June 7, 2009
I'll be a Post-Feminist in the Post-Patriarchy
I don't know why I torture myself on Sundays. I've dedicated this entire weekend to self preservation, but lately I've been starting my Sundays with some mild torture.
See, on Sundays I clean (up to a week's worth of) dishes, chop vegetables, and make myself breakfast. I listen to / watch the Sunday morning talk shows while doing this. And thus remind myself of how far from the mainstream my views are.
It seems like every female pundit on the planet firmly believes she lives in a post-feminist world. They laud Michelle Obama as the poster girl for post-feminist femininity. I often wonder what alternative reality this mindless hypocrites live in. Why must they disparage the evolution of women's place in public society by denouncing all demands for equality? Why do they accept the right-wing definition of "feminism"? Why do so many intelligent people define feminism as the movement of middle-class white women to assert their ability to go to work?
Let's be clear: feminism did not start with The Feminine Mystique. Further, acknowledging your right to be a girly housewife does not make me a post-feminist. Believing that society has already achieved gender equality is the most myopic, Eurocentric statement a Westerner can make. Pray tell, how does rape as a weapon of war fit into your post-feminist construct? What about the lack of affordable child care? Or how about the fact that most US'ians can't decide to allow one parent to stay home with the kids because there is no middle class left in this country and two incomes are mandatory to survive?
Look, I fully acknowledge that I am a lucky woman who lives in an extraordinary time. My professional opportunities are not hampered by my gender (though as a thyroid cancer survivor, my need for adequate health care does limit career paths).
But there is so much more to be done. Binary gender does not adequately explain the human condition. Physical anatomy cannot be used to assign gender identities. Around the world, women are not equal. They suffer a disproportionate burden in conflict regions. Western countries daily violate United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which mandates women's equal involvement in conflict and post-conflict resolution. Want to know why Iraq and Afghanistan are more screwed up now than 7 years ago? A major reason is that the US government and its coalition of the willing blindly ignored the women of those countries as necessary, influential, and important partners in peace building.
Stop telling me that wearing makeup on a daily basis and getting excited about going on dates with my boyfriend make me a post-feminist. Stop telling the American people we live in a gender-neutral society. Stop defining feminism as bra-burning, man-hating lesbians.
Until women hold 50% of elected offices, until every workplace is family friendly, until women are equal participants in conflict resolution, until rape and sexual violence cease to exist, feminism will continue. The movement for gender equality will not die simply because it is an uncomfortable notion to the mainstream American punditry.
I will be a post-feminist in the post-patriarchy.
Posted by cj at 4:40 PM | Comments (1)
May 24, 2008
Dagmar Barnouw, denouncer of the hierarchy of suffering, died
I was powerfully moved by the LAT obituary of Dagmar Barnouw, a USC professor who passed away on May 14. She had a stroke in April and never regained consciousness.
[Amazon link added.]
In her most recent book, "War in the Empty Air: Victims, Perpetrators, and Postwar Germans" (2005), Barnouw examined Germans' failure to acknowledge and mourn their war dead and the devastation German citizens suffered in Allied air raids.After the war, ordinary Germans were viewed collectively as perpetrators of the Holocaust and responsible for World War II. Silenced by this presumed guilt, even German war remembrances maintained an exclusive focus on Jewish victims of the Nazi regime, to the detriment of historical reality, she wrote.
I'm fascinated to learn of an intellectual who wrote passionately about the need to understand post-WWII in totality, rather than only through the lens of the Holocaust. It is a real shame that so many Americans, especially Jewish Americans, are indoctrinated to believe that Jewish suffering is somehow worse than the suffering that occurs throughout the world on a daily basis. That genocide was over 60 years ago and many genocides have occurred and are being perpetuated since then. Yet, somehow the refrain "never forget" is allowed to continue as an excuse for apartheid in Israel and starvation in Palestine.
Let me be clear: the Holocaust was a tragedy of incredible proportions. I have no doubt that we lost untold generations of brilliant people. I acknowledge that it was the most significant event for the Jewish people in the 20th century. However nothing - not the Holocaust or the pogroms of Russia that forced my family to flee to the U.S. or any other aspect of Jewish history - makes me or my people the world's most suffering ethnicity. Indeed, I believe this past suffering has been used to justify a horrific amount of racism and discrimination and colonial exploitation in Israel and Palestine.
I do not understand how my religion, which has so many threads of peaceful nonviolent resistance in its history, and my people, who have been on the forefront of the movements for social change, have become so entrenched in bigotry and discrimination. I fear that writing these words makes me a larger target for political reprisal. My friends joke that they don't want to stand too close to me walking down a street - fearing an assassin will be off-target and shoot them instead. (I actually found this to be the strangest aspect of my trip to NYC; my friends who do not participate in social activism seem to believe my influence and notoriety is any larger than the few people who occasionally read this blog.)
But this post was not supposed to be about me, rather about Dagmar Barnouw, whose books I must search out and read.
Read about her life from USC, including her enduring marriage to a man who fell in love with her at first sight.
I hope to have the courage to speak and write as passionately as Dagmar, even if it makes many people uncomfortable.
Posted by cj at 1:23 PM | Comments (0)
April 6, 2008
Gender: Harder to Forget Than Ethnicity
Let me be clear: if one must make a hierarchy of inequality, white privilege affords me greater access into the halls of power than being a woman diminishes. Nevertheless, as a woman, my voice is less powerful than my male counterpart, particularly when advocating for peace and justice. How often are women dismissed as having "motherly inclinations" towards peace, incapable of understanding the harsh necessity of war? How often must our national leaders who happen to be female castrate themselves on the decks of warships to assure a foolish electorate that they are man enough to command an army?
Nicholas Kristof has a powerful Op-Ed in today's NYT, "Our Racist, Sexist Selves," that reminds us of the power of genitals. I speak plainly because this truth is so often denied in both the mainstream media and popular culture: Women Are Not Equal. The Women's Movement Cannot Be Dead. There Is Much That Still Needs to Be Done to Create Gender Equality. Los Derechos de Las Mujeres Son Los Derechos de Humanidad.
Until we start talking about the real ethnic differences that divide us, and the common humanity that unites us;
Until free-trade capitalism's reliance on extreme economic disparity is confronted;
Until democratic dialog inspires as much participation as American Idol voting,
the Movements for Change must continue.
Posted by cj at 10:41 PM | Comments (0)
December 31, 2007
Social Upheaval in 2008
A lot has happened in the world in 2007. I didn't keep up with the news in the past year the way I did in previous years - you can read about some of what I was up to on angelheaded hipster, my other blog. I even forgot that Time named "You" person of the year.
The mainstream media has been focused on the 08 presidential race horse race since at least January 07. More air time was spent on Sunday morning talk shows discussing candidates' relative viability in Iowa and New Hampshire than was spent discussing the substantial policy positions that differentiate them. Scariest statistic learned from this over-flow of information: only 5.7% of eligible voters participate in the 2004 Iowa caucuses. Tell me again why Angelenos live in too big of a city to have our votes count equally with those in rural states.
Elections haven't been going well around the world - among corruption charges, Kenya's elections are bloodier than normal (yes, sadly, violence is a regular aspect of national elections there). They aren't going well in Pakistan either, where Benazir Bhutto lost her life attempting to bring democracy back to a country plagued by military dictatorship buttressed by US foreign aid. Many in the US think democracy is duking it out with socialism in Venezuela, but personally I think the story is more complicated than that.
I'm looking forward to a New Year when people's movements for change encourage more people to get involved in social change. I look forward to more people believing they can make a difference - when more people delve deeply into the issues that intertwine us all, make their voices heard, and start building the nonviolent movements for change that will create the social upheaval needed to build a more just, peaceful world.
I believe we will be the change we wish to see in 2008. I believe together we will change the world. I believe 2008 will be more peaceful and just. I look forward to the New Year.
Want to support women's advocacy for peace & justice both in the US and throughout the world? Then give a tax deductible contribution to the Jane Addams Peace Association.
To join the world's oldest women's peace organization, click here.
Posted by cj at 8:19 PM | Comments (0)
December 16, 2007
Activism in Perspective
In the last month, two extremely important women in my life died. One had lived a full life, the other was taken well before her time.
I don't pretend to have all the answers. My belief in the Women's International League and its members is based on my observations of the peace, justice, and women's movements in historical perspective. It is difficult for me to hold firmly to that long-term view while dealing with the immediate realities of grief and mourning.
