Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Women's Views on News

Women's Views on News

UN special rapporteur links sorcery to VAW in Papua New Guinea

Posted: 03 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT

Helen Thompson
WVoN co-editor

A UN special rapporteur on violence against women is calling for the repeal of a Papua New Guinea law that allows accused murderers to argue that their victims were sorcerers.

In her report after a week-long visit to Papua New Guinea last week, Rashida Manjoo argued that women are particularly vulnerable to being accused of sorcery and attacked, raped and killed as a result.

Perpetrators often get reduced sentences or go unpunished because sorcery is a legal defence under the 1971 Sorcery Act, an Australian colonial law.

Those found guilty of practicing sorcery may be imprisoned for up to two years.

Manjoo said:

“I was informed that sorcery-related violence is commonly perpetrated by young men or boys who act under orders for other members in the community, and they commonly do so under the influence of drugs or alcohol, which is provided by such persons."

Accusing women of sorcery and murdering them is also an opportunistic way to take control of their land and property.

Widows and women with no family protection are particularly vulnerable to accusations of sorcery and, as a result to rape, torture, mutilation and murder.

According to Oxfam New Zealand, many people in Papua New Guinea, especially in the more remote Highlands, attribute death and disaster to sanguma or black magic.

Yet proving that a person has practiced black magic is difficult and according to UN OHCHR Pacific Representative, Matilda Bogner, the law shifts accountability from the perpetrator of violence to the victim.

She argues for removing sorcery from the investigations and allowing the criminal justice system to prosecute the cases.

"Sorcery is not an excuse for killing a person," she said.

In the last 20 years two-thirds of women in Papua New Guinea have experienced some form of violence and Manjoo cites several factors that contribute to this high incidence of abuse.

The dowry or bride price custom encourages men to claim ownership of their wives who then feel free to treat them as they see fit.

Manjoo also reported that because both women and men see domestic violence as a normal part of family life, such crimes are underreported.

UK Home Office introduces Destitution Domestic Violence Concession

Posted: 03 Apr 2012 09:00 AM PDT

Ilona Lo Iacono
WVoN co-editor 

The UK Home Office has introduced a concession allowing victims of domestic violence, who entered the UK on spousal visas and have no recourse to public funds, to access benefits and public housing while they apply for settlement under the Domestic Violence Rule.

The Destitution Domestic Violence Concession, introduced on April 1, replaces a pilot scheme, The Sojourner Project, which began in 2009 and was managed by Eaves Housing for Women. It provided support for 1,522 people, including 738 women with children.

Jo Clarke, from Eaves, said that the pilot “has been a huge success”.

The government estimates that the permanent scheme will help 500 people a year to escape from abusive relationships across the UK.

Eligible spouses will be granted a limited period of exceptional leave, which will permit access to public funds and support services, such as a refuge, allowing victims to leave an abusive relationship and apply for residence in the UK.

Immigration Minister Damian Green said: ‘No one should be forced to stay in an abusive relationship and this scheme helps victims in genuine need escape violence and harm and seek the support they deserve.’

The Campaign to Abolish No Recourse to Public Funds, which involves over 27 leading women's and human rights groups, has welcomed the concession, calling it a victory for the "rights of women at risk of gender based violence and exploitation".

According to Southall Black Sisters: "many of the women whose marriages broke down due to domestic violence could not return to their countries of origin due to family rejection, stigma attached to divorced and separated women and the lack of state protection or support for such women.

“[Without recourse to public funds] they had little or no exit options and were faced with a stark choice: to remain in an abusive marriage or to [return to] countries of origin where they were at risk of discrimination and even persecution."

The Women's Resource Centre tells of "Ms A", who, with no recourse to public funds, could not access a place in a refuge:

Ms A came to the UK from India on a spousal visa. Her husband subjected her to repeated physical and sexual violence. She was often beaten with a hockey stick and threatened with a gun.

She was told that she would be killed if she dared report the violence to anyone. Eventually whilst pregnant, she managed to escape and report the abuse to the police. A statement was taken but as she had nowhere to stay, the police asked their interpreter to let her stay with him.

Ms A tried to seek help from social services but they said there was nothing they could do for her. She eventually decided to terminate her pregnancy due to lack of support, homelessness and destitution.

The Campaign to Abolish No Recourse to Public Funds is concerned that many women and children with an insecure immigration status will remain vulnerable despite the concession.

Data collected during one period in 2011 shows that 65% of women with insecure immigration status who sought assistance from the Sojourner Project were ineligible for funding, and were "either dependent on limited support elsewhere or destitute".

Under new proposals, such women will not be entitled to legal aid to make an application to stay in the UK, or to appeal against refusal.

The campaign also says that other new government proposals on family-related migration, including plans to increase the probationary period for spousal visas from two to five years, and changes to the immigration rules which require applicants for settlement under the domestic violence rule to be free of unspent convictions, will undermine women's ability to escape abuse and gain access to safety and support.

