Recently in International Category

In 2006, the Canadian federal government made a pledge to allocate $18 million over four years to International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) - which, on a completely irrelevant tangent, is the Canadian agency I've always wanted to work for. CIDA does a significant amount of international aid work, so it's not entirely illogical for them to be the filter through which this money is distributed. Further, the UNFPA - a branch of the UN - unequivocally states that reproductive health choices are a fundamental human right. This funding allows people access to reproductive health services where there is a severe drought.

On September 28, 2009, rapes and killings of hundreds of anti-dictator protestors in broad daylight in Conakry brought the world’s attention to the small West African nation of Guinea. Observers there noted that the use of gang rapes as a strategy to quell political uprising was new and unusual in this predominantly Muslim nation – but so was the way news of the rapes traveled: via images transmitted through mobile phones.

Protestors Terrorized in Broad Daylight

On September 28, 2009, self-proclaimed president Captain Moussa Dadis Camara’s troops raped and murdered at least 157 political demonstrators in Conakry, Guinea. Thousands of people had gathered in a public sports stadium to speak out against Camara’s decision to stand again in upcoming presidential elections. One observer interviewed by AWID - a longtime agitator for social change in Guinea who wished to remain anonymous - viewed the mass participation in the protests as “a sign of maturity of the people of Guinea, who have suffered for 24 years from a military regime and who protest against another military regime with the same structure and the same people.”

According to a research conducted by Human Rights Watch, “the vast majority of the victims were from the Peuhl ethnic group, which is almost exclusively Muslim, while most of the commanders at the stadium – and indeed key members of the ruling [party], including Camara, the coup leader – belong to ethnic groups from the southeastern forest region, which are largely Christian or animist.” Some survivors of the violence noted that troops used racial slurs while carrying out the rapes and killings.

Camara and his aides denied knowledge of or involvement in the rapes and killings – a claim that human rights advocates have been working diligently to refute. “There is no way the government can continue to imply the deaths were somehow accidental,” said Georgette Gagnon, Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “This was clearly a premeditated attempt to silence opposition voices.” She continued, “security forces surrounded and blockaded the stadium, then stormed in and fired at protesters in cold blood until they ran out of bullets,” added Gagnon. “They carried out grisly gang rapes and murders of women in full sight of the commanders. That’s no accident.”

The World Economic Forum released it's Global Gender Gap Index yesterday, and if you live in the United States, the news is grim.

The US is ranked 31, just behind Cuba and Lithuania. Ugh - very unimpressive. You can see the whole list of rankings here. Iceland took home the gold with a #1 ranking.

According to the World Economic Form's website, "The report's Index assesses countries on how well they are dividing their resources and opportunities among their male and female populations, regardless of the overall levels of these resources and opportunities. " They also explain the United States 3-drop in ranking as "owing to minor drops in the participation of women in the economy and improvements in the scores of previously lower-ranking countries."

Ok - being ranked 28 wouldn't really impress me either.

They measure the gender inequality gap in the following categories:

• Economic participation and opportunity - outcomes on salaries, participation levels and access to high-skilled employment
• Educational attainment - outcomes on access to basic and higher level education
• Political empowerment - outcomes on representation in decision-making structures
• Health and survival - outcomes on life expectancy and sex ratio

What are your thoughts on this? Think anyone will care? (Side note - did it make NBC Nightly News). What can we do to decrease these gaps? In which categories do you think our scores were the worst?

Cross-posted on Quarter Life Feminist.

I have no idea who they are but I am exceptionally intrigued by this group of people and especially their view on women.

From their interviews they do not sound oppressive but their actions are....radical to say the least.

Lavish spending, child brides, gigantic breast implants, children dressed like...well who knows what we'd define that as!?

I want to learn so much about this culture but information seems so limited and outdated.

Please check out the links below (the first is an example of a Irish Traveler wedding and the second is a commentary on what is seeming to be an American(?) Irish Traveller)

http://www.thedailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1081355/The-100-000-white-wedding-16-year-old-girl-lives-caravan.html

http://www.travellersrest.org/Controversy990603.htm

I live in a place where the people struggle to find their own identity between what the past and present dominant cultures tell them they should be. I live in a place where people are commodities, and it has been that way for centuries. Here, there is a new-age slavery "bend over, touch your toes, show your teeth, lift her titties, exam his balls- damn near sounds like a (dance hall) song, but it's slavery at it's peak".

I live in a place where women are the hardest working and least respected. Where sexual harassment is so ingrained in the culture that most people don't even understand the reason for or the consequences of their words and actions. I live in a place where sexuality, for girls, often is not discovered but rather forced on them.

I live in a place that is not safe for women.

I live in a beautiful place, palm trees and sea. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful people- bodies, mind and soul. Vibrancy and pulse trying to break through the sound of the pre-recorded "caribbean" music playing for tourists coming off ships and planes to discover this exotic land where they have "no problems". I live in a place that those tourists will not see, because they don't hear my girls singing so loud and on a key all their own, because they don't see the tears streaming from Aunt P's eyes as she laughs at every situation because "so it go".

I live in place where the people are commodities, take a picture of them, talk to them like they are a fascinating part of this "exotic" culture, try to convert them to your religion, let them play with your "good" hair, but don't listen to their journey and absolutely don't try to see yourself in them because that would be too real. Then you might have to feel something, do something...

I live in this place. Where do you live?

Faced with enormous debt, poverty, political instability and ongoing violence, Haiti is struggling on multiple fronts.  Women, though, are continuing the legacy of resistance and reform that has characterized the country since its founding more than 100 years ago.

Although the economic crisis is all over the news these days, rarely do we find articles or broadcasts that connect personal narratives to systemic explanations.  Films, due to their length, format and audiovisual content, allow for deeper explorations of how people are impacted by longstanding policies and systemic inequities and also what they do in response. 

Such is the case of the recently released Poto Mitan , which connects the unique current-day socioeconomic challenges and resistance of Haitian women with Haiti’s long history of repression, rebellion and revolt.

In Haiti, women are known in Haitian Creole as poto mitan , or central “pillars” of the economy and of family and social life. Many are single heads of households, and others are often responsible for bringing in income when their male partners become unemployed, are recruited to fight or must migrate for work. 

Although the push for political democracy has long been a part of Haiti’s history, economy justice has not often accompanied it.  Haitian women have long paid for the country’s debts, which they didn’t accrue, with their own time, labor and personal sacrifices.   Today, they are not only supporting themselves and their families but building infrastructure and a culture of economic participation that has long evaded many of Haiti’s people.

This may or may not have already been addressed at some point earlier, but I felt an urgent need to bring the issue up now. I apologize if it is redundant.

We as feminists know and understand the importance of water and access thereto in all of its different forms:   as a commodity, essential for survival, as a basic human right, etc. We also know that when looking at water through a gender lens, it becomes particularly important.  I am not going to make this post about women and water rights, but I think a little context is important. As we know, women are [most often] burdened with the responsibility of finding water, retrieving water, carrying water, utilizing water, etc.   More importantly, the water that women are required to find needs to be able to be consumed by humans, animals, etc.   Water in many parts of the world is a scare commodity, and this may be due to environmental and climate factors, or human created circumstances (think Coca Cola in India or Burma). It is a luxury to be able to turn on a tap and have water at your immediate disposal. Even more of a luxury is water that you are able to drink straight from the tap, without fear of parasites, typhoid, etc.   In tune with the importance of water, has come the privatization of access to water in many forms, including bottled water. Poland Springs, Evian and others  have sparked outrage, legal battles and political debate over buying access to community water supplies, and then turning around and selling the same water at a profit; often leaving devastating environmental factors behind. Here in Maine where I live, this issue is of particular importance, as Poland Springs stretches its tentacles deeper and deeper into our communities.  

  In thinking about this issue the other day, I came across in article in the most recent issue of Mother Jones. It is a phenomenal article about FIJI water, and the American owned company behind the label that has become ubiquitous with the elite. (I won’t even get into the ideas of elitism, sense of entitlement (white and otherwise), etc.   that this article touches base on). A company that has essentially stolen an entire country’s water supply (They have a 99 year lease on the country’s only aquifer), shipped it halfway around the world, and then calls this blatant hypocrisy good for the environment and for the people that they originally stole the water from. Not to mention that this is country in the midst of another coup, under severe military rule, and without any sort of government agency able to look out for the best interest of its citizens.   I won’t detract from the article, but I will say one last thing. The article captures, what in my mind, has become a completely out of control acceptance of “Green-ism.” Or in other words, just another scheme by the consumer market place to get people to spend more money, only this time on things that they have been falsely lead to believe are good for the environment, human rights and all the other warm and fuzz y issues people find it “trendy or cool” to support, without really finding out the facts for themselves. This is not to detract from the wonderful work that happens within grassroots movements, green or otherwise, or any other organization, movement, etc that is doing its best to promote change, sustainability and equality.

Here is a link to the article.

I am sorry if this post is incoherent and one big, long ramble; it’s my first one.

In support of Caster Semenya.

Call upon the international community to support human rights in Iran [remember this includes women's rights] and reject the policies of military aggression and economic starvation. Say no to torture, killings, and rape. Say yes to freedom of speech and assembly. End the show trials. Free all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and hold the real criminals accountable. Remember Neda and Sohrab, and all the victims of state violence. Oppose war and economic sanctions.

http://voices4iran.org/

SCHEDULE:

Tue. 22 September 6:30pm – “Iran Alive”
47th St. & 2nd Ave.

Art installation and performance dedicated to the people of Iran. A short film projected on a 300-person human screen with audio featuring recorded messages from Iranians inside Iran.

Wed. 23 September

12:30pm – Rally outside the Iran mission to the United Nations
40th St. & 3rd Ave.

The Iran mission serves as Ahmadinejad’s NYC headquarters when he visits the United Nations. Ahmadinejad will be meeting with allies throughout the week, so this is a chance to make our strong presence felt.

3:00pm – Procession to the United Nations Plaza
Walk north on 3rd Ave. to 47th St., and east into the main rally area.

4:00pm – Rally outside the United Nations Building
Enter from 2nd Ave. & 47th St.

Ahmadinejad is to speak before the UN General Assembly around 5:00pm; our rally will last the duration of his speech.

Thu. 24 September 10:30am – March with the Green Scroll across the Brooklyn Bridge
Gather at Cadman Plaza Park in Brooklyn.

For a downloadable flier for this event, click here (pdf)

Thu. 24 September – Music for Iran, social event fundraiser

Location and time TBA

I want the women of Afghanistan to be liberated. Do I have to support the war?
 
Short answer: No. In fact, supporting the war only works against their liberation.
 
If you can’t stand the idea of The Handmaid’s Tale come to life; set in a dusty, third world country and despise the thought of women being kept out of schools and in large respects the outright chattel property of their fathers or husbands, then in fact you must work as hard as you can to end the continuing U.S. occupation and war against Afghanistan (as well as Iraq, Pakistan, and the potential war against Iran that still lies “on the table”). The reality is that The Handmaid’s Tale continues… While the Taliban were and are harshly oppressive – they are cut from the same fundamentalist cloth as the Northern Alliance which the U.S. brought to power, and the current regime has meant even more acute suffering for most women living in Afghanistan.
 
Pro-war imperialists, including everyone from Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama to the truly laughable fascist types on FOX News have argued that the war in Afghanistan is necessary to bring the girls of Afghanistan a chance to be free. This is not about Clinton valiantly struggling to put women’s rights on the agenda and sometimes succeeding against all odds. This is not about Obama’s administration “fixing ” mistakes made by the bumbling Bush/Cheney regime. This is about a war for empire, pure and simple. The rhetoric about the oppression of women provides a convenient excuse for the continued occupation but does not justify the war- not from the initiation nor the present day bombs still raining on wedding parties.
 
It’s more than the scandals that reveal that the mercenaries protecting the US embassy in Kabul have been buying and pimping women sex slaves in Afghanistan (which is, today, a major crossroads for international “sex trafficking” [read: slave trade]).  It’s more than the recent law passed in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (the full name of the country post- U.S. ‘liberation’) that explicitly legalizes marital rape as well as forcing women to dress and make themselves up (while in the home, of course) according to their husband’s demands, outlawing the ability to leave the home without a husband or a good reason to do so, and automatically granting custody of children to the male relatives (fathers or grandfathers). It’s not just the fact that the government has been cobbled together from the same warlords and fundamentalists that ruled the country before, in a fragile and fraught coalition under the corrupt Karzai regime .

