Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Women's Views on News

Women's Views on News

“Comfort women” photographer receives death threats

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 10:00 AM PDT

Rebecca Rogers
WVoN co-editor 

A South Korean photographer has received a number of death threats after his exhibition on comfort women was abruptly cancelled by sponsor Nikon.

Ahn Sehong, 40, was due to stage the exhibition in the prestigious Nikon Salon in Tokyo next week but has come up against protests from Japanese right-wing conservatives.

Camera producer Nikon have so far refused to comment on specifics, stating only that they cancelled for "various reasons", but it looks like they buckled under pressure from conservative groups.

The term 'comfort women' is used to describe the young women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery for the Imperial armed forces during World War II.

Discussion of these atrocities is still taboo in Japan and is a source of tension in Asia, particularly between South Korea and Japan. The issue currently remains unresolved as Japan has yet to apologise to the South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery during the war.

Since the controversy, Sehong's personal information has been shared online and he has received a number of harassing phone calls.

"I also sometimes receive letters with no return address telling me to 'stop lying' and 'go back to Korea’" Sehong said.

But others have come out in support, dubbing the cancellation a "betrayal of women", including The Japan Visual Journalists Association, The Japan Daily Press, The Japan Times and CNN.

Sehong has stated that he will not let the issue lie and is demanding that the exhibition continues as planned, saying:

“In the beginning I was angry and frustrated…but this is not a matter of being angry. I believe there is a problem with the Japanese government. They’re discriminating against the comfort women.”

An online protest has been set up, including an open letter to Nikon.

Displaced and disbelieved: refugee women dancing at the edge of the world

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 09:13 AM PDT

Bidisha*
writer, critic and broadcaster

Earlier this year I spent several months doing outreach work in migrants', refugees' and asylum seekers' centres in London, in association with English PEN. My students were male and female, aged from 20 to over 60, from Uganda, Cameroon, Iran, the Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone and beyond.

I have never met such garrulous, anarchic people.

Yet close beneath the students' good humour were countless experiences of brutality, which their high-spirited conversation and patient writing exercises occasionally hinted at.

Despite their determination to focus on survival in the present, hints about their previous lives crept through as the sessions continued.

As we gained each other's trust, I learned more about the many places in the world that are unstable with violence, poisoned by corruption, soaked in spilt blood, tormented by trauma, betrayed and exploited (or split into warring factions) by their own rulers, intimidated by aggressors and divided by countless inequalities and abuses.

While all spoke about the violence they had witnessed, many of the women approached me during breaks in my teaching sessions and talked specifically about the additional issue of gendered brutality.

"If we go back they will take us and rape us and kill us. Please believe me, I am telling the truth," said one.  I did believe her. I do believe her, as I believe all survivors of sexual violence, violation and abuse.

But so often the Home Office does not. The disbelieving of survivors of gendered brutality is endemic all over the world, in all societies in all hemispheres, in peacetime and wartime, crossing cultures, languages, religions and regimes.

The denial of victims' testimonies is as ubiquitous as the violence itself, and is part of it and reinforces and redoubles it. To deny victims is to support perpetrators, to aid perpetrators and to tacitly promise all perpetrators that they can continue to rape and abuse women with impunity.

Now the charity Women for Refugee Women has released the results of a major research project which uncovers extremely disturbing evidence about the treatment of women seeking asylum in the UK and the gendered violence they have been subjected to before their arrival here.

It casts a critical light on the Home Office's treatment of these women, which represents in intensified and concentrated form the attitudes always brought to bear upon sexual violence survivors in all contexts. The consequences of victim-denying in this specific case, however, are even more severe than is usual.

The following factual material is taken from Women for Refugee Women's full report, “Refused”, and from the report summary.

The research was carried out by Women for Refugee Women, Women Asylum Seekers Together (WAST) London, WAST Manchester, Women Seeking Sanctuary Advocacy Group Cardiff, Embrace in Stoke on Trent, Bradford Refugee & Asylum Seeker Stories, the Women's Group at the Young Asylum Seeker Support Service in Newport and the Refugee Women's Strategy Group in Glasgow.

Along with other countries, the UK has made a commitment to give asylum to those fleeing persecution if their own state cannot protect them.

