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Teenage Abuse Victim Faces Online Criticism, Accused Granted Bail · Global Voices
Vishal Yashoda Manve

Image by Geralt via Pixabay. CC0
This year, sexual harassment and misconduct allegations rocked Hollywood and later spread worldwide with the #MeToo campaign. Many activists, women, and allies came out to address these issues all over the world, including those from the South Asian region. However, when a 17-year-old Indian actor of Kashmiri origin filed charges of sexual misconduct and molestation, many netizens supported the accused instead of the victim. In addition, the local press — and international media outlets such as the BBC — added to the damage by revealing her identity, this despite laws protecting the ‘names of victims who are minors’.
The incident occurred on 9 December 2017 as the actor was traveling on a domestic airline from New Delhi to Mumbai. She later took to Instagram to speak about the assault and was visibly shaken by the experience. She explained how a middle-aged man kept harassing her during the flight and later filed a case under section 354 of Indian Penal Code and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012.
Here's what the actor said in her Instagram post:
“The lights were dimmed, so it was even worse. It continued for another five to ten minutes and then I was sure of it. He kept nudging my shoulder and continued to move his foot up and down my back and neck. This is not done, I am disturbed… Is this how you're going to take care of girls? This is not the way anybody should be made to feel. This is terrible!. No one will help us if we don't decide to help ourselves. And this is the worst thing.”
Relevant authorities stepped in and expressed shock over the incident.
Delhi Commission of Women issues notice to Vistara Airlines on actress Zaira Wasim's allegations of a molestation attempt on Delhi-Mumbai flight, seeks report of the incident by Dec 16
— ANI (@ANI) December 10, 2017
As the story surfaced and spread on online platforms, many were outraged at her ordeal. But others questioned the actor, criticised her claims and even ran a trolling campaign against her.
Comedian Hoozaay said:
Don't bother reading social media replies to the News about what happened with #ZairaWasim . Publicity stunt, why not calling Police etc etc As usual, pure heartless Garbage. And people wonder why women don't speak up more often.
— José Covaco (@HoeZaay) December 10, 2017
Many others questioned the young actor:
Dear Women,
Internet or media are not law-enforcement agencies. If you face an assault, report it to the police or the women commission. If you don’t get help, you can always seek public support through internet or media. Don’t use internet to hurt an innocent.#ZairaWasim
— Sonam Mahajan (@AsYouNotWish) December 12, 2017
Another former journalist Jagrati Shukla, known for her anti-Muslim and anti-Dalit rhetoric said:
3/3
It's wrong to shame the man accused of molestation by #ZairaWasim without hearing his side of the story
She & her mother think crying @instagram instead of taking action makes sense.I think that's a publicity stunt
If Molestation did occur, why hasn't she filed an FIR yet?
— Jagrati Shukla (@JagratiShukla29) December 10, 2017
However, others took to the actor's defense and criticised the backlash she received from the online community. Here's how film director Gautam Benegal explained the entire situation in a Facebook post:
The default setting traditionally in patriarchy is to point fingers at the woman first. The French even had a term for it. “Cherchez la femme!” Look for the woman. After the advent of feminism, there has been a huge backlash from resentful patriarchy (and that includes women too since they are embedded in the system) and it has become the fashion to rail against political correctness and revert to the default.
The fact that the actor hails from the disputed region of Indian-administered Kashmir has made matters worse with many bringing politics into their criticism of her claims. Muslim-majority Kashmir is geographically divided between India and Pakistan and claimed in entirety by both. Separatist politicians, rebels, and alliances like the All Parties Hurriyat Conference reject India’s sovereignty over Kashmir and have been fighting for independence or a merger with Pakistan since 1989. Due to stereotyping of all Kashmiris by Indian nationalists as troublemakers and secessionist, many Kashmiris do not feel and have never felt, included in India and its rhetoric of democracy, secularism, and globalization.
The issue has intensified over the weeks with the actor gaining criticism from people on both sides of this political debate. Numerous activists joined in, putting forth their political viewpoints and affiliations in their commentary on the situation.
Himanshu Mohan from Bangalore tweets:
#ZairaWasim represents paranoia of Kashmir Muslims against rest of Indian citizens. The only way out Kashmiris love India and feel part of it.
— himanshu (@himanshujmohan) December 14, 2017
Sahil Adhikary from Mumbai says:
About time for #ZairaWasim to play the Kashmir Card and Minority Card as she has been proven wrong in the harrasment case.
— Desi Gooner (@Sahil_Adhikaari) December 14, 2017
Khalid Baig explains the situation aptly:
Zaira Wasim: I got molested
Muslim Extremist: Acha huwa saali(Serves you right *****)
Hindu Extremist: Jhoot bol rahi hain saali(You are a lying *****)
Many even called the molestation complaint a ‘publicity stunt’, linking the incident with actor's mother's support of Pakistan's cricket team in a recent match with India.
Blogger Arshia Malik wrote on Facebook:
Grow up Zaira bibi, for Life's sake!
Being a celebrity your tantrums take away from the everyday misogyny that women suffer everywhere and every hour and deal with them in their own ways.
Not all of us can afford FIRs or Press Conferences.
Now methinks you've been primed for some sort of agenda.
Airlines Staff are very caring of common passengers but they will not bend to kiss your toe for the simple reason they serve, they are not bought labour by your money.
An irritable passenger is ticked off always and I'm sure the staff thought Princess was having one of her usual tirades.
Debates about fake feminism and punishment for the young actor railed on:
PT if U stand against Fake Feminism & want system to punish #ZairaWasim for putting an innocent man behind bar, pls tweet 5 tweets daily exposing Her & @aamir_khan
Question @CPMumbaiPolice for this fake charges and @Dev_Fadnavis the weak CM for his silence#JusticeForVikas pic.twitter.com/2fmXvYsFpt
— #GauravPradhan ?? (@DrGPradhan) December 13, 2017
While many Bollywood actors stood up for the young actor on social media platforms, others tried to make sense of a debate which pitted different communities against each other.
It’s pathetic and shocking how folks have converted #ZairaWasim incident into a Kashmiris vs Pandits, Hindu vs Muslim, liberals vs leftists diatribe.
— Smit (@smitshanker) December 10, 2017
Mumbai police cautioned netizens against targeting or condemning the young actor.
It is the Constitutional Right of every victim to report sexual abuse and it is our duty to take cognizance, investigate & facilitate justice. Kindly refrain from being judgmental and #Respect the Right of a Victim of a Sexual Assault pic.twitter.com/sb6QRx2iNI
— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) December 16, 2017
Meanwhile, the man accused of molesting the young actor, Vikas Sachdeva, has been granted bail by a local Mumbai court and has been directed to not influence any witnesses in the case. His wife and various right-wing Indian groups have defended and supported him throughout the investigations.
My husband is innocent, had no intention to molest. There was a young death in family,which is where he went , hadn't slept for 24 hours. He asked crew to not disturb & wanted to sleep. His foot was on arm rest but not with intention to harass: Wife of accused in #ZairaWasim case pic.twitter.com/UA7WokkJfe
— ANI (@ANI) December 11, 2017
Reports about the incident in Indian media broke a crucial clause of the POSCO act which mentions keeping the identity of the victim ‘protected’. However, many believed that keeping her identity hidden was impossible due to the actor's prominence and the fact that she live-streamed her accusation of assault.
Although a few news outlets maintained the victim's privacy, the damage had already been done. This was also criticised heavily by netizens.
Well played Times of India.
In the main paper you take a moral high ground and in the accompanying Bombay Times you name her & put her photo as well #ZairaWasim pic.twitter.com/nNVY3zVwiN
— Atul Khatri (@one_by_two) December 11, 2017
#TimesofIndia front page says name not disclosed. 2 full page story with name photo & address inside No coordination #ZairaWasimMolestation pic.twitter.com/olymzXJdTE
— Sanjay Rawat (@thenSanjaysaid) December 11, 2017
Tina S wrote in Youth Ki Awaaz:
In Zaira’s case, its her prerogative when she chooses to report the incident. So many women report issues of molestation much later after it has happened. In some cases, many years later. Maybe she simply said an okay that she didn’t mean at that moment of apology. And the apology didn’t help her feel any better later. Maybe she wasn’t convinced of his innocence on an after thought. We don’t know for sure. But, why are we putting her under a microscope and examining her true intentions, and letting the man off the hook without such similar character screening?
The backlash that the actress is facing is a classic example of why women don’t report such seemingly trivial cases of harassment in day-to-day lives. Because sadly, it has become commonplace in our society and something that we as women, are expected to simply smile and bear.
The case also mirrors a repeated pattern in patriarchial Indian society which tends to dissect a sexual abuse victim's language, dress, and occupation while giving the accused a free pass under the ‘Boys will be boys’ mentality. As in many cases all around the world, it highlights how people must prove that they are victims rather than the accused having to prove his/her innocence.
(Global Voices adheres to the highest standards when safeguarding identities of victims. Hence, we have refrained from mentioning the victim's name. However, her name is visible in social media posts, which were crucial for the story.)

author: Vishal Yashoda Manve


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The Good Cop? Uzbekistan Readies for Another Year of Major Changes · Global Voices
Salam Aleik

