The Pixel Project VAW e-News Digest: Edition 15

Welcome to the 15^th edition of The Pixel Project’s VAW e-News Digest! As usual, we bring you the latest and most relevant news related to violence against women and efforts at eradicating it from around the world.

It is very disheartening to face continual let-downs by people who should know better and by people who have the power to change things. Sometimes, governments refuse to act to seek justice or prevent violence against women. Sometimes, companies promote rape culture or a culture that either glorifies or trivializes violence.

Two examples can be found for the two mentioned cases: with its wide reach and popularity among young fashionable women, it is distressing that MAC released a fashion line inspired, and thus glorifying, the high levels of femicide in the town of Ciudad Juarez. It is also distressing that governments such as that of Malaysia refuse to take stronger actions and conduct investigations into the rape of women and girls of the Penan tribe.

There is much that encourages us, of course. Despite the high number of celebrities involved in violence against women, from Roman Polanski to Steven Seagal to Mel Gibson, there are also more celebrities using their influence to raise awareness about violence against women, including Nicole Kidman and Susan Sarandon. Even more importantly, there are people around the world, working either through small organizations or larger international bodies, who seek to better the status of women around the world and eradicate violence against women.

Every contribution matters. If you have any news you’d like to share concerning violence against women, reach Karina at karina.tayag@gmail.com. If you prefer to follow up-to-the-minute news concerning violence against women, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/thepixelproject.

We can stamp out violence against women, together.

Regards,

The Pixel Project Team

General Violence Against Women news

Afghanistan: Violence against women on the rise since the war

Canada: Violence against women a silent and deadly epidemic, killing many Canadian women and women around the world

India: Workers in India’s slums look to combat eve-teasing among slum dwellers

Malaysia: Violating our health – violence, in particular gender-based violence, is a major cause of morbidity and premature mortality in the country

Pakistan: In the six months of 2010, nearly 3000 women victimized by violence in the Punjab region

United Kingdom: Germaine Greer comments on Half the Sky

United States: Horrifying – MAC releases a fashion line ‘inspired’ by Ciudad Juarez, a city with an extremely high level of femicide – an estimate of 5000 victims

Domestic Violence

Canada: The government of British Columbia is recommending changes to provincial family law in order to address domestic violence

Canada: Former McGill professor invents detector for date-rape drugs

Lebanon: Lebanese government urged to adopt domestic violence act

India: The Delhi government is launching a training programme for its medical officers to help victims of domestic violence

India: The Domestic Violence Act faces an uncertain future in the city of Ludhiana

India: A survivor of domestic abuse tells others how to fight it

India: Women oppose a general resolution regarding domestic violence act

New Zealand: Stress linked to murders in the home

Papua New Guinea: Government of Papua New Guinea makes firm commitment against domestic violence

Thailand: Domestic violence rising, with adultery cited as the main ‘cause’

Turkey: CNN coverage on domestic abuse in Turkey

United Kingdom: In Worcestershire, a group geared at raising awareness about domestic violence gets a new leader. More groups like this should exist!

United States: Arnold Schwarzennegger’s budget does not include funding for domestic violence shelters – the second time in a row

United States: Domestic violence in GLBT communities examined

United States: A good article in response to Mel Gibson’s abusive behaviour. Includes signs of an abusive relationship and the emphasis that emotional abuse is real abuse

United States: Counselors dealing with couples involved in abusive relationships need to have more expertise

United States: Camp Create provides much needed creative therapy for child domestic violence survivors

Rape and Sexual Assault

Canada: Proposal to put ‘rape’ back in criminal code (instead of ‘sexual assault’) abandoned

Haiti: Nicole Kidman uses her influence to speak out against the sex crimes going on in Haiti

Malaysia: Rape, a growing statistic

Malaysia: Activists in London protest the rape of Penan girls and women

Malaysia: Human rights group urges the government to take the rape of Penan girls and women seriously

United Kingdom: Shortage of rape medics hampering convictions

United States: Roman Polanski faces another rape allegation

Sex / Human Trafficking

United Kingdom: As the United Kingdom prepares for the 2012 Olympics, groups warn against sex trafficking

United States: Susan Sarandon speaks out against child sex trafficking

Spain: Spanish daily launches probe into sex trafficking ad

Spain: Spanish Prime Minister calls for ban on sex ads in Spanish newspapers

Honour Killing

Canada: Ottawa may add ‘honour killing’ to Criminal Code

India: India struggles to stem rise in honour killings

India: The Love Commandos try to assist those vulnerable to caste-based honour killings

Turkey: Honour killings wrongly understood as something unique to Kurdish culture, study finds

Female Genital Mutilation

Uganda: Uganda praised for its ban on female genital mutilation

United Kingdom: Female circumcision growing in Britain despite being illegal

United Kingdom: British girls undergo horrors of genital mutilation despite tough laws

United States: New law could help immigrants escaping from female genital mutilation to gain asylum in the US