feminist blogs

More and more women and girls are getting raped in Cambodia, but if they don't have the cash to pay off law enforcement, they can forget about an investigation into their assault. Basically, if you're poor, it's okay to rape you, and you don't deserve justice.

A new Amnesty International report issued for International Women's Day, Breaking the Silence: Sexual Violence in Cambodia, details the way the Cambodian criminal justice system heaps insult upon injury for rape survivors. Police won't investigate without bribes, and treat survivor's stories with disbelief and ignorance, and legal aid is hard to come by for low-income women. Sex workers are also found to be particularly vulnerable to both rape and an inability to garner aid through the criminal justice system. Corruption + victim-blaming = major FAIL.

Meanwhile, survivors often lives in fear of their attackers, who remain free to walk the streets -- and to assault again. And then the medical system adds injury to injury, since many rape victims cannot afford the health bills for treatment.

The prevalence of rape is on the rise in Cambodia, no doubt aided by this weak enforcement; how much of an increase is impossible to tell, since many victims don't file reports, knowing the obstacles they face to any positive resolutions, and the police keep inadequate records of the cases that do come to them. However, inroads against human trafficking and domestic violence in Cambodia prove that something can be done to change this situation, if the government prioritizes it -- but not without breaking the silence, as Amnesty says.

Photo credit: Samjhana Moon

If the United States is spending more money on health care than any other country on Earth, where exactly is that cash going to? Certainly not to combating maternal mortality, given that women in America are more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than expectant mothers in some 40 other countries.

Being pregnant here is five times more dangerous than in Greece, four times riskier than in Germany, and three times more likely to kill you than in Spain. As Amnesty International finds in its well-named recent report, Deadly Delivery, much of this is due to disparities in access to maternal health care services, including family planning.

To fight these high rate of death and "near-misses," Amnesty International suggests making certain that access to good quality health care services are available to all without discrimination based on "gender, race, ethnicity, age, indigenous status, immigration status or ability to pay." Alicia Ely Yamin writes on our Human Rights blog, "Amnesty’s report rightly asserts that this is not just a public health scandal; it reflects widespread violations of women’s human rights, including the right to life, the right to freedom from discrimination, and the right to the highest attainable standard of health."

Amnesty International also recommends an Office of Civil Rights investigation into potentially discriminatory polices and practices, the establishment of maternal mortality review committees in states that currently lack one, the collection of better data on maternal deaths and complications, and the creation of an Office on Maternal Health by the federal government.

And, you know, we could actually get health reform passed. That would help a lot, too.

Photo credit: christysherrer

Reese Witherspoon, cool jewelry, and fighting domestic violence: what's not to love?

Today marks the end week of events surrounding International Women's Day (IWD), sponsored by Vital Voices and the Avon Foundation as part of their Global Fund to End Violence Against Women. As a huge Legally Blond fan (no, I won't tell you how often I've seen that movie), I already loved Witherspoon-the-actress. But it's even more awesome when that actress is Avon's Global Ambassador, traveling the world to fight on behalf of the one-in-three women who are targets of violence at one point in their lives. (And provides me with a great excuse to watch Elle Woods take Harvard by storm again this weekend.)

At an Avon domestic violence panel this week, experts discussed the steps we need to take to stop the abuse. Cindy Dyer, former Director of the United States Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, spoke about the need to aggressively prosecute those who hit their parents because that low-level violence can quickly escalate and even result in death. Dyer says, "You are a good prosecutor if you can prosecute a murder case, but you are a great prosecutor if you can prevent one from happening in the first place." You can watch videos from the panel, which also included Lynn Rosenthal, Obama's domestic violence czar, on Avon's IWD Facebook tab.

Witherspoon says, "There is nothing more important for all of us than ensuring the safety of women and girls everywhere. The problem is so pervasive, it's critical that we find ways to work together, as a global community, to combat it." Very true. The actress/ambassador sports an Empowerment Ring, available from Avon. 100% of net profits will go to supporting domestic violence shelters, and your ring (or T-shirt) comes with a Domestic Violence Resource Guide -- so you're not just supporting survivors with your money, you're also learning more about the epidemic of abuse and what you can do.

Photo credit: Avon Foundation

At a high school in Rome, just a few miles from the Vatican, two euros will now buy you a three-pack of condoms from a vending machine.

