Women's Views on News

We ask again: Is GoTopless a feminist campaign?

The Go Topless 'protest movement' organised to claim women's 'equality' to be topless was held this Sunday in California, USA. The sceptical tone with which WVoN reported this story has been reiterated today by Julie Bindel writing for the Guardian.

Bindel notes that this isn't the first time the unlikely bedfellows – feminism and bare breasts – have gone together. She recounts that at the 1980s feminist fundraisers, women would often whip off their tops and dance wildly arguing that women's bodies should be unbound from the constraints of male objectification. She also notes a downside of doing this - "Many a time I had my pint spilt by a swinging bosom" (I so want to add a wink here!).

On a more serious note, Bindel brings up a very important question - Is the GoTopless campaign really feminist? I guess the answer is made clear by their mission statement, sample this from the GoTopless website - 

"Why do you talk about femininity rather than feminism? In the past, women often had to act like men when fighting for their rights, so they repressed their femininity. Today, GoTopless women see their femininity as a powerful asset as they struggle for equal rights in a masculine-dominated world."

If it makes things any clearer, may I also point out that the caption to the photograph accompanying the Guardian article reads "Male photographers were out in force at the Go Topless Day demonstration".

"Something tells me that "get your tits out for equal rights" will never become a feminist mantra", Julie Bindel concludes. We would like to hear what you think.

Women who accused WikiLeaks founder of sexual assault deny being part of conspiracy

The lawyer of the two women who reported being sexually attacked by the founder of whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has issued a statement asserting that the women are not part of any conspiracy against Assange. The statement came in light of the suggestion by Assange that the allegations are part of a smear campaign against him.

An arrest warrant was issued by Swedish authorities against Assange after the rape allegations were made last week, but it was later withdrawn. The decision on whether to charge Assange is due this week, according to the Daily Mail.

If you are interested in following this 'high-profile' and much dramatised case, read the previous WVoN reports here and here.

No one knows the long term effects of being a child bride, because no one has asked

Before you start reading this story from IRIN, I have to tell you that it's incredibly sad and is likely to make you very angry. 

It features a Yemeni woman, known only as Badria. Married at 14, she had her first child at 16 and then five more in quick succession, including three miscarriages. Now in her forties her body is succumbing.

“I was responsible for the children and working on our farm,” she told IRIN. "Most days I just feel sad".

Since her first pregnancy Badria has suffered from “bone ache”, a condition for which the doctors gave her drugs, but were never able to diagnose or cure.

For 11 years she has suffered from a slipped disc after having to collect wood, fetch water, work in the field and have children from a young age.

She also suffers from vaginal prolapse, where the muscles, ligaments, and skin in and around a woman's vagina weaken or break.

“These are all symptoms of early marriage,” said Arwa Elrabee, a gynaecologist in Sanaa. “These marriages are mostly about suffering.” 

According to NGOs, health staff and researchers, there are many physical and psychological problems with early marriages, but no studies have been carried out on the long-term effects.

The question, of course, is - why not? Is it because these women simply don't matter? Is it because they are just commodities to be thrown away when used up? 

It would seem so because there are studies on just about everything else in the world (we seem to feature an awful lot of them here on WVoN) and many are completely frivolous. 

Yet nothing has been done about the long-term impact of being married off at a young age, followed by multiple pregnancies and births. That is not just a crying shame. It is nothing short of criminal. 

Nigerian women optimistic about Tenofovir, the ARV drug in a gel

Nigerian women and their counterparts in other African countries have welcomed the promise that Tenofovir, an anti-retroviral drug contained in a microbicide gel, can help protect women who can't negotiate safe sex with their partners against HIV infection (and see WVoN stories here and here).

Optimism about the long-term effectiveness of the microbicide in Africa stems from a study carried out by the Family Health International (FHI) involving heterosexual women from Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria with multiple sex partners. 

According to the study, "because the women were at high risk of being infected with HIV, they were also the most likely to benefit from tenofovir if it can be shown to safely and effectively prevent HIV."

Generally, researchers say antiretroviral drugs, when adapted for microbicides, could prevent, not just treat infection. It is widely acknowleged that ARVs are effective against HIV infection. Microbicides, on their own, prevent infection in the first place.

The expectation now is that the demonstrated safety and effectiveness profile of tenofovir for preventing HIV, should make HIV prevention programmes more affordable in resource-poor countries.

Read the full story in AllAfrica.com.

Demand for public inquiry into racism and sexism in Canadian serial murder case investigation

Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter  has demanded a public inquiry into the year-long investigation of Robert Pickton, who was convicted of second-degree murder of at least six women in Downtown Eastside, Vancouver (Canada). The organisation alleges that the laxity shown by the police in this case underscores systemic racism and sexism in Canada’s judicial and social system.

Since the victims were Aboriginal women from Downtown Eastside, supposedly all of them 'drug addicts' and 'sex workers', they were "...not 'perfect victims' in the eyes of police and the courts", Lana Holland of Vancouver Rape Relief told the Metro Vancouver.

Pickton was alleged to have confessed to an undercover cop that he was one kill short of 50 only because his last murder attempt got 'sloppy'. The police refused to take seriously initial reports of women missing from Downtown Eastside in 1997, allowing Pickton to reach this huge number before finally arresting him in 2002.

