AIDemocracy.org

Helene Gayle- A World That Needs CARE

March 11, 2013 by AIDemocracy Leave a Comment

President and CEO of CARE, Helene Gayle, discusses Gender Based Violence. By Bonnie Stiernberg. They say money makes the world go ’round, and while we’re all well aware of the power that comes from being a breadwinner, for many women across the globe, earning a living is more than just a way to gain respect for oneself and from society as a whole; it’s a way to escape violence. “I just got back from Benin in West Africa last week, and we were visiting some of our programs there that are focused on women’s economic power, our village … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less Tagged With: CARE, GBV, Gender Based Violence, Men, women

The Harlem Shakeup: What the Harlem Shake Means for Women in the Arab World

March 10, 2013 by tarariggs Leave a Comment

By Tara S Riggs. The Harlem Shake has swept the world by storm, spreading from college and high school campuses to the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo, Eygpt. The content of the 30-second video is a provocative dance to the song “Harlem Shake” by Baauer (which hardly anyone has heard in its entirety). Most of these videos have been made for fun or publicity, but for many women in Egypt and other nations of the Arab World, these videos are a way to protest gender inequality. Protests after the Arab Spring revolutions have settled … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less Tagged With: Egypt, Harlem Shake, Iran, Middle East, women, women's rights

Where Are All the Childcare Options?

March 9, 2013 by AIDemocracy Leave a Comment

By: Carla Issa. Women work so hard to have it all, but can we really have it all? With many economies making only a minor recovery after the global depression, industrialized countries like The United States and Japan cannot afford to force working women to stay home due to lack of childcare options. Some recent trends highlight how it is becoming increasingly difficult for women to return to work. Last week, The New York Times reported a day care crisis in Japan. As mothers want to return to work after having a baby they are often running into wait … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less Tagged With: women, women's rights

Slavery Still Exists…But You Can Stop It!

March 14, 2012 by Tiffany Leave a Comment

We want to put a spotlight on an issue that is a threat to national security, public health, and democracy -- human trafficking. Worldwide, the State Department estimated there are an astounding 12.3 million adults and children in modern-day slavery! From sexual exploitation to involuntary servitude, victims of human trafficking, particularly women and children, experience horrendous crimes and injustices on a daily basis. Trafficking fuels gender violence and the subordination of women and their rights as human beings. We, as the next generation of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Sex and Justice, Take Action Tagged With: action, campus, Congress, global health, human trafficking, women

Can your school host a “V-Day movement” to end violence against women and girls?

February 27, 2012 by William Tsang 1 Comment

"V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money, and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. V-Day generates broader attention for the fight to stop violence against women and girls, including rape, battery, incest, female genital mutilation (FGM), and sex slavery." -Vday.org Founded by Eve Ensler after the success of her solo show “The Vagina Monologues”, she used the show as well as other plays she has written … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Sex and Justice, Take Action Tagged With: action, advocacy, campus, community, Sexual Violence, v-day, vagina monologues, violence against women, women

Reflections on empowering women in Afghanistan…

January 14, 2012 by Rajit 3 Comments

I went to a event at the Brookings Insitute on "Afghanistan Ten Years Later: Opportunties and Challenges for Development". Each of the panelists emphasized the small successes, as well as the work that still needs to be done. The situation in Afghanistan is quite dire. David Skinner from Save the Children shared some alarming statistics: 1 in 11 live births in Afghanistan resulted in death 57% of girls are married by the age of 16 Primary school enrollment rates illustrates severe gender disparities 3 out of 1000 women are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Sex and Justice Tagged With: Brookings, One Voice Summit, reproductive rights, women

The war to keep women at home

January 1, 2012 by Ana Ila Leave a Comment

A recent ban on so called virginity testing by the Egyptian government marks a great success in women’s rights to protest and demand changes in their own countries, but it also indicated deeply rooted and hidden devices of subordinating women and silencing them. For centuries, and all around the world, a woman’s sexual behavior has been used to exclude and frighten women in the public life. Be it Mary Wollstonecraft or the female immigrants from the Indian Peninsula in the UK in 1970’s, this device is nothing new to the military and circles … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security, Sex and Justice Tagged With: Corruption, Male Power, military, Political Participation, Sexual Violence, Status Quo, women

Freedom of Speech or Freedom of Hate?

July 1, 2011 by Anton Leave a Comment

In our country we have something called Freedom of Speech. Americans enjoy this freedom because they can speak their mind on just about any subject: sports, cars, politics, and defaming a religion. Yes, I said it, defaming a religion! Since 9/11 happened, Americans believe that is what Islam is: full of hate, attacking American freedoms and values, and that Muslims are plotting to taking over. Remember though that it was not Muslim Americans that attacked us on 9/11 but rather Muslims that were from overseas that became radicalized for a cause they … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less Tagged With: 9/11, diplomacy, discrimination, Gender, Islam, Muslim, Muslim American, policy, Politics, race, religion, women

Saudis in Audis: Women version

June 13, 2011 by Anton 1 Comment

Should we say that the Arab Spring is now arriving in Saudi Arabia? Well, for Saudi Arabian women it may have arrived. Earlier this month, Manal Al- Sharif was arrested for driving. Not because she had a suspended license, but because she was driving. In Saudi Arabia, it is against the law for women to drive. The only way a woman can get escorted around is by her husband, brother, father, taxi driver, or blood relative. If a woman violates this rule, she can be arrested by the secret religious police. Manal was detained and released on May 21st. Then the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Security Tagged With: Gender, Government, Islam, media, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, women

The Issues with SlutWalk

May 20, 2011 by Katherine Williams

The misplaced comments of a Toronto policeman have inspired a series of anti-rape demonstrations calling for the of our culture's tendency to blame the victim of a sexual assault, and not the perpetrator. SlutWalk is a cultural phenomenon that has swept through Canada and the US and has now made its way over to the UK. The purpose of the campaign is to reclaim the word ‘slut’ and demonstrate that the way a women dresses is not an invitation to be raped. Women should be able to wear what they like, feel comfortable with their own bodies and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Featured Less, Sex and Justice Tagged With: Gender, women