Domestic violence is a growing problem in the Unites States and around the world. However, more are finally beginning to realize this is a problem that won't go away unless someone does something to bring awareness to the issue; The following are PSAs and ads that depict the detrimental effects of domestic violence. If you are a victim of domestic violence or know someone who is, immediately call: 1.800.799 SAFE WARNING, THE FOLLOWING VIDEOS MAY BE DISTURBING IN NATURE
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Mom didn't let you go on a date last night? Your curfew has been cut back to 11 pm instead of 12 am? That's pretty amateur compared to the ridiculous and intolerant "precautions" enacted in Saudi Arabia that limit women's rights. Here are six things women can't do in Saudi Arabia: 1. Drive a car Yep. Forgot getting a permit at 15 and a half or even getting close to the wheel. While there is no actual law preventing women from driving, strong pressures and threats from religious leaders have forced women to abandon all hopes of driving. 2. Wear clothes or make-up that show off their "beauty" This isn't a typical dress code like at high schools. Many women wear head scarfs due to their Islamic faith, but even that doesn't stop police from harassing women who don't fully cloak themselves in the abaya. Women aren' even allowed to wear makeup due to violent threats on the street. 3. Interact with men Forgot going out on dates or dming your crush on Instagram. Women in Saudi Arabia aren't allowed to associate with men outside their husband and their home. If they are caught doing so, there can be brutal ramifications. 4. Go for a swim Yep ladies. That Victoria's Secret binge bikini shopping is going to have to be put on hold...forever. Women aren't allowed to attend the few public swimming pools available in Saudi. 5. Compete in Sports No Olympics for you. Women aren't allowed to engage in any type of sports and are expected to remain subordinate at home taking care of their children and doing housework. 6. Try on clothes while clothes shopping. Even the thought of a woman naked behind a closed door scares the crap out of Saudi officials. After Michelle Obama's powerful Democratic National Convention speech this past week, lets revisit another glorious speech the first lady delivered last year regarding women's empowerment and the importance of education. There's really nothing more to say; she delivers her message that fits our purpose beautifully. One of the most hidden yet prevalent battles today is fought by everyone of this generation; we are all child soldiers at war against the Kim Kardashians and Alexis Rens of the world, who are unfairly equipped with photoshop, genetics, popularity, and plastic surgery that render our weapons of self confidence and acceptance useless. And we keep on losing. According to the renowned Dosomething.org, 91% of women are unhappy with their bodies, 59% of girls under 11 have resorted to dieting in order to lose weight, and 11.3% of teenagers have used unhealthy doses of diet pills. Eating disorders such as Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia Nervosa occur to every 1 in 100 girls- that number skyrockets to 1 in 4 girls when involved in a physically orientated sport such as ballet or gymnastics. While the pressures of the media have obviously contributed to an increased obsession to be thin, there's a lot more to it than that. With around six billion people in the world, and a mere ten million of them suffering with some type of disordered eating (.18% of the overall population -- less than 1%), the media obviously doesn't cause everyone to develop Anorexia, Bulimia or Compulsive Overeating. Due to the complexity that extends far beyond just body image and food, eating disorders have the worst recovery rate of any mental illness, with less than 60% of women making a full recovery- and that's being generous. The bleak truth is that eating disorders have the highest mortality rates of any physcological illness, including depression. Media is a major factor influencing the prevalence of eating disorders. It's not hard to believe in a era where self esteem is equivalent to waist size: size zero. According to feminist Margaret Atwood, modern day eating disorders can now be more attributed to political culture than physcologial factors. When women and girls are entangled in the complicated relationship with consumerism, the beauty industry, and patriarchy, body image is proven to be more negatively connoted and eating disorders to increase. By empowering women to objectify themselves less and prioritizing intellect over image, a sharp reduction in eating disorders is expected. Women and girls must be taught that from their first breaths, the perpetuating idea of equating beauty and popularity to self worth is invalid. This is obviously easier said than done due to the Big Brother like appeal of models and catwalks that are plastered throughout television, magazines, social media, and even clothing (that's for you Danny). However, a start would be to teach girls that the real models they should aspire to be are women like Malala, Ellen Macarthur, Sheryl Sandberg, Emmeline Pankhurst, Mary Wollstonecraft, Joan of Arc, Josephine Baker, and Maya Aneglou (how many of those women do you know). We need to reshape society's constricting and burdening image of women that is preventing our generation from advancing because we are too busy worshipping Kim Kardashian as the messiah of today's age. view our website that focuses on body image and awareness for eating disorders, "Transparent Mirrors" How and Why the Practice of "Stoning" Women is Still Practiced in Iran and Other Countries6/30/2016 The Stoning of Soraya M. (which can be viewed if you visit our resources page) is a film based on a true story which chronicles the devastating life and death of Soraya M., who was executed in Iran by the excruciatingly painful practice of stoning due to being falsely convicted of adultery. The film has earned dozens of awards and acclaimed praise- as well as caused controversy due to the extremely graphic and uncensored - yet necessary - violence in the film that has caused many to walk out of theaters everywhere. Upon viewing, most people are probably led to believe that this is an "ancient" practice that can no longer occur due to the incredible progress in the field of women's rights...right? It becomes clear when watching the film due to clues like cars, cameras, phones, etc. that this practice did not just take place during a primeval time. Shockingly, not only was the actual murder of Soraya M during the late 90's, but the practice of stoning still occurs in some parts of the world today. In fact, there are 15 COUNTRIES THAT ALLOW THE PRACTICE OF STONING BY LAW TODAY.
