[quaist]

Originally Posted by sunnykerr (View Post) As far as Africa goes, I will admit that it never occured to me to think that boys and men were in a vulnerable position.

Oh, they're certainly not. And propagating that proverb in Africa surely won't hurt anybody, because, as you point out, boys aren't in danger of getting marginalized at all there. It's just that I don't particularly like the principle of fighting fire with fire, that's all.

[sunnykerr]

And I certainly don't disagree with that.

[sunnykerr]

Yet more statistics, if anyone cares to read them:

Egypt 'worst for women' out of 22 countries in Arab world Egypt is now the worst country for women's rights in the Arab world, according to a poll of gender experts. The study found sexual harassment, high rates of female genital mutilation and a growth in conservative Islamist groups contributed to the low ranking. The Comoros islands came top in the survey, which was conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. The poll surveyed more than 330 gender experts in 21 Arab League states as well as Syria. It is the foundation's third annual study focusing on women's rights since the Arab Uprisings in 2011. 'Everyday harassment' Iraq ranked second-worst after Egypt, followed by Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen. The Comoros, where women hold 20% of ministerial positions, is followed at the top of the rankings by Oman, Kuwait, Jordan and Qatar. The poll asked experts to assess factors such as violence against women, reproductive rights, treatment of women within the family and women's role in politics and the economy. Discriminatory laws and a spike in trafficking contributed to Egypt's place at the bottom of the ranking of 22 Arab states, the survey said. "There are whole villages on the outskirts of Cairo and elsewhere where the bulk of economic activity is based on trafficking in women and forced marriages," said Zahra Radwan of US-based rights group Global Fund for Women. However, sexual harassment was cited as the main factor. A UN report in April said 99.3% of women and girls in Egypt had been subjected to sexual harassment. "The social acceptability of everyday sexual harassment affects every woman in Egypt regardless of age, professional or socio-economic background, marriage status, dress or behaviour," said Noora Flinkman of Egyptian campaign group HarassMap. Meanwhile, the survey said Iraq was now more dangerous for women than under Saddam Hussein, with women disproportionately affected by the violence of the past decade. Saudi Arabia ranked poorly on women's involvement in politics, workplace discrimination, freedom of movement and property rights. But the conservative country scored better than many other Arab states when it came to access to education and healthcare, reproductive rights and gender violence.

Sexual harassment for nearly all women of Egypt and whole villages where the economy is based on the traffick of women and forced marriages.

I am so glad that I live where I live.

Whatever is wrong with Canada (and there is a lot that could stand to be improved upon), sexual harassment, being trafficked and a forced marriage are very low (very, very low) on the things I have to worry about on a daily basis.

[sunnykerr]

German parties agree to quota for women on boards Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD) agreed on Monday to introduce legislation requiring German companies to allot 30 per cent of their non-executive board seats to women from 2016. Negotiators from the two sides are in talks to form a coalition government. They said the agreement would involve listed companies and those with a works council. Three weeks of coalition talks have made modest progress. Both sides are making concessions but the conservatives want their victory in September’s election reflected in the deal. Germany introduced voluntary targets for women in top management positions in 2001, but little changed. In 2011 blue-chip companies agreed to try to boost women on boards, again through voluntary targets. The centre-left SPD had pushed for 40 per cent women on boards in stages from 2021. The conservatives had resisted fixed targets. “This is an important signal to improve the career chances for women and for greater equality in the labour market,” said Manuela Schwesig, who led the talks for the SPD. Annette Widmann-Mauz, leading the talks for Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU), called the agreement a breakthrough for women. Under the new law, companies unable to appoint women to at least 30 per cent of open board seats from 2016 would be required to leave those seats vacant. “It’s a toad that we’re going to have to swallow,” said CDU parliamentarian Michael Fuchs. “There are companies where that’s going to be difficult.” Women currently hold about 12 per cent of corporate board seats, according to German media reports. Among the 30 largest DAX companies, women have 101 of the 488 board seats, or 22 per cent, according to the DSW, Germany’s largest association of private investors. The European Commission last year proposed requiring companies with more than 250 workers and listed in European Union countries to have 40 per cent of women on their boards by 2020. But Germany and other EU countries resisted. Germany said those rules should be set at the national level. Norway, which is not an EU member, imposed a 40 per cent quota in 2003, a target reached in 2009. Norwegian companies can be liquidated if they fail to reach the target.

What I don't understand is why, in this day and age, government even has to intervene.

Obviously, a semi-equal representation of women on executive boards and the like should have happen organically by now.

That it hasn't is just bizarre to me.