Women-only unit of the PKK wiped out by Turkish military

Posted: 03 Apr 2012 07:00 AM PDT

Ilona Lo Iacono
WVoN co-editor 

Turkish military forces reportedly killed 15 women fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) on March 24, wiping out an all-woman unit, during a battle in south-eastern Turkey.

The day's fighting took place in a rural area in the Bitlis province, close to the Iraqi Kurdistan border, a day after the Turkish army and police wrapped up a massive offensive against the outlawed PKK.

The approach of spring has seen an upsurge in fighting, as mountain passes between Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey have cleared of melting snow, allowing rebels to cross the border into Turkey.

The Turkish assault was the largest against the PKK so far this year, involving thousands of members of the security forces, backed by helicopters and fighter jets.

The Turkish military has also carried out airstrikes targeting the rebels inside Iraq.

Women have always made up a significant proportion of the PKK's fighters. In 2005, when Guerilla Girls of the PKK – Turkey (watch here) was produced, it was estimated that half of the organisation's 10,000 guerillas were women.

The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by much of the world, including the USA and the EU, was founded on a combination of Marxist, existentialist, anti-imperialist and feminist beliefs.

Murat Karayilan, acting leader of the PKK, said recently: "If women are not free, neither are men, and society will also not be free."

It is for this freedom that women are drawn to guerilla life, based in the Qandil mountains of northern Iraq.

Forced marriages and honour killings are common in Kurdish society, but the PKK stands in absolute opposition to both, and uses its influence to rescue girls and women from such situations.

Some Kurdish women, wanting to flee the expectation of marriage altogether, run away from home and join the rebel group.

Marriage is regarded by the PKK as a bourgeois concept based on ownership, and an instrument of patriarchal and imperialist power.

One woman, filmed for Guerilla Girls of the PKK – Turkey, explained that sex is also forbidden until truly free gender relations exist, which won't happen until "after the revolution arrives", when men and women have rid themselves of "the dominant male mentality".

To this end, both men and women participate in re-education designed to “kill the man in you”.

Serhat, a 40-year-old fighter who joined the movement 20 years ago, says: "When people join the PKK, one of the first things they learn is how to respect women. Before, women had very low status within Kurdish society. But this has changed through the struggle.”

Peri, who joined the movement in 1993 as a teenager, quotes the imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan: "How much women become free within the society – that is the measure of freedom in the society."

She explains that the "movement is a movement of freedoms, but we do not understand these freedoms as simply freeing a land or establishing a state. The freedoms we fight for have something to do with the enlightenment of the society.

"Around the world in different countries, some women do hold positions and certain rights, but this does not change the reality.

“Yes, in the West… the women are able to, at some levels, represent themselves and participate. But… this hegemony of the mentality of men still pervades, and society still dictates what the woman can and cannot do.

"So we aim to free the woman in all levels of life – social, political, economic – so she will be able to take part in all levels of society on an equal basis. We aim to break the mentality of men. And for this to happen, women need to organise themselves and actively participate."

Until “the revolution”, it seems, the women of the PKK will continue their fight for freedom, with theory and philosophy books in one hand, and weapons in the other.

WVoN co-editor – interview with BBC Radio Gloucestershire

Posted: 03 Apr 2012 05:00 AM PDT

(c) Humuyun M

Mariam Zaidi
WVoN co-editor

I was asked recently to be a guest on BBC Radio Gloucestershire to talk about the time I’ve spent working as a journalist in Pakistan.

Pakistan is a country that perhaps finds itself in the media for all the wrong reasons.

It is a country of political instability, religious intolerance and fractured relationships.  But it is also a country rich with life, culture and great people.

I have spent time working in Pakistan for both the Associated Press Television News (APTN) as a news producer and was headhunted by Dawn News Pakistan – Pakistan’s first English language news channel as a news anchor.

I have covered many amazing stories in Pakistan from bomb blasts and politics to landmark judicial rulings and fashion shows.

Pakistan has given me wonderful experiences.  But more importantly, it is where I discovered my passion for journalism and for that, I will always be grateful.

You can listen to the interview here (about one hour and nine minutes into the programme).

Is abortion provision in the UK under attack?

Posted: 03 Apr 2012 03:00 AM PDT

Shanna McGoldrick
WVoN co-editor 

Medical professionals may be deterred from performing abortions in the light of hardline pro-life protests in the UK, according to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS).

It has expressed concern that the recent wave of anti-abortion activism will politicise abortion, making it difficult to attract doctors to the field.

In a statement, a BPAS spokesperson said:

“The current politicisation of abortion provision is likely to make it even harder to recruit a future generation of abortion doctors who are prepared to provide the care that a third of women will need in the course of their lifetimes.”

