niyad
niyad's JournalEmpowering Change and Building Women's Power: On the Ground at the Reykjavk Global Forum
(An absolutely fascinating, lengthy, important read)
Empowering Change and Building Women’s Power: On the Ground at the Reykjavík Global Forum
12/22/2023 by Cynthia Richie Terrell
The Reykjavík Global Forum convenes women leaders to share solutions on how to further advance society towards gender equity and grow the number of women in leadership positions.
The sixth annual Reykjavík Global Forum, hosted by the government and Parliament of Iceland last month, convened more than 500 people from 80 countries, creating a diverse and dynamic platform to address critical global issues and build women’s power.
I had the honor of representing RepresentWomen (https://www.representwomen.org/) and our mission at the forum and was thrilled to be part of the delegation led by Susannah Wellford, of Running Start alums, who gave a terrific presentation and enriched and diversified the program in many ways.
Running Starts alums presenting at the Reykjavik Global Forum: Caroline Hoover, Sherra Bennet, Alexis Williams and Lyssa Schei Davids.
The forum began with an informative tour of Parliament, where women hold 48 percent of seats, followed by a reception at the home of the president of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson and his accomplished wife, author Eliza Reid. Highlights of the gathering included Icelandic pancakes, opening remarks from co-founders of the forum Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir and Silvana Koch-Mehrin, and a welcome from co-chairs Ashley Judd and Adela Raz.
From left: Eliza Reid, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, Ashley Judd and friends.
‘Power, Together for Leadership’
. . . .
This year the forum incorporated data from the Nordic countries for the first time—Iceland’s score of 92 makes it an interesting case study of what institutional and cultural factors have led to such low levels of attitudinal barriers for women in Iceland, and if they can be replicated and adapted for use elsewhere. It was sobering to learn that overall, most G7 countries have seen stagnant or declining scores in the perception of women’s leadership since 2018.
Focus on Four Action Items
While the index offered a compelling argument for why work is still needed to advance women’s leadership, a session led by Christy Tanner, senior advisor to the Reykjavik Global Forum, provided a terrific roadmap for how to advance women’s leadership. Tanner reported on her work with the Reykjavik Global Action Advisory Board, which led to the development of a new strategy that is focused on the Reykjavík Action Items that serve as powerful tools to transform data into action. These policy initiatives include:
equal pay
equal representation
equal parental leave
ending gender-based violence
All are critically important for building women’s political power and leadership.
“We encourage international women leaders to focus on four key actions to promote equality in the world: equal pay, a more equal share of the sexes in decision-making, equal parental leave and actions to end gender-based violence,” said Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir.
. . . . .
. . . .
Michelle Milford Morse with an attendee in Reykjavik.
. . . . . .
Former women presidents with Laura Liswood and Rick Zednik.
. . . .
RepresentWomen advisor Laura Liswood with Running Start CEO and RepresentWomen board member Susannah Wellford.
. . . .
Here is a translation I found online:
“In sight there is now freedom
And it could have been sooner
Now women mass together
and carry signs of freedom
the hour is upon us
let’s all stand hand in hand
and firmly stand our ground
even though many want to go backwards
and others stand in place
we’ll never accept that.”
Forum co-host Ashley Judd with Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, who became the first democratically elected female head of state when elected president of Iceland in 1980.
Women’s Power Strengthens Democracy
Despite examples of setbacks reported in the Reykjavík Index and other research studies, the forum was filled with energy and commitment to advancing gender equality, through the Reykjavík Action Items and many conversations about strategies to build women’s power. This collective dedication underscores the reality that we all understand the urgency of addressing gender inequality, and shows how powerful a global community can be when united by a common cause. To take action and keep pushing the needle on gender balance in the United States, it’s important to examine what is working in countries like Iceland to address attitudinal and structural barriers in both the private and public sectors, and consider how those strategies can be adapted and replicated in countries like the United States. The momentum sparked at this event is a testament to the value of doing this work in community, and building a movement dedicated to empowering women leaders. Through collective efforts, we can turn the Reykjavík Action Items into a global reality and work towards representative, equitable, empowered and resilient democracies around the globe.
Sweet treats, candle light to brighten the short days, and soft guitar melodies were all clear signals that the Reykjavik Global Forum is dedicated to building the spaces for women to come together to bridge divides, build relationships, and blaze a path to women’s equality.
https://msmagazine.com/2023/12/22/women-politics-leadership-reykjavik-global-forum-gender-equality-equity/
Empowering Change and Building Women's Power: On the Ground at the Reykjavk Global Forum
(An absolutely fascinating, lengthy, important read)
Empowering Change and Building Women’s Power: On the Ground at the Reykjavík Global Forum
12/22/2023 by Cynthia Richie Terrell
The Reykjavík Global Forum convenes women leaders to share solutions on how to further advance society towards gender equity and grow the number of women in leadership positions.
