Women's Day Awards

When my dad was in India a woman came to them seeking help after being attacked with a chainsaw by her husband. After receiving medical attention she had to be sent back to him, as it was considered that she was his property and the RSS would have attacked them if they had tried to shelter her.

I know they were deeply distressed by this incident and felt completely powerless.

The country may have laws against things, but in practice everybody knows how it is. And in a poverty-stricken country where justice goes to the highest bidder and a patriarchal society where human life is cheap, it’s not likely to change in a hurry.

Another woman had horrific burns after being doused with kerosene and set alight by her husband – having received her dowry they now wanted more money. Apparently this is not uncommon, and is used as a way to continually blackmail a woman’s parents for more money. If they care enough and can afford it, they pay.

Why would any woman report something if she will be beaten or killed for it?

I certainly wouldn’t.

Another friend came back from Afghanistan traumatised by a woman who had her throat slit by the Taliban in front of her family because someone heard her laughing in her own home.

She was also upset that a dear friend was forced to marry against her will by the family.

These are women’s issues.

Men are not immolated when their wives die. It is not a men’s issue.

Issues can be, and often are, gender specific; and there is nothing wrong with having a day to highlight the issues that different women around the world are still facing.

Our daughters have the chance to vote and get an education because people have fought for that – both women and men, but mainly women.

I will not argue that things haven’t sometimes gone too far the other way in some areas.

I don’t think men and boys should be discriminated against either, and where this does occur it should be addressed. That doesn’t mean, though, that you shouldn’t celebrate International Women’s Day anymore than it means that you shouldn’t celebrate Mothers’ Day.

At the end of the day both men and women are wonderful and deserving of celebration and support. This can best be achieved by men and women working together for the good of all people.

PB – because of the chances of actually meeting you, I have never attended a Riotact event – ever. You always manage to sound like a neanderthal dork idiot. Cheers!

congratulations to the winners = must all be stoked to be nominated for these achievements and no doubt all work very hard and conscientiously at their passions. fab-o, i say…

OK, PB is once again being obtuse to the point of parody.

You’ve all said your piece now let’s move on eh?

I think the issue of human rights transends anything gender related in the example just given.

You were accusing hundreds of thousands of Indian men of burning their wives to death sepi. The only figures I could find about this show that there were 106,000 fire-related deaths among Indian women, and of the majority were attributed to domestic accidents.(You forgot to mention that for every 2 women burned to death there is a male fatal burning, or do they not count?)

There are no figures for the numbers “burned to death by their husbands”, unless you have other evidence. (This does not excuse any that are killed by their husband, and in no way implicates that this is a male/female issue outside of that culture.)

So what are you doing about this sad situation sepi? I don’t think Katy handing out a few certificates, no matter how deserved, will change the dowry tradition of India.

yeeeeh.

only 106 thousand women burned to death in india in one year.

women’s issues are a storm in a tea cup.

no further need for women’s day.

carry on.

sepi said :

sheepgroper – surely one day we’ll move on from ‘men are bigger than us so they can hurt us’ mentality.

I was thinking more along the lines of you can’t force sex on a guy since he needs an erection present more so than the difficulty involved in overpowering him.

“Sati”, or the ancient Hindu practice of a woman immolating herself on her husband’s pyre, has long been banned in India, and those found abetting it face the death penalty.

sepi said :

PB – I don’t think the hundreds of thousands of Indian men immoliating their wives are horrified and disgusted. This issue is relevant to IWD as the day was begun in an effort to improve women’s situation in the world.

By combining several health data sets, the authors found that in 2001 there were 106,000 fire-related deaths among Indian women, mostly between 15 and 34 years of age – a number six times higher than the police recorded.

In all their research, there were “alarming” spikes in deaths by fire in the 15 to 34 age group of females in India, the authors said.

This could be attributed in part to “sudden exposure to the cooking environment”, though some believe that many homicides are covered up as accidents and are considered a cultural norm, so the police do little to investigate or intervene.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7919682.stm

I think you exaggerate the figures to make your point there sepi.

sheepgroper – surely one day we’ll move on from ‘men are bigger than us so they can hurt us’ mentality.

PB – I don’t think the hundreds of thousands of Indian men immoliating their wives are horrified and disgusted. This issue is relevant to IWD as the day was begun in an effort to improve women’s situation in the world.

As for celebrating the positives – this is what this story is about yeah/ Katy’s awards.

sepi said :

PB I can see you are struggling with this one, but International Women’s Day is not all about you. It isn’t even relevant to you.

I never claimed otherwise.

Those feelings of anger and being left out that you feel about not being eligible for a nice certificate on International Women’s Day might help you to understand the anger that women feel when we realise we are left out of jobs due to being a woman, or the anger we feel when we read of hundreds of thousands of Indian women being burnt to death for the wedding dowries.

A strange mish mash of ideas there.
a) I don’t think anyone is “angry” about not getting one of these pats on the back off Katy due to being a man.
b) Anyone has a right to be angry if they are excluded from a job for being of either (or both) genders.
c) Do you not think that men are also angry, appalled and horrified about Indian women being burned to death, for whastever reason? (And what does that have to do with this award?)

International Women’s Day is not really a ‘celebration’ as such. It celebrates women’s achievements, but also focusses our minds on areas where women still have a long long way to go.

Like the fact that 70% of those living in poverty are women.
-Women own 1% of the world’s land.
-Women do two thirds of the world’s work, and receive only 10% of
And so on….

