Around The World In 5; Abortions in Nigeria's IDP Camps, Uganda's #MeToo
Nigeria
Exploring abortion practices in internally displaced persons camps, Humangle reveals how women put their lives in danger as Nigerian laws deemed abortion illegal.
A resident of the camp tells Humangle that she had made a paste of powdered pepper and detergent, and drank it to abort the pregnancy.
Read more here.
Mexico
In addition to being a sex worker on Mexico’s streets, Paloma Paz, a 28-year-old transwwoman, also uses journalism to condemn injustices.
Paz and 10 other women write for a free monthly magazine called Noticalle published by the non-governmental organization Brigada Callejera (Street Brigade). Around 1,000 copies of the magazine are printed each month, made of three letter-size sheets of paper folded in half and stapled together.
On the cover, there is a cartoon of two sex workers with the word Noticalle in the background. The letter O is represented by a condom.
Read more here.
Kenya
Ahead of the August 9 elections in Kenya, women politicians are facing a rise in threats, slurs, body-shaming, and other online abuse on social media.
When Kenyan politician Esther Passaris posted a tribute to her late father on Twitter, trolls responded with a barrage of abuse over the accompanying photograph of the 57-year-old in a black kaftan walking alone on a white sandy beach. One user reposted a magnified photo of her thigh and begged her to give men "a chance," while another accused her of "flaunting her nudity." A third quipped "sexualized mourning
As Kenyans head to the polls in hotly-contested elections on Aug. 9, female MPs are witnessing a rise in online abuse and harassment, which could slow progress in boosting women's political voice in the country, warn rights campaigners.
Kenya has the lowest rate of women in politics in East Africa, with 23% of parliamentary seats, according to the global Inter-Parliamentary Union, most of which, like Passaris, are dedicated women's representatives not mainstream MPs.
Read more here.
Uganda
In Uganda, one in five women aged 15 to 49 have experienced sexual violence. Fear of harassment and abuse are part of many women’s daily realities, but they are often disregarded. Victims reporting their experiences are often met with skepticism and disbelief by the authorities. Many cases go unreported, as those who do speak out are often blamed for the abuse.
In 2018, a Ugandan lawyer, Samantha Mwesigye, filed a sexual harassment complaint against her boss at the Ministry of Justice. It was a year after the #MeToo movement had taken off, with women around the world increasingly prepared to hold powerful men to account for sexual harassment and abuse. Women’s groups rallied behind Mwesigye, holding press conferences, writing articles, and showing support online. They saw hers as a test case.
However, what followed was much worse than the decade of harassment according to Mwesigye. She was dismissed from her job and rendered “unemployable” in legal circles, while her boss, Christopher Gashirabake, was cleared by an internal review at the ministry – and was promoted twice, rising to become an appeal court judge. In 2019, she filed a case against him and the attorney general for sexual harassment and unlawful termination. The case has been adjourned numerous times. She is aware that if she appeals against a decision on her outstanding case, it would be heard by the court in which her alleged aggressor is a judge
Read more here.
Chile
This week, Feminist activists in Chile won a victory in their fight against the poisoning of people and the environment in the area nicknamed "the Chilean Chernobyl".
On 6 June, more than 100 people, mostly kids, presented symptoms of poisoning, including headaches, vomiting, and diarrhoea
On June 17, President Gabriel Boric announced that a smelting plant run by the state-owned National Copper Corporation of Chile (Codelco) would close. It followed a serious pollution incident that affected scores of people in the heavily industrialized area next to the Pacific Ocean, leaving effects on women with uterine and breast cancer and children with neurological conditions.
Read more here.