Migration Category: Feminist Newswire

Stories from the Feminist News Wire.

Katherine Spillar Presented with Honorary Doctorate from TCU

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Katherine Spillar, the executive director and co-founder of the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) and executive editor of Ms. magazine, was presented with the degree of Doctor of Letters, honoris causa, from Texas Christian University (TCU) at the Winter 2018 Commencement last week.

Since FMF’s founding in 1987, Spillar has been a driving force in executing the organization’s diverse programs that aim to secure women’s rights domestically and globally. She has led efforts to reduce anti-abortion extremist violence targeting women’s health clinics, including championing the use of buffer zones and the passage of the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. Spillar also led FMF’s National Center for Women and Policing to curb police brutality, integrate more women into police departments, and improve law enforcement response to violence against women.

TCU’s tribute to Spillar celebrated her accomplishments on the global scale as well, recognizing the Feminist Majority Foundation’s nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1997. This was a result of FMF’s Campaign to Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan, resulting in the U.S. and United Nations’ official decision not to recognize the Taliban’s rule.

As the executive editor of Ms. magazine, Spillar oversees Ms.’s editorial and online content, as well as the magazine’s program to be used as a teaching text in Women’s Studies and other college courses. Under her leadership, Ms. has increased its investigative reporting, becoming one of the largest print and online feminist news publications.

One year after the vicious murder of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, Ms. published a groundbreaking investigation exposing the connections between Tiller’s convicted murderer, Scott Roeder, and anti-abortion extremists who promote violence. The article, “Not a Lone Wolf,” won the prestigious “Maggie Award” from the Western Publisher’s Association for best feature article and a national award from Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

“Kathy Spillar is an amazing leader who is beyond deserving of this recognition. She is tireless, dedicated, and effective, truly changing the lives of countless women,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of he Feminist Majority Foundation. “I have worked shoulder to shoulder with her for over thirty years, and I can say unequivocally that the women’s rights movement is lucky to have her on the frontlines.”

Spillar graduated magna cum laude from TCU in 1975, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Studies. She also has a Master’s of Science interdisciplinary degree in Economics, Urban Studies, and Business from Trinity University.

7 Year Old Child Died from Dehydration While in ICE Custody

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8 hours after 7-year-old Guatemalan girl Jakelin Caal and her father were taken into US Border Patrol custody, the young child died from dehydration after having seizures and her body temperature rose to 105.7 degrees. Emergency responders rushed her to a hospital in El Paso but she died within 24 hours. The hospital’s initial report suggests that the young girl died from septic shock, fever, and dehydration, but the official autopsy results are not expected for another few weeks.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security stated that “unfortunately, despite our best efforts and the best efforts of the medical team treating the child, we were unable to stop this tragedy from occurring.”

Jakelin and her father, Nery Caal, were among 163 people who recently crossed the border and surrendered themselves to border patrol in New Mexico last week. Guatemalan General Consul Tekandi Paniagua said that “the path to the US is increasingly complicated and dangerous and kids are most likely to suffer tragedies such as this because they are more vulnerable. Many times the supplies [families] carry are not enough.”

CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan reported to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee this week that families and unaccompanied minors now represent up to 59% of all people arrested at the border. Previously, single adults made up the majority of people trying to cross the US-Mexico border. McAleenan argued that “this is clearly both a border security and humanitarian crisis.”

Last month, a Honduran migrant died in ICE custody as well. Roxsana Hernandez Rodriguez was a migrant from Honduras seeking asylum in the United States and died in custody weeks after reaching the border at San Ysidro. She was fleeing violence and discrimination in Honduras. Hernandez Rodriguez previously said that “trans people in my neighborhood are killed and chopped into pieces, then dumped inside potato bags. I didn’t want to come to Mexico – I wanted to stay Honduras but I couldn’t. They kill trans people in Honduras. I’m scared of that.”

 

Media Resources: Buzzfeed News 12/13/18; Feminist Newswire 11/28/18

Congress Finally Passes Updated Sexual Harassment Policy

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Yesterday, Congress finally passed a deal to update its sexual harassment policy; the new policy now requires lawmakers to use their own money, not taxpayer funds, to settle suits for workplace sexual harassment.

The new policy no longer allows members of Congress to use tax dollars to pay for sexual harassment settlements. Provisions such as requiring Capitol Hill staffers who report sexual harassment or discrimination to undergo counseling, mandatory arbitration, and wait for 30 days in a “cooling off period” before they are able to go to court have been removed.

The House and Senate have been negotiating for months on how to reform Congressional sexual harassment policy. The policy’s top sponsors, Reps Gregg Harper, Bradley Byrne, and Jackie Speier, released a statement describing the new law as focusing on “protecting victims, strengthening transparency, holding Members accountable for their personal conduct, and improving the adjudication process.”

The difficulty in passing this legislation stemmed from the House’s demands for more rigorous punishments and transparency, which Republican members of the Senate would not agree to. Senate Republicans wanted to weaken the language of the House bill passed, such as language requiring members of Congress to pay using their own money for discrimination settlements and providing legal representation for all accusers of sexual harassment and discrimination. These two provisions were rejected by Senate Republicans and ultimately did not pass.

