Women's Views on News |
- Justice won’t be found in a palava hut for Liberian rape victims
- The Bechdel Test: women in film
- Mademoiselle? Will they ‘Miss’ it?
- Activist launches new Honour Based Violence Awareness network
| Justice won’t be found in a palava hut for Liberian rape victims Posted: 28 Feb 2012 08:15 AM PST
From 1989 to 2003 Liberia suffered a brutal civil war in which it is estimated that between 60 and 90 per cent of the female population – women, girls, babies – were raped. Rape became a tool of war here just as it has done in other parts of the world and women are still suffering today. Despite boasting Africa’s first female president, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who recently won a Nobel Peace Prize with Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee for their struggle to boost women’s rights and safety (see WVoN coverage), the situation for many women in Liberia remains unstable. Rape is still rampant and often goes unpunished. In order to get some form of justice a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was set up, with a mandate to document and investigate human rights abuses committed during the 14 year civil war and provide a series of recommendations. Women were encouraged to speak up about the horrors and trauma they faced and to name the perpetrators. Many did, but instead of receiving reparations, counselling and support in taking their cases to court, they faced danger – justice has not prevailed. According to Yarih Geebah from Ganta Concerned Women: ”Most of the women here were raped [during the war]. But if you don’t have money, nothing happens. [For] we, the poor people, we who don’t know book … justice don’t prevail.” One of the recommendations included the national palava hut programme which forms part of Liberia's traditional justice system. People from the community come together in an open-walled hut, discuss the crime and together decide on the punishment. However, the idea of having to revisit the past does not sit well with some of the women in Ganta. They don't want to bring horrific memories back – they want to look forward and concentrate on finding good employment, education for their children and look after their homes. The adminstration of the palava hut project is questionable, for example a set of lists was drawn up, those who should face prosecution under international law and those who should stand in the palava, yet some names appear on both lists. And, according to The Guardian, a commissioner for the independent human rights commission of Liberia (the organisation in charge of implementing the programme) has raised concerns over the funding available for training and practical aspects of the project. So, three years on from the TRC’s findings, the project has yet to begin and many of the victims in Liberia do not believe that justice will triumph in a palava hut.  |
| The Bechdel Test: women in film Posted: 28 Feb 2012 06:58 AM PST
When you watch a film do you notice the lack of strong female characters? Perhaps not, as most films do tend to have the stereotypical female lead – damsel in distress or femme fatale. The lack of strong female characters was pointed out by Allison Bechdel in her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For in 1985. She decided to only watch films when: 1. There are two female characters 2. Who talk to each other 3. About something other than a man The Bechdel Test is a simple way to evaluate the active presence of female characters in Hollywood films and just how well rounded and complete those roles are. The number of films that do not pass this test is incredible and demonstrates just how under-represented or mis-interpreted women are in the film industry. We do have interests other than men… sorry about that guys! You would think, with the increase in feminist theory, women's empowerment and better representation in the media, politics and business, that women would be better represented in films in 2012 than back in the 1980s. Unfortunately not – 88 per cent of the Bechdel Test 2540-strong film database failed to pass. When films pass the test you don't hear a big cheer from the feminist community because this is not just a bit of fun, it's about reaching equal levels of representation in one the world’s most important and influential industries. Is it really so hard to get two female leads, who talk about something other than a man? Apparently so. But we need to keep trying and break the boundaries, for example The Help or Bridesmaids. Even though The Help raises issues about the portrayal of racism in America it has a strong female cast who give fantastic performances and shouldn’t be dismissed. The Bechdel test does not gauge the quality of the film or tell us whether it is a feminist film or not, instead it acts as a useful tool to identify the lack of relevant and meaningful female roles as a larger pattern in the film industry as a whole.  |
| Mademoiselle? Will they ‘Miss’ it? Posted: 28 Feb 2012 03:59 AM PST
