Good morning!
A slightly delayed issue - last week was rather full of deadlines.
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Take care,
Kate
Afghanistan
So many high-profile women have now fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took power. They include politician and peace negotiator Fawzia Koofi, newsreader Beheshta Arghand, and young female soccer players.
The Women’s Affairs Ministry is now the Ministry for Preaching and Guidance and the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
Anand Gopal writes about how in the countryside, the endless killing of civilians turned women against the US occupiers who claimed to be helping them.
An online campaign has seen Afghan women around the world share photos of themselves wearing traditional colourful clothes in protest against the Taliban, using the hashtag #DoNotTouchMyClothes.
Australia
Why it’s so difficult for migrant women to seek help for domestic violence:
Police asked Lillian, who was born in Asia, only one question during their visit on 9 December 2017: could she speak English.
“But they didn’t ask me what happened,” Lillian says.
Lillian told the police she didn’t speak much English. The officers did not interview her or attempt to call an interpreter. Instead, they spoke with her Australian husband.
Despite her injuries, the police report characterised Lillian as “the offender” and she was issued a domestic violence order.
Women receive worse medical treatment than men for common heart attacks, according to new research.
Bangladesh
A Bangladeshi mother decided to take matters into her own hands when her 16-year-old daughter went missing: she willingly trafficked herself into India.
Cambodia
In 2017, Sam Sokha filmed herself throwing a shoe at a poster of Hun Sen, accusing him of damaging the country. The video’s release next day on social media prompted a manhunt by police and Sam Sokha’s eventual summons to answer charges of “incitement.” She’s been in jail for three years and seven months now.
China
Zhou Xiaoxuan, whose sexual harassment case against a popular TV host sparked a nationwide debate over #MeToo, has accused a Beijing court of unfair treatment and vowed to appeal after it ruled against her. The court said Zhou’s proof in claiming that Zhu Jun, her superior at work, sexually harassed her.
French Polynesia
Female athletes are fighting for recognition and finding cultural connection in va’a racing, the traditional Polynesian sport of outrigger canoeing.
India
25 years ago, the Women’s Reservation Bill was developed to set aside 33% of parliamentary seats for women, alongside quotas for schedule castes and scheduled tribes. It has still not be ratified.
How much do alcohol bans help end violence against women in India? Research indicates it could be very useful:
“We wanted to see how the perceived benefits stacked up,” said Gunjan Sharma, a co-author and economist. She and her colleagues found alcohol prohibition was associated with a reduction in crimes against women of nearly a quarter – with a significant drop in cases of sexual harassment and cruelty. Survey data also suggested domestic violence almost halved in dry states.
Indian women have the lowest life expectancy of Southeast Asia, at just over 60 years.
Indonesia
It is time for the Indonesian Armed Forces to end and apologise for the practice of ‘virginity testing’, writes the daughter of a senior military figure.
Japan
More than half of Japanese women join the workforce with a university degree, almost the same number as men. But once you leave a full-time job, it is nearly impossible to return to your original career after a period of leave. The result? A nation of bored housewives:
After seven years as a stay-at-home mother raising two children, Ms Suzuki tried to re-join the workforce. It was a shock when she realised her time at home was seen as "a blank" on her CV. She couldn't even get an interview.
In the end, she had to gain three professional certificates before finally being offered a full-time job at a start-up. She now helps other women restart their careers.
Related: Tech remains seem as a man’s domain. Can women help Japan’s offices digitise?
Japan will elect a new president next month. Could it be Sanae Takaichi, who would become the country’s first female president?
Kiribati
DevPolicy follows up with female i-Kiribati workers stuck in New Zealand during the pandemic.
Malaysia
The High Court last week found that children born to Malaysian mothers and non-Malaysian fathers should be granted citizenship. But the country’s new Prime Minister plans to appeal the ruling, arguing that citizenship should only be granted to children of mixed couples if the father is Malaysian.
Myanmar
Women and gender minorities in Myanmar are experiencing devastating impacts on their health as the military tightens control on the country’s healthcare system.
Nepal
COVID-19 has increased rates of female debt in Nepal: 41 percent of women surveyed had lost their jobs in the pandemic, and 88 percent had lost income. Thirty-eight percent had been left with no source of family income whatsoever.
The government has agreed to decriminalise abortion after years of advocacy from civil society.
New Zealand
How Māori women have reshaped New Zealand’s media through their native language.
Pakistan
Pakistan might be about to get its first female Supreme Court justice.
Papua New Guinea
Is this a new, more-committed era in the fight against GBV in PNG?
Pangu Pati, PNG’s ruling party for the past two years, has elected its first female president, Erigere Singin. She will lead the party into the 2022 elections.
The Philippines
Wow: women learners from The Philippines posted a 774% year-over-year enrolment increase on online learning platform Coursera, making the country Coursera’s biggest source of users.
Samoa
Samoa’s first female prime minister is now sitting in Parliament, but the Opposition is not. They were banned from entering Parliament after they refused to accept the results of the election.
South Korea
A new report shows that LGBTQ+ students face high levels of bullying and discrimination in South Korea.
There will be more women than men in South Korea by 2050.
Sri Lanka
The government is urging women to delay pregnancy, after 40 pregnant mothers died of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka in recent months.
Thailand
NPR followed up with a Pattaya-based sex worker they spoke to originally in late 2020, to see how she’s fairing a year later.
Tonga
Tonga’s legislation against domestic violence, the Family Protection Act, was passed in 2013. How is implementation going?
Vietnam
How a culture of silence is lessening the impact of a new law against sexual harassment.