Breaking Norms and Noses: The Rise of Myanmar’s Female Kickboxers by Kelly Macnamara

As part of our “Untold Stories” series, we meet some of the women fighting against Myanmar's ingrained gender discrimination by competing in Lethwei, a ferocious, no-holds-barred style of kickboxing.

YANGON, Myanmar – The rings these Myanmar teenage girls dream of have nothing to do with wedding bands. For them, it’s all about the boxing ring, the blood-and sweat-flecked stage of the country’s no-holds-barred traditional kick-boxing style Lethwei, known as one of the most ferocious martial arts in Southeast Asia.

Bike Lessons Help Immigrant Women Feel at Home in Amsterdam by Gaëlle Faure

When Mama Agatha started teaching women how to ride bikes, she thought it would help them keep fit. But she soon learned that for many women, simply hopping on a bike becomes an act of independence.

Mama Agatha’s free class has taught more than 1,700 women how to ride a bike, allowing them more freedom in cycle-friendly Amsterdam. Photo by Courtesy of The Sound of Applause

In Amsterdam, it might seem like everyone knows how to ride a bike – but that’s not quite true. For residents who grew up in other countries, the skill of balancing on two wheels is not a given.

Photo Essay: The Pictures That Give Comfort to Kashmir’s Women by Aliya Bashir

Zoona Begum sitting in her kitchen with the photos of her sons, Manzoor Ahmad and Abdul Qayoom, who were killed by Indian forces in 1994. Photo by Aliya Bashir

CHANDERHAMA, Kashmir – On a recent cold morning, Zoona Begum, 55, climbed a small ladder to reach the attic of her one-story house in this small hamlet in north Kashmir. She opened the lid of a large aluminum storage trunk and pulled out two picture frames holding photos of her sons, Manzoor Ahmad and Abdul Qayoom, who were killed by the Indian armed forces in 1994. Both were militants and had joined the fight against Indian rule in Kashmir, which many Kashmiris consider to be a military occupation. According to official figures, the violence in Kashmir and Jammu has claimed 43,000 lives since the clashes began in 1990. Human rights groups say the true death toll is much higher.

Lingerie shop claims discrimination over window display

KENNESAW, Ga. -- A local lingerie store swapped advertisements featuring thin models for women of different colors, sizes and abilities. Now, they say, in a "body shaming" move, they're being told to take down the ads.

What's Missing From This Photo of Politicians Deciding the Future of Women's Health? by TIM MURPHY

President Donald Trump met with the arch-conservative House Freedom Caucus at the White House Thursday to try to hammer out a deal on Obamacare repeal. A major question in the final negotiations? Whether or not maternity care and mammograms should be considered "essential" treatments covered by all health insurance policies under the Republican proposal. ("I wouldn't want to lose my mammograms," quipped Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who supports scrapping the requirement. He apologized.)

The White House happily snapped a photo of the gathering that will go a long way toward deciding the future of women's health in America, and EMIILY's List, the group that works to elect pro-choice Democratic women to Congress, also blasted out a photo of the event to reporters. Notice anything?

Thinking Sex: Notes for a Radical Theory of the Politics of Sexuality by Gayle S. Rubin

The Sex Wars

'Asked his advice, Dr. J. Guerin affirmed that, after all other treatments had failed, he had succeeded in curing young girls affected by the vice of onanism by burning the clitoris with a hot iron . . . I apply the hot point three times to each of the large labia and another on the clitoris . . . After the first operation, from forty to fifty times a day, the number of voluptuous spasms was reduced to three or four . . . We believe, then, that in cases similar to those submitted to your consideration, one should not hesitate to resort to the hot iron, and at an early hour, in order to combat clitoral and vaginal onanism in the little girls.’ (Zambaco, 1981, pp. 31, 36)

EIC : 'Government approved' Sex Education in India

https://youtu.be/EiIxkOah09E

Why do women defend Walcott? by Katy Evans-Bush

However brilliant a poet Derek Walcott is, as a teacher he saw his female students in terms of their sex, not their brains

My body by Agents of Ishq

https://youtu.be/6ate2zf1Xhk

Hormones Ki Jaankaari by Agents of Ishq

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asedba0SRcE

Reproduction system in human beings ANIMATION VIDEO by Agents of Ishq

https://youtu.be/vOdoO7LHNJs

http://www.sahaya.org/graphics/reproduction_no_text.pdf

Hyena Man Trial Exposes ‘Sexual Cleansing’ Rituals in Rural Malawi by Rumbi Chakamba

The conviction of a Malawian man who slept with underage girls as part of “sexual cleansing” rituals signals that the custom may not be tolerated. But his two-year sentence has activists questioning how strong the justice system’s resolve is for ending the practice.

