Organised Religion Fail

WARNING: This post contains descriptions of rape and sexual violence that some may find triggering.

I'm very grateful to belong to an organised religious group and it has done wonders for my life. But I can totally understand why people are repulsed by organised religion of all types.

Generally speaking Buddhism has a good reputation as an organised religion, partly because I think when things do go wrong the British media have so little interest in us that it doesn't make the news, thus our reputation is unsullied.

To get any news about the Buddhist world at all I have to rely on foreign news sources, particularly the excellent 'Buddhist Channel'.

I love this website. It doesn't pander to or favour any one Buddhist group which is fantastic. It also focuses on good news as well as bad news and I can read stories about the great things Buddhist are doing across the globe.

Unfortunately it isn't always good news and sometimes it is down right appalling news.

Take the case of this poor unfortunate nun who is living in Nepal.

Gang raped nun

To cut a long story short this Nun was set upon by a gang of men and raped repeatedly. Unfortunately raped women still face a lot of stigma and prejudice. As well as recovering from this horrific incident she will possibly have to face her attackers in court.

Not only that.

She is now facing the possibility that she will no longer be allowed to be a Nun in her particular community because she is no longer a virgin.

Yes you read it right.

Just take a look at some of these charming comments which have been taken from the article I have linked to above.

 "The religious dictum requires a nun to be virgin. So, it will be difficult to take her back," the president of Nepal, Tamang Ghedung Kumar Yonjan, said in an article in the Nepal Republic Media. "But we will lobby for her reinstatement as it is a unique incident.

Charming isn't it. But it gets worse.

 An article in GreaterKashmir.com explained that some "orthodox Buddhist organizations" condemned the attack, but said "she had lost her religion as she had lost her celibacy." This led to an outcry, the article continued, that included other Buddhists "citing incidents from the Buddhist scriptures to show how the Buddha absolved a nun of blame after she was drugged and raped by a monk."
However, Norbu Sherpa, an official of Nepal Buddhist Federation, told the Times of India, "Such a thing never happened in the Buddha's lifetime. … So he did not leave instructions about how to deal with the situation. Buddhists all over the world adhere to what he had laid down: that a person can no longer be considered ordained in case of having a physical relationship. It's applicable to both men and women." When pressed by the Times of India, Sherpa expressed regret about the attack, but said, "A vessel that is damaged once can no longer be used to keep water. … Buddhism all over the world says this. Even the Dalai Lama says you can't be a monk or nun after marriage.

Now for a start  I'm pretty sure His Holiness the Dalai Lama would not say this. I know personally people who have been married and gone on to be ordained in the FPMT of which His Holiness is the leader. I also doubt he would be so cruel.

Secondly and most importantly, where is the compassion? Where is the common sense? This poor women has undergone the worst of traumas, how can they kick her when she is down? Don't they realise the message this sends to women who have been abused and women generally - that they are worthless nothings.

I can't think of anything that is more contradictory to the Buddha's teachings then this approach. It  is as though everything that is good and true and wonderful about the Dharma has been thrown out of the window in favour of some bizarre and twisted interpretation of monastic law. It's cases such as these that highlight the dangers inherent in organised religion. Organised religious groups can do wonderful things and provide support to millions but sometimes they get it oh so wrong.

Hopes on International Women's Day

Warning: This post may be triggering for some people. It includes disturbing statistics about violence and abuse conducted against women as well as references to suicide and rape. 

The 8th March is International Women's Day. It's an opportunity to reflect on the amazing achievements of women world wide. It's also a chance to think about the problems that are typically faced by women simply because of their gender.

Here are some sobering facts.

• Women hold only 19% of parliamentary seats worldwide
• 29% of national governments have no laws to protect women against violence
• One in five women will be a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime
• One in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime
• In the UK a white women experiencing domestic violence will have 11 contacts with agencies to get the help she needs, black women will have 17.
• In the UK rates of suicide amongst young South Asian women are double that of the rest of the population.
• Only 12% of boardroom seats in the UK are occupied by women
• 75% of people killed in conflict are women and children
• 64% of the worlds illiterate adults are women
• Of 1.2 billion people living in poverty 70% are women. 
• In the USA women of colour are more likely to live in poverty and as a result have reduced access to health care in comparison with white women.
• On average in the UK women of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin earn only 56% of what white men earn.
• 80% of refugees are women
• Women own only 1% of the worlds land
• 80% of UK purchasing decisions are made by women but 83% of 'creatives' are men.
• One year after college women earn 20% less then men and ten years later, 31% less.
• Transgender women are more likely to experience violence, and domestic violence. Up to 80% of transgender people have experienced violence at some point.  
• It is estimated that 30,000 women in the UK will lose their job as a result of becoming pregnant each year. 
• Research into issues faced by disabled women is so scarce and anecdotal that it is difficult to even find reliable statistics about the issues these women face. Disabled women are highly marginalised, generally live in poverty, have less access to education and are more likely to struggle to get work.  
• Women are more likely to suffer from depression and post traumatic stress disorder as a result of sexual assault. 

Below are the links from where this information was taken.

Feminism's global challenge: With one voice

http://www.internationalwomensday.com/facts.asp

.socwomen.org

thefword

Women of color united

Fawcett society

UN women watch

WHO

In the face of statistics like these it's easy to feel hopeless. I certainly did by the time I'd finished doing my research for this post. I don't know what I, as a fairly privileged white able bodied women (although admittedly somewhat disadvantaged by my mental health problem) living in a very safe and privileged nation , can do.

I don't really have any answers but I have decided to promise myself a few things.

1. Every time there is an election in this country I will contact all the potential candidates in my ward, provide them with some of these statistics and ask them what they would do to counteract these problems should they come to power. I don't know what this will achieve but I hope that it will at least make them stop and think about issues facing women.
2. I will write at least one post a month about difficulties faced by women.
3. I will showcase at least one amazing woman a month.

I also have some wider hopes for women generally which can be summed up as 'Let's stop being cruel to each other and start treating each other with kindness'. 

My feeling is this. As women we face so many horrific problems in the world, we can't afford to waste time and energy criticising each other over trivial issues. So many magazines, news sources and websites feature articles that are negative about women. Women's looks and lifestyles are criticised. Women are told they should stay at home or go to work. They are told their children shouldn't be in childcare or that they are spoiling their children with too much attention. Women are told they are too fat and if they lose weight, too thin. Women's images are nearly always airbrushed into an impossible perfection. Unfortunately it seems to me that at least some of this material is generated by women themselves. It's also widely consumed by women  who buy mainstream publications marketed towards women

It's my hope that I can at least use my decisions over my spending money and web travel to stop feeding into this. So from today I'm going to do these five things. 

1. I will never again criticise the looks, weight, height or any other physical aspect of a celebrity.
2. I will never buy any magazine or visit any website that advertises plastic surgery, criticises celebrities for looking too fat or too thin or is generally degrading to women.
3. I will buy no designer clothes, shoes or other items until designers stop using models who achieve their weight through an unhealthy and dangerous lifestyle.
4. I will not engage in 'fat talk', criticise my own body or help other women to criticise their own bodies.
5. I will not criticise another women's lifestyle choices, or engage in the stay at home vs work or mummy wars type debates. I will celebrate women living the best lifestyle for themselves.

It's a small thing but I hope that I can at least make a difference in my small corner of the world.