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According to the Convention on the Rights of a Child (CRC), 1989, a child is someone who is below 18 years. However, in the Interim Constitution of Nepal, a child is someone who is below 16 years of age. Nepal ratified this convention on 14th September 1990 A.D. Hence, all international standards are applied to children below 18 years.
The UNCRC has special importance and that is why it is ratified by many countries. We can say that CRC is the most favored convention in the world. The UNCRC can be taken as the foundation concept of childhood in practical aspects.
The four principles of CRC have special significance for Child Rights:
1. Right to Survival- Right to life, health, nutrition, name and nationality.
2. Right to development- Right to education, care, leisure, recreation.
3. Right to protection- Right against exploitation, abuse and neglect.
4. Right to participation- Right to expression, information, thought and religion.
CRC also highlights about non discrimination. Child Rights apply equally to all children regardless of the child’s or his/her parents or legal guardian’s race, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national, ethnic or social origin, property, disability, birth or other status.
The best interest of the child is given the utmost value. Child issues should never be undermined because a child is the future of the nation.
If we look at the national context, in 1992 A.D, Children’s Act was formed and adopted. In 1997, policy on child development for the 9th five year plan was made. In 2000 A.D, Child Labor- Prohibition and Regulation Act were formed.
Article 17 of the Interim Constitution of Nepal includes the right to education, and a provision that each community shall have the right to get a basic education in its mother tongue and that every citizen shall have the right to free education up to the secondary level.
Nepal has indeed made some remarkable progress in improving the literacy level but however there are significant differences in literacy between girls and boys, children from rural and urban areas, members of low and high castes, disadvantaged and privileged ethnic communities, and children of poor and rich families.
In Nepal, primary education has been made compulsory in the policy on child development in the 9th year plan. Girl education is encouraged. Incentives are provided from the state level and also by the non- state actors and civil society. Examples are the system of free lunch, allowance system, provision of distribution of edible oil and grocery items to school going girls in the remote areas.
But if we look closely then enrolment level of girls in school is still low. It is because of the social and cultural barriers. People are still below the poverty line and families give priority to sending their sons to school, especially in the case of financial shortage. Girls are usually expected to do household chores, and expectations haven’t changed much in the context of rural Nepal. Girls are kept at homes miserably and they perform all the household activities.
Families do not prefer to invest in a girl’s education because there is a trend of a girl leaving the household after marriage. Child marriage can also be taken as an obstacle. The legal age for marriage is 18 for girls and 21 for boys. However, this law is not always respected.
Education is very important in today’s world and especially for the empowerment of girls. It can break the existing barriers. Educated girls are likely to marry late. They can voice their opinions and have a stand in the society. They will also have fewer and healthier children and will educate their own children as well. Gender education means a comprehensive change for the society. Educated girls are more likely to be economically strong in comparison to uneducated girls. They can find themselves a job which would give them a status in the society and with a particular status; they will be respected by others in the society and will also hold some power.
Let us all invest in girl education!
Education is power, educate a girl and you empower a woman, a family, a community, a nation and the world.
Mississippi Could Soon Jail Women for Stillbirths & Miscarriages?
On March 14, 2009, 31 weeks into her pregnancy, Nina Buckhalter gave birth to a stillborn baby girl. She named the child Hayley Jade. Two months later, a grand jury in Lamar County, Mississippi, indicted Buckhalter for manslaughter, claiming that the then-29-year-old woman “did willfully, unlawfully, feloniously, kill Hayley Jade Buckhalter, a human being, by culpable negligence.”
The district attorney argued that methamphetamine detected in Buckhalter’s system caused Hayley Jade’s death. The state Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments on the case on April 2, is expected to rule soon on whether the prosecution can move forward.
If prosecutors prevail in this case, the state would be setting a “dangerous precedent” that “unintentional pregnancy loss can be treated as a form of homicide,” says Farah Diaz-Tello, a staff attorney with National Advocates for Pregnant Women, a nonprofit legal organization that has joined with Robert McDuff, a Mississippi civil rights lawyer, to defend Buckhalter. If Buckhalter’s case goes forward, NAPW fears it could spur a wave of similar prosecutions in Mississippi and other states.
Mississippi’s manslaughter laws were not intended to apply in cases of stillbirths and miscarriages. Four times between 1998 through 2002, Mississippi lawmakers rejected proposals that would have set specific penalties for damaging a fetus by using illegal drugs during pregnancy. But Mississippi prosecutors say that two other state laws allow them to charge Buckhalter. One definesof manslaughter as the “killing of a human being, by the act, procurement, or culpable negligence of another”; another includes ”an unborn child at every stage of gestation from conception until live birth” in the state’s definition of human beings.
The cause of any given miscarriage or stillbirth is difficult to determine, and many experts believe there is no conclusive evidence that exposure to drugs in utero can cause a miscarriage or stillbirth. Because of this, prosecuting Buckhalter opens the door to investigating and prosecuting women for any number of other potential causes of a miscarriage or stillbirth, her lawyers argued in a filing to the state Supreme Court—”smoking, drinking alcohol, using drugs, exercising against doctor’s orders, or failing to follow advice regarding conditions such as obesity or hypertension.” Supreme Court Justice Leslie D. King also raised this question in the oral arguments last month: “Doctors say women should avoid herbal tea, things like unpasteurized cheese, lunch meats. Exactly what are the boundaries?”
Advocates for Youth has signed on to a letter asking Facebook to stop hosting groups, pages, and images with graphically violent attacks on women. Facebook has banned other hate speech and should ban gender-based hate speech.
In a world in which hundreds of thousands of women are assaulted daily and where intimate partner violence remains one of the leading causes of death for women around the world, it is not possible to sit on the fence. We call on Facebook to make the only responsible decision and take swift, clear action on this issue, to bring your policy on rape and domestic violence into line with your own moderation goals and guidelines.
Please share, and call on Facebook’s advertisers to support this action!
We know that people still follow stereotypes of gender roles. Sexism is socially constructed prejudiced ideology on the ground of sex especially against women. The family and society directly or indirectly root this concept.
During the upbringing, daughters are taught to be more home oriented, to help their mothers in the kitchen, to prepare meals and to look “beautiful” and to dress elegantly. Whereas sons are instilled to be interested in the outside world. They are taught to be strong, brave and athletic. They are encouraged to follow technical lines.
Media portrayals also have a huge impact in today’s world. Obese women are under represented. Size zero is the trend and the obsession. Girls and women are seen struggling with their weight issue. So many of them are undergoing serious eating disorder. They are suffering from anorexia or bulimia and feeling alarmingly powerless. The obsession with body weight and body image preoccupies women. And what more, a girl perceives that in order to be accepted by her partner, she needs to have a picture perfect body. How delusional!
I think the person who loves you would love you and accept you no matter what. We can be as thin as a stick or be a thick pool of lard. Beauty is surely skin deep. We can’t be like supermodels and we shouldn’t even think about being like them too.
It’s sad to know that women still face the wage discrimination problem till date. Particularly in the third world, there are serious threats associated to sexism such as female feticide.
Sexism denies participation of women and girls in the process of development, not allowing them to have a meaningful access to the resources. It denies women’s control over their own bodies. And because of this, they are still considered as second class citizens. How sexist again!
Hello World 
,
I haven’t posted in a while. Pardon my laziness. So let us get a few things clear:
1. I am Heterosexual
2. I am a Christian
3. I am not homophobic
Homophobia infers feelings or actions of hatred, fear or even violence towards individuals who are homosexuals. Even though, because of my beliefs, I do not necessarily agree with the beliefs and actions of those who are homosexuals, this disagreement and disparity between our beliefs does not result in feelings of violence or discrimination towards individuals of this sexual orientation.
The world is comprised of a vast variety of individuals who hold an equally as vast and diverse system of beliefs. It is our right to have our own opinion, however the practice of this right should not impede the ability for others to practice their own right to freedom of consciousness.
The freedom to be heterosexual is my right, likewise the freedom to be of a differing sexual orientation is the right of another individual. Lets end homophobia. Frankly in the 21st century with the globalization of not only technology but also knowledge and education, I am surprised that homophobia, along with other forms of discrimination such as racism have not become obsolete concepts. I mean, this world has made leaps and bounds in terms of what we can make with our hands.. great infrastructure, technology … science … but when it comes down to matters of the mind, we are travelling at a much slower pace.
But maybe it is too much to expect. Fighting socialization is much harder than overcoming scientific or technological obstacles. We are fighting the intangible monsters of institutionalized discrimination. Monsters which .. sadly have been fuelled by the misuse of religion and superstition.
To end homophobia … especially in Jamaica, requires the erasure of years of false ideologies layered on our social blackboard. Ideologies which deem some individuals less human because they choose to live their lives differently from the norm.
But I’m ready for the challenge.. are you?
<3 kevz
Because there are actually sensible people on this planet who know that the responsibility of pregnancy does not fall solely on the shoulders of girls and women, the campaign above exists. The Chicago Department of Public Health’s Office of Adolescent and School Health has launched a great campaign about teenage pregnancy. The campaign features images of pregnant lads, reminding people that there is always another party involved. Because in today’s society, people are quick to shame the young women, forgetting that they couldn’t possibly have gotten pregnant all on their own. What are we now? Amoeba?
You can read all about the campaign on the City of Chicago’s official website.
It’s Week 6 of 50 Days of Action for Women and Girls, a campaign to demonstrate mass support for policies and programs that will allow women and girls to be healthy, empowered, educated, and safe.
How can you get involved?
(Note: Katia Gomez is the Founder and Executive Director of Educate2Envision, an international NGO working with the children and young people of Honduras. Recently, her organization was recognized by the WomenDeliver as one of the 25 finalists for the WomenDeliver 25, an online competition to determine the top social enterprises that benefit girls and women around the world. More than 13,500 votes were cast online to select Teen Revolt, New Incentives, Wedu, and the other winners. Each finalist will receive a scholarship to WomenDeliver 2013, where they will compete in the first-ever Women Deliver Social Enterprise Challenge. Photo credits goes to Educate2Envision website and Wikipedia.)
Leo: Hi Katia, first of all, congratulations to you and to Educate2Envision for being one of the Top 10 finalists for the Women Deliver Social Enterprise Challenge. How does it feel to have reached this far? Tell us the process that your organization have undergone in order to reach this point in your organization of being a finalist of such a prestigious competition.
Katia: Thank you! It’s such an honor to be recognized for our work with the girls of Honduras on such a global scale as Women Deliver. It is a great feeling of accomplishment and also one of excitement at this particular point in time as we are growing Educate2Envision and expanding throughout the country to bring educational opportunities to hundreds more. To get to this point has taken the ability to learn lessons along the way and really take time to understand the communities we work with to better support them on their journey towards building empowered future generations.
Leo: How did Educate2Envision started as an organization? Why choose the name Educate2Envision as the name of the organization? Are you based in Honduras alone or does the organization also have other country offices with specific projects to work with?
Katia: My vision for starting the organization came after a Spring Break volunteer trip in 2009 with a group of undergrad classmates. This was one of the first times that I was able to see the poverty discussed in my classroom lectures and textbooks really come to life. Speaking to the parents and teachers in the community that would become our pilot program, I began to quickly understand all the new buzz around girls’ education and how it could indeed change the outcome of entire countries.
The name Educate2Envision came about because I wanted the name to speak to the “before and after” of our work. We don’t only want to provide a means for youth in poverty to become educated in the traditional sense, but rather we have a higher goal of providing them with the self-esteem and leadership skills to envision a better future for their communities.
We are currently working only in Honduras with our headquarters based in California.
Leo: Why should an organization like E2E focus on the education of the young people boys and girls of Honduras? How important is education to them? What good can it bring to their lives?
Katia: An endless number of surveys and interviews that our students have contributed towards overwhelmingly show a desire to use education as a tool to improve and develop their communities and to enable them to be productive citizens of Honduras. Almost every response proves to be a selfless one when asked why education is important. The level of importance cannot be overstated in a society, such as the rural communities of Honduras, where the cycle of poverty is aggressive and stubborn often reflected in parents who lack basic literacy skills. Education is that investment that can break the cycle that has endured for generations and set a precedent with the first in the family to be educated past primary school and beyond; you can bet that their children will follow the same trajectory. Poverty is a complicated web of deeply rooted inequalities, so it can be difficult to find the light at the end of the tunnel, but education is one of the most fool-proof investments we can make in putting an end to this.
Leo: Please share to us the progress of the programs and projects that E2E has implemented in the communities of Pajarillos, Miravalle, and La Ceiba such as:
a. Girls Leadership Club
b. Secondary School Sponsorship
c. E2E Youth Empowerment Network
d. Other E2E Programs
Katia: To date we have sponsored over 60 students to be the first in their families, and often communities, to move beyond 6th grade. The E2E Youth Empowerment Network will have it’s first National Conference take place next month which will showcase small business projects from each school intended to address a need in their communities. This will be the first time they will all be brought together to collaborate and help give a bigger voice to the rural poor. Our Girls Leadership Club is functioning great with the latest survey results showing that girls who participated have greater self-esteem and self-respect than before. One of my favorite recent quotes was from an 11 year old girl, “Before my friends and I would play house and pretend to be moms, now when we play we pretend to be teachers and doctors.”
Leo: Your website gave information to its best, I am wondering if you integrate comprehensive sexuality education to your programs and projects? If yes, I would love to know how you specifically integrated this in your programs and projects. If not, what could be the possible impediments/challenges that E2E which hindered you from implementing so?
Katia: Yes we definitely have prioritized reproductive health and sexuality education in our programming because it is so rarely discussed within the formal school system or even among parents. With such high rates of adolescent pregnancy, there is really no sidestepping the issue if we want our students to excel in our secondary school programming. There are a variety of ways that we instruct our students including open discussions inside the Girls Leadership Club, workshops led by our Honduran University interns, and training primary school teachers how to approach the topic in class. It is taboo is most of Honduran society to openly discuss sexuality education but we have not found parents to be opposed to E2E’s efforts in making the knowledge available to their children.
Leo: How do you monitor and evaluate your programs and projects? What are the results so far?
Katia: Our monitoring and evaluation techniques try to encompass both qualitative and quantitative indicators within a community. For example, we track student progress within the primary and secondary school systems such as enrollment, retention, and graduation rates. But we also pay close attention to the level of behavior change among our students and the community overall by asking questions related to future goals and where education fits in their lives. We have seen outstanding results among the students we have sponsored so far in 2 communities. As a result of creating access to secondary school, enrollment rates have spiked at the primary level as parents have been moved to place their kids in school. We also have the highest number of graduating primary school students in the history of the community, who will all be first generation high school students. Additionally, the community that previously faced the highest level of teen pregnancy has had zero girls in the past 2 years exit 6th grade pregnant, which has broken a decades long trend. The overall sentiment towards having goals in one’s life has been transformed dramatically over the past 3 years such that nearly 100% of primary school students can tell you what they wish to be when they grow up whereas before our arrival, they were unable to answer the question because they were unaware of what other options existed.
Leo: What good practices have you encountered while doing these programs and projects and why should we implement it and learn from it? What does E2E want to achieve at the end of the day? Are their new programs, projects or initiatives that E2E will be implementing anytime soon?
Katia: Good practices sometimes involve needing to stray from the rest of the pack. On the education side of development work, my experience has shown that many organizations invest predominantly in tangible donations and infrastructure projects. Although this does represent an unmet need in many communities, I feel there is a lack of focus on more cost-effective projects that promote leadership and innovation among rural youth. If we spend the time to truly understand the intricacies of a rural poor community, we will come to understand that deeply entrenched belief systems are incredibly difficult to influence when it comes to education, so we must make a conscious effort to work directly alongside community members every step of the way.
E2E wants to leave a community in the hands of empowered future changemakers. We don’t see our role as solely creating access to higher education and enrolling as many kids as possible into the program. Each student that we invest in is surrounded by opportunities to gain leadership and life skills that transcend what is traditionally taught in the classroom.
The newest initiative we have underway is a change to our current student sponsorship program. We are building a sustainable model that will allow students, as a class, to design a small business project that would be analyzed by experts and once finalized would receive seed funding from E2E as well as financial workshops. The income earned would be used by students to fund their own school fees .
Leo: Can you share to us how you got involved in the organization? How does it feel working with young people, girls and boys in Honduras? What is the situation in Honduras that motivated you to work for E2E?
Katia: Well it’s incredible if you look at the figures and just think that a country has nearly 75% under 30 years old and only about a quarter of them have any access or resources to attend secondary school. It’s one thing to be astonished by those numbers but it’s another thing to work directly in trying to close the gap and send first-generation high school students back to school. It’s incredibly rewarding because I was sponsored through high school and university as well and now it has come full circle to being able to help those who needed an opportunity as I did.
Leo: Educate2Envision can only do so much out of its own efforts, how does your community help or assist you? Is there a government counterpart or cooperation in your projects? Are you acknowledge by the government of Honduras for your efforts and is there a support you receive coming from them? With the recent political turmoil in the country, how did it affect your work, your recipient communities, and the education system of Honduras?
Katia: The local government has played a very helpful role in supporting our efforts whether it be through assistance with transportation, monitoring, or providing material support for any construction projects. The Secretary of Education and the Ministry of Social Development are both active in providing partnerships that help offset some financial costs, particularly personnel, on our end. We luckily have not been negatively impacted by any political situations at the national level. As an International NGO we have been very fortunate to have great freedom to function independently without much red tape.
Leo: Some people does not know about where and what Honduras is. I myself only know a few things like its Maya heritage, Tegucigalpa, Dania Prince Mendes (Miss Earth 2003), and Manuel Zelaya to name a few. In your own words, describe Honduras to us, to me. Why do you think it has a promising future when we educate its children in order to envision? Muchas gracias!
Katia: Honduras has unfortunately become synonymous with violence and drug trafficking for many who do not know the country outside of what the media reports. I’m so glad to see that you are familiar with other aspects as well! There are undoubtedly many issues related to violence and poverty that restrain Honduras from progressing forward, but the people here are resilient and bonded as a community. You will always have those in political power who are in it for the wrong reasons but I have met so many local Honduran government workers, young people, and teachers who truly believe, with all their heart, in education as the solution to improving the lives of their communities and the country as a whole. We shouldn’t allow the crimes that take place, as happen in any part of the world, to overshadow the overwhelming acts of good that exist and I believe will ultimately triumph with a new generation of humanitarians that will lead the way.
Colorado Youth Testify in Support of HB 1081
I strictly assumed that by this time period humans would not be arguing over equality, inclusion, and sexual health. Apparently, some Americans don’t want their children learning about “the gays”, “the lesbians”, “the immigrants” or “cultures.” Some are even outraged because “white heterosexuals” are “no longer represented.” These are authentic words spoken from citizens present in the committee for HB 1081 or “The Sex Ed Bill”, on Thursday February 7th. I went into committee humming “I’m just a Bill” to ease the nerves, because I had no idea what to expect for my first committee hearing. I was not prepared to speak, but after listening to the opposition’s arguments that were no more than racist and discriminative, I wanted my voice heard. I was “the gay” that they rejected, and the “immigrant” that disgusted them, and the “culture” that they were opposed too.
My turn came to speak. Hesitant I got up from my chair, stepped slow and cautious to the stand while I felt judgment from the many eyes in the room. I thought repeatedly in my head what I wanted to say, but as soon as my mouth said the first word, everything seemed to vanish from my brain. What was a high school student to say? Hell, why was he even here? I sat down. My voice shook as I said my name, but I remembered the woman who didn’t want “the gays” and the “immigrants” in her white heterosexual culture and said “I am here representing the Latino community who cannot be here today because they do not speak English, or have the resources to be here.” Yes, I said Latino with an accent because in that very moment, I had never been more proud to be a person of color. I then stated “I would like to begin by saying that I identify as gay.” Never had a said “I identify as gay” openly, in public. I knew however that this was the time to truly express myself as an advocate.