See http://www.internationalwomensday.com for more……

I did, it’s all good;

However, great improvements have been made. We do have female astronauts and prime ministers, school girls are welcomed into university, women can work and have a family, women have real choices. And so the tone and nature of IWD has, for the past few years, moved from being a reminder about the negatives to a celebration of the positives.

Don’t forget to celebrate the positives sepi!

And try to think about these issues in the context of your daughter growing up, and what sort of opportunities you would like her to have, as far as career, child-rearing and super on retirement, and perhaps IWD will make a bit more sense than if you try to relate it purely to yourself.

My daughter is growing up in the nice safe middle class surburbia of Canberra. I hope she aspires to more than getting an pat on the back award for doing good works, awards which exculde 50% of the population from inclusion in consideration.

But thanks for putting your points in a measured and polite way, I hope I have reciprocated in kind, nice to debate with you .

emd said :

Women still earn less than men, and are more likely to be assaulted or raped or murdered than men. We don’t have equality yet.

Unfortunately I doubt us chicks will ever have rape equality, biology is against us.

PB I can see you are struggling with this one, but International Women’s Day is not all about you. It isn’t even relevant to you.

Those feelings of anger and being left out that you feel about not being eligible for a nice certificate on International Women’s Day might help you to understand the anger that women feel when we realise we are left out of jobs due to being a woman, or the anger we feel when we read of hundreds of thousands of Indian women being burnt to death for the wedding dowries.

International Women’s Day is not really a ‘celebration’ as such. It celebrates women’s achievements, but also focusses our minds on areas where women still have a long long way to go.

-Like the fact that 70% of those living in poverty are women.
-Women own 1% of the world’s land.
-Women do two thirds of the world’s work, and receive only 10% of the world’s income.
And so on…..

See http://www.internationalwomensday.com for more.

And try to think about these issues in the context of your daughter growing up, and what sort of opportunities you would like her to have, as far as career, child-rearing and super on retirement, and perhaps IWD will make a bit more sense than if you try to relate it purely to yourself.

Let’s tone down the obscenity and abuse shall we?

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

Being part indigenous myself

Which part? You either are, or you aren’t. It’s not a fashion accessory you can put on when it suits you.

Not at all, WMC. To be “indigenous” you have to identify as such, and be accepted by an indigenous community. Lots of people with an indigenous ancestor don’t fulfil the criteria. But they are still part-indigenous.

Poptop, I must have missed the big hoo haa around the “Interantional Mens day” celebrations in Canberra. As did RiotAct I’m assuming.

I wonder how that happened.

It means my dad is white and my mum is black you phucking imbecile.

Being part indigenous myself

Which part? You either are, or you aren’t. It’s not a fashion accessory you can put on when it suits you.

Again Google is your friend 19 November, Wikipedia notes Australia as one of the Countries that celebrates IMD.

The objectives of celebrating an International Men’s Day include focusing on men’s and boy’s health, improving gender relations, promoting gender equality, and highlighting positive male role models. It is an occasion for men to highlight discrimination against them and to celebrate their achievements and contributions, in particular for their contributions to community, family, marriage, and child care.

Take up your desires for an award-related mention in a media release, a framed certificate from one of our esteemed leaders and possibly some International Roast and a Tim Tam, with the MLA of your choice.

cranky said :

Wow. Three out of four have an indigenous connection. Fancy that.

Being part indigenous myself I can honestly say I find the millions of token awards handed out like these to be quite patronising.

The aim of International Men’s Day is to recognise the “economic, social and political achievements of Men” and also to raise awareness of issues such as violence and oppression.

R. Slicker said :

Are we ever going to see “International Men’s Day Awards”? Don’t hold your breath . . .

The aim of International Women’s Day is to recognise the “economic, social and political achievements of women” and also to raise awareness of issues such as violence and oppression. Here’s a nice, easy to read story with pics for you…

http://jezebel.com/5166391/happy-international-womens-day

R. Slicker said :

Are we ever going to see “International Men’s Day Awards”? Don’t hold your breath . . .

That role is amply filled by the Birthday Honours awards every year.

Thanks for that, I was wondering.

PB: Women should get awards because some of us have managed to leave the cave and no longer carry a club.

emd said :

Women still earn less than men, and are more likely to be assaulted or raped or murdered than men. We don’t have equality yet.

And the relevance of this is, what exactly?

Something to work on.

LOL.

Women still earn less than men, and are more likely to be assaulted or raped or murdered than men. We don’t have equality yet.

Thinking there should be equality, and alongside “women’s day awards” there should be an award for men who have achieved good works is “right wing bias’.

You couldn’t make stuff like this up could you?

No surprise to see the ‘rump’ of posteres to this site baring their extreme right-wing bias. You’re just like your fathers, but not dead yet. Something to work on.

sepi, I second your motion.

And the nominations for men’s day are….

PB, for reminding us of the attitudes that inspired the need for women’s awards.

What are the girls nominated for? Good cooking and sewing?

And the nominations for men’s day are….

(I’ll kick us off)

Jeremy Clarkson, for services to common sense in the face of rampant political correctness

“Look mommy – insecure men!”
“There’s nothing quite so attractive, is there darling?”

Wow. Three out of four have an indigenous connection. Fancy that.

What – there’s no Transgender Woman’s award???????

Are we ever going to see “International Men’s Day Awards”? Don’t hold your breath . . .