Sheryl Wudunn & Nicholas Kristof's "Women's Crusade" article in today's New York Times magazine contains searing and moving exposure of the horrific conditions of women around the globe and this is most necessary. The problem, however, is that not only does their "Women's Crusade" promote NGOs, micro-lending, and other so-called solutions which only strengthen imperialist domination and the chains on women, but Wudunn & Kristof shockingly blot out 27 years of breathtaking history.

It was in revolutionary China led by Mao, from 1949-1976, when "Women Hold Up Half the Sky" was the slogan which set the terms for one-quarter of the planet. Before the 1976 coup in China which restored capitalism, brought back prostitution, female infanticide, and turned China into the sweatshop of the world, women in revolutionary China unbound their feet and, together with men, made unprecedented strides towards real women's liberation.

Check out Sunsara Taylor's response to the Wudunn & Kristof article.

And read A Declaration: For the Liberation of Women & the Emancipation of All Humanity.

The vote count has begun after today’s presidential elections in Afghanistan, a process that could very well take weeks .  But this election will not instantly transform Afghanistan into a democratic society—not when women’s rights have been cynically bargained away by both Afghan and US policymakers.  Here at MADRE, our Policy and Communications Director Yifat Susskind this week put out an op-ed, in which she wrote:

Read the rest here.

As Ann mentioned in her blog entry yesterday , MADRE has created the Afghan Women’s Survival Fund, to support women whose lives are threatened because they stand up for their human rights.  Click here to find out more about how you can join us .

Today's "Domestic Disturbances" by Judith Warner in the Op-Ed section of the NYTimes on the trivialization of Secretary of State Clinton's latest trip abroad is worth reading. Although Judith Warner lists a lot of world-wide problems facing women that we all know all too well, she does so in the context of real hope for progress. Secretary Clinton has been on the side of women her whole career and is now an international official presence. The promise of what she can accomplish in her tenure as Secretary of State makes the stakes of her visits quite high.

Found via today's 3Yen [dot] com

"The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief is a 2006 documentary film by Jake Clennell, describing a host club in Osaka. The male hosts and their female customers are interviewed, and through the interviews we learn about the nature of hosts clubs and why the customers are coming there."

Issei, the number one host in Minami ward claims "I've done whatever girls ask of me. Sure I had sex. I was having non-stop sex. I had sex with 365 girls a year."

Say the hosts who have to hustle for customers on the streets (this solicitation needs to be seen or experienced to be believed, particularly in certain regions of Osaka - there are public complaints) "When we look at girls, we can tell which girls have money. They carry brand name stuff. We can tell which girls are party animals. We talk to girls on the street and do 'nampa' (pick up girls). If they like us, we ask them to come to the club for a drink."

Says one woman walking holding hands with another, rebuffing a host's advances in her Osaka accent,  "As long as you have a penis, we don't like you."

LOL.

Back to Issei, a self proclaimed and acknowledged master by his peers, "If she wants a humble, cool guy, I will be like that. If she wants a funny guy, I can be like that, too. That's how I make girls fall for me. Once she is in love, she is hooked. Some people are clumsy at it. I find it easy. That's why I have a lot of customers."

Cut to female customers declaring their love for Issei. Says one: "My life without Issei is unimaginable right now . . . When I met Issei, I already had a fiance. I had promised to marry him. But I fell in love with Issei. So I broke up with my boyfriend." Others: "I want to tell him 'Look at me! Love me!" Another: "I want him to be only mine, right?"

What should be obvious to viewers and prospective customers, is as with hostesses, the charm of the host is an act, for the purpose of finding and keeping paying customers. Issei admits, "When people ask me what a host does, I say it's a business of selling dreams to people. In other words, we have fake love relationships."

That is the host's view. His female customers appear to feel the real thing: "The girls fall in love."

Issei: "The world of the host club, to make it sound cool, we can call it Neverland. Peter Pan . . . He took people to a world that doesn't exist. We take the girls to a dream world. That's the best way to describe it. Girls spend their money to buy a product, 'Dream.'"

He is then immediately shown bullshitting a customer who asks, "So do you fall in love with your clients?" Issei: "I guess I do. It would be weird if I didn't. There's nowhere else for me to meet girls other than this club. This is the only place I meet girls. This is the only place I can fall in love, right? All my ex-girlfriends were customers. There's no other way." Customer: "How does a relationship develop?" Issei: "I don't know. Just a feeling. But you have to be a long term customer . . . So you're in a good spot."

Issei narrating: "We have to keep them dreaming so when we have to lie, we lie."

Kaching. So ends part one of eight.

So many issues. One: these hosts are shown selecting those they want as customers ("party girls" with emphasis on girls), then aggressively soliciting them on the street, resulting in a different sort of customer (traditionally attractive) than men with enough money to seek out female hostesses in clubs. The hosts must put on the same act as hostesses (have fake love relationships/sell a dream/lie) to keep in business, but for popular hosts, it certainly appears less creepy, and less like exploitation of the host. Issei doesn't sound bothered having sex with "365 girls a year" who ask him, either.

In South Africa (where i live) it will be National Women's Days on the 9th of August. This is a very important celebration as it remembers the African women who marched in protest of the pass book, which prohibited people of colour from freedom of movement. It was a peaceful protest where they handed over a document, signed by over 100,000 people to the prime minister.

They sang outside of the offices "Wathint'Abafazi Wathint'imbokodo!" which means "Now you have touched a woman, you have struck a rock".

Women of all races have suffered various forms of unfair treatment. Up until the very end of the apartheid regime in the 1990's, a white women (by far the group with the most freedom) could not do something as simple as open a bank account without the permission of her husband. It has been a long struggle for women in South Africa and even today they continue to suffer greatly.

When I saw a local club I like to hang out at had invited me to attend a celebration of Women's Day I decided to check out the details. I got so angry to see that how they planned to celebrate included hugely cheap drinks (to encourage binge drinking) and a wet t-shirt competition! Essentially just a marketing strategy that flies in the face of everything Women's Day should be about.

OK, first I am going to say that I am angry. I am really furious. Lately I've been reading this awesome book by Naomi Wolf called Promiscuities about growing up in the 60's and how confusing and hurtful (as well as amazing) becoming a woman in modern society can be.

And then I hear about this: a program being run in Sydney by Christian evangelist group Hillsong, called SHINE, which brainwashes young women to adhere to 'traditional' Christian values. This program targets girls as young as 10 (going up to 20) and is PAID by schools for its services.

Here is some more information about the program, which is sure to make you as mad as me!

In response to the New York Times' recent article on Japan's "hostessing boom":

The New York Times recently ran a piece on how the economic downturn is causing more and more Japanese women to seek jobs as hostesses. For those who aren't aware, hostesses work in bars that cater to male clients and are essentially paid to flirt with and lavish attention on the customers. They can make anywhere from $20 to $150 an hour, depending on where they're working and how popular they are. Sex usually isn't part of the package, though at the seedier clubs women may be pressured into having sex with long-time clients, and some hostesses choose to sleep with clients for extra cash. (Note: I'm referring predominantly in this post to Japanese hostesses--the world of American, European, and Southeast Asian hostesses working in Japan has a whole other set of issues attached to it).

I've always had mixed feelings about hostessing. Even as I wrote this post, I struggled with how I really felt about the idea of men paying women for companionship, and I found myself changing sides again and again. In the end, I think it's not the idea of paying for companionship (or even paying for sex) that I find distasteful--it's the sexist and materialist culture that surrounds hostessing as an industry. This sort of culture is of course not unique to Japan--it thrives in the U.S., where women are routinely celebrated more for their hotness than for their intellect. Hostessing in Japan just seems to be a very visible example of the negative impact of outdated, stereotypical ideas about gender and money.

On the one hand, if a girl decides on her own that she wants to get paid to flirt (and deal with a lot of sleazy men, and inhale gallons of cigarrette smoke, and constantly feel exhausted from partying every night), I think that's her business. And if a guy wants to pay a girl for affection, that's his business (there are male hosts and female clients as well, though they make up a very small percentage of the industry). Provided everything happens between consenting adults, I'd like to think that hostessing doesn't really do much harm. But then I read lines like this one from the NY Times article, and I feel kind of ill:

Young women are drawn nonetheless to Cinderella stories like that of Eri Momoka, a single mother who became a hostess and worked her way out of penury to start a TV career and her own line of clothing and accessories.

"I often get fan mail from young girls in elementary school who say they want to be like me," said Ms. Momoka, 27, interviewed in her trademark seven-inch heels. "To a little girl, a hostess is like a modern-day princess."

The other day I went to a talk about refugees. I thought I would share what I learned. This is a topic I didn't know much about until the other day and I'm betting a lot of other people don't know much either. This talk came in the middle of two changes Canada made in order to discourage refugees from coming here.

Refugees are people who have had to move to another country because their country has war or they are being persecuted in some way. In Canada, many people from Mexico attempt to be refugees. Refugees who make their way here on their own and then hope they will be allowed to stay here are called claimant refugees. They arrive in a city with the right office and make a claim that they should be allowed to stay in Canada as a refugee. It can take a year or more to find out if they can stay in Canada. They cannot apply to be considered refugees at the border or they will be automatically turned away and sent back to Mexico. Recently, Canada has changed the laws so that visitors from Mexico and the Czech Republic require a visa. This is supposedly because a lot of claimant refugees from Mexico are not actually being persecuted but are coming for economic reasons. Also, they say there are too many cases and they cannot handle them all. Refugees who know they will be allowed to stay here are convention refugees.

The main myth about refugees is they come here to get things for free. The government of Canada actually gives refugees a loan. They are even expected to pay back their plane tickets that brought them here if they came by plane. They cannot work until they have a work permit which can take 5-8 months. However, I am not sure if we get money from claimant refugees who are denied and have to go home. According to one article, they cost us billions per year because of their living expenses and paying the people who decide whether they can stay.

It can take a year or more for claimant refugees to find out whether they can stay in the country. This decision is made by one person in a trial-like hearing. There is no appeal process. If you cannot stay in Canada, you are sent back home. Some refugees get a "friendlier" interview type hearing, particularly if their case is taking longer. Who stays in Canada is based in large part on politics. It is unlikely for Columbians to be denied and unlikely for Mexicans to be accepted.

We were told the story of a Mexican who looked out his window at the wrong time and saw two people dealing drugs. Because he saw them, he was a target. His brother was mistaken for him and murdered. I believe he is currently in Canada hoping to stay here but the odds are against him.

A couple days ago Canada changed the laws so that if a person from Afghanistan, Haiti, Iraq, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Zimbabwe landed in America first, they cannot apply to be a refugee in Canada. They cannot cross the land border from U.S to Canada and apply for refugee status.

I recently watched Lost Boys of Sudan . It is a documentary that follows young Sudanese men as they adjust to life in America as refugees. I recommend it. It shows life is not easy for them but it's certainly not entirely terrible. It does touch on the issues of education for refugees that America needs to work on.

These are just some bare basics about refugees who come to Canada. I have found it is hard to get all the facts from newspaper articles. Some articles seem to assume people have background knowledge. Many articles on google news are opinions pieces but people might not realize this.

I still know so little. I advise everyone not to assume newspapers have all the information about refugees. Even if an article is supposed to be objective, the author can choose which facts to report. Refugees are a complicated issue. I'm sure not everyone who comes here hoping to be a refugee is about to be persecuted. That is what we must figure out as fairly as possible. How to be fair and not deport people who will be killed or tortured is not an easy question. I do wonder how much our government cares about being fair and how much we just want to discourage as many refugees as possible from coming here. There are many negative opinions about refugees, as shown by comments to online articles so I want to encourage people to get as many facts as possible about refugees and encourage others to do the same.

Ivory Coast

Via BBC’s excellent slideshow highlighting “Natural African Beauty,” one beauty pageant in Côte d’Ivoire strikes back against the dangerous processing of skin bleaching and its underlying doctrine:  that only Caucasian is beautiful.

A song was commissioned for the competition: “African women, don’t lighten your skin.  It’s a gift from God.”

South Korea

Chosun Ilbo, South Korea’s second most widely read newspaper, covered the story of the first trans contestant in S.K.’s Top Model equivalent.  Not only did Chosun used female pronouns in the story, but the network airing the show, Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) said this:

"If we disqualify a person who is recognized by the state as woman on the grounds that she is a transgender individual, we would view that as a violation of human rights."

China

On June 16 in China, a waitress was freed from jail after killing a Communist Party official who “demanded sex” and battered her.  Found guilty of excessive force but not manslaughter, the court found she acted in self-defense and released her.  China fired two of the man’s coworkers, and its state-sponsored news agency openly admitted it was a “sexual assault.”