Mirziyoyev's four-hour address. Photo from presidential press service.
Easing the lives of ordinary people and doing battle with the outsized post-independence successor to the KGB topped the agenda in a four-hour state of the nation address given by Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The marathon address earlier this month was the most recent attempt to portray Mirziyoyev as the good cop in a country full of bad ones.
Mirziyoyev, 60, came to power in September last year on the back of long-reigning despot Islam Karimov's death.
His predecessor's reign of nearly three decades began when the Central Asian country was still a Soviet republic and saw the country regularly rooted to the bottom of global human rights rankings. Uzbekistan was best known for systematic torture, including boiling, and forced labour in the country's cotton fields.
Following a pro-forma election three months later, Karimov's stern-faced former prime-minister of more than 13 years cemented his position at the top of the authoritarian country's political elite with a simple message: things must change.
He has reiterated it ever since.
“Халқимиз эртага эмас, узоқ келажакда эмас, айнан бугун ўз ҳаётида ижобий ўзгаришларни кўришни истайди. Бизнинг меҳнаткаш, оқкўнгил, бағрикенг халқимиз бунга тўла ҳақлидир”. pic.twitter.com/JDNDZIiYoV
— Shavkat Mirziyoyev's Press-service (@president_uz) December 22, 2017
People want to see changes in their lives today, not tomorrow, and not in far future. Our hard-working, kind-hearted and generous people have a right to it.
The live stream of Mirziyoyev's December 22 annual address was peppered with likes from Uzbek Facebook users as a sea of state officials broke into waves of applause at regular intervals.
“Let Allah protect you, respected Shavkat Miramonovich”
“Thank you. Be healthy and safe,” read one comment on the Facebook live of Mirziyoyev's speech. “When the President tries so much to change the situation in the country, everyone should contribute to this initiative”, read another.
While subservient officialdom was a trademark of the Karimov era, live streaming certainly wasn't. The change in form has been accompanied by some changes in substance.
From freeing political prisoners to ordering the removal of unpopular foreign travel and currency exchange restrictions, Mirziyoyev has already undone many of Karimov's signature policies.
Perhaps most notably, he has also acknowledged forced labour in the country's lucrative cotton harvest that once saw tens of thousands of schoolchildren along with teachers and state medical sequestered into work as pickers.
“It was very interesting to listen to you. Let our president be healthy. Inshallah, a bright future is waiting for us. We believe in you, Shavkat (Mirziyoyev)”
But he initiated these changes while keeping the authoritarian system intact and continuing to publicly revere Karimov, who remains the father and founder of independent Uzbekistan.
For instance, according to Reuters, Mirziyoyev blamed unspecified “economists” during his speech for faking economic data throughout Karimov's time in charge.
Eight percent (GDP growth) was fiction. To be frank, I ordered the 5.5 percent figure [for 2017] to be checked almost 10 times! In 2017 we have created 336,000 new jobs and this is a real figure. Before, we used to report creating nearly a million jobs annually. No country in the world can do it!
“Shavkat Miramonovich, we all are for you. There is no president in the world like you are!” one commenter said.
Facebook is not the only place where the new president is present. His channel on Telegram, the most popular messenger app in Uzbekistan, has more than 82,000 followers, and his Instagram channel is being followed by 240,000 people. (Oddly he has yet to open official accounts on either of Russia's two biggest social media platforms, VKontakte and Odnoklassniki, despite their popularity in the republic).
Mirziyoyev has also created new tools for generating feedback on government policies from the population.
Шавкат Мирзиёев: “Ўзбекистон Республикаси Президентининг Халқ қабулхоналари ва Виртуал қабулхонаси фуқароларнинг мурожаатлари билан ишлашнинг ўзига хос демократик институти сифатида амалда ўзини оқламоқда”.
— Shavkat Mirziyoyev's Press-service (@president_uz) December 22, 2017
Virtual reception of the President of Uzbekistan has turned into a kind of a democratic institute for dealing with citizen’s appeals.
Шавкат Мирзиёев: “Шу муносабат билан мамлакатимиз фуқаролари давлат ва жамият ҳаётига дахлдор муҳим масалалар бўйича ўз фикрларини билдиришлари учун Интернет тармоғида “Менинг фикрим” деб номланган махсус веб-саҳифа ташкил этиш мақсадга мувофиқ”.
— Shavkat Mirziyoyev's Press-service (@president_uz) December 22, 2017
It was important to create the new website “My Opinion” to let citizens express their views on important issues on state and society.
But even as the Uzbek leader casts himself as a figure for the future — 2018 is set to be the Year of Entrepreneurship, Innovations, and Technologies — he will be forced to address at every turn the country's ugly recent past and present.
“Let religious people out of prison. Think of your future, Shavkat!”
“We want victims of cruel political repressions to be freed! Free innocent people immediately!”
In particular, Mirziyoyev has set himself on a collision course with the SNB (KGB successor) national security service, often described as a state within a state, by calling for the service's reform during his speech.
He has also ordered authorities to leave businesses be, rather than engaging in the constant checks known to help corrupt inspectors line their pockets.
But beyond elite infighting, he must deal with increased expectations of government as a generally downtrodden citizenry uses the new voice it has been given to demand more changes faster.
In terms of human rights for instance, Mirziyoyev has been credited with releasing key political prisoners who saw their terms arbitrarily extended. Yet his regime has jailed others, leading to talk of a “revolving door” in the country's jails.
Yet we still see Uzbekistan's infamous “revolving door for political arrests” – journalist Bobomurod Abdullaev arrested on ludicrous charges pic.twitter.com/kdvnl2owHu
— Andrew Stroehlein (@astroehlein) October 5, 2017
In a development unimaginable during Karimov's time, some Uzbek Facebook commenters found the courage to ask Mirziyoyev to improve religious freedoms and free people imprisoned on bogus extremism charges. Others demanded he curb inflation.
“Make prices cheaper for food, then for accommodation!”
One area where he can do no wrong for the moment is foreign relations.
The indomitable Islam Karimov fashioned frosty and sometimes dangerously hostile relationships with all Uzbekistan's regional neighbours.
Mirziyoyev has changed that, resolving border disputes with Kyrgyzstan and resuming flights to Tajikistan after a quarter of a century. He may yet endorse the construction of hydroelectric dams in both countries, projects Karimov strongly opposed.
But whether at home or abroad, introducing changes is the relatively easy part. Seeing them though, and coping with any fallout and resistance along the way is far more difficult. For Uzbekistan, 2018 promises to be another very interesting year.

source: news-globalvoices

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Salam Aleik


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Brazil Introduces Tougher Regulations on ‘Fake News’ Ahead of 2018 Elections · Global Voices
Taisa Sganzerla

As Brazil creates new mechanisms to prevent the spread of fake news, internet freedom activists are worried this will restrict free speech. Imaged shared by Digital Spy on Flickr, with permission: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
In early December 2017, Brazil's government established a committee to monitor and possibly order the blocking of false news reports on social media ahead of the 2018 presidential elections. The news has raised concerns about censorship among the public.
The “Consultative Council on Internet and Elections” will operate under the auspices of the Superior Electoral Court and includes representatives from the Court, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the army, the national intelligence agency, the federal police, SaferNet (a Brazilian non-governmental organization (NGO) that combats online crime in partnership with the Federal Public Ministry) and researchers from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (a private university).
In its first meeting, the Council proposed to create a tool through which users could file reports to the Council itself of news that appeared suspicious. This would work as an extension of existing hotlines and website forms where voters can submit complaints to report irregularities in traditional media.
The Council has not yet further explained how the tool would operate in terms of asking social media companies to remove news deemed false or targeting people and groups that post false news. Members say they are negotiating support from social media companies, but it remains unclear where this will lead.
When Facebook introduced a “report fake news” feature in December 2016, it showed that many users reported fake content as part of an effort to discredit information or ideas with which they disagreed, even when those ideas were based on verified facts.
This move comes amid deep political uncertainty in Brazil approaching the 2018 elections, which will be the first ballot following the controversial impeachment of president Dilma Rousseff of the Workers’ Party in 2016.
The party's de-facto candidate for 2018 is former president Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva, who leads the presidential polls at 34% and has spent the past few months touring the country rallying crowds despite having been sentenced in July to nearly 10 years in prison for accepting bribes from construction companies during his term. A court is expected to rule on his appeal on January 24.
Large-scale corruption investigations have convicted dozens of politicians in the past three years, opening the grounds for outsiders and far-right candidates like Jair Bolsonaro, the federal deputy and former military officer, notorious for homophobic diatribes as well as tough-talking on criminals and drug-dealers.
Should Lula's conviction be upheld, a fragmented, polarized and heavily disputed electoral landscape is expected.
The committee is only one of the immediate outcomes of the Superior Electoral Court's current preoccupation with ‘fake news.’ The judges have openly defended the creation of additional legal mechanisms to suppress reports deemed as false.
In hearings on the rules for 2018 elections, Justice Luis Fux, who will preside over the court starting in February, spoke of creating preventive measures to curb the spread of false information. This could include the freezing of assets and even prison time for those who could be “preparing themselves to perpetuate this kind of deleterious strategy which, so to say, in informal language, have melted some nominations.”
Additionally, the Brazilian Congress is analysing a bill that would render sharing false reports on social media a crime punishable by two to eight months in prison or a fine of 1,500 to 4,000 BRL (500-1200 USD) per day. The bill makes a criminal offense “to publish or share, through any means, on the internet, false or unfairly incomplete information to the detriment of a private individual or legal persons.”
Internet freedom activists have expressed concern over the bill and the creation of the Consultative Council. An open letter published by Coalizão Direitos na Rede (Internet Rights Coalition) during this year's Brazil Internet Forum (a regional meeting prior to the global Internet Governance Forum) criticised the military's poor record when it comes to respecting civil liberties in Brazil (Brazil was governed by a United States-supported military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985):
As Forças Armadas não podem monopolizar o controle da veracidade dos fatos porque 1) não possuem essa competência constitucional; 2) não têm as condições técnicas para isso; 3) não detêm o conhecimento para distinguir fake news; e 4) não são neutras na política. Para piorar, essas instituições deixaram violentas e profundas marcas na história recente do país ao promoverem o cerceamento da liberdade de expressão e de manifestação dos brasileiros/as durante a ditadura civil-militar.
The Armed Forces must not monopolize control over the veracity of facts because 1) they do not possess that constitutional authority; 2) they do not have the technical capacity for this 3) they do not possess the necessary knowledge to distinguish fake news; and 4) they are not neutral in politics. To make it worse, these institutions have left violent and deep scars in the country's recent history by promoting the curtailment of freedom of expression and public demonstration of Brazilians during the civil-military dictatorship.
The creation of the committee by the Superior Electoral Court was also mentioned in a collective statement signed by 38 organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean as an example of how the discourse on fake news can be used to restrict free speech.
The letter expresses concerns over how hysteria over fake news eclipses the long-standing efforts for better regulation of media monopolies which dominate the mainstream media landscape in the region and has historically engaged in campaigns of misinformation during elections or otherwise:
We cannot discount years of work and debate from the movement for democratization of communications and adopt the “fake news” terminology as a completely new phenomenon in Latin America. To discount old and new power imbalances concerning media ownership concentration, social media monopolies and Nation States political interests to control and manipulate speech — within and beyond its borders — opens space for serious consequences.