The sixth annual Reykjavík Global Forum, hosted by the government and Parliament of Iceland last month, convened more than 500 people from 80 countries, creating a diverse and dynamic platform to address critical global issues and build women’s power.
I had the honor of representing RepresentWomen (https://www.representwomen.org/) and our mission at the forum and was thrilled to be part of the delegation led by Susannah Wellford, of Running Start alums, who gave a terrific presentation and enriched and diversified the program in many ways.
Running Starts alums presenting at the Reykjavik Global Forum: Caroline Hoover, Sherra Bennet, Alexis Williams and Lyssa Schei Davids.
The forum began with an informative tour of Parliament, where women hold 48 percent of seats, followed by a reception at the home of the president of Iceland, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson and his accomplished wife, author Eliza Reid. Highlights of the gathering included Icelandic pancakes, opening remarks from co-founders of the forum Hanna Birna Kristjansdottir and Silvana Koch-Mehrin, and a welcome from co-chairs Ashley Judd and Adela Raz.
From left: Eliza Reid, Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, Ashley Judd and friends.
‘Power, Together for Leadership’
. . . .
This year the forum incorporated data from the Nordic countries for the first time—Iceland’s score of 92 makes it an interesting case study of what institutional and cultural factors have led to such low levels of attitudinal barriers for women in Iceland, and if they can be replicated and adapted for use elsewhere. It was sobering to learn that overall, most G7 countries have seen stagnant or declining scores in the perception of women’s leadership since 2018.
Focus on Four Action Items
While the index offered a compelling argument for why work is still needed to advance women’s leadership, a session led by Christy Tanner, senior advisor to the Reykjavik Global Forum, provided a terrific roadmap for how to advance women’s leadership. Tanner reported on her work with the Reykjavik Global Action Advisory Board, which led to the development of a new strategy that is focused on the Reykjavík Action Items that serve as powerful tools to transform data into action. These policy initiatives include:
equal pay
equal representation
equal parental leave
ending gender-based violence
All are critically important for building women’s political power and leadership.
“We encourage international women leaders to focus on four key actions to promote equality in the world: equal pay, a more equal share of the sexes in decision-making, equal parental leave and actions to end gender-based violence,” said Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir.
. . . . .
. . . .
Michelle Milford Morse with an attendee in Reykjavik.
. . . . . .
Former women presidents with Laura Liswood and Rick Zednik.
. . . .
RepresentWomen advisor Laura Liswood with Running Start CEO and RepresentWomen board member Susannah Wellford.
. . . .
Here is a translation I found online:
“In sight there is now freedom
And it could have been sooner
Now women mass together
and carry signs of freedom
the hour is upon us
let’s all stand hand in hand
and firmly stand our ground
even though many want to go backwards
and others stand in place
we’ll never accept that.”
Forum co-host Ashley Judd with Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, who became the first democratically elected female head of state when elected president of Iceland in 1980.
Women’s Power Strengthens Democracy
Despite examples of setbacks reported in the Reykjavík Index and other research studies, the forum was filled with energy and commitment to advancing gender equality, through the Reykjavík Action Items and many conversations about strategies to build women’s power. This collective dedication underscores the reality that we all understand the urgency of addressing gender inequality, and shows how powerful a global community can be when united by a common cause. To take action and keep pushing the needle on gender balance in the United States, it’s important to examine what is working in countries like Iceland to address attitudinal and structural barriers in both the private and public sectors, and consider how those strategies can be adapted and replicated in countries like the United States. The momentum sparked at this event is a testament to the value of doing this work in community, and building a movement dedicated to empowering women leaders. Through collective efforts, we can turn the Reykjavík Action Items into a global reality and work towards representative, equitable, empowered and resilient democracies around the globe.
Sweet treats, candle light to brighten the short days, and soft guitar melodies were all clear signals that the Reykjavik Global Forum is dedicated to building the spaces for women to come together to bridge divides, build relationships, and blaze a path to women’s equality.
https://msmagazine.com/2023/12/22/women-politics-leadership-reykjavik-global-forum-gender-equality-equity/
Welcome To Wonkette Happy Hour, With This Week's Cocktail, The Espresso Martini!
Welcome To Wonkette Happy Hour, With This Week's Cocktail, The Espresso Martini!
Now she's gone, and I'm out with a friend. Lips full of passion, coffee in bed.