This may not seem like good news. China has a poor history of prosecuting and reporting rape- six bloggers in Fujian province were jailed in 2008 for defamation after reporting a death from rape.  But the 25% of China’s population that has internet access- lawyers, women’s groups, academics, and citizens- flooded blogs and state-sponsored forums in her defense, influencing the court’s decision.  This was a victory not only in precedent, but in public opinion.

July 25th is the global day of action for Iran, there are events in over 60 cities around the world to stand in solidarity with the Iranian people. You can participate and show your support. Here is a link with more info: http://united4iran.com/

also, there is a 3-day hunger strike in front of the UN on July 22, 23, and 24. Several Iranian scholars including my own favorite Professor Nayereh Tohidi , chair of the women's studies department at Calstate Northridge will be participating. Drop by and show support if you can. Many prominent non-Iranians also expressed support. Here is a link on their blog, which includes a message of support by Sean Penn: http://strike4iran.com/?p=271

Here is an update on some things specifically being done by women organizing in nonviolent ways in iran.

As more people were arrested, injured, or killed in the past weeks, large protests are being replaced with other forms of resistance. Still every day there are protests across Tehran and in some other cities, but they are smaller and more scattered. Women and men shout every single night on the rooftops of Tehran. People are talking about strikes, boycotts, writing on walls with green paint, and holding remembrance gatherings for those who were killed. Families are sitting outside Evin prison asking for their loved ones to be released.

Apart from their visible presence in protests and having their names among the arrestees , one of the things that specifically is being done by women is the gathering of Mourning mothers which according to their statement will happen every Saturday in a few parks in Tehran. Last week they gathered in Laleh park where police were already stationed and ready to beat, curse, and arrest them. Twenty were arrested then but were released withing a week. They released a statement insisting that they will continue to do this every week. This Saturday they gathered in four different parks, although security forces were again already deployed and waiting for them. They would not allow more than 2 women to sit on the same bench or stand next to each other (it is funny how these forces are so fearful of a group of silent middle aged women). One young woman Zeynab (who is a part of the women's movement) was arrested and released the next day. Mothers will continue to gather every saturday until their demands are met: release of

Another act of resistance which pertains to women more is boycotting products that are being advertised on state television and radio (the only TV channels legally available in Iran). In their statement they say:

The burden of boycotting this monopolistic and anti-national media network lies on the shoulders of women more than everyone else, since they make up the majority of viewers and listeners and have the principal role in choosing which domestic products to purchase.

My family thinks homosexuals are strange, and refuse to believe that one of their own could possibly be gay. My friend is coming out to her mother this summer, and she's worried that her mother will not buy it - she just won't internalize it, she says. Every story you hear about women and men being successful and strong gays in India, who make their families accept their sexuality and their partners is just that - one story about one person from a country of more than a billion people. The stories of repression and violence are untold, primarily because of that same repression, and the belief that the family and the community are larger than the individual.

People underestimate how very conservative liberal Indians can be when it comes to someone in their own backyard going against the norm. Beyond the stigma of being gay and therefore a criminal in the eyes of the law, homosexuals have to deal with being less than a person in the eyes of a society that is increasingly becoming less inclusive of the "other", be it religion, behavior, gender or sexuality. Lines have been drawn in the sand.

When Anbumani Ramadoss (the previous Health Minister) suggested decriminalizing homosexuality, not only did the Home Ministry tell him to not speak out of turn, the entire establishment told him to keep his trap shut. I have a lot of issues with Mr Ramadoss, but I respected him for speaking out. However, his motives had less to do with justice and fundamental rights and more to do with taking away some of the stigma surrounding AIDS.

The Delhi High Court's decision, however, talks about how Section 377 "criminalizes his or her core identity". The judgement also says criminalizing homosexuality based on moral grounds goes counter to equality. One assumes that this same argument would hold for gay marriage and adoption rights, but Indians still need to wait to hear from the legal system on those issues.

However, the High Court's decisions do not necessarily translate into Government action on this. The loud voices of the Hindu, Muslim and Christian leaders who shout that homosexuality is immoral and unnatural will carry some weight with the Congress-led government, especially since it needs the Christian and Muslim vote to remain in power, along with a lot of the Hindu vote.

I am hopeful, but not convinced, that this Government, safe for a while before the campaigning starts again, will strike down those parts of Section 377 that criminalize homosexuality. I think there's a long battle still ahead. And I can not wait to participate in it.

I feel guilt in not having participated in the struggle so far. I did not primarily because I was ignorant. I would like to think that is no longer true.

We are all creating an opinion on Zelaya's ousting, but did anyone think to ask the poor of Honduras? I'm not asking to hear the opinions of the elite, and not even the middle class, if such a class exists. What I'M interested in is the voices of the 60% (probably more) of people that are living in poverty. I can't help but to criticize not only the mass coverage of the anti-democratic ousting of the technical president, but also all the blogs that shame Zelaya. There is a decent article on Alternet discussing Zelaya's ousting, and there are other articles that are against Zelaya that don't even use any statistics to back up their claims.

I respect everyone's opinion. But our opinions as outsiders don't matter. What really matters (or what SHOULD matter) are the opinions of those that are the majority in Honduras. How do the feel about his presidency so far? Do they think he should be reinstated?

I would love to hear from the people who are the ones that are truly affected economically and socially by Zelaya's policies. This may not be a direct feminist issue, but if we think a little deeper, everything is related to feminism. What are your opinions and have you found any news sources taking the poor into consideration?

I generally keep to a "no news" diet. Call me on my ignorance if it will make you feel better, but the truth is, my delicate spirit can't take it most days. It is not because I don't care about current events. It is because the news leaves me prone, depressed, and rage-filled. Helpless. I get nightmares. I don't care enough about politics to fight about it, I'm just interested in social justice. There's too much goddamn media around anyway (TV's at the gas pump and in the taxi cab? Really?!). Better for me to cultivate my small Zen garden here.

But the recent news in Iran is too troubling to leave without comment.

I do not want to debate whether President Obama's approach to Iran is advisable or reckless. I don't want to talk about who is to blame. I will leave all that rich material for the political bloggers who are better able for it. Instead, I will tell you about an event I attended that gives me hope that justice will prevail, eventually (and not just in Iran, but elsewhere in the world where people are oppressed).

PEN is an "association of writers working to advance literature, defend free expression, and foster international literary fellowship." Every year they host a World Voices Festival, and this year, I was fortunate to attend a session entitled Defiance: The Spirit of '89.

I just finished reading an article on afrol.com about Nigerian girls repatriation after being held as sex slaves in Morocco and Libya. You’d never have known, but there’s sex trafficking in Africa. Go figure.

The article says that the girls, like their Eastern European and Southeast Asian counterparts, were trafficked through Europe to their captive locations. Here they are, of course, at the mercy of their captors and are subject to HIV infection, pregnancy, and repeat arrests by unsympathetic law enforcement – not to mention the violation and abuse one imagines they encounter on a daily basis.

Why don’t feminist, anti-trafficking organizations seem to care? As someone who is concerned and tries to stay informed on issues like human trafficking, I have encountered much discussion on trafficking and sexual slavery in Europe, Asia, South America, Mexico, and even the United States. What about Africa? We have all heard of female circumcision in North and East Africa and the militarized rape of women in central Africa, but why has Africa been ignored in the extensive discussion on human trafficking?

This is not a rhetorical question. It is not one that I have an answer to – but we could theorize. With issues that affect only a particular people with a particular color, we must work with what we have. For example, brown women of various shades experience the affects of female circumcision. However, as the debate continues, the voices and lighter faces of middle-Eastern and North African women have taken center stage.

In contrast, as human trafficking affects people of all colors, it is those who are deemed most sympathetic who get the font page. That is, European women or women who most closely resemble European women – those with lighter skin, more delicate features, and straighter hair. Racist constructions of gender have deemed White women the only potentially virtuous or deserving women – the only ones that could be really be sexually victimized.  

Could this be the reason that I’d never read much about human trafficking in Africa? Are African women unable to garner the same sympathy and outrage that European, Asian, and Hispanic women can?

Iran is a beautiful country and I couldn't be more proud of my people. Writing this post is bringing tears to my eyes. For the past few days I saw video after video of my brothers and sisters slaughtered in the streets. More than anything I saw the courage of my friends insisting on peacefully demanding justice in the face of violence. And I learned to be brave for them.

Iranians went out to protest when they knew they might die. This is not a stupid frivolous act. This is a very concious decision. The young woman who writes in her blog that she will listen to all her favorite music today because she doesn't know whether she will be alive tomorrow, is not stupid. She is strong, she knows the risk she is taking and she is still wiling to do it, and she knows why she is doing it.

I saw photos of Neda dying on the street. I can't see the video. You all should. I don't need to. Neda was a 27 year old woman, a university student of philosophy. And she had come out to protest with one of her professors. She was shot by a government thug militia f***er on a motorcycle right in the heart. She died within minutes.

It breaks my heart.

It crushes me and turns me into a ball of darkness and despair.

Most US media reported (incorrectly) that Neda was "a 16-year old philosophy student who was standing next to her father".  The level of incompetence is unbelievable. Neda wasn't a 16 year old girl, she was a full grown woman who did not want to stay home and let a bunch of thugs roam the streets. She came out to peacefully insist on her presence in the streets that belong to her, to be present so they know she is there and she is not ok with what's happening.

The government made Neda's family bury her body only if they do it hastily, without telling people, and with the presence of security forces. They did not allow them to have a memorial service. They told ALL the mosques in Tehran that they are not allowed to let Neda's family hold a memorial service there.

Meanwhile the conservatives are using her death for their political gain, and the muslim world stays quiet and watches us get killed. For shame. For shame. For shame.

This is a column by "conservative" writer Kathleen Parker.

Beneath the surface of news blasts covering Iran's tainted elections, riots, protester deaths and government crackdowns, a subtext of women's rights is emerging. It is a subtext only to the extent that women's oppression isn't often acknowledged directly -- not even by the leader of the free world. But human rights are at the core of what is occurring now.

I use the quotes because she does an excellent job of cracking the mould regarding what a "conservative" or even "conservative woman" should think. For instance, she came out strongly against Palin and supported Obama, but consistently and INTELLIGENTLY criticizes his policies.  She is an excellent read if you ever wonder "HOW could an intelligent person align themselves with THAT party?"  I don't always agree with her, but I almost always enjoy reading her columns.

A few weeks ago, I was in Iran with a grassroots diplomacy delegation.  I had been working for several years as an advocate for peaceful relations in Iran, and I was encouraged by the fact that a majority of Americans support diplomacy. The problem, however, is that many Americans are also afraid of Iran--a recent poll showed that Americans asked which country is the biggest threat to the US picked Iran as their number one choice.

I knew the real Iran would defy the stereotypes, but nothing could compare to the actual experience. I received the warmest welcome possible, and met amazing people: our tour guide Sami, a 27-year-old woman who lives alone despite strong cultural opposition, who told me she loved the movie "Milk"; a group of young Iranians who biked across five countries to promote peace; an Iran-Iraq War veteran who writes books and makes films based on his experience to make sure others don't have to live through the same tragedy. It was a life-changing experience, and I returned energized to come back and continue my work to share another version of Iran with the American public and hopefully inspire people to pressure Congress for a new diplomatic relationship.

I watched the election results with great anticipation, and it has been harrowing to see the footage and photos coming from Iran, though also inspiring to see the courage and energy of the protesters. I have been emailing friends in Iran and have posted some of their on-the-ground reports here.

While I am of course concerned for the safety of protesters in Iran, I am also very concerned about how hawks in this country are latching on to this development as an excuse for harsh rhetoric and pushing their agenda of sanctions, isolation and even military action. Mitt Romney is already blaming the election results on Obama's "apology tour," and advocacy groups are calling for economic isolation. The worst thing the US can do is give the Iranian government an excuse to crack down on the opposition, or pass sanctions that are going to hurt the Iranian people. Sanctions bills in Congress already had more than 200 cosponsors before this happened, and I'm sure they're going to get even more popular.

I've been inspired to see the solidarity demonstrated for Iranians in other countries and around the internet. I would encourage people to also direct some energy toward pressuring our own Congress and not letting them make this an excuse to undermine President Obama's efforts at diplomacy. Any other reaction from the US is going to stifle dissent in Iran and won't make anyone in Iran or the US safer.

You can contact your representative and senators about this here. The video in this post shows highlights from messages of peace we gathered from Americans and Iranians to demonstrate that both countries want peaceful relations and our governments need to represent the will of the people. You can see all the unedited messages from both countries here , please pass them along.