I hope as we move forward in our struggles for peace & justice we remember our individual and institutional fallibility. Though we are not perfect, we are all striving towards the same basic goal: a world at peace where all human needs are met equitably. I hope we will continue to work together to achieve those goals, by constructively supporting each other's work. I fear that our institutional progress may be undermined by our current financial crisis and eagerness to lay blame on particular individuals.
I look forward to helping the WILPF increase its presence within the movements for peace & justice and expanding its membership. I apologize if my last post seemed unnecessarily negative - sometimes, I deal with my frustrations publicly. Usually, I try to maintain a veil between my personal angst and public persona. I hope my sister WILPFers can forgive my transgression and we can work together to create the WILPF needed to create peace & justice in the world.
Posted by cj at 1:56 PM | Comments (0)
October 3, 2007
Feminist Leadership Conferences across the Country
The Feminist Majority Foundation is sponsoring leadership conferences across the country.
"Feminists of all ages are welcome to attend these events." I'm not sure what you're supposed to do if you're a womanist, but in any event, it's worth checking out.
Posted by cj at 10:47 PM | Comments (0)
September 11, 2007
Support the UN Human Rights Council
It is a shame that the UN Human Rights Council has been unable to take strong stances on more issues in the world. I am not an expert on UN reform, so I cannot speak to what is holding it back from completely denouncing the genocide in Darfur. I do know that the US government looks like morons for trying to cut off funding to the organization. The US Congress claims that the council is bias against Israel - biased because it has denounced Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine and Israel's illegal war on Lebanon. It is a testamount to the Israel Lobby (both Jewish and Gentile), that cutting off funding to the Council has bipartisan support in the US.
Please tell your Congressional representatives that the only way to further human rights is to support the international organization created to enforce them. Human Rights for All People - not just those who look like us.
AP article by Justin Bergman
Washington Times article by Betsy Pitsik
HRC opened its 6th session on Monday
Posted by cj at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)
July 22, 2007
Live from Santa Cruz, Bolivia
The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom's 29th Triennial Congress just began. First, there were introductions. Keynote Speaker, Paola Pena just began speaking. She is a historian and a defender of women's rights.
Women have to give the light...and we have to commit ourselves to this fight...We have a big movement...It's not casual to have this movement. This movement has realized how international cooperation, activist women and men, the world is starting to have challenges...just because of the economic policies that are trying to divide us. ..The World Women's March.. women have said that it is time to ask those who are placing economic restrictions..the challenges for women are poverty and violence...That's why the different movements are questioning. Another movement at the international level are the cry of those who are being excluded. Why are the budgets more geared to military, to arms? Why spend more on that when have millions and millions who are suffering?We have the example of the Social Forum held recently in Sao Paolo, Brazil to show us the way forward...to take on the capitalists who take and take without giving anything in return. ...We believe that Latin America has emerged with many answers, with many challenges, but it's not easy. We have to see that the fights that we have experienced that it is time for women, basically i say this because of experience, that women have to be more open to the world. Many of our problems are between ourselves. And that's when people take over our economic resources, who give orders, who we have to fight with. If we see the context at the international level and at the Latin American level, we have advances that are important to pick up.
At this time, Latin America has presidents with other points of view. We have Nicaragua, Venezula, Bolivia.. to a certain extent the presidents of Argentina and Ecuador are also picking up the feeling of Latin American change. But we cannot stop mentioning the historical fight of the people of Cuba...I believe that experiences have to be picked up...We have to come together based on the national symbols, like the cantuta?...and that's where we go to see the context of what our representative said. We're going through a very exciting moment but also a moment of contrasts. Bolivia, to understand what it is happening - the Bolivian crisis that we're going through will be a historical moment in the future. The crisis that we're going through has to do with economic, social, political interests. Because Bolivia is a very rich country. Many of you who have come here have to ask why is there such poverty in Bolivia? Because it is such a rich country - full of gas, water, ....However, the errors are built by men and women and those who have the economic power. The world already knows who decides upon our life and continue to do so are those who have the money, the economic power. The result is misery, that is mistakenly called the "feminization of poverty." Do you think women are so stupid that they cannot have the answers?
...Women, sisters, and brothers, throughout the world I believe we show the path. In Bolivia, women have played a very important role. That's where we can see that in Bolivia and throughout the world, the relationship between men and women is much better. And who shows the face is the women.
Ask yourself, is Bolivia having a challenge - between departments, between individuals, between classes....We are not building islands. Bolivia has a context. We have rich departments with natural resources such as gas, oil. Evidently this will define the obtaining of more funds. On the other hand, the vision of the country is to give everyone the chance.
When we talk about peace and freedom - we want a better world, a just world. Bolivia wants more equality, we want to share with those who have more and who have less.
..We wanted to have a country where geography was the same, where resources was the same. But we have diversity. We have more resources in some departments, but that doesn't mean we'll be divided.
..Today it seems that we have a challenge. Bolivian men and women voted for a change - we did not vote for the person himself, we voted for a change. ...Not long ago, Bolivians did not know how to work with budgets, we have knowledge that we have to pick up.
I do not support any political party.
...Bolivia is working towards a new constitution....we believe it is time to make some changes. On the other hand, we can see that as never before the policies with the current government show us that there are resources coming in. Something that we did not know about before. That type of resources that come because of gas and oil sales....We are now getting that money - Bolivia had never seen a 5 year old child receiving support for the educational process. We believe this is very directly related to the Millenium Goals that tell us by 2015 we will eradicate poverty...It is nice to pick up these recommendations given by the United Naitons...Here in Boliva, we believe that we have found some surprises. That the country was receiving some income and that income was taken by a few individuals. We working to redistribute that money....
Women have more representation and more participation..
Bolivia is a country of many different cultures. That's why we say it is a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic countries. We not only speak Quecha and Mayari (?) How can we reach all these people who speak different languages? In recent years, social movements have increased. And we believe that indigenous people's lives have improved....We have to learn from them. ...We have to learn from their innate connection to indigenous people around the world. ..
...This is the struggle between the guidelines of the economy of this country. And finally, it's the fight of different fronts to take advantages of the resouces because of the availability and that's why we want to recognize that yes, it is possible to suffer, to wait. But it is also possible for peace and freedom. We are able to make our limitations our potentialities. It is very easy to mention - it is easy to say "Bolivia will have a confrontation." We think that Bolivia has not been divided. Bolivia is struggling, but that's very good because the struggling will reaffirm. We'll see where we're making mistakes. The error is to rebuild. It is easy to criticize. It is easy to destroy....Bolivia is a unitied country. However, when the economic interests are divided, that is where there will be struggle. We are fighting the free trade treaty.
I know my time is almost over. But I'd like to thank the people who came to have a dialogue, to have a discussion. We as Bolivians do not want to receive gifts; we want to build solidarity; we want to have peace and freedom.....Thank you friends.
Posted by cj at 6:33 AM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2007
Don't Let More Girls Die Trying to Learn to Read
If you listened to the the current US administration, you'd think Afghanistan is a great place to live if you're female. You'd think the Taliban is a thing of the past and that safety and stability has been flung out over the nation. You'd be sorely mistaken.
How'd you like to be the target of random acts of violence because you dared to be female and a student? How'd you like to watch as thugs murder your sister as you are leaving school with her?
Welcome to the new Afghanistan. Where there's money for roads, but not for schools. Where to decide to learn means accepting the very real possibility that you've made yourself a target.
"Education in Afghanistan: A harrowing choice," by Barry Bearak in today's International Herald Tribune.
Shir Agha, whose neice was murdered on the steps of her school, said the following:
"We have a saying that if you go to school, you can find yourself, and if you can find yourself, you can find God," he said proudly. "But for a child to attend school, there must be security. Who supplies that security?"Where indeed. Perhaps instead of trying to build a client state in Iraq, the US military should be transferred to Afghanistan where there is real need for some plain and simple security...
article found via UN Wire
Posted by cj at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)
March 26, 2007
Death, Harrassment, & Possible Peace
UN officials would like to remind you that there is a genocide in Darfur. It's getting worse, not better. All those Nicolas Kristof columns haven't saved very many people from murder, rape, and pillaging on the basis of ethnicity. So read another article on the genocide, by Reuters / AP via Intl Herald Tribune. Or go to Save Darfur to get active on the issue.
