Women arrested for wearing tight trousers

Why? Because it's sinful? Woman shaming? Power mad men who need to control women? Report from Middle East Online:

JUBA, Sudan - A southern Sudan cabinet minister said on Tuesday that more than 20 women were arrested and beaten for allegedly dressing inappropriately under a new edict against "bad behaviour".

Ah, it all becomes clear. It's bad behaviour. That explains... nothing.

"Between 20 and 30 girls were picked up from different points, hurled into police lorries, arrested and taken to the police station and some of them were beaten," said Mary Kiden Kimbo, the gender, social welfare and religious affairs minister in the semi-autonomous southern government.

"This is absolutely not acceptable: it is not the job of police to judge what is and what is not a correct way to dress in such a manner of blanket punishment," she said.

The police crackdown on young women wearing trousers or short skirts follows an order from the commissioner of Juba county, the capital of southern Sudan.

Violence against girls and women is gender based violence and completely unacceptable and in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a dozen international treaties.

Most of the women, said to be in their late teens and 20s, were rounded up as they left Catholic mass in Juba on Sunday, Kimbo said.

Others were picked up in market places.

The order bans "all bad behaviours, activities and imported illicit cultures," according to a copy signed by Juba's commissioner, Albert Pitia Redantore.

Inappropriate behaviour may include wearing tight trousers, short skirts or skimpy tops considered "Western" attire.

The order, dated October 2, said it aimed to "preserve the cultural values, dignity and achievements of the people of southern Sudan, checking out the intrusion of foreign cultures into our societies, for the sake of bringing up (a) good generation."

Because shaming and beating women for wearing trousers is bringing up a good generation? Hardly. All that teaches, is that boy and men can use their strength to dominate girls and women. What about equality? And advocating non-violent means of communication? This was a show of force, to put women in "their" place.

Those deemed in contravention are liable to three months imprisonment. Those convicted for a second time face another three-month sentence and a fine of 600 Sudanese pounds (300 dollars).

Prison for wearing trousers? Shameful and disgusting.

Traditional values are important in largely Christian and animist southern Sudan.

Yeah. It's not only extremist Muslims that treat women appallingly. Extremist Christians have to be held accountable also. Violence against women should never be touted as a traditional value.

Reuters has their account under their Oddly Enough section. Oddly Enough violence against women is often put in this section. Liss at Shakesville has done a series documenting this. It is not odd news. It is the persistent downgrading of violence against women.

The deputy police commissioner of Juba County, Raiman Lege, said they were disturbing the peace by wearing trousers that were too tight. The group was freed Monday without charge after appearing in court.

Disturbing the peace? How is that then? What's disturbing about women wearing trousers? Despicable. Once again women are blamed for men's reaction to them. Have a read of this great piece by Ross at the Talent Show if you believe that women hold any responsibility for how women dress. Go on enlighten yourselves.

The Beeb has more:

Gender Minister Mary Kinden Kimbo said police had exceeded their authority and violated the women's human rights.

Yes.

All the women have since been freed and the government of the semi-autonomous region has launched an investigation.

Khartoum's imposition of Islamic Sharia law across the whole nation was one of the reasons why southerners took up arms.

However, the police interpreted [the order] as applying to what they deemed unsuitable clothing for women.

Cos men never behave badly

Ms Kimbo stressed that South Sudan was committed to protecting the rights of its people and that such behaviour would not be tolerated.

Good.

Earlier this year, women in southern Sudanese town of Yei were allegedly forced to strip in public by police officers and pay an unofficial fine for wearing tight trousers.

In yet another violent public humiliation against women.

Sexism in the Phnom Penh Post

Nice to see that the Phnom Penh Post is jumping on the "domestic violence is funny" bandwagon.

2 October 2008 page 20

The cartoon incorporates sexist language "Don't know why they're always drawn to the one's that beat them". It's supposed to be funny because the character is an anthropomorphous egg but really it's a judgement about women who stay in violent relationships. Ha ha ha eggs get beaten - hilarious. Domestic abuse is not funny. Gender based violence is not funny. How is it that this even needs repeating?

I find it disgusting that the PP Post would publish this cartoon at all but especially in a country with huge amounts of gender based violence and domestic abuse. Hardly a day goes by that I don't read in the paper about the rape, abuse and murder of women. I don't have enough sanity points to do research on that at the moment. If in doubt see posts under sexism, sexual exploitation, violence etc. Not funny PP Post.

