{"id":60807,"date":"2018-01-07T08:15:40","date_gmt":"2018-01-07T13:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/"},"modified":"2018-01-07T08:15:40","modified_gmt":"2018-01-07T13:15:40","slug":"irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland’s Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women’s Rights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ireland’s Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women’s Rights<\/b>
\nYesterday was Nollaig na mBan in Ireland: Women\u2019s Christmas, or known in some parts of the country as Women\u2019s Little Christmas or Little Christmas. Traditionally, 6 January (the Feast of the Epiphany) marked the twelfth day of Christmas and the end of the Christmas season, and it was a day for role reversal: women<\/a> who had slaved over hot stoves and kept their families fed and watered over Christmas had a break, while the men<\/a> took on the household chores. Often wives and mothers went out for the day with female<\/a> relatives and friends. The tradition was particularly strong in rural and Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) areas.<\/p>\n

Christmas cooking and preparation is no longer the exclusive preserve of Irish women<\/a>, but Nollaig na mBan is still celebrated, and the tradition is enjoying something of a revival in recent years, in Ireland and in Irish emigrant communities abroad. It now has a different significance: it is a day to mark and celebrate relationships women<\/a> have with other women<\/a>, and an opportunity to consider the place of women<\/a> in Irish society. This year, it has a particular significance, for two closely connected reasons. They both have their roots in a long outdated and misogynistic mentality that women<\/a>\u2019s bodies and sexuality should be controlled.<\/p>\n

Abortion Referendum<\/p>\n

First, Ireland will hold a long-awaited referendum on abortion in 2018. Ireland has highly restrictive abortion laws, which ban abortion in all but the narrowest of circumstances, where doctors believe a woman<\/a>\u2019s life is at risk. Women who obtain abortions and those who help her risk up to 14 years\u2019 imprisonment. Even when a pregnant woman<\/a>\u2019s life is at risk, abortion is unlikely to be provided given the risks of criminal sanction and the lack of any effective system of assessment – 2012 saw the entirely preventable death of Savita Halappanavar from complications due to a septic miscarriage.<\/p>\n

It has been 35 years since the 1983 referendum, which amended the Irish Constitution to refer to the \u201cequal right to life\u201d of the mother and \u201cthe unborn,\u201d a loaded and misleading term for a foetus. International human rights bodies have repeatedly made clear that criminalisation of abortion is a form of discrimination against women<\/a>, and that Ireland\u2019s laws are unacceptable. For example, the UN Human Rights Committee condemned Ireland for inflicting \u201cinhumane and degrading treatment\u201d upon Amanda Mellet and her husband James Burke, forcing them to travel to England for a termination when they learned that the foetus Amanda was carrying suffered from a fatal condition. Last month, the Council of Europe\u2019s Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Mui\u017enieks, criticised Ireland for its abortion laws, emphasising their \u201cbroad range of physical,\u00a0psychological, financial and social impacts on women<\/a>, with implications for their health and well-being\u201d. \u201cBecause of the legal consequences,\u201d the report stated, \u201cwomen<\/a> in these countries who resort to clandestine abortion are often afraid to seek post-abortion care if complications arise,\u00a0with potentially severe consequences for their health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Justice for Magdalenes<\/p>\n

Second, Nollaig na mBan 2018 comes weeks after the publication of a damning ombudsman\u2019s report into the Department of Justice\u2019s handling of the compensation scheme for women<\/a> who worked in Magdalene laundries. Named after the redeemed prostitute in the Bible, Mary Magdalene, they were institutions in Ireland (usually Catholic church-run) which incarcerated tens of thousands of \u201cfallen women<\/a>\u201d: women<\/a> and girls<\/a> who were pregnant but unmarried, single mothers and those who were considered \u201cpromiscuous.\u201d Some women<\/a> worked in the laundries only for the duration of their pregnancies or for a period post-birth, and were released when their children were adopted (often forcibly, and inevitably without the mothers\u2019 real consent). Others worked there for many years, some for the rest of their lives. The laundries were workhouses, operating as businesses whilst the women<\/a> were unpaid. These women<\/a> are often described as Ireland\u2019s disappeared. The end of this barbaric practice is shockingly recent: Ireland\u2019s last Magdalene Laundry closed only in 1996, three years after the existence of the laundries became widely known when a convent sold off part of its land and the remains of 155 inmates who had been buried in unmarked graves on the property were exhumed. A superb campaign, Justice for Magdalenes, eventually led to an official State apology and the establishment of a redress scheme in 2013.<\/p>\n

However, the ombudsman\u2019s December 2017 report has laid bare the serious failings of the Irish government\u2019s redress scheme. He states that, \u201cUnfortunately,\u00a0a scheme intended to bring healing and reconciliation has, for some, served instead to cause further distress… These women<\/a> have spent years seeking something very simple \u2014 redress that they were promised by the State. No more and no less.\u201d These women<\/a> have waited long enough. The Department of Justice must heed the ombudsman and meet its obligations.<\/p>\n

