Sisters for Human Equality

Women's Rights Blogs

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:07:49 -0600

America’s response to the Turkish genocide of the Armenian can be described briefly. Basically, it...

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:20:17 -0500

America’s response to the Turkish genocide of the Armenian can be described briefly. Basically, it did nothing. Woodrow Wilson thought it best not get involved incase this information would draw attention to the American people. Wilson figured that since the Turks hadn’t done anything to American’s there was no reason to get the whole country all stirred up. Wilson wanted to avoid public pressure to intervene in the war. Even after all of Morgenthau’s efforts Wilson tried his best to stay “on the sidelines.”

Ambassador Henry Morgenthau did not agree with this decision, he believed that America should get involved. Since the Turks were disallowing Morgenthau to receive accurate information on the issues at hand, he was unable to report back to Washington. After hearing the horror stories from the Armenians themselves, Morgenthau wrote to Washington with a chilling depiction of what was happening to Armenians.

Morgenthau was facing some challenging obstacles including national sovereignty. It seems to me that he was bewildered by the idea that national sovereignty should allow the “race murder” of Armenians to continue without question just because it was considered a domestic affair.

Morgenthau had the New York Times publish stories on what was happening in Turkey. I was outraged to read that the U.S. government did nothing, even after Morgenthau pleaded with them to basically just do the right thing! He ended up getting help from outside sources and raised money and rallied for the cause. He attempted to bring Armenian refugees to America but was unsuccessful. His efforts continued on and on until he eventually left Constantinople after knowing the murder of $1 million people had been under his watch.

Talaat Pasha was a leader of the Ottoman Empire during World War I. He was responsible for the mass murder and trauma caused to the Armenian people. Soghomon Tehlirian eventually assassinated Talaat. Tehlirian’s family was murdered or had disappeared during the Armenian genocide and he wanted to get revenge for his family.

I was questioning whether Britain would have cared about the Turkish massacres of Armenians if this were not a time of war? Was this to discredit Turkey or to help the Armenians? I later read the Lemkin believed that they only would intervene with political pressure or stratigic interest. I find this to be very sad and also disturbing. Unfortunately, genocide is not a thing of the past. It continues today and more needs to be done.

The Evolution of International Human Rights pt. 1

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 22:52:03 -0500

According to the readings of Chapter 1, there is a major contradiction evident throughout history between religious and philosophical ideals about human rights and the practice of human rights. Religious figures and philosophers have argued that humans are given certain unalienable rights as a part of the “natural law” that guides our existence and promotes harmony amongst the world. Most religions focus on the meaning of human life and the duties we have to each other. Judaism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, and Islam all express ideals of a universal responsibility to treat each other with dignity, respect, and love.

Philosophers began to discuss difficult questions about the sovereignty of individuals and the idea of “natural law.” Unlike religion, philosophy examines questions about human value and nature through reason, exploration, and analysis. A combination of philosophical ideals and explanations led to the belief that laws of nature could be applied to the human condition, providing a basis for society. The theories behind religion and philosophy are not at all the reality of human rights. In order for these ideals to become truth, major changes in society need to take place first.

Religion and philosophy are not very helpful in guiding our understanding of the dichotomy between theory and practice. Religious and philosophical ideals can be twisted and turned for the benefit of those needing to justify their contempt or lack of acceptance of human rights. Religion has often been used as a weapon to describe the divine “nature of things.” For example, Hinduism may argue that those being mistreated are in the lower caste due to divine law and that human rights do not apply to those in the bottom of society. Rather than change these ideologies about the worth of an individual human life, religion and society have pushed for tradition.

Those in power would have no reason to change the way things are. As Lauren says, many rulers pushed for respect and fear of authority and created the culture around them to support their own personal interests. Some critics of human rights have argued that a change will lead to social and political turmoil leading to instability. By telling people that they have certain rights this would create chaos in the traditional order of things. Ideas of human rights were and have been a threat to the interests of those with power and wealth. Obviously religious and philosophical ideals are not enough to redefine the beliefs of society.

Rather than focus on the concepts of religion that preach to accept one as your brother or sister, society has remarkably been incapable of rejecting differences and embracing the idea of “oneness” amongst all humans. Certain members of society have deemed people of different race, gender, sexual preference, economic status and even religion as inferior. This is a reoccurring characteristic throughout humanity.

Citation: Lauren, Paul Gordon. The Evolution of International Human Rights. Chapter 1.

Who's responsible?

