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The War on Women
‘She showed great courage and commitment in reporting from Burma and exemplified my belief that the best journalists are also the nicest’ – Aung San Suu Kyi ‘One of the most distinguished television journalists of her generation’ – Huw Edwards ‘Brilliant and indefatigable’ – Jeremy Bowen ‘She had something you call moral courage and it rubbed off on others’ – David Aaronovitch ‘She set the standard for bravery in many of the world’s nastiest places’ – John Fisher Burns, New York Times ‘She went to dangerous places to give a voice to people who otherwise would not be heard’ – Tony Hall, BBC Director General In 1973, Sue Lloyd-Roberts joined ITN as a news trainee and went on to be one of the UK's first video-journalists to report from the bleak outposts of the Soviet Union. Travelling as a tourist, she also gained access to some of the world’s most impenetrable places like China, Tibet and Burma. During her 40-year-long career she witnessed the worst atrocities inflicted on women across the world. But in observing first-hand the war on the female race she also documented their incredible determination to fight back.The War on Women brings to life the inconceivable and dangerous life Sue led. It tells the story of orphan Mary Merritt who, age sixteen, instead of being released from the care of nuns was interned by them in a Magdalen Laundry and forced to work twelve hours a day six days a week, without pay, for over a decade. She gives voice to Maimouna, the woman responsible for taking over her mother’s role as the village female circumciser in The Gambia and provides a platform for the 11-year-old Manemma, who was married off in Jaipur at the age of six. From the gender pay gap in Britain to forced marriage in Kashmir and from rape as a weapon of war to honour killings, Sue has examined humankind’s history and takes us on a journey to analyse the state of women’s lives today. Most importantly she acts as a mouthpiece for the brave ones; the ones who challenge wrongdoing; the ones who show courage no matter how afraid they are; the ones who are combatting violence across the globe; the ones who are fighting back. Sue sadly died in 2015, shortly after writing this book, today she is widely recognised as one of the most acclaimed television journalists of her generation. This book is the small tribute to the full and incredible life she lived and through it these women’s voices are still being heard.
329 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 11, 2016
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About the author
Sue Lloyd-Roberts
1 book24 followersSusan Ann Lloyd-Roberts CBE was a British television journalist who contributed reports to BBC programmes and, earlier in her career, worked for ITN.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 264 reviews
August 2, 2018
I finished this book yesterday, and I've had to sleep on it. I needed time to think what to say. What I'm going to say about this book, I'm sure has probably been said already, numerous amounts of times.
This book contains a series of articles from Sue Lloyd-Roberts, about the catastrophic crimes committed by the male species, to women. This book covers various topics from sex trafficking in Russia, women imprisoned in their own homes in Saudi Arabia, the gender pay gap in the UK, genital mutilation and honour killings in India. Sue Lloyd-Roberts was a dedicated journalist, and she travelled to parts of the world where others feared to tread. She had one thing in mind when she made these incredible journey's; To expose the inhumane injustices suffered by women at the hands of men.
This book definitely exposes the dark side of society and it is something we can certainly all learn from. What amazes me, is some of these people that commit these horrific crimes try to explain their actions by calling it their "Culture" It's not a culture, it's called ignorance.
Dogs are treated better than women in some parts of the world. This book was meant to provoke and open peoples eyes.
As a feminist, I was deeply sickened and shocked by the content of this book. I consider myself a strong woman, but to know women have to suffer these atrocities on a daily basis, is truly shocking.
Sue Lloyd-Roberts was a fearless and remarkable woman, and I'm thankful that her daughter was able to finish this book and to tell us, the readers what an amazing women her Mother was. Thank you.
This book contains a series of articles from Sue Lloyd-Roberts, about the catastrophic crimes committed by the male species, to women. This book covers various topics from sex trafficking in Russia, women imprisoned in their own homes in Saudi Arabia, the gender pay gap in the UK, genital mutilation and honour killings in India. Sue Lloyd-Roberts was a dedicated journalist, and she travelled to parts of the world where others feared to tread. She had one thing in mind when she made these incredible journey's; To expose the inhumane injustices suffered by women at the hands of men.
This book definitely exposes the dark side of society and it is something we can certainly all learn from. What amazes me, is some of these people that commit these horrific crimes try to explain their actions by calling it their "Culture" It's not a culture, it's called ignorance.
Dogs are treated better than women in some parts of the world. This book was meant to provoke and open peoples eyes.
As a feminist, I was deeply sickened and shocked by the content of this book. I consider myself a strong woman, but to know women have to suffer these atrocities on a daily basis, is truly shocking.
Sue Lloyd-Roberts was a fearless and remarkable woman, and I'm thankful that her daughter was able to finish this book and to tell us, the readers what an amazing women her Mother was. Thank you.
August 25, 2021
This book covers the globe. At the risk of sounding arrogant; overall, women have it pretty well here in North America and Western Europe. The first chapter is on FGM (female genital mutilation). Apparently (as per UNICEF figures, page 19, my book), Egypt has one of the highest rates of FGM (as in 90% of the female population). The author speaks with a woman from Gambia who was slated to become the next circumcizer of young girls in her community, to take over from her mother. She became horrified about taking on this role, abandoned her family, and is trying to seek refugee status in England.
Other topics are brought up like arranged marriages and honour killings (the two are inextricably linked). Many of these “traditions” are culturally related and encouraged. The author spoke with an Iman in Gambia who said it was beneficial for women to have FGM. She also speaks with men who want to uphold the honour of their family; the reputation lies most importantly with preserving the purity and virginity of their daughters and sisters.
In India rape places the burden of guilt on the women. She is made to feel responsible. In India a girl can be married off at the age of six (I couldn’t believe it).
Much of this would seem to be all about control – more so of a women’s sexuality. Men feel they are entitled and have every right to control women – her body, her clothes, her mobility, her behavior. Seeing a woman outside, like in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, provokes and inflames men to despicable acts towards women – they feel the right to grapple, molest and rape. There is a strong need in many countries to educate on gender equality and on consensual sex. Men have to be taught not to see themselves as “entitled” to a woman’s body – and that they have no right to control it.
Some, not all, immigrants bring these “traditional” values when they arrive in Western democratic countries – in other words FGM, honour killings and arranged marriages happen in our democracies. At times they will return to their native country to have FGM on their daughters or to set up a marriage, likely to a much older man. Honour killings have occurred – some in Canada. France has put strong laws in place that criminalize FGM – some have been imprisoned. England, the author states, has been lax on this.
