The Saboteur

In today’s society, there is a great struggle for equality between the sexes. Feminists face challenges from every angle; at home, within their circles of friends, with their partners and in the media. But there is one unexpected threat - opposition or setback from within their own gender.

It is a large misconception that men and men alone perpetuate gender bias, sexism and promote rape culture (rape culture: A concept which links rape and sexual violence to the culture of a society, and in which prevalent attitudes and practices normalize, excuse, tolerate, or even condone rape).  It is becoming apparent that women are playing a part in it as well.

As women, we grow up in a society which dictates what we are to wear, how to act, and how to think. From this conditioning, many of us are quick to judge others of the same sex if they do not conform to the “rules” that our largely misogynistic society has set in place. Many of us are guilty of contributing to a sexist, misogynistic and prejudiced way of thinking. Ask yourself if you have ever done any of the following:

·         Judged a woman/girl on appearance alone

·         Called a woman/girl a “slut”

·         Made an assumption about a woman’s sex life or sexual orientation based on her clothing

If you answered “yes” to any of the above, don’t feel bad. Many women have learned this behavior from friends and family, even their own mothers. I admit I am guilty of it myself, and it has taken much effort to realize the damage I cause to the fight for gender equality when I think or speak this way. When we allow ourselves to follow these imaginary rules and fall into the stereotypes, we are telling society, this is okay. Women should be treated as objects, assessed and criticized. We confirm the notion that a woman is a “certain way” and deserves a particular type of treatment due to her appearance, which inevitably contributes to society’s toleration and normalization of rape. We help rape culture continue to grow.

What can you do?

Think

It seems simple. Think before you speak. Think about the thoughts that enter your mind before they even get there – are they judgmental? Stop them in their tracks. We don’t have the right to make assumptions about anyone without knowing them. Remember that part of feminism is the freedom for women to choose who they want to be, what they want to wear and how they want to act without fear of persecution.

Speak Up!

Don’t be afraid to spread the word. If you witness this kind of stereotyping and prejudice, say something!

Get Active!

Contribute to Delta Women. Start your own blog. Tweet something, make pamphlets, educate – anything!

If we all do our part, no matter how difficult it may be, we will be successful. Only when we present a united front will we achieve true gender equality.

By Jennifer Andrews

PAKISTANI KASHMIR - GIRL 15 VICTIM OF ACID ATTACK "HONOUR" KILLING

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20173484

By Zulfiqar Ali - BBC Urdu, Islamabad  

Women in Pakistan have been increasingly subjected to acid attacks. 

 A mother and father in Pakistani-administered Kashmir have been arrested for murdering their 15-year-old daughter by dousing her with acid "in the name of an honour", police say.

They say it is one of the first such cases of its kind in the region.

Honour killings happen when mostly male family members believe the victim has brought dishonour to their community.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported 943 women were killed in honour killings last year.

That represented an increase of more than 100 from 2010.

But such happenings are rare in parts of Kashmir under the control of Pakistan.

Police say that the incident took place in a remote village in the southern district of Kotli. They say that the case was brought to their attention by the couple's eldest daughter.

It will not be clear until Friday - when the parents are due in court - if they admit or deny murder charges.

'Suspicious'

Local police officer Raja Tahir Ayub told the BBC that the girl's father became enraged when he saw his daughter "looking at two boys" riding on a motorcycle outside their home on Monday.

Police say that the parents suspected she was having illicit relations with one of the pair.

"He took his daughter inside, beat her up and then poured acid over her with the help of his wife," Mr Ayub said.

Police say that that the couple did not take their daughter to hospital until the next morning, and she succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday evening.

The head of the state-run district hospital in Kotli - Muhammad Jahangir - confirmed the death.

He said that the girl was brought to hospital in a serious condition with more than 35% burns.

"There was no way she could survive," he said.

Police say that the dead girl's married elder sister informed them of the alleged incident on Wednesday morning.

They say that she became suspicious when her parents did not allow mourners to see the face of the dead girl before she was buried - otherwise a normal practise in Kashmiri Muslim society.

In March the government of Pakistani-administered Kashmir made acid attacks a criminal offence punishable with life imprisonment.

Girl Molested in Public.......!!!!!

A teenaged girl was molested, groped at and beaten up, all in full public view, by a mob in Guwahati, triggering widespread protests in the state.

