Women's Views on News |
- Campaigner produces nude calendar against repression of women
- Women pilots celebrate first Channel crossing
- Latin American women: powerful yet still very unequal
- Fighting for the true meaning of International Women’s Day
- Documenting the revolution: Grassroots Feminism
- Mumsnet uncovers shocking truth about rape in the UK
- Reclaim the Night marches and VAW report launch in Fiji on IWD
- Fiji president and international groups address needs of Pacific women with HIV
- Tearfund: educating the next generation in Peru
| Campaigner produces nude calendar against repression of women Posted: 13 Mar 2012 01:30 PM PDT
When Egyptian media student Aliaa Magda Elmahdy posted naked pictures of herself in a protest against Islamic extremism last November, she provoked outrage throughout the Middle East. Last week, rights activist and campaigner Maryam Namazie published a nude calendar, designed by Sonya JF Barnett, the co-founder of the Toronto Slutwalk, in support of Elmahdy’s protest against the repression of women in Egyptian society. Namazie said that: "Islamists want us covered up, hidden, and not seen and not heard; we refuse to comply”. A group of Iranian women have released a video on YouTube pledging their support, saying that women need to “scream against a society of violence, racism, sexism, sexual harassment and hypocrisy”. But the initiative is not universally supported by women's groups. Azar Majedi of the Organisation of Women’s Liberation in Iran, said that the calendar "used women’s nudity for profit just like the tabloids." Majedi added that feminist activists in the West have an easy life, since they do not face the same threats as Elmahdy. Namazie said her initiative could not be compared to The Sun that sells “dehumanised women’s bodies for profit”, adding that: “threats or no threats, in Egypt or not, isn’t this the whole point of international solidarity?” Proceeds from the calendar will go towards supporting women’s rights and free expression. You can buy a copy here. Join the 'Scream' on Facebook and on Twitter using the hashtag #NudePhotoRevolutionary.  |
| Women pilots celebrate first Channel crossing Posted: 13 Mar 2012 12:00 PM PDT Sarah MacShane Nearly 100 women celebrated the anniversary of the first flight by a female pilot across the English channel last weekend. Harriet Quimby, the first woman to gain a pilot’s licence in the US, flew from Dover to northern France in April 1912. Quimby, who was born in the US state of Michigan, had a huge influence on the role of women in aviation. Having decided to become a pilot after going to an airshow in 1910, she got her licence a year later and flew across the Channel the day before the sinking of the Titanic. Visiting pilots from across the globe recreated her flight path to commemorate the occasion. The event was organized by Women of Aviation Worldwide Week, which organizes an annual celebration during the week of March 8 (International Women’s Day) to encourage more women into flying.  |
| Latin American women: powerful yet still very unequal Posted: 13 Mar 2012 10:30 AM PDT
Countries with the highest levels of gender-based violence also tend to have the highest levels of female political representation. Latin America is one of the most unequal continents in the world, with huge disparities between rich and poor, but has had more female presidents and prime ministers than the whole of Europe, starting with Violeta Chamorro in Nicaragua. Currently, 40% of the American subcontinent is governed by women: Dilma Rousseff in Brazil, Cristina Fernandez in Argentina and Laura Chinchilla in Costa Rica. Mexico may be on its way to electing a female president in the form of Josefina Vazquez Mota. But Mexico also demonstrates the disconnect between day to day life for some women with the brutality facing others. Human rights groups say hundreds of women have been brutally killed or gone missing in Mexico state alone in recent years. And Guatemala isn’t any better – more than 7000 women have been killed there since 2000. "Around 49 [women] are killed every month," according to Sylvia Gereda, an investigative journalist with the TV show Informe Especial "Special Report". Yet over half (53 per cent) of graduates in Latin America are women, some of whom such as Michelle Bachelet (ex president of Chile and now head of UN Women) achieve the . There are no easy answers, but one seems pretty clear – a fundamentally patriarchal system of power where a woman's role is clearly identified with strong cultural expectations of what they should and shouldn't do. Latin America should be proud of the strong female leaders it has produced, but while women are subject to trafficking, sexual slavery, murder and violence on a scale that amounts to feminicide in some countries, it clearly has a long way to go.  |
| Fighting for the true meaning of International Women’s Day Posted: 13 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PDT Heather Kennedy Many years later, Mahmoud is still fighting against what she calls the ‘rotten social values’ entrenched in the Iraqi and Kurdish societies that are her home. Speaking at a public meeting in London, Women Fight Back, to address the importance of International Women’s Day (IWD) in the UK and Middle East, Mahmoud added: "I say to that neighbour: 'I can't wait for heaven or hell, I just want to live'." Speakers and the audience (made up almost equally between men and women) agreed that IWD had become de-politicised, to the point of becoming an insipid marketing device on a par with Valentine's Day. Mahmoud from the Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq and Dibi Ali Kani from the Association in Support of Women in Iran both spoke about the issues confronting women fighting for their rights in the Middle East. "There has been a mushrooming of women's NGOs in Iraq, funded by occupation forces and the Government. But in Iraq we have polygamy, we have forced marriage, Sharia law. “And these NGOs are leaving patriarchy and Islam unchallenged. Women's organisations have been co-opted by the state and bureaucratised," Mahmoud said. With the overthrow