IPS – With the 15th-year review of the 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women taking place at the ongoing Commission on the Status of Women in New York, South African teachers and education experts say they fear that a special focus on the advancement of girls is getting lost amidst the growing levels of poverty in the country. Read Article
ABC – In the wake of the latest sex abuse claims in the Catholic Church in Germany, a number of senior clergy have called for a debate on the issue of celibacy in the priesthood. The Archbishop of Vienna called for a thorough examination of the link between celibacy and child sex abuse by priests and the Archbishop of Salzburg asked whether it was an appropriate way of life for priests today. Read Article
Deutsche Welle – As more and more allegations of sexual abuse in Catholic institutions come to light, German politicians debate whether to extend the statute of limitations for civil and criminal prosecution. A rash of reported cases of sexual abuse and molestation in schools and other institutions run by the Catholic Church in Germany has led to a discussion about whether the country’s time limit on civil and criminal prosecution of abuse cases should be raised. Read Article
The Times – The Roman Catholic Church in Germany ordered two separate investigations yesterday into allegations of widespread sexual abuse in its institutions, specifically at the Bavarian boarding school where the Pope’s brother served as choirmaster.With nearly two thirds of dioceses caught up in the widening scandal, the German Bishops’ Conference said that it would examine all 170 allegations made so far. A spokesman said that the investigation would take a close look at the Regensburger Domspatzen boys’ choir, led by Georg Ratzinger for 30 years until 1994. Read Article
Telegraph – India took a big step on Tuesday towards approving legislation that would reserve one-third of seats in the country’s parliament for women. Manmohan Singh, India’s prime minister, described the 186-1 vote in the upper house of parliament as a “historic step forward toward emancipation of Indian womanhood”. The bill now goes to the lower house, where it is likely to pass. The vote came after socialist lawmakers blocked the parliamentary debate on Monday and forced the upper house to adjourn twice on Tuesday. The protesters later boycotted the voting. Read article
Post-Gazette – Women of all races bring home less income and own fewer assets, on average, than men of the same race, but for single black women the disparities are so overwhelmingly great that even in their prime working years their median wealth amounts to only $5. In a groundbreaking report released Monday by a leading economic research group, social scientists turned a spotlight on the grave financial challenges facing an often overlooked group of women, many of whom could not take an unpaid sick day or repair a major appliance without going into debt. Read article
Ed. – Please note the use of the term ‘net worth’. This implies that wealth and worth are the same. The author of the article and his audience may well not agree with this implication. However, words/language are very powerful and can be a subtle/subliminal way of continuing old attitudes or starting new attitudes, particularly with up-and-coming generations.
The Times – Germany has blamed a “wall of silence” created by the Vatican for hampering investigations into decades of abuse of schoolchildren by Catholic clergy. Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, the Justice Minister, said that Vatican secrecy rules, including a 2001 directive requiring even the most serious cases to be investigated first by Church officials, were complicating efforts to shed light on claims of abuse at some of Germany’s most highly regarded schools. Read Article
BBC – Former priest Bill Carney was named as one of the worst cases in Dublin’s Catholic diocese in the Murphy report into clerical abuse there. However, for the last 10 years he has been free to live quietly in Britain. Newsnight’s Olenka Frenkiel has investigated his case and tracked him down in the Canary Islands. Read Article
BBC – Human rights organisations in Cambodia have called for the government to tackle the rising incidence of rape. A report by Amnesty International says victims have limited access to justice, medical services and counselling. It claims that rape cases are often settled by cash payments to the victim – or bribes to the authorities. Read article
The Independent – Tomorrow is the 100th International Women’s Day, and women everywhere this weekend are marching, celebrating and protesting. Emily Dugan on the journey of the century: It was in a dingy socialist meeting hall a century ago in Copenhagen that women from 17 countries gathered and launched the idea of a day which would champion the rights of women. All over the world this weekend women are marching, celebrating and protesting, not least in London where last night thousands of people thronged Trafalgar Square to mark the 100th International Women’s Day. Read Article
Fox News – A leading condom manufacturer in Switzerland has created extra-small condoms for boys as young as 12 years old, the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph reported. The condom, called the Hotshot, was produced after family planning groups and the Swiss AIDS Federation campaigned to have the condoms made following several studies that showed adolescent boys were not using proper protection when engaging in intercourse. Read Article
Globe & Mail – Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney blocked any reference to gay rights in a new study guide for immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship, The Canadian Press has learned. Internal documents show an early draft of the guide contained sections noting that homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969; that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation; and that same-sex marriage was legalized nationally in 2005. But Mr. Kenney, who fought same-sex marriage when it was debated in Parliament, ordered those key sections removed when his office sent its comments to the department last June. Read Article
BBC – HIV has become the leading cause of death and disease among women of reproductive age worldwide, the UN programme on HIV/Aids says.At the start of a 10-day conference in New York, UNAids launched a five-year action plan addressing the gender issues which put women at risk. One of the key issues, it says, is that up to 70% of women worldwide have been forced to have unprotected sex. UNAids says such violence against women must not be tolerated. Read Article