This concern was increased after the government ordered the review of 250 clinics in England which perform the procedure.

The unannounced inspections were ordered as a result of rumours of 'misconduct' in centres, including evidence of doctors allegedly pre-signing forms for patients.

The UK is currently witnessing an increase in anti-abortion protest, typified by the recent stand-off between pro-choice and pro-life activists outside a clinic in London on March 30.

The anti-abortion protest was spearheaded by the US-based organisation 40 Days For Life which has lead protests in several countries.

There is growing concern amongst British experts that increasingly extremist anti-abortion activism and the politicisation of abortion will lead to a decline in the number of providers, as in the US.

Although the number of abortion providers in the US has remained more or less stable since 2005, during a wave of anti-abortion violence in the 1990s the number of abortion providers plummeted from 2, 680 to 1,787 between 1985 and 2005.

The Hunger Games: a blockbuster with a pro-feminist message

Posted: 03 Apr 2012 01:15 AM PDT

Denise Turner
WVoN co-editor

The Hunger Games, released earlier this year, is a sci-fi film based on a novel by American writer Suzanne Collins.

In March, the movie grossed $152.5 million during its first weekend box office sales in the US, the third highest of all time. A pleasing result for a film that tackles totalitarianism, food politics and war.

But even more than that, the central character, 16 year-old Katniss Everdeen is a gutsy young woman who, after the death of their father, is forced to take on the 'male' role of provider by hunting with a bow and arrow. She shares few other traits with Diana the hunter.

Collins says she was inspired by TV surfing, in which the boundaries between war stories and game shows became 'disturbingly blurred'; combined with the story of Theseus and gladiatorial games.

The Hunger Games takes place in the dystopian world of Panem, created after the US is destroyed by an apocalyptic event; with a wealthy Capitol and 12 surrounding, poor districts.

Katniss Everdene the heroine resides in District 12. There are obvious parallels with the 'haves' and 'have nots' of our own society, and the powerlessness of the (poor) majority.

As punishment for a previous rebellion, a boy and girl from each District between the ages of 12 and 18 are chosen as 'tributes' (participants) in the Hunger Games; a mandatory televised show in which they must fight to the death, until one victor remains.

Two other themes are self sacrifice – Katniss volunteers herself to take the place of her younger sister Prim, when her name is selected. And hope, which the President of Panem rightly sees as highly dangerous to the status quo.

And this is what makes Katniss a much more interesting and valuable role model for young women than the bland Twilight character, Bella, who spent her time mooning around after (kind of) guys.

Katniss is not sexualised. From the outset she says she will not marry or have children; nor is she prepared to have crushes on boys, fall in love, or deal with sex.

She tells her mentor, that 'she doesn't know how to make people like her.' Yet because she volunteered, the audience and sponsors (after she shoots a well aimed arrow at their banquet when they're ignoring her) notice, respect and sponsor her; a necessity to her survival.

Unlike Bella, Katniss doesn't feel the need to be romantically 'rescued' (ie subjugated) by a man. In fact, she herself rescues Peeta, her male counterpart from District 12, when he is stabbed.

She chooses strategy over violence, assuming the role of 'star-crossed' lover with Peeta, when she sees that the tactic might save their lives. It does when a rule change states that two tributes from the same District can win as a pair.

Using her bow and arrow, she can provide food, a skill borne of the necessity of her extreme poverty. And rather than adopt the masculine strategy of killing other 'tributes,' she uses her wits to stay alive.

She also forms an alliance with Rue, a 12-year-old girl from District 11 who reminds her of sister Prim. Their alliance is short-lived when Rue is killed.

But when Katniss sings to her, covers her body with flowers and makes a defiant gesture to the cameras to register her disgust, it results in riots in District 11, thus making her both politically dangerous to the regime and vulnerable to its wrath.

She compounds this, when the couple are left as the final two tributes standing and the Gamemakers reverse the rule change forcing one to kill the other to win.

Gambling that the Gamemakers would rather have two winners rather than none, she offers Peeta some toxic 'nightlock' berries. Realizing they're intent on suicide, the rule is then rescinded and they both become victors.

A strong theme is Katniss's struggle with how to be true to herself in an environment that demands a stereotypical girl, a problem that most teenage girls face.

And in that respect the film offers worthwhile commentaries on how hard it is for young women to set their own romantic terms, personal responsibility and identity.

Finally, in volunteering herself to a potentially fatal experience at the Games, Katniss illustrates how love is a revolutionary force that is stronger than fear.

I for one hope this marks the release of more films giving out positive messages to young women, rather than the usual sappy romantic nonsense that films such as Twilight perpetuate.

Sadly an ideal that has been overlooked by many critics including the NY Times, who have criticised Katniss actor, Jennifer Lawrence's 'womanly figure' for being too fat!