An Apology

Hello friends,

I feel like I should apologize about disappearing for that long time. Been suffering from a writer’s block for some time now.

Think I’ll be able to write soon ISAllah

Let’s hope J

Thanks for your continuous support

MMW: Under Fire: Al-Watan’s “For hire” T-shirt Article

When a Chinese company manufactured a line of women’s T-shirts with the words “For Hire” on them, Al-Watan published its disapproval at their availability in Riyadh stores.

At first, Al-Watan’s comment was on point when they described the T-shirt as “One more way to disrespect women.” But then they featured opinions against the T-shirt.

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Numbers Talk:

GLOBAL VILLAGE

How will violence against women look in a scaled down world, in a global village of 1,000 people? (the figures are based on statistics from UN, WHO and governmental and non-governmental organizations)

·         500 are women

·         It would be 510, but 10 were never born due to gender-selective abortion or died in infancy due to neglect

·         300 are Asian women

·         167 of the women will be beaten or in some other way exposed to violence during their lifetime

·         100 of the women will be victims of rape or attempted rape in their lifetime

WOMEN AND POPULATION

·         49.7% of the world population are women (3,132,342,000 women; 3,169,122,000 men) (UN Population Division).

·         At least 60 million girls who would otherwise be expected to be alive are "missing" from various populations as a result of sex-selective abortions or inadequate care as they are seen less important than boys (E, Joni Seager, 2003).

VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY

Violence within the family takes different forms  

1-   physical aggression, such as slapping, hitting, kicking and beating  

2-   psychological abuse, such as intimidation, constant belittling and humiliation, including various controlling behaviors, such as isolating a person from their family and friends, monitoring and restricting their movements, access to information or assistance.

Around the world

·         At least one in every three women, or up to one billion women, have been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in their lifetimes. Usually, the abuser is a member of her own family or someone known to her (L Heise, M Ellsberg, M Gottemoeller, 1999).

·         Up to 47% of women report that their first sexual intercourse was forced (WHO 2002).

·         Up to 70% of female murder victims are killed by their male partners (WHO 2002).

·         In Kenya more than one woman a week was reportedly killed by her male partner (Joni Seager, 2003).

·         In Zambia five women a week were murdered by a male partner or family member (Joni Seager 2003).

·         In Egypt 35% of women reported being beaten by their husband at some point in their marriage (UNICEF 2000).

·         In Bolivia 17% of all women aged 20 years and over have experienced physical violence in the previous 12 months (WHO 2002).

·         In Canada the costs of violence against the family amount to $1.6 billion per year, including medical care and lost productivity (UNICEF 2000).

·         In the USA a woman is battered, usually by her husband/partner, every 15 seconds (UN Study on the World’s Women, 2000).

·         In Bangladesh 50% of all murders are of women by their partners (Joni Seager, 2003).

·         In New Zealand 20% of women reported being hit or physically abused by a male partner (UNICEF 2000).

·         In Pakistan 42% of women accept violence as part of their fate; 33% feel too helpless to stand up to it; 19% protested and 4% took action against it (Government study in Punjab 2001).

·         In the Russian Federation 36,000 women are beaten on a daily basis by their husband or partner, according to Russian non-governmental organizations (OMCT 2003).

·         In Spain one woman every five days was killed by her male partner in 2000 (Joni Seager, The Atlas of Women).

·         About two women per week are killed by their partners in the United Kingdom (Joni Seager, 2003).

Violence against women is violence against humanity, against the continuity of this life.

Violence against women is violence against the essence of this world

We’ve been living in a male-dominant world for ages, and look what they have been doing … live, and let the women live… I assure you, it will be an amazing place to live in!

Source: Making Violence against Women Count, Facts and Figures - a Summary

No way!

No need to panic please. We lost a battle, not the war. This regimen has been brainwashing everyone for 30 years, military has been ruling the country since 1952. You do not beat that in 7 or 8 months. Today we lost a battle? We never lost the war! Shame on every military man who is still part of that system. God bless our revolution for pride and dignity!

Hope needed, hope found!

I woke up today late and tired, looking for source of hope.

Searching the internet for any positive thing. My soul feeds and grows on hope, positivity, and above all, faith.

I kept on looking till, by chance, I found this;

Muzvare Betty Makoni Radio Show Empowers women and girls Worldwide 

And this is what is written on their page about the show:

Our topic for the radio show is about women in warn torn countries who are left to pick up the pieces, and women who not only survive but thrive. Our guest our Marie Langharn, from Rwanda, lost families members during the Genocide in Rwanda. Marie was with the UN during the Genocide, and was protected. Heidi Levandusk born and raised in Panama, Central America. Heidi has traveled to many third world countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam. She's seen the devastation and heartache of countries where women have suffered from war.

Best of luck for all women all over the world who are trying to push the boundaries away, and not only save themselves, but help to empower other women too.

I am so proud of each one of you!

The Facebook group

MMW: Saudi Women Set Their Sights on the Right to Vote

Last March, Saudi authorities stated that half the seats in the municipal council in the next September 2011 run would be elected, rather than selected by the monarch himself as usual. But when they implemented elections, they neglected to include women’s votes. When asked why, the kingdom’s electoral commission mentioned it was because of logistic-related difficulties in sex-segregated election stations, the same reason that was previously used back in 2005. Almost six years have passed and nothing has changed, proving only that logistic-related difficulties are only an excuse for not making changes.


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Good luck to all Saudi women!

My most sincere wishes and prayers to all the brave women challenging the no-driving rule in Saudi Arabia.

Today, all women with international driving license, Saudi or not, are driving NOW all through the streets risking their freedom, jobs, and lives for that.

All my support, respect, and love!

One in Four!

One in every four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. What will you do to help?

MMW - Manal Al-Sharif and the Ban on Saudi Women Driving

Last week, Manal Al-Sharif was arrested because she posted a video of herself driving around the streets of Riyadh on YouTube. Because it is illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia, both she and her brother were detained. Al-Sharif has since been released, having pledged to take no further part in the Women2Drive campaign.


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