And for those of you who think that it's much ado about nothing, I suggest you take the red pill from Liss at Shakesville.

Women's choices shamed

Women are berated for their clothing choices in today's Phnom Penh Post.

But now, many young women are causing cultural controversy by abandoning traditional attire in favour of skimpy ensembles.
Sok Sothun, chief of culture development at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Art, said that the sartorial choices of Cambodia's young women are undermining the Kingdom's traditional culture and morality.

Amazing the controversy caused by women wearing short shorts but the is no outcry when men wear nothing but a krama around their waists. Double standards indeed

"Our Khmer culture never had this before. People wore sexy or short clothes at home or to sleep but never in public places," he said. "Some girls go to the pagoda wearing short clothes. So what will happen when they kneel down to pray to the monk? It will not be suitable."

By extension, these women "deserve" to get raped because they are wearing skimpy clothes and men, monks or not cannot be expected to take responsibility for their own actions.

Also why are men not rebuked for the same action? Why refer to grown up human females are girls? Women is the correct term.

"We like wearing sexy clothes but we don't want to destroy Cambodian culture," said Srey Mon, a beautician at a Phnom Penh salon.

Women wearing what they choice to wear does not corrupt culture. I'm sure the Minister does not mean to imply that Cambodian culture is so fragile. As for morality, it is not for governments to legislate in a democracy. Admittedly the Minister says as much

"While we can't ban people from wearing modern clothes because our country is developing, we should do a spot on TV where young people will be able to see people wearing traditional clothes," admitted Sok Sothun.

The government needs to find ways of actively addressing the problem - but not through restrictive legislation, he said.

while implying that he wishes he could ban people for wearing modern clothes and he would do so if not for the pesky development issue.

Kim Vannara 17, student at Baktouk High School, said that she didn't believe wearing sexy clothes would impact on Cambodian tradition.

"We are only wearing modern clothes to fit in with the society around us, and Cambodia needs to go forward as a country instead of looking back to the past," she said.

Yes. A modern society is a gender equal society. Of course, no such animal exists but it is a goal to work towards.

There's nothing like making young women feel ashamed to brighten up the day, eh /sarcasm

What are you going to do to stand up against poverty in 2008?

Almost nine years ago, 189 governments pledged to end poverty by 2015. It takes time to achieve such a lofty goal but still 50 000 people die every day because of poverty. 35 000 are women.

Lousy maternal care, inequality, sexual exploitation, domestic violence and global gag rules that ignore reality, are some of the reasons why women suffer disproportionately.

It's time to stand up and order our governments to fulfill their promises. Governments are supposed to work for the people. Well it's time for a change. Order your politicians to end poverty now.

The Stand up against poverty 2008 campaign is in one month. What have you planned to do for it?

The campaign is very simple - we all demand our governments to fulfill the promises that they have made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The ground has been set. There are projects in place but there is a lack of political will and/or finances to eradicate poverty. So what are you going to do?

One simple way is to participate in Blog action day. Register and plan a post. Profbwoman has resources and more. All we are asking is for our governments to honour their promises - there's nothing too political about that eh!


Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

There are other activities and ideas so go ahead and stand up against poverty.

No, MTV. Domestic violence is NOT a joke

As Natalia says domestic violence is not a joke. Yet MTV Ukraine broadcast a segment debating whether it's ok to beat girls?

Though I found it hard to believe at first, the topic was “Can you beat girls?”

Yep, there it was, staring me in the face.

I went up to the TV screen and snapped a couple of pictures with my phone. Meanwhile, my table companions quickly became animated as they realized what I was reacting to.

“You’re not going to change anything by being outraged,” Miros’ka (not his real name) said. “Anyway, they have a right to ask an honest question of their audience.”

“This is not an honest question,” Christina (not her real name) argued. “It’s like they’re making a joke. They’re acting as though this discussion is appropriate for a light-hearted forum, as if it’s not a serious problem we face. I’m sorry, but would they get away with a question that was more like: ‘Is it OK to steal money from the elderly?’ NO. Why? Because domestic violence is treated like it’s normal.”

Shocking misogyny. How does this question even arise? It's abhorrent. No No, a thousand times no, it is not funny to joke about domestic violence. It is not clever or witty to ask if it's ok to beat girls. It is never ok. It is never funny. Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Domestic violence falls under that article.

