Amplify Issues - Sexual Violence and Dating Violence

Weekly Round-Up: 1/30- 2/4

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:10:00 -0500

Each week, I’ll be posting a list of the most news-worthy and/or inspirational, informative, well-written, thought-provoking, and/or unique posts of the week. While every post and every contributor is valuable to our community, these are the blogs that I feel are must-reads.

January 30- February 4

Stats this week: 27 posts by 22 writers

Sommers in WaPo: Wrong about the CDC and wrong about enthusiastic consent- by AFY_EmilyB

Inside this post:

Christina Sommers recently criticized the CDC’s (accurate) definitions of rape and enthusiastic consent. What’s problematic with her viewpoint is that it is 1) dismissive of people who have been raped after they were knowingly or unknowingly using alcohol or drugs, and 2) it ignores the wants of those who do not want to participate in, or further participate in, any form of physical intimacy.

National Strategy for Black Gay Youth in America- by i_speak_out

Inside this post:

The National Youth Secretary for Youth Pride Services talks about a new project to survey “what it is like to grow up being black, gay, and young in today’s society.”

Think Before You Leap- by Amara-NycoleYouthResource

Inside this post:

Hear from a peer educator teaching high school students in North Carolina about sexuality, healthy relationships, and how to become peer educators themselves.

[More]

Sommers in WaPo: Wrong about the CDC and wrong about enthusiastic consent

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:55:00 -0500

In Friday's Washington Post, Christina Hoff ommers questioned CDC findings on sexual violence. Calling the study "careless" and saying it relies on "the familiar jargon of feminist theory," Sommers even puts the word sexism in distasteful air quotes, as in, "the report also called for more research on 'sexism.'"

Sommers takes issue with the phasing of the CDC's question about sexual assault:

In a telephone survey with a 30 percent response rate, interviewers did not ask participants whether they had been raped. Instead of such straightforward questions....[the sample was asked] “When you were drunk, high, drugged, or passed out and unable to consent, how many people ever had vaginal sex with you?” A majority of the 1.3 million women (61.5 percent) the CDC projected as rape victims in 2010 experienced this sort of “alcohol or drug facilitated penetration.”

What does that mean? If a woman was unconscious or severely incapacitated, everyone would call it rape. But what about sex while inebriated? Few people would say that intoxicated sex alone constitutes rape.

So, first of all, I don't think the CDC was unclear in its phrasing. It's asking sample participatns if they were too drunk or high to consent. Only they can answer that. And in its sexual violence toolkit, the CDC is again quite clear on the topic:

What is meant by “alcohol/drug facilitated penetration”?
This represents times when a victim was sexually penetrated but they were unable to consent to it because they were drunk, high, drugged, or passed out from alcohol or drugs. This includes times when a perpetrator intentionally drugged or spiked the drink of a victim but without the victim’s knowledge, and cases where the victim may have voluntarily used alcohol or drugs, but the perpetrator took advantage of the victim when they were too intoxicated, high, or passed out to consent to sex. (Emphasis mine)

But it's this comment from Sommers that I'm more troubled by:

The CDC effectively set a stage where each step of physical intimacy required a notarized testament of sober consent.

No, they don't set that stage, and Sommers knows they don't. What the CDC has done is ask women if they were raped. They include "Someone had sex with you when you were too inebriated to consent" as a definition of rape.

But what Sommers is really attacking isn't a specific CDC question, it's attempts to normalize enthusiastic consent - a culture where what "sex" means is that both parties discussed what would happen ahead of time, and communicated throughout the experience, changing what they were doing as needed - including stopping if they weren't totally sure the other person wanted it.

I've heard snide comments like hers many times -- beginning in 1993, with Antioch College's famous dating policy. At the time it was greeted with mockery. The very notion of having to ask each time you did anything! In 2006, Gettysburg College's sexual misconduct policy (in short, "Effective consent is informed, freely and actively given, using mutually understandable words or actions which indicate a willingness to participate in mutually agreed upon sexual activity") was also met with indignation.

