Tag Archives: Women

Gender

Uganda News | Women

February 5, 2016 Prince Grace Leave a comment

Ugandan women’s rights groups set up anti-violence center ahead of elections

Uganda’s Women’s Situation Room (WSR) has been established as a national monitoring and control center focused on protecting women against physical and psychological violence in tension-laden elections.
With elections scheduled for February 18, the center will run from February 15 to 20 and is the latest in a line of WSRs mobilized in African countries since 2011.
A central call center and in-field monitors and reporters (some 450 trained women and youth observers) form the main infrastructure of the system, which provides real-time support through coordination with law enforcement officials.

(Image Credit: Joseph Mathenge/UN Africa Renewal)

Class + Socioeconomics, Gender, Race + Color + Ethnicity

Cuba Feature | Afro-Cubans & Women

February 3, 2016 Prince Grace Leave a comment

Those Whom Revolution Left Behind

As Cuba’s economy continues to experience a significant boost from normalized relations with the U.S., many black Cubans and women have yet to see the benefits. Structural inequality and ongoing discrimination have shuttled the disadvantaged into an underclass of limited opportunity despite persistent and high-profile government attempts to eradicate the problem. While a significant number of white Cubans were able to flee abroad to the U.S. and send remittances back to their families, many Afro-Cubans were tied to what opportunity they could get in low-paying government jobs. Women have found themselves disproportionately shouldering domestic tasks, disappearing jobs, and lack of social capital relative to men. Boston Review, The Root, and the Thomson Reuters Foundation examine how political, social, and economic developments have re-marginalized Cuba’s black minority and women over the last two decades.

“Prejudice never disappeared. It was simply concealed under the table. And silence allowed all the problems to grow, under the table.”

Read more:
“Cuba After the Thaw” (Boston Review)
“One-on-One With Afro-Cubans: What It Means to Be Black in Cuba” (The Root)
“In Cuba, racial inequality deepens with tourism boom” (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

(Image Credit: Alexandre Meneghini/Reuters)

Gender

Taiwan News | Women

January 16, 2016 Prince Grace Leave a comment

Taiwan elects first female president in significant victory

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Tsai Ing-wen became the nation’s first woman elected to the executive office after securing just over 56% of the vote.
The DPP unseated the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the 8-year incumbent party, as questions about the country’s relationship to China, which doesn’t recognize its sovereignty, grow.
Analysts view Tsai’s election as an attempt by voters to turn around the country’s struggling economy and reexamine the last administration’s pro-China policies, concerning China’s political leaders.

“The results today tell me that the people want to see a government more willing to listen to the people, a government that is more transparent and accountable, and a government that is more capable of leading us past our current challenges and taking care of those in need.”

Read more:
“Madam President” (The Taipei Times)
“Taiwan Opposition Wins Presidency, Parliament in Rout of Ruling KMT” (Radio Free Asia)
“Taiwan elects first female president” (The Guardian)

(Image Credit: CNA, via The Taipei Times)

Gender, Health + Ability

Turkey News | People with Disabilities

January 4, 2016 Prince Grace Leave a comment

MHP members call for investigation into conditions facing people with disabilities in Turkey

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) deputies called on the Turkish parliament to confront the problems facing Turkey’s 8.4 million–strong disability community, including illiteracy (36.34% of the community) and unemployment (77%), according to a 2002 survey.
As state positions set aside for people with disabilities have gone unassigned, accommodations gone unfulfilled, and high financial burdens continued mounting, advocates have criticized the government’s slow response, fueling the MHP’s motion.
Women with disabilities face particularly difficult circumstances including public harassment and domestic violence, but have seen their concerns take a backseat in disability advocacy organizations largely run by men.

Read more:
“MHP calls on Parliament to investigate problems of the disabled” (Today’s Zaman)
“Women with disabilities facing double challenges” (Andalou Agency)

(Image Credit: Sunday’s Zaman)

Gender

South Korea News | Women

December 30, 2015 Prince Grace

Protesters demonstrate against Japan’s accord with South Korea over Korean “comfort women”

Hundreds protested in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul following the release of the terms of the agreement between the two countries over the long-divisive issue of the Korean women forced to work in Japanese military brothels in WWII.
The terms included a 1 billion yen ($8.3 million) fund for survivors and the reiteration of an official national apology.
Protesters argued that none of the 46 public survivors had not been consulted when the terms were set and that the agreement still allowed Japan to evade responsibility in educational and diplomatic channels.