of dictatorships and power hanging in the balance, women in the Arab world are fighting for basic rights against old forces of oppression and religious movements vying for political power. "Part of the reason [for misogynistic attitudes] in Iraq and Kurdistan is local mullahs deliberately misinterpreting the Koran to men who don't speak Arabic so can't read it themselves. “So the mullahs say, go home, beat your wives, it's your right," Mahmoud explained. In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood is gaining prominence. Although they claim to support women's liberation, under the dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak they voted against progressive reforms which they saw as conflicting with Islam. When campaigning for women's rights in Europe, Mahmoud often hears the argument that misogynistic policies like stoning, forced marriage and female genital mutilation are an inherent aspect of her culture. She refuted this, saying: "We first had Sharia law under a British dictatorship. Leftist movements have been crushed by continual wars and occupations. “Religious movements, that receive global support, are the only ones that survive under these conditions." Both Kani and Mahmoud pointed out, however, that the UK is far from achieving gender equality, pointing in particular to the pressure in the west which encourages women to compete against one another in terms of their looks. Janine Booth, a national executive member of the RMT transport union, lamented that as the rate of domestic violence (DV) increases in a recession-bound UK, the government is closing refuges, forcing women to remain in violent relationships. An audience member who works for one of the UK's largest women's refuge providers said the government refused to accept DV as a class issue. "But it is working class women who don't have the resources to escape violence so they are often at much worse risk.” It's this social consciousness that must be reclaimed by IWD and the women's movement, argued Booth. “International Women's Day has to return to its radical socialist roots, as a celebration of working class women and their struggles.” Booth was the first woman elected to the London transport seat on the union’s executive, a reflection of the gender disparity that still exists in the trade union movement and the transport industry. "Female workers on the London Underground are unsafe, harassed, paid badly. “We need to campaign to get their rights recognised. International Women's Day is a day for working women, not just professional women who want to break through the glass ceiling.” As women across the world struggle for their rights in the face of intensifying poverty, gender violence, political upheaval and oppressive social values, the message from the meeting was clear – the women's movement must fearlessly confront patriarchy and capitalism and refuse to be co-opted by dominant agendas. Mahmoud summed up the mood of the meeting with this call to arms: "We need an army of women on the streets, vocally breaking taboos and demanding for their rights. I can't give up my freedom of speech now, even if I have to pay for it with my own body.”  |
| Documenting the revolution: Grassroots Feminism Posted: 13 Mar 2012 07:30 AM PDT
Culturally unproductive. A passive consumer of mass culture and media. Does this sound like you? No, I didn’t recognise myself in that description, either. But if you’re young, and in particular a girl or young woman, this may be the preconception that society has of you. But the women behind Grassroots Feminism (GF) beg to differ. They see girls and young women as capable cultural producers of a variety of film, music, media and festivals, and so have created a social platform, in the form of a website, to gain insight into and document these media and their meaning. Founder Elke Zobl explains why she started the project: "While I was working on the Grrrl Zine Network project [a resource site for international grrrl, lady, queer and trans folk zines], I realised that it is not only zines but feminist cultural productions and activities overall that are not archived or made accessible to a larger audience. "An interactive feminist community portal was missing." So she created Grassroots Feminism, a central and interactive community platform for feminists and queer youth all over the world to access, contribute to and share archives, projects and resources, as well as network with and encourage each other. The site is organised and maintained by Zobl in collaboration with Rosa Reitsamer and Stefanie Grünangerl, all from Austria, and Red Chidgey from the UK. One of GF’s research projects, funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), is ‘Feminist Media Production in Europe’. Zobl explains: "Besides researching and presenting our results in an academic context, we also wanted to make them accessible to a wider interested public and feminist communities." To this end, Zobl, Grünangerl and their colleague Ricarda Drüeke are currently compiling and editing a book, Feminist Media: Participatory Spaces, Networks and Cultural Citizenship, due to be published later this year. In the slightly more academic vein that the original research project started out in, the editors have invited scholars to contribute case studies and analysis of feminist media. "While feminists have long recognised the importance of self-managed, alternative media to transport their messages, challenge the status quo and spin novel social processes, it has been an under-researched idea," Grünangerl says. Hence the book sets out to explore the processes of women’s and feminist media production in the context of their economic, material and cultural implications, the potential of new technologies for feminist activism, and concepts of social change through feminist activism. The book will also include a selected list of feminist media projects from Europe, providing basic data about them and links to their websites. Zobl adds: "The book – as well as our research project – is needed as women have always played an important role in movements for social justice. "In the past two