There was an interesting chapter on women in Argentina who are now grandmothers. Many are still searching for their abducted daughters and sons most of whom were killed during the brutal military dictatorship during the 1970s. Some of these daughters (or daughters-in-law) were pregnant or had small infant children who were given over for adoption by the military junta to “acceptable” parents in the military regime. With the advent of DNA testing since, it is now possible for them to reclaim their grand-children. Some of these grand-children knew or suspected they were adopted.
There is also a chapter on “illegitimate” children by unwed mothers in Ireland – where the mothers were kept by the nuns of the Roman Catholic Church and used as slave labour to do laundry for businesses in the village.
This is a very sobering, distressing and disturbing - and an outstanding work of journalism giving us many details on the vicious treatment of women worldwide – from sex trafficking in Eastern Bloc countries to the isolation of women in Saudi Arabia who cannot go outside the home without a male guardian. This book was published in 2016 and I fear many of these conditions have hardly improved. My next book will have to be more life affirming.
Other topics are brought up like arranged marriages and honour killings (the two are inextricably linked). Many of these “traditions” are culturally related and encouraged. The author spoke with an Iman in Gambia who said it was beneficial for women to have FGM. She also speaks with men who want to uphold the honour of their family; the reputation lies most importantly with preserving the purity and virginity of their daughters and sisters.
In India rape places the burden of guilt on the women. She is made to feel responsible. In India a girl can be married off at the age of six (I couldn’t believe it).
Much of this would seem to be all about control – more so of a women’s sexuality. Men feel they are entitled and have every right to control women – her body, her clothes, her mobility, her behavior. Seeing a woman outside, like in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, provokes and inflames men to despicable acts towards women – they feel the right to grapple, molest and rape. There is a strong need in many countries to educate on gender equality and on consensual sex. Men have to be taught not to see themselves as “entitled” to a woman’s body – and that they have no right to control it.
Some, not all, immigrants bring these “traditional” values when they arrive in Western democratic countries – in other words FGM, honour killings and arranged marriages happen in our democracies. At times they will return to their native country to have FGM on their daughters or to set up a marriage, likely to a much older man. Honour killings have occurred – some in Canada. France has put strong laws in place that criminalize FGM – some have been imprisoned. England, the author states, has been lax on this.
There was an interesting chapter on women in Argentina who are now grandmothers. Many are still searching for their abducted daughters and sons most of whom were killed during the brutal military dictatorship during the 1970s. Some of these daughters (or daughters-in-law) were pregnant or had small infant children who were given over for adoption by the military junta to “acceptable” parents in the military regime. With the advent of DNA testing since, it is now possible for them to reclaim their grand-children. Some of these grand-children knew or suspected they were adopted.
There is also a chapter on “illegitimate” children by unwed mothers in Ireland – where the mothers were kept by the nuns of the Roman Catholic Church and used as slave labour to do laundry for businesses in the village.
This is a very sobering, distressing and disturbing - and an outstanding work of journalism giving us many details on the vicious treatment of women worldwide – from sex trafficking in Eastern Bloc countries to the isolation of women in Saudi Arabia who cannot go outside the home without a male guardian. This book was published in 2016 and I fear many of these conditions have hardly improved. My next book will have to be more life affirming.
October 13, 2016
A stunning collection of stories by one of the most prominent video journalists of our time.
Before I continue, I should say that there should be a strong trigger-warning on this book. Perhaps it's obvious, but in case it's not, this book covers some of the worst abuses of women across the world - from FGM to sexual violence (in many forms) and honour killings. Strangely, I did not find myself as triggered by this as I do by rape scenes in books; but perhaps that's because it was clear what this book was about, rather than being surprised by it in a novel. There are some graphic descriptions, but they are all presented in a factual way, without sensationalism. However, if you are triggered by this kind of content, do not read this book.
So, back to the review. Wow. Just, wow.
This book ties together stories that Lloyd-Roberts has collected across her decades of work as a campaigning video journalist to form an inarguable picture of how women are derogated and abused across the world. This is such an important work of feminist literature, precisely because it is not presented as feminist literature. This is not a rant by an angry woman (though any woman would be justifiably angry having come face-to-face with the worst examples of humanity) using anecdotes to support her point. This is layer upon layer of facts, evidencing how gender inequality is a global epidemic; not just isolated incidences in a handful of countries.
The language Lloyd-Roberts uses is that of a talented, seasoned journalist. It is not sensational or overly emotional, she merely lets the stories and the facts speak for themselves - and boy do they shout from the rooftops.
What is alarmingly clear (if we were ever unsure) is that this patriarchal world is forcibly and consistently telling women that their virtue is more valuable than their lives. Whether it's the young women in Saudi Arabia who died after being sent back into a burning building to fetch their headscarves or the women who were worked to death in Irish convents for having children out of wedlock. It's the five-year-old girls undergoing FGM in the Gambia (and others) and the female fetuses being aborted for their gender. Women are consistently imprisoned, abused, and murdered for falling short of misogynistic ideals; while their abusers either go unpunished or are heralded as real men who have done their duty in upholding the ideals of their family/religion/society. In many cases, their abusers are also female; with so many examples of women enforcing the patriarchy because they have no choice, or because they are brainwashed by societies that teach women they are the lesser.
Sadly, Sue Lloyd-Roberts passed away before seeing her work published, giving this book a poignancy that it wouldn't otherwise have had. Sue's daughter Sarah not only wrote the introduction, but completed the final chapter about pay inequality in the UK, giving her the opportunity to add more detail about Lloyd-Roberts the mother, as well as the pioneering journalist. Sarah's words were incredibly moving, and her thoughts on the chapter that her mother was never able to finish served as a beautiful example of feminism flowing through generations. We'll never know if Lloyd-Roberts had intended to use modern examples such as Jennifer Lawrence's letter on pay inequality and Laura Bates' Everyday Sexism; but I saw this as the metaphorical torch being passed from one great woman to another.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough - it should be mandatory reading for all those working in government and international development as irrefutable evidence of the gender inequality that blights the world.
RIP to a great warrior in the war on women.
Before I continue, I should say that there should be a strong trigger-warning on this book. Perhaps it's obvious, but in case it's not, this book covers some of the worst abuses of women across the world - from FGM to sexual violence (in many forms) and honour killings. Strangely, I did not find myself as triggered by this as I do by rape scenes in books; but perhaps that's because it was clear what this book was about, rather than being surprised by it in a novel. There are some graphic descriptions, but they are all presented in a factual way, without sensationalism. However, if you are triggered by this kind of content, do not read this book.
So, back to the review. Wow. Just, wow.
This book ties together stories that Lloyd-Roberts has collected across her decades of work as a campaigning video journalist to form an inarguable picture of how women are derogated and abused across the world. This is such an important work of feminist literature, precisely because it is not presented as feminist literature. This is not a rant by an angry woman (though any woman would be justifiably angry having come face-to-face with the worst examples of humanity) using anecdotes to support her point. This is layer upon layer of facts, evidencing how gender inequality is a global epidemic; not just isolated incidences in a handful of countries.