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 21:09:49 -0600

My professor told the class a story about her Intro to Human Development class. She was disturbed by the classes response to a particular section of the textbook involving sexual development. The class told stories of promiscuity and immorality amongst college students; and it seemed that the class agreed that this behavior is increasing amongst children and young adolescents.

The students in my class had many things to say on the topic. My teacher asked, “do you agree with this, and why do you think this is happening?” Many of the students hands reached high in to the air as they signaled that they had something to say on the matter. Most of the students were in agreement that parents were solely responsible for the problem. Many argued that parents allow their children to watch anything they please without any supervision or restrictions. Although I agree to some extent, I have to acknowledge my own background.

My mother is a single parent. She worked long hours after leaving my father. Should it then be considered her fault that I was able to watch any television show I desired? Is it the fault of the media for providing such trite? Should my mother be blamed for the lack of educational television available on the TV? Or is it her fault that she couldn’t monitor sufficient programs for a person of my age (at that time)?

The majority of the class insisted that the parents are to blame and media shouldn’t be censored in any way due to the first amendment. I still disagree with this wholeheartedly. Society is constantly shifting and the roles of parents in the house are changing. The media needs to “check itself” and start applying ethics and morals to their programming. The truth is, only 23% of Americans are even educated!! We need better programming for those that can’t afford all the luxuries of education, and even those who do. We need to change the role of the media so that mothers and fathers who have to work all day and night to feed their children don’t have to worry that their children are being educated by immoral television programming.

Just Saying.

BB.

A Bit of Light Reading

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:18:47 -0600

Indonesian minister “forced” to shake Michelle Obama’s hand:

http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet/2010/11/09/handshake/index.html

Obstetric Violence (The Politics of Birth):

http://feministing.com/2010/11/10/obstetric-violence-and-the-ongoing-movement-to-redefine-consent/

Not Free Speech:

http://feministing.com/2010/11/09/operation-rescue-member-found-guilty-for-wanted-posters/

Umm what?:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/nov/08/rape-case-woman-appeal

Campus Drama Over Protest Against General Discrimination:This is pathetic.

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 00:02:30 -0600

Campus Drama Over Protest Against General Discrimination:This is pathetic.:

Reposted from scissorshoes:

I can’t believe that anybody is standing up for such blatantly awful things, just because of a friendship or a relationship. Bull. Shit. It’s time to call your friends out, call your boyfriend out, call your girlfriend out, call your roommate out. Nobody should ever have to feel unsafe or…

Not Just Women's Issues

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 20:28:13 -0500

Dan reclined, arms crossed, head stuffed into his neck, dozing off as the (what he called) “blah blah blah” lulled him to sleep. The “blah blah blah” is a group of young women chatting about the importance of putting career and education before boyfriends, feeling empowered by their own ambitions, and the importance of self-love. Dan’s lack of interest in women’s issues is not uncommon and is made apparent by his stentorian yawns, sighs and reclusive body language. Even more common than a lack of interest is the tendency for the disinterested man to interpret a discussion about women’s issues as “man-hating.” Even though the conversation barely mentioned men and focused mainly on each woman’s individual goals and aspirations, Dan classified it as “women’s lib man hating stuff.”
Every time I mention the appalling statistics on violence towards women, inequality of pay and health coverage etc, I am confronted with this label of man-hater. So, what is it about speaking up about issues women struggle with everyday that makes men think I hate them? The issue is about overcoming gender barriers, it’s not about man-hating, its about women-loving. It is about women overcoming obstacles that challenge us every day, with solidarity. The problem is that as long as men interpret conversations about women’s empowerment as threatening and damaging to men there will be no resolution to important issues of gender equality. This is why we need men. Women do not need men to provide, to forage for food, to protect (usually from other men), to tell them what to do, when do it and how to do it. Women need men to relinquish their stronghold over society and admit that women are as equal and capable as anyone. Feminism has evolved since the suffrage of our great grandmothers and our :bra burning” (no one ever really burned bras) mothers but masculinity has remained basically the same. Gender is about both men and women and all the in betweens. Unless men join in the discussion of gender with real interest we will continue to fight an exhausting battle for equality.

Diversity Day

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:03:00 -0500

I am a student at a small liberal arts school in Florida that claims to foster a civic minded student body that encourages social responsibility. Our school holds an annual event called “Diversity Day.” Diversity Day includes a series of lectures related to race, religion, gender and sexuality. However, when it comes to the application of the equality talked about in these Diversity Day lectures the school falls short.

