Mooncat

Cases where punishment for crimes are reduced

Rape: A rapist receives a lesser sentence if a. rapist marries the victim (in most cases forced), b. the victim gives consent but then withdraws and c.if the victim becomes pregnant. This is practiced in over a dozen countries including Pakistan and Jordan. In North Carolina a women cannot revoke consent for intercourse. 

Kidnapping: The kidnapper escapes prosecution if he intends to marry the captive. This has been seen in countries such as Malta and throughout Middle East.

Murder: In countries like Jordan and Pakistan, if a husband murders his wife who was caught in an adulterous act (honor killing) he may receive a reduced sentence or avoid prosecution entirely. 

Laws related to domestic environment

Marital rape: Legal in over ten countries, ranging from Singapore to Lesotho. Many cases also go unreported. 

Abortion: A woman should be able to choose what to do with her body. Abortion is completely illegal, without regard to the woman’s physical health, in six countries. 50 countries allow it if puts the woman’s life at risk and 71 countries to preserve mental or physical health. Only 70 nations permit it on request, due to social or economic reasons. 

Domestic violence: No defined legislation or existence of laws to protect woman from domestic abuse is seen in about 36 countries, like Russia, Tanzania and Afghanistan. Studies have shown that over 1 billion women do not have legal protection from domestic harassment. 

Inheritance: Daughters in countries such as Bangladesh, Morocco and Tunisia receive less property from inheritance than their brothers. In Bangladesh a woman only obtains one-eighth of their father’s assets, while the brother gets half. If the girl has no male siblings, the property would be passed down to the next closest male cousin.

Superiority of spouse: Wives are legally obligated to obey their husbands in 19 countries. These comprise of mostly middle Eastern nations.  

Custody of a child conceived from rape: A number of states in the US allow rapists to gain parental rights. Work is being put in to revoke this law, but no firm legislation has yet been set. 

Travelling: Women aren’t allowed to leave their house without their husband’s permission in 17 countries. In the Middle East females require a male ‘guardian’ whose consent is required if the woman wants to travel. 

Work issues

Occupation: Women aren’t allowed to work 456 jobs in Russia. 104 countries prevent women from doing specific jobs, because of so-called ‘health hazards’. These range from Bangladesh to Argentina and Europe. Women aren’t allowed to register a business in 4 nations. 

Harassment: No laws preventing sexual harassment in 59 countries. These consist of Barbados and Jamaica. 68 countries lack workplace-specific regulations to prevent sexual harassment.

Option to work: A wife requires her husband’s permission to work in 18 nations. These include Bolivia, Chad, Iran, and Guinea.

Unequal pay: Recent studies have shown that women in the US earn $0.80 to $1 in comparison to their male colleagues. Though not a law, it is clear that regulation is not strict enough, unlike Iceland where it is illegal to pay a man more than a woman.

Night shifts: In 29 countries (Sri Lanka and the UAE are some examples), it is illegal for women to work at night. India restricts women from working between 7pm to 6am in factories. 

Paternity leave: About half of the nations of the world do not allow paternity leave, much less paid paternity leave. India, the US and Russia are some of these countries. This restricts a man’s share of child caring in families. 

Identity and restrictions

Dress code: In Sudan and North Korea, it is illegal for women to wear trousers. Countries throughout the Middle East ban females from showing bare skin. In Uganda, women are prevented from wearing outfits that reveal too much, such as miniskirts or sleeveless shirts. They are also not allowed to keep nails longer than 3cm. 13 nations have banned the burqa. A woman’s outfit should be a the woman’s choice, thus restricting coverage can also be termed as sexist. In California, a female requires permission to wear heels. About ten states in the US restrict the revealing of bare breasts. 

Bank accounts: Many countries in the Middle East, such as Saudi Arabia, prohibit a woman from opening a bank account.

Nationality: A mother cannot pass on their nationality to their children in 25 countries. While being sexist, it also restricts a child’s welfare, educational and economic opportunities. 

Alcohol: It is illegal for women to buy alcohol in Sri Lanka. The country’s health minister states it is to protect the country’s ‘cultural and moral values’. In Argentina females are prohibited from selling alcoholic beverages. 

Trials: In countries throughout the Middle East, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia and even Pakistan, a women’s testimony is half as reliable as a man’s. This prevents females from getting a free trial and also allows many criminals to walk free.

“Why is catcalling and sexual harassment such a big thing these days? Why are women overreacting about this? Can’t they just ignore the harasser and keep walking if it bugs them that much? It’s just a compliment!” These are things I’ve read, these are things I’ve heard.