The language Lloyd-Roberts uses is that of a talented, seasoned journalist. It is not sensational or overly emotional, she merely lets the stories and the facts speak for themselves - and boy do they shout from the rooftops.
What is alarmingly clear (if we were ever unsure) is that this patriarchal world is forcibly and consistently telling women that their virtue is more valuable than their lives. Whether it's the young women in Saudi Arabia who died after being sent back into a burning building to fetch their headscarves or the women who were worked to death in Irish convents for having children out of wedlock. It's the five-year-old girls undergoing FGM in the Gambia (and others) and the female fetuses being aborted for their gender. Women are consistently imprisoned, abused, and murdered for falling short of misogynistic ideals; while their abusers either go unpunished or are heralded as real men who have done their duty in upholding the ideals of their family/religion/society. In many cases, their abusers are also female; with so many examples of women enforcing the patriarchy because they have no choice, or because they are brainwashed by societies that teach women they are the lesser.
Sadly, Sue Lloyd-Roberts passed away before seeing her work published, giving this book a poignancy that it wouldn't otherwise have had. Sue's daughter Sarah not only wrote the introduction, but completed the final chapter about pay inequality in the UK, giving her the opportunity to add more detail about Lloyd-Roberts the mother, as well as the pioneering journalist. Sarah's words were incredibly moving, and her thoughts on the chapter that her mother was never able to finish served as a beautiful example of feminism flowing through generations. We'll never know if Lloyd-Roberts had intended to use modern examples such as Jennifer Lawrence's letter on pay inequality and Laura Bates' Everyday Sexism; but I saw this as the metaphorical torch being passed from one great woman to another.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough - it should be mandatory reading for all those working in government and international development as irrefutable evidence of the gender inequality that blights the world.
RIP to a great warrior in the war on women.
March 22, 2018
I’m sure if you posted the title of this book on Twitter a bunch of people would tell you that there is no war on women.
And those people would be wrong.
This was the book that Lloyd-Roberts was working on when she died. As such, it is therefore unfinished. A great deal of the information that is covered was also covered by the work that Lloyd-Roberts did for the BBC (and you can easily find these programs on YouTube).
The book is focused on British and International cases. In many cases, Lloyd-Roberts showcases a facet of the war in one place and then applies it also to some communities in the UK. It should be noted that when addressing the interplay with religion, Lloyd-Roberts is careful to place blame on the interpretation of a religion. She covers child brides, forced marriages, rape, trafficking, and the pay gap. She illustrates that the war on women is pretty much worldwide, just taking different forms.
But there is also hope as the sub-title indicates, thorough this hope needs the help of others in the global community. This theme starts early with the story of a cutter (FGM) who seeks asylum in the Britain. If any, the book is a call to arms.
And those people would be wrong.
This was the book that Lloyd-Roberts was working on when she died. As such, it is therefore unfinished. A great deal of the information that is covered was also covered by the work that Lloyd-Roberts did for the BBC (and you can easily find these programs on YouTube).
The book is focused on British and International cases. In many cases, Lloyd-Roberts showcases a facet of the war in one place and then applies it also to some communities in the UK. It should be noted that when addressing the interplay with religion, Lloyd-Roberts is careful to place blame on the interpretation of a religion. She covers child brides, forced marriages, rape, trafficking, and the pay gap. She illustrates that the war on women is pretty much worldwide, just taking different forms.
But there is also hope as the sub-title indicates, thorough this hope needs the help of others in the global community. This theme starts early with the story of a cutter (FGM) who seeks asylum in the Britain. If any, the book is a call to arms.
January 30, 2018
I think this is a must read for everyone. It explores the inequality of women on a national and international scale with interviews with such women. Their stories are harrowing and you can't help but to wish to take action and help the women interviewed as well as other women who are in similar circumstances.
This book was a real eye opener and explores topics of rape as a weapon, FGM and forced marriage. What really hit me the most was how easily FGM and forced marriages happen in the UK (where I am from) or happen to UK citizens as these are not topics particularly reported on- it made me research policy and current laws on such matters.
This book was a real eye opener and explores topics of rape as a weapon, FGM and forced marriage. What really hit me the most was how easily FGM and forced marriages happen in the UK (where I am from) or happen to UK citizens as these are not topics particularly reported on- it made me research policy and current laws on such matters.
November 9, 2017
One month on after reading this book and I still can't put it into words. I honestly don't think words can even begin to do this book justice. Every word, every chapter, every story, is just as powerful, moving, haunting, and eye-opening as the next. All I can hope is that it reaches more people as EVERYONE needs to read this. It is a book I will never ever forget, nor will I ever forget the name Sue Lloyds-Roberts for all the incredible work she has done.
September 17, 2016
This is a book I recommend to people who are still convinced feminism is out of date and unnecessary, feminists of all colour and well, any other human being alive. This book will make you feel anger, shame, grief and sadness. At the same time, it will sparkle a sense of justice in you. The kind that changes systems. Not because of how Lloyd-Roberts wrote this book. She didn't need to write it dramatically. These stories are in themselves so powerful that they almost wrote themselves.
From how female fetuses are being systematically murdered in India - leading to a enlarging gap between the male and female population - to Female Genital Mutilation in Egypt and European countries. From rape as a war machine in Congo and Bosnia - a machine not unfamiliar to UN-troops - to worldwide honor killings. Lloyd-Roberts has dedicated her 'testament' to examining all the ways in which women are still suffering from a patriarchal system.
She doesn't ask why traditional and religious values are still used to silence and murder women, but perhaps as a journalist, that wasn't her job. Her job was to report. She did, often with her own life at stake. Sue Lloyd-Roberts was a woman as powerful, strong and brave as the women whose stories she told during her astonishing career. And maybe, we should stop asking the why-question behind these patterns all together and just end the massive human rights abuses on women that have been going on way too long under the justification of 'traditional values'.
From how female fetuses are being systematically murdered in India - leading to a enlarging gap between the male and female population - to Female Genital Mutilation in Egypt and European countries. From rape as a war machine in Congo and Bosnia - a machine not unfamiliar to UN-troops - to worldwide honor killings. Lloyd-Roberts has dedicated her 'testament' to examining all the ways in which women are still suffering from a patriarchal system.
She doesn't ask why traditional and religious values are still used to silence and murder women, but perhaps as a journalist, that wasn't her job. Her job was to report. She did, often with her own life at stake. Sue Lloyd-Roberts was a woman as powerful, strong and brave as the women whose stories she told during her astonishing career. And maybe, we should stop asking the why-question behind these patterns all together and just end the massive human rights abuses on women that have been going on way too long under the justification of 'traditional values'.
