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Wednesday, November 30, 2016
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Women's Views on News
Women's Views on News |
| Transgender equality: safeguards needed Posted: 29 Nov 2016 02:03 PM PST
Hooray, you might say. At long last! But there is a problem. The Women and Equalities Committee‘s transgender equality inquiry, headed by Maria Miller, produced a report in January this year that has called for the removal of qualifying requirements for gender change, so that anyone could easily become legally a member of the opposite sex without the need for any form of social or medical transition. So there is a problem. If the Equality Committee's recommendations go forward as planned, the elimination of sex as a protected class will be replaced by an individual's declaration of their subjective and internal gender-based "feelings". This would give men who proclaim such gender feelings the legal right to expose themselves in women's locker rooms and other single-sex facilities where public nudity occurs and where women and girls are particularly vulnerable. Convicted male prisoners who proclaim gender feelings will be housed in cells with confined female prisoners who will have no legal grounds to object. Men will have the right to compete in women's sports, apply for women's scholarships, and the right to serve as female proxies by occupying affirmative action slots which formerly served to address sex inequality in women's representation in public life. Single-sex rape crisis services, women's refuges, lesbian public events, will become illegal on the grounds they discriminate against the gender feelings of men. The policy recommendations made by the Committee regarding transgender rights thus have a potentially adverse effect on women in a number of ways: The threat to current sex-based rights, which keep males and females segregated in public places where women and girls might be physically vulnerable. These include toilets, changing rooms, rape crisis centres, refuges, hospital wards and prisons; The inclusion of male-bodied, male-socialised people, into areas of success and achievement where women currently have their own space in order to make competition fair or to level the playing field. These include sports, prizes and awards, shortlists and quotas; The negative affect on the lesbian community of the pressure on young women to identify as trans rather than as lesbian. There is also pressure to accept male-bodied self-identified 'lesbians' as sexual partners; The pressure on parents to accept a trans diagnosis for a gender non-conforming child, based on gender stereotypes of clothing and toy preferences; or in the case of teenagers, to give in to the social media contagion to which they might be susceptible; The skewing of national statistics regarding crime, due to the higher rate of offending by male transitioners as opposed to women, with possible knock-on effects on funding for women's services; The effect on the 'trans widows' of men (and it mostly is men) who transition in middle age. There is nowhere for these women to turn: all the help and support is directed towards the 'trans' person; and The changing of language pertinent to women and girls in order to make it more trans-inclusive, thereby making 'women's issues' impossible to talk about. This includes the use of such terms as 'pregnant people' by health providers. So women now find ourselves having to write to our MPs and ask for these issues to be thought through and to ensure these proposals are changed, solutions found, that mean all parties are safe. 'Third spaces' for example. To ask our MPs to vote against this, as it stands. And asking everyone worried about the implications of this move to contact their MP. Fair Play for Women has put together this draft letter, but it should be personalised for your MP. Maybe you can emphasise the point you feel most strongly about. A lesbian faced with a person with a penis wanting sex with her, for example. Or if you are the mother or sister of a woman or girl who has been raped and will be afraid going to swimming-bath changing rooms. Dear [MP] … On Thursday 1st December MPs will take part in a debate in the House of Commons Chamber on a motion on transgender equality. While I welcome a discussion on the challenges faced by transgender people in today's society, I am concerned that the interests of women and girls are not being represented in this ongoing debate and I would like you, as my MP to stand up for your female constituents. In January the Women and Equalities Committee produced a report calling for a self-declaration system for legally changing ones gender. Currently if a person wishes to change their legal gender they must be over 18, be diagnosed with gender dysphoria and have been living in their desired gender role for at least two years, and intend to do so for the rest of their life. The Committee's report called for the removal of all three of these criteria, so that anyone could easily become legally a member of the opposite sex, without the need for any form of social or medical transition. Effectively, any man could claim transgender status to gain access to sex-specific spaces and services whether he genuinely thinks of himself as a woman or not and no matter how he dresses, and questioning his motives would be classed as a hate crime under the Equalities Act 2010. In most areas of life, I support transgender people to live as they wish. However, in certain situations we distinguish between biological men and biological women for reasons of