If you're Nigerian and female, you must be willing to be raped to get a college diploma. Read the horrific details in "Lecturers Prey on Nigerian Women, Girls," by Katharine Houreld of the AP in WaPo. To stand up for a woman's right to education without forced rape, join Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
SecState and SecGen UN are trying to renew peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Or at least that's what they're telling the press. But, see, they continue the lie that there's equity between Israel and the Palestinians. That somehow, a stateless people, whose elected leaders are barred from the negotiations should be held to the same standards as occupiers who continue to appropriate land, water, and other resources. Instead of pressuring Israel to get the hell out of the West Bank and to allow Gaza to trade with its Egyptian neighbors, the US entourage continues the facade that the most useful thing for Israel to do is talk through the US to all Palestinian representatives and pretend to be open to Saudia Arabia's 2002 peace plan (that called for Israel to fully withdraw from the West Bank, not expand its illegal settlements). Read the watered down version of this news from Reuters. To voice your opposition to the status quo US policy on the Middle East, join WILPF's campaign - Women Challenge US Policy: Building Peace on Justice in the Middle East.
Posted by cj at 7:53 PM | Comments (0)
February 25, 2007
Inside Israel: Voices of Israeli WILPFers
Two remarkable women from WILPF Israel came to Los Angeles this weekend to speak. Jewish Israeli Daphne Banai works through Machsom Watch . Palestinian Israeli Taghrid Shbita is a human rights lawyer. They worked together in WILPF and through an organization that brings together Arab & Jewish children in Israel.
Some notes from today's lecture:
20% of the Israeli population is Palestinian, 150,000 people. Taghrid spoke about her personal knowledge of the troubles of a Jewish, democratic state. Her husband's town, Tehra, was forced to relocate, some allowed to stay in Israel, some not. He moved to her town, Tira, where they met and created a family. Tehra's building stood vacant until 1952 when all of the houses were destroyed. No one lives there, and no one is allowed to rebuild.
Because Israel is first a Jewish state, there are laws to enforce the Jewish majority. For example, the Law of Return, which gives immediate citizenship to any Jew from anywhere in the world. While people who grew up on the land are denied citizenship and often denied entry as tourists. She believes that a democracy cannot exist where one ethnic group is granted more rights than any other ethnic group.
For example, Taghrid spoke about how military service is mandatory for Israeli citizens. But the government doesn't want Palestinian Israelis in the army, nor do Palestinians want to serve. When Taghrid's 19-year old daughter applied for a clerk position at a boutique, she was told military service was a pre-requisite for the job. What is the connection between selling clothes and "defending" the State? Perhaps that both acts serve to defend the continued separation of ethnicities within the population.
Daphne used a Powerpoint presentation to show her work with Machsom Watch. This group of 400 Jewish Israeli women go to checkpoints within the West Bank to observe human rights abuses and to advocate on behalf ot he Palestinians. Their purpose is to de-escalate the tensions, report observations to Israelis and the world, and protest the fact that checkpoints exist deep inside the Occupied Terrirtories. 85% of the checkpoints are within the West Bank, while the rest are passages between Israel and the West Bank.
None of the crossing can be accessed by car. There are blockages forcing every person to get out of their car - from dirt mounds to cement cubes to gates to trenches. Time lost travelling through checkpoints cost sick people their lives. The UN reports that in 2001, 61 women gave birth at checkpoints and 36 were stillborn births.
Since 1967, Israel has not issued a single building permit in the Occupied Territories, therefore most houses are illegal. There are standing demolition orders for all structures built after 1967, therefore if a Jewish Israeli settlement wants to expand, it can simply go and demolish houses without prior warning. The army also takes over Palestinian homes for 3 months at a time, leaving the families to live in sheds on their property or with friends / family. When the army vacates a house, it is often trashed.
In addition to the permanent checkpoints, there are hundreds of temporary checkpoints.
Daphne feels it is a world of supremacy, of apartheid. She believes the forced army services changes the children of Israel. It increases the violence and disregard for the weak within Israel. Often, after completing their army service, the young people escape to remote corners of the world or to drug abuse.
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Both Taghrid and Daphne believe that US citizens must pressure the US government to stop supporting the occupation. They offer no easy cures for the problem, only the hope that working together, we can affect real change in this horrific situation. Both believe in a two-state solution and dismiss the reasons given by the Israeli & US governments for not negotiating with the Hamas-led Palestinian government.
We can start creating this change in US policy by working together to formulate an alternative, feminist policy on Israel / Palestine. The US Section campaign "Women Challenge US Policy: Building Peace on Justice in the Middle East," is close to releasing a tool-kit to help our branches start feminist round tables to examine current US policy and develop an alternative approach.
Posted by cj at 6:17 PM | Comments (0)
December 12, 2006
Jeannette Rankin on Film
Do you know who Jeannette Rankin was? She was the first woman elected to Congress, a life-long pacifist, and a person who voted against both world wars. Her life was magical, her story is empowering. WILPF US Board Member Jeanmarie Simpson wrote and starred in the play "A Single Woman" about Rankin's life. Simpson and WILPF Life Member Cameron Crain have brought the story to the big screen - a film based on the play is now in post-production.
Unlike "Blood Diamonds," Simpson did not have to alter the facts to create a moving drama. The story is compelling because at every turn, Rankin held her ground and lived by her pacifist beliefs. We must listen to her story, even if we disagree. There is nothing weak-willed about a principled pacifist. And the path Rankin promoted is filled with strong actions. The path of diplomacy and political dialogue is a path we Americans have strayed far from. By embracing Rankin & the film, we are embracing the hope for a better future.
Posted by cj at 9:47 PM | Comments (0)
December 11, 2006
Women Being Left Behind in LA County
I just wrote a post for the Courage Campaign based on a report from the United Way on how women, especially single mothers, struggle to stay afloat in LA.
Go read it. It includes a link to the transcript of the Larry King show I was on.
Posted by cj at 11:39 PM | Comments (0)
November 24, 2006
Show Solidarity with Israeli Activists: Sign Petition to Stop the Siege on Gaza
WILPF Israel, along with others in the Coalition of Women for Peace, called for a month of action to Stop the Siege! Stop the War! As part of this month of education and action, they have created an online petition. Here is the text:
To the Israeli government and world leaders:Sign the petition through this link.GAZA: Stop the Siege! Stop the War!
The situation in Gaza has reached emergency levels - inadequate water, electricity, and medicine; widespread hunger, poverty, and unemployment; schools and other services rendered inoperative; constant bombardments and attacks by the Israeli military.
This humanitarian catastrophe is man-made: It was brought on by the ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip by Israel and the sanctions imposed by the international community on Palestine, made worse by repeated IDF attacks. If this situation continues, we will see spreading disease, malnutrition, and more violence. Under these conditions, negotiations - the only way to reach peace between both peoples - also become an impossibility.
We call upon Israeli leaders to end the siege of and war on Gaza. We call upon world leaders to end the political and economic sanctions of Palestine.
The siege and sanctions are sowing chaos and death in Gaza. They must come to an end.
Sincerely,
[your name]
Here's the comment I left with my signature:
As the Program Chair of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, US Section (WILPF US), and an American Jew, I urge you to stop the seige. Endless occupation, land appropriation, and killing makes both Israel and Palestine unsafe. Israel's security depends on an independent Palestine. US security depends on making our foreign policy more just and being more open to criticizing Israeli government actions.
Learn more about this month of action, culminating on December 2 at the gazaseige.net website.
Learn more about the WILPF US campaign, Women Challenge US Policy: Building Peace on Justice in the Middle East (WCUSP) at our website.
cross-posted from the WILPF US blog.
Posted by cj at 11:32 PM | Comments (0)
November 22, 2006
Time to Move to Australia: Support for Health Trumps Religious / Misogynist Worldview
Australia legalized the abortion pill RU486 this year. It also legalized therapeutic cloning.
Apparently, not all former British colonies are stuck in a religious rut.
More deets: "Memo from Australia: Where Politics and Personal Lives Seem Not to Intersect," by Raymond Bonner in today's NYT
Posted by cj at 7:41 PM | Comments (0)
November 20, 2006
Vera Drake Would Be Prosecuted in Nicaragua Today
My favorite movie of recent times, and perhaps of all time, is "Vera Drake." Written and directed by Mike Leigh, starring Imelda Staunton, it spins a poignant tale about a "Wife. Mother. Criminal."
Unfortunately, while British and American audiences can view the movie as a well-crafted tale of times long gone, around the world women's access to reproductive health is faltering. Often, US taxpayer money helps fund the lack of resources - the "global gag rule" on even mentioning the word abortion and receiving US aid.
And now, in Nicaragua, even women who might die without an abortion cannot legally get one. The politics of corrupt, power hungry men is at fault. President-elect Daniel Ortega sold out half of his constituency when he made a deal with Conservatives to support the new law. Ortega narrowly eked out a win in the recent presidential elections with 38% of the vote. Now, every person in Nicaragua will suffer. Because when you deny access to health services to one person, you affect the health of all people. The bill was signed into law last Friday.