The Pope is ticked off: a papal spokesperson says that the condom machines "trivialize sexuality." Of course, contraception is a big no-no in the Pope's book (thankfully, many Catholics ignore this and protect themselves), but what with recent revelations of the Vatican's "big gay prostitution ring," it seems like maybe he has bigger issues to attend to in regards to trivializing sexuality -- you know, outright buying and selling of sex, perhaps through non-consensual human trafficking, while continuing to treat queer sexuality as an abomination. Sorry, wait, that doesn't trivialize sexuality. It disrespects and degrades human sexuality. Plus, it's a crime.

Meanwhile, why would condom machines be a divine idea for Rome's schools? Currently, 60% of teenage girls in Italy aren't using any form of protection when having sex -- 40% just do it and keep their fingers crossed, while another 20% rely on withdrawal to keep them from getting pregnant. Yeah, so not only am I skeptical of the ability of teenage boys to pull out in time, but what many people fail to realize is that pre-ejaculate fluid can hold those pesky, pregnancy inducing sperm as well. And, of course, neither crossing your fingers nor pulling out does a whit of good toward preventing the spread of STDs. The school's headmaster says that the decision to install condom machines is part of a broader sex ed curriculum, aimed at preventing rising rates of HIV related to Italy's condom taboo.

With the HIV/AIDS epidemic running rampant, when Pope Benedict was elected five years ago, there was talk of revising the Vatican's stance on contraception. No such luck. So it's a good thing that school administrators in the Pope's backyard aren't waiting for him to get it together before they start working to protect and educate teens. It's not a matter of trivializing sexuality: it's a matter of teenagers' health.

Photo credit: AchimH

As part of an ongoing week of action around International Women's Day, Vital Voices and the Avon Foundation hosted an evening to recognize some of the men who have spoken up -- and more -- to put a stop to violence against women.

Among those honored at Tuesday's "Men's Voices to End Violence Against Women" was Dr. Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist in the Congo who has treated over 20,000 women who have been victims of rape and sexual torture as part of an ongoing conflict that uses the rape of tens of thousands of women as a tool of war. Mukwege runs a hospital in the Congo where he performs surgeries to heal the fistulas caused by gang rape and brutalization, and has frequently been mentioned as a potential candidate for the Nobel Peace prize due to his hard work on behalf of Congolese women.

The event also honored an American man who has been instrumental in the fight to stop violence against women, appointed by President Obama to coordinate the U.S. governments efforts to fight modern-day slavery, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca. Women's vulnerable position makes them easy targets for human trafficking, both sex trafficking and forced labor, and CdeBaca is at the forefront of the battle to make slavery truly a thing of the past. In his career as a prosecutor, CdeBaca's efforts led to freedom hundreds of trafficking victims, and put dozens of abusive pimps and employers behind bars, where they belong.

Men like Mukwage and CdeBaca, and organizations like Men Can Stop Rape and Men Stopping Violence, are instrumental allies in the campaign to end violence against women. When men stand up for women, become gender-conscious, reject violent masculine constructs, and, yes, even identify as feminists, we come closer to achieving a better, more gender-just world.

Speaking of men's voices to end violence against women: if you're a guy interested in joining our current group of female writers and blogging on Women's Rights, email us at womensrightswriters@change.org. We'll be listening for your voice.

Photo credit: Radio Okapi

The Church of Scientology has gotten the evil eye from women before when Tom Cruise brought attention to the religion's teaching that postpartum depression doesn't require medical treatment. But now the anti-woman allegations against the Church have amped up, and while many believe that Scientology is a joke, forced abortion is no laughing matter.

Amanda Kloer reports on the Human Trafficking blog that there have been numerous accusations against the Church of Scientology for human trafficking and other abuses, including beatings and slave and child labor, and now we can add forced abortion to the list. A New York Times expose looks at multiplying charges of abuse by former members against the "Sea Organization," or Sea Org, a group of elite Scientologists who run the Church. And as more charges ranging from coerced abortion to sexual assault to imprisonment to physical abuse come out, more defectors are embolden to share their own stories.

Australian Senator Nick Xenophan has been leading the charge against the Church of Scientology his country. Last year, Xenophan received a letter from former Church members recounting instances of forced or coerced abortion or sexual assault. He quotes a former Scientology, Aaron Saxton, who confessed to intimidating and bullying pregnant women into obtaining abortions, and threatening them with demotion and hard labor if they refused. One woman is reported to have taken the dangerous step of self-inducing an abortion by using a coat hanger, she was so afraid of the Church's retribution.