author: Taisa Sganzerla


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In 2017, Stories of Resilience, Creativity and Love Were Plentiful · Global Voices
L. Finch

A collage of photos from Global Voices coverage in 2017. Created by L. Finch.
Another year, another deluge of retrospectives declaring that our latest trip around the Sun was a particularly bad one. And how could it be otherwise, when disparity, discord, and destruction abound?
Earth's state of affairs can indeed seem bleak. Nevertheless, the human spirit remains alive, kicking, and as beautiful as ever.
Need proof? Global Voices offered plenty in 2017. Our community of volunteers and partner organizations reported hundreds of stories from around the globe of ordinary people defending their rights and fostering cross-cultural understanding in the face of injustice, indifference, or even hate.
So as the clock tick-tocks toward 2018, take comfort in the following list of 40 of those stories. There's lots of good in this world — and may there be even more in the year to come.
An art collective named Dispatch Beirut has left a colorful mark on the Lebanese capital by “rebuilding” broken structures using Legos, calling the toys “little blocks of hope.” The artists aspire to call attention to what they say is the government's prioritizing of profit over preservation of heritage in post-civil war reconstruction efforts.
Djuena Tikuna became the first indigenous singer to perform at the famous Amazonas Theatre in Manaus in the Brazilian Amazon with the launch of her album Tchautchiüãne, or “my village” in the Tikuna language. The work speaks about the Amazonian rubber boom and its massive exploitation of the region's rubber trees — and the region's people — beginning at the turn of the 20th century.
A group of parents in Sarajevo campaigned for adequate preschool education for children with cognitive disabilities, who are faced with a public system poorly equipped to teach them skills needed to lead an independent life. If the #GdjeJeMojaSkola? (“Where is my school?”) effort succeeds, it will be the first of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Field studies show that the Kusunda language, one of several endangered languages in Nepal, has only two fluent speakers within the Kusunda community of 150 people. A recently launched book-cum-dictionary intends to preserve the language, whose origins bear no obvious relation to any other spoken language in the world.
Detail of the illustration drawn by the artist known as ‘Azúcar y Sal’. Image widely shared on social media. Taken from her public Facebook profile.
After US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, hateful rhetoric between the two governments increased. To counter the distressing turn of events, Iranians began showcasing words and images of cross-border solidarity under the hashtag #LoveBeyondFlags.
And in Mexico, an anonymous group of teenagers created a gastronomic-themed hashtag to show their support for Venezuelans fighting for democracy amidst a deepening social, economic and political crisis: #ArepaElTacoEstáContigo (Arepa, The Taco Is With You). The arepa is from Venezuela, and the taco from Mexico.
Amid ongoing protests fueled by a growing opposition movement, Ethiopia's government has made many efforts to censor “resistance songs” that speak out against oppression in the country. Although several popular musicians have been arrested and jailed, the popularity of the resistance songs has not waned. On YouTube, channels carrying montages of protest images linked to the resistance songs regularly attract hundreds of thousands of views.
From India to the US, a movement is taking root around the world to promote “open source” seeds. Supporters say corporations’ patents on plant material is compromising the food industry because the gene pool is continually shrinking — at a time when genetic diversity is more necessary than ever thanks to climate change.
A small group of people, led by artist and designer Kate McLean, traversed Kyiv on foot documenting the wintertime smells of the city. Scents recorded included “the islands of summer,” “wood smoke,” “wet animal fur,” and “rusty metal.” McLean has been “mapping smells” throughout the past five years in places all over the world.
Jili Kurdi is the traditional clothing worn by Kurds to celebrate Newroz, or the New Year, but the colorful textiles have become unaffordable for many Kurdish families in war-torn Iraq. To help the situation, activists launched the #KurdishClothesForAll campaign asking people across the region to donate the special garb. In the end, the effort provided over 450 families with new Kurdish clothes to wear for the holiday.
Physical reconstruction in the city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture, where a massive earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 caused major damage, might be considered complete, but the area has yet to recover its former energy. The Reborn Art Festival aims to help residents appreciate the beautiful, the abstract, and the intangible, instead of focusing on material losses.
A Kenyan visual artist captured the struggles for equal love in 35 different countries in a Nairobi exhibition of specially designed “kanga”, an East African textile that traditionally features Swahili proverbs. Instead, Kawira Mwirichia populated the cloths with motivational messages from queer leaders throughout Africa and beyond.
South Africa Kanga, Translation: “Black and White are Not the Colors of Love — They Never Were.” By Kawira Mwirichia, 2017
In Peru, where gender-related violence is a matter of grave concern in Peru, one construction site defied the stereotype of the industry's workers when it posted a sign that read, “At this construction site, we don't whistle at women and we are against sexual street harassment.”
In Azerbaijan, ƏSA (“walking stick” in Azerbaijani) is a first-of-its-kind theater, created to fight the characterization of people with disabilities as dependent, incompetent and unhappy. “This is not a social project, it’s not a hobby, we are working professionally,” the founder says.
In Argentina, Teatro x Identitad (Theater for Identity) explores the themes of identity and truth, all in support of efforts to locate children who were disappeared during the dictatorship of the 1970s and return them to their legitimate families.
And in El Salvador, where gang activity and police abuse claim an alarming number of victims, two new theater productions place the disappeared and their families at the center of the story.
Biochemist Asel Sartbaeva and the British University of Bath bagged the Biotechnology Award category at the IChemE Global Awards, just days after a prominent business in her native Kyrgyzstan publicly called female leadership “nonsense” and equated feminism with “terrorism.” Sartbaeva spearheads a project that “uses silica to protect vaccines from spoiling, and reduces the need for cold-storage equipment.”
After more than a decade of struggle to officially register as an association, Lambda, Mozambique’s only organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, celebrated when the Constitutional Council ruled that its status does not violate the country's constitution. Lambda’s executive director, Danilo da Silva, said the decision opens the door to legal recognition for the organization, calling it “not only a victory for LGBT people, but for all who are different and have different ideas.”
A new restaurant in the western Pakistani city of Quetta is run and staffed exclusively by women, representing an important act of resistance to the deeply patriarchal region. The force behind the restaurant is Hamida Ali Hazara, who comes from the Hazara marginalized minority. Despite the challenges faced, the restaurant has proved popular so far.
The second Indigenous Comic Con, held in the southwestern US state of New Mexico, featured vendors, artists, guests and cosplay celebrating Native pop culture, so often misrepresented or under-represented in mainstream media. “You have so many stereotypes out there because there is not enough to counteract that, and to show what’s positive, productive and acceptable,” organizer Dr. Lee Francis IV says.
A young fan poses at the 2016 Indigenous Comic Con in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Screenshot from YouTube video by City Alive.
Ten human rights defenders in Istanbul were released pending trial on accusations of membership in a terrorist organization, a rare moment of relief in a case that observers say is meant to intimidate rights advocates. The #Istanbul10 had spent four months in prison after being arrested while at an information management and wellbeing workshop.
In a music video for their latest release, famous pop band Tattoo Colour subtly parodied the Thai junta that grabbed power in 2014 and continues to govern the country despite its pledge to restore civilian rule. Fans praised the music group for its courage, given that the junta actively censors its critics.
In South Africa, where many rural areas lack internet infrastructure, the village of Mankosi now has access to more affordable telephone and internet access thanks to a community-owned, solar-powered mesh network. The project, which is a part of the Association for Progressive Communications network, seeks to create a model for the sustainable implementation of bottom-up telecommunications.
Like many other places in the world, Trinidad and Tobago struggles with violence and societal divisions. One collaborative song featuring 35 artists, called “No Greater Time,” aims to challenge citizens “to collectively create a more peaceful, prosperous and unified Trinbagonian society.” “It isn't so much that we lost our way as much as we need to have more people taking action,” producer Keron “Sheriff” Thompson says. “Not just talking about change, but being change or being a part of that change.
Latin America's longest-running armed conflict came to an end when the Colombian government reached a peace agreement with the FARC, but the challenge of reintegrating former members of the militia remains. So one campaign had young people write love letters to the ex-guerrilla fighters to welcome them. Many ex-combatants have replied.
A 22-year-old from Niger has big plans for his invention, which he says rids the air of industrial fumes. He says he hopes it will one day help his country, where air quality and climate change are urgent concerns. Abdou Barmini built his prototype anti-pollution device using local materials that he recycled, adapted and re-assembled.
In the hallway of a block of flats in Spain's Gijón, residents stumbled upon a goldfish bowl, a tin of fish food, a feeding chart, and a note asking for help caring for the creature while its owner was away. The neighbors took up the challenge with gusto, and the details of the situation soon went viral on Twitter. “There's still hope in the world,” one user declared in response to the story.
More than one hundred media outlets and NGO websites staged a website blackout after an independent weekly magazine was forced to close. Vranje Newspaper said the publication had suffered administrative harassment and other forms of pressure from Serbia's Tax Authority, a tactic authorities have used in the past to punish “disobedient” media.
Years ago, the Ava Guarani people in Paraguay were forced to leave behind their land and the river that runs through it because of the construction of the Itaipú hydroelectric dam. In 2015, the community returned to reclaim the territory. Ever since, members have faced violent evictions by the authorities, but remain steadfast in their resolve to demand justice.
Ahmet Ustunel, who lost his sight to eye cancer at 3 years old, plans to return to his native Turkey and kayak solo across the Bosphorus Strait. With the help of a grant, he will buy the kayak and the necessary equipment needed to navigate the waterway. “People should be able to see blind people using boats,” he says.
By night, a missionary at Manila's Baclaran Church photographs the lethal anti-drug operations of the Philippine police and profiles the victims to be used in future human rights abuse investigations. “Letting the world know about this legalized barbarism is a humanitarian work, before it being news,” Ciriaco Santiago says.
A project in Jamaica is empowering ordinary citizens to hold authorities accountable — an important aim, given the lack of investigative journalism in the country. The training was the result of a collaboration between the USAID-funded COMET II community development programme, the anti-corruption lobby group National Integrity Action, and the independent Global Reporters for the Caribbean.
The Russian national blind football team came out on top in the 2017 European Champions after beating Spain in an intense final. The victory is no small feat for a country where Paralympic sports receive little funding and athletes across the board have faced extra scrutiny and blanket bans in the wake of a doping scandal.
A woman who goes by pseudonym “Princesa” (“Princess”) maintains the most comprehensive and up-to-date map of femicides in Mexico. So far, she has recorded 2,355 cases. The reason she documents the gender-related killings? To name every single one of the women so that they are not forgotten.
Residents of the town of Gevgelija overwhelmingly voted to block the opening of gold mines in the area that they fear will harm the environment, in the first successful referendum since Macedonia became independent in 1991. The vote was an important assertion of the will of the people at a time when the country's outgoing ruling party has been implicated in election fraud.
In the small village of Walhe, nine women broke with tradition and spoke their husbands’ names instead of using the customary pronoun or “father of my child.” They did so as members of a club, one of 56 run by the organization Video Volunteers, meant to foster discussion and debate about the nuances of patriarchy.
An initiative called InfoBus is providing asylum seekers and migrants living in deplorable conditions in the French city of Calais with WiFi access out of a van. Many of the beneficiaries fled conflict, repression or economic insecurity in their countries, and now face surveillance, harassment, language barriers, and often lack basic services like electricity. The Internet connectivity provided by InfoBus allow them to communicate with family and friends.
Thousands of Vietnamese risked the government's wrath to protest on beaches and in boats against a Taiwanese-owned steel plant, one year after a toxic spill from its operations caused a massive fish kill and lingering damage. Fishermen argue that the compensation they have received is inadequate and has not helped the people most affected.
A travel and tourism-based Facebook group called Embrace Dominica has been documenting recovery throughout the Caribbean country following the destruction of Hurricane Maria, including how one company pledged to rebuild seven primary schools and hundreds of homes. As media coverage of natural disasters usually falls off after the initial spike around the time of the event, highlighting such efforts are important for drawing attention to the challenges of recovery.
Years of siege by government forces have made traditional staples like meat unavailable to ordinary Syrians, so one group of humanitarians and academics are educating families in the area of Eastern Ghouta to grow their own mushrooms “as a lifesaving source of food.” They are using the crowdfunding platform CanDo, in coordination with the NGO Ghiras Al-Nahda, to raise funds for their initiative.
China can frustrate Taiwanese participation in many international events. But “where there's a will, there's a way,” and Taiwanese find a way, making contributions to the Olympic Games, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and the World Trade Organization, among others. Hopes are high that the list will only grow in the future.
The Maitree (“Friendship”) Express is slowly bringing together more and more travelers on either side of the Bangladesh-India border. Launched nine years ago, the route unites Bengal, a large geopolitical area in the Indian sub-continent that shares a language and culture, but is divided by religion and borders.
To encourage people to be more proactive in their hopes for change, a tattoo artist in the United States offered free “RESIST” themed tattoos in exchange for proof of a $100 donation or more to charities or organizations “fighting for a better world.” On Facebook, Nate Kaschak explains:
A great deal of change is heading our way and it's our collective responsibility to make sure they're positive and progressive steps towards a brighter future for E V E R Y O N E.