(Image Credit: K. Hong-Ji/Reuters, via Deutsche Welle)

Gender, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

Canada News | Women & Minorities

November 7, 2015 Prince Grace

PM Trudeau forms most diverse government in Canadian history

Fulfilling a campaign promise, Trudeau has created a gender-equal 30-member cabinet “because it’s 2015,” as he bluntly stated at a press conference unveiling his new government.
The cabinet also includes the country’s first Muslim minister, two indigenous ministers, three Sikhs, and two ministers with disabilities.
Trudeau’s cabinet is also relatively youthful, with most ministers under the age of 50, reflecting Trudeau’s commitment to generational change.

Read more:
“A Canadian Cabinet for 2015” (The Atlantic)
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveils diverse cabinet in touching ceremony” (The Star)
“Trudeau gives Canada first cabinet with equal number of men and women” (The Guardian)

(Image Credit: Chris Wattle/Reuters, via the Atlantic)

Gender

Nepal News | Women

October 31, 2015 Prince Grace

Nepal elects first woman president following establishment of new constitution

Bidhya Devi Bhandari, a member of the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), was elected Nepal’s second president by the Nepalese parliament.
Though the presidency is largely a ceremonial role, Bhandari has had a long political career that began after the death of her husband, a Nepali politician, in 1993.
Although she worked to secure a one-third quota for women in Nepal’ parliament, Bhandari has been at the center of controversy surrounding the inclusion of women’s rights in Nepal’s new constitution, having made comments construed as supporting gender inequality in the country.

Read more:
“Bhandari is Nepal’s 1st female President” (The Kathmandu Post)
“This Woman Is Now Nepal’s First Female President” (BuzzFeed News)
“A Himalayan first” (The Indian Express)

(Image Credit: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters, via BuzzFeed News)

Gender, Nationality + Migration

Central America & U.S. News | Central American Women

October 31, 2015 Prince Grace

UN: Ongoing gender-based violence in Central America threatening to create another refugee crisis

The UN has warned in a recent report that as femicide and sexual and domestic violence showing no signs of abating in parts of Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the region (and the U.S.) needs to prepare another refugee surge.
Gang violence has exploited women in the region as governments have failed to address the region’s drug cartel problem, while escaping women become vulnerable to trafficking.
Advocates for women refugees have argued that the Mexico’s crackdown on migrants–with U.S. backing–has heightened insecurity for women escaping violence.

(Image Credit: Amy Stillman/IRIN, via the UN News Agency)

Gender, Race + Color + Ethnicity

UK News | Racial Minorities & Women

October 31, 2015 Prince Grace

British PM announces name-blind admissions and hiring measures, new gender pay equity policies

PM David Cameron announced that the UK’s University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) will switch to name-blind applicant evaluation in 2017 to reduce racial bias in college admissions.
Numerous studies have indicated that culturally inflected differences in names significantly impact job applicants’ likelihood of being hired, with those with names traditionally from black and other ethnic minority communities receiving fewer interviews.
Cameron also outlined new policies to address the gender pay gap, including forcing private companies to publish bonuses, requiring large public sector organizations to publish pay data, and pushing for the elimination of all-male FTSE-350 boards.

(Image Credit: David Cheskin/PA, via the Guardian)

Gender, Nationality + Migration

UAE Feature | Migrant Women

October 26, 2015 Prince Grace

Trapped in Silence

Women in the UAE–particularly the country’s large population of Asian and African migrant women–have long faced a brutal catch-22 under the Gulf nation’s Sharia-driven legal system after being raped. When attempts at legal justice can lead to their own prosecution for extramarital sex, women find themselves coerced into silence and, for migrant workers, at the mercy of employers who control their movement in the country and ability to leave. BBC and the Guardian highlight the stories of rape victims and the structural disadvantages they face, from illegal abortions to imprisonment with illegitimate children.

