By Maria Corina Machado It was barely mentioned in the recent U.S. presidential elections, but Venezuela is suffering the consequences of being under the boot of one of the most atrocious and enduring Socialist dictatorships of our time. In fact, at the end of the first U.S. presidential debates, Venezuela received a minute of attention when Hillary Clinton mentioned a former Venezuelan beauty queen to spite Donald Trump, the former owner of the Miss Universe Organization. Interestingly, Venezuela leads in winning Miss World contests and is second in Miss Universe pageants. And while Venezuelan women are particularly beautiful, I am proud that in today’s desperate struggle for freedom, they have also proven to be extremely valiant and resilient. Hugo Chávez, the military-putschist-revolutionary-leader who was eventually elected president and then turned dictator, claimed that his government had apparently and uniquely highlighted the crucial role of women in society. Stating that— “women…

By: Ruby Hamad This week, Russia is on the verge of passing a bill that will decriminalise domestic violence except in cases of rape, and where it causes serious bodily harm. This seems a remarkable step backward in a country where 40 per cent of violent crime is already committed in family environments, and where more than 9000 women were killed in domestic violence incidents in 2013 alone. Quite simply – because there is always a danger that zealous religious conservatives will be appeased by politicians that, driven by their own agendas, are willing to use the rights of women as a bargaining chip: something that can be negotiated, traded away, and betrayed. The Russian bill has been spearheaded by ultra-conservative MP, Yelena Mizulina, demonstrating once again how patriarchy is all too often policed by women who bafflingly appear to view themselves as an exception to the gender stereotype they…