Editorial

EDITORIAL
We're sorry to announce that due to ill-health November's issue is suspended. At the moment it is next to impossible to use the computer. There may also be no issue in December, or a very limited one, but we hope to return at full strength in the new year. Apologies too for the lack of main features in September and October - delayed for the same reasons. Please stick with us, we will be back.
Navigation
A word on navigation. There's a lot here, and a lot to post each month. To help you, the archive is at the top right of the page, just under this editorial. You'll see posts listed by month and topic. If you want to skip straight to Sport, or Arts, you can do so using these links. Otherwise you'll have to scroll down through more than one page to read everything each month. Please note that any queries about content or other matters should be directed to the original publications of linked articles as WHTW? can't be responsible for fact-checking and vetting sources of all of them.
This month's issue
While you are waiting, October's issue is full of fascinating articles. We are asking is child labour wrong? Girls in Bolivia's new child union don't think so (see Women/Work) and are demanding respect from society for their labour (and give us your view in our poll at the foot of the page). In Politics, Denmark has a new woman prime minister and you can read a statement on increasing women's political participation from UN women leaders, and research on peace and gender. In Family and society, there's a list of the best and worst countries for women and an article on the pros and cons of pirate husbands in Somalia. In Arts there's a comment on the furore over pop-star Rihanna's in-your-face raunch. And in Science and technology we celebrate Thai and Kenyan women's scientific achievements. In Health, there's a warning about injectable contraceptives and HIV infection, and a rise in breast cancer in UK Asian women. In Law, a US lawyer is protesting at the treatment of jailed women in childbirth. In the Mind, body and spirit post you can engage in debate over the Pill - or the lack of it - and its transformative effects on society. And, for a giggle, look at the men in pin-up poses in the And another thing section of this blog.
Our special feature this month will be a collection of links on Women in the Arab Spring. Look out for it coming soon!
We hope you will find this blog a useful resource and a provocative and productive place for debate. We look forward to your comments and feedback.
Anna Purna

Sunday, 23 October 2011

Women/Family and society: Iceland best for women, pirate husbands, domestic violence, child marriage

The best and worst countries for women
Iceland has been named as the world's best country for women by Newsweek. Yemen, Afghanistan and Chad were the worst: http://www.thedailybeast.com/content/dailybeast/articles/2011/09/20/best-and-worst-countries-for-women-the-full-list.html. The Fawcett Society comments here: http://www.facebook.com/fawcettsociety/posts/124094124359883. “We know that gender equality is one of the best indicators for the overall quality of societies", said Iceland's Prime Minister Johanna Sigurdardottir. The full report is available here: http://reports.weforum.org/global-gender-gap-2011/.

Pirate husbands required
In a country named as one of the world's worst for women's rights, perhaps it's no surprise that Somali women pursue pirate husbands:   http://thinkafricapress.com/somalia/somali-piracy-what-about-women .  The report on conditions for women is here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/14/worst-places-in-the-world-for-women-somalia, and here the Somali minister for women comments: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/17/women-somalia-hell-worst-world. 

Domestic violence 
Ethiopian women are some of the most abused by violent partners according to the UN in a report entitled Ending violence against women: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6040180.stm. Some 60% of Ethiopian women suffer abuse at the hands of husbands and partners. Across 71 nations, around one in three women will suffer domestic abuse at some time in their lives.  Meanwhile in Angola, a long-awaited new law has been passed against domestic violence: http://allafrica.com/stories/201110040614.html, which aims to educate citizens about appropriate family behaviour as well as punish wrong-doers. Over 100 countries worldwide have no domestic violence laws.

Afghan women's survey 
ActionAid surveyed over 1,000 Afghan women on their feelings about living through war as part of a campaign to mark the 10th anniversary of western intervention/invasion of their country: http://www.thefword.org.uk/blog/2011/10/women_in_afghan. 72% believed their lives were better now than ten years ago.  


Men and child marriage
http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/sep/20/desmond-tutu-men-child-marriage Archbishop Desmond Tutu is calling on men to take responsibility over child marriage. About time, we say.
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