Stories about Women & Gender from June, 2012
Trinidad & Tobago: For all the Daughters
A new blog, that addresses “everything about being a girl in the Caribbean”, is here.
Pakistan: Who Killed Pashto Singer Ghazala Javed?
Ghazala Jawad, a charismatic Pashto singer was gunned down in the city of Peshwar. Mystery shrouds the identity of her real killers. Was this an honor killing by her ex-husband, who disapproved of her singing? Or was this an act by the Taliban, who she defied throughout her career?
Egypt: Assault on Women in Tahrir Square
Journalist Natasha Smith narrates her ordeal of suffering mass sexual assault while heading to Tahrir Square to join the celebrations in a post titled “Please God. Please make it stop,” triggering more than 1000 comments.
Georgia: Men Can Wash Their Own Feet
Making Connections not only posts a recent video by Georgian bloggers against homophobia, but also one calling for gender equality in the South Caucasus country. The blog notes that the...
Korean ‘Comfort Women’ Photo Exhibit Sabotaged in Japan
A South Korean photographer explains his ordeal in holding an exhibition in Japan that documents aging 'Comfort Women', the term used for Koreans drafted as sex slaves by the Japanese during World War II. Many South Koreans and fans of the photographer online, accused Japanese extremist right-wing groups of refusing to admit their war crimes and attempting to sabotage the art exhibition.
Saudi Arabia: Will Arwa Baghdadi Have Her Baby in Prison?
Pregnant Saudi prisoner Arwa Baghdadi is about to give birth behind bars. Arwa's brother was killed in violent clashes with Saudi security forces in 2011. Following his death, Arwa was arrested. During her detainment, she has been on hunger strike and has accused Saudi guards of sexually harassing her.
Puerto Rico: Francheska Duarte's Case Causes Outrage
The young mother Francheska Duarte was run over and later abandoned in an emergency medical centre by her ex-boyfriend. The judge presiding over the case found Francheska's former boyfriend Jorge Ramos guilty only of the less serious misdemeanor. The decision has caused an outrage in the island.
Jordan: Women's Basic Rights for Dignity and Social Cohesion
Over 200 people created a human chain in the streets of Amman on the afternoon of Monday June 25th, holding signs demonstrating a stand against crimes in the name of honor, harassment, nationality discrimination against children of Jordanian women, and rapists allowed to marry their victims to avoid prosecution.
Africa: Celebrating Humanity through Photos and Videos
An article highlighting 21 pictures that will restore your humanity recently went viral. Unfortunately, Africans and Africa were absent from all of them. Yet, there is no shortage of great testimonies of human spirit from the African continent. Here are a few photos and videos that show, 'Africa's got Heart' too.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Real Political Losers
Bloggers continue their discussion about the government's recent Cabinet reshuffle, suggesting that the real losers in the equation are the people of Trinidad and Tobago.
Morocco: Theater Group Adapts The Vagina Monologues
The association Théâtre Aquarium has begun the representation of the Moroccan adaptation of the play The Vagina Monologues called Le Spectacle Dialy [fr] in Rabat. Ali Amar opines that the Moroccan version of...
Comoros: Women Barred from Public Beach for Religious Reasons
Women are no longer welcome at the beach of Itsandra-Mdjini [fr] reports Mlimadji in Comores-Actualités. He explains that city officials decided to ban women from the beach at the request of...
China: Shanghai Metro Blames Sexual Harassment on Women's Immodest Clothing
Jing Gao from Ministry of Tofu reported a debate in reaction to Shanghai Metro's microblog post, which blames sexual harassment on women's immodest dressing. While some women have stood up...
China: Reporter Resigns for Dirty Joke About Female Astronaut
Female astronaut Liu Yang has come to represent the recent launch of the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, a space mission for the manifestation of China's national glory. Prior to this, a decision by Southern People Weekly reporter Cao Linhua to crack dirty jokes about Liu and her fellow astronauts using China's largest social media platform, Weibo Sina, has resulted in his resignation.
China: Victim of Late Term Abortion Labelled as Traitor
The father of the aborted seven-month-old fetus, Deng Jiyuan, upon interviewed with a German reporter was labelled as traitor of the country and the local government mobilized residents to protest...
Mali: 100 Sharia Lashes for Unwed Parents in the North
The grip of Islamist group Ansar Dine on northern Mali and their imposition of Sharia has recently been tragically demonstrated in Timbuktu. A couple who had a child out of wedlock, publicly received 100 lashes each and were forced to marry.
Afghanistan: More Girls Poisoned for Attending School
Following our recent report on a string of attacks targeting female students at schools in Afghanistan, there have been three new attacks over the last three days in the country's...
Puerto Rico: Women and Cyberactivism
The feminist coalition Coordinadora Paz para la Mujer has convened people to send contributions (in Spanish) for the next edition of their magazine, which will be dedicated to cyberactivism and...
Senegal: Inaugural Use of Gender Parity in Upcoming Elections
This July 1, the Senegalese will be called again to the polls for parliamentary elections. These forthcoming elections are a first for West Africa as the law on absolute gender parity in electoral lists will be applied for the first time.
Puerto Rico: Goodbye, Mara Negrón
The digital magazine 80 Grados dedicates [es] it's edition to scholar and professor of the University of Puerto Rico Mara Negrón, 51, who died in Paris due to a very recently...
UAE: Dress Code Campaign Urges Extra Inches of Clothing
Two female Emirati nationals have launched a Twitter campaign to urge expatriates and tourists to respect the cultural sensibilities of the Emirates regarding dress. Their campaign has pushed the Federal National Council to propose a law regarding dress code.
