Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Women's Views on News

Women's Views on News

Study reveals childbirth as cause of post-traumatic stress

Posted: 13 Aug 2012 05:30 AM PDT

Rebecca Rogers
WVoN co-editor

A new study suggests that the number of women suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after childbirth is relatively high.

The research, carried out at Tel Aviv University, found that approximately one third of the 89 mothers interviewed had some symptoms of PTSD – with 3.4% exhibiting symptoms of full-blown PTSD.

The recorded symptoms included flashbacks, avoidance of discussing the childbirth, heart palpitations and reluctance to have another child.

According to the study, the major factor of the post-traumatic stress was the women’s choice of pain control.

80% of the women who experienced full or partial symptoms had chosen a natural birth without pain relief. Other factors that were believed to have increased the risk of PTSD were whether the women felt discomfort about her body, how fearful she felt in labour and any complications in current or previous pregnancies and labour.

Professor Rael Strouss, lead researcher, said that while the childbirth may not be an unexpected event, there can also be a “very real and justified fear of danger, as expectant mothers worry for not just their own safety but also for the health and well-being of their babies”.

Strouss suggests that doctors should be more familiar with those who are more susceptible to post-traumatic symptoms and to look for warning signs after labour.

Other suggestions include more counselling regarding pain relief and ensuring women’s bodies are properly covered during delivery.

“Dignity is a factor that should be taken into account. It’s an issue of ethics and professionalism, and now we can see that it does have physical and psychological ramifications,” he said.

The Birth Trauma Association estimates that around 10,000 women in the UK alone develop PTSD due to a traumatic birth experience. In addition, up to 200,000 women may develop some of the symptoms.

Mexican drug queen is extradited to the US

Posted: 13 Aug 2012 04:30 AM PDT

Sarah Macshane    
WVoN co-editor

Five years after being caught and put in prison for helping to run one of the most notorious drug cartels in Mexico, the Sinaloa Cartel, Sandra Avila has finally been extradited to the US to face a lifetime in prison.

Avila, Mexico’s highest profile female drug smuggler, is famed for having set up the first smuggling routes up the Pacific coast into California, hence her nickname ‘Queen of the Pacific’.

She will face cocaine trafficking charges in Florida and is suspected of conspiring to smuggle the drug into the US along with a Colombian national known as ‘The Tiger’.

She continues to deny all charges and fought to avoid extradition.

Avila grew up in the drug trafficking world. Her uncle was known as ‘The Godfather’ in the 1980s. She is linked to Mexico’s most wanted man, Joaquin ‘Shorty’ Guzman, with whom she built one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organisations.

While in prison in Mexico, Avila regularly received botox sessions from the prison doctor, who has since been dismissed. She has also become somewhat of a Mexican superstar with books and songs dedicated to her.

Avila blames the Mexican government for the rise of drug trafficking.

The drug war has claimed more than 55,000 lives since the army was sent out to battle the drug gangs in 2006.

BMW gives cars to male rowers but not female rowers

Posted: 13 Aug 2012 03:00 AM PDT

Alexandra Morgan
WVoN co-editor

A row over sexism has broken out on Twitter, after it emerged that 12 male Olympic rowers, including silver medallists Mark Hunter and Zac Purchase, had received BMW cars, while the female rowers had not.

While it would appear that the cars given to the Team GB athletes have been provided by individual BMW dealerships, rather than as a marketing strategy by BMW, it has still struck a nerve, particularly as this has been the most inclusive Olympics to date, with women from ever country taking part for the first time.

Anna Watkins, a gold medal winner with Katherine Grainger for the women’s double sculls, was asked on Newsnight whether the men had received BMWs while female athletes had not.

Watkins confirmed: “It did work out that way, yes. It’s a bit of a coincidence because it’s the individual dealers that chose who to give the cars to, so it wasn’t any grand strategy but it did just happen that there were a dozen or so for the men and none for the girls.”

BMW, however, said that around 70 women have received cars, including Nicola Adams, the first female boxer to win an Olympic gold medal.

Concerns over sexist attitudes to women’s sport were raised last year during the 2011 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards, which featured no women on the shortlist, despite strong performances from several women, including swimmers Keri-Anne Payne and Rebecca Adlington.

The BMW story is likely to reignite this debate, especially as the GB women have performed so well at London 2012, taking home a huge number of medals.

The BMW sponsorship deal involves 150 athletes being given 2-year leases of either BMWs or Minis. BMW claims that the selection of most of the athletes was made prior to the London 2012 games and is not related to performance, but there have still been claims of misogyny levelled at BMW, and calls for the women rowers to also receive BMWs like their male counterparts.

Nepal bans young women from working in the Gulf

Posted: 13 Aug 2012 01:30 AM PDT

Aisha Farooq
WVoN co-editor

Last week, the Nepali government banned all women under 30 from seeking employment in the Gulf.

The decision was made following growing concerns that women were being mistreated and abused in domestic services.

Information minister, Raj Kishore Yadav said that young women were “sexually and psychologically exploited” in Gulf countries by their employers.

Bishwa Khadka, director of the organisation Maiti Nepal, which supports women migrant workers, said that the problems women faced were very severe.

“We have met several housemaids who were not only raped by their masters but also forced to have sex with the masters' relatives. They are confined to the house and live in a situation akin to slavery,” she said.

However, not everyone is positive this ban will alleviate the issues Nepali women are facing on a daily basis.

Human Rights Watch, Nisha Varia said: “Imposing a ban on women under 30 from migrating to the Gulf fails to solve the underlying problem of how desperate women are for decent work.”

“Instead of a blanket ban on its own women that denies them important employment opportunities, Nepal’s government should work with other labour-sending governments to demand stronger protections for migrant workers in the Gulf,” Varia insisted.

According to government statistics, 58,000 women work in the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Unofficially however, it is thought that this number is nearer to 200,000, as many women are working there illegally.

Most of these women are thought to be under 25.

Nepal had initially banned all women from working in the Gulf in 1998, following the suicide of a domestic servant in Kuwait.

The ban was lifted in 2010, only 18 months ago.

Nepali leaders are hopeful that by restricting the age at which women can work in these countries, the majority of employer abuse and violence can be curtailed.