No more.

If you are not with us...

From Heart referring to me

I will not be approving any of your comments until you e-mail me and give me more information about yourself. I went to your blog and see that you say you have been in Cambodia two years. You appear to be a man. Your blogroll is a virtual who’s who of pro-porn pro-prostitution people. My guess is you’re a john, a “punter,” a “sex tourist”, prostituting Cambodian people yourself and here to defend it.

I’m getting better and better at recognizing people like you. The day is going to come when I spam you before I read 10 words you have written. How dare you comment here as some sort of expert on Cambodian prostituted women, when what the truth most likely is, you prostitute them yourself.

Don’t comment here again until you e-mail me and tell me precisely who you are in ways I can substantiate independently because I’ll tell you what, there are many sick people on the internet, many of them prostitute women and I won’t have them commenting to this thread.

Yeah my dear friends, Heart thinks I'm a sexpat man because I made a few comments over at hers about Cambodian sex workers. It's un-frakking-believable.

The reason? I have the temerity to take offence at her for saying I don’t care how many condoms get handed out in the Third World somewhere.

So I left the following at her place

Well I care about condom distribution in the developing world (third world is pejorative now), I live in Cambodia. In Cambodia whether the sex work is through trafficking or voluntary the women call themselves sex workers. They feel that “prostitute” is pejorative. The major of sex workers in Cambodia turn to sex work through poverty, rape or trafficking and they are damned sure they want protection through condoms. People living with HIV are discriminated against and Cambodia has a high rate of HIV transmission.

It’s nice that you have the luxury not to care when you live in a country that withdraws billions of dollars in vital aid when condoms or abortions for sex workers are funded.

You have a choice not to care. You could choose not to be callous about that choice. But your government makes sure to put these women in further danger

She apologises for her remark. I add a few replies to comments addressed to me in a reasonable tone and bam I get accused of being a sexpat man. Charming, not to mention she's accusing me of a crime.

EDIT: Heart has removed her comment. She apologised for jumping to conclusions. She has not apologised for slandering me.

The virginity trade in Cambodia

VIA KI-Media

The clip speaks for itself. It is about sex work in Cambodia and contains stories that are disturbing. This is the a trailer for a feature length documentary by Matthew Watson.

Women are NOT objects

This is horrible

Government officials are importing 250,000 brides for frustrated lovelorn bachelors in Serbia. Social services chiefs are already in talks with neighbours like the Ukraine, Moldova and Russia and with Far Eastern countries like Vietnam, Burma and Cambodia.

Zeljko Vasiljevic, secretary of state for social policy, said: “There are 250,000 unmarried young men in Serbian villages who would like to get married but have no women to marry.”

The prize brides for the frustrated bachelors could come from further afield, explained the minister. “There is a lot of potential in brides from Cambodia, Laos, Burma and Vietnam. They have a tradition of bearing children. “And those girls are also good at agricultural work,” he added.

Women are not commodities. Woman cannot be imported. Women are not slaves. Women are more than their uteri. Women are not sex bots or baby making machines. Women are not prizes. Women should not be infantilised by being called girls. Women are not men's servants.

Women have agency and choice as all adults. Women have opinions and knowledge. Women have the right to refuse. Women are people.

The first article in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. All human beings. Women are human beings.

Caught between the tiger and the crocodile

Via Juliana Rincón Parra

Cambodian sex workers talk about their experiences, and their views on the law.



The popular opinion is that the the 2008 law to outlaw sex work was an election game and a strategic international move to curry favour. Whether this is the case or not, the police are using the law to imprison sex workers in "rehabilitation" centres. Money must change hands to secure a release.

The police strategy is to lock up women who carry condoms, assuming they are sex workers. Putting aside the issue of how messed up that notion is, it clashes with the 100% condom use campaign to reduce HIV transmission. The 100% condom use was working although there are issues of secondary sex workers and police harassment. The HIV infection rate is declining in Cambodia.

There is much more I could saw on the sexism, discrimination and human rights violations that the police are a part of. Instead, the sex workers speak for themselves. Too often sex workers are silenced but Cambodians are using the net as a easy way to get information out there.

When you've watched the vid, check out more from sexworkerspresent - vids made by sex workers all over the world.

