International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

By Susie Burdett

The United Nations has declared the 25^th November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and marks the beginning of the 16 days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign. Which seems as good a time to blog as any!

But the difficulty is what to blog about. I could talk about the abuse women suffer at the hands of those at home, by strangers, and even, in some places, by the authorities. I could discuss the use of such cruel punishments as flogging and the death penalty (or even just the death penalty itself). The choice is (sadly) almost endless, but I think I’m going to take inspiration from the root of the day, and see where it takes me…

The 25^th November isn’t just a random date chosen from the 365 available, but is the anniversary of the assassination of the Mirabal Sisters. Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa were three sisters (their fourth sister is still alive and curates a museum dedicated to them) heavily involved in the resistance against the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo, who ordered their assassination. On the 25^th November, after a visit to their husbands in prison, the three sisters, plus their driver, were dragged into a sugar cane grove then beaten and strangled to death. This marked the beginning of the end for Trujillo, who was assassinated a year later.

The Mirabal Sisters are just some of the many female political campaigners who dedicate their lives, sometimes at great danger to themselves, to promote democracy, equality or justice. Women all over the world, in many different ways, have, do and will continue to fight for what they see as right. From the Suffragettes of late 19^th/early 20^th Century Britain, to women participants in collective action in the South America, Asia and Africa, women have and do fight to promote democracy.

Political participation, however, continues to be problematic for the female sex. Women who wish to actively participate in politics continue to face challenges and obstacles, even when they have gained the right to vote and to stand in government. In Afghanistan, for instance, female candidates face intimidation and often violence during their campaigns. For one candidate, this intimidation ended in tragedy when five of her campaigners (all male) were killed.

Even in countries with a longer history of equal participation, such as the US, women candidates face obstacles in their campaign. This article shows how news media in the US treat male and female candidates differently. Female candidates not only receive less coverage, but their coverage concentrates more on their viability as candidates than their issue positions, and to further compound their chances, their viability coverage is more negative than their male counterparts (for instance, we are likely to be able to say more about the likelihood of Christine O’Donnell being a witch than on her political beliefs). With this kind of coverage, the general public, who are often dependent of the news media for their information on candidates, are more likely to form a negative opinion of female candidates than their male opponents.

But let us be more positive for a moment. Where there is success for female activists, and there are many successes, the benefit isn’t just to them, or just to women, but to the whole of their communities, country and to the wider world, who in today’s global communication era are touched by the efforts of others. This week we have also seen the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, whose decades long campaign to bring democracy to Burma, which has come at such a huge personal cost, has brought international attention to the plight of the Burmese people, and whose release will hopefully bring fresh hope to the people of Burma.

I realise that I have strayed from the theme of eliminating violence against women, but I firmly believe that without democratic privileges, women will not be free from violence, as they will not be able to hold to account the people who perpetrate that violence without the mechanisms which democracy gives them. Democracy is also an appropriate subject, as for many prominent female political campaigners (as well as make campaigners), violence and aggression are common tools employed to silence them.

I have always said that I will cast a vote at every opportunity given to me, because people have fought to give me that right and people continue to fight for that right, facing intimidation, aggression and violence. Voting is a privilege I am lucky to have, and with privilege comes responsibility.

Man Up

by Emily Oldrieve

Recently, whilst queueing in a popular coffee shop, I overheard a conversation between two female friends which included the phrase: ‘that girl needs to man up’. At the time I took little notice of this as my concentration was fully engaged in obtained a much needed caffeine hit; however, in retrospect, I feel this statement needs some consideration, especially in terms of gender equality. On examining the episode it struck me that, perhaps more bizarre than the glaring contradiction expressed, was the fact that I did not immediately identify the statement as a contradiction. It seems that loaded phrases such as these have become common colloquialisms, at least for certain sections of modern British society. The two main points I want to consider are how important it is, in the grand scheme of things, to take the time to worry about something as abstract as a throw-away comment made in casual conversation. Furthermore to then understand what exactly the connotations of the phrase ‘man up’ actually are.

