Stories about Women & Gender from October, 2011
Afghanistan: Theater for Social Change
Kayhan Irani, an award-winning writer and “artivist” from New York, blogs about her experiences in Kabul, Afghanistan training theater groups in the theory and practice of theater for social change.
Nepal: Media Bias On Child Trafficking
Andrew Undershaft writes about the questionable role of some Nepali print media, which participated in a co-ordinated attack against the rescue mission, which brought 23 missing girls back to Nepal from India.
Ethiopia: Netizens Take Campaign for Shweya Mullah Online
A social media campaign for justice is raging amongst Ethiopians online after a CNN journalist, Dan Rivers, revealed the horrifying abuse of Shweyga Mullah who was brutally injured after the wife of Gaddafi’s son poured boiled water on her body for allegedly failing to keep a crying child quiet.
Lebanon: Gender Discrimination while Buying a Car
Lebanese blogger Rita Chemaly was shocked to be discriminated against by another saleswoman while buying a car with her boyfriend. She shared her story in this post.
Trinidad & Tobago: 5 Fave Foods
If it's true that women can cook five things really well, what would the Top 5 dishes be for Caribbean women? Can Cook, Must Cook finds out.
Colombia: Outrage at Conservative Politician over Remarks about Rape and Abortion
On Tuesday October 11, Conservative politician Enrique Gómez Hurtado's statements about abortion caused outrage among Colombian Twitter users. Gómez supports a legislative act to reform an article in the Constitution in order to outlaw abortion under all circumstances.
Azerbaijan: More Voices
Aaron in Azerbaijan introduces his readers to other bloggers writing from the former Soviet republic, including one half of his two fellow PCVs who went viral with their Caspian Dreaming music video and a young female blogger already making a name for herself with personal observations of life in her...
Puerto Rico: 40 Days for You
The feminist coalition Movimiento Amplio de Mujeres [es] and an array of feminist organizations has launched the website “40 días por ti: una jornada por el derecho a decidir” [es] (40 days for you, an event in favor of your right to decide) where they are publishing every day during 40...
Honduras: Police Close Special Unit for Femicide Investigations
“Honduras is now second only to Guatemala in femicides (for Central America) and, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the country with the highest homicide rate in the world (only since the coup). Despite the high level of femicides, the police have closed the Special Unit...
Kenya: Open Letter to Wangari Maathai
Makafui's Open Letter to Wangari Maathai: “Professor Maathai, It was during my second year in college when I first heard of your name. It was probably the answer to a trivia question. “Who was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize?” I didn't know the answer, but...
Cuba: Outpouring of Support for Las Damas’ Leader
Over the weekend, the leader of Cuba's Las Damas de Blanco (The Ladies in White), Laura Pollan, fell ill. Bloggers, both on the island and throughout the diaspora, reached out online to offer their support and wishes for Pollan's recovery.
Cuba: Fonseca & Husband Released
Uncommon Sense reports that “almost two weeks after they were arrested, Cuban activists Sara Martha Fonseca and her husband Julio Ignacio Leon were released from jail on Friday.”
Bahamas: Women's Right to Safety
“Crime in the Bahamas denies women and their children the right to safety, which is a human right,” says Womanish Words, adding: “The new Nobel laureates I hope will remind Bahamian women of this human right to safety , and inspire us to courage enough to speak out when this...
China: “Do you have memories from before you were kidnapped?”
A new crowd-funded documentary, Living with Dead Hearts, tells the story of the thousands of children in China who are victims of kidnapping. Through interviews with both parents and formerly kidnapped children, the filmmakers hope to give a human face to this serious problem.
China’s famous English teacher beats his American wife
Olivia from ChinaHush translated a scandal exposed through Weibo concerning China's famous “crazy English” teacher Li Yang beating up his American wife at home.
Yemen: Celebrating the Bravery of Revolutionary Women
In their eight months of peaceful revolution, Yemenis have been an inspiration to many, not only to Arabs but to the world at large. Despite being the poorest Arab country, Yemeni men and women exhibited their richness in bravery, resilience and steadfastness. Noon Arabia pays tribute to Yemeni women in this post.
Ada Lovelace Day: Inspirational Women in Action
Ada Lovelace Day aims to raise the profile of women in science, technology, engineering and maths by encouraging people around the world to talk about the women whose work they admire. Read about Global Voices' tribute.
Brazil: Open Letter Defends Women's Dignity
Maria da Penha Neles, a Brazilian feminist blog, published an open letter [pt] by the activist Reginna Sampaio (@brazilpalestine) to the “sertanejo” [country music] duo Bruno & Marrone that, in a show in San Francisco, USA, called Brazilian women as sluts. The video of the show was widely shared online....
Iran: Against forced Hijab
Setareiran proposes each Thursday at 17h, Iranian women move their veils for five seconds to protest against forced veil (hijab).
Cuba: Fonseca Told to Get Lawyer
Uncommon Sense finds it interesting that jailed dissidents Sara Fonseca and her husband Julio Leon have been advised to obtain legal counsel, calling it “a suggestion that indicates the regime plans to formally prosecute the couple because of their anti-communist activism.”
Indonesia: Q! Film Festival
Q! Film Festival is a festival showcasing LGBT, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights films in Indonesia.
