This week, France’s Secretary of State for Equality Between Women and Men, Marlène Schiappa, announced a plan to address the increased risk of domestic violence during the COVID-19 crisis. Schiappa pledged to provide 20,000 hotel bookings for victims of domestic violence, send 1 million euros to organizations specializing in domestic violence relief, and establish assistance […]
UN Report: Women Face Barriers When Consenting to Sex, Accessing Healthcare
According to the United Nations, only around half of the world’s women are able to make their own decisions regarding sexual consent and healthcare, limiting gender equality for millions. A study by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reported that women’s rights are actually on the decline in some countries, and one in four women […]
Taliban Increases Attacks on Afghan Security
Amidst a rising number of COVID-19 cases as well as the ongoing so-called peace talks, the Taliban has further intensified their attacks across Afghanistan. Last week alone, the Taliban launched 300 attacks against the Afghan government and civilians, inflicting heavy casualties. The Afghan government has responded to the attacks, inflicting heavy casualties on the Taliban […]
UK Government Permits Medication Abortions at Home During Coronavirus Lockdown
The United Kingdom government announced that it will allow patients to perform medication abortions at home during the national coronavirus lockdown. The decision follows a week of confusion over abortion access in the UK after the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) issued and then hours later rescinded its initial order to allow home […]
Report: Autocratization Surging Worldwide, Alongside Resistance
According to a new report by Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem), autocratization is on the rise worldwide, alongside anti-autocratic resistance. V-Dem’s Democracy Report 2020, which compiled 123,118 datasets with the help of three thousand country experts, notes an unprecedented global decline in democratic traits. For the first time since 2001, democracies no longer constitute the majority […]
Benny Gantz Elected Israeli Speaker, Handing Power Back to Netanyahu
After a year of political deadlock in Israel, Benny Gantz was elected Speaker of the Israeli Parliament and expressed his desire to form an emergency national government. Gantz is set to serve in a Netanyahu-led government, Gantz’s main political rival. Gantz’s backing will now almost certainly allow the indicted prime minister to continue in his […]
COVID-19 Activates Debate on Abortion Access Around the World
Globally, federal and local governments have adjusted abortion policies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, citing shortage of medical supplies and stay-at-home orders as rationale for restriction. The government of the United Kingdom generated confusion among abortion providers, when a government website announced that patients would be allowed to access early medical abortion from home, […]
The Great Barrier Reef Suffers Most Widespread Bleaching Yet
According to the American scientist monitoring global coral reefs, Australia’s Great Barrier Reef just underwent its third mass bleaching in the past five years. It appears that this is the reef’s most widespread bleaching on record. This bleaching is extremely concerning since the past two that took place in 2016 and 2017 devastated half of […]
New Laws in Northern Ireland Feature Abortion Stipulations in Wake of Decriminalization
Under new laws to soon be in effect, abortions will be allowed to take place up to 12 weeks “without conditionality” in Northern Ireland. Abortions after 12 weeks will be allowed only under certain circumstances, and the new laws stipulate that in cases of fatal foetal abnormalities there is no time limit for a person […]
Afghan Woman Mayor Survives Attack
Updated 3/25/20 @ 12:46pm The mayor of Maidan Shar, a city some 28 miles in the southern outskirts of Kabul, was attacked by four armed men, believed to be members of the Taliban. The armed men opened fire at her car while she was on her way home last Sunday. Mayor Zarifa Ghafari was recently […]
Despite a Peace Deal, Taliban Kills Numerous Afghan Security Personnel
Amidst the efforts of peace negotiations, Taliban members have accelerated their attacks on Afghan government targets as well as Afghan civilians. In a major blow today, the Taliban targeted an Afghan army base in the southern part of Afghanistan, Zabul province, and killed between 17-25 members of the Afghan army and police. The details of […]
New Zealand Decriminalizes Abortion
On Wednesday, March 18, New Zealand lawmakers voted on and passed a bill that treats abortion as health care and not as a crime, with a vote of 68 to 51. In Nick Perry’s Associated Press release published by ABC news, Margaret Sparrow, 84-year-old doctor and advocate for reproductive rights, said that, “it’s been a […]
Richest 10% Using 20 Times More Energy than Bottom 10% of the Global Population
An international study led by researchers from the University of Leeds studied global energy inequality of income classes from 86 countries. The study concluded that the richest ten percent of people consume nearly 20 times more energy than the bottom ten percent. The researchers combined World Bank and European Union data to analyze how diverse […]
U.N. Report Shows Increase in Sexual Misconduct Claims
A United Nations report released on Friday showed that accusations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) rose significantly in 2019. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that, despite progress and policies in place to prevent sexual misconduct, “significant challenges” persist. In 2019, there were 80 allegations of SEA in U.N. peacekeeping and political missions, an uptick from […]
French Priest Confesses to Abusing Dozens of Children
Earlier today Bernard Preynat, a 75-year-old ex-priest, was convicted and sentenced to prison for five years for sexual assault. Preynat admitted to abusing dozens of boys for nearly 20 years in Lyon, France. The case highlights the profound corruption within the Church’s establishments with the guilt of a top cardinal deepening the world’s understanding of […]
Women Resist, but Continue to Suffer Under Boko Haram
Over 500 women have been used by Boko Haram as suicide bombers during the decade-long war that has occurred in Nigeria and has spread to three neighboring countries. According to terrorism experts, this number is higher than any other conflict in history. Boko Haram is one of the most lethal terrorist organizations on the planet, […]
Canada Proposes Comprehensive Nationwide Conversion Therapy Ban
In a landmark move, Canada’s federal government has proposed legislation to criminalize forced conversion therapy for LGBTQ people. The legislation would also prohibit conversion therapy for minors. “Conversion therapy” is a range of abusive practices performed to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. These practices, based on the antiquated idea that […]
UN Commission on the Status of Women Reaffirms Plan to Achieve Gender Equality
On March 9, the Commission on the Status of Women, the primary United Nations body promoting women’s rights, reaffirmed a 1995 plan to achieve gender equality and has pledged to work rapidly to meet rising levels of gender inequality and conservative hostility. According to a release from the Associated Press, the plan is a “political […]
Hillary Clinton: Abandoning Afghan Women’s Rights is Not Just Morally Wrong – It Is Dangerous
At a UN meeting on the recent deal between the U.S. and the Taliban about the role of Afghan women’s rights today in New York, Secretary Hillary Clinton emphasized that “encouraging women’s participation is not only the right thing to do; it is the strategic and necessary thing to do for peace, prosperity and security.” […]
UN Secretary-General Points to Gender Equality as Biggest Challenge
On Friday, before the observation of International Women’s Day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asserted that gender equality is “the biggest human rights challenge we face” in the midst of men who abuse their power. Guterres added that he himself is a “proud feminist.” A report by UN Women found that millions of women across the […]