[quaist]

Well, it's actually very difficult to identify the real problem areas behind the lack of females in leading positions. Is it because there's still what they call the 'glass ceiling' as a serious hindrance or are square role models and/or shortcomings when it comes to child care facilities also at play? I guess it's a mix of many factors.

[sunnykerr]

I would imagine that, on a national level like that, it must indeed be a plethora of separate factors as well as a confluence of them in certain areas.

By which I mean that, for one corporation, the glass ceiling might be at fault. For another, it may be a lack of motherhood-friendly benefits. For yet another, it may simply be a lack of qualified women applying for the positions.

For a fourth company, it could be a combination of the above.

I still think that something has to be done, apparently, to make sure that this is remedied.

[sunnykerr]

UN helps eloped Saudi 'Juliet' asylum case A Saudi girl who eloped to Yemen to be with her Yemeni lover has been given UN protection as she seeks asylum. UNHCR officials in Yemen told the BBC Huda's application was likely to be approved on the grounds that she could face mistreatment, even death, at the hands of her family if returned home. In Yemen, it is being celebrated as a modern day Romeo and Juliet story. Huda crossed the border several weeks ago, followed by her boyfriend, Arafat, who was working in Saudi Arabia. Huda - who is in her early 20s - says she decided they had to elope after Arafat's marriage proposal was rejected by her family. The two have been held in an immigration detention centre in Yemen since their arrival. Huda is charged with illegally crossing the border. The same charge against Arafat was dropped, but he refused to be freed, wanting to remain with her in prison. The two get to meet once a week when Huda's asylum case is heard in court. At first, her application to do this through the UNHCR was rejected by the ministry of the interior. But UNHCR officials in Yemen say the judge allowed her request last week. After the latest hearing in her case, the UNHCR was allowed to talk to her in the court building. She then filled out a form known as the Refugee Status Determination. While this is being studied, she is under UN protection and cannot be deported. Dominant role The UNHCR officials have told the BBC that it is very likely that she will be granted full refugee status in the next few days, which would mean that Huda and Arafat would be freed and able to marry. The officials say that the Yemeni government is legally bound to honour this, but it is still likely to come under pressure from Saudi Arabia to deport her. The relationship between the two neighbours is fraught. The wealth and size of Saudi Arabia allows it to play a dominant role in its far poorer neighbour. Complicating this further is that hundreds of thousands of Yemenis work in Saudi Arabia - but many have had to leave recently as the Saudis mount one of their biggest ever campaigns to reduce their dependence on foreign labour. The friction that inevitably rises from such a close and dependent relationship has led many Yemenis to embrace the saga of Huda and Arafat not just as a love story but as a way of cocking a snook at the Saudis. For its part, the UNHCR says that if Yemen does for whatever reason bow to Saudi pressure over the case and try to have Huda deported, it has an alternative plan which could see the two lovers united in another country.

I hope Yemen, but most specially the UNHCR, continue to protect them both.

Honour killings just have no place in our world.

I'm happy to hear that, probably not often enough, there are occasions when people do fight to protect the wouldbe victims.

[sunnykerr]

Steubenville officials charged with blocking rape inquiry A grand jury in the US state of Ohio has accused a schools superintendent, two coaches and a principal of breaking the law to protect teenage footballers convicted of raping a 16-year-old girl. Two members of Steubenville's revered high school football team were convicted of sexually assaulting the drunken teenager. In March they were sentenced to at least a year in juvenile detention. It was unclear whether the four officials had retained lawyers. "People need to co-operate with investigations. They need not to hide evidence," Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, who announced the charges on Monday, said on CNN. "How can we hold kids accountable if we don't hold adults accountable?" A sharp divide Schools superintendent Mike McVey, 50, was charged with felony obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence, as well as misdemeanour counts of obstructing official business and falsification. Primary school principal Lynnett Gorman, 40, and assistant wrestling coach Seth Fluharty, 26, were charged with failing to report possible child abuse. Former assistant football coach Matthew Bellardine, 26, was charged with making false statements and contributing to underage alcohol consumption. In October, William Rhinaman, a technology director for Steubenville schools, was charged with tampering with evidence. Mr Rhinaman was also charged with lying under oath in connection with the case. The boys, Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond, both 17, were sentenced for the rape and related charges in March. According to authorities, in August 2012 they left a party with the victim, who was unconscious from drink, and sexually assaulted her in a car and then at a friend's house. The case came to light via text messages, online videos and social media posts the morning after the rape, attracting nationwide attention. It caused a sharp divide in Steubenville, an economically depressed former steel town of 18,000 people that had immense pride in its high school football team. Mr DeWine said a grand jury had heard from more than 100 witnesses in the case and that new charges against any additional individuals, including the head football coach, were unlikely. "We hope that this frankly brings an end to this," he said. "This community needs to move forward."