When Eric Aniva, an HIV-positive, self-professed “hyena man” who had sex with over 100 women and girls in Malawi as part of a “sexual cleansing” ritual, was sentenced to two years in prison in November 2016, women’s rights campaigners were conflicted. On the one hand, they said, Aniva’s conviction sent the message that the practice of “sexual cleansing,” which Malawi banned in 2012 under its Gender Equality Act, would not be tolerated by the courts. But on the other hand, they argue, his two-year sentence is not enough to deter other hyena men from accepting payment to have unprotected sex with women and girls – some as young as 10.

Self-confessed "hyena man" Eric Aniva was arrested after he revealed that families paid him to have sexual intercourse with their daughters, a traditional custom in parts of rural Malawi meant to prepare girls to become good wives. Photo by (AFP/Eldson Chagara)

Aniva first gained international attention in July 2016 when he revealed in an interview with the BBC that families in the Nsanje district were paying him between $4 and $7 to have sex with girls after their first menstruation. Aniva told the interviewer that he was HIV-positive and had not disclosed that information to the families who hired him. After the interview aired, President Peter Mutharika ordered Aniva’s arrest and prosecution, issuing a statement saying that “these practices … go against the vision of development that seeks to ensure that the youth [in particular young girls] are able to achieve their full potential.”

In parts of Malawi, “sexual cleansing” is performed on girls when they reach puberty and also when a woman is widowed, has a miscarriage or terminates a pregnancy. In most cases, the act is arranged by the family of the girl or woman involved, and she has little say in the matter. Cultural beliefs hold that if she refuses, she will bring bad luck to her entire family. No protection is used during the ritual, so it spreads HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Mutharika had originally called for Aniva to be charged with defiling young girls, but due to a lack of witnesses, he was instead given the lesser charge of “harmful cultural practice” for having sex with newly widowed women.

According to Girls Empowerment Network (GENET), an NGO working in southern Malawi where “sexual cleansing” is practiced by rural communities, the act of having sex with a “hyena man” is part of a girl’s initiation into womanhood and usually occurs at camps where young girls are sent to be taught about intercourse. Most of the information focuses on how to sexually please a man, with no information on contraception or the dangers of engaging in sexual activity at an early age, says GENET spokeswoman Tamara Mhango.

Towards the end of the initiation camps, girls are exposed to the practice of “kusasa fumbi,” where they are forced to have sex with a man in order to be “cleansed of childhood dirt.”

Mhango says that towards the end of the initiation camps, girls are exposed to the practice of kusasa fumbi, where they are forced to have sex with a man in order to be “cleansed of childhood dirt.”

“Once you have completed initiation, you are certified to be a woman and you are no longer a child,” says Mhango. “Such practices are not only harmful, but rob girls of their childhood and life. Most girls who undergo such practices usually marry early or become pregnant.”

A 2012 study by the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health shows that in southern Malawi, 57 percent of girls aged 12-19 have undergone initiation rituals (higher than the national figure of 43 percent), some of which included “sexual cleansing.” The researchers found the practice was most popular among the Yao and Lomwe tribes, the dominant ethnicities in the region, with up to 75 percent of girls having participated in “sexual cleansing” ceremonies.

When girls leave these initiation camps, “they are encouraged to try out what they have been taught, and this in turn encourages early sexual activity,” says Mhango. “It is therefore not surprising that Malawi has the worst statistics on child marriage in the sub-Saharan region, with nearly 50 percent of girls marrying before reaching the age of 18.”

Rights campaigners say the practice of “sexual cleansing” goes against Malawi’s Gender Equality Act, which prohibits “committing, engaging in or subjecting another person to a harmful cultural practice.” The maximum sentence for anyone convicted of the offense is a fine of 1 million kwacha ($1,370) and five years in jail.

Emma Kaliya, spokeswoman for the Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre, says she was surprised by the short sentence handed down to Aniva and doesn’t think it will be much of a deterrent. “On the positive side, the message sent was that if people continue to do this kind of thing, the law will catch up with them,” she says. “However, on the negative side, one may think, ‘I can continue to do it – even if they arrest me, I will only go away for two years.’” Various human rights groups, including the Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre, have called for a review of Aniva’s sentencing.

