The United States has a long history of military intervention in the Middle East. Certainly this is a highly controversial start to his presidency. Hopefully Biden can reintroduce democracy back into a broken America.
There are three different categories which can be broken down from the term microaggressions and they are mircoassaults, microinvalidations and microinsults.
It’s important to note that every person of colour can experience this differently and to different degrees. While engaging with a staff member at a gym, my brother-in-law was speaking on my behalf and to get his own admission ticket, after awhile without talking, the gym staff member assumed I could not speak English, purely because I am a person of colour. I was outraged and felt insulted. I also recognise that this wasn’t just an occurrence exclusive to me but, is commonly felt by many people of colour.
I hope that this post brings awareness to individuals who were previously unaware of what a microaggression is. I am positive that the members of our society can recognise the issue of microaggressions and work towards a path which is inclusive and non-discriminatory for all.
More recently in the news, one of Melbourne’s most prestigious private schools has been implicated in a series of sexual assault scandals. Parents and students from Wesley college have been increasingly coming out and have begun to disclose incidents of harassment, sexual assault ‘and disrespect to girls by male students.’ Over a dozen have come forward helping to shed light on this misogyny crisis occurring within the school.
Nick Evans, the principal of Wesley College has made steps in the right direction by engaging in open discussions with the girls and their experiences at the college and it seems the college is engaged with Bravehearts, a child protection agency. Going to The Age, senior students told the media outlet ‘of multiple instances of sexual harassment on campus and sexual abuse by male students with whom they were, or were not, in relationships.’ I think Brittany Higgins coming out and telling her story has really shaped the way this discourse is unfolding and helped many others to come forward.
I’m appalled and disgusted by the stories which are being told about Wesley College culture. Hopefully these girls get the justice they deserve and that fundamental change can within the college walls.
A former Liberalmedia adviser, Brittany Higgins has come forward to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) regarding an incident of her alleged rape dating back to March 2019. The incident was managed internally at first, however Higgins was made to recount the incident to her minister in the same room that her rape occurred. Higgins stated she felt as if she was put in a position where she had to decide between reporting the incident to authorities (police) and her “dream job”. Battling internally with the events that occurred, she decided to stay in government. However, after a photo with Grace Tame (an advocate for victims of sexual assault) and the prime minister surfaced a few years later, Higgins decided to come forward with her story.
Resigning from her job and engaging with the AFP about the case, the story went public. Since the story went public, Scott Morrison has claimed that, until the 12 of February, his office was unaware of Higgins and her allegations, just three days before the incident became public. However, this seems to be problematic as an increasing number of individuals working in the prime minister’s inner circle have revealed they weren’t oblivious to these allegations as a result of their prior roles in government.
More women have come forward, making allegations about the perpetrator. A fourth woman has made an official police report at a Canberra police station. Two others have also come forward and made allegations about the perpetrator that they were also sexually assaulted by the same man. One being a former Coalition volunteer and the other a Liberal staffer.
The Leblouh problem is an issue which often isn’t discussed in the media. For those of you who are unaware of what leblouh is, it is a traditional practice in rural parts of Mauritania (Western Africa) where young girls are force-fed.
This ancient, traditional practice is performed because in Mauritanian culture, heavier women are seen as more wealthy and desirable. Gaining weight increases the chances of marriage for girls, alleviating financial burden from poorer families.
I say girls, because it is young girls, extremely young girls. This practice is imposed upon young girls as early as five years of age, most being force-fed because of Mauritanian cultural beliefs that round women are more beautiful. This means that girls are ‘primed’ for early marriage at a young age. The quantity of consumption of foods by these young girls often make them sick, many consuming water, camel’s milk (or goat’s milk), pounded millet and couscous in excessive amounts.
If they become ill, girls are forced to eat their own vomit if they reject the practice or may even but subject to torture (Zayar) if they refuse to eat and drink.
The importance of bringing this subject to light is that leblouh can lead to health issues such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and blood pressure issues.
Although underage marriage is not an exclusive practice in some parts of Africa. Child marriage cases have been widely reported in areas such as India, Yemen and Bangladesh. However, Leblouh is also a cultural practice and despite the health implications, Western beliefs and opposing values must also be culturally sensitive.
After my blog post on the illegal baby selling trade in Malaysia, I furthered immersed myself into this topic and was surprised to see European countries also partaking in this trade. It is often emphasised in the media that countries of the Global South and their respective governments are corrupt and unstable, however analysing Greece and Bulgaria and their baby selling trade could be valuable.
I watched a documentary by VICE Asia which explored the nature of human trafficking and baby selling in Bulgaria and Greece. This baby selling syndicate involves various people from different industries. From doctors, lawyers, pregnant women, parents wanting to adopt, nurses and human traffickers, this lucrative business can exploit women leaving them penniless and childless and does not protect the child.