To address my first point, I must admit that I did initially feel my topic might be fairly insignificant when I read through previous blogs on this website which contain heart-wrenching stories, and facts that paint a scary picture for gender equality across the globe. Obviously what I am talking about isn’t the difference between life and death; however I feel we must not forget the seemingly little things which can, sometimes, make us aware of inequalities embedded in our society. Although words in themselves cannot be compared to an immediate, physical threat it is the vast amount of social and historical implications behind a phrase that represents the danger. To clarify this, I came across a rather interesting radio program hosted by Stephen Fry for the BBC entitled He Said, She Said (available on BBC i-player). Although he is exploring a slightly different issue he does discuss how during the 1970-80s women campaigned against words such as ‘chairman‘ claiming it should be ‘chairperson’, and ‘humankind‘ instead of ‘mankind‘. A significant part of their campaign was aimed at an awareness that certain words are unfairly orientated, in this case towards men. The importance of changing words and phrases for these women lay in the fact that words are heavily loaded with social meaning that every member of that society understands albeit subconsciously. I am not suggesting that we should be saying ‘person up’ or exiling gender based phrases from our vocabulary, but i am emphasising the importance behind words and the role they have in maintaining or establishing gender inequalities, and that we should be aware of what we are saying if we are to use these phrases.

So, what exactly are we saying? The phrase ‘man up’ as I understand it means that one should either stop being overly sensitive, be brave or take responsibility. Does this therefore mean that only men can possess these qualities, and for women to become less sensitive or braver they must become more masculine? Can there not be a un-sensitive or a brave female personality? Similarly if this phrase is implying that a man is un-sensitive and hardened does this mean that all males must display these characteristics to be classed as a ‘man’? Furthermore is it suggesting men should be more obligated than women to live up to these characteristics? Any or none of these interpretations could be valid, but if these are the insinuations that lie behind a seemingly harmless comment it is an example of the dangerous and old fashioned stereotypes still being kept alive implicitly behind everything we say. Essentially this phrase relies upon, and supports, unhelpful generalisations about gender and detract from positive changes that are being attempted in our society in general. If nothing else this goes to highlight how issues of equality can affect every facet of our lives, and we should be aware of attacking inequality from every angle: even when we are gossiping in coffee shops!

The Way We Were

by Emma Holden

Today, in England, gender inequality is still obvious. We like to think that we live in an equal country; with the rights of women prioritised. But wherever we go, we still see forms of discrimination. A woman earns 66 pence for every £1 a man earns in the same job. How is this fair? The onus of childcare is still very much on women, although through the recent recession, we have seen an increase in fathers staying at home, taking the role of a ‘yummy daddy’ whist the wife goes out to work. This has also caused a problem, with many mothers regarding fathers in the playground as suspicious, because it is so different from the traditional norm. There is the misconception; because of media attention of paedophilia, that men looking after children is not ‘PC’. It’s the tradition that women should look after the children. We need to stop thinking one gender is superior to the other. But it’s not as simple as that. Much of Europe has come a long way in changing chauvinist delusion, but this has taken time. We cannot change cultures and traditions by just snapping our fingers. It takes time and knowledge.

We challenge the way Britain views women, but we challenge a situation that has improved dramatically over past generations. We fail to remember that our society is so developed. Maybe our expectations are too high. But everyone should demand and receive equal rights. Nowhere should it be practiced that men have rights over women. We English…We’re the lucky ones, aren’t we? Those conscientious of us worried about the inequalities within gender relations should look abroad to the unlucky ones, where to give birth to a baby girl is viewed as distasteful and is a hindrance. Many mothers choose to end the life of her daughter in sex selective abortions, particularly common in India, so the unborn baby girl would not have to suffer a life of coercion, physical abuse and confinement.

Instead of growing up with their parents telling them “they can be who they want to be”, young girls in many developing countries fight the continual battle of servitude and are subjected to physical and mental abuse from a very early age of 9 or 10.

It is accepted in Britain that woman should have the liberty to divorce an abusive husband, publicly flirt or choose her own husband. But why is it that in some cultures the opposite is the case? Women bear most of the responsibility for her family and produce half of the world’s food, yet are denied access to resources they need to satisfy this burden. Two thirds of the world’s illiterate and the vast majority of the world’s poor are women. In many developing countries, if the actions of a woman should dishonour her family she would be disciplined to honour her family’s reputation. This often means the execution of an innocent woman for standing out against chauvinist traditions. In Pakistan, three of these ‘honour killings’ take place a day, including victims of rape.

Tradition calls for women to eat last, and are often reduced to picking over the leftovers from the men and boys. The current world food price crisis has caused devastating problems with malnutrition of women and children. Women are often denying themselves their one meal a day to ensure their children are fed. As long as girls and women are treated as inferior and less valuable than boys, malnutrition will remain high and countries such as Bangladesh will suffer impaired economic growth as a result.

