Good morning!
Welcome back to the first issue of Solidaritas for 2021! Pleasingly to my brain, this is issue 51. Weekly issues will resume next Friday.
I hope you all had a good break over the new year and managed to stop doomscrolling for at least a few days. It’s hard, I know.
If you’re enjoying Solidaritas, paid subscriptions are available for US$5/month or much cheaper at US$40/year. Thank you so much for your support!
-Kate
Afghanistan
Colonel Saba Sahar was attacked by armed militants and survived, firing back at her assailants despite being shot. Sadly, six other policewomen - targeted in separate assassination attempts - were not so lucky in 2020.
Bangladesh
Tens of thousands of Bangladeshi women have opened online businesses during the pandemic. Many use Facebook to do so.
Burma
36-year-old Thein Nu took her rapists to court and won - a rare victory in Burma, especially as her rapists were from the country’s powerful military. They’ve now been sentenced to 20 years’ hard labour.
Cambodia
Mu Sochua, the deputy leader of the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), has written a moving letter about what will happen to her when she returns to Cambodia from exile. She has been charged with an array of offences and faces 30 years in jail if convicted. Sochua reportedly plans to return to Cambodia within the next few weeks.
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen an increase in cases of female trafficking out of Cambodia.
China
The Chinese government’s attempts to increase the country’s population is negatively affecting gender equality in the workplace. Women are increasingly being told that they are unsuitable for jobs.
Three female writers from Wuhan were censored after sharing diary entries online about their experience during the pandemic. A year later, they’re still struggling with their personal grief and are fighting to be heard.
India
Even when Dalit women are elected to village councils, they face severe discrimination from other members, with some even going so far as to deny the women a chair to sit on.
Women are taking on leadership roles in India’s farmer protests.
Around 350 Pakistani women in Kashmir have no citizenship because they married Kashimiri fighters. They now cannot return to their homelands even to visit family.
Indonesia
A decree on chemical castration for paedophiles has been signed by the Indonesian President. The decree was first ratified by the parliament in 2016 after the rape and murder of 14-year-old YY.
LBH Apik, Indonesia’s legal aid body for women and children, released its 2020 annual report last week, showing that the number of reported GBV cases increased dramatically during the pandemic.
Japan
Shoko Arai, a former assembly woman who was voted out after she accused the town’s mayor of sexual assault, says women in Japan are ‘crushed’ to see how she was treated for speaking up.
Malaysia
Women’s Aid Organisation say that refugee women in Malaysia are at heightened of violence because they lack clear legal status.
Mongolia
Is Mongolia ready for a female president?
New Zealand
Shakti Crisisline provides much needed help for migrant women facing violence at home in New Zealand.
Pakistan
Great news! The Lahore High Court has ruled that a virginity test is “invasive and an infringement on the privacy of a woman to her body” and has banned their use on rape survivors.
Pakistan has launched a new digital payment system, aiming to reduce informal transactions and boost women’s economic involvement.
The Philippines
A massive baby boom is expected next year in the Philippines with up to 214,000 extra babies predicted due to a combination of religion, culture, and difficulties in accessing family planning during the pandemic.
Filipina journalists speak out about the threats they face while going about their everyday work.
Regional
How China’s gender imbalance has led to the trafficking of women from Southeast Asia.
Many countries in Asia, especially North Asia, have introduced policies to encourage families to have more children. But are they working and do they meet women’s needs?
Singapore
A truly horrific case of physical and sexual abuse of a foreign domestic worker has emerged. Graphic content warning on this one.
South Korea
A South Korean court has ordered Japan to pay compensation to WWII-era sex slaves. Japan is predictably incensed about this decision.
Seoul’s city government published material online saying that women should make sure they cook, clean, and stay attractive while pregnant. The advice was withdrawn after a backlash.
Thailand
On Thailand’s southern border with Malaysia, more and more women are turning to gold panning. Gold is selling for high prices right now, and the women say they can earn more searching for tiny pieces of the precious material than they can selling food.
Vietnam
The gender imbalance in Vietnam is getting worse: the country will have 1.5 million more men than women by 2034.