author: L. Finch


text:
Incarceration of Left-wing Japanese Newspaper Editor Sparks Fears of Threat to Free Speech · Global Voices
William Andrews

Police raid the offices of Jimmin Shimbun (The Peoples News) on November 24. Photo sourced from Jimmin Shimbun's Twitter account.
On November 21, in the Hyogo prefecture of Kansai region of Japan's main island, Honshu, police raided the office of Jimmin Shimbun (The People’s News), one of Japan's most established left-wing newspapers, and arrested Yamada Yoichi, the editor-in-chief, on suspicion of fraud. He was then formally indicted on December 12. As of December 28, Yamada remains detained by Hyogo police.
The raid has stoked fears that a contentious, vaguely-defined new ‘conspiracy law’ is being used to stifle freedom of expression, and also highlights a still-vibrant left-wing political scene in Japan with links to radical groups from the 1960s and 1970s.
In an official statement published on its website, the newspaper said that the raid involved over twenty officers who refused to show a warrant and questioned residents in the building where the newspaper operates. Jimmin Shimbun reported that all of its computers were seized, along with other documents, and that the editor's residence along with two other locations in Tokyo were also raided.
Supporters of Jimmin Shimbun also claim that police who spoke with tenants in the building attempted to create an impression of the newspaper as a dangerous or illegal organization.
Jimmin Shimbun has protested the police raids and the detainment of its chief editor and has initiated various online campaigns to highlight what happened. It also issued a call for police officers who participated in the raid to be identified online.
【拡散】これが人民新聞を家宅捜索、編集長を逮捕、住民を検問した兵庫県警公安三課です。顔を覚えて抗議の集中を pic.twitter.com/H6Bh0gsR78
— 人民新聞(編集長不当逮捕許さない) (@jimminshimbun) November 22, 2017
[Share this] Jimmin Shimbun premises searched, editor arrested, citizens questioned by members of the Hyogo prefectural public safety division. Remember these faces, and let's fight back against (this group).
Following Yamada's arrest, a petition was quickly launched on Change.org calling on the National Police Agency to release the editor. Aside from calling for Yamada's release, the petition highlights the perceived threat posed by Japan’s recently enacted and highly contentious “conspiracy law” (known in Japan as 共謀罪, or kyogizai) and a “crackdown” on anti-government voices.
The petition notes:
We are very concerned that these types of suppression against citizens by the police will expand. The whole purpose of [the conspiracy law] is to repress citizen movement and the press. We consider that the police has now begun to apply this conspiracy law on innocent citizens.
Yamada’s arrest was reported in some mainstream Japanese sources, although coverage of events since the raid in late November has mostly been limited to left-leaning and sympathetic media publications, and by the Jimmin Shimbun itself. Despite the loss of its equipment in the police raid, Jimmin Shimbun has continued to publish three editions of the newspaper a month.
Founded in Osaka in 1968 as Shinsayoku (The New Left), Jimmin Shimbun adopted its current name in 1976. The various Marxist factions that once wreaked havoc around Japan’s university campuses are now a mere shadow of their former selves as membership declines.
Over the course of its history, the newspaper’s pages have carried announcements and statements from the Japanese Red Army (JRA), a Marxist militant group formed in 1971, and it even published an anthology of the JRA’s propaganda texts in 1979.
Though independent and unaffiliated with a specific leftist faction, the newspaper's historical and present links to the JRA have meant police regard it as a hub for sympathizers.
In fact, Jimmin Shimbun is just one example of a vibrant subculture of gazettes, newsletters, journals and newspapers published by an array of political groups in Japan sold at specialist bookstores and distributed among activists.
The scholar Wesley Sasaki-Uemura has described these as “micro-publics” that started to emerge after the failure of the 1960 protests against the US-Japan security treaty. However, the existence of publications like Jimmin Shimbun is proof that there is still a small but active left-wing community in Japan.
The allegations against Yamada that justified the raid involve a bank account he opened under his own name in February 2012. Yamada was provided with two bank cards for the account, and authorities allege Yamada used the account to receive funds donated by a network devoted to supporting Okamoto Kozo, a 70-year-old former Japanese Red Army member who now lives in Beirut, Lebanon.
Police say that almost all of the approximately 10 million yen (about $88,000 USD) placed in the account since it was opened was withdrawn in Lebanon with one of the bank cards, and used by people caring for Okamoto in Lebanon. While Okamoto is still wanted by police in Japan, he was granted legal asylum by the Lebanese government in 2000.
現在も逃亡中のメンバー
■佐々木規夫、奥平純三
佐々木隊として活動中。
■坂東國男、大道寺あや子
坂東隊として活動中。
■岡本公三
レバノンに亡命中。
■松田久
重信房子の側近だったが、重信逮捕後の動向は不明。
■仁平映
消息不明。 pic.twitter.com/vt5bhCrB6n
— 日本赤軍bot (@JapanRedArmyBot) July 5, 2017
A typical “most-wanted” poster of Japanese Red Army members; some are still at large, while the whereabouts of others is unknown or may have deceased. Okamoto is pictured bottom-right.
Okamoto went to Lebanon in the early 1970s to join up with the nascent Japanese Red Army, then a loose circle of volunteers under the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. He is the sole living member of the Japanese group who attacked Lod Airport (Ben Gurion Airport) in Israel in May 1972. The attack killed 28 people, including his two Japanese comrades.
Okamoto was captured by the Israeli armed forces and kept in solitary confinement for several years, during which he had a nervous breakdown. He was released in a prisoner exchange in the 1980s and was later arrested in Beirut in 1997 and put on trial with several peers for visa violations.
Ultimately Okamoto was allowed to stay in Lebanon as a political exile after his fellow defendants were extradited to Japan in 2000. Orion no Kai (Orion Group) was then formed by supporters in Japan to fund his living costs.
In addition to Okamoto, a handful of ex-members of the now-disbanded JRA remain at large, presumably overseas, and their faces are a common sight on wanted posters at police substations around Japan. For the JRA’s various associates residing domestically, surveillance is an accepted fact of life.
However, the arrest of the Jimmin Shimbum editor and the raid on its office indicates that the police will now exploit opportunities to crack down on left-wing press publications and prevent them from disseminating information.
Critics of the raid and Yamada's arrest believe Yamada was targeted as a supporter of former JRA affiliate Okamoto. They that the fraud charge was a convenient excuse to raid the newspaper and steal its list of subscribers.
Police looking ahead to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics intend to keep tabs on past leftists, much as they did in the run-up to the G7 summit in 2016.
人民新聞の編集長が不当逮捕され、起訴されました。詐欺罪で。でも被害者はいません。これは言論弾圧です。暖房のない寒い拘置所へ移送されるそうです。何もしてないのに何ヶ月も出れない。嘘ばかりの詐欺軍団の安倍政権やレイプ犯山口を逮捕したらどうなんだ！#人民新聞#ヤバすぎる緊急事態条項
— marumaru (@marumaruzun) December 12, 2017
The chief editor of Jimmin Shimbun has been unjustly arrested and indicted for fraud. However, there is no victim at all. Instead, (Yamada's arrest) is suppression of speech. Yamada has been taken to a cold cell with no heater. He hasn't done anything wrong, and yet will be detained for several months. Instead it's the lying Abe clique […] that should be arrested!
As of December 29, Yamada remains detained by Japanese police as prosecutors build a case against him. Jimmin Shimbun supporters have held events and protests outside the police station in Hyogo where Yamada is confined.
While some might say the left-wing newspaper is a relic from another era, Jimmin Shimbun epitomizes the feisty voice of veteran left-wing activism in Japan that is accustomed to confronting the state.