It’s one of the first things you learn in French class. Men are just men – Monsieur – and women are only women as defined by their marital status – Madame (if married) or Mademoiselle (if not). Only now, things are changing. The French, officially at least, are dropping Mademoiselle as a form of address for women. The Prime Minister’s office issued a document last week, phasing out the use of Mademoiselle on official forms. Old forms will be used until they run out, but thereafter the options will be limited to Madame or Monsieur. The document also instructs ministries and administrative bodies to discontinue requests, where possible, for maiden name and spouse’s surname on forms. The edict comes after two French towns, Cesson-Sevigne in Brittany, and Fontenay-sous-Bois near Paris, banned the official use of Mademoiselle. French feminist groups have been campaigning for years for Mademoiselle to be dropped, saying its use is sexist and discriminatory, which clearly it is. French women have never had the option of the neutral ‘Ms’ so women were ‘Madame’ or not, whether they liked it or not. Julie Muret of feminist group Osez le Feminisme, said: ‘Everywhere we are asked to declare our marital status. This is not imposed on men, it's not important whether they are married.’ Another French feminist group who welcomed the change was Les Chiennes de Garde, whose campaign to get rid of the distinction in female honorifics, ‘Mademoiselle, La Case en Trop!‘ was launched in September last year. However, the change has not been welcomed by all. It hasn’t even been welcomed by all French feminist groups. Paroles de Femmes, a women’s group which fights for women’s equality, isn’t very impressed with the victory, with its President, Olivia Cattan, saying the word mademoiselle had never annoyed her. The organisation also pointed out that women have bigger problems. A poll it conducted in 2011 called ‘What Women Want‘, seems to back them up: it found that the use of mademoiselle was listed bottom of the main concerns of French women today – just 10% against 84% calling for equal pay. There is also a very vocal group of women to contend with who positively enjoy the use of the word mademoiselle when applied to them because Madame sounds ‘old and expired’. In other words, being called mademoiselle, despite having reached a certain age, makes them feel young. And tackling the entire Western culture’s insistence that women revel in being young, as opposed to, say, distinguished or powerful or experienced, will take more than the banning of mademoiselle, that’s for sure. It may even require a keen look at the fact that the French word for ‘woman’ is exactly the same as that for ‘wife’, regardless of whether she’s a Madame or not.  |
| Activist launches new Honour Based Violence Awareness network Posted: 28 Feb 2012 02:08 AM PST
Last week human rights activists Deeyah and Joanne Payton of Cardiff University launched a new digital resource for honour killings and honour-based violence (HBV) through the Honour Based Violence Awareness network (HBVA). UK-based Deeyah was born to Pakistani and Afghan parents in Norway but was forced into exile and gave up her singing career after constant and sustained harassment from Islamic groups. The HBVA website is an international digital resource centre working to advance understanding and awareness of honour killings and honour-based violence. Resources include research, documentation and information for professionals such as teachers, health workers, social services, police, politicians and others who may encounter individuals at risk. The four key areas are:
The site features international partners and collaborators from Pakistan, Iraq, the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, India, Norway, Denmark, Bangladesh and Jordan. HBVA experts include: Asma Jahangir, Yakin Erturk, John Austin, Rana Husseini, Serap Cileli, Ayse Onal, Nazir Afzal, Unni Wikan. The aim is to develop a network of experts, activists, and NGOs from around the world, establishing international partnerships to facilitate greater collaboration and education. Over time it will provide an in-depth resource offering multi-media data and research materials about honour based violence. HBV is a deep-rooted phenomenon that is no respecter of borders or religion. So far it has proved impossible to accurately record the number of honour killings, which HBVA estimates is 5000 per year. The organisation acknowledges that its figures are inaccurate and this seems low compared with figures obtained by the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation in 2010, that show UK police recorded 2,823 honour attacks. This represents a 47% rise over 2009 figures though it is possible because, with growing resources and training materials such as those provided by HBVA, police are now more able to recognise, act and record incidents of HBV. Also lessons have been learnt from the 2006 killing of Banaz Mahmod, an Iraqi Kurd from London. A 2008 Independent Police Complaints Commission report found that Ms Mahmod had been let down by police. Her father, uncle and two cousins were convicted of her murder. Prior to her murder Ms Mahmod told police that her father had tried to kill her but her account was dismissed as fantasy. Yet the HBVA is hopeful that the global eradication of honour crimes is a possibility. Deeyah summarises the effect that greater awareness and training can have on professionals such as the police: "Centuries-old cultures, customs, social structures and mentalities take time and effort to change. “However, we can make a real and immediate impact, at least in Europe and the US, and deaths can be prevented, by implementing adequate training, providing research and properly informing those people in a position to help individuals at risk of HBV. You can follow them on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ Facebook: http://www.facebook.  |
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