I testified for HB 1081 in a way I never thought I would. I not only came out to the 12 legislators in the room, but I came out to the priest in the back who probably damned me to hell ten times over, the woman who drove from Colorado Springs to attack communities I am a part of, and the many allies in that room which gave me the boost of confidence I much needed. I didn’t have a clear understanding of why I do the work I do. I knew I had a passion for the education of individuals, the equality of humans, and empowerment of the mind, but it took that one woman saying “the gays” and “the immigrants” to accurately put this into perspective. Not only was I advocating for Comprehensive Sexual Health Education, but I was making a stand for everything that is included in Comp Sex Ed; The inclusion of culture, ability, gender, age, sexual orientation, size, and ethnicity. Comprehensive Sexual Health addresses the respect for others and respect for yourself, which is why I was able to testify, and confront the opposition: Learning about my body, my actions and reactions, and my rights as a young person has allowed me to gain self assurance and confidence. The experience of testifying for committee was electrifying, intimidating, but mostly rewarding and reflective, and I can only hope that I was remembered among the citizens who don’t want the “the gays”, “the lesbians”, or “the immigrants” in their culture, these pitiful underprivileged people: Where are they represented?
Respect. I think the word that best describes what I’m trying to get at with this blog. I feel like there’s this notion in society today that a women’s self-respect and self-worth lie completely between her legs, and because of this notion a lot of other social issues arise. I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve heard some variation of the phrase have some respect for yourself ladies and keep your legs closed. Statements like this pigeonhole women and keep society in that outdated mindset that all a woman is good for is sex and childbearing. Self-respect, to me, has to do with self-love and standing up for yourself and what you believe in. It’s like a reverse golden rule, “treat others how you would like to be treated” treating yourself that way too. Self-respect has nothing to do with how much sex you have or how revealing your clothes are.
So, “slut-shaming” is what I’m getting at now. “Slut-shaming” is the shaming or acting of woman, making her feel inferior or guilty for engaging in certain sexual behaviors that deviate from traditional norms or expectations. Girls do it, calling each other sluts with no self-respect because they make sexual decisions that are simply different from their own. And by doing this, they open a door for men and the rest of society to disrespect women and look down on women who simply have different viewpoints than their own. This just adds to the inequality of women and double standards, because you less often see anyone calling a man a slut with no self-respect.
So all of this serves to contribute to another, bigger societal problem which is “victim blaming.” It’s the mindset that women are responsible for being raped, or “they were asking for it,” because of the way they were dressed, the way they were acting or the amount of drugs or alcohol in their system. This culture in society emphasizes and teaches victims not to get raped, or not to do things that would promote getting raped, rather than punishing perpetrators and teaching not to rape. No matter what the person is wearing or how they may be acting, forced sex without consent is rape. Keeping in mind that consent cannot be obtained if the person is passed out drunk. So where did “rape culture” and “victim blaming” come from? Well if we’re allowing society to look down on women as “sluts,” then we can’t be surprised when that same society isn’t sympathetic towards them when they are raped.
Back to respect. Respect is essential to stopping “slut-shaming” and the problems that emerge from it. Having respect is having an open mind towards understanding that not everyone’s opinion on sex and how and when to have it is going to be same as yours. Rather than resorting to calling each other names, we should open our minds and our hearts towards understanding people who are simply different than ourselves.
http://reproductiverightsunsw.tumblr.com/post/50247350365
Melissa Harris-Perry’s Panel looks at Elizabeth Smart’s recent comments on abstinence-only sex education and whether the policy is effective.
WATCH IT HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty_MA_mrow8
Today when I heard that Angelina Jolie had recently undergone a double masectomy, I just KNEW that somewhere on teh interwebs, there were some really dumb men completely missing the point and making ignorant comments about her.
Angelina made her decision after doctors told her she had an 87% chance of developing breast cancer, and a 50% chance of developing ovarian cancer. Her mother died of cancer at 56 and she decided she would rather begin to minimize the risk than have her children have to deal with her death from cancer.
She did a really great thing. She personalized the issue and has hopefully inspired women everywhere to begin to take the appropriate measures to safeguard against cancers. Many people, myself included, applaud her decision, especially in light of the possible damage to her career as sex symbol extraordinaire.
But what are some other people doing? They are making fun of her and saying she’s only seeking attention.
Look at these idiots, fetishizing her like all she ever was, was a pair of boobs. Like the fact that she could have died from cancer means absolutely nothing. Look at #2, a proper quack-salver he is. Are you a doctor sir? A specialist? And #6, who knew that he was going to sound like an asshole but forged ahead nonetheless, charging into the abyss of stupidity.
Next time someone calls you a misandrist or states that feminism isn’t needed, or that feminism is merely a political agenda, show them this post.
You could qualify for FREE birth control (what better way to celebrate National Women’s Health Week?). Find out here and spread the word to your lady friends.
“Sadly, real or perceived controversy keeps schools from providing young people with the information and skills they need to become sexually healthy adults. Just like other topics taught in school, sexuality education should be developmentally appropriate, sequential and complete.
Irrational fear – the cultural belief that teaching young people about sex will cause them to have sex – keeps administrators and educators from doing what they know is best: providing young people with developmentally appropriate, sequential and honest sex education. Never mind that 30 years of public health research clearly demonstrates that when young people receive such education, they are more likely to delay sexual initiation, and to use protection when they do eventually become sexually active, than those who receive no sex education or learn only about abstinence. Withholding information about sex and sexuality will not keep children safe; it will only keep them ignorant.
Ninety-five percent of all Americans have sex before marriage. About half of all young people begin having sex by age 17. Providing a foundation of quality sex education is the only way to ensure that young people will grow into sexually healthy adults. It can augment what children learn at home and combat misinformation learned from peers or found on the Internet. Porn is not the best way for teenagers to learn about sex, but it will fill the vacuum when sex education is politicized and withheld from our classrooms.
Quality sex education should start in kindergarten. Early elementary school students need to learn the proper names for their body parts, the difference between good touch and bad touch, and ways in which they can be a good friend (the foundation for healthy intimate relationships later in life). Fourth- and fifth-graders need information about puberty and their changing bodies, Internet safety, and the harmful impact of bullying. And seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders are ready for information about body image, reproduction, abstinence, contraception, H.I.V. and disease prevention, communication, and the topic they most want to learn about: healthy relationships.”
It’s Week 4 of 50 Days of Action for Women and Girls, a campaign to demonstrate mass support for policies and programs that will allow women and girls to be healthy, empowered, educated, and safe.
This week we’re focused on preventing violence against women and girls.
How can you get involved?
#4367
“I have Chlamydia and I haven’t told my boyfriend or any of my past sexual partners yet (THREE; and I haven’t had sex with my boyfriend until the medication I’m taking cures me). I don’t think I will tell them either because one of those assholes had it, didn’t test himself (or did), and had the audacity to not tell me afterwards. I feel sorry for every girl that gets it from this disgusting asshole.”
This is a discrete comment left on FaceBooks ‘UTEP Confession’ page where students confess secrets they would not normally tell someone or the public. What really stuck out to me about this post were all the ‘slut slamming’ comments made to this women who apparently never got informed on sexual health and develop the confidence to be able to talk with her partner about her infection. Also, the fact that all the comments posted range along the line from
“If you’re too embarrassed to tell them, shoot them anonymous warning?” to “Wow what a dirty skank you are. You are the reason why women get a bad name. I hope your crotch rots even more than it already is.”
Regardless of the post or comments, these are examples of how society views sexual health; either being shy to talk with your intimate partner or to slut slam people for their irresponsible behavior.
Perhaps the lack of sexual education or living in a conservative setting may have lead towards these behaviors but with most of the media we see being over sexualized why does being ‘slutty’ come at such a horrible expense. Is it not two people who have sex in order to get an infection in the first place? Why does so much focus seem to be on her rather than her past partners that agreed to have sex without protection? Rather than the fact no one has cared to talk with their partner about their sexual past and current health.
The power to talk can create a whole new array of sexual perspectives and how young people deal with sexual relations before consequences happen. I believe society has a negative sexual outlook that can be the blame for the high teen pregnancies and high STI rates. Seeing this comment really made me reflect on how easy it is to call someone a slut while it even harder for one to come out to their partner and opening up about safe sex. These backwards types of attitudes about sexual health can lead towards an outbreak in growing rates of STIS when society slams people with STI’s because of the embarrassment they may feel, so instead they will avoid the safe sex talk all together and act as if everything is alright. The power to talk can really be revolutionary.
Last week, governments from around the world met at the United Nations for the 46th Commission on Population and Development (CPD). Throughout the week-long deliberations, governments, UN agencies, demographers, and NGOs debated the topic of migration and its relationship to the 1994 ICPD Programme of Action—a groundbreaking declaration which signaled a major shift in population policy from one based on population control to one based on human rights, including sexual and reproductive health (SRH).
What’s migration got to do with sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), you ask? Well, just about everything.
Today, more women are migrating than ever before, representing nearly half of the total international migrant population, and in some countries, as much as 70 to 80 percent. And young migrants under the age of 29 make up half of all global migrants. During the process of migration, women and girls tend to be more vulnerable to human rights violations, particularly SRHR violations, including violence, exploitation, and sexual coercion. Moreover, migrant women and young people are also at increased risk of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections due to inadequate access to health services, including SRH services. As a result, ensuring access to SRHR information and services and protection of women’s and young people’s rights was our number one goal at the CPD.
So, how’d we do? Well, this year’s CPD proved interesting, to say the least. Traditionally progressive countries that fight every year to advance SRHR found themselves in a bit of a pickle given their countries’ rather regressive migration policies. Against the backdrop of comprehensive immigration reform playing out on Capitol Hill, the US delegation—typically a stalwart champion of young people’s SRHR and LGBT rights—sought to include language restricting access to non-emergency services to only those migrants who are documented or in legal status. The same was true for other Global North countries like the UK, Canada, Denmark, and the EU. At the same time, conservative countries with strong religious views (think Nigeria, Egypt, Qatar, Honduras, Malta, and Poland) joined forces with the Holy See (aka, the Vatican) to denounce any inclusion of SRHR or sexual orientation and gender identity. Discussions grew more and more tense by the day, resulting in an eventual breakdown of the negotiations and a final “take it or leave it” declaration drafted by the chair of the commission.
From a youth SRHR perspective, the declaration is just so-so. Here’s my take on it.
The Good:
The Bad:
And the Ugly:
After a groundbreaking resolution on adolescents and young people at last year’s CPD, we’ve certainly got our work cut out for us to ensure young people’s rights are front and center in the 20-year review of the ICPD in 2014 and in the post-2015 development agenda. We simply cannot afford to go backwards; we need forward progress if we are ever to see the full implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action.
Nepal is a patriarchal family structure country where most women have relatively less or no power on whom and when to marry, whether or not to have sexual relations, and when to bear children. As in many societies, it is common knowledge that sexual violence within marriage SVM exists in Nepal but it has been scientifically studied and documented and has received little attention from researchers, policy makers and programme designers. There are only few studies related to domestic and sexual violence conducted in Nepal.
Until 2006, Nepal law did not recognize SVM. Very recently however, the Government of Nepal has recognized the problem of SVM and made a law that acknowledges forced sex between spouses as a form of marital rape and have made the provision of punishment.
I. Whoever commits the act of domestic violence shall be punished with a fine of 3000 rupees which may extend up to 25000 rupees or six months of imprisonment or both.
II. Whoever attempts to commit domestic violence or abets the crime or incites others to commit the crime shall be liable to half the punishment of that of the perpetrator.
III. Whoever has been punished once for the offence of domestic violence shall be liable to double the punishment upon every repetition of the offence.
IV. If a public servant commits the offence of domestic violence he shall be liable to an additional ten percent punishment over and above the prescribed punishment.
V. Whoever doesn’t obey the court orders issued according to section 6 should be fined 2000 to 5000 or four months of imprisonment or both.
Record review of WOREC Nepal and INSEC provides information about the situation of violence against women in Nepal. WOREC reported that there were 1,569 cases of violence against woman from 2-1- June – 2011 June. Out of these cases 1,002 were domestic violence, 124 rapes, 64 murders, 47 trafficking and 266 were social violence.
INSEC reported 183 cases of rape in 2006 while in 2007, it reported 203 cases. Regarding the characteristics of the victims, the most alarming fact is that the majority of them are girls under the age of 18. Out of 216 victims whose cases were reported to INSEC, 144 are minor girls.
During the 2006/007, to understand the situation of sexual violence among married in Nepal .CREHPA associated with sexual violence within marriage among young couples in Tanahu and Dang;
Behaviors
Sex against desire 65%
Sex after consumption of alcohol 41%
Sex during menstruation 40%
Sex shortly after delivery/ when baby is small 39%
Physical/ verbal torture /threat following refusal to sex 34%
Forceful sex 28%
Sex during exhaustion 19%
Unwanted touching of breast/ private parts 18%
Unwanted fondling of body 16%
Violence against women is a global phenomenon. It had existed in past, existing in present and will exist in future if the policy, rule and regulation regarding the women issues in Nepal doesn’t change according to the changing situation and changing time.
Women deserve to be treated equally in every aspect of life. Join froces to support the women who serve dutifully in the Peace Corps.
A documentary screening program was held on 12th April 2013 at YUWA as a part of celebrating the Anti-Street Harassment Week. A total of 16 very enthusiastic participants were present on the screening. The 90 minute documentary titled “Miss Representation” showed how women have been ‘mis-represented’ in the media as an object of beauty and the influence the stereotyped beauty has had on the young minds who spend majority of their time watching TV. “Miss Representation” represented how the credibility of a woman was most often judged through her external appearance.
The media has stereotyped beauty to an extent that is almost unattainable by a normal person. This has led to many young girls going out of their way to achieve such beauty causing various health problems like anorexia and depression. Every girl today wants to look like Angelina Jolie and Megan Fox and every boy wants a sexy hot model as his girlfriend. This obsession for good looks has overshadowed the intellectual capacity of a woman. No matter which ever highest position a woman achieves in the society, she is always judged by what she wears rather than what she speaks.
Its high time the world realize that woman are more than what meets the eye! They are can be good looking and smart. Beauty is nothing but an illusion. Girls, you should understand that you are beautiful whichever color, shape or size you are. If you can’t accept yourself the way you are, neither can the world around you. Respect yourself and the world will respect you back. Dr. Seuss has rightly said ,
“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who isYouer than You.”
It’s always nice to try and pretty yourself up sometimes, but don’t run after beauty but rather work towards gaining more knowledge and increasing your intellectual capacity. Beauty is not just skin deep, it is something that resides in your heart, glows on your face and shows through your actions. Mother Teresa is considered the most beautiful woman in the world and is always remembered with utmost respect despite being pictured as a wrinkled old woman.
Remember girls, while beauty might attract the eyes, its virtue that wins the soul!
Stay beautiful!
Shristi Khadka
YALC 2013
Nepal
Hi!
My name is Karachi and I am here to share with you the wondrously-baffling gospel of Tyler Perry. Ladies, Mr. Perry would like you to know that if you cheat on your God-fearing, hardworking, high school sweetheart husband, you WILL feel the wrath of the almighty. This wrath will come in the form of HIV, which will be transmitted by the most evil man ever – the HIV-positive, craptastic, psycho of a man whom no woman would fall for…unless of course she was a character in a Tyler Perry movie. ‘Cos we all know that women, black women, are just spineless, money-grubbing hos who destroy perfect marriages and are only brave enough to pour a pot of hot grits on an abusive husband when Madea tells us to.
It is QUITE interesting to see how Perry chose to portray HIV-positive people in 2013. It is especially interesting considering that the immigration and travel ban on HIV-positive people was only lifted 3 years ago, and that the International AIDS conference was finally held in the US again after 22 years as a result of this lift. So imagine how it feels, after all this progress, to have Mr. Perry come along with this epic fail of a movie. No seriously, even if you take away the HIV stigma, and the ridiculous characters who must only exist in the alternate universe contained solely in Tyler Perry’s mind, the movie still blows. I am hopeful that Tyler Perry or one of his employees will see this post, and offer me my $10.50 back, along with their sincere apologies for the atrocities inflicted on my mind and eyes.
I tried unsuccessfully, to vlog about this travesty of a movie, but failed. I failed because the entire time I sat there laughing in incredulity or with this expression on my face.
It was just difficult to flow from point to point without veering off into head-shaking and other assorted expressions of disgust.
So let’s talk about some of the other things that went on in the movie. Warning, there are spoilers ahead as I have to divulge some of the plot in order to create an understanding of the issues I am discussing.
The main character, Judith, is a young woman who has recently moved to DC with her husband; an equally religious man whom she has known since she was young. She dreams of becoming a marriage counsellor, but is working as a counsellor at a matchmaking agency owned by Vanessa fake-French-accent Williams. One day, a young, rich, handsome, black man comes in (after we have been subjected to Kim Kardashian’s forced acting and God-awful voice) and is revealed to be the founder/CEO/whatever of a social media platform. This man, who is to be known from this point onward as “The Devil”, wastes no time flirting with Judith and pointing out the many inadequacies in her marriage. If I ever met this man in real life, I would take off my shoes and run as fast as possible in the opposite direction because he’s a complete nightmare.
Long story short, the blissful marriage begins to sour when Judith finds that the Devil pays more attention to her, and could offer her a more exciting life. Eh-mah-gerd! Sex that doesn’t happen in a bed with the pillows previously fluffed and with the lights off! It’s a whole new life! Judith’s husband offers her the chance to leave a street altercation unharmed after she has been heckled by a group of young, black men, explaining that they could have had guns; the Devil on the other hand, nearly pummels an innocent cyclist after Judith is injured from running into the bicycle because she was too busy trash talking with her head turned backwards during a run. The Devil also offers creepy possessiveness, calling her at home one night and asking why Judith’s husband doesn’t question who she’s on the phone with. “If you were mine, I’d want to know who you were talking to”. *swoon* Yes, this is on the list of qualities a woman looks for in a man, right next to being watched while asleep Edward Cullen-style.
The icing on this grossly dysfunctional cake was watching the Devil semi-rape Judith on his private plane. I sat in the theater, mouth agape, “Wait! What? There’s MORE?!” He pawed her repeatedly as she protested, asking him to stop. He did stop. And then he said something that nearly shut my brain down because it was so hard to process, “Now you can say you resisted”. And because this is an alternate reality, what followed was passionate monkey sex. Douchetards of the world now have another handy technique for raping women. Thanks Tyler Perry. After all that, what came next was predictable…up to a certain point. Judith leaves her husband, the Devil shoves her mother as she tries to stop her erring child from making a mistake, Judith berates him for shoving her mother, and the boxing gloves come out. Her husband finds out the Devil is HIV-positive and swoops in to rescue her, finding her in a tub looking like she just came out of a match against Gina Carano. In the grand finale, Judith is HIV positive, and comes to pick up her medication from the pharmacy where her husband works, and encounters his new wife and son on her way out. The movie ends with Judith walking down the street, ALONE, going back to meet her mother at church. She dissed Jesus, and she was punished, and she has no other place to go but back to him. Yes I get that the entire movie was supposed to symbolize what Perry deems to be normal gender roles and traditional Christianity.
I have so many questions:
Tyler Perry, what in the world is wrong with you?
Are we supposed to believe that a woman who professionally advised people about their relationships completely failed to discuss the problems in her own marriage and vaulted over to the Devil’s side after he bought her roses for her birthday, noticed her new hairdo and took her on a private jet?
What is wrong with you?
Why does no one discuss the Devil’s mode of infection? The status of his health? The fact that this is ignored makes HIV-positive people out to be even more reckless. In this portrayal, they are either uncaring of their effect on the people around them or just plain evil and intentionally infectious. HIV is NOT a form of punishment and HIV-positive people live full, happy lives unlike what you would have us believe.
I believe I’ve asked this before but, what is wrong with you Tyler Perry?
Why are all the strong, educated and successful black men in your movies always so greatly flawed when it comes to personality?
Do you hate women?
If you are looking for a truly horrific movie experience, this is it.
Female infanticide is the intentional killing baby girls due to the preference for male babies and from the low value associated with the birth of females. It is the most brutal and destructive manifestation of the anti-female bias that pervades “patriarchal” societies. It is closely linked to the phenomena of sex- selective abortion, which targets female fetuses almost exclusively, and neglect of girl children.
India is one of the leading countries in the case of female infanticide where the centuries old practice of female infanticide can still be considered a wise course of action in rural India. In 1993, around Tamil Nadu state 196 baby girls were murdered by unhulled rice that punctured their wind pipes, some were made to swallow poisonous powdered fertilizer or starve to death.
Lakshmi already had one daughter, so when she gave birth to a second girl, she killed her. For the three days of her second child’s short life, Lakshmi admits, she refused to nurse her to silence the infant’s famished cries, the impoverished village woman squeezed the milky sap from an oleander shrub, mixed it with castor oil, and forced the poisonous potion down the newborn’s throat. The baby bled from the nose, then died soon afterward. Female neighbors buried her in a small hole near Lakshmi’s square thatched hut of sun baked mud.
