· July, 2013

Stories about Women & Gender from July, 2013

An Undeniably Racist Song, ‘Asian Girlz’ Sparks Controversy

  31 July 2013

Packed with Asian stereotypes and fetishes, song ‘Asian Girlz’ by ‘Day Above Ground’ has invited controversy and angry comments. Blogger Angry Asian Man typed down the entire lyrics to comment [if they have not] ‘run out of stereotypical Oriental stuff to list off, the song would have gone on for another ten minutes”. The...

Bhutan's First Female Minister

  28 July 2013

According to Bhutan's Buddhist traditions and values men and women are seen as equals. However, women are rarely seen in high positions. Blogger Nawang P. Phuntsho celebrates election of the country's first female minister. Aum Dorji Choden, an MP elect from Trashigang, has recently been appointed as the Minister for...

Women's Struggle for Clean Water in Kyrgyzstan

UnitedKyrgyzstan blog tells [ru] a story of the daily struggle for clean water faced by women and children in many parts of rural Kyrgyzstan: It is the task of women and children to queue up for drinking water and then carry home heavy tanks with water through hundreds of meters of...

China Law Professor: Raping Bargirl Does Less Harm

  19 July 2013

While commenting on a recent rape case, Tsinghua University law professor Yi Yanyou argued on microblogging site Sina Weibo that, “It does more harm to rape a good woman than to rape a bargirl, a dancing girl, an escort or a prostitute.” Such arguments were echoed when the lawyer of...

‘Gender-Based Violence’ Mapping in Cambodia

  15 July 2013

The Open Institute NGO has launched a crowdsourced gender-based violence mapping tool in Cambodia to promote and protect women rights. The project echoes the need for public awareness about the issue of violence against women and how new technologies and the Internet can be tapped to address the problem.

Teen Activist Malala Yousafzai Impresses UN, Polarizes Pakistan

  14 July 2013

Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist who was shot by the Taliban on her way to school less than a year ago, celebrated her 16th birthday by delivering a powerful speech to world leaders at the United Nations headquarters in New York. A symbol for child education and women empowerment around the world, some in Malala's country Pakistan continue to spin conspiracy theories to malign her.

Gulnara Karimova: Mocked Abroad, Loved (and Feared) in Uzbekistan

  12 July 2013

Gulnara Karimova, the upwardly mobile daughter of Uzbekistan's aging "President for Life" Islam Karimov, celebrated her 41st birthday in typically decadent style on July 8. But as she enters mid-life, there are still few clues as to what job titles lie on the horizon for the woman known as Guli, Googoosha, Dr. Karimova, and The Dictator's Daughter.

‘Gangnam Style’ Parody Features Urban Poor Kids in Cambodia

  7 July 2013

‘Gangnam Style’ continues to be an Internet sensation but this time it is performed by 160 children from an urban poor village in Cambodia. The parody of the music video originally popularized by South Korean superstar Psy got more than 200,000 hits on YouTube a few days after it was uploaded.