I have posted here before and Jessica also recently posted on the main page about what's happening in Iran. Here is a short essay which I recently posted in open-democracy and I wanted to share with you as well:

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These past days have been a nightmare. I and my fellow Iranians have been watching the small amount of democracy present in Iran erased within a day. Everything we hear from Iran is heartbreaking but more than anything, I have been anxiously watching the international media. Although some reports are accurate, many huge mainstream media sources still frame the events in a way that really feels as if they are twisting the knife in our wounds.

What media does in this situation can make a difference in saving lives in Iran. If those in power in Iran realize that the western media has become sympathetic to them, they will be as brutal as they desire. I'm asking you to please use all your resources and connections to raise awareness about a few things and spread the word.

 - Some media are framing the protests as "people whose candidates didn't win are now angry". This is not true. People (including myself) are not angry because Mousavi didn't win. We are angry because we feel the election was stolen. We are in the streets to defend our right to decide a president (at least out of the 4 we could choose from). We are angry because something has happened that is changing our system fundamentally.

- The allegations of fraud are portrayed as only brought up by Mousavi or only the reformists. But the other conservative candidate, Mr. Rezaei, has in fact filed a complaint about this election as well, asserting that the vote counts don't make sense. So this is not a complaint among two candidates, or two sides. This is about committing electoral fraud.

- Some call the peaceful protests "riots." People are not rioting. Yesterday's protest which ended in killing of innocent people was a "silent" protest. People were walking in complete silence for the majority of the march. We are not hooligans. We are citizens who are very aware of what is happening and we will not stay quiet.

- Protesters are portrayed as pro-western and young. While most are young, and many might be interested in improving relations with the west, this is an inaccurate generalization. In pictures of large protests you can see older people, and you see many who seem more religious. It's really not about the west.

- If Iranian state media (currently completely in the hands of a certain political segment) post any news in this regard, most mainstream media regurgitate it exactly, amplifying their voice and making it resonate all around the world. Often it is propaganda that gets amplified which is carefully crafted with the aim of crushing the protests.

- Most Iranians have no doubt that the results are fraudulent. A president with 24 million votes, does not face such persistent protests with people, whole families even, coming out in the face of blind violence. If you cheat a whole nation people will not accept it.

- Maybe there is a subconscious attitude among western spectators that thinks Iranians can not take the results of a democratic election if it's not who they liked most. But we are not savages, in fact that is exactly why people are in the streets. If the right to vote was taken away in the US or Europe, everyone would be protesting. That's why Iranian people are coming out day after day after day.

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Despite all this people are resisting and twitterers are actually playing some role in helping the cause. For one thing, they bring attention to the regular people on the streets when mainstream media have been too lazy, too cowrdly, or too restricted. I was surprise to get many of the news about what was happening from Iranian twittereres (and their helpful friends around the world) first, and then confirmed from other sources (mostly emails). Although, I did have to sift through stuff and separate the real news from BS. But maybe on another occasion I will get to talk more about the role of twitter.

Throughout this whole thing, #CNNFAIL became a trending topic in twitter and it was (and IS) a very well-deserved trending topic. Although through my own encounter with CNN a few days ago I realized they could not give less of a crap!:) But again maybe on that later...

BEIRUT, Lebanon: The National reported here that Egypt’s ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) has passed legislation reserving 64 out of Parliament’s soon-to-be 510 seats.  It is interesting to note that there are currently 454 seats, of which 8 are held by women; it appears the number of seats will be raised so that the male politicians who currently hold 446 of them, most of them from the NDP, don’t actually have to compete head-to-head with these new women candidates.  These same old fogies can rest assured of keeping their seats, without worrying that some woman might actually contest their positions.

I have to say the fervor with which Iranians have been campaigning recently for their country's upcoming elections has been inspiring. Huffington Post states that this kind of passion has not been seen on the streets of Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

While current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is in a tight race against "reformist" Mir Hossein Mousavi, it is interesting to see how the two candidates vie for the vote which will ultimately decide the Iranian elections: the women's vote. And it makes sense, considering women compose almost half the electorate.
We have seen this time and time again, most recently in the US elections, women voters determining who will win the presidency. Time and time again we have also seen candidates court their female voters with endless lists of promises of changes that will be made when they come to power. Once they get in power of course it is almost always another story. Almost.

This year, women's issues are on the political agenda apparently "as never before". Mousavi even has his wife, Zhara Rahnavard, one of Iran's top university professors, campaigning with him, not a common companion for Iranian politicians.

However, it seems to me that the women's rights issue dominating the campaign is all about what women wear, or rather what they should be allowed to wear. Though headscarves and "modest dress" is compulsory for women in Iran, young women are testing the limits by shortening their dresses, and showing more hair through their hijab .

While I find it frustrating that even in 2009 a woman's wardrobe is of more pressing concern rather than actual constitutional amendments which would give women more legal rights, such as custody over their children, or the right to refuse their husband taking on a second wife (!!), I am optimistic for the future for women and girls in Iran.

70% of the country's population is under the age of 30. Iranian women have some of the highest literacy rates in the Middle East, and women make up 65% of university students. And those numbers are growing. It is really just a matter of time before this majority breaks through the iron fist with which the Islamic Clergy in Iran rules the country, and demands change .

To paraphrase Obama, never underestimate the power of youth. Or women for that matter :)

I just finished reading the article written by a mail order bride, Lara Loeb Samhita posted on the main page earlier today. And while I'm happy that Loeb's experience turned out good for her, I noticed that most of the comments were one of two extremes. 1) I'm glad this worked out for you/ you're amazing/ etc. or 2) mail order bride websites are evil/ bad/ degrading. All of these comments are a pretty far evaluation of the article or the practice itself. But one comment in particular really got to me; it was basically comparing mail order bride services to human trafficking. These two things are not the same at all! My Mother was a mail order bride and I can attest to the difference:

My Mother was born in Ertil, Russia, USSR in 1964, just one year after Ertil was given official town-hood; it was merely a village before this. It is one of the few cities in Russia that's population has gone down over the past 40 years. Needless to say my Mother's family (and everyone else in the town) was (and is) very poor--she once told me that the most expensive thing in her house while she was growing up was a six speed bicycle. Basically, things were tight for everyone, and not just because of communism; most people in Ertil still live like this.

According to the Laotian police, Samantha Orabator's pregnancy was a ploy to escape the death penalty. Apparently, because she's a woman... it couldn't have been rape right? No, wrong. 

Any thoughts?

Given this complex issue, it is no wonder that this practice is so hard to eradicate. That is not even considering the cultural relativity argument that is often used by the proponents of FGM . These people claim that those who are trying to abolish FGM are ethnocentric-cultural-imperialists. One paper compared Breast Implants to Female Genital Mutilation as an example of this debate. Here is a striking anecdote :

"A student related to me that she had a conversation with a Nigerian, male friend in which she told him that she was very excited that her professor was writing an article on female genital mutilation. She reported that the he became enraged and shouted, “How dare this American woman characterize a custom of my culture as mutilation, and further, what right did she have to stick her nose into something that had nothing to do with her or her country.”

I have to admit that as a young woman growing up in the US but of African descent, this debate was quite personal for me. Not only am I from a country where FGM is quite prevalent but my matrilineal tribes practice this custom. It was therefore quite a rude awakening for me to visit last summer- I found myself in the most heated arguments with women who had undergone the procedure and wanted to see it continue. They argued as stated above, that it is a very important component of their of rite of passage ceremonies and that if they did not circumcise their daughters, the daughters could not marry. How do we resolve this practical problem; in making FGM illegal, if it will still be in high demand?

Some women even opted for medicalized procedures so the health risks to the child could be minimized. Could it not be argued that this is a more healthy alternative? As an aspiring global health physician, would I deny a family's request for an FGM procedure especially when I know they may seek a less safe alernative elsewhere? I mean after all is this not another example of a harm reduction policy?

Eventually, I decided that this is a case where the human rights of the girl/woman must always come first. Girls have a human right to be protected from violence such as FGM (even if it is in the form of unncessary medical treatments). This is because regardless of what cultural reasons or medical precautions are taken, FGM is still a tremendously scarring experience, physically and emotionally. Furthermore, it is important that culturally sensitive paradigms exist to fight FGM because if the culture of demand and gender inequality is not addressed, how much progress can we really make against FGM?

TAKE ACTION:
1. Learn more international action against FGM 
2. FGM contributes to obstetrical problems later in life, this contributes to Maternal Mortality, please support AMPLIFY's efforts against adolescent maternal mortality
3. Support the grassroots movement of EqualityNow against FGM, FGMFund
4.Learn about one woman's fight against FGM in Tanzania
5. Read more about the debate surronding FGM
6.Read CultureMed's (By SUNY) awesome resource on culture and FGM
7. Do traditions trump human rights especially in the case of FGM? Read more.
8. Read this review of what FGM eradication programs work and which ones do not by the World Health Organization

Fellow feminists, this is a call to action!  I need volunteers with legal skills. 

I am a Canadian lawyer who has been living in London for over two years, and although it's a fabulous place and I love it, Britain has a very antiquated legal system with very few legally enforceable rights.  (An ‘Equality Bill’ was only just released here the other week.  No really.)  One thing that disturbs me the most about the law in Britain is its treatment of rape.  The rape conviction rate here is 6%.  Read that again:  6%.  (To give you some perspective, Canada’s is roughly 40%.)  The appallingly low conviction rate is only one insult, another is the apparent inability of the London Metropolitan Police to reasonably investigate or apprehend rapists.  Just recently in the news, it came to light that two serial rapists were left to operate in London for years due to either the complete negligence or gross incompetence of the Met.      

This is completely unacceptable .

A few weeks ago I had a meeting with one of the anti-rape advocacy groups that have been working with some of the survivors to discuss the possibility of litigation against the Met in an attempt to redress the abysmal policing of rape. 

Delara Darabi executed in Iran

1 May 2009

Iranian authorities executed Delara Darabi in Rasht Central Prison on Friday morning. She is the second person to be executed this year after being convicted of a crime she was alleged to have commited while still under 18, Amnesty International has revealed.

"Amnesty International is outraged at the execution of Delara Darabi, and particularly at the news that her lawyer was not informed about the execution, despite the legal requirement that he should receive 48 hours' notice ," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme.

"This appears to have been a cynical move on the part of the authorities to avoid domestic and international protests which might have saved Delara Darabi's life. "
 
Delara Darabi was executed despite her having been given a two-month stay of execution by the Head of the Judiciary on 19 April .

"This indicates that even decisions by the Head of the Judiciary carry no weight and are disregarded in the provinces ," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.

Delara Darabi was convicted of murdering a relative in 2003 when she was 17. She initially confessed to the murder, believing she could save her boyfriend from the gallows, but later retracted her confession. She was detained at Rasht Prison in northern Iran since her arrest in 2003, during which time she developed a significant talent as a painter.

Amnesty International does not consider her trial to have been fair, as the courts later refused to consider new evidence which the lawyer said would have proved she could not have committed the murder.

Amnesty International had campaigned to save her life since her case came to light in 2006, urging the Iranian authorities to commute her death sentence and calling for a her re-trial in proceedings that meet international standards.

The execution of Delara Darabi brings the number of executions in Iran this year to 140. She is the second woman known to have been executed. Iran has executed at least forty two juvenile offenders since 1990, eight of them in 2008 and one on 21 January 2009, in total disregard of international law, which unequivocally bans the execution of those convicted of crimes committed when under the age of 18.

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Source: (http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/delara-darabi-executed-iran-20090501 )

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(Emphasis mine)

And so I ask, what good are petitions and campaigns if governments think they can get away with blatantly lying to the international community and disrespecting basic human rights?

President Ahmadinejad has urged the Iranian court system to provide a fair trial for Roxana Saberi and ensure that all of her rights are met, including her right to defend herself. Ms. Saberi's first trial for spying and her sentencing to 8 years in prison in Iran were conducted in secret without any legal representation for Saberi. BBC reports today that the Iranian President claims to want to "ensure that the process of examining the charges against the aforementioned individuals are being carried out carefully and fairness, justice and regulations are observed." So, it seems as if Saberi will be allowed an appeal trial with proper legal representation.

Read the article here.

For Saberi's sake, I hope that this is not a political move and that she will be able have a defense lawyer who can secure her release, but I am skeptical. Frankly, this sounds like way to legitimize Saberi's imprisonment. Now, once Iran sentences her again, they will be able to point to the President's nice little letter and her defense lawyers and say "See, we gave her a fair chance" before they throw her in prison for nearly a decade. I remain hopeful for her release...

From yesterday’s New York Times:

“About 300 Afghan women, facing an angry throng three times larger than their own, walked the streets of the capital on Wednesday to demand that Parliament repeal a new law that introduces a range of Taliban-like restrictions on women, and permits, among other things, marital rape.”

