As SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) and the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) anxiously await news from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on whether they will try Pope Benedict XVI and several top Vatican officials for crimes against humanity for the epidemic of clergy sexual abuse and coverups, new allegations concerning sexual abuse […]
Canada
Stories about Canadian politics and social issues.
How Gender Gets Stopped at the Border
Looking to go into the shoe importing business? Be prepared to pay more to get women’s shoes across the border. Or maybe you have an itch to sell cotton shirts? Be prepared to pony up more for the men’s variety. Unfair, you say? Take it up with whoever regulates tariffs. That’s actually quite tricky, as […]
Join the Fight to End Rape in War
If you’ve been following my live-blogging at Feministe or my live-tweeting at @jaclynf, you already know what a sickening and preventable crime against humanity sexual violence in conflict zones is. If not, may I recommend reading the hashtag #endrapeinwar on Twitter? Or a few numbers: Up to 500,000 women were raped during the Rwandan genocide. […]
Canada Headed for a Stormy Ride
North of the 49th parallel, four more years of Stephen Harper’s Conservative rule has begun. On May 2nd, Canadians went to the polls and gave Harper the majority of seats in the House of Commons–the majority he has eagerly and unsuccessfully sought in two previous elections–and thus gave the Conservatives unshakable federal decision-making power. The […]
Canadian Women Want to Break Up with Stephen Harper
Five weeks ago, the Canadian government was forced into an election, one the ruling party–Stephen Harper’s Conservatives–claimed the Canadian public didn’t want. But the campaign has turned into one that is likely to change the political landscape of Canada forever, sparked in part by an unprecedented debate over reproductive rights. In Canada, it’s possible for […]
Haitian Feminist Yolette Jeanty Honored With Other Global Women’s Activists
Haitian feminist Yolette’s Jeanty‘s name may not ring a bell, but her tireless work has been rightfully recognized recently. As executive director of Kay Fanm (in Kreyol, House of Women)–an organization whose mission is to fight for social justice and women’s rights–Jeanty has been an advocate and supporter of women and girls for decades. This […]
Preserving the Future
Indigenous women in the U.S. and Canada are taking on Big Oil — and winning. By Catherine Traywick “Most people don’t know what a subsistence way of life is,” says Faith Gemmill, an environmental activist from the Gwich’in territories in northern Alaska. “In other places, if you need anything you just go to the grocery […]
Canada Offers “Duress” Defense for Battered Women
Nicole Ryan had endured more than 15 horrific years of domestic abuse when, in 2008, she plotted to have her husband killed. Unbeknownst to her, the hired “hit man” was an undercover police officer who quickly had Ryan charged with “counseling to commit murder”. But last week, Ryan was acquitted in a Nova Scotia provincial […]
Wearing a Tube Top Does Not Equal Consent
In a disgraceful judgment by the provincial court of Manitoba, Canada, Justice Robert Dewar allowed a convicted rapist to walk away with nothing but a curfew and a mandatory letter of apology to his victim. The reason? She was wearing a tube top, high heels and make-up the night of the rape–and she was drinking […]