The bias against females in India is related to the fact that “sons are called upon to provide the income; they are the ones who do most of the work in the field and also regarded as the gateway to heaven and are looked as the type of insurance. Thus, the preference values of boys are higher than the value of girls.
Another reason for more preference of boys and females infanticide is also due to practice of dowry system in which the family of a prospective bride must pay enormous sums of money to the family in which the woman will live after marriage. The combination of dowry and wedding expenses usually adds up to more than a million rupees. Since the normal earning of the family cannot overcome the debt of dowry thus it motivated for not give birth to female. Murders of woman whose families are deemed to have paid insufficient dowry have become increasingly common in India as well.
Thus we can say that India is the heartland of sex selective abortion where the female infanticide is increasing day by day even if they are aware about not doing this.
We have heard and seen that women are somehow suppressed and discriminated in all religions of the world. The same goes with Hinduism as well. Hinduism believes that women are synonyms to divinity, power, beauty, wisdom, erudition and leadership down the ages. It highlights the central role that women have always played in Hindu dharma, society, politics, humanities and other fields of scholarship, and in the families. However, a woman’s life is always controlled by a man in this religion. She has to live up to the expectation of her male counterparts and follow their command whatsoever.
Hindus are governed to follow a certain list of principles set forth in the Laws of Manu. This ancient code has specified that women must be honored and adorned by their fathers, brothers, husbands and brothers-in-law who desired their own welfare. It states “Where women are honored, there the gods are pleased. Where they are not honored, no sacred rite yields rewards.”
Manu further mentions“Day and night, women must be kept dependent to the males of their families. If they attach themselves to sensual enjoyments, they must be kept under one’s control. Her father protects her in childhood. Her husband protects her in youth. Her sons protect her in old age. A woman is never fit for independence.”
As a girl, she lives under the watchful protection of her parents, who are jealously concerned with protecting her virginity. She is considered pure but inauspicious, because she lacks a life-giving power. When she marries, she becomes impure but auspicious. The impurity is caused by sexual intercourse and menstruation.
For most of Hindu history, the girl was not allowed to have the same kind of education as her brother. Boys left home to receive their education from a guru. Girls always had to be under their fathers’ watchful eye. What education she got came from her parents. She spent most of her time learning domestic skills from her mother, as well as some ritual aspects of religion. She was not considered capable of studying the Veda.
In classical medieval and modern times, girls often married early in life, thereby entered the second stage, that of the householder. Today, young Hindu women do not usually marry until their twenties, but this has not always been the case. Frequently, the arrangement of marriage took place just after the girl was born, or some time later in her childhood. Occasionally, the marriage would be arranged to a boy who was relatively close in age, but it was not uncommon for a young girl to be matched to a much older man, perhaps twenty or thirty years her senior.
A girl’s parents had interest in arranging her marriage as early as possible because of the great concern with virginity. When girls’ marriage was arranged when they were young, their purity became the responsibility of the groom’s family.
Accordingly, Hindu marriages had historically been arranged by the groom’s and brides’ older relatives. Bride and groom did not meet until shortly before the wedding, or at the wedding itself. In seeking a suitable spouse for one’s son or daughter, family members took more into account than simply personal compatibility between the man and the woman. Certainly, the prospective families’ wealth and social standing, caste and sub-caste, health, the prospective spouse’s occupation and the compatibility of the pairs’ astrological charts were issues of prominent concern.
It’s worth noting that marriages in Hindu societies historically and to the present day rarely end in divorce. This is in due in part to Hindu’ s view of the purpose of marriage and in part to the social, economic and legal pressures impending on the marriage. Getting a divorce was extremely difficult and socially stigmatized.
Entering the new home, the bride becomes subject to her mother-in-law. The young wife is expected to obey her mother-in-law and contribute to the well being of the family. The mother-in-law-daughter-in-law relationship still is a notoriously painful one in Hindu societies. The transition to marriage could be terribly traumatic for the young woman. One day she was in the affectionate and protective atmosphere of her parents’ home, and the next day she finds herself in the home of strangers, where she is often treated no better than a servant.
As a wife, the Hindu woman is expected to live up to the ideals of the Stri Dharma, the duties of the good wife. According to Stri Dharma, a wife should regard her husband as a god. She should serve him, follow him, pray for his well being and eat after he eats. She shares his karma and his destiny, for this reason she sometimes should fast and go on pilgrimages to ensure her husbands’ long life and success. If he dies prematurely, it is often regarded as her responsibility, her bad karma.
If a woman gave birth to a son her status was even further enhanced. Giving birth to sons vastly improves her standing with her mother-in-law and with the rest of her husband’s family. A proverbial blessing for a woman among Hindus is “may you be the mother of a hundred sons”.
Hence, it has been clear that in the Vedas women have been considered to be low grade creatures. It is quite contradictory because at the same time they are honoured as divine mothers,sages, spiritual teachers, noble queens and warriors, musicians, dancers and artists, wives, daughters and guides.
References:
It’s Week 3 of 50 Days of Action for Women and Girls, a campaign to demonstrate mass support for policies and programs that will allow women and girls to be healthy, empowered, educated, and safe. This week we’re focused on putting women and girls at the center of the Post-2015 Global Development Agenda. That means prioritizing gender equality, youth empowerment, education and economic empowerment for young women, and an end to violence against women.
How can you get involved?
Check back next week for more!
Transgender women are the fastest growing population of the HIV-positive. The National Institutes of Health came out with a report, noting that almost a third of transgender Americans have HIV. Trans women of color specifically are at a greater risk than their white sisters. Through a survey, it was found that 56% of black trans women have HIV. The 2009 study from NIH also noted that many transgender women may not even know their HIV status. With an alarming statistic like this, we have to wonder what’s causing it.
When individuals are thrown into social injustice, it can be difficult to escape from. Trans women are profiled and disproportionately targeted and arrested by the law enforcement. The police will try to use condoms as evidence of sex work, so trans women face the “choice” of keeping themselves and their partners safe or getting arrested. When they’re forced into jail, trans women are often housed with male inmates or they are put into solitary confinement, as if either path is any better. Sex workers are generally more likely to be HIV-positive than those who are not engaged in sex work, but because of the disproportionate targeting of trans women, trans women sex workers’ risk for HIV is four times greater.
While sex work is a valid way of meeting financial needs, some trans women turn to it as an option because of discrimination in employment. In most of the United States, it’s completely legal to turn down or dismiss a person based on gender identity and sexual orientation. People can even be denied housing or become evicted because of their gender identity and orientation. This leaves a dangerously negative and significant impact on their economic well-being and safety. It also makes it difficult for trans women especially to keep up with their hormonal therapy, since it’s often not covered by insurance, if they can even pay for that insurance with what the circumstances are. With lack of access to basic health care, many incompetent doctors, clinics, social stigma, and overall institutions that discriminate against trans women, especially those of color– it’s all a very nasty formula expressing why trans women are hit so hard with HIV.
So, what can we do to help? Trans people are often absent from public campaigns for sexual health and safety. We can start by including them into that, and into many of our discussions and campaigns of social justice as well. We could get trans-specific in our literature in safer sex guides. We could also set up community centers as a safe space for trans people and create some peer groups, which would be strong social networks and a good use of peer outreach for safer sex and HIV testing. And of course we could and should create social support and do our part to de-stigmatize our trans brothers and sisters. Look up a local or national activist organization today.
Hello World .
Today I had the privilege of attending a book launch at the University of the West Indies- Mona Campus, for the book Love and Power: Caribbean Discourses on Gender by Professor Eudine Barriteau. Professor Barriteau is a Professor of Gender and Public Policy and is a Grenedian born, Caribbean feminist, scholar and activist with considerable experience in senior university administration, research and development, and delivery of workshops and training programmes in gender and development issues. Her research interests encompass feminist theorizing, gender and public policy, investigations of the Caribbean political economy and theorizing heterosexual women’s socio-sexual unions.
According to an analysis of the book done by Ms. Tracy Robinson, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the UWI-Mona Campus and also the guest speaker at the event, the book is concerned with “the political economy of love”; that is, who initiates heterosexual unions and seeks to de construct gender assumptions in a global economy.
This book which is published this year (2013) is a part of a wider collection which reflects the expanded efforts of the Institute of Gender Development Studies. Together, the collection is seen as the embodiment of the feminist method of research and the effort of collective reflection.
The book includes the work of some 17 authors and is dedicated to the pioneering women of the University of the West Indies who paved the way for such development in Gender Studies.
An important point which resonated with me during the Editor’s comments was the fact that she said socialization is an outcome of the relations of gender and not the other way around. This was further expanded upon by the guest speaker who intimated that the social construct of gender can be seen as merely a suggestion and not as an end in itself.
Professor Barriteau assured the audience that many more publications in this collection of books promoting feminist thought will be coming in the future and I look forward to these publications.
<3kevz
Check out this cool thing! Legendary gender outlaw Kate Bornstein has updated her famed My Gender Workbook in its latest version, My New Gender Workbook. Bornstein’s workbook shows you how embracing and identifying intersectionality will make the world a better place. Who knew?
Photo source: genderqueerid.com
Hello World ,
Many people ignore the subtle distinction between the words: “Prejudice”, “Stereo-type” and “discrimination”. These three concepts are similar, yet have important lines of demarcation. Today my discourse will examine these concepts and show how these concepts impact on national and human development.
A prejudice, according to Mohammed (2007) is defined as “an attitude based on the belief that another social group is inferior (or superior) in some way. This belief is based on a pre-judgement about others.” Believe it or not, we all have in-built subconscious prejudices (blame society). For example, in Jamaica, some tend to have a “shadist” mentality (a view that those of a higher or “browner” complexion is usually richer and more educated than those of a darker complexion. This can be attributed to our historical past of colonialism and social stratification- institutionalized social inequities based on wealth and complexion)
A stereo-type on the other hand can be defined as the build up or off-shoot of a prejudice. A stereo-type is “fairly rigid set of ideas about a group that typifies them as belonging to certain categories or having well-defined traits” (Mohammed 2007) .
Discrimination is the result of actioned stereotypes or prejudices. In other words, it refers to unfair actions which are practised often as a result of a prejudicial or stereotypical mindset. Therefore, violence against a particular social minority as a result of a prejudicial mindset is termed discrimination. Examples of discrimination are racism, sexism, ableism (discrimination against disabled individuals), creedism (discrimination against religion), and classism.
It is important to note that although stereotypes and prejudices may be seemingly natural and harder to control due to socialization… we do have a choice not to discriminate. Discrimination is an action… therefore this denotes that we have a concious choice to control how we act regardless of how we are seemingly predisposed by culture to think.
Acts of discrimination impeach on the concept of human development and by extension national development as it affects all four pillars or indicators of human development. These are, in order, equity, productivity, empowerment and sustainability.
Acts of discrimination prevent social and often economic equilization among all sects of society. The absence of equity impeaches upon the ability of these sidelined groups to be fully productive and by extension the other two pillars of development.
Let’s play our part to stop discrimination .. it starts with one person… It starts with me .
<3 kevz
Tennessee state lawmakers decided to pass a resolution this week. Before I tell you what the resolution was, let me give you a quick background on how Tennesee deals with its social issues. The bills that have been introduced in this state include: school prayer, fines on students who have saggy jeans, public displays of Christianity’s Ten Commandments, public access to the names of doctors who provide abortions, and the most “popular” is the “Don’t Say Gay” Bill which would prevent teachers from ever discussing homosexuality. Tennessee has also pushed the education system to teach the “controversies” of evolution and climate change. This state has also made an attempt to deal with its high teen pregnancy rates by restricting discussion in sex education, in fear that a truly comprehensive lesson might be arousing to the teens.
The latest endeavor has the state of Tennessee set to celebrate “Traditional Marriage Day” on August 31st, after passing a resolution to dedicate such an observation on the date. Gay rights activists are pushing against this measure. They declared that August 31st should be called “Tennessee Marriage Equality Day” instead. Chris Sanders of the Tennessee Equality Project suggested that these two different advocate groups have similar goals. He was quoted saying, “We’re not opposed to traditional marriages, but we believe traditional marriage is for everyone.”
Now in the “Traditional Marriage Day”’s defense, advocates for the measure claim that the day is merely about pointing out the economic benefits of getting married, hoping that more couples would be encouraged in doing so. It surely has nothing to do with stigmatizing and railing against marriage equality. No, of course not. Yet the official written resolution itself quotes the Christian Bible and in a clear statement says that marriage is to be “expressed only between a man and a wife.”
This is strange. If “Traditional Marriage Day” was simply about encouraging couples to get married and enjoy economic benefits, then why should same-sex couples be prohibited from doing the same? And isn’t every day pretty much Traditional Marriage Day then? I mean, especially in Tennessee where a state constitutional amendment was passed in 2006, banning marriage equality. This measure was supported by 81% of voters and since then, Tennessee has seen little progress on this issue. But activists are still fighting.
Check out the Tennessee Equality Project’s Facebook page and proclamation!
« KO! KO! KO! », shouted the crowd .Mind you, they weren’t participating in a boxing match, neither were they at a musical concert, they shouted KO! in response to the health officials that took turns in sensitizing the crowd of more than 5000 that gathered at the Douala Place du Gouvernement to participate in the 9KM sensitization Walk that was organized by the Cameroon’s Coalition of Businesses for the fight against HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis and better known by its French acronym CCATSIDA, Cameroon’s Ministry of Public Health, and other stakeholders (local and international) in the fight against Malaria this Saturday 20th April 2013.
Being a participant, I could not help but be marveled at how engaged fellow participants were as we criss-crossed the streets of Cameroon’s most populated town. Young and old, and from diverse horizons, one thing united this people; that Malaria be kicked Out of Cameroon.
This passion and demonstrated in the endurance of the participants all through the alertness of their footsteps and the smile on their faces, could not however stop me from asking myself fundamental questions around the strategy for the fight against Malaria in my country. Thus, when one of the thousands of spectators that had amassed at streets corners shouted, “Where are condoms?”, there was an outburst of laughter from the crowd, I began asking myself what might have prompted this spectator to ask the question he did. As I thought about this, my eyes fell on the logo of the Cameroonian Coalition of Businesses for the fight against HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis and on the T-Shirt of the participant ahead of me, my answer was here. The words AIDS on this coalitions logo prompted the question from this spectator.
AIDS and its prevention methods are better known in Cameroon than Malaria and its means of protection. This is paradoxical given that Malaria kills in Cameroon and Sub-Saharan Africa than HIV/AIDS. Mind you, I am in no way saying that resources (human and material) should be shifted from the fight against HIV/AIDS, which is causing havoc in Cameroon especially amongst youths, to the fight against Malaria. The point I am trying to make is that the fight against Malaria, HIV/AIDS, and Tuberculosis has for long been done as though they were isolated.
It is true that a person that has Malaria or Tuberculosis is not automatically an HIV/AIDS patient, but most often people suffering from HIV/AIDS in Cameroon are victims of the Malaria and tuberculosis given the milieu in which they live and the little means they have to survive on.
I have for long being convinced that an effective fight against Malaria cannot be done in an isolated manner but must be inclusive; taking into consideration the vectors of the disease in various communities in Cameroon. A dirty environment provides good breeding grounds for Mosquitoes especially the female Anopheles mosquito, through which Malaria is spread, the fight against Malaria must start from there. If a clean environment is achieved through mechanism through efficient urban development and poverty reduction strategies, Malaria will be made history. After all, isn’t it common knowledge that prevention is better than Cure?
In Cameroon and I guess is the case elsewhere in the world, a change from a dirty and crowded environment to a cleaner environment is the main indicator that a person has emerged from poverty. This is so because people who could barely afford 3 meals a day will have little time to think about the environments in which they live talk less of women in this bracket going for prenatal consultation or even having time to take their infants to the hospital when they are sick. Thus, despite the bed-nets distribution campaigns that have been organized all over Cameroon and despite the fact that Malaria treatment is free for children and pregnant women in Cameroon, Malaria killed more than 3000 people most of whom children.
Without an efficient attack on poverty, which is fertile ground for poor living conditions, I am afraid our walk and much talk on the fight against Malaria will be in vain. For Malaria to be kicked out of this country, we must not only walk on occasions like those organized to mark the World day for the fight against Malaria, we must truly walk the talk on the fight against Malaria daily, by launching an immediate assault and poverty. Because Malaria is the consequence of a dirty environment which is its self a glaring consequence of poverty.
Transgender Woman Arrested for Exposing Breasts, Jailed With Men
Trigger warning: transphobia
A transgender woman from New York was arrested in Savannah, Ga., last week for allegedly exposing her breasts, reports Savannah’s WSAV. But when deputies booked Ashley Del Valle, 38, she says a nurse examined her genitals, and determined that she was “technically a male.” As a result, Del Valle was placed in a holding cell in the men’s prison ward.
“I also came to realize that the focus on personhood ignores the fact that a zygote, embryo, or fetus is growing inside of another person’s body.”
| — | Libby Anne, “How I Lost Faith in the ‘Pro-Life’ Movement” |
This is really important to consider. You absolutely can advocate for a zygote, embryo, or fetus. But understand that in doing so, it subsequently infringes on the rights of the person this being resides in.
Giving a fetus personhood is not equality. No one currently has the special right of using another’s person body without constant consent.
The true test of education is in its ability to serve. This is one such thing that I really believe in. There is no doubt that we the youths determine the future of tomorrow. It is essential on our part to build an altruistic attitude in us. Our smallest of help to others, be it sharing of ideas or wisdom or our brief presence during unmanageable, difficult times can be of abundant support and encouragement to those in need.
I had a fascinating experience of working as a social work trainee for one year in an organization that worked for female substance users. It had a drop in center, a day care and a rehabilitation programme functioning under it. While being there, I came across different kind of people in the form of clients like the drunk, intoxicated, sick, suffering and recovering ones. Some clients were uncooperative at times, some were unpredictable, and some always complained and never wanted to change while others were peaceful and very well behaved as well. So it was definitely a mixture of all the odds. I got to see their best and their worst with the passage of time. I learnt to accept them as a person and not to judge them with their strengths and weaknesses.
The life of female substance users is a challenging one in a society like ours which has prejudiced views on women. Drug users at the first place, are not welcomed and accepted by people. Society has given them a negative label and hence, it’s very difficult for them to adjust to the societal norms and values. In addition to this, if they are female drug users then their situation is even worse. Families or friends can not tolerate girls doing drugs in Nepalese societies. I have seen a lot of families discarding young girls due to this reason. As a result, they are in a vulnerable state and are more exposed to risk factors such as HIV, drug abuse and addiction, violence and trafficking. Mostly, females who use drugs do not want to let others know about their condition and as a result they cannot access to services which are provided by the civil society or rehabilitation/outreach programmes.
We need to advocate in order to reduce the stigma and discrimination related to females who use drugs. And it is vital for every girl to be bold enough to say no to drugs. We should not forget to be courageous to hold against our peer pressure if they force us to use drugs. And yes, we should not be too weak to handle the daily stress and ups and downs of life. We need to be strong enough, girls! Drugs should never be an option or a weakness factor to us at any cost.
Great blog via RH Reality Check on Moving Men From Passive Allies to Vocal Stakeholders in Ending Oppression:
We don’t need young men to participate in this work because they’ve been motivated by a sexist narrative about “saving our mothers, sisters and daughters” – a narrative often perpetuated by our own movement.
We don’t need a knight in shining armor.
We need men to move beyond a place of complacency and paternalism, and arrive at an understanding of their own self-interest in fighting for sexual and reproductive justice.
It’s Week 2 of 50 Days of Action for Women and Girls, a campaign to demonstrate mass support for policies and programs that will allow women and girls to be healthy, empowered, educated, and safe. This week we’re focused on ensuring education for women and girls.
How can you get involved?
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights have filed a lawsuit to block an Arkansas law banning abortion care after 12 weeks from going into effect.
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe had vetoed the extreme measure in March, citing concerns that it violated Roe v. Wade and that subsequent legal challenges would prove “very costly to the taxpayers of our state” as the “costs and fees [of defending an unconstitutional law] can be significant.” The Legislature overrode Beebe’s veto in March.
The suit seeks a preliminary injunction against the law, which is set to take effect in July.
“This law is one of the most dangerous assaults on women’s health that we’ve seen in decades,” said Rita Sklar, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas. “We may not all agree about abortion, but we can all agree that this complex and personal decision should be made by a woman, her family, and her doctor, not politicians.”