Matthew Hooper
Dec 22, 2023
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcf33d43c-be25-4c49-9162-e83369b96369_4032x3024.jpeg
This is a pretty nice sipper, by the way. The ABV hovers around 40 or so.
Greetings, Wonketeers! I’m Hooper, your bartender. Let’s get in one more good dessert martini before the holiday ends, one of the the ‘80s classics that goes in and out of style but never wholly fades away. One more pick-me-up to get those last presents wrapped can’t hurt. Time for a rock-solid Espresso Martini. Here’s the recipe:
Espresso Martini
1 ½ oz fresh espresso
1 ½ oz Plantation Three Stars Rum
½ oz Grind Double Espresso Liqueur
Add all ingredients in order to your cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake until chilled and strain into a cold martini glass. Garnish with three coffee beans.
According to legend, the original espresso martini was created in 1983 by London-based bartender Dick Bradsell at Fred’s Club. A young, well-known fashion model came into the bar and specifically asked for a drink that would “wake me up and f**k me up.” Dick’s version was a bit more elaborate than the current modern one; he used both Kahlua and Tia Maria as his coffee liqueurs, and poured a ristretto shot for the cocktail. (Ristretto is a fancy way of drawing an espresso shot that makes it less bitter and more sweet. I can guarantee that the nice teenager behind your local coffee kiosk has no idea how to make one.)
The most intriguing part of the story is that Mr. Bradsell refused to name the supermodel who asked for the drink. He would make broad allusions, but maintained his professional discretion and never named the young woman. The best guesses to date have been Kate Moss or Naomi Campbell. If it was Kate Moss, things would be a bit awkward. She was only 16 back in 1983. Bradsell died in 2016, so he took the secret to the grave with him — along with his unbesmirched liquor license.
There’s a long history of cocktails that use stimulants and alcohol to make you an alert drunk. Irish Coffee is easily my favorite, but White Russians play into the same template. The most lowbrow version of this idea is the dreadful vodka and Red Bull. It looks terrible and tastes worse, but it does get the job done. I recently saw a meme on a bartenders forum that suggested combining Panera’s infamous charged lemonade with Malort to “break a hole into the fourth dimension.” I shuddered and averted my eyes, as if someone had shown me a page from the Necronomicon.
That being said, Dick Bradsell’s original recipe was clearly a child of the ‘80s. Vodka was king back then, and the original was 2:1 vodka to coffee. He also added a touch of simple syrup, which probably counteracted some pretty harsh espresso. I swapped the vodka for my favorite white rum and upped the espresso ratio to match my palate.
The challenge with any espresso martini is temperature. Hot espresso will melt the shaker ice and dilute the cocktail. Most recipes I see suggest letting the espresso sit until it’s room temperature before making the drink. That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me; cold espresso is extremely bitter, and I can’t see drawing shots and letting them sit before service. The simpler answer would be to add your ice to the shaker after you’ve added the ingredients. The liqueurs should temper the espresso to the point where it won’t produce unnecessary melt. To hedge my bet, I’m going to suggest chilling the rum before making the cocktail.
Let’s talk ingredients:
https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F35020e9e-8c00-44c6-8be4-73761a603590_4032x3024.jpeg
Ingredient shot. Yes, I like Starbucks blonde espresso. Don’t judge.
. . .
https://www.wonkette.com/p/welcome-to-wonkette-happy-hour-with-aa0
Police officer stoned to death after rescuing FGM survivors in Kenya
(*Female Genital Mutilation)
Police officer stoned to death after rescuing FGM survivors in Kenya
Activists see the killing as a setback in the efforts to eliminate the practice, despite it being illegal in the east African country
Peter Muiruri in Nairobi
Fri 15 Dec 2023 06.12 EST
Last modified on Fri 15 Dec 2023 11.36 EST
?width=620&dpr=1&s=none
Efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation in Kenya have suffered a setback after a police officer was killed in a confrontation with a gang of youths.
Activists and local leaders condemned the murder, calling it a backward step in the fight to eradicate the practice in the country. Police in Elgeyo Marakwet county, in the Rift Valley region, had taken a group of girls who had been forced to undergo the illegal procedure to hospital when a mob of young men stormed a police station and stoned Cpl Mushote Boma to death. “Angry youth raided the police post in a bid to get the girls, who had been rescued by police after they were genitally mutilated, where they overpowered the officer who was on duty and stoned him to death before burning his body using a mattress,” reported the government-owned Kenya news agency. The six girls are recuperating at a local hospital, according to county police commander, Peter Mulinge.
