Women's Rights Around the World

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Brian Lehrer: Brian Lehrer on WNYC. We're going to wrap up the show today with a Women's History Month call-in. It's about women's rights news in countries other than the United States. Listeners with ties to other countries, this call-in is for you, call in to shout out stories of how women are fighting for their rights in the country that you either came from as an immigrant or have ties to, for some reason, that's not the United States. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692.

Who has a connection to another country that has a significant women's rights development in the news these days or women's rights campaign? Who's got one from any country, other than the United States, if you're an immigrant from anywhere, or have any other connections to other countries where women's rights news is happening, but our listeners here in the New York area, here in America may not be aware of it? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692.

Give you a few examples that we've seen. In China, more women are choosing to stay single and childless, choosing their careers over building families. Reuters recently reported that in response, President Xi Jinping is stressing the need to "cultivate a new culture of marriage and childbearing," as China's population fell for a second consecutive year, and new births reached historic lows.

There used to be the one-child policy in China. Well, now it's happening even more than one on average, that is, even fewer than one on average, I guess if it's actually got a falling population. The government there is vowing to work towards a birth-friendly society and boost childcare services in this year's government work report. Listeners with connections to China, anybody want to help us report this story? Do you know women who are asserting their rights to a career specifically by forgoing marriage and/or childbearing? What are they telling you? 212-433-WNYC, 433-9692. That's China.

Earlier this month, France became the first country in the world to explicitly guarantee abortion as a constitutional right. President Emmanuel Macron has promised he, "will not rest until women across Europe have the same protection." That's according to Al Jazeera, where we saw this article. Listeners with ties to France, listeners with ties to any other country in Europe, what are some of the big wins or maybe even big losses for women's rights in any of the countries in Europe that you have ties to? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. Anybody with a connection to France, in particular, want to talk about that abortion as a constitutional right in that country, anything about the politics that enabled it or how it makes you feel?

Here's a legal win for women from another country. Four Kenyan women living with HIV have won a legal battle against Médecins Sans Frontières, that's Doctors Without Borders, and a state-run maternity hospital over being sterilized. Each has been awarded $20,000 in damages for receiving a tubal ligation without their informed consent. Any listeners with ties to Kenya, did this news resonate in any way? What are some of the other women's rights issues or big wins, or controversies in your country if you're from Kenya or if you have ties to other countries in Africa? Share the stories you're hearing or involved with that have to do with women's rights.

I've given you an example from Asia, from China, an example from Europe, from France, an example, from Africa, from Kenya. Our invitation is to anybody with a connection to any other country. Maybe you're an immigrant from anywhere, or maybe for some other reason, you have connections to another country, and for Women's History Month, you want a shoutout a news story, a women's rights movement, a women's rights setback that's happening in any country that you're connected to. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692.

I saw the news about the big women's rights protest in Mexico City. That was just the other day. That was against rampant violence against women and girls. Afghan women protested too on that International Women's Day. We could talk about Ireland with the Taoiseach just having been here in the United States. There's stuff going on there too. Who has a connection to any other country who wants to inform the rest of our listeners about a women's rights story, progress, setback, movement, controversy from any other country that you're connected to? The phones are yours. 212-433-WNYC, call or text. 212-433-9692, and we'll take your calls right after this.

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Brian Lehrer on WNYC. Now to your calls with women's rights stories, good, bad, mix, controversies, movements from any country other than the United States. 212-433-WNYC for this Women's History Month call-in. Who's making history right now in any country that you came from or any country that you have ties to? 212-433-9692, call or text. Miriam in Manhattan you're on WNYC. Hello, Miriam.

Miriam: Hi, this is Miriam in Mary Hill.

Brian Lehrer: Yes, it is. Hi there.

Miriam: Hi. I identify as Baloch American. Half of my family is from the Iran side of Balochistan, the other is from the Pakistan side. In December, a group of Baloch women organizers organized a huge march from Quetta Balochistan to Islamabad, Pakistan. They were greeted by the police, and the marchers were violently arrested. A lot of the women and children were arrested. There was an uproar with the public, and so after a few days, they were released. The organizers haven't stopped protesting the forced disappearances and murders of the Baloch people.

