Legal Issues for South Asian Women
[in S. Asia]
[Laws/constitutions]
[Immigration]
[Adoption]
[Other]
Legal news in S. Asia
- Do rape laws
in India favour the accused? from womenexcel.com.
- Women's
property rights bill in Nepal. From Kathmandu Post, 10 Nov 2001.
- Church
leaders angered by divorce ruling. Rediff, 17 Nov 00.
- Asian
forced marriages to be outlawed in Britain. Telegraph, 18 Jun 00.
- Indian
law commission proposes equal share in ancestral property for Hindu
women. Indian Express, 12 May 00.
- Daily
wage earners in India also entitled to maternity benefits.
Hindu, 8 Mar 00.
-
Children by second wife entitled to pension. The Indian Supreme
Court
has ruled that children from a second marriage are entitled to their
shares in the family pension after the death of their father even if
his first wife is alive. The case involved a man who married twice in
contravention of the Hindu Marriage Act.
-
Indian Supreme Court rules that both mother and father will be
treated as the natural guardian of the minor child, modifying
the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act. 18 Feb 1999.
Women's organizations hail the ruling.
Githa Hariharan's suit which led to
this ruling -- Christian Science Monitor, 4 Mar 99.
- Actual text of
the case: Hariharan vs. Reserve Bank of India
- Flavia
Agnes discusses the actual effect of the case, in Manushi.
- Free legal aid for women in
Kathmandu
- Alimony
verdict in Bangladesh means that divorced women will get alimony
only for 3 months and 13 days after the divorce.
- India considers death penalty
for rapists. Oct 98.
- Married children who look
after their parents may get tax break in India. Also, special
provisions in the penal code to protect older people from
domestic violence. Oct 98.
- Married
daughter of a joint Hindu family can claim a share in father's
property, according to a recent decision by the Mumbai High
Court. April 97.
- Divorce
and Christian marriages in India. As of May 1997, mental or
physical cruelty is enough reason for a Christian woman in India
to obtain a divorce. Article from Indian Express, May 1997.
- Summary
of Hindu Marriage Act of 1955.
- Indian
law bans abortions of female fetuses. AP, 10 Jan 1996.
- Divorce
in India, a discussion from Emory U.'s postcolonial site.
A useful book may be: Bhuiyan, Rabia Legal Rights of Hindu
Women in Marriage and Divorce, 1986. Can be ordered from
Women for Women, 1/2 Sukrabad, Dhaka 1207, BANGLADESH.
- A
study of divorce in rural Bangladesh from the UN Population
Program Journal. (no info about divorce laws)
-
When women seek divorce Summary of divorce laws in Bangladesh
and case study of a divorce attempt by a Dhaka woman. Daily Star News,
30 Sep 98.
-
A UK case involving divorce laws in Bangladesh.
Laws and Constitutions in S. Asia
- Maternity
leave benefits around the world, from the International Labour
Organization, 1998.
- Legal info for these countries:
Bangladesh,
Bhutan,
India,
Maldives,
Nepal,
Pakistan,
Sri Lanka.
From LawResearch.com. Also has info for the US and other countries.
-
An Islamic Critique of the Rape Laws of Pakistan by Asifa
Quraishi. At the Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights web site.
-
Abortion Law in India. AT Women of the World, a site discussing
reproductive policies.
- Sexual harassment
laws in India. The current status of 'eve-teasing' laws, recent
judgements, and strategies. At altindia.com's Gender section.
- Laws
relating to rape in India. At Women of the World, a site discussing
reproductive policies.
- The
Dowry Prohibition Act, 1991 at kaanoonindia.com
- Family and
Marriage laws in India, including the Hindu Marriage Act of 1955,
the Indian Christian Marriage Act of 1872, the Foreign Marriage Act of
1969. At kaanoonindia.com
-
Patients' rights in India. At Women of the World, a site discussing
reproductive policies.
-
Domestic violence, child marriage, female infanticide. At Women
of the World, a site discussing reproductive policies.
-
Excerpts
from India's constitution
- Indian Legal
web
pages
- Law
Information
Center, an organization of Indian legal professionals.
- Divo
rce
in the Zoroastrian (Parsi) community of India, by Jenny Rose in
the Encyclopedia Iranica.
- Center
for Feminist Legal Research, in New Delhi, explores how law and
culture contribute to women's subordination. They have an
internship program.
- Parental
abduction laws of Pakistan, At the US State Department.
Immigration law
- A
Tale of two Countries. John Burbidge discusses immigration issues
faced by same-sex partners from the US and India. Trikone Magazine,
Oct 99.
- Pakistani women have the right to refugee status in
Britain, the UK House of Lords ruled on 28 Mar 99.
Full
text of the judgement.
- Legal rights
for immigrant battered women from the US Department of
Justice. Also see Battered Immigrant
Spouse Provisions.
- Recent California bills affecting
victims of domestic violence
- 1996 bills affecting domestic
violence victims in California
- Immigration
101
-- a primer for immigrating to the US, at Sheela Murthy's law pages.
- Immigration
law
updates for U.S. immigrants, At Sheela Murthy's law pages.
- Immigration law
FAQs from Sheela Murthy's law pages.
Adoption from S. Asia
- At the US State Department, information about
adoption of children from the following South Asian countries:
- India
- Sri
Lanka
- State
Department international adoption page
- Introduct
ory
package on international adoption at the National Adoption
Clearinghouse.
- ICHILD India
Adoption Information, Support and Resources, a collection
by Beth Krueger.
- Indians Adopting
Indian Children, a website with support, information and
resources.
- See also Frail ties unite
us. Anders Sj\366bohm writes a moving essay about being the father
of an adopted Sri Lankan boy.
Other Information
- Workforce
Diversity at US Dept. of Interior has diversity-related
US Federal laws and regulations, procedures, and links.
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