Female genital mutilation, or “the cut”, remains illegal in Kenya but is still being practised in some places, usually during school holidays, by women using crude methods and tools. There have been cases of activists being attacked by those carrying out FGM, but assaults on law enforcement officers are rare. “It is shocking and disheartening that in the 21st century we can kill a police officer rescuing girls undergoing the inhumane act,” said Tony Mwebia, founder and executive director of the not-for-profit Men End FGM Foundation that aims to rally men and boys against FGM and child marriages. “Were these men who killed the policeman aware of why they were protecting the backward culture? Do they have any idea of the harm caused by the cut?”
Mwebia, whose organisation has since trained nearly 500 male champions in counties where FGM exists, says men cringe when they are shown videos of the cut, a rite they traditionally believe is undertaken for their benefit. “They are told the cut makes women more mature and avoid promiscuity. They are also told that they will lose any respect within the community by marrying an uncut woman. That is why they will kill anyone, including a policeman, who interferes with the cut,” Mwebia said. Mwebia was attacked by another group of men in Kuria in December 2016 after he and a colleague were suspected of filming a street parade of girls undergoing the cut.
. . .
“Cases of FGM have come down in communities that were strongly for the cut, mainly because girls have come out to say no,” said Loloju. “Although women are the perpetrators of the cut, we continue to engage the elders who are the cultural gatekeepers. These are the men who are shocked when they see videos of how FGM is done.” Mwebia said the war against FGM will only be won if “we don’t waste resources in conferences but change our strategies”. “There is political goodwill, right from the country’s top leadership. The silence from men will be the biggest barrier.”
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/dec/15/police-officer-stoned-to-death-after-rescuing-fgm-survivors-in-kenya
Police officer stoned to death after rescuing FGM survivors in Kenya
(*Female Genital Mutilation)
Police officer stoned to death after rescuing FGM survivors in Kenya
Activists see the killing as a setback in the efforts to eliminate the practice, despite it being illegal in the east African country
Peter Muiruri in Nairobi
Fri 15 Dec 2023 06.12 EST
Last modified on Fri 15 Dec 2023 11.36 EST
?width=620&dpr=1&s=none
Efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation in Kenya have suffered a setback after a police officer was killed in a confrontation with a gang of youths.
Activists and local leaders condemned the murder, calling it a backward step in the fight to eradicate the practice in the country. Police in Elgeyo Marakwet county, in the Rift Valley region, had taken a group of girls who had been forced to undergo the illegal procedure to hospital when a mob of young men stormed a police station and stoned Cpl Mushote Boma to death. “Angry youth raided the police post in a bid to get the girls, who had been rescued by police after they were genitally mutilated, where they overpowered the officer who was on duty and stoned him to death before burning his body using a mattress,” reported the government-owned Kenya news agency. The six girls are recuperating at a local hospital, according to county police commander, Peter Mulinge.
Female genital mutilation, or “the cut”, remains illegal in Kenya but is still being practised in some places, usually during school holidays, by women using crude methods and tools. There have been cases of activists being attacked by those carrying out FGM, but assaults on law enforcement officers are rare. “It is shocking and disheartening that in the 21st century we can kill a police officer rescuing girls undergoing the inhumane act,” said Tony Mwebia, founder and executive director of the not-for-profit Men End FGM Foundation that aims to rally men and boys against FGM and child marriages. “Were these men who killed the policeman aware of why they were protecting the backward culture? Do they have any idea of the harm caused by the cut?”
Mwebia, whose organisation has since trained nearly 500 male champions in counties where FGM exists, says men cringe when they are shown videos of the cut, a rite they traditionally believe is undertaken for their benefit. “They are told the cut makes women more mature and avoid promiscuity. They are also told that they will lose any respect within the community by marrying an uncut woman. That is why they will kill anyone, including a policeman, who interferes with the cut,” Mwebia said. Mwebia was attacked by another group of men in Kuria in December 2016 after he and a colleague were suspected of filming a street parade of girls undergoing the cut.
. . .
“Cases of FGM have come down in communities that were strongly for the cut, mainly because girls have come out to say no,” said Loloju. “Although women are the perpetrators of the cut, we continue to engage the elders who are the cultural gatekeepers. These are the men who are shocked when they see videos of how FGM is done.” Mwebia said the war against FGM will only be won if “we don’t waste resources in conferences but change our strategies”. “There is political goodwill, right from the country’s top leadership. The silence from men will be the biggest barrier.”
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/dec/15/police-officer-stoned-to-death-after-rescuing-fgm-survivors-in-kenya
Police officer stoned to death after rescuing FGM* survivors in Kenya
(*Female Genital Mutilation)
Police officer stoned to death after rescuing FGM survivors in Kenya
Activists see the killing as a setback in the efforts to eliminate the practice, despite it being illegal in the east African country
Peter Muiruri in Nairobi
Fri 15 Dec 2023 06.12 EST
Last modified on Fri 15 Dec 2023 11.36 EST
?width=620&dpr=1&s=none
Efforts to eradicate female genital mutilation in Kenya have suffered a setback after a police officer was killed in a confrontation with a gang of youths.