A typical assault on a Friday night

Dancing in the Heart on a Friday night. Guy follows our group from the door to the bar to the dance floor. He grabbed my friend and twisted her wrist until she screamed. Then he let go.

She went over to security and they laughed at her. She got a male friend to go to security and he managed to get three guards to check out the perp but when they saw my friend there with tears in her eyes, they laughed and walked away, presumably because (a) it's funny when girls cry in pain and (b) the perp was probably a VIP and they cannot be expected to keep their hands off a pretty girl.

Nobody in officialdom cared and not even the guy who got security cared very much. All he said was "it's their culture. You have to respect it. It they hurt you, you must smile." In other words, violence against women is of no consequences, and quit complaining. Your wrist will be fine tomorrow. You can pay for a doctor.

Assault of a friend. No legal recourse. No rights. Sit down. Shut up.

What can one do? Nothing. Nothing legal anyway. No body cares about violence against women. People laugh at a woman in pain.

"It's their culture". I abhor the argument that violence in this context is cultural. Or that violence in any context should be preserved as part of a culture. It is the antithesis of human rights and the treaties signed by all nations. Additionally it is not part of Cambodian culture. The courts are doing slightly better with prosecuting the perpetrators of violence against women. What is part of the culture is silence when the perpetrator is an important person.

Mob rule

From KI Media

Cambodian police arrived in the nick of time to save a British man from a lynch mob after he allegedly savagely beat his girlfriend on the street, an officer said Monday.

David Finch, 42, of Birmingham, had allegedly been punching and kicking his 20-year-old Cambodian girlfriend on the footpath when his neighbours decided they could take no more, said Chhit Vuthy, deputy police chief of Psar Kandal 1 in the capital, the dpa reported.

"They formed a mob and managed to hit him hard in the head but we arrived just in time and then they had to let him go," Vuthy said. "He has no respect for Cambodians, and they were angry."

Mob and extrajudicial killings of suspected criminals remain relatively common in Cambodia.

It is certainly true that vigilante justice is meted out indiscriminately in Cambodia. One must always be careful.

A friend had a few dollars stolen out of her bag in the Russian market. If she had called out "thief (joao)" then that person would probably either have been killed by a mob or would have spent years in prison. A harsh price for stealing a few dollars.

As for David Finch, who "he allegedly savagely beat his girlfriend on the street", there is a certain frontier justice to the beating he received.

Disgusting

Violence against women is common in Cambodia. Here is another account of domestic abuse:

Phnom Penh - A German man was facing 10 to 20 years in a Cambodian jail after police allegedly rescued his wife in what they claimed Wednesday was one of the worst cases of domestic violence they had seen. Alvin Gossnol, 37, was arrested after police received complaints from his 38-year-old wife's family that she was being held against her will in their home and had been badly beaten.

Cheung Prey district police chief in theon eastern province of Kampg Cham, Heing Vuthy, said the woman had managed to escape a room she had been locked in for two weeks but had been unable to scale the locked gate because her hands were broken.

"She managed to attract the attention of a boy who was passing and he ran to tell her relatives, who called the police," Vuthy said by telephone.

"After we pulled her over the wall, she told us when they married in 2001, her husband had made a special stick to beat her with. If she got the stick for him herself, he didn't beat her as badly, but if he had to get the stick, he beat her very seriously."

...

"When we came back with a warrant, we found the stick, exactly as she had told us and it was still covered in her blood," Vuthy said.

...

Divorce is still frowned upon in Cambodia, and the women also frequently feel a financial obligation to their families to stay with their foreign husbands no matter how bad it gets.

Many women in Phnom Penh marry foreigners for a number of reasons - lifestyle, poverty, family obligations or perhaps they are not virgins. The reality is that abusers can be of any nationality or ethnicity.

It is possible that the prosecution of this abuser is a sign that violence towards women is becoming taboo. However, the more likely explanation is that in this particular case, the violence was extreme.

Freedom for women is, and will remain, limited until the taboo of divorce is lifted.

International Women's Day 2008

Happy International Women's Day 2008. Hope it's a great day for women and men.

In a perfect world, there would be no international women's day. There would be no need. And the old argument of "what are you moaning about, you've got rights now, man hating humourless feminist bitch" would just fall away. But, we don't live in that world.