September 10, 2016
I finished the book with tears. Tears shed for the millions and billions of women suffering around the world and tears shed because the problem didn't seem to cease despite the effort of so many. But that effort was always outweighed by those who tolerate and contribute to gender inequality.
This book is emotional, confrontational and brutally honest. But, there are sparks of hope throughout the book - stories about women who have escaped or have dedicated their life to improving the lives of women everywhere. My favourite chapter (though it's difficult to choose) would probably be the chapter of Ireland's Fallen Women and the chapter on India and how it is considered the most dangerous place to be born a woman. It's my favourite because it showed how much hasn't really changed. Ireland - which is supposed to be a developed country with a high quality of life - has a recent history of beating young women, forcing them into labour and stealing their babies away. India, despite its rapid economic growth and industrialisation is still dealing with the mass rape and mistreatment of young girls. The book reiterates the point that in a lot of countries, cows are more valued and treated better than women.
I would have liked to meet Sue Lloyd-Roberts. She sounded like such a brave women filled with so much hope and this sense of justice that not a lot of people have. The last chapter was the most emotional since her daughter finished the book reflecting on the influence her mother had on her and on so much women around the world. I think it's safe to say that she is still heavily influencing women through this book. It is a must-read for everyone!
Making a Difference
Finishing the book, it seemed appropriate to end this little series with how one can personally change the gender inequality around them.
The author dedicated her life to highlighting these issues and bringing the wrong to justice After finishing the book, there is this strong obligation to join the fight FOR women. Personally, being a journalist who reports these issues or a UN lawyer who brings these cruel and merciless people before the court, is perhaps how I want to contribute the the fight.Though unlikely, I really really really really hope and want to see the world without gender inequality - without female genital mutilation, without child marriage, without rape. No doubtedly, this will require A LOT of hard work, and sacrifice but it will all be worth it.
How do you want to contribute to the fight for women?
This book is emotional, confrontational and brutally honest. But, there are sparks of hope throughout the book - stories about women who have escaped or have dedicated their life to improving the lives of women everywhere. My favourite chapter (though it's difficult to choose) would probably be the chapter of Ireland's Fallen Women and the chapter on India and how it is considered the most dangerous place to be born a woman. It's my favourite because it showed how much hasn't really changed. Ireland - which is supposed to be a developed country with a high quality of life - has a recent history of beating young women, forcing them into labour and stealing their babies away. India, despite its rapid economic growth and industrialisation is still dealing with the mass rape and mistreatment of young girls. The book reiterates the point that in a lot of countries, cows are more valued and treated better than women.
I would have liked to meet Sue Lloyd-Roberts. She sounded like such a brave women filled with so much hope and this sense of justice that not a lot of people have. The last chapter was the most emotional since her daughter finished the book reflecting on the influence her mother had on her and on so much women around the world. I think it's safe to say that she is still heavily influencing women through this book. It is a must-read for everyone!
Making a Difference
Finishing the book, it seemed appropriate to end this little series with how one can personally change the gender inequality around them.
The author dedicated her life to highlighting these issues and bringing the wrong to justice After finishing the book, there is this strong obligation to join the fight FOR women. Personally, being a journalist who reports these issues or a UN lawyer who brings these cruel and merciless people before the court, is perhaps how I want to contribute the the fight.Though unlikely, I really really really really hope and want to see the world without gender inequality - without female genital mutilation, without child marriage, without rape. No doubtedly, this will require A LOT of hard work, and sacrifice but it will all be worth it.
How do you want to contribute to the fight for women?
February 19, 2022
Sue Lloyd Roberts, often with her trusted cameraman, has travelled to dangerous trouble spots around the world to report first hand on a war that does not get the recognition it merits: the war on women and girls. Quite often the trail of violence starts from or reaches back into the United Kingdom.
FGM entails the vicious cutting of female genitals to prevent girls and women from enjoying any aspect of sexuality. This is performed by women on girls in countries across Africa and the Middle East, often but not exclusively Muslim, and it is frequently performed in Britain, in facilities ranging from private clinics to rundown council flats. Forced marriage of young girls to complete strangers is commonplace over an even wider stretch, notably across India; any hope for education or an independent life is crushed for ordinary girls and women; there may be exceptions, especially in wealthy families, but they are always very uncertain. Honour killing is a related practice which reflects the absolute physical power of men (brothers, cousins, fathers, uncles) over every female, who may be killed by family members for any perceived or imagined failing; killings are brutal, often public and rarely punished. In Britain as in other countries, terrified women may be concealed for many years in safe houses, protective custody or simply incognito in new locations, but their families and “communities” are relentless in pursuit. Western cultures have their own informal and institutional punishments for “fallen women,” of which the worst, to a large extent, may now have been eradicated, but remain in living memory: the book gives a searing account of the Magdalen Laundries in Ireland, only closed in the 1970s and still subject to astonishing disclosures of brutality, neglect and killings. Girls lost their freedom and their basic human rights for years and even decades in punishment for often trivial lapses, including looking unusually pretty, though a common pretext for incarceration was pregnancy out of marriage, often through rape.
In a remarkable way, all these practices so far could be listed as brutal but traditional methods used to enforce strict moral standards, as their defenders claim, though it is a curious concept of morality and not actually justified by the religions of the people responsible. This cannot be said of the use of rape as a tool of warfare, which is described in unbearable terms, alongside which must be considered the global scale of the sex trafficking industry. It is hard to describe as “sex-work” the kidnapping of young women by deception or by brute force, repeated rape and torture to secure compliance, and their use thereafter as sex objects. Trafficked girls and women are to be found in England and Ireland, Denmark and other European countries, Turkey, Israel, the United States and in every third world setting where the United Nations deploys its peacekeepers (who enjoy diplomatic immunity for any and every crime).
This is a book to disrupt any smug pretence that violence against women is either a minority concern or the province of less developed societies. Women generally live with a pervading and realistic fear of extreme violence and it is as much a responsibility of governments in the first world as in the third. The pretexts used to evade this responsibility make for difficult reading. Sue Lloyd-Roberts describes a British minister listening to the unhelpful views of men from the “Muslim community” without any regard for the absent voices of women. She accuses politicians of pandering to the perpetrators of violence against women in search of the minority vote rather than confronting the needs of British citizens who are girls or women living in fear of honour killing, and subject to forced marriage or to FGM. She compares the British approach of “multicultural tolerance” to the French approach of insisting on common standards for every citizen and notes French despair that, for example, French girls are taken to England for FGM and prosecutions for FGM which are common in France, are very rare in Britain. She describes the routine subservience of the British monarchy to that of Saudi Arabia, and the total absence of pressure from British governments to alleviate the position of women there. She contrasts the moral cowardice – or outright complicity – of British governments with the courage and the appalling risks – and actual consequences – for women struggling to secure any recognition of their situation let alone an effective remedy.
