Stories about Women & Gender from June, 2011
Guinea Bissau: A Step Forward Towards Women's Rights
On June 6, the Parliament of Guinea Bissau passed a bill that forbids female genital mutilation [pt], known as “fanado”. For journalist and blogger Helena Gouveia [pt] “although the law alone is insufficient, this is an important step to combat a barbaric ritual that violates the basic rights of women.”
Cambodia: Footage of female Khmer fighters
The Eyes of the Pineapple links to a video showing an archived footage of female Khmer Communist rebel fighters in Cambodia.
China: Beauty Concept
Jocelyn Eikenburg from Speaking of China writes about her experience in a makeup shop which reflects Chinese woman's idea of beauty.
Puerto Rico: Uproar Over Blogger's Story
An anonymous blogger's post narrating how she was insulted by a public official spread through the Puerto Rican blogosphere and social media, and made waves in the mainstream media. The incident has been confirmed. Here is "Yuyu's" story and reactions from netizens.
India: Thoughts On Slut Walk
‘The Slut Walk’ comes to Delhi, after Toronto and numerous other places and Chandni shares her thoughts why this protest is important for women in India, especially Delhi.
Iran: Rape and protest
Thousands of Iranian citizens protested in Khomeini Shahr and urged authorities to arrest thugs who raped several women during a marriage ceremony. Blogs and sites reported [fa] about this crime while official news sites almost ignore it. Watch the photos here.
Dignity of Female Political Prisoners in China
Twitterer @kRiZcPEc translates He Qinglian's article on the dignity of female political prisoners in China.
Cambodia: Women Entrepreneurs and Social Media
Women entrepreneurs in Cambodia gathered last week to discuss the role of social media, particularly Facebook, in expanding their businesses. Sopheap Chak highlights the important points raised during the meeting
Brazil: Jokes About Rape and the Limit of Humor
Rafinha Bastos, a famous Brazilian stand-up comedian, has raised significant controversy by declaring in a show that women who claim they have been raped are often ugly and should be thankful. The blogosphere has been discussing the limits of humor and political incorrectness.
Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago: Feminism & Activism
Womanish Words congratulates Trinidadian Simona Lee, “creator of the blog ‘Women Speak: Women Tell Their Stories of Discrimination,’ for being chosen to receive a 2011 Internet Activist BlogHer Scholarship.”
Macedonia: Propaganda Blitz Re: Opposition Leader's Arrest
Ljube Boškoski, the leader of the opposition party United for Macedonia, was sentenced to 30 days in police custody [mk] on allegations of illegal campaign financing. The Interior Ministry published [mk] a video clip of the humiliating arrest that took place a day after the elections. Human rights expert Mirjana...
Dominica: Existing Sodomy Law
“Either accept it is part of the belief system the country wants to communicate to the world, or consider that controlling sexuality through a combination of religious thought systems and laws is dangerous and repeal the [sodomy] law”: For Caribbean Man, it's all a question of consistency.
Bahamas: Beyond Naipaul
In response to Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul's comment to a British journalist that he considers no female writer his equal, Womanish Words writes: “We do not wish to be equal to you. We are far more ambitious than that.”
Egypt: V for Verifiying Virginity
Following the appalling confirmation that virginity tests were conducted on female protesters who were detained during the Egyptian revolution, rage has been expressed by both women and men. Many cannot believe that those who fought for dignity and freedom were attacked in such a humiliating way.
Philippines: Debate on Divorce Bill
With Malta's approval of divorce, the Philippines is now the only country in the world that prohibits it. There is now a raging debate on whether it is time to pass a divorce law which is being fiercely opposed by the powerful Philippine Catholic Church.
Cuba: Female Dissidents
Without Evasion explains why credibility is such an important asset to dissident bloggers, while Pedazos de la Isla profiles the plight of female dissidents, here and here.
Iran: Women's Rights Activist Dies at Father’s Funeral
Haleh Sahabi, an Iranian woman's rights activist died yesterday morning as a result of rough mishandling by security agents during the funeral of her father, Ezatollah Sahabi, a veteran patriotic political leader.
