Movie Based on Popular Novel Puts South Korean Gender Divide Back in Focus
Times of India, South Korea, 10/31/2019
A movie based on a controversial and best-selling novel that chronicled the everyday sexism faced by women has topped South Korea’s box office, reigniting a national debate over women’s roles in an historically male-dominated society. 'Kim Ji-young, Born 1982' - based on a 2016 book of the same name – which released in South Korea last has highlighted divisions within the country over sexism, the #MeToo movement, and feminism. The story follows a married woman in her 30s who feels forced by social circumstances to give up her work in order to raise her young child. In a survey of 1,000 single South Koreans aged between 19 and 44 by pollster Realmeter in September, 81.2% of respondents said gender conflict was a serious issue in South Korea.
Rights Groups Slam Bahrain over Detention of Female Activists
Al Jazeera, Bahrain, 10/30/2019
Rights groups on October 30, 2019 slammed the Bahraini government for what they say is the systematic targeting of female political activists and their mistreatment in prisons. A recent report titled Breaking the Silence: Bahraini Women Political Prisoners Expose Systemic Abuses, outlines the cases of nine former and current female prisoners in Bahrain throughout the process of their arrests and trials, as well as the conditions of their detentions. The 138-page report found that the women activists were arrested without search warrants and were subjected to physical, psychological and sexual assaults during interrogation. Of the nine women mentioned in the report, three are still detained in a women's prison under dehumanising conditions, while six other women have been released after serving prison sentences.
Free Bus Rides for Over 2.2 Lakh Women on Day 1 of Delhi Scheme
The Indian Express - New Delhi, India, 10/29/2019
Delhi government’s free bus ride scheme for women rolled out on October 29, 2019, and by 4 pm, over 2.2 lakh women constituted approximately 32% of the total ridership till then on DTC and cluster buses. Under the scheme, women will not have to pay anything to travel on 5,589 buses that run on the city’s roads. The cost of travel will be reimbursed to bus operators, with the Delhi government paying them a fixed fare of Rs 10 per commuter. The scheme, which was first proposed in June 2019, was an effort to ensure greater mobility for women. The government had also proposed free travel for women on Delhi Metro, but that is yet to be implemented until a new Fare Fixation Committee is notified.
Maternal, Infant Health Improves in India, Says Study
News18, India, 10/28/2019
Community-based health programmes in parts of India, Ethiopia and Nigeria have been successful in improving health care for mothers and newborns, but inequities still exist, says a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). To assess the impact of community-based health interventions linked to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, an international team of researchers looked at eight essential maternal and newborn health indicators in rural India, Ethiopia and Nigeria, representing more than 22 million people. Indicators included antenatal and postnatal care, births in health care facilities, hygienic umbilical cord care, breastfeeding initiation and more. According to the researchers, inequities in rural settings mean that more work is needed to reach these families, who record higher numbers of maternal and newborn mortality.
In Japan, Workplace Bullying and Harassment are Driving Women to Seek Mental Health Treatment
South China Morning Post, Japan, 10/27/2019
A recent government report released in Japan has found that a third of about 1,000 women who received treatment for mental illness over a seven-year period attributed their ill health to sexual harassment, assault, bullying or the abuse of power by superiors at work. Workplace harassment is far from unusual in Japan, with its often brutal work culture. The government has taken steps to tackle this, introducing legislation specifically to eliminate harassment at work and encouraging companies to draw up their own guidelines to prevent it, but progress on the law is seen to be slow. However, the higher numbers are also an indication of increased reporting of workplace harassment, and increased access to mental health care, in comparison to what it was before.
Thousands Attend Taiwan's First Pride Since Legalisation of Gay Marriage
The Guardian, Taiwan, 10/26/2019
Nearly 200,000 revellers marched through Taipei in a riot of rainbow colours and celebration as Taiwan held its first pride parade since making history as the first Asian nation to legalise gay marriage. The island has long hosted the region’s largest pride marches, but this year’s march had a special air of celebration attached to it due to it being the first after the legalisation of gay marriage. In May 2019, politicians took the much-welcome decision to legalise same-sex marriages, and more than 2,000 couples have since married, many of them taking part in the pride parade. In the past decade Taiwan has become increasingly progressive on gay rights with Taipei home to a thriving LGBT community and increasingly large pride marches.
Uganda Moves To Allay Fears Over Anti-Gay Sex Law
Reuters, Uganda, 10/25/2019
Uganda has sought to reassure sexual minorities that they are safe, saying it has no plans to introduce the death penalty for gay sex after reports of rising homophobic attacks. LGBTQ rights campaigners in Uganda have expressed concerns about a spate of attacks after a minister said earlier this month that the government planned to reintroduce a bill colloquially known as “Kill the Gays”. In a statement on October 25, 2019, President Yoweri Museveni’s office denied that and said attacks on LGBT+ people should be reported to police for investigation so that perpetrators could be ‘brought to book’. Earlier that week, 16 LGBTQ activists were detained and charged for having gay sex, after police raided their residence, forcing them to undergo anal examinations.
SC Seeks Centre's Response on Plea for Entry of Muslim Women in All Indian Mosques
News18, India, 10/25/2019
The Supreme Court on October 25, 2010, sought response of the Centre on a PIL seeking entry of Muslim women in all mosques of the country. A bench comprising of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer issued notice to the Union Ministry of Law and Justice and Minority Affairs on the plea seeking entry of women in mosques. The plea was filed by one Yasmeen Zuber Ahmad Peerzade for issuance of direction to government authorities and Muslim bodies like Wakf Board to allow women into mosques on grounds that it is a fundamental right. Earlier this year, a similar plea made by Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha organisation had been dismissed by the court, saying that a Muslim woman should plead the case because they are the aggrieved party.
Nusrat Jahan Rafi: 16 Sentenced to Death over Bangladeshi’s Murder
The Guardian, Bangladesh, 10/24/2019
Sixteen Bangladeshis have been sentenced to death for the murder of a 19-year-old student, Nusrat Jahan Rafi, who was burned to death in April 2019 after complaining of being sexually harassed by her school principal. Among those found guilty were former members of the school’s administration, teachers and pupils – 12 of the 16 having confessed to participating in the killing in which Rafi was lured on to the school’s roof, doused in paraffin and set alight. The case was heard at the women and children repression prevention tribunal in Feni, in a fast-tracked trial. Rafi had been targeted after refusing to withdraw an allegation that she had been sexually harassed by the head teacher of her school, proving how the #MeToo movement still has a long way to go.
Kerala Nun Moves National, State Women's Panels and NHRC Against Bishop
News18 - Kothyam, India, 10/23/2019
A nun, who had filed a rape case against Bishop Franco Mulakkal, has approached the National and State Women's Commissions besides the National Human Rights Commission, accusing the priest and his supporters of ‘harassing’ her through various online platforms. Acting swiftly, the Kerala Women's Commission registered a case on the basis of the complaint and directed the cyber wing of the Kerala police to investigate the matter. The commission observed that the nun's complaint was ‘very serious’ in nature and directed the state police chief and the cyber wing of Kerala police to take swift action. The nun had first lodged her complaint against the bishop (who had allegedly raped her) in June 2018, only a few months before the second wave of the #MeToo movement in India.
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