Activists and local leaders condemned the murder, calling it a backward step in the fight to eradicate the practice in the country. Police in Elgeyo Marakwet county, in the Rift Valley region, had taken a group of girls who had been forced to undergo the illegal procedure to hospital when a mob of young men stormed a police station and stoned Cpl Mushote Boma to death. “Angry youth raided the police post in a bid to get the girls, who had been rescued by police after they were genitally mutilated, where they overpowered the officer who was on duty and stoned him to death before burning his body using a mattress,” reported the government-owned Kenya news agency. The six girls are recuperating at a local hospital, according to county police commander, Peter Mulinge.
Female genital mutilation, or “the cut”, remains illegal in Kenya but is still being practised in some places, usually during school holidays, by women using crude methods and tools. There have been cases of activists being attacked by those carrying out FGM, but assaults on law enforcement officers are rare. “It is shocking and disheartening that in the 21st century we can kill a police officer rescuing girls undergoing the inhumane act,” said Tony Mwebia, founder and executive director of the not-for-profit Men End FGM Foundation that aims to rally men and boys against FGM and child marriages. “Were these men who killed the policeman aware of why they were protecting the backward culture? Do they have any idea of the harm caused by the cut?”
Mwebia, whose organisation has since trained nearly 500 male champions in counties where FGM exists, says men cringe when they are shown videos of the cut, a rite they traditionally believe is undertaken for their benefit. “They are told the cut makes women more mature and avoid promiscuity. They are also told that they will lose any respect within the community by marrying an uncut woman. That is why they will kill anyone, including a policeman, who interferes with the cut,” Mwebia said. Mwebia was attacked by another group of men in Kuria in December 2016 after he and a colleague were suspected of filming a street parade of girls undergoing the cut.
. . .
“Cases of FGM have come down in communities that were strongly for the cut, mainly because girls have come out to say no,” said Loloju. “Although women are the perpetrators of the cut, we continue to engage the elders who are the cultural gatekeepers. These are the men who are shocked when they see videos of how FGM is done.” Mwebia said the war against FGM will only be won if “we don’t waste resources in conferences but change our strategies”. “There is political goodwill, right from the country’s top leadership. The silence from men will be the biggest barrier.”
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/dec/15/police-officer-stoned-to-death-after-rescuing-fgm-survivors-in-kenya
Criminalisation of victims of male violence needs to end - everywhere
Criminalisation of victims of male violence needs to end – everywhere
Blaming, and punishing, women for the abuse they suffered at the hands of men is a global phenomenon.
Julie Bindel
Journalist, author and feminist campaigner
Published On 22 Dec 202322 Dec 2023
?resize=770%2C513&quality=80
Today, at least 57 percent of women in prison in the UK are survivors of domestic abuse, and for many of them, this abuse is directly linked to the reason for their incarceration, writes Bindel [Getty Images]
In the West, we are often told terrible stories about women in the Global South countries being subjected to male violence and then punished afresh by “community leaders” and the courts. Most feminists in Europe and the US, for example, would know that premarital sex is criminalised in Saudi Arabia and that hospitals and health centres are compelled to report the pregnancies of single women to police – including those resulting from rape. They would also know about “honour killings” of women and girls in countries like Albania and Kurdistan for breaking patriarchal rules, such as having sexual relationships outside of marriage. Some who decry such abuses and atrocities in the Global South, however, appear not to be aware that this type of sexist victim blaming is not confined to the Global South; it also happens in the Global North. So-called “honour killings” also happen in the UK, for example, within both conservative religious communities and secular ones.
I have long been working to raise awareness on this issue and prevent it happening to women in my home country, the United Kingdom. In 1990, I co-founded Justice for Women in response to the harsh treatment meted out to women who defended themselves against rape or sexual violence – by the criminal justice system, the media, and wider society. I had seen several cases of men killing their wives for spurious reasons, and walking free from court. Excuses such as “She nagged me”, or “I found her in bed with another man” were accepted by judges and jurors as reasonable grounds for men to “snap” and kill women. Meanwhile, women who were driven to kill or maim their male partners after years of violence, often in fear for their lives or those of their children, were treated as cold-blooded murderers and punished as such by British courts, targeted by the media, and shunned by society.
