Gender and Feminisms
Feminists Protests in Chile
With cacerolazos (pots and pans protest), canvases, protest signs and