· February, 2013

Stories about Women & Gender from February, 2013

Misogyny Still a Problem in Bangladesh

Dibarah shares her experience of being back home in Bangladesh after studying abroad for 3 years. She criticizes the prevailing misogyny and public sexual harassment that women have to face everyday. Rather...

28 February 2013

Turkish Women Speak Up: My Body, My Decision

Turkish women protested, and protected their rights by saying 'my body, my decision.' But it seems like they still have a long way to go and fight until it is 100% their decision what to do on their body or their life. Baran Mavzer tells us why Turkish women, though in a better position than many across the Muslim world, have a long struggle ahead of them to obtain and maintain their legal and human rights.

27 February 2013

Being Fat, Talking Fat in South Korea

Many reports have been made about South Koreans’ obsessions with body image, some with shallow understanding of Korean culture. Youtube user durkeeinkorea in this video shares his experience in Korea where...

26 February 2013

VIDEO: In Bolivia, Indigenous Women Draw Society's Short Straw

Marisol, an indigenous Bolivian woman, says that in her country "being an indigenous woman is the worst thing that can happen to you." Her testimony is part of a news report by Mario Munera which explores the lives of Bolivian women in the contexts of education, politics and sexist violence. The report "Women in Bolivia" was published in Periodismo Humano.

26 February 2013

Sexual, Holy and Disruptive: One Billion Rising in the Caribbean

The "One Billion Rising" campaign, created in response to statistics which suggest that one in three women will be assaulted or raped in their lifetime, called on women across the world to dance together in protest of gender violence on February 14th. Various groups throughout the Caribbean participated...

25 February 2013

Thai Paper Reveals Rape Victim's Name

The publication of the full name and personal documents of British sexual assault victim in Thai media outlets raises yet again the issue of lacking ethics in Thai mainstream media...

20 February 2013

Japan's Porn Law is Strangling Artists

World renown Fashion photographer Leslie Kee was arrested for selling obscene images at his latest exhibition in Tokyo. But is his work art or porn? In this post we look at the regulation of 'offensive' artistic expression in Japan.

18 February 2013

A Second Revolution in Libya?

The road to democracy is a bumpy one for Libyans, who are marking the second anniversary of their revolution this week. Fozia Mohamed charts the reactions of bloggers on the occasion. Could this be Libya's real second revolution?

18 February 2013

State-Sponsored Violence in Angola

Blogger Claudio Silva argues on Africa Is a Country that a deeper look at state-sponsored violence (urban evictions and crackdowns on protest) is needed to put into perspective two viral...

16 February 2013

Saudi Women Protesters Arrested for “Impairing Development”

Last Saturday, February 9th, a small protest was organized in front of the building of Human Rights Commission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia by a group of women and children including the wife, daughter and granddaughter of Suliman al-Rushoodi, the detained chairman of the Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association. The women were set free today - but the case against them was not dismissed. They will stand trial again on February 27.

13 February 2013

Video of Brutal Beating of Women Shocks Angola

On February 7, 2013, Angola awoke to the sounds of screams of pain and the sound of two women customers of a store being whipped. In just three days the 13 minute video that showed two women being brutally beaten had more than 25,000 views on Youtube, was aired on state television and shocked the Angolan community.

12 February 2013

Bangladeshi Women Join Shahbag Protests in Remarkable Numbers

Extraordinary numbers of Bangladeshi women have joined the groups of protesters occupying the capital city Dhaka's Shahbagh intersection demanding capital punishment for war criminals. The movement, spearheaded by bloggers and online activists, is seeking the death penalty for those who committed crimes against humanity during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

11 February 2013

From Whispers to Outcry: Sexism in Germany

On January 25, an outcry rang out through the German-speaking blogosphere. Twitter users using hashtag the #aufschrei told their experiences of everyday sexism, sexual harassment and even abuse. Is Germany actually as modern as it likes to imagine itself?

11 February 2013