Good morning.

BURKINA FASO: Female genital mutilation declining, says Minister

OUAGADOUGOU, 26 May 2003 (IRIN) – Twelve years after Burkina Faso launched a campaign that outlawed female genital mutilation (FGM) in 1996 and imposed heavy penalties on circumcisers, the number of women undergoing the harmful practise is declining, officials said.

Mariam Lamizana, the Burkinabe Minister for Social Welfare and Solidarity told IRIN that surveys done over three years among different age groups in various regions, indicated that FGM prevalence had dropped from the 1996 national average of 66.35 percent to between 16-43 percent.

It however remained high in some towns. In Boromo in the western Bale province, 150 km from Ouagadougou, 87 percent of the women were found to have undergone FGM. The town had the highest prevalence in the country.

“We have reached a point when the female circumcision is discussed in the community and demystified,” Lamizana told IRIN in an interview on 19 May. To raise awareness, she added, FGM was being treated as a health, human rights and violence issue in a campaign involving religious leaders and female circumcisers.

FGM [female circumcision] is a procedure where a woman’s external genital organs are removed or injured for cultural, religious or other non-therapeutic reasons. It has serious consequences including pain, hemorrhage, infection, ulceration, damage to the urethra and difficulties in birth. It could also lead to HIV/AIDS transmission.

In Burkina Faso, it is a deep-rooted cultural practice in 14 provinces where it is believed to “cleanse” women as part of their initiation. It involves cutting off the clitoris of girls of the same age in the community, usually by a traditional practitioner with crude instruments and without anesthesia.

The Burkina parliament outlawed FGM as part of a campaign led by a National Committee against Circumcision Practice (CNLPE). It set prison terms of upto five years and fines of upto US $1,500, for people found circumcising women. So far 300 people have been arrested. Fifteen were sentenced to jail for three to twelve months and others fined $85-$1,500.

On 17 May the CNLPE organised activities at Boromo to mark the country’s national day against FGM. Lamizana said during the function: “We are confirming on this day our firm determination to fight a non-stop battle so that no single Burkina girl will be threatened by this practice of another age.”

According to the World Health Organisation, most girls and women who have undergone FGM live in 28 African countries, including Burkina Faso. Some live in Asia and the Middle East; and increasingly among immigrants in Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA. Between 100-140 million girls and women worldwide have undergone it. Another 2 million are at risk of undergoing it each year.

******

Readers: This was written back in 2003 where it was reported the FGM was declining because of a campaign that outlawed FGM in 1996. That was 10 years ago that the decline was reported.

Obviously it is not declining enough because from what I have read and from what I have been told, it is still happening to too many women and girls. In fact, in 2008, it was reported that FGM was not declining but on the rise. And just last month, Miss Africa Netherlands (M.A.N.) and the Association of European Parliamentarians with Africa (AWEPA) in cooperation with the National Committee for International Cooperation and Sustainable Development held a workshop offering information about this act of violation of women’s rights.

It is known that due to the sensitivity of the subject, women and girls who have undergone FGM hardly talk about it – They keep silent. This workshop gave the opportunity to illuminate this horrific practice, break the silence, and learn and share knowledge, in HOPEs to come up with long lasting solutions to eradicate this harmful practice that is still prevalent today. Experts on the subject spoke about some of what is being done nationally and internationally (including political action) to stop FGM.

I don’t know the outcome of the workshop, but it is obvious that something more drastic needs to happen because not much has changed since the article was written in 2003. Girls and women are still subjected to this cruel and inhumane practice.

When will it finally end? What do we need to do? I say for every woman who is cut, the man who does the cutting loses his. You put something like that in place, it is sure to end quickly.

Comments? Blog me.

Peace & Love…

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Every time I travel a theme song for my trip always presents itself in some fashion. I love having a theme song because when the trip is over and I hear the song, it reminds me of that particular trip, and transports my mind, and of course puts a smile on my face. This past trip it was Annie Lennox’s “Money Can’t Buy It,” and not for any particular reason – just a song that I loved from a long time ago and somehow it made its way back into my life.

When I got home I decided to look up Lennox and see what she’s been up to. I came across this TED Talk. It is from 2010 but well worth a watch. AIDS/HIV is still pandemic and needs to be in the forefront of our minds. Thanks to Lennox for her dedication to raising awareness and doing something.