But what is so funny, what is so absurd, about requiring mutual consent? In this article about good sex education, Al Vernacchio brings up a "pizza metaphor" to encourage good communication around sex:

“If you’re gonna have pizza with someone else, what do you have to do?” he continued. “You gotta talk about what you want. Even if you’re going to have the same pizza you always have, you say, ‘We getting the usual?’ Just a check in. And square, round, thick, thin, stuffed crust, pepperoni, stromboli, pineapple — none of those are wrong; variety in the pizza model doesn’t come with judgment."

He's talking about decision-making around sex, but it extends to mutual consent as well: before you get a pizza, you both have to agree you want pizza. And you have to discuss several other points as well. You have to check in.

When people make that "Better call a lawyer before you make out with someone these days" joke, what I hear is "Having to ask someone before you do something sexual with them is silly/burdensome/wrong." Tell me this: How does spreading that attitude help the "real victims of sexual violence" Sommers is so concerned about?

I think people mock "enthusiastic consent" model because they liked the old way, where boys insisted and girls resisted. Where you teach that both parties must enthusiastically consent, you are saying that women have to say what they want or do not want out of sex. And if there's one thing social conservatives can't handle, it's a sexually empowered woman.

Violence against women and kids

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 13:18:00 -0500

How do people claim to love women and their kids when they abuse them? That's a question I keep asking myself but I never got the right answer for it and it really needs one good answer. Most of the stories I write are about things that personally touch me and that I went through but no matter how hard things have been, I always manage to walk away. That's why I call myself a strong young woman and I am proud of myself and want to see all young people feel proud of themselves. This is not about me anymore but it's about all of us who are touched by this and who are willing to hold hands together and end this at once.

Women are loving and caring people but I do not understand why abusers do not see that and appreciate them. women are being insulted and beaten in front of their kids every day, everywhere worldwide. The child's mind will never be okay seeing his/her mum beaten every day and most of the time kids who see that end up thinking it's the right thing to do, which is not okay for any body's child in life. Candy is a young woman who has been in an abusive relationship for four years and I am proudly writing this with a smile on my face happy that I managed to walk out last year. It was not easy to walk away because it's always hard for women to walk away from their abuser. Whoever is reading this and if you are in that situation, please tell yourself that you still have a good life without that person because he/she is not the reason you are living for. Talking from experience, it's not easy but with the support of people who really love and care for you, it is possible and trust me, you will feel good and proud of yourself when you get yourself out. Just close your eyes and think of how beautiful you are and walk away because that's a decision you have to make on your own. I know that most women let themselves stay in this situation because of poverty, I can only say that I fully understand you but find something to do as women and walk away because if even if a man is a bread winner in the family. it does not mean he has all the right to abuse any one. We all have rights as human being but not the right to make each other's a life in hell. No matter how poor any one can be, the fact remains that we all have right. Women are vulnerable to everything because most of them are not well educated or have no income but that should not be the reason for letting yourself down. Be a dreamer and always think positive.

It's always a wise idea to talk to people who listen to you than think that keeping quiet is the best talk to people to get advice. Talking to each other is the only way we can end this violence and help other women who are in this situation. Women, no matter how much you think you love your abuser you must walk away because they do not deserve it. I know there are still women who are suffering and do not know who to talk to or how to get out but having self-confidence is all that one needs and know that you are not alone in this. There are many people who have been in that situation and now they are out and they are now together, fighting for violence against women to come to an end. Some of them are writing stories to let the world know that they are not happy with violence against women and kids and they will fight to end and help others, while some women have support groups where they meet and encourage each other. If you get yourself in here, know that you are not alone in this because we are one big family hoping for a better tomorrow for all. Talk to you soon- I will be posting more.

Prevention or Perversion?

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:28:00 -0500

Recently, The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has made national news for pulling an ad made public by Control Tonight, a campaign seeking to raise awareness surrounding the issue of heavy drinking and its relation to sexual assault. The ad, pictured below, shows a pair of women's legs, seemingly lifeless, with panties pulled to the ankle. The caption next to the legs reads "She Didn't Want To Do It, But She Couldn't Say No." Furthermore, the ad goes on to urge friends to take responsibility of each other to avoid the risk of sexual assault.