At the Evelpidon Courts of Law in Athens Greece, the illegal trade becomes a legal adoption through court hearings of private adoptions. These court hearings legitimate the process, however Greek authorities could be doing significantly more to prevent this trade from occurring. If thorough background checks and investigations took place on the biological mothers by judges, it might prevent and reduce the number of cases of this illegal adoption process. The issue with the baby selling trade is that some lawyers might be involved in a significant number of these private adoption cases, and if one of their clients has given birth to, for example 7 children, as stated by the Family Status Certificate presented in court proceedings and she has put all of them up for adoption, it should raise suspicion.
My level of disgust and frustration on the baby selling trade in Bulgaria and Greece is that lawyers and medical professionals are legitimating an illegal process by exploiting vulnerable women, often women who are struggling to make ends meet. Moreover, it seems that in Greece, they aren’t actively trying to prevent this illegal adoption from occurring. In order to prevent this, thorough vetting and background checks on birth mothers need to be conducted by higher ranking officials (judges).
It’s estimated there are around 300 year-round residents, many consisting of women. Manija is the neighbouring island of Kihnu, which consists of women taking control of dry land responsibilities while the men work away from the island, this may be at sea, fishing or seal-hunting, or could be to find jobs on mainland Estonia. Having been under Soviet occupation or 50 years, they are accustomed to hard work with winters seeing the island isolated from the world.
Married women are the only ones allowed to dress in the traditional apron, with motherhood and marriage being prized accomplishments. Kinhu Kiel is the dialect spoken which was once suppressed by the Soviets and has rich words to describe weather. Tourists generally come to the island during summer. Many enjoy seeing the performances of women while they wear folklore bright, traditional skirts. However, many are guarded with outsiders. A documentary by an Estonian film-maker touched on the social problems occurring within their community, especially the alcoholism legacy left after the Soviet era which used alcohol as away to suppress the islands citizens.
It inspirational to see a matriarchal society in the works. In the media, we often see individuals talk about patriarchal societies, obviously in a negative way. It’s uplifting to see women take control and dominance over social life.
Lawmakers in Spain voted last week on Thursday to allow for physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia for patients who are terminally ill or individuals who have permanent medical conditions.
Earlier this year in February, a draft law was proposed by the Socialist-led government with Pedro Sánchez as Prime Minister. The draft law argued for an article in Spain’s criminal code to be removed. This criminal code meant that individuals suffering with terminal illnesses were not allowed assistance from anyone in their death. In the lower house of Parliament in Spain, 138 lawmakers voted against the euthanasia law, 198 voted in favour of it, whilst 2 abstained. The bill will then go to the Senate to be considered, however it is likely it will also be passed by lawmakers there too.
There are only a few countries in which euthanasia is permitted and Spain is likely to be one of them. Countries such as the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Canada, Belgium and Colombia have already formed legislation to permit assisted dying. In Australia both the states of Victoria and Western Australia have legalised assisted dying. In America, in states such as New Jersey and Maine, doctors can prescribe medication which is lethal to terminally ill patients wanting to end their lives. Other states such as Washington, Vermont, California and Hawaii allow for individuals to have control over how and when they die. The bill is supposed to help individuals choose between assisted suicide which could occur in the individuals home by consuming prescribed medication in a fatal dose, or, euthanasia which is carried out by a professional in the health care industry.
Protestors against the bill gathered outside of parliament in Madrid. Spain is a predominantly Catholic country, this creates some conflict with certain religious groups believing that euthanasia is wrong. Strong divides are evident between lawmakers. A former health minister and Socialist lawmaker, María Luisa Carcedo argued that this law will allow the country to take “a step forward in civil rights” and permits patients to have the choice in how they die, rather than it being imposed “by the state”. Voting against this bill was conservative lawmakers who argued there wasn’t sufficient debate in the public and the government was rushing to make this decision which has profound implications for society. A far-right lawmaker from the Vox party, Lourdes Méndez said the law equated to “signing death sentences for the weakest.”
The clear divides of opinion on euthanasia and assisted dying are understandable. I can see many similar arguments also coming up in debates around abortion. I see this change in Spain as a sign of progression and overall, as a positive. Individuals should be allowed the choice. I don’t believe governments should have complete power as to dictate the lives of its citizens and their own bodily autonomy.
I have been both intrigued and disgusted since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak by the simultaneous rise and spread of both the coronavirus, xenophobia and racism. I’m saddened by the fact this issue hasn’t been given enough media attention.
In Knoxfield, Melbourne Australia, earlier this year, a racist-inspired act of vandalism has impacted the lives of one Chinese-Australian family. For two consecutive nights, this family had one of their windows broken by a large rock and their garage door was covered with racist graffiti about COVID-19. The vandals wrote “COVID-19 China die” on the garage door. The resident had made police reports over the two nights which these events occurred. The Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews made a comment condemning this vulgar behaviour and encouraging a sense of togetherness and unity.