More deets - "Nicaragua Eliminates Last Exception to Strict Anti-Abortion Law," by James C. McKinley Jr., in today's NYT
Posted by cj at 6:06 PM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2006
Were You Dressing Sexy? The Global War On Women
Between the US Senate passing that crappy law "for parental rights" that denies women access to health services based on whether or not they're willing to forfeit their individual right to health service to the great moralistic cause of family unity, and the following article from Peru, it is time to take a stand.
Violence Against Women is a Human Problem. All people must denounce this violence and must work to end it.
If you think someone deserves to be raped based on their choice of clothing, do you also believe someone deserves to be beaten up for wearing a t-shirt that supports a racist regime? Freedom of expression must bend all ways - further, one person's "sexy" is another person's work clothes. Nothing a woman says or does can justify assaulting her. Period. End of discussion.
And now a word from Peru..."Some 51 percent of women in Lima and 69 percent of women in the southern Andean city of Cuzco said they have been victims of sexual or physical violence[.]" These numbers are shocking to me, especially since I recall the missives that went off on the beauty of those cities from a friend last summer. Turns out, those cities offer much for male foreigners in the way of natural wonders, and little in the way of safety for their own population.
Just as disturbing is the fact that doctors refuse to acknowledge rape when they detect it in medical exams, because they don't want to be bothered by the lengthy (2+ years) court process to follow. Instead of doing no harm, Peruvian doctors are perpetuating violence by their refusal to stand up to the system.
The despair and hopelessness of poverty and underemployment is blamed for Peru's surge in violence. Yet, other poverty-stricken countries do not suffer from this catastrophe. I believe the confluence of Cultural (machismo attitudes), Legal (actually asking the "were you dressed sexy?" question in a court of law), Political (before President-elect Garcia spoke up, were was the political will to change the situation?), and Economic forces that have led to this crisis. The question is: will the world sit by and let it continue? Unfortunately, I think the answer is yes. The "global community" has such a short attention span and such difficulty dealing with more than one issue / region at a time, that there's no way for this important article to receive the attention it deserves.
"Peru Confronts Escalating Violence Against Women," by Isabel Ordonez in Reuters via Yahoo News
found via Feminist Peace Network
Posted by cj at 7:16 AM | Comments (0)
April 29, 2006
What Category is Feminist?
Best of the Web Blog Directory lists this blog under Society / Politics / Anarchism / Anarchists. Problem is, I am not an anarchist.*
Under politics, there is no feminist heading. Instead, it is listed under Society / Issues / Feminism.
The other Society / Issues categories are:
Abortion, Conspiracy, Immigration, Iraq_War, Peace, and Terrorism. FYI, there's only one blog listed under peace. Unclear why WILPF's blog isn't there.
But seriously, what's up with this artificial barrier between politics and feminists? It serves as a further barrier to hearing the feminist political perspective. I am not primarily a liberal, conservative, green, moderate, socialist, or anarchist. I am a feminist peace activist - that is my home of political action. I'm not some random issue that can be cast aside during serious debates. I dunno. Maybe I'm reading too much into this. But I'm really sick of this "putting Baby in the corner" view of feminism. I also believe the patriarchal choice of sub-categories for politics works to further silence under-represented populations.
*I did send BOTW a message about the category they placed me in. But I'm not satisfied with the possibility of having this blog moved out of the Politics category and into an amorphous Issues category. If anything, angelheaded hipster, is more appropriate in a general feminist cultural category, not this blog.
Posted by cj at 9:37 AM | Comments (0)
April 4, 2006
Murder and Disappearance on Holocaust Scale
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Somali-born Dutch legislator who made a film with Theo van Gogh which led to his murder (and has left her with 24-hour body guards), wrote a commentary today in the Christian Science Monitor on Women and gendercide. At times I find her too simplistically dismissive of cultural differences; but I agree with her core point: women must organize around the globe and demand our equal human rights. We in the West cannot take our situation for granted - we must work to increase access to education, healthcare, and jobs for our sisters elsewhere. United, we are a force to be reckoned with. Divided, we are silenced and dismissed.
One United Nations estimate says that between 113 million and 200 million women around the world are "missing." Every year, between 1.5 million and 3 million women and girls lose their lives as a result of gender-based violence or neglect. As the Economist, which reported on the policy paper, put it last November, "Every two to four years the world looks away from a victim count on the scale of Hitler's Holocaust." How could this possibly be true?As a Jewish woman, I'm a bit sick of listening to people rotely saying, "never again," when I know many genocides have occurred and are occurring today that are just as horrifying as the Holocaust. But as an American woman, too often I forget the importance of focusing on women's rights and women's access to power because everything "seems so equal" here. There is a lower percentage of women in the US Congress than there are women in the Pakistani Congress. And Pakistan can't even keep its religious fanatics from teaching hate and terrorism in their schools. So I know that we've still got significant work to do both domestically and on a global scale.
Everyone needs to pay attention to this, not just women.
The first thing you can do is join the oldest international women's peace organization, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
And listen to women for a change - not just on Mother's Day or International Women's Day; but every day.
Recognize that a feminist future is the only sustainable future. Every political policy, every social policy, every cultural policy must include a gender perspective and must include equal input from women.
Posted by cj at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2006
Women on the Move
1325 PeaceWomen E-News, issue #75, was issued today.
Shockingly, the UN continues to talk gender equity, but not implement it.
WILPF, along with the Center for Women’s Global Leadership, Women’s Environment Development Organization, and the NGO Committee on the Status of Women issued an open letter on Women and UN Reform.
The Conference on Disarmament started on March 16. Reaching Critical Will, a project of International WILPF, produces a weekly report on the CD.
WILPFers participated in many local marches over the weekend, demanding that we end this senseless war on Iraq and bring our troops home. They also insisted on including the demand that Israel cease its occupation of Palestine in anti-war rallies.
Are you on Friendster? or MySpace? If so, join WILPF's new group! I named in Women's International League for Peace and Freedom on both sites.
Must Read: "The Israel Lobby," by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt in the London Review of Books.
Posted by cj at 10:39 PM | Comments (0)
January 13, 2006
Members of the Tribe: Damn Good Breeders
My health has gone steadily downhill this week, culminating in a strep throat diagnosis today. And when I get sick, I tend to not pay as much attention to Hard News. One story really stuck out to me: "Study finds why Jewish mothers are so important," by Maggie Fox of Reuters via Yahoo News
Turns out 40% of Ashkenazi Jews (the ones y'all stereotype as All Jews Everywhere and some fools think I don't fulfill the stereotypes b/c I'm not a neurotic Jewish American Princess), descended from four women. Makes you wonder if that has something to do with the four foremothers my Bible praises (along with three forefathers; we too were polygamous once).
Priceless quote:
What the study also shows, Behar said, is that Jewish mothers are highly valued for a good reason. "This I could tell you even without the paper," he said.
Posted by cj at 9:42 PM | Comments (0)
November 8, 2005
Afghan Poet Nadia Anjuman Beaten to Death
Prominent poet Nadia Anjuman was beaten to death by her husband and her mother is suspected of having a role in her death.
"The United Nations condemned the killing Tuesday as symptom of continuing violence against Afghan women four years after the fall of the Taliban."
More info from the AP via Yahoo News.
News found via Feminist Peace Network.
Posted by cj at 7:00 PM | Comments (1)
August 27, 2005
Even Men Get It: There is No Democracy Without Women's Rights
The listserv of the Feminist Peace Network sent me to Derrick Z. Jackson's op-ed in the Boston Globe, "What are women fighting for?"
There's nothing new in the editorial. It did let me know about an American woman, Fern Holland, who got killed with two co-workers for helping write the draft Iraqi constitution.
It also points out the lie that Shrub loves to tell - that the constitution guarantees minority rights and women's rights. Which, just to be clear, are two different things. Point of fact, there are more women in Iraq than men (primarily because of decades of war).
Today's Papers reports that Sunni legislators have rejected the draft bogus constitution, so the only way to get the religious-laden, rights-withdrawing piece of crap into law is a national referendum, which could be negated by 3 provinces voting down the crap by a 2/3 margin.
Posted by cj at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)
August 22, 2005
This Just In: No Reason To Promote Women's Rights
I watched part of Meet the Press yesterday, but switched back to This Week in time to (a)miss the interesting bits on TW and (b)miss the atrocious response of former Middle East specialist for the CIA, Reuel Marc Gerecht on MTP.