The protestors hung up the posters of the culprits in city thoroughfares even as an embarrassed police department is now working overtime to hunt down those involved in the crime. So far, four persons have been arrested while at least eight others are still at large.

The 17-year-old girl, who is pursuing studies in fashion designing in the national capital, was attacked when she was returning home after celebrating the birthday of her friend, a teenaged girl, at a bar. The girl was subjected to assault and molestation for nearly half an hour before being rescued by some passers-by.

The birthday girl had lost her ATM card and couldn’t settle the bills. So, they were evicted by the bar employees. But soon, she picked up a quarrel with the young men who accompanied her and started beating them up. "When the mob started building up, the four fled the place leaving behind the victim,”  as said by city senior superintendent of police (SSP) Apurba Jiban Barua.

The Assam State Commission for Women has taken suo motu cognisance of the case.

“We strongly condemn this heinous crime,” the Commission chairperson Meera Barooah said. A team of the National Commission for Women is scheduled to visit the state even as Congress president Sonia Gandhi has sought a report on the incident from the Pradesh Mahila Congress.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi admitted that the law and order situation in Guwahati is deteriorating . He instructed the administration and police to monitor the bars, clubs, discos and hotels and raid them as and when required.

What is actually happening to India?the 33% reservation,the great culture etc are only seen in words,but in actual practice these are all forgotten and people are behaving like animals.The pledge saying “all Indians are my Brothers and Sisters” is seen only on National integration days or in schools,but this is not at all followed. This is an utmost shame to the country and what to say, we can only hope for a better tomorrow.


By Sreejesh K

Female Genital Museum

Over the past two weeks, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has become a broad feature in the British media. As the founder of 28 Too Many Ann-Marie Wilson has successfully published an article in the Huffington Post on the number of children at risk of being subjected to FGM, The Independent has analysed what is known as ‘The UK’s Cutting Season’. Now that the British summer holidays are in full swing, around 25,000 girls are at risk of being subjected to FGM against their will. This year, Nigeria sponsored a resolution at the World Health Assembly to end FGM, yet the practice is still rampant across the country. As it is clear that FGM continues to be practiced worldwide, it is important to address what more could be done in countries like the UK and Nigeria, and how lessons can be learned from successful FGM intervention programs.

In the UK, laws exist to prevent the practice of FGM. The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 imposes penalties of up to 14 years in prison on those who practice FGM, and those who aid and abet occurrences of the crime. The 2003 act is an amendment of the previous 1985 act. Despite the act being introduced, not a single person has been prosecuted. It is clear that the act’s existence alone is not enough to prevent the crime from occurring, and that it is simply empty rhetoric in the battle against this atrocious crime. In order for any criminal act to be effective, the crime needs to be reported. As the practice of FGM is against children who are too young to have a voice, or too afraid to speak out, it is unlikely that they will step forward as victims. As the communities that practice FGM shroud the practice in secrecy, it is rare that anyone will speak out on the child’s behalf.. Until recently, FGM has continued to be an issue that is largely unheard of in the UK, with many leading politicians being unaware of what it involves, or even that it is practiced. In addition to this, the NHS does not offer reconstructive surgery to victims of the practice. Based on this, it is clear that the UK is failing to protect those who are at risk.

The UK’s failure to prevent FGM does not mean that the existence of legislation is always redundant. In France, over 100 prosecutions have been made, but there are stark differences between the way France approaches FGM, and the way the UK approaches it. It is believed that France’s successes are due to the annual health checks performed on young girls at risk across the country. These include a brief look at the external genitalia by a medical professional in specialised clinics until the age of six. Once the child begins attending school, these annual checks are continued by the school nurse. In addition to this, French campaigners have reported successfully placing injunctions on those who have been reported by family members for planning to mutilate their daughters. It could be argued that the tougher stance on those who have practiced FGM in France has acted as a deterrent. Alternatively, it could be that France’s determination to make the issue public raises enough awareness for communities to abandon the practice. A study by the University of Barcelona has demonstrated that France as a country have seen a reduction in the number of girls subjected to FGM. It could therefore be argued that the French’s determination to make FGM a public issue has created enough awareness to encourage communities to cessate the practice of it.