We have undoubtedly made some progress in shedding light on the issue in the past three decades, but the criminalisation of survivors of male violence in the UK, by the courts as well as society at large, is far from over. Today, at least 57 percent of women in prison in the UK are survivors of domestic abuse, and for many of them, this abuse is directly linked to the reason for their incarceration (while, in most cases, their abusers remain free). The true number is likely significantly higher because many choose not to disclose their victim status, even when it could help explain the motivations behind the crimes they are accused of. Despite this, criminal justice agencies rarely acknowledge that a woman has been a victim of male violence, and treat this as a mitigating factor, when prosecuting her for a related offence (including defending herself against the perpetrator).
. . . . . .
These days feminists are routinely blamed for exaggerating male violence, making women “scared of men”, and causing them to limit their lives by taking precautions. Meanwhile, women are blamed for being raped (“she was drinking/flirting/wearing revealing clothing”) or suffering domestic abuse (“she wound him up/enjoyed the drama”). Girls are blamed, and shamed, for being abused into prostitution. This victim blaming, still prevalent in most societies, reaches its ultimate form when women are punished and sent to prison for being victimised or defending themselves against their abusers. When we are blamed for what men do to us, we get a double dose of punishment – while our male abusers are handed free rein. This happens routinely in the Global South, but it happens in the North too. Lesbians in South Africa experience horrors like “punishment rape” for daring to reject men, but so do women in the UK. It is true that women are killed in Iran for supposed missteps like speaking to a man outside the family, but so do women in the UK – one woman is killed by a man known to her every three days in England and Wales. *************Men’s violence towards women and girls is global, and wherever it occurs, the blame is often diverted onto the victims. It is crucial that we speak of the rapist more than we do of the raped, and of the batterer rather than the battered. Let’s place the blame firmly on the guilty, and ensure we never, ever, look to the actions of the victims in an attempt to justify such atrocities against women. Women should never be criminalised and punished, anywhere, for being subjected to male violence or defending themselves against it.***********
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/12/22/criminalisation-of-victims-of-male-violence-needs-to-end-everywhere
Criminalisation of victims of male violence needs to end - everywhere
Criminalisation of victims of male violence needs to end – everywhere
Blaming, and punishing, women for the abuse they suffered at the hands of men is a global phenomenon.
Julie Bindel
Journalist, author and feminist campaigner
Published On 22 Dec 202322 Dec 2023
?resize=770%2C513&quality=80
Today, at least 57 percent of women in prison in the UK are survivors of domestic abuse, and for many of them, this abuse is directly linked to the reason for their incarceration, writes Bindel [Getty Images]
In the West, we are often told terrible stories about women in the Global South countries being subjected to male violence and then punished afresh by “community leaders” and the courts. Most feminists in Europe and the US, for example, would know that premarital sex is criminalised in Saudi Arabia and that hospitals and health centres are compelled to report the pregnancies of single women to police – including those resulting from rape. They would also know about “honour killings” of women and girls in countries like Albania and Kurdistan for breaking patriarchal rules, such as having sexual relationships outside of marriage. Some who decry such abuses and atrocities in the Global South, however, appear not to be aware that this type of sexist victim blaming is not confined to the Global South; it also happens in the Global North. So-called “honour killings” also happen in the UK, for example, within both conservative religious communities and secular ones.
I have long been working to raise awareness on this issue and prevent it happening to women in my home country, the United Kingdom. In 1990, I co-founded Justice for Women in response to the harsh treatment meted out to women who defended themselves against rape or sexual violence – by the criminal justice system, the media, and wider society. I had seen several cases of men killing their wives for spurious reasons, and walking free from court. Excuses such as “She nagged me”, or “I found her in bed with another man” were accepted by judges and jurors as reasonable grounds for men to “snap” and kill women. Meanwhile, women who were driven to kill or maim their male partners after years of violence, often in fear for their lives or those of their children, were treated as cold-blooded murderers and punished as such by British courts, targeted by the media, and shunned by society.
We have undoubtedly made some progress in shedding light on the issue in the past three decades, but the criminalisation of survivors of male violence in the UK, by the courts as well as society at large, is far from over. Today, at least 57 percent of women in prison in the UK are survivors of domestic abuse, and for many of them, this abuse is directly linked to the reason for their incarceration (while, in most cases, their abusers remain free). The true number is likely significantly higher because many choose not to disclose their victim status, even when it could help explain the motivations behind the crimes they are accused of. Despite this, criminal justice agencies rarely acknowledge that a woman has been a victim of male violence, and treat this as a mitigating factor, when prosecuting her for a related offence (including defending herself against the perpetrator).
. . . . . .
