Global Roundup: Indian Cafe Employs Acid Attack Survivors, Native Hawaiian Midwives, 1st US Federal Gender-Based Hate Crime Trial, All-Women Indonesian Firefighting Crew, Myanmar GBV
Curated by FG Contributor Inaara Mirani
CW: Gender-based violence
Photo via takepart.com
A cafe in India is employing acid attack survivors and helping them rebuild their confidence and return to society. Sheroes Hangout was started in 2014 by the Chhanv Foundation in order to help survivors find employment and to raise awareness about their lives as survivors of acid attacks.
Sheroes Hangout is currently run by Ritu Saini and other survivors. Saini was just a teenager when she was attacked with acid for rejecting a man. She says that cafes are places where individuals of different backgrounds gather and meet, and with one of the cafe’s goals being the reintegration into society for survivors, Sheroes provides survivors with this opportunity and more.
More than 80 percent of acid attack survivors are women, and many are attacked for rejecting men. The penalty for attacking someone with acid can result in up to ten years in prison, yet assailants are rarely convicted. Survivors, on the other hand, deal with severe psychological trauma daily and are often scared to live their lives in the same way they once did.
With its success, Sheroes Hangout now has three locations across India which all employ acid attack survivors. This job opportunity has created new friendships, as well as a social safety net for survivors.
The girls who run the cafe are those who lost everything at one point in time but rebuilt their confidence to work for themselves and their families, and who survived an acid attack and stepped into the same society that once rejected their presence. – Ritu Saini
Makalani Franco-Francis and Ki’i Kaho‘ohanohano. ‘We are again on the brink of losing our people’s knowledge of sacred birthing traditions.’ Photograph: Brendan George Ko/The Guardian.
Six midwives, including three midwifery students and three patients, sued the state of Hawaii on Tuesday after the government implemented a new rule which prohibited birth workers without a specific midwifery license to provide maternal healthcare. The lawsuit was filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights and claimed that lawmakers have criminalized Indigenous birthing customs and hollowed out medical care for pregnant women and their families in Hawaii.
Ki’i Kaho’ohanohano is a Native Hawaiian midwife that was forced out of her two-decade career as a maternal care provider on July 1, 2023 when the new Hawaiian law was introduced. The lead plaintiff in this suit, Kaho’ohanohano is joined by a network of Native Hawaiian midwives who risk a $2000 fine and up to one year in prison if they are caught offering care or advice to pregnant women and families. Even after the deadliest wildfires in US history in August last year when Kaho’ohanohano rushed to volunteer in Lāhainā and distribute supplies and provide comfort to families, she stopped short of providing care such as herbal medicine or acupuncture out of fear of prosecution.
For the many women living in remote area who do not have access to a hospital labour and delivery ward, midwives have always stepped in to deliver Native Hawaiian birthing practices, and this law now poses a threat to thousands of women across Hawaii who will not receive little to no medical support during their pregnancies. Kaho’ohanohano says that this law has created an isolating experience that is antithetical to Native Hawaiian customs, in which birth is a sacred moment that can bring families closer to their ancestors.
We were able to reclaim these practices that were stolen from us, we were able to heal some of the trauma of being treated as second-class citizens in our own land. Now, with this new law, history is repeating itself. We are again on the brink of losing our people’s knowledge of sacred birthing traditions – Ki’i Kaho’ohanohano
With a strong network of traditional midwives and allies, and the backing of the Center for Reproductive Rights, Native Hawaiian midwives are hoping to once again engage in midwifery practices to support women across Hawaii.
CW: gender-based violence, murder
In combo of undated selfie images provided courtesy of the Dime Doe family, show Dime Doe, a Black transgender woman. Courtesy Dime Doe Family Via AP. (WRVO).
This week, a South Carolina man was found guilty of murder in connection with the killing of a Black transgender woman in 2019. This ruling marks the first time in US history that a federal jury has convicted a defendant for a gender-based hate crime.
The perpetrator, Daqua Lameek Ritter, was found guilty of all charges including obstruction of justice, using a firearm in the commission of a hate crime, and murder as a hate crime. The evidence presented at the trial demonstrated how Ritter lured the women, referred to as Dime Doe, to a remote area in Allendale, South Carolina and then shot her three times. He allegedly grew upset after knowledge of his sexual relationship with Doe began to spread in his community. After killing her, Ritter burned the clothes he wore, god rid of the murder weapon, and repeatedly lied to law enforcement.