After decades of global fame as part of Eurythmics and as a solo artist, Annie Lennox was moved by Nelson Mandela’s call to stop the HIV/AIDS pandemic in South Africa, where it disproportionately affects women and children. She founded the SING campaign in 2007 to raise both awareness and money. “This is an illness that has a lot of stigma,” Lennox says on her video blog. “What we need to do is normalize HIV.”

Drawing on her talents, she combines music and film to put a human face on the crisis and emotionally connect people to the cause. South Africa has a tradition of activist songs and singing; inspired by this, in spring 2007 Lennox invited 23 female artists to record the benefit single “Sing.” The record incorporates the South African activist song “Jikelele,” which means “global treatment.” So far, sales of “Sing” have raised 100,000 pounds, while other appearances since then have multiplied that sum. SING’s money goes to support efforts such as the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), which works to fight mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Lennox is active in many other causes, both personal and political; in 2008 she was awarded the Services to Humanity Award by the British Red Cross.

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Readers: Did you like? Click over to Lennox’s SING campaign if you are interested in learning more. Blog me.

Thanks Zen Lill!

Lea: Me too!

LeTa0:  Welcome! Thanks for sharing. It will be interesting to see if  OLJW00 replies or if his balls really are just made of glass. Let the games begin.

HAPPY SATURDAY! Peace & Love.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

I am home and ready to get back to blogging. I enjoyed myself immensely and…I have missed being here with all of you. Although I have to admit, not posting daily was a nice break and one that I most certainly needed, not just from the blog but from my normal daily life. However, I am fully rested and rejuvenated, inspired, and exhilarated, and ready to begin again.

For those of you curious to where I was, and I see that many of you were, I was in Italy and around Europe (places that are best not to be disclosed). Thanks to those of you, who saw me or even thought you saw me, for not disclosing my whereabouts. I am grateful that you honored my anonymity.

As much as I want to just dive in, and get back into my routine, I have to admit that although I did what was needed to get back into this time zone,  I am not quite here yet. So please be patient with me.

First of all, thanks to all of you for sending anniversary wishes, and congratulatory sentiments! It has been a long ride – 6 years – one that I never thought would last this long. But without all of you, I would not be here, so a huge thanks goes to all my dedicated and loyal readers, and yes even the newbies – you know who you are.  I HOPE you’ll all be here with me as long as I continue.

Onto today’s blog…

I found this write on Think Progress. It backs up what I heard on the news this morning. If the media would stop focusing on the problems in Washington and focus on what good Obamacare is doing for all, we would all learn that health premiums are due to drop fifty percent (!) as a result of the Affordable Care Act, not to mention a lot more about the good the ACA is bringing to millions of Americans.

I don’t know about you, but that certainly makes me happy. It even makes some republicans happy, but of course, you won’t hear them giving kudos to Obama – all they seem to want to do is make noise about wanting to repeal it. I think it is time they shut their traps and be grateful for what they will surely benefit from – don’t you?

Here’s the write:

Most Media Coverage Ignores Premium Drop, Focuses On GOP Effort To Undermine Obamacare

Early on Wednesday, as House Republicans prepared to vote for adelay of the Affordable Care Act’s employer and individual mandates, New York state officials announced that health care premiums in the new exchange will plummet by at least 50 percent as a result of the law.

For reform advocates, the story represented a reprieve from the constant drum beat of media coverage about implementation delays, predictions of rate shock, and employers dropping coverage. But a ThinkProgress analysis of television reports about the health care law for Wednesday, July 18th, confirms that even with good news to report, bookers and segment producers are still far more interested in broadcasting stories about the political brinkmanship in Washington, DC than the actual, tangible progress of implementation. New York joined Oregon, Montana, California, and Louisiana in reporting lower than expected rates in the law’s new health care marketplaces.

ThinkProgress’ review of all national and local news segments containing the term “Obamacare” from 9:00 A.M. on Wednesday to 11:00 P.M., found that Americans were far more likely to hear about the GOP’s 38th and 39th efforts to legislatively slow down the law — bills that the Senate has pledged not to take-up and President Obama said he would not sign — that learn about lower insurance rates for New Yorkers. Of the 147 segments identified by media program Critical Mention to include “Obamacare,” almost all or 120 mentioned the House vote, while just 71 — or less than half — discussed the lower premium rates:

The results signal that administration officials will have an uphill battle spreading the word about the law and its implementation and will have to to break through the clutter of negative news and the millions in negative advertising to convince Americans to enroll.

