Hey- Red Violet here. Here’s the write up of this weeks news.

Climate change is a feminist problem

The financial toll of the climate crisis is hitting women the hardest, especially in rural households headed by women in developing countries, according to new data and research from the UN.

The research analysed over 100,000 rural households in 24 countries and correlated socio-economic data with 70 years of temperature and rainfall data to quantify the disproportionate impact of climate on women.

They found that rural households headed by women lose about 8% more income to heat stress and 3% more to flooding compared to households headed by men.

This means that women in low- and middle-income countries lose an additional $37 billion annually due to heat stress and $16 billion due to flooding.

Part of the problem is that climate change exacerbates existing inequalities, such as unequal land ownership rights, lack of economic opportunities and greater responsibility for providing water, fuel and food.

Another problem is that less than 2% of global climate finance reaches small-scale food producers, many of whom are women.

It is clear: If you want to support women around the world, do as much as you can to reduce your footprint.

Instagram Used as Marketplace for Sexual Violence and Child Trafficking, Investigation Reveals

A Guardian investigation found that Instagram has been used to promote sexual violence, exploitation, and a culture that glorifies "pimping" - making money from selling others for sex.

The investigation tracked down Instagram accounts posting content advocating sexual exploitation and violence against women, controlled by "pimps", and using hashtags and code phrases associated with sex work.

The posts promoted abusive acts such as slapping, punching, choking and denying food to women referred to as "bitches" and "hoes". More than 350,000 posts used hashtags linked to these accounts.

Meta subsequently blocked access to these hashtags and emojis and deleted some accounts. I wonder, however, why an external investigation was the one to tell them about the problem or was it simply swept under the carpet beforehand? As fantastic as these investigations are - and I mean that in the best possible sense -I’m not surprised in the slightest.

Contrary to what some parents think, it is not harmless to let children use Instagram. There have been cases where convicted child traffickers such as Aryion Jackson and Kevondric Fezia have used Instagram to prepare, procure and recruit underage victims for sexual exploitation, sometimes continuing these activities from prison.

Despite Meta's policies prohibiting the sexual exploitation of adults and children, the trafficking activity on these accounts went undetected until law enforcement was alerted by survivors and families.

Over-Medicalisation of Menopause Can Lead to Stigma and Inaccurate Cures

An independent medical Journal, the Lancet has published articles highlighting how the menopause has been over-medicalised and presented as a "medical problem" by companies with commercial interests in promoting hormone replacement therapy (MHT) and other treatments.

The papers criticise the portrayal of the menopause as a disease caused by oestrogen deficiency that needs to be treated with medication, which is promoted by pharmaceutical companies marketing products for the menopause. This can inundate women with misinformation or promotes ineffective treatments, while downplaying the risks of MHT, such as an increased incidence of breast cancer.

The authors call for providing women with unbiased, evidence-based information about menopause options, including non-drug approaches, rather than portraying MHT as a cure-all promoted by co-opted feminist narratives of empowerment.

They emphasise that many women go through menopause smoothly, while others experience symptoms such as hot flushes, sleep disturbances and vaginal dryness that require treatment.

MHT is effective for vasomotor symptoms but carries risks that need to be carefully considered.

The articles argue for learning from cultures where menopause is viewed more positively and older women are respected, rather than from stigmatised societal attitudes prevalent in high-income countries that portray menopause as burdensome and a sign of decline.

We need greater diversity in research focussed on women's health priorities and better training for healthcare professionals. Workplace protections for menopausal symptoms are important, but treating menopause as a disability in general risks further fuelling ageism.

Eight Men Arrested for a Reported Gang Rape of a Blogger

Travel bloggers Fernande and Vicente were on a tour of India when they reported that a gang of men attacked them in their tents and gang-raped Fernande.

They reported the incident to the police and posted about it on Instagram.

India has been rocked by some very high profile cases of gang rape in recent years, including the case of a medical student, and recently women paraded naked in Manipur.

These sparked outrage and protests but equality seems far off. 

According to the World Bank, women's economic participation remains dismally low, with only 23.0 percent of women in the labour force in 2021, compared to 72.7 percent for men, resulting in a staggering gender gap of nearly 50 percentage points. 

And despite the laws’ prohibition of giving or receiving a dowry, criminalization of dowry-related violence, and of all forms of domestic violence, in 2021 alone, 6,589 dowry-related deaths were recorded, as well as 13,568 dowry-related incidents, and 136,243 incidents of cruelty by husbands or their relatives 

Ireland has voted to reject the government's proposals to change the constitution on family and care in two separate referendums held on Friday.

This article outlines reasons for a no no vote which include poor communication, complexity of the amendments, and concerns about unintended consequences.

Both proposals were rejected by 67.7% and 73.9% percent respectively.

1. To amend the wording of the constitution to include families not based on marriage - to include durable relationships, such as cohabiting couples

2. To remove this Article 41.2:

   "1° In particular, the State recognises that by her life within the home, woman gives to the State a support without which the common good cannot be achieved.

   2° The State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home."

It’s worth noting that despite the number of people opposite the turnout for the vote was in 40’s percentile.

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