The core of poverty and chauvinism rises from the misuse of power within countries and communities. Women who have an education are more likely to survive a child’s birth, get married later and have a better job, as well as protect themselves from HIV/AIDS. All over the world girls are denied an education, and are destined to a life of serfdom. In some parts of India, it is traditional to greet a family with a newborn girl by saying, "The servant of your household has been born." We need to change this. With an education a woman can gain a higher status within her community. This status translates as power to influence families and friends. Women can only speak out against their livelihoods if they have the education and thus confidence to do so. In England in 1918, the Representation of the People’s Act was passed which marked the beginning of female suffrage in Britain. The educated suffragettes had a large part in this. With more education the future of the world will change, and it will change for the better. An educated woman is a confident woman. When we women come together we can work miracles. Let’s stop gender inequality. Let’s educate the masses.

Embrace your Inner Girl

by Stephanie Hubbard

I was doing a bit of casual Internet surfing the other day when I came across this blog post by Jaqueline Campbell about feminism and femininity. Her post 'My Right to be a Feminist' features on the MTV Staying Alive campaign website as part of their 'Right to be Me' season.

Jaqueline's post is inspiring as she strives to dispel the myths around feminism and expresses that to be a feminist is not a declaration of hatred for all things male nor is it a rejection of female sexuality. She defines her concept of feminism in her powerful parting statement:

'Feminism is my right to say that painting my nails red and studying physics are not mutually exclusive.'

Her post reminded me of a powerful speech given by Eve Ensler, writer of the Vagina Monologues and founder of V Day. Her speech for TED Talks discusses the presence of the 'girl cell' in all of us that we have been taught to suppress.

'I want you to imagine that this girl cell is compassion, and it's empathy, and it's passion itself, and it's vulnerability, and it's openness and it's intensity and it's association, and it's relationship, and it is intuitive.

And then let's think how compassion informs wisdom, and that vulnerability is our greatest strength, and that emotions have inherent logic, which lead to radical, appropriate, saving action. And then let's remember that we've been taught the exact opposite by the powers that be, that compassion clouds your thinking, that it gets in the way, that vulnerability is weakness, that emotions are not to be trusted, and you're not supposed to take things personally, which is one of my favorites.

I think the whole world has essentially been brought up not to be a girl.'

She goes on to share terrible stories of genital mutilation, rape and abuse endured by women the world over. She exposes how much the world degrades, marginalises, tortures and humiliates girls and how little value is placed in them.

'I've seen that we cut girls and we control them and we keep them illiterate, or we make them feel bad about being too smart. We silence them. We make them feel guilty for being smart. We get them to behave, to tone it down, not to be too intense. We sell them, we kill them as embryos. We enslave them. We rape them. We are so accustomed to robbing girls of the subject of being the subjects of their lives that we have now actually objectified them and turned them into commodities.'

Powerful words indeed. Eve also argues that men have a right to embrace their 'girl cell' and suggests that this culture of teaching our boys to suppress emotions of compassion, vulnerability and empathy is the root cause of some of society's biggest problems.

Eve's passionate speech calls us to recognise that to be a girl is not to be weak. Being a girl is to be a powerful, resilient and resourceful being. To be a girl is to be 'an emotional creature' and Eve's piece at the end of her speech is a powerful call to empowerment for everyone with an inner 'girl cell'.



Jaqueline is exercising her right to be a girl and so should we all.

Clothes

by Susie Burdett

My thoughts recently have been on clothes. And for once thats not just because I've been shopping in the sales (taupe silk/cotton shift dress if you must know), but because I have realised how central clothes are to me, without even realising. It is also appropriate due to recent issues concerning the attire that many Muslim women choose to wear.


France (among other countries) have now banned the wearing of the burqa and the niqab in public. They have cited a number of reasons for doing so, including that wearing such an obvious religious symbol is against French values of equality and secularism, and that the full face veil was a sign of discrimination against women.

Now, I'm in two minds over this issue. One part of me can't help feeling outraged to assume that;

a) women are being forced to wear the veil, when many choose to do so freely, and under no pressure except that of her own religious feeling, and that this assumption underlines the prejudice that assumes women are helpless and ignores that large amount of evidence that women are perfectly able to make up their own minds about an issue

b) that the banning of an article of clothing is not equally as discriminating as forcing someone against their will to wear something.

Yet, part of me can't help agreeing with others that the veil reflects an extreme reading of Islam and the Koran, and that it also reflects the unwillingness of certain sectors of the migrant population to assimilate into their new home (see this article for further discussion on this). Even within the Muslim community, opinion is divided (see for instance, this article about a French, Muslim politician and this blog for opinions in favour of the ban from within the Muslim community).