safety, dignity, privacy and fairness. Often this debate is characterised as being about public toilets, but other examples include prisons, communal changing facilities, intimate care of the disabled and the elderly, or hospital wards and competitive sport. Maria Miller has consistently denied any clash of rights here, but there are already numerous examples of violent males being housed in female prisons (eg Lauren Jeska), males competing against females in sport (eg Fallon Fox) and men taking accolades from women (eg Chloe Allen). I am also concerned about the effect this push towards the concept of 'gender identity' will have on children. There has been a huge increase in children seeking treatment for gender dysphoria, often based simply on a preference for toys and clothes usually associated with members of the opposite sex. Studies show, if left to grow up without medical intervention, 80 per cent of gender-questioning children grow into healthy adults content in their bodies. If children are started on puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, the desistance rate is close to zero, leading to a lifetime of medication and surgery. I would strongly argue for initiatives within education, social services, health and child development to focus on rejecting harmful gendered norms and stereotypes, and supporting children to understand that a full and diverse range of attributes, interests and behaviours is available to both girls and boys. I hope you understand that women are not – as Maria Miller has implied – being transphobic when they raise concerns about these changes, but have real and valid concerns. I would urge you to consider the wider implications of these changes, and look for an alternative solution that meets the needs of the transgender community without having such a massive impact on the safety and well-being of women. We need safeguards. Yours etc. To find your MP’s contact details, click here.  |
| Posted: 29 Nov 2016 11:25 AM PST
Join the demonstration on 3 December calling for Yarl’s Wood – and all detention centres – to be shut down. In Yarl's Wood more than 400 women are indefinitely detained, most of whom have experienced rape, domestic violence, torture, forced marriage, sexual abuse, FGM, or persecution due to sexuality. Or all of those. Many of them have long and deep connections to the UK, have been here most of their lives, have all their family and friends here. Many have children; some are pregnant, elderly, disabled, sick and have mental health difficulties. The cruelty of Yarl's Wood has been exposed time after time in undercover investigations, government reports, inspectorate reports, and inquiry findings for sexual abuse/harassment by guards towards the women. In April 2015 an unannounced inspection found that Yarl's Wood was "rightly a place of national concern". In March 2015 undercover footage by Channel 4 News showed the brutal, racist attitude of the guards. March 2015 also saw the Parliamentary Inquiry into Immigration Detention publish its report that called for a 28-day time limit and judicial oversight of the use of immigration detention. And the Shaw report, published in January 2016, made 60 recommendations at the heart of which was the view that use of detention should be drastically reduced. It exposed the extreme vulnerability of many of those detained including victims of sexual assault and gendered violence, pregnant women, victims of torture, the elderly, disabled and those with mental health difficulties. Movement for Justice have held 9 demonstrations at the notorious Yarl's Wood immigration detention centre. With every demonstration there is more vibrancy, more anger, more determination – with ex detainees, asylum seekers, feminist and anti-racist activists from around the country demonstrating right at the fences of Yarl's Wood. The women behind the fences join the demonstrations from their rooms with handmade banners, signs, ribbons of toilet paper, their arms and legs – defying guards' threats to express their rage and determination for freedom. We come together and everyone leaves feeling stronger and more determined. The Surround Yarl's Wood demonstrations are palpable, direct and visibly impactful acts of solidarity, and they give the women inside the strength to continue their daily resistance to racism, sexual abuse, deportations, and inadequate mental and physical healthcare. They have also inspired a whole generation of new young activists across the country to take up the fight against detention and the brutalities and racism of the immigration system and borders. These demonstrations keep Yarl's Wood on the national agenda, and they make it clear that there is only one solution – SHUT IT DOWN! The next demonstration is on 3 December. Come too. There are coaches going, and a coach will fetch people from Bedford railway station at 12.15. And if you can't come, you can still help. We need 250 people to sign up #ShutDownYarlsWood Thunderclap: it will ensure that #YarlsWood is trending on Saturday and can't be ignored! #ENDdetention #SetHerFree To join in, all you need to do is follow this link and click ‘support with – Twitter, Facebook or/and Tumblr’ you then log in and give permission to Thunderclap to post on your behalf. Doing that means that at 1.30pm on Saturday everyone who signed up will have an automatic Tweet/post go out about #YarlsWood and we get it trending! And money is always helpful: click here to see about that…  |
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Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Women's Views on News