In contrast, the women of Nigeria have been subjected to the same horrors as those in the UK and France, but the practice of FGM is far more widespread, and harder to combat. It is estimated that in some areas, up to 56% of women have been subjected to FGM, while in others it is as low as 0.4%. In addition to this, experts believe that ‘official’ statistics are not a true reflection of those women who have not been reached by researchers, and therefore the real percentages may be higher. In a literature review conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), it was found that communities where interventions existed had seen a reduction in the practice of FGM. The WHO’s literature review focused on communities in Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. As well as finding that interventions in the form of educational sessions were effective, the WHO’s review detected barriers to making such interventions successful.. These barriers included a lack of financial compensation, as well as husbands refusing to grant their wives permission to attend educational sessions.

In order for FGM to be eradicated around the world, all countries need to take a unified and consistent stance. While legislation exists to protect women in countries like the UK, its existence alone is ineffective in preventing the crime. Human rights laws that focus on abuse and torture in Nigeria can be loosely interpreted to prosecute perpetrators of the crime, but areas where interventions do not exist witness an ever-increasing number of girls who are subjected to it. By establishing a sense of consistency, FGM can be universally wiped out.

So what is it that countries need to be consistent with? In addition to providing clear legislation, interventions and support for men and women who are interested in them are needed. Medical outreaches that focus on educating communities on the benefits of eradicating FGM should be expanded; this should focus on male members of the community, as well as female. By establishing a sense of unity against the issue across the world, practices such as taking children to other nations to undergo FGM can also be halted.

If you personally are interested in ending FGM, you can begin by writing to your local MP, congressman, or any other relevant governmental representative and ask them to do more to address the issue. The more our leaders are pushed to end the practice, the more likely it is they will do something about it. In addition to this, you can sign the following petitions to press world leaders to take a stand against FGM:
http://www.endfgm.eu/en/petition/ - Europe

http://www.petitiononline.com/fgm2003/petition.html - United States

http://forcechange.com/23321/prosecute-female-genital-mutilation-in-the-uk/ - United Kingdom

http://www.enditnow.org/petition-lightbox - International


By Laura Mckeever

Female disunity is an underlining problem.

Tahrir Square in Egypt, once a plain old square straddled in the heart of beautiful Cairo reveals a two- fold picture. On one hand, the square has become a symbol of defiance against a repressive system, a symbol of breath taking strength, hope and faith. On the other hand, the revolutionary square has opened its arms to heart wrenching bloodshed, sectarian violence and equally disturbing in my eyes, the barbaric violence perpetuated towards women.  Graphic images of women utterly violated have flooded the net and our screens. We have witnessed fully veiled  women  from top to toe, half veiled women, women with no head scarf and females from other countries in countless numbers been sexually molested and stripped off their outer dignity, dragged through the square as if they were mere dirt or an unwanted dead animal about to be disposed of in a garbage container.  

A girl named Natasha from America who was sexually brutally attacked at the square, made me think: Men are often to blame for repression against women and rightfully so in many instances. Nonetheless, rarely do we examine a woman’s role in inciting such behavior.  Before I go any further, this is an excerpt from Natasha’s blog about her ordeal:

Men began to rip off my clothes. I was stripped naked. Their insatiable appetite to hurt me heightened. These men, hundreds of them, had turned from humans to animals.
Hundreds of men pulled my limbs apart and threw me around. They were scratching and clenching my breasts and forcing their fingers inside me in every possible way. So many men. All I could see was leering faces, more and more faces sneering and jeering as I was tossed around like fresh meat among starving lions.

A small minority of men, just a couple at first, tried to protect me and guide me to a tent. The tent was crushed, its contents scattered into shards all over the ground. I was barefoot as they stole my nice new shoes. I was tossed around once more, being violated every second. I was dragged naked across the dirty ground. Men pulled my blonde hair.

I looked up and saw a couple of women in burkas scattered around. They looked at me blankly, then looked away.

I reached the tent and saw my friend Callum. Muslim women surrounded me and frantically tried to cover my naked body. I fell to the ground and apparently temporarily lost consciousness. 

When we read about her horrific experience, many in highly industrialized countries report without a wink of an eye on how Muslims have no concept of equality and humanity.