Needless to say, the victims' relatives are furious and are demanding a public enquiry. Read the story in the words of those close to the scene of crime here.

It is extremely painful to learn how even being recognised as a 'victim' can be a matter of privilege which not all of us are entitled to.

US bail bondsman forced woman to perform sexual favours

A South Carolina bail bondsman has been charged with forcing a woman to cook, clean and do sexual favours for him in exchange for getting her out of jail, reports Associated Press via Google. 

Lexington County Sheriff James Metts said yesterday that 51-year-old Curtis Maroney told the 39-year-old woman he would revoke her bond if she didn't obey his commands.

After five days, investigators say Maroney drove the woman to visit her children at her father's home and she called deputies.

Maroney is charged with blackmail and trafficking in persons. He remains in the Lexington County jail. Bond has not been set and it's not clear if he has an attorney.

Metts says the woman had been arrested for driving under the influence and spent 12 days in jail before Maroney posted her $16,000 bond.

Thanks to Emine Dilek for this story. 

Men want women whose waist measures 70% of her circumference, allegedly

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so the saying goes. But anthropologist Barnaby Dixson thinks otherwise, according to studentbeans.com.

Having studied what the sexes found attractive over different cultures and time periods, Dixson found that the same formula for what men favoured in women, came up almost every single time: a waist that measures 70 per cent of the hip circumference.

If a woman possesses this waist-to-hip ratio, then Dixson has said that other factors are not considered by men.

'It is likely that perfect 0.7 ratio sends a biological signal to men that that woman is most fertile and most likely to produce a healthy offspring, no matter what size that woman is,' said Dixson.

The research also suggests that women preferred leaner men with less muscle 'as they equate those physical traits with being more caring and gentle and therefore a better prospect as a partner.'

And who are the lucky ones with these perfect measurements? The Times of India cites Jessica Alba, Marilyn Monroe and Kate Moss, among others. 

Given the number of studies we post up on this blog, I think I'll treat this one with the usual health warning. Which is that there's probably another study on its way which shows this isn't true. 

Thanks to Emine Dilek for this story. 

Mark Steel: Is Sarah Palin 'militant jihadist'?

Writing in today's Independent, Mark Steel posits that the opposition to an Islamic Centre (it's not a mosque, though it does contain space for prayer) being built 2 blocks from Ground Zero is based on anti-Islamic fears and prejudices, and has nothing to do with protecting the memory of those who died in 9/11.

The centre will include a swimming pool, gym, performing arts centre and will host a range of interfaith and secular programmes. It will be open to everyone and is part-funded by the Cordoba Initiative, an organisation that aims to improve relations between Muslims and western cultures by creating programmes of active engagement between individuals and communities. Surely this is exactly the spirit that should be promoted in the years following 9/11?

The centre has been opposed most vociferously by Sarah Palin, who has called upon 'peaceful Muslims' to oppose the centre.

"So, as she's asking Muslims to oppose a centre open to everyone," writes Mark Steel, "That commemorates the victims of 9/11, it seems likely she's a militant Jihadist who thinks the building will be a betrayal of true radical Islam. She's certainly got experience of being filmed with rifles so she's probably sat by one while making a video up a mountain right now, leaning into the camera and booming 'The front crawl is the agenda of the infidel, my friends.'"

Critics have also stated that the centre would breach the 'sombre tranquility' of the Ground Zero and Mark makes an interesting point:

"So instead of this centre there should be more buildings such as The Pussycat Club," he asks, "Which is next door to where the towers were, and boasts of being the area's premier strip joint. But that must be in keeping with the sombreness, presumably because the girls start their slide down the pole in a fireman's uniform in honour of the heroic firefighters of that fateful day."

US attorney general tells Craigslist to remove its adult services section

US Attorney General Martha Coakley wrote yesterday to online advertising site Craiglist, calling on the web site to remove its “adult services” section as state attorneys general nationwide also stepped up the pressure.

Coakey said the “harmful role” of the site’s sex ads contrasts “sharply” with its purported community-driven mission (see earlier WVoN story).

“The incongruity between your claimed mission and your insistence on promoting ‘adult services’ is startling,” Coakley wrote. “You cannot reasonably lay claim to a public service mission yet turn a blind eye to the link between adult services ads and illegal conduct and exploitation.”

After last week’s jailhouse suicide by accused Craigslist killer Philip Markoff - before he could be tried for the murder of erotic masseuse Julissa Brisman - Coakley reversed her earlier stance against interfering with the Web forum and demanded that Craigslist take down adult ads (see WVoN story). 

Coakley said the only reason for running the sex ads is to make money. “Craigslist should end the hypocrisy between its words and its practices,” Coakley wrote.

And if he doesn't, what then? Let's hope Ms Coakley can't be accused in turn of hypocrisy between her words and her practices. 

Read the full story in The Boston Herald. 

Thanks to Emine Dilek for this story. 

Dispute over baby boy highlights gender disparities

Dawn.com the English language news site covering Pakistan has an interesting editorial about entrenched gender disparities.

The issue is highlighted because of a dispute in a maternity ward in Faisalabad where one mother gave birth to a baby girl, another to a son, and both mothers said the son was theirs.

Pakistan has legislated to promote equality, but the dominant mindset which still prefers males - as seen in the maternity case - still needs a radical shift, says the editorial.