Author
Matthews
Soguel's Latest Articles
New High for Political Women; Katrina Hardship Lingers
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The number of women in Congress reached a new record with the April 8 election of Jackie Speier, a Democrat from Hillsborough, Calif., to fill a vacancy. Eighty-seven women now serve in Congress: 16 in the Senate and 71 in the House, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Of these, 20–or 23 percent–are women of color.
Lesbian Partner Trip OK’d; Database Bans Abortion
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Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., was allowed to bring her partner, Lauren Azar, on a military flight after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., intervened on her behalf, the Politico reported April 1. Baldwin is the only woman who is openly gay in Congress.
Canada, Mexico Push Safety; Teen Stats Shock U.S.
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Canada and Mexico are confronting domestic violence with centralized agencies and stronger databases for perpetrators and survivors.
Canada pledged $1.1 million toward a centralized family violence center that will serve as a support system for over 3,000 people, particularly Aboriginal women and girls, in Edmonton, the Edmonton Journal reported March 8.
Int’l Women’s Day Reports Document Gains, Intense Need
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An abundance of good news appeared during the first week of women’s history month.
Women’s equality is important or very important to 84 percent of men and 86 percent of women among 14,896 respondents polled in the world’s 16 largest nations, according to a poll prepared for the March 8 observation of International Women’s Day, conducted by Washington, D.C.-based World Public Opinion.
U.N. Tackles FGM; Rapes in Japan Fan Flames
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The United Nations has launched a $44 million program to reduce female genital mutilation by 40 percent by 2015, the Inter Press Service reported Feb. 12.
Ghana, Uganda, Morocco and Eritrea have passed laws banning female genital mutilation. In Nigeria, 11 of 36 states have introduced legislation against it. Egypt and Yemen have banned health-care professionals from performing the procedure.