I was pointed to this Meet the Press minute by the Feminist Peace Network listserv:
MR. GREGORY: Fast forward to this morning. Gentlemen, we put this on the screen from The New York Times. "[American ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay] Khalilzad had backed language [in the constitution] that would have given clerics sole authority in settling marriage and family disputes. That gave rise to concerns that women's rights, as they are annunciated in Iraq's existing laws, could be curtailed. ... [The] arrangement, coupled with the expansive language for Islam, prompted accusations from [a Kurdish leader] that the Americans were helping in the formation of an Islamic state." [...]This was the last exchange of the program and apparently there was no time to follow up on this horrific, neanderthal understanding of human rights. Apparently, the gains made by all waves of feminism are not necessary to creating a true democracy in 2005. When, oh when, will we vote out these ridiculous thugs in suits?MR. GERECHT: Actually, I'm not terribly worried about this. I mean, one hopes that the Iraqis protect women's social rights as much as possible. It certainly seems clear that in protecting the political rights, there's no discussion of women not having the right to vote. I think it's important to remember that in the year 1900, for example, in the United States, it was a democracy then. In 1900, women did not have the right to vote. If Iraqis could develop a democracy that resembled America in the 1900s, I think we'd all be thrilled. I mean, women's social rights are not critical to the evolution of democracy. We hope they're there. I think they will be there. But I think we need to put this into perspective.
Full transcript: "Transcript for August 21: Trent Lott, Russ Feingold, Larry Diamond and Reuel Marc Gerecht," NBC News
Posted by cj at 10:01 AM | Comments (1)
August 10, 2005
WILPF Update
My latest entry on the Leadership Institute and the beginning of the U.S. Section of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom's Triennial Congress is available at wilpf.blogspot.com.
Posted by cj at 7:59 PM | Comments (0)
August 9, 2005
Blogging from the WILPF Leadership Institute
Greetings, blogosphere -
I'm blogging from San Francisco State University, site of the WILPF Leadership Institute for young women and women new to peace activism. Our training will conclude tomorrow afternoon, in time to join our fellow WILPFers at our Triennial U.S. WILPF Congress, from Wednesday evening through Sunday morning.
Our Leadership Institute started off with a bang and we're moving along nicely. We took time to introduce ourselves (an important beginning often forgotten at many political gatherings), discussed sexism, heterosexism, patriarchy, and diversity in the afternoon. After dinner, we saw a slide show on the history of WILPF, which was graciously provided by the Boston WILPF branch.
It was really great to present the slide show. I distinctly remembering watching it in 1999 at my first WILPF event - a Boston branch retreat - and thinking how amazing it is to be involved in an organization that has been an integral part of the peace and social justice movement for the last ninety years. I look forward to sharing WILPF's history and future via this blog and other forms of contact.
For now, I'm exhausted and off to bed.
cross-posted from U.S. WILPF Membership Blog
Posted by cj at 11:53 PM | Comments (0)
July 10, 2005
Rape as Legal Retribution
First, I must admit that this comment on an opinion piece has nothing to do with the author of the opinion piece. I do not know much about Salmon Rushdie, except that a price was put on his head for some of the books he's written that were critical of aspects of Islam. So, putting him aside, I urge everyone to read his article, "India and Pakistan's Code of Dishonor," in the NYT.
It is amazing to me that world leaders pretend to take women's rights seriously and then turn a blind eye to systemic rape. It is amazing to me that the world does not cry out against rape as a war crime and rape as a terrible "religious" right. I wish people who spend their energy trying to deny people rights in the US - like those who oppose gay marriage and a woman's right to choose how to use her own body - would stop their madness and focus on the fact that women are second-class citizens in a vast swath of the world; that in places like Pakistan and India, women can be punished for being raped.
[Pakistan] is the same government, led by President Pervez Musharraf, that confiscated Mukhtar Mai's passport because it feared she would go abroad and say things that would bring Pakistan into disrepute; and it is the same government that has allied with the West in the war on terrorism, but seems quite prepared to allow a war of sexual terror to be waged against its female citizens.Hyperlink to my post on the case added (obviously).
I hope one day, the United States government will uphold UN Security Council Resolution 1325 as resolutely as it uses other SCRs to prop up its illegal gulag in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. And I hope one day people everywhere recognize women's equality, regardless of tribal and religious heritage.
Posted by cj at 3:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 15, 2005
Rape Victim Illegally Arrested in Pakistan
Nikolas Kristof, the amazing NYT columnist, reports today that Mukhtaran Bibi was arrested and sent to an undisclosed location without access to her lawyer in Pakistan. Her crime is accepting a speaking engagement in the United States. Last year, a tribal council ruled that her brother allegedly committed a crime by having sex with a woman of a higher caste. The punishment meted out was Mukhtaran being gang-raped and having to walk home almost naked, passing a crowd of 300 people. With the help of an Islamic leader, she testified against the disgusting filth and six were convicted.
In conjunction with her house arrest, her attackers were released from prison. Then, she was arrested and taken to an undisclosed location, unable to speak to anyone.
From "Raped, Kidnapped and Silenced," by Nicholas Kristof:
"This is all because they think they have the support of the U.S. and can get away with murder," Ms. Jahangir [Bibi's lawyer] said. Indeed, on Friday, just as all this was happening, President Bush received Pakistan's foreign minister in the White House and praised President Musharraf's "bold leadership."From the NYT editorial "With Friends Like This...":So, Mr. Bush, how about asking Mr. Musharraf to focus on finding Osama, instead of kidnapping rape victims who speak out? And invite Ms. Mukhtaran to the Oval Office - to show that Americans stand not only with generals who seize power, but also with ordinary people of extraordinary courage.
Being allies with Pakistan should go beyond just selling F-16 fighter jets to General Musharraf in the hope that he will one day get serious about finding Osama bin Laden and stop allowing recruiters for the Taliban to operate in Pakistan. It should also include pressing Pakistan to adopt minimum standards of human rights.
Posted by cj at 5:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 4, 2005
Kuwaiti Parliament Blocks Women's Participation in City Council Elections
Let's be clear on what recently happened in Kuwait: a bunch of men, fearing the loss of their political jobs, voted to deny women the right to vote in city council elections and blamed their backwards thinking on religious beliefs. From "Lawmakers Block Women From Voting in Kuwait," by Hassan Fatah in today's NYT:
While the city council holds little political significance, winning the right for women to run for office there was seen as a first step in gaining the right to run for Parliament.Another interesting quirk of Kuwaiti law is that police officers and military personnel cannot vote. Imagine if the entire military industrial complex in the US were denied participation in the political process. That is, imagine if the United States was no longer governed by politicians who get a large amount of campaign contributions from military contractors and their employees. Would that change our budget priorities? As my fellow WILPFers said in 1979 (and copyrighted) - It will be a great day when schools have all the money they need and the military has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber.
Posted by cj at 1:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Women Beware! Traditional Hospital Procedure During Labor Is Harmful
From "Procedure On Women In Labor Adds Risk: Study Urges Halt To Episiotomies," by Rob Stein in today's WaPo:
One of the most common surgical procedures performed in the United States -- an incision many pregnant women receive to reduce the risk of tissue tears during delivery -- has no benefits and actually causes more complications, according to the most comprehensive analysis to evaluate the practice. ...So here's the deal: there's no reason to allow a doctor to tear up your body before you give birth. The article doesn't mention it, but just as a public service announcement, let me add this: vaginal birth is safer than Caesarean section. One is totally natural and the other is surgery where someone cuts up your body. (And yes, there's actual medical science behind this statement. Here's a Google search on risks of Caesarean section.)An episiotomy is an incision that doctors make in the perineum -- the skin between the opening of the vagina and anus. The idea is that the incision will make delivery of a child easier and that a deliberate surgical incision will heal more quickly and with fewer complications than tears that occur spontaneously, minimizing the risk of sexual problems and other complications, such as incontinence. Because the procedure has been in widespread use since the 1930s, it has been subject to careful evaluation only fairly recently.
Posted by cj at 1:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
April 28, 2005
Women's Rights Activist and Iraqi Legislator Lamia Abed Khadouri Sakri Killed
According to Juan Cole, Lamia Abed Khadouri Sakri was a women's rights activist in addition to being a member of the Iraqi National Assembly. The Washington Post fails to mention the relevance of her gender in their coverage of her assassination. Instead, she's described as a political activist and member of a secular political bloc.
I don't have any more information on Ms. Sakri's political work, other than this graph from WaPo:
Sakri, the slain lawmaker, belonged to Saddam Hussein's ruling Baath Party before resigning in the mid-1970s and going into exile, colleagues said. After U.S. forces toppled Hussein in early 2003, she returned as part of Allawi's coterie.I believe the fact that the first member of parliament to be killed was female is significant and look forward to reading about increased security measures for all members of the Iraqi government, not just those who can afford to personally pay for it.