All Change in 2018?<\/p>\n

The Eighth Amendment to the Irish Constitution and the Magdalene Laundries are stains in Irish history, both examples of the State and the Catholic Church exercising control over women<\/a>\u2019s bodies and their lives. Both of these historic wrongs can be righted in 2018. Let this be the last Nollaig na mBan on which we have to call<\/a> for \u2018Repeal the 8th\u2019 or \u2018Justice for Magdalenes.\u2019 Reflecting on this Little Christmas, I am hoping for big changes in women<\/a>\u2019s rights in Ireland.
\n
\nwww.huffingtonpost.co.uk\/entry\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights_uk_5a50853de4b0ee59d41c0add<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ireland’s Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women’s Rights Yesterday was Nollaig na mBan in Ireland: Women\u2019s Christmas, or known in some parts of the country as Women\u2019s Little Christmas or Little Christmas. Traditionally, 6 January (the Feast of the Epiphany) marked the twelfth day of Christmas and the end of the … Continue reading Ireland’s Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women’s Rights<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2466,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nIreland's Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women's Rights - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ireland's Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women's Rights - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ireland’s Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women’s Rights Yesterday was Nollaig na mBan in Ireland: Women\u2019s Christmas, or known in some parts of the country as Women\u2019s Little Christmas or Little Christmas. Traditionally, 6 January (the Feast of the Epiphany) marked the twelfth day of Christmas and the end of the … Continue reading Ireland’s Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women’s Rights →\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-01-07T13:15:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"GayFriendschat.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gayfriendschat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gayfriendschat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"GayFriendschat.com\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"GayFriendschat.com\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#\/schema\/person\/181913201d50f65b9bba7437f822a17f\"},\"headline\":\"Ireland’s Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women’s Rights\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-07T13:15:40+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/\"},\"wordCount\":921,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"NEWS\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/\",\"name\":\"Ireland's Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women's Rights - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2018-01-07T13:15:40+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ireland’s Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women’s Rights\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/\",\"name\":\"GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com\",\"description\":\"LGBT BLOG\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"GayFriendsChat.com\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Logo.jpg\",\"width\":243,\"height\":96,\"caption\":\"GayFriendsChat.com\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/gayfriendschat\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#\/schema\/person\/181913201d50f65b9bba7437f822a17f\",\"name\":\"GayFriendschat.com\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42a0cb75ed5dd34c6dc3e0aa48adf030c1c38a2c9dc59146f4afdf18e4bdf1d4?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42a0cb75ed5dd34c6dc3e0aa48adf030c1c38a2c9dc59146f4afdf18e4bdf1d4?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42a0cb75ed5dd34c6dc3e0aa48adf030c1c38a2c9dc59146f4afdf18e4bdf1d4?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"GayFriendschat.com\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/author\/gayfriendschat-com\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ireland's Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women's Rights - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ireland's Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women's Rights - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com","og_description":"Ireland’s Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women’s Rights Yesterday was Nollaig na mBan in Ireland: Women\u2019s Christmas, or known in some parts of the country as Women\u2019s Little Christmas or Little Christmas. Traditionally, 6 January (the Feast of the Epiphany) marked the twelfth day of Christmas and the end of the … Continue reading Ireland’s Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women’s Rights →","og_url":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/","og_site_name":"GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com","article_published_time":"2018-01-07T13:15:40+00:00","author":"GayFriendschat.com","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@gayfriendschat","twitter_site":"@gayfriendschat","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"GayFriendschat.com","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/"},"author":{"name":"GayFriendschat.com","@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#\/schema\/person\/181913201d50f65b9bba7437f822a17f"},"headline":"Ireland’s Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women’s Rights","datePublished":"2018-01-07T13:15:40+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/"},"wordCount":921,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#organization"},"articleSection":["NEWS"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/","url":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/","name":"Ireland's Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women's Rights - GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2018-01-07T13:15:40+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/irelands-little-christmas-starts-a-year-of-big-change-for-womens-rights\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ireland’s Little Christmas Starts A Year Of Big Change For Women’s Rights"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/","name":"GAYFRIENDSCHAT.com","description":"LGBT BLOG","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#organization","name":"GayFriendsChat.com","url":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Logo.jpg","width":243,"height":96,"caption":"GayFriendsChat.com"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/gayfriendschat"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/#\/schema\/person\/181913201d50f65b9bba7437f822a17f","name":"GayFriendschat.com","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42a0cb75ed5dd34c6dc3e0aa48adf030c1c38a2c9dc59146f4afdf18e4bdf1d4?s=96&d=blank&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42a0cb75ed5dd34c6dc3e0aa48adf030c1c38a2c9dc59146f4afdf18e4bdf1d4?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/42a0cb75ed5dd34c6dc3e0aa48adf030c1c38a2c9dc59146f4afdf18e4bdf1d4?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"GayFriendschat.com"},"url":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/author\/gayfriendschat-com\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2466"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60807\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}