Caroline Chisholm (1807-1877)

"The Emigrant's Friend"

Caroline was born near Northampton, England, the daughter of a farmer. Aged 22yo, Caroline married Captain Archibald Chisholm of the East India Company - she married him on the condition that her philanthropic work should continue. He was transferred to Madras (1832) - here Caroline founded the Female School of Industry for the Daughters of European Soldiers.

Caroline Chisholm arrived in Sydney Australia (1838) from India with her husband Archibald. She had neither means nor training but was a woman of immense courage and integrity and possessed great love for suffering humanity. Caroline decided to go to the aid of immigrants when she observed single girls being dumped on the wharves with nowhere to go She found a group of 64 girls sheltering in the Rocks area with only 14s 3d amongst them. Caroline set up the Female Immigrants Home with the support of the clergy, then the Governor's wife and finally the Governor himself.

Through her work at the Female Immigrant Home, Caroline gave protection and shelter to hundreds of young women, some of whom she accompanied into the country areas where she found employment for them - this often being followed by marriage. Caroline soon became concerned for families (c.1842) who having migrated in the hope of better things found themselves destitute.

Caroline returned to England (1846) and became the publicist for Australia. She formed a society to send out groups of families to Australia and succeeded in dispatching some 3000 persons in 5 years. Caroline agitated for and achieved better conditions on the vessels carrying the immigrants. As well as free passages for emigrants wives and children, she established the Family Colonisation Loan Society. When she first chartered a ship "Slains Castle" which sailed (1850) from England to Australia, she personally supervised the embarkation and appointed a reliable surgeon to control rations. Two more ships followed.

Caroline's plans for the new families alarmed the established farmers and squatters in Australia who felt threatened by the successes in farming achieved by the new arrivals. Caroline's Catholic faith and the possibility of her bringing Irish Catholics to Australia alarmed the mainly Scottish Presbytarians, including the New South Wales Governor John Dunmore Lang.

In 6 years Caroline assisted 11000 people to settle as servants, farmers, and wives in New South Wales (Australia) whilst her criticism, energy and experience contributed to the changes in the selection of migrants, their treatment on the voyage out and their reception in the colony.

In England Caroline maintained her work of assisting migrants. She was not impressed by the news of the gold discoveries, which stimulated emigration, as she feared that they would cause instability in the fragile society. Caroline's husband Archibald went to Australia (1851) to work as her colonial agent while she kept sending out families and girls from the British Isles, including a party of Jewish girls. In England, Caroline continued to agitate for lower colonial postal rates, for the introduction of colonial money orders and for better shipboard conditions. To this end, she ensured the passing of the Passenger Act (1852).

Now famous and supported by many powerful figures, including the writer Charles Dickins, Caroline returned to Australia (1854) - she was imbued with the optimistic but never proven idea that the wealth of a society lay in the settling of many small farmers and she worked for the unlocking of the lands.

Caroline continued to work despite illness and needy circumstances. She and her husband lived on a pension in Liverpool (1866) and then in Highgate, London. Caroline died in poverty and obscurity in England (1877) - the inscription on her grave at Northampton reads "The emigrant's friend". There was no mention of her husband who not only shared her grave but also her work.

Young Womens Forum:

From UNIFEM:

UNIFEM (part of UN Women) is organizing a Young Women’s Forum on 24 August 2010 during the World Youth Conference 2010. The forum will create a space for discussing the potential of young women as agents of change in accelerating their human rights and empowerment, so that they can better contribute to the development of their societies. There will be a live webcast and online discussion.

Namibia: Womens Health Urgent Priority

From AllAfrica:

THE deteriorating state of women's health worldwide has become "an urgent priority" for the World Health Organisation (WHO).

In order to address these concerns, the WHO said there was an "urgent need for more coherent political and institutional leadership, visibility and resources for women's health to enable us to make progress in saving the lives and improving the health of girls and women in the coming years."

In its latest report on women and health, launched in Windhoek this week, it is stated that although women live longer than men, their longer lives are not necessarily healthy lives.

The report also brought under the spotlight how a lack of income could affect women's health, especially regarding maternal mortality.