Though this is the general rule of thumb for partying, and a staple to maintaining a meaningful friendship, those who contend with the ad say that it places blame on the friends of the victim as well as the victim herself. Rather than denouncing victimizers, the ad is being perceived as placing fault on the victim for having poor self-control, inhibited by alcohol. It is being perceived that only people who don't have good friends are victimized, or that you are not a good friend if you are close with someone who has been sexually assaulted. While I understand and agree with the message I think the ad INTENDED to convey, remaining vigilant in situations that sexual assaults are most likely to occur, especially where drugs and alcohol are concerned, I do think that the delivery of the message was both dated and insulting. The caption, "She Didn't Want To Do It, But She Couldn't Say No", is especially damaging. The tagline is ambiguous in the way that it insinuates that the inability to physically say "no" due to unconciousness is a form of consent; and that a sober-minded woman would be able to show discretion but when intoxicated, her desires overrule her and she acts on impulse, only to wake the next morning full of regret, calling it assault. Either way, this is the age old attribution to sexual assault that a woman must have done SOMETHING to attract her victimizer, that she must have ASKED for it. Were her clothes too tight? Was she dancing too provocatively? Obviously everyone needs to take personal responsibility for themselves when drinking alcohol. Obviously friends should take care of one another in party environments as well as other realms of life. Obviously any prevention methods possible to protecting yourself where the risk of sexual assualt is magnified should be taken. But most importantly, it is obvious that regardless of these things, when rapes are committed it is solely the fault of the rapist. Bringing that offender to justice is the only thing that should matter.

What Do You Think? Preventative or Perverse?

Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 06:00:00 -0500

The issue of Gender based violence has been around for quite some time now but it indeed interests me to think that this issue is being raised at such as time as this. The world just ended the 16 days of activism against Violence against Women or lets just say Gender Based Violence (November 25 – December 10) and I must say that gone are the days when we talk about abuse and gender based violence generally and we think of women first, as though it starts and ends with women. Now, we are beginning to realize that it goes beyond the women; we really need to address the men who are the main perpetrators of this injustice.

It is also important to note that gender based violence isn’t just about beating a man or a woman. That limits it to physical violence. It also includes sexual violence, which consists of rape, incest, starvation of sex, stalking, sexual abuse etc, physical violation; battery, trafficking, kidnapping, abduction, etc. Others include taunting and other means of psychological abuse.

Funny enough, there have been a few cases of men being violated against but like I said, “Few cases”. It is not common. I chose to talk about the cases of men so it wouldn’t appear like I’m being sentimental. I’m female, you know. However, I want us to know that when we talk of gender, we don’t only refer to women, we refer to men too. We even refer to boys and girls as well; not only the grownups.

Having a programme like the one that came up on Friday, 2nd December, 2011 tagged “Young men against Gender Based Violence” by Education as a Vaccine and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Abuja, Nigeria really excited me. I had high hopes prior to the event. I looked forward to commitments from young men to join the fight against Gender Based Violence and not limit it to a “women’s thing”. I was really glad when it turned out so. It wasn’t only the young men, but even Nigerian celebrities like Jude Abaga aka M.I and Audu Maikori of Chocolate City Group were there to grace the occasion as ambassadors of the campaign.

I sincerely hope that the commitments that the young men made would extend beyond that event. That way, we would be sure that Nigerian men are really rising up to the challenge to protect women and girls. If you are a man, then you shouldn’t try to prove it by beating up or raping a woman or young girl; you should prove it by protecting them with the strength you claim to have.

Perspectives of a New Youth Advocate

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:37:00 -0500

Having the opportunity to attend the event tagged “Young Men against Gender Based Violence”, organized by Education as a Vaccine, in collaboration with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) held at Rock view hotel on the 2nd of December 2011, was an interesting one for me. I kept wondering why the programme was organized for men but I realized that it was because men are the perpetrators of this “evil” act. Looking at the world today, young girls and even married women suffer all sorts of sexual violence in the hands of men, some of which include sexual abuse, beating etc.