Jackie Speier said that “taxpayers should never foot the bill for Members’ misconduct… And having spoken with many survivors, the process of going up against a lawyer for the institution and the harasser was as traumatic, if not more traumatic, than the abuse they suffered… We are committed to offering the victims the tools they need to pursue justice. We will address these issues in the next Congress.”

Speier has promised to work with Democrats and Republicans in the House to pass the more stringent provisions that did not make it through the Senate in the upcoming term. The House can pass a resolution, without the Senate’s support, to put the rules in place for its own body.

Four out of every ten congressional staff members say that sexual harassment is a problem at the Capitol, while one in six aids say they are a survivor of sexual harassment.

The House first passed sexual harassment legislation in February while a weaker version of the bill was passed in the Senate in May. The Senate struggle to negotiate the differences between the two bills until this past week.

Media Resources: HuffPost 12/13/18; Feminist Newswire 11/15/18; 12/2/17

Ohio Lawmakers Pass Two Anti-Abortion Bills

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This week, Ohio lawmakers passed and sent two anti-abortion bills that would restrict abortion access to Governor John Kasich’s office. Opponents of the two bills, the Heartbeat Bill and the Dilation and Evacuation Ban, stated that both bills are unconstitutional and would have a detrimental impact on the state’s health care system. Neither bill includes exceptions for rape or incest.

The Heartbeat bill, HB 258, would ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which could occur as early as 6 weeks and before individuals know they are pregnant. Doctors who perform abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected could be charged with a fifth-degree felony, a crime punishable by up to one year in prison and a $2,500 fine. The bill passed the Ohio House 53-32 and the Ohio Senate 18-13. Similar laws passed in Arkansas, Iowa and North Dakota were blocked by the courts.

The Dilation and Evacuation Ban, SB 145, bans an abortion procedure called dilation and evacuation. This common second-trimester procedure was performed 3441 times in 2017; one of every six of these procedures performed was in Ohio. The law passed the Ohio House 62-27 and the Ohio Senate 23-9. Dilation and Evacuation procedures have been banned in Mississippi and West Virginia already. Other states have passed laws to penalize the procedure, but federal courts ruled the laws unconstitutional.

The two anti-abortion bills have sparked major criticism among doctors and pro-choice politicians and activists. In her statement, Dr. Natalie Hinchcliffe, a Family Medicine Provider in Cleveland and a Fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health, said that these bills would harm patients, would prevent doctors from providing the best care for their patients, and do not have any medical evidence or justifications. Further, Dr. Hinchcliffe wrote that “these bills are an attack on women, on families and on the freedom and well-being of our state. Please do not put politics before medicine.”

Pro-choice lawmakers also fear what the two bills’ impact on the state’s health care system will be. Ohio Senator Charleta Tavares fears that the two bills, which threaten doctors who provide abortion care with prison time, would push doctors to practice and medical students to study elsewhere. Sen. Tavares fears the two bills would further increase the shortage of doctors in Ohio.

Governor Kasich has promised to veto the Heartbeat Bill, but, did not comment on the second abortion bill. Once a bill is sent to Governor Kasich, he has 10 days to sign, veto or let a bill take effect without his signature. If Governor Kasich vetoes the bills, lawmakers can also reverse the veto with support from three-fifths of legislators in the State Senate and House.

 

Newswire Sources: Cincinnati.com 12/13/18; Bustle 12/13/18; Dr. Natalie Hinchcliffe Statement

Nancy Pelosi Secures Speakership, Promises to Step Down by 2022

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Yesterday, Nancy Pelosi announced that she will step down as the House Democratic leader by 2022 in order to secure the votes she needs to become the Speaker of the House in January. Pelosi’s support of leadership term limits won the votes of several Democrats and ensured she would have the 218 votes necessary to become speaker.

The term limits proposal would require three-term limits for the top three Democratic leadership positions if passed. The proposal would allow members to pursue a fourth term only if they have two thirds support from the Democratic caucus. The term limits will apply retroactively, meaning that the new Congress will mark Nancy Pelosi’s third term as leader.

Nancy announced her support for the term limits Wednesday by saying, “over the summer, I made it clear that I see myself as a bridge to the next generation of leaders, a recognition of my continuing responsibility to mentor and advance new Members into positions of power and responsibility in the House Democratic caucus. I am comfortable with the proposal and it is my intention to abide by it whether it passes or not.”

However, Nancy Pelosi is not the only representative that will be affected by the proposal. Whip Stony Hoyer is the second highest ranked Democratic member and earlier this week he said he would not support the term limits. Jim Clyburn, the Assistant Democratic leader, is the third highest ranked Democratic and would also be subject to the new term limits.

Several outspoken Democrats, who previously announced they would not vote for Nancy Pelosi as speaker, released a joint statement after Pelosi’s support for term limits demonstrating support for her. “We wish to thank Nancy Pelosi for her willingness to work with us to reach this agreement. We are proud that our agreement will make lasting institutional change that will strengthen our caucus and will help develop the next generation of Democratic leaders. We will support and vote for Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House in the 116th Congress.”

Nancy Pelosi is running unopposed for the speakership and won the first round of voting for House Democratic Leadership in November.

