After a week of marathon talks in Doha among Afghans, the U.S. Special Envoy for Reconciliation to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, reassured that the U.S. is not “running and cutting” from Afghanistan. Mr. Khalilzad was speaking to an audience at Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security at Georgetown University, via a video link from Qatar. […]
Taliban Car Bomb Shakes Kabul as “Peace” Talks with U.S. Continue
Today, after a relatively peaceful period in Afghanistan, the Taliban detonated a car bomb during morning rush hour in Kabul. The car bomb is said to have rocked the entire city, killing at least 16 people and injuring 105 people, including 51 children and five women. The United Nations, NGOs working in Afghanistan, and the […]
Study Proves that Global Gag Rule Increases Unplanned Pregnancies
The medical journal The Lancet released a study on Thursday examining the impact of the global gag rule, officially known as the Mexico City Policy, on the rate of abortions in sub-Saharan Africa. Researchers discovered that rather than decrease the amount of abortions as anti-choice advocates advertised, the policy increased abortion rates by approximately forty […]
Pakistan will create more than 1,000 Courts Dedicated to Tackling Violence Against Women
On Friday June 21st, Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa announced that Pakistan will set up more than 1,000 courts dedicated to tackling violence against women in the country. Each court will deal specifically with cases of violence against women in the country to cultivate an environment where women can speak up without fear of repercussions. […]
The Safety of Refugee Girls in Lebanon is in Crisis
A recent survey of 400 refugee girls at the age of 10-19 in Lebanon showed that 70% of them feel frighten traveling during the day by themselves, whereas 90% of them reported that they feel unsafe at night. These young girls talked about how men are attacking them, and how they fear being raped. “We’re […]
U.N. Security Council Meeting on Afghanistan “Cautiously” Optimistic
U.N. Security Council on June 19 held a briefing on the situation in Afghanistan. Officials urged for the inclusion of Afghan government in peace negotiations, human rights protection, and a credible and timely presidential election. Tadamichi Yamamoto, U.N. Special Representative to Afghanistan, said that there is reason for “cautious” optimism. During his briefing, Yamamoto, who […]
AWCCI takes win in World Chambers Congress and Competition
The Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI), a group dedicated to highlighting Afghan women entrepreneurs, recently participated in the World Chambers Congress and Competition for the 11th anniversary of the competition held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This competition, held every two years, focuses on entrepreneurship and achievements by businesses in the sector. […]
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Emphasizes the Inclusion of Women in Peace and Security Talks
Last Thursday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing to discuss the importance of women in building a long lasting peace in post-conflict societies, emphasizing women’s role in peace efforts and calling for the inclusion of women in its efforts of conflict resolution overseas. The committee created a goal to ensure that Afghan women […]
Swiss Women Protest Gender Inequality
On Friday, thousands of women took to the streets of Switzerland to protest gender disparities both at home and in the workplace. The protestors marched through some of Switzerland’s largest and most populous cities including Geneva, Zurich, and Bern, as well as smaller towns throughout the country. A large group of demonstrators amassed outside of […]
More Women are becoming Sharia Judges in India
Women are now being trained as “qazis,” or Islamic judges who rule over marriage, divorce, and other relationship issues in India, allowing Indian brides to find justice within the Muslim community. The female qazis, unlike male qazis, listen to both individuals that are involved in the relationship and provide women information regarding their legal rights. […]
US Embassies fly Pride Flag Despite Denial from Trump Administration
Monday, Mike Pence came out in support of the Trump administration’s decision to repudiate U.S. embassies’ for flying the pride flag, making nationalist claims that only one flag can fly, after U.S Embassies in Vienna, India, and South Korea all flew the pride in celebration of the LGBTQ community, despite previous denial from Trump Administration, […]
More than Four Million Flee Venezuela Amidst Economic and Political Crisis
Venezuela’s downward spiral into chaos and the collapsing economy coupled with high levels of violent crime forces more than four million people to leave the country as accused illegitimate president, Nicolas Maduro, moves to crush political opposition. The crisis means that Venezuela is now “one of the single largest population groups displaced from their country”, […]
New Hashtag Re-Ignites the Conversation Around #MeToo in China
The new hashtag of #NoPerfectVictim on China’s popular Twitter-like social media website Weibo sparked conversation this week on rape culture and victim blaming in China. The hashtag emerged from conversation around a resurfaced video – which originally went viral in 2018 — depicting Richard Liu (a CEO and conglomerate) and Jingyao Liu walking consensually into […]
Gay Civil Servant Wins Monumental Court Battle for LGBTQ Rights in Hong Kong
This week, Hong Kong Court of Final Appeals ruled that a gay official and his husband were permitted to spousal benefits and joint tax returns despite that same-sex marriage is still illegal in the city. Senior immigration officer, Angus Leung, sued the government in 2015 after the government refused to grant his husband spousal benefits. […]
Belgium Convicts Man for Sexism
For the first time, a man in Belgium was convicted of sexism and faces a $3,724 fine for breaking a Belgian law that criminalizes sexism in public places. The law was introduced in 2014 and defines sexism as remarks that diminish “someone to his or her sexual dimension” and “express contempt.” The Belgian man told […]
Women Call for Peace amid their Absence in the Peace Talks
Almost 3200 delegates gathered in Kabul from across Afghanistan this week to discuss peace in Afghanistan; nearly 30% of the participants in the grand assembly meeting were women. Women headed 13 committees of the total 51 committees and 28 were elected as committee secretaries. Despite some opposition and pushback from some conservative men, women continued […]
Afghan Women Demand Ceasefire
Hundreds of Afghan women marched throughout the capital city of Kabul on Thursday, demanding a ceasefire from all parties involved in the ongoing conflict with the Taliban.
India Congress Spokesperson Quits Over Male Inappropriate Conduct
Priyanka Chaturvedi, the Congressional Spokesperson for India’s UPCC Party, has resigned from her position. Chaturvedi stated in a message on Twitter that this was a result of misbehavior by workers as well as a lack of regard for her within the party ranks. The UPCC Party recently reinstated multiple workers who Chaturvedi claims “misbehaved” toward […]
Saudi Women Continue Finding Ways to Flee Violence
Once again the world is hearing reports of two women fleeing their home of Saudi Arabia, shedding light on the status of women in the country. The two sisters, Wafa and Maha al-Subaie, have fled Saudi Arabia to seek asylum in the country of Georgia. Saudi Arabian citizens do not need entry visas for Georgia, […]
Court Rules TikTok Video App No Longer Permitted in India
The TikTok App has been removed from Indian Google and Apple Stores this week, as a result of a state court ruling. The app was determined to be exposing children to inappropriate content. The Indian Supreme Court Tuesday allowed for the lower court ruling on blocking Tik Tok downloads to stand. The state court of […]