Women's rights in the last year

Reproductive rights are directly tied to a woman's ability to protect herself and participate fully in society. Barbara Crossette makes convincing arguments for the necessity of the UN to address the continuing lack of reproductive rights in many countries.
In other parts of the world, women continue to stand up for their rights. Women were outraged in Malaysia when it was proposed that they would need a signed letter from their families to travel anywhere. Speaking to Al Jazeera Ivy Josiah, executive director of Malaysia's Women's Aid Organisation, said the suggestion was "very alarming" and a "sad reflection of the paternalistic values of our society".
In Bangladesh in April there were riots over women's rights. When the government granted women property rights over 5000 men protested. Here again we see the conflict between traditional Shariah law and equal rights for women. This will be a major hurdle for the committee to overcome.