Chechnya: Women Without Scarves Targetted During Ramadan

From Reuters:

Many women in Russia's volatile Chechnya region said on Friday they had been harassed and some physically harmed by bands of men for not wearing headscarves during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

Against the backdrop of a spreading Islamist insurgency, many fear that growing interest in radical Islam could fuel separatism in the volatile North Caucasus, where the Kremlin watches uneasily as sharia law eclipses Russian.

Residents and witnesses told Reuters that bearded men in traditional Islamic dress have been roaming the streets both on foot and in cars since Ramadan started on Aug. 11, demanding bare-headed women wear a headscarf.

Indonesia: Women Only Carriages

From New Tang Dynasty Television:

On Thursday, Indonesian women started using female-only railway carriages in Jakarta, part of a scheme to protect women from harassment on packed commuter trains.

State-owned railway company PT Kai currently provides 20 of these female carriages and plans to add more in the next three months.

The trains manufactured in Japan are the only fast public transport service between the four city suburbs connecting Jakarta, and women make up almost half of the 500,000 commuters a day.

First introduced in Japan in the year 2000, other countries such as India, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brazil also operate women-only carriages.

Ghana: Plight of Women

From Ghana Web:

IN Ghana today, most women are discriminated against in jobs, pay, education and welfare. Most women are financially dependent on a man, and without assistance, carry the burden of looking after children and caring for the sick and old. Society's perception formers’- ranging from judges to journalists, cabinet ministers to advertising copywriters, take it for granted that women are inferior. In hindsight, they reduce all women, whatever their occupation, experience, Politics or interests to one dimension, sex, and judge them by whether they measure up to what men desire.

In our society, women don't have equality, they don't have freedom, and they don't even have respect in any meaningful sense. What can be done about it? Women have to be able to fight back, for themselves and for the future of all women. This doesn't mean an out-and-out conflict with all men all of the time. Separatism--the view that women can fight for liberation only on their own and against men--is a counsel of despair and a way of dividing women and men still further. Women have a right to organise with men to fight against the society that keeps us all down, to make men see that the world has to be changed. This doesn't mean that women can't organise their own meetings, demonstrations, pickets or whatever, when appropriate-- we have that right, too--but we should be trying to reunite women and men in the struggle for socialism.

Iran: International Conference on Women

From the Tehran Times:

The second International conference on women is to be held in Tehran, from February 24 to 25, 2010.

Aimed at spreading Islamic thoughts about families, women; their rights and responsibilities, the conference is to be convened on the theme of “Contribution of the Islamic world to women’s issues and analysis of the consequences of feminism”.

Negative impacts of feminism, particularly in western societies, and its devastating effects on families’ foundation are among the issues to be discussed at the two-day event.

The conference is to be held by women’s cultural department of the Office for Supreme Leader Representative in Universities in cooperation with Iranian Foreign Ministry, the ministries of culture, health, and science as well as World Forum for the Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought, and the Ahl-ul-Bayt (A.S.) World Assembly.

About 300 essays in Persian and 100 in other languages from other countries have been so far submitted to the secretariat of the congress.

The First International Conference on women was held on the theme of “women, social-cultural issues, and globalization” in Tehran in April 2005.

Sierra Leone: No More Rhetoric Mr Koroma

From Awareness Times:

In 2009, Sierra Leonean Women from various shades of opinions came together to challenge that chauvinistic taboo by taking the Ernest Koroma led State Government to Court in order to champion the rights of women like Madam Kumba Torto of Kono and Madam Sia Bandabilla of Kissi-Kailahun to contest for the same chieftaincy position that their male forefathers had successfully contested for.

The unprecedented solidarity and determination of Women of Sierra Leone sparked off an international debate that saw prominent international figures turn their attention to the stance of the brave women of Sierra Leone.

“It is not enough to pay lip service to our rights. President Koroma must back his words with positive action; he should keep to his 2007 Elections Manifesto promises and set Sierra Leone women free from the bondage we are under or else come 2012 Elections, he should prepare for a possible shock defeat at the elections polls,” said Madam Hawa Mansaray, who identified herself as a prominent female activist from Koinadugu District.

Women Only Taxis

From the Jerusalem Post:

Taxis driven by women and exclusively serving the fairer sex are the rage in Arab capitals as women seek a safe and comfortable mode of transport.