 

Media Resources: BuzzFeed News 12/13/18; Feminist Newswire 11/29/18

Chicago Charter School Teachers Strike

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Charter school teachers in Chicago are on strike this week, the first formal strike against a charter-school operator, after the Acero Schools charter network failed to re-negotiate their contract with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) on December 4th. Teachers are fighting against low wages, overcrowded classrooms, short lunch and recess breaks, insufficient resources and support for special education and bilingual students, and Acero’s unwillingness to formalize sanctuary-school policies in their predominantly Latinx charter school system.

Acero is one of Chicago’s largest charter school networks, serving over 7,000 students in 15 different schools. Negotiations between Acero and the Chicago Teachers Union began six months ago but failed to re-negotiate a contract last week leading to the teachers’ strike.

A recent audit revealed that Acero is paying 1 million dollars less in salary in 2018 than 2017 but has $24 million in unrestricted cash access. Acero teachers, in general, earn on average $13,000 less than their public school peers, but work 20% more hours, according to the union. Acero claims money for salaries was decreased because at the end of the 2017 fiscal year, the Chicago Public Schools released a budget cutting charter school funds. However, the finalized budget actually increased funding for charter schools yet Acero still rejected negotiations for increased wages and school resources. Paraprofessionals within the charter system start with a base salary of $32,100, but excluding pensions, the base salary is actually less than $30,000. The low pay for paraprofessionals is the main point for contention in the negotiations. “$30,000 is not a livable wage in the city of Chicago,” stated Andy Crooks, the president of United Educators for Justice that represents Acero teachers in the CTU.

An important issue being discussed is the need for a formal commitment to and inclusion of sanctuary-school policies in the negotiations and final contract. These are policies that would not allow ICE or other immigration agents to enter the school property or access student information without warrants. Acero argues that it already has these policies and does not see a need to formalize the policies into a labor contract. Crooks believes that the union should demand for the formalization of these policies because Acero’s “policies, they can change on a whim for any reason or no reason whatsoever. What we’re seeking to do is enshrine that policy because it’s important to our members and it’s important to our families. And if it’s important, then we want it in our contract so that they can’t just change their mind. The administration turns over so frequently that who knows who’s coming in next and who knows that their views are going to be.”

The average class size at an Acero school is 32 students, while the Chicago public school limit is 28 students per classroom. Acero schools also have a longer academic year and a longer day than public schools in Chicago. Emma Tarkowski, a kindergarten teacher at an Acero school, said that “the lunches are shorter at our school, the recesses are shorter at our school, and the teacher prep time is shorter at our school. So we are working more and we’re not given as much time as CPS teachers.” Tarkowski further explained that, “the students start arriving at 7:30 if they want school breakfast. Then they’re in my classroom at 7:45. And that is such an early start for 4 and 5 year olds. They come in and they’re tired. It takes a very long time to wake up. Then we go all the way until 3:30 pm. They get a 15-minute recess and a 25-minute lunch and they don’t have any other opportunities to play. It’s not really developmentally appropriate for 5 year olds to work as hard as they’re working all day long without enough breaks.”

Derick Loafmann, a seventh grade teacher, argued that Acero can “afford what we’re seeking. They can afford more special education and more bilingual teachers. They can afford to bring back programs they cut in the past. They can afford reduced class-sizes (they’re already under-enrolled). They can afford to increase compensation to keep educators in the schools.”

The teacher strikes in Chicago follow a recent increase in teachers striking for higher wages and better conditions. Public educators have led walkouts and strikes in West Virginia, Oklahoma, and Arizona earlier this year.

 

Media Resources: Intelligencer 12/6/18; Feminist Newswire 5/4/18, 4/2/18, 2/26/18

Reproductive Justice and Immigrant Rights Activist to be Deported

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Reproductive justice and immigrant rights activist Alejandra Pablos has been denied asylum and ordered to be deported by an immigration judge in Tucson, Arizona. Alejandra has lived in the United States almost her entire life and has been fighting deportation for eight years. Advocates are now calling on Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to pardon Alejandra.

Arizona has some of the harshest felony statutes in the country. As a young person in the state, Alejandra was arrested and convicted of several charges, including DUI and possession of drug paraphernalia. In 2011, after complying with court orders, she was detained for two years at the Eloy Detention Center, lost her residency, and was placed up for deportation.

Since being released from detention, Alejandra has dedicated her life to helping others, despite the risk that public advocacy posed to her threat of deportation. Alejandra works at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health as the Virginia Latina Advocacy Network field coordinator, works with digital and grassroots social organizing hub Mijente, and is an abortion storyteller with We Testify, a program of the National Network of Abortion Funds.

In March, Alejandra traveled from Virginia to Arizona for a scheduled check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and was subsequently detained and held in the Eloy Detention Center. After 43 days, she was released after a judge granted her request for bond. Several organizations suspect Alejandra was detained due to her political activism and her participation at a protest outside of the Department of Homeland Security just a few weeks prior.

President Trump’s promise to ramp up the deportation of undocumented immigrants included two sweeping executive orders that gave the federal government almost unrestrained ability to arrest, detain, and deport immigrants. The executive orders, directed toward ICE, indicate that all undocumented immigrants that have been charged with a crime, or “have committed acts that constitute a chargeable criminal offence,” even if not convicted, must be prioritized for deportation.

Once the House Democratic majority convenes in January, Nancy Pelosi has promised to pass legislation protecting Dreamers and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status, as well as providing pathways to citizenship, within the first 100 days.

Sign the petition to support Alejandra Pablos.

