Global Roundup: Dominican Republic Abortion Laws, Somalian Anti-FGM Activist, Guatemala Children’s Home Fire, South Korea LGBTQ+ Rights, Black LGBTQ+ Spacemakers
Curated by FG Contributor Samiha Hossain
Women shout slogans during a protest in front of the the Dominican Parliament in Santo Domingo on July 17, 2024.
Activists in the Dominican Republic protested last week against a bill for a new criminal code that would keep in place the country's total abortion ban. The Dominican Senate gave initial approval to the bill in late June and lawmakers are expected to give it final approval in the next few days.
"We continue to fight," said feminist activist Sergia Galván, who along with fellow protesters have asked for legal abortion when the woman's life is at risk, when a pregnancy is the product of rape or incest, and in cases of fetal malformation incompatible with life.
The Dominican Republic is one of four Latin American nations that criminalizes abortion without exceptions. Women face up to 2 years in prison for having an abortion, while the penalties for doctors or midwives range from 5 to 20 years. Besides maintaining the total abortion ban, the new criminal code would also reduce penalties for sexual violence within marriage and exclude sexual orientation from the list of characteristics protected from discrimination, affecting the LGBTQ+ community. Abortion rights activists say the country's total abortion ban not only restricts women's reproductive choices but also puts their lives in danger.
The penal code that the Senate approved does not represent us. And what does this mean? That now, people who have a different sexual orientation, or gender identity, will be at risk of facing constant discrimination. - Rosalba Díaz, from the Dominican Inclusive Lesbian Community
President Luis Abinader, who won a second term last May, suggested to abortion activists that he would be willing to support decriminalization, but after winning both elections he pulled back. Dominicans have also raised concerns about changes not related to abortion in the new criminal code. One of its articles, for instance, would exempt churches from criminal liability, which according to activists like Galván could leave unpunished sexual abuse, money laundering or cover ups by religious leaders.
Shamsa Sharawe, 31, has become infamous within the Somali community across the world for speaking out against female genital mutilation (FGM). In a now viral TikTok post, she cut off the petals of a rose with a razor blade and then stitched up what was left of the flower to illustrate what happened to her vulva when she was aged six. Sharawe was featured in last year’s BBC list of 100 women for her determination to end FGM.
This form of FGM – known as infibulation or “type three” – is what happens to most FGM survivors in Somalia as it is a commonly held belief that the cutting off their outer genitalia will guarantee their virginity. But Sharawe, who came to live in the UK in 2001 when her family fled Somalia's civil war, is not afraid to take on such taboos with humorous, engaging and sometimes heart-breaking honesty. Using the name Shamsa Araweelo on TikTok, she has shared a horrific account of how she was forcibly married off and raped not long after she turned 18 while on a trip to Somalia. It took six months for her to find a way to escape back to the UK.
Sharawe has also shared on TikTok her decision to pay to have reconstructive surgery in Germany (as it is not available to women through the NHS). She wants other women like her to know their options. Now a single mother with a 10-year-old daughter, she has shared how she feels let down by the NHS. It only offers deinfibulation for FGM survivors – that is surgery that opens up the vulfa, but does not replace any removed tissue and will not undo any of the damage.
Some of the other barriers Sharawe has faced include childcare costs and other expenses on top of the surgery. It will take her another six months for her to completely recover – and she has not been able to afford to go back to Germany for a check-up, which worries her. While Sharawee has experienced an expected backlash from some Somalis on social media – some of her family have surprised her with their support. One of her uncles even wanted to know if the surgery was available in the UK for his wife.
He didn’t feel comfortable knowing his wife’s FGM was still affecting her even after 50-plus years. He wanted to improve the quality of her life... because we [all] deserve to have a good quality of life. -Shamsa Sharawe
A still from Rita. The director Jayro Bustamante says the act of rebellion by the girls at the children’s home is at the heart of the film.
Rita is a film inspired by the fire at a children’s shelter in Guatemala in 2017 that killed 41 girls. 56 girls had been locked in a tiny room with no food or access to a toilet, as punishment for an attempted escape from the shelter. The fire started when one of the girls set a mattress alight in protest at their treatment. Despite the girls’ pleas for help the doors of the room remained locked for nine minutes.
The film, which will premiere next week, tells the story of a 13-year-old girl who is taken to a state-run home after running away from her abusive father. The centre’s oppressive conditions soon lead Rita and other youngsters to plan their escape to expose abuse. It shows the failure of the authorities in Guatemala to protect the girls, who were mainly from low-income families. The act of rebellion by the girls at HSVA is at the heart of the film, says its award-winning writer and director, Jayro Bustamante.