author: William Andrews


text:
Survivors of a Deadly Mall Fire in the Philippines Share Harrowing Testimonies on Social Media · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Screenshot from local news coverage by GMA TV's 24 Oras, Philippines.
Survivors of a mall fire that led to the death of 38 workers in the southern Philippine city of Davao have turned to social media to share testimonies and grieve. A fire gutted the four-story NCCC Mall in Davao on December 23 at 9:30 the morning and was declared extinguished on December 24, Christmas Eve. Their stories reveal how the NCCC Mall was not structurally equipped to handle the blaze. Authorities say that 37 of the 38 victims are call center workers of Survey Systems International (SSI), a United-States-based outsourcing company operating a branch on the mall’s top floor.
Labor rights activists have compared the tragic fire to a factory fire in a Philippine export processing zone earlier this year wherein over a thousand workers are allegedly still missing and a deadly slipper factory fire in Manila last 2015 that burned alive 72 trapped workers.
The following are SSI call center workers’ personal accounts posted publicly on Facebook detailing their escapes from the burning call center. Val Huera recalled a tone of exuberance before Christmas break when the fire occurred:
It was the last day of work before the holiday celebrations so everyone was excited to go home. 5-10minutes before 10am, we smelled something burning like plastic or toxic fumes and seconds later, smoke started coming out from our airconditioners. Everything happened so fast because in just a few seconds the smoke started to get very heavy and dark so we all ran to the fire exit near the locker area shaking and shouting.
Huera described how the fire exits became impassable because of the heat:
People were already crowded as we approach the fire exit. I heard someone shouting, “Balik kay dili maagian ang fire exit. Init kaau sulod!” [“Go back, fire exit is impassable. It's so hot inside”]. So we slowly moved back inside but as we approached the attendance area, people from the 2nd fire exit came rushing towards us and said it's also impassable there.
He expressed fear and realized the sprinklers did not work:
I honestly thought i was gonna die that time ‘coz i already had a hard time breathing. The sprinklers did not work so someone who has water with them threw it in the air and i even got some water on me which apparently turned into black ash stains on my jacket.
Salvador Bhadz Casas Medenilla Jr., another Facebook user, lamented zero visibility as they tried to escape the fire:
Simultaneously, the lights went out. There was no electricity. It was dark, people started screaming. Smoke was starting to cover us. I maintained composure, I saw my girlfriend and grabbed her and she was at my left arm. At my right arm is one of our agents, at our back is one agent as well, and upfront is our 5 months pregnant agent. I told them to stop crying and cover their mouths. ZERO VISIBILITY. I was just trying to remember how many steps I have to make to get back inside the office.
Abriella Annarosa Sandoy Bolosito grieved for her colleagues who did not make it:
Wla na nagsunod sako likod na kaubn nako natrapand s locker area. I saw them and hear them “balik balik init na kaayo Dili na kaya! Cr! Cr! Cr!. Traumatic kaayo Kaubn nako cla s locker area na trap!! Unfortunately Wla na nila nakaya magawas sa lobby! Both fire exits Dili na maagihan. Even ang glass s locker sa may billiard hall gitry namo basag Kay muambak nalang unta mga tao!!! Kaso baga kaayo ang glass wlA mi dala para makabuak s glass and Wla nmi makita ang usok sakit na kaayo s tutunlan!! I cannot imagine Unsa Ila gibati sa sulod nagstruggle og gnhawa.
A colleague who was just behind me got trapped in the locker area and was not following me anymore. I saw them and heard them say, “go back go back it is too hot it is unbearable! CR [Comfort Room]! It is very traumatic. Those trapped in the locker areas are my co-workers! Unfortunately they were unable to go out to the lobby! Both fire exits were impassable. We even tried to break the glass at the locker by the billiard hall because people wanted to jump out! But the glass was too thick and unbreakable. We were unable to see anything anymore and the smoke was too painful to the throat! I cannot imagine what they felt inside struggling to breath.
Reggio Colina testified that no alarms sounded when the fire broke out:
No alarms from the mall or any word from any mall employee downstairs that there was already a fire going on minutes ago on the lower floors. We only found out when smoke just came out from the AC and everything was almost too late.
Supervisor Lloyd Angeles recounted trying to guide firefighters to save fellow co-workers after escaping the burning building:
We tried to go back in on every possible entry and it was too hot and the smoke was too thick. Init kaayo sa nawong and miski ang nakagear kay murag malanay ang plastic sa helmet… Nagsige mu ug balik2 sa mga entry points dili dyud makaya miski tung special unit sa fire na naka special gear di gihapon makaya.
We tried to back in on every possible entry and it was too hot and the smoke was too thick. It was too hot for the face and even those with gear looks like the plastic on the helmet would melt… We kept on going back to the entry points but the heat was too unbearable even for the fire [fighting] special unit wearing special gear.
Labor groups like the BPO Industry Employees Network (BIEN) are calling for an independent investigation to hold those responsible accountable:
We have seen too many similar man-made disasters to our fellow workers in the Philippines alone—Kentex fire in 2015 and HTI fire earlier this 2017 to name a few. What happened in SSI in Davao only shows that even workers in the so-called ‘sunshine industry’ are not free from fatal work hazards… Justice must be served to the victims and those accountable must be penalized so as to avoid future workplace deaths.
Hours to go before Christmas. Makasad because of what had happened sa davao. Typhoon vinta and NCCC mall on fire. Sad to hear the zero survival of those people trapped inside. God, help us to survive all of this. #VintaPH #NCCC #ccto pic.twitter.com/N4zUo6OQcg
— Diana Clara (@saintkirezynet) December 24, 2017
UPDATE as of 8:42am
McArthur Highway is now covered in thick smoke.
Traffic: McArthur Highway to Ma-a now closed. Outbound Ma-a light traffic.
Fewer etchoserang people. But NCCC employees seen in the area.
S&R is temporally closed atm, according to guards. pic.twitter.com/cGKj8b6Yi0
— Justin Jon (@jusssyjay) December 24, 201

author: Karlo Mongaya


text:
2017: Another Year of Feminist Counter-Power in Latin America · Global Voices
Andrea Arzaba

