Blog 12: Vigilante Men Attack Sexual Harassers in Egypt

Back in September I wrote about an article putting the sexual harassment epidemic into perspective for Egypt. Women are being attacked for more than just how they dress now. They are being attacked just for going to work or going to the grocery store because men in Egypt believe a woman shouldn't leave their own homes. It no longer matters how an Egyptian woman is dressed. She can be covered head to toe and is still blamed by the public and her own family for being attacked. "She shouldn't have been asking for it." Well recently a group of men in Egypt have made a group that target sexual harassers. Muhammed Taimoor started the "Be A Man" group on facebook about a year ago and is just now beginning to get the attention of media all over the world. When the "Be A Man" group sees a woman being a harassed, they grab the man, pin him down and spray paint the phrase "I am a harasser" in Arabic on some part of his body. The group was created to help women realize they are not to be blamed for being attacked. When this group holds a man down and tags him, it gives the woman he was attacking the confidence she needs in order to believe she should not held responsible. The man who started this group is trying to take the steps necessary to end the sexual harassment epidemic because the Egyptian police aren't intervening or trying to stop sexual harassers.

Although they are breaking the law and have been arrested several times, this is what this country needs. Egypt needs a group to help bring to light the fact that their sexual harassment epidemic is out of control and has been for a long time. These men are trying to be an example for the rest of the country. Because women in Egypt are considered second class citizens, no man is going to listen to a woman who says sexual harassment needs to end. Men need to step up and help end it. Muhammed took a great risk doing this and I think the media in other countries getting involved will be beneficial for not only his group but for Egyptian women. Being in America, it seems obvious that groping a woman on a public transportation system or in the street is wrong but they have had to just get used to it and take precautions against. Women are told not to leave their house, attackers aren't told not to grab women.

http://www.vice.com/en_ca/read/vigilantes-are-fighting-back-against-sexual-harassment-in-egypt

Blog 11: Rape Victim Pledge in the UK

   Rape victims everywhere, not just in the United Kingdom, have always had a hard time adjusting after their traumatic experience. The citizens of Kent have created a pledge to better help those who have been raped. On one end of the country help is available for almost anyone and groups have been formed to help them, but on the other end the lack of understanding is appalling and something needs to be done. There is no 24/7 service in Kent that aids rape victims. Not only do they need a 24/7 service, they need neighborhood watches and street police. Kent is constantly being criticized for low percentage of rape reporting and rape investigation. Women are often scared to report their rape because of the very likely possibility that they will lose the case because of either lack of physical abuse even though we are slowly coming to terms with the fact that rape does not always leave bruises or visible scars. Because of the lack of rights for rape victims, the residents of Kent have formed this pledge in order to make rape survivors feel safer about reporting their rape and receiving help for the mental trauma.
    Every major city should have something to this effect and the fact that Kent went so long without a pledge of this sort is hard to believe. When a large city has a low rape reporting percentage it's definitely not because rape is not occurring but rather the women and men who have been raped are too scared to report it. Men are usually overlooked when they report a rape. A small percentage of rape survivors are men and many don't believe men when they are the victims. We don't believe rape survivors a lot of the time and we suffer from Just World Bias/Hypothesis. Many people subconsciously believe rape victims deserve what they get because they have done bad things some other time in their lives. It's a very flawed hypothesis but it sadly applies to most rape situations. The fact that Kent is taking this step is showing some good for the people who live there. It allows them to feel safe and as though people are out there to help you if you suffer from such a situation. Maybe other larger cities around Kent will take this example and follow them in making the same pledge.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-20252450

Blog 10: Kenyan Women Are Taking Advantage of their New Rights

In 2010 Kenya adopted a new constitution that recognized women and altered certain laws of parliament and how parliament represents women. According to recent polls regarding representation of women in government, they are only at 9.8%. Because of the new constitution, women were expected to vote and to make a difference for the country. The head of the National Gender and Equality Commission was interviewed and asked questions regarding women and voting. Some believe that women is Kenya should not be allowed to vote and are wondering how they could benefit the Kenyan government. Since the change in the constitution two years ago, many are looking for proof of womens contributions to the government. Seeing that women have been discriminated against for years, it's hard for them to jump right into government and change everything in two years. That's asking too much. Many men are also wondering if women are ready to compete with their male counterparts in parliament.