 

Media Resources: Action Network Petition; Feminist Newswire 4/20/18, 2/21/17, 12/3/18

Judge Allows Alleged Baylor Rapist to Serve no Time

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Former Baylor University fraternity president, Jacob Anderson, will not serve jail time or be put on the sex offender registry even though he allegedly raped a fellow Baylor student in 2016 at his fraternity’s, Phi Delta Theta, party. Anderson was initially charged with four counts of sexual assault but will only have to pay a $400 fine.

The McLennan County district attorney’s office offered Anderson a plea deal that dismissed the four counts of sexual assault in exchange for pleading guilty to one count of unlawful restraint. The district attorney’s office recommends that Anderson serve three years of deferred adjudication probation, pay a 400 dollar fine, and go to counseling instead of serving jail time. If Anderson does not violate the terms of his probation then the charges could be dismissed.

The case is not going to court after the judge accepted Anderson’s plea on Monday. The survivor is “devastated” and asked the judge to reject the plea deal and allow the case to go to court where she was willing to testify against Anderson.  The survivor’s lawyer said the plea deal “stinks to high hell” and that he has never encountered one like it before.

Regarding the district attorneys, Hilary LaBorde and Abel Reyna, the survivor stated in  her victim impact letter, “if I had the courage to come back to Waco and face my rapist and testify, you could at least have had enough respect for me to show up today. You both will have to live with this decision to let a rapist run free in society without any warning to future victims.”

The survivor also aimed part of her impact statement to Anderson, who allegedly gagged and choked her after the rape, saying that “it must be horrible to be you. To know what you did to me. To know you are a rapist. To know that you almost killed me. To know that you ruined my life, stole my virginity and stole many other things from me.” “By the grace of God I am alive today to fight this injustice. One breath either way and Jacob Walter Anderson would be on trial for murder.”

This week, people have been calling and sending letters to the district attorney’s office and the judge’s office to show their disapproval. An online petition expressing “outrage” at the outcome of this investigation and plea deal has already gained 85,000 signatures as well. Erin Albin, who created the online petition, said that she “thinks people are finally realizing this is a problem and that survivors aren’t taken seriously…We see time and time again, everything from the national level down to the local level of a lot of people, mainly men, getting away with things like this.”

This case is similar to one in 2016 in which a Stanford athlete was sentenced to six months after raping an unconscious woman. Turner was found guilty in March on three felony counts of sexual assault. While prosecutors asked for a six-year sentence—even less than the 14 year maximum allowed by California law—Santa Clara County Superior Court judge Aaron Persky, a Stanford alumnus, handed down a mere six months in county jail and three years of probation, saying “a prison sentence would have a severe impact” on Turner.

Media Resources: Washington Post 12/11/18; CBS 12/11/18; Feminist Newswire 6/10/16

Planned Parenthood Wins Out Over State Attempts to Strip Medicaid Funding

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In a win for reproductive rights advocates, today the U.S. Supreme Court declined to consider a case between Planned Parenthood and the states of Louisiana and Kansas concerning respective state laws that sought to strip Planned Parenthood of Medicaid funding.

This decision means that the appeals court rulings that blocked the respective laws from going into effect will remain in place and Medicaid patients will continue to be covered at Planned Parenthood clinics for non-abortion related procedures. Three Justices – Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch – disagreed with the majority’s decision not to hear the case.

“We are pleased that lower court rulings protecting patients remain in place,” said Leana Wen, the new president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “As a doctor, I have seen what’s at stake when people cannot access the care they need and when politics gets in the way of people making their own health care choices.”

Planned Parenthood and patients had filed suit against the states arguing that under federal law, Medicaid patents are supposed to be guaranteed the ability to receive medical services from any qualified person or institution that provides such care. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as well as the courts, have consistently upheld this right and forbidden states from defunding a provider simply because the offer a legal, medical service such as abortion.

According to USA Today, efforts to strip Planned Parenthood’s Medicaid funding have been blocked by federal courts in Arizona and Indiana and are currently being contested in Ohio and Texas.

25 states amped up efforts to cut Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood after the so-called Center for Medical Progress (CMP) released fraudulently made and deceptively edited videos accusing Planned Parenthood of selling fetal tissue. Three Congressional committees and investigations in over a dozen states have found no evidence of wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood. A grand jury in Texas that was formed to investigate Planned Parenthood ended up clearing the organization of wrongdoing, opting instead to criminally indict David Daleiden, director of CMP. Those charges were later dropped, but Daleiden now faces 15 felony charges in California relating to the video.

According to a letter written in February by Representative Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, President Trump’s Department of Health and Human Services colluded with the national hate group Alliance Defending Freedom to rescind Obama-era Medicaid funding protections for Planned Parenthood and other women’s health centers so as to allow states to discriminate against them.

 

 

Newswire Sources: USA Today 12/10/18; Planned Parenthood 12/10/18; Feminist Newswire 9/15/16, 3/29/17, 2/16/18

Tennessee Supreme Court: Cyntoia Brown Must Serve 51 Years Before Eligible for Parole

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On Thursday, the Tennessee Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Cyntoia Brown–a sex-trafficking victim who at 16 was sentenced to life in prison for killing a 43-year-old Nashville man who bought her for sex–will have to serve at least 51 years in prison before being eligible for release. The rule was a response to a lawsuit filed by Brown arguing that her sentence was unconstitutional based on a 2012 Supreme Court opinion that deemed life sentences without parole for juveniles as cruel and unusual punishment.

