Blog #13: Nigeria passes anti-gay bill

On Tuesday nigeria passed a law that bans gay marriage. Anyone Who is convicted of homosexuality will face 14 years in prison. If anyone is found to have helped With a same sex union can face 10 years in prison and this targets those who work in a support group, friends, family and maybe even a stranger that tries to stick up for homosexuals. A month ago the British prime minister, David Cameron, threatened to Withhold aid from African countries who Violate gay rights. Many African nations were offended because many of them were colonized by the British and they feel this is a colonial display of power.

I think that it is wrong that Nigeria has passed this antigay bill because it is very unfair and stripping people of their basic human rights. Many people are at risk to go to prison just for trying to help homosexuals have some type of justice. While i think that is wrong i also feel it is wrong of the British to give them an ultimatum. I feel Cameron should have known they would feel "salty" about this ultimatum because in history the British invaded and colonized them. They are basically keeping their power over them and i feel nigeria is trying to prove they will do as they please. Despite what is sad. I think Nigeria needs to let go of this anti gay bill and British needs to find other ways to combat injustice and help Nigeria get where it needs to be. They should help because they want not with stipulations because though this time it is for a good cause who is to say next time or if they
Keep continuing that they won't go to far.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/30/world/africa/africa-gay-rights/index.html?hpt=iaf_c2

excessive force

The Bahrain government has recently admitted to using excessive force against protesters two days before an independent inquiry will release their findings. These protests are demanding political reform and greater freedoms. The Shiites are the majority but the Sunni’s are ruling the country. 20 officers are now facing legal action due to the mistreatment. More than 30 people have been killed due to the protesting and 1,000 people, whom are mainly Shiites, have been detained and 2,000 have lost their jobs.  The government has maintained that their actions are justified and needed to maintain security but since the findings from the independent inquiry will be released they seemed to have just “fess up” about what they were doing. Also due to the fact that a 16 year old boy, Ali Al-Badah, was ran over and killed by a police car on Saturday. Witnesses claimed the police purposely drove the car into a group of protesters thus killing the young man. After Ali Al-Badah’s funeral major up rise began and police have begun to respond violently. For example, armed forces targeted a Shiite mosque and left it damaged and many injured.

This is upsetting because they are stripping away the Shiites basic human rights. Also, the Shiites are the majority whereas the Sunni are the minority but yet they are ruling. There is obviously an inequality in the country because they are fighting for freedom and political reform. How can the minority represent what the majority wants when they will allow them to have no say? Most times when minority groups rule they forget about the majority, who in a sense are treated like the minority. There is always a great discrepancy between the two groups, their lifestyle and living standards. They should allow the Shiites to have some form of representation in their government and life and have greater freedoms. It is not right they are using excessive force and killing these people and most of those who have been killed were Shiites and it seems they are being targetted especially after the Shiite mosque being damaged. They would not do that to their own kind and since they arent they will treat them any kind of way, its inhumane

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/21/world/meast/bahrain-unrest/index.html?hpt=imi_c2

Blog 11: Women Rights;Childbearing

After the world welcomed the 7 billionth inhabitant there has been a lot of talk about women and the birth rate. With this growth rate we are welcoming 78 million people every year. There are many concerns with the birth rate because some areas the population is too high and they do not have enough resources to provide for their citizens while others population are beginning to drop due to low fertility, aging and a disparity in the women to men ratio.

            Africa population growth of 2.3% a year is putting pressure on the economy because the government can’t provide education and health services to their citizens. Women do not have a voice when it comes to childbearing. Many of these women are giving birth too early, too late or too closely spaced. They do not have contraceptives available in some areas or when they are available they have to walk many kilometers. There are not many choices for these women. Not only do they not have access to preventative measures they also have social pressures.

            In Africa children solidifies a marriage and women are expected to have large families because their children ensures their economic survival in old age and they also gain status and respect for having children. Women get their identity from their children. Women would be shamed if she did not have children or “enough children”.

            Women should be able to make decisions about children and their own body/health rather than having someone else make them or worrying about what society believes. They should be educated on their choices and options to contraceptives and they should be easily accessible. They should be able to make their own decisions based on their lifestyle, how many children they have already or would like and also when. Sometimes there are often health issues that go along with giving birth but some women still feel pressured to have more children because of their society and they want to keep a “good name” within the community so they put their and their child’s health at risk.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/world/africa/melesse-seven-billion/index.html?hpt=wo_bn7

blog #10: Battle to Israel

Many thousands of refugees from African countries make a journey to Israel. These refugees are trying to get away from their war-torn countries to Israel for a better life for their family and economic prosperity and stability. Though they have these hopes many people do not make it past the border because they are usually killed by the Egyptian border guards. In El Arish the hospitals are full of people who did not make it and the morgues are full. The Bedouin tribes around the border are very brutal; they resort to violence, raping, torture and blackmailing. They will capture the refugees, torture and or kill them, if they kept them alive they will usually blackmail their family and ask for a large amount of money and if it wasn’t sent they would kill the family member. Hamdy Al-Azazy, is the head of the New Generation Foundation for Human Rights, and he spends many hours of his days searching the desert to find corpses and give them a proper burial. Though he is doing that there still remains many bodies that are nameless because they did not have ID or they were too decayed to identify.

