Diary For Women

The Importance of the Violence Against Women Act (2012)

2012-08-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

April 18, 2012

The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) is a United States federal law (Title IV, sec. 40001-40703 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, H.R. 3355) signed as Pub.L. 103-322 by President Bill Clinton on September 13, 1994. The Act provided $1.6 billion toward investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, imposed automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allowed civil redress in cases prosecutors chose to leave unprosecuted. The Act also established the Office on Violence Against Women within the Department of Justice.

VAWA was drafted by the office of Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), with support from a broad coalition of advocacy groups. The Act passed through Congress with bipartisan support in 1994, clearing the House by a vote of 235--195 and the Senate by a vote of 61--38, although the following year House Republicans attempted to cut the Act's funding. In the 2000 Supreme Court case United States v. Morrison, a sharply divided Court struck down the VAWA provision allowing women the right to sue their attackers in federal court. By a 5--4 majority, the Court's conservative wing overturned the provision as an intrusion on states' rights.

VAWA was reauthorized by Congress in 2000, and again in December 2005.[4] The Act's 2012 renewal was fiercely opposed by conservative Republicans, who objected to extending the Act's protections to same-sex couples and to provisions allowing battered illegal immigrants to claim temporary visas.

The Inspiring Story Of Crystal Lee Sutton

2011-08-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

* First Video: Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Crystal Lee Sutton

* Second Video: "Norma Rae" Trailer

Crystal Lee Sutton (née Pulley; December 31, 1940 – September 11, 2009), formerly known as Crystal Lee Jordan, was an American union organizer and advocate who gained fame during the early 1970s. She was fired from her job at the J.P. Stevens plant in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina for trying to unionize its employees.

According to Wikipedia, Sutton was earning $2.65 an hour folding towels. The poor working conditions she and her fellow employees suffered compelled her to join forces with Eli Zivkovich, a union organizer, and attempt to unionize the J.P. Stevens employees. “Management and others treated me as if I had leprosy,” she stated.

She received threats and was finally fired from her job. But before she left, she took one final stand, filmed verbatim in the 1979 film Norma Rae. “I took a piece of cardboard and wrote the word UNION on it in big letters, got up on my work table, and slowly turned it around. The workers started cutting their machines off and giving me the victory sign. All of a sudden the plant was very quiet…”

Sutton was physically removed from the plant by police, but the result of her actions was staggering. The Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union won the right to represent the workers at the plant on August 28, 1974. Sutton later became a paid organizer for the ACTWU. Sutton was the 13th recipient of the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award in 1980. The honor was named after a 1963 encyclical letter, Pacem in Terris (Peace on Earth), by Pope John XXIII, that calls upon all people of good will to secure peace among all nations.

The Real Erin Brockovitch

2011-05-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Erin Brockovich-Ellis (born June 22, 1960) is an American legal clerk and environmental activist who, despite the lack of a formal law school education, or any legal education, was instrumental in constructing a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) of California in 1993. Since the release of the film that shares her story and name, she has hosted Challenge America with Erin Brockovich on ABC and Final Justice on Zone Reality. She is the president of Brockovich Research & Consulting, a consulting firm. She is currently working as a consultant for Girardi & Keese on the east coast, the New York law firm Weitz & Luxenberg, which has a focus on personal injury claims for asbestos exposure, and Shine Lawyers in Australia.

The case alleged contamination of drinking water with hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium(VI), in the southern California town of Hinkley. At the center of the case was a facility called the Hinkley Compressor Station, part of a natural gas pipeline connecting to the San Francisco Bay Area and constructed in 1952. Between 1952 and 1966, PG&E used hexavalent chromium to fight corrosion in the cooling tower. The wastewater dissolved the hexavalent chromium from the cooling towers and was discharged to unlined ponds at the site. Some of the wastewater percolated into the groundwater, affecting an area near the plant approximately two miles long and nearly a mile wide. The case was settled in 1996 for US$333 million, the largest settlement ever paid in a direct action lawsuit in US history.

A study released in 2010 by the California Cancer Registry showed that cancer rates in Hinkley "remained unremarkable from 1988 to 2008." An epidemiologist involved in the study said that "the 196 cases of cancer reported during the most recent survey of 1996 through 2008 were less than what he would expect based on demographics and the regional rate of cancer."

Average chromium(VI) levels in Hinkley were recorded as 1.19 ppb with a peak of 3.09 ppb. The PG&E Topock Compressor Station averaged 7.8 ppb and peaks at 31.8 ppb based on the PG&E Background Study. Compare to the California proposed health goal of 0.06 ppb.. (Source: Wikipedia)

James Bond dresses in drag for women's rights

2011-03-08T13:08:00.000-08:00

On the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, events have been taking place the world over to celebrate women's achievements - and highlight ongoing discrimination.