This is not only a violation of reproductive rights; it also puts women's lives and health in danger, if they are forced to resort to desperate measures at the Church's bidding.

Photo credit: CradleApex

On the recurrent theme of "what the hell is wrong with college campuses," how can University of Massachusetts at Amherst think think that it's acceptable to let a confessed rapist keep attending classes and living on campus?

Honestly, it's bad enough that we have to deal with colleges dragging their heels on investigating rape allegations, the difficulty of proving an assault happened, and ongoing denials that rape is really "rape." But when you have a student who confesses to, and is found guilty of, raping a "friend" on campus, I would expect that the college would take steps to protect the student in its care and expel the perpetrator immediately. Instead, this rapist is receiving a "deferred suspension," which will allow him to graduate on time, and not even suffer the inconvenience of having to move off campus.

The UMass Code of Student Conduct states that a student can receive a deferred sentence, which "provides a student with one final opportunity before he/she is suspended.” One final opportunity to what? Rape somebody else? Rape should be a one-strike-and-you're-out kind of deal: get caught, and get expelled. If his victim isn't pressing criminal charges, then the rapist should consider himself lucky that all he's getting is expelled, and not thrown in jail, since being kicked out of school is nowhere near equivalent to the trauma and abuse he inflicted on someone else. Instead, the college is sending the message that, eh, rape isn't really that bad of an offense -- you can totally sexually assault your peers and get off scot-free, even if you're caught.

UMass students are, justifiably, angry and afraid that a confirmed rapist is still living in their midst anonymously. It's particularly irresponsible because the vast majority of perpetrators didn't just make a one-time mistake, they are repeat offenders; ninety percent of campus rapes are committed by repeat offenders. And since the nature of the crime makes it hard to prove that an assault has occurred, college administrations must act quickly to protect the student body when a single incident of rape is proven, since there could be many more by the same perpetrator undetected -- although one rape is plenty of cause for expulsion.

Unfortunately, it's not unusual for a school to merely suspend a rapist or essentially do nothing, as in this case, while the victim often finds herself forced to rearrange her life and transfer schools. Very few rapes are even reported, and such weak penalties for those found guilty certainly doesn't encourage student survivors to go through the ordeal of reporting an assault and seeking justice that is nowhere to be seen.

What the hell is wrong with college campuses?

Photo credit: rpscott123

Isn't it ironic, don't you think? Washington, D.C. is set to become the first city in the United States to distribute free female condoms to combat it's rampant HIV/AIDS epidemic; while many cities, including D.C., already have programs to give away male condoms, this new campaign comes in recognition that we need to empower women to protect themselves. Yet distributing condoms to promote safe sex is at odds with the practice of practically criminalizing carrying three or more condoms by using this as evidence of prostitution.

The Metropolitan Police Department stubbornly defends this practice, and despite thousands of emails from concerned Change.org members (you can add your voice to the call here), Mayor Adrian Fenty refuses to make a statement instructing law enforcement not to use condoms as evidence of sex work for either arrest or prosecution. And while this anti-condoms rule has generally been understood to mean male condoms since these are far more popular, there's no reason to believe that you'd be any better off with the female version.

A spokeswomen for the MPD allayed the public's fears over getting arrested for prostitution by saying that rubbers alone wouldn't be sufficient evidence to suspect prostitution -- but hanging around with someone late at night, with no clear destination, and carrying condoms, would be. Given these minor constraints, someone engaging in sex work has a big reason not to practice safe sex, since having protection in their purse is the hard evidence that can be used against them. Add to this historical and continuing problems of sex workers being subject to harassment by police, including pressure to trade sex for a lighter sentence and even rape, and it's no wonder practicing safe sex seems to sex workers like a decidedly unsafe practice.

D.C.'s not alone in this practice -- New York City and San Francisco also use condoms as evidence, and condoms are regularly confiscated for suspected sex workers. "It's a common enough practice that everybody knows about it," says Cyndee Clay, executive director of Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive (HIPS), in a recent Ms. Magazine article. In a survey by the New York City-based Sex Workers Project, almost every single sex worker interviewed said they were concerned about carrying too many condoms and having it used against them.

