Tag Archives: feminism

ACTION: 15-year-old rape survivor has been sentenced to be whipped 100 times in public

Another petition, another horrific case.

It’s hard to believe, but a 15-year-old rape survivor has been sentenced to be whipped 100 times in public! Let’s put an end to this lunacy by hitting the Maldives government where it hurts: the tourism industry.

The girl’s stepfather is accused of raping her for years and murdering the baby she bore. Now the court says she must be flogged for “sex outside marriage” with a man who has not even been named! President Waheed of the Maldives is already feeling global pressure on this, and we can force him to save this girl and change the law to spare other victims this cruel fate. This is how we can end the War on Women – by standing up every time an outrage like this happens.

Tourism is the big earner for the Maldives elite, including government ministers. Let’s build a million-strong petition to President Waheed this week, then threaten the islands’ reputation through hard-hitting ads in travel magazines and online until he steps in to save her and abolish this outrageous law. Sign now and share this with everyone!

Petition here: Avaaz.

Related:

ACTION: Save Fozia and Nawaz from ‘honour’ crime

Please take action.

Fozia and Nawaz are a married couple in grave danger of so-called ‘honour killing’ if returned to Pakistan. They face extreme violence from Fozia’s faimly and community persecution because they have crossed the faith divide. yet UKBA is intent on deporting them.

Love across the faith divide

Fozia is a Syed Shia , Nawaz a Sunni. Well-established and successful in business, the professions, and politics across Pakistan, Syed are regarded as an elite caste. Syed girls are not allowed to marry outside the kinship group, and certainly not to a Sunni.

In 2005 Fozia’s home town of Muzaffarabad was struck by an earthquake, in which 150,000 people, including 28 members of her extended family, were killed. Fozia was dug out of the debris. Nawaz was in one of the volunteer team rescue teams, working alongside the Red Cross and UNICEF. They fell in love across the religious divide. Their love match was furiously opposed by Fozia’s family, one of the most powerful Syed families in Muzaffarabad. If a suitable match of her own age cannot be arranged, a Syed girl is expected to remain unmarried or marry an already married or widowed man. For Fozia’s family , family honour counts for more than anything in the world. In 1992 her cousin, Rehana, was killed by her family, as was the outsider boy she eloped with, with the police watching.

Rest the rest here on ipetitions and please take action.

NEXT HFC EVENT: SUNDAY SOCIAL, Sunday the 2nd December 2012, from 1pm

(c) Jacky Fleming

(c) Jacky Fleming

Every so often we just want to get together, make stuff, read stuff and talk gender equality.

We take over the cellar of the lovely Coffee Evolution in Huddersfield town centre and get up to all sorts. It’s a good way to meet us if you don’t fancy a proper ‘meeting’.

All are welcome to pop in and join us for a brew. Regular features include a feminist library (bring books if you’d like to share them!), a ‘current affairs’ table with newspaper clippings and other bits and bobs, and crafty activities. We sometimes also play our own music, so bring a CD if you fancy playing DJ. 🙂

Next Sunday Social:

Sunday 2nd December 2012, from 1 to 4pm

This will be an arty farty session to make some flyers and posters and to re-vamp the website and generally make plans for future events and activities. Please bring photocopies, scissors, glue, sparkly things, photos, any other pictures/images  you can let us use, magazines, felt tips, paper – in fact any art materials you’ve got –  and we’ll see what beautiful, powerful stuff  we come up with!

Coffee Evolution, 9A Church Street, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD1 1DD.

Any queries please ring 01484 843 034

[Image copyright: Jacky Fleming]

ACTION: “Call to arms”: Women take on BBC over failure to get female experts on air (thewomensroom.org.uk)

This is important and I urge to you sign up.

A new website dedicated to media-friendly female experts has been launched in the wake of an embarrassing failure by the BBC to find a woman analyst to debate breast cancer treatment on Radio 4.

John Humphrys, presenter of the Today programme, was reduced during an on-air discussion last week to asking a male contributor to imagine that he was a woman because no female experts had been available. Caroline Criado-Perez, a freelance journalist and blogger, immediately took to Twitter and found several female experts within minutes. “Again and again, the BBC doesn’t try hard enough,” she said. “Seemingly, it doesn’t think fair representation is particularly important.” This weekend Criado-Perez, 28, is overseeing the official launch of thewomensroom.org.uk. She and her co-founder, Catherine Smith, hope the website will become a constantly expanding register of women who have personal experiences to relate and relevant expertise. A trial run last week, as Women Unite, was an immediate success as more than 40 women signed up in 48 hours, with expertise in standup comedy, entrepreneurship, new media, personal finance, domestic violence, trade unions and feminism. Criado-Perez and Smith hope that female virtuosos of engineering, motor racing, science, maths, medicine and bridge building will eventually come forward or be nominated.

[Read more: guardian and find the link to sign up here.]