And not just women, of course. Everyone is entitled to reproductive/sexual healthcare and rights.
Read more here: http://www.salon.com/2013/04/17/arkansas_abortion_ban_faces_legal_challenge/
Social justice and environmental justice have a very direct
correlation. The environmental movement and the feminist movement both
advocate for the health of humanity, but in different ways. There are
many subject matters that exemplify this intersectionality.
For example, the way people use and abuse nature can easily be
compared to how society uses and abuses women.
Toxic Chemicals. We clearly need to do something about how easy it is
for major companies to slowly pollute our bodies and our earth. There
are over 84,000 chemicals in popular consumer products and only 200
have been tested. When chemicals even are tested it is primarily on
men, so these companies clearly do not care about the effect they are
having on women’s bodies. Some of these chemicals are made from toxins
that pollute our water and air. Many of these chemicals have been
shown to cause infertility, low sperm counts, sexual dysfunction,
miscarriage, and different types of cancer. Not to mention women use
personal care products far more often than men and are therefore more
negatively affected. Here at ETSU we’re celebrating Earth Day with a
festival and a young man best summarized it when he said “unnatural
chemicals don’t make natural beauty.”
Not everyone can afford ridiculously expensive so-called “natural
organic” personal care products to keep themselves and their children
healthy. In addition, toxic waste dumps are disproportionately located
near minority communities. Women of color are targeted by systematic
racist beauty standards convincing them to buy hair relaxers and skin
lightening creams with chemicals that have severe damage potential.
For example, the chemicals found in common African-American hair
products are known endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs are
linked to a range of reproductive health issues, like premature
puberty, gynecologic cancer, and birth defects. Look at who is hurting
the most by toxic chemicals. This is clearly a social justice issue
activists need to rise up against.
Quick Fact: 80% of federal transportation funds go to highways while
only 20% goes to mass transit. Not only does this hurt inner city
communities, but it’s a contributing factor to global warming.
Reproductive Justice. You know what’s really hurting our resources?
Overpopulation. People are using up far more than they need to and it
is growing out of control. If reproductive health options were more
readily available this would alleviate a great deal of that
environmental strain.
Here is a quick review on what the Toxic Substances Control Act is and
why we need it to be updated. This site also helps teach you on how
you can help.http://www.saferchemicals.org/resources/opinion.html
Find out what is in your cosmetics:
http://safecosmetics.org/article.php?list=type&type=33
Wake up to the threat of toxic chemicals!
www.rhtp.org/fertility/ToxicZombie.asp (Many resources used in the
writing of this blog were obtained from this site.)
“Toxic Combination: Fact Sheet on Toxic Chemicals and Reproductive
Health”—Center for American Progress:
http://www.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2010/04/pdf/toxic_combination.pdf
“Women of Color are at Greater Risk for Toxic Chemical
Exposure”—Women’s Voices for the Earth:
http://www.womensvoices.org/about/why-a-womens-organization/
Photo Credit: Sacramento Earth Day
Crossposted from Everyday Feminism
Today is Earth Day.
It’s a day that many of us associate with recycling and celebrating trees, wildlife, and rivers. And as a recreational tree-hugger, I can appreciate those traditional connotations of Earth Day.
But today’s environmental issues run much broader than just our waterways and forests.
Examining environmental issues with a feminist lens enables us to see the intersection of gender, socio-economics, and the environment.
The exploration and study of this intersection is formally referred to as eco-feminism.
Although no single definition of it exists, I would define it as a feminism that works to examine how environmental degradation and climate change impact communities and community members based on their socio-economic status and gender.
It’s important that the valuable intersectional perspective of eco-feminism doesn’t get lost amidst the green frenzy on Earth Day.
Natural disasters and resource shortages hit impoverished communities first and worst. With women making up an estimated 70% of those living below the poverty line, they are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation.
Women living in developing nations tend to be natural resource managers as the gatherers of food, water and firewood. And from a young age, girls traditionally assist their mothers with this work.
As resources become scarcer with decline in the environment’s health, girls are attending less and less school to be able to dedicate more time to finding water, or simply because school fees are no longer available as crop cycles become less predictable.
You can imagine the cycle of poverty that this spawns.
As primary natural resource managers, these women are especially well-equipped to lead environmental mitigation and adaptation efforts.
But due to traditional and patriarchal gender roles that devalue unpaid work like childcare and water retrieval, women’s specialized knowledge in smart and effective climate change adaptation is typically not respected or taken into consideration in most community decision-making processes.
In our own backyard, low-income communities and communities of color bear the greatest burden of environmental injustice.
Take Mossville, Louisiana as an example.
The small, rural, and predominantly African American town became the site of the highest concentration of vinyl plastic manufacturers in the US, in addition to housing a coal-fired power plant, oil refineries and other chemical production facilities.
Together, these facilities produce more than 4 million pounds of carcinogenic toxic chemicals that end up in the soil, air and water of Mossville. This community’s exposure to these toxins has resulted in grave health impacts, from high incidences of asthma to a cancer epidemic.
It is not a coincidence that these toxic plants were built in a lower-class community of color and not a place like downtown Washington, DC, a place populated by people of privilege and significant socio-political power.
Mossville, Louisiana is a clear cut incidence of environmental racism.
Another alarming instance of environmental and social injustice happening right before our eyes has to do with toxic chemical exposure.
Mounting scientific evidence reveals that chemicals in our air, water and everyday products—from our furniture to our personal care and cleaning products—are harming our reproductive health and fertility.
This is frightening news for those of us that are planning big spring cleaning extravaganzas or like to paint our nails every few weeks.
But what about if you clean houses for a living or work in a nail salon? Your exposure to toxic chemicals is likely to be constant and severe.
Women of color and immigrant women are overrepresented in professions that entail extreme and dangerous exposure to toxic chemicals.
Again, it’s not a coincidence that low-income women of color are disproportionately burdened by toxic chemicals through their jobs, and the eco-feminist lens helps illuminate this reality.
The eco-feminism lens is helpful in addressing environmental issues because it allows us the unveil oppressive societal structures – like racism, sexism, and classism – that play a significant role in the health of the environment and who is most impacted by this health declining.
So from now on, when you’re discussing recycling with your friends, don’t just think about where your un-recycled items will end up.
Dig deeper and consider which communities tend to live near the landfills in which non-recyclable waste is dumped.
Then dig even deeper and consider how living near the landfills may impact their health and wellbeing and if they are likely to have access to health insurance or not when it comes time to address these health impacts.
That is the beauty of the intersectional nature of eco-feminism.
With eyes wide open to the importance of justice issues on Earth Day, let’s take action in support of legislation that would make the 84,000 chemicals in commerce today safe for use by all consumers, but most importantly, communities that are disproportionately harmed by toxic chemicals.
Tell your Senators that you support the Safe Chemicals Act!
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By April Grayce Dunlop for The Black Sheep Journal
To not have children and act thoughtfully towards the Earth are perfectly valid life decisions on their own, but claiming that not having kids is the best thing we can do for the health of the planet threatens reproductive rights and climate justice. This misled moralistic approach to denouncing procreation is exactly the platform of an emerging group of women who self-identify as GINKs- Green Inclinations, No Kids. Their main stated motivation in being “child-free by choice” is to reduce their “carbon footprint.” An article shared and widely “liked” on the GINK Facebook page states that, “To insure that the reduction of emissions in the developed countries is not cancelled by increases from the developing world, we must slow the growth rate of our human family.”
Drawing this connection between population control and environmental health encourages reproductive rights policies aimed at low birth rates instead of bodily autonomy. Blaming climate change on large families and “overpopulation” distracts us from the people responsible for massive environmental destruction – such as oil companies, polluting factories, and militaries to name a few. To lessen one’s harmful impact on the environment is an admirable goal, but the individualist frame of GINKs hugely limits their potential for change.
Often, the financial burden of raising kids ($234,000 for each child’s lifetime according to the GINK article) is posed as the most urgent reason not to have any. The cost of feeding, clothing, and housing children undeniably takes a chunk of parents’ paychecks. A GINK WordPress blogger says household clutter is an eyesore of families with kids – “stuff” increases 30% when you have a toddler. But how much of that financial drain and “stuff” is necessary and how much of it is the result of rampant consumerism? Families who make more money spend more money on their children. A 2008 USDA study found that “total family expenses on a child through age 17 would be $210,340 for households in the lowest income group, $291,570 for those in the middle, and $483,750 for those in the highest income group.” Not spending money and resources on children leaves you with more for yourself, sure, but how many of the child-free by choice are living lavish lives and how many get by with the bare minimum?
In addition to the environmental motivations, paradoxically, many material benefits are cited as reasons to be childless. The dream life depicted as an alternative to child-rearing includes luxurious vacations, all the sleep you could want, and a fancy house free of fingerprints on the glass. This presumes, of course, that everyone’s life could be like this if they didn’t reproduce. It is telling that the photo on the GINK manifesto on greenprophets.com is a flat, white stomach with a bit of long blond hair hanging at the side. Beyond the obvious fat-shaming implications of this, it makes me wonder how many women “choosing to be child-free” are white, upper-middle class, and/or college-educated. All types of people decide not to have kids, but it’s hard to imagine GINKs are representative of diverse backgrounds and socioeconomic status when “traveling the world, running my business, getting massages, getting pedicures and manicures, working out with my trainer, enjoying great dining experiences and enjoying life to the fullest” is depicted as the non-parenting life.
Perhaps childrearing wouldn’t be “too expensive” if our economic structures and public spaces accommodated raising children in families that didn’t fit the mold of a couple with one high-income-earing parent and a full-time caregiver. To encourage people to forgo having children due to the cost reinforces it as a privilege for middle to upper class people – and an irresponsible choice for lower class folks. Instead of examining our buying practices, inadequate wages, price inflation, and the need for publicly supported childcare, the GINK approach relies on individual choices as the solution to systemic problems.
Many people choosing not to have children for the benefit of the planet do not identify (openly, on the internet) as GINKs, but the rhetoric is similar and equally precarious. A Seattle Times columnist, Sharon Pian Chan, voiced her support for not having kids as “the most important thing [she] could do to reduce [her] carbon footprint.” She cites a 2009 study by Oregon State University that calculated the emissions impact of each new child in the United States to be 9441 metric tons of carbon dioxide – which is five times the emissions of a child born in China. It is important to acknowledge the national differences in pollution, but fearing non-U.S. countries’ rapidly increasing emission rates should signal us to take a critical look at our own country’s policies and practices. Instead of interpreting high individual emissions rates in the context of a larger pattern of production and consumption, the GINK framework shifts the focus to a micro level. From that vantage point, it is easy to overlook the magnitude of change needed on corporate and institutional levels to halt environmental damage soon enough to be meaningful.
No matter how many light switches we turn off when we leave the room, pounds of food scraps we dutifully compost, and hours spent on public transit instead of driving an SUV, the Earth will still be under violent attack. The GINK ideology may be well intentioned, but evades the root causes of climate change and unintentionally humiliates mothers who are less than totally enthusiastic and prepared to have kids. Reproductive freedom must necessarily include the freedom to have – or not have – children. Encouraging women to sacrifice their right to do what they want with their body for the “greater good” stirs up guilt in individuals that is widely disproportionate to their personal impact. We need collective action- not individual shaming- to effectively address the global environmental crisis.
Restrictions Will Force 40-
Year-Old Abortion Clinic To
Close This Weekend
Last week, Virginia’s Board of Health voted to finalizeunnecessary regulations that will force many of the state’s abortion clinics to shut down. Those new restrictions — which are known as the Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers, or TRAP laws — are already having their intended effect. Hillcrest Clinic, which opened to the public just nine months after the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion services, will be closing its doors this weekend.
DOWNLOAD THE EARTH DAY OF ACTION TOOLKIT HERE
What do reproductive and sexual health have to do with the environment and Earth Day?
A whole lot.
When we think of Earth Day, visions of green recycling signs and oceans often come to the forefront of our minds. But today’s environmental issues run much broader and deeper than just our recycling bins and waterways.
Natural disasters and resource shortages hit impoverished communities first and worst. With women making up an estimated 70% of those living below the poverty line, they are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. This increased vulnerability for women and girls is oftentimes manifested in high rates of maternal mortality, pregnancy complications, and poor overall reproductive health. This is just one example that illustrates the intersection of reproductive health and the environment.
In our own backyard in the United States, low-income communities and communities of color bear the greatest burden of environmental injustice.
Take Mossville, Louisiana as an example.
The small, rural, and predominantly African American town became the site of the highest concentration of vinyl plastic manufacturers in the US, in addition to housing a coal-fired power plant, oil refineries and other chemical production facilities.
Together, these facilities produce more than 4 million pounds of carcinogenic toxic chemicals that end up in the soil, air and water of Mossville. This community’s exposure to these toxins has resulted in grave health impacts, from high incidences of asthma to a cancer epidemic.
It is not a coincidence that these toxic plants were built in a lower-class community of color and not a place like downtown Washington, DC, a place populated by people of privilege and significant socio-political power. Mossville, Louisiana is a clear cut incidence of environmental racism.
Another alarming instance of environmental and social injustice happening right before our eyes has to do with toxic chemical exposure.
Mounting scientific evidence reveals that chemicals in our air, water and everyday products—from our furniture to our personal care and cleaning products—are harming our reproductive health and fertility. This is frightening news for those of us that are planning big spring cleaning extravaganzas or like to paint our nails every few weeks. But what about if you clean houses for a living or work in a nail salon? Your exposure to toxic chemicals is likely to be constant and severe.
Women of color and immigrant women are overrepresented in professions that entail extreme and dangerous exposure to toxic chemicals.
Again, it’s not a coincidence that low-income women of color are disproportionately burdened by toxic chemicals through their jobs.
This is why we must take action this Earth Day and raise our voices in support of the Safe Chemicals Act, a piece of legislation that would make the 84,000 chemicals in commerce today safe for use by all consumers, but most importantly, communities that are disproportionately harmed by toxic chemicals.
How You Can Take Action on Earth Day:
Keep up to date – current week bolded!
On February 1, 2013, John Kerry assumed the role of U.S. Secretary of State. For the previous four years, Secretary of State Clinton had been a champion of women and girls within the U.S. government and around the world, ensuring that the rights of women and girls were elevated as a matter of foreign policy and were key concerns of the State Department and White House. Secretary Kerry has stated that he will continue Clinton’s legacy in regards to these issues, but it remains unclear how the State Department and other U.S. agencies will shape foreign policy to advance the rights of women and girls worldwide.
Now is the time to demonstrate mass support for policies and programs that will allow women and girls to be healthy, empowered, educated, and safe—no matter where they live.
The “50 Days of Action for Women and Girls” Campaign includes a broad spectrum of organizations seeking to advance progress in U.S. foreign policy efforts on the following issues:
How can you get involved?
,In an atmosphere where every morning newspapers greet us with stories of girls being tormented, raped, killed or treated like a doormat in one way or the other, trust India’s “village republics” to bring in some good news from time to time. A village in Rajasthan’s Rajsamand district quietly practises its own brand of eco-feminism, achieving spectacular results.
For the last several years, the Piplantri village panchayat has been saving girl children and simultaneously increasing the green cover too. People plant 111 trees every time a girl is born and the community ensures these trees survive, attaining fruition as girls grow up. Over the past six years, over a quarter million trees have been planted.
She has a destiny
A destiny to travel
But the streets were pretty hard
So was the journey
Every corner brought up more fear
Fear that somebody will block her way,
Fear that some random boys will pass her cheesy, grizzly, ugly comments
Deep inside she fears those touches which torture her soul, breaks her all apart
Those whistles, those stares scares her
Those crowds in the bus, those silences in the street frightens her
Her curves, her dress, her walk… becomes the talk of the town
All she want is,
…..A walk of freedom
…..A walk of dignity
But those gangs, those boys, those inhuman acts
….Drags her way down
….Breaks her confidence
But she has to walk the same lane again
Put up the fake smile
Act normal …stop those tears…
Alas!! Suffer in silence….
……………………………………………..
She wants the freedom
She wants to speak
She wants to be treated as “Human”
She screams…………….
“End the harassment,
I am not for your entertainment,
I want my street back
I want my life back”
Only 23% of sexually active teens have been tested for HIV. Are you one of them? Find free or low-cost clinics near you!
A few weeks back I listened attentively to ‘SOS Doctor’, one of the best health programs that be on Radio in Cameroon. As I listened, I got very happy at the great job that Dr. Dion Grace, a member of the National AIDS Control Committee of Cameroon was doing to educate Cameroonians on anti-retroviral drugs. She eloquently and insightfully answered every one of the questions that were posed to her by listeners who called-in and am sure her intervention in the program was a timely one. Everything was fine until when a listener called-in to ask what is it that could be done to reduce stigma on people who are on anti-retroviral drugs. Dr. Dion as usual gave a very insightful answer to this question going as far as citing the example of Ivory Coast where the drugs are put in anonymous packages so that they can be taken by patients without fear of stigma by the people around them. She went ahead to cite cases where some special containers of various doses is been used in some countries to reduce stigma. This was quiet interesting to know, but when she started advising people on anti-retroviral that they could tell people around them that they are taking vitamins or pills in order to avoid stigmatization I grumbled the following to myself: Do I have to be so ashamed of my status that I have to lie to others?
I have no statistics on this but I can assure you that having to lie on your HIV status is the order of the day in Cameroon especially amongst young people to avoid stigma and discrimination. Well, this to an extend is understandable given that People Living With HIV/AIDS(PLWHA) are considered as being punished by God for either their sisns or those committed by their family. But when telling a lie to avoid stigma is a behaviour that is reinforced health professionals, I have reservations and clearly doubt how efficient this approach could be.
I am utterly convinced that a problem can only be solved if its root cause(s) is/are carefully tackled. As a young person living in a society where most PLWHA are young persons, I compare telling a lie on your HIV/AIDS status to survive to deliberately refusing to tackle the problem from it’s source and launching an attack on its leaves instead.
To reduce stigma in the most sustainable way possible, education rather than lies is required.Young People, their families, and the communities in which People on anti-retroviral drugs have to be educated on the dangers of stigma and on the importance of accepting PLWHA. Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations’ Secretary-General, vividly spelt out society’s responsibility to PLWHA when he declared that, “We can fight stigma. Enlightened laws and policies are key. But it begins with openness, the courage to speak out. Schools should teach respect and understanding. Religious leaders should preach tolerance. The media should condemn prejudice and use its influence to advance social change, from securing legal protections to ensuring access to health care.”
Lies do nothing but contribute in amplifying the myth around HIV/AIDS in the Cameroonian society. People on anti-retroviral drugs do not need to lie on their status to survive stigma, they need to accept themselves as they are and deserve the care and protection that every other human being is due by the society in which they live.They deserve to live a real life and not a life of lies.
Hello World
It is I again… the one and only Kevz ^_^ (Kindly save your applauses 
)
While I was on facebook today, I saw this picture and I found it pertinent to share it with the world. It speaks to educating our girls as it is proven that there is a direct correlation between national development and the education of females.
Jamaica is blessed in that there is a greater level of gender equality as it relates to access to education than other countries… however we should not be complacent as other countries are not as fortunate.
Using this global platform.. let us advocate for this issue. Educate our girls! Develop our Future
(I just made that up.. catchy huh?)
<3 kevz
It was Women’s History Month in March, and I interviewed the lovely ladies at FMLA at USC- Columbia about their favorite women in history! Enjoy!
President Goodluck Jonathan has on the occasion of the International Women’s Day (IWD) assured to build on his achievements and do all within his power to curb violence against women.
In a statement titled A promise is a promise; time for action to end violence against women, chosen by the United Nations for this year’s IWD, Jonathan reassured Nigerian women, that having already taken very significant step to fulfill his promise of affirmative action to further empower Nigerian women, his administration will continue to build on its achievements in this regard and do all within its powers to curb violence against women.
The president also pledged the federal government’s full support for the new United Nations (UN) initiative which calls on leaders worldwide to take a stand to end violence against women and girls. President Jonathan fully believes that Nigerian women can be equal partners with men in the implementation of his administration’s Agenda for National Transformation and will therefore carry on doing everything possible to ensure that they are politically and economically empowered to contribute even more positively to the national development effort.