                This is inhumane, though they are doing this illegally rather than killing, blackmailing, and torturing they should find other ways. This tribe is being very ruthless and stripping them away from their human rights. Though they did break the law they cannot instantly come to the decision to end their life. There are other organizations trying to help these refugees and keep them from being tortured. They aren’t coming to hurt anyone they are just trying to have a better life for their family and should be given a chance. If needed, they should take an appropriate punishment. What is being done now is that they are being tortured over a long period of time, they call families and ask for money to get their family member back or for the tribe to keep quiet and smuggle them in, and then after they get the money they may be let go or they may just throw them in jail for a year or two. When they should just be getting the jail sentence or maybe get off with a warning. You can’t just kill and torture thousands of people daily and just leave them there.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/02/world/meast/egypt-refugees/index.html?hpt=wo_mid

week 9 China's Growing Population

Since about 1979 China has been trying to cope with their growing population. They set the one child policy as a temporary emergency policy to keep the birth rate down for the next couple of generations. If not for this policy the world’s population would have already hit 7 billion people. After this policy was implemented it has prevented 400 million births but China still has lingering effects. Due to this one child policy law many families prefer that their child is a male in order to keep the family name going. They also may abort their daughters, which can lead to sterilization if not properly done, or not take adequate care of them because they want their son to be strong, healthy and educated. Due to this China is estimating that due to their decline in fertility they will have an aging population. Also, for every 100 girls born there is 123 boys this ratio will cause there to be 30 million unmarried men by 2020.

They do not know what to do about their population because it is aging, unequal ratios and they are already limiting their citizens rights by only allowing one child per family. Each family that has more than one child can be forced to have an abortion or face a serious fine. Though I do think they did what they thought was best for the world’s population they still do not know how to cope with this. Some Chinese citizens feel that they wish they could have had siblings so they would not be so lonely but that isn’t what is best for the world. Many families also wish they could have bigger families, sort of the “nuclear” family in a sense. I don’t know what more there is left to do about the population. This isn't fair because it dictates how people must live, they are fining people because of families and it can dictate laws and societial norms and what is and is not acceptable. It goes alot deeper than the surface and we already live in a male dominated world. What are they going to do about the aging population and the fact that this generation has alot of infertility and the lack of women because of this one child policy?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/28/world/asia/china-one-child/index.html

Blog #8 Girls given equal rights to British throne under law changes

                Girls now have an equal chance to the throne based on changes the British put into effect on Friday. Typically throughout history the males were the only one with the chance to the throne. Though there have been few Queen Leaders. Usually if there are older girls and a boy happened to be born though he may not be of age he would receive the throne before his sisters does. This new law states that an older female will have precedence over her younger brother. Also, this means that a British monarch may now marry a Catholic. Individual governments still must agree upon this change but this new law will apply to the future children of Prince William and Catherine.

                This is historic because usually the younger brother would get precedence over his sister just because he is a man, not because he is qualified.  They are also trying to get rid of the Act of Settlement  that was passed in 1701, it bans a UK monarch from marrying a Catholic to ensure that the Protestants held the throne and Church of England. This is great because they have been talking about doing this since the 1950s and it is finally happening. Though it would have been nicer to have it done earlier it’s better late than never. It took some years but change towards equality, at least to the UK throne, are steadily happening.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/28/world/europe/uk-monarchy/index.html?hpt=wo_c2

Blog #7 Portugal's Debt

October 15, 2011

                Portugal is currently facing a debt crisis. Many people are living above their means and are not able to pay off their school loans. Even those who have earned their degree have a degree but no job to show for it. A few of the people interviewed stated that this would not be the worst of the crisis. That many of the wealthier people have not and will not even notice because when they are taxing 15% of their income it comes out to virtually nothing. They state January is when the crisis will become the worst because housing, gas, public transportation, bread will be at an all-time high once again.

