Solidaritas #56
Hot oil attacks against women increasing in Nepal and anti-microfinance protests in Sri Lanka
Good morning!
I hope you are all well wherever you are today. Maybe there are COVID-19 vaccines coming your way, or maybe not (we’re mostly in the latter situation in Australia). Hopefully everyone can get access soon.
If you’re enjoying Solidaritas, paid subscriptions are available for US$5/month or much cheaper at US$40/year. Thank you for your support!
- Kate
Afghanistan
Hosna Jalil on fighting harassment, discrimination, and death threats as one of Afghanistan’s highest-ranking female officials.
Australia
The government has a ‘roadmap’ for dealing with sexual harassment. It falls way short of the radical change we need.
A fascinating look at Chinese-Australian women during the White Australia era.
How coercive control can look different in non-white communities.
Meet Ayor Makur Chuot, who has become Western Australia’s first MP of African descent.
Asian-Australian women are frequently harassed and treated demeaningly on dating apps.
Five Yazidi women who were held as slaves in ISIS territory by an Australian terrorist have failed in their claims for compensation.
Brunei
Female Legislative Council members are demanding for more rights and it’s great. They’re calling for more opportunities to be given to women to run for parliament and that the law be reviewed so that women can also stand as village heads.
Burma
Ethnic minority women have been heavily involved in protests against the military coup.
Cambodia
A Cambodian policewoman who was initially shamed for breastfeeding while at work has now been praised for her commitment to raising her family.
A property tycoon is being investigated after videos of him beating his wife went viral.
China
Uighur women who leave Xinjiang for overseas are finding out just how hard it is to completely escape China’s grasp.
Chinese women have been able to take time off work for experiencing a miscarriage since 1951, yet it turns out few actually do so, primarily because of workplace stigma.
Meet Yang Li, a rising young female comedian who has become online misogynists’ latest favourite target for hate and harassment.
Fiji
Fiji’s first female professional footballer is doing well for her team in Israel.
India
Rural women farmers have the most to lose from Modi’s new farming laws, especially if they are also members of the Dalit caste.
Maternal and child health isn’t great to begin with in India, but the pandemic has worsened the situation, with mothers and babies unable to access the healthcare they need.
Why do some male Indian politicians seem so concerned about women wearing ripped jeans?
Indonesia
Lies Marcoes on the female face of terrorism in Indonesia.
On the battle against stunting in children.
Japan
Why can’t Japan shake sexism? Related: The government has a goal to achieve 35% female MPs, but female lawmakers say this is probably impossible in the current situation.
Something a bit different: How Japanese women saved Shintoism.
Laos
The maternal death rate is improving in Laos but still has a long way to go.
Nepal
Following the introduction of a strict new law against acid attacks, there has been a rise in hot oil attacks on women instead:
Although injuries from such attacks are often first-degree burns compared to acid attacks (which result in third-degree burns), weaker laws and little support from the government make the victims of such attacks vulnerable. Criminals resort to such methods knowing stricter punishment lies with the use of acid – and not with oil.
Nepali MP Binda Pandey says women’s rights have improved little in past decades and that many men still cannot accept women in power.
New Zealand
The Accident Compensation Corporation has decided it will not cover perineal tears that occur during childbirth, because it’s something that happens during birth and not due to treatment. Bizarre decision, to say the least, when as many as 85% of NZ women will experience a perineal tear.
A minister has been diagnosed with stage-3 cervical cancer, leading to questions over NZ’s screening system.
Pakistan
How illiteracy perpetuates oppression of women in Pakistan: about half of all Pakistani women cannot read or write in any language.
Former cricketer turned PM Imran Khan has blamed the increasing number of rapes reported on women’s appearances and outfits. He says purdah is the solution because it supposedly helps men avoid temptation.
Aurat March (Women’s March) organisers are once again being accused of blasphemy.
Hundreds of Hazara women are learning martial arts in Quetta.
A feel-good story about how a trans woman has found a safe place in tailoring.
Papua New Guinea
Miss PNG has been stripped of her crown because.. she twerked on TikTok??
The Philippines
More and more Filipina women are being jailed for drugs charges under the Duterte regime. But what happens to their children?:
The most prominent recent case is that of activist Reina Mae Nasino, whose baby River died of pneumonia in October. The spectacle of the funeral, with a 23-year-old mother cuffed and unable to wipe her tears, was seen by critics of President Rodrigo Duterte as a jarring portrait of diminishing rights in the country.
Immigration officials are being investigated after 44 Filipina women were trafficked to work in Lebanon.
Regional
A comparative look at how women fare in Bangladesh and Pakistan, once part of the same country.
How to design safer cities for women.
Samoa
Samoa might be about to get its first ever female Prime Minister! It’s especially exciting because the incumbent has been in political office for 22 years.
Singapore
Women, especially single women, are bearing the brunt of caring for their aging parents.
South Korea
Why is achieving gender equality seemingly so difficult in South Korea?
Sri Lanka
Rural women are protesting against microfinance in Sri Lanka, saying it often leaves women in more debt than before.
Tonga
Meet Naua Lakai, a pearl farmer from Vava’u.
High levels of teen pregnancy in Tonga have lead to strong recommendations for better sex education.
Vanuatu
How traditional island cricket is saving women’s lives and reducing the impact of NCDs in Vanuatu.
Vietnam
The price of dissent: female activists are being targeted and jailed more frequently than ever before in Vietnam.
An increasing number of Vietnamese women are getting tattoos, often to cover up scars or as part of emotional healing journeys.