Sue Lloyd-Roberts died prematurely of leukaemia in 2015; the book was completed by her daughter. Since then there has been a continuing, ongoing supply of exposures concerning male violence against women which she would surely have wanted to film and report had she been able to continue. Women continue to take great risks to stand up to male aggression but it is evident that men continue either to feed the violence themselves or live as though it was all invisible or inconsequential. As always, a surprising proportion of women deal with the problem by pandering to the perpetrators and even contributing to the harm done to their sex. Politicians continue to dismiss women’s voices and to refuse them the protection they need. In fact, since 2015 a great many rights, protections and safeguards that women had achieved have started to be dismantled; something that would have seemed unbelievable even a few years ago.
This book makes one thing graphically clear. There really is a war on women. It’s a violent, dishonest and shameful war and it is both global and local: taking place in our own towns and streets and demanding that we pick a side.
FGM entails the vicious cutting of female genitals to prevent girls and women from enjoying any aspect of sexuality. This is performed by women on girls in countries across Africa and the Middle East, often but not exclusively Muslim, and it is frequently performed in Britain, in facilities ranging from private clinics to rundown council flats. Forced marriage of young girls to complete strangers is commonplace over an even wider stretch, notably across India; any hope for education or an independent life is crushed for ordinary girls and women; there may be exceptions, especially in wealthy families, but they are always very uncertain. Honour killing is a related practice which reflects the absolute physical power of men (brothers, cousins, fathers, uncles) over every female, who may be killed by family members for any perceived or imagined failing; killings are brutal, often public and rarely punished. In Britain as in other countries, terrified women may be concealed for many years in safe houses, protective custody or simply incognito in new locations, but their families and “communities” are relentless in pursuit. Western cultures have their own informal and institutional punishments for “fallen women,” of which the worst, to a large extent, may now have been eradicated, but remain in living memory: the book gives a searing account of the Magdalen Laundries in Ireland, only closed in the 1970s and still subject to astonishing disclosures of brutality, neglect and killings. Girls lost their freedom and their basic human rights for years and even decades in punishment for often trivial lapses, including looking unusually pretty, though a common pretext for incarceration was pregnancy out of marriage, often through rape.
In a remarkable way, all these practices so far could be listed as brutal but traditional methods used to enforce strict moral standards, as their defenders claim, though it is a curious concept of morality and not actually justified by the religions of the people responsible. This cannot be said of the use of rape as a tool of warfare, which is described in unbearable terms, alongside which must be considered the global scale of the sex trafficking industry. It is hard to describe as “sex-work” the kidnapping of young women by deception or by brute force, repeated rape and torture to secure compliance, and their use thereafter as sex objects. Trafficked girls and women are to be found in England and Ireland, Denmark and other European countries, Turkey, Israel, the United States and in every third world setting where the United Nations deploys its peacekeepers (who enjoy diplomatic immunity for any and every crime).
This is a book to disrupt any smug pretence that violence against women is either a minority concern or the province of less developed societies. Women generally live with a pervading and realistic fear of extreme violence and it is as much a responsibility of governments in the first world as in the third. The pretexts used to evade this responsibility make for difficult reading. Sue Lloyd-Roberts describes a British minister listening to the unhelpful views of men from the “Muslim community” without any regard for the absent voices of women. She accuses politicians of pandering to the perpetrators of violence against women in search of the minority vote rather than confronting the needs of British citizens who are girls or women living in fear of honour killing, and subject to forced marriage or to FGM. She compares the British approach of “multicultural tolerance” to the French approach of insisting on common standards for every citizen and notes French despair that, for example, French girls are taken to England for FGM and prosecutions for FGM which are common in France, are very rare in Britain. She describes the routine subservience of the British monarchy to that of Saudi Arabia, and the total absence of pressure from British governments to alleviate the position of women there. She contrasts the moral cowardice – or outright complicity – of British governments with the courage and the appalling risks – and actual consequences – for women struggling to secure any recognition of their situation let alone an effective remedy.
Sue Lloyd-Roberts died prematurely of leukaemia in 2015; the book was completed by her daughter. Since then there has been a continuing, ongoing supply of exposures concerning male violence against women which she would surely have wanted to film and report had she been able to continue. Women continue to take great risks to stand up to male aggression but it is evident that men continue either to feed the violence themselves or live as though it was all invisible or inconsequential. As always, a surprising proportion of women deal with the problem by pandering to the perpetrators and even contributing to the harm done to their sex. Politicians continue to dismiss women’s voices and to refuse them the protection they need. In fact, since 2015 a great many rights, protections and safeguards that women had achieved have started to be dismantled; something that would have seemed unbelievable even a few years ago.
This book makes one thing graphically clear. There really is a war on women. It’s a violent, dishonest and shameful war and it is both global and local: taking place in our own towns and streets and demanding that we pick a side.
September 4, 2024
This wasn’t an angry feminist rant. It was a very shocking and heart-breaking read (at times I think there should’ve been a trigger warning). I thoroughly enjoyed the little bits and pieces of Sue’s personal and journalistic point of views, and her small details of how and why she had come to be in the situations she was telling readers about. Despite it being such a difficult read, it is such an important one and I’m glad I’ve read it, and also glad I got to hear about Sue’s amazing work and the differences she made.
December 18, 2017
A very interesting but also difficult book. not in the language. it is not an academic work. Sue Lloyd-Roberts was a journalist and maker of documentaries and in this book she tells in each chapter about another place and another way women are oppressed in the world. But some of the chapters, especially about rape in India and rape as war weapon include some horrific descriptions of rape and it did not help that I just finish it at the 5 years "anniversary" of the famous rape of Jyoti Singh at december 16 2012. Even though most of the places described in the book are not the enviroment Sue or I come from it is not a "we the enlightened and them the primitives", she gives the voice to the women from the places she filmed. I did learned some new things (and my TRL grew a bit) but mostly that there is no limit to the creativity of men when it comes to oppressing women, abusing and mutilating them.
The last chapter about discrimination in the work place seems not finished in comparison to the others but that has a good reason - Sue died of blood cancer before finishing it. I bet she would include sexual harassment at work and maybe emotional labour in it. so the last chapter was lacking but then the after-words of Her daughter and her employer give it a great closure - it becomes also a kind of biography of Sue who I regret not knowing about her and her work (plan on looking up her docu's)
The last chapter about discrimination in the work place seems not finished in comparison to the others but that has a good reason - Sue died of blood cancer before finishing it. I bet she would include sexual harassment at work and maybe emotional labour in it. so the last chapter was lacking but then the after-words of Her daughter and her employer give it a great closure - it becomes also a kind of biography of Sue who I regret not knowing about her and her work (plan on looking up her docu's)
December 20, 2017
This is an extraordinarily, powerful and potent read.