These days feminists are routinely blamed for exaggerating male violence, making women “scared of men”, and causing them to limit their lives by taking precautions. Meanwhile, women are blamed for being raped (“she was drinking/flirting/wearing revealing clothing”) or suffering domestic abuse (“she wound him up/enjoyed the drama”). Girls are blamed, and shamed, for being abused into prostitution. This victim blaming, still prevalent in most societies, reaches its ultimate form when women are punished and sent to prison for being victimised or defending themselves against their abusers. When we are blamed for what men do to us, we get a double dose of punishment – while our male abusers are handed free rein. This happens routinely in the Global South, but it happens in the North too. Lesbians in South Africa experience horrors like “punishment rape” for daring to reject men, but so do women in the UK. It is true that women are killed in Iran for supposed missteps like speaking to a man outside the family, but so do women in the UK – one woman is killed by a man known to her every three days in England and Wales. *************Men’s violence towards women and girls is global, and wherever it occurs, the blame is often diverted onto the victims. It is crucial that we speak of the rapist more than we do of the raped, and of the batterer rather than the battered. Let’s place the blame firmly on the guilty, and ensure we never, ever, look to the actions of the victims in an attempt to justify such atrocities against women. Women should never be criminalised and punished, anywhere, for being subjected to male violence or defending themselves against it.***********
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/12/22/criminalisation-of-victims-of-male-violence-needs-to-end-everywhere
Criminalisation of victims of male violence needs to end - everywhere
Criminalisation of victims of male violence needs to end – everywhere
Blaming, and punishing, women for the abuse they suffered at the hands of men is a global phenomenon.
Julie Bindel
Journalist, author and feminist campaigner
Published On 22 Dec 202322 Dec 2023
?resize=770%2C513&quality=80
Today, at least 57 percent of women in prison in the UK are survivors of domestic abuse, and for many of them, this abuse is directly linked to the reason for their incarceration, writes Bindel [Getty Images]
In the West, we are often told terrible stories about women in the Global South countries being subjected to male violence and then punished afresh by “community leaders” and the courts. Most feminists in Europe and the US, for example, would know that premarital sex is criminalised in Saudi Arabia and that hospitals and health centres are compelled to report the pregnancies of single women to police – including those resulting from rape. They would also know about “honour killings” of women and girls in countries like Albania and Kurdistan for breaking patriarchal rules, such as having sexual relationships outside of marriage. Some who decry such abuses and atrocities in the Global South, however, appear not to be aware that this type of sexist victim blaming is not confined to the Global South; it also happens in the Global North. So-called “honour killings” also happen in the UK, for example, within both conservative religious communities and secular ones.
I have long been working to raise awareness on this issue and prevent it happening to women in my home country, the United Kingdom. In 1990, I co-founded Justice for Women in response to the harsh treatment meted out to women who defended themselves against rape or sexual violence – by the criminal justice system, the media, and wider society. I had seen several cases of men killing their wives for spurious reasons, and walking free from court. Excuses such as “She nagged me”, or “I found her in bed with another man” were accepted by judges and jurors as reasonable grounds for men to “snap” and kill women. Meanwhile, women who were driven to kill or maim their male partners after years of violence, often in fear for their lives or those of their children, were treated as cold-blooded murderers and punished as such by British courts, targeted by the media, and shunned by society.
We have undoubtedly made some progress in shedding light on the issue in the past three decades, but the criminalisation of survivors of male violence in the UK, by the courts as well as society at large, is far from over. Today, at least 57 percent of women in prison in the UK are survivors of domestic abuse, and for many of them, this abuse is directly linked to the reason for their incarceration (while, in most cases, their abusers remain free). The true number is likely significantly higher because many choose not to disclose their victim status, even when it could help explain the motivations behind the crimes they are accused of. Despite this, criminal justice agencies rarely acknowledge that a woman has been a victim of male violence, and treat this as a mitigating factor, when prosecuting her for a related offence (including defending herself against the perpetrator).
. . . . . .