Further reading:
"Iraqi Legislator Slain, Underscoring Danger," by Ellen Knickmeyer
Posted by cj at 12:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 30, 2005
Title IX Strengthened by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that a whistleblower who faces retaliation for pointing out Title IX inequaties can file a federal lawsuit to rectify the situation. The majority ruled that without enforcement, Title IX is worthless and whistleblowers - regardless of gender - provide the teeth behind the law.
More information from WaPo:
"High Court Supports Title IX Protection: Law Now Covers Whistle-Blowers," by Charles Lane
Posted by cj at 10:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 28, 2005
Should Pharmacists' Religious Beliefs Obstruct Access to Medication?
WaPo fronts an article by Rob Stein, "Pharmacists' Rights at Front of New Debate: Because of Beliefs, Some Refuse To Fill Birth Control Prescriptions." Apparently, across the country some pharmacists have decided that their personal religious beliefs have declared birth control a form of abortion, and therefore refuse to dispense it. Some even refuse to transfer the prescription to a pharmacy that will fulfill its obligations.
Here's the thing: I don't go to a faith healer for my medical problems. I expect my medical services to be delivered by people who leave their personal beliefs at the door when they serve me. That's why I dislike going to religious hospitals and why its difficult for me to be unbiased about this issue. As a woman, I abhor the notion that anyone has the right to deny me my reproductive rights.
I experienced the need for the morning after pill when I was unemployed and uninsured. Thankfully, I was living in LA at the time and was able to find a pharmacist in my area who would give me a prescription (thanks to the more women-friendly laws of California, you can get the morning after pill there without a prescription). The pharmacist provided me with plenty of information on the drug. I couldn't imagine needing that medication and being denied by a judgmental pharmacist.
Furthermore, denying birth control is a slap in the face to all women. I can't tell you how amazing it is to have less severe menstrual cramps and less bleeding - two amazing aspects of being on birth control. Those effects have nothing to do with whether or not I'm sexually active. I can't believe people believe they have the right to place their moral judgments on my body and my access to legal medication.
I am saddened by the state of this country. The US Government is not only denying access to reproductive care around the world, we're being denied basic access within our country.
Posted by cj at 12:46 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
March 14, 2005
Include Women in Peace-Making 365 Days A Year
Yolanda Chavez Leyva wrote an opinion article today in the Miami Herald pointing out both how women and girls "bear the brunt of armed conflict" and that they should be intricately involved in conflict resolution. Although she fails to recognize first wave feminist peace organizations (like Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, which is celebrating its 90th birthday this year), Chavez Leyva does a good job highlighting work of some of our younger, sister organizations.
Posted by cj at 5:13 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 10, 2005
NGO Statement on Inclusion of Women In Nuclear Disarmament Work
This message is from Susi Snyder, Secretary General of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom:
Dear WILPF members and friends,
For more than 20 years, WILPF has worked with the NGO Working Group on Peace in Geneva to organize a seminar around International Women's Day. The theme of this year's seminar was "Women Say No to Nuclear Weapons". Speakers included- Ms. Ingrid Eide of No to Atomic Weapons in Norway, Ambassador Volker Heinsberg of Germany, Ms. Ann Pollack with the Canadian Mission, Dr. Jack Steinberger 1988 Nobel Laureate in Physics and Ms. Jean Kimani of the Kenyan Mission.
This seminar generates a statement, which is then presented in the Conference on Disarmament (CD). The CD is the world's sole multilateral treaty negotiating body. The Reaching Critical Will project of WILPF monitors the CD, and you can find more information here:
http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/political/cd/cdindex.html
This year, instead of the Director General of the CD reading the statement, it was read by Tim Caughley of New Zealand in his capacity as rotating President of the Conference. After reading the statement, he addressed the CD in his national capacity, and said he hoped that the NGOs would be able to deliver the statement themselves in the near future. Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany also took the floor to support this sentiment.
Here is the statement:
Distinguished Delegates,
Since 1984, a group of Geneva-based NGOs, together with members of the NGO Working Group on Peace have held a seminar to mark International Women's Day – 8 March – in tribute to the tireless work done by women around the world for the achievement of justice, peace and security. We again use this opportunity to engage the public and governments to look holistically at issues of peace and security, and to recognize the centuries' old demand of women for nations to totally and universally disarm.
Women mobilize support for disarmament and peace. In the last century alone, educational and petition campaigns, such as the more than nine million signatures collected and sent to the 1926 disarmament conference in Geneva, or the one initiated in 1959 by the European Movement of Women Against Nuclear Armament, have rallied wide public support for general and nuclear disarmament. The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom along with many other organizations refused to accept the cold war barriers and worked to break them down through East - West dialogues and many other shared events to end the arms race and build peaceful cooperation. Women demonstrated against the build-up of multilateral nuclear forces in Europe, as they did, for example at the NATO conference in the Netherlands in 1964. In the 1960s, 100,000 women in 110 American communities left their homes and offices in a national "strike" for a nuclear test ban, sparked by Boston physicians' documentation of the presence of Strontium-90, a by-product of nuclear tests, in the teeth of children across the U.S. and beyond. Millions of women and men rallied in the cities of Europe and marched across borders to mark their opposition to the deployment of nuclear missiles and radiological weapons. We all remember how the women of Greenham Common left their homes to dedicate themselves to peace as men have often left their homes to fight wars.
Let us be clear: we do not assert that women are "by nature" more peaceful than men. Women are socialized to be the caretakers and nurturers of their families and communities; yet in countries the world over - from the developed to developing nations - many men assume the role of "protectors" and "defenders" and often seek to maintain this role through the possession of weapons, while women in their nurturing role often encourage this step towards "manhood". We recognize that women are also actors in conflict - women take up arms, engage in conflict and even perpetuate it. It is not enough for us to bring a few more women into security discussions and negotiations; just as men differ vastly in their perceptions of issues of importance, just one participant in negotiations cannot represent women in all their diversities.
Furthermore, increased dialogue with and participation of NGOs in all disarmament efforts will facilitate a much broader, more comprehensive understanding of security, one that can form the basis of a windfall of new security agreements and treaties. The stalemate in moving disarmament forward must be broken now.
Women have developed an expanded expertise on these issues over the years and are eager, along with many other members of civil society and non-governmental organizations, to work with you and your ministries at the Capitols to move forward. In 1997, a Model Nuclear Weapons Convention was submitted to the General Assembly by Costa Rica stating that the model sets forth "the legal, technical and political issues that should be considered in order to obtain an actual nuclear weapons convention."
South Africa submitted a Working Paper to this body in 2002, outlining some suggestions and food for thought on a Fissile Materials Treaty. The time is ripe to negotiate this treaty now in order to address the problems of nuclear proliferation. Large sectors of world civil Society stand at the ready to do whatever they can to assist in these negotiations - you in the CD have the power to open your doors to us; Paragraph 41 of the rules of procedure recognizes that the Conference may decide to invite specialized agencies, the IAEA and other organs of the UN system to provide information We are prepared to accept your invitation, and look forward to receiving it.
This body has struggled for eight long years to move forward. It will not be able to make substantive breakthroughs as long as governments continue to equate security with armaments. We have not seen an increase in global security that matches the global increases in military spending; rather, we have seen increased proliferation of weapons, increased threats from non-state actors, and decreased human security.
Our focus during this year's seminar was on nuclear weapons, on the role that these ecocidal, suicidal and genocidal weapons play in a world struggling to recognize and move towards a holistic perception of security - one that includes environmental protection, protection of all actors effected by all phases of conflict, and that integrates and understands the reasons that make people pick up arms in order to disarm.
In a large part, the NGOs that monitor your discussions here, the NGOs that will flock to New York to monitor and bring public attention to the NPT Review Conference, the NGOs that have organized massive demonstrations in opposition to nuclear weapons, the NGOs that have brought organized pressure on governments to negotiate the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty - many of these NGOs comprise women, whose dedication to the abolition of nuclear weapons is based on their unique, understanding of the evil of these weapons.
While we laud the CD's decision taken last year that codifies the basic rules of engagement with disarmament NGOs, we urge you to review NGO participation and access to all international disarmament fora, and to understand, as Croatia has, "the growing beneficial role that civil society plays in the field of disarmament... (which) may give additional impetus to initiatives to break the deadlock and finally move the multilateral disarmament agenda forward." We urge you to heed the advice of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who called for "more organized and sustained dialogue with the NGO community", recognizing that more effective engagement with NGOs increases the likelihood that United Nations decisions will be better understood and supported by a broad and diverse public.