Lebanon's Banet Taxi ('Taxi Girls'), sporting signature candy-pink taxis and well-kept uniformed drivers, began in March.

Now, following the Lebanese success, two Egyptian governors in Cairo and Alexandria have stirred controversy with proposals to service women-only taxis.

"It means isolation for women," Nehad Abul Komsan, Chairwoman of the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights told The Media Line. "It's very risky for our society. If it's an excuse to solve problems like sexual harassment or other types of violence, it's a very naïve solution for a very complicated problem."

Cairo's subway network already reserves the fourth and fifth carriages for women not wishing to sit with men.

In Damascus a similar women-only taxi initiative is being launched by Widad Kanafani, aiming to make transportation more secure for female passengers.

Dubai has had a women-only pink taxi service since 2007 and the Roads and Transport Authority will be launching a women-only bus service in April 2010 to accommodate an increasing number of female passengers.

In Jordan the Amman Municipality turned down a request to set up a taxi rank to serve women exclusively and employ female drivers with rose-colored vehicles, saying there were too many taxis in the capital already.

However, you heard it here first with: "Pink Equals Women Only" and "Mexico: Pink Only Taxis"

Australia: Women's Centre Goes Ahead

From the Moreland Leader:

A NEW women’s cultural centre has been given the go-ahead for residential Coburg, despite the concerns of nearby residents.

The Tarteel Cultural Centre, which will be used for activities such as Arabic language classes, reading, Islamic studies and Koran studies, was granted a permit to operate in Barrow St from Sunday to Friday at last week’s Moreland Council urban planning meeting.

Dozens of residents packed the civic centre meeting last Wednesday to object to the centre.

Other concerns included the numbers of people expected at the centre - limited to a maximum of 50 under the permit - and increased traffic.

Speaking for the centre, Rasha Ahmed said the 50-person limit included children and the centre would allow 30 minutes between sessions to address traffic issues.

Zonta Gladstone Club

From the Gladstone Observer:

Zonta Gladstone Club president Gloria Roche, a retired legal secretary, told The Observer about the club’s involvement in the region and its foundations 90 years ago.

The proud history will continue at the Gladstone Yacht Club on Sunday when the local Zonta Club celebrates the organisation’s 90th birthday with a breakfast.The first Zonta club opened in 1919. The Gladstone branch was launched in 1992 and has 38 members.

The Gladstone club assists women who migrate to the region, prepares birthing kits for women and contributes to international causes like the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in Rwanda.

Women & the Reformation

Article by Michael Streich @ Suite 101:

The Protestant Reformation has been both criticized and lauded for altering the medieval status of women. Protestant reformers placed significant emphasis on marriage and the role females played as wives and mothers. Taking their cue from New Testament passages relevant to the divine order, women were to be obedient to their husbands, educate the children, nurture, and show compassion to their spouses.

Somalia: Bras Get A Whipping

From Fox News:

Somalia’s hardline Islamist group al Shabaab is cracking down on residents who do not follow a strict form of Sharia Islamic law, now publicly whipping women who wear bras, the Times of India reported.

Residents tell the paper that gunmen have been gathering women in Mogadishu who are perceived to have firm busts. These women are then publicly whipped by masked men as punishment for what Islamist leaders call deception.

After the public whippings, the women are forced to remove their bras and shake their breasts, the Times reported.

“Al Shabaab forced us to wear their type of veil and now they order us to shake our breasts,” a resident, Halima, told the Times of India. Her daughters were whipped for wearing bras.

“They first banned the former veil and introduced a hard fabric which stands stiffly on women’s chests. They are now saying that breasts should be firm naturally, or just flat,” she said.

The insurgent group recently amputated a foot and a hand from two young men accused of robbery. Al Shabaab has also banned movies, musical ringtones, dancing at wedding ceremonies and playing or watching soccer.

Mexico: Pink Only Taxis

From the Latin American Herald:

With astonishment and curiosity, the residents of this central Mexican city are watching 35 pink taxis – driven by female cabbies and picking up only women as customers – travel back and forth on local streets.

Fears about safety – in certain zones of Mexico – has spurred people to begin offering transportation services just for women to avoid inconvenience, harm of one sort or another or, in some cases, even physical abuse of women by male taxi drivers.

In Mexico City, since last year there have existed buses just for women but Metro cars specifically reserved for women in rush hour have existed for quite some time.