These women deserve enormous kudos for braving the insults (“Whore!” “Dog!”) and rocks hurled at them from crowds of angry men (and women).

And they have almost certainly put their lives at risk.  One prominent women’s rights activist was shot dead last week after receiving death threats.

This law directly contradicts the Afghan constitution which states that men and women have “equal rights and duties before the law.”   International outrage led President Karzai to order a review of the law, though rights groups are concerned that the review will not be independent, because those leading the revision process are conservatives Shiites. 

According to one conservative Shiite, women who protest against rape are merely ignorant of Islamic law:

“Afterward, when the demonstrators had left, one of the madrassa’s senior clerics walked outside. Asked about the dispute, he said it was between professionals and nonprofessionals; that is, between the clerics, who understood the Koran and Islamic law, and the women calling for the law’s repeal who did not.

“It’s like if you are sick, you go to a doctor, not some amateur,” said the cleric, Mohammed Hussein Jafaari. “This law was approved by the scholars. It was passed by both houses of Parliament. It was signed by the president.

The religious scholars, Mr. Jafaari conceded, were all men.”

Men who trade women’s rights for votes.

The recent issue of The Nation had an article that further expounded on Brazil's draconian abortion laws.  A woman was forced to give birth to a child of rape, despite abortion being legal in those circumstances.  This story did not receive comperable coverage to that of the 9-year-old rape victim that did ultimatly have an abortion, but is equally as outrageous. 

Cross posted at Groundswell.

This post is part of a 5-part series responding to arguments made by thoughtful Democrats and progressives who are unsure about opposing President Obama’s plan for Afghanistan. You can read Part 1 on whether we need troops to provide security here.

Reason #2: The US needs to defeat the Taliban to protect human rights, and especially women’s rights.

This is a difficult issue to deal with, and I am as horrified as anyone in hearing stories about acid attacks on schoolgirls in Afghanistan. Many prominent women’s activists within Afghanistan have been clear that escalating militarily is not the path to greater women’s rights.  Kavita Ramdas of the Global Fund for Women stated , "In general, what happens when regions become highly militarized, and when there are ‘peace-keeping forces,’ militias, as well as foreign troops--which is NATO and the United States, primarily? In most parts of the world, highly militarized societies in almost every instance lead to bad results for women. The security of women is not improved and in many instances it actually becomes worse.” In response to the idea of sending more troops, she argues, "Yes Afghanistan needs troops--but it needs troops of doctors, troops of teachers, troops of Peace Corps volunteers, and troops of farmers to go and replant the fruit orchards.”

Rangina Hamidi, president of the first women-run business in Kandahar, recounts a conversation with a friend :

The new stance of Catholic leaders in Brazil?

It's ok, we know how rape victims feel.

P.S. They still shouldn't have abortions.

If you haven't been following the horrifying case of the 9-year-old rape victim from north-east Brazil here's a quick overview. After being repeatedly abused by her stepfather the young girl became pregnant with twins . Abortions in Brazil are legal in cases of rape and to preserve the mother's health, both of which applied to this situation. However, after the surgery the young girl, her mother, and her doctors were all excommunicated by the Catholic church.

This case has created a division amongst Catholic and political leaders world wide. As even Brazilian President Lula spoke out against the Archbishops decision.

There are several things that really irritate about this case:

The stepfather who repeatedly abused his young daughter and mentally disabled sister was not excommunicated by the Catholic Church.

In addition to statements made by Brazilian Catholics in defense of the Archbishop.

Cardinal Odilo Scherer: "I can understand how a woman who is carrying a baby after being violently raped feels..."

Do you really now Cardinal?

(Crossposted at Amplify )

Today is the second to last day of University Coalitions for Global Health's Global Health Week of Action , a campaign to raise awareness on a breath of global health issues and call on young people and allies to take action.

So far, we've called on universities to make the fruits of their research available in low- and middle-income countries by signing the Philadelphia Consensus Statement , demanded the creation of a transparent and sustainable U.S. global health strategy that will strengthen health systems and bolster health work forces, and contacted our members of Congress to ensure adequate funding for essential global health programs, including those addressing global HIV and AIDS.

Today's day of action zeroes in on the importance of sexual and reproductive health information and services in the field of global health, with a focus on the need to increase funding for U.S. international family planning assistance to at least $1 billion for fiscal year 2010.  In this time of economic downturn, it is imperative that the U.S. government invest in programs which will have the greatest long term benefits for worldwide health and development.

$100 million of funding for international family planning results in:

• 3.6 million more contraceptive users
• 2.1 million unintended pregnancies avoided
• 825,000 fewer abortions
• 970,000 fewer unplanned births
• 70,000 infant deaths averted
• 4,000 maternal lives saved

Investing in these programs saves the U.S. government a great deal in more costly foreign aid programs down the road.  With 200 million women worldwide who wish to avoid or delay pregnancy but lack acces to moden methods of contraception and half a million dying every year from pregnancy related causes, the time is now.

This week at the United Nations Commission on Population and Development, the U.S. delegation voiced strong support for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning.  But we need to put money behind this rhetoric.  Now, more than ever, we must support the programs we know work.

Voice your support for $1 billion for international family planning programs.  Join the hundreds who have already taken action and email your members of Congress and sign the petition !

The Brazilian doctor who was excommunicated by the Catholic Church after performing an abortion on a 9-year-old who was raped by her stepfather received a standing ovation at a national forum on women's health this week.  

Brazilian Minister of Health Jose Gomes Temporao had called on the audience to acknowledge the "brilliant" work done by him and his medical team and they stood in applause.  Ah, the joys of government standing up for the discretion of the medical profession and human rights (well, you know, at least when the rape of a child is involved).

As discussed earlier this week, the 9-year-old was four months pregnant with twins when the abortion was performed on March 4.  Following the abortion, Archbishop Don Jose Cardoso Sobrinho of Recife excommuicated the medical team, as well as the girl's mother since she solicited the abortion, but not the perpetrator of the rape. The rape of his 9-year-old stepdaughter.

You might ask, how the hell is he justifying this? Particularly seeing as abortion is legal in Brazil in the case of rape... Well, he claims that "A graver act than (rape) is abortion, to eliminate an innocent life" and that "God's law is above human laws."

Silly me, I guess I just assumed the Catholic Church condemned rapists.  I mean, last time I checked, if nothing else, the whole adultery piece is covered in the Ten Commandments... but I must have missed that part about the holy duty to protect the unborn at all costs.

Neither the Brazilian government nor the Brazilian public is buying this bullshit. 

[Minister of Health] Temporao recently said doctors must put law before religion...

"It is legitimate for the church to have its dogmas, but these dogmas must not be imposed on society as a whole," he added.

Earlier, a verbal spat ensued between President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the archbishop over the church's decision.

"As a Christian and a Catholic, I find it deeply lamentable that a bishop of the Catholic Church has such a conservative attitude," Lula said on Globo TV.

"In this case, the medical profession was more right than the church," he said.

One of the doctors involved in the abortion is thanking the Archbishop for this absurd excommunication as it has shed light on the restrictive abortion policies in Brazil, which cause harm to women and girls throughout the country, particularly those who live in rural areas.

The reproductive health and rights of all women in Brazil are consistently comprimised and criminalized.  In countires throughout Latin America, the power held by the Catholic Church restricts not only abortion but essential access to contraception and sexual health information.  

Hopefully the Brazilian public will be able to use this case as an opportunity to challenge restrictive laws and societal norms which comprimise the rights and health of women and girls.  I know I'll be rooting for them.

Fittingly, on the American National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers, Foreign Affairs minister Stephen Smith announced that the Australian government would finally lift a 13-year-old ban on foreign aid being used to fund safer abortions for women in poor nations.

Prehaps following Barack Obama's lead in lifting a similar ban in the US, the Foreign Minister announced the lifting of the ban, while stating that the focus of Australia's foreign aid would remain on avoiding abortions by providing better family planning education. He said it was a tragedy that an estimated 68,000 women die each year from unsafe abortions - leaving 220,000 children without mothers.

The ban was imposed by the infamously conservative former Howard Government in 1996 in order to appease senator Brian Harradine, who held a poltically important Senate vote.

However, the Christian right in Australia have challenged the decision, with the Australian Christian Lobby and conservative Family First Senator Steve Fielding campaigning against the Labor Party move.

Prime Minister Rudd, exhibiting his usual tendency to pander to the Christian right, has stated that he does not personally support the decision and has "long-standing conservative views" on the issue, but said a clear majority of Labor MPs backed a change.

Rudd's acceptance of the lifting of the ban has been labelled a "cop out", with Family First senator Steve Fielding stating that "When it comes to the crunch on values issues, the Prime Minister wimps out". It is interesting to note that when the Prime Minister appears to support womens' rights, he is portrayed as weak and a 'wimp'.

The Catholic Church branded the move "a cause for great sadness" and "very bad news for women and unborn children in the developing world". It urged Mr Rudd to reverse the decision.

Show your support for Stephen Smith and his pro-choice Labor colleagues by emailing the Foreign Minister here:

Stephen.Smith.MP@aph.gov.au

And while you are at it, remind Kevin Rudd that a majority of people in Australia and beyond support the right for women globally to receive accurate information on their family planning choices.

(crossposted at Amplify )

Complications from pregnancy are the leading cause of death for young women ages 15 through 19 in low- and middle-income countries. Around the world, 200 million women wish to avoid or delay pregnancy but do not have access to modern methods of contraception. It is estimated that the unmet need for family planning among young women is twice that among adults.

One of the essential facets to ensuring equal opportunities for women is securing their right to plan their families and futures. Family planning services allow women to decide if, when, and how often they wish to have children.  These services are imperative to creating a just and sustainable world.

Sign the petition to increase funding for U.S. international family planning assistance today!

On Wednesday, a nine-year-old girl who was pregnant with twins after her stepfather raped her underwent an abortion in Brazil despite vocal objection from the Brazil Roman Catholic Church.

It's good to know that two fetuses are more important than the physical and psychological well-being of an actual child. I thought it might be morally reprehensible to force an eighty pound girl to give birth to twins after a grown man brutally attacks her, but clearly I stand corrected.

It makes me absolutely sick to see instances where this little girl - who probably wants nothing more than to be a kid again - has to put up a fight just to begin piecing her life back together. Was she treated with respect and dignity during this process? Is she receiving the help she needs? I don't know. I would like to assume yes, but when a huge entity like the Catholic Church turns on a defenseless child, I'm somewhat skeptical that the healing process was really the number one priority on the table here.

On International Women’s Day, women around the world join together in celebration of the intelligence, strength, courage and beauty of women. Since 1908 this has been a day to celebrate the achievements of women around the world without regard to their national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political differences.

This week, as Women's History Month begins, WVFC is starting off our coverage for by noting two events on Thursday, March 5: the opening of the film A Powerful Noise , above, and an international conference call held by Women for Women International . The film follows three women overcoming vastly different challenges:

Hanh is an HIV-positive widow in Vietnam. Nada, a survivor of the Bosnian war. And Jacqueline works the slums of Bamako, Mali. Three very different lives. Three vastly different worlds. But they share something in common: Power. These women are each overcoming gender barriers to rise up and claim a voice in their societies. Through their empowerment and ability to empower others, Hanh, Nada and Jacqueline are sparking remarkable changes. Fighting AIDS. Rebuilding communities. Educating girls.

Yesterday, The Irish Times (Irish national daily broadsheet newspaper) published an opinion piece by Newton Emerson, journalist and commentator, entitled "Working women almost certainly caused the credit crunch".

I am a regular reader of the daily paper, and value the inclusion of some columns by conservative, right-wing and sometimes barmy views in the newspaper, which takes a predominantly liberal, left-wing editorial line. This piece, however amusing in its stupidity, is also infuriating.

You can read the entire article for yourselves, which advocates women leaving the workforce so that men can have jobs, but I thought I'd bring you some of my favo[u]rite excerpts:

Of course there will always be a place in the world of business for exceptional women. Women also have an important role to play in jobs that are too demeaning for men, like teaching. But the general employment of women is another matter.

Mediocre men, corrupt men, greedy men can all continue to work, but only exceptional women can work in business.  What can one say about the inference that teaching is an offence to masculinity???  

[W]orking women almost certainly caused the credit crunch by bringing a second income into the average household, pushing property prices up to unsustainable levels.

The economic crisis in Ireland has been exacerbated by recent banking scandals, but no doubt the worldwide failure of the capitalist free market system has had nothing to do with inherent problems with capitalism, the corruption in industry, banking and government - all of which are predominantly populated by males... (Newton: just so we're clear, this is sarcasm.)

