W Stands for Women


"The advance of women's rights and the advance of liberty are ultimately inseparable. … The policy of the American government is to stand for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity."President George Bush, at a White House Celebration of International Women's Day, March 12, 2004.

"They all say we have lost our way, but they never ask why we had to take this path. … I don't have money to take my kid to the doctor. I have to do anything that I can to preserve my child, because I am a mother."Suha, a 37-year-old Iraqi woman, explaining why she is a prostitute.


"America will help women stand up for their freedom, no matter where they live."President George Bush, at a White House Celebration of International Women's Day, March 7, 2006.

"There is a huge population of women who were the victims of war who had to sell their bodies, their souls, and they lost it all. It crushes us to see them, but we have to work on it and that's why we started our team of women activists."Yanar Mohammed, head and founder of the Organization for Women's Freedom in Iraq.


"In the last two-and-a-half years, we have seen remarkable and hopeful development in world history. Just think about it: More than 50 million men, women and children have been liberated from two of the most brutal tyrannies on earth—50 million people are free. All these people are now learning the blessings of freedom."President George Bush, at a White House Celebration of International Women's Day, March 12, 2004.

"[One woman] has sex while her three children are in the room, but she makes them stand in separate corners. … Most of the women that we find at hospitals [who] have tried to commit suicide [have been involved in prostitution]."Basma Rahim, a member of the Organization for Women's Freedom in Iraq.


[All women's quotes taken from the article "Iraqi women: Prostituting ourselves to feed our children" at CNN today. Also see here, for information on sex trafficking and prostitution related to the massive Iraqi refugee problem.]

Shakesville is run as a safe space. First-time commenters: Please read Shakesville's Commenting Policy and Feminism 101 Section before commenting. We also do lots of in-thread moderation, so we ask that everyone read the entirety of any thread before commenting, to ensure compliance with any in-thread moderation. Thank you.

blog comments powered by Disqus