It can't be an end until something happens to all the adults that were involved.

Every last one of them.

So "charges" is a good thing. But let's see results first, shall we?

[sunnykerr]

Saudi women drivers: Leading female campaigner stopped A leading Saudi campaigner for giving women the right to drive has been stopped by police as she was driving through the capital, Riyadh. Photos of Aziza al Yousef were posted on Friday morning as she was seen at the wheel. Her fellow activist, Eman al Nafjan, took the pictures. On her Twitter page, Ms Nafjan provided a running account of their drive, saying they bought a bunch of bananas without anyone batting an eyelid. She posted a photo of them filling up at a petrol station and expressed her satisfaction that this all seemed to be treated as an everyday occurrence. But then they were spotted and reported to the police, who stopped them. Aziza al Yousef messaged the BBC to say that they had been taken to a police station. Both were asked to sign a pledge that they would not drive again. Ms Nafjan refused to. On Twitter, while still with the police, she said that if she was asked to call her male guardian, she would simply say that she was her own guardian. But her guardian -- known as a mahram -- was called against her wishes. Fresh hope The two women were then released. Ms Nafjan described her companion as the bravest and most courageous of drivers. It was only two days ago that Aziza al Yousef -- with another activist, Hala al-Dosari -- had a meeting with the Interior Minister, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef. The prince has long been one of the most powerful men in the country and is seen as a possible future king -- representing a younger generation than the current leaders. Activists said the meeting was positive and the minister sympathetic. No-one expected this to herald any big change in the immediate future. Reform is a gradual process in Saudi Arabia and there remain powerful factions opposed to lifting the driving ban on women. But the meeting came after activists relaunched a campaign several months ago with the aim of making the idea of women driving in Saudi Arabia a normal part of life. They originally set 26 October as a day for women -- with the support of Saudi men -- to take to the wheel. Dozens did, but the authorities made clear they would not accept a mass flouting of the ban. Since then, activists have recast the campaign around the non-existent day of November 31 -- a sign that it would continue indefinitely. Several women have been driving and posting videos of themselves since. The meeting with Prince Mohammed bin Nayef had been seen as possibly offering fresh hope that the authorities might be taking a softer stance. The brief detention of Aziza al Yousef and Eman al Nafjan is an abrupt reminder that nothing can be taken for granted in Saudi Arabia -- and that a shift one way often only signals a shift in the exact opposite direction a few days later.

I'm not sure waiting for the Prince to take power is the best strategy, so I'm glad they're not waiting.

But, in the same vein, at some point, this has to stop.

These women are courageous and wonderful, but so long as what they do is actually illegal, the situation will be untenable.

[sunnykerr]

In terms of women's issues, I think it bears repeating that Friday marked a very, very sad anniversary here in Montreal/Quebec/Canada:

