Issues facing woman and girls worldwide

[Earlywalker]

Thought it could be useful to raise awareness of issues facing woman and girls worldwide and discuss what we can do to help them.

Please do feel free to add to the list also as there will be loads that I’ve missed.

It made me very angry writing and researching this:

FGM - ‘the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and within communities from countries in which FGM is common’

FGM is still practiced within the UK and is of course illegal here, we have only had one successful prosecution since it was made illegal and it was February this year - www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-47094707

Girls are encouraged to not tell anyone about it, awareness for the communities and those around them is the only way we can end FGM here. With wider efforts needed accords the globe.

Safe access to abortion - this is not just something that happens in third world countries, this is happening on our very doorstep in the UK! Northern Ireland has still not updated its abortion laws. Woman are being forced to continue pregnancies, even if they are raped, even if it was through incest and this needs to change.

Child brides - 140 million girls will become child brides between 2011 and 2020 . Girls who marry before age 18 are typically denied an education, at risk of complications related to premature childbearing, and more vulnerable to intimate partner violence.

Maternal health - The World Health Organization estimates that 800 women die every day from preventable, pregnancy related causes. That’s nearly 300,000 lives per year needlessly lost during what is fundamentally a life-creating event.

Sex based violence 1 in 3 woman Experience physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime. I’m not sure what more I can say on this than attitudes need to change.

Access to education A 2013 report by UNESCO found that 31 million girls of primary school age were not in school, and about one out of every four young women in developing countries had never completed their primary school education. That number represents a huge pool of untapped girl power: that same report suggests that educated women are more likely to get married later, survive childbirth, raise healthy kids, find work, and earn more money, among other positives.

Trafficking of woman and children This is the fastest growing crime in the world, it pulls in an estimated $99billion per year and there’s an estimated 25 million people trapped in forced labour, with an estimated 71% being woman and girls.

It's part of the TRA script that they should now give more lip service to women's issues, to stop them looking so much like the anti-women-activists that they are.
It's a PR exersise.

Hence, you get Lily Madigan with "No to period poverty" written on "her" palm whilst grimacing slightly. LM can then go on to claim LM isn't trying to destroy women's rights, look.

Women have the right to treat a thread created by a TRA ally with suspicion.

I was responding genuinely to surprise about the spelling too. as is my right

Helmetbymidnight do you have anything to add about the actual topic of the thread? Perhaps you could start your own thread about spelling given how deeply you care about it.

Actual issues-

the attempts to normalise prostitution and pornography as "sex work" and the demonisation of anyone who opposes that as "right wing" or "Christian" or "puritanical"

The compelled enforcement of clothing. And by that I mean where breaking the rules results in criminal penalties - not the over dramatic moaning about Western women "having" to wear high heels etc.

I had hoped that we could all put disagreements on trans issues aside for the sake of a thread focusing on awareness and avenues of action on worldwide issues affecting women and girls.

I would hope so too. But would you & Bespin both support women’s rights to single-sex toilets, DV shelters etc? Sex not gender?

Just on smallsforall mentioned earlier. Don't send them your used underwear - they only want new pants or new/lightly worn bras - which makes sense in terms of health/hygience. So worth knowing before folks begin chucking used knickers at them. More info here:

[https://www.smallsforall.org/get-involved/donate/]

I’m not a TRA ffs, I’ve been on MN for years and fighting for woman’s rights before that.

If you think I shouldn’t be fighting for women’s rights because I disagree with some trans issues then that is your issue not mine.

If you disagree, don’t contribute.

This is why we need a separate space for feminism and GC feminism.

MNHQ I’ve requested for this thread to be moved into chat. I think it’s an issue more women should be involved in, and this is obviously a closed space.

You missed my point Early. I predicted that the thread had been created in order to be able to post faux sad comments that women on FWR are not interested in the terrible things happening to women and girls - and before 100 posts were out - there you were.

It's another attempted 'gotcha' thread.

I haven’t called you anything, Early. I’ve asked a simple question.