But many who utter these comments fail to blame females in their own countries, females in Egypt and elsewhere for being bystanders and even supporters of such heinous acts – only a few women have been willing to overcome culture through courage and sisterhood. Something that also Natasha highlights in her blog.

It is underlining truth, we birth these so called animals, we nurture them, and we influence them, we watch them do terrible things to other woman. But after all this is said and done, we asked ourselves: don’t these women have any heart or compassion? But we fail to ask ourselves from the other side of the pond, where are our hearts and compassion in helping women sidelined by indifference to act and perceive more compassionately?

Poverty, culture and male dominance in many developing societies and developed societies have unfortunately given birth to heartless women, bystanders, but should we let this continue to happen?  NO.

Let Tahrir Square and the suffering of women in every part of the world vividly and fervently remind us that if we want to build a respectable and safe society for women in particular, we must begin to join hands as women and really lend our hearts, minds and resources to helping women in need of help. Even though culture and sometimes religion (I speak of all religions) may encourage odd behavior, we as women must learn to rise above it. This is not an easy task, but through women for women unity initiatives catapulting in many places, Tahrir Square episodes will be a thing of the past.


We make up half of the world population therefore it is pivotal that we as women unit in sisterhood and most importantly nature compassion towards one another irrespective of culture, social status and faith lines.

Female unity must be made a priority.

By Charlotte Lazarus
Source:
Natasha Smith’s blog: Please God, Please Make It Stop

HOPE FOR SONALI

(Sonali before and after her acid attack)

“I want justice, or allow me to end my life," says Sonali Mukherjee.

It has been 9 years since Sonali was victimized by an acid attack by people she knew because of an altercation...her neighbours. The attack left her blind in both eyes, partially deaf and melted away the skin on the skull, neck, chest and back. She was still lucky the acid didn’t enter her brain.

Sonali is now 27 years old, penniless and begging for help from the government or to let her end her life.  She continues to get death threats from her attackers who to this day remain scot-free.  They have now threatened to harm her family as well so Sonali’s family is running from them like fugitives.

Two of the three men (Tapas Mitra, Sanjay Paswan, and Bhrahmadev Hajra) responsible for the attack were convicted and sentenced to 9 years in jail. The youngest was released for being a juvenile. But I can’t find the words to describe my feelings at how the two men convicted were still granted bail by the higher court. Maybe it’s just my poor understanding of Indian Law, but I can understand how deeply disappointed and frustrated the victims feel about the kind of justice system we have in our societies when justice is denied.

Sonali has approached the chief minister of Jharkhand, all the legislators, and MPs, the union women and child development ministry for help and has been assured of help. So far, none have materialized and Sonali and her family continue to run in fear of their safety from people already convicted for their crime.

Though I don’t agree to Sonali asking that she be allowed to kill herself if she is not extended any help, I can understand the desperation and helplessness she feels. The trauma that her situation has brought so much pain not only on herself but her family as well, caused them financial strain, and even endangered their lives, can drive her to the edge.  

A petition to the prime leaders of India to help bring her attackers to justice was launched recently. Hopefully this can help lift Sonali’s spirit to give her hope that justice will prevail and life will always be worth living despite her misfortune.

Sonali is not alone in this fight and she should realize that. Her own struggle for justice can inspire others like her to also speak out and fight such abuses. Many women have been victimized by acid attacks.  Whatever the reason, it does not justify the act and each perpetrator must be brought to justice.

Sources:

1. The Hindu - http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3632525.ece
2. NDTV - http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/give-me-justice-or-allow-me-to-end-my-life-says-acid-attack-victim-sonali-mukherjee-243143
3. Weight of Silence - http://weightofsilence.wordpress.com/2012/07/20/justice-for-sonali-and-a-stand-for-womens-rights-in-india/

Written by Lylin Aguas

Another kind of discrimination

The recent two weeks in Colombia, my country, exploded a tremendous scandal because a renowned journalist wrote an article about the advantages of being a fat woman in a very humiliating way, saying things like a fat woman is a big couch-hugging man along side other offensive expressions that maddened as many as 3.000 women who let their anger surface through social media.

It made me think about the kinds of discrimination and how easy it is to offend and hurt people, and also how carefully should we be when we are writers. Unfortunately the journalist had been criticized and treated for the offended women are naive and ignorant and the media that published this article is begging pardon from the Colombian readers.