Personally, I have to agree with Valerie Hartwich on this one, that this is an over simplification of a far wider issue, and I would add that I am deeply suspicious of any law that attempts to dictate what women can and cannot wear. This quote from Hartwich pretty much sums it up:

Women’s liberation is a battle that has been fought for over a century, and will have to continue through sheer dedication, advocacy and dialogue. Equally, ensuring national security and cohesion is a tedious task, which requires enormous amounts of personnel, intelligence and dialogue. In neither cases will a law banning the burqa truly help. It might give the illusion of political action, and reassure some that ‘sacred Western values’ are being preserved. But in fact, it will go a long way towards entrenching positions further, rendering dialogue harder, and making tensions run higher. A law will not resolve the identity crisis many European countries are going through, nor will it help towards the integration of European citizens. The burqa is but a crystallisation, an expression of these tensions.

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Letters to Juliet

by Charlotte Page

This is not a love story.

I took the title for this blog post from the latest summer romance film ‘Letters to Juliet’. It’s a feel-good movie about a lost true love and a letter written to Shakespeare’s character Juliet. However, seeing trailers and posters for the film everywhere just reminds me of a Juliet I met recently. She was far away from the naive and lovestruck teenager of Shakespeare’s creation and even further from the glossy Hollywood film that’s gracing our cinema screens.

Juliet is 15 years old. She lives in Zambia and is in grade 8 at school. She is also a prostitute who supports herself by selling her body for £1.30 – less than the amount we would spend on a coffee. Having lost her parents at a young age to HIV/AIDS, and needing an income to provide for herself and her grandmother, she turned to the only way of making money that she could. Juliet’s story is not unusual. With so many young girls in poverty and a ready market for sex at a price, this happens a lot.

There is a culture among many of the men that buying sex is normal, something they are entitled to do and their wives have no say over. They will also pay up to ten times the normal price for unprotected sex, caring little about the possibility of spreading HIV/AIDS or leaving the girls pregnant. I saw the situation in Zambia for myself when we were taken out to a bar one weekday evening by a local woman who runs a project with commercial sex workers. At first glance everything seemed like a normal night out in the UK – loud music, men milling around a bar, women in groups chatting and drinking, drunk men dancing with girls. However, all of the women in the bar who were not part of our group were ‘working’ the bar and the men with them were negotiating prices then disappearing outside. This scene was being repeated in bars all over town and it was a real eye opener into the scale of the demand for bought sex. Meeting Juliet and the other girls was a complete shock to me, not because I didn’t know this happens, but because it put a real person’s face and story to the theoretical knowledge.

The project I visited is working with the women, bringing them together and helping them to gain skills to provide an alternative income. It seems a small start compared to the scale of the problem, but working with these women and girls to help them shape their own futures seems like the right place to start. I started by pointing out that this is not a love story and it isn’t if what you are expecting is letters, romance and a cheesy soundtrack. The whole reason I wear black on Thursdays is to remind me of stories like Juliet’s and that we are standing beside women who are victims of gender discrimination and violence and standing up for true equality.

I think that is a love story in itself and though at the moment there is no happy ending, at least we’re still telling the story so far and demanding a change in the plot.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Perry

R2P and Gender

by Susie Burdett

Ok, so that sounds like some sort of thesis title and I really will try not to waffle too much with this, but let me explain a few things before I get going. I am currently writing (or should I say failing to write) a dissertation on the independence of Kosovo, and this introduced me to the idea of R2P.

R2P stands for Right to Protect, and is a set of principles (primarily in international relations and politics) that sees sovereignty not as a right but as a responsibility. I will explain the main principles shortly. I have been reminded about R2P by an article by the journal Foreign Policy about women in Afghanistan (discussing this report) and how the planned withdrawal of US involvement will end what little progress has been made here since the invasion. This article made me extremely angry. Read it. You'll see why. Though I fear that it may make me unable to write a clear blog!

I will now admit to some cheating. The following three bullet points have been lifted from Wikipedia(apologies, I know that this isn't always the most reliable source, but what it says does fall in line with what I have read about it...).

R2P can be thought of as having 3 main components:

1. A State has a responsibility to protect its population from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing (mass atrocities).

2. If the State is unable to protect its population on its own, the international community has a responsibility to assist the state by building its capacity. This can mean building early-warning capabilities, mediating conflicts between political parties, strengthening the security sector, mobilizing standby forces, and many other actions.

3. If a State is manifestly failing to protect its citizens from mass atrocities and peaceful measures are not working, the international community has the responsibility to intervene at first diplomatically, then more coercively, and as a last resort, with military force.[1]

According to the The Wall Street Journal, the US, along with many other UN countries, has supported the doctrine known as the Right to Protect. If this is the case, their own actions tell another story.

