· February, 2009

Stories about Women & Gender from February, 2009

Jamaica, Guyana: Action or Reaction?

  26 February 2009

Both Active Voice [Jamaica] and Guyanese blogger C.D. Valere (writing at Baiganchoka) continue the discussion about recent attempts by the Jamaican Broadcasting Commission to “clean up” the airwaves.

UAE: A great shame

  26 February 2009

“Before the boom, people would travel to South East Asia to get their sin fix and bring back AIDS. The only difference being the prostitutes are here, and all the nefarious enablers that goes with it. A great shame,” according to a UAE national, writes Secret Dubai Diary, which is...

Afghanistan: Prison, Poverty and Politics

  23 February 2009

While the Obama administration has announced that an additional 17,000 troops will be sent to Afghanistan to confront the rising insurgency, Afghan bloggers keep talking about the daily challenges facing Afghans such as a women in prison, poverty and political tensions. Baktash Siawash, a Kabul-based journalist and blogger writes [en]...

Ghana: Ghana's Most Powerful Women

  22 February 2009

David Ajao lists Ghana's most powerful women, “The Fourth Republic of Ghana is historical for many reasons. It has more women in higher public office than it has ever had, in its 51 years as an independent nation. This post highlights some of the women at the height of power.”

Bahamas: Say “No” to Violence vs. Women

  20 February 2009

“One in three women on this side of the world will experience violence in her lifetime”: Womanish Words says that the woman’s right to live a life free of violence will only become important to the Bahamian government “when we demand it.”

Brunei: Global Expeditions

  19 February 2009

Like other citizens around the globe, Brunei is never short of people willing to take the challenge to put the country on the world map. Two sets of expeditions are being carried out.

Pakistan: The Taliban Truce Deal

  19 February 2009

There is a civil war going on in Swat valley in the North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan for more than half a year between the Pakistani army and the pro-Taliban groups operating in that region. Hundreds of people have died and thousands of civilians have been displaced due to the...

Japan: Transgender Man to Receive Compensation As a Male. Surprised?

  18 February 2009

The Okayama District Court has ruled that calculations of estimated lost earnings for a transgender man suffering severe aftereffects from a traffic accident be based on average wages for an adult male, even though he is registered as a woman in the national family registry. Bloggers reflect on gender identity and sexual identity, income disparities between men and women, and the country's recent "onee boom".

Yemen: Marriage Age Increased

  18 February 2009

“This is great news: the Yemeni Parliament has just approved a new minimum age for marriage. It will be seventeen now. The law raises the minimum age for marriage – for both boys and girls – to 17, and provides for the right to alimony and recognition of the mother...

Jamaica: Explicit music banned

  16 February 2009

The long-standing controversy over the appropriateness of certain music for public airplay has once again reared its head in Jamaica. Bloggers make their voices heard.