The school, which is around 60% women, has a four hour period of time just once a month that women can receive their annual exams. The health clinic would have to see around 224 women on the days that it offers gynecological services to meet the needs of all its female students. The school claims that we cannot afford to offer more availability to the women on campus and that the 8 days a year that women can receive care specific to their bodies are more than adequate. The school also doesn’t seem to care about issues of interpersonal violence or homophobia.

The NOW chapter on campus organized a lecture by Men Stopping Violence and asked that the school make it a fraternity standard—an event with mandatory attendance by fraternities. The head of Greek Life refused to make the event a standard without clear reasoning, even though a recently initiated member of a campus fraternity physically assaulted his girlfriend within the last year. Our administration seems to believe that a lecture regarding men’s responsibility to stop violence is unnecessary.

Other failures with administration regarding Greek Life include recent discrimination from one fraternity towards another fraternity with openly gay members. Pictures were taken of members from the fraternity and defaced with homophobic remarks and juvenile drawings of penises on the member’s faces. These photos were then sent out to all new members of another fraternity. The members of the attacked fraternity were obviously offended and felt discriminated against. They brought the pictures to the attention of the Greek Life staff. The gentlemen were pressured into doing “mediation” with the brothers that sent out the images instead of punishing the chapter responsible for the images. Here is the best part—the brothers who complained about the discrimination were required to host the “mediation” event, help pay for food and drinks, and were subject to fines if they refused to participate. Apparently victim blaming is the administration’s idea of reconciliation. Despite the absurdity of punishing the members that endured the homophobic remarks our “diversity embracing” school went ahead and did just that.

The students advocating for equality and a true appreciation of diversity continue to have their voices ignored or make slow progress towards change. All the while we hypocritically hold events that purport to hold those very qualities in the highest esteem. I want to know what these diversity initiatives are worth if our schools are too scared of bad publicity to address actual instances of discrimination? How do you fight for equality in a place that refuses to acknowledge that is doesn’t have it?

Are We Obsessed with the Right Things?

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 01:35:00 -0500

http://www.antilogic.co.za/advertising/breast-cancer-foundation-singapore-advertising/

The above link was sent to me by a friend. The blog, Antilogic, posted pictures from the new campaign for the Breast Cancer Foundation in Singapore. This month is breast cancer awareness month and yet the most advertisement I’ve seen was the “I like it on the floor next to my bed” posts on facebook (useless). I have to say, I’m usually opposed to gratuitous nudity and women’s bodies being used for commercial purposes but I’m super into this. I’m still weary that we are looking at fragments of women’s bodies but in this situation it serves the purpose well. We are literally looking right at a woman’s breasts but we are seeing other—less important—problems. We’re focused on how our hair looks, that giant pimple on my face, or worrying about weight, while overlooking our own health.

I’m pleased to see a campaign for breast cancer that is creative, amusing and shows breasts without sexualizing or trivializing the matter. Even the “facebook activism” for breast cancer is oddly tinged with sexual innuendo (what color bra are you wearing/I like it on the ____). What about posting on your facebook links to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, statistics or facts about breast cancer, or remind your friends to do a self-exam? Unlike slogans like “Save the Tatas” or Keep a Breast’s “I Heart Boobies” the Breast Cancer Foundation ad draws attention to the right problem. We are obsessing over the wrong things. Shouldn’t we love and want to save the women attached to the breasts—not the breasts themselves? Let’s take the sex out of cancer and focus on the real issue.

Here are some links about breast cancer:

http://www.nbcam.org/

http://ww5.komen.org/understandingbreastcancerguide.html

http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/

Mammograms save lives:

http://www.webstercitynews.com/page/content.detail/id/513028/Mammograms-save-lives.html?nav=5002

Fundraising isn’t everything:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/10/26/prwebprweb4704894.DTL

NYT and breast cancer conspiracy:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/health/26zuger.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Don’t forget about breast cancer as soon as October is over! Just because we have a month for a certain cause doesn’t mean the problem disappears the other 11 months out of the year.

One example of a MAN who understands how media plays a role in...

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:09:01 -0500

One example of a MAN who understands how media plays a role in the way women see themselves. A great rap artist who actually doesn’t degrade women in his rhymes… check him out.

A College Perspective

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 19:54:22 -0500

College life has opened up many opportunities for me to observe my peers. The conduct of my peers has left a troubling impression, especially in regards to the relationship between men and women. For example, women are incredibly vulnerable to sexual violence, and often face traumatizing challenges after the violence has occurred. Women endure mental abuse, gossip and name-calling, and sometimes even physical abuse. Men are the major piece of the problem and MUST become a major piece of the solution in order to end abuse against women on campus.

