Reproductive violence

Written on June 9th, 2016 in comment, politics Comments Off

Published on DAWN, Pakistan, by Tahir Mehdi, June 7, 2016.

TWO things happened in Islamabad on the same day recently, one pertaining to the Council of Islamic Ideology CII (it’s website) - and the other to Pemra, the electronic media regulator. CII sanctioned ‘lightly beating’ of wives and Pemra banned (and then partially withdrew) advertisements of contraceptives.  

The two seemingly unrelated events have more than their timing in common. Their relationship is intriguing and intense and covered by the same ignorance that so many in our society defend in the name of religion and culture … //

… Wife-beating does not only exist in the country, it is rampant: … //

… Ignorance breeds ignorance. Our young men and women have no institution to fall back on for guidance on such matters. Sex education in schools gets an even stricter rebuke from the authorities than the Pemra ban on contraceptive ads.

This chosen ignorance then becomes a huge market for quacks offering dangerous quick fixes and for ‘pirs’ bestowing amulets and other more hazardous prescriptions. There is a reason why every village wall is painted with their advertisements.

A few vertical programmes related to reproductive health have attempted to raise communities’ knowledge base but they too face stiff resistance from the guardians of public morality. These programmes are implemented by young workers who lack authority. Any affirmation of what they say by the national media lends them credibility and makes them more powerful and effective.

It is ironic that the acts that deprive them of this clout, damaging their cause, come from the highest level of government that is actually supposed to lead these campaigns with vigour and resolve.

(full text).

Links:

Money for nothing: Count me out of a universal basic income, June 7;

Why the Swiss rejected basic income, on uk.Yahoo/Finance, by Andy Stern, June 6, 2016;
(my comment:
1) many Swiss feel most of the time responsible of the WHOLE country, not exclusively of their group. This means we may think about the effects our votes have for us all;
2) regarding money, we behave parsimonious, maybe we are even stingy, like a poor housewife watching over every cent – that’s our character;
3) concerning BIG: we believe that our neighbour would no more work … we yes, we would still work, but not ‘those others’;
4) despite our political democracy we know having NO CONTROL over the real big money, the one managed by our 50 richest families etc;
… look, WITH the existing financial mafia a guaranteed Basic Income replacing actual sustaining systems could be worse. So, first we have to control money – in a democratic and transparent way – worldwide
- Heidi);

The curious case of Swiss referendums: Tunnels and trains win the day but tax changes shot down at the polls, on CITY A.M., by Jake Cordell, le 6 juin 2016;

Une allocation universelle de 1.000€ pour tous, chômeur ou travailleur, est-ce possible en Belgique? dans RTL.be/info, le 5 juin 2016;

Switzerland – vote results of June 5, 2016, on SWI swussubfi.ch, June 5, 2016;

Le Lausannois David Payot rêve de démocratie participative à la madrilène, dans Le Courrier.ch, par Mario Togni, le 3 juin 2016: le futur municipal popiste vient de se rendre à Madrid pour s’inspirer des expériences menées par le nouvel exécutif de la capitale espagnole, proche de Podemos;

Will more start-ups follow Uber in taking cash from sovereign wealth funds? on Los Angeles Times, by David Pierson and Tracey Lien, June 2, 2016;

AUDIO: New Work Order podcast featuring Scott Santens, on Basic Income Earth Network BIEN, by Kate McFarland, June 2, 2016;

Des initiatives populaires pointées du doigt, dans RFJ.ch, le 2 juin 2016;

Specially European Union:

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