Whilst I am no advocate for military intervention, and certainly not the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, I do believe that if our governments, in their so called wisdom, choose to invade another country in the name of international security and use the excuse that they are doing so to improve the lives of the affected population, and then go on to use images that promote this idea (such as George Bush's use of images of women and girls going to school to "prove" that they have made a positive impression on the said invaded countries), they should take the responsibility to promote the policies, the structures and the mechanisms by which these war torn countries can strengthen the progress made and develop it further!

And yet the article from Foreign Policy (as well as numerous other articles I'm not going to even bother listing) highlights how little progress has actually been made, how the US, UK and their allies have failed to ensure the safety and security of Afghanistan's women, and have thus failed the whole population. The US (and their allies, I am not going to lay all the blame on one countries shoulders) blindness to continuing gender discrimination, violence and the violations of human rights in Afghanistan (and other countries) just highlights how the rhetoric spoken, and the policies pursued so frequently don't match up.

Surely if the UN members pursue the implementation of the norm of R2P and make it law, the UN members should pursue strategies that actually reflect it? Surely the member countries are therefore obliged to pursue the issue of gender discrimination in order to successfully implement the norm?

Surely we have enough evidence to show that unless gender discrimination is addressed and remedied then no state will protect it's population, nor be able to protect the population of another? Gender discrimination is so much more than an issue that affects women - it affects everybody.

Women's rights in Latin America

by Grace Barker

As I prepare to embark on my 2 month trip to South America, I thought now would be a good time to explore women's rights in the continent...

Women in all regions of the world suffer subordination to men, in economic, political and social life and in the home. Latin America is no different. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development data shows that violence against women is also a serious problem in Latin America, as it is in most of the rest of the world. Approximately one in three women in Latin America and the Caribbean has been a victim of sexual, physical, or psychological violence at the hands of intimate partners, according to survey data collected by the Pan American Health Organization in 2006.

Since the 1990s, a majority of the countries in Latin America have taken some action to outlaw violence against women. However, conservative courts often choose not to rule for women, especially in cases of domestic violence. Though international treaties on women's right are recognized in Latin America and laws are on the books, courts in Argentina, Chile, Columbia, Mexico and Peru don't always uphold them.


One court in Chile ruled that a female soccer referee couldn't continue working because her job was too dangerous. Another tribunal in Mexico made it logistically impossible for a raped woman to obtain an abortion because it is illegal in most of Latin America. In Peru a woman was refused a grant for divorce on the grounds of
abandonment, even though her husband had left her 10 years earlier. Pregnant woman in Chile are still occasionally expelled from school
and college because the relevant legislation
contains no effective sanctions for violating women's rights.


The good news is, according to the OECD, Latin American women suffer less total gender discrimination — in ownership rights, civil liberties, family codes and physical integrity — than other regions of the world. This is because times are changing and people are starting to realize slowly that real action needs to be taken. Women's rights groups like ONG Epikeia, meaning justice with equality, have strongly fought against government sponsored sterilization programs, which aimed to reduce the birth rate in poor communities where in some cases, sterilization was done without the woman's consent. What they are doing is so important and will eventually make a difference.


We can do our bit by wearing black on Thursdays to remind us and those around us that there is still much in the world that has to change. Please don't forget Thursdays in Black!

Gender Summit in Johannesburg

by Jenny Sprong

This coming week (from Sunday to Wednesday) 21 -24 March 2010 a Gender Summit is being hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Diakonia Council of Churches' Thursdays in Black Campaign is featuring as a best practice model to raise awareness and prevent Violence Against Women.

Lara Conley - In Black

This album from Devon singer songwriter Lara Conley has a haunting strength, its acoustic and folksy feel gives some heavy issues an intimate touch. Visit myspace to hear tracks from the album.

"People are important. I think for people to realise that they are all equally important in the world, they need to be loved. If people are loved, they can learn to love others, and when that happens there is no room for inequality. It's not about swapping characters or roles, and it's not about fighting or getting angry to prove a point, it's just about being human and showing respect.

My music is inspired by the world around me, people, experiences, places, stories, thoughts and dreams. This collection of songs is focussed on issues of gender equality from my own perspective and are inspired by the belief that things can change. Happy listening!"
Lara x

This special album costs £6 (+1.60 p&p if ordered online), buy here or using the Buy Now button on the left hand toolbar!

Every Thursday people across the globe wear black as a personal and public protest against gender-based violence and inequality. It is a symbol of strength and remembrance, standing in solidarity with victims of violence and discrimination and demanding a fairer world for all. Proceeds from this album will go to Thursdays in Black, challenging gender inequality around the world. Thank you!

International Women's Day

by Grace Barker