Solidaritas #61
Filipina women are still spending more time than men on unpaid care work during the pandemic
Good morning!
A few days late (I’ve been ill with a chest infection, alas), but here’s your fortnightly round-up of news on women’s rights, gender, and feminism in Asia and the Pacific. Some good news, some bad news, quite a bit of head-scratching ‘huh?’ news.
A personal note: as you likely know, Indonesia is currently struggling with the Delta variant of COVID-19. New case numbers are smashing records on a daily basis, and I know so many people in hospital or fighting against the illness at home. We at Jakarta Feminist just launched a new fundraising campaign last night to support vulnerable groups like domestic workers and female labourers. If you’d like to donate, I’d be thrilled! For international donors, the easiest way is to transfer to me via PayPal (paypal.me/katewalton); I’ll be sending donations to Indonesia every two or three days via TransferWise. Thank you so much for even reading this far.
- Kate
Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s women’s rights activists are often dismissed as representing only a small and privileged subset of the Afghan population. The reasoning goes that they do not represent the majority of Afghan women, especially those living in rural areas, who, it is said, may have very different priorities. A new report from the Afghan Analysts’ Network shows this is not the case, and that both urban and rural women want freedom and independence.
After fleeing violence in Afghanistan, carpet weaving is providing many refugee women with vital income in Pakistan.
Australia
After forty years in an unmarked grave, the family of murdered woman Queenie Hart are fighting to bring her home:
Queenie Hart died in April 1975 on the banks of Tunuba – or the Fitzroy River – the large waterway that runs through Rockhampton. … She was 28 years old.
… The coverage of her case was based around the descriptions of her wounds – and she had been wounded and violated. But she was held responsible for her own death, not only because of her alleged occupation, but also because she was Aboriginal. The newspaper called her “coloured” or “dark”.
Mhelody Bruno’s killer was sentenced to 22 months in jail, but it turns out there was lots of other information that the court never saw.
One in three migrant women in Australia have experienced domestic violence, and sixty percent of women of colour experience workplace discrimination.
The number of rapes recorded in the state of Victoria has doubled in 10 years, yet there has not been a similar increase in the number of perpetrators being sentenced.
New South Wales has become the first state to introduce paid miscarriage leave for public sector employees.
Also in NSW, the Joint Select Committee on Coercive Control has unanimously recommended that coercive control be criminalised. But Indigenous women and others have pointed out that the law could actually do more harm than good.
Bangladesh
The Bikalpadhara Bangladesh party is demanding that the requirement to maintain 33% women’s representation be revoked. The party has described it as an unrealistic condition, probably because they’ve failed to meet the requirement so far.
Some good news! Women in Bangladesh now live 3.3 years longer than men. The bad news is that climate change is seriously affecting their lives.
Cambodia
One in five women in Cambodia has reported experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime and the rate is increasing during the pandemic, new data indicates.
On supporting mothers in Cambodia:
We cannot overstate the importance of maternity protection. As a fundamental labour right, it guarantees the security and health of women and their children and is key to achieving gender equality and underpinning economic growth. The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the vulnerabilities of informal women workers in ASEAN to surges in unemployment, domestic violence, unintended pregnancies, and financial insecurity while taking on more responsibilities to care for the sick and to educate their children due to school closures. For this reason, maternity protection is more critical than ever.
China
China’s Communist Party at 100: Where are the women?
The appearance of Li Xueqin, a famous Chinese comedienne, in a men’s magazine has triggered a fierce debate about women’s appearance.
Fiji
Pregnant women in Fiji are being asked if they would be willing to give birth on a ship as the country’s COVID crisis causes overloading in hospitals.
Hong Kong
Rates of abuse of Hong Kong domestic workers by employers increased dramatically during Hong Kong’s pandemic lockdown.
Why IVF, IUI and egg freezing are but a dream for many women in Hong Kong, where outdated laws deny them a chance at motherhood.
India
Student activists Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal from Pinjra Tod (Break the Charge) have been freed from jail. The two were arrested in May last year with the police accusing them of being the "masterminds" of large riots, charging them under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, a draconian anti-terrorism law which makes it nearly impossible to get bail.
For the first time ever, women schoolteachers in India outnumber their male counterparts.
Giving women in Madhya Pradesh greater digital control over their wages encouraged them to enter the labor force and liberalised their beliefs about working women, a new study has concluded.
Women in rural areas such as Bihar are reportedly hesitant to take the COVID-19 vaccine:
Wherever [healthcare workers] go, villagers, especially women, shun them or ignore what they have to say.
Some raise unfounded claims that the shots can cause infertility while others simply question the vaccine's effectiveness.
In Suraudha, there is widespread belief that the vaccine is more dangerous than the virus itself. "They think foreigners are behind the [vaccines] and it's part of some conspiracy to kill the poor," Ms Madhu Kumari said.