In a statement, the Tennessee Supreme Court said that under Tennessee law, a life sentence is considered 60 years. However, the 60-year sentence can be reduced by up to nine years by earning credits such as good behavior or attending educational training programs.

Brown’s motion was previously denied by the district court. Further, her case is pending judgement in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, which asked for the Supreme Court’s opinion.

Cyntoia Brown was sex-trafficked at the age of 16 to Johnny Mitchell Allan, a 43-year-old Nashville Realtor who abused her. In 2004, Brown was tried as an adult after she shot and killed Allan. At trial, Brown said that she killed Allen because she feared he was going to kill her. Further, Brown said that Allen always pointed a gun at her during her captivity, and hit, choked and dragged her. A jury sentenced her to life in prison.

In May, Brown was granted a clemency hearing. However, the Tennessee Board of Parole was split on the recommendation to free her. Two members voted to deny clemency, two voted for clemency, and two members voted to make Brown eligible for parole after serving 25 years.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that of the 11,800 runaways reported in 2015, 1 in 5 were victims of sex trafficking. According to the Polaris Project, as of 2015, only 34 states had laws that provide immunity to children who engage in “prostitution.”

 

Newswire Sources: The Root 12/7/18; Feminist Newswire 9/26/16

Lawsuit Filed after NYPD forces Woman to Deliver Baby While Handcuffed

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A lawsuit was filed on Thursday against the New York Police Department after officers forced a Bronx woman to give birth while shackled and handcuffed in February. The lawsuit seeks damages for violating the woman’s civil rights and asks for a change in the Police Department’s policy to ensure a pregnant woman is never shackled again. Further, the lawsuit states that shackling the pregnant woman, who the suit identifies as Jane Doe, was a violation of a 2015 state law that does not allow restraints on a woman during pregnancy, delivery, and the eight-week postpartum recovery period.

 

According to the lawsuit, on February 8, 40-weeks pregnant Jane Doe was in a police holding cell in the Bronx over an ongoing child custody case with her former partner. While in the cell, Jane Doe went into labor. Police officers took her to the Montefiore Medical Center. Inside the hospital, the officers handcuffed the woman’s wrists and shackled her ankles, despite the doctors warning officers that restraints [posed] serious risks for a woman in labor and were illegal in New York. In response to doctors’ warnings, the officers stated that that the department’s Patrol Guide, which supersedes state law, required them to restrain Jane Doe.

 

However, the lawsuit specifies that the department’s patrol guide requires restraining and shackling arrestees who require medical or psychiatric attention. Further, officers are allowed to remove the restraints at the doctor’s request, and after consulting a patrol supervisor. In Jane Doe’s case, the officers did not consult a sergeant after the woman and her doctors asked to remove the shackles.

 

After four hours of labor, officers removed some of her restraints. However, Jane Doe still delivered her baby with her right hand cuffed to the hospital bed. Jane Doe’s restraints were fully removed nine hour after giving birth, when a judge arraigned her in her hospital bed.

 

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists strongly condemn shackling pregnant inmates. According to the ACLU, 6 percent of women in U.S. jails and prisons are pregnant.

 

Newswire Sources: The New York Times 12/6/18

Annual Survey of Afghan People Shows Progress for Women and Girls

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The Asia Foundation has released their annual Afghanistan survey titled Afghanistan in 2018: A Survey of the Afghan People. It showed an improvement in the perception on the rights and participation of women and girls in society, but there are still many challenges faced by women in the region.

In terms of women’s justice, the survey is optimistic. 21 percent of women compared with 16 percent of men reportedly brought family disputes to court; this was in part thanks to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the Attorney General’s Office, and the police who all have specially designed units to support women in cases of violence.

There has also been a decline in the traditional practices of baad and baddal that involve the exchange of daughters; the former is when a family will give a daughter away to settle any conflicts between families, while the latter is the marriage exchange between families. There has been a drop in the percentage of Afghans who believe the practices are acceptable; 9.5 percent approval down from 12 percent in 2017 for baad, and 25 percent down from 29 percent in 2017 for baddal. On the other hand, the percentage of Afghans who believe women have the right to inherit from their fathers (mira) has increased to 90% approval. Additionally, there was a decline in the support for women in leadership positions despite the 417 women who ran for parliamentary office this year.

Aside from the changes in perspective on Afghan women and girls in society, the survey also detailed the biggest challenges they continue to face: lack of education, unemployment, domestic violence, forced marriage, lack of rights and poverty. Female literacy for adults is around 31.7 percent, and 3.7 million children are out of school.

The Asia Foundation has been conducting this survey of the Afghan people for the past 14 years. This year’s survey was the largest yet, polling 15,012 Afghans, 50.3 percent of whom are men and 49.7 percent of whom are women, gauging their positions on issues ranging from perception of security and government services, to women’s issues and migration. Participants represented each major and minor ethnic group from all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.