Actor Daniel Craig becomes more Bond girl than 007, appearing in drag in a short film to support the day in Britain.

Actress Dame Judi Dench, spymaster M in the James Bond films, narrates the video. She notes 007's "fondness for women" before asking whether he has "ever considered what it might be like to be one."

Prostitution: Behind the Veil (2004)

2011-01-25T11:52:00.000-08:00

Prostitution: Behind the Veil (2004)
Original title: Prostitution bag sløret
Runtime: 58 min
Director: Nahid Persson
Writer: Nahid Persson
Stars: Nahid Persson
Country: Iran - Denmark - Sweden - Finland
Language: Persian - Swedish (Voice-over)
Release Date: 18 November 2004 (Denmark)
Filming Locations: Tehran, Iran

Prostitution Behind the Veil explores a side of Iran rarely seen or talked about. For over a year, director Nahid Persson filmed the everyday lives of two young female prostitutes in Iran as they eked out a living in a country where the profession is banned. The filmmaker often took great risks to follow Minna and Fariba as they sought out customers-men who would often marry them briefly, so as not to violate the laws of Islam by having extramarital sex. The two women are good friends and neighbor, who have experienced the widespread mistreatment of women and the double standards that permeate Iranian society today.

In the '80s, documentary filmmaker Nahid Persson fled Iran for Sweden. When she returns 17 years later, she finds the divisions between the classes greater than ever, unemployment has skyrocketed and widespread disillusionment provides a lucrative market for an elderly man, Habib, who sells prophecies on the streets. Persson decided to film this "prophecy merchant" and his customers. And when she went with him to his run-down house, she was both shocked and intrigued to discover he shares his accommodation with Minna and Fariba, who are also heroin addicts.

Putting herself at great risk, Persson manages to film Minna and Fariba's customers. She even gets into cars or apartments where they discuss what services the girls are prepared to provide and what it will cost. Their children are their constant companions, and on one occasion one customer looks after Minna's child while another man has sex with her in an adjoining room. Many of the women's customers find a way to buy sex and still comply with Muslim law: they marry with the women in what is called 'sighe'-a temporary marriage legal in Shia Islam. 'Sighe' can last from two hours up to 99 years.In the documentary, both Minna and Fariba undergo 'sighe' with customers. Habib offers his perspective on temporary marriages: to him, 'sighe' is a way of helping miserable women-an act of mercy done in the name of God.

Prostitution Behind the Veil is awarded as the Best News Documentary in various film festivals.

Source: Www.Imdb.Com

78 Year Old Woman Dragged Through Parking Lot

2011-01-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

Associated Press,
January 20th, 2011

Police in central Florida say they've arrested two suspects in a violent purse snatching.

Investigators released surveillance video of a 78-year-old being dragged through a parking lot.

61 Year Old Wonder Woman

2011-01-21T00:53:00.000-08:00

Patricia Maisch looks like a grandmother, but she is being hailed as a hero for helping to stop alleged Tucson shooter Jared Loughner by wrestling away a fresh magazine of bullets as he tried to reload. Maisch, 61, effectively disarmed the shooter as several men pounced on him and threw him to ground. As they struggled to hold him down, Maisch joined the scrum on the ground, clinging to the gunman's ankles. Maisch and her fellow heroes -- identified as Bill Badger, Roger Sulzgeber and Joseph Zamudio -- stopped the carnage after 20 people were shot, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Six people died.

"[I] knew right away it was a gun... I heard a continuation of shots," Maisch told a news conference today.

Maisch, who has a crown of snow-white hair, was standing towards the back of the line to greet and snap a photo with Giffords at the "Congress in Your Corner" event at a Safeway grocery store. Speaking to the press, Maisch recalled how she stopped Loughner as he tried to reload his Glock 9 mm weapon.

"I could see him coming. [He] shot the lady next to me," Maisch said.

As he was shooting, she said, she was expecting to be hit and she wondered what it would feel like. There was "lots of blood and confusion," she said. She considered trying to run away, she said, but thought that would make her more of a target, so she laid down on the ground. But then something unexpected happened.

"Then he was next to me on the ground," she said. "The gentleman knocked him down."

"I kneeled over him. He was pulling a magazine [to reload] and I grabbed the magazine and secured that. I think the men got the gun, and I was able to get the magazine," she said.

Maisch said Badger and Sulzgeber both sat on the gunman while she held his ankles down. Police said that Zimudie helped by hanging on to Loughner's legs. According to CBS News, Sulzgeber was reportedly standing with his wife, third in line to meet with Giffords, while Zimudie was in the nearby Walgreens and came running out once he heard the shooting.

Betty Friedan: Men (1964)

2011-01-16T09:53:00.000-08:00

Betty Friedan (February 4, 1921 - February 4, 2006) was an American writer, activist, and feminist.