Women in Kenya, and all throughout Africa, have long been repressed and discriminated against simply because of their gender. Their new ability to vote is astounding and is a huge step for women's rights in Africa. Telling them that they should have changed things and made progress for their gender in parliament in two years is ridiculous and is expecting too much. I think women are ready for this change despite the idea that women are unfit to make decisions for a country. People in Kenya just need to get used to the idea and become more open minded by realizing that women have opinions and thoughts that can be beneficial to a country. The next generation of politicians and citizens will appreciate the change eventually. It will be good for the country.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201211021223.html?viewall=1

Blog 9: Brazilian Woman Bids Her Own Virginity

Catarina Migiliorini has taken it upon herself to sell her virginity online in order to raise money for a charity that builds homes in Brazil, her home country. She is 20 years old and is a physical education student. A few weeks ago she put up an auction where she let men bid on her virginity. The auction came to a close on October 24, 2012 and the final bid was $780,000. She had a male counterpart that did the same thing and only received $3,000 for his virginity. Catarina claims this was just a business deal and still claims to be a romantic that is looking for love, she just took this chance to raise money for  charity. There has been some controversy over this the last couple days over where the money is coming from and what she has to do in order to get the money. Technically she is a prostitute if she goes through with it. Because of the legal issues, the act is going to take place on a plane that will be flying over Australia. The controversy has stemmed from the moral disagreement of prostitution. Many have said that prostitution is the world's oldest profession and places like Holland have legal brothels for women to be prostitutes in a safe environment. Many people disagree with prostitution simply because they believe it is degrading to women. However this women is agreeing to it and even sees it as a smart business move. Many people also believe that the charities won't take the money simply because of how she got it. It's al up for speculation and the charities are allowed to choose whether or not they want the money.

Personally I do not agree with prostitution simply because in most countries it is an unsafe method of income and many women are raped, assaulted, and even killed while doing their job. But if a women truly wants to be a harlot and is comfortable with that lifestyle then who are we to tell them how to make their money and support themselves. The issue with Catarina selling her virginity online is that is seems to make ones virginity less important than we hold it up to be. Especially in many religions that say you should save yourself for your wife/husband. But because she is donating over 90% of the bid to charities in Brazil, it is conflicting to say that it is unethical to donate the money. If a charity needed the money then it shouldn't matter if the money came from a women's decision to sell her virginity. But it also shouldn't matter whether or not she wants to offer sexual intercourse for money. She is not being forced to do so and she is doing it for a good cause. Women should be allowed to make their own decisions and be supported while doing so.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/catarina-migliorini-sells-virginity-780k_n_2010260.html#slide=1682793

Blog 8: Romney's View of Women

In the most recent presidential debate, Romney and Obama were asked questions about women and women's issues. Many were surprised at the sexist remarks made by Romney in regards to these questions. However Mitt has never been known for standing up for women's rights. In the 70's a group of mormon women began to publishing women's issues and concerns in the mormon church and Mitt was quoted saying they were a bunch of bored housewives stirring up trouble. In 1994 he was actually for planned parenthood, having donated money to them and saying he believed that it should be the states rights to choose whether or not to have planned parenthood around. Today he denies those remarks and says he's going to get rid of planned parenthood completely if he's elected. Since then he's been quoted saying women need to "know their place in politics" and that he doesn't believe women should have access to birth control or emergency contraceptives. But recently in the debate were some shocking statements by Romney not because of what he said, but because of what he lied about. He has previously said many times in past debates and speeches that he wants to get rid of planned parenthood and get rid of affordable birth control and family planning for women but recently said that he "supports women's health and birth control." He has flip flopped on so many issues, not just about women's health.