 

Media Resources: The Asia Foundation 12/4/18, 12/5/18; Feminist Newswire 10/10/18, 1/10/17

US Border Patrol Agent Indicted on Capital Murder Charge

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Juan David Ortiz, A US border patrol agent, was indicted on capital murder charge for killing four women and kidnapping one woman. Ortiz was also indicted on one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of unlawful restraint with reckless exposure to serious bodily injury, and evading arrest. His charges make him eligible for the death penalty.

According to Isidro Alaniz, the Wepp and Zapata County District Attorney, Ortiz was “hunting” sex workers and drug users in the border town of Laredo, Texas. Ortiz believed he was taking charge since law enforcement did not prioritize sex workers in the streets of Laredo. Ortiz described sex workers as “scum of the earth” and “disposable.”

On September 3, Ortiz drove Melissa Ramirez to an isolated road in South Texas and killed her by firing multiple shots into her head. Approximately a week later, Ortiz killed one woman who he believed would turn him in to authorities because she claimed Ortiz was the last person the saw with Ramirez before she died. The next day, Ortiz picked up another woman who was able to escape, and picked up two more women, drove them to isolated highways and killed them. One woman died from being shot in the head and the other died from having an unknown object used to crush her skull.

Ortiz has been under arrest and in jail since September 15th, with a $2.5 million bond after a woman he kidnapped escaped and sought help from a state trooper. Ortiz worked as a Border Patrol agent for 10 years. According to NBC, Ortiz has been suspended without pay since his arrest.

 

Newswire Sources: Buzzfeed News 12/5/18; NBC News 12/5/18

Gender Wage Gap Larger Than Previously Thought

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The Institute for Women’s Policy Research released a new study that claims that women today earn only 49 cents to a man’s dollar, not the 80 cents previously stated. While the earnings gap between men and women has narrowed, progress in the past 15 years has decreased.

However the study does not break the findings down by race, but it uses the Panel Study on Income Dynamics to obtain longitudinal data on gender earnings between men and women during a 15 year period. In the period from 2011-2015, there is a 51 percent gender gap for earnings.

Report Co-author and Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Heidi Hartmann, said that “much ink has been spilled debating whether the commonly cited measure of the wage gap –that women earn 80 cents for every dollar earned by a man- is an exaggeration due to occupational differences or so-called ‘women’s choices,’ but our analysis finds that we have actually been underestimating the extent of pay inequality in the labor market.”

Stephen J. Rose, Ph.D., the report’s other co-author, stated that “the good news is that, over the course of the nearly 50 years covered in the study, women have seen considerable progress in the labor force by entering the workforce at higher rates and staying in the labor force for longer periods of time, which have led to higher earnings and a narrower wage gap. As progress on achieving pay equity slows, it will be important to prioritize policies that strengthen women’s labor force attachment.”

The study also finds that there are still high penalties and costs for women who leave the labor force, even for just one year. Women, who took just one year out of the labor force, faced earnings that were 39% lower than women who consistently worked all 15 years of the study. The study recommends strengthening women’s access to the labor force through accessible paid leave and affordable childcare. Women today opt-out of the labor force at twice the rate of men because women are still disproportionately responsible for childcare. Without access to paid leave or childcare, women will be forced to leave the labor force, which has negative effects on earnings, even for short leave.

The report also recommends strengthening and enforcing Title IX and equal employment opportunity policies to bring women into high paying careers and fields that are often seen as hostile to women; this is crucial to closing the gender gap. However, we have recently seen a weakening and recension of Title IX rules under Department of Education Secretary Betsy Devos. Strengthening Title IX will protect and encourage women into more high paying career and educational fields.

 

Media Resources: Institute for Women’s Policy Research 11/28/18; Feminist Newswire 11/16/18

Wisconsin Republicans Undermine Election Results by Stripping Incoming Democrats of Power

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The Republican-controlled Wisconsin state legislature has voted to strip Democratic Governor-elect Tony Evers and Democratic Attorney General-elect Josh Kaul of a significant amount of power, a last ditch effort by lame-duck Republican Governor Scott Walker to undermine the democratic process after losing his race in November. Governor Walker is expected to sign the bill into law soon.

The bill will restrict a number of the executive’s functions, including the Attorney General’s ability to remove Wisconsin from a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The bill undermines the Attorney General’s authority by allowing the Republican-controlled state legislature to hire its own lawyers to defend state laws in court.

The bill also limits early voting, stops Evers from weakening voter ID laws, enacts Medicaid work requirements, and gives the legislature power over the economic development agency that Evers seeks to dissolve.

Democrats plan to challenge the measures in court, decrying Republican efforts as a blatant attempt to undermine the will of Wisconsin voters. The Republican Senate Majority Leader has blatantly said they are stripping the executive branch of power in order to block Evers’ “liberal agenda.”

Protesters have swarmed the state capitol in Madison in opposition to the lame-duck Republican power grab. “They can only win by cheating. That’s what they’re doing in there right now,” said Kathy Kennedy, a state employee who took off work to protest. “They’re a bunch of cowards.”

Wisconsin Democrats running for State Assembly received over 54 percent of the popular vote as voters unseated Republican incumbent Governor Walker. But despite the popular vote victory, Republicans will maintain control of 64 percent of the state assembly seats due to partisan gerrymandering that weakens the voting power of Democrats.

This is hardly the first attempt by Wisconsin Republicans to undermine elections. A study conducted last year showed that the state’s voter ID laws discouraged as many as 23,000 Wisconsinites from casting a ballot in the 2016 presidential election, a disproportionate number of whom were Black and/or poor.