A leading figure in the "Second Wave" of the U.S. Women's Movement, her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique is sometimes credited with sparking the "second wave" of feminism. Friedan co-founded National Organization for Women in 1966 which aimed to bring women "into the mainstream of American society now [in] fully equal partnership with men".

In accordance with wikipedia, in 1970, after stepping down as NOW's first president in 1969, Friedan organized the nation-wide Women's Strike for Equality on August 26, the 50th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution granting women the right to vote. The national strike was successful beyond expectations in broadening the feminist movement. The New York City march alone attracted over 50,000 women.

Friedan joined other leading feminists (including Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, Fannie Lou Hamer, Bella Abzug, and Myrlie Evers-Williams) in founding the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971. In 1977 she joined some of the movement's most visible and influential leaders, and 20,000 other women, at the International Women's Year federally-funded convention, the National Women's Conference, a legislative conference which sent a report to President Jimmy Carter, the United States Congress, and all the states on how to achieve equality.

Friedan was a strong proponent of the repeal of abortion laws, founding the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws, which after abortion was legalized in 1973, became the National Abortion Rights Action League. She was also a strong supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution and of abortion rights.

Though somewhat eclipsed by Gloria Steinem as America's preeminent feminist, Friedan continued to be an influential author and intellectual and remained active in politics and advocacy for the rest of her life, authoring six books. One of her later books, The Second Stage, critiqued what Friedan saw as the extremist excesses of some feminists who could be broadly classified as gender feminists.

Brave Woman Stands Up For Subway Flasher

2010-12-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

She is the woman every woman dreams of being when confronted with a sexual harasser.

According to France24.Com, when Nicola Briggs noticed the exposed penis of a man standing much too close to her in a New York subway in early September, she didn’t recoil in disgust, but gave her offender the verbal lashing he deserved.

“That’s it!” she screamed at the flabbergasted flasher. “Oh, you’re getting f***ing arrested! I’m not leaving your side! My plans are done for tonight.”

An amateur video shows the offender clutching a bag over his front to hide his groin as other subway riders crowd around. One tries to take a picture of his reportedly condom-clad penis.

No equal rights for US women

2010-10-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Although there were many victories for women in the 1950's and 60's United States women have not been able to win many battles since then, including maternity leave and child care. Many countries in Europe and around the world have surpassed the United States when it comes to equality.

Associate Editor at TPM, Megan Carpentier believes the difference is part of the US philosophy as a capitalist society which is why women cannot achieve the same rights as men, like they can in other societies worldwide.

Nicaraguan women hit back at domestic abuse

2010-10-14T16:46:00.000-07:00

While activists in Nicaragua are demanding a change in the law to protect women from domestic abuse.

Some of the victims have already taken matters into their own hands - taking self-defence classes.

Al Jazeera's Monica Villamizar reports from Nicaragua, where one in three women are thought to have been victims of domestic abuse.

Albania: Women rights are human rights

2010-10-14T16:38:00.000-07:00

After almost 50 years of communist rule, Albania's transition to democracy brought massive social and economic upheaval in which criminal networks thrived.

Gangs used Albania's geographical position as a gateway into Western Europe, for the trafficking of drugs, weapons and people.

More on the video..

Womens rights in Jordan

2010-10-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

A journey to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan:

To see what reforms are being put in place to support womens rights

mMore informations on the video..

Women's rights in Iran

2010-10-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

verywoman looks at the plight of women's rights activists in Iran.

Is there any chance that women be equal in rights with men in Iran, one of the most powerful mulim countries?

The determination of iranaian movement could make a change?

Women's rights in Afghanistan

2010-10-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

Has the plight of Afghan women improved and what will happen when the US leaves?

That Aljazerraenglishtv from Riz Khan talk show try to put the spot the light on the issue..

Conversations with History: Rights of Women in Sweden with Anita Gradin

2010-10-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

Harry Kreisler, Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley, in a conversation with Ambassador Anita Gradin, former European Union Commissioner from Sweden. Series: "Conversations with History".

Anita Gradin (born August 12, 1933) is a Swedish social democratic politician and former Ambassador.

SAccording to Wikipedia, she was Minister with responsibility for foreign trade at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1986 to 1991. From 1995 to 1999 she was a member of the European Commission responsible for Immigration, home affairs and justice; relations with the Ombudsman; Financial Control and Fraud prevention.

Anita Gradin was President of Socialists International Women and worked against the Trafficking of Women.

The epidemic global violence against women

2010-09-13T20:44:00.000-07:00
* First Video:

* Second Video:

Violence globally against women and girls is growing each year and is in epidemic proportions. It is rife in all cultures. Violence against women is exclusively perpetrated by men. We must ask ourselves the question - Why do many men choose violence to solve their problems? & What can humanity do to address this pattern?