Personally I do not support Romney. Not only because I am a woman and the ability for me to get birth control and emergency contraceptives is obviously very important to me, but because I understand the need right now for a president that is tolerant of the different genders, ethnicities, orientations, etc. Romney has said many times before that he cannot relate to the majority of voters. Because he cannot sympathize with anyone that is not similar to him, he is not a good fit as president. This affects more people than some care to realize and this is a problem especially with election coming up. Mitt is out of touch and not caring in any sort of way. He even continues to deny that women are not paid equal to men and does not think it necessary for women to have the same medical rights as men.

http://womeninbusiness.about.com/od/womenspolitics/a/Where-Does-Mitt-Romney-Stand-On-Womens-Issues_2.htm

Blog 7: Transgendered Women in Malaysia

Many Southeast Asian countries are slowly but surely accepting LGBT rights in the last few years and are continuing to do so. Vietnam, The Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia are just some of the places that have not only begun to recognize same sex couples rights but have elected gay politicians. However Malaysia is being very stubborn in this respect. They reject anything that has to do with the LGBT program and the people involved in it. Authorities have even encouraged discrimination and hostility towards these groups. In the beginning of October, 4 trans women were rejected completely when they brought forth the first constitutional challenge in Malaysia because they were being treated unfairly by not only individuals, but their own government. They were being criminalized for choosing to dress like and act like women even though they were men. They were being treated like criminals and wanted protection under the law against the hostility being brought upon them. Since the Malaysian constitution is supposed to guarantee personal liberty, nondiscrimination, and freedom to express ones identity they believed they could win. The judge that rejected their claim saying that they were not born wanting to dress like women. They were born men and therefore should act like men. This is a very backwards statement considering the growing transgendered community not only in Malaysia but throughout Southeast Asia. Because of these transgendered women's decision to keep their appearance as women, they face jail time and will be forced to attend Islamic religion courses and will be pressured to reform and verbally state they will no longer be trans.

While I find this horrible that these trans women may be facing jail time simply for being who they are, I'm not surprised at the Malaysian's government and their response to these women. The Malaysian government is not known for being especially tolerant of the LGBT community. Because the Malaysian constitution clearly states that their people are not supposed to be discriminated against and that they have personal liberty, these women should have won their case but it is ultimately up to the judge and she believed that it was not natural for trans women to exist because "they were born men so they should act like it." Hopefully Malaysia will begin to follow the examples of the other countries around them and become more tolerant towards the LGBT community. Because while these 4 women are technically men, they want to identify as women and they should have the right to do so without fear of being hurt or tormented by their government.

http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/transgender-womens-constitutional-challenge-to-sharia-law-fails-in-malaysia/news/2012/10/16/51318

Blog 6: France Now Cover Abortions 100%

         Earlier this week France unveiled a number of reforms that will make it easier for women in France to receive an abortion. They have decided to have a 100% reimbursement from the state social security system to women who receive an abortion. This is a huge step forward for women's health in France. It used to be that women had to pay up to 450 euros for an abortion which can create a problem for anyone who can't afford it. If a woman can't afford an abortion then she certainly can't afford a pregnancy. The move follows along pro-choice organizations and was a promise made by President Francois Hollande during before he was elected back in June. Because of the new reforms, clinics will no longer be able to put their own price on an abortion which can prevent over charging for patients. However, because tax money is being used to pay for the abortions, France's debt will increase by almost 200 million euros a year. 
     
        The fact that France is able to make abortion not only legal, but can have abortion be available in every major healthcare center is great. Women will be able to have a safe, healthy abortion without having to go broke doing it. Back alley abortions can cost almost twice as much as an abortion at a clinic and they're unsafe and leave physical and emotional damage. This is showing much progress for France and it shows that they are much more open about women's health in their country and shows how much they truly respect a woman's personal choice. However, France is already in debt and this will only contribute to their debt as a nation. President Hollande believes this is a good idea for the country and on the one hand it is very good when you look at it from a humane perspective. When you look at it from a financial perspective then it's a bad idea. So it really depends on which you think is more important, a woman's choice or debt. 

