· April, 2012

Stories about Women & Gender from April, 2012

Bulgaria: Penalty For Getting Pregnant

The blog “Работнически глас” (“Worker's voice”) tells [bg] about a trial scheduled for May 26: a former female employee is suing a company for a discriminatory clause in the work contract,...

26 April 2012

Cuba: Resorting to Hunger Strike

Cuban netizens, primarily from the diaspora, are once again blogging about instances of police abuse in the country and how the island's justice system routinely makes hunger-strikers out of prisoners of conscience.

25 April 2012

Ecuador: Refugee Women and Girls Turning to Sex Work

A video documentary examines the situation with Colombian women who had to migrate across the border into Ecuador due to violence. In many cases, without being able to gain legal employment, the women and their underage daughters find themselves turning to sex-work to make a living.

24 April 2012

Bahrain: One-Woman Demo!

We have become accustomed to seeing million-man protests in Arab countries, but how about a one-woman protest?

22 April 2012

Costa Rica: Climbing up Chirripó, the Country's Tallest Peak

The tallest peak in Costa Rica is the Chirripó, at 3820 meters (12,533 feet) above sea level. Throughout the years, it has drawn many locals and foreigners to climb up to the summit: these next few videos bring us two very different experiences. One of the first expeditions back in 1960, and a modern day hike to the top.

21 April 2012

Iran: Ahmadinejad's Car, A Woman, And a Hungry Old Man

An online video showing a young woman jumping onto the hood of the car of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad while he was visiting Bandar-Abbass on 10 April, is making a big splash. But Iranian bloggers seem more interested in the old man shouting beside the car.

21 April 2012

This Week in the Caribbean Blogosphere

In last week's summary of the regional blogosphere, a young comtemporary artist from Barbados made the observation that the region is “more than the beach and coconuts.” Here's a round-up of what Caribbean netizens were talking about this week, with not one mention of beaches or coconuts...

21 April 2012

Bolivia: Questions Over Murder of Indigenous Female Council Member

The murder of Juana Quispe, an indigenous woman and Municipal Council Member, has boosted the demand for the Plurinational Assembly (Bolivia's Parliament) to pass the Law "Against Political Violence and Harassment based on Gender". Civil society and different organisations also demand appropriate and timely investigation of the unfortunate crime.

20 April 2012

China: Feminist Questions ‘Date NGO Girls’ Charity Event

A nonprofit organization that supports the development of NGOs recently introduced a charity event in Beijing to help young female NGO staffers to find their marriage match. However, prominent feminist blogger Lu Ping questions why charities and NGOs are spending resources to promote a culture that reinforces gender, marriage and sexual stereotypes.

16 April 2012