SIANY GUNAWAN WRITES – In Indonesia, the debate on women’s rights has accelerated in response to political and social challenges. More and more women are being sexually abused and, according to women’s legal counselors, the alleged violence had continued for years. The National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) recorded…
Full Article INDONESIA: WOMEN’S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS…AREN’T THEY?
ABDULMOHSEN Al JUMA WRITES– South Korea is undergoing a measure of major social upheaval with regard to how women are treated in the country. Change has been catalyzed mainly by a myriad of scandals that rocked the country over the past year. Despite having the 11th largest economy in the…
Full Article South Korea: Another Battleground for the Feminist Movement
SARAH Al-MUWAD WRITES– Is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the fifth largest country in Asia, actually working towards female empowerment? And is this to advance the kingdom’s international reputation, which has recently taken a huge hit? The answer is yes. On February 23, history was made when the Kingdom of…
Full Article Saudi Arabia: What Can A Princess Fix?
NAWAF ALSABAH WRITES — The kingdom of Saudi Arabia has recently been in the spotlight—unfavorably — for its unforgiving treatment of female activists. In late 2018, the country made headlines following the killing of Saudi journalist/activist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. This brought…
Full Article SAUDI ARABIA: How Being a Female Activist in Saudi Arabia is Becoming a Matter of Life and Death
NADIA ALJOJO WRITES – According to a Saudi Arabian cleric, Saad Al-Hijri, “women have half a brain,” and once they go shopping they, “return with a quarter of a brain, [so] how can she get a driver’s license with a quarter of a brain?” Although later punished for speaking such…
Full Article SAUDI ARABIA: Women Driving in Saudi, Women’s Rights Victory or Economic Ploy?
ASIA MEDIA WRITES – Julien Blanc and his company Real Social Dynamics (RSD), have been banned from entering Singapore. The cause? A petition started by a local on change.org. Blanc and his company RSD, based in California, promote the use of violence and threats to seduce women to have sex. As…
Full Article SINGAPORE: Abuse is Not AttractiveANGELINA PRAT, LAUREN SAYLOR, AND ELODIE INTROIA WRITE – In a patriarchal society that has fought to keep women unheard, Haifaa al-Mansour has found her voice. The film Wadjda was not only the first Saudi film to be written and directed by a woman, but also was the first to be…
Full Article WOMEN IN ASIA: A Game Changer for Saudi Women- WadjdaAUSTIN SZABO WRITES – Though they’ve reported on floods, bombings, wars, and protests in some of the most dangerous places in the world, female journalists in Pakistan and India are still threatened and mistreated at home. Despite repeated calls for change from groups ranging from the United Nations to the Women’s…
Full Article INDIA & PAKISTAN: Female Journalists Face Dangers in the Field and WorkplaceAUSTIN SZABO WRITES – The hanging of four men convicted of rape and murder will do little to stem misogyny in India. The solution lies with the media and how it represents women. From 1990 to 2008, the number of reported rapes in India more than doubled, according to official…
Full Article INDIA: Sexy Commercials Keep Women VulnerableJEREMIAH FAJARDO WRITES – When hasty, controversial remarks find their way onto social media the result is rarely good for politicians. That’s a lesson Osaka Mayor Tōru Hashimoto has come to learn. According to publications like The Japan Times and Mainichi Daily, two of Japan’s prominent dailies, Hashimoto recently made flippant…
Full Article JAPAN: Mayor’s ‘Comfort Women’ Remarks Shock FacebookWall Street Journal writer Maria Abi-Habib’s recent article in that newspaper on the rights of Afghan women in the present, and the direction their rights are heading towards as the US withdraws from Afghanistan, is compelling and urgent. Although 11 years have passed since the ousting of the Taliban regime by U.S. troops, citing…
Full Article AFGHANISTAN: What Future for Women’s Rights?