Some men beat up their wives without concrete reasons. Even if they do anything wrong, they don’t deserve to be made punching bags. A woman is meant to be cared for and well looked after. An example was given at the meeting of a female student at Abia State University (ABSU) who was raped by five young men. Rather than the men being traced, caught and dealt with, the security agencies and some other Nigerians have been allocating blames on the poor girl. I just wonder what becomes of the girl now, after such a terrible incidence.

Video clips were shown to participants at the event to accompany the message and I saw pictures of young women, both single and married with scars and injuries of various magnitudes as a result of being abused by men. It hurt me so much because I’m also a female like them.

The young men who were present there also tried to defend themselves by saying it is the girls that cause them to rape them due to the way they dress. One of the participants also said something which I took note of. He said, “Men are moved by what they see and women are moved by what they hear”. Then I thought to myself, if men are moved by what they see, why can’t they control their eyes?

Though I know that the way some girls dress isn’t decent enough as they expose their cleavages and other parts of their bodies that could attract the opposite sex unduly, that does not give the men a right to rape them. Then I also asked myself that if men are moved by what they see, what of fathers who rape their own daughters? What did they see in them that they dint see in the body of their wives or is it not the same child he saw as she grew? All this questions keep running through my mind and I was happy to find some answers to my question during the course of the meeting
.
I really hope that the participants learnt a lot just like I did and I also hope they’ll help to spread the news to their friends and family. That way, the world would be a better place with everyone having equal fundamental human rights, rights to justice inclusive.

BCSSH Sex Files #16: The Busy Woman's Guide to Health Care Reform

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:44:00 -0500

Boston College Students for Sexual Health is an unofficial student organization that was formed in response to the lack of sexual health education and resources at Boston College. Among other activities, we blog regularly on Her Campus BC in an effort to reach out to the student body and promote thinking about sex-related issues. This particular entry provides a brief overview of the Affordable Care Act, addresses possible changes to the act, and applies these situations to the average woman, specifically at Boston College. Please note that this blog entry was originally posted on Her Campus BC.

Free birth control coverage? Not so fast...

Regardless of your political interest or stance, it’s becoming increasingly hard to ignore the splash caused by the Affordable Care Act passed by Congress this past March. The much debated act has finally gotten the ball rolling on health care reform in the US and has shone a crucial light on the current state of women’s health, which has been in desperate need of some TLC.

Overall, the Affordable Care Act seeks to reform health insurance companies in favor of patients. It would ban lifetime limits that affect people with long-term or chronic illnesses, cover young adults on their parent’s plan until the age of 26 (this provision has recently been put into place), and prohibit discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions – basically, get rid of all the jerky things that insurance companies have been able to get away with. Yeah, we’ve had enough of that, too. The more controversial aspects of the plan are included under the umbrella of women’s preventative care – like covering contraception without co-pays, which we’re pretty excited about. Since all of this legal jargon can be tricky even for the Pre-Law students among us, we’ve broken down the things we think every woman should know about the Affordable Care Act, and possible threats to it.

1. The Facts
The current plan regarding women's preventative care would:

Allow for annual “Well-Woman” visits, covering all age and developmentally appropriate
services
Provide testing for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Gestational Diabetes
Provide testing and counseling for HIV and other STIs
Provide screening and counseling for interpersonal and domestic violence
Cover all FDA approved forms of contraception, sterilization procedures, and reproductive education and counseling without co-pay, deductible, or other charges

2. Supporting the Bill
Supporters of the new preventative care measures base their reinforcement of the bill on the following facts:

A 2001 study found that half of all pregnancies in the US were unintended. The largest roadblock to contraception for many women is cost (averaging $10 to $50 per month, which isn’t exactly pocket change). Free access to birth control would allow for family planning and place greater emphasis on healthy families.
The plan would support the status quo on abortion policy (no federal money will be used to fund abortions and health plans cannot be required to fund abortion). All contraceptive measures covered will prevent pregnancy, but will not terminate an existing pregnancy.
Allowing personal beliefs to determine what will or will not be covered by health plans undermines the purpose of health insurance. According to Adam Sconfield of the Guttmacher Institute, “You would have people questioning treating lung cancer for smokers or accident victims of a motorcycle wreck, or objecting to people having too many kids." Well said.