And, the truth is, it's not only sex workers who are deterred from carrying protection. Yes, if I went walking down the city streets with a bunch of condoms in my purse, I'd probably be fine. But, as Ms. Magazine points out, if police think you fit the prostitute profile, you could be in hot water for just planning some legal sexual fun. Transgender women, women of color, and those with prior records are frequently profiled by police and can find carrying condoms to be risky business, even if they're not engaging in sex work.

With HIV/AIDS at such high rate, the priority of all these cities should be protecting public health and stopping the spread of STDs, not treating condoms like criminal paraphernalia. Particularly today, on National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, this seems extra significant. Sign the petition to keep the pressure on the city mayors to put an immediate stop to this harmful law enforcement practice: people's health is nothing to mess around with.

Photo credit: soundfromwayout

In his International Women's Day 2010 message, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urges: "Let us work with renewed determination for a future of equal rights, equal opportunities and progress for all." March 8th, International Women's Day, is a day to celebrate the achievements of women of the past and present, and set the stage for the success of women of the future.

Right here in the United States, why haven't we passed the Equal Rights Amendment yet? We only been waiting since Alice Paul introduced the ERA in 1923 for a simple affirmation that "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." (Speaking of Paul, Hilary Swank has a strong portrayal of her, and the suffrage movement -- with a lot more spice than it gets in history textbooks -- in the movie Iron Jawed Angels.)

But this is International Women's Day, so let's get global. Why hasn't the U.S. ratified CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women)? Does America support discrimination against women? Does it think that, rather than joining the almost 200 states who oppose discrimination, it should remain on the side of Iran, Nauru, Palau, Somalia, Sudan, and Tonga -- the only six U.N. member state that have refused to sign the treaty? Unfortunately, the U.S.'s refusal to ratify legitimizes an anti-woman stance, and has encouraged other countries to try to backing out of enforcing the deal, a serious concern for groups that do work on women's rights globally.

And how can we claim to have "equal rights" when a woman can't make decisions over her own body serving as an incubator when it comes to reproductive rights, but it would be a crime to take a person's blood or bone marrow or a piece of their liver against their wishes?

Equal opportunity seems laughable when an eight-year-old girl in Yemen can be married off to a man four times her age, raped and beaten, and denied the ability to attend school -- and when this is not a particularly rare or unusual occurrence for many countries. And when America continues to pay women less for the same work and hasn't passed legislation that would prevent wage discrimination, and even our high-powered corporate businesswomen get screwed over in pay and promotions starting on graduation day, the prospects for economic empowerment and respect for women less supposedly gender-equal countries looks bleak.

These policies that disempower women, deny them education and financial opportunities, put women at increased danger for both poverty and violence. But this is an issue that impacts everybody -- addressing poverty amongst women, providing education opportunities, microfinance, etc. reaps benefits that allow "progress for all." Their gains become the families' gains; they learn how to protect their own and their children's health; and their potential to succeed and thrive isn't wasted by a denial of options.

Photo credit: Tony Webster

At eight years old, when most little girls are playing with dolls and stickers, Nujood Ali was making her way to a Yemeni courthouse to demand a divorce from an older husband who regularly beat and raped her. Her groundbreaking win at age 10 set the stage for other child brides in Yemen and around the world to seek divorces from the man they were married off to, and got her recognized in Glamour's Women of the Year right alongside Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice.

Amanda Kloer writes on the End Human Trafficking blog about Ali's new autobiography, I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced. Unfortunately, Ali's story is far from unusual. Half of Yemeni girls are married off before they hit 18; over a quarter are younger than 15 -- by the time a girl hits high school age, she's already starting to look less marriageable.

These early marriages are deemed desirable to fend off the possibility that a girl might "shame" her family by getting involved with a boy and as a financial arrangement by poor families. While in cases like Ali's the husband often promises the parents he'll wait to have sexual intercourse until his bride is older, if he goes ahead and rapes his new wife, there's nothing stopping him. Last year, a 12-year-old Yemeni girl died in labor, her immature body not ready for pregnancy.

And instead of punishing the husband for rape and abuse, Ali had to pay him a penalty fee for the divorce. The best thing would be for these girls not to be married off at such a young age in the first place, but a proposed Yemeni law to raise the marriage age to 17 or 18 has run up against considerable opposition. Of course, empowering and educating women and girls provides another way to counteract the forces that pressure families to give eight-year-old girls away in marriage.

Photo credit: ai@ce