Women's Views on News |
| Hotel housekeepers demand safety at work Posted: 28 Nov 2016 02:08 PM PST
Hotel housekeepers and their unions in 34 countries and over 50 cities around the world held a variety of actions to highlight their fight for rights, recognition and better working conditions during the IUF’s 3rd Hotel Housekeepers Global Week of Action which ran this year from October 31 to November 6. The IUF – The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations – is an international federation of trade unions. It is composed of 421 affiliated trade unions, in 127 countries, representing over 10 million workers in IUF sectors. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland. Many of the actions this year highlighted the central importance of preventing sexual harassment on the job, a constant threat housekeepers have to contend with. Click here for example, to hear how union men in Chicago react to workplace harassment and assault complaints made by housekeeping and waiting staff. The varied actions included workshops and seminars with experts and awareness-raising meetings with workers, management and the public, including leafletting at airports. Unions also called for specific language on protecting workers from sexual harassment to be part of collective agreements. Everywhere, unions demanded improved working conditions, greater job security and more respect for housekeepers at the workplace. Unions also made use of the Global Week of Action to show to workers the important results of the ongoing campaign on bringing about concrete improvements in working conditions and as an organising tool for building bargaining power in hotels. Speaking before members of the European Parliament on October 19, two hotel housekeepers who are union shop stewards called for action to put an end to the appalling working conditions in Europe’s hospitality industry. Gladys Medina (CC.OO) and Carmen Casin (UGT) described to MEPs the permanent job insecurity, high rate of illness and injury and declining wages stemming from massive outsourcing, increased workloads and austerity-driven labour market deregulation. The two women addressed the parliament at the invitation of Spanish United Left MEP Paloma Lopez of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left group (GUE/NGL), who together with other MEPs adopted a written declaration on the working conditions of hotel cleaning staff in Europe calling on the European Commission to monitor and evaluate the situation of these workers across the European Union, among other measures. The hotel cleaning sector is largely outsourced, with positions filled almost exclusively by women. Compensation for such work can be low, even though it is physically demanding. Training, where available, is of poor quality and this, combined with few health and safety provisions, leads to a high number of accidents at work. The European Commission is being called upon to incentivise hotels to improve the working conditions of hotel workers by introducing an EU-wide rating scheme which will provide information about the level of working conditions alongside the quality of service and cleanliness. Lobbying by the International Labour Organization (ILO) Workers' Group resulted late last year in the launch of a standard-setting conversation on violence, particularly gender-based violence, at work. Over the coming years, the ILO will gather data from governments and employer and worker organisations about the extent of the problem in a step toward crafting an international convention.  |
| Pornography: we need education, not censorship Posted: 28 Nov 2016 01:32 PM PST
Last week it was revealed that a Bill currently going through Parliament will stop people in the UK from accessing pornography websites which feature a range of sex acts deemed ‘non-conventional’ by the government. These include female ejaculation, menstruation and spanking, whipping or caning that leaves marks. I’m sure I wasn’t alone in being quite frankly flabbergasted that my own bodily functions and sexual pleasure are considered ‘non-conventional’. Then again, I can’t say I was overly surprised – this policy is just another example of the Conservatives’ archaic attitudes towards sex and pornography. And the most recent amendment to this Bill, called the Digital Economy Bill, is, among other things, unashamedly sexist. It essentially means that it is acceptable for a man to be seen ejaculating over a woman’s breasts, but for her to return the favour is unacceptable. God forbid people learn that women enjoy sex too – yes, they actually do! And as for the ban on menstruation – well, where to begin? I would rather not have to endure bleeding, pain and discomfort on a monthly basis, but I do, and it seems only fair that men should share in this experience in one way or another. Or, at the very least, not be shielded from it, as society has done since for ever. There is already a huge taboo surrounding menstruation, to the extent that it is too often a source of embarrassment and disgust, with the result that too many women feel unable to talk openly about it. Having to try to be secretive about taking a tampon or sanitary towel with us to the toilet at work and lying about why we are feeling unwell or suffering from stomach cramps are struggles that we should not have to endure. And why shouldn’t we have sex while on our periods? The least we deserve is a little enjoyment during this inconvenient and unpleasant time of the month. It’s not for everyone of course, but people who do have sex during menstruation and enjoy doing so should not be made