Brian Lehrer: Who's doing it and why? Well, you tell us who's doing it, why are they doing it?

Miriam: Who's the organizers or the--?

Brian Lehrer: The perpetrators.

Miriam: Oh, it's the Pakistani government. There's been a Baloch nationalist movement since partition on the Balochistan being a sovereign state. It hasn't been very successful. There have been peaceful protests and actions that haven't worked, and so there have also been violent protests and actions. It doesn't matter whether it's a peaceful action or a violent action, it's always been greeted with just brutal force from the Pakistani government in Islamabad.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you for letting people know about that. We appreciate it. Virginia in Queens with ties to Somalia, I see. Virginia, you're on WNYC. Thank you for calling in.

Virginia: Hi, Brian. There's a nurse educator in Somaliland, Edna Adan, and she's been really fighting against female genital mutilation. It's a really hard battle because the culture is entrenched to do that. There was a big article in The New York Times recently about that.

Brian Lehrer: Thank you. You're talking about Somalia, Somaliland. There's an article in the Times that somebody else is writing about. Just today, a listener writes, "We're shocked to read in today's Times that Gambia is voting today on whether to repeal the ban on female genital mutilation, whether to repeal a ban on it." I guess that means to allow it. "Also that female genital mutilation is actually on the rise worldwide," writes that listener. Emilio in Passaic, you're on WNYC. Hi, Emilio.

Emilio: Hi, how are you?

Brian Lehrer: Good. What you got?

Emilio: I just wanted to say, in the early 1990s, we have a dictatorship in Peru. His name was Alberto Fujimori, he ruled the country for 11 years. He did the sterilization with indigenous people in the Andes, and nobody was brought to justice. The health minister, who was back in the day, he is still in Congress and the dictator he is now free because he was released from jail. That's just so frustrating what they can do to indigenous people and nobody's brought to justice. It's just no right. Peru is [crosstalk]

Brian Lehrer: Has it gotten better since Fujimori?

Emilio: No. We have a little bit of better above our human rights but corruption is still the same, that's why nobody was brought to justice. Like last year, they killed over 100 people on the street because we were protesting. What's upsetting is the US government still support the government. There was a commission now from the the US Congress just visit Peru just to support the government after the mass shooting on the streets.

Brian Lehrer: Emilio, thank you, unfortunately, for having to say that. Thank you for updating people about the situation in Peru. Some texts coming in, Neil from the Bronx writes, "Roots in India and Pakistan violence against women remains stubbornly high across South Asia with rapes and sexual assaults increasing in certain regions. In India, this is especially true against young women who are perceived to be engaged in independent romantic connections. Similar issues in Pakistan. For all of the Western medias fawning over Modi and his courting by Biden and India's progress, the region is among the most dangerous in the world for women," writes that listener.

On the China story that I brought up before, listener writes, "It is worth mentioning that in China, it is illegal for physicians to tell expecting parents the sex of their child to discourage favoritism for males." I guess that would be a positive development. Few people are writing about the prospect in Mexico that they're going to have their first female president. There's a New York Times opinion piece on Mexico's potential next president written by Ilan Stavans, published yesterday.

He writes, "Mexico’s presidential campaign is well underway and if the polls are to be believed, Claudia Sheinbaum, a physicist and candidate of the left-leaning ruling Morena party, could be the country’s next president. She holds a staggering 30 percentage point lead. She would be the first female and first Jewish president of Mexico." One more, Magali in Manhattan, you're on WNYC. Hi Magali. We have about 30 seconds for you.

Magali: Yes, in 30 seconds. With all of the turmoil going on in Haiti, I know from women's groups that there is a huge fear of the recent prison breakouts of all of these men who are mostly, a lot of them charged with either murdering their wives or partners or domestic violence, and they're now roaming. In addition to just the general terror, there is that added fear for a lot of these women. That's also something to be made aware of.

Brian Lehrer: Magali, thank you very much for that. Thanks to all of you who called and texted with those news stories pertaining to women's rights. Unfortunately, a lot of really troubling things on the phones and in the text messages, except maybe for the prospect of Mexico getting its first female president. Thank you for those calls and texts. That's The Brian Lehrer Show for today. Stay tuned for All Of It.

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