But Kaliya, like other rights advocates, says it’s rural communities themselves who need to take up the responsibility of ending the practice. “The people in the community were accomplices to Aniva. In my opinion, they should have been arrested and tried alongside him, because they knew what was happening,” she says. “They watched and encouraged it, but nothing happened to them. Even the mothers and fathers of Aniva’s victims were not held accountable.”

- https://www.newsdeeply.com/womenandgirls/hyena-man-trial-exposes-sexual-cleansing-rituals-rural-malawi/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdxAMq52Ja0
https://www.naij.com/58608.html

Walt Disney The Story Of Menstruation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLhld_PI2zg

https://youtu.be/eLhld_PI2zg

What is FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZL7qJAB3aWk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iem22LaP6R0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBvqW9Jde7A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7qEbT0ODmI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUvrHsPaTSo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmgjEdF7jNQ

Make Bharat Mata Proud, Become A Nationalist In 4 Easy Steps by Sonakshi

Mitron, Namaste.

As you all know, our Bharat Mata has gone through a lot in the past.

She has seen thousands of her children get killed in violent protests, violent mob lynchings, violent rapes; and in Delhi, in violent fights over diverse issues such as space in parking lots, in gyms, in restaurants, in restrooms.

Bharat Mata has gone through a lot in the past... she has braved it all with a forgiving smile and folded hands.

So far, like a good Bharatiya Nari, she has braved it all with a forgiving smile and folded hands.

Bharat Mata in happier days.

But today, her soul is weeping. Today, she is angry. Because today, she faces a threat like never before--the threat of anti-nationalism.

Anti-nationalism (n): 1) The act of shouting slogans against the country, or 2) the act of shamelessly existing within a 252km radius of the echoes of such slogans, or 3) the act of blasphemously stating (and may my God forgive me for saying this), that people who've done 1) or 2), gasp, do not deserve to be hanged to death without a fair trial.

Bharat Mata right now

Yes, no number of her own children being brutally massacred has ever upset Bharat Mata as much as those 3.5 anti-national slogans uttered in JNU. And mitron, the pain of our Bharat Mata has not gone unnoticed.

Every family has a Tau... responsible for shouting down naughty children into obedience. Well, our government has very honourably decided to be the Tau to India.

You know how every family has a Tau, a person who is responsible for beating up or shouting down naughty children into obedience? Well, our government has very honourably decided to be the Tau to India and its many anti-national children. (Forgive me for this terrible and untrue analogy; a few Jats were about to burn down the internet if I did not give them reservation in this article.)

So as a humble bhakt of the Tau, and a loyal daughter of Bharat Mata, today, I want to teach you a lesson in nationalism.

Now you might imagine that this is going to be a boring lecture, to understand which you'll actually have to work your brains, like the classes those JNU traitors are conducting. Thus threatened, you might be tempted to wander off to a funny gif-full article, but please guys:

Because I have great news! Nationalism is no longer difficult and old-fashioned!

Now, you don't have to risk your life to protect the country (like Captain Pawan Kumar), or take up the battles of the oppressed (like Soni Sori), or contribute to the nation in any meaningful way (like Azim Premji) to claim to be the proudest nationalist around.

[Nationalism] can be practiced by any Amar, Akhil or Anmol. (Note: A slightly more demanding version is being developed for the Akbars and the Anthonys.)

In association with Tau, I bring to you a shiny-new, Chetan Bhagat-ized version of nationalism: popular, feel-good, super easy to understand and devoid of any real substance. And the best part? It can be practiced by any Amar, Akhil or Anmol in the country! (Note: A slightly more demanding version of this nationalism is being developed for the Akbars and the Anthonys of the country and will be out soon. Keep your eyes peeled!)

If this look of intense nationalism (and avoiding sedition charges) is #goals for you, read on.

Let's go!

Step 1 : Drill the tricolour into your head

Apart from inventing the whole of modern science 70,000 years ago, smart ancient Indians also discovered that being exposed to the tricolour for long hours results in the generation of patriotic energy.

Here's a picture explaining Anupam Kher's mysterious increase in patriotism in recent times, after hours of exposure to the tricolour, courtesy Mr Sambit Patra.