BBC – Hundreds of Dutch activists have walked out of a Mass in protest at a Roman Catholic policy of denying communion to practising homosexuals. On this occasion, the church, in ’s-Hertogenbosch, had already decided not to serve communion, so the protesters left, shouting and singing. The dispute began earlier this month when a priest in a nearby town refused communion to an openly gay man. Read Article
The Palestine Telegraph – There has to be a point in our lives when we turn our backs on normal news and bring out the truth behind a gut wrenching story that nobody wants to talk about or who may not be permitted to talk about. We at the Palestine Telegraph always want to bring out topics that no one else is prepared to print. The case of Hollie Greig is one such story that will make you feel terribly sick inside whilst at the same time wanting to bring those responsible to justice. I did a radio show the other day and someone specifically asked me to investigate this sad story probably knowing that I would do an article on it. One must feel the intense pain of Hollie’s mum and the ongoing nightmare’s that must haunt Hollie, the innocent victim of a pedophile father and his ring of evil friends. Read Article
Daily Telegraph – Children are being sexualised from an increasingly early age by computer games, pornography and sex-related slogans, a government report will warn. Girls are feeling under pressure to please boys while boys believe they must sleep with several girls to fit in. The study was written by clinical psychologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos for the Home Office. Read Article
Ed. – The media is everywhere – in our faces, literally. It is important to limit the media influence whereever you can, particularly for children. We did not evolve with electronic media. Children need contact with other children and other adults to grow and develop. When appropriate, it is important that they know 1. THAT & then; 2. HOW they (and we) are being manipulated. Giving them this awareness, and some research skills, arms them against this constant bombardment.
AP — The number of students who claim they were sexually abused by Jesuit priests at schools across Germany has jumped to 115, a lawyer said Thursday. Ursula Raue, an attorney appointed by the order to handle the charges, said that since seven alumni of the private Catholic Canisius Kolleg in Berlin first reported abuses in January, the accusations have “taken on a dimension of previously unbelievable proportions,” the DAPD news agency reported. Read Article
Deutsche Welle – Uganda’s draft Anti-Homosexuality Bill sparked international condemnation last October and prompted threats to cut aid to Uganda. The latest reports from the country indicate the bill could now be softened. As it is in 36 other African countries, homosexuality is illegal in Uganda under laws dating back to British colonialism, and punishable by up to 14 years in jail. But last October, Member of Parliament David Bahati went one step further when he tabled the Anti-Homosexuality Bill, which outlines some of the harshest anti-gay regulations in the world. Read article
Physorg.com – During the UK 2005 general election, the seats Conservative party female candidates were vying for were considered virtually “unwinnable,” and the results were more likely to favor the male Labour party candidates. The reasons behind voter behavior and business appointments are difficult to pinpoint and controversial. Ryan proposes that at the root of the issue is the perception that women are less competent than males, despite evidence that women have broken through “the glass ceiling” and have finally achieved gender equality. Read Article
ABC – Moves to cut down the sexualisation of girls in the media has won support from both sides of politics, but media commentators say the Federal Government should take a cautious approach to regulation. Labor MP Amanda Rishworth wants a new code of conduct for the media industry and on Monday night introduced a private members bill into parliament. Read Article
Xinhua – Ruling party candidate Laura Chinchilla declared victory Sunday night in Costa Rica’s presidential election, after her main rivals, Otton Solis and Otto Guevara, conceded defeat and congratulated her as the country’s first female president in history. Chinchilla won 46.8 percent of the vote from 67.9 percent of the votes counted by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal. Under the country’s constitution, a candidate is required to gain at least 40 percent of the popular votes to win outright. Read article
Spiegel – A priest in a statement last week admitted he had abused a number of pupils at an elite Berlin high school run by Jesuit priests. In recent days, around 20 former students have come forward alleging they were sexually abused by priests at the school. The director of Canisius College, has described the years-long abuse as “systematic.” Read article
ABC – The US military’s top officer says lifting the ban on gays serving openly in uniform is “the right thing to do”. Former president Bill Clinton tried to lift the ban on gays in the military in his first term but had to accept a “don’t ask, don’t tell” compromise which allowed gays to serve as long as they kept their sexuality a secret. Read Article
Ed. – Related articles: link1link2
Reuters – The Pentagon will unveil initial steps next week to lay the ground for an eventual repeal of its “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which permits gays to serve in uniform as long they hide their sexual orientation, officials said on Thursday. President Barack Obama has called for action this year, increasing pressure on a reluctant U.S. military to begin taking steps in advance of any repeal that could include sensitivity training for troops to reduce resistance to gays serving openly in the future. But Pentagon officials have made clear any changes should be incremental. Military leaders want “more time to develop their best military advise [sic.],” one official said. Read aRticle
AP — The Defense Department next week will propose for the first time a “way forward” on lifting the military’s ban on gays from serving openly, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Thursday. President Barack Obama has vowed to work with Congress this year to repeal the 1993 law, but Democrats have been waiting to hear from the military on how it could be done. Read Article
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