We have Sean Connery, saying it's OK to smack your bitch up



The Washington Post just published its perennial women are dumb article. This article has both the denial of the rape crisis and the "sluts deserve it" attitude. Check out the history of IWD. Sexism hurts everyone. Really. Feminists are not man-hating bitches.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, discusses institutionalised discrimination in her press release today. Go read it all.

GENEVA (OHCHR) – Laws that discriminate against women are still to be found on the statute books of virtually every country in the world, and repeated promises by states to revise or repeal them are not being honoured, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said Friday.

Arbour... said a newly released report commissioned by OHCHR shows that “the effects of this failure to create true legal parity between men and women in all sorts of social, economic and political arenas is having a detrimental effect on women in many countries – sometimes to a devastating degree.”

Perhaps the most pernicious and dangerous discrimination involves sexual abuse that is not recognized as such under a country’s laws, or is in effect tolerated by legislation that is either vague or not enforced. “Rape is recognized as a crime in most legal systems,” said Arbour.

“But, even when it is, inadequate legislation or local traditions often mean laws are not properly enforced. In addition, at least 53 states still do not outlaw rape within marriage, and men frequently enjoy total impunity for physical as well as sexual violence against their wives.”...

“Many states appear to have simply ignored the commitments they have made,” Arbour said. “It is shameful that, in the 60th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, fundamental rights are still not enjoyed by many women around the world. In some cases, they suffer from multiple forms of discrimination, such as race, age or disabilities as well as their gender. Unless states take their commitments seriously, investing in women and girls will remain a matter of rhetoric.”

Don't stand for discrimination on gender, sexism, sexual assault or violence against women. Stand up. Be counted. Make sure your voice is heard. All genders have this responsibility as citizens of the world.

Assault is not a compliment

After reading all the horrific stories of violence against women in Cambodia and the lack of action on the part of the police, it is nice to read about a judge who takes assault seriously

Phnom Penh - A Cambodian man convicted of smacking a female motorist's bottom was handed a one-year suspended jail sentence and his friend was sentenced to the same term in absentia, a court official said on Wednesday.

Phnom Penh municipal court prosecutor Kry Soky said Van Theara, 22, remained on the lam after being found complicit in delivering a playful slap on the bottom to a female motorbike rider which his friend had claimed was meant as a joking compliment.

Assault is not a compliment.

He said Theara's friend, Khun Pheakdey, 18, had been ordered to pay compensation of $350 and released after already serving five months in jail for his moment of indiscretion.

Violence and assault are not moments of indiscretion, they are criminal acts and perpetrators deserve to be punished to the full extent of the law.

"This is not a funny story because funny stories do not end up in court. This is sexual harassment. A polite man takes a strange girl he likes by the hand, not by the bottom," Soky said by telephone.

The case was prosecuted after the victim's parents heard about the incident and filed a complaint to the court, he said.

It should be amazing that the judge has to publicly state that sexual harassment is not a joke, but it isn't. With the sheer number of rape jokes and the status of women in Cambodia, it is necessary to tell these truths in a public arena. It is not funny.

Once more with feeling: assault is not a compliment. Rape is not a compliment. Violence is not a compliment.

V Day

V Day is an alternate to the diabetes-inducing cringe-fest that is Valentine's Day. V Day is a global movement that campaigns for an end to violence against women and girls. It is fitting to use today, 14 February, for something other than an excuse to buy pretentious tack masquerading as romance.

Violence against women and girls is one of the most serious issues globally. As I have mentioned before, the number one set of people at risk of violence are women and girls. The simple fact of being born a woman puts one at risk of violence. That is over fifty percent of the planet's population before one discusses poverty, ethnicity, religion, terrorism etc. That is unacceptable.

In Cambodia, violence against women and girls is reported daily.

'Violence against women, minors up in 2007', Cambodia Daily 2-3/2/2008

'Woman doused with acid after seeking divorce', Cambodia Daily 5/2/2008

'Personal disputes spur rash of acid attacks', Cambodia Daily 7/2/2008

'Second victim dies from Jan 16 acid attack burns', Cambodia Daily 8/2/2008

Not to mention the violence against women all over the world

Rape Is Weapon in Kenyan Violence

Now in a shelter, a battered wife tells her story

Controversy over abortion rights for rape victims in Egypt

Our bodies - their battle ground: gender-based violence in conflict zones

GUINEA: Children exploited, abandoned, sold into slavery

Women 'bearing the brunt of war'

Liberia's child rape victims

Gang-rape victim says she and others silenced by Halliburton

Woman raped in park at knifepoint

Gender based violence is pervasive and present all over the world, regardless of culture, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or socio-economic status. It must stop.