Sikander Kher looks on as father Anupam Kher utters his now-iconic words, Jai Ho, for the first time.

In light of this definitive evidence, it is suggested that all Indians get the tricolour drilled into their heads, so that the patriotic energy produced seeps into their brain through the hole.

A 15-year-old CEO has already raised funding for an app called PatriotKart, where you can get your monthly supplies of nationalism, including iron-gloves for better beating...

If that sounds terrifying and painful, fret not, because nicer alternatives do exist.

In fact, a 15-year-old CEO from IIT has already raised funding for an app called PatriotKart, where you can get your monthly supplies of nationalism, including miniature tanks, iron-gloves for better beating, BMKJ lockets, and even classics such as A Selection of 1000 Complicated Sounding Comments to Post Randomly on Anti-National Sounding Articles--delivered right to your doorstep!

Step 2 : Join the Freelance Bhakt Army (FBA)

It's the most exciting digital start-up in India right now!

See, you get to fight people (online or off it) for the sake of nationalism; often, you get paid by Tau for doing so--and all of this, without any risk to your life! Can being in an army get any easier?

Tau's motto--"shout people down (on the internet), beat them up (in real life)"--is essentially the job description of a freelance bhakt like me. All you need to do is :

1. Comment on every offensive article, accusing the writer of anti-nationalism and/or incest.
2. Beat up people (if possible, to death) who've done the gravest acts of anti-nationalism, such as shouting slogans, eating beef, not standing up for the national anthem, dancing naked, using condoms, having fun, etc.

Step 3: Join the Let's Improve India's Image on Earth (LIIIE) campaign

The LIIIE campaign is based on one of India's most lasting traditions, honour killing, which in turn is based on our motto for life-- "log kya kahenge". As you know, many nasty crimes take place in our country, which, unfortunately, like Miley Cyrus, we can't stop.

If you join this campaign, you help our country deal with this menace in a practical and nationalistic way. All you need to do is suppress or counter any discussion about any major crime/problem in the country, so that the international media doesn't cover it.

This helps in duping foreigners into believing that Coldplay is in fact right, and India is a 100% trippy, colourful place where no gang-rapes happen and no rationalists are killed, so that they continue to put in money in our stable country, even as we hashtag #AtithiDevoBhava.

Step 4 : Respect all things

Respect (in all Indian languages): being 100% deferentially respectful to the subject in question and never daring to criticize it, because people's feelings get hurt when others disagree with them, and it is your duty to make sure that the feelings of any of the 1.2 billion people in the country are never hurt by what you say.

To be a true nationalist in India, you must respect the following things from the bottom of your heart:

• Sacred texts such as Bhagavad Gita, Quran, Supreme Court judgements, etc.
• Gods, prophets and other associated people such as Durga Mata, Prophet Mohammed, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji, Salman Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, etc.
• All people belonging to the majority for the sake of peace.
• All people belonging to the minorities for the sake of peace and political correctness.
• Bharat Mata.
• Tau.
• Cows.

And we're done, folks! That's all you need to know to get-set-serve the nation.

[W]e need to create a country where everyone looks different and talks differently (#diversity), but reacts to each thing that happens in the exact same way (#unity).

Always remember that our mission behind this nationalism is to emulate one of the most successful and flourishing societies of modern times--the Gokuldham society from Taarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma. Like Gokuldham, we need to create a country where everyone looks different and talks differently (#diversity), but reacts to each thing that happens in the exact same way (#unity).

How all kinds of true nationals must react to anything that happens in India. 

One India, one opinion! Jai ho!

Disclaimer: I love India and I hate anti-national slogans calling for Bharat Ki Barbaadi. The point of this article is that all of this does not make me a 'proud nationalist', and definitely does not make it right for me to beat up, viciously defame or wish death to people whose guilt has not been proven by fair trial. In short, please don't arrest me. 

- http://www.huffingtonpost.in/sonakshi/how-to-be-a-true-national_b_9345626.html?utm_hp_ref=india

WOMEN'S DAY: महिला दिवस पर लोक गायिका मेघा श्रीराम डाल्टन

https://www.facebook.com/bbchindi/videos/1158924150805825/

http://bbc.in/1U6u61c

Why Women Marry Into Boko Haram by Odharnait Ansbro

Since it began its military campaign against the Nigerian government in 2009, the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram has kidnapped hundreds of girls. But some young women join the group voluntarily, raising questions about how to help them when they come back home.