“Refused” explores the experiences of 72 women who have sought asylum in the UK:

  •  49% had experienced arrest or imprisonment as part of the experiences they were fleeing
  • 66% had experienced gender-related persecution, including sexual violence, forced marriage, and female genital mutilation
  • 52% had experienced violence from soldiers, police or prison guards
  • 32% had been raped by soldiers, police or prison guards
  • 21% had been raped by their husband, family member or someone else

Others were fleeing forced marriage, forced prostitution and female genital mutilation. Altogether, 66% had experienced some kind of gender-related persecution and 48% had experienced rape

Almost all these women (67 out of 72) had been refused asylum. Of these, 75% said that they had not been believed; 67% had then been made destitute (left without any means of support or accommodation); and 25% had then been detained. Not a single woman felt able to contemplate returning to their country of origin.

Of those who had been made destitute, 96% relied on charities for food and 56% had been forced to sleep outside; 16% had been subjected to sexual violence while destitute and a similar number had worked unpaid for food or shelter.

One woman said, "I was forced to sleep with men for me to have accommodation and food. I was forced to go and be a prostitute for me to survive."

When asked what they felt about being refused asylum, 97% said they were depressed, 93% were scared and 63% said they had thought about killing themselves.

One woman said, "They kill me already. I feel like the walking dead."

The director of Women for Refugee Women, writer Natasha Walter, highlights the failure of the government to respond to the needs of survivors of gender-based violence “who have survived rape and abuse are refused asylum and experience destitution, detention and despair in this country."

Debora Singer, policy and research manager at Asylum Aid, said:

"The harrowing stories told in Refused are a crucial reminder of how often women are failed by our asylum system. These are women fleeing unspeakable violence, yet they are routinely let down when they turn to the UK for help."

She added: "Women are routinely, arbitrarily disbelieved by officials when they explain what has happened to them. We know that women are more likely than men to see asylum decisions overturned on appeal, so woeful is Home Office decision-making.

“And we know that the government hasn't honoured its promise to introduce meaningful gender-sensitive reforms. As a result, women are left destitute on our streets, exposed to exploitation and abuse. The whole system desperately needs reform, and it needs it now."

The reform of the asylum process and the issues it raises must not be hijacked by the tabloid press, by fear, by racism and xenophobia, by reductive thinking, by generalisation, by meaningless rhetoric or by ignorance.

In order to create a progressive, just and peaceful world society campaigners, politicians and leaders must publicly challenge the poisonous myths (about sexual violence, about race and culture and about immigration) which keep inequality in place and support abusive, cruel and inhumane practices.

The report advocates several measures including ministerial leadership and influence in challenging the Home Office culture of disbelief; improvements in the quality of asylum decision-making by everyone up to judge level, through training, guidance and consciousness raising about the nature and impact of gender-related persecution; access to free quality legal advice and representation for all asylum seekers; a ceasing of the destitution of those refused asylum; granting asylum seekers permission to work if their case has not been resolved within six months or they have been refused but temporarily cannot be returned through no fault of their own; welfare support for all asylum seekers who need it, until the point of return or integration.

A critique of asylum seekers is that they want something for free. I agree with that. They demand an awful lot which is free: kindness, basic humanity, faith and trust. They deserve to be given it.

*BIDISHA is a writer, critic and journalist who focuses on culture, the arts and issues of gender as well as international human rights reporting.

India leads the way for businesswomen

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 07:22 AM PDT

Laura Mowat
WVoN co-editor 

India is the best place for female entrepreneurs to set up in business, according to a study by PC maker, Dell.

Women in India can expect 90% business growth in one year, compared to half this in the UK and the US.

The study, which examined 450 female entrepreneurs, shows that females in the UK and the US turn to family and friends for money, whereas in India, angel investors are more common.

Karen Quintos, from Dell, said: “The difference between funding issues between female and the male entrepreneurs is that women have issues even in approaching for funds".

In its women's global entrepreneurship study, Dell focussed on business confidence, motivation, financing options and support networks.

According to the study, 71% of female entrepreneurs in India say that their business is successful and 80% are looking to expand and hire more staff.

In terms of having a positive impact on society, Indian female entrepreneurs were far ahead of the west with 80% thinking that their business did, compared to just 21% in the UK.

Dell released the results at the Dell Women's Entrepreneur network event in New Delhi, which was hosted by Moira Forbes, publisher of Forbes Women.

Vagina Monologues performed in protest against ‘Vaginagate’

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 04:00 AM PDT

Sarah Graham
WVoN co-editor

Michigan state congresswoman Lisa Brown yesterday took part in a reading of The Vagina Monologues with writer Eve Ensler on the steps of the state capitol building, in protest at being silenced for her "offensive" use of the word "vagina".