                A lot of students can barely afford to pay their rent. Minimum wage is €485 and a one bedroom in Lisbon can cost up to €400 and it is steadily rising. After paying their rent they will have to struggle and a lot of the residents state that they are used to giving up things and living on less. At the same time there is a point where it is too much… One lady had an ovarian cyst, the hospital told her they could not afford an anaesthetic so she had the option of biting onto a towel during her surgery and not once did she ask for a person in management to debate them on her options. She just did it. Also, people are still spending money as if nothing happened and just putting it onto credit cards. This is not going to help the country at all because those who struggle will continue to struggle and those who are not affected may not be affected at all or it will take a while for them to feel it.

                Many places in Portugal were once thrifty and now certain areas have more because the people make more income. A lot of people wait for Christmas bonuses in order to get what they need, where as in other portions they can buy expensive cars and sunglasses any time any day because they are not in this crisis. Those bigger cities, in my opinion, should be helping out. There is no reason why a woman should have to pass up something that should be provided for her because they can’t afford it while others are buying hundred dollar shades. In some countries if they raise the price on school lunches children won’t even be able to eat and that is definitely a problem.

Week 6: Women in Combat

                Australian women will soon be able to be in front-line combat along with men. On Tuesday Australian government will gradually phase the change into the military. Women will be allowed to serve as Navy ordinance disposal divers, airfield and ground defense guards, infantry, artillery and armored units. In efforts for gender equality in male dominated positions the Australian government said that they will judge women as they judge men for the military – based on if the ability to do the job. There are not many countries in the world that allow women in combat with no restrictions. These countries are Canada, Germany, South Korea, France, Spain, New Zealand, Denmark and Israel. Within the next five years Australia will be soon to follow. Typically Australia had the same policy as the United States for their women.  It is very rare that a woman will be allowed to serve in combat units but women do when it is not culturally acceptable for men to interact with local women.

                I feel that this will be great for women who want to serve in combat positions. The United States has gradually integrated women inside of combat positions but I’m not quite sure if they will ever officially allow women to do so. Women who want to serve their country in combat should be able to if they are fit and able to fulfill the position they want. Though personally I wouldn’t it is great for these women who dream of this opportunity.  Since Australia is changing their policy maybe the United States will be soon to follow as well since the world and mindsets are changing. I guess the Australian government is going to do this over a span of five years to get the men “used” to this idea that women will soon be serving with them. It would be kind of awkward to just change the policy and “throw it upon them” but at the same time… why not?

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/27/world/asia/australia-women-combat/index.html

Week 5: Tradition forces girls into prostitution

                In some Indian villages, a tradition that was once a religious obligation is now forced onto young girls because they live in poverty stricken communities. Many men do not see this as an issue and some families send their daughters to be prostitutes to relieve them of an obligation so to say. The daughters can make $20 a day and that is a lot for them because most families can live off a dollar a day. There is a ceremony called Nathni Utarna; this ceremony is for girls and they take off their nose ring. What that translates in the community is that she is now a woman and able to be sent into the sex trade. Usually these girls serve the upper class men in the community. Many families now do not like to admit they have had one of these ceremonies.

                There are now organizations trying to fight back against this. They say it is hard to change women’s mind that have already been in the trade because they get used to the money. So they are now working on preventing the younger girls from entering or being sent into the sex trade. An organization called Plan India has been working to eliminate this tradition. When the tradition started it started off as girls entertaining princes and landlords with dance and song but then this has led to prostitution. This is why the organization is trying to educate these women and show them other ways to make money. Sometimes they have no choice because the man thinks it is perfectly fine and it relieves the family of a financial obligation and she is now able to help herself out and her family. These women essentially have no choice because they do not want their family to struggle if they can help and the only other opportunity they really have is to be a farmer and they do not make alot of money at all. They do not really have any other options for education for girls but those who do are greatful for their education and it is a good opportunity for them

http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/21/tradition-forces-daughters-into-prostitution/?hpt=ias_t3

Blog #4: Indonesia: Gender inequality endangers women’s health

                At least 10,000 women have died in Indonesia this year due to childbirth related causes. This is due to limited access to health services, lack of information on healthy pregnancies and an inequality in decision-making. In Indonesia, despite what the wife may want or how she may feel the husband will always have the final say. For example, Juhri had to make a difficult decision on delivery that ultimately took his wife’s life. The doctors said that she would need a C-section because of her high blood pressure but Juhri said he did not have the money to afford one so he decided his wife would have a normal delivery anyways. There are many cases like this in which a woman is not able to choose and also that someone is not able to make the “right” decision because they do not have the resources or opportunities to do so. So without having certain opportunities and resources people do not really have much to choose from.
                Indonesian government has tried to increase skilled birth attendants and information for family planning but despite these efforts and 30 years of promoting and trying there has not been an increase in the maternal mortality rate. Most of the deliveries in Indonesia are at home and use traditional attendants because of what they are taught by their culture and beliefs about pregnancy. In 3 districts of Indonesia 63/76 deaths occur in home with traditional attendants. Many citizens advise against medical assistance and when they realize they do need medical assistance it is usually too late to help the mother. While stating all of this and the government’s response to the maternal mortality rate the 2007 Demographic and Health Survey shows that there are differences between provinces. Richer provinces, such as Jakarta, have 97% of births attended by a skilled worker whereas the Maluku Islands only have 33%. The World Bank said only 40% of the 68,816 villages in Indonesia had a midwife in 2005. After noticing this trend they are trying to improve training and spread it across the country rather than just in richer provinces to create better opportunities to health care for all soon-to-be mothers.