Suddenly when I was concentrating on the scandal, another journalist known for his critical position about the world, wrote asking why the people in our country were spending energies in this superficial scandal when 417 women died in Colombia in a violent way in the first part of 2012. This quote broke my heart and questioned me because when we live in a country where we hear about death on all days we didn´t stop to think how cruel this reality is and how unfair life is.

That’s the reason why I decided to write this post, because I feel that we need to be the voice of the victimized women who are not here anymore to fight for the end of violence. I want to clarify that I´m not justifying the act of the journalist against fat women, I think it is cruel and also unfair, but I also think that the real reason to protest and be angry is the violence against women.

I should confess that the people in this country sometimes have reaction about this kind of crimes, recently one woman died after being raped and tortured in a park and the people organized a protest, but our fight needs to be stronger and decisive because this kind of abuses cannot continue.

I guess this is a start, but I´m going to look for another ways to contribute to this cause. From now, I expect to start creating conscience about the importance of being worry about the violence against women.

By Claudia Fierro

This is the article to question me about violence:

http://www.eltiempo.com/opinion/columnistas/ponchorentera/maltrataron-a-la-azcrate-poncho-rentera-columnista-el-tiempo_12019041-4

KILLING GIRL CHILDREN IN INDIA..........

In the feel-happy planet that is India, where the most powerful politician is an Italy-born woman and where the newspapers are ecstatic over the appointment of an India-born woman as PepsiCo's CEO, there has emerged a news-spoiler that has not been greatly highlighted in the country's media.

This is surprising since the news is revolting and the Indian news channels are constantly in quest of sensational news items to hike up their television ratings. A few days before India's 60th Independence Day celebrations, government officials in Punjab, one of the wealthiest states of India and also the birthplace of Bhangra music, discovered dozens of female fetuses dumped in an unused well in a town called Patran.
A quack, formerly serving in the Indian army, and along with his wife, was running an illegal maternity clinic where, assisted by a team of nurses, he 'helped' expectant parents determine the sex of their fetuses and aborted the female ones if the parents so desired. 

The fetuses were secretly thrown in the well. Allegedly, this killing of would-be girls had been carried out for a number of years. The quack had established the clinic in 1987. It was only earlier this month when one of the nurses, upset over her salary, reported the matter to the authorities. The decomposed remains of placentas and fetuses were discovered in the well and the killings became public knowledge.

Killing female embryos is an unacknowledged practice in Indian society. Everyone knows it is a crime and perhaps morally wrong, too. There are many who do not fall for it, but still it is acceptable. Just be quiet about it, please.

It is also true that many Indians love their daughters as much as their sons, yet the birth of a girl is an undesirable occasion in many families. Girls are seen as a burden on the household, a bundle of shame, and a thankless responsibility. They are perceived as offspring who, unlike the sons, would not carry on the family's name. Instead, a great amount of money would have to be arranged for their wedding dowries, which would benefit the homes of their husband's families.

India is perhaps the only civilization that worships God in woman-form, too. That still doesn’t stop many countrymen from killing their own daughters. Earlier baby daughters were killed by smothering, making them lick poison, or simply by not feeding them. Last year in the month of August, again in Punjab, a newspaper highlighted the report of a girl child being abandoned on a highway by her parents.
India has started shining. Developments in medical technology are more accessible. It is easier to avoid guilt complex by an early detection of the sex of the fetus, thanks to ultrasound technology, and opting for abortion, if it is a girl, in a safe, clean, and clinical process.

It is illegal in India to determine the gender of the fetus of a pregnant woman. Unfortunately the practice is discreet and willing doctors are easy to contact through word-of-mouth publicity.
However, in March 2006, a doctor and his assistant were sentenced to two years in jail for revealing the sex of a female fetus and then consenting to abort it. This was the first time medical professionals were jailed in such a case.

India is a great civilization and a confident country that aspires to become one of the leading nations of the world. It will never achieve this dream until it learns to appreciate the value of a woman as the same of a man.

The good news is that a willing acceptance of daughters is not impossible to arrive at in this conservative country. The newspaper that reported the baby girl was abandoned on the highway AS MENTIONED that a poor couple adopted the baby. The couple happily boasted of already having four biological daughters!

