Assaulting Women

Jane Arraf is a journalist who covers war and conflict. She has reported from Iraq and the Middle East since 1991. On npr today Ms. Arraf writes about women journalists writing in wartorn areas. It is particularly timely since Lara Logan was sexually assaulted in Egypt. A sidebar article regarding comments posted on a story about the attack on Lara Logan explains why comments have been flagged and removed from the story. npr had to explain that the rules do not allow hate speech, sexist, bullying or obscene comments. While schoolgirls in Iraq are leaving school because of the violence against them by teachers, commenters in America can't keep their comments civil. Violence against women is on the rise. Iraq, Sudan, Middle East. And the United States. The 112th Congress is busy assaulting women's reproductive rights. Blaming the victim is an old, tired game, but it is a game that is played daily in the world. I honor the women who speak out. I shout the names of women who speak the truth and speak it often. Jane Arraf, Ann Jones, Christiane Amanpour, and so many others who observe and then report.