decades, an increasing number of women have taken the tools of media production into their own hands – a vital social phenomenon that has gone largely undetected by members of the public, academia and even sometimes the feminist movement." As a consequence of this invisibility, she believes, very little documentation and research has been done on women’s own media cultures, especially in Europe. This book, and the GF platform, aims to redress this. GF hopes the impact of the the book’s publication will be "to inspire! To inspire [young women] to become active!" As well as the more academic parts, they would also like to include a discussion among feminist media producers, and invite all such to take part, WvoN readers and contributors included. The editors have created a forum with a set of questions, the answers to which they will collate and merge into the book. The questions up for discussion include: the issues you think need to be urgently discussed and taken up in the feminist movement and in feminist media; what the biggest challenges are in producing alternative feminist media, and; how feminist media production can challenge the status quo and effect social change. Zobl says: "It is my sincere hope that Grassroots Feminism evolves into a tool for transnational activists, cultural producers and researchers to link their struggles and develop connections between cultural, social, political,environmental, economic and other coalitions. "In the words of Chandra Talpede Mohanty [the prominent postcolonial and transnational feminist theorist]: ‘everyday feminist, anti-racist, anti-capitalist practices are as important as large, organised political movements’." Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some culturally unproductive, passive consumption of mass culture and media to get back to. If you would like to take part in the discussion, visit GF’s forum and give your opinions on the questions there. GF will collect replies until Sunday, March 25.
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| Mumsnet uncovers shocking truth about rape in the UK Posted: 13 Mar 2012 06:00 AM PDT
A survey carried out by advice website, Mumsnet, in February and March has revealed shocking facts about the scale of rape and sexual assault in the UK. As a result, it has today launched a week-long 'We Believe You' campaign to raise awareness of the issue and to support victims. The survey found that:
Justine Roberts, Mumsnet Co-Founder and CEO, said: 'The results of our survey are really shocking. We simply shouldn't accept that we live in a country where one in ten women are raped and over one-third sexually assaulted." The campaign is also aimed at challenging the myths that makes society less sympathetic to victims and stops them reporting sex-hate crimes. 'Rape: the truth behind the myths‘, also published today, sets out to bust eight of the most persistent of those myths – for instance, that women are most likely to be raped by a stranger, outside, in dark alleyways. In reality:
As a result, women who are raped in domestic circumstances don't identify their experience as rape, or report it. The myth also blames the victim and limits women's freedom of movement, by implying that rape can be prevented if women avoid certain places. Backed by Rape Crisis, Barnardo's and the End Violence Against Women coalition, the survey was completed by over 1600 women. Holly Dustin, Director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: "We want to see ongoing public campaigns to tackle attitudes to sexual violence, and work with young people in schools to prevent harmful behaviours developing in the first place." You can support the campaign on their Facebook page or by following the Twitter hashtag #webelieveyou.  |
| Reclaim the Night marches and VAW report launch in Fiji on IWD Posted: 13 Mar 2012 04:30 AM PDT
International Women's Day was commemorated in Fiji with a series of Reclaim the Night marches. It also saw the launch of the “Violence against Women in Melanesia and Timor-Leste Progress Report” at the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre (FWCC). About 850 women participated in three separate candle-lit marches demanding safe public spaces for women free from sexual assault. In line with the IWD theme of Rural Women's Access to Justice, Shamima Ali, FWCC Coordinator described this year's marches through rural villages in Nadi and Suva as "decentralized". This broadening of the scope of women's activism was important, said Ali, because of the prevalence of domestic violence in Fiji. Political instability in the country had also complicated women's ability to seek justice, she said. According to a press release, in the village of Dratabu in Nadi, about 350 men, women and children took to the streets. The village headman, Malikieli Namua, said the event was emotional for many because it was the first time women in the village had organized to demand an end to violence against women. "It was a significant event," Namua said, "because it also involved a lot of our senior women – those in their 60s and 70s – who were determined to join in." The march in the village of Namaka had the support of local police who helped to organize the event. Nadi Women's Centre project officer Torika Tabua explained that "We have been working with the police in Namaka and Sabeto to try and improve services for women and children who have been victims of violence and I would like to acknowledge their support." Tabua called for better access to justice for women and for sensitive police handling of issues around violence against women. The largest event, organized by the FWCC, took place in Suva. "This has been the biggest number of people marching we have seen in recent years," Ali said. "It shows that our message demanding full equality for women is getting through, although we still have a long way to go before women enjoy complete freedom from violence and discrimination." Alongside the Reclaim the Night march in Suva, Penny Williams, Australia’s Global Ambassador for Women and Girls, launched the “Violence against Women in Melanesia and Timor-Leste Progress Report.” The report provides evidence of the numbers of women who experience violence as well as demonstrating the increase in funding for programmes to support victims and conduct further research. However, Williams pointed out that while Pacific governments have passed legislation to criminalize violence against women and opened centres to support victims of violence, the most difficult challenge was changing community attitudes. "Too many people think that it's normal for women and girls to be abused," she said. FWCC Nadi Branch Project Officer Torika Tokalau said: "On this day we remember those women who lost their lives due to violence. “These women did not get the chance to live their life to the fullest and because of such acts of senseless violence- there are calls for safer homes, safer streets, safer nightclubs and safer spaces for women and girls."  |