Montreal massacre: Canadians call for end to violence against women Canadians were encouraged to wear white ribbons or observe a moment of silence Friday to mark the 24 years since 14 women were gunned down at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal. On Dec. 6, 1989, gunman Marc Lepine walked into the school and went on a shooting rampage, murdering 14 female engineering students. Nine others were wounded before Lepine turned the gun on himself. Candlelight vigils are held every year to remember the victims of the Montreal massacre and commemorate Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. Outside the school Friday, bouquets of white and red roses were placed at a plaque dedicated to the 14 women. In a statement, Minister of Status of Women Kellie Leitch encouraged Canadians to wear a white ribbon, observe a moment of silence or attend a vigil. “The actions that Canadians take today will help increase awareness, inspire change and bring an end to violence against women and girls,” Leitch said. Events are taking place this year in cities including Halifax, Toronto and Vancouver. In Montreal, a noon-hour demonstration was held outside the Montreal Courthouse to mark the end of a 12-day Quebec campaign to eliminate violence against women. Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau attended the event, and touched on the issue of gun violence. “I’m committed to gun control and making sure that Canadians who are united in seeing less gun violence find a way that doesn’t set Canadians against each other,” Trudeau told reporters. Alexa Conradi of the Quebec Federation of Women attended the courthouse event to remember the victims. “I wake up every Dec. 6 with sadness in my heart, but also the sense that those women --we’re not going to forget them” A memorial was also held at Chambly Academy on Montreal’s South Shore, where students remembered the Ecole Polytechnique victims, and Anastasia De Sousa, who was killed seven years ago at Dawson College. De Sousa’s mother, Louise De Sousa, believes gun laws need to change. “What we’re fighting for here in Quebec is the gun control – at least that’s a big stop, that’s why we want to keep our registry,” she told CTV News. In a statement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the lives of 14 “innocent and promising young female students” were taken in a “depraved act of violence.” He said the anniversary is a reminder that violence against women and girls is “a sad daily reality” that takes a heavy toll on individuals and communities. “As we continue to work to eliminate violence against women, let us remember and commemorate the lives of all women who have been victims of gender-based violence,” Harper said. On Parliament Hill, flags flew at half-mast to honour the day of action and remembrance. In question period, NDP MP Libby Davies urged the governing Conservatives to commit to a national action plan to eradicate violence against women, who “continue to be victimized, facing violence at home, work and in their communities.” Davies also called on the government to convene a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women. “We’re still not doing enough to support safe environments for women escaping violence,” she said. “The tragedy of the missing and murdered indigenous women has affected generations." Susan Truppe, Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Status of Women, said her party has invested $62 million in funding for over 300 projects to end violence against women and girls, which is the “highest level” of funding in the “history of our government.” The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women was established by Canada’s parliament in 1991. Speaking to CTV’s Power Play Friday, Minister of Status of Women Kellie Leitch emphasized the importance of participating in the international “16 days of activism against gender violence” campaign, which culminates on Dec. 10. “One thing that I would emphasize is that this is something that we need all Canadians to participate in,” she said. “Making sure that your community is safe, and that Canadians of all walks of life – particularly young women and girls – are protected in their local communities.”

As we know, this is still a topical issue, unfortunately.

Out west, Robert Pickton was behind the worst mass murder in North American history (I think), and it was all women.

And, sure, domestic violence cuts both ways (this is absolutely true), but it does feel like more women are victimized that way.



At any rate, 24 years ago Friday, a mentally ill man decided that feminists were responsible for all of the world's ills and slaughtered 14 promising young women.

[sunnykerr]

Argentina convicts 10 in Marita Veron sex trafficking case A court in Argentina has convicted 10 people for the kidnapping and sexual exploitation of Marita Veron, who has been missing since 2002. The court in north-western Tucuman province overturned a 2012 ruling which had acquitted all 13 defendants in the case of human trafficking. Ms Veron's mother, Susana Trimarco, had appealed against the ruling, which had triggered protests in Argentina. The court upheld the acquittal of two defendants. Another died in February. The tribunal in Tucuman said that four of the defendants had conspired to "hold and conceal [Ms Veron] for the exercise of prostitution". Six more had "participated" in her abduction and forced prostitution, the judges said. Desperate search Marita Veron disappeared from the city of San Miguel de Tucuman in 2002, when she was 23 years old. She had been on her way to a local hospital for a medical appointment. Sex workers reported spotting her in several locations in the country, where they said she was forced to prostitute herself. Her mother launched a campaign to find her and the case soon became a symbol of the fight against human trafficking in Argentina. During her search, Ms Trimarco infiltrated herself into human-trafficking gangs pretending to be interested in "buying" women. The information she gathered led to police raids in which dozens of sexually exploited women were rescued. However she has not been able to find her daughter and it is not clear whether Ms Veron is still alive. Ms Trimarco's campaign also led to the passage of legislation making human trafficking a crime in Argentina. The acquittal of the 13 defendants in the case in December 2012 caused outrage in Argentina, with thousands taking to the streets of San Miguel and the capital, Buenos Aires, in protest. The judges ruled at the time that there was not enough evidence to connect the defendants to Ms Veron.

It is human trafficking, but isn't it interesting how seems to be predominantly a crime that targets women?

I find it horrifying that Marita Veron hasn't been found yet. That they don't even know if she's still alive.

But I am utterly in awe of Ms Trimarco.

To take personal tragedy and turn it into a crusade like that...

I mean, how many women has she freed?

I'm not sure I'd be capable of doing what she's done, and keeps doing.