As it already stands, 40 percent of Americans don’t know whether the Affordable Care Act is actually law, and for that, the media may be at least partly to blame.

ThinkProgress intern Joseph Diebold conducted the research for this post.

*******

Readers: Thoughts? What’s on your mind? Blog me.

Demarco: I wanted to single your comment out because your mother leaving your father was such a big deal. I HOPE that your mother is enjoying her new life. Big hugs to her.

Eveleen: I know exactly who you are referring to and I know your mother. I would just like to know if you have you discussed this with her. It gives me an idea of the maturity of thought that went into your decision. Please get back to me and let me know what she said. Love to you.

Tabasum: To hear you say those words brings a smile to my face. I think it is the first time I have heard an arab woman say that being an arabic woman today is exciting. My biggest wish is for freedom for all women around the globe.  Thank you too for the kind words. Sending my love.

Nathan: When I am on the dance floor with my “posse” it is a bit intimidating to break in. :) However, I enjoy dancing with anyone who likes to get down on the dance floor like I do, as long as they are a gentleman abut it. Please do ask the next time you are there.

Rick: You were perfectly clear. Nothing more needs to be said.

Lea: I watched that video – thanks for the beauty and the beach. I do LOVE hanging at the beach and I promise Guam is on my list to visit. Who can miss an opportunity to spend time with the Girlz of Guam? Love the way that sounds. Hafa adai.

As good as this feel to write again, I have go to go now. Yes, this girl is back to work. Happy Friday everyone!

Peace & Love…it feels good to be back. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Here is an update on the female teacher who was fired from her job because of her abusive husband. Little did I know that in all but 6 states you can be fired from your job for being a victim of domestic violence. And shockingly California is not one of the 6 states.

Isn’t that crazy? Really…we need to be so much more involved when we punch that ticket at the voting booth. Just who are the representatives that passed this sort of bill? I have no idea, but I can tell you that the only party that is fighting to bar employment discrimination and protect employment rights of victims who have survived domestic violence, etc., are…guess who? The Democrats. No surprise there that the repubs aren’t supporting women.

Thank you to *WWOW, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA-40) for getting something going in California. Jackson introduced SB 400, a bill to protect the employment rights of survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. And Roybal-Allard, introduced H.R.1229 – Security and Financial Empowerment Act.

Let’s HOPE these pass (write to them if you care about this), and more Senators from other states will join in and introduce similar bills.

Here’s the write:

In All But Six States, You Can Be Fired For Being A Victim Of Domestic Violence

*******

Readers: What are you thinking? Blog me.

Social Butterfly: Your comment made me laugh, because I have noticed the same thing with comments in past articles I have posted.

Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning.

I realize that I post many stories about the abuse and atrocities that girls and women go through. Why? Because even though it is prevalent here and around the world, I am still shocked by it all, and posting what I can gives a voice to these women. I don’t think I will ever get over it or used to it – thankfully.  I don’t want to. I HOPE that no one turns a blind eye when it is so widespread.

Because if it becomes the norm, and more people start to say, “Oh it is just the way men are,” (Yes, some people already say this about men!) less will be done to stop it, and the more women will be abused and blamed for whatever reason…she shouldn’t have teased the boy…she shouldn’t have dressed like that…she shouldn’t have gone to the party alone…whatever. All excuses. And excuses that gives men permission to do it again, and again, and again. And all the while blaming the woman, when it is the man or the boy who is the perpetrator, and should be blamed.

I just get so sick of it. But not sick enough to not blog about it anymore. It is on my mind more than I would like it to be and more than I would like to admit. But I am a lucky one and so many others are not. So I feel the need to support my sisters in whatever means I know how.

I know because of the way I am, people, and even some readers here, say I am a “man hater.” Those words mean nothing to me. They have no effect on me whatsoever. Bring it on. If I or other women are such “man haters”, ( I will speak for myself) it is not because they are men – it is only because of the things men do.  I find it baffling that men (and even women) even dare say to me that I am a “man hater,” when it is the men on this planet that are the haters. I mean, I am not the one doing harm. Women are not the ones showing hatred. Men are the ones that do the abusing, killing, and enslaving of women on this planet, world wide. I am only reporting it, and I am accused of hating? If anyone hates, it is the men hating the women. Why else would they be so destructive and abusive. It certainly isn’t because they love us to death. No pun intended.

