· February, 2009

Stories about Women & Gender from February, 2009

Puerto Rico: Unacceptable Crime

  6 February 2009

As Puerto Rico grapples with news of the macabre murder of Sara Kuszak, Dondequiera is unhappy about comments made by a local psychologist and the President of the Hotel and Tourism Association: “What we as a society have not realized is that we can not draw lines around crime and...

Global Health: Obama Lifts “Global Gag Rule”

  5 February 2009

In his first week in office, U.S. President Barack Obama lifted a policy popularly known as the “Global Gag Rule.” The move is being applauded by women's rights and public health groups, as it will reinstate funding to international family planning programs globally. The policy, also known as the Mexico...

Algeria: CIA Chief A “Serial Rapist”

  5 February 2009

“That the CIA Station Chief in Algiers is a serial rapist will do serious damage to  American prestige in that country. When this story hits the Algerian press, one can expect fire and anger,” writes American-Algerian blogger The Moor Next Door.

Guyana: Domestic Violence

  4 February 2009

Guyanese diaspora blogger Charmaine Valere writes a piece for Baiganchoka about “the case of the disappearing domestic violence complainant.”

Ecuador: Blogging to Prevent Domestic Violence in Guayaquil

  2 February 2009

The municipal government of Guayaquil, Ecuador recently sponsored a blog contest open to new and existing bloggers around the theme “Home: A Safe Place?” The topic was chosen to give visibility to the problem of domestic violence and to help generate solutions to eradicate this problem in homes and communities. Here are some of the contest winners.

India: Outrage at attacks on women by Hindu vigilantes

  2 February 2009

On the afternoon of January 24, a group of young women in Mangalore in the southern state of Karnataka were attacked by Hindu vigilantes in a pub (bar). Dozens of activists from the little-known Sri Rama Sene (Lord Ram's Army) assaulted the women (and men, according to some reports) in...

Iran:A woman activist was jailed

  2 February 2009

Campaign for equality writes that Nafiseh Azad, a woman activist who was arrested in the mountains in the north of Tehran on Friday January 30, 2009 along with two others while collecting signatures in support of the “One Million Signature Campaign“’s petition.[update:Nafiseh Azad was released after 6 days].

Armenia: More Homophobic Traditional Values

  2 February 2009

Following homophobic remarks from leading representatives of the country's civil society and media outlets, Unzipped: Gay Armenia continues to highlight the continuing prejudices against the LGBT community from the most unexpected quarters. In its latest post, the blog comments on the words of an MP, doctor and member of the...