“We Want Ourselves Alive” Photo from Emergente. Used with permission.
2017 was another year of alarming numbers and another year of women pushing back. It was a year that Latin America raised its voice against gender violence with feminist movements that caught fire and expanded all around the region, creating bridges with other women's movements globally.
These global movements reverberated around the world and were recognized by mainstream media outlets: English-language Merriam Webster Dictionary chose the word “feminism” as the Word of the Year and US Time magazine chose the #MeToo campaign, in which thousands of women shared their personal stories of sexual assault, as Person of the Year.
Global Voices followed many of the movements that shook Latin America, and as the year ends, we want to look back at some of the moments when women's struggles took center stage.
“The same week in which Latin America hit the streets and the net to defend women's rights, the regional public was in an uproar over the death of 41 young women inside a shelter on the edges of Guatemala City.” Photo: Carlos Sebastián for the online media Nómada. Used under Creative Commons – nonspecified – license.
March was a tragic month for Guatemala. It was a month that saw 41 girls die in a fire at a state-run foster home in the outskirts of Guatemala City, an incident that sparked many initiatives from civil society groups. Most notably, the tragedy led to the global campaign #56Hurt (#NosDuelen56). The initiative brought together a group of international artists who created portraits of each girl that died in the fire, demanding that Guatemalan authorities take action.
Indira Jarisa Pelicó Orellana, one of the victims of the “Hogar Seguro” massacre, was 17-years-old when she died. Portrait by Mexican artist Claudia Navarro. Used with permission.
#NosDuelen56 es un grito por la justicia desde el arte, el periodismo, el medioactivismo y los feminismos. Es un ejercicio de memoria colectiva y de dignificación por las 56 niñas que fueron encerradas y quemadas en un hogar estatal en Guatemala el pasado 8 de marzo del presente año. De ellas, 41 murieron como resultado de este crimen femicida y 15 están con heridas de gravedad.
#NosDuelen56 is a cry for justice through art, journalism, online activism and feminism. It's an exercise in collective memory for the dignity of the 56 girls who were locked up and burned in a state-run home in Guatemala on March 8 this year [2017]. Of these girls, 41 died as a result of this femicide and 15 are badly hurt.
In July, the main stage was taken by an independent open data initiative that aims to map femicides in Mexico (in Spanish, MFM). The map provides geographic coordinates and context for femicides that have taken place since 2016. By the end of 2017, the map had registered 1,824 cases.
In August, a whole movement following a student from Paraguay's School of Medicine at the University of Asunción revealed the complicated and powerful net that puts many female medical students’ careers at risk.
In September, Mara Castilla's femicide by a Cabify driver shocked the whole region. Castillo's murder sparked protests in eleven states in Mexico, with protesters criticizing the State's for its lack of security measures and the reigning impunity surrounding violence against women. At the same time, several online hashtags connecting her death to previous gender violence cases (most notably, the #IfTheyKillMe campaign) demanded security for women and an end to online victim blaming.
In this year's Miss Peru beauty pageant participants took the stage calling attention to the alarming number of violence cases against women in the country. The initiative shocked international media, but Peruvian netizens quickly added nuance to the story. For many, the contest itself was a part of the complex system which objectifies women:
Screenshot from Al Jazeera: “Miss Peru contenders turn pageant into gender violence protest.” Available on YouTube
Primero, hay que reconocer el contexto de la situación. Miss Perú 2017. Un concurso que elige a su ganadora en base a su apariencia física y capacidad de responder preguntas en tiempo record. Donde todas las mujeres son casi idénticas: altas, delgadas […] Lima, Perú. La 5ta ciudad más peligrosa para las mujeres en el mundo […] Estas dos cosas están relacionadas, ambas son producto de una sociedad machista. La cosificación de la mujer es una forma de violencia que nace de una sociedad que solo nos valora por nuestros cuerpos y que piensa que pueden hacer lo que les da la gana con ello.
First, we should recognize the context. Miss Peru 2017. A beauty pageant that chooses its winner based on her physical appearance and the capacity of answering questions in record time. [A contest in which] all women are almost identical: tall, thin […] Peru. The 5th most dangerous city for women in the world. […] These two things are related. They're both the product of a sexist society. The objectification of women is a way of violence that emerges from a society that values us only because of our bodies and think they can do whatever they want with it.
She continues:
Si Latina.pe y Miss Perú en verdad les importara el bienestar de las mujeres peruanas y realizar un cambio potente en nuestra sociedad machista y violenta, hubieran utilizado ese tiempo que dedicó para emitir el certamen para algo más productivo que nombrar a otra reina de “belleza” (física, específica, occidental y que no representa la apariencia de la mayoría de peruanas). Yo no le voy a tirar flores a un certamen porque por fin se dio cuenta que las mujeres peruanas estamos sufriendo en una situación crítica. Nosotras no decimos “nos están matando” o “#PerúPaísDeVioladores” porque nos gusta. Nos duele. Mucho. Nos deprime. Nos parte el alma pero lo gritamos porque es la verdad y no podemos ignorar lo que estamos viviendo.
if Latina.pe [the TV chain transmitting the contest] and Miss Peru really cared for the well being of Peruvian women and wanted to make a powerful change in our sexist and violent society, they would use that air time in something more productive than having yet another “beauty” queen (a queen of a very specific physical beauty: Western, not representative of most Peruvian women). I'm not throwing flowers to the pageant because they finally realized that Peruvian women suffer a grave situation. We're not saying “they're killing us” or #PeruCountryofRapists because we like it. It hurts. A lot. It's depressing. It breaks our souls but we shout it out loud because it's the truth and we can't ignore what we're living.
Other artistic initiatives denounced abuses, like the photography series which criticized illegal clinics aimed at “correcting” homosexual women in Ecuador, while other projects praised the contributions of Latin American female scientists. At the same time, these movements and initiatives opened up spaces for dialogue (both online and offline) about intersections of race and gender and the need for difficult conversations regarding discrimination inside equality movements:
Now, more than ever, it is time for us black women to define ourselves on our own terms, and to gather in spaces created by us and for us […] Some white/intersectional feminists will cry separatism and segregation after reading this, but please use this opportunity to educate yourself about hypocrisy and contradictions of the feminist movement regarding black women.
All in all, the struggle continues and the communities fighting for the cause are only getting stronger. As women's movements continue to gain ground in the region, 2018 is expected to be a year that sees the growth of many more projects that push for fundamental changes to society and advocate for a safer and more just world for all women.

author: Andrea Arzaba


text:
If You Spent 2017 in the Caribbean, This Was The Kind of Year You Had · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 22 (HSC-22), attached to the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1), performs humanitarian aid operations on the embattled island of Dominica following the landfall of Hurricane Maria. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Michael Molina/Released)170924-N-VK310-0009. Via the Official U.S. Navy Flickr Page, CC BY 2.0
Every year has its ups and downs; however, 2017 was a bit like a rollercoaster for the Caribbean archipelago, complete with incredible highs and stomach-churning lows. Here's a look back at some of the issues the region wrestled with this year, and how it both failed and triumphed in the midst of change:
The critically endangered Jamaica Iguana. Photo by conservation photographer Robin Moore, used with permission.
While the environment took a huge hit because of the harsh 2017 Atlantic hurricane season which wreaked havoc in many island territories, nature also won big thanks to the efforts of dedicated environmentalists.
First off, the rest of the region rallied to the aid of the territories that were the worst affected — a trend that was evident even when smaller scale disasters like flooding happened on a local level before the hurricane season began.
Just as heartening was the way that good news and stories of resilience began to surface after Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated the region, countering the “disaster porn” narrative that was beginning to take shape on international mainstream media. There were also glimpses of hope as badly battered Dominica began to rebuild, and the region's birds, whose habitats had been destroyed, were making a post-hurricane comeback.
The icing on the cake came in the form of a landmark victory for environmentalists in Jamaica who managed, after a long and hard-fought campaign, to convince the government to create a wildlife sanctuary on the Goat Islands. The area, once threatened by a transshipment port development, is now a sanctuary for the critically endangered Jamaican Iguana (Cyclura Collei), which had initially been thought extinct but was rediscovered in the Portland Bight Protected Area's Hellshire Hills in 1990.
A cross section of the crowd at the Tambourine Army Survivor Empowerment March Against Sexual Violence. Photo by Storm Saulter, used with permission.
It was a tough year for Caribbean women, with often fatal incidents of gender-based violence dominating the headlines. Adding insult to injury was the tendency to victim-blame, putting the onus on women to protect themselves from potential predators.
But there were victories, too. In Jamaica, the Tambourine Army movement began to “advocate differently for the rights of women and girls”, unapologetically putting the issue of sexual violence on the front burner. While one of the group's founders faced a severe backlash for it (she was arrested and charged on three counts of “the use of computer for malicious communication” under the country's Cybercrimes Act, ostensibly for “naming and shaming” alleged perpetrators), the group was eventually vindicated, with the country's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) saying it was “not a viable prosecution”.
Wedding ring in sand. Photo by Derek Gavey, CC BY 2.0.
Perhaps the brightest spot of all when it came to women's rights was Trinidad and Tobago's abolition of child marriage which, up until this year, had been legal.
Jamaica also stepped up to the plate by taking steps to improve its missing child prevention and recovery efforts via a Facebook alert system. The country also created a database to track the human rights violations of the region's most vulnerable communities.
In that vein, the Jamaican prime minister, Andrew Holness, made a historic apology for the “grave injustice” of an attack made on Rastafarians in 1963. Eight Jamaicans were killed on what has come to be called “Bad Friday”, and as many as 150 Rastafarians were rounded up, arrested, abused, and had their dreadlocks cut as part of an atmosphere of systematic oppression, discrimination and open hostility towards them that had begun prior to independence.
However, indigenous communities still face an uphill battle when it comes to gaining rights and recognition in the region.
Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) uniform detail taken during Jamaica's 2010 state of emergency. Photo by the BBC World Service, CC BY-NC 2.0.
Corruption — or at least the perception of it — still remained high on netizens’ radar this year, with ministers in various territories racking up big bills at the expense of the public purse.
In Trinidad and Tobago, the head of state was embroiled in a corruption scandal that involved his receipt of a housing allowance while occupying state housing, and though police have announced their investigation into the matter, nothing further has come of it to date.
Trinidad and Tobago's judiciary was also facing a decline in public trust after the country's law association passed a symbolic no-confidence vote against the chief justice. The controversy that followed was quite involved and is still ongoing. To add to the judiciary's woes, a former attorney general was arrested on charges of perverting the course of justice and misbehaviour in public office.
In a disappointing turn of events in Jamaica, a review by the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) absolved the officers involved in what has come to be known as the Tivoli Gardens Incursion, where, under a state of emergency in 2010, security forces entered the troubled West Kingston community in search of alleged drug don Christopher “Dudus” Coke, who was wanted for extradition to the United States. During the security operations — which raised major concerns among human rights groups — at least 72 Jamaicans lost their lives and about 35 more were wounded.
Derek Walcott at the VIII Poetry Festival in Granada, Nicaragua, February 2012. Photo by Stanislav Lvovsky, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Finally, the region was in mourning over the death of several key figures this year: Trinidad and Tobago's ‘virtual’ historian Angelo Bissessarsingh, promising young soca singer Devon Matthews, Jamaican media icon Ian Boyne, and St. Lucian-born but regionally claimed Nobel Laureate, Sir Derek Walcott.
Screenshot from the YouTube video of the 2017/2018 Human Rights Law Clinic Schools Tour.
When it comes to certain pressing issues, the ride definitely isn't over. The region continues to grapple with matters such as migration, for instance, against the backdrop of the deepening political and economic crisis in nearby Venezuela and the recent plight of a group of Cuban migrants living on the street in a protest outside the Trinidad and Tobago office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
Sativa. Photo by Dank Depot, CC BY-NC 2.0.
Because of its geographical location — smack dab between North and South America — the Caribbean has been affected by the policies of the United States’ ‘War on Drugs’. So while the rest of the world begins to legalise marijuana and profit handsomely from its legal sale, particularly in the medical marijuana market, the region that is perhaps most associated with ganja growing now trails behind both legislatively and economically. While there has been some astounding progress in this regard, particularly in Jamaica (which has decriminalised possession in small amounts), other territories are still sluggish.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
Massive Protests in Iran as People Weigh in on Its Origins · Global Voices
Mahsa Alimardani