And to conclude, Mr. Emerson leaves us with this puzzling statement:

In short, women were the driving force behind the greed, consumerism and materialism of the Celtic Tiger years and it was female employment that funded their oestrogen-crazed acquisitiveness.

(Note to those of you unfamiliar with Irish economics: the Celtic Tiger was a term used to refer to the economic boom we experienced here in Ireland from the early 1990s until the recent downturn.)

I never realized that my oestrogen was so dangerous.

I have taken quotations from the article, and to do it justice you really must read the whole thing. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll think it's an early April Fool's prank.  Unfortunately, it's no joke.

I am trying to add an event to the events calendar, here is what I wanted to post for today through March 7 to encourage people to register for the 2009 Summit on Intl Women's Issues @ Cornell University:

this announcement about a student-organized conference on International Women's Issues in Global health and Development that will be taking place at Cornell this March 7, 2009. Not only will students get the opportunity to network other students, faculty, medical students, physicians and professionals they will also get the chance to network with our amazing keynote speaker Dr. Claudia Morrissey - President of the American Medical Women's Association and representative of the World Health Organization committee on gender, women and health as well as our featured artist Lisa Russel who will be presenting her films on Women's Health .We have also set up a mentoring network where undergraduates will be matched with mentors and they will get to meet these mentors at our networking breakfast. Another perk is that the summit is only a day long so if students from universities such as GW can make it into a day trip and not have to pay for lodging. Speaking of expenses we have been fortunate to only have to ask $25 for student registration. Please encourage your students to register today.

via BBC

In response to three recent high profile rapes in Italy (at least two of which have involved minors), the Italian government has rushed the passing of a law that includes stronger penalities for rapists, free legal assistance to survivors, and even the creation of volunteer organizations to act as neighborhood watch groups for sexual assault.

Huzzah, right?

Well, no.  Unfortunately, all of the cases have involved immigrants or presumed foreigners as the attackers, and in one case as the person attacked.  As such, the new legislation, combined with Italian immigration law, seems to come down especially hard on immigrants.

Following the news the rapes have been committed by foreigners, there have been reports of violent attacks on immigrants, particularly Romanians and Roma.  The article goes on to indicate that laws like this may increasevigilantism and anti-immigrant sentiment.

While I feel that stricter rape laws - particularly ones that provide not only punishment to offenders, but support to survivors - are very important, I don't feel that they can or should come about at the expense of a group of people who by and large are not rapists .  Immigrants in every country face varying levels of prejudice without being scapegoated for something that is a society-wide problem.

I'd love to hear what people think, particularly those versed in the overlap of feminist and immigrant activism.

Samhita wrote a fairly emotional (which is to say, not entirely fact-based or scientific) post about her unease with the NY Times even referencing the idea that M.I.A. might be a terrorist sympathizer...of course, it didn't take long before a commenter suggested Samhita herself is a terrorist sympathizer (not just for the Tamil Tigers, but the PKK as well).

The accusation is absurd and such a threat to reasonable dialogue, and well, kind of a threat to Samhita as well, as she rightly points out in the thread.

But look, here's the thing: This conversation has repercussions far beyond the details of the Tamil Tigers and Sri Lankan Civil war and M.I.A. The fact that we in the West feel the need to identify who is right and who is wrong in international conflicts, and then if we decide someone is wrong, completely disengage from their politics, is a serious problem.

If we can't, in a feminist space no less, distinguish between the tactics of a group and their cause, or between people who can humanize those involved in a cause, even if their tactics may be violent, and those who approve of violence against innocent people, then seriously, how can we ever have reasonable transnational discussions?

There's just a certain degree of rationality that has to be involved in order for conversations to not be complete failures, and if it includes deeming anyone who shows any interest in understanding the political goals of even the most vicious looking groups a "terrorist sympathizer," it's a failure.

Cross-posted at Pink Scare!

an update to my previous post :

February 3, 2009: Security Officials from the Special Security Branch of the Office of the Prosecutor of the Revolutionary Courts stormed the home of Nafiseh Azad and seized her personal property as well as the property of her housemates. During this search and seizure operation officials violently beat Elnaz Ansari, another member of the Campaign and Nafiseh’s housemate and beat and handcuffed Vahid Maleki (Nafiseh’s husband). see more including photos here:

Nafiseh was arrested while collecting signatures for the One Million Signatures Campaign at a hiking trail in Tehran,

Another Iranian women's rights activist, Alieh Eghdamdoust was arrested recently and taken to prison to start a three-year jail term. Here is a link to news about her in Reuters.

You can show your solidarity by signing this petition. Your support makes a big difference. (it really does)

Women's rights activists in Iran have been under a lot of pressure during the past couple of years. Arrests and "suspended" sentences paralyze and suppress their work regularly. Up to now, their sentences were not carried out but hung over their heads as a means of control. But this week for the first time a sentence is being carried out. Alieh Eghdamdoust was arrested and taken to prison to start a three-year jail term. Here is a link to news about her in Reuters.

These women are not radical according to Iranian standards, nor are they part of a covert operation. They are regular people like you and me, who volunteer to collect signatures for a petition addressed to their parliament representatives. The petition is asking for a reform in discriminatory laws.

Imagine what it means for Alieh to be taken away from her family and from her normal life, to spend 3 whole years in jail. Many women's rights groups have expressed their concern for Alieh.

Nafiseh Azad , another young women's rights activist has been arrested and is in custody right now. She was arrested over the weekend (friday in Iran) while collecting signatures at a hiking trail in Tehran.

You can show your solidarity by signing this petition and asking for their release. Your support makes a big difference.

Woohoo!!!!!

"Johanna Sigurdardottir, named as Iceland's prime minister on Sunday, is the first openly lesbian head of government in Europe, if not the world - at least in modern times."

This is the trailer for Live from Bethlehem, a documentary featuring the Ma'an News Agency, the only independent news network in the Palestinian Territories. Earlier this week, I went to hear Palestinian journalist Amira Hanania speak about her work as the only woman lead journalist for Ma'an -- and, by extension, the only independent woman journalist in Palestine.

A daring journalist committed to challenging sexism even in times of war, I found Hanania's own story as fascinating as the stories she's exposed. At 26 years old, Hanania has been an advocate of independent media in Palestine for a decade, since she went on the air with her own talk show at age seventeen. And she's a vocal proponent of making Palestinian women's voices heard in Palestine and beyond, reporting on everything from the war in Gaza to Palestinian marriage laws through a strong feminist lens.

No matter what your view on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, this woman is a real kick-butt feminist hero.

Feminist Majority Foundation has initiated a letter-writing campaign in support of Iranian Nobel Laureate and human rights defender, Shirin Ebadi. She is one of the pillars of the women's rights movements in Iran and a lawyer of several feminist activists. An attack on shirin ebadi (as the most prominent human rights figure in Iran) signals more attacks on all of Iran's civil society and especially the women's rights and human rights activists. Your support makes a difference and shows that human rights defenders are not alone and Iranian feminists are supported by feminists around the world.

Please stand with other people around the world and in Iran in defending Shirin Ebadi.

My sister called me today and said that she couldn't go to sleep last night as she saw more PR activity to support Israel's attack of Gaza, and as she heard about the support of the Congress for these actions. She told me that she was crying when she saw videos of people dead and injured and children crying for their dead sisters and brothers and thought "what if it was me?"

I would like to post this video here (if I can get it to work). It's about the strange attitude of our media when it comes to this conflict and how it affects how much americans know about Israel and Palestine. I hope that we don't let people like Pastor Hague and his megachurches decide who is "good" and who is "evil" according to a "biblical prophecy" and who the righteous owners of a land are according to what God has decided. Let's not forget that people like him are not just individual crazy guys, but leaders and organizers of a huge network of grassroots activists and donors.

We are all responsible for what is happening there and we will be held responsible for years to come.

here is the link to the video in case I am not able to embed it correctly here: http://video.google.co/videoplay?docid=-6604775898578139565

By the way, I'd like to add that I don't think this video is trying to sensationalize the issue or use hype and slogans to sway people's minds. I think it's a legitimate and intelligent analysis.

Violence only strengthens violence. A great example is what the group "Mothers for Peace" experienced in Iran recently when they tried to hold a rally in support of the people of Gaza. They were violently attacked. (Many of the "mothers for peace" are also part of the women's movement in iran.)

On January 11,2009 the Mother’s for Peace at 11 o’clock gathered in front of the Palestinian embassy in support of the women and children and remembering the dead in Palestine. After 30 minutes a group of aggressors [...] attacked [them] violently [..] and injured some of the participants, they used pepper spray and chanted "Down with reformist and compromisers".

 

This is very exciting news. The winner of this year's Simone de Beauvoir prize for Women’s Freedom is the Iranian One Million Signatures Campaign , a campaign for equality in the legal system. The winner of the Simone de Beauvoir prize was announced today January 9th, on the birthday of this feminist icon. The announcement was made by Julia Kristeva , the founder and head of the prize committee.

I could not find an English or French link on RFI but here is the link from RFI in persian and this is the announcement for last year's winner , Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen.

The One Million Signatures Campaign is a grassroots signature drive and has no hierarchy or central location. It is the result of creative imaginations of Iranian women inside Iran and their persistence throughout over 2 years of activism under pressure. There are several websites in several cities in Iran (and in a few countries among the Iranian diaspora) that belong to the activists of this campaign, such as:

Change for Equality

Feminist School

and many more,...

(this last link belongs to us, a local branch of this campaign in california that aims to raise awareness about this campaign among the Iranian diaspora in the US: Campaign in California)

Following, Roja's two posts on the raid and closure of Shirin Ebadi's organization - Defenders of Human Rights Center - in late December (here and here ), just a quick note to update via the Women's Learning Partnership:

The situation of Nobel peace laureate and human rights defender Shirin Ebadi grows increasingly critical. Over the last two weeks the organization she heads, Defenders of Human Rights Center, was shut down, false accusations of tax evasion were made against her in the media, her private law offices were raided and confidential case files seized, and on January 1st a mob of 150 demonstrated in front of her house in an orchestrated attempt to connect her to the Israeli actions in Gaza. Protestors began kicking the door to her home and vandalized the exterior of her property in an attempt to further intimidate her.

A coalition of over 80 organizations and activists are calling on the Iranian government to cease its actions against Ebadi, and guarantee her safety and access to civil and political rights. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has also issued a statement of concern.

Find out more, see who's part of the coalition already, and add your voice to the campaign via this page .

For those who may not be regular readers, I thought I would share the recent writings of New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. His most recent article can be found here. (Warning: It's a painful read). 

For his past three or four columns, he has been writing about conditions surrounding the trafficking of young girls in Cambodia. It began with an article about the school his family has built there, and has henceforth branched out to explore brothels and prostitution in Cambodia, most especially reflecting upon young girls kept as slaves. 

I may need to climb up on my soapbox for a moment here. 

We here in the west have just celebrated our main holiday season. There was Christmas, a time to reflect on the idea of God becoming Man, or a time to reconnect with the things that are most important in our lives. Hanukkah, a remembrance of God's goodness and provision. Kwanzaa, a celebration of culture and thanksgiving. 

And yet, we were encouraged to buy televisions, video game systems, new cars, ipods, ugly and mass-produced jewelry. It's as if our language of love has been tainted and reduced to the crude exchange of material goods as a substitute for what truly matters. And we pat ourselves on the back for "doing something good" for others during the holidays-- like emptying out our overstocked pantries and donated the almost-expired items to the local food bank, like cleaning out our closets of the crap we got last year to make room for the crap that will come from this year. 

"Christmas costs less at Walmart." As if Christmas is a commodity I must purchase before enjoying. 

"Chase What Matters," says a credit card company, reducing the things that matter to those which can be bought and sold.

I feel ill. I literally feel sick to my stomach, and I can feel the back of my throat tightening. 

Why are we not outraged by this? Why are mothers and fathers with daughters sitting still on a mass scale? Why is it okay that these horrors can happen to other people's daughters but not our own?

We have so sadly forgotten that we belong to one another. That what affects my brother or my sister affects me and my world. 

I feel so helpless in my anger. I feel as if I am beating against a glass box, that the sound cannot escape, that I am trapped alone with this rage against injustice, stupidity, and disrespect for the divinity of the human soul. 

We have forgotten that we belong to one another. 

Accroding to Change for Equaltiy , On Monday December 29, 2008 at 5:30 in the afternoon (equivalent to 5:30 AM Pacific Time in the US)  the private law office of Shirin Ebadi , Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Lawyer and human rights defender, was stormed by 5 security officers identifying themselves as tax officials, who presented a letter allowing them to take two computers.

