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:

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]

EVENT: Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp (8th – 11th July, 2011)

*Aldermaston Women’s Peace Camp * invite you to *Long Weekend Camp

When: Starting at noon on Friday 8th July and ending at noon on Monday 11 July.

Where: “Dingly Dell”, outside AWE Aldermaston, (opposite Young’s Industrial
Estate) near Tadley, Berkshire.

How to get there: see http://www.aldermaston.net/camp/visit

Welcoming, relaxed and inclusive skills sharing and discussion that will nurture and inform us in our daily resistance to violence in all its forms; weapons, cuts to services, violence against women, destruction of the earth’s resources.

An extended weekend of women only non-violent discussion and activity,
including:

-A large banner that we make over the weekend which maps our thoughts and
discussions and that all women can contribute to

Discussions
-Why women only?
-Women’s Non-violence
-Inclusive action – looking at the common hierarchies of arrest
and not arrest and the criminalisation of resistance and how we can find
ways to address these issues.

Practical workshops
– tripod -everyone climbs
– dancing (with extreme ironing)
– blockading

Both Saturday and Sunday will include practical workshops and discussions
Please contact us if your group would like to contribute to the weekend
programme, or to any particular workshop.

Please bring vegetarian/vegan food to share and cook.
If you don’t want to camp, please let us know, and we can provide
information about local accommodation.

This is a women only event.
Further information will be sent out after 12 June or contact
info@aldermaston.net

EVENT: Leeds SlutWalk (Saturday 23rd July 2011)

Saturday July 23rd – 1200 – 1500

Meet at Victoria Gardens in front of the art gallery, Leeds. You may have heard of the success of the recent Slutwalk marches that are happening across the world! We are organising a march in Leeds for the 23rd July and we really hope you can join us! Please invite all your friends to march and rally and confront the rape culture that we live in.

With the rape conviction rate stuck at a shocking 6% (of reported rapes), 1 in 10 survivors never engaging with the criminal justice system and rape survivor survices being cut left right and centre now is the time to stand together and protest against the shameful victim blaming. It’s amazing that the comments of one ridiculous police officer in Toronto (who told students that if women wanted to avoid being raped they should “avoid dressing like sluts) can spark off a global movement. Lets celebrate the birth of a response to survivor/victim blaming, stand together and say that rape is NEVER the fault of the victim/survivor. For those on FaceBook here’s a link to the FB group https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=140250409386868

EVENT: Huddersfield Feminist Collective at Manchester Slutwalk

Slutwalk (1)Here’s a couple of shots from when some of us took part in the Manchester Slutwalk on Friday 10 June.

Another Slutwalk is currently being planned for Leeds – look out for them on Twitter if you want to get involved.

[Thanks to Pictures In The Cloud for letting us reuse the pics here!]

Slutwalk (2)

EVENT: Million Mothers March/ Million Women Rise (Sunday 31st July 2011)

Dear Manchester Wimmin Rising,

Planning for the Million Mothers March (MMM) is now fully underway. The date for the 2011 event is Sunday 31st July 2011. The theme this year is the EveryChild Matters outcome “Be Safe.” After the success of the 2009 event and last year’s 2010 “Be Health” theme the committee are once again hard at work planning the programme.

Mothers Against Violence and Million Women Rise will be working together to raise money for the Million Mothers March and the Million Women Rise March on 3.3.12.

We are looking for volunteers to help us do a street collection in Manchester on 29.7.11 and 31.7.11 at the march.

Please contact Patsy Mckie, Mother Against Violence (office@mavuk.org, 0161 2268134)

or

Louise Bond, Million Women Rise (jpluy@hotmail.com, 07872015114) if
you would like to be involved

Please see the following websites for more information:

www.millionwomenrise.com

http://mavuk.org/2011/05/28/million-mothers-march-31st-july-2011/

Together we will end violence!

**

*We are at a threshold. We are going to see change. If we can create
the vision in our heart, it will spread. As women of wisdom we cannot be
divided. As bringers of light, we have no choice but to join
together.*

Agness Baker Pilgrim – http://www.grandmotherscouncil.org/

HELP: Sexism zine

honkHey everyone,

At yesterday’s Sunday Social (which was wonderful, by the way), some of us decided it would be good to create a zine (a DIY magazine/booklet) on the theme of sexism. We want to highlight all the little (and not-so-little) sexisms that surround us every day – the aim is producing something that we can hand out to people in the street to make people go ‘oh yeah!’ and realise that the fight for gender equality is far from over.

We want *all sorts* of submissions, and we reckon everyone has something they can offer. How about…

  • A rant about something that annoys you
  • A graffiti-ed magazine cover
  • A poem or song
  • A book or film review
  • Statistics you find shocking
  • Photography, drawing or painting
  • Good news stories about feminist successes

….or anything else that you think can help to convey the message. These are just ideas to get you thinking.

You can submit entries by email or post – the zine will probably be A5-sized so bear that in mind (though we can scan and re-size anything that’s too big).

Help us to make people sit up and realise what kind of a world we’re living in.

Cheers!!

Email info@feministcollective.org.uk

EVENT: Hollaback West Yorkshire is coming

HollabackFrom Emma:

Hello,

I thought I’d drop you a quick email to let you know about our exciting plans seen as you are a group of kick ass women in West Yorkshire to whom it might be of interest.

You have probably heard of Hollaback. The idea started in New York and the movement is slowly spreading, http://www.ihollaback.org/about/. London & Manchester have dedicated sites and the West Yorkshire one is due to Launch August 10th.

Almost every women I know has been on the receiving end of such comments, the site will allow women to post there stories relating to street harassment in West Yorkshire to share the experiences and expose the culprits who make us feel angry, embarrassed, shocked, scared whilst going about our everyday business

We will be sorting a facebook site, twitter account and email in the near future. However  if you have any ideas, hints, tips, knowledge of upcoming local events or suggestions for contacts who we should approach we would be super grateful!

Thanks Emma