Appointment of women to key positions in government including the first female Chief Justice of the Federation and female ministers for important ministries such as Finance, Petroleum, Communications Technology, Aviation, Education, Water Resources, Housing, Environment, Power, Defence, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and authorising the admission of women to the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and their commissioning as combatants in the armed forces are some steps so far taken to break the gender barrier issue by the Jonathan administration. The president assured Nigerian women that he is determined to take their empowerment a step forward by working to ensure that they also get better representation in elective offices in future.
Continuing, President Jonathan reaffirmed his personal commitment to the accelerated reduction of maternal and infant mortality in the country and assured women that the government will continue to work for its attainment through the Federal Ministry of Health and its agencies, as well as international organisations such as the United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children.
Foreign Secretary in the British High Commission in ABUJA, William Hague, contributed to the IWD’s discourse: “Sexual violence as a weapon of war is not just a crime against young women, but the majority of attacks are against women and girls, with hundreds of thousands suffering appalling sexual crimes in conflict zones. It is a sad truth that too often the perpetrators go unpunished. To end the culture of impunity that exists around these crimes and to galvanise the international community to greater action. While Babatunde Osotimehin, the Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund, said the global statistics given on female violence are unacceptable, as up to 50 per cent of sexual assaults are committed against girls aged below 16.
“Globally, 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not yet considered a crime and up to 70 per cent of women in the world report having experienced physical and or sexual violence at some point in their lifetime, while 60 million girls worldwide are child brides, married before the age of 18.” Osotimehin said in the face of such unacceptable figures, gender-violence remained a major health and human rights concern and that no human development can be achieved as long as women and girls continue to suffer from violence or live in fear of it.
President Goodluck Jonathan has on the occasion of the International Women’s Day (IWD) assured to build on his achievements and do all within his power to curb violence against women.
In a statement titled A promise is a promise; time for action to end violence against women, chosen by the United Nations for this year’s IWD, Jonathan reassured Nigerian women, that having already taken very significant step to fulfill his promise of affirmative action to further empower Nigerian women, his administration will continue to build on its achievements in this regard and do all within its powers to curb violence against women.
The president also pledged the federal government’s full support for the new United Nations (UN) initiative which calls on leaders worldwide to take a stand to end violence against women and girls. President Jonathan fully believes that Nigerian women can be equal partners with men in the implementation of his administration’s Agenda for National Transformation and will therefore carry on doing everything possible to ensure that they are politically and economically empowered to contribute even more positively to the national development effort.
Appointment of women to key positions in government including the first female Chief Justice of the Federation and female ministers for important ministries such as Finance, Petroleum, Communications Technology, Aviation, Education, Water Resources, Housing, Environment, Power, Defence, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and authorising the admission of women to the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and their commissioning as combatants in the armed forces are some steps so far taken to break the gender barrier issue by the Jonathan administration. The president assured Nigerian women that he is determined to take their empowerment a step forward by working to ensure that they also get better representation in elective offices in future.
Continuing, President Jonathan reaffirmed his personal commitment to the accelerated reduction of maternal and infant mortality in the country and assured women that the government will continue to work for its attainment through the Federal Ministry of Health and its agencies, as well as international organisations such as the United Nations Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women and Children.
Foreign Secretary in the British High Commission in ABUJA, William Hague, contributed to the IWD’s discourse: “Sexual violence as a weapon of war is not just a crime against young women, but the majority of attacks are against women and girls, with hundreds of thousands suffering appalling sexual crimes in conflict zones. It is a sad truth that too often the perpetrators go unpunished. To end the culture of impunity that exists around these crimes and to galvanise the international community to greater action. While Babatunde Osotimehin, the Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund, said the global statistics given on female violence are unacceptable, as up to 50 per cent of sexual assaults are committed against girls aged below 16.
“Globally, 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not yet considered a crime and up to 70 per cent of women in the world report having experienced physical and or sexual violence at some point in their lifetime, while 60 million girls worldwide are child brides, married before the age of 18.” Osotimehin said in the face of such unacceptable figures, gender-violence remained a major health and human rights concern and that no human development can be achieved as long as women and girls continue to suffer from violence or live in fear of it.
Media is known as the second important aspects after society for human being for development. Media is also known for the strong advocating tool which is also helpful to generate awareness to large population but the same media is seems to be very weak to aware the general population about the gender roles in Nepal and India.
In most of episode program or in movie the character of female is assigned as the weak, emotional , kitchen worker and having no interpersonal skills but at the same time the role of male is assigned as the strong, bread winner, and having interpersonal skills.
Why the situation of portraying the roles of male and female is still the same? After the long run struggle for the equality of woman and strong voice is rising around in the favour of woman but the media is still continuing in the old phase where the domination upon the woman is continued.
We may think that those types of episode programs and films does not make any difference but the most of the viewer are also rural part of the nation where the picture show in the movie may affect the daily life.
It may increase the thought of male that they born to make domination or they are boss upon female and it force woman to think that are not capable enough to walk parallel with male due to which the rate of domination may also increase.
Media must broadcast only those which help to empower woman and which decrease the motivation of male to think that they are to dominate being the breadwinner.
Thus, we must advocate for better expose of females in Episode program and Movies in India and Nepal.
Are you a young person (14-24 years old) who is:
As the co-founder of Momma’s Hip Hop Kitchen, I am a huge supporter of women expressing themselves creatively through the arts. Recently, R&B superstar Beyonce dropped a “buzz track” on her website—“Bow Down” to build attention around her upcoming album.
There have been many negative comments surrounding “Bow Down”. R&B singer Keisha Cole said via Twitter the song is anti-woman. Some women of color argue that “Bow Down” is a diss song. While others view it as anti-feminist.
I admit, the song is catchy, and completely unlike any songs Beyonce has sung in the past. It’s edgier, more hip-hop, and mature in terms of lyrics (with the use of the b word).
To me, I feel that “Bow Down” is Beyonce’s battle cry for independence. I feel that she is stating to the world she is no longer managed by her father, Matthew Knowles, who helped shape her perfect image in the past when everyone else “were little girls” who “dreamt of being in [her] world”. Beyonce is also trying to brush off haters who think that now her husband, Jay-Z, controls her. She wants the world to not “get it twisted” and bow down. Yes, Beyonce sounds crass using the b-word everywhere but I feel the song wouldn’t sound as edgy without it. I do not believe she is using the b-word to degrade women. I feel like she has chosen to use the b-word to set the tone of the song and let the haters know out there that she’s on a new level, and haters need to bow down!
‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world’, Nelson Mandela.
Social media bridges the gap between peoples and nations; widening the space for dialogue beyond borders by providing knowledge, education, sharing experiences, learning and the opportunities for healing. Violence against women – be it through beating, sexual abuse, gender stereotypes, gender inequality, alienation of rights, rape, wife inheritance, discrimination, genital mutilation, girl-child marriage – is an attack on the pillars of women’s rights, dignity, the family, security, and a major threat to sustainable peace and development.
To commemorate the International Women’s Day, Wellbeing Foundation in collaboration with Youth Hub Africa, EVA Nigeria, the White Ribbon Alliance and the Nigerian Youth Climate Coalition organized a #Blogathon in Abuja on 8 March 2013. Bloggers from Abuja were invited to send out key messages on why it is important to end violence against women, using the hash-tag #endVAWng for Twitter. It also encouraged women to maximize the use of social media as a ‘safe’ space to speak out and protect themselves.
http://venussbay.blogspot.com/2013/03/international-womens-day-2013-blog-thon.html
Last Saturday I had an intriguing conversation with a bright eleven year old. He asked me if I ever cried and if so when was the last time I did so. After answering him I returned the question. He looked at me amazed. The fact that he did not answer immediately made me wonder if he thought my question was rhetorical. I asked again… and this time he answered in contempt “Yuh nuh know seh real man nuh cry!?”I had to stop myself from retorting which aspect of his pre-adolescent years could be considered a “Real man” ; yet our conversation was just another classic example of how powerful socialization can be.
From an early age we are socialized into the gender concept of female and male. You know, the female is to be the tender one, the care giver and home maker. The man on the other hand is to be the provider… the strong one… the support. He is to lack all emotional proclivities and be logical and dependable at all times. In a Jamaican context this notion of masculinity is extended to include an aura of intense homophobia and often the ability to show one’s sexual prowess…or the “gyal in a bundle” mentality.
These new breed of Jamaican men however have crossed the hyper masculinity bench mark on our gender scale and have made bounds and leaps into a new form of masculinity which in my perception is … comedically very effeminate. Pants which used to be severely loose fitting and be worn below the waste (of course to show the name-brand Calvin Kleins and) have now apparently been affected by the recession and have undergone fabric cuts. The shirts (or blouses) have become unusually tight, and the hair has gotten unusually long. At this point in time…I have gone past being worried about sharing my hair dresser with a possible future beau but more being horrified at the discovery that he and I have on the same pair of skinny jeans
The irony continues when the behaviour and attitude of these males have become even more “masculine” (to the point of being detrimental both physically and emotionally at times) to compensate for their appearance in order not to be misconstrued as a homosexual. It’s all really very confusing to me.
I believe that some form of cultural engineering needs to take place within our society to re-educate our males (starting from our boys) on what healthy masculinity is. I will not attempt in this blog to make a direct link between masculinity and sexual orientation or provide some sociological perspective (as indeed I am devoid of such); however from a practical stance (of which I believe I am qualified to speak), it is evident that something has gone wrong within the psyche of the Jamaican male and this wrong set of idealisms is being passed down to generations especially being exacerbated by negative peer pressure among boys and the negative images promoted by the media.
We need to intervene…. and soon.
<3 kevz
The life of a housewife- Is it only her having a monotonous life?
I say her life has lost the zeal. I see her waking up at 5 am and being busy all day inside the four walls of her house. Her life is a mere confinement as she is entangled with endless household chores. Her husband is the so called educated and esteemed personality in the society but what is the point of all that academics and credentials if he doesn’t know how to treat his wife as a wife?
He knows that he can be helpless without her because it’s next to impossible for anyone else to look after his home like her but he does not respect her. At times, he realizes that he owes a lot to her but he does not value her. She is the one who has made his house a “home”, given birth to two wonderful and healthy children. She looks after every household matters in the best possible manner from cleaning up the whole house, doing the dishes, washing clothes, preparing meals to fulfilling everyone’s demands. She takes care about all the little things and makes sure that everyone is happy at home. She never escapes from her duties. It’s sad to know that her husband has prevented her to take up a job. He claims that women have to stay at home and glorify it. Furthermore, she has to take his permission before doing each and every thing, even before spending a penny. And he acts like a boss, insults her and uses abusive language to showcase his masculinity.
I know that in her secret desires, she feels like watching her favorite daily soap on TV but she has too much of other work to do. She needs to sew the broken button of her husband’s shirt and press piles of her kids’ clothes. An afternoon nap is something she has always wanted but sadly she has no time for that because she has to make the supper and fetch her kids from the bus stop. She dreams about her husband taking her out for shopping and lunch but that is just too lavishing to be true at present. He does not even spend a minute of quality time with her these days. With the passage of time, she knows that she is no more attractive to him like before. Their life has been nothing but dull and monotonous. It’s been twenty one years of their marriage. And her children? Oh, they are too busy in their own world.
Yes, so she is a homemaker- a sophisticated term for the current day housewife. I wish her life were something better than this. An employee is appreciated when he does his work well, a sportsman is rewarded for performing well, and a student is motivated if he completes his assignment on time but why isn’t a homemaker motivated at all?
It’s amazing to see how she still remains loyal to her family and continues undaunted with her shattered dreams. She smiles at the happiness of her family members but I wonder where her own happiness is? She struggles to fulfill everyone else’s demands but who will listen to her longings and aspirations? I see her as a caged bird. Why does she hide her inner desires behind the subservient smiles? I do not see an ounce of liberty and dignity in her life. What a pity that is! But I salute her determination, resourcefulness, compassion and kindness. Her level of dedication and hard work is so immense. How sad that her family members haven’t realized it. She is such a priceless person to have, so modest, so affectionate, so gullible yet so strong willed. It is only her having a monotonous life? I think there are more housewives out there with their own stories.
Smarika K.C
YALC 2013
Nepal
If you haven’t heard already, the law makers in North Dakota are pushing for another anti-choice bill. This time it’s an abortion ban on the basis of personhood. If passed, this would effectively give fertilized eggs all the rights of U.S. citizens. And it would cut off abortion care completely. Beyond abortion this bill would also charge doctors who damage embryos in any way with criminal negligence. It also prevents doctors from being able to perform in vitro fertilizations. Now you might be thinking an unconstitutional bill like this couldn’t possibly get passed by Senate or the House, but it did. Shockingly, it passed the House by a vote of 57-35 and it’s currently making its way to the Governor’s desk.
The state’s recent six-week abortion ban is already in direct violation of Roe v. Wade and will bring about several legal costs for taxpayers when challenged. This next measure of a total abortion ban will surely cause North Dakota to face the same results, costing the state more than they bargained for. And how will they pay for these litigations?
During a recent debate between Senator Margaret Sitte and Dr. Kristen Cain about the abortion restrictions and pending abortion ban, Senator Sitte accidentally lets something slip. When asked if these bills will cost taxpayers possibly millions, Senator Sitte unintentionally admits that there are outside interests behind the unconstitutional abortion bans who are willing to spend those millions to make sure people in North Dakota will not have access to reproductive healthcare and rights. Watch as Senator Sitte tries to lie her way out of it.
Watch the debate between Senator Sitte and Dr. Cain!
This abortion ban won’t be a law until Governor Jack Darlymple of North Dakota signs it, and it’s unclear if he will or won’t.
To contact Governor Jack Darlymple:
Office of Governor
State of North Dakota
600 East Boulevard Avenue
Bismarck, ND 58505-0100
701.328.2200: phone
701.328.2205: fax
Sure, the effect is small, but among both Democrats and Republicans, members of Congress tend to vote better on women’s issues if they have more daughters. Along the same lines, it’s instructive to look at which Republicans in the Senate voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Personal experience makes a difference even here.
Mother Jones - http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2013/03/members-congress-daughters-vote-better-womens-issues
Two personhood bills — Senate Bill 2303 and Senate Concurrent Resolution 4009 — have already passed the Senate, and the GOP-controlled House is expected to take them upsometime this week. But if North Dakota successfully enacts a total abortion ban, there will be serious consequences for the state that extend even beyond women’s reproductive freedom. Here are five ways the state will suffer under personhood:
1. There will be fewer doctors in the state available to provide medical care. In a historic move for the North Dakota Medical Association, the nonpartisan organization has come out againstpersonhood. The group points out that the anti-abortion measures go too far to “interfere with the physician practice,” and they suspect it will be harder to find qualified medical professionals willing to practice in North Dakota if the state imposes so many complicated restrictions on doctors. Some doctors have already testified before state lawmakersto say they will leave North Dakota if the abortion bans pass.
2. Maternal health care will be compromised. Doctors could becharged with criminal negligence if anything happens to an embryo — which could prevent them from making quick decisions that could help save women’s lives. The tragic case of Savita Halappanavar, a woman who died after being denied an abortion in a Catholic hospital because her doctors were reluctant to provide care that could get them in trouble with the law, highlights the serious consequences of state lawmakers coming between a woman and her doctor.
3. Women could be forced to resort to illegal abortion procedures.Under a personhood law, women will end up resorting to dangerous “backroom” abortions, one former pediatrician warned North Dakota lawmakers last week. That Fargo-area doctor did his medical training before Roe v. Wade, when women were dying of bacterial infections after botched abortion procedures — and he warns that the passage of the proposed personhood measures would pull North Dakota back into “the stone age of medicine.” There’s evidence to back up that claim. According to the Guttmacher Institute, the legality of abortion hasabsolutely no correlation to abortion rates around the world, because women will continue to seek to terminate pregnancies regardless of the law.
4. Women won’t be able to use in vitro fertilization to try to have a family. Ironically, in addition to compromising medical procedures for the women seeking to terminate a pregnancy, personhood measures also place restrictions on the women who are trying to get pregnant. “These bills will stop the practice of in vitro fertilization in this state,” Dr. Stephanie Dahl, an obstetrician-gynecologist and reproductive medicine specialist in Fargo, explained to lawmakers. Doctors wouldn’t be able to perform any procedure that carries the risk of damaging some embryos, so women would be forced to travel to South Dakota or Minnesota for in vitro treatment, a six-week process that requires multiple sonograms and up to 12 visits to the doctor.
5. The state will become embroiled in expensive lawsuits. North Dakota’s six-week abortion ban already runs afoul of Roe v. Wade, and will certainly invite several costly legal challenges. A total abortion ban would lead to similar consequences. Two personhood bills were recentlystruck down in Oklahoma, suggesting that the courts won’t take kindly to North Dakota’s push to restrict women’s constitutional rights, either. Nevertheless, even the self-proclaimed “fiscally conservative” Republicans in the state are willing to defend their abortion bans on the state’s dime.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/03/19/1738321/north-dakota-suffer-personhood/
![domestic_violence[1]](http://amplifyyourvoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/domestic_violence1.jpg)
Walking down the memory lane, I am struck by an incident that still haunts me with the question, ‘Is it worth it?’
It was year 2008. I had gone to a neighborhood grocery store to buy a packet of milk when I saw that the shop keeper was bruised all over her face. I asked her what happened and she replied without hesitation that she was beaten by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. She then casually went on saying that she had been beaten many times by her in-laws and they haven’t been in good terms since long. I stood there listening to her story for a while. Actually, I had never talked with her before, apart from the casual greetings one exchanges while meeting on the way as part of being neighbors, yet she confided with me as if I had always been her confidant. I could see the pain in her eyes, the hope that I could do something and the relief of getting a chance to share her grief. I was overwhelmed with the emotions she was channeling my way.
Having lived in that neighborhood since childhood, I knew her, I knew her in-laws, I knew her husband and of course everyone in her family. She had married in an early age and been living as a housewife since then and helping her husband in the shop. The unspoken rule of a community has it that you do not pry on others’ private matter! Well but, you kind of always get a whiff of what is going on in your neighborhood, even if not the full story. So I had been aware that there were family troubles in that house. But the idea was to pretend ignorance and so had I. Therefore, her sudden revelation wasn’t ‘news’ to me , yet for the first time it felt real. That sudden testimony out of nowhere left me baffled. Doubtless to say I felt helpless. I gave her a reassuring smile and went back home determined to work for women like her when I grow up. The next time I met her, I was afraid she would feel awkward with me having shared her secret in the whim of emotional outburst. But she was happily doing her business and behaved with me in the usual casual manner as if nothing had happened and I shared the pretense. Neither have I again seen her face bruised.
Nepal being a country that in reality is guided not by the laws but by its customs, values and traditions, has most of the cases of domestic violence unreported. The vital reason could be the acceptance that being beaten up by your elder is not wrong and the unwillingness to disclose their family matter in public. Nepalese hold their family in highest regard and the women in the family spend their lives trying to maintain their family prestige. The various cases of violence killing are only the tip of an iceberg, while most of the cases aren’t severe enough to be addressed by the law. So the laws against domestic violence are kind of futile in countries like Nepal.
Every human on earth knows that beating up another person gives pain to the receiver, its unlawful and brutal, yet the incidents continue. So I think, women need not be made aware that domestic violence is a crime because they know it. It is also futile to let them know that there are laws against domestic violence because they are never going to report it.
Many of the cases of domestic violence are not severe and can be solved within the boundaries of home. That incident made me realize that what women need are not just laws that punish the accused but an ear that hears her woes at the time when she feels the need to share. What is needed I believe is timely counseling, a person with whom the victim can share her problem without the fear of being judged and find a feeling of support without the risk of losing her family dignity. More than half of the victim’s pain is relieved if she finds that timely companionship.
Domestic violence is happening right under our nose and it is not always possible to act on it despite knowing about it because the offender could be our family, our neighbor or our loved ones and human instinct has it that we are protective of what is ‘ours’. And I begin to wonder, ‘Are the various campaigns women activists like me are doing, focusing only on changing the laws, really worth it? Is it going to address their real problem?’
Therefore, I believe, along with advocating for the right of women, we need to focus more on establishing such counseling services which lends women a hearing ear. They need consoling words and not a babbling mouth.
Let us make our action worth it!
Written By,
Shristi Khadka
YALC 2013
Nepal
If we trace ourselves back to history of women domination than we find that the domination has begin as customs in that society such as food binding, Stoning, Chaupadi etc. One of those customs dealing with woman domination at an extreme level was “SATI SYSTEM”.
