· June, 2012

Stories about Women & Gender from June, 2012

Pakistan: Who Killed Pashto Singer Ghazala Javed?

  28 June 2012

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?

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 second video, featuring Georgian men saying they can wash their own feet, is in response to a comment by the...

Korean ‘Comfort Women’ Photo Exhibit Sabotaged in Japan

  27 June 2012

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.

Puerto Rico: Francheska Duarte's Case Causes Outrage

  27 June 2012

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.

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.

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 the play is a breath of fresh air in the current era of religious conservatism.

Comoros: Women Barred from Public Beach for Religious Reasons

  26 June 2012

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 religious leaders.  The beach is managed by the cultural association Twamaya and  has historically been open to everyone without consideration of...

China: Reporter Resigns for Dirty Joke About Female Astronaut

  26 June 2012

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

  26 June 2012

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 outside his house. David Wertime from Tea Leaf Nation has the full story.

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 north. About 300 girls have been poisoned. Commenting on the latest attack, Brazilian journalist Maria Stella Soares writes on Twitter: “Ignorance...

Puerto Rico: Women and Cyberactivism

  25 June 2012

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 feminism. Deadline is July 16, 2012.

Puerto Rico: Goodbye, Mara Negrón

  24 June 2012

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 diagnosed leucemia.