Shirin Ebadi has however refused to surrender her case files and computers to these officials citing the confidential nature of the work of lawyers, especially human rights lawyers, and that the act of surrendering client files to government officials would breach that confidentiality. These security officials are presently in Ms. Ebadi’s private law office and engaged in search of the premises and seizure of property.

Ebadi is also a founding member of Nobel Women's Initiative .

Here is my scond attempt at blogging about current feminist issues that come up in Iran. But frist let's remember:

1- Iranian women are university professors, parliament representatives, heart surgeons, lawyers and journalists. We are not trapped in our homes, and we do not ride on camels either. 2- there is still a lot of discrimination against women in Iran. 3- Iranian feminists are very active right now.

------

So here is one of the latest issues that Iranian feminists have been trying to fight: university admissions based on gender. How? Until this day, an Iranian woman could pass the unified entrance exam to universities and if her ranking was good, she could apply to and study in a city and province of her choice. Now the government wants to change this so women (and ONLY women) are admitted more easlity to their local universities and less easily in farther universities. So young woman (and only woman) are kept close to their families. Meaning that a bright young woman from a far-away province will not be easily admitted to the top university in the capital.

this is supposed to be for women's "protection." but there are a lot of people (men and women) who are really against this.

here is a translation of an article written by an Iranian feminist in a great feminist website called the Feminist School (also part of the one million signatures campaign). The translation is not 100% smooth, but it's worth readig if you want to hear these first hand from Iranians (and feminists) inside Iran.

Grooms take part in a mass wedding ceremony in Riyadh in June. Governor of Riyadh Prince Salman and a local group organized a mass wedding for about 1600 couples to help people unable to afford expensive ceremonies "She doesn't know yet that she has been married," Jtili said then of the girl who was about to begin her fourth year at primary school. Relatives who did not wish to be named said that the marriage had not yet been consummated, and that the girl continued to live with her mother.They said that the father had set a verbal condition by which the marriage is not consummated for another 10 years, when the girl turns 18.

The father had agreed to marry off his daughter for an advance dowry of £5,000, as he was apparently facing financial problems, they said. The father was in court and he remained adamant in favour of the marriage, they added. Mr Jtili said he was going to appeal the verdict at the court of cassation, the supreme court in the ultra-conservative kingdom which applies Islamic Sharia law in its courts.

Arranged marriages involving pre-adolescents are occasionally reported in the Arabian Peninsula, including in Saudi Arabia where the strict conservative Wahabi version of Sunni Islam holds sway and polygamy is common. In Yemen in April, another girl aged eight was granted a divorce after her unemployed father forced her to marry a man of 28.

Via.

Shirin Ebadi's human rights law offices were raided and indefinitely closed down by Iranian authorities today. Ebadi and her law offices have been strong supporters of human rights and women's rights activists in Iran. Many feminist activists are clients of her law office.

according to the International Campaign for Human rights in Iran:

The DHRC, which was founded by Ebadi, who won the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, and other prominent Iranian human rights defenders in 2000, planned to hold the 60th anniversary celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at their Tehran office on December 21.

[...]

Narges Mohammadi, DHRC’s spokesperson, told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran that nearly 300 human rights defenders and supporters had been invited to the private celebration. She said a few hours before the start of the program, at around 3 p.m., she arrived at DHRC’s office to find dozens of police, members of state security forces, and plainclothes agents attempting to enter the building.

[...]

DHRC’s mission statement describes its primary duties as “pro-bono legal defense of prisoners of conscience,” “supporting families of prisoners of conscience,” and “documentation and reporting of human rights abuses.”

Closure of Nobel Laureate’s Rights Group

CNN report

The following is an excerpt from a 4 page in depth story about the increase of slavery around the world. It begins with a description of exactly how one can travel 500 miles from N.Y. to buy a slave for labor and or sex. the entire article, titled The World Enslaved can be found here.

There are now more slaves on the planet than at any time in human history. True abolition will elude us until we admit the massive scope of the problem, attack it in all its forms, and empower slaves to help free themselves." ... "The West’s efforts have been, from the outset, hamstrung by a warped understanding of slavery. In the United States, a hard-driving coalition of feminist and evangelical activists has forced the Bush administration to focus almost exclusively on the sex trade. The official State Department line is that voluntary prostitution does not exist, and that commercial sex is the main driver of slavery today. In Europe, though Germany and the Netherlands have decriminalized most prostitution, other nations such as Bulgaria have moved in the opposite direction, bowing to U.S. pressure and cracking down on the flesh trade. But, across the Americas, Europe, and Asia, unregulated escort services are exploding with the help of the Internet. Even when enlightened governments have offered clearheaded solutions to deal with this problem, such as granting victims temporary residence, they have had little impact. Many feel that sex slavery is particularly revolting—and it is. I saw it firsthand. In a Bucharest brothel, for instance, I was offered a mentally handicapped, suicidal girl in exchange for a used car. But for every one woman or child enslaved in commercial sex, there are at least 15 men, women, and children enslaved in other fields, such as domestic work or agricultural labor. Recent studies have shown that locking up pimps and traffickers has had a negligible effect on the aggregate rates of bondage. And though eradicating prostitution may be a just cause, Western policies based on the idea that all prostitutes are slaves and all slaves are prostitutes belittles the suffering of all victims. It’s an approach that threatens to put most governments on the wrong side of history...

I found this article at the Huffpo

The dancing girls of Lahore, the cultural capital of Pakistan, are on strike in protest against the tide of Talibanisation that is threatening to destroy an art form that has flourished since the Mughal empire.

The strike, which is supported by the theatres where they perform, was sparked by the decision of Lahore High Court last month to ban the Mujra, the graceful and elaborate dance first developed in the Mughal courts 400 years ago, on the grounds that it is too sexually explicit.

"The Mujra by its very nature is supposed to be a seductive dance," says Badar Alam, a cultural expert. He recalls that attempts were made to ban it during the 1980s. "Gradually, it returned to commercial theatre, mostly by paying off officials. The question remains: does the government have the right to engage in moral policing?"

Recently, Italy passed a law requiring all Roma to be fingerprinted. Today Sylvia Poggioli of NPR delivered more chilling news. Ms. Poggioli's report was one of the best I've heard in years, so I recommend people to check it out for themselves. Here are some factoids: "Opinion polls indicate that the showgirl is the No. 1 role model for young Italian women" and "Today, Italy has the lowest percentage of working women in Europe. Only 2 percent of top management positions are held by women -- that's even behind Kuwait -- and only 17 percent of the members of parliament are women -- less than in Rwanda and Burundi." Most recently, a neo-fascist was elected mayor of Rome.

This is great news and these sorts of pressures do make a difference.

Via Reuters:

U.N. human rights investigators called on Iran Thursday to end what they called a "crackdown" on women's rights activists who have been harassed and detained for seeking equal status in the Islamic Republic.

Women and men involved in a grassroots movement to collect 1 million signatures to demand full equality between women and men in Iran have been "particularly targeted," they said.

"Over the past two years, women's rights defenders have faced an increasingly difficult situation and harassment in the course of their non-violent activities," the two independent experts said in a statement.

Some have been prevented from travelling in the ongoing "serious repression," according to Margaret Sekaggya, U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, and Yakin Erturk, special rapporteur on violence against women.

Dozens of activists were detained since the launch of a campaign in 2006 to demand changes to laws denying women equal rights in matters such as divorce and child custody. Most were freed after a few days or weeks.

Hi ,

As an Iranian-American, I often have a hard time listening to americans talk about women in Iran. There is so much ignorance (not that it's anyone's fault, it's because of bad relations between the two countries). So I decided to write a quick note to all my fellow feminists and say these:

1- Iranian women are university professors, parliament representatives, heart surgeons, lawyers and journalists. We are not trapped in our homes, and we do not ride on camels either.

2- there is still a lot of discrimination against women in Iran.

3- Iranian feminists are very active right now.

4- Iranian feminists are under a lot of pressure.

5- you can learn from them and stand in solidarity with them, and support them if they get arrested.

Here are a few websites that belong to Iranian feminists inside Iran (the main sites are in persian so these articles are just a tiny fraction of what is being written):

The governing Canadian Conservative Party, who recently won re-election in October, have just finished holding their national party convention. They could call it their "anti-woman" convention, because they've passed a number of misogynistic policy resolutions.

Resolution P-207 resurrects a bill that was killed earlier this year, "the unborn victims of violence," in which a violent act against a pregnant woman which results in harm to the fetus can result in additional criminal charges.

Translation: Let's define the fetus as a separate person under the law, entitled to legal protections, which immediately opens to the door to anti-choice legislation.

Another policy adopted is for "income splitting" in which couples can choose to be taxed on their combined income, which is great if one member (as in, almost always the man) is in a higher tax bracket.

Translation: Let's make it more economically attractive for women to stay at home rather than pursue careers.

As well, there is a resolution (P-213) that rewords their policy on women's equality like this:

The Conservative Party supports gender equality through all policy and legislative considerations the full  participation of women in the social, economic, and cultural life of Canada.
i) The Canadian workforce has evolved to include more women than ever before. The Conservative Party  believes all Canadians have the right to freedom from discrimination in the workplace and equality of  opportunity.
ii) Individuals should be judged on skills, qualifications and merits. Women must be entitled to equal pay for work of equal value equal work.

Translation: Conservatives don't believe women should be equal.

They have also advocated that Canada's Human Rights Commission (HRC) should no longer investigate or adjudicate "hate speech" provisions of Canada's Human Rights Code (this one is not specifically anti-women, but women are protected under the code). Hate speech legislation is controversial because it does indeed impede freedom of speech, and I'm not totally in favour of it. That said, it's no surprise that the social conservatives are in favour of ditching it, because surprise, surprise, it's sexist, homophobic and racist people who are most likely to be hauled in front of the Commission.

Translation: We want to be free to be as vocally bigoted as we want.

Now, the Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, has said that party policy resolutions may not be enacted by the government. He wants to be "pragmatic." Translation: He has a minority government and he's worried that too much social conservatism could bring him down.

One can only hope.

The results are out!

"Norway (1) leads the world in closing the gender gap between men and women, according to the overall ranking in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2008. Three other Nordic countries - Finland (2), Sweden (3) and Iceland (4) - also top the Report's Gender Gap Index. Previously higher ranking countries such as Germany (11), United Kingdom (13) and Spain (17) slipped down the Index but stayed in the top 20, while Netherlands (9), Latvia (10), Sri Lanka (12) and France (15) made significant gains. Featuring a total of 130 countries, this year's Report provides an insight into the gaps between women and men in over 92% of the world's population."

So, who wants to move with me to Scandinavia?

Take a look at the Global Gender Gap Index to see how your country ranks compared to others.

Dear President Obama ,

I’ll forever remember that fourth of November in the year two thousand and eight. Millions lined up for hours on end so their vote would not be late. I’ll forever remember that fourth of November when the world exhaled at last. Paris and London and Toronto and Sydney watched the last vote get cast. I’ll forever remember that fourth of November when thousands stopped traffic to see, you and your family step on stage and write yourselves into history. I’ll forever remember that fourth of November because it wont be a John, George or Bill, a non-English name will be signed into history on top of capital hill. I’ll forever remember that fourth of November in the year two thousand and eight, we worked hard, it took time but most definitely it was fate.

I must tell you something that you should know, I did not cast a ballot. I am an immigrant, a refugee, an alien, a non-citizen they call it. My people were tortured, raped and mutilated in a little country overseas. They were scolded for their religion and bombed into oblivion, nothing was left but debris. My father was taken to a stadium where he was chained like an animal in a cage. He luckily escaped with some help of his friends and so have his captors and that is why I’m enraged. Yesterday November the 6th a man named Mladen Blagojevic was sentenced for seven years in jail. He participated in the butchering of eight thousand women, children and adult males. While I read this news burst of rage and anxiety swept through me. How can you murder eight thousand people and get seven years for a murder spree? I wondered how the left over family members must feel about this repulsive news. We said never again, never again, and after Bosnia, Rwanda, now Darfur and the Congo how much longer are we wiling to loose? So many people raped and tortured for political control of land. Will we ever step in to punish these murderers and finally take a stand?

...from Associated Press article of same name:

Just thought this was an interesting change of pace, since here they seem to be on the rise.

At least on American Idol (badah-bah).

That was a horrible joke, I know.

Becatoros writes...

