#gender-based violence

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Source: Pratiyogita Darpan, October 2024

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Parents need to recognise that even if their sons aren't actively seeking out this content, social media platforms and YouTube are probably already feeding it to them via their algorithms. Boundaries should be put in place around what they're watching. That could mean curating their social media and including some fun, silly, interesting accounts to try and skew their feeds. There are good men out there and it’s worth boys seeing them. Here's another expert tip: If you have a tween or a teen who has an iPad or a laptop for school, look at the messaging app and search for the word 'bitch' and see what comes up Dr Westcott says language is so important in recognising how serious this is. "We do think we need to start using very specific language around this issue too, we're pushing for it to be referred to as gender-based violence against women and girls," she says.

Bec Sparrow, ‘Teenage boys are being 'bombarded' with misogynist content online. It's making its way into the classroom’, ABC

[thegeekanthropologist]

Book Review: Gender, Race, Identity & Batman in Gotham City Living

By Alissa Whitmore McCrystal, Erica. 2021. Gotham City Living: The social dynamics in the Batman comics and media. New York: Bloomsbury. Erica McCrystal’s ambitious Gotham City Living: The Social Dynamics in the Batman Comics and Media (2021) aims to trace the evolving representation of identity and criminality in the Batman universe, from the first comics in 1939 through 2019’s Joker film. The…

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The Neverending History of Discrimination

Hi! It's Teddie - let's talk discrimination.

I recently had the opportunity to read Mar Hicks’ “A Feature, Not a Bug” where Hicks discussed the explicitly ingrained role of gender discrimination and privilege in Silicon Valley and technology as a whole. One particular quote stuck out to me:

"[…] gender discrimination is baked in to the structures of high tech economies themselves, a critical part of their focus on concentrating power in the hands of those who already traditionally wield it. Gender discrimination is not a bug—it’s a feature."

What interested me the most was the way that Hicks’ article describes exactly how gender, sexuality, racial, ethnic, and other discrimination was incorporated into the evolution of modern technology, so that not only does it enforce pre-existing biases and prejudices against marginalized identities, but it also hides it behind a relatable valuation of talent. This connected deeply to a philosophical author George Yancy, who introduced the white gaze into a discussion of embodiment for racialized bodies. In his essay, “Confiscated Bodies,” Yancy literally coins the term white gaze to represent the way that in his, and quoted, experience, white people look and otherwise physically interact with “black bodies”. Interestingly, Yancy discusses the way that black bodies are singled out; objectified, sexualized, “problematized” – just for existing against a backdrop of white “normalcy”. By establishing a social norm of whiteness (this can be similarly extended to ability, beauty, gender, sexuality, and other races), the world, we, have conditioned the “abnormal” (those deviating from our previously established norms) to be something to be seen, confiscated, even owned. Then, even in situations where no one is being explicitly racist (/sexist/ableist/etc – you get it), these ingrained concepts of normalcy are still portrayed and act discriminatorily against these marginalized groups. This is exactly what Hicks is discussing, just on a larger scale; even if this scenario wasn’t intentional, it still allows these misguided norms to persist and exist despite decades of protest.

What’s more, Hicks perfectly describes another behaviour that Yancy writes about in his text: where this “metanarrative structure of whiteness” a large portion of its power is the fact that each time the white gaze acts, regardless of how intense the act might be, it continually suggests that racism (among all discrimination) is something that is historical, something natural, something not man-made. But this is false – racism is not a historical fact, it majorly came into play when colonizers stole human beings from their homes and treated them like garbage.

All those arguments that say we’re naturally trained to recognize abnormalities, that ancient civilizations were also racist, that it takes a long time to unlearn racism, are just not true. Sure, we as humans have exceptional pattern recognition, and can isolate things that don’t fit that pattern – but nowhere in that psychology does there exist a natural tendency to point out these differences and shame or discriminate against them. And unfortunately, the sentimentality that some people have for these “historical” acts of discrimination are not only unfounded, but just completely not an excuse…? Just because several generations were raised believing that the colour of your skin determines your worth, that does not mean you have any right to believe that same thing. Be better than them. (Like honestly, they also believed the sun revolved around the earth. But also, people still believe the earth is flat. So do with that what you will.)

(LMAO)

As Hicks claims, there’s not really any way we can just add more women to the field of technology, or idolize the women that make it far (because this only engenders more discriminatory behaviour by recognizing the outliers, or special cases of success). Unfortunately, we can’t demand these racist, ableist, sexist, “misguided but destructive” technologies and social constructs to collapse, as it would be impossible to undo everything that has already happened and start at the very beginning. But what we can do is see these hidden forms of misogyny, racism, discrimination, and from them learn how we can better understand one another as human beings and stop being “trapped by its negative effects”.  

[alchemusprime]

2 Cases of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: Blake Lively and Lynda Tabuya

It’s atrocious to see how blatantly gender-based violence gets perpetrated, with victim blaming, shaming, and worse. Having worked with many victims and some perpetrators, I know the root cause is usually sexual abuse of young boys, who become perpetrators. Gender-based violence is ahorrifying intergenerational plague that is still very much alive and well. Add to that the toxic patriarchy, rape…

[africaprimenews]

Nigeria: Foundation Engages Girls  In Essay Competition To Combat GBV

By Justina Auta   A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Tabitha Cumi Foundation (TCF) has organised a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) essay competition for in-school and out-of-school girls to create awareness on prevention and where to seek help when abused. Mrs Tayo Erinle, Executive Director of TCF, on Tuesday in Abuja, said the initiative, themed “The Role of Education in Preventing Gender-Based…

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Luke's Place

Yesterday was the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women and I created a thread on my socials and want to add the information here as well because I think it's really valuable.

I don't often talk about my day job as a frontline crisis counsellor and care lead at a women's shelter on here because frankly it's a stressful job and I need healthy boundaries between it and my personal or online life.

However, one of the biggest challenges faced once women enter the shelter after leaving the person who caused harm is navigating the legal system. A tool we have accessed for aid in Ontario law (this is important the laws are different everywhere, so this is specifically for Ontario, Canada where I live) is Luke's Place. Many people who follow me are American, but for Ontarians, this is an invaluable resource.

Luke’s Place was founded because of the tragic death of Luke, a 3 ½-year-old Durham boy, killed by his father during his first unsupervised access visit. They have free info on their site for legal and family court support, free summary legal advice, court and custody survival workbooks, and much more.

In addition to all that they do research and policy reforms, service provider training and resources including the After She Leaves Manuel, Tech Safety Toolkit, and Emergency Motions Toolkit. Some of the safety advice will apply even outside Ontario.

lukesplace.ca/for-women/

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Once upon a time at a taxi rank

"Once upon a time at a taxi rank", a review of Obett Motaung's 'A Streetcar Named Desiree' at the South African State Theatre in Pretoria, until 24 November 2024.

PANDERING to the house husband. From left, Lucky Mqoboli, Sibusiso Mkhize and Kamogelo Molatlhoe, in A Streetcar Named Desiree, at the Sibusiso Khwinana Theatre, State Theatre Pretoria. Photograph by Nqaba Hadebe. HOW DO YOU hail a taxi in your city? Do you know where it will take you? Do you know how you should dress to do so and how you should pay the driver? It takes a very sophisticated…

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Percentage of women killed in war doubled in 2023: UN report 

The proportion of women killed in armed conflicts doubled last year compared to 2022, accounting for 40 per cent of all deaths in war, while UN-verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence increased by 50 per cent.

The UN recorded at least 33,443 civilian deaths in armed conflicts in 2023, representing a 72 per cent increase compared with 2022, and the proportion of women and children killed doubled and tripled, respectively.  The majority of recorded deaths, 70 per cent, occurred in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel - the deadliest conflict for civilians in 2023. Women in war zones are also increasingly suffering from restricted access to healthcare, the report said.  For example, every day, 500 women and girls in conflict-affected countries die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. By the end of 2023, 180 women were giving birth every day in war-torn Gaza—most without necessities or medical care. “Women continue to pay the price of the wars of men,” said Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women.  “This is happening in the context of a larger war on women. The deliberate targeting of women’s rights is not unique to conflict-affected countries but is even more lethal in those settings.”

Resolution 1325 (2000) recognized women’s vital contribution to the prevention and resolution of conflicts.  It called for warring parties to ensure the safety of women and girls, and for women’s full involvement in peace processes. Yet despite commitments made over the years, women comprised less than 10 per cent of negotiators in more than 50 peace processes worldwide in 2023. This is occurring even though studies show that when women are involved, peace agreements last longer and are better implemented.

The report noted that one of the key challenges is severe lack of funding.  While global military expenditures reached a record $2.44 trillion in 2023, funding for organizations and movements that support women’s rights average just 0.3 per cent of total aid annually.   Furthermore, investments in gender-based violence prevention and response make up less than one per cent of all humanitarian spending.

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Indigenous Women's Voices on the Barriers and Opportunities Towards their Inclusive Socio-Economic Development (CSW68 Side Event).

The Government of Canada, in collaboration with the Province of Manitoba, and the Ontario Native Women's Association will host a side event framed to demonstrate the economic experiences of Indigenous women, and how economic prosperity is closely interlinked with safety and poverty. This side event will centralize female Indigenous voices in a moderated panel discussion on socio-economic development, including on remaining barriers and potential paths forward. The panel will feature speakers who will speak to empowerment, entrepreneurship, academia and opportunities for economic advancement.

This panel will highlight the lived experiences of Indigenous women, including but not limited to those who are survivors of gender-based violence, while also sharing stories of prosperity and healing. Presentations will also consider opportunities to strengthen global understandings of the unique experiences of Indigenous women, and share best practices in centralizing and understanding the diverse voices and experiences of Indigenous women.

This event will enable conversation and collaboration across Indigenous organizations and international partners working to advance the rights of Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit Peoples.

[alchemusprime]

3 Behavioral Perspectives on Gender-Based Violence

Recently, I was on a UN Women-European Union panel discussing gender-based violence in Fiji. The statistics, to the extent we can obtain them, are staggering. Almost 2 out of 3 women in Fiji experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. From some of the work I am currently undertaking, I understand that child abuse is also on the rise. Many of my clients have experienced some form of…

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The Role of Gender in Fiscal Policy

Fiscal policy, the government’s use of taxation and public expenditure to influence the economy, is a critical tool in shaping a nation’s economic landscape. While fiscal policies traditionally focus on factors such as inflation, unemployment, and economic growth, the role of gender in these policies is gaining increased attention. Recognizing the differential impact of fiscal measures on men and…