Solidaritas #122
"Little, if any, justice" for murdered and missing Indigenous women in Australia
Good afternoon!
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.
I’m back after three weeks in Indonesia for work. Apologies for the silence!
If you like Solidaritas, I’d be thrilled if you chose to support this newsletter by becoming a paid subscriber for just US$5 a month (or even cheaper at US$40/year!):
In solidarity,
- Kate
Afghanistan
The 300-plus reported cases of Afghan women being killed by men since the Taliban seized power are just “the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to the true scale of gender-based violence in Afghanistan, according to new analysis.
Three years after the Taliban took over, Afghan women continue to resist.
Afghanistan’s Taliban government has “deliberately deprived” at least 1.4 million girls of their right to an education.
Australia
A landmark inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women finds that families have received “little, if any, justice”. But Greens senator Dorinda Cox says she is “gutted” by the report because it does not do enough to address the “absolute crisis levels of violence” that families and advocates spoke of.
A Sri Lankan diplomat has been ordered to pay more than $500,000 to her former domestic worker, who is also Sri Lankan, in wage exploitation case. The diplomat was based in Australia during the period.
A national survey has found that more people who menstruate are struggling to afford period products as costs of living rise, with one in five people finding pads and tampons too costly to buy during the past 12 months.
A case brought to the Federal Court by 12 Pacific Islander female workers alleges the group was subject to persistent sexual harassment. The group's fight for justice is being lauded as a possible catalyst for change in an industry where the exploitation of temporary migrants is rife.
Australia’s gender pay gap has dropped to an all-time low of 11.5%, with women’s weekly earnings rising significantly since 2022.
Bangladesh
PM Sheikh Hasina has fled Bangladesh following massive protests and is now facing murder charges for the death of two university students. BBC takes a look at her final hours in power.
China
Xu Zaozao, who filed a groundbreaking lawsuit to win the right to freeze her eggs, has lost her final appeal, exhausting the legal avenues in her fight to widen access to fertility treatment in China:
Beijing No 3 intermediate people’s court ruled that her rights had not been violated when Beijing obstetrics and gynaecology hospital refused to freeze her eggs in 2018. Chinese regulations stipulate that assisted reproductive technology is only for married couples with fertility issues. Xu, now 36, said the doctor gave her some friendly advice instead: hurry up, get married and have children now.
Fiji
Gendered online violence is silencing women journalists in Fiji, says Pacific media scholar Dr Shailendra Singh.
India
Thousands of people have turned out onto the streets to protest the murder of a 31-year-old female doctor in Kolkata:
The women marched to chants of “Reclaim the night”, a reference to the fact that the unnamed 31-year-old doctor was attacked at night on Friday while taking a break from a long shift at the government RG Kar hospital.
The call for women to come out emerged from the anger expressed on social media, and quickly created the largest protest movement the state has seen for a long time.
Thousands of doctors also went on strike, severely disrupting patient services across India. They are demanding justice for the victim and better security at hospitals, such as stricter controls over who enters, more CCTV cameras and more guards.
Indonesia
A record percentage of Indonesians report feeling lonely. In response, ‘rental partner’ services are blossoming.
The pervasive mistreatment of women during the separatist conflict in Aceh in the early 2000s has yet to be fully recognized by the Indonesian government.
Japan
The Japanese government has begun to consult young people about their interest in marriage – or lack thereof – as Japan struggles with a demographic crisis that is expected to result in a sharp population decline.
Malaysia
A woman who was badly injured after she was pushed down a deep ravine by her husband during an argument, spent nine hours climbing out before being rescued.
Maldives
The charges alleged against two Maldives women arrested for ‘black magic’ targeting President Mohamed Muizzu have been dropped for a lack of evidence.
Mongolia
In a country where nearly a third of under-fives are anaemic, a lack of vegetables has contributed to poor health and high cancer rates. Now, that’s beginning to change as female farmers begin to cultivate tomatoes, cucumber and celery:
Approximately 30% of Mongolians are nomadic herders and their diet is high in beef, flour and salt, and very low in vegetables.
The health consequences of Mongolia’s national diet and vegetable deprivation are becoming apparent. The country has the highest rate of liver and stomach cancer cases in the world… The scourge of cancer in the country is overshadowed only by cardiovascular diseases, also aggravated by poor diet, which are responsible for 44% of deaths annually in Mongolia.
But over the past two decades, vegetable gardens and greenhouses … have begun to pop up around Ulaanbaatar, thanks in no small part to the Mongolian Women Farmers Association, headed by Byatshandaa Jargal.
Myanmar
The military junta continue to use sexual- and gender-based violence as a weapon of war, a new report shows.
Nepal
After Nepal’s bitter conflict ended in 2006, Maoist MP Devi Khadka hoped to make a difference in parliament. A new documentary charts the disappointment and the passion of one of the most outspoken advocates for the country’s forgotten women.
Pakistan
Sobia Batool Shah was violently attacked by her father, uncle and cousins as “punishment” for refusing to withdraw her application to divorce her husband. She is now in hospital under protection, her legs nearly severed from axe blows.
Transgender women have rallied in Peshawar to demand protection from hate crimes. Pakistan legally recognizes a "third gender" but violence against them often goes unpunished.
Papua New Guinea
Mary Sawa Jigembe is running for mayor, and she’s using the haus meri to do so:
Across PNG, rules to keep peace and harmony are made in the haus man — a ceremonial house for men only.
But a growing number of women are challenging this, and increasingly, women are using the haus meri — a hut traditionally used for women's business including childbirth and menstruation — as a means of gaining a political voice.
Regional
The anti-rights movement is continuing to gain momentum across the world, including in Asia and the Pacific.
Solomon Islands
Zumba teacher Everlyn Basi is getting women up and moving – in a place where the demands of women can be rigid and cultural barriers can often impact their access to fitness. (video)
Thailand
Thailand's parliament has picked Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of billionaire tycoon and former leader Thaksin, as prime minister. At 37, she will be the country's youngest PM and the second woman in the post, after her aunt Yingluck.
Boxing offers many Thai people a path out of poverty, and it’s increasingly popular among women.
Will Thailand’s new same-sex marriage laws spark a ‘pink boom’ for the country?