Solidaritas #117
Women facing domestic violence fight for the right to divorce in the Philippines
Good morning!
Solidaritas is a fortnightly newsletter about women’s rights, feminism, and gender in Asia and the Pacific, covering the entirety of this huge region: from Afghanistan and Pakistan in the west to Kiribati and Cook Islands in the east.
This issue’s header image was taken in Sleman, north of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in April this year.
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In solidarity,
- Kate
Afghanistan
Three male radio journalists were arrested by the provincial directorate of the Taliban-controlled Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in April. The journalists were detained after being summoned and questioned about broadcasting music and talking to female callers during Eid al-Fitr.
Despite the hardships Afghan women currently endure and Australia’s purported generosity towards Afghans, obtaining a visa to live in Australia is almost impossible for Afghan women.
Australia
“Make me a sandwich” - an ongoing survey of South Australian teachers about sexist and other anti-social views among the students paints a disturbing picture, where female teachers are subjected to sexist and abusive language and behaviour by male students.
In Victoria, victims of sexual assault and harassment will be immune to defamation lawsuits for reporting crimes to police under new legislation, over concerns the threat of legal action was having a “chilling effect” on people coming forward.
Australia’s 2024-25 budget tries to resolve some key challenges facing women, but there is a ‘gaping hole’ for victims of domestic violence.
Indigenous women are most affected by domestic violence but have struggled to be heard. It’s time we listened.
China
China is pushing couples to have more babies for the good of the country. Many young people are saying no.
Starting June 1, Fujian province will allow women to legally access their partners’ property details without lengthy court proceedings. Critics argue the law favors women, but officials assert it does not infringe on men's rights.
India
Prajwal Revanna was supposed to be Prime Minister Narendra Modi's secret weapon in the country's national elections in late April:
But the vote was overshadowed by scandal a day later when almost 3,000 videos of him allegedly sexually assaulting multiple women began circulating.
Shortly after the news broke, Mr Revanna disappeared. It is believed he has fled to Germany on a diplomatic passport.
Also in last month’s elections: Emboldened by the financial independence offered by self-help groups, women in rural Odisha are becoming a force politicians have to reckon with.
Indonesia
How Indigenous Dayak women in Kalimantan manage the triple burdens of farming, household care, and legal action for slash-and-burn agriculture.
Myanmar
A photographer documents ethnic Chin women’s face tattoos, a practice which is on the verge of disappearing.
Pakistan
Girls’ schools are under attack in Pakistan’s tribal areas.
Across the country, women are struggling to become judges and rise up to senior judiciary positions. Those who have tried say Pakistan's patriarchal system is holding them back.
Misogyny and anti-women bias in Pakistan’s medical schools.
Papua New Guinea
One woman’s bid to empower PNG women through fitness.
The Philippines
In the Philippines, divorce is banned. It has left women with few options to rid themselves of abusive partners.
Regional
More people will vote in 2024 than ever before … but where are the female candidates?
The correlation between rising temperatures and escalating gender-based violence is having a major impact on women and girls worldwide. The effects of heat stress on social dynamics and individual behavior underscore the urgent need for integrated climate and gender-based violence policy interventions.
Majorities in most of the 27 places around the world that Pew Research Center surveyed in 2023 and 2024 say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. But attitudes differ widely.
Samoa
Meet the women practicing the ancient tradition of Sāmoan tatau:
Our history, our stories were told orally. And so to actually have a physical representation or a physical telling of our story, I think tatau is really important in that way.
South Korea
South Korea has the lowest fertility rate in the world. Now, it is considering paying parents 100 million won (AU$112,000) in cash for each baby born.
Sri Lanka
In exile and marginalised abroad, women who once fought in the country’s civil war are almost completely silenced – but through poetry some have found a way to speak out, to remember, to protest, to mourn and to heal.
Thailand
Women are leading the charge for gig worker rights in Thailand.
Women and LGBTI activists in Thailand are being subjected to an online onslaught of abusive speech laced with misogynistic, homophobic and transphobic language, sexualized content and other forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence, Amnesty International says in a new report.