Why would I expect the women on FWR to not be interested in these issues?

You’ve got that completely wrong, I expected them to be and lots clearly are.

It's not that people on the feminist board aren't interested, it's just many of us don't 100% trust you.
Especially when your friend Bespin comes along to agree.

I don't trust this thread. As pp have said it's looking like a "gotcha" job.

Helmetbymidnight do you have anything to add about the actual topic of the thread? Perhaps you could start your own thread about spelling given how deeply you care about it.

i dont think starting another thread about it would be appropriate/acceptable on mn.

my care about women extends to spelling it correctly yes.
if i started a thread about issues concerning america or babies for example, and over 10 times referred to amerika or babbies, (while spelling everything else correctly) i would expect some posters would be curious about how on earth that confusion came about.

SuperLoudPoppingAction
Thanks for that link.

You know that TRAs hate the term 'female genital mutilation' right?

What has that comment got to do with this thread?

The Scottish government is as woke as it gets on any subject under the sun but has problem with the term. It's currently holding a consultation on it.

consult.gov.scot/violence-against-women-team/female-genital-mutilation/

Sorry, the consultation is closed - that was the report.

If you don’t trust the thread then don’t comment.

The links aren’t sending you anywhere other than where I’ve stated. You’re acting as if I’m directing you to the support Yaniv fund

I think the women suffering from these issues have bigger things to worry about than what they identify as, personally.

Feminism centres women, so can we please just have one thread discussing these women rather than trying to make it about trans women.

Back to the thread. Great charities mentioned here, they were new to me.

I for one want to be able to donate to charities that center women and girls, with healthcare, education, access to single sex toilets ( the fact this is not available everywhere is appaling and creates such as risk). Will go check these out.

Yes, do get this thread moved to chat. The more people are made aware of the latest tactics discussed last year, the better.
I feel the discussion reported below is also one of the issues facing women worldwide.

GETTING THE GRA WE WANT

This was a workshop with 3 experts sitting with groups and talking through activism. They were:

Helen Belcher (Lib Dems, Trans Media Watch)
James Morton (Scottish Transgender Alliance)
Alex Moore (GenderJam). Moore is from N Ireland.

James Morton gave some insight into tactics the TRAs will probably start using in England and Wales as they were successful in Scotland.

He said the TRAs need to build allies in mainstream women and children’s organisations so it looks like they care about them.

He also said what worked in Scotland's was a “constructive, friendly, innocent” tone when debating or in dialogue with the GC side. To be mindful about who is watching- essentially like what we do with the lurkers on the FWR board. To make the TRAs look like the reasonable side.

James also said that in dialect with elected officials, to clarify that the trans side aren’t silencing anyone but want to clarify the misconceptions being bandied around by GC feminists.

The Scottish GRA changes will probably be put forward in the 2019-2020 parliamentary year.

Belcher has been meeting with MPs and members of the House of Lords. Most of them don’t really understand the GRA and don’t have much time to think about it thanks to the Brexit FUBAR. “Education” of law makers is needed and that’s what Belcher is doing.

Apparently the TRAs lack the infrastructure they had in the 1990s and early 2000s so they need to think carefully and coordinate.

Belcher said to re-iterate to MPs that the EA2010 is not being affected and no one is losing any rights (wtf).

Apparently in terms of political support, the Tories are split about 50/50, Labour, Lib Dem's and SNP are all onside. The Greens were NOT mentioned.

The big fear on the TRA side is that this Government won’t survive long enough to get this through- again because Brexit.

According to Alex Moore, Arlene Foster of the DUP went to a Pink News event and didn’t seem to know much about this. In NI no one really cares about the trans issues because everyone is focused on same sex marriage and abortion.

Alex then moaned about the Together for Yes campaign’s transmisogyny and that the campaign completely erased the experiences of trans and NB people who need abortions. Alex would like a legal change of gender to be free of charge and as easy as changing your name.

Helen Belcher was annoyed at GC feminists using “emotive arguments” regards rape.