Sati System was a social funeral practice among some Indian communities in which a recently widowed woman would immolate herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. A Greek historian who traveled to India with the expedition of Alexander the Great recorded the practice of sati at the city of Taxila. A later instance of voluntary co-cremation appears in an account of an Indian soldier in the army of Eumenes of Cardia, whose two wives vied to die on his funeral pyre, in 316 BC. The Greeks believed that the practice had been instituted to discourage wives from poisoning their old husbands. It was also believed that wives should serve their husbands as god and should not leave them alone, so wives are forced to get burnt along with their husbands.
Those who jump out of fire were stopped by stoning and hitting. It was believed that if the women get alive then it was regarded as bad omen so people tried to kill her.
By the end of the 18th century, the practice had been banned in territories held by some European powers. The Portuguese banned the practice in Goa by about 1515. The Dutch and the French banned it in Chinsurah and Pondicherry, their respective colonies. The British, who by then ruled much of the subcontinent, and the Danes, who held the small territories of Tranquebar and Serampore, permitted it until the 19th century.
Indian Government in Past also passed acts related to Sati System practice:
The Commission of Sati (prevention) Act, 1987 Part I, and Section 2(c) defines Sati as:
The burning or burying alive of –
(i) Any widow along with the body of her deceased husband or any other relative or with any article, object or thing associated witith the husband or such relative; or
(ii) Any woman along with the body of any of her relatives, irrespective of whether such burning or burying is claimed to be voluntary on the part of the widow or the women or otherwise
The act of sati is said to exist voluntarily; from the existing accounts, many of these acts did indeed occur voluntarily.
In history, many emperors ran towards hills of Nepal with the failure in India and the influence of Sati started being practiced in Nepal as well. The system was only abolished during Rana Regime by Chandra Samsher Rana.
We must thank to all those who played a strong role in abolishment of Sati System because it was a extreme level of domination among woman.
Kansas House rejects rape and incest exceptions for abortion
Kansas House members on Tuesday gave first-round approval to sweeping new restrictions on abortion after refusing to add exceptions that would allow victims of incest or rape — including children who are raped — to get late-term abortions.
— Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas and Kierra Johnson, Beyond Choice: How We Learned to Stop Labeling and Love Reproductive Justice
Holi is a Hindu celebration known as the festival of color. This is mainly celebrated in India and Nepal. The festival is celebrated by throwing color powder and brightly colored water at each other. In Nepal Holi is celebrated for two days usually in the month of falgun thus also called” Fagu purnima” with public holiday and lots of enjoyment.
But nowadays, especially in Kathmandu valley we can see that a week before the main day of Holi there is a tradition of throwing balloons filled with water and little water grenades targeted to females on street. The festival is coming up as a thrill to females than the matter of celebration. Due to the fear to be targeted by the watery balloons there is a increased trend of absenteeism from schools and colleges. There is uncertainty on streets that when a balloon filled with dirty water from the terrace of house will hit them and wet their cloth and stuffs.
The real problem started with some modern local youth who targeted the ladies continuously throughout the day. Can we imagine what the ladies feel when they are pelted with dirty water when they are on the way to school, college, office, market, social gathering. Not everyone wants to be pelted with water, we cannot impose our willing on others.This is also a form of eve teasing and harassment. We always come across the stories that ladies are harassed in the Holi, by touching in the private parts,verbal abuse and even rape cases. And the tragedy is that the recognition of the criminal is very difficult because their faces are covered with the colors.
When I was exploring on this matter I found that it’s a tradition to throw water at ladies on the third day before Holi. It was found that it meant a fertile year for the ladies who are pelted with water. But why always the females are hurt, embarrassed,harassed in the name of tradition. We youth should stand up together to fight with the misconception,not influencing it further. Similarly the government of Nepal has taken a good step of arresting the people who throw the colors and water balloons to the people who are not willing to play. But the government police cannot reach everywhere and the ladies are still being the target so, it is our responsibility to keep the ladies safe at our place .
Don’t make a campaign to target ladies.You are on Holi, so enjoy this festival with your friends and relatives and make people laugh and smile, rather than making ladies cry.
As a former teen mom and human I could not help but address the questions and worries of the discontent toddlers in the New York City’s controversial anti-teenage pregnancy ads.
Just because I had you as a teen does not mean that you are not capable of doing well in school and graduating high school with honors just as I did.
It all started with an idea of reaching out to the community. My college friends and I had a splendid plan to celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day with girl students of Public Schools. We managed to gather around thirty girls of Lalitpur area. We wanted to engage them in some kind of activity for a change. And it was Women’s Day. What more could we ask for? The most suitable day in the year to actually do something substantial for girls. Therefore, we wanted to take an initiative in our own little ways.
After a fun filled session of introduction, we started with a group discussion on various topics related to women in the Nepalese context. These young girls poured out their opinions about the existent social evils such as sexual violence, eve teasing, polygamy, superstitious beliefs, sex slavery, female feticide etc. It seemed like they were well aware about the way girls were treated in the society out of their own experience. They expressed their concerns about the circumstances of women all over the world as well. The discussion gave them a platform to know and to be known, to listen and to be heard, to understand and to be understood.
Amidst the discussion, one of the girls shared about how she had been badly treated by her male teacher at school. Her teacher had touched her unnecessarily when she went to seek some guidance for the class assignment. He had taken an unfair advantage of this poor little girl in the name of helping her. When the other girls heard this story, they kept themselves in her shoes and tried to figure out possible solutions together for their friend. The discussion ended when all of them realized the need to break their silence and to raise voice against violence. Also, we had a chance to watch a documentary concerning child marriage in Tharu villages of Nepal.
Then, we had an amazing plan to make special women’s day cards. We taught these girls origami and later they made beautiful 3 D cards. The cards were symbolic with a significant message to raise our voice against all gender based injustice and violence. After this, we all went out on the streets and distributed these cards randomly to the pedestrians wishing them “Happy Women’s Day”. The cards were given out mostly to women, a few men and to many foreigners who passed by the nearest super market on the street. All those who received the cards were very happy and thankful to the young girls. I heard them utter words of gratitude and appreciation towards this small effort. It certainly was a small attempt to sensitize the community and we were indeed successful to mark International Women’s Day in the local level.
As a result, we brought smiles in many faces. We definitely created a small difference. I can proudly say that all the girls who participated went home with a happy heart and a million dollar smile.
Hope; a feelings that ones expectation will be fulfilled in the near future. A student have hope to be a successful person in future, a business person hope for more profit,a researcher hope to give new theory ,a leader hope for the development of the county and so on. Everyone in the world are living in the ship of hope,but does really everything goes well as we hope?
The social status is not ascribed but in our society women are given social status by birth to be inferior to men. Women are treated as the object in their own homes, of beating rape,incest and traditional practices such as honor killings,dowry related violence,genital mutilations,son preference and early marriages furthermore,women are also target of violence in society(e.g.,rape,sexual abuse,trafficking,forced prostitution,pornography). Even today women have to sleep in stables, separate from others when they are undergoing their monthly menstruation because they are considered as “impure”to contaminate others.Still the girls in rural Nepal are married off before puberty. Female are not allowed to walk alone and talk with male friends.Girls are deprived from education because they have to get marry and go to their husbands home.This could be because of customs and traditions we are following years long,which forced the women to tolerate the violence as tradition and part of their life and further more due to so many year of violence women has become habituate to it and thus cannot raise their voice against the torture they face in everyday life.
When it comes to the matter of hope every women in our country hope for a society free of gender discrimination where no female are treated as a object and where female can freely live their life in the way they like. It is not necessary to change this patriarchal society to matriarchal but it is very necessary to be equality in our society where both male and female have equal status in the society. We hope for the society where a girl is not judged from the dress she wear but from the golden heart she bear. Our society will be delight when it is a matter of celebration when a girl child is born in a family rather than a curse to the mother. It is a dream of every women to be respected for every work she do at home. We hope for the society where no women have to face any type of violence in the name of tradition,superstition and culture. We hope for the society free of sexual violence where the women are respected at home,workplace and public place and no girls are deprived of education.
But the question arise”is this possible”? Will our dreams come true?
Steubenville “Rape Crew” Lawyers Argue that Silence is Consent
Anyone who hasn’t been living under a rock knows a few details about this case. A teenage girl was drinking at a party, was drugged, became unconscious, and now two guys are on trial for “allegedly” raping her. (Man, I hate that word.) This particular case caught national attention after the internet crew Anonymous unveiled some of the shady business surrounding the actual case. The self-proclaimed Steubenville “Rape Crew” recorded themselves after the alleged rape, describing that the victim had been drugged, urinated on, and raped. They also took photos of themselves with the victim and tweeted before and after the crime, implying that this assault was premeditated. But apparently being on the Steubenville high school football team puts you on a pedestal, and being the alleged rape victim is a greenlight for a slew of death threats and attacks. It’s another case in which we get a glaring view into sports and rape culture, and how blurred the line can be sometimes.
Originally, the attackers (Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond) were charged with kidnapping. They had been moving the victim from party to party without her consent. I’m sorry to say that those charges were now dropped. In response to the rape charges, the attackers’ lawyers have decided to argue that silence is consent even though the victim didn’t have the ability to say no or yes since she was drugged by her alleged rapists and was unconscious. The lawyers of course wanted the charges dropped completely, but the attempt failed. So, they decided that this was the next best course of action: to argue that she didn’t affirmatively say no. It’s okay. Take the time to move away from the computer and scream.
Here’s a bit of light in this situation: protesters have gathered outside the courthouse, local or otherwise, for #OccupySteubenville and Operation RollRedRoll to support “Jane Doe” and other victims of abuse. They describe their occupation for March 13-15:
This will be a SILENT OCCUPY. There will be NO sound system, NO microphones, NO music, and NO guest speaking. ALL attempts from anyone trying to set up equipment will be immediately shut down. WE must now give Lady Justice, who stands on top of the Jefferson County Courthouse, her chance to speak the VERDICT. In doing so, WE will allow our voices to become…SILENT. Only our signs and banners will speak what’s on our minds. Imagine…hundreds possibly thousands of masks, dressed up, remaining peaceful, while occupying in silence. This will be a MASSIVE Anonymous presence that will speak VOLUMES.
This will be a time of standing united, in our support of Jane Doe, with our Anonymous family. We will enjoy each other’s company and act like family.
This is YOUR chance to be creative and artistic in support for Jane Doe. Let your signs, banners, and shirts speak what’s on your mind. Be Creative. Be Positive. Make the statement that YOU want the world to READ. Imagery is worth a thousand words. Let us not forget that we are a peaceful people and we are here to respectfully and peacefully support Jane Doe. Regardless of the verdict…we will remain calm and we will remain peaceful.
Though some media responses to this trial has brought this case forward and revealed tons of supporters out there, other responses haven’t been the most helpful in ensuring true justice for the victim with headlines and descriptions of the attackers like “the almost-certain demise of their dreams of playing football” and articles like this, heavy with sports glorification and victim blaming.
In the words of SPARK activist Carmen Rios:
“When athletes are accused of rape – and this is not the first or, unfortunately, the last time – often their teammates and coaches will scramble to defend them. That’s wrong. Athletes receiving preferential treatment is not uncommon and is undeniable at schools across this country, and in the case of Steubenville the safe haven of a team ready to go up to bat to defend two rapists has effectively squashed discussion around the central problem of the case: it doesn’t matter who rapes, or who is raped. It matters that a rape has occurred and that it occurred on camera and on the Internet and with great pride and joy from those allegedly involved. It matters that when these boys were publicly scrutinized for this behavior, which is undeniably tasteless and violent behavior stemming from probably equally tasteless and violent attitudes toward women, their teammates and coaches defended them publicly and privately. It matters because the only way people learn is by being told the truth – and the truth is that Coach Saccoccia and all of the Steubenville Big Red team should have stood in solidarity with what is right, and not who they know.”
Let’s hope this trial ends fairly and with great justice for those who deserve it.
Word for word the term home is place where something flourishes is most typically found, or from which it originates. So a home must be a place to provide safety and is used as a center from which people flourish groom up and head towards the successful path. But as a sad tragedy the home for a girl or a woman itself remains to be a highly unsafe place in global scenario keeping threat to her survival or life and leading to end of every dream she aims for. Domestic violence can be stated as any form of intended or perpetrated harm to a child or adult living in his or her marital home. Domestic violence shows its presence in between intimate partners, parents and children, in-laws, or any constitutions of family. Specifying the fact violence against women and girls is more virulent issue to be discussed. It exists in all the societies, cultures, and socio economic groups around the globe. Concluding the story; in gross it’s the violation of fundamental rights. Some data predicts that around the world one in three women is beaten, coerced in to sex, or abused by a partner during her life time.
Domestic violence tends to remain private, within the home although it’s common phenomenon. Domestic violence is rarely reported and poses the quantitative limitations because it’s surrounded by huge mask of secrecy, patriarchal systems and so on.
We see the scientific investigation of the problem of domestic violence is a relatively recent endeavor. It is only within the past 30 years that violence against women has been acknowledged internationally as a threat to the health and rights of women as well as to national development. Concerned to the developing country, it’s more rigorous issue because it is added up with the low socio-economic status of girls and women, illiteracy and cultural limitations. Reproductive and physiological health of woman and girls is severely affected by such violence. One of the report of UNFPA states that women who experience violence from their partners run twice the risk of miscarriage and four times the risk of having low birth weight baby.
Domestic violence not only poses a direct threat to women’s health, but also has adverse consequences for other aspects of women’s health and well-being and for the survival and wellbeing of children. Inspite of being the issue being submerged, domestic violence may cause as much as disease, disability and death as many other illness combined. Gender based violence pose a significant risk on health of reproductive age women. Namely sexual abuse such as marital rape and incest are major causes of disability and destroys many years of women healthy reproductive life. Gender based violence impose direct and major effect on women’s ability to exercise autonomy in the use of health services as well it limits their abilities to be protected from HIV/AIDS, STDs and RTIs.
Low access to family planning information and contraceptives leading to numbers of unwanted pregnancies, complications during pregnancies, giving birth to low birth weight baby, augment vulnerability of illness and death, as well persistent psychological and gynecological problems are the profound effects of domestic violence. Domestic violence reduces the quality of life, hampers the participation of girls and women in the workforce and social sectors. Ultimately guiding to next generation ready pose and impose the risk of domestic violence. It’s because we say the cycles of violence is generational.
To be stated time and again; often a culture of silence around the topic of domestic violence, Makes the data collection a sensitive topic particularly challenging. Even women who want to speak about their experience with domestic violence may find it difficult because of feelings of shame or fear. So it’s a substantial that all the individuals to be acquainted with the problem of domestic violence be accountable for practicing zero tolerance in all forms of gender based violence in homes, communities and environments. Essence need at present sufficient legal provision for their safety and empowerment, proper enforcement of systems. Strengthen the health systems response by developing skilled human resources to respond the cases of violence against women.
End of the note; within household ensuring that girls and women have equality in access to information, education, and participation in decision making and resource allocation is a critical way to empowerment and a way to ensure that their fundamental rights are being met. So, empowering young girls and women is the only best approach to end all forms of gender based violence.
Last week I posted a blog responding to the New York City Human Resource Administration’s Teen Pregnancy Prevention Campaign. With much hard work, The New York Coalition for Reproductive Justice has launched its No Stigma! No Shame! Campaign in response to the Human Resource Administration’s,“Think Being A Teen Parent Won’t Cost You?”campaign. A collective of women of color, teen parents, community organizers, young people and myself have organized this campaign. We need you help with this push back. We are standing up and letting people know that our young people, especially young parents deserve better!
We ask that you stand with us and sign on listing your affiliation, organization and state. Please send that information and sign on at nyc4rj[at]gmail[dot]com. Support us in getting the word out and pushing for a teen pregnancy prevention campaign that DOES NOT shame and blame teen parents, particularly teen parents of color.
To find the Sign On Letter please visit nyc4rj.tumblr.com
Here are ALL the ways you can support the “No Stigma! No Shame!” Campaign (via Nicole Clark Consulting):
1. Stand with us and sign on to our letter by contacting Jasmine Burnett, founder of NYC4RJ, at nyc4rj[at]gmail[dot]com. Please listyour name, any academic or professional affiliations, and state. Your information will be added to this letter, and this letter will be sent to Robert Doar, commissioner of HRA’s Department of Social Services, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
2. Join us on social media! Follow NYC4RJ on Twitter (and follow our hashtag #NoStigmaNoShame ) and like the NYC4RJ Facebook page to keep up with the latest updates on the No Stigma! No Shame! Campaign.
3. Share the opinion blogs posts from other bloggers about the HRA campaign. Check out these responses from Miriam Perez, Natasha Vianna, Gloria Malone, myself, and Brittany Brathwaite.
4. Share this blog post and the NYC4RJ No Stigma! No Shame! Campaign sign-on letter with others and encourage them contact Jasmine Burnett to sign on with their support.
This sign on letter is just the beginning. We plan to incorporate a campaign that infuses policy advocacy, arts, and education that will make sure that all teens in New York City are able to make the best decisions for their health and lives. Support us in getting the word out and pushing for a teen pregnancy prevention and parenting campaign that DOES NOT shame and blame teen parents.
The comic below has been circulating on Tumblr for a few days. It appeared on my dashboard so many times and I reblogged it because I felt that Malala’s story should be shared. But then, there came posts indicating that the comic was perhaps a danger to Malala’s life, and that she herself had requested not to be the face of empowerment for Muslim women.
You can read the rest of the comic here
Even though Malala survived the shooting and is in recovery, there is still much fear; for the other young women and girls she left behind, as well as herself. After girls expressed their fear of attending the ‘Malala Yousafzai Post Graduate College for Women’, she asked for the school not to be named after her. They were scared that they would suffer the same fate as she, and worse, would not live to survive it as she did. This does not mean that she is shying away from the cause that has made her a hero to women and girls everywhere. On the contrary, it makes her even more of a responsible leader. She has chosen to acknowledge the possible casualties in this war against the misogyny and sexism. Would you want a leader to disregard your lives just as long as she got what she needed in the end?
Tumblr people being the weirdos that they are (Yes I know I am one of them. I speak from a place of affection you guys), all have their knickers in a twist and are as cross as a bag of weasels. How dare anyone disregard Malala’s safety? “Don’t make her the icon of the empowered Muslim woman!” I get that. But how many people actually knew about her plea for an anonymity of sorts? Or thought about the fact that she might still be in danger even if she did survive the attack. Heck one Taliban spokesman said he’d come after her if she survived.
So folks, now you know. We might want a poster girl to rally around, but we all have to think about the women and girls who are not as privileged as we are. The freedoms we take for granted are not readily available to all women and girls. And even though we must work to combat this, there have got to be other ways aside from putting others in danger.
A fellow Amplify Blogger, Twittersister and founder of TeenMomNYC.com, a website offering support and incite of the day to day life of what it means to be a teenage mother, recently posted a blog (like many of us) about the New York City Teen Pregnancy “Prevention” Campaign that launched last week by the NYC Human Resources Administration. Reading through my newsfeed last night, I caught a glimpse of her responding to the hateful comments she was receiving on this particular blog post. This morning, I decided to visit her blog for myself. There were a whopping 38 comments attached to what I thought was a brilliantly written blog laced with veracity and Gloria’s situated knowledges as a teen parent. I guess the others did not think so. Let me first say that I was not a teen mother and I cannot, will not and do not wish to speak from that perspective. However, I am a young woman of color who was born and raised in a hypersegregated medically “underserved” area, attended sub-standard schools, and was in and out of kinship care my entire life. All of these experiences influence my analysis of this situation (outside of my work with young people and pregnant and parenting teens).
This blog is also not meant to come to anyone’s rescue (we advocates/activists are not saving teen moms from these egregious, shameful ads) because they do not need us to rescue them or step in and give them a voice. These brave young women already have them! This is to show my solidarity with them and express why I feel so strongly about the attacks on them. As if the ads were not enough, you have people offering their empty “advice” on their blogs, ranging from “been there, done that” to “you should have kept your legs closed.” Uhh no that’s not about to happen. So you want to come for teen moms? Let me come for your train of thought. Allow me to deconstruct your notions of young people and teen pregnancy prevention.
Wait, be patient, love yourself!