http://www.france24.com/en/20121001-france-cover-100-percent-abortion-costs

Blog 5: Iran Bans Women From 77 College Majors

Iran stated last week that as of this week they will be putting restrictions on subjects that Iranian women are allowed to major in. Because of their fear of women becoming too independent, they are banning them from taking courses such as engineering, business, nuclear physics, and computer sciences. They are putting a ban on any major that could possibly make a woman more powerful or knowledgable than a man. The government has not claimed any particular reason for this ban but professional opinions claim they are trying to restrict their women from having too many educational opportunities. This is curious mostly because Iran was one of the first countries in the middle east that permitted women to study at their Universities. The dean of Irans University of technology even stated that they have no need for female students right now. Many believe that the cutbacks are due to a conservative backlash against  women because of their declining marriage and birth rates. Iran is trying to get their people to lean toward a more traditional way of life like they used to have. Having more children, more marriages, women staying home is what they are trying to accomplish. They have even put cutbacks on sex education in schools in hopes that more people will have children unintentionally. Iran believes that if they make it illegal for women to succeed that more men will begin to.

Im always astonished when I see stories like this. Iranian are considered more successful than men and the men in charge can't stand it. We can't have women being in charge, even if they have the proper degree. Which they are unable to get now because of these new laws. They are literally forcing their country to go backwards in progress because they don't want their women to be successful and they want them to stay at home and raise a bunch of children. It seems to me that men are angry that Iranian women aren't as subservient as they used to be. They're not getting married or having children for the sake of doing it anymore. Because they have so many educational options they are moving forward and are less dependent on the men in their lives. At least, they were before this ban was enforced.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2012/09/24/iran_bans_women_from_77_college_majors_can_leaders_really_stop_progress_.html

Blog 4: Afghani Women Imprisoned for "Moral Crimes"

     The Afghani government has been imprisoning girls and women for so called "moral crimes" however these moral crimes include running from domestic violence, arranged marriages, unsafe relationships, and sex outside of marriage. Women that have been interviewed have said that they felt as though they needed to get away from their marriage. They felt threatened daily and felt unsafe in their own households and because of this they were put in juvenile detention centers. What's more shocking about this story than anything is that the taliban was overthrown ten years ago and women should be treated better today but they are not. Almost nothing has changed for these women in their relationships. There have been significant improvements in women's education, employment, and political standing but these are hard to celebrate when women who go to the police in dire need of help are instead arrested for their "crime" of leaving their abusive husband or relatives. It is technically not illegal for women to flee from abusive relationships but the Afghani Supreme Court have made it clear that women who flee should be treated as criminals and they can punished with up to 15 years in prison. Some women in prison who were interviewed said that if they knew their choices were going to be prison or going home to their husbands, they would just commit suicide. It's surprising how little power these women have in their own relationships. Divorce would be an option if it wasn't so hard for a woman to divorce a man in Afghanistan. A man can simply declare himself divorced while a woman has to go through many obstacles to even be considered for a divorce. Afghanistan feels they have more important issues in their country right now but one of the first things they need to fix is gender inequality.
   
      Living in America, it is very hard to imagine being put in a situation like this. Yes there have been instances in America where women have been forced to stay in a relationship and they feel so threatened that they end up killing their husbands but these are few and far between. Especially because the divorce rate in America is so high, it's hard to imagine being imprisoned from fleeing a violent household. I understand that when a country is in the process of a revolution/recovering from a revolution it will take a while to get everything in order but I agree with the author of this article who said that inequality is one of the most important issues in any country and it needs to be dealt with in order to run any country smoothly. However there are almost no countries in the entire world that show true equality when it comes to gender, socioeconomic status, sexuality, race, ethnicity. The world is a backwards place where the white male is the most important person in the world. This needs to be fixed. No woman should have to choose between imprisonment and an abusive relationship.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/human-rights-watch/afghanistan-hundreds-of-w_b_1384984.html