The 26-year old faces a maximum penalty of life in prison, although his sentencing hearing has not been scheduled yet. As South Carolina is one of only two states in the US which have not passed state legislation on hate crimes, this case was tried at the federal level.
The jury’s verdict sends a clear message: Black trans lives matter, bias-motivated violence will not be tolerated, and perpetrators of hate crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. – Assistant General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division
Doe’s friends described her as loving, happy, and extremely outgoing, and as an individual who was rarely without a smile.
The Power of Mama fight peatland fires in West Kalimantan, in the Indonesian part of Borneo (Credit: Victor Fidelis Sentosa). (BBC).
Indonesia is home to the most carbon-dense peatlands in the world, however the majority of these areas have been severely degraded and depleted due to the world’s demand for palm oil. Once peatlands dry up, they are more susceptible to wildfires. Borneo, an Indonesian island, routinely experiences wildfires which threaten the population, forests, and wildlife.
In 2022, the Power of Mama all-women firefighting group was created by the Indonesian Nature Rehabilitation Initiation Foundation (YIARI) to empower women to join the workforce and to actively fight the wildfires which pose a risk to the wildlife, people’s lives, and biodiversity in the surrounding area. 44 women initially volunteered, but the group now has 92 members aged 19-60 who are from six local villages in Borneo.
Some farmers practice slash-and-burn agriculture, in which forest cover and other vegetation is chopped down and burned to clear the land for cultivation. The Power of Mama works closely with village authorities to identify which farmers are clearing their land with this method, and then encourages these farmers to keep burning land using indigenous fire management, which promotes ecological diversity and protects communities from increasingly severe fires.
The collective also encourages farmers to use organic fertilizer to bring nitrogen back into the soil, enhancing crop growth and lowering the reliance on slash-and-burn agriculture. During the dry season, the Mamas patrol every night and quickly extinguish fires when they are encountered.
With the support of YIARI, Mamas are trained to fight fires, operate drones, and deliver public talks which raise awareness about the dangers of peatland fires. The communities which once mocked them now send invites for village meetings and the Mamas are regarded as local heroes. Due to their diligent efforts, there were no fires in the nearby Sungai Besar village, according to Zakaria, head of financial affairs and in November 2023, the Power of Mamas received Indonesia’s Clean Air Championship Award for their work in ensuring clean air for local communities. For the women, it is not just about fighting fires, it is about becoming more confident and playing an active role in society.
CW: sexual violence
An illustration shows Ma Shwe and others in her community attending an awareness-raising session about gender-based violence on a digital learning platform. (Illustration: UN Women/Poompat Watanasirikul).
Ma Shwe says she was just a young girl when an act of sexual violence was perpetrated against her by a man from her village. She was raised in a small farming village in Myanmar with just 200 households, but after the attack, she felt judged, shamed, and outcast by her community.
It was only when she found out the perpetrator had also left the village, and when she felt enough time had passed that he would not return, before she returned. At this point, Ma Shwe had a child and she wanted to live with her family and raise her child in her home village, however she continued to feel judged by members of her community. Ma Shwe said it was a daily struggle to feel safe and comfortable in her community while also dealing with the ongoing physical and mental health impacts of the violence.
After some time in the village, she saw that there was a gender-based violence training in her village, which she attended and felt validated in her experience. She also attended counselling sessions and was able to regain her self-confidence.
After the training, I saw that the views of the people around me had changed a lot. This change is important. It makes people feel equal and understand everyone has rights, so they learn to value each other. – Ma Shwe
The sessions were implemented by UN Women and UNFPA, in partnership with local organizations in Myanmar. The situation in Myanmar is critical as the economic, political, and humanitarian crisis worsens. Ma Shwe says that although she will continue to struggle with the impact of the violence perpetrated against her, she now feels more comfortable in her community and hopes to one day open her own business.
I feel like I’ve got my own life back, and I’m not afraid of people anymore. – Ma Shwe
Inaara Merani (she/her) recently completed her Masters degree at the University of Western Ontario, studying Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies with a specialization in Transitional Justice. In the upcoming years, she hopes to attend law school, focusing her career in human rights law.
Inaara is deeply passionate about dismantling patriarchal institutions to ensure women and other marginalized populations have safe and equal access to their rights. She believes in the power of knowledge and learning from others, and hopes to continue to learn from others throughout her career.
Thank you, Mona, for giving attention to stories I would not otherwise know about.