I was 13 when I first felt harassed by a man. He was my teacher. He left notes on my tests and called my home to talk about music and books. Initially he was someone I respected and admired, but deep down inside something felt odd and uncomfortable. Especially that time when he asked me to read a book in front of the whole class where he had written things around the margins like “I love you”, “I need you”, “call me”. Especially that time he cried to me in school when he found out I had a boyfriend, and also those following days when he called me and all I could hear were his sobbing breaths.

I am one of the lucky ones. I had the fortune of having an extraordinary woman, my mother, who caught him and managed the whole thing wonderfully. I was able to get out of that situation safe and alive all thanks to her.

The second time I felt really unsafe I was 19. I was walking back to my car from a book store when I saw a man approaching me. There was no one around, and I instantly felt anxious, but I didn’t want to be rude and mistrusting so I kept walking. When he got closer he asked me for the time, and when I looked at my wrist he tried to get his hand inside my pants. I used my keys to punch him and ran towards my car. I guess I should’ve been mistrusting, I guess I should’ve listened to that inner voice that told me something was wrong. As I drove away, I passed by him and gave him the finger and told him to go f*ck himself. I was in my car, so it felt safe to do so. I couldn’t stop crying the whole way back home.

When I told my ex-boyfriend what happened he said “but look at you?, look how you’re dressed…”. I told him I wasn’t wearing anything “revealing”, just a simple top and jeans, and even if I were walking naked, that didn’t give this man the right to try to reach for my vagina. I asked my ex to leave, he apologized to me later.

A few weeks ago I witnessed a woman being harassed by a man on the street. He pulled her purse, confronted her and pushed her in the middle of the street. There were lots of people around and she got assistance from a man and later by the police. But while he was attacking her, I completely froze. I wanted to help her, but I just couldn’t move.

I stayed with her and the police to write my testimony, but I really stayed to make sure she was ok and that she was not going to get victim-blamed by anyone. I went back to work pouring in sweat, and it took me a couple days to feel better and stop thinking about that. 

But here’s thing, I don’t think I can stop thinking about that. On top of these three stories I’m sharing with you today, I have many in between from minor catcalling to more aggressive street harassment stories. And they are all in there in my head, as part of something I think about when I’m walking on the street.

Catcalling and street harassment are not just one isolated event that happens to someone in a lifetime. It happens a lot, it might happen every day, and the reason why it’s so freaking annoying and stressful is because it’s not just about that moment. It’s about every single moment you’ve experienced it.

Every time I get harassed, it’s no longer about that one harasser at that particular time, it’s about my 13-year-old self feeling powerless, feeling like an object, feeling used, feeling unsafe. It’s about that 19-year-old holding her keys to free herself from an aggressor. And it’s about feeling just really tired of ALL OF IT.

Sexual harassment has an impact in my mental health. I know I’m in the lucky spectrum, and I haven’t suffered serious consequences like PTSD or depression, but it does make me anxious, it does make me freeze and cry every time it happens. The fact still remains that just because I’ve been able to carry on, it doesn’t mean it was ever ok. Because it’s not ok.

So next time someone tells you about being harassed, don’t tell her to just ignore it, don’t tell her to take the high road, don’t tell her it was a compliment. Because it might really not be the first time, and she might be tired of it, and she might just need you to tell her it sucks, and that she didn’t deserve to be treated that way. Because these were stories of my own, but I know they are shared among too many of us.

These difficult conversations are more important than ever. Here’s how to overcome the roadblocks.

“Cat Call” by Ursa Eyer (Source)

“Here’s a short comic about my personal experiences with Cat Calling. Keep in mind, this is a very VERY vanilla version. I kept out all the super horrible and gross stuff because, I’m hoping this gets my point across. This comic is only meant to illustrate my history with this upsetting part of our culture.”

Ursa Eyer on Facebook | Official Website

Often domestic abuse can be sexual as well.

The trouble is- I found myself feeling like the more things that happened the more crazy and unbelievable my story became.

The more you trust someone and open up the more chapters will be added. And somewhere in the back of your mind will always be this little voice that will be like “now I’ve told them too much, they’ll think I’m exaggerating and they’ll never believe it.”

If someone trusts you enough to let you in- please support them, it takes a lot to peel that onion. And sometimes it has more layers than you may realize.

So happy for Rihanna 😭💙

Making such iconic moves for the culture & is opening the doors for us to thrive in seats we don’t get to occupy. YOUR OWN LABEL WITH LVMH! First Woman of colour to have her own fashion house created by the group since the 80s! MAJOR BOSS MOVES