So what exactly is stoning and why is it used? Stoning "is a method of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until they die". While some countries' laws don't prohibit stoning, they do ensure that the rocks used in the execution must be neither too big nor too small so the death will be as slow and painful as possible. Stoning is most often used when a women has been accused of adultery or conduct unfitting of a woman or mother. The practice of stoning is justified by extremists because it does have roots in Islam that allow for the cruel execution of anyone engaging in affairs outside of marriage. However, this was only recognized and implemented by extremists and has been twisted today to only apply to women - not to mention its practice is a basic violation of human rights. Like in the film The Stoning of Soraya M., there is often little to no evidence given when a woman is accused of such a "crime". Most often, these are simply rumors conspired to cause a divorce for a man to marry a younger woman, prevention of paying dowry, or revenge, etc. The Iranian government and any other countries' that support this horrific and atrocious practice must take serious and pressing steps in order to abolish stoning from the law as a legal punishment. Rape with a dress on, rape without a dress on, raped as children who couldn't even dress themselves- Pages Matam Now I am not someone who is deeply moved or interested by slam poetry, but after watching "Pinata" by Pages Matam, I've definitely had to rethink the impact of words and poetry. Not only is the piece brilliantly written, but it is delivered by Matam with such emotional depth and impact that makes it that much more powerful. The following blog post will analyze the most important parts of the poem.
A brief background before reading: Pages Matam is addressing a man he overheard on a bus tell a women that she was too ugly to be raped. The poem is his response to this idiotic, offensive, and disgusting statement. To the man on the bus I overheard tell a woman in conversation - presumably a friend: “you are too ugly to be raped...” While this may have not have been a legitimate conversation Matam overheard, there is no doubt that sexual assaults and rapes have now been heinously connotated to mean a "compliment". Rapes, sexual assaults, and any other violent acts directed towards women - or anyone for that mater- are violations of human rights that defy humanity's moral and ethical code. To consider rape desirable or a compliment immensely blurs the fine line that defines our humanity. "...Dear man on the bus, Tell the one in five women of this country, that they are beautiful, their four counterparts, spared torment ugly." One in five women in the Unites States will be subjected to sexual violence at some point in their life. However, her "four counterparts" will be spared because of their 'unappealing' looks. Rape is a privilege reserved for the beautiful, right? "Tell the one in three women of this world, That you will not make piñatas of their bodies. Watch morsels of them, spill greedily to the famished smiles of your ignorance Shaped like bloodthirsty children. How your words Hit repeatedly, until they broke open Like shattered papier-mache cradle How their blood flowed like candy until Hollow insides Jaws mangled into misfortune from when they tried to scream For Legs torn crucifix Loud cry of eyes muted Tell them how beautiful their silence is." Matam makes the brilliant metaphor of women compared to pinatas to stress the point of how desensitized society has become to rape and sexual assault. 1) Pinatas must be beaten in order to reveal their contents (women are also beaten and raped when thrown into dangerous, or in some cases, normal situations). 2) Pinatas, when broken open, show no resisting when spilling their contents (women are often vulnerable and helpless when being sexually assaulted, perhaps due to intoxication (which is still never an excuse for violence to occur)). 3) Pinatas spill their contents to the greedy onlookers, who devour them without hesitation (how perpetrators of rape treat their victims) "Rape with a dress on. Rape without a dress on. Raped as children, who couldn’t even dress themselves." Matam utilizes these lines to stress that rape is never a victim's fault. Clothing choice, intoxication, gender, location, etc. are unrelated factors in rape cases. He also goes on to emphasize that rape can happen to anyone, regardless of age. "Tell the depression, the post traumatic stress The unreported..." Women and girls who have been raped or sexually assaulted are forced to endure a life full of post traumatic stress, where simple things like laughter trigger disturbing flashbacks. Many experience severe depression, guilt, suicidal tendencies, post traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, etc. There are also plenty of rape cases that go unreported due to the taboo society has placed on those who choose to speak out. "Tell Mahmudiyah, A footnote in the history of crimson Iraqi sands How beautiful the military’s silence is Cloaked in how we don't ask, and they didn't tell, in the name of country." An allusion to the thousands of unreported rape and sexual assault cases that are hidden amongst those who serve in the US military. Many cases are kept secret from the American public in order to 'protect' the honor of soldiers and the military. "Tell Elizabeth Fritzl How pretty the flame of her skin was, that turned her father into a torturous moth of incest ‘til she gave birth to 7 choices she never had" Another allusion to the atrocious case of Elizabeth Fritzl, who was imprisoned by her father for 24 years and raped, beaten, and starved. The abuse was so bad that she gave birth to seven of her father's own children while in confinement. "Dear man on the bus Tell my 11th grade student, Lauren That she wanted it, her beauty had them coming. Tell my 7th grade student, Mickayla That she wanted it, her beauty had him coming. Tell my 3rd grade student, Andre That he wanted it, his beauty had him coming. Tell the 8 year old me, The God in me I loved fiercely was so gorgeous, that cousin twice my age, wanted to molest the Holy out of me, Peeled raw until I was as ugly as she was." Matam employs how frequently rape can occur and how young the victims can be. He also implies that he was personally sexually assaulted as a child. "Like a monstrous accomplice to the 97 percent that will never see jail" The horrific fact that 97% of perpetrators will never be punished. 