Week unclouded. Dance clubs for mums, abortion pills, and indecent requests
News can be overwhelming to follow. Important news bites can get lost amongst all the hard and breaking news. Here are a couple of the headlines from this week and beyond that impact women.
Abortion may be illegal, but it’s happening
Photo by Danilo Alvesd on Unsplash
For yet another year, the number of women receiving abortion pills at home through telemedicine services continued to increase in Malta - where abortion is illegal.
Times of Malta reported that in 2024, the number of abortion pill shipments reached 590 last year - a 14% increase over 2023. The figures were provided by Doctors for Choice, and represent the abortion pills shipped to Malta through the service run by Women on Web and Women Help Women.
Does this mean that there were 590 abortions in Malta in 2024? The figures are probably higher since they do not include those women who opted to travel overseas to carry out an abortion. Abortion is illegal in Malta, unless it is carried out by doctors if a woman’s life is at risk.
The bottom line is: it’s still happening. And the worrying thing is that, if a woman decides to end her pregnancy - then faces medical complications - she might fear asking for help. This is a reality that can not be ignored.
Mums just need to dance
Photo by Levi Guzman on Unsplash
I want this! I am sharing this news in the hope that someone picks up on this and starts organising this in Malta.
Here it goes… International news agency AFP has reported a growing trend that is spreading across Europe. Mums, especially middle-aged ones, are taking over a sliver of the clubbing scene. And it’s happening at mummy-friendly times: after work, mainly between 7pm and 10pm.
According to the article, “the concept has gained prominence in recent years, particularly in Germany with events like Mama Geht Tanzen (Mum Goes Dancing) or ‘Mums That Rave’ in Britain.”
This just reminds me in an article I wrote not so long ago about the urge to dance… But it also reminds me in another one about how parents often have to turn down the fun stuff. Would this formula - the after-work one - work for most mums in Malta, when planning a fun night out can sometimes feel like planning a trip to the moon?
Hope is the last to die.
One in three young people asked to send intimate photos of themselves
Photo by Vadim Paripa on Unsplash
This week, the Maltese parliament heard how, according to an informal survey conducted among 300 students, 30.52% said they had been asked to send intimate photos of themselves online.
That was one-third of students in the two schools surveyed when they attended interactive workshops organised as part of an educational campaign on consent in relationships.
The workshops were organised by the National Commission against Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence and dealt with abusive behaviour that students may experience online through social media platforms.
It’s a reminder of the dangers of the world our children are living in. A reminder of the conversations we need to be having with our children. A reminder to open our eyes and ears for signs.
Share your news
Do you have some women-related news you want to share? Or perhaps an idea or topic you feel deserves to be spoken about and ‘unclouded’? Or an inspiring story to share?
If so you can comment below or send an email on hello@womanunclouded.com so we can discuss how to get your voice heard.