 

Media Resources: NPR 12/5/18; CNN 12/5/18; Think 12/4/18; Feminist Newswire 10/6/17

 

Overcrowded Tijuana Migrant Shelter Closed Due to Health Issues

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A sports complex in Tijuana that sheltered over 5,000 migrants closed due to health issues and poor sanitary conditions. Since Thursday, migrants have been transferred from the sports complex to a new shelter and by Sunday, most migrants have been transferred. However, CNN officials found groups of migrants camping outside the gates of the sports complex.

The new shelter is located in the eastern part of Tijuana, an area called El Barretal. The new shelter is reportedly in better condition than the sports complex, and includes a roof and a dry floor for migrants to sleep on. It is located 45 minutes away from the U.S. border.

Last week, CNN visited the sports complex shelter and found the shelter to be in horrendous conditions. The large sports complex was was more than three times over its capacity. Due to overcrowding, the shelter did not have sufficient crucial resources such as food and water for the migrants. Further, the sports complex included outdoor showers, growing piles of trash, and large runoff puddles from the outdoor bathroom facilities. Migrants housed at the complex also faced poor sanitation and rapid spreading of illnesses and infections due to cramped conditions.

This incident follows President Trump’s increasingly harsh immigration policies, from family separations to the removal of asylum for survivors of domestic violence or gang violence. President Trump was targeting the Central American caravan as a political ploy ahead of the 2018 midterm elections. Members of the Central American caravan started reaching the border last month. LGBTQ asylum seekers were the first of the caravan to reach the U.S. border in Tijuana. For the migrants currently living in Tijuana shelters, it could be weeks or months before they have a chance to cross the US border and present their case.

 

Newswire Sources: CNN 12/4/18; 11/29/18; Feminist Newswire 11/27/18

Russian Official Calls for New Laws to Combat Domestic Violence, Regrets Decriminalization

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Today, Russia’s human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova admitted that she regrets Russia’s decision to decriminalize domestic abuse last year and called for new laws to protect women and children from domestic violence.

Moskalkova stated today that she “believes that decriminalization was a mistake and we need to adopt a law to combat domestic abuse.” She went on to say that, “today, a person who is in the family space is not protected from family members who do harm unto them without it being considered a crime.”

In 2017, Russia passed a bill decriminalizing certain forms of domestic violence with the support of 368 lawmakers in the first reading of the State Duma, Russia’s lower house parliament. The bill, which is referred to as the “slapping law” downplays the “battery within families” charge to an administrative offense rather than a criminal one. Criminal punishment no longer applies to cases that involve first offenses or offenses that occur once in the year on the condition that injuries requiring hospital attention or days off from work do not ensue.

Moskalkova supported the decriminalization of domestic abuse in 2017, arguing that if men were imprisoned for being “mildly abusive” then households would lose their primary source of income. She believed this was more damaging to families than domestic violence; although she has now changed her stance after witnessing the increasingly harmful effects of violence on women, children, and the elderly.

A Human Rights Watch report in October found that Russian authorities do not investigate women’s claims of domestic violence and abuses because of decriminalization. Instead, police recommend that women return to their abusers, leaving women with virtually no protection from intimate partner violence. Further, the report discovered that women are often blamed for the violence they experience from intimate partners, with police and courts refusing to investigate or prosecute, telling women they should instead stop “provoking” men to violence. This forces women to turn to private prosecution as the only option for legal recourse, a process that is expensive and time consuming as women must collect all evidence on their own.

 

Yulia Gorbunova who authored the report, said that “Women in Russia are often left to face domestic violence completely on their own. Existing laws simply do not protect them when they become caught in a cycle of repeated abuse, with nowhere to turn.” It is estimated that 36,000 Russian women are abused every day and 600 women are killed each month in their homes. This means that every 40 minutes a woman is killed from domestic violence in Russia.

 

Media Resources: Newsweek 12/3/18; Feminist Newswire 10/26/18; Feminist Newswire 1/19/17

Oklahoma Senator’s Bill would Classify Abortion as Homicide

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On Saturday, Oklahoma Senator Joseph Silk introduced the Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act (SB13), a bill that not only criminalizes abortions, but classifies abortions as homicides that can be punishable by life imprisonment. Whilst discussing the bill, Senator Silk equated seeking an abortion to killing a one-year-old child.

According to Sen. Silk, SB 13’s intent is to provide equal protection for unborn children under state law. Sen. Silk further defines a child as “created the moment of fertilization when sperm and the egg combine.” Moreover, there are no exceptions for incest or rape under SB 13, exceptions that Sen. Silk declared, without evidence, to be rare situations in a radio interview. SB13 attempts to void any federal laws, regulations, or court decisions, such as Roe v. Wade, that protect abortion access, even though this is unconstitutional.

Reproductive rights activists and organizations heavily criticize Sen. Silk and SB 13. In response to the bill, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) scrutinized Sen. Silk for his lack of understanding in constitutional law and the blatant illegality of his bill.