Men and women face extreme challenges and dilemmas while at school. So many of the issues within a campus go unnoticed because of a lack of discourse. There are rarely discussions on the obstacles faced by women on campus. I am a member of the Women’s Resource Center, and barely anyone on campus even knows of its existence. Thus, there are many reasons that I feel it is necessary to evaluate these obstacles faced by college students, especially women.

Women on campus have a disadvantage right from the start. On my campus, there is about 60% women and 40% men. This means, there are less men to choose from and women have a higher chance of sleeping with someone that fellow dorm mates and friends have also slept with. Women on campus are seemingly indifferent to the fact that they tend to lower their standards in order to achieve sexual satisfaction.

It is very important that women be in charge of their sexual needs, while also recognizing their emotional needs. It is very taboo in society today for a woman to expect too much from a man she sleeps with. Many women may even prefer it this way. However, I have many friends in college that have slept with many people, mostly in the same group of friends. Now, although she makes her own choices regarding her sexual desires, she has lost control and has begun to create insecurities within herself. These insecurities are amplified by the males involved.

Many men, post-sexual relations, recognize a chance for power. They use this power to weaken the female’s defenses. How can a women challenge the world-recognized ideal of the “virgin-slut?” On the one hand, a promiscuous women must hide her ways in order to uphold the greatly valued image of chastity. On the other hand, if a women really is a virgin then she a “prude” or a “tease.” Or she may be expected to present a mysterious promiscuous side. Either way, the expectations revolve around the needs of the men involved and not the women.

What sorts of things can women and men do on campus to prevent the occurrence of sexual violence and other types of abuse? What image do women present to men and what image to men present to women? How can we build a common understanding of our needs and desires, while also addressing the boundaries in which we wish to fulfill them?

Half the Sky

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 22:08:00 -0500

When reading about global gender inequity we often see problems without clear solutions. Nicolas D. Kristof and Sheryle WuDunn have written a book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, that personalizes the struggles of women abroad and offers an optimistic perspective on the continued fight for women’s rights. The book is a quick read and has a list of websites and organizations you can contact if you find yourself motivated to participate in the movement for human equality. Kristoff and WuDunn take the stories of individual women who’ve encountered the worst of gender discrimination (human trafficking and prostitution, reproductive and educational injustice, female genital mutilation) and give the reader simple solutions to raise the quality of living for women everywhere. This book helps you see the way that inequality affects people on an individual level, giving human faces to major global issues. Everyone should read this book.

A Bit of Light Reading

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 23:24:05 -0500

Obama administration releases report on how the recession has impacted women

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/10/21/jobs-and-economic-security-americas-women-report

UN report says men are doing more housework and more women pursue higher education. So we’re equal right? No.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/21/world/21nations.html?_r=1&ref=women

Iana Matei helps trafficked women escape prostitution:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/16/world/europe/16romania.html?ref=women

Indian lesbians feel pressured into heterosexual marriages:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/world/asia/20iht-letter.html?ref=women

florida proposes a new immigration bill that excludes white immigrants:

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/10/20/florida_immigration_canadians/index.html

Cheerleader at Silsbee Highschool in Texas kicked off her cheer squad for refusing to cheer for her accused rapist:

http://womensrights.change.org/blog/view/high_school_cheerleader_kicked_off_squad_for_refusal_to_cheer_for_her_rapist

CATW

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 21:50:00 -0500

Last night I attended Norma Ramos’ lecture, Trafficking & Sexual Exploitation of Women & Girls, at Stetson University. Ramos is executive director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), an international non-governmental organization to end the commodification of human bodies. During her lecture Ramos spoke with incredible empathy and compassion about the necessity of ending this form of modern day slavery. While explaining her progression from adolescent activism to working and living in the Bronx, Ramos communicated another message—it’s not easy to see all the problems we’re faced with, so it’s okay if you discover them gradually. Sometimes it’s as difficult to identifying with our oppressions as it is to face our own privilege and biases.

Ramos spoke of the moment she noticed that all the organizations she participated in were run by men. They were men’s organizations fighting racism, poverty, and exploitation. These groups welcomed women to fight against oppression but weren’t concerned with “women’s issues,” especially issues that concerned sex consumerism. The fight to end poverty and race discrimination created another epiphany about sex discrimination and its invisibility even amongst communities that participate other forms of activism. Problems that involve women are too often dismissed as merely “women’s issues.” The idea that issues like domestic abuse, objectification and rape are “women’s problems” for women to tackle alone while larger concerns are pursued is completely nonsensical. The reality is that any act of discrimination is everybody’s issue. Since women are most commonly the victims and survivors of male perpetrated violence I would argue that a better name is “men’s issues” and even better—this a human issue. Ramos addresses the complicated and insidious nature discrimination while recalling her time as a legal aid. She shows us that even “respectable” and educated individuals can be oblivious to their own indulgence in prejudice.