These days feminists are routinely blamed for exaggerating male violence, making women “scared of men”, and causing them to limit their lives by taking precautions. Meanwhile, women are blamed for being raped (“she was drinking/flirting/wearing revealing clothing”) or suffering domestic abuse (“she wound him up/enjoyed the drama”). Girls are blamed, and shamed, for being abused into prostitution. This victim blaming, still prevalent in most societies, reaches its ultimate form when women are punished and sent to prison for being victimised or defending themselves against their abusers. When we are blamed for what men do to us, we get a double dose of punishment – while our male abusers are handed free rein. This happens routinely in the Global South, but it happens in the North too. Lesbians in South Africa experience horrors like “punishment rape” for daring to reject men, but so do women in the UK. It is true that women are killed in Iran for supposed missteps like speaking to a man outside the family, but so do women in the UK – one woman is killed by a man known to her every three days in England and Wales. *************Men’s violence towards women and girls is global, and wherever it occurs, the blame is often diverted onto the victims. It is crucial that we speak of the rapist more than we do of the raped, and of the batterer rather than the battered. Let’s place the blame firmly on the guilty, and ensure we never, ever, look to the actions of the victims in an attempt to justify such atrocities against women. Women should never be criminalised and punished, anywhere, for being subjected to male violence or defending themselves against it.***********
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/12/22/criminalisation-of-victims-of-male-violence-needs-to-end-everywhere
Criminalisation of victims of male violence needs to end - everywhere
Criminalisation of victims of male violence needs to end – everywhere
Blaming, and punishing, women for the abuse they suffered at the hands of men is a global phenomenon.
Julie Bindel
Journalist, author and feminist campaigner
Published On 22 Dec 202322 Dec 2023
?resize=770%2C513&quality=80
Today, at least 57 percent of women in prison in the UK are survivors of domestic abuse, and for many of them, this abuse is directly linked to the reason for their incarceration, writes Bindel [Getty Images]
In the West, we are often told terrible stories about women in the Global South countries being subjected to male violence and then punished afresh by “community leaders” and the courts. Most feminists in Europe and the US, for example, would know that premarital sex is criminalised in Saudi Arabia and that hospitals and health centres are compelled to report the pregnancies of single women to police – including those resulting from rape. They would also know about “honour killings” of women and girls in countries like Albania and Kurdistan for breaking patriarchal rules, such as having sexual relationships outside of marriage. Some who decry such abuses and atrocities in the Global South, however, appear not to be aware that this type of sexist victim blaming is not confined to the Global South; it also happens in the Global North. So-called “honour killings” also happen in the UK, for example, within both conservative religious communities and secular ones.
I have long been working to raise awareness on this issue and prevent it happening to women in my home country, the United Kingdom. In 1990, I co-founded Justice for Women in response to the harsh treatment meted out to women who defended themselves against rape or sexual violence – by the criminal justice system, the media, and wider society. I had seen several cases of men killing their wives for spurious reasons, and walking free from court. Excuses such as “She nagged me”, or “I found her in bed with another man” were accepted by judges and jurors as reasonable grounds for men to “snap” and kill women. Meanwhile, women who were driven to kill or maim their male partners after years of violence, often in fear for their lives or those of their children, were treated as cold-blooded murderers and punished as such by British courts, targeted by the media, and shunned by society.
We have undoubtedly made some progress in shedding light on the issue in the past three decades, but the criminalisation of survivors of male violence in the UK, by the courts as well as society at large, is far from over. Today, at least 57 percent of women in prison in the UK are survivors of domestic abuse, and for many of them, this abuse is directly linked to the reason for their incarceration (while, in most cases, their abusers remain free). The true number is likely significantly higher because many choose not to disclose their victim status, even when it could help explain the motivations behind the crimes they are accused of. Despite this, criminal justice agencies rarely acknowledge that a woman has been a victim of male violence, and treat this as a mitigating factor, when prosecuting her for a related offence (including defending herself against the perpetrator).
. . . . . .
These days feminists are routinely blamed for exaggerating male violence, making women “scared of men”, and causing them to limit their lives by taking precautions. Meanwhile, women are blamed for being raped (“she was drinking/flirting/wearing revealing clothing”) or suffering domestic abuse (“she wound him up/enjoyed the drama”). Girls are blamed, and shamed, for being abused into prostitution. This victim blaming, still prevalent in most societies, reaches its ultimate form when women are punished and sent to prison for being victimised or defending themselves against their abusers. When we are blamed for what men do to us, we get a double dose of punishment – while our male abusers are handed free rein. This happens routinely in the Global South, but it happens in the North too. Lesbians in South Africa experience horrors like “punishment rape” for daring to reject men, but so do women in the UK. It is true that women are killed in Iran for supposed missteps like speaking to a man outside the family, but so do women in the UK – one woman is killed by a man known to her every three days in England and Wales. *************Men’s violence towards women and girls is global, and wherever it occurs, the blame is often diverted onto the victims. It is crucial that we speak of the rapist more than we do of the raped, and of the batterer rather than the battered. Let’s place the blame firmly on the guilty, and ensure we never, ever, look to the actions of the victims in an attempt to justify such atrocities against women. Women should never be criminalised and punished, anywhere, for being subjected to male violence or defending themselves against it.***********
https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2023/12/22/criminalisation-of-victims-of-male-violence-needs-to-end-everywhere
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