http://www.speroforum.com/a/33019/Indonesia---Gender-inequality-endangers-womens-health

Blog #3: A world of inequality

   September 20, 2011

   On September 8th 3 men were hung in Iran for lavat, which is sexual intercourse between two males. Usually the death penalty is only for homosexuality if there is rape or assault but with these men it was consensual sex. There are 82 countries in the world in which homosexuality is a crime. For example, in Uganda they want to create a law for “aggravated homosexuality”, which is “being homosexual more than once”. Many people hold strong beliefs about homosexuality but in these countries it is getting worse for gay and lesbians. This is stripping away rights from gays and even if they are not charged for their “crime” it definitely hinders who they are as a person and make them more conscious of what they may do in public where as many heterosexuals do not have to think twice about showing their affection to their partner.
    After the hangings occurred there was a group that rose called “we are everywhere” and there are two organizations that are trying to change these laws. The first one being Kaleidoscope and the second is Human Dignity Trust. They want to bring awareness but not only that they want to change these unfair laws because they believe it has broken international human rights to criminalize someone’s sexual identity. There are no laws that inhibit a heterosexual’s life but they are killing many just because of whom they love. Though sometimes there may be discrepancies for a partner a straight person may choose you never hear of them being hung because of their choices nor do you see hate crimes towards heterosexuals.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/13/gay-rights-world-of-inequality

Parts of UK to lift lifetime ban on gay men donating blood

Since the 1980s the UK has set a lifetime ban that gay men are not allowed to donate blood due to the AIDs epidemic. Any man who has ever had oral or anal sex with another man, even if a condom was used, are not eligible to donate blood. Beginning November 7, any gay man who has not had sexual contact with another man in the past year will be eligible to donate blood if they also meet the criteria to donate blood.  The Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) said this change will not affect the safety of the blood supply they will receive. The National Health Services Blood and Transport states on their website that they know it is frustrating to be set as a group but sometimes it is necessary in order for safety and they do not mean to offend anyone. Sometimes it is necessary to defer people due to their lifestyle. The United States looked into lifting the ban on gay men donating blood in 2010 but it did not go through.

Though there is a risk factor with gay men possibly having AIDs to place a lifetime ban is a bit drastic. There are plenty of homosexual males who do not have AIDs and it is not fair to those who are AIDs-free and would like to donate their blood. It is a good thing that somewhere in the world they are beginning to lift the ban because they see it is not immediate risk but you cannot stop someone’s lifestyle and though you have to do things in groups because there is no way you can individually check. Those who know their status should be able to donate because there are plenty of other heterosexuals who do not live the best lifestyles.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/09/08/parts-of-uk-to-lift-lifetime-ban-on-gay-men-donating-blood/?hpt=wo_c2

Blog #1: Mexico investigates alleged selling of girls

Andrea Forman

September 3, 2011

8:15 p.m.

                After reports of young girls being sold an investigation has been open in some communities in Mexico.  In Oaxaca girls between the ages of 11 and 15 are sold by their parents for money or even goods such as cattle, corn and beans. Some of these “purchases” are for future husbands while others are being sold so they can be taken to other cities and help in domestic labor. Once the girls are sold their parents give up all rights to their child. These children are only being sold for up to 3,000 pesos the equivalence to $245. Officials say as long as these Indigenous people do not violate Mexico’s constitution dealing with Human Rights they will respect these group’s practices.

                Though this is an ancient tradition for many of these communities it shows how from the beginning of time women were never equal to man. Though these women are being sold in a sense I guess someone could say they are showing their gratitude and what they believe these women are worth but it is degrading. It shows ownership from the man and shows the hierarchy within the community and patriarchal society in which they live. Inequality is prevalent all over the world we cannot get away from it but most societies have begun to modernize from their traditional beliefs. There have always been differences between men and women. Traditionally families of the groom were to offer cattle or money for the wedding or to help the couple begin their life. Now some of these girls being sold are being exploited for their work.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/08/19/mexico.girls.sold/index.html?iref=allsearch