The culture of militarism that has gained ground the world over is pushing the cornerstone of the disarmament regime, the nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty, toward a dangerous precipice. We are all aware of the significant backsliding from key advancements made at the 2000 Review Conference, and know that drastic measures are needed in order to arrest this development.
The Conference on Disarmament has a unique opportunity to do so at the forthcoming 7TH NPT Review Conference, addressing the concerns and priorities of all States parties, and working to strengthen both the non-proliferation and the disarmament obligations of the Treaty. If the CD is able to adopt a program of work and start substantive discussions on nuclear disarmament, a fissile materials treaty, the prevention of an arms race in outer space, and/or other items on the proposed agenda, you will be endowing the Review Conference with a much needed head-start on its own work. No other body, no other diplomats, have the opportunity that you do to influence a positive start at the Review, to erode the paralysis that blocked the Preparatory Committee.
Time is growing short, in the next few months, all actors within the international disarmament community must do everything they can to use this Conference as a tool for ensuring the human security of all peoples, everywhere.
Posted by cj at 12:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Interesting Commentary on Shrub's War on Women's Rights
Via the Feminist Peace Network, I found "Dark Ages, Reprise How the Bush Administration is fighting a battle against the women of the world, and winning" by Katherine Brengle in Dissident Voice.
Although the article doesn't mention the USG's recent attempt to add anti-abortion language to the Beijing +10 declaration, and it is a bit more strident in tone than I would personally write, it includes tons of fascinating information. Apparently, I've been totally clueless for awhile now because I had no idea scientists had created a female sex-drive enhancer, Intrinsa, and that the FDA immediately rejected it. Nor did I know the Supreme Court refused to overturn the Alabama law that bans the sale or distribution of sex toys.
Posted by cj at 10:46 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 8, 2005
Happy International Women's Day!
Of course, we should all remember how important women are everyday of the year. Gender issues need to be at the forefront of all of our work - from understanding development needs, to the cessation of war, to the composition of legislatures, to the identity of national leaders. In honor of all of the strong women past and present who have helped make the world a better place, please join me in celebrating International Women's Day.
The US Section of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom is celebrating the day by announcing our campaigns for the next three year cycle, Women Challenge U.S. Policy: Building Peace on Justice in the Middle East and Save the Water. Information available here.
Press release: With clarion calls and worldwide events, UN marks International Women's Day
Background information on International Women's Day. (pdf)
UN's International Women's Day website.
Posted by cj at 11:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 5, 2005
The World United Against the USG: Victory for Women's Human Rights!!!
The Commission on the Status of Women Unequivocally Reaffirms the Beijing Platform for Action Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), News Alert, 4 March 2005Press Release found at PeaceWomenUS WITHDRAWS ITS ANTI-SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS AMENDMENT!!!
Earlier today, the United States failed to break solid international consensus supporting reaffirmation of the Beijing Platform for Action, and withdrew its controversial proposed amendment to the Draft Declaration of the Beijing +10 proceedings currently taking place in New York. The US language sought to "reaffirm that the Beijing Platform and the outcome of the 23rd Special Session of the General Assembly (Beijing +5) "do not create new international human rights and do not include the right to abortion." The US decision to withdraw its anti-human rights amendment marks a significant victory in support of women's human rights worldwide.
Although the US delegation did not have the public support of any Member State, they had refused to join the consensus that had formed in support of the Draft as it had been issued by the Bureau of the Commission on the Status of Women. In a remarkable show of solidarity, countries across all regions have resisted US pressure to break consensus, and have stood together in support of the full range of women's human rights as laid out in the Beijing Platform.
The Declaration, which reaffirms the Beijing Platform and the Beijing +5 outcome document, was adopted at 5pm this afternoon at the Commission on the Status of Women.
Full Coverage of Beijing +10 at PeaceWomen
Posted by cj at 9:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
March 2, 2005
Beijing +10 Update from PeaceWomen E-News
From PeaceWomen E-News, Issue #55, March 1, 2005:
POLITICAL DECLARATION: Outcome Document of Beijing +10Viva New Zealand!!!!
As of 1 March 2005, the US government has not withdrawn a major amendment they introduced on 24 February 2005 to the draft text of the political declaration, prepared by the Bureau of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).If the US government withdraws their amendment, there is an expectation that it will deliver an explanation of position, as it has in previous Beijing +10 regional reviews.
The US' proposed amendment is in bold:
"Reaffirm the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action Adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women and the outcome of the 23rd Special Session of the GA." [while reaffirming that they do not create any new international human rights, and that they do not include the right to abortion.]All other members of the Commission on the Status of Women have publicly maintained their support for the Bureau's draft declaration.* Some of the most out-spoken governmental critics of the US amendment, include the governments of the European Union, Canada and New Zealand. As New Zealand stated in its intervention on 1 March 2005:
"We are not here to re-litigate or reinterpret Beijing. We are here to reaffirm it, to pledge our renewed commitment to its implementation and to support each other to do that.
New Zealand will not accept an outcome declaration that contains anything less than a clear, unambiguous and unqualified reaffirmation of Beijing. We are not interested in negotiating any qualifications to the reaffirmation contained in the draft prepared by the bureau.
New Zealand calls on all states to reaffirm the Beijing Platform for Action without equivocation. The international community has laboured too long over language in human rights treaties, declarations and resolutions. It is time to take action, and Beijing provides with us with the right platform for doing so."
(Statement by the Honorable Ruth Dyson, New Zealand Minister of Women's Affairs)* The draft declaration does include minor amendments, which have been accepted by consensus.
Posted by cj at 11:26 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
February 3, 2005
Apparently, I was at a Different Conference
Here is an article on Women's eNews re the YWTF Conference. Apparently, I attended a different conference. Read this fabulous excerpt:
The task force attendees were asked to develop issue statements about nine topics of concern to women ages 19 to 39. Besides feminism, these included media representations of women and women's body image; sexual and reproductive freedom; and access to education and career opportunities. Attendees say the issues differ somewhat from the agenda of feminists in the 1970s. While older feminists were concerned about discrimination in the workplace and securing abortion rights, attendees tackled issues such as the number of women featured in the media, violence against women and eating disorders.Does that make attendees who didn't pay their own way less committed to these frickin topics?!?! I thought it just meant we're POORER.The attendees recognize that the issues that mattered to women in their 50s and 60s aren't the same as for them. While reproductive rights meant abortion rights in the 1960s, today it means birth control that's not covered by insurance companies even while Viagra is.
"For them, it was laws and bills," Stein said, referring to older feminists. "For us, it's implementation and everyday life."
Several conference attendees said they paid their own way to the conference because they wanted to think about topics affecting all women.
I'm not trying to be catty - I'm just really frustrated. I know people who reject the label "feminist" because their understanding of the issues is beyond the white, middle-class paradigm implied by that term. Why should I spend time baby-sitting people who aren't willing to stand up for equal rights, but are able to say "Yay! I'm a Young Woman!" ?!? I suppose I should just stop trying. After all, I can't even get access to the Issue Statements Email Group b/c it was placed on Microsoft's evil system.
Posted by cj at 11:17 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
February 2, 2005
One More YWTF Comment
There is one aspect of the YWTF Conference that I'm really proud of - the issue statement created by the Economic Justice issue group. I was a participant in the group and I'm glad we were able to keep such strong language, despite the fact that one of our members was staunchly anti-union.
Economic JusticeIn the context of globalization, the Younger Women’s Task Force identifies the following important international and domestic economic issues:
We recognize that all forms of discrimination and inequality in the work place impact our ability to be full economic participants and the general economic health of society.
We recognize these work/life balance issues are important to parents, nontraditional families, and individuals: supporting all care giving, mandating living wages, re-defining success, honoring life outside work and the place of work in life, and expanding economic literacy and participation.
Within the domain of economic justice, we recognize that healthcare should be a universal right for all individuals, regardless of life choices, family status, or group membership. With a general wellness focus throughout the life cycle, including but not limited to coverage for mental health, contraceptives, and maternal/paternal support.
We recognize the need for encouraging women to raise their voices by voting and taking leadership positions ranging from grassroots organizations, to corporate leadership, and domestic and international policy making.
We demand a societal shift to reflect these priorities.
Posted by cj at 4:12 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
January 31, 2005
Initial Reactions to the Younger Women's Task Force Meeting
The National Coalition of Women's Organizations is sponsoring a task force to "provide a collective voice for the younger generation..." to "ensure that NCWO's policy work is intergenerational in focus, that there is continuous dialogue between generations, and that a new generation of NCWO leadership is developed."
