The majority of the nearly 400 asylum seekers that are being deported back to Guatemala under the Trump administration’s controversial deal with the country are women and children. U.S. immigration officials have denied the opportunity to seek asylum of 378 migrants from Honduras and El Salvador as of Tuesday of this week, forcing them to […]
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 […]
Australian Feminist Fanny Finch Finally Being Recognized
Australian feminist trailblazer Fanny Finch received a new memorial at the Castlemaine General Cemetery in central Victoria just a few months before the 163rd anniversary of the day she became the first woman to cast a ballot in Australia. Finch was immortalized in the Melbourne-based newspaper The Argus two days after she cast her vote, […]
Legal Abortion Upper Limit Raised to 24 Weeks in India
The Union Cabinet of India, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 which will raise the upper limit for abortion to 24 weeks from 20. Union minister Prakash Javadekar said that this was passed as “here was the demand from section of women, doctors and […]
U.S. Healthcare Spending Exceeds Most Other Countries According to the OECD
In comparison to the twenty countries that make up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)- Australia, Chile, Germany, and France, just to name a few- the United States is grossly overspending on basic healthcare. While the median country in the OECD spends roughly nine percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on healthcare, […]
New Oxfam Study Shows Women’s Labor is Underpaid and Undervalued
A recent study by international nonprofit Oxfam shows that the state of global economic inequality is out of control. Oxfam highlights the severity of this inequality and the negative impacts it has on women by shining a light on the fact that: the world’s richest 22 men having a greater combined wealth than all of […]
Murder of Activist and Artist Sparks Protests Against Femicide in Ciudad Juárez
Isabel Cabanillas de la Torre, 26-year-old artist and active feminist, was slain on January 18 in the streets of Juárez, Mexico. A week later protesters gathered in the streets to demand justice for her death and bring new attention to Ciudad Juárez’s femicide epidemic that has been allowed to persist for nearly 30 years. Marching […]
New Abstinence Campaign from Bolsonaro Administration Promotes Teen Abstinence
Far-right Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro plans to roll out a new message: don’t have sex before marriage. Damares Alves, the minister of human rights, family, and women for President Bolsonaro said that young people in Brazil “by and large are having sex as a result of social pressure…You can go to a party and have […]
Afghan President: No Gender Apartheid Under My Responsibility
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan reiterated his commitment to women’s rights and human rights. In response to a question on the ongoing talks between the Taliban and the US, he stated that there are some questions that need to be answered, and the top question is gender. […]
New State Department Regulations Could Restrict Pregnant Women’s Ability to Come to the U.S.
A department official from the State Department and a congressional aide reportedly said Wednesday that the U.S. State Department has a plan that could potentially make it more difficult for pregnant women to acquire visas to visit the United States. These impending regulations are presumably the most recent in a string of attempts by the […]
#MeToo Activist Released by Chinese Authorities
After being detained for nearly three months, a Chinese #MeToo activist and journalist, Sophia Huang Xueqin, has been released by authorities in China. Police detained Huang in mid-October of last year in Guangzhou on the vague charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Huang has been a prominent figure in China’s emerging #MeToo movement, which […]
First Woman Appointed to Management Position in the Vatican
This Thursday, Pope Francis named Francesca Di Giovanni the Undersecretary of Multilateral Affairs for the Secretariat of State, an important Vatican office. Di Giovanni will be the first woman to hold a management position in the Roman Catholic Church. Leadership positions in the Vatican are largely male-dominated, in part because many are reserved for priests, […]
Women Lead Protests in India Over Islamophobic Law
Women are leading the charge with protests against India’s new Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which provides a path for citizenship for many “persecuted minorities” – but specifically leaves out Muslims as one of those minorities. People are upset that India, an officially secular nation, is singling out Muslim people and not providing them the same […]
For Afghans the Drive for Education is Stronger than Ever
News from Afghanistan and about the Afghan people is often associated with violence in the western media, especially lately in the U.S. media. News of progress and success is rarely of any interest to the media or often taken with a grain of salt or dismissed as not enough to justify the investments made in […]
Survey: Growing Support for Women’s Education and Employment in Afghanistan
The Asia Foundation’s survey of 2019 shows a growing support for women’s education and their employment in Afghanistan. The survey released on Tuesday shows the progress made in the views of Afghans in regards to women’s rights and their position in public life. The approval and support for women’s education has continued to rise over […]
Afghan Civil Society Highlights Human Rights and Social Justice Issues
Building civil society (non-governmental and non-profit organizations) has been one of the major achievements in Afghanistan in the last 18 years. This flourishing new field gained recognition early on and became influential in addressing issues in the interest of the public. These issues have often included human rights, women’s rights, government accountability, foreign assistance, and […]
All-Male Feminism Panel in Pakistan Receives Backlash
The Arts Council of Pakistan received backlash for its discussion titled “Feminism; The Other Perspective,” which featured an all-male panel. After receiving criticism on social media, the Arts Council of Pakistan changed the name of the discussion, the makeup of the panel, and the graphics promoting the discussion. Originally, “Feminism; The Other Perspective” featured all-male […]
Afghan Saffron in High Demand
In an attempt to replace opium cultivation in Afghanistan, the Afghan government has continued to increase its efforts to replace the deadly plant with saffron cultivation. Saffron cultivation began in Herat, in the western part of the country, and is now being grown in 33 provinces of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan. Farmers are being […]
Taliban Releases Two Kidnapped AUAF Professors in Zabul
The Taliban has freed two Western hostages Tuesday, American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks, after holding them hostage for more than three years, a U.S. official and the prime minister of Pakistan said Tuesday. Kevin King, 63, from the United States, and Timothy Weeks, 50, from Australia, were professors at American University of Afghanistan […]
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 […]