Send a message to UN Women

UN Women launched last Thursday, amid fears that funds will be short - any suggestions, messages, what needs to be done, why women need a separate organisation within the UN?

Link in title to Guardian article

They are setting up a Flickr group to collect your thoughts, opinions and messages. From the article:

you can submit your photo to our group www.flickr.com/groups/globalwomensvoices. If you are not on Flickr, don't worry - you can email your photo to development@guardian.co.uk and we will add it to the Flickr group for you. Please add some information when you post or email your picture so we know who you are, where you're from and what your message means to you. By posting your pictures in this group, or sending it to us in response to this request, you agree to let us use it on our site and potentially in the newspaper (though copyright remains with you at all times, and you will be credited).

NYT blog about women who work harder than men

http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/where-women-do-most-of-the-hard-work/


One of many snippets appearing in the press today - It's 100 years since IWD was established, but (I think) next year is the anniversay of the first march. Must check this info!

The same blogger puts forward his three important steps to improve the situation of women in the world:
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/three-proven-steps-to-advance-the-worlds-women-on-international-womens-day/
1. education
2. deworming (!) and micronutrients
3. Support for women's businesses

What do Muslim women want?

The question is rather disingenuous, since the category 'Muslim women' contains many different groups of women, whose opinions (and dress) vary as much as 'Christian women'.

But Salma Yacoob, a Muslim woman and Birmingham city councillor explores some of the issues in this article in today's New Statesman.

Global Health blog by Sarah Boseley

The title here links to this Guardian blog, started 25 January 2010. It has a story today about money going towards developing a microbicide to protect women against HIV caught from heterosexual intercourse. Not there yet, but it may be a more practical way for some women to protect themselves, rather than asking their partner to wear a condom.

IMF works toward cancelling debt in Haiti

From Johann Hari in today's Independent

... something new and startling happened this month. For the first time, the IMF was stopped from shafting a poor country – by a rebellion here in the rich world. Hours after the quake, a Facebook group called "No Shock Doctrine For Haiti" had tens of thousands of members, and orchestrated a petition to the IMF of over 150,000 signatures demanding the loan become a no-strings grant. After Naomi Klein's mega-selling exposé, there was a vigilant public who wanted to see that the money they were donating to charity was not going to be cancelled out by the IMF.

And it worked. The IMF backed down. It publicly renounced its conditions – and even said it would work to cancel Haiti's entire debt. This is the first sign that exposing and opposing the IMF's agenda works. Klein says it is "unprecedented in my experience, and shows that public pressure in moments of disaster can seriously subvert shock doctrine tactics." Of course, the IMF needs to be watched vigilantly. Already it seems to be rolling back some of its panicked initial rhetoric and saying that "beyond the emergency phase" it may go back to business as usual. Very powerful interests want the IMF to continue to dance to their tune.

Not specific to women - but see post by Djibril below:

30 years of feminism in Spain

Thirty years since the first Feminist Congress was held in Spain. Celebrated by a meeting in Granada.

From Canal Sur (6.12.2009):
Las cifras se han desbordado. Cuatro mil participantes de todas las comunidades autónomas y ciento cincuenta ponencias ponen de manifiesto que el feminismo sigue muy vivo. Aseguran que la lucha por la igualdad debe continuar y extenderse a otros países.
‘Granada, treinta años después’ es el título que enmarca estas Jornadas Feministas Estatales que concluirán mañana lunes. A Granada han llegado cuatro mil quinientas mujeres de todo el país y representantes internacionales para tratar una batería de temas en torno a ciento cincuenta mesas.Mañana lunes concluye este congreso que ha puesto de manifiesto la importancia y la vigencia del feminismo español.Este domingo se concentran en apoyo de la activista saharaui Aminetu Haidar y posteriormente recorrerán en manifestación el centro de Granada.

Malalai Joya

An Afghan female politician speaks out. From the Daily Telegraph this time.

Lubna Hussein trial

Lubna Hussein is on trial in Sudan for wearing trousers, considered to be 'indecent clothing'. She has actively sought publicity for the trial, to highlight what she considers an injustice which affects many women in that country. If convicted she could face a punshiment of 40 lashes and an unlimited fine. The trial has now been delayed for a month.

From a BBC article:

"Before police caught me, there are maybe 20,000 girls and women getting flogged for dress reasons," she said.

If this could happen in a restaurant in Khartoum, imagine what the situation must be for women in Darfur, Ms Hussein said.

"This is my message."

Ms Hussein and two other women asked for a lawyer, delaying their trials.

Under a 2005 peace deal between the mainly Muslim north and the largely Christian and animist south, Sharia law is not supposed to be applied to non-Muslims living in the capital.

Ms Hussein says she has done nothing wrong under Sharia law, but could fall foul of a paragraph in Sudanese criminal law which forbids indecent clothing.

Aung San Suu Kyi

The trial of Aung San Suu Kyi continues in Burma. Not just a feminist issue here, but one of democracy and repressive military government.

Pro Mujer

Click on the title to read about how small loans are helping women in Latin America. Another BBC article.

Women in Spain

A revealing article about Spain, and the role of women during the Franco years. No wonder, it concludes, that Spain is in the forefront of women's progress now.

Progress in Africa

Johann Hari's article in the Independent is worth reading.

In villages across Africa, old women suspected of witchcraft are hacked to death, while young girls are mutilated to preserve their virginity. But attitudes are changing – and thousands of lives are being saved. Johann Hari reports from Kenya and Tanzania

One in Ten Women suffers Domestic violence each year in UK

I reproduce the comment made below the previous post

Amnesty UK is focusing on violence against women for this year's International Women’s Day. We’re asking people to change their Facebook status, Myspace headline and tweet to raise awareness of the fact that each year, around 1 in 10 women in Britain experience rape or other violence. Details on the Amnesty International website.
I couldn't access this via the link in the comment. Here are a few things we can do.