[sunnykerr]

Decision aids reduce mammograms among older women Women over 75 who learned more about the risks and benefits of mammogram screenings were less likely to go through with the test in a new study. Women should have a mammogram - an X-ray of the breast tissue scanning for early signs of cancer - every two years between ages 50 and 74, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a government-backed expert panel, there isn't enough evidence to recommend for or against mammograms for older women. A woman's choice to have a mammogram past the age of 75 should be based on her life expectancy, risk of disease and personal preference, study author Dr. Mara A. Schonberg told Reuters Health. "Approximately, 20 percent of U.S. women 75 and older have less than five year life expectancy and these women should not be screened since they are very unlikely to benefit and can really only be harmed," she said. "About two thirds of women 75 and over have less than 10 year life expectancy and some experts would argue that these women are also unlikely to benefit," Schonberg added. "About one third of women have more than 10-year life expectancy and it probably makes sense to recommend screening to these women." Schonberg studies patient decision making at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Brookline, Massachusetts. For the study, 45 women over age 75 who had been regularly having mammograms, as recommended by their doctors, but had not had one in the previous 5 months were given the decision aid - a packet of information on the risks and benefits of screening for women in their age group - before deciding at a doctor's appointment whether or not to schedule another screening. The women filled out an experience survey before reading the packet and again after their doctor's appointment. The packet included information on breast cancer risk for women over 75 and the risks of screening including false positives and costly and stressful follow up testing. For older women, many tumors that a mammogram would find would actually grow too slowly to harm the woman in her lifetime, Schonberg said. But nearly all women with breast cancer are treated for it, and the risks of treatment increase with age. Based on the two surveys, women tended to be more informed about the benefits and risks after reading the packet than before. Before reading the decision aid, 37 of the 45 women planned on having a mammogram, compared to 25 out of 45 who planned to do so after reading it. According to medical records, 26 of the women had a mammogram in the two years following the study. Schonberg thinks it would be feasible to give this type of decision aid to all women over 75 as they make screening decisions, but "it requires our health care system placing greater value and resources in decision support for patients." Giving the decision aid to women over 75 before a visit with their primary care doctor seemed to work well in the study, but in the real world it would take resources to identify these women and send them the information, she said. "In practice, it may be faster for a physician to simply recommend a mammogram than to discuss patients' preferences around screening," she said. Doctors should be compensated for spending time discussing this issue with patient, she said. "In addition, most of the educational materials regarding mammography screening have been uniformly positive. It takes a change in culture to acknowledge that there are both benefits and risks to screening and that each woman should be allowed to make an informed decision for herself." All women should be informed of the risks and benefits of screening, she said, but especially those over 75, since there are more risks and uncertain benefits for this group. The study did not follow the women to determine which, if any, were later diagnosed with breast cancer. "Most women over age 75 should not get mammograms," Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, a professor of medicine at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice in Hanover, New Hampshire, said. "But this is not unique to mammography, or women," he said. Welch authored another study on the risks of mammography screening for older women in the same issue of JAMA Internal Medicine. In it, he estimates that for 1,000 women who get annual mammograms starting at age 50 for 10 years, "0.3 to 3.2 will avoid a breast cancer death, 490 to 670 will have at least 1 false alarm, and 3 to 14 will be overdiagnosed and treated needlessly." "As people get older - closer to death - there is less reason to look for cancer early," he said. "Most people, men and women, over age 75 should not be screened for cancer," Welch told Reuters Health in an email.

It's awfully counter-intuitive to think of any group of women foregoing mamograms, especially when we tend to associate an increased risk with older age.

I would certainly get a second opinion, if it were me.

What do you all think?

[quaist]

To be honest, I can't find anything counter-intuitive in that article.

It seems important to carefully assess every woman's individual situation -- especially when it comes to her age -- before taking a decision for or against having a mammogram screening.

Without being able to back this up with the proper experience in these matters, I'd indeed be afraid that some doctors may be inclined to just suggest having it to their patients and not weighing out the advantages and possible risks.

[sunnykerr]

Oh, it's only super counter-intuitive to me inasmuch as I've been raised with the notion that mammograms are non-negociable and essential to an older woman's health.

It's both part of the time in which I was born, when breast-cancer awareness was beginning to be a really strong thing, and the fact that I come from a family of women who have cystic breasts.

It was drilled into me my whole life that this is just part of what you do in life.

Obviously, all women should have the right to make that choice for themselves, and new scholarship has begun to explore other alternatives.

It was just odd for me to hear that women in their 70s can just ignore tumours.

[quaist]

I don't think that what these scholars are saying is women can ignore tumors after having reached a certain age.

Much rather it seems that they're advocating a cost-benefit analysis, taking into account that you'll always have a certain quota of 'misdiagnoses' coming from these apparatuses. This in turn leads to emotional distress and may be totally avoidable in the last analysis.

What appears to be debatable though, is that they assume that 'age limit' to be around 75. With today's high life expectancies -- especially when it comes to females -- that may be set a bit too low. At that point, a significant portion of patients may still have 15 years of living ahead of them. I can't imagine there'd be so many kinds of tumors which grow that slowly these women won't be affected anymore then.