Women's Views on News |
- Stop the Maldives flogging women
- Australia’s first female prime minister ousted
- A week of good news for women’s cycling
- Clare’s Law is not being used
| Stop the Maldives flogging women Posted: 11 Jul 2013 07:49 AM PDT
British couples are being asked to avoid the Maldives as a honeymoon destination in an attempt to force the country’s government to overturn the conviction of a 15-year-old female rape victim, who was sentenced to 100 lashes after being raped by her stepfather. The girl’s stepfather is accused of raping her for years and murdering the baby she bore and the girl's mother was charged with murder and concealing a crime. In the course of the investigation, police uncovered evidence of ‘another incident’ which they have used to charge the girl herself with 'fornication', and the court said she must now be flogged for sex outside marriage. A juvenile court then sentenced her to a maximum term of eight months' house arrest and 100 lashes. 'Fornication', rights group Amnesty International (AI) points out, is not an offence recognised under the international human rights laws and standards to which the Maldives has signed up. In fact, international standards say that states must not criminalise or punish young people who engage in consensual sexual activity, or are victims of abuse. Meanwhile, the punishment of flogging meted out for this 'crime' directly violates international law, which completely prohibits cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments. Many of the 500,000 tourists who holiday on the “paradise” islands every year are unaware of the country’s appalling record on women’s rights. There has not been one single conviction for rape in the past three years. The Maldivian government’s own figures show that one in three women between the ages of 15 and 49 has suffered physical or sexual abuse over the past five years. In 2009, over 180 people were sentenced to flogging for the 'crime' of fornication. Almost 90 per cent were women. A new poll of Maldivians for the global campaign group Avaaz revealed that 92 per cent of people thought laws to protect girls and women from sexual assault should be reformed, while 79 per cent thought current systems are not adequate or fair. The Asia Research partners poll also revealed that 73 per cent think punishments for sexual crimes are unfair to women, while 62 per cent wanted to reintroduce the moratorium on flogging. More than two million people worldwide have signed an online petition set up by Avaaz calling for the country’s President, Mohammed Waheed Hassan, who seized power in a coup last year, to do more to protect women and children in the country. Eva Abdulla, a Maldivian MP in the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, said recently: “We need the British and all other tourists to be aware of just where they are going to when they book that ticket to the Maldives. "Following the coup of 7 February 2012, everyone, including all the women, have been disenfranchised, robbed of their vote. “Visiting tourists also need to be aware of the institutional discrimination against women within the judicial system. "Consider the statistics on flogging: that 90 per cent of the cases are women. Consider the statistics on rape charges: 0 per cent success rate of prosecution, with the latest being the release of four men accused of raping a 16-year-old, on the grounds that there wasn’t enough evidence. “The increasing religious fundamentalism followed by the attempts to subjugate women, both politically and otherwise, should be cause for alarm. "This is a country of traditionally very strong women. However, increasingly, the Adhaalath Party, a self-claimed religious party which is in alliance with the current government, uses the religious card to scare off women. "We women MPs are often threatened whenever we speak against the party.” Abdulla said women have been subjected to beatings, sexual harassment and imprisonment by the police, and many are being prosecuted on charges ranging from “obstruction of police duty” to using foul language at the police. The girl’s sentence is due to be carried out when she turns 18. She is currently living in a state-run care home – and Avaaz has concerns about her well-being as Avaaz staff were denied access to the girl and have been given very little information about the level and quality of this ‘social care’. Alice Jay, campaign director at Avaaz, said: “While honeymooners relax in paradise, a war against women is being waged in the Maldives, which the government is refusing to stop. “Over two million people from around the world want them to act, and now 92 per cent of Maldivians want laws against rape and sexual abuse. "President Waheed can easily pass a law banning flogging but refuses to act to end this medieval practice.” And as the Avaaz petition points out, real justice will only be delivered when the president ends the practice of flogging in the Maldives altogether, and changes the law so that it better protects the victims of rape and sexual abuse. To sign the petition click here.  |
| Australia’s first female prime minister ousted Posted: 11 Jul 2013 04:35 AM PDT
Australia’s first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, was sacked by her party just months before the next election and replaced by Kevin Rudd, the man she ousted three years ago, after losing a ballot of MPs by a margin of 45 to 57. The horror was not so much her leaving, Sarah Dunant wrote in the BBC website magazine, but the way in which during her three-year term leading a minority government, and despite delivering economic growth in a world recession, she has been subjected to a campaign of clear misogynist abuse. Faced with accusations of “deliberate barrenness”, that her father had died of shame because of her, that her partner was gay (because who else could bear to live with her), she had also watched opposition leaders take photo opportunities with protesters whose banners read “Bitch” and “Witch”. And finally there was that “joke” entry in a fundraiser menu: “Julia Gillard Kentucky Fried Quail: small breasts, huge thighs and a big red box.” The main source of ire towards Gillard appears to come from