By Sreejesh Kaipully

REBUILDING LIFE AGAIN

            Fakhra Yunus (Pakistan), Katie Piper (London), Naziran Bibi (Pakistan), Naila Farhat (Pakistan) Manzoor (Pakistan), Saira Liaqat (Pakistan), Naseera Bibi (Pakistan) *

All these women have one thing in common – they’re all victims of acid attack inflicted by their boyfriend, husband or family…someone they knew.

            I’ve always been quite an emotional person and I can’t for the life of me comprehend how one could concoct in his (or her) sick mind to throw acid on someone who is supposed to be family or loved one. I can understand extreme anger where one may at some point lose control, but it still does not justify the use of violence...and definitely not throwing acid on someone. The scars can permanently disfigure the victim. Though the act does not kill, it does to a certain extent or at some point break the victim’s spirit and will to live, unless the victim gets strong support from people...people who can make them feel that they have to fight for justice and that life despite their tragedy, is still worth living.

When Fakra Yunus jumped from the 6^th floor of her flat in Italy last March 17, 2012, it revived the public uproar on the lack of action by the Pakistani government to prevent acid attacks and other forms of violence against women. Fakra endured more than 3 dozen  operations after her husband’s acid attack in 2000…and it was done while her 5-year old son was watching. The attack practically destroyed her face beyond recognition. But it was also her husband’s ex-stepmother who helped her escape to Italy and endure the last 12 years of multiple surgeries to restore the damage done to her. In the end, everything became just too much for her to endure and she took her own life.

            This was not the case though for Naila Farhat, also from Pakistan. She was just 13 years old when a man threw acid in her face in 2003 because her parents refused to let him marry her. But she is fighting back and encouraging other victims to do the same. Her words serve as inspiration to many like her:  "I encourage other acid attack victims and tell them that they should continue fighting for their rights and should not hesitate to come out of their homes, they should come forward." Her fight is now with the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Victims in Pakistan like Naila Farhat have a big battle to fight. With a culture where violence against women seems acceptable to society, the fight for women’s rights can be quite difficult and even excruciating. And with even the police turning a blind eye due to corruption and social pressure, many victims suffer in silence, in fear…in shame, physically and mentally ruining their lives.

            Acid attacks however, do not just exist in Pakistan. They are also quite common in Afghanistan, Cambodia, Bangladesh and India. Incidents have also been reported in London, Brussels (where an attacker was recently convicted for 30 years in prison) and the United States.

The Bangladesh Acid Survivors Foundation reported that an average of 228 acid attacks have occurred each year since 1999.  The Acid Survivors Foundation in Islamabad reported that around 150 women are “viciously attacked each year by men who easily obtain acid used in the cotton industry.” The Human Rights Watch reported that in 2002, 750 women were injured in acid attacks in Pakistan. The incidents have gone down since then with many women’s groups and international organizations creating awareness of the problem and helping victims pursue the case against their attackers.

            Though the statistics vary from different sources, one thing remains clear. The problem exists and something has to be done about it.

With acid being an easy weapon to buy and use anywhere, there is a strong need to control or regulate its sale as well as impose stronger penalties for those who carry out the attacks. Monetary consideration should never be a means to legally exonerate an attacker. Medical, Legal, and social reintegration programs are critical and should be made available to victims. Only then can they have a chance to rebuild their lives again and become emotionally and mentally secure again, financially and socially independent again. 

*Acid attack victims:

Katie Piper (London)  -  former TV presenter, disfigured by an acid attack by a violent boyfriend

Naila Farhat (Pakistan) -  doused with acid in her face in 2003by a man because her parents refused to let him marry her. 
Manzoor (Pakistan) - drenched in acid after being beaten to unconsciousness after a fight over doing the dishes
Iram Saeed (Pakistan) – victim of acid attack for rejecting a marriage proposal
Naseera Bibi (Pakistan) – attacked with acid while she was sleeping. She suspects her husband as the attacker     
Derri Valarde (Arizona) - approached by an acid-wielding stranger outside her home

SOURCES AND READING ARTICLES:

1)      Acid Survivors Foundation

       -  http://www.acidsurvivors.org/reintegration.html

       -  http://acidsurvivorspakistan.org/tag/naila-farhat

2)      Acid Attacks on the Rise in South Asia(ABC News) 
3)     International Women's Day 2012: Drawing attention toacid attacks against women worldwide  

4)     Learning to Smile Again 

5)     Pakistan Acid Victims Rebuild Ruined Lives

To Kill, to protect Honour?