Dowry payments in India's villages have been largely stable over the past few decades. A new study has found that dowry is paid in 95% of marriages, despite being illegal since 1961.
How will a new ban on commercial surrogacy affect the women who choose to become surrogates?
Three young women committed suicide in Kerala on June 21-22, leaving behind notes saying 'dowry harassment' forced them to take the extreme step. The suicides have triggered a heated debate in the state about the gender insensitivity.
Indonesia
One in nine Indonesian women marry before the age of 18, despite laws against doing so.
Japan
Japan's top court has again ruled that legal provisions forcing married couples to use the same surname are constitutional, upholding a 2015 Supreme Court judgment.
The Tokyo Olympics offer a chance to crown a new set of heroes to inspire budding female athletes. But once the spotlight dims, Japan’s rigid gender norms will still limit opportunities, with girls expected to be demure, not athletic.
Women still hold only 5.9% of director-level jobs in Japanese government offices.
Laos
COVID-19 is reportedly causing an increase in human trafficking from Laos into China.
Malaysia
Thousands of children the world over are stuck without Malaysian citizenship, innocent victims of archaic, sexist laws which deny Malaysian women the rights men have to automatically confer citizenship to offspring born abroad.
The Maldives
One in three women in the Maldives are thought to have experienced domestic violence.
Societal norms and stereotypical gender roles still inhibit women joining and advancing in the Maldivian tourism industry.
Myanmar
Sexual violence against women has reportedly increased since the coup.
On top of that, at least 12 LGBTIQ community members have been killed by regime forces and another 73 arrested or charged fighting against the dictatorship, according to a report from the National Unity Government.
Nepal
Mithila painting is a centuries-old style, dominated by women, and it’s now thriving once again.
Ratnanagar town is set to restrict women with children under two years from travelling abroad for foreign employment. The rule will apply to all mothers with babies under two regardless of what kind of work they will be doing overseas.
New Zealand
Transgender weightlifter Laurel Hubbard has won the support of her Australian Olympics rival, Charisma Amoe-Tarrant, as the Kiwi’s selection for Tokyo reignites debate around the highly sensitive and complex issue of inclusion and fairness in women’s sport.
North Korea
Kim Jong Un, fearing loss of control, has released some grooming and parenting advice for North Korean women.
Pakistan
The backlash continues against PM Imram Khan, who a few months ago said that women are to blame for what happens to them if they dress scantily. DW has a good wrap-up.
Papua New Guinea
Fears of COVID-19 'time bomb' in PNG as unexplained deaths spark sorcery claims, torture and murder.
Femili PNG in Lae has assisted more than 20 sorcery-related cases, yet arrests and justice remain minimal. In only one case have the perpetrators been arrested.
An alternative to expensive and environmentally harmful sanitary products is being freely offered to girls in Papua New Guinea, but water and infrastructure challenges remain.
The Philippines
Filipina women found themselves still spending more hours on care work than men during the coronavirus pandemic, a poll has suggested. It found that women spent up to 13 hours doing unpaid care work versus only eight hours for men.
Could Sara Duterte be the next president of The Philippines?
The Philippines Coast Guard hopes the voices of an all-female unit will keep Chinese ships away.
Regional
Facebook, Google, Twitter and TikTok have committed to overhauling their moderation systems to tackle the abuse of women on their platforms.
A global summary of ongoing problems with menstrual hygiene management.
Building gender-equitable economies in South Asia after COVID-19.
Violence against women in Pacific politics.
How the 2023 Women's World Cup is already boosting football in Oceania.
Samoa
Has the door finally opened for Samoa’s first female prime minister after weeks of constitutional crisis?
Singapore
A man has been sentenced to eight months in jail for taking over 200 upskirt photos of women in Singapore. The article implies that the death of his wife led him to this behaviour, which is.. obviously incorrect.
More women are being diagnosed with endometriosis amid greater awareness.
Solomon Islands
Fashion and social media is driving Solomon Islands' new thrift industry, and many women are turning to the market to make an income during the pandemic.
South Korea
In South Korea, an epidemic of online sex crimes is driving women to suicide and despair. A new Human Rights Watch report shows that the discrimination of nonconsensual intimate images (NCI) is inflicting lifelong trauma on victims, forcing some women to flee the country, forgo intimate relationships, defect from the internet, contemplate self-harm, or end their lives.
Fighting disease, death and disillusionment, members of South Korea’s rapidly dwindling sisterhood of surviving World War II sex slaves say they are facing the twilight of their lives with diminished camaraderie and will to wage political battles.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka’s belated #MeToo movement has started in its newsrooms. The government has ordered a probe into sexual harassment in the media after a string of allegations from female newsroom staff.
Thailand
Meet Mimi, a 17-year-old non-binary gender equality activist who has been charged with violating the Emergency Decree and the Public Assembly Act for giving a speech during a protest in October 2020. Mimi is one of the creators of the Thai version of the Feminist anthem “A Rapist in Your Path”.