3. The Opposition
Of course, a change as momentous as this is likely to draw a few adversaries. This is especially pronounced in cases where religious institutions provide health insurance to their employees. Major arguments against contraceptive coverage include:

Contraception should not be included under preventative care because pregnancy is not a disease.
People against abortion shouldn’t be asked to subsidize methods they believe can cause abortions (which, they claim, happens through their insurance premiums).
More contraception doesn’t necessarily lead to fewer unplanned pregnancies and abortions.

The plan currently offers a narrow religious refusal clause (often called a conscience clause), which allows certain religious institutions to exclude contraception from the insurance plans that they offer to their employees. This clause would apply to an institution that “has inculcation of religious values as its purpose” and primarily serves and employs people that share its religious beliefs. Basically, it exempts institutions such as churches, but not religiously affiliated hospitals, schools, or universities (such as, ahem, Boston College). The Obama administration is currently under pressure to add a wider refusal clause that would exempt these institutions from having to provide this benefit to their employees and students.

4. So what would change at BC, exactly?
Well, not as much as we may hope, but it’s a start. Massachusetts state law already requires all MA medical insurance plans (including student plans) to offer prescription drug coverage, including contraceptive drug consultations and prescriptions. For the average BC woman, this means that contraception would at least be partially covered under BC’s health insurance either way and the student is charged a co-pay. But the exciting part would come in at the register, when we can put our already-scarce college student funds towards more worthwhile means than co-pays on birth control. These changes would be even more drastic to women in states without state laws that mandate these provisions – say, our friends over at Notre Dame. While BC can still refuse to prescribe or distribute birth control pills in Health Services (boo), their student insurance plans would have to completely cover the entire cost of contraception if a student seeks these services elsewhere (yay!).

But don’t put your wallet away just yet. If the opposition’s refusal clause succeeds, plans like Boston College insurance would no longer be obligated to cover the full cost of contraception. To fight the pending broader refusal clause, and to stand up for the rights the federal government is announcing that all women should have, sign Amplify Your Voice’s “Obama, Don’t Cave” Petition.

Regardless of your personal stance on the issue, we applaud the Obama administration for striving towards loophole-free protection of women’s health, and for finally taking a firm federal stance on women’s reproductive rights. Our health (...and our rights...and our wallets) is thankful.

Peace, love, and lube
BC Students for Sexual Health

Grading As Media Making

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 08:21:00 -0500

by Bianca Laureano

Imagine it: me surrounded by a never ending abyss of papers to grade with only 2 weeks left before the semester ends. I’m writing this post because it speaks to my life right now. Now, I told my students I would have their papers to them by last Monday, only one of two classes received them. I was sick for most of a holiday break we had and could barely lift my head up. This limited the amount of papers I got to grade. Now, grading seems to never end!

There were math equations I would do to see how many papers I had to grade a day to get through them all. How much time to dedicate to each paper. This isn’t anything new. However, I realized that when I grade a paper, especially a formal paper a student submits, the comments I’m giving them, the things I’m writing in the margins, this is all a form of media. My goal is to help Amplify readers understand this form of media and to get a perspective from an educators point of view on grading (perhaps it may encourage you to go to office hours for support, ask for clarification, or see your teacher as a person too!).

I have a love/hate relationship with grading. I see how it may be useful for many students, schools, organizations and professions. However, I believe there are multiple ways to assess if someone is being critical and analytical around certain topics, to value the quality of work and participation they bring to a classroom. These are some of the things that make up a grade for a student in my class.

Grading is my least favorite part of teaching. No matter what I’m teaching, I dread grading. I think in our society we have created a grading system that is set up to destroy individual students. I have to remind myself that I don’t want to be the educator that broke a student’s spirit or drive because of what or how I’ve written a comment on their paper as I grade. There is also a balancing act between helping students learn how to improve their writing and expressing their thoughts and learning from constructive criticism.
[More]

Why I'm Ending My Silence About Sexual Harassment

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:40:00 -0500

By Lauren Kalina, AFY Intern

Sexual harassment is a pervasive issue -– and one that I refuse to stay silent about any longer.According to the U.S. Department of Education, “Sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, which can include unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal, nonverbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature.” This can include anything from catcalls on a street corner to cyber and in-person bullying in schools to inappropriate sexual behavior and even rape.

