· July, 2012

Stories about Women & Gender from July, 2012

Costa Rica: Video Love Note Gets Vice-Minister Dismissed

  31 July 2012

The Costa Rican Vice-Minister of Youth Karina Bolaños was removed from her post by the Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla after a video showing an underwear clad vice minister sending a love note to a lover was made public and spread through the web.  Reactions to this news are quite varied: from censure to the Vice-Minister for making a video and not taking care to erase it, to rejection of all those who continued to spread the video and finally, repudiation to the President for removing the vice-minister from her post as  if she were not the victim of this whole affair.

Guyana: Olympic Dreams

  31 July 2012

Guyana-Gyal explains how the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in London “remind[ed] [her] to stay true to [her] dreams, no matter how mad they might sound to them people here.”

Argentina: Evita's Face on New Banknote

  30 July 2012

In honor of the 60th anniversary of the death of Eva Duarte de Perón (Evita), President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner unveiled a new banknote with Evita's image, replacing Julio Roca on $100 bills. On social networks, some defend the change and others criticize it.

Kenya: Schoolgirl Skirts-How Short is Too Short?

  26 July 2012

Kenyan Education Minister Mutula Kilonzo defense of schoolgirls who want the length of their skirts reduced has sparked a debate about culture, modernity and morality in Kenya. Kenyan media quoted the minister saying, "These girls do not want to be nuns; they want to be modern like Mutula!"

South Korea : Tourists Flock to Get Plastic Surgery

  26 July 2012

South Korea is infamous for its obsession with plastic surgery, but it has contributed to a significant rises in tourist arrivals. One famous Singaporean blogger recently visited Seoul to get plastic surgery and plans to post updates on her experience, while other bloggers, such as Fidel Hart, wrote an in-depth post about the...

India: Female Gendercide in Western Countries

  22 July 2012

Rita Banerji interviews Indo-Canadian and feminist artist Soraya Nulliah, who comments that everything the campaign against female gendercide in India addresses is happening to Indian women in Western countries as well.

Afghanistan: Women Continue Suffering Violence and Abuse

On The Peace Cycle, Omid Bidar writes about a 16-year-old Afghan girl who was raped and murdered by a local strongman in the country's Bamyan Province. “We have forgotten many such stories… [We] will add this [one] to the forgotten list too,” suggests the blogger bitterly. According to one estimate,...

Trinidad & Tobago: Irresponsible Advertising

  18 July 2012

“The new tagline for the rum’s advertisements was ‘When it pours, you reign.’ My brain exploded. Really? Show images of soaking wet, drunk-looking women, in a campaign that explicitly gives complete domination to the “you” to whom the ads appeal?” Lisa Allen-Agostini wonders “what on earth [the advertising agency was]...

Africa: African Women on Fire

  18 July 2012

Rumbidzai Dube explains why 2012 is the year for African women: “2012 has been a progressive year for African women in global politics. In April Joyce Banda of Malawi became the first ever female president of Malawi and the Second Female president in Africa […]Just yesterday, Dr Nkosana Dhlamini-Zuma became...

Maldives: Activist's Arrest During Protest Caught on Video

  17 July 2012

Two videos showing the July 13 arrest of activist Shauna Aminath in the Maldives during a peaceful protest calling for early elections have generated reactions all the way to Chile. While Shauna was released the following day after a court hearing, the Maldives Democracy Movement believes it is part of targeted arrests and intimidation of female protesters.