1. Child Domestic Violence Widespread in CAMBODIA<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

A mother who nailed the foot of her 13-year-old daughter to the floor for disobedience in Cambodia could face criminal charges. The 35-year-old mother reportedly drove a five-centimeter nail through her daughter’s foot when she returned home from a party. She had asked the girl to stay at home and perform household chores. A culture of violence still dominates Cambodian society and is seen as a requirement for disciplining children.

Local rights groups, however, say that the punishment was particularly brutal, with the injury inflicted as the girl slept. The young girl was reportedly forced to draw water from a far of well in spite of her injury. Rights groups have asked for the woman to be imprisoned. She has four daughters depending on her. The Cambodian is shortly due to debate a bill on domestic violence. (BBC NEWS)

2. JAPAN: Child Abuse Law to be revised

An advisory panel created by the health ministry is to revise a law on Child Abuse. The law that came into force in November 2000 was enacted amid escalating child abuse within families in Japan. However, the law which centered on early detection of child abuse has not been successful the involvement of child consultative office, limited parental rights, and home visits. The continuing number of children dieing due to child abuse in the family have invoked cries from human rights groups. Analysts say that there is a need to increase the powers of the child consultative offices and mandatory on-site inspections. (Japan Today)

3. MALAYSIA: 3 Filipino Children Die During Deportation

Three Filipino children were reported to have died due to dehydration and overcrowded conditions in the ongoing deportation exercise of undocumented persons carried out by Malaysian authorities. This comes in light of the rape of a 13-year-old girl by a Malaysian police authority during deportation. Human Rights groups and even the President of the Philippines have expressed their outrage at the inhuman conditions in which undocumented persons are being treated and deported from Malaysia. There have been reports that undocumented persons in Malaysia are being held in jails for 3 years and whipped up to 3 strokes. These are gross violations of human rights and cannot be ignored by the Malaysian Government.(SUARAM)

4. BURMA: Two Burmese Girls Sexually Harassed by Border Police

16-year-old Ma Thi Thi and 15-year-old Ma Than Da (both names are changed for security reasons), were arrested and sexually abused by Burmese border security forces. The girls were allegedly arrested for interrogation when they did not produce relevant travel documents. After being released, Ma Thi Thi reported, “We were both subjected to sexual harassment more than ten times, first with our hands tied, later with the rope loosened". Local travellers have said that, though many women are sexually abused by the border security personnel, few report it because of fear and shame. (Mizimma)