Rightly, it will churn your stomach, it will make you cry and scream, it’s stories will haunt your every waking and sleeping moment, and it will positively arouse your anger.
In the process, it should also completely overhaul your definition of bravery; the courage and stamina of the women highlighted in this book far outweighs the boast of any form of masculinity.
You need to read *The War on Women: And the Brave Ones who Fight Back*. You need to tell your friends about it. We all need to walk with our eyes wide open.
—Tristan Sherwin, author of *Love: Expressed*
Rightly, it will churn your stomach, it will make you cry and scream, it’s stories will haunt your every waking and sleeping moment, and it will positively arouse your anger.
In the process, it should also completely overhaul your definition of bravery; the courage and stamina of the women highlighted in this book far outweighs the boast of any form of masculinity.
You need to read *The War on Women: And the Brave Ones who Fight Back*. You need to tell your friends about it. We all need to walk with our eyes wide open.
—Tristan Sherwin, author of *Love: Expressed*
October 13, 2021
// The War on Women by Sue Lloyd-Roberts
There are certain books that holds undiluted truth. They reaffirm what we already know and quite often this leaves us heartbroken. The War on Women as the title suggests is about women all over the globe who have been deemed as collateral damage for various laws, rules and wars set by men. Ironic, isn't?
Have you heard of the fallen women of Ireland? Where young women were taken in by nuns under the disguise of religion and were given backbreaking work all their lives? Working for a piece of break and gruel, all because of having a baby out of wedlock or for being raped.
Have you heard of the Pakistani/Kurdish families settled in the UK getting their teenage daughters married off to men of their father's age for merely looking at a boy? The fact that the groom has zero education and mental illness hardly matters.
What about the honor killings in Pakistan where girls are murdered by their own family members?
Then there's Saudi Arabia and Egypt where women have no rights whatsoever. They live and breathe in houses that are like prisons. Have you heard of the protests in Egypt that eventually leads to women activists being groped and eventually raped?
There's sex trafficking in Russia and Genital mutilation in African countries that left me infuriated. And of course, there's also India where daughters aren't given equal status as the sons.
Grandmothers looking for their missing children and grandchildren after the dirty wars of Argentina, women who survived the Bosnian War but not without any damage; these real stories have bled onto the pages.
Sue involves some of the heroes who made it out alive to tell their stories. Decades have gone by but they expect an apology. For what these nations have done to them. What they have been doing to them.
This well researched masterpiece has to be read by all of us to understand what our sisters have faced at the hands of men/religious institutions. While you may already know some of them, there's a lot more for you to learn.
Because there's always something is buried in our history books. Something frightening but true nevertheless.
There are certain books that holds undiluted truth. They reaffirm what we already know and quite often this leaves us heartbroken. The War on Women as the title suggests is about women all over the globe who have been deemed as collateral damage for various laws, rules and wars set by men. Ironic, isn't?
Have you heard of the fallen women of Ireland? Where young women were taken in by nuns under the disguise of religion and were given backbreaking work all their lives? Working for a piece of break and gruel, all because of having a baby out of wedlock or for being raped.
Have you heard of the Pakistani/Kurdish families settled in the UK getting their teenage daughters married off to men of their father's age for merely looking at a boy? The fact that the groom has zero education and mental illness hardly matters.
What about the honor killings in Pakistan where girls are murdered by their own family members?
Then there's Saudi Arabia and Egypt where women have no rights whatsoever. They live and breathe in houses that are like prisons. Have you heard of the protests in Egypt that eventually leads to women activists being groped and eventually raped?
There's sex trafficking in Russia and Genital mutilation in African countries that left me infuriated. And of course, there's also India where daughters aren't given equal status as the sons.
Grandmothers looking for their missing children and grandchildren after the dirty wars of Argentina, women who survived the Bosnian War but not without any damage; these real stories have bled onto the pages.
Sue involves some of the heroes who made it out alive to tell their stories. Decades have gone by but they expect an apology. For what these nations have done to them. What they have been doing to them.
This well researched masterpiece has to be read by all of us to understand what our sisters have faced at the hands of men/religious institutions. While you may already know some of them, there's a lot more for you to learn.
Because there's always something is buried in our history books. Something frightening but true nevertheless.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2021
Horrifyingly insightful on the issues faced by women in different countries. Some parts are very heavy, considering it throws you straight in with accounts of female genital mutilation abroad as well as in western countries but also focuses on less traumatic things like how the gender pay gap actually works or lack of understanding of female reproductive systems in oppressive countries. Such an inspirational author and her legacy will proceed to influence people everywhere :)
August 23, 2021
This book is so incredible and powerful, and exposes the cruelty, abuse, injustice, discrimination suffered by women from Ireland to India - as a result of not only misogyny, but patriarchal values and cultural norms of different societies that place little to very low value on a woman and her life.
Through a series of stories, Sue Lloyd-Roberts, the author - who is BBC’s female video journalist (known for her a courageous, intelligent and crafty ways to get herself into and out of tight places) gives a platform for marginalised voices to be heard - on issues such as rape, child marriage, honour killing (in the UK too), sex trafficking and violence endured by women globally.
An extremely well written book brought alive through the author’s amazing storytelling ability.
Through a series of stories, Sue Lloyd-Roberts, the author - who is BBC’s female video journalist (known for her a courageous, intelligent and crafty ways to get herself into and out of tight places) gives a platform for marginalised voices to be heard - on issues such as rape, child marriage, honour killing (in the UK too), sex trafficking and violence endured by women globally.
An extremely well written book brought alive through the author’s amazing storytelling ability.
