Words of Women: International History Project and Essay Competition

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Aug 282007
 
An International History Project and Essay Competition
A Project of Herstoric Proportions
Capturing Forever the Words of Women

Words of Women, since 2000, is an international effort to chronicle the important events in the lives of women and to tell the stories of the Most Influential Women in Our Lives for the next 100 years. Essays gathered annually from around the world, written by women and girls, will record what we considered important. Words of Women is an opportunity for all women to have a voice and to ensure that history is recorded from our point of view.

We invite you to participate in this year’s world wide Words of Women Essay event by writing an essay of your own and by sharing this information with a friend or two, or 3, or 4, or more. *

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 Posted by Fempeace on August 28, 2007

The Crisis Facing Iraqi Women–Honor Killings, Suicides and Misogynist Passport Rules

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Aug 272007
 

As if what we’ve posted to this blog in the last week isn’t bad enough, here are 2 more horrific stories about what is happening to women in Iraq.

The Taipei Times reports on the mind-boggling number of honor killings and suicides in Kurdish Iraq.  According to one of their sources, Aso Kamal, there have been 12,500 women murdered for reasons of honor or who have committed suicide in three Kurdish provinces since 1991.  There were 350 such deaths so far this year.
The Women’s Union of Kurdistan in Sulaimaniyah has recorded 83 cases of women burning themselves in the first six months of last year and 95 in the first half of this year.

But women trying to flee the region are, in a word, screwed.  According to the Hartford Courant, Iraqi law requires that women must have permission from a male relative to obtain a passport, a requirement, that aside from being totally misogynist, is all but impossible for many women who have lost their male relatives to violence and war.  Passports can only be obtained in Baghdad, a journey that is far too long and dangerous for many women to make.

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 Posted by Fempeace on August 27, 2007

With Gratitude

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Aug 272007
 

Many, many thanks to Christine Cupaiuolo at Our Bodies Our Blog for her wonderful post on the posts on our blog about the crisis facing Iraqi women and the connection that has to women in the U.S.

Thanks also to Adam Howard and Heather Gehlert at Alternet for cross-posting “The Specific Impact of the Violence of War on the Lives of Iraqi Women”.

Both have  significantly driven traffic to our site and helped raise visibility of this very important story.

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 Posted by Fempeace on August 27, 2007

Maternal Childbirth Fatalities Rise in the U.S.

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Aug 272007
 

Will someone please explain to me how it is that the rate of maternal childbirth deaths are going UP in the richest nation in the world? The official explanation? Increased maternal obesity and the ridiculously high and medically inappropriate rate of c-section births.

“Some researchers point to the rising C-section rate, now 29 percent of all births — far higher than what public health experts say is appropriate. Like other surgeries, Caesareans come with risks related to anesthesia, infections and blood clots.”There’s an inherent risk to C-sections,” said Dr. Elliott Main, who co-chairs a panel reviewing obstetrics care in California. “As you do thousands and thousands of them, there’s going to be a price.”"

Memo to American obstetricians–profit and insurance liability are not excuses for callous disregard of maternal health.

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 Posted by Fempeace on August 27, 2007

WOZA Members Arrested

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Aug 252007
 

Press Release from WOZA (Women of  Zimbabwe Arise):

At four am yesterday, Law and Order police officers went door-to-door in Bulawayo arresting members of WOZA. Six women and a one-year-old-baby were taken. Other members refused to open their doors in the dark.

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 Posted by Fempeace on August 25, 2007
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