Brown, a Democrat congresswoman, was last week banned from speaking at the Michigan house of representatives, after she said "vagina" during a political debate on anti-abortion laws.

Arguing against the proposed abortion legislation, Brown said: "Mr Speaker, I'm flattered that you're all so interested in my vagina, but 'no' means 'no'." She was subsequently banned from speaking.

Republican representative Mike Callton defended the action against Brown, saying: "What she said was offensive. It was so offensive I don't even want to say it in front of women. I would not say that in mixed company."

Brown however pointed out that vagina was the "medically correct term", adding, "we're all adults here."

The censure, dubbed 'Vaginagate', has provoked a widespread outcry.

Vagina Monologues’ author Eve Ensler condemned it on Twitter, just before she was due to fly to Michigan to perform her famous monologues with Brown and other local politicians at 6pm last night, local time.

More than 2,800 people were expected to attend the protest performance on the steps of the state's capitol building.

Ensler told protestors: "bring signs, bring your vagina, bring your outrage, bring your humor."

She added, "Bring your belief that women can have a right to their bodies, have a right to their voices, have a right to determine what happens to their bodies – whether they want children or don't want children."

First performed in 1996, Ensler's monologues discuss different women's experiences of their vaginas, from body image and sexuality, to violence and sexual abuse.

Posting on Twitter prior to the performance, Ensler said: "I can't wait to moan!"

England women’s football team beat Netherlands 1-0

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 02:30 AM PDT

 

Sarah Graham
WVoN co-editor

The England women's football team beat the Netherlands 1-0 in a close match on Sunday, moving them closer to automatically qualifying for Euro 2013.

Arsenal midfielder Rachel Yankey scored the winning goal from a 20 yard free-kick, after a foul on Fara Williams in the 67th minute.

The England team's coach Hope Powell said, "We're in the driving seat and that's where we feel we should be. But it's very important that we don't slip up now, we have to see the job through and we can't take any team for granted."

Their victory puts the England women just two points behind the Netherlands at the top of Group six, but with one game in hand.

England's final two matches are against Slovenia and Croatia – currently bottom of the group – putting the women in a promising position to automatically qualify for a place at the Euro 2013 finals in Sweden.

Conceding that her team had not played their best match, Powell described the narrow victory as "a scruffy game", in which England "were average in the first half."

Nevertheless, the England women became more dominant in the second half, with Yankey's free kick catching the Dutch defence off guard.

England goalkeeper Rachel Brown was kept busy, with Netherlands midfielder Anouk Hoogendijk almost equalising just a minute later, and a number of close shots from the Dutch women throughout the game.

England's next qualifying match, against Slovenia, will take place on 21st June.

How to change a tyre… and escape a stun-gun attack

Posted: 19 Jun 2012 12:58 AM PDT

Laura Bridgestock
WVoN co-editor

Following a rise in the number of women speaking out about being attacked in Malaysian car parks, online magazine VenusBuzz has launched a microsite devoted to helping women stay safe while using the country's roads and car parks.

Many of the topics covered on the site could apply to women (and men) the world over – guides to changing a flat tyre and jumpstarting a car, a checklist of useful things to take on long distance journeys, tips on choosing a safe car parking spot.

What most people would not expect is a guide on what to do if faced by someone pointing a stun gun at you.

This is the subject of an article published by the CARing project on 15 July, following reports that a woman had faced just that situation in a busy car park in Petaling Jaya.

Sadly, this was not an isolated incident.

Over the past few weeks, several women in Malaysia have spoken out on Facebook about their experiences of being attacked in car parks.

On 28 May, Chin Xin-Yi wrote about her experience of being attacked by two men with a meat cleaver, who attempted to abduct her.

She described how she managed to escape, and advised other women: "Try not to go anywhere alone. If you need to walk to the car park and you're alone, get a guard to go with you."

The same advice is given in this VenusBuzz article, which also advises women to hide anything that might indicate that their car is driven by a woman, such as cosmetics.

The magazine's 'CARing project' also allows users to rate specific car parks located across Malaysia, giving scores out of five on a series of different security indicators.

These include presence of CCTV, visibility of security guards, well-signed entry and exit routes, and whether or not there are parking spaces reserved for families.

The founder of the Rate Our Carparks tool, Anna Chew, has said that if a car park receives a particularly bad rating, the owners of will be notified.