I recommend young people keep a journal of their childhood that way when they grow up and catch a sudden case of dementia when it comes to sexuality and sexual activity they can “remember” their teen years. An “older wiser woman” commented that there is in fact no positive side to teen sexual activity. Hmmm well that’s strange considering teens are pretty much still keep having sex (something has to be positive there). While we all hope that young people delay sexual activity, lets face the music TEENS ARE HAVING SEX! Just because young people make decisions to have sex, doesn’t mean we don’t love ourselves. I’m pretty sure we’d love ourselves more if society showed us some love too!
I didn’t know lived in a society in which CULTURE does not play a significant role in how we raise our children!
An anonymous added that young people have an “unlimited” amount of resources including our moms, aunts, sisters, friends… Okay, so where I come from my family doesn’t talk about sex. Outside of the fact that most parents don’t feel comfortable talking to their kids about sex, I know first hand that some families are not about to talk about sex! As a person of the African Diaspora, sex was not talked about in my house. I was told not to get pregnant, but NEVER how to go about preventing pregnancy. And when I did receive some ‘sex education”, it definitely didn’t apply to me. No one met me where I was. No one wanted to speak my language. Then and now youth need Culturally and Linguistically relevant (along with medically accurate, age-appropriate) sexual education. Because all that other stuff…Ain’t nobody got time for that!
Just close your legs that way we don’t have to provide you with comprehensive sexual education, access to birth control and all the other things you need to lead healthy lives!
Telling someone to keep their legs closed is not okay! First of all opening your legs does not cause pregnancy (if that was the case I’d be with child every time a rode a bike, danced, and did jumping jacks.).Secondly, most women don’t get pregnant by themselves unless we are talking about the Immaculate Conception. The notion of “keeping your legs closed” is not only sexist and misogynist but just plain ignorant. And lets think about resources, is birth control accessible? I saw comments on other blogs about the Affordable Care Act and how teens could purchase birth control on their parent’s health insurance because it would be free. Well some insurance companies, have these cool things called EOBs (Explanation of Benefits). They basically tell you all the stuff you just got done at your doctors visit. Until we get that fixed I don’t know how accessible Birth Control under the ACA is for young people. That’s the ish I don’t like!
Society doesn’t owe you anything its all about “choice.” (This is where you laugh hysterically.)
Oh please. This kills me because some people are so scared of the word “choice.” It kills me because people throw around the word choice and “decision making” when we aren’t really handing out the tools for young people to make choices. Yes society has a responsibility to equip young people with these tools, but that does not excuse the fact that young people have individual responsibilities too. We contribute to society (so stop acting like you don’t know). We don’t need shaming ads to tell us that parenting is hard. We don’t need people telling us that we are WIC/EBT/Medicaid/Government Assistance users and that the older generation needs not be responsible for us. Well last I checked Social Security and Medicare are government programs and every McDonalds minimum-wage check goes to fund the older generation.
If you are going to come for young moms, young people, young people of color I just ask one thing….. COME CORRECT or go home.
Malala Yousafzai is the youngest nominee for a Nobel Peace Prize ever.
In her hometown, the Taliban banned education for women. Malala Yousafzai started writing under a pen name for BBC when she was around 11 or 12 years old, describing the inequities. She appeared on television, has done interviews, has done whatever she could to promote her beliefs, that everyone has a right to an education. Now she’s known as an activist for education and women.
This comic serves as a short summary of what Malala Yousafzai is internationally known for: her courage.
[source: watermarked in image]
From a simple Wikipedia search:
On 9 October 2012, Yousafzai was shot in the head and neck in an assassination attempt by Taliban gunmen while returning home on a school bus.[17] In the days immediately following the attack, she remained unconscious and in critical condition,[18] but later her condition improved enough for her to be sent to a hospital in the United Kingdom for intensive rehabilitation. On 12 October, a group of 50 Islamic clerics in Pakistan issued a fatwā against those who tried to kill her,[19] but the Taliban reiterated its intent to kill Yousafzai and her father, Ziauddin.[20]
Former British Prime Minister and current U.N. Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown launched a United Nations petition[21] in Yousafzai’s name, using the slogan “I am Malala” and demanding that all children worldwide be in school by the end of 2015. Brown said he would hand the petition to Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari in November. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has announced that 10 November will be celebrated as Malala Day.[22]
“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights” Gloria Steinem
Today, International Women’s Day, let us remember women and girls around the world who are not as free as some of us are. Being a foreign national, I can speak on this lack of freedom. Although I was born in to modern times, decades after it was thought a waste to educate the girl child, in my culture, there are still inequalities. Men are still the heads of households, and there are still tasks and behaviors designated to specific sexes.
This year, the theme of IWD is “The Gender Agenda: Gaining Momentum”. It focuses on celebrating the achievements of women thus far, while remaining hopeful about new progress on all fronts. Women have come so far through the years, but there is still much to do. There is still a great gap in gender equality, and there is an assault on our rights. Can you believe that in 2013 there are still arguments about what rights we have to our bodies? Can you believe that congress would pay for an old dude to have sex but won’t pay for women to protect themselves against pregnancy or save their own lives when necessary? Can you believe that in this day an age, women are killed for trying to empower themselves an others? That an Oscar host can stand up in front of thousands of people and make jokes about rape?
This International Women’s Day, take a stand for something you believe in. Donate to an organization that supports women’s rights, attend an event to show your support for women’s rights, highlight an important woman who has done much for the movement and effect change by supporting efforts to help women around the world.
En cette nouvelle ère nous devons nous réunir tous pour réduire voir même bannir la violence contre les femmes. Cela doit se faire à toutes les échelles que ce soit en partenariat avec les hommes, les femmes ainsi que tous les acteurs de la société et du monde entier.
En tant que jeunes nous devons utiliser les technologies de l’information à notre disposition telle que les différents réseaux sociaux pour pallier à la violence contre les femmes en faisant entendre notre voix et en informant le monde entier contre cette mauvaise pratique.
Si de par les réseaux sociaux nous arrivons à sensibiliser nos jeunes hommes d’aujourd’hui contre le respect absolue des droits de la femme, et qu’ils prennent aussi conscience de leur rôle en tant que future homme et père de famille, nous aurons fait un grand pas dans la réduction de la violence contre les femmes.
En plus nous les femmes nous devons nous aimer mutuellement afin d’arrêter la violence entre nous même et contre nous même.
Arrêter la tromperie et la tricherie et tous autre chose qui pourrait amener nos sœurs a nous haïr ou entrainerait la discord, nous aiderait a gagner le pari.
Nous les jeunes filles mobilisons nous et unissions nous pour la réduction de la violence contre les femmes de part tout les réseaux sociaux que nous connaissons.
Pour enrichir mon blog je vous propose de lire l’histoire qui suit :
Il était une fois un jeune couple marié qui s’aimait beaucoup et qui vivait dans une harmonie presque parfaite ; mais comme chaque couple il avait leur propre problème.
Le plus immanent problème de ce couple était le faite que le mari se plaignait chaque fois du manque d’attention de sa femme. En faite le mari était un adepte de la propreté il détestait voir les choses en désordre dans la maison en genéral ; le pire de tous était que sa femme venant d’un milieu pauvre laissait toujours la patte dentifrice ouverte après utilisation.
Le mari avait sa en horreur alors après l’avoir averti plusieurs fois sans succès, un matin ou cela c’est reproduit, il la battu jusqu’au sang.
La femme toute désespéré ne sachant pas vers qui se retourné quitta la maison conjugale avec son bébé de 3mois.
Elle mourut deux jours plu tard après dans la maison paternel après avoir pris du poison à rat.
Voila ce qu’a entrainé la simple colère d’un homme sur toute une famille.
Il perdit sa femme pour toujours
Les parents on perdu leur enfants pour toujours
L’enfant perdu sa mère et cela aura surement un impact négatif sur son avenir.
De part ce blog j’invite tout le monde a ce mobiliser afin que cela ne se reproduisent plus jamais et que de ce jour toutes les femmes est le sourire a leur lèvre maintenant et a jamais.
My grand father gave birth to alot of children, and he had many daughters. in those days when education just came in newly to the northern part of Nigeria, he only had daughters so he decided to send his nephew who was staying with him at that time to school, he then decided to send his first daughter to school since she was the eldest at that time. unfortunately she didnt like the idea of going to school, so whenever they left for school in the morning,she would tell her cousin to go on without her that she would play at the stream, then he would meet her after school and they would go back home. even thou my grand pa wasnt educated he was a wise man.
He noticed one day that his nephews books were full of notes, class works etc. but my aunts had nothing at all, it was still as new as he had bought it. he asked his nephew who narrated the whole truth and nothing but the truth. so that was how out of anger my grand pa promised never again to send his daughters to school.
but luckily for my mum, she was her mothers last born and pet, so her mom sent her to school and sponsored her education till she died.which unfortunately for my mum was when she was in primary 3.my grand pa still stood his grounds on not sending females to school,but her brother(God bless my uncle for me) who had finished schooling and was working,continued from where his mum stopped.
Education in the North used to be or might still be an issue because some people believe that education corrupts the minds of young girls, it makes them do things that are not morally and culturally accepted since they would be smart enough to find other ways out.e.g girls are sexually exposed at a young age and when they are not married, and find a way to eliminate unwanted pregnancies or use contraceptives which is a taboo in the Northern part of the country.
well my mums the only educated female in her immediate family, and im glad to say that before my grand pa passed on, he regretted his actions and attested to the fact that “when you train a man you train a community but when you train a woman, you train a nation” and i would add ” multiple generations”
My name is Timidi and I deserve an Education
My parents just have two girls; my younger sister and I and they strove that we got the best of all they could provide especially Education. I remember those days when my parents especially my mother had to make the bulk of the sacrifices just so we could go the best schools.
In Nigeria, not many girls are this lucky to have this opportunity. Even though one of the fundamental rights state ‘A right to Education”, Many feel it isn’t necessary as this girls will move on, get married and bear another’s name. This is a form of gendercide.
The absence of adequate girl child education means a huge loss of human resource and potential and has costs for both men and women and also for development
Girls grow to eventually become women and they must be included and accommodated in all forms of opportunities and resources as their male counterparts. Closing the gap in education and ensuring that more girls are educated is essential not only for building a just society, but also a pre-requisite for sustainable development.
After all, here in Africa, we pride ourselves with the saying ‘Educate a man and you educate a community, Educate a woman and you educate a Nation’, Lets go beyond the proverbs and ensure that this is achieved. We need more women in Medicine, Sports, Advocacy, Military, and all available sectors and the only way we can achieve this is by ensuring that Malala, Amaka and all girls get education.
My name is Timidi and I deserve an education.
Sometime in 2007, I heard a story that in South Africa men were abusing young girls and babies because they were told that sleeping with a virgin was a cure for HIV/AIDS. There were tons of rape cases that time. It baffled me, and then I taught to myself. Are these men not either somebody’s father, brother, son, uncle, nephew, cousin, boyfriend, husband etc?
As a human being, not just a woman I would be psychologically unbalanced if anything and I mean anything happened to my family member or loved one. I have a strong believe, which is when I’m treating people whether nicely or badly, I would first ask myself two questions. What if I was in that position, or what if it was a family member, relation or loved one? That is why I believe that men have a role to play in the fight against violence against women.
First of all men who are mostly the perpetrators of this violence against women need to have a conscience, they need to ask themselves these question what if the lady their abusing is their sister, daughter etc. they also need to understand that just the way their abusing that woman someone could do just the same to someone they love and that wouldn’t be fair. Also as parents, I think it would go a long way if we reduce abuse to girls from their brothers even at a very young age. Parents should be able to instill in their sons that it is very wrong for them to physically attack or violate their sisters, that way that young man would grow up as a born activist against any form of violence against women, and also parents need to live exemplary lives by not involving themselves in any form of violence. Lastly a way violence against women could be checked is by forming young mens groups in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, where they have male councilors or mentors who train these young men on how to prevent any form of violence against women.
I believe that we are and would someday be able to say we have achieved a community, country and world where there is zero tolerance to violence against women.
Gender base violence doesn’t exist?
Women cannot achieve gender equality and sexual and reproductive health without the cooperation and participation of men. It is men who usually decide on the number and variety of sexual relationships, timing and frequency of sexual activity and use of contraceptives, sometimes through coercion or violence. The ‘feminization’ of the AIDS pandemic is a sad reminder that in many places women do not have the power to protect their own health. Why should they be controlled by the opposite sex? Whoever said that women cannot make the decisions of this country? Clearly, men need to be involved if gender equality is to be achieved and reproductive health programmes are to succeed. Some research shows that men also want to be involved, and that many welcome the idea of mutually satisfying relationships built on trust and communication.
Towards this end, many programmes seek to increase men’s sense of ownership over new initiatives that promote gender equity, equality and women’s empowerment. They aim to increase men’s comfort with seeing themselves as responsible, caring, and non-violent partners. They also recognize the diversity of men’s reproductive and sexual health needs, including those of young men, and those who are economically displaced. Many grow up to believe that dominant behavior towards girls and women is part of being a man. These stereotypes result in harm on both men and women and erode the possibilities of establishing a satisfying and enjoyable mutually respectful relationship. Ideally boys and young men are encouraged to reflect upon and discuss issues surrounding masculinity relationships and sexuality. This can be harmful to a healthy lifestyle and good attitude. Effective programmes also recognize that gender roles and relations are dependent on social contexts in which cultural, religious, economic, political and social circumstances are intertwined. They are based on the idea that gender relations are not static and can be changed. Clearly, men need to be involved if gender equality is to be achieved and reproductive health programmes are to succeed. Some research shows that men also want to be involved, and that many welcome the idea of mutually satisfying relationships built on trust and communication. All young people whether male or female should be treated equally not minding whatever perception is placed on the female gender.
Today YALC four day’s inception training made its end but gave a new beginning with new energy to advocate for the right of woman and girls. After attending these four days training to advocate or to empower young girls and woman I forced myself to analyze that do I really respect girls.
I belong from the rural setting of Nepal where the domination within woman is exercised at an extreme level, place where woman are just regarded as a means to work or the machine to production. The only respects given to them, are on mother’s day or in any festivals time where severe level of woman expertise are needed to greet guest and to do many other things. The same place where womans are kept in a hut when she is on her menstruation period or when she gives birth to a new one and also the same place where woman are forced for prostitution ( Badi community) for livelihood and get only $2 per sex due to which woman use to have more sex to sustain their livelihood.
Frankly speaking I myself involved in many kinds of violence to woman or can be everyone. The only differences between the violence are its levels where domination can be either by touch or verbally or physically.
In whole world, in every slang words girls were being used to dominate other or to abuse other. Intentionally or unintentionally if you use slang words then you can never respect them.
Even if we are every education but it’s sure that being educated does not mean that we are literate. If any boys act as a girl or if any boys love pink that do we leave him what he want or we just make a fun of him and this sort of teasing can be done by both male or female so we can say that if any boys acting as a girls and if any girl teases him than be sure that she does not respect the existence of her own reality.
Before coming to the training two of us (I and one of my friends) decided to note a reaction among the council members when we act as a gay couple. Everyone knew that we weren’t gay but for sure we can say that we can notice some changes in them. It’s not their fault it’s the culture that gave to them.
In Nepal still today the third gender issue is one of the burning issue because our culture never taught us how to adapt it because the culture had mold us in the way to think that this is against our culture.
The four days training help to understand the major national and international issue on girls and methods for advocacy and how can we make a better outcome out of YALC.
In conclusion I can say that inception training of YALC gave a lot to me but only thing to remember is that the culture of learning does not only come when you study but also come when you adapt to respect.
Last night i decided to take public transportation home at around 10 pm (something i don’t do at late nights) and i had an encounter with a “Jamaican man”, i sat in the taxi waiting on the last passenger to get in and in comes this young man about 5ft 5 inches tall with corn rows who was clearly friends with the other young man who was sitting in the front seat of the taxi.
these two men greeted each other like brothers and spoke as if they were lounging in a bar having beers, they spoke about the different girls they saw through out the day and which ones they plan on having sex with and the ones they want to get pregnant.
The young man with the corn rows spoke for the entire journey (which is about 10 mins for me) about 6 different girls all who he had sex with over the weekend and planned on having sex with later down in this week, he made it clear to his friend and everyone else who was seated in the taxi that he really wanted to “beat” and “mash up” (Jamaican terms for having rough sex i guess) this Indian girl who wants to get a “proper sort out” but wont have sex with him because she was raised in a “decent christian home” he mentioned how much it made him more eager to “beat di skins” and he and his friend continued to speak about how sexy and pretty she was.
now through out the entire cab ride i thought to myself ” I have two sisters and they are both really pretty and i wouldn’t dare speak about women the way these two men spoke about women, as if women were nothing but bottle caps that they would pop and throw to the side” as they spoke about their sexual escapades i just shook my head in disappointment, not in them but for our culture because as Jamaican men we are expected to have multiple female partners and get as many young girls pregnant as possible.
“Pigs” i thought to myself as i exited the cab and remembered the book “Why man stay so” by Barry Chevannes which is a good read.
While browsing through my twitter page I came across an ad directed at teen mothers in NYC. While seeing this ad disgusted me; I was a little relieved that I had not seen it person in my city, Brooklyn. Not only is this ad extremely offensive (the Post calls it a “Tad” offensive), it has racist, classist and sexist undertones. The ad I saw featured a beautiful brown girl with big brown eyes and read “Honestly Mom… chances are he won’t stay with you. What happens to me?” It also quoted a statistic that 90% of teen parents do not marry each other. While this statistic can be shocking to most it also seems to continue to push the agenda of marriage and “nuclear” families among young people, something I wish this country would have let go of in the 1976 Reagan “Welfare Queen” era.
After further research, I discovered that this ad was part of a larger campaign created by the NYC Human Resources Administration. For an agency with the word “resources” in its name, it appears that they do not know how to use them very well. Especially considering the fact that the United States is preparing to undergo sequestration and they thought it wise to use government funding to disseminate disturbing, stigmatizing and shameful ads about teen mothers. Also considering the fact they are a “Human Resources” agency, I would think funds would be better allocated to real initiatives to help young mothers, such as creating real job opportunities for young moms and working with other agencies and organizations to provide childcare so that young women could support their families. It is resourceful to create life-size ads that basically say “Mom you suck for having me.”
While NYC has taken steps to improve the lives of young parents, like closing Pregnancy Schools after advocates insisted these institutions were in violation of Title IX, this initiative seems backwards. This is the same city responsible for the Living for the Young Family through Education program which provides free childcare around the city to help teen parents graduate from high school. In addition to these efforts, the NYC Department of Education mandated Comprehensive Sexuality Education in schools in 2011 to decrease the rate of teen pregnancies, HIV and STIs among young people. However, many of the youth that I work with in Brooklyn still report receiving little to no sex education even after the mandate was placed into effect. Having grown up in Brooklyn my entire life and having never received formal sexual education, I know they are telling the truth.
So if you think scare tactics and shameful ads are going to work, think again. In fact it is just making the situation worse. I’m mostly concerned with who the agency talked to before creating these controversial ads. It definitely was not teen parents!! I wonder how agencies feel they can solve a problem without consulting the people on the ground and the young people with the “situated knowledge.” As a millennial of color, research shows that although my peers would like to decrease the rate of teen pregnancies, they also feel that society has a responsibility to provide young parents with the necessary resources and opportunities to lead healthy lives.
Lastly, I think these ads should be taken down, and the funding for this so-called Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Initiative should be redirected to organizations working to provide real comprehensive sexual education, access to contraception, teen parenting programs, affordable childcare and job opportunities for young people. Education, inclusion and empowerment is how we solve real issues not by attaching stigma to young people, especially young women!
Refusing to learn how to pronounce Quvenzhané’s name says, pointedly, you are not worth the effort. The problem is not that she has an unpronounceable name, because she doesn’t. The problem is that white Hollywood, from Ryan Seacrest and his homies to the AP reporter who decided to call her “Annie” rather than her real name, doesn’t deem her as important as, say, Renee Zellweger, or Zach Galifianakis, or Arnold Schwarzenegger, all of whom have names that are difficult to pronounce–but they manage. The message sent is this: you, young, black, female child, are not worth the time and energy it will take me to learn to spell and pronounce your name. You will be who and what I want you to be; you be be who and what makes me more comfortable. I will allow you to exist and acknowledge that existence, but only on my terms.
“After being a part of The Real L Word, I learned of many other young LGBTQ people of color who were also in need of LGBTQ role models, a role I certainly couldn’t take on alone. So I wanted to create BlackOUT as a space were LGBTQ individuals can see themselves, people like them, experiences like theirs.”