What is NCWO? It's a DC bureaucracy created to be a political voice for women's groups across the country. The US Section of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom is a member organization and I am a member of WILPF. I found out about their YWTF conference through a fellow WILPF member and WILPFers provide the money necessary for me to register and travel to the conference. (YWTF also gave me a partial travel stipend.)
I fear that many of the DC organizers of YWTF dislike me or think I dislike them. I say this because one of the things I was told to do at the conference was to always speak my mind (it was a prerequisite for some of my funding). So, I kept asking process questions and refused to back down on my policy positions. I think people took my criticism personally and I have to admit that at times I got frustrated and may have made a personal attack or two. (In particular, I regret telling a group of individuals that clearly none of them were transgender, so how do they think they can speak for the transgender community.)
Personally, I was offended by some of the things that happened this weekend. First, the address of the event wasn't clearly stated on the materials we received prior to the conference. I stayed with friends b/c we were asked to do that to cut back on hotel costs. I showed up at George Washington University and spent 45 minutes in the snow and cold searching for the meeting location. When my phone calls to the organizers were finally returned and I got to the meeting location, I was immediately asked to fill out forms instead of being allowed to take off my coat and get a cup of coffee.
Next I was offended by being asked to state what I do for a living. Perhaps this just sounds like normal introductory material to you. The majority of the people in the room were either students or worked for nonprofits. I felt like there was a bias against people who work in for-profit environments. I also think my job title has nothing to do with my activism. Finally, the introductions upset me because it appeared all of the conference participants were either working towards a college degree or already had one. That doesn't create a very diverse younger women's movement. Furthermore, when I attended an inter-generational dinner I was told by an older woman that I would never be taken seriously as a glorified secretary. (I explained that I am currently working in a position basically as a glorified secretary because I spent about a year trying to get a paid position at a nonprofit and was unsuccessful in my job search. I also told her that I do my activism in a volunteer capacity as a member of the national board of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. All of my experience was devalued by this women who thinks I will never get anywhere being myself.)
I realized something this weekend. I have been an activist for 15 years. I have been a leader of activist organizations and planning conferences for 15 years. I am not an individual who can simply be grateful for the opportunity to meet other people. My understanding of the issues - both structurally and philosophically - is too deep for me to simply sit and be a good follower in any organization.
I don't think I like the bureaucracy they're creating with YWTF. Nevertheless, I'm excited about the opportunity to meet other younger activists. I've already made some great connections and I'm sure I'll continue to communicate with particular participants in the YWTF Conference whether or not I continue with YWTF.
Posted by cj at 10:36 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
January 26, 2005
Female Candidates on Provincial Level in Iraq
Today's Boston Globe features an article by Thanassis Cambanis titled "Iraq's female candidates raise voices before vote." It's all well and good that the US-written constitution mandates that 1/3 of candidates be female (not clear why it's only 1/3), but the reality is that the majority of the female candidates are fighting each other for provincial offices, leaving national power to males in their parties. This is not exactly the same as having gender equity. Nor do I believe it is an accurate implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325.
In other Iraq news, the USG spent $92 million on a GOTV for Iraqi expatriates and only 10% of eligible voters in the US and 25% worldwide registered. What a great return on investment. Full deets from Paul Richter, Alissa Rubin, Maggie Farley, Jean Pasco, and Elise Castelli at the LAT. The article has an extremely different tone from the "we're so grateful to vote!!" stories I recently heard on Morning Edition on NPR.
Posted by cj at 3:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
January 19, 2005
Boy, Am I Glad I Didn't Go To Harvard
The President of Harvard, Lawrence Summers, thinks that women are innately dumber than men in science and math and that genetics is the reason for less women tenured profs than men. Right.
Here's an account of the conference where he made the remarks.
Here's an update on the storm that continues in the aftermath of the leopard showing his spots.
Apparently, Summers hasn't bothered to look around much. He thinks women can't handle 80-hour work weeks, nor do we have the brains for math or science. Let's see. I was in AP Calculus AB in the 11th grade. I took AP Biology in the 10th grade and AP Chemistry in the 11th grade. Last time I checked, I'm still female.
The reality is that women are just as good at math and science as men. But we're taught to hate it. We're taught that we'll never be good at it. And teachers teach those courses towards the way boys learn rather than the way girls learn: i.e., lots of tests and very little class discussion. Don't beieve me? Ask The Boy - my male friend in Beantown who spent a year as an exchange student at Wellesley to experience how science courses are taught differently in all-female classes as opposed to at co-ed colleges. Oh yeah, and did I mention the high acceptance rates into med school from my piddly lil women's college? ARRRG.
I can't tell you how much Summers' opinion upsets me. It's not just that idiots believe this crap. It's that idiots in positions of power believe that women have some innate disadvantage to men. Give me a frickin break!!! Yes, y'all are made physically stronger than us. That has absolutely nothing to do with our respective brain power. Summers reminds me of the morons at the turn of the century who used "science" to explain ethnic and racial discrimination.
Posted by cj at 4:41 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 18, 2005
Subservience Rules in MoDo's Dating Game
Morgaine Swan, my fellow contributing editor at P!, posted a response to this Maureen Dowd column in the NYT.
MoDo (Maureen Dowd) opines that men want spouses to take care of them and worship them, so they tend to marry non-threatening, subservient women (like their personal assistants). Women are also attracted to this idea because we fall for movies like "Spanglish" and "Love Actually."
Here's one of the worst (and last) graphs MoDo penned:
So was the feminist movement some sort of cruel hoax? The more women achieve, the less desirable they are? Women want to be in a relationship with guys they can seriously talk to - unfortunately, a lot of those guys want to be in relationships with women they don't have to talk to.For those in the cheap seats, let me explain. No, there is too much, let me sum up. There will always be narcissistic a-holes in the world who surround themselves with servants instead of partners. Those of us who live in the real world (with bills, student loans, and credit card debt) know that having a life partner is much more rewarding than having a maid.
One last point: never refer to the feminist movement as if it were dead. The feminist movement began way before MoDo's friends burned their bras in the 70s and will remain strong long after she stops getting paid for her tired dribble.
Posted by cj at 12:22 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 10, 2005
UN Peacekeepers Exploited Congolese Girls and Women
In horrific news abroad, UN Peacekeepers continue to exploit Congolese girls and women, using girls as young as thirteen as prostitutes. From the AP via USAT:
United Nations peacekeepers in Congo sexually exploited women and girls, some as young as 13, a U.N. watchdog office said Friday in a new confirmation that efforts to curb abuses by U.N. troops are not working.Emphasis added.
Peacekeepers regularly had sex with Congolese women and girls, usually in exchange for food or small sums of money, investigators from the world body's Office of Internal Oversight Services found."We have had and continue to have a serious problem of sexual exploitation and abuse," William Lacy Swing, the United Nations' special representative to Congo, said at a news conference.
Part of the problem is that the UN has no authority over peacekeepers: they are only subject to the laws of their own countries. This is disgusting and the world should not continue to accept these atrocities.
The Congo is a dangerous place - genocide perpetrators from Rwanda continue to ravage part of the country. The Congolese should be able to see UN Peacekeepers as shelters from the storm of violence. The situation is completely unacceptable.
Posted by cj at 3:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
December 22, 2004
Good News from Chile
Check this out: Two women are the top candidates in the race to be the next president of Chile. And only 36% of women in Chile work outside the home. (Don't be fooled by the article; just because you're not paid to work doesn't mean you don't work.) Right. So, in Chile, two women not tied to a former president are the most likely people to become the next president. YAY!
"Chile Women Break Political Mold," by Danna Harman in the Christian Science Monitor
Posted by cj at 8:27 PM | Comments (0)
December 16, 2004
Remember the Women and Children of Darfur
I've posted a lot about the women of Darfur who are being systematically raped by janjaweed militia and sometimes cast out by their villages because of the rape or subsequent pregnancy. The BBC has another article about the horrific state of society in Darfur, where villagers curse children and mothers suckle babies with dry breasts (both generations suffer from malnutrition on the verge of starvation).
Posted by cj at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)
December 6, 2004
US Needs to Send More Aid to Africa
In a biting and brief commentary, Yale medical student Kohar Jones indicts the US for not providing enough money to combat AIDS in Africa. Instead, mothers are forced to prostitute themselves - making them vulnerable to being infected with HIV - to earn the money needed to feed their children.
Read "The Power to Say No to AIDS" in WaPo.
Posted by cj at 8:42 PM | Comments (0)