Say no to violence against women. Don't laugh at rape jokes. They are not fucking funny and only serve to reinforce the rape culture. Liss on Shakesville is collecting examples. And to those who deny that we are living in a world where rape is part of society, I suggest you read this and this and this and this and this and this and this and this. There are plenty more.

Today is Valentine's Day.It is appropriate that today people reflect on gender and violence because isn't today the day we act out the an incarnation of traditional gender roles. Most violence against women and girl is committed by an intimate partner or relation. How many women will get a token of commercial love today and get the shit kicked out of them tomorrow? Too many.

Say NO to violence against women

What's one of the biggest reasons for suffering from violence?

- War?
- Racism?
- Extremism?
- Terrorism?
- Being born a woman?

One in three women is a victim of violence.

UNIFEM has launched a new campaign. Watch the video. Sign the petition. Tell your friends. Say NO to violence against women.

A 10 year old child cannot consent to sex

A 10 year old child cannot consent to sex. Therefore, it is always rape. How do people not understand this?

A judge's decision not to jail nine men guilty of raping a 10-year-old girl in an Aboriginal community has triggered outrage in Australia.

The offenders were either placed on probation or given suspended sentences for the 2005 rape in the Aurukun settlement, in northern Queensland.

In her ruling, Judge Sarah Bradley told them that the victim "probably agreed to have sex with all of you". From BBC News

A 10 year old child cannot consent to sex. Therefore, it is always rape. She cannot agree to have sex with anyone. How does a judge know about basic consent?

Another instance of blaming the victim because secretly she really wanted it. She is 10 years old and a gang-rape victim and the judge says that she "probably agreed to have sex with all of you".

Sickening.

Review of 'Sex with kings'

Just finished reading this 'Sex with kings : 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge' by Eleanor Herman and I feel very ambivalent about it. On the one hand, it is a very interesting read about a topic that is not covered often - women in history. On the other hand it is written by an author who insults her heroines and is clearly very sexist.

Women in history have been ignored or their lives explained away as anomalies. History is written by the strong and powerful and women's history has been ignored. Nevertheless women in the past ruled, became pirates, took lovers, led battles and triumphed. They do not deserve to be painted in only as an afterthought. So I like the idea and the history in 'Sex with kings'. The author uses primary sources and her research cannot be faulted. It is an interesting book and I would have loved it if it was not for the author's sexism.

It pervades the book and turned my stomach. She makes judgement calls on the heroines of the book. She refers to the king's mistresses as grasping whores, refers to the work as sin and their payment as their ill-gotten gains. Now I understand that these were the attitudes of the time and that this is a history book but her disgust for the métier of these women destroyed my enjoyment of the book. As the world knows, women did not have much choice or freedom under the political systems of the past. The work available included sex work. Why so does a soi-disant historian, who is familiar with conditions and restrictions of the time condemn these women so harshly for exercising the choices available?

Herman describes Madame de Pompadour's job as exhausting and high pressured. Madame de Pompadour always had to be 'on'. Sick days did not exist. She couldn't tell the king to leave her alone, if she wasn't in the mood. Her position was exhausting and it was constant. She had to be wary of usurpers and political plots. Her life was shortened considerably due to stress. And the lesson Herman describes herself as having learned, is to always to there for her husband and to never nag. When he arrives home, she gets up to make him a cup of tea and fetches his slippers and says that she'll never get divorces becayse she takes care of her man like Madame de Pompadour took care of Louis XV.

It is the wrong lesson. The lesson to be taken from these women who fought for and yielded power is that we are not here for anyone's entertainment. We have, mostly, the choice to say yes or no. We have the choice to be independent and earn our own way and it is a choice that few societies had. The women that Herman discusses were powerful in the only way they could be. Nowadays, many would be involved in politics. Diane de Poitiers might be president. She certainly made laws and signed official papers. These women were strong and deserve to not be insulted by a modern mistress wannabe, who has the freedom to choose.

Carnival against sexual violence

The 34th Carnival against sexual violence is up here and I was lucky enough to be included.

Go check it out!

Speak out against violence against women of colour

be bold be brave be red stop the violence
http://documentthesilence.wordpress.com/