| Fiji president and international groups address needs of Pacific women with HIV Posted: 13 Mar 2012 03:30 AM PDT
The Pacific Islands AIDS Foundation is working to reduce stereotypes about HIV in the Pacific with the message that women with HIV can have healthy children. On International Women's Day, PIAF research officer, Hilary Gorman, explained that: "In the Pacific what we've found is that generally women who are married or in a steady relationship are contracting HIV." She also added that the belief that only sex workers are in danger of contracting HIV is widespread and so women in relationships are not protecting themselves. Another myth is that women are to blame for contracting HIV, even when it was their male partners who had had sex outside the relationship. Gorman explained that in her 2011 study of the experiences of HIV positive women in Fiji and Papua New Guinea findings indicated that "even if it was men who were known to be the one that brought HIV into a relationship, somehow women were still the ones who were often punished or blamed, even if they contracted [HIV] from their husband." While most Pacific Island nations provide medical support for HIV positive women as well as support groups, not all women take advantage of these facilities because of the social stigma associated with the disease. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable because they need to be reassured that they can take steps to prevent the transmission of HIV to their babies. Gorman said that "there is no guarantee that HIV will be transferred from mother to the child," and that doctors can provide treatments that reduce the risk of transmission quite considerably. Gorman’s report calls for governments in the Pacific need to provide counseling services for affected women. These messages come at a time when UNAIDS Executive Director, Michel Sidibé visited Fijian president, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, to discuss the spread of AIDS among women and girls in the Pacific region. The president said that: "The Pacific Island States are facing a potential tsunami of new HIV infections, particularly among women and girls." "I am personally committed to working with UNAIDS to ensure that across the Pacific region, women and girls do not bear the burden of this epidemic." Sidibé encouraged the president to also address violence against women because it is a risk factor in the spread of AIDS to Pacific women. With the statements from the Fijian president, and the PIAF research report, the hope is that providing facts about HIV, debunking the myths, and providing additional services, more HIV positive women, especially those who are pregnant, will investigate treatment options.  |
| Tearfund: educating the next generation in Peru Posted: 13 Mar 2012 02:00 AM PDT  Credit: Geoff Crawford/Tearfund Sara Guy In a series of five features to mark Mother’s Day on March 18, Sara Guy from Tearfund presents a feature of case studies of mothers from around the world. The second is on Peru. With its rich Inca history, snow-capped mountains and lush rainforest, Peru is a popular tourist destination. The country also has rich mineral deposits, including silver and gold, and has experienced recent economic growth. However, wealth and power are too often concentrated within a small elite, leaving those in urban shanty towns, rural highlands and jungle areas with little of either. Nelida Aguilar is 45 years old and lives in Cajamarca, Peru, with her elderly mother and her eight-year-old daughter, Alicia. Located in Northern Peru, the Cajamarca region spans both the Andes and the Amazon rainforest. The region’s capital, Cajamarca, is famous as the place where the Inca Empire came to an end. Whilst much mining takes place in the area, most people living in the countryside are farmers. Like many in her community, Nelida spends her days working the fields, tending her vegetable patch and looking after livestock. She learnt to do all this when she was just eight years old. Her father had left the family six years earlier and her mother had no choice but to pull Nelida out of school to help look after the sheep. Nelida left the village where she grew up to work as a maid in the city for nearly ten years. Then her mother fell ill and her brother wasn't able, or willing, to look after her, so Nelida returned to the village. Today, she is a single mum (Alicia's father didn't stay with her once Nelida became pregnant) struggling to do the best for her family. Their life isn't one of life-and-death poverty, but rather of relentless, tiring grind. A changing climate means that rains are unpredictable, making farming more challenging. Combined with soil degradation and a range of pests that can destroy whole harvests, life in Cajamarca could never be described as 'easy'. Although she only went to school for two years, Nelida has since learnt how to read and write through a literacy programme run by local charity Warmis. Started by members of a local church, Warmis worked initially with women and children, teaching literacy and handicraft skills. Realising how important farming is to the local community, Warmis also trains and equips farmers to better deal with the challenges they face.  |
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