Recently, more and more instances of sexual harassment have been brought to the public eye:

Jerry Sandusky, a former Penn State football coach was charged last weekend with 40 counts of child sexual assault for molesting eight boys over a 15 year period. Sandusky started a charity called The Second Mile for troubled youth and found his victims through its programs.

Herman Cain, GOP presidential candidate, was accused of sexual assault by four women last week. These women have said that while he was the head of the National Restaurant Association, he exhibited sexually suggestive behavior that elicited discomfort from his female employees.

The American Association of University Women released a study last week called Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School. The study examined the answers of 1,965 nationally representative students in grades 7-12. Crossing The Line points out several key facts such as:

•48% of the students surveyed had experienced some form of sexual harassment in the 2010-2011 school year.
•Girls were more likely than boys to be sexually harassed, by a significant margin (56 percent versus 40 percent).
•30% of students said that they had been sexually harassed through text, email, Facebook or some other form of electronic communication.
•Students experienced sexual harassment in regards to gender, sexual orientation and more.

All of these occurrences of sexual harassment are happening right before our very eyes. It’s time that we start taking action to ensure that sexual harassment perpetrators know that this kind of behavior is not OK. Here are some organizations and activists that are working to spread the word:

Hollaback – Hollaback is the movement to end street harassment. Victims of street harassment can share stories, pictures, comments, etc. through mobile technology and the internet. Right now, Hollaback websites have been launched in many major cities. Check to see if your city has one.[More]

Dating Violence...it CAN happen to you!

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:46:00 -0500

We have all heard about the horrors of domestic violence. There are movies, songs and billboards and fundraisers to prevent domestic violence. Domestic violence is horrible and toxic, but how many of you have heard of teen dating violence? Dating violence is when someone is in a mentally and/or physically abusive relationship with a person they are not married to. Many young women and men do not recognize this type of violence because it is usually associated with a married person. Teen dating violence is spreading like wildfire it becomes more common and recognized every day. Many teens may not be physically abused but may not recognize the signs of mental abuse.

It can be difficult to recognize abuse for what it is. Relationships are full of powerful emotions and it can be tough to take a step back and evaluate the situation. You may not have a black eye, but that doesn’t mean your partner hasn’t been abusive to you. Dating abuse comes in a lot of different forms, and doesn’t always leave marks visible to the eye.
Here are some signs that you may be in an abusive relationship…

Physical abuse: any intentional use of physical force meant to cause fear or injury, like hitting, shoving, biting, strangling, kicking, or using a weapon.
Emotional abuse: non-physical behavior such as threats, insults, humiliation,
intimidation, isolation, or stalking.

Sexual abuse: any action that forces undesired sexual behavior on you by another person. This includes making you do anything you don’t want to do sexually, refusing to have safe sex, aggressively pressuring you to go further than you want to sexually, or making you feel badly about yourself sexually.
Act jealous or possessive
Try to control where you go, what you wear, or what you do
Text or IM you constantly, Harass you online
Refuse to consider your point of view or desires
Keep you from talking to or spending time with close friends or family
Drink too much or use drugs and then blame the alcohol and drugs for his/her behavior
Threaten to hurt you or themselves if you leave them

As much as 25% of young women have reported signs of an abusive relationship whether it is sexual, physical and/or emotional. Young women and men can be in these types of relationships and they are very hard to get out of. If you or a friend thinks you might be in an abusive relationship, talk to someone. Whether it be your best friend, professor, parent or a member of the medical community. We have our whole lives ahead of us and we need to start now respecting our bodies and minds. Action is empowerment.

Weekly Round-Up: 10/2 - 10/8

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:48:00 -0500

The fight for reproductive rights is just as much a fight for men as it is for women! It after all takes two to procreate. That being the case both of the individuals involved should have correct, informed, scientific based information about what they are doing, what could happen, and what are their options. It is only when all parties involved are informed that factually based decisions can be made.

