WMC Women Under Siege
Now in their 80s and 90s, aging WWII sex slaves haven’t forgotten
It’s a euphemism we still haven’t shaken. “Comfort women” refers to the women and girls—usually foreign, from countries like Korea, the Philippines, and China—forced by the Japanese military to do sex work mainly during World War II.
WMC News & Features
March 29, 2013 | Shazia Z. Rafi |
Economy,
Education,
Girls,
International,
Politics,
Race/Ethnicity,
Religion,
Violence against women
Pakistan—The Last Destination of the Stars
The author, fresh from a family visit, reflects on how Pakistan arrived at this moment, and what the United States can do to support women and democracy there.
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Pink Or Blue: It's Up To You
“It’s a boy.” My soon-to-be father beamed.
“How do you know?” My young, twenty-two year old mother asked, rubbing her growing belly.
“I just know,” he stated so full of confidence in his twenty-thre...
WMC Women Under Siege
Women’s bodies: Cause of ‘epidemics and disasters’?
Her name is Amina. She is a teenage girl. A man in her country, Tunisia, thinks stones should be thrown at her until she dies because she posted a photo of herself on a website. Because she is a woman. Because she had the audacity to make a comment about her own body, and to photograph her body, and to use it to share her ideas with others.
WMC Women Under Siege
How media can help stop rape
With the verdict in on the Steubenville rape, we are now confronted with yet another case involving two 13-year-old girls in Torrington, Conn., who say they were sexually assaulted by three young men. Presumably, the media will say these boys had a “bright future” ahead of them just as it said of the Steubenville boys. And just as in Steubenville, I expect the mainstream media to play the same game it always does—ignoring the victim and focusing entirely on how this will impact the lives of the rapists.
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Why My High School Needs Roller Derby
I go to a public high school, and have recently expressed interest to the administration in starting a school roller derby team. However, I was first met with resistance and then refusal by the author...
WMC News & Features
Verdict Is In on Sexual Assault in the Military
Survivors and advocates insist on the need for a system of reporting and trying sexual assault cases independent of the chain of command, writes the author, an expert on gender-based violence.
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GQ’s Impressive Interview With Pussy Riot Is Still A GQ Interview
As Feministing.com reported last summer, three members of the Russian punk rock collective Pussy Riot were convicted in August 2012 and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for “hooliganism motivated ...
WMC Women Under Siege
Un-silencing the crime of sexualized violence against journalists
In June 2011, I published a report at the Committee to Protect Journalists called “The Silencing Crime” about sexualized violence and journalists. I called it that because rape and other forms of sexualized assault are used constantly around the world to frighten women journalists into silence, and unfortunately, the method is effective, my research found.
WMC News & Features
"My Brooklyn"—Prejudice, Policy and Gentrification
In discussing two women who document a culturally and commercially vibrant community at risk, the author explores the racist policy and politics behind the onslaught of gentrification.
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A Nameless Woman
A woman is silhouetted against a blue backdrop. She is sitting down and we see her from the waist up. She is talking to someone sitting opposite her, smoking as she does. When she talks a cacophony of...
WMC Women Under Siege
Reports surface of rape and torture in Iraq
It has been 10 years since the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and stories of torture and sexualized violence are still coming to light. As Al-Jazeera reported Tuesday, Amnesty International’s recent publication, “Iraq: A decade of abuse,” is a horrifying, pain-filled heap of rape, sexualized torture, and other forms of sexualized violence. And the rights group is still gathering evidence.
WMC News & Features
Marissa Mayer—Out of Touch with Women Workers?
The author, a mom and a Walmart employee, wonders if Yahoo's Marissa Mayer, who serves on the Walmart board, can advocate for her.
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Thinking About Egg Donation
I recently saw a thought-provoking documentary about egg donation and its legal ramifications in Germany. The documentary followed several people: a couple that could not have their own children, a yo...
WMC Women Under Siege
Poynter: CNN’s Steubenville coverage called too sympathetic to teens found guilty
Journalists took to Twitter Sunday to criticize the the media’s coverage of the two teenage boys who were found guilty in the Steubenville, Ohio, rape case. Lauren Wolfe, Xeni Jardin and others called out CNN’s Poppy Harlow and Paul Callan for sympathizing with the men and highlighting that the woman who was raped was “allegedly drunk.”
WMC News & Features
The Case for Empathy—Open Hearts May Open Minds
Expand the circle of empathy in public life, urges multimedia journalist Mary C. Curtis.
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Support Women Artists Sunday: Chloe Howl
Chloe Howl is a 17-year-old musician from the UK. Learn more about her here.
Rumour
No Strings
...
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Technology and the Future of Feminism
Recently, I feel like I've been asked quite a bit about the way that technology is influencing the next generation of feminists. I have a basic answer at the ready, a couple bullet points I hit, large...
WMC News & Features
Leaning In Can Get You Laid Out
Media discussions of Sandberg’s advice for getting ahead in the corporate world miss an important consideration, says author and social media strategist Courtney E. Martin.
WMC Women Under Siege
March 13, 2013 International,
Violence against women
International campaign asks 57th Commission on the Status of Women to uphold women's rights
The International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict, on whose advisory committee WMC's Women Under Siege serves, sent the following letter to the delegates of the 57th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women today. The letter calls on member states to conclude negotiations with a strong statement that will prioritize action to end violence against women.
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I Don't Know How I Feel About My Body
I was getting ready for my birthday dinner. I was wearing my new favorite dress, with a sort of waffle-velvet thing going on, which was sleeveless and beautiful. As I put on my tiara (because, you kno...
WMC News & Features
Futures Without Violence
A UN Commission on the Status of Women Event Highlights Groups Acting to End Violence Against Women Around the World.
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Teen Mom Shaming vs Teen Pregnancy Prevention
What is with this unnecessary need to shame, bully, and stereotype teen mothers in an attempt to decrease teen pregnancy? Teen pregnancy prevention campaigns DO NOT have to be at the expense of a teen...
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Support Women Artists Sunday: Angel Haze
Raykeea Wilson (born 1991), better known by her stage name Angel Haze, is an African American , Native American rapper and lyricist signed to Universal Republic and Island. She was born in Detroit, Mi...
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Saturday Vids: Thank You, Zerlina
Awesome feminist writer and activist Zerlina Maxwell has recently been the target of horrendous threats of violence. Why? Because of statements she made on Hannity.
In her own words, from a post she ...