[A]lthough there has been important progress, women still do not have a strong enough voice in decision-making. Women make up just a fraction of all chief executives of the world's biggest companies. Fewer than one in ten presidents or prime ministers are women. And less than one in five parliamentarians are women. This world statistic is reflected here in the Republic of Korea. The lack of women's representation—of women's empowerment—affects individual women's rights—and it holds back whole countries. One recent UN study showed that limits on women's economic participation cost the Asia-Pacific region nearly $90 billion each year in lost productivity.

Women's rights remain a controversial issue around the world. In July the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women Rashida Manjoo [official profile] urged the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan to end violence against women [JURIST report] and investigate the recent killings of two women. Earlier in July the Guttmacher Institute [official website] reproductive rights [JURIST report]. Earlier that week Amnesty International [advocacy website] released a report indicating that Mexico is failing to protect women's rights [JURIST report]. Earlier in July Women Under Siege [advocacy website] reported finding 81 instances of sexual assault and rape [JURIST report] by military forces in Syria since anti-government demonstrations began in March 2011. In June Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] reported [JURIST report] that Syrian forces are sexually abusing men, women and children who have been detained during the ongoing conflict.