“…But would it really be horror, Shayla? It’s 2013 in allegedly post racial America. Your president is Black for crying out loud. Wouldn’t that word just roll right off your back?
Quite the contrary. All that is precisely the reason why it doesn’t. A complete stranger has the ability to come along and remind you that, still, after all this time and all the progress you think you’ve made, people still hate you just because your skin is brown. And in an instance, with little more effort than it takes to breathe, can reduce you to absolutely nothing…”
No, really. It did.
Colleen Clark is an Illustrator and she made this awesome comic about body image. It’s short but it highlights the frustrating scale by which a person’s worth is measured. You’ve gotta be something, but not too much.
In Nepal, the sad reality is that we live in a patriarchal world where the male gender is the standard even today. Men still continue to dominate women in all sectors be it social, economic, cultural or political. The society forgets that a woman is stronger in conviction and dedication. They minimize her role and capability.
The word woman carries a significant meaning. Woman, is the ultimate epitome of love, beauty, kindness, wisdom and power. She is a vital part of our societies and families as she plays myriad roles such as of a mother, a sister, a daughter, a wife and a companion. She is the one who gives life to every human being, the sole reason behind the existence of humankind. She is the creator, the backbone of everything .She is glorified in all religions. She is also portrayed as goddesses in Eastern philosophy. Without her, our lives can be very much unimaginable. At the same time, she is tortured, assaulted, beaten and her rights have been violated again and again. She is helpless and defeated most of the time. Women have to go through a lot of hardship, injustice and discrimination. And in addition to all this, they are also the silent sufferers to physical, sexual and psychological abuse.
This just makes me wonder about the whole existence and circumstance of women in my society. I am a woman, a woman of a small, developing south Asian country Nepal. Fortunately, I am an educated woman that is why I am able to pursue my dreams. Education is the reason why I have dared to speak out and move ahead with my career goals in life. I have realized that I want to be somebody and do something. But there are a lot of women in my country and I am some how doubtful about their lives and dreams because most of them are denied education, skills and opportunities to reach their full potential. Culture also plays as a barrier in most of their cases for it takes an ample amount of courage and determination to break the socio cultural misconceptions. I hear about fearful incidents happening on and off in the lives of Nepali woman such as rape, domestic violence, trafficking, child marriage and rural women being assaulted as witches.
The scenario of gender equality and equity is in a critical state even though Nepal has made various polices, ratified international conventions like CEDAW and its optional protocol. The laws, if we see are good but the problem is in the implementation. In most of the cases, laws have been merely limited to just black letters.
I believe that until and unless, we change the mindset we are no where near the equal, just society. It is essential for women to believe in themselves and their potentials. Also, both men and women should act together and the society should respect everyone’s rights. No doubt that the situation today is improving and I hope it will get even better.
SEE COMPLETE IMAGE:
http://stfuprolifers.tumblr.com/image/44301669632
I have had an abortion. Most people who know me know that. I’m very open about it and fervently pro-choice. I had to start my piece like this, so you’ll understand where I’m coming from. I’m not writing this post out of malice, but for educational purposes. I haven’t been able to find any other pieces on this subject, so maybe I’m wrong. If I am I would appreciate any readers to provide me with some cold hard medical facts. Okay?
Before my abortion I had a transvaginal ultrasound. This was in mid-2011, so before TVUs got famous. When I saw the device I was wary and my reaction was something along the lines of “woah what’s that? Do I have to have that because I don’t want it.” The woman said yes it was necessary for the procedure and she’s sorry. She didn’t say it was required by law or whatever, but that it was necessary. She didn’t show me the ultrasound or talk about it or even offer to. The whole thing was over in about two minutes. I had a surgical abortion at nine weeks and I was assured this was needed for my procedure.
Then eventually the TVU law proposals starting arriving and I was incredibly confused and hurt. Had something wrong been done to me? By that clinic? That clinic that saved my future? That clinic I was eternally grateful to? That clinic that advertises “comprehensive reproductive services in a supportive, nonjudgmental, knowledge-based environment?” That clinic that boasts that it has “the most experienced clinic staff in the region?” That clinic which is part of the National Abortion Federation?
All of these activists were and still are posting images of ultrasound wands with captions like “up mine? Up yours?” and talking about TVUs being a violation and comparing them to rape. This was/is really upsetting to me. I felt weirdly betrayed by my savior clinic. So I called them. I just briefly asked why they do TVUs and the clinic worker said because it was needed for the procedure. I felt pretty satisfied with that answer.
Of course I think this mandatory TVU legislation is terrible and wrong. It’s unethical for legislators with no medical expertise to be putting this into law. Since when are bills about medical procedure? Those are two entirely different fields. Where are the laws going into detail about thermometer or blood drawing procedure? Why is abortion any different? Why would a bill by those with no medical degree be dictating what practitioners do? Also, are states competing for the most ridiculous TVU bill? Now apparently there are bills requiring two TVUs.
Honestly I have not take part in this debate because it made me uncomfortable. The anti-choice side was clearly wrong, but for the first time I also felt the pro-choice side was wrong. They weren’t being outraged about the right things. They weren’t being outraged about why specifically this legislation was terrible instead they were just proclaiming TVUs were terrible. I don’t know why I’m talking in past tense. This is still going on. So, pro-choice activists are proclaiming that what is in some clinics vital to abortion is a violation and basically a desecration of human rights. They’re starting to sound like the anti-choicers to me. I mean what if legislators start listening? What if they start believing TVUs are a violation and try to ban them? What does that mean for the clinics that use them? Will abortion access become more difficult and expensive? Are these pro-choicers hurting the movement?
I’m working on expanding my knowledge. Nowhere on prochoice.org does it say TVUs are “medically unnecessary” like so many pro-choicers are claiming. This week I asked my abortion clinic for more in depth reasoning into their usage of TVUs. This was their response:
“There is no mandated law in TN that requires a vaginal ultrasound although they are trying to pass a law currently to require an ultrasound 24 – 72 hours before an abortion with the sound of a heart beat, verbal description of the u/s picture and a copy of the picture given to the patient. Here at [name removed] we routinely perform a vaginal ultrasound for patients who may be under 12 weeks and an abdominal ultrasound for patient who may be over 12 weeks. Because a patient can have missed a period and not be pregnant or can have a period and be pregnant, (it is possible to have periods all the way up until delivery) until we do an ultrasound we do not know for sure her gestational age. An accurate gestational age supports providing the best possible care for our patients. We do not however show her a picture, hear a heartbeat (which we don’t have the equipment for) or describe the u/s to the patient unless she requests it.”
Basically I’m demanding more education on this issue for everyone. Because honestly I’m offended that my supposed allies are telling me I was violated. It almost feels like they’re belittling rape. Why is it so difficult to find resources on this? Why can’t I find other articles with this viewpoint? Is it the abortion stigma? Are women not talking about it because they don’t feel comfortable talking about their abortion? Are abortion providers not coming forward so that they don’t disclose their profession and put themselves at risk? I’m concerned and I demand more information.
It passed with votes of 286 to 138.
The NY Times describes the legislation:
The newly passed legislation creates and expands federal programs to assist local communities with law enforcement and aiding victims of domestic and sexual abuse. Most notably, the bill goes further by offering protections for gay, bisexual or transgender victims of domestic abuse, as well as allowing American Indian women who are assaulted on reservations by non-Indians to take their case to tribal courts, which otherwise would not have jurisdiction over assailants who do not live on tribal land.
And who are the 138 representatives who voted against this?
Here’s the name and shame:
Aderholt
Amash
Bachmann
Barton
Bentivolio
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Bonner
Brady (TX)
Bridenstine
Brooks (AL)
Broun (GA)
Burgess
Campbell
Cantor
Carter
Cassidy
Chabot
Chaffetz
Collins (GA)
Conaway
Cotton
Crawford
Culberson
DeSantis
DesJarlais
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers
Fincher
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Garrett
Gingrey (GA)
Gohmert
Goodlatte
Gosar
Gowdy
Graves (GA)
Graves (MO)
Griffin (AR)
Griffith (VA)
Guthrie
Hall
Harris
Hartzler
Hastings (WA)
Hensarling
Holding
Hudson
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hurt
Johnson (OH)
Jones
Jordan
Kelly
King (IA)
Kingston
Labrador
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Lankford
Latta
Long
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lummis
Marchant
Marino
Massie
McCaul
McClintock
Meadows
Mica
Miller (FL)
Mullin
Mulvaney
Murphy (PA)
Neugebauer
Noem
Nunnelee
Olson
Palazzo
Perry
Petri
Pittenger
Pitts
Pompeo
Posey
Price (GA)
Radel
Ribble
Rice (SC)
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rohrabacher
Rooney
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Salmon
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Southerland
Stewart
Stockman
Stutzman
Thornberry
Wagner
Walberg
Weber (TX)
Wenstrup
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Wolf
Womack
Woodall
Yoho
By now, everybody seems to have heard of the misogynist behaviour of Seth MacFarlane, the creator of 3 animated TV shows, each containing a loveable idiot, an attractive wife, a loser son, a daughter who hates him, a comically sized sadist, and a non-human best friend, at the Oscars on Sunday.
According to the Huffington Post:
Two female California state lawmakers have condemned Oscar host Seth MacFarlane’s comments during Sunday’s awards presentation as degrading toward women and asked the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to use better judgment in the future.
Assemblywoman Bonnie Lowenthal and Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson…. sent a letter to Academy President Hawk Koch on Tuesday, requesting that the organization disavow MacFarlane’s behavior.
They objected to the comedian’s focus on the physical appearance of several actresses and quips about nude scenes.
“Furthermore, there was a disturbing theme about violence against women being acceptable and funny,” the lawmakers wrote. “From topical jabs about domestic violence to singing about `boobs’ during a film’s rape scene, Seth MacFarlane crossed the line from humor to misogyny.”
Fun fact, I used to be a fan of the show Family Guy, in fact, as a young wild-eyed progressive activist in college, I found a spirit animal (no pun intended) in Brian Griffin, the Prius driving, Michael Moore reading, anthropomorphic dog. However, we trans people, for almost THREE years now, knew of MacFarlane’s misogynistic tendencies, except in that episode “Quagmire’s Dad“, he made fun of transwoman, probably the most marginalized subset of women there are. A few of the most egregious offenses from that episode include:
1) At the beginning of the episode, Quagmire’s father, Dan, who becomes Ida, who is visiting Quahog, the town where the show is set, is portrayed as a stereotypically flamboyant effeminate gay male. When Quagmire asks if his father is gay, he reveals he came to Quahog for gender confirmation surgery. In reality, transition is a long and hard process, I have been out since 2009 and my male genitalia is STILL intact and I still have man-face, even though hormones have helped alleviate such. No surgeon would operate on someone who has not come out yet, and there is no way that someone would go into the hospital presenting as obviously male and come out looking and presenting female.
2) There was a scene where Ida comes over to the Griffin household for dinner and brings a dish, which, unbeknownst to her, gets thrown out, demonstrating a view that we are somehow diseased and that we should be marginalized. I see that incident also as a metaphor for my life as a transgender/LGBQ and progressive activist. I feel like any achievement I might have accomplished is thrown out like that casserole due to the fact that I am a strong-willed transsexual woman.
3) Towards the end of the episode, Brian Griffin, who is absent from the episode as a whole and is unaware of the happenings around Ida, meets her at a bar and then develops a sexual relationship with her. When he finds out that Ida used to be “Dan”, Brian proceeds to vomit for a full forty seconds, as if we are somehow disgusting. He also proceeds to wonder why the neighborhood hasn’t been notified, which plays into fears of transgender women being sex offenders.
The whole problem with this show and Seth MacFarlane’s misogyny, both trans and cis, is that he is NOT your stereotypical image of a misogynist. MacFarlane and Brian Griffin, who is used often as a soapbox for MacFarlane’s Bush-hating, pro-gay, pro-environment view, is a supposedly progressive minded person who appears to be someone who fights for the rights of all, yet harbors deep misogynistic (both cis- and trans-) views. At least with the religious right, you know who the enemy is, MacFarlane’s just an enemy posing as a friend.
And yet, to various degrees, there are a lot of Seth MacFarlanes in my world. They are the people who marginalize me, who pat me on the head and tell me “that’s a good little boy” and then ignores what I have to say. I’ve been ignored and looked at funny at rallies for public education, I’ve been misgendered by people whom I have shared a bus ride with to Harrisburg to fight for a common cause, I’ve even been asked why I am wearing women’s clothing AT AN ANTI-DOMESTIC VIOLENCE RALLY. Sadly, I have to say, these are not my people, and there are so few people that I am in my comfort zone dealing with, that it impedes any good I wish to do.
To all the people who are fans of Seth MacFarlane due to his edginess and his purported progressivism, please remember that if you base your views on social issues on his “comedic output”, you are marginalizing women, both cis and trans, and contributing to physical, emotional, and relational violence against us.
-Jordan Gwendolyn Davis
THE INTERNET IS EXPLODING WITH CONSCIOUSNESS and I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon. Warning, this is pretty long. I may do a summarized version for those of you with short attention spans (If you haven’t left already).
First a brief summary of why I’m making this blog post:
Becoming YouTube did a video on “The Girls* of YouTube” (which you should watch first: Girls on YouTube | BECOMING YOUTUBE | Video #7 ) and it was somewhat controversial.
Hence, female YouTubers responded with mild irritation.
Because of that slew of responses I’m not going to dwell on obvious things like the fact that:
Those points have been discussed thoroughly yesterday and today, which allows me to focus on something I think is very important and that is the visibility (instead of presence) of women and minorities** on YouTube and how it relates to how the navigate public spaces.
Wow, that sentence was fancy. So intelligent sounding. I almost sounded like a guy for a second.***
In Becoming YouTube, Ben said something that gave me pause. He said, and I’m paraphrasing, “Becoming YouTube is meant to reflect the demographics of YouTube, which is why he didn’t interview more girls.”
So ignoring that, while having female YouTubers on the series JUST to have female YouTuber is tokenism, having female YouTubers to talk about female YouTubers in this particular video would have just been a better way to obtain data on the issue you are addressing, it is also important to note:
Dude. You don’t have ANY minorities in your documentary.
There are no Asian-Pacific Islanders, no one of Middle Eastern Descent, no one from the African Diaspora, etc.
Were any of the vloggers interviewed bisexual, homosexual, transsexual, pansexual, etc.? I genuinely don’t know but if they were, I don’t think it was more than one or two of them (simply because I watch almost all of them and most of them have indicated they are heterosexual).
I’m also not sure of the religious make-up, but I’m going to guess that it isn’t that diversified. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s probably a healthy mix of ambivalent Christianity, Agnosticism and Atheism, yes?
If not, then kudos to you on the religious variety.
I also can’t comment on class status but I’m guessing middle class, upper middle class, just because, again, I’ve seen most of the vloggers you’ve interviewed and their equipment is of higher quality which necessitates a certain amount of money, but I don’t think any of the ones Ben chose are particularly rich.
I would like to be more certain of the less visible factors of social identity before I make an analysis but we’re just going to go off my guesses here.
So first, no one but middle class heterosexual males who may or may not be religiously affiliated are making videos on YouTube? Is that we’re saying? Because that’s what it sounds like we’re saying.
And if that is not the make-up of YouTube (which it isn’t) is it the make up of “famous” YouTubers? And if so why? I mean have white men once again been the only ones to crack the code on how to be awesome in this particular field?
It’s philosophy and science all over again guys. ****
I think there a few factors that feed into why not only women, but minorities in general, are excluded from the top ranks of YouTubedom but I will need every one to keep in mind that most of this is conjecture.
Let’s be real, YouTube can be somewhat cliquey. Many people commented that Ben only chose his friends and friends of friends to be in his documentary, but it is important to note that many of the UK (and indeed American) YouTubers who are more prominent in the YouTube industry are friends. This is due to a variety of reasons, the most important of which being that they are YouTubers and therefore have a very integral commonality. But it is worth it to note that these people are often featured in each other’s videos and/or interacted with each other on their various other social networks. I found Nerimon through Charlie. I found Carrie and Lex through Nerimon. I found Hazel through Lex.
You get my point.
What is also worthy to note is that people tend to hang out with people who are like them. This is not to say people are prejudice (This isn’t a EVERYONE IS A RACIST/SEXIST/HOMOPHOBIC rant) but I think humans do gravitate to those who are similar to us, not only in personality, but also in socio-economic background ( which is typically shared by those who share our own race/sexual orientation/religious affiliation/whatever). “Birds of a feather flock together” and all that.
So if prominence on YouTube is due, in small part, to WHO you know, and WHO you know is often people share some, if not most, of your qualities (both external and internal), then it is not surprising if that population is somewhat monolithic. This is not to say that these people deliberately don’t become friends with other people based on their race/gender/sexual orientation/religious affiliation/whatever but to say they are human and as humans (and specifically humans who live in the same general area) they grouped with people who are similar to them.
Furthermore, there are a lot of female YouTubers, but they are also are kind of cliquey (I found many girl Tubers through other girls). Same for Black YouTubers. Also Gay YouTubers. It’s a very cliquey place guys. Which is to say it’s like the rest of the world.
But if we stay in our cliques, and one particular clique is more visible than others, of course “famous” YouTubers will come from that clique.
2. A Whole Bunch of Flamers and Very Little Water
We’ve established that mostly females age 13-17 watch these more prominent male YouTubers, but I’m curious to know, who comments more? In particular, who criticizes more.
Though there has been considerable response to this by female YouTubers, many of the responses I’ve seen (and indeed many female YouTubers I watch) are in there twenties, or are at least 18. Most of these women have also attended college (or university). These factors, along with some others, make them more likely to be confident enough to comment, and more importantly to criticize, YouTube videos.
Whereas the demographic that seems to be watching YouTube the most are middle and high school females**** whose ability to voice their opinions, and furthermore voice criticism, is generally not as nurtured at this stage in their lives.
So when Emma made that statement that 80% of her subscribers are female, but most of her commenters, and especially the commenters who are overly critical of her, are males, I was not surprised.
Minorities are also often encouraged not to have a voice, not only in YouTube, but also in public spaces in general. Our generation is novel in that we are encouraging a much larger set of diverse voices to be heard , but it isn’t an over-night change. I’ve seen minorities who’ve made YouTube videos get attacked based on their race, religion, etc.
So when people in the documentary said that Harassment of women was focused on the insignificant (such as looks) I agreed, but I would take it a step farther:
The hate that all minorities receive is usually based on people who like society the way it currently is, and are angry with these people contradicting the way their minority group is supposed to act according to society. And whereas this hate can be almost never-ending and vicious, people of the same minority group may be hesitant to reprimand these people and/or combat the hate with enlightening/encouraging commentary of due to the fact that their voices have been traditionally silenced in the public sphere and they may not have encountered anything that has helped them overcome that societal stigma.
With little love and a lot of (particularly vicious) hate, harassment is a very real thing on YouTube.
There are many things we should be doing to address it, but perhaps one of the most important is helping to nurture those commenters who DON’T feel like they can speak up to be confident in their voices.
3. (Last one I swear) We need a better definition of YOU
The YouTube community is special because the Audience is often part of the creative process. Not only through video response, not only through comments, but through gifs, through vlogs, through shares, through interpretive dance:
My point is that YouTube is more than people making videos on an free website, it’s people responding to people making videos on a free website. And it is impossible to know the demographic make-up of the people responding because they respond on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, Pinterest, Google Plus, and even IRL from time to time. The YOU in YouTube isn’t only inclusive of famous content creators, or even content creators in general. And that demographic, I’m absolutely positive, is brimming with diversity.
In conclusion, (FINALLY), Becoming YouTube I think has brought up an important point about VISIBLE YouTube. Because our true problem is why is VISIBLE YouTube is so monolithic, not YouTube in general. I think it’s worth it to extend this discussion to all minorities, I think it’s important to talk about how their navigation of public spaces affects their visibility on YouTube, and I think it is very important to note that we do have diversity already, not only in the lower ranks of YouTube, but in the people who are responding to it.
Which is just even more reason to make visible YouTube diverse as well. Who knows? Maybe YouTube can set an example for the rest of the world.
*Girls referring to people who are both biologically female AND identify as a female in regards to gender in this particular case
**It’s weird for me to use minorities for females since technically they are a majority, but you guys know what I mean
*** I had to throw in sexism joke.
****Last one I swear.
*****Can we get some more information on this beyond gender? I’m interested in the percentage that are women of color for selfish personal reasons.
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