to feel ashamed or uncomfortable. Banning people from watching pornography showing menstruation will not only reinforce and worsen the taboo on the subject, but also serve in undoing the work of women already trying to demolish it. One such woman is author and photographer Rupi Kaur who last year posted a photo on Instragram of a fully-clothed woman lying on a bed with a – very, very small – stain of period blood showing on her trousers, only to have it removed as it was deemed inappropriate and apparently didn’t follow the social media platform’s ‘community guidelines’. The portrayal of women in a lot of pornography is, in my opinion, often problematic, and there are certainly elements, including violence and aggression, which should be addressed – but is not. And for a long time, and not just in pornography, women have been depicted as submissive tools whose main purpose when it comes to sex is to facilitate the pleasure, desires and fantasies of men. We have been taught that sex is for men and we are shamed when we attempt to explore and take ownership of our sexuality and own pleasure, desires and fantasies. While the content of some pornography does need to be altered to reflect more positive and equal scenarios rather than being created with solely the male gaze in mind, suggesting that people’s sexual preferences and desires, as well as women’s natural and unpreventable bodily functions, are ‘non-conventional’ and attempting to stop them from being viewed and enjoyed is serious regression. It will achieve nothing positive – rather, the consequences will be harmful. As with periods, women are fighting and struggling to dismantle the taboos surrounding their sexuality, desires and role in the bedroom – OMGYes, a website aiming to lift ‘the veil on women’s sexual pleasure’, is a great example. Censoring porn will make it even harder for us to do this and, while the recent bill amendment is bad news for everyone, it will undoubtedly negatively affect women more than men. As we here at WVoN have previously said, the government would be far better off investing its time, money and energy into providing up-to-date, comprehensive sex and relationships education – which is still not compulsory in every school – to all children in the UK. I truly believe that young people should be taught about all aspects of sex, including oral, anal and group sex, masturbation, orgasms and fetishes. I’m not suggesting we start showing S&M pornography to 10 year-olds, but I think it is important to introduce adolescents to all areas of sex and relationships. They will discover it all eventually anyway, and educating them and discussing it with them is key to ensuring that they feel comfortable and confident, and can engage in safe, consensual, enjoyable and healthy sex as they get older. A lot of pornography is unrealistic and misleading and it is far better that teenagers learn about sex, and how it is portrayed online, in a secure, open environment where they can ask questions and are taught the ins and outs in a thorough, truthful manner. If you disagree with the amendment to the Digital Economy Bill, write to your MP and/or the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport: Karen Bradley.  |
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Saturday, November 26, 2016
Women's Views on News
Women's Views on News |
| Twin your toilet: make girls safer Posted: 25 Nov 2016 01:58 PM PST
That’s 2.4 billion people, to be more precise. Not having a loo puts people at risk of being bitten by snakes as they squat in the grass and makes women and girls a target for sexual assault as they go to the toilet in the open. And every minute, a child under the age of five dies because of dirty water and poor sanitation. The Toilet Twinning project raises funds to provide safe latrines, clean water and hygiene education in some of the poorest nations, by inviting people to twin their own loo with a latrine abroad. By twinning your toilet, you help those in desperate poverty to have access to a proper latrine, clean water and the information they need to be healthy. Your smallest room becomes the proud owner of a certificate, complete with a colour photo of its twin and GPS coordinates so you can look up your twin on Google Maps. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bawili is a widow who lost everything because of civil war. And the lack of proper water and a decent toilet caused her family great problems. But when the community came together to help Bawili and her children and provided them with toilet facilities, everything changed. “My daughter was attacked because we didn't have a toilet. Having a loo is a big relief for the whole family,” she explained. Manchester students' big push to flush away poverty earned them a top toilet accolade – as they become the first Toilet Twinned College in the UK. Loreto Sixth Form College in Hulme was presented with the Toilet Twinning award earlier this year, in recognition of their tireless efforts to fund latrines in poor countries. Over the course of three fundraising drives since 2011, Loreto staff and students have raised more than £9,000 in total – enough to provide toilets for more than 150 families. Soroptimists International Dundee galvanised Dundonians across the city to twin the toilets at home, school and work – and in total, more than 80 Toilet Twinning certificates are being hung with pride in toilets in Dundee – and more than £7,000 has been donated to Toilet Twinning's international work. This has won Dundee the accolade of being Scotland's first Toilet Twinned City. The Isle of Man today