(Image Credit: BBC)

Age, Gender, Ideology + Affiliation

Uzbekistan News | Women Activists & Citizens

October 22, 2015 Prince Grace

Activists claim abuse by Uzbek government while documenting forced labor in cotton harvesting

Human rights activists affiliated with the Human Rights Alliance of Uzbekistan claimed they were detained and beaten by police after attempting to document forced labor conditions during the country’s cotton harvest.
Two women arrested in late September reported being strip-searched and having a gynecological examination conducted in front of male officers.
Uzbekistan, the fifth-largest cotton producer in the world, has long been under fire for the mass mobilization of its citizens into unpaid labor in the fields to ensure the millions of tons of the country’s major cash crop can be harvested and exported.

(Image Credit: Mikhail Metzel/AP, via The Guardian)

Gender, Race + Color + Ethnicity, Religion + Belief

Canada News | Women & Minorities

October 20, 2015 Prince Grace 1 Comment

Canadian elections bring significant victories for women, First Nations, and other minorities

A wave of victories swept a record 10 new indigenous MPs (eight Liberal and two NDP) into the House of Commons as preliminary reports indicate higher than normal turnout rates among indigenous Canadian communities.
Women won 88 seats, increasing their representation to 26%, while new PM Justin Trudeau has promised to have equal gender representation in his Cabinet.
Six Muslims won seats during an election cycle that saw religious freedom issues contentiously debated, and visible minority representation increased to 13.6% from 9.7% in 2011.

Read more:
“Record 10 indigenous MPs elected to the House of Commons” (CBC News)
“On-reserve voters endure lines and ballot issues for historic election” (The Globe and Mail)
“Women and visible minorities make election gains” (Yahoo! News)

(Image Credit: CBC)

Gender, Sexual + Gender Minorities

Argentina News | Transgender Women

October 15, 2015 Prince Grace

Argentinian president calls for investigation after murder of trans activist

Trans rights activist Diana Sacayán was found dead in her apartment, the victim of a fatal stabbing that police believe may have been perpetrated by an acquaintance of Sacayán.
Sacayán had led both the International Association of Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals (ILGA) and the Anti-Discrimination Liberation Movement (MAL) in Argentina, and had been personally issued her new national identity card with her correct gender identity by President Cristina Kirchner.
With Sacayán’s death the third for transwomen in a month, President Kirchner called for local police and national security forces to investigate as a part of a broader push to tackle the high rates of gender-based violence in the country.

Read more:
“Matan en Flores a una dirigente trans de una puñalada” (La Nación, in Spanish)
“Hallan muerta a la activista trans Diana Sacayán en Argentina” (teleSUR, in Spanish)
“Argentine President Demands Inquiry into Trans Activist’s Death” (teleSUR English)

(Image Credit: La Izquierda Diario, via teleSUR)

Gender

Afghanistan News | Women

October 10, 2015 Prince Grace

Taliban destroys popular women’s broadcasting station during Kunduz battle

Roshani, a women-run radio and television station in Kunduz, was burned to the ground by Taliban fighters as they took the city of Kunduz from Afghan and U.S. forces.
Roshani had begun its television broadcasting only two months earlier, offering women-focused sports, entertainment, and cultural programming.
In addition to broadcasting, Roshani station director Sediqa Sherzai had been in the final stages of preparing to launch a production training program for women focused on video recording and editing.

“The Taliban erased many years of our efforts to build women’s media in Kunduz. … When things get back to normal in the city, we have to start all over again from zero.”

Read more:
“Taliban Flips The Switch On Women’s Radio, TV In Kunduz” (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
“Taliban target media during Kunduz takeover” (Reporters Without Borders)

(Image Credit: via Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Gender, Nationality + Migration

Tanzania News | Burundian Refugee Women

October 8, 2015 Prince Grace

Burundian refugee women in Tanzania face reduced access to reproductive healthcare as relocation looms

In Nyarugusu, the third-largest refugee camp in the world, an estimated 20,000 of the 100,000 residents are in need of reproductive care.
Overcrowding at the camp has led to plans for relocating a portion of the refugees to new camps, and with no health clinics currently built there, as many as 10,000 could face disruptions in healthcare.
More than 200,000 have fled Burundi in the wake of political unrest, with half of the refugees currently residing in Tanzania.

(Image Credit: Daniel Hayduk/AFP/Getty Images, via BuzzFeed News)