Activism Global Violence Against Women

Mexican Women Stay Home in “A Day Without Women” to Protest Femicide

Countless women skipped school, work, and other social functions yesterday as part of a 24-hour strike to protest the unprecedented levels of violence against women. This left offices and classrooms half full, trains and buses empty and fewer cars on the streets. To the women participating, this strike was about “showing, socially … how valuable […]

Global Violence Against Women Womens Rights

UK Court Judges Dubai Sheikh on Abusive Treatment of Wife and Daughters

A family court in the United Kingdom has judged, on the civil standard, that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum of Dubai orchestrated abductions of two of his daughters and subjected his wife to a campaign of intimidation after she advocated for her daughters’ freedom. In April 2019, the sheikh’s former wife, Princess Haya of Jordan, […]

Activism Global Health Violence Against Women Womens Rights

Grassroots Activists Work to Find Solutions to End Female Genital Mutilation

Recent efforts in Gambia show the success of frontline activists fighting to end female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM is a global human rights’ issue that has affected nearly 200 million women and girls worldwide. Although frontline activists receive little to no funding, their efforts have seen promising results in countries from Kenya to Gambia. Kenya […]

Health Other Issues Violence Against Women

New York, California Legislatures Introduce Bills Banning “Virginity Testing”

Lawmakers in New York and California are considering new legislation that would ban virginity testing—the first such bills in the nation. The two bills were introduced after rapper T.I. said he subjects his 18-year-old daughter Deyjah Harris to an annual gynecological exam to see if her hymen is “still intact.” The practice is condemned by […]

Health Violence Against Women

Despite Recommendations Against the Practice, Unnecessary Pelvic Exams are Still Common

A recent study from JAMA uncovered that although there are clear guidelines against the practice, U.S. doctors continue to perform an estimated 2.6 million unnecessary pelvic exams and pap smears on girls and young women costing nearly $123 million annually. The statistics spark new movements against healthcare practices that harm specifically young women and girls. […]

Climate Change Global Violence Against Women

Gender-Based Violence on the Rise as Climate Crisis Continues

The climate crisis is becoming increasingly linked to violence against women and girls, and gender-based exploitation is rendering attempts to curb the adverse effects of environmental degradation ineffective. There are increasing calls for more intersectionality in governments and institutions’ efforts to combat the climate crisis while centering girls and women in their strategies. Over the […]

Activism Other Issues Violence Against Women

Actor David Schwimmer Says ‘There Was A Lot of Overreacting’ in #MeToo Movement

Actor David Schwimmer said in a recent interview that the #MeToo movement created an atmosphere of “terror” for all men. David Schwimmer credits his social activism with having grown up in a strong female household, citing both his mother-a feminist activist and lawyer-and sister as examples of women who have shaped his perspective. Schwimmer, in […]

Abortion Violence Against Women

Delaware Man Charged after Allegedly Throwing Molotov cocktail at Planned Parenthood Clinic

A Delaware man has been arrested and charged with federal crimes after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at a Delaware Planned Parenthood clinic last Friday night. 18-year-old Samuel James Gulick has been charged with maliciously damaging a building with fire or a destructive device and intentionally damaging a facility that provides reproductive health services. If […]

Courts Violence Against Women

Seattle Man Whose Guns Were Confiscated for Threats Against Women has Guns Returned by Judge

A Seattle man, who made multiple gun violence threats on social media, had his guns returned to him by a judge. Charles Donnelly had his firearms, all legally owned, confiscated in mid-October after multiple threatening social media posts. Several weeks later, he returned to court and testified that the posts were only jokes. His lawyer, […]

Global Violence Against Women

Australian Woman’s Stalker Used an App to Track Her Phone and Control Her Car

An Australian woman’s ex-boyfriend used multiple apps to stalk her, including an app that controlled the functions of her car. The 38-year old man pleaded guilty on charges of stalking his ex-girlfriend, to whom he dated for six months. After police searched his home, they found a notebook tracking his ex-girlfriend’s information, including places she […]

Courts Violence Against Women

Jeffrey Epstein Victim Jennifer Araoz Names More Defendants in Sex Trafficking Ring

Jennifer Araoz, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers, filed a new complaint Tuesday that names multiple women and more than 20 corporate entities she says enabled the wealthy businessman’s sexual assaults of herself and other young women throughout the mid-2000s. The complaint accuses four people of facilitating Epstein’s abuse of Araoz when she was 14 years […]

Global Politics Violence Against Women

Nepal’s Parliament Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara Resigns after Rape Accusation

The speaker of Nepal’s lower house of Parliament, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, stepped down from his position on Tuesday after a parliamentary employee accused him of raping her on Sunday in her own apartment. The lawmaker, Krishna Bahadur Mahara, a prominent figure within the country’s governing Nepal Communist Party, denied assaulting the woman who accused him […]

Activism Media Violence Against Women

Actor Dakota Johnson Launches New Podcast To Share Sexual Assault Stories

Actor Dakota Johnson launched her new podcast, The Left Ear, where she shares sexual assault survivor’s stories. The initiative began when Johnson posted her cell phone number on social media asking followers to leave her voicemails of their sexual assault, harassment, and gender-based inequality stories. Johnson, one year later, has now taken these stories and […]

Global Violence Against Women

19 Women Rescued From Baby Factory in Nigeria

19 Nigerian women were rescued from being trafficked in Lagos, where they were raped, became forcibly pregnant, and had their babies sold. On September 19, police busted a human trafficking hub in Nigeria. They rescued 19 pregnant women, aged between 15 and 28, and four children from four properties in Lagos they described as one […]