Global Quickies: Religious Registration of Babies, Bad Judgement, and #Myfirstharassment

TURKEY
“ Turkish atheist organisation has launched a petition calling for babies to no longer be registered as Muslim at birth. The Atheist Association – which claims to the first of its kind in Turkey – hopes to get 5,000 signatures to also call on the government to remove the religious affiliation category on national identity cards.”

AFGHANISTAN
“For many years, the Taliban banned music and the education of girls in Afghanistan – and although many women still find themselves restricted, one 17-year-old has become the country’s first female conductor.”

BRAZIL
A 12 year-old contestant on MasterChef Junior in Brazil has been the subject of very creepy comments on Twitter, so tens of thousands of women took to social networks to share stories of sexual harassment and abuse they had endured as children and teenagers under the hashtag My First Harassment (#meuprimeiroassedio).

CANADA
“A judge who asked an alleged sexual assault victim “why couldn’t you just keep your knees together?” is being investigated over the comments.”

CANADA
“A Canadian expert in multiple sclerosis research is questioning the credibility of Canada’s new minister of science Kirsty Duncan, who has frequently supported what many experts in the field say is a debunked medical procedure for treating the disease.” Ugh, we were so happy about Trudeau’s new cabinet.

NEW ZEALAND
“New Zealand’s Parliament resulted in a walk-out Wednesday, as the speaker attempted to shout down and ultimately kicked out several female members of Parliament who disclosed they had been sexually assaulted.”

UK
“Doctors could be banned from prescribing homeopathy on the NHS under a consultation set to be launched by the Government. Ministers say they will consult next year on whether the controversial practice should remain as an option for GPs.”

PAKISTAN
“A cafe in Islamabad has been accused of misogyny for a string of Facebook posts about women making sandwiches.”

Featured image: 17-year-old Negin Khpolwak, first female conductor in Afghanistan.