The moment they took matters into their own hands and decided to stand up against these dark beings who take advantage of their fragility, they became heroines…Our first reaction as a society was to criminalise the girls, to say that they deserved what had happened to them because they were delinquents. -Jayro Bustamante
In January, the trial of eight government officials and police officers charged in connection with the fire finally got under way. They are charged with the abuse of minors, breach of duty and manslaughter. Edgar Pérez, a lawyer at Bufete Jurídico de Derechos Humanos en Guatemala (the Guatemalan Human Rights Law Firm), which represents 14 of the girls’ families, says the charges do not correspond to the severity of what happened in 2017. But, he says, the case is significant because it will expose the failings of the country’s child protection system and the attitudes of the authorities towards poorer families and single mothers.
Cynthia Phaola Morales is one of the 15 survivors. She was sent to HSVA in 2016 when she was 13. Her mother Kelly Alfaro was accused of neglect when Cynthia failed to come home from a party at a friend’s house. Alfaro was told by the courts that she couldn’t adequately supervise her daughter because she was a widow and had to go to work. Cynthia said the food at the shelter was bad and there was no privacy when using the bathroom. During their periods, the girls had to cut the sponge from their mattresses to use as sanitary towels. Abuses at the shelter, including severe overcrowding, the use of confinement as punishment and physical and sexual abuse, had been documented in multiple reports dating back to 2012.
The trial is expected to last for months, as only one hearing is held each week. Pérez says that from the testimonies given at the trial so far, “if the staff at the home had acted more promptly, many lives would have been saved”.
South Korean same-sex couple So Seong-wook (L) and Kim Yong-min (R) react as they speak to reporters outside the Supreme Court building in Seoul on 18 July,, 2024 after the court’s ruling on a lawsuit against the National Health Insurance Service for their dependent family status. (Jung Yeon-je / AFP/ Getty)
South Korea’s top court has upheld the rights of same-sex couples in a landmark ruling last week that guarantees them the same insurance benefits as heterosexual partners. The ruling means the country’s National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) can be claimed by people in same-sex partnerships, with the Supreme Court saying that treating same-sex couples differently from their heterosexual peers was an act of serious discrimination, according to Amnesty International.
It follows more than three years of legal battles and could pave the way for the recognition of same-sex marriages in the country. The decision upholds a Seoul High Court ruling from last year which ordered the NHIS to provide equal spousal coverage to gay couple So Sung-wook and Kim Yong-min, who filed a lawsuit in 2021 against the agency after it cancelled their benefits. Jubilant scenes followed after the ruling, with the couple chanting: “Love wins.”
I couldn’t believe when I heard the ruling. I was extremely happy and I started crying. It took four years to earn this dependent status and we need to fight harder to legalise same-sex marriage going forward. -Kim Yong-min
Amnesty International’s East Asia researcher Boram Jang called the ruling a “historic victory for equality and human rights in South Korea,” emphasizing the need for the country to ensure equal access to healthcare and social security benefits for everyone.
Terrell Brooke, Suni Jade Reid, Alexandria Florent and Anita Obasi. (Liam Woods / For The Times)
Anita Obasi is the creator of the free weekly newsletter Sapphic L.A., which shares sapphic-friendly and sapphic-centered events happening in Los Angeles. The newsletter is a community offering from Obasi that aims to cut down barriers to connection and has since evolved into Sapphic L.A. hosting events such as a sober-centered Pride celebration.
For me, part of working through trauma and liberation is accessing joy. I truly believe joy is a means of resistance. That is tied to queer pride in general for me, being proud of your identity and being proud of the community you’re part of. At the heart of what I’ve been creating with Sapphic L.A. is joy and pride. -Anita Obasi
Sasha Jones is the owner of Cuties L.A., one of L.A.’s go-to community spaces for queer, trans and gender expansive folks. Cuties L.A. hosts weekly co-work meetups where people can socialize as much or as little as they’d like, queer poetry nights, dance parties and more that are rooted in play, healing, art and genuine connection.
Friends and collaborators Brianca Williams, a screenwriter, and Shatondra “Shay” Caldwell, a TV producer, are the creators of Queer Aunties. Their intention was to “create a supportive and empowering community for Black and Brown queer individuals,” says Williams.
Our brand is really to celebrate unique experiences and challenges [while providing] space for people to freely express themselves. -Brianca Williams
The Queer Aunties events have grown into staples within the community, thanks to signature gatherings like the monthly, invite-only day party, queer karaoke, and more. As L.A. transplants who each grew up moving around often in a military family, the pair say the chance to create meaningful community spaces that their younger selves longed for has made the time in Los Angeles extra special. Their mission is always to create a feel-good experience that feels safe and sparks joy, adds Caldwell.
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Samiha Hossain (she/her) is an aspiring urban planner studying at Toronto Metropolitan University. Throughout the years, she has worked in nonprofits with survivors of sexual violence and youth. Samiha firmly believes in the power of connecting with people and listening to their stories to create solidarity and heal as a community. She loves learning about the diverse forms of feminist resistance around the world.
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