Stories about Women & Gender from January, 2014
‘Good Girls’ Don't Use Social Media Sites in Tajikistan
Sexist bullying and harassment of girls and women is widespread on social media sites in Tajikistan, according to Radio Ozodi [tj] (Tajik service of the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty). The problem has to do with a strongly-held stereotype that female social media users are sexually promiscuous. On Odnoklassniki, the most popular...
Double Standards Toward Women in Corporate Japan Are a Joke
"If a boss asks him for lunch..."A tumblr post illustrates double-standards in attitudes towards women in corporate Japan.
Supporting the Rights of Malian Youth to Education
Mali's education system faces multiple challenges, but activist groups are coming together to tackle them head on.
Trinidad & Tobago: Evading Exercise
Diaspora blogger Afrobella lists “the dumbest excuses we make to avoid exercising.”
Protest Against Rape : WordToon by Subhendu Sarkar
In India women often fall prey to sex crimes where police fail to take proper action. Subhendu Sarkar, an artist from Kolkata created cartoons from words (see Youtube video) in an workshop called “wordtoon” urging everybody to protest against rape.
Things I Love About South Sudan
Twitter users share their love for South Sudan using the hashtag #ThingILoveaboutSouthSudan. South Sudan has been at war since December 16, 2013 after an attempted coup.
On Love, Politics and the Francophone Culture
France seemed to shrug at the news of French President François Hollande's affair with actress Julie Gayet. Are other French-speaking countries as relaxed in matters of love?
Kyrgyz Woman Abducted for Marriage Tells Her Story on Twitter
A young woman was recently kidnapped for marriage in Bishkek. After police saved her from the kidnappers, the woman told the story of her "nightmare" on Twitter.
The Online Presence of Puerto Rican Women: Gender, Creativity, and Equality
Angel Carrión features some of the online spaces Puerto Rican women have created to express ideas, creativity, exchange information, or provide resources that further education on women's issues and equality.
Trinidad & Tobago: Hair You Have It
As my hair started to emerge in all its mad curly glory I became overwhelmed by a sense of how completely we have been made to hate ourselves. Tillah Willah says farewell to her dreadlocks and explains how “your hair can teach you a lot about your own complexities.”
Cartoon Character ‘Meena’ Changes South Asian Attitudes Towards Girls
"Since her inception 14 years ago she has shown millions of women and girls what can be achieved."
Gender-Based Violence Epidemic Hits Sex Workers in Honduras
Despite the fact that sex work is legal in Honduras, many groups and individuals view their actions as immoral. Those who murder sex workers believe they can literally treat these human beings as garbage to be disposed of. Such violence takes place against the broader backdrop of widespread gender- and sexuality-based violence...
Indonesian Maid Says She Was Beaten, Starved and Burned in Hong Kong
Another damning case of foreign maid abuse has recently been exposed in Hong Kong. Activist groups are working together to end this modern-day slave system.
One Million Yuan to Hire a Girlfriend for Chinese New Year
"I'm too busy with work, mom is pressuring me to get married, so I sincerely plan to hire a girlfriend to take home."
Catherine Samba-Panza, Mayor of Bangui, Elected as Transitional President of Central African Republic
After Michel Djotodia stepped down as president [fr] two weeks ago, the Central African Republic (CAR) Parliament elected Catherine Samba-Panza [fr], former mayor of Bangui, as the transitional president in charge of stabilizing the country until the next elections. Samba-Panza was recognized for her crisis management of the city during the rebels pillaging...
Lebanese Blogger Spoofs Study on Middle Eastern Women's Clothing
The question “How Should Middle Eastern Women Dress in Public” posed by the University of Michigan is attracting hilarious spoofs online. The content is so rich that an additional post to our first one was necessary. When Washington Post Max Fisher shared the original image on Twitter, he wasn't expecting...
Unethical Practices In A Bangladeshi Private Hospital
Emma Clare Burton-Chowdhoury, an Englishwoman (married to a Bangladeshi) living in Dhaka, Bangladesh, blogs about her experience in giving birth to a daughter in a Bangladeshi private hospital: The pediatric team at Apollo welcomed the premature delivery of our daughter with open arms as conveniently her special care boosted our...
A Papuan Woman's Love Letter to an Indonesian Soldier
EngageMedia has uploaded a video about a Papuan woman's love letter to an Indonesian soldier who was once stationed in the border patrol unit in a village near Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. The video also highlighted the sexual assaults allegedly committed by some Indonesian soldiers in the border. The...
Chinese Feminist Activist Walks 2,000 Kilometers to Protest Sexual Abuse
Feminist activist Xiao Meili is four months into her journey on foot from Beijing to to the southern city of Guangzhou.
Australia: ‘What Happens When A Politician Pisses Off The Internet’
Controversial Australian senator Cory Bernardi's latest book ‘The Conservative Revolution’ has enraged many netizens, especially his views on abortion, single mothers, IVF and same sex marriage. BuzzFeed Australia staffer Jenna Guillaume complied reactions in Oz in This Is What Happens When A Politician Pisses Off The Internet.
25 Influential Brazilian Black Women Online
The website Blogueiras Negras (Black Bloggers, in the feminine), has created a list of the 25 most influential Brazilian black women on the Internet [pt]. The list includes human rights advocates, journalists, writers, researchers, feminists, urban artists and more, besides individual and collective blogs and Facebook pages that fight for gender...