ACTION: Abortion Rights: Campaign Update: October 2012

From email:

It’s time limit time again

Every couple of years, regular as clockwork, politicians start calling for the abortion time limit to be reduced. As we haven’t had a vote on the issue since MPs comprehensively rejected attempts to restrict access in 2008 (four whole years ago!) it was no surprise that the time limit reared its head again, just before the start of the Conservative Party conference. What is particularly concerning though is that it is the newly appointed Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and the Minister for Women and Equalities Maria Miller who have led the charge, reaffirming their support for a 12 and 20 week time limit respectively. Other senior figures have been quick to jump on the bandwagon – Theresa May opting for 20 weeks and David Cameron voicing his support for a ‘modest decrease’ in the time limit. SNP Health Secretary Alex Neil echoed their views, and cheerfully added that he was ‘relaxed’ at the possibility of women being forced to cross the border to access abortion if the time limit in an independent Scotland was lower than in England.

Ministers have been quick to point out that they are expressing their personal views, and to stress that there are no government plans for legislation on the time limit. But Jeremy Hunt is ultimately responsible for all the UK’s abortion services and Miller is supposed to be the voice of women in government. Their views carry weight and when they fail to support access to a key women’s health service it is cause for real concern. Most of our readers will already know that the new medical evidence cited by ministers to support their desired time limit reduction does not exist. The current arrangements are supported by the UK’s major medical bodies and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued a statement emphasising the importance of retaining the 24 week limit. What this episode tells us though, is that restricting abortion via a cut in the time limit is back on the table in a major way. There may be no immediate plans to change the law, but it is highly likely that there will be an attempt to cut the limit before the next general election in 2015. It also tells us that if ministers think that there is any sort of consensus on the need to reduce the time limit or that they can do without much fuss, then they are seriously underestimating the extent of pro-choice feeling in this country. Their comments have caused lasting outrage. Abortion Rights saw a huge jump in twitter followers and an influx of new members following Hunt’s comments. We’ll need their support – and yours – to help us win the coming fight. So if you’re not already a member, please make sure you join or donate to Abortion Rights today.

More after the jump.

Continue Reading…

EVENT: March for Choice in Ireland, Saturday 29th Sept. Dublin

March for the International Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion! Gather at the Spire and march to Merrion Square.

This is a celebration of being pro-choice! A day of being pro-choice and proud, speaking up and speaking out, making our voices heard. Come and celebrate with us!

Confirmed speakers thus far:

Ivana Bacik
Colette Browne
Clare Daly
Mara Clarke (Director of the Abortion Support Network)

Use the wall at www.facebook.com/notalwaysabetteroption to talk about the march and plans!

[Read more: March for Choice in Ireland]

EVENT: Reclaim the Night 2012, 24th November, London

Women’s march against rape and all forms of violence against women. Take back the capital and put your feet on the streets for women on Reclaim the Night 2012. Join with thousands of women to shout a loud NO to rape and male violence against women and demand justice for survivors. Be there – for your friends, your sisters, your daughters, your colleagues, yourself; be there for all the women that can’t. See you at RTN 12. www.reclaimthenight.org

[Read more: Reclaim the Night 2012]

ACTION: News and Events from Abortion Rights

On email:

Abortion Rights NewsWelcome to our Autumn Update: as ever there’s a lot to catch up on – reshuffles, debates, demos and trials – and lots for us to do. We’re particularly excited about our upcoming protest, but before we start a quick reminder: it only takes a minute to join or donate to Abortion Rights. Your support will really make a difference to our campaign.

It’s time for Action on Abortion!

On Saturday 29th September UK pro-choicers will be out in force to call for Action on Abortion.

Alongside women in Belfast, Dublin and around the world, we’ll be marking the International Day for the Decriminalisation of Abortion by calling for rights for women in Northern Ireland and global legalisation of abortion.

And as we head towards another anti-choice 40 Days for Life campaign, we’ll be demanding an end to the harassment of women outside abortion clinics.

After a week in which we have seen the appalling Abort67 given the green light to continue with their aggressive campaign in Brighton (see below), now is the time to make some noise on this crucial issue.

So grab your banners and get yourself down to Old Palace Yard, opposite the Visitors Entrance to Parliament at 2pm on Saturday 29th September. We’d love to see you.

Find out more and download a flyer for the event.

Get involved! We want to make the 29th a national day of action too. So why not set up your own action in your home town? Earlier this year enterprising pro-choicers around the country told one of our least favourite anti-choice groups to SPUC Off! – and it was a huge success. All you need is a few mates, a few placards and a facebook event page.

We’ll help you publicise your event on twitter (we’re using the hashtag #ActionOnAbortion) and on our website. Just email or tweet us your plans and we’ll help to spread the word. There are plans afoot for events in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee but we need more! Be part of a global campaign for Action on Abortion!

More after the jump.

Continue Reading…

NEXT HFC EVENT: SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANCE, Monday the 30th April 2012, from 7pm

The next event will be at the Sportspersons Pub, Huddersfield, on Monday 30 April, 2012, from 7pm.

It’s been far too long since we held an event so to get things going, we’re inviting everyone to a Something of Significance Social.

The Sportsman pub have kindly offered us a room for our exclusive use. The idea is that people bring along an object (can be anything at all, as long as it’s portable – and not too big) that they can talk about in terms of its significance to them from a feminist viewpoint. Just a couple of minutes for each person, not a presentation, depending on how many people want to do this on the night. It’s a way of getting to know each other a bit better by sharing things that matter to us.

Hope you can come!