Jamila was to be married off to a cousin, but she couldn’t stand the idea, not one bit. The proclivity for her family to force on her an incestuous bond in matrimony was far too much for her to accept, far too wrong for her to tolerate. Jamila was educated, even if not as much as her brother was- she still understood the wrong in allowing the marriage to take place. Jamila’s heart was with another, anyway, and marrying him was the only prospect she was willing to consider. So she devised a plan- she would run away on the eve of the wedding. A trusted friend would be her aide, and help her escape the pockmarked fate that was awaiting her. But even the truest of friends can be forced to turn foe, circumstances forcing her to be a tattle-tale. That night, Jamila was killed by her brothers.

Why?

Because the family’s honour is of utmost importance; Because a runaway bride is a prospect about a thousand times worse in comparison to a dead one; Because they can.

Jamila is a wispy piece of fiction for my article. But her fate is not. In the past year alone, as many as 943 Pakistani women were killed, all in the name of honour. They allegedly shamed their family, and by bringing their family disrepute, death was their decided punishment. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, in its report, exposed the sordid reality shrouding the sudden deaths of these many women. 93 of these women were minors. In as many as 595 cases, the reason was the subsistence of alleged illicit relationships, while as many as 219 women had voiced a demand to marry a person of their own choice. The report reveals the dark horrors of unabashed antagonism to women- as many as 180 cases had their own brothers as the killers, 226 cases where husbands as the killers, and 19 of them were raped, while 12 were gang-raped.

But what is the honour in killing?

How could these men justify the killing of their women, all in the name of “honour”? I remember these lines I read in Shakespeare’s magnum opus, Julius Caesar, where Brutus says to Cassius,

Set honour in one eye and death i' the other,

And I will look on both indifferently,

For let the gods so speed me as I love

The name of honour more than I fear death.

As contextually logical as these lines appear vis-a-vis Brutus’ exchange with Cassius on the subject of Brutus’ affection for a sense of honour, rather than to live a life with stigma, the insinuation of such logic in the hope of quelling any plausible dishonour stemming from a woman’s choice of standing for herself, or from a woman’s pursuit of a relationship with a man of her choice, is absurd. Outrageously so, at that.

Honour killings are a reflection of a society that is steeped in an uber-conservative mindset, and deeply entwined an ego-centric misunderstanding, wherein women are construed emblematic of their familial honour, through their behaviour and conduct in the public eye. Any ‘misconduct’ therefore, is a depredation of the family’s honour and pride, and needs to be prevented at any cost. The dishonour can be dispensed with, and honour can be restored only if the offending female is tossed off the cliff.

But this mindset is not confined to Pakistan. Palestine, Afghanistan, and even the west- wherein Canada’s records show the occurrence of the ‘honour’ killings of a couple of girls, to name a few, are hotbeds where the practice seems to thrive.

There is no doubt that a mentality that precedes the perpetration of such an act is a product of misguided and ill-gotten values. Reality is theirs to interpret - it appears, for they seem to liberally take the law into their own hands. The confluence of a politically liberal environment coupled with misinterpretation of religious texts as sanctioning the act by a couple of zealots is an unholy, heady mix. You cannot hope to be politically or religiously liberated if you fail to understand that social liberation goes alongside the both.

Honour lies in respect, in perseverance, in honesty and in humanitarian conduct. And when you kill, there’s no more dishonour than that.


By Kirthi Gita Jayakumar

My Brother, My Husband, My Father. My Tormentor, My Captor, My Killer

Every day, girls are born into our world. Sadly, simply because of their gender, these girls will be more likely to face violence and abuse throughout their lives. In many cases, they will also face premature death at the hands of their abusers.

Around the world, women suffer a disproportionate burden of violence for no reason other than having been born female. Contrary to popular belief, violence against women is not a phenomenon that affects girls and women who put themselves at risk by willingly entering dangerous situations. No, the unfortunate reality is that women experience the most violence at home.

Worldwide, women are abused every day, every second. The number one perpetrators of such abuses are not usually strangers they cross paths with on the street. They are not always that man who they met at the bar. Nor are they usually the militiamen who stumble upon women who leave their camps to fetch water from the nearest well. No, in reality, those abusing women tend to be a member of the woman’s own family or someone who they know.

