“Gender equity must permeate every level of City operations—as leaders, employers, and service providers,” the unparalleled directive reads.
Saudi Women Prepare to Vote for the First Time
Women in Saudi Arabia registered to vote over the weekend, preparing to participate for the first time in local elections this December.
Looking Back: My Experience as a Woman Studying Computer Science at Kabul University
Kabul University has more than 20,000 students from all over the country, all of whom had to pass a tough entrance exam. And I was one of them.
Research Shows Cost of Unsafe Abortions in Developing Countries
Up to 7 million women per year require treatment for complications from unsafe abortions in developing countries, new research shows.
Amnesty Votes on Policy to Decriminalize Sex Work, Sparks Feminist Debate
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women sent an open letter signed by over 400 groups and individuals to Amnesty International asking it to reconsider a policy to decriminalize sex work.
Mexican Court Convicts Five Men to 697 Years in Prison for Femicide
The ruling is being called a “megajuicio,” or mega-judgement, by the Mexican press.
Kenyan Groups Empowering Women Are Also Changing Their Communities
Thanks to three different women’s groups in Kenya, rural villages are prospering.
70 Organizations Are Urging the President to Fund Abortion Care Abroad
The Feminist Majority and over 70 other groups released a letter to President Obama yesterday that calls on him to reinterpret the Helms Amendment and meet with the people running women’s health programs in Africa on an upcoming trip to the continent.
Businesses in the UK Will Now Be Required to Report Differences in Earnings By Gender
United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron announced a measure last week aimed at making the gender pay gap much more visible.
Senate Blocks Global Gag Rule
A bipartisan majority in the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an amendment that repeals the anti-abortion “Global Gag Rule” and restores $600 million in funding for international family planning and reproductive health services. Republican Senator Mark Kirk (IL) and GOP Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) joined Senate Democrats in passing the amendment. The […]
President Assures There Will Be Justice for Farkhunda in Afghanistan Following Outcry by Women’s Rights Leaders
Leaders were outraged last week when the Appeals Court of Afghanistan reversed the death penalties issued in the murder case of Farkhunda, who was killed by an angry mob in March.
Michelle Obama Speaks Out About Girls’ Education Around the World
The First Lady delivered an inspiring speech promoting girls’ education earlier this month at London’s Mulberry School.
Women’s Rights Activists are Suing the Kenyan Government for Reproductive Rights
A woman in Kenya is suing the Kenyan government for failure to provide safe and legal abortions, which caused her daughter – a 15-year-old rape victim – to suffer a kidney failure after undergoing the procedure illegally.
Senate Narrowly Approves of Vote for Fast Tracking the TPP
The Senate voted this morning to advance consideration of trade promotion authority, also known as “fast track” authority, for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), barely getting the 60 votes necessary to continue the bill. The cloture vote, which was needed in order to proceed with a vote on fast track authority for the TPP, was narrowly […]
TPP “Fast Track” Headed Back to the Senate Again
In what has become a procedural roller-coaster, the House voted 218 to 208 yesterday to pass Trade Promotion Authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
China’s Maternal Mortality Rate Has Decreased Dramatically
The National Health and Family Planning Commission released a report this month showing that China’s maternal death rate has dropped by over seventy-five percent in the past twenty-five years.
New Nigerian Law Forbids Bans Genital Mutilation
Despite the progressive action, many say that it will take years for FGM practices to cease due its cultural pervasiveness.
Rana Plaza Victims Will Receive Compensation
After a two-year campaign for compensation for the victims of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, the International Labour Organization has succeeded in securing $30 million in compensation.
Organizations Urge the President to Reinterpret Helms Amendment and Aid Nigerian Refugees
A campaign launched last week in response to more than 200 girls raped and impregnated by Boko Haram members urges President Obama to reinterpret the Helms Amendment to include abortion care.
Groups Hold National Day of Action to Oppose “Fast Tracking” of TPP
Activist groups are hosting a National Call-in Day of Action today, asking individuals across the nation to call their Representatives in the U.S. House and urge them to oppose Trade Promotion Authority, or “Fast Track”, for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a sweeping trade agreement that has raised serious human rights concerns and threatens US jobs. Fast […]