November 8, 2021
A friend of mine was in London, she passed by a bookstore, she saw the book and the title caught her attention; she bought it, not knowing anything about it, and she shared it with me and a group of friends. We read it together. Excellent choice, this book struck my heart. It made me aware of the injustices that have occurred against women around the world. It made me think about how to behave to stop violence against our human race. 100% recommended
December 24, 2023
SUCH A GOOD BOOK
(trigger warnings for p much everything)
puts the feminist plight of the western women in perspective and pays strong attention to the (often overlooked) problems with sexism & the genuine fear women have to live in in some parts of the world.
i strongly, STRONGLY urge every person to read this and to check their privilege whilst doing so.
brilliantly researched, fantastic journalism from sue lloyd roberts
(trigger warnings for p much everything)
puts the feminist plight of the western women in perspective and pays strong attention to the (often overlooked) problems with sexism & the genuine fear women have to live in in some parts of the world.
i strongly, STRONGLY urge every person to read this and to check their privilege whilst doing so.
brilliantly researched, fantastic journalism from sue lloyd roberts
January 23, 2018
Darkest stories with brightest intentions
December 15, 2022
《女性面對的戰爭》收錄了12個國家與區域的特寫，將焦點放在當地女性所面臨的不公平對待，包括愛爾蘭在20世紀對於女性的宗教迫害、沙烏地阿拉伯女權的低落、以及當今仍然存在的割禮。可惜的是，作者在2015年去世前並沒有看到本書的出版，後記則由女兒代為完成。
在這些危機四伏的報導背後，最讓人敬佩的絕對是作者英國記者蘇．勞伊德．羅伯茨，在BBC節目【新聞之夜】工作超過二十年，在過去，她多次因為女性不平等現象的報導獲得大獎，並兩次獲頒勳章。在作者介紹欄裡，可以看到她為了新聞報導環遊世界，足跡遍及北韓與蘇聯。
在閱讀過程中，我曾經幾度想放下這本書，因為書裡的事實太過殘酷，我無法想像曾身處第一線報導的作者遭受怎樣的情緒波折，更讓人難過的是，在書出版了這們久之後，許多故事仍未成為過去式。
在第四章裡，作者前往沙烏地阿拉伯採訪當地女性並且討論當地女權低落的現象，在2022年的今天，我們可以發現狀況並沒有顯著的改進。在2018年，沙烏地阿拉伯的女性終於可以申請駕照，可以合法駕車，但在其他事情，像是穿著打扮上，還是需要男性監護人的許可。
我們以為的過去式，仍然在世界上很多地方發生著。
**以下內容可能帶來不適感，請謹慎閱讀。**
本書的第一章的〔女陰殘割〕可以說是狠狠的向讀者展示女性面臨的脅迫，而且更讓人難過的是，即使女性移民到英國之後，仍然在家中長輩的脅迫下在英國進行割禮儀式。在讀完這章之後才發現，原來無論聖經或是可蘭經都沒有倡導此行為，在本質上，這僅是為了控制女性的身體和愉悅感，作者更將此推論為「女人是次等的，他們的性慾是一種威脅」。
在歷史上，作者也聚焦在一些對女性極其殘忍的迫害，包括愛爾蘭以宗教之名的迫害、阿根廷骯髒戰爭下的兒童、波士尼亞戰爭中的強暴等等；書中也聚焦在現今仍不斷發生的南亞的榮譽殺人、同婚與迫婚、還有東歐的性販運等等。這也讓我想起之前分享過的〔A long road to justice〕，最讓人難過的是，這些記者深入險境調查並做了這麼多報導，但是卻很難改變現狀。戰爭也好，宗教也罷，許多不平等在我看來卻只是欺迫其他人的一個藉口，最可怕的必定是，由女人壓迫女人。
女性平權是條漫長的路，而我相信這是本每個人都該一讀的書，書中雖然帶來難過與絕望，但這也提醒著讀者，我們該為了平等而付出點什麼，當然，願意去理解過去與現在絕對是第一步。
在我剛看完後分享這本書時，有人跟我說這本書已經絕版了，這讓我覺得有點可惜。但是如果有興趣的讀者可以去圖書館借閱或是上二手書平台尋寶，有香港線上圖書館帳號的話，也可以選擇線上閱讀電子書。
最後，雖然這本書的內容會帶給讀者不適，但還是推薦給關心女性主義以及熱愛報導文學的讀者。
在這些危機四伏的報導背後，最讓人敬佩的絕對是作者英國記者蘇．勞伊德．羅伯茨，在BBC節目【新聞之夜】工作超過二十年，在過去，她多次因為女性不平等現象的報導獲得大獎，並兩次獲頒勳章。在作者介紹欄裡，可以看到她為了新聞報導環遊世界，足跡遍及北韓與蘇聯。
在閱讀過程中，我曾經幾度想放下這本書，因為書裡的事實太過殘酷，我無法想像曾身處第一線報導的作者遭受怎樣的情緒波折，更讓人難過的是，在書出版了這們久之後，許多故事仍未成為過去式。
在第四章裡，作者前往沙烏地阿拉伯採訪當地女性並且討論當地女權低落的現象，在2022年的今天，我們可以發現狀況並沒有顯著的改進。在2018年，沙烏地阿拉伯的女性終於可以申請駕照，可以合法駕車，但在其他事情，像是穿著打扮上，還是需要男性監護人的許可。
我們以為的過去式，仍然在世界上很多地方發生著。
**以下內容可能帶來不適感，請謹慎閱讀。**
本書的第一章的〔女陰殘割〕可以說是狠狠的向讀者展示女性面臨的脅迫，而且更讓人難過的是，即使女性移民到英國之後，仍然在家中長輩的脅迫下在英國進行割禮儀式。在讀完這章之後才發現，原來無論聖經或是可蘭經都沒有倡導此行為，在本質上，這僅是為了控制女性的身體和愉悅感，作者更將此推論為「女人是次等的，他們的性慾是一種威脅」。
在歷史上，作者也聚焦在一些對女性極其殘忍的迫害，包括愛爾蘭以宗教之名的迫害、阿根廷骯髒戰爭下的兒童、波士尼亞戰爭中的強暴等等；書中也聚焦在現今仍不斷發生的南亞的榮譽殺人、同婚與迫婚、還有東歐的性販運等等。這也讓我想起之前分享過的〔A long road to justice〕，最讓人難過的是，這些記者深入險境調查並做了這麼多報導，但是卻很難改變現狀。戰爭也好，宗教也罷，許多不平等在我看來卻只是欺迫其他人的一個藉口，最可怕的必定是，由女人壓迫女人。
女性平權是條漫長的路，而我相信這是本每個人都該一讀的書，書中雖然帶來難過與絕望，但這也提醒著讀者，我們該為了平等而付出點什麼，當然，願意去理解過去與現在絕對是第一步。
在我剛看完後分享這本書時，有人跟我說這本書已經絕版了，這讓我覺得有點可惜。但是如果有興趣的讀者可以去圖書館借閱或是上二手書平台尋寶，有香港線上圖書館帳號的話，也可以選擇線上閱讀電子書。
最後，雖然這本書的內容會帶給讀者不適，但還是推薦給關心女性主義以及熱愛報導文學的讀者。
May 30, 2019
Made me fucking depressed and angry about the fact women are just under valued and second class citizens in literally every single country. No hyperbole. Do not read if you’re already feeling hateful towards state of affairs.