Currently, the municipal transportation office in Puebla has invested a total of 5.6 million pesos ($430,000) in the project.

This wonderful service is taking off in many Muslim countries and is proving to be very successful.

Abortion: The True Cost

From Medical News Today:

"70,000 Women Die Annually From Unsafe Abortions, Guttmacher Study Finds"

Increased contraception use has contributed to a decline in global abortion rates, but unsafe abortions continue to kill 70,000 women and girls annually, according to a report issued Tuesday by the Guttmacher Institute, Reuters reports. The number of abortions decreased from about 45.5 million in 1995 to 41.6 million in 2003, a period during which many countries relaxed restrictions on the procedure, the report said (Kelland, Reuters, 10/13). The global abortion rate declined from 35 abortions for every 1,000 women of reproductive age -- ages 15 to 44 -- in 1995 to 29 per 1,000 women of reproductive age in 2003, according to the report (Feldmann, Christian Science Monitor, 10/13). In addition to the thousands of deaths from unsafe abortions, five million women experience complications from unsafe procedures each year, including about three million who go untreated (Guttmacher Institute release, 10/13).

According to the report, 40% of women live in nations with highly restrictive abortion laws (Reuters, 10/13). The report found that 19 countries have "significantly reduced restrictions in their abortion laws" since 1997, and three countries have "substantially increased legal restrictions," the Christian Science Monitor reports. Ninety-two percent of women in Africa live under highly restrictive abortion laws, while the figure is 97% in Latin America, the Monitor reports (Christian Science Monitor, 10/13).

Spain: Abortion Protests

From Associated Press:

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Madrid Saturday to condemn plans by Spain's socialist government to liberalise abortion laws in the overwhelmingly Catholic country.

In warm autumnal sunshine, protesters staged an early evening march across the city behind a huge banner reading "Every Life Matters" to protest the plan, which would allow girls of 16 to undergo abortions without their parents' consent.

The crowd, which included many families and people of all ages, rallied in the central Plaza de Independencia, where pop music blared over loudspeakers and 300 white helium balloons were released.

The proposed abortion law, approved by the cabinet last month, would allow the procedure on demand for women of 16 and over up to the 14th week of pregnancy, and up to 22 weeks if there was a risk to the mother's health or if the foetus was deformed.

Women could also undergo the procedure after 22 weeks if the foetus had a serious or incurable illness.

Spain decriminalised abortion in 1985, a decade after the death of right-wing dictator Francisco Franco, but only for certain cases: up to 12 weeks of pregnancy after a rape; up to 22 weeks in the case of malformation of the foetus; and at any point if the pregnancy represents a threat to the physical or mental health of the woman.

Ireland: No Room In Refuges

From the Irish Times:

MORE THAN 1,700 women fleeing violent spouses or partners were turned away from refuges last year due to lack of space.

The figures, published yesterday, also show there was a 21 per cent increase in demand for domestic violence services last year, as compared with 2007.

Safe Ireland, which represents 40 domestic violence services throughout the State, said over 5,000 women accessed domestic violence services annually.

Last year 1,947 women and 3,269 children were admitted to refuges, said Sharon O’Halloran, Safe Ireland Director.

Some 4,638 women received support from services, an increase of 21 per cent on 2007 figures.

“On 1,722 occasions last year, we couldn’t accommodate a woman in need because our services were full,” she said.

Arab Feminism

From Al Bawaba:

Arab women are more likely to win political rights than secure personal and civil status rights, said participants at an international conference on Arab feminism, held at the American University of Beirut Oct 4-7, 2009.

Attracting a strong turn-out that was overwhelmingly female, the conference was organized by the Lebanese Association of Women Researchers, Bahithat, in partnership with The Anis Makdisi Program in Literature (AMPL), the Women and Memory Forum in Cairo, the Department of Women's Studies at Bir Zeit University, and the Centre for the Advanced Study of the Arab World in the United Kingdom.

Some participants said that the absence of a unified Arab feminist movement was attributed to a historical preoccupation for fighting colonialism, occupation, and pushing for regime change. However, others argued that the Arab feminist movement does not necessarily have to be unified in order to achieve tangible results. It only needs to converge and collaborate on specific themes.