The Latest Victim of the House Republican Assault on Women: UNFPA- by AFY_Janine

Inside this post:

Janine shames House Republicans on the Foreign Affairs Committee for voting along party lines 11 times in one day against UNFPA funding, which would have gone to things such as the prevention and treatment of obstetric fistula, reproductive health care in the aftermath of natural disasters, survivors of gender-based violence, efforts to eliminate female genital mutilation, and efforts to prevent forced marriage of girls.

Today 3 women won the Nobel Peace Prize- by AFY_Julia

Inside this post:

According to the New York Times, they were the first women to win the prize since 2004 and three out of only 15 women to ever be awarded the prize during its 110 year history. The decision to award 3 women is not only unprecedented, but sends a clear signal from the international community that women play an integral role in creating peace around the world.

Thank you to everyone who posted a blog this week! You are part of what makes this community great!

~ Samantha
Community Editor

Fighting an Unseen Enemy: Bureaucracy

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:11:00 -0500

Editor's Note: The author is a Nigerian member of Advocates' International Youth Activist Network.

Seemingly a lot has been said about rape and other violence against women both at home, school and work but the question remains to be answered, can we really over say? Apparently the answer will be in the negative. Here in Nigeria, for the first time, the issue of women violence has caught the attention of the lawmakers and in unison, they have condemned the act.

Just last week, a terrible thing happened at the Abia State University in Nigeria. A young girl at the university was raped by five boys whom we suspect are also students at the university. The hoodlums from the videos obviously took her to an unknown place and decided to commit such a dastardly act on the helpless young girl who begged at each turn from the rogues to be free. The rogues had obviously at that moment lost every sense of humanity in them as they laughed, jeered and celebrated each other while they took their turn in perpetuating their wicked act. The annoying part of the story is that the vice chancellor of the university is denying the fact that the girl is a student and the state governor has totally refused to acknowledge and admit that such act happened in his state — how irresponsible! I do not wish to paint the grotesque picture anymore to anyone, the only picture I have decided to paint is the picture of us speaking up and taking a stand against such beastly and condemnable acts in the society.

On this issue, it worthy to commend the efforts of some organizations who have taken up this cause and are ready to fight for it until we all see the finish line. These organizations have joined forces to push down the walls of bureaucracy amongst the relevant authorities whom we know should participate in this fight. Speaking on the issue of fighting bureaucracy, EVA, along with members of the YAG also decided to join in the solidarity fight. Today, the group paid visits to the relevant ministries on this issue. The ministries visited were the Ministry of Women's Affairs and Social Development and the Ministry of Education. On getting to the Ministry of Women's Affairs, we were met by the honourable minister’s representative who couldn’t almost wait for us to be gone. According to him, the minister had sent a letter to the inspector-general of police on the issue of how to fish out the perpetrators of the act and so was waiting for the next action. Waiting for the next action? How dare that question of what next even arise in their minds? Well, I think this response was more diplomatic compared to the Ministry of Education workers who would just not get involved in the issue and claimed the civil service rule of non-alignment. It is saddening to note that at the Ministry of Women's Affairs those who refused to say any meaningful word on the subject matter were women. How sick! Can we still trust these women any longer to carry our collective voices past the noisy streets of the administration?<

But no sooner had we thought that we were left alone to fight than Damilola Ade from Digital Press International spoke on the need for the civil society to form a coalition on advocacy against sexual violence and also for the need for the honourable minister of Women's Affairs to pay a courtesy visit to the inspector general. Again another woman took the initiative to have a meeting with the majority leader of the house of assembly and other women in power on the need for a bill to be passed on the issue of violence against women. Also, members of the Youth Advocates Group made recommendations on how the relevant authorities should not rest on their oars.

Finally I think the relevant law enforcement agencies like the court and the prisons should prepare to welcome those criminals into the home of justice. We would not settle for less on this issue. We are ready to put up a good fight and so the government and its partner called bureaucracy!

DISFIGURED FOR LOVE&.