And when I hear that women, stupid women, walk lockstep behind their man, taking on his thoughts and beliefs, even bending over to be spanked(!), I just get livid. And as I stated yesterday, I lose faith in womenkind. And I don’t want to. I want to believe that women will change because I have little faith that men will. They don’t need to.  Many like the way it is. They don’t have anything to fear.

But we women, we have so much to fear when it comes to the men in our lives and their propensity to perpetrate sick behavior. Which is why we still need mothers and fathers to raise our young boys to respect girls and women. We can’t give up on that. And we also need our young sisters to support their sisters, by encouraging them to do so, and providing inspiring examples…so that they will grow up to be women who support women. Or women are just not going to survive.

This brings me to today’s write. Sadly, here is a perfect example of a young girl who was raped and her community is re-victimizing her by harassing her, and not supporting her, in a time where she really needs sisterly love and support.

Indiana Town Shames Rape Victim, Speculates About Her ‘Promiscuous Behavior’

Several high-profile cases of sexual assault have shown the consequences of rape culture: From Rehtaeh Parsons’ suicide to the Steubenville rape trial, these girls were re-victimized by the harassment and public shaming that followed the sexual assault.

Now, a 14-year-old in Elwood, Indiana who is eight months pregnant faces ongoing harassment simply because her neighborhood sees her as a very young pregnant girl. But a reporter at the Indianapolis Star writes that her town does not know the full story of the 17-year-old boy who physically overpowered her after she told him “no.” On Tuesday, he faces sentencing for three counts of child molestation.

At the same time the girl has encountered vicious public shaming from her community, she and her mother Kristy Green have spoken out because they worry her assailant will walk free in juvenile court:

“I can’t walk out the door without someone calling me a whore or slut,” the girl said. “I used to have a lot of friends, or people I thought were my friends, but as soon as this happened I just isolated myself.”

The repeated vandalism incidents at the family’s home — including the words “whore” and “slut” scrawled on the garage doors — were reported to police. But Green said no charges were filed because there were no witnesses to the acts.

Her daughter also has been the target of mean-spirited rumors and speculation that her pregnancy is the result of promiscuous behavior.

This ordeal is all too common for victims of sexual assault — a reality that affects not just U.S. teens in school, but also pervades military and sports culture. The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board recently noted that “it’s still news when a rape victim stands in front of the cameras to state what ought to be obvious, which is that she has nothing to be ashamed of.”

But the people in Elwood — lacking the details of the rape due to privacy in the juvenile court system — reverted to alienating the teen for her pregnancy because they assumed she must have been “promiscuous.” That’s true for many teen moms across the country, who are often on the receiving end of this stigma precisely at the time they most need support. Public awareness campaigns attempting to prevent teen pregnancy often put inordinate focus on “slut-shaming” abstinence over comprehensive sexual health resources.

******

Readers: What a rude awakening for any young girl, first to have to endure rape, and then go through rejection from girls she thought were her friends.

I have said enough this morning. Anything more to add here? It’s Friday…Blog me. 

Mike, TM: I had heard nothing about this story until I googled it. And then I still didn’t find much out there, except for this write from 3 weeks ago. Todashev was interrogated in his home and was denied having a lawyer represent him. He was also accused of caring a knife and attacking an agent, which is difficult to do when he wasn’t in possession of one. Now the kid is dead, and reportedly murdered by the FBI. I’m curious to see what more will be revealed and what will come from this.

Social Butterfly: Nice to hear from you. Yeah, I bet that added day is an adjustment. Happy to hear life is good though. Thanks for posting the write on Ms. Deen. I have been hearing all about it on several stations. And the big question seems to be, “What does Oprah think of her now?” I love Oprah but her opinion on this matter is no better than anyone else’s, although she does have influence. Deen made racist remarks. It will be interesting to see what transpires.

Got to run – Enjoy the Summer Solstice! Peace out. 

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2012

“Though she be but little, she be fierce.” – William Shakespeare Midsummer Night’s Dream 

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