As frightening as it is, women around the world are constantly sleeping under the same roof as the person who abuses them or who might put them at risk.

A report by Amnesty International explains that seventy percent of female murder victims are killed by their male partners. In Kenya, one woman a week becomes part of this grim statistic. In Zambia, five women a week follow the same fate.  In Bangladesh, half of all murders of women are by their partners. Even more alarming, in South Africa, about one woman is killed by her husband or boyfriend every six hours.

Not all skirmishes end up in death. According to the World Health Organization, about fifty percent of women in Tanzania and seventy-one percent of women in Ethiopia’s rural areas reported beatings or other forms of violence by husbands or other intimate partners.

Developed countries have acted to reduce the impact and the incidence of violence against women. Unfortunately, violence against women remains a global problem. In the United States, a woman is battered by her husband or partner every 15 seconds. That boils down to about four battered women in the time it took me to write this paragraph. In New Zealand, twenty percent of women have reported being hit or abused by their male partner. In the United Kingdom, approximately two women are killed every week by their partners.

There is also a story of women who never see the light of life due to female female foeticide. As part of this practice, female fetuses are intentionally killed by their own parents before or right after being born. In India, for example, an estimated 35 to 40 million girls and women are missing from the Indian population as a result of gender-selective abortion. As a consequence of pre-natal sex determination, female fetuses are selectively aborted in order to avoid the birth of girls.

The list describing the forms of violence against women is endless. Women not only are beaten and killed. They are also forced into marriage, they suffer dowry-related violence, marital rape, forced pregnancy, forced sterilization, trafficking and forced prostitution.

Why is it that women face such violence and hardships in our world? And why is it that their own family members are the ones perpetrating these acts?

The reason is simple: women are abused because cultural norms around the world put them in subservient positions in relation to their husbands and other males.  The reality is that violence against women is so deeply embedded in cultures around the world that millions of women across the globe consider it a way of life.  In Pakistan, for example, forty-two percent of women accept violence as part of their fate, and thirty-three percent of Pakistani women feel too helpless to stand up to violence.

Culture in many countries condones violence against women. This is especially true in the case of married women who practically become the property of their husbands. Across Asia and Africa, the right of a husband to beat or physically intimidate his wife is a deeply held conviction. In other societies, such as North America, where women seem to enjoy a better status, a certain amount of violence against women is somewhat condoned or at least tolerated.

Culture-based violence against women not only manifests itself in the form of partner violence. Every year, in areas of Western Asia, North Africa and parts of South Asia, honor killings take the lives of thousands of young women. Honor killings are acts of violence, usually murder, committed by a male family member against female family members who are perceived to have brought dishonor upon the family. Given the many cultural restrictions and limitations imposed upon women, a woman can be targeted by her family for several reasons, including refusing to enter into an arranged marriage, being the victim of sexual assault, or seeking divorce. It does not matter if the woman wants to divorce her husband because he is abusive. No, in the context of cultural norms, her actions are interpreted as an attempt to dishonor her family. Therefore, she must be killed to make up for the offense.

Yes, a woman’s actions, no matter the underlying reasons, can dishonor an entire family. For all that responsibility, you would think being a woman also carries some privileges.

Cultural views of women also affect the number of women who are born every day. In regions across China and India, there is a preference for male children over female children. This preference manifests in terms of the most unbalanced gender ratio ever to be seen in both countries. Female feoticide is an extremely callous form of violence against women.

The list goes on, but the main reason why women face violence worldwide is clear: Cultural norms allow, and even reward, violence against women.  

Family is the core of society and, as an independent entity, it reflects the norms dictated by society as a whole. However, family and society are interconnected. They affect each other constantly. As a result, if we want to change society’s view on women, we need to change the way families view and treat female family members. Conversely, in order to change the way families treat female family members, we must also change cultural views regarding women in our society.

Where do we make start? That is the real question. But, until we are able to raise the status of women worldwide, women will continue to die at hands of their husbands, fathers, and other males in their lives.

Sources:

• Amnesty International
• United Nations Population Fund
• World Health Organization
• The Advocates for Human Rights
• Gendercide Watch

By Paola Brigneti