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 11:15:00 -0500

A federal university of technology Yola undergrad recently met her moment of gloom when fellow students pour acid on her for love sake. The 100 level undergrads who recently matriculated was wooed y a 500 level undergrad. Though she said she was not interested because she did not want to be distracted in her first year at school, the lover boy in question thought his love was a do or die affair. According to her, the incident happened while she was in one of the classes reading at about 11pm due to the fact that there was power failure in their female hostel. According to her, someone called her attention to someone who wanted to see her outside the class room. But she refused saying it was late and she was trying to be security conscious. Nearly 10 minutes after she was called and refused, she heard a familiar voice call out her name. She decided to peep from the window to find out who it was and the next was she black OUT. The culprit has inflicted permanent scars on her face and her affected right ear has been chopped off due to the gravity of the acid on that part. Though, the culprit has been expelled from school and arrested by the police, he was bailed few days ago. Her father who happens to be a civil servant claims he has spent his last on her medicals. She is the second of six children and according to her father, his plan was to give his children education as the best legacy but his dream is almost short lived. And her family is calling on well meaning Nigerians and the world at large to assist in sending her to India for a major surgery that would cost 5million naira excluding flight and accommodation

SlutWalk DC

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:28:00 -0500

Last weekend, I attended SlutWalk DC. This rally was part of a nationwide movement in response to a comment made by a police officer in Toronto claiming that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” SlutWalks aim to end the widespread shaming and blaming of survivors of sexual assault, rape and street harassment. There were all kinds of different people at SlutWalk DC, wearing all kinds of different outfits. And everyone looked really, really good.

Most of the speakers told the crowd (of about 2,500 people) their own personal stories of being a survivor. These stories made the atmosphere very personal, despite the fact that there were so many people there. Two men told their stories about being survivors of rape, helping bring awareness to the fact that it’s not just women who experience sexual violence. Because of these stories, and the fact that strangers were willing to open up to me about personal experiences, I felt very comfortable at SlutWalk. It was great to be in a space that was created to make us feel like we could wear whatever we wanted, but it really sucks that spaces like these are the exception to the norm. In addition, my positive experience at SlutWalk is not universal. For more on this, see the analysis of SlutWalks at Colorlines.

I arrived at SlutWalk DC a little late. I got there during one of the many awesome speakers. She was giving the crowd a lesson in self-defense. She had everyone stand up in a firmly balanced position, put their hands in front of them, and yell “NO!” Then, she taught us a couple techniques, like how to hit an attacker in the nose or stomp on their feet. It felt great to be in a crowd of people punching the air, stomping on the ground and yelling at an imaginary attacker. This group felt ridiculously powerful.

For anyone who has interest in participating in this emerging movement, go to a SlutWalk! Click here to find out when it’s happening in your area.

By Alicia Dudziak

THE INNER ME....

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 13:27:00 -0500

The world we live in is such a crazy place. It’s so crazy that people get away with doing the wrongs they do without getting caught or punished. We never stop to think of the fact that these young people who are victims of circumstances, stigmatised could either be your neighbour, sister, best friend cousin, mother or even you. These people only exist as citizens but do not live a life of their own and no one seems to care about them. Maybe we have heard their stories before, maybe we haven’t but it is about time we listen to these delimited Nigerians. Recently, I caught with a couple of youngsters and they were willing to allow the inner me speak out:
One said: “if I was ever told it would be me, I sure would have raised an eyebrow. But am 17 and thinking of a third abortion—am seen as the good girl at church but I wonder, how good really is this church girl?”
Another said: she was raped at five and it was at her uncle’s house, since her parents were always at logger heads she needed to find solace in someone. Unfortunately, the someone became a monster in her life.
Am not writing these to make anyone feel sorry for them. I believe it is about time we don’t just speak about it but we stand to advocate against violence against women and girls.
Although, there are still so many confused youths, but so far, the just concluded celebration of international women’s day proved how willing and passionate young people could be in their bid to push for change: I was appalled at the number of young people using social networks to talk about the need to safe guard the future of our girls and that of our mothers.
However, let’s raise our glasses to celebrate the international year of the youth. It has been a year of tremendous achievements from youths in different spheres of life. As our theme for this year moves us to mutual understanding, I believe we have attained that level and we are not ready to rest on our oars.
It has really been a year worth celebrating.....