*2006 in Australia:

In the last 12 months: One in 20 women (5.8%), or over 440,000 women, were the victims of violence in the last year. 4.7% (363,000 women) experienced physical violence (including physical assault, attempted assault, or the threat of assault). 1.6% (126,100 women) experienced sexual violence (including sexual assault, attempted assault, or the threat of assault).

Violence during a lifetime: Over two-thirds (39.9%) of Australian women report experiencing at least one incident of physical violence or sexual violence since the age of 15.

Since the age of 15, an estimated 3,065,800 women had experienced violence. 29% of all women (2,243,600 women) had experienced physical assault, and 17% (1,293,100) had experienced sexual assault.

Stop "Honor" Crime.. It Stays Always A crime!

2010-08-02T16:22:00.000-07:00

crimes "d'honneur"
envoyé par sergeo-17. - Regardez les dernières vidéos d'actu.

The International Campaign Against Honour Killing is a project started by Diana Nammi Director and Founder of London-based charity IKWRO which provides support and protection to women faced with 'honour'-based violence and forced marriage.

The project was established in the aftermath of the murder of Heshu Yones, in a climate of growing awareness of 'honour' as an factor in women's subordination. It was out of this awareness, and the understanding that 'honour'-based violence, and oppression against women justified in the name of 'honour' are widespread, and not confined to any particular group, that the movement towards an international project, to inform journalists, academics and the general public and provide a platform for activists to discuss their methods, opinions and experiences, and to share their campaigns within a community.

ICAHK is a secular organisation which stands for the universality of human rights.

Source:

http://www.stophonourkillings.com/?q=fr

People Opposing Women Abuse Experiment

2010-07-19T23:53:00.000-07:00

Réactions des voisins pour des bruits de musique et des bruits de violences conjugales - Video

People Opposing Women Abuse is an organisation from South Africa which militate against domestic violence and women abuse.

The video shows a part of their newest compaign. It shows how people in the neigbourhood can easily interfere when it comes to loud music, but never react when a woman is getting abused.

According to the United Nation about 70% of women experience some form of physical or sexual violence from men.

Condom With Teeth To Fight Rape

2010-06-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

CNN) -- South African Dr. Sonnet Ehlers was on call one night four decades ago when a devastated rape victim walked in. Her eyes were lifeless; she was like a breathing corpse.

"She looked at me and said, 'If only I had teeth down there,'" recalled Ehlers, who was a 20-year-old medical researcher at the time. "I promised her I'd do something to help people like her one day."

Forty years later, Rape-aXe was born.

Ehlers is distributing the female condoms in the various South African cities where the World Cup soccer games are taking place.

The woman inserts the latex condom like a tampon. Jagged rows of teeth-like hooks line its inside and attach on a man's penis during penetration, Ehlers said.

Once it lodges, only a doctor can remove it -- a procedure Ehlers hopes will be done with authorities on standby to make an arrest.

"It hurts, he cannot pee and walk when it's on," she said. "If he tries to remove it, it will clasp even tighter... however, it doesn't break the skin, and there's no danger of fluid exposure."

Ehlers said she sold her house and car to launch the project, and she planned to distribute 30,000 free devices under supervision during the World Cup period.

Salaam Wanita: Empowering Women in Malaysia

2010-05-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

A video highlighting the Salaam Wanita project of eHomemakers, which trains disadvantaged women to make baskets.

The video shows the basket weaving process and contains interviews with three weavers.

► Salaam Wanita: Helping disadvantaged Malaysian women help themselves. Order Salaam Wanita's Eco-Baskets @ http://www.justmarketing.info/

► JOIN eHomemakers Malaysia group @ Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=33534789501

Singapore sex trade

2010-05-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

7,614 women were arrested for vice-related activities last year, 2,567 more than the total number nabbed in 2008.

However, local laws relating to prostitution do not apply to male sex workers and some lawyers are calling for such laws to also apply to them.

One lawyer, Mr Sunil Sudheesan from KhattarWong said while it's not illegal for women to engage male sex workers, these workers who have sex with other men could be charged under Section 377A of the Penal Code.

Low Libido in Young Women

2010-05-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

New research says many of today's young women experience low libido.

Cuases: stress, overwork, relationship conflicts,etc.

Let's find out more from therapist, Dr. Jenn Berman.

US Navy approves Women on Submarines

2010-05-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

The US defence department has decided to allow women to serve aboard submarines, according to officials.

It has been 20 years since the Navy first allowed women to serve on its surface warfare ships. But submarines remained off-limits for several reasons.

The main reason had to do with cramped quarters on the subs, where there is little privacy. Now the chief of the Navy's task force on women in submarines, Rear Admiral Barry Bruner, says larger, more modern subs have changed that.

Female Anatomy: Changes Post-Partum

2010-05-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

Your nipples are leaking.

You can feel your uterus with your fingers.

Your body is sore.

What's going on and when will it stop?