I have issues re westernised / colonialism and video journalism but need to work through my feelings in regards to this book. Final chapter on sex inequality in the UK is wildly naive, white centric and bare inappropriate, but I understand why it was cathartic and necessary for her daughter to finish it for her mum. Unfortunately, that chapter serves to undermine all chapters that preceded it (that at least attempt to centre the narratives of young girls and women from Kashmir to DRC) it in its white centric and basic naivety it ends up sounding like a GSCE English paper Why Are White Women Underpaid. Discuss. (12 marks).
I have issues re westernised / colonialism and video journalism but need to work through my feelings in regards to this book. Final chapter on sex inequality in the UK is wildly naive, white centric and bare inappropriate, but I understand why it was cathartic and necessary for her daughter to finish it for her mum. Unfortunately, that chapter serves to undermine all chapters that preceded it (that at least attempt to centre the narratives of young girls and women from Kashmir to DRC) it in its white centric and basic naivety it ends up sounding like a GSCE English paper Why Are White Women Underpaid. Discuss. (12 marks).
February 13, 2018
One of the most disturbing books I ever read. Sue Lloyd-Roberts was excellent in showing the horrors and the type of brutality that women sometimes have to face in certain countries and cultures. At times, I had to stop reading because it was too much; at one point, my reading was interrupted by horrified tears. It is, nonetheless, an essential book for anyone interested in women’s and human rights. It is a valuable work of journalism to understand and incentivise the fight for equality. And it’s a perfect example of how Sue Lloyd-Roberts was able to touch people’s lives simply by being herself and doing her job. May she rest In peace.
October 11, 2021
作者是非常了不起的記者，這本書主要講全世界各個地區的女性面臨的困境。女人在不幸中降生，來到這個被詛咒的世界。終其一生也不過只想要提高自己的社會地位，證明自己也是人，而不是女人。書中沒有寫東亞儒家文化女人的情況，最開始不理解，後面想明白了，這個世界還沒有進步到有一片沒有性別歧視淨土的程度，就算是在發達國家的英國，性別歧視依然是難以解決的問題。篇幅有限，不可能把每個國家的女人都寫上。這本書是分了兩次看完，第一次看到一半就看不下去了，過於憤怒和絕望。我真的難以忍受，後面堅持著還是看完了。與我來說書中有些小彩蛋，中國有幾次出境，分別是藏獨和器官移植。CCP造的孽真是罄竹难书，隨便一本不相關的書，都能看到順帶的提及。希望未來的世界是人人平等的世界，CCP滅亡並被清算的世界，西藏、新疆、香港都能獨立的世界。個人認為是女權主義者必看之書！
July 30, 2024
Just incredible if there were 300 stars, that'd be the rating. Jaw dropping insights into the inequality, abuse and status of women in different societies around the world. As well as being horrified I was filled with hope by the stories of outstanding bravery and courage of women resisting oppression and fighting at insane personal cost for the rights of women. Truly emboldening stories.
December 21, 2022
EVERYONE MUST READ THIS BOOK!
It makes you aware that as a man we have so much to answer for in so many ways. Why is the world still so very very unequal?
Sue Lloyd-Roberts was IMMENSE and is a very sad loss in highlighting some of the world's ills.
I'm sick of hearing that women have come a long way. What does that even mean! Is the world equal?.
Equality?! Do you really think that we have this.?
When was the last time that you checked out - https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/clo...
One of the world's biggest sporting events has just finished in Qatar - https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/sport/...
Iran at the end of 2022 - https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/10/28/w...
Finally, https://www.amnesty.org/en/search/wom...
It makes you aware that as a man we have so much to answer for in so many ways. Why is the world still so very very unequal?
Sue Lloyd-Roberts was IMMENSE and is a very sad loss in highlighting some of the world's ills.
I'm sick of hearing that women have come a long way. What does that even mean! Is the world equal?.
Equality?! Do you really think that we have this.?
When was the last time that you checked out - https://www.fawcettsociety.org.uk/clo...
One of the world's biggest sporting events has just finished in Qatar - https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/sport/...
Iran at the end of 2022 - https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/10/28/w...
Finally, https://www.amnesty.org/en/search/wom...
May 13, 2021
Like most non-fiction books about feminist issues, this was an uncomfortable yet important read.
If you're going to read this (and I urge everyone to do so!) please take breaks. Each section is very heavy and covers a lot so I found reading a chapter every other day or so was more digestible and better for my mh.
Sue's documentaries, articles, movies and books are referenced throughout so I've come away with not only a more in-depth knowledge of the constant injustices in the world, a stronger fire in my belly to help as and where I can but also an interesting list of new things to-be-read and to-be-watched that I can't wait to comb through.
If you're going to read this (and I urge everyone to do so!) please take breaks. Each section is very heavy and covers a lot so I found reading a chapter every other day or so was more digestible and better for my mh.
Sue's documentaries, articles, movies and books are referenced throughout so I've come away with not only a more in-depth knowledge of the constant injustices in the world, a stronger fire in my belly to help as and where I can but also an interesting list of new things to-be-read and to-be-watched that I can't wait to comb through.
January 5, 2018
Boek dat je bijblijft. Goed geschreven verhalen over zeer diverse misstanden tegen vrouwen. Varierend van katholieke meisjes in ierland, tot genitale verminking, tot kindhuwelijken, eerwraak, gedwongen prostitutie en verschil in salaris en carrierekansen. Bij elk verhaal het gevoel, dit is te erg, hier moet meer tegen gebeuren. Schrijfster heeft diverse tv rapportages gemaakt. Is net voor afronden boek overleden aan leukemie. Haar kinderen hebben het boek afgerond, mede als eerbetoon aan haar indrukwekkende journalistieke werk.
February 13, 2018
The best nonfiction book I’ve ever read. It’s an important look at the injustices women face all over the world. It’s heartbreaking but brilliant. Please please read it
August 4, 2019
I can't find the right words to say how much I enjoyed this book. Each chapter left me in awe when learning how so many woman across the world are treated in such a disgusting way in a male dominated society. I couldn't put the book down. Very much a page turner!
November 5, 2023
een 'must read' voor elke vrouw vind ik!
October 14, 2023
I just finished the war on women by Sue Lloyd-Roberts, one of the most influencial video-journalists of her time. Her collection of reports and articles documents the lives and tragedies of a number of immensely brave women.
I've cried at least 5 times reading this book. On the one hand, caused by Sues personal battle with cancer and her daughter's eulogy. But also many times due to the heartbreaking life stories of so many women interviewed by Sue throughout the book.
I've cried at least 5 times reading this book. On the one hand, caused by Sues personal battle with cancer and her daughter's eulogy. But also many times due to the heartbreaking life stories of so many women interviewed by Sue throughout the book.
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