Solidaritas #133
Respectful relationships in schools: the missing link to end GBV in PNG?
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 week’s header image is of my former home, Jakarta.
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In solidarity,
- Kate
Afghanistan
The BBC spent a day with women across Afghanistan to understand what life is like under the Taliban government since it took power in 2021.
Female activists who fled from Afghanistan to Pakistan say their lives are in danger as Islamabad intensifies its efforts to deport Afghan refugees.
Aotearoa New Zealand
Is transparency on pay helping close gender wage gaps in NZ?
Australia
Trump is surveying Australian academics about gender diversity and China – what does this mean for unis and their research?
The Australian Building Codes Board is considering making changes that would make it easier to build all-gender bathrooms for those who want them.
Rallies around the country are calling for greater investment in GBV services.
Bhutan
Bhutan has launched its first national strategy and framework of action for elimination of gender-based violence.
Cambodia
Ms Kim started Tuk Tuk Lady to empower women and give them independence. Now, with a community of almost 50 women, they’re also able to benefit from the boom in the country’s tourism too. (via Couchfish)
China
Li Tingting was one of five feminist activists arrested by Chinese police for organizing a campaign highlighting sexual harassment ahead of International Women’s Day 2015. Ten years on, she assesses a decade of women’s rights progress – and setbacks – in China.
China’s dwindling marriage rate is fuelling demand for brides trafficked from abroad.
India
Six women were elected to this village panchayat - but their husbands were sworn in in their place:
Since 1992, the national rules concerning panchayats, or traditional village councils, have promised that one-third and in some cases one-half of all seats will be set aside for women. The idea was to lift up a generation of female leaders and to make the councils more attuned to women’s needs.
The spirit of this law, however, is often disregarded, even when the letter is obeyed. The women who are supposed to take seats in the panchayat end up serving as deputies to their own husbands, who wield power alongside the elected men. There is a well-known term in Hindi, pradhan pati, for this “boss husband” role.
A new survey reveals that not much has changed in terms of women’s time use since the last survey six years ago: Indian women spend over seven hours a day on unpaid domestic and caregiving work - more than twice the time men do. They also spent less time than men doing paid work and engaging in self-care activities.
The achievements of India's women's cricket team in recent years have revolutionised perceptions towards women's sport, driving increased engagement, commercial success and financial stability.
Indonesia
Woman-fronted punk band Sukatani faced the wrath of the Indonesian police recently for their now-widely-adopted anthem, Bayar Bayar Bayar (Pay Pay Pay). Read more about Sukatani and the history of protest songs in Indonesia here.
Indonesian women workers are demanding stronger legal protections.
Japan
Women remain underrepresented in Japan's news industry.
Laos
Women designers are adapting traditional Laotian hand weaving for modern clothing.
Malaysia
More and more of Malaysia’s housewives are doubling up as content creators to earn a living with videos that have drawn a huge fan base.
Is Malaysia’s progress in gender equality actually a mirage?
Maldives
The grassroots skateboard collective Volans Maldives empowers local women and girls by celebrating their athleticism and creativity (photo essay by Sofia Nasif, photo below).
Myanmar
An advocate for abuse survivors speaks up, saying “the sense of safety and security for Myanmar women is declining by the day”.
Nauru
Nauru has called for climate action and resourcing to recognise the women on the frontline of the global crisis, delivering their national statement at CSW69.
Nepal
A revolution of women in politics is unfolding across Nepal:
568 women were elected as deputy mayors or vice chairs during the 2022 local government elections. They are now challenging long-entrenched gender norms, making executive decisions and ensuring women’s voices are heard where they were once ignored. Yet their work receives little recognition from national policymakers or international development partners and a glass ceiling persists, with only a much smaller percentage of women being elected to lead local governments.
Nepal’s free helicopter service is saving rural women from childbirth complications, with over 808 women from 44 districts airlifted since 2019.
Pakistan
It is hard to believe that in this day and age, cricket can pay less than the minimum wage in a country. But it is the reality of domestic women cricketers in Pakistan, who, in spite of getting central contract retainers, earn less than the prescribed minimum wages for unskilled labourers.
Papua New Guinea
Are school classes on respectful relationships the missing link in ending GBV in PNG?:
From my experience of volunteering and working with Equal Playing Field, I observed that it was most rewarding to work with young children when they are at a stage where they start to develop opinions and make choices. Consent, setting personal boundaries and developing empathy were important concepts to learn at that age. They were more receptive than young adults who have already started making their own decisions.
Darts is becoming more than a social sport in Papua New Guinea as its following grows from strength to strength each season, attracting people like 13-year-old prodigy Serah Pepena.
PM James Marape made an emotional apology in Parliament to the women, girls, and mothers of PNG, expressing deep regret for the pain inflicted by the country’s men and acknowledging the tragic loss of lives.
Samoa
PM Fiame Naomi Mata'afa has shrugged off gendered attacks, defeating a second no-confidence vote.
South Korea
The South Korean government has expanded parental leave benefits in recent years to address two key challenges: persistently low fertility rates and large gender gaps in labour supply. How do parental leave policies help tackle these issues?
Sri Lanka
A resort entirely staffed and run by women is breaking gender barriers.
Female labor migration has been a significant aspect of Sri Lanka’s socio-economic landscape for decades:
As the country’s largest source of foreign remittances, female migrant workers, particularly those employed in the Middle East as domestic and care workers, make critical contributions to the national economy. Despite their indispensable role, the social, cultural, and economic consequences of this process are far-reaching and complex. While labor migration offers economic opportunities for women and their families, it also raises critical questions related to social cohesion, cultural identity, gender dynamics, and the welfare of migrant workers and their dependents.
Thailand
Despite revisions to Section 301, barriers to safe abortion remain in Thailand.
Vietnam
The Vietnam Population Authority has proposed extending maternity leave for female workers from six months to seven months when giving birth to a second child.