became the world's first Toilet Twinned Island in March this year. A special loo-themed van topped with a toilet made a Toilet Tour of the island – billed as an alternative TT – visiting landmark loos en route, to celebrate Manx campaigners winning this prestigious award. Over the past two years, Islanders have been on a roll, 'twinning' with more than 130 latrines and a school block overseas, through the charity initiative Toilet Twinning. It raises funds to provide proper toilets, clean water and hygiene education in developing countries, by encouraging people in the UK to twin their loo and fund a latrine abroad. And in Northern Ireland, MLAs from the All-Party Group for International Development, along with representatives from the Coalition of Aid and Development Agencies in Northern Ireland, recently marked the official twinning of two toilets at Stormont Assembly with two latrines in Uganda. A 'Spend a Penny' fundraising initiative had encouraged MLAs to donate towards the cost of twinning two of the main toilets in the Great Hall at the Stormont Buildings. Their celebratory event took place shortly after the United Nations’ World Toilet Day on 19 November. Susan Bennett, Toilet Twinning Fundraising Manager, Northern Ireland, said: “One in three people worldwide don't have a toilet. “By providing hygienic toilets we are able to prevent the spread of disease as well as bring dignity and safety to women and girls who no longer have to walk to the edge of their community late at night.” Toilet Twinning is a simple, quirky way to solve a serious problem and save lives. For more information about how it works, click here. To follow us on facebook, click here.  |
| Posted: 25 Nov 2016 10:47 AM PST
But what is the significance of this date? And why is it often marked with butterfly logos? On 25 November 1960, three young women who were political activists in the Dominican Republic, known as the Mirabal Sisters, were killed, it is believed, on the orders of Rafael Trujillo the dictator who was head of state of the Dominican Republic from 1930-1961. There were four sisters: Minerva, Maria Teresa, Patria and Dedé. They all married and raised families. At first Dedé mainly focused on the home and farm as her husband did not support her when she wanted to attend college or take part in political activism, although she joined her sisters later. Minerva graduated in law, but her path to practicing law was blocked, allegedly after she rejected Trujillo’s sexual advances. She remained politically active and her sisters Maria Teresa and Patria joined her. Patria was motivated after having witnessed Trujillo's men commit a massacre on 14 June. This later came to be the name given to their group: "The movement of the Fourteenth of June" – but their codename was Las Mariposas – the butterflies. They collated and distributed information on torture, disappearances and extra-judicial killings and started stockpiling weapons for when the revolution would take hold. They and their husbands experienced spells in prison and other harassment. On 25 November 1960 Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa, along with their driver, were stopped by some members of Trujillo's secret police force while they were returning from a visit to their husbands who were at that time in prison. They were beaten and strangled and put back in their vehicle which was then pushed off a mountainside to make it looked as if they had had a car accident. In 1961, the Mirabal sisters' awaited revolution kicked off – and Trujillo, one of the most blood-thirsty dictators Latin America has ever known, was ambushed and killed on 30 May 1961. Dedé – the sister who had not been as politically active – survived Trujillo's reign and raised her late sisters' six children. She died in 2014. The courage of these women, who helped bring freedom and democracy to their country, is now legendary. In the Dominican Republic, the Mirabal sisters are now national heroines and cities, towns, schools and institutions have been named after them. The story of the Mirabal sisters has been told numerous times. Notable American-Dominican author Julia Alvarez wrote about them in her 1994 best-selling novel ‘In the Time of the Butterflies‘. This novel was then the basis for the 2001 film of the same name, starring Salma Hayek, Edward James Olmos and Marc Anthony. In 2010, Michelle Rodriguez starred in ‘Tropico de Sangre‘, another film depicting the lives of the Dominican heroines. And in 2009, Chilean film maker Cecilia Domeyko produced a documentary about the Mirabal Sisters, called Code Name: Butterflies, for which she interviewed family, personalities and friends and gives a recount of the lives of the deceased sisters and their movement to restore democracy in the Dominican Republic. The premise of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is to raise awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence; furthermore, one of the aims of the day is to highlight that the scale and true nature of the issue is often hidden. In 1981, activists marked 25 November as a day to combat and raise awareness of violence against women more broadly; on 17 December 1999, the date received its official United Nations resolution. The date of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women also marks the start of the “16 Days of Activism” that precede Human Rights Day on 10 December each year. That date was in turn chosen to honour the United Nations General Assembly‘s adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations.  |
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