In the United-States, some Asian-Americans have begun to buy guns to protect themselves as a result of increased racism. A PBS NewsHour video explores a hate crime reporting tool called Stop AAPI Hate, and interviews the co-executive director of The Chinese for Affirmative Action organisation, Cynthia Choi. Cynthia Choi helped launch the website and as the report reveals, 61% of complaints/reports were from non-Chinese individuals. Many Asian-Americans experienced racism, most likely due to the fact that many individuals holding these discriminatory values cannot differentiate between individuals of Chinese descent compared to those of different origins outside of China (for example Japan or Singapore).
The fact that many American officials, such as President Donald Trump, call COVID-19 the “Chinese virus” or “Wuhan virus”, perpetuates this division and encourages racism. The consequences of naming this virus after its place of origin are immense. They include increased economic strain as there is a withdrawal of tourists and it also leads to investments dialling down. Calling the COVID-19 pandemic the “Wuhan virus” or “Chinese virus” leads to stigmatisation, discrimination and avoidance of towns. A video by CNBC Television explores how Donald Trump was questioned as to why he keeps calling COVID-19 the ‘Chinese virus’. His response to this was that it comes from China and that it is not racist. The pure fact he is in complete denial of the implications of referring to COVID-19 as the ‘Chinese virus’ is infuriating.
In an article published by the Human Rights Watch, it is revealed how the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres urged everyone earlier this year, to try to “end hate speech globally”, calling upon political leaders to “build and reinforce social cohesion”. He states in a twitter post “..the pandemic continues to unleash a tsunami of hate and xenophobia..”. The Human Right Watch article also touches on the fact some senior officials and Government leaders have either indirectly or directly encouraged racism, xenophobia or hate crimes ‘by using anti-Chinese rhetoric’. In countries like Italy, Spain, Greece, France, the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, some political groups and parties have used the pandemic to further push for white supremacist, ultra-nationalist and anti-immigrant ideologies. There has also been pushes for xenophobic conspiracy theories which demonise foreigners, political leaders, refugees and prominent individuals. The article also emphasises that Mike Pompeo, the Secretary of State in America, and his use of “Wuhan virus”, and Donald Trump referring to the pandemic as the “Chinese virus” encourages hate speech in America.
A tweet by the education minister of Brazil suggested that the pandemic was linked with the Chinese government and that it was apart of its “plan for world domination”. Additionally, in Italy, the governor of the Veneto region told journalists that Italy would exceed China and its handling of the virus as Italians’ are good at being hygienic, taking showers and washing hands, in contrast, the governor stated: “..we have all seen the Chinese eating mice alive“. Issues have also been reported in Africa, with discrimination reports and acts of violence on Asian people coming to light. There have been accusations that Asian people and foreigners carry the coronavirus occurring in countries like Ethiopia, South Africa and Kenya.
Identifying as Asian-European myself, I find it distressing learning and listening to the stories of all these people around the world being subject to discrimination and violence. I wanted to write about this as it has been on my mind for the entire year. I’ve been watching the events unfold feeling completely helpless. I don’t want the Asian community to be silenced. I can genuinely understand the sense of fear the Asian community feels during this time of increased tension. Although I luckily have not experienced violence or discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic, I know people who have. My appearance is enough to indicate to people that I am of Asian descent however, I’m thankful the community I live is in rich in its cultural and ethnic diversity. I hope the global community can find away to unite and prevail over those and their prejudicial and racist beliefs.
More resources:
The Youtube video below by The New York Times explores racism through the eyes of Katherine Oung, a high school student in America. It’s extremely valuable to understand racism through the eyes of todays youth. The video not only explores Katherine and her perspective, but also reveals the experiences her friends have with racism inspired by the coronavirus. I urge you all to check out this quick 3 minute video.
After the ruling was made, 12 Belgian colleges and higher education institutions (like universities) declared they would not implement the headscarf ban, emphasising the importance of students religious freedoms. This ruling has implications for women in universities, dictating what women can and can’t wear. I would assume that for some women, this might inhibit their ability to learn if they do not feel comfortable wearing clothing besides their religious garments.
Women should have the autonomy to choose what they want to wear and governments should not impose discriminatory laws. Of Muslim women in Europe, Muslim women in Belgium experience some of the highest unemployment rates as a consequence of restrictions on where they can use headscarves.
In 2011, the full face Islamic veil was banned. Belgium was the second country of the European Union to make moves to implement the ban, with women going to jail for up to 7 days or facing fines of €137.5.
At the time, Belgian MPs approved the ruling, arguing it was for security purposes to ensure police can accurately identify individuals. However some also argued the religious veil was a symbol of womens oppression. Some argue that it is Islamophobia which is the driving factor of this discriminatory law. I think that in the post-9/11 world, this is a plausible and valid argument. Irrespective of if members of government believe it to be a sign of womens oppression, the choice and freedom should still remain in the hands of women. After all, liberty and freedom are the fundamental values of democracy.
Here is a link where you can sign a petition to stop the banning of Hijabs.
BTheWriter 