Previously attempted abortion-restricting bills in Oklahoma have been blocked or ruled as unconstitutional by courts. In 2016, an anti-abortion bill instituted felony punishments for abortion providers, but was permanently blocked by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

 

Newswire Sources: Bustle 12/1/18; Tulsa World 12/1/18; Feminist Newswire 10/7/16

Democratic Majority to Prioritize Passing the Dream Act and Immigrant Protections

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Nancy Pelosi promised to pass legislation protecting Dreamers and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) once the House Democratic majority convenes in January. Colleagues are urging Pelosi to schedule a vote on bills that protect Dreamers and TPS immigrants from deportation and provide pathways to citizenship within the first 100 days of the new Congress.

In a statement Saturday, Pelosi said, “America draws strength from our long, proud heritage as a nation of immigrants. In the majority, Democrats will work to reverse the Republicans’ destructive anti-immigrant agenda. Our House Democratic majority will once again pass the Dream Act to end the uncertainty and fear inflicted on patriotic young men and women across the country… We will protect TPS recipients and those fleeing unimaginable violence.”

Representative Adriano Espaillat from New York stated that the Democrats need to “expeditiously” move forward once the new Congress convenes to pass immigration reform and protections without providing funding for a border wall. Espaillat argued that “these young [DACA recipients] are still in limbo. Had it not been for the courts, they would probably be underground, they would be in the shadows.”

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus wrote Pelosi a letter calling for the immigration bill to also include allowing deported U.S. military veterans to return back to the US; stopping “militarization” at the US – Mexico border; reuniting families that were separated or deported; and providing a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. The Caucus stated in the letter that “these hardworking, taxpaying undocumented workers have enriched our country, while contributing their knowledge, traditions, and intellect to the fabric of our culture. They are part of America’s economic engine.”

Nancy Pelosi also stated that Democratic House committees will investigate President Trump’s policies of forced family separations for migrants and refugees that reach the US border, including those applying for asylum. Pelosi stated that the Democratic majority in the House “will hold the Trump Administration accountable for their inhumane policy of separating families, and the trauma and anguish they have inflicted on vulnerable children and families at our border.”

In November, the US court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled against the Trump administration’s efforts to end DACA, a two-year program protecting young immigrants who entered the United States as minors, from deportation. The 3-judge panel unanimously concluded that DACA was not illegal but rather a “permissible exercise of executive discretion.” Moreover, the court found that the then-acting Homeland Secretary Elaine Duke was incorrect when she claimed that DACA should end because it was illegal.

Since his inauguration, Trump has been moving forward with his mass deportation agenda which includes executive orders that have tripled the size of the Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, allowed ICE the authority to deputize countless local law enforcement agents to act with the authority of federal officials in arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants, and implemented a family separation policy aimed at prosecuting as many border-crossers as possible. Under this policy, parents were immediately sent into criminal custody, while children are classified as “unaccompanied alien children.” This classification used to only apply to minors crossing the border without an adult relative and allowed Border Patrol to forcefully separate the children from their parents. After rescinding this policy via Executive Order, the Trump Administration instated the “Binary Choice” policy. This policy allows for the detainment of asylum-seeking families together for 20 days. After 20 days of detainment, the government forces parents to make a choice: to be detained with their children for months or years until their immigration case advances, or to allow their children to be taken to government shelters and to potentially be adopted by relatives or other individuals in the U.S.

Recently, roughly 2,000 unaccompanied minor children were quietly removed from shelters and transferred to a temporary Tent City in Texas as part of a mass reshuffling by the Trump administration. The Tent City in the border town of Tornillo currently holds roughly 3,800 children who do not have access to schools, and have limited access to legal services.

 

Media Resources: CBS News 12/2/18; Feminist Newswire 6/20/18; Feminist Newswire 11/9/18; Feminist Newswire 8/21/18; Feminist Newswire 10/16/18

Introduction of National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights in 2019

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On Thursday, the National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) announced they will introduce the very first National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights when the new Congress convenes next year. The bill, co-sponsored by Representative Pramila Jayapal and Senator Kamala Harris, would increase wages, labor conditions and protections for domestic workers. Domestic workers are often underpaid, and more than half of domestic workers are not paid enough to adequately support a family.

The bill would require fair scheduling, meal and rest breaks, and the inclusion of domestic workers in the Civil Rights and Occupational Health and Safety Act protections. The bill also requires written contracts and protections from retaliation, more paid sick leave, healthcare, training programs, and retirement benefits.

The bill also provides special protections to live-in domestic workers who are more likely to work long hours without breaks and are often always expected to be on call. Such protections include access to “panic buttons” in case of sexual harassment or threats, workers’ right to privacy, and adequate notice in case of termination. Adequate notice of termination is especially important for workers who would have to find a new home if they lose their workplace. Moreover, the bill would offer overtime for live-in domestic workers who are currently illegible for overtime pay despite their long work hours.

The bill was inspired by Recommendations from domestic work leaders and similar domestic workers bill of rights in 8 states and Seattle inspired this bill.

According to Working in These Times, the number of domestic workers continues to grow, and caregiving is expected to represent the largest sector of America’s workforce by 2030. 95 percent of domestic workers are women, and more than half of domestic workers are women of color. Approximately 45 percent of domestic workers are immigrants.

In a statement regarding the bill, Rep. Jayapal said, “Domestic workers are shaping the future of our economy. Their strength, courage and power inspires us all as we fight together for workplace democracy.”

 

Newswire Sources: In These Times 11/29/18

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