Women and children rescued by Nigerian soldiers from the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram arrive at the military office in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Photo by AP/Jossy Ola, File

Four years ago, Aisha Mamman was studying for a diploma in accounting when Boko Haram attacked her town, Bama, in northeastern Nigeria. Now she’s a 25-year-old mother and the ex-wife of a Boko Haram commander.

Lok Sabha passes Maternity Benefits Bill - For discussion

The first part of the Budget session of Parliament started on January 31 and concluded on February 9.

The second part of the session began today.

The Lok Sabha passed the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016 today. The Bill had already been passed by the Rajya Sabha during the Winter Session. It entitles the women working in the organised sector to paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, up from 12 weeks.

Autonomy: The Precious Resource for Filipino Women by Sonia Narang

The mining industry is having dire consequences for women in the Philippines, encroaching on their land and causing domestic conflict. Filipina activist Judith Pasimio is encouraging indigenous women to stand up for their natural resources and human rights.

What Were You Wearing? by Gaya Lobo Gajiwala

What Were You Wearing? - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXlERIx9S8A


Poem by Gaya Lobo Gajiwala

I’ve been wearing men’s gazes
for so long now 
that mere wolf whistles 
no longer pierce my calm.

My ears dont tingle 
and my cheeks dont burn 
in fact I don’t even have the urge 
to turn and say,

http://indianexpress.com/article/trending/voice/video-international-womens-day-ive-been-wearing-mens-gazes-for-so-long-now-4557359/

https://www.buzzfeed.com/soniathomas/women-are-really-fed-up-of-being-asked-what-they-were-wearin?utm_term=.mcOqDYdGq#.bdv29pNX2

Muslim woman candidate to fight against domestic violence

IMPHAL, March 8 - Despite a fatwa being issued against her for contesting election, Manipur’s first Muslim woman candidate Najima Bibi said she wants to continue her fight against domestic violence and work for uplift of Muslim women.

Bhanwari Devi: A Hero We Failed By Maduli Thaosen

This essay is part of the #IndianWomenInHistory campaign for Women’s History Month to remember the untold legacies of women who shaped India, especially India’s various feminist movements. Each day one Indian woman is profiled for the whole of March 2017. 

Giving women a voice in literature by Melissa Evans

What do you want to be when you grow up? I was quick to raise my hand many years ago at a high school career day event: A novelist.

And I expected this career to be mine immediately upon graduation, because, why not? I was humble about it; I probably wouldn’t make the top 10 of any best-seller lists right away. So in college, I started writing for the school paper, figuring a bit of practice couldn’t hurt.

What it takes to implement a law on sexual harassment at workplace in India BY ANAGHA SARPOTDAR

The Vishakha guidelines (1997) affirmed that sexual harassment of women was common and resulted in violation of their fundamental rights to life and liberty guaranteed by the Indian Constitution. The Apex court specified that the guidelines would be binding and enforceable on all employers until the Indian Parliament enacted suitable legislation to replace them.  Looking at the dismal and faulty implementation of the Vishakha guidelines, fourteen years later a Joint Parliamentary Committee (2011) recommended a special law safeguarding rights of women at workplace. The Committee concluded that given the patriarchal nature of Indian society, the number of women needing redress from sexual harassment at workplaces was high.

EIC Outrage: Women and Temples

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoMEdl7R6j0

Gurmehar Kaur's Grandfather Shames the BJP: Do Not Teach Us Nationalism THE CITIZEN

THE CITIZEN BUREAU

Thursday, March 02,2017

NEW DELHI: A clearly distressed, and hurt, grandfather took to the television studios 

to speak out against the filthy campaign unleashed against his “beti.” With tears in

his eyes Kanwaljeet Singh expressed his deep anguish to television reporters of the

attack on his granddaughter Gurmehar Kaur asking if this was the “reward” the BJP

had for the family of his son killed in the Kargil war.

Close-Up and Myntra’s Valentine Ads Featuring Gay Couples is a Step Forward and Need to be Supported

I came across this advertisement for close-up toothpaste and was pleasantly surprised to see it featuring two guys as a couple for the Valentine’s theme. Myntra has been regularly featuring same sex couple ads. This is indeed heartening for the large LGBT community which is hiding behind the shadows for fear of persecution by the “morally upright” individuals of our society.