97%. Let that sink in. https://www.rainn.org/news/97-every-100-rapists-receive-no-punishment-rainn-analysis-shows "...Dear man on the bus As these words fall out of your mouth, I pray no one finds your children beautiful enough to break open, making a decorative silent spectacle out of them." Matam ends with a powerful finish by addressing the man of the bus and wishing that none of his children will be sexually assaulted. The purpose of this line is to not only emphasize that rape can happen to anyone, but that men must teach their children and set an example that rape and sexual assault is never a compliment or desirable by women. The full poem can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/pages.matam/posts/465497106897032 Inspiring celebrities like Anne Hathaway and Angelina Jolie are using their platforms as a means to promote global issues such as women's rights. Anne Hathaway has been named as a Goodwill ambassador to promote women's rights. Her main focus is to mend the broken "motherhood-penalty" that prohibits the opportunity to work and prevents pay for women if they conceive children, according to the U.N Women's group. This policy solidifies the damaging stereotypes of women being subordinate to men, their lives doomed to only consist of submission and motherhood. Hathaway is going to promote policies such as affordable child care and parental leave which in turn the U.N. hopes will lead to increased opportunities for women. This isn't the first time Hathaway has advocated for women's rights; She has also traveled to Kenya and Ethiopia to raise awareness on child marriage as well as narrated the amazing film "Girl Rising" (which can be found on our resources page). Most definitely a round of applause and "Bravo!" to this actress who is utilizing her power as a celebrity to change the world for women and girls today.
Click the images for the original news story. Incidents of violence towards women in the Southern Afghanistan have been on the dangerous rise. There are many key factors that have unfortunately led to this rapid increase in reports of violence (28 major incidents since just March 22, 2016) according to a source, but the most prevalent issues include illiteracy, local customs, unawareness, and drug addiction. Drug addiction is an emerging problem in Southern Afghanistan that is becoming more and more frequent because the drug industry functions as a form of business for many men. This leads some to exploit their power and force women to provide labor and commit other violations of human rights. Some women and even young girls are sold to drug lords as wives or "comfort women". Women are especially vulnerable because Southern Afghanistan has always been predominantly "ruled" by men due to the conservative culture. However, this does not serve as an excuse to deduce women to be subordinate and slavish to men. By giving women and girls an education and freeing them from the shackles of forced labor, injustices towards women will be monumentally reduced. Southern Afghanistan needs to implement harsher penalties for those who abuse women as well as enact laws (such as mandatory education) to prevent violence from occurring in the first place.
Click the following images for the original story. President Recep Tayipp Erdogan's comment that women are "half persons" if they do not conceive children or choose to work has sparked controversy. Erdogan is infamously known for supporting extremely conservative ideas - such as those that objectify women- that have landed him in hot water. He claims that it takes away from a man's "masculinity" if a woman serves as a provider or chooses to not produce children.
First, it is unacceptable that a woman - or anyone for that matter - should be reduced to a "half person" Second, it is unacceptable that it is an expectation in many cultures for women to conceive children as well as be subordinate to their husbands. The concept that a woman being successful in life without the support of a man is threatening because it undermines a man's authority (which is also unacceptable... who decides which gender is superior..?). Many cultures practice that From Their First Breaths, women are doomed to fall at a man's feet for whatever reason, because that is "feminine and ladylike, the role of a woman". It is our job - as the human race - to make sure dangerous values like these are abolished, and to change the meaning of femininity and the role of a woman so there is equality for both genders. These misogynistic ideas are infuriating when practiced and condoned by citizens, but completely dangerous and maddening when encouraged by an extremely powerful authority figure- a president per say. Inspirational student Janelle Eley is one of the millions of teenagers around the world who are forcing people to acknowledge that change must be implemented in the area of women's rights. She and her fellow students printed out flyers and posted them around the Valencia High School campus in a effort to bring awareness to issues such as women's education, women's rights, and sexual violence. While this may seem like a simple project that has little impact, it is quite the opposite. By raising awareness amongst students and in the community, she is a hopeful reminder of the powerful impact today's youth has on the world. It is important to note that anyone can do simple acts like this, because that's what really makes a difference. We support you Janelle! Examples of Janelle Eley's flyers that raise awareness on women's rights.
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December 2016
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