"In this strongly patriarchal society where for centuries women had virtually no standing, sworn virgins enjoyed the same rights and respect as men. They could inherit property, work for a living and sit on the village council, although without the right to vote. The privileges came at a price. They took an oath of celibacy and could never have sexual relations. And they could never go back to being women. ....The reasons for becoming a sworn virgin can be practical - the head of the family dies with no male heir. Or they can be emotional - the woman does not want to marry the man chosen for her. In Albania, particularly in the impoverished rural north, it was practically inconceivable for a woman to remain single and live alone. But by becoming a man, Markgjoni was free. She could earn a living and eat and drink with men instead of being restricted to the kitchen. And she could adopt two habits denied to a traditional Albanian woman: smoking and wearing a watch. "

A watch. WTF.

But this is what grabbed me.

"Anthropologists stress that the tradition of sworn virgins, with its emphasis on celibacy, does not equate with homosexuality, which did not become legal in Albania until the 1990s. "It's kind of the opposite extreme," says Young. "In one way, sworn virgins support patriarchy, because they support the feeling that you've got to have a man at the head, and this woman can be a man." On the other hand, Young notes, "this would be a way round for a woman who had homosexual inclinations."

My initial thought: Silly anthropologist! Missing the opportunity for a whole paper.

No, no it doesn't equate with homosexuality, I agree, but is DOSE equate "woman" with "person to whom men have sexual access". To put a umpteenhundred year old tradition into 1970's radical feminist crude, therefore, "to be female is to "be fucked" and to be male is to "not be fucked". John Stolenberg ought to be thrilled upon reading this, because it takes his argument to the Kalahari !Kung of feminist historical anthropology.

Yes, sworn virgins "support patriarchy" but not the "patriarchy" such as it may be in Western/American culture. This is a patriarchy with a gender binary that is based totally on sexual behavior. In contemporary America, a man is a man because he wears Mitchum and reads The Rules (oops, I meant Maxim). In rural Albania, according to this article, being a man is based on .... not *being* fucked.

I don't know anything about Albanian culture other then what was in the article, so I don't know how prevalent the gender dynamic that 'supports' the sworn virgin phenomenon is in the broader culture, but the whole thing struck me as having some meaty parallels and departures from the discussions of gender binary we have in the West.

Thoughts?

I just saw this article, and I thought it might be a good topic for discussion.

Since I tend to believe that prostitution is generally bad for women, I think it basically sounds like a good idea. I mean, I at least like the workshops to help women attain better, safer and more steady jobs. If the scheme does actually provide women the opportunity to increase their job skills.

I want to share with you the new song from the Iranian feminist movement the One Million Signatures Campaign :

You can hear the song here.

A translation of the words appear below:

— 

I sprout life

From the wounds on my skin

Simply because I survive

As I am a woman, a woman, a woman

— 

If our voices are united

And we walk as one

And our hands are joined

We shall escape oppression

— 

Another world

Of equality we will build

With understanding and sisterhood

A happy world, a better world

— 

No more stones

No more executions

No more moans

No more indignity and humiliations

— 

Another world

Of equality we will build

With understanding and sisterhood

A happy world, a better world

Translation by: Sussan Tahmasebi

Here is a great little piece of news that i found tonight on CNN.

so apparently if something terrible has already happened to you, you''ve got nothing to fear right?

The quasi-libertarian climate change skeptic John Tierney has ventured into the territory of Our Innate Differences, and it’s a doozy. His recent New York Times column is a roundup of some recent academic studies demonstrating the pesky persistence of personality and achievement differences between men and women in developed countries.

The can of worms has been opened by David Schmitt et al in their article, “Why Can’t A Man Be More Like a Woman?: Sex Differences in Big Five Personality Traits Across 55 Cultures”.  Schmitt and his colleagues summarize their conclusions in the following way:

Overall, higher levels of human development – including long and healthy life, equal access to knowledge and education, and economic wealth – were the main nation-level predictors of larger sex differences in personality ... It is proposed that heightened levels of sexual dimorphism result from personality traits of men and women being less constrained and more able to naturally diverge in developed nations.   In less fortunate social and economic conditions, innate personality differences between men and women may be attenuated.  

So. What they’ve found is that gender personality differences in rich, developed countries are actually more pronounced than in poor, developing countries. That’s fascinating enough as it is. The real whopper is, they attribute this difference to the fact that in countries like the U.S., men and women’s personalities are “less constrained and more able to naturally diverge.”
   
That’s right ... they went there.

Vladimir Putin accuses the US of encouraging Georgia to attack South Ocetia in order to benefit John McCain. And the press is reporting it!

The Roma in Europe have been discriminated against since the middle ages not only because they look physically different, but also because of their one time nomadic lifestyle and the absence of any cultural homeland. They are the only group of people that at no time in modern history could be called indigenous. They are not only Europe's largest minority, but also the most systematically discriminated against minority in Europe--and by many accounts the world. They were also the second largest ethnic group targeted by the Nazis. Recently there has been an amazing amount of progress in bettering the plight of the Roma in Europe. Last year the European Court of Human Rights ruled that exclusion of the Roma from mainstream European schools is discrimination and had to be ended. States have as a rule been slow to comply with the decision and desegregation has other hurdles not inherent in other desegregation programs like the one we had here in the US. Today the BBC had an article on the reality of the education situation in the Czech Republic.

This summer, I spent a month studying abroad in Spain. In terms of feminism, I was truly shocked as to how the societal norms differed from cultural and political achievements and aspirations. 

Politically:

In all of Spain, gay marriage has been legal since 2005. The law views homosexual unions as marriage in the same way it views heterosexual unions as marriage. It is also legal and the norm for gay couples to adopt. Clearly, this Catholic socialist nation has made a lot more progress than our own. 

Before Spain returned to democracy in 1976, divorce, abortion, and contraception was all prohibited, though prostitution was permitted. With the rule of Adolfo Suarez, Spain's first democratic president since before Franco, the sale of contraceptives was legalized in 1978 and divorce was legalized in 1981. Abortion was legalized in 1985, but only in the case of rape or maternal health concern. Through democracy and socialism, the rigid Catholicism still prevents choice in many circumstances.

Now while countries like Oman and the United Arab Emirates are sending their first female athletes,  Afghanistan's one female athlete is missing.

The article on feminist.com was posted on 7/14 but I hadn't heard about it till last night when I was watching the Parade of Nations.  The announcers said that 19 year old Mehboba Ahdyar, a runner, disappeared from a training camp in Italy and has told her parents she is seeking political asylum in Europe. 

"Although Ahdyar always ran in a headscarf and wore long tracksuit bottoms she still received death threats from extremists who objected to a Muslim woman taking part in sports at all." (article linked below)

Neighbors even accused her of being a prostitute just because she was visited by reporters at her house!  Her father was jailed for a while because of this!

While the Spiegal article has more info I don't like some of the wording - "Mehboba Ahdyar was shouldering the heavy burden of overwhelming expectations. And in the end, it proved more than she could bear. " and "While those women[the 2004 Olympic atheltes] were happy to return to their lives in Afghanistan, Ahdyar took the decision to flee her country and gave up her chance to compete at the Olympics." (empahsis mine)

Gave up? Really?  She proably felt like she didn't have a choice.  It makes it sound like she's weak.  While I'm sure the women who competed in the 2004 Olympics were very brave and probably received similar death threats, we shouldn't be disappointed in Ahdyar for choosing her life over the risk of competing.

On the streets of India romantic exchanges are rare and generally restricted to the private realm of the household. This is because dating is discouraged between youth, as most will enter into arranged marriages. This past January I was able to learn more about arranged marriages and the counterculture through my university's Women's Studies trip to India. My experiences allowed me to learn about gender relations in India while visiting various women's organizations. One of the main connections many people make with India is that of arranged marriage. Today it is still widely practiced through family arrangements and matrimonial advertisements, both in newspapers and online . However, views on the concept are shifting.

There's a joke in my family (between my mom and me, at least) that my sister's boyfriend is a mercenary. Except that it's not really a joke. My sister's boyfriend (we'll call him Tom) works for an American security contractor in Afghanistan (I don't know which one). His job is to provide air cover for his coworkers who are on the ground eradicating Afghani poppy crops.

Full disclosure time: I'm not an expert in US drug policy or US policy toward Afghanistan. I'm not presenting this as information so much as discussion. I know what I know from conversations with people, including Tom, who have more knowledge than I do regarding the situation.

I am doing research on how rape is a weapon used in genocide. Recently the UN recognized rape as a weapon of war. This is important because before rape was viewed as a byproduct of war, not as a tool that wages fear in the enemy, terrorizing civilians, spreading disease, and tainting the gene pool in the case of ethnic cleansing.

There are numerous cases of rape being used in ethnic cleansing campaigns and genocide. Examples would be Bosnia, Rwanda, DRC, and Sudan. I am focusing on Bosnia and Sudan for my case studies. However, I am having difficulty finding theoretical approaches to explain why rape is used in genocide. I am reading on the psychology of rape, international law, and the cases of documentation but there are little academic sources dealing with the topic of rape and genocide. I can make connections myself, but if there is some work on this that I don’t know about I would greatly appreciate any input because I want to read all the necessary literature before I begin writing.

I just came across the recent post on Sexual Harassment in Egypt. Reading it brought back a flood of emotions for me, and decided to go ahead and try to share. (note: these are solely my experiences, and I don't want to pretend to speak for everyone else):

I lived in Egypt, enrolled at the American University in Cairo, when I was 19, in 2005. My boyfriend also went, and for some perspective, I'm a small white female, and he is a "brown" biracial male (of Pakistani descent).

My time abroad, generally speaking, was a complete mix of ups and downs, and most of these peaks and troughs were directly related to my gender. But the one that is both easiest, and yet most difficult, to recall is my close experience with deeply seeded sexism in the country.

Here is a poem by a great Iranian poet Ms. Partow Nooriala, she is also a tireless advocate of the womens' rights movements in Iran including the One Million Signatures Campaign.

Translation by: Zara Houshmand

Zara Houshmand©1997

The first part of this poem is from the eye of a patriarchal society towards women, and the second part is a woman’s voice, that denounces the repression of that society, for she knows her values and abilities. 
 

Bow your form

In sight of the earth.

Hide your face

From the light of the sun and the moon.

            For you are a woman.

Bury your body’s blossoming

In the pit of time.

Consign the renegade strands of your hair

To the ashes of the wood stove

And the fiery power of your hands

To scrubbing and sweeping the home

      For you are a woman.

Murder your words’ fervor

In the devastation of silence.

Feel shame for your desires

And grant your enchanted soul

To the patience of the wind

            For you are a woman.

In the muddy mirror of jealousy

Adorn yourself.

Dress up in the spoil of ignorance

            For you are a woman.

Deny yourself,

That your Lord

May ride in you at his pleasure

      For you are a woman.

*

I cry,

I cry.

In a land where ignorant kindness

Cuts deeper

Than the cruelty of knowledge

I weep for my birth

            As a woman.

I fight,

          I fight.

In a land where the zeal of manliness

Bellows in the field

Between home and grave

I fight along with my birth

            As a woman.

*

I keep my eyes wide open

So as not to sink

Under the weight of this dream

That others have dreamt for me,

And I rip apart this ghostly shirt

They have sown to cover

My naked thought

            For I am a woman.

I make love to the god of war

To bury the ancient sword of his anger.

I make war on the dark god

That the stars of my name may shine

            For I am a woman.

With love in one hand,

Labor in the other,

I fashion the world on the ground

Of my glorious brilliance,

And in a bed of clouds I plant

The scent of my smile,

That the sweet smelling rain

May bring to bud

All the ivy of the world

             For I am a woman.

My children I bring

To the feast of light,

My men

To the feast of awareness

            For I am a woman.

I am the earth’s steady chastity

The enduring glory of time

            For I am human. 

From “My Earth Altered”, the 3rd. collection

Of Partow’s poems

www.noorialapartow.blogfa.com

This is my first time posting, so I hope I'm doing this right. Earlier this year, the World Economic Forum reported the result of their annual study on gender equality in more than a hundred countries worldwide. America came in at 31 behind some "Third World" nations such as the Philippines, Cuba, and Croatia.

Here is my blog about this report.

And here is a direct link to the World Economic Forum.

"Authorities in a northern Malaysian city have forbidden Muslim women from wearing bright lipstick and noisy high-heeled shoes, saying the directive is intended to prevent sexual assaults and 'illicit sex.'"  According to the article, women in Kota Baru are now forbidden to wear "thick makeup" and high heels that make "a tapping sound."  Strangely, high heels with rubber caps are still OK. 

The law's stated goal is to safeguard women's "morals and dignity" and to "thwart rape."  Hey, thanks for looking out for us, Kota Baru theocrats!  It's about time someone recognized the real cause of rape - loud high heels - and took a stand against it.