Iranians, gathered in protests in Tehran's Ferdowsi square Sunday night, disperse after police start water jets. Image from Iran Newspaper, shared with the intention to distribute.
It's clear by now that something has been brewing in Iran. On 28 December, protests broke out in Mashhad over the ‘high prices’ of everyday goods and spread to smaller towns and major cities by 29 December. Theories about what is driving the current situation abound, with many conjectures and theories being prematurely shared on the issue.
I am skeptical of those who have more answers than questions about #Iranprotests.
— Mohsen Milani (@milanimohsen) December 30, 2017
To better understand the current situation, it is important to look at Iran's recent history and unpack some of the potential motivations behind these events. Here is a look at what is happening on the ground, how it differs from the 2009 protests, and why some people think that there is a lot more to this situation than meets the eye.
These protests have been the first on this scale since the 2009 protest movement against the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. As in the 2009 protests, there is a widespread national mobilization against the status quo; however, these current protests lack the support, and in some ways, the leadership of the reformist candidates that the Green Movement had with Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. This time, the protest chants seem to speak about a general dissatisfaction with both the reformist, the moderate, and the hardline elements in Iran.
#Update34-
First video of university students in Tehran chanting “reformists, conservatives your adventure is over.”#University_of_Tehran #IranProtests #RegimeChange pic.twitter.com/yVCGzEhvi1
— Raman Ghavami (@Raman_Ghavami) December 30, 2017
Here is what we do know so far: there are protests occurring across the country; there is footage of various protest chants which outline people's disillusionment with not only the Islamic Republic's ruling system but also the moderate government of Hassan Rouhani; there does not seem to be one collective goal or leader in mind; however, the protesters seem to be voicing dissatisfaction with unemployment and economic stagnation; there are many perspectives and interpretations being spread across social media; there have been fears that the Internet will be cut off; and there have been some Iranian users reporting some offline connections, disrupted cell services, as well as VPN services no longer working.
OpenVpn قطعه
ولی سایفون وصله.
— Raha (@RahaRst) December 30, 2017
OpenVPN is not working
But Psiphon is working.
اینترنت موبایل همراه اول از ساعت 21 تا همین الان در #کرج قطع بود.
— foad shams (@foadshams) December 30, 2017
Mobile Internet from Hamra Aval was off from 21h until now in Karaj.
However, in general, the country remains online and the steady stream of protest footage is coming in from all across the country.
Personal experience: I had access to the internet all day long without any problem. some said they had few problems w/ internet for 1 or 2 hours, but every things went back to normal. Infact in these 3 days of protests there is'nt any serious disruption yet.
— Essi Marlboro (@Essi_Marlboro) December 31, 2017
At the moment, the only Internet loss seems to be access to the major social media platforms Telegram and Instagram. In Iran, there are an estimated 40 million monthly users (in a country with around 45 million users online) on Telegram and around 20 million on Instagram. Telegram founder Pavel Durov tweeted this message about the situation:
Iranian authorities are blocking access to Telegram for the majority of Iranians after our public refusal to shut down https://t.co/9E4kXZYcP9 and other peacefully protesting channels.
— Pavel Durov (@durov) December 31, 2017
BREAKING: Iran state TV says authorities temporarily block Instagram, messaging app Telegram to `maintain peace’ amid protests.
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 31, 2017
While many experts are weighing in on the situation, one notable commentator inside of Iran raised a few questions. Sadegh Zibakalam, a reformist-oriented University of Tehran political science professor, noted the reasons behind the protest and some of the peculiar new chants in favour of the former deposed monarchy. The post was shared widely on Instagram and Telegram:
?درست است دولت آقای روحانی دولت خیلی موفقی از نظر اقتصادی نبوده است، اما آنچه که باعث نارضایتی امروز مردم شده است، آنچه که باعث وضعیت وحشتناک ایران شده است فقط سیاست‌های روحانی در این 7-6 ماه گذشته و حتی 4 سال گذشته نبوده است….
?ایران بودجه‌هایی در سوریه، لبنان و یمن هزینه می‌کند. در این صورت آیا مردم ایران راضی هستند که پولشان صرف حزب‌الله لبنان و یمن بشود؟…
?جنس نارضایتی‌ها و سرخوردگی‌ها یک مقدار با سال88 متفاوت شده است. سال88 اعتراضات سیاسی بود اما الان اعتراضات اقتصادی و غیرسیاسی‌تر شده است. چه کسی فکر می‌کرد که در کشور ایران بعد از چهل سال حاکمیت جمهوری اسلامی ایران به نفع سلطنت و پادشاه شعار داده شود و یک عده بگویند ..و شعار سر دهند که پادشاه و پهلوی بازگردد؟
It's true that the government of Mr. Rouhani has not been the most successful in terms of economy, but what is the cause of the upset of the people today and the frightening situation of Iran is not just the politics of Rouhani in these past 6-7 months, nor even last 4 years….
Iran's budgets to spend money in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. In this way, should the Iranian people be satisfied their money is spent on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Yemen?…
The nature of dissatisfaction and frustrations are different since 2009. The 2009 protests were political but now the protests are economic and apolitcal. Who thought that in Iran after 40 years of the Islamic Republic that you would hear chants in favour of a monarchy and a king, and even a few slogans calling for the return of the king and the Pahlavis?..
Despite the surprising chants in favour of the monarchy, it remains unlikely their return and support is a widespread theme of these protests, but rather one type of chant in series of demands, expressions and protests.
There is also a general feeling that the events were spurred on by hardline elements to undermine President Rouhani. Journalist Golnar Motavelli reports this theory from Tehran through her monitoring of Iranian media:
7/ This is significant because it shows that the Mashhad protests, whether spontaneous or not, in the very least had the sympathy and support of the hardline conservative establishment, particularly in the city itself
— Golnar Motevalli (@golnarM) December 31, 2017
According to Golnar however, it seems since the chants in the protests have taken on the theme of overall dissatisfaction with all the leaders of the system and that, those who hardline conservatives who may have initially supported the protests, have essentially lost controlled.
10/ “something else is going on behind the curtain” he then said, addressing whoever it is he thinks that is (ostensibly hardline elements), that “their smoke blew back in their faces”, a Persian way of saying “you shot yourselves in the foot”
— Golnar Motevalli (@golnarM) December 31, 2017

author: Mahsa Alimardani


text:
Despite Challenges, Jamaica’s Capital City Welcomes 2018 With a Dash of Optimism · Global Voices
Emma Lewis

Kingston at night. Photo by mo lish, taken from Stony Hill, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
On New Year's Eve, the Mayor of Kingston and St. Andrew, Delroy Williams, tweeted:
#NewYears #NewGoals #NewPartnerships #SameMotivation Happy New Year from the Mayor of Kingston & @ksamcorp pic.twitter.com/trhYtdlTdN
— Delroy Williams (@MayorWilliamsJA) January 1, 2018
2017 was a largely positive first year for Mayor Williams, who was sworn in on December 15, 2016. Having built a solid following on social media in 2017, he is gaining support for various initiatives, including the renovation of the historic Ward Theatre and the St. William Grant Park in downtown Kingston, and the promotion of activities in the UNESCO Creative City of Music, thanks to its invention of six separate musical genres including mento, ska, reggae, rocksteady, dub and dancehall.
Kingston, the island's capital, which boasts the Caribbean's only visual and performing arts college and a high number of music recording studios, earned in excess of $28 million J (about $225,000 USD) this year, from entertainment permits alone.
This is better than in prior years. In December 2016, the city hosted just under 600 events; in December 2017 there was a 4% increase. Against this backdrop, the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC) has been “pushing the issue of entertainment”, because of both its cultural and economic value.
The development of a restaurant and entertainment centre on the waterfront caught one Jamaican's eye:
Sir @MayorWilliamsJA If this is what I think it is???, I am very excited! It's looking good!
Jamaica's heartbeat…Kingston is the place to be tonight!!! ?????? pic.twitter.com/GU0ixukesk
— TWill?????? (@TWill876) January 1, 2018
However, several tricky issues linger in Jamaica's capital — not least of them chronic issues with garbage collection. Having been besieged with social media messages in recent weeks, the mayor has now offered to assist the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) with the burgeoning problem. While the NSWMA head sought to defend the agency, others, including the incoming Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), were not impressed.
Another ongoing concern is Jamaica's high crime rate. However, this did not deter hundreds of Jamaicans, who gathered along the Palisadoes strip (a narrow strip of land connecting the city to the airport) to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks display. They created their own parties there, without the crowd and the cost:
How are you ringing in the new year?
Bumper to bumper traffic along the Palisadoes main road in Kingston, a popular location to watch New Year's Eve fireworks in the capital city. Photo by @rmakyn. #NYE2017 pic.twitter.com/R5bVaTtDZN
— Jamaica Gleaner (@JamaicaGleaner) January 1, 2018
PHOTOS: Fireworks, booze and games at Palisadoes on New Year's Eve #Kingston #Jamaica https://t.co/UuJTI4stUe pic.twitter.com/aFOwwrdoPD
— Carl Le Bault (@CarlosMaradonna) January 2, 2018
One particular aspect of law and order that troubles many residents is the aggression of windscreen wipers (young men, mostly street dwellers, who approach drivers to clean their windscreens):
I have been talking about this menace for years which has now got out of hand. Some of Kingston’s major intersections remain unsafe for especially female drivers who suffer indignity when they’re targeted by windshield wipers. #DevonHouse #3miles #MatildasCorner @MayorWilliamsJA
— Čulture Dôctor (@SonjahStanley) December 31, 2017
One leading businessman avoided cars entirely and sailed his luxury yacht into Kingston Harbour on New Year's Eve, sparking admiration:
This MegaYacht came in yesterday. Gather it belongs to Michael LeeChin. Hope it does. Jamaicans should be proud of him. To me it’s both inspiration and motivation. Let’s celebrate the successes of fellow Jamaicans and perish the 3rd World complex. pic.twitter.com/oGZos5tunf
— Douglas Halsall O.D. (@HalsallDoug) January 1, 2018
Kingston's residents enjoyed New Year's Eve, whether in the usual lively fashion or in quiet contemplation. Fireworks on the waterfront have become an annual ritual, enabling Jamaicans from all walks of life to relax, eat and enjoy live music. Media personality Miss Kitty shared:
Wear your Neon Colours and meet me Downtown Kingston on the Waterfront and let's rock in 2018 together!! #RockDiGlow #Fireworks #NewYearWatch #Kingston #Jamaica https://t.co/GVoPvjcHMl pic.twitter.com/EuB9bqE2uZ
— Miss Kitty (@fluffymisskitty) December 31, 2017
The fireworks were a great success, with many vantage points from around the city available. Vendors were out early setting up their stalls downtown, and security was tight. Jamaicans tweeted enthusiastically:
Hello 2018!
Absolutely stunning #FireworksCelebration display welcoming us to a brand New Year on the Waterfront, Downtown Kingston. pic.twitter.com/oxEDR8j3RH
— Digicel Jamaica (@DIGICELJamaica) January 1, 2018
Btw, 300, 000+ ppl celebrated the new year on the Kingston Waterfront. I’m amazed that 10% of the country was in that one place. Kudos to the organizers. ??????
— Donnalee ?? (@DonnaTruly) January 1, 2018
There were many celebratory and upbeat posts:
#HappyNewYear from Downtown Kingston #Jamaica! ????? pic.twitter.com/rcz8B91pmE
— H. Pinnock Dadag (@HeatherPinnock) January 1, 2018
At midnight, businessman Wayne Chen shared on Facebook:
Kingston 12:00 AM. The New Year is greeted with spectacular firework displays from a dozen locations across the city, plus many smaller bursts. I've never seen so many, and wonder if a new optimism is building. 2018 already has the makings of an auspicious year.
And on the morning of January 1, human rights advocate Susan Goffe tweeted early from her rooftop:
The first sunrise for 2018. Very overcast, but the sun manages to shine through. Metaphors for life… #Kingston #Jamaica #NewYear2018 pic.twitter.com/3jiJeIr8Sd
— Susan Goffe (@suezeecue) January 1, 2018
While clouds linger, it appears that Kingston is determined to look on the sunny side of life in 2018.

