Maternal Mortality in Malawi & Texas, Tabloids & the Men who Write Them, and a Flash Mob for LOVE. This is your Spark News Digest.
Read, Discuss, Share.
GLOBAL: The ‘One Billion Rising’ on the Streets of Delhi
In almost 200 countries around the world, people took to the streets on Valentine’s Day to rise and dance. These flash mobs are part of One Billion Rising, a campaign initiated by Eve Ensler, author of “The Vagina Monologues” to end violence against women. The mob message resonated in India which is still reeling from a highly publicized gang rape. Hundreds of men and women took the streets of Delhi to demand a JUST love grounded in equality for all.
Delhi Rising Promotional Video:
*****
GLOBAL: Searching for Gender Equality
A new study found that mobilizing grassroots women’s groups may have the most long-term impact on policies to eradicate violence against women around the world.
*****
GLOBAL: Boys: The Trouble with Female Celebrity Profiles and the Men Who Write Them.
The sex, the fantasy, the minimization, the disillusionment. This opinion piece illustrates the inherent sexism male writers continue to use to portray female celebrities in glossy magazines.
*****
GLOBAL: Malawi’s Leader Makes Safe Childbirth Her Mission
In Malawi, 1 out of 36 women are at risk for maternal mortality. The country’s new president, Joyce Banda, is out to change that horrifying ratio. Banda has a plan to sensitize Malawi’s 20,000 village chiefs, the country’s power brokers, to the dangers of childbirth, while still respecting tribal traditions.
*****
NATIONAL: Pregnant? Watch Your Risks In Great Texas State
When one think’s of maternal mortality rates, Texas is not the first place that comes to mind. No place in the US should be the first place that comes to mind. However, Gov. Perry’s budget cutting support for Texas’s women’s health services coincides with a shocking increase in maternal mortality rate in the Lone Star state.
Spark: Igniting Global Change 