During her years of working in the Bronx, Ramos watched as prostituted women (most minority women) were subjected to sexual harassment (disrespectful comments, chiding and jokes) during their court proceedings. These women endured harassment and abuse by men both in the court and out on the street without respite. Although these men were judges, lawyers and law enforcement officials they felt no shame in continuing to reduce a prostituted woman to a mere object. The attitudes reflected by these men towards the prostituted women are based on a series of fallacies and myths about prostitution and women in general.

Women are often assigned value by their sexual desirability. We are expected to be the gatekeepers of sexual pleasure, which men pursue. Women who engage in sexual activity are often treated as less respectable than women who remain “pure.” Since prostitution is the act of exchanging sex for money women are even more stigmatized. One buys a woman with the intention to demoralize her. The buyer denies a woman her agency and identity she becomes a means to his pleasure while her benefits are few. The notion that a woman makes a choice to sell sex of her own volition is a lie that makes “Johns” feel better about buying a human being to get off. Women rarely (if at all) willingly choose to barter for food and shelter with their bodies if there are other opportunities available. Lack of education and employment opportunity due to poverty, neglect and abuse by family or strangers, drug addiction, homelessness and/or kidnapping are only a few of the possible constraints which cause women to sell sexual pleasure for a meal. Many prostituted individuals are homosexuals turned out of their homes or runaways seeking solace from an abusive family. The are the invisible poor and social outliers. What is obvious in these cases of prostitution is that problems specific to gender, race, class and sexuality become entangled in way that none can be fully addressed without the recognition of the other.

Ramos insinuates that reforms addressing prostitution must be innately feminist. I’d argue that feminism is as essential to any progressive movement for social change as anti-racism, anti-classism and GLBTQQI rights, because it fundamentally challenges traditional power structures and demands change from the bottom up. People like Norma Ramos have taken this very idea to heart and continue to fight for human equality through initiatives that at least attempt to understand the different manifestations of discrimination.

To combat the exploitation of women one must also address the obstacles, which make a prostitution a profitable industry (for those who do the exploiting) that brings in over 32 billion dollars a year. Sexism is only one part of the battle. We must ask ourselves about our own values and the true worth of a human life. Is humanity contingent on the color of one’s skin? Can we say how much dignity a person is entitled to by their gender, education, wage, or sexual orientation? Organizations like the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women seek a solution to a particular problem by addressing the general ways that this problem arises. CATW has an inherently feminist platform, which addresses the commodification and consumption of human bodies as blatantly dehumanizing and socially despicable. Humans are not products for sale, we cannot and should not be reduced to objects existing only for another’s pleasure or gain.

Women like Ramos emphasize the necessity of collaboration between activist of all just causes. The work she does for CATW approaches prostitution as the world’s oldest form of oppression in need of abolition not as the world’s oldest profession in need of regulation. In fact, Ramos calls for the abolition of all prejudices and the necessity to work congruently against all cases of injustice. Her lecture was filled with inspiring moments and plenty of statistics that would scare you senseless but the call to action through empathy was perhaps the most impressive part of Ramos’ lecture. She did a wonderful job demonstrating how the fight for equality is hindered when more weight is given to one injustice over another. The undelying message is that we need to work together, take care to understand the position of “other”, and be aware of our own privilege. But it’s also okay if you’re not there yet. It will come.

one person at a time

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:30:17 -0500

All it takes is one person to bring others together. I hope to use this blog as a means to educate, inform, and ask questions. There is so much going on in the world!! Earth is in serious jeopardy of no longer providing the resources to support us. Human beings AND the environment are being exploited. We no longer have a choice, changes must be made to secure the future. I care so deeply for the harmony of all beings that I wish to see everyone’s perspective and attempt to understand how others feel and think about these problems of our lifetime.

Please, we must come together and teach each other.

Changing the World

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 23:26:00 -0500

We are three sisters who love humanity. We believe in human dignity, social justice and human rights for all people. Everyone deserves the right to live a full and healthy life, free from the threat of violence and discrimination. Each of us has a different motivation and method for enacting social change—with our powers combined—we hope to change the world.