Blog 3: The Bolivian Revolution and Women's Rights

A pole was taken in Venezuela concerning the issue of abortion and violence in relationships. More people said they were against an abortion within a relationship more so than they were opposed to violence in relationships. This is not only a result of the influence of religion since the revolution but also shows how little women have gained since the revolution began. Although women are involved in Venezuelan politics, progress being made for women's rights is surprisingly slow. Women are encouraged to do the same things as men and have the same jobs as men but gender roles still apply when it comes to cooking and cleaning and so on. However, nothing has been done to protect women's sexual rights. Women's bodies are still largely believed to be owned by either a man or the public when it comes to certain issues. This means that when a woman is pregnant her needs come secondary to the fetus inside of her. The church, the state, and the penal code are allowed to do whatever they want with a woman's body as long as she is pregnant. Because of this, abortion has become a huge issue in Venezuela. People tend to ignore the rights of a mother and focus on the fetus. In Venezuela, a woman is allowed to get an abortion only in the case that the pregnancy is a health risk to the mother. This law does not allow abortion if the woman is raped, if the fetus has birth defects, or even if the mother cannot afford to take care of the child herself. Because of financial instability the child is not growing up in a proper environment, is not receiving the health care it needs, and is not getting the proper education. Another growing problem in Venezuela is single mothers. Over 50% of all mothers in Venezuela are raising a child on their own due to abandonment by the father. Because of these restrictions on women's healthcare, more illegal abortions are being performed now than ever before in Venezuela. If a woman is caught getting an abortion she can serve up to two years in prison. This isn't even the worst punishment a woman can experience for her last resort. Social condemnation, secrecy, illegality, monetary costs and health issues are just a few of the things a woman can face for getting an illegal "back alley" abortion. Because of the risk doctors take given these abortions, they will charge up to 3 months salary for just one abortion and women will still pay it because they are so desperate. According to a study done by the University of Venezuela, 16% of maternal deaths are caused by complications due to botched abortions. Feminist leader Gioconda Mata is trying desperately to get abortion legalized to prevent deaths like this from happening.

The first thing that came to mind while reading this article was a quote by Samantha Bee; "So...My rights end where my uterus begins?" The revolution in Venezuela was supposed to allow the nation to become a more free nation with more rights. Clearly they have only come so far. Women are still being treated like objects and not being treated equal to a men, but this is evident in almost every country. If men were the ones that had to endure a rape and an unwanted pregnancy then I can assure you that they would have the right to an abortion, but this is not the case. A lot of people in Venezuela believe that this is not an issue but clearly it is when so many women are being affected by it. Many say that women should still be forced to go through with the pregnancy because they can always put it up for adoption. However they do not take into account the medical expenses that you are charged with for prenatal care and the birth itself. Just the cost of prenatal care and hospital visits can add up to $17,000 depending on if you have health insurance or not. If you weren't prepared to have a baby in the first place then how are you supposed afford actually being pregnant. The church has been a huge influence on sexual health. And while Venezuela has taken more action to educate young adults and teens about safe sex and abstinence, unplanned pregnancies are still going to happen. Abortion is not the main source of birth control for women as many seem to believe it is. Abortion is a last result and no one wants to endure that kind of physical and mental stress but unfortunately it's necessary in some cases and these women should have the ability if, god forbid, they need it. Venezuelan feminists are fighting for equal rights as human being. They are trying to get these laws for abortion passed so that mothers will not have to suffer because they don't have the ability to make a choice for themselves.

 http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/7249

Blog 2: Sexual Harassment Epidemic in Egypt

    A survey was taken this past week in Cairo concerning sexual harassment on women in Egypt. Women reported that they were being sexually harassed at least once a day and the number has been growing since the Egyptian revolution. In many cases of sexual harassment, they escalate very quickly to mob attacks on women going out and running errands or women just going to work. Many of the mob attacks are extreme cases but they are still reported frequently. When local news stations asked men about the growing problem, they blamed women for provoking men with the way they dress. However, most attacks are made on women wearing the traditional conservative headscarves and baggy trousers who have everything but their face and hands covered. Even women who wear the full-face niqab are being harassed on a daily basis. It's becoming a severe social issue and the government is not intervening to stop any of it. Women who have tried to report attacks to police are told to go home and forget about it. Because of the growing religious fundamentalism in Egypt, women have been targeted not only for having well paying jobs but even for just leaving their homes. Egyptian men now believe that women should stay home all day because men are the ones that should be working and bringing home money, not women. The men on the streets believe that women are bringing the sexual harassment on themselves for leaving their homes.

