or "The Guard Bitches"). They argue that France is now ready for a linguistic gender reform on the same scale as the "Ms" trend introduced into English a couple of decades ago.
German Fights Stigma Against Working Mothers. [Germany] Surely Germany, cradle of the kindergarten and home to some of the world's most generous maternity-leave policies, would do everything it could to make life easier for mothers who work, right? Well, no. Few developed countries are more resistant to the idea of working mothers, and the hostility can be summed up in one word: Rabenmutter. It means raven mother, and refers to women who leave their children in an empty nest while they fly away to pursue a career. The phrase, which sounds like something out of the Brothers Grimm, has been used by Germans for centuries as a synonym for bad parent. Today, it is at the center of a new debate on the future of the German working woman, prompted by the first woman to lead the country, Chancellor Angela Merkel. "The question is not whether women will work," she said in an interview. "They will work. The question is whether they will have kids." Germany, she said, must make it easier for women to do both, because it now has one of the lowest birth rates in the world. The number of children born here in 2005 was the lowest in a single year since 1945. If the trend holds, the population will decline 17 percent by 2050 - hobbling the economy and an already-strained social system. Kindergartens and child-care centers close at noon, and most state-run schools by 1 p.m. Mothers without helpful parents or the budget for a nanny are stuck. The French government, by contrast, supports an extensive network of day-care and after-school centers, many open until 6 p.m. Social attitudes only deepen the problems. While the law entitles men to paid family leave, few take it, fearing it will cripple their careers. Yet women who work while rearing children meet disapproval from colleagues and bosses. "The thinking that mothers should look after children and men should go out and support the family is a product of our dark past," said Reiner Klingholz, director of the Berlin Institute for Population and Development. "It's still in the minds of people, even if they sound liberal or progressive."
Viennot Could be First Female World Cup Linesman. [Germany] Nelly Viennot of France could become the first female linesman at a World Cup if she passes fitness and skills tests, FIFA officials said on Wednesday. The 44-year-old, who became the first woman to run the line in France's first division in 1996, is one of 82 candidates for 60 places at the tournament in Germany. "There is certainly excitement about the possibility she could be the first female referee's assistant in the World Cup," said FIFA spokesman Andreas Werz. "But we want to underscore the fact that she is not going to be at the workshop because she's a woman and we want to have a woman," he said by telephone from Zurich. "Rather, she is coming because of the fact that she is good enough to be among the best assistants in the world." Viennot has long worked as a linesman in a team led by compatriot Eric Poulat. Poulat was named last month as one of the 23 referees for the World Cup. Also on his team are Lionel Dagorne and Vincent Texier. At least two of the three assistants have to pass the tests later this month or else the entire quartet is ruled out. Viennot, from the town of Flers in northern France, has had experience as a linesman in Champions League matches as well as at the Olympics in 1996 and 2004. She was a referee at the 2003 women's World Cup.
Female Referee's World Cup Gig Dashed. [Germany] Frenchwoman Nelly Viennot failed a sprint test Friday, ending her hopes of becoming the first female World Cup official. The 44-year-old Viennot was among 80 candidates tested on physical fitness and knowledge of rules at a four-day FIFA workshop for assistant referees. Eight failed, including Viennot. Sixty officials will be selected early May for World Cup duty in Germany. FIFA has already announced the names of the 23 referees who will officiate at soccer's premier event.
'Honor Killer' of Sister Sentenced. [Germany] A German court sentenced a man of Turkish origin Thursday to more than nine years in prison for the so-called honor killing of his sister, but it found two of his brothers not guilty of conspiring in the murder. The murder of 23-year-old Hatun Surucu, who was shot Feb. 7, 2005, while standing at a bus stop in a Berlin suburb, shocked Germany and began intense debate about a conservative Muslim immigrant community at odds with mainstream society. Forced to marry a cousin in Turkey as a young girl, Hatun Surucu later broke with her Turkish-Kurdish family in Berlin and lived independently with her 5-year-old son, to the intense disapproval of her relatives, prosecutors said. Ayhan Surucu, 20, who confessed to having pulled the trigger, was sentenced to nine years and three months in prison. The maximum allowable sentence was 10 years, because he was a minor at the time of the killing. He will begin his sentence in a youth detention center but must transfer to a standard prison by the age of 24. "This young woman, who loved life, was a victim because she lived life as she saw fit, and that's why she was shot by her brother, right here among us," Judge Michael Degreif said. The older brothers, Mutlu, 26, and Alpaslan, 25, had been accused of aiding him in the murder but denied any involvement. They were found not guilty after the court ruled that prosecutors had not proved they had conspired to organize the killing. They cheered briefly on hearing the judgment, while their brother, who said he had acted alone, laughed. Prosecutors said they would appeal the decision. Public outrage over the murder was exacerbated when boys at a nearby school with many pupils from immigrant families were reported to have applauded the killing shortly afterward because the victim had lived "like a German," abandoning her head scarf, wearing makeup and studying to become an electrical engineer.
Brothel Made to Remove Saudi, Iran Flags. [Germany] A brothel in Cologne was forced to black out the flags of Saudi Arabia and Iran from a huge World Cup soccer-themed advertising banner after angry Muslims complained and threatened violence. The 24-metre-high by 8-metre-wide (78 by 26 ft) banner displayed on the side of the building features a scantily-clad woman and the slogan: "The world as a guest of female friends," a variation on the World Cup slogan: "The world as a guest of friends." The flags of the 32 nations taking part in the month-long soccer tournament which kicks off in June are shown below. Those of Saudi Arabia and Iran have been covered with black paint, according to a worker at the brothel who would only give his name as Peter. "They didn't want these two flags to be associated with this go-go girl on the banner as it's a brothel and it offended their religious feelings," said a spokeswoman for the Cologne police. "The owner removed the flags even though he wasn't legally obliged to as no crime had been committed."

Women Quicker to Pick Partners. [Scotland] Women are quicker than men at making up their minds about a potential partner, a study found. A speed-dating experiment showed men have only seconds to impress a woman - and can stand or fall by their opening chat-up lines. Psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman recruited 100 visitors to the Edinburgh International Science Festival to take part in 500 speed dates.

Why Tracey's Riding to the Aid of Women. [Scotland] Midwife Tracey Slack is getting on her bike later this year to raise funds which will help improve the care of pregnant and infertile women. Ms Slack, who works at the Simpsons maternity unit at the ERI, hopes to raise £2700 by travel to Rajastan in India where she will spend five days cycling 425 kilometres. The November event has been organised by the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Trust and cash raised will go towards their Women for Women appeal. She said: "The appeal was set up to train women scientists and clinicians to work to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a range of conditions which cause miscarriage, genetic diseases, infertility and cancer."

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