her decision not to have children. “Anyone who has chosen to remain deliberately barren … they’ve got no idea about what life’s about,” said Senator Bill Hefferman in 2007. Then last year, Mark Latham, the former Labour leader, said: “Having children is the great loving experience of any lifetime. "And by definition you haven’t got as much love in your life if you make that particular choice. "She’s on the public record saying she made a deliberate choice not to have children to further her parliamentary career,” he said, and claimed she lacked empathy, adding: “I’ve also had some experience where around small children she was wooden. And I think the two go together.” Last year, Tony Abbott, Gillard’s opponent, again referred to her personal life when talking about a government plan to stop a payment to new parents: “I think if the government was more experienced in this area they wouldn’t come out with glib lines like that.” It was Abbott, of course, who was on the receiving end of Gillard’s powerful speech against misogyny last year, in which she ran through the sexist things he had said and done over the years, and which was described as a “defining moment” for feminism in Australia. Gillard’s “misogyny” speech, as it has become known – a riveting piece of political rhetoric, delivered to the House of Representatives in 2012 – has been seen and appreciated by millions worldwide. Her farewell speech was pretty impressive too. Influence? Her successor in the Labour Party and as prime minister, Kevin Rudd, has announced the appointment of an unprecedented six new women to his 20-member cabinet and 11 women ministers out of the 30 on the front bench, up from 9 under Gillard. Victoria senator Jacinta Collins enters the cabinet as minister for mental health, Catherine King will be minister for regional Australia and Julie Collins takes the portfolios of housing, homeless and the status of women. They join finance minister Penny Wong, health minister Tanya Plibersek and families minister Jenny Macklin But a women’s rights group has nonetheless accused Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of treachery – for his treatment of his predecessor. The Victorian Women’s Trust (VWT) placed full-page advertisements in four Australian newspapers praising Gillard’s achievements and slamming both the Labour and the Liberal parties for their actions over the past three years. Somebody had to. The statement says Rudd orchestrated a treacherous “seek-and-destroy” mission against Gillard, while Tony Abbott made opportunistic appeals to people’s prejudices. It also accuses seasoned reporters of becoming players in an aggressive campaign of sexist and chauvinistic abuse and says that the mainstream media 'failed to engage in dispassionate reporting'. And it concludes by saying that ‘the truly ugly aspect of our national life revealed by the past three years should give cause for us all to reflect on what else is required to restore and maintain respect, civility, common decency and a fair go for women – in our society and in our democratic politics.’ Yup.  |
| A week of good news for women’s cycling Posted: 11 Jul 2013 03:00 AM PDT
Putting aside for a moment the lamentable media coverage of the Giro Rosa, this week has been a good one for women's cycling. In a rather sparse women's road race calendar, the women's edition of the Giro d'Italia is the biggest stage race of the year, the only women's Grand Tour, and the only women's race that the UCI allows to be more than a week long. That the Giro continues to exist is itself cause for celebration. Under its previous name the Giro Donne, the race came close to being cancelled for good due to lack of interest from sponsors, before being relaunched just in time by a new organiser. Given that the race wouldn’t have taken place without them, we’ll also let slide the fact that the new organisers thought it would be a good idea to rename it the “Pink Tour”. American Mara Abbott was the overall winner by a minute and 33 seconds, despite losing time in the final stage time trial on July 7. British team Wiggle Honda was unable to make any real progress towards their goal of winning as many stage victories as possible. After early success from Giorgia Bronzini, who won the second stage from the great Marianne Vos in a sprint finish, the team managed just one podium finish: second place for Bronzini in the seventh stage. But, away from the road, there was more good news. Last month, I wrote about Half The Road, a documentary by ESPN columnist and professional cyclist Kathryn Bertine. Bertine has spent the last year interviewing Olympians, world champions, officials and cycling fans alike, and the result is a film "that explores the world of women's professional cycling, focusing on both the love of sport and the pressing issues of inequality that modern-day female riders face in a male dominated sport." Yet for the film to have any impact, Bertine would need funds for rights and distribution. She turned to the sport's fans for help, fundraising using funding platform indiegogo and publicising Half The Road on Twitter and Facebook. Bertine secured an investor, who promised to fund the film if it could raise USD40,000 in donations. This week, the campaign smashed the target, ensuring that the film will be released in autumn 2013 as planned. Money is still coming in; the campaign will stay open for donations until July 14. As Bertine herself puts it, the support from fans "goes far beyond monetary donations, as each contribution represents a voice saying "We want equality for women's pro cycling!". Tellingly, men and women supported the cause in equal numbers – among them, 2013 Tour de France rider Brent Bookwalter. But will the cycling establishment listen to the increasingly united calls for change? The sport's global governing body, the International Cycling Union (UCI), has so far failed to capitalise on the post-2012 spike in interest in women's cycling. UCI president Pat McQuaid has been widely criticised for not doing enough to support the development of women's cycling, and particularly for comments in 2011 which suggested that women's racing is "not developed enough" to merit a minimum wage for riders. But in