author: Emma Lewis


text:
‘I Now Feel Free and Can Live My Life.’ Australian Commission Gives Voice to Child Sexual Abuse Survivors · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Screenshot from video ‘Giving evidence at a public hearing’ by The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (CC BY 4.0)
Australia's Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was always certain to stir controversy, particularly with regard to the Catholic Church, and it did just that when it delivered its  final report on 15 December 2017.
The Royal Commission came about because of, as the report explains, “the sexual and other abuse of children in institutional settings, and the reluctance of those institutions involved to address this problem.” Its five years of hearings had already revealed widespread criminality, cover-ups and systemic failures across a wide range of both religious and other organisations.
According to the final report, the commission, which cost 500 million Australian dollars (380 million US dollars), was contacted by 16,953 people covered by its terms of reference, heard from 7,981 survivors of child sexual abuse in 8,013 private sessions, received 1,344 written accounts, referred 2,562 matters to police and made 409 recommendations.
For many people, its real achievement has been to air the voices of individual survivors who in many cases have waited decades to be heard. A total of 3,956 survivor “Narratives” are on the commission website with this warning: “This story is about child sexual abuse. It may contain graphic descriptions and strong language, and may be confronting and disturbing.”
It has also published a book, “Message to Australia“, containing handwritten messages from survivors to be kept at the National Library of Australia. They can be viewed online. These are just three of the 1,054:
I now feel free and can live my life.
Please be kind to children. Don’t tell lies. Always tell the truth if children are hurt like me.
In 1978 a little boy started CRYING… In 2014, he still is.
Thank you @CARoyalComm for entrusting us with the stories from child abuse survivors in the book, Message to Australia. We will keep them safe.https://t.co/U3LgPKO1Rg pic.twitter.com/Z0WP9AJJtM
— National Library Aus (@nlagovau) December 14, 2017
The ‘Message to Australia’ by survivors of child sexual abuse given to the Child Abuse Royal Commission has now been published online: https://t.co/PJDTmFE3hc
Suffice is to say that it makes for heavy (but thoroughly important) reading. #CARoyalComm pic.twitter.com/b5DI6BYOwr
— Tim Matthews (@TimPMatthews) December 13, 2017
One of the key issues has been the redress of past and future child sexual abuse, including monetary compensation. Recommendations from 2015 calling on the Australian federal government to set up a single national scheme have yet to be fully implemented.
Federal parliament has yet to pass legislation and some key states and institutions have not committed themselves. Queensland law professor Ben Mathews examined the implications in an article for news analysis site The Conversation:
This watershed inquiry has created the conditions for a seachange in how society deals with child sexual abuse in institutions, which can flow to our treatment of sexual abuse in other settings.
[…] We must focus our efforts on the future, but we must also ensure we properly deal with the past. Perhaps the single most important aspect of this is the redress scheme.
Others have a problem with the proposed scheme's coverage:
Controversially, the government proposes to exclude from redress anyone convicted of sex offences, and those sentenced to prison terms of five years or more for crimes such as serious drug, homicide or fraud offences.
This proposal is profoundly flawed and a step backward. […] Although it might be politically popular – and less expensive – to separate applicants into the categories of “deserving” and “undeserving” victims, it is morally wrong to do so.
Matthew Bowden is one of many people on social media who agree:
It’s essential we don’t apply a moral judgement to redress & create a divide between a perceived deserving & undeserving survivor of child sexual abuse. The National Redress Scheme needs to be for ALL @CLAN_AU @cporterwa @DanTehanWannon @TurnbullMalcolm https://t.co/8AceWVmVMk
— Matthew Bowden (@MatthewPWDA) December 28, 2017
A considerable amount of media and public attention has concerned the Catholic Church in Australia. This graph from the Final Report – Preface and executive summary helps to explain why:
Proportion of survivors who told us they were abused in a religious institution (%) – source Final Report – Preface and executive summary (CC BY 4.0)
Two issues are particularly challenging for the Catholic Church. The commission recommends (Reco. 7.4) that “information disclosed in or in connection with a religious confession” not be exempt from laws regarding mandatory reporting. The so-called sacrosanct (untouchable) nature of the confessional has brought strong responses such as @noplaceforsheep’s tweet:
If you think Catholics are being picked on, don’t forget it’s the only institution that has committed to continue its practice of protecting child abusers.
— Glorious Pecora (@noplaceforsheep) December 17, 2017
Adrian Piccoli reacted strongly to news that the Catholic archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, had repeated his belief that the seal of the confessional can't be broken:
As a human being and a Catholic I am appalled that this “man of God” would put protecting his place in the church ahead of protecting a child from sexual abuse. Surely it’s worth being excommunicated if it was necessary to save even one child from abuse. https://t.co/WElMJJXiQx
— Hon Adrian Piccoli (@PiccoliMp) December 17, 2017
In addition, the commission (Reco. 16.18) has asked the Australian Catholic bishops to request Pope Francis to consider making celibacy voluntary for diocesan (parish) clergy.
The @Pontifex comments on the final report of @CARoyalComm and says he will study in depth. https://t.co/a7cCBck8yR
— Lucie Morris-Marr (@luciemorrismarr) December 16, 2017
Rachel Bills “snorted” a note of cynicism:
I saw the recc about celibacy and snorted. Yeah, I bet the pope will get right on that
— Rachel Bills ? (@RedFeatherWings) December 15, 2017
Meanwhile a committal hearing for Australia’s only Catholic cardinal, George Pell, will take place next March to decide whether he will stand trial on undisclosed sexual charges. It will be held behind closed doors.
There are many reminders online that the commission has exposed child sexual abuse by numerous religious groups and other organisations. For example, Jim Luthy has clearly lost all trust in the Salvation Army:
Why did you think you could trust the @salvos? They are a church that abused children in every conceivable way. I was in one of their homes. They committed crimes against children & then denied it ever happened. Liars. Donate elsewhere please. https://t.co/wegyrIqBvT
— Jim Luthy (@goulburn1) December 28, 2017
The royal commission is arguably the most significant outcome of Julia Gillard’s three years as prime minister from 2010 to 2013. Her role in calling the inquiry was not forgotten:
The #CARoyalCommission was conceived and brought into being by @JuliaGillard..
She will go down as one of our greatest ever Prime Ministers for this act of courage & decency..
..thank you Julia..#CARoyalComm #auspol #ausvotes #LibLiars
— Comrade Mark (@markjs1) December 15, 2017
The other person to receive high praise is commission chair Justice Peter McClellan, who is to retire as an appeal judge of the New South Wales Supreme Court in 2018:
Royal commission chair Peter McClellan to retire, supported by abuse survivors https://t.co/c0EbeaCcV4
The occasion found the man. Maintained the confidence of all throughout. Australia is indebted to him and many others.
— Don Wilson (@gorgeousdunny1) December 20, 2017
Some final words from the commission:
We hope that the act of sharing these narratives with the public will contribute to a better understanding of the profound impact of child sexual abuse and that survivors will feel validated, heard, encouraged and strengthened by their publication.

author: Kevin Rennie