   While reading this, I was reminded of men even here in America trying to redefine sexual harassment and rape by the way women act like they are asking for it and the "stupidity" of women. Saying that a woman covered head to toe in traditional headress and niqab are asking for it is unbelievable. Men are taking the least amount of responsibility for their own actions and blaming it on the women. And not only is this an issue that deals with women's right's, it's a religious issue. Growing religious beliefs in Egypt are correlated with these attacks. Fundamentalism tries to put women in a negative light saying they provoke men because of their curves. Which translates to men can't help themselves because a woman has curves. And if a man can't help himself then that's his problem and a woman shouldn't be held responsible for his inability to keep it in his pants. Because these women are trying to make something for themselves with better jobs and higher education they are being shut down by men who aren't as successful as them. Police are even refusing to document their attacks. In today's society, a woman should be able to safely walk the streets of their town without worrying about being raped by men on the street. This is a global issue that we see everyday in many different cultures and societies around the world.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19511471
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-19440656

Blog 1: Viewers Reactions to Woman on TBS

Last Sunday was a great, if small, accomplishment for women in the sports world. Michele Smith became the first woman analyst for a baseball broadcast. She was chosen for her accomplishments in the sports world seeing as how shes won multiple gold medals in the olympic games and has three world titles. Overall she is a very successful athlete and a wonderful role model for female athletes around the world. She made history on Sunday and although there were numerous positive responses such as all the tweets that were being posted saying what a good job she was. William Tasker was even quoted saying that she was mature and insightful and that the only complaint he had was the fact that the broadcast team kept trying to bring up her softball benefits. However, there were an unexpected amount of negative feedback for her being on the show. There were tweets being made about her saying things like "I am sorry TBS, I just can't listen to a woman commentate a baseball game...even if she is a former softball player. Ditch the chick", "I hope this is the last time #TBS puts a woman on TV. I bet your ratings are suffering.", "This softball talk on #TBS is a joke. I am no chauvinist but get this woman to stop talking during the #Braves game. Is this a sick joke?"

Saying you're not a chauvinist does not make up for the fact that you just made a chauvinistic remark about a person because she is a woman. The fact that men everywhere were turning off their televisions simply because a woman was a commentator shows just how backwards our society still remains. Why are these men assuming she has no place on a sports show because she is a women? She's a gold medal winner and still can't gain enough respect from TBS viewers to have her input on a baseball game. What does that say about todays society and the role women have even today? We've known for a while now that women are still looked at as a second-class citizen by men everywhere, not just in America. Jokes are always brought up especially when a woman accomplishes a great task. You always hear the same tired jokes being made of the women in the spotlight and how she needs to stay in the kitchen or any generic menstrual cycle joke. I'm not big on sports, I never have been. However, I realize how much of a breakthrough this is for women. We are not typically taken seriously when it comes to sports. We've all heard the jokes made about women's basketball and volleyball. Many jokes about the movie A League of Their Own were made because of Michele Smith.

But there is always a silver lining. During the Dodgers-Braves game broadcast, there were many positive tweets made about Michele Smith. "Enjoying hearing Michele Smith do commentary on the#Braves #Dodgers game on TBS. Extremely knowledgable. #womeninsports" Little things like this give hope for true equality in gender and equality in general.


http://espn.go.com/espnw/blog/post/1260/another-first-great-year-women

http://deadspin.com/5936316/michele-smith-became-the-first-female-analyst-for-a-national-baseball-broadcast-yesterday-heres-how-viewers-reacted