this week's third piece of promising news, British Cycling president Brian Cookson has announced that he will challenge McQuaid for the UCI presidency when he stands for re-election in September. Speaking at the Otley Cycle Races on July 3, Cookson said that he is committed to addressing the inequalities faced by female cyclists. "British cycling is working hard to develop women's racing in Great Britain in a way that provides the sport with a solid, self-sufficient platform from which to develop," he told Road.cc. If elected president of the UCI, he has pledged to create a women's cycling commission, to appoint at least one woman to every UCI commission, to create new women's events, and to guarantee a minimum wage for professional road riders. "Increasing the number of events on the race calendar and having men's and women's major events running alongside each other provides a wider platform for promoting high-level domestic racing, and better leverage when it comes to negotiating with broadcast companies, sponsors and promoters alike. "It is clear to me that equality should exist between young female riders and their male counterparts and the UCI must do more to provide greater opportunities for female riders to progress. "It's no secret that women's cycling is the poor relation of the men's sport, but in Britain we are starting to see the first signs of a recovery and although there is a long way to go, I'm very optimistic that the principles introduced are relevant to a wider, global audience via the UCI," he said. It’s much too early to say that the tide is turning for women's cycling, but with such demonstrations of support from all sides, this is certainly a week for optimism.  |
| Posted: 11 Jul 2013 01:09 AM PDT
A domestic abuse charity, Women's Aid is responding to reported low responses to the introduction of 'Clare's Law' by raising concerns that the law may not be the most effective way of supporting women experiencing abuse. ‘Clare’s Law’ is a scheme designed to allow women worried about potentially violent partners to contact the police who can then disclose the histories of domestic abusers. Clare's Law was named after Clare Wood, who was murdered in Salford by a former boyfriend with a history of domestic violence. A trial of Clare's Law was launched in July 2012 in Greater Manchester, Gwent, Wiltshire and Nottinghamshire. However, according to a recent report in The Independent, people living in the four counties have only made around 250 requests for information resulting in only 89 confidential briefings where information was disclosed. Women’s Aid is warning that the law may only be helpful to a very small number of women, while money spent on trialing and rolling it out to other parts of the country could be better spent on services which are facing drastic cuts but offer direct support to victims of domestic abuse. Women's Aid raised concerns when the law was first introduced. These concerns included that many perpetrators are never arrested or convicted of domestic assault, meaning women may be reassured by police that their partners are safe when they are not. The charity is also concerned that the law may appear to put responsibility for ending the abuse on women, by creating an expectation that a woman should check her partner's background or should leave if he has a history of violence. In some instances, the charity is concerned that a woman who stays with a partner who has been convicted of abuse may not be fully supported by police later on if she did not act on the information they gave her straight away. And many women who are victims of domestic violence are already well aware of the risks their partners pose. Training for the front line services, including police, and adequate resources for services that support women, are the best way of helping them find safety. For as Polly Neate, chief executive at Women's Aid, said: "When two women a week are killed by partners or ex-partners it is vital we make sure our available resources are spent on interventions, like refuges, that can help the widest number of people. “If the police feel a perpetrator is still a risk, they should take steps to prevent him from committing crimes.” Professor Sylvia Walby, UNESCO Chair in Gender Research, studied the impact of cuts in public expenditure on the provision of services to prevent violence against women and girls. Evidence showed that refuges and other specialist support services for survivors of domestic violence have seen an average 31 per cent cut in funding in the past 12 months, leaving many in a precarious financial position. And in their Annual Survey of Members 2011, Women's Aid estimated that refuge services have space for only 65 per cent of the women who need them, meaning many areas even then had too few or no spaces for women and children at risk. Women's Aid is concerned that, if cuts continue, many more services will be forced to close or further limit the number of people they are able to help. Detective Superintendent Phil Owen, of Greater Manchester Metropolitan Police, said: "We would have liked to have seen a greater take up either from those in a relationship or from friends, relatives or neighbours concerned about the possible risk posed to someone they care about. "It may be that somebody is in a relationship but isn't happy about some of the behaviour of their partner. If warning bells are ringing, then these are the types of people we want to hear from." An abusive relationship is a difficult situation to escape from. Some women may already feel they have been let down by the police. While it is too late for the two women killed each week by their abusive partners, Clare’s Law could save many lives if victims, or their concerned family members, would come forward and seek disclosure from the police. The government must ensure that adequate, properly funded services are in place to offer the support needed to victims of domestic abuse. Sufficient dedicated support services, alongside women trusting the police and women or their families using Clare’s Law could make a difference to the women in the UK suffering or at risk of domestic abuse.  |
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