HB said that the pile ons pro self-ID MPs get from the GC side if they say something supportive of the trans side are not helping the GC cause. Maria Miller told Belcher that MPs got loads of abuse in the run up to marriage equality and that abusive messages, tweets from GC feminists will only harden MPs against the GC side.

HB also said something snide about “mouthy” female Labour MPs who speak before thinking on Twitter- especially on a Friday or Saturday night after they’ve had a few drinks.

Apparently the TRAs have civil service support and that the Stonewall report and Gov survey are strong bits of evidence they have which is helping them win arguments.

They are saying there is no risk to reforming the GRA and are asking MPs “what is the risk?”

In the group I was in they also talked about how changing your gender multiple times should be allowed and shouldn’t be seen as “bad intentions”.

James Morton talked about how they can get rid of “gender” markers on things like IT systems and places where it isn’t relevant- apparently GDPR might be able to help them here.

JM’s campaigning tips were to gain trust in the local community- and to approach moderate feminists, “correct misconceptions and forgive any ignorance they may have displayed”. They want to gain trust and make themselves likeable.

Apparently small acts like helping to campaign about period poverty or retweeting the local branch of Women’s Aid will make a difference and result in some reciprocation. They want to make it look like they care about Women's issues so they don’t appear threatening.

Apparently small acts like helping to campaign about period poverty or retweeting the local branch of Women’s Aid will make a difference and result in some reciprocation. They want to make it look like they care about Women's issues so they don’t appear threatening.

Which is exactly why I said, earlier on the thread, that I am picky about which charities I support and that they must be female led, female centred, and bottom up organised.

So, for example: FORWARD for FGM in the UK and women's issues in the developing world, and Freedom Programme for coercive control. The latter, in particular, because women exiting abusive relationships often have very poor boundary awareness. The inclusion of anything XY in this situation is a disaster.

There are many grassroots, female led and managed orgs worth supporting. But they don't tend to get the headlines and you have to do a bit of work to find them. Threads like this, well meaning though they may be, are an inch deep and a mile wide and rarely tease out the female centred work that actually marginalised, voiceless women need.

I think the women suffering from these issues have bigger things to worry about than what they identify as, personally.

Before this comment was posted, I was happy to take this thread at face value. But this is a comment used to silence women.
The implication is always that the issues women face are less important than those decided by men.
I've seen it used on Reddit, when posting about the issues refugee women face in camps. I posted about period poverty and toilet access and was told that periods would be the least of their worries.
I've seen it used repeatedly when men belittle women's concerns because women in other, non democratic countires have it so much worse.

The language we need to define and describe ourselves is critical and fundamental to our human rights. As we saw recently on a thread about lesbians being attacked at Pride for saying they are women who are attracted to other women - which is the legal definition of Lesbian - it is under constant and unremitting attack, and our rights will disappear along with it.

We can't fight for our rights if we cant define ourselves as a distinct group, or describe what we need. Legislation depends on accurate language.

I’m not completely sure what the aim of this thread is tbh. It does feel like a bit of a virtue leaflet display

But let’s see what chat makes of it

Recap of the charity’s and organisations to ensure they don’t get lost within the venom:

smalls for all where you can donate your old underwear to help those that need it both abroad and in the UK- www.smallsforall.org/

Anti-Slavery ideas for fundraisers and how to be vigilant on spotting trafficked people - www.antislavery.org/

CAMFED supporting girls to get an education - camfed.org/

Fistula foundation supporting woman with birth injuries - www.fistulafoundation.org/

BHN - supporting refugees - www.bhn.org.uk

Bloody Good period - donating sanitary wear to refugees as well as foodbanks and emergency situations
www.bloodygoodperiod.com/

FORWARD - African led working to end violence against women and girls - FGM focus
www.forwarduk.org.uk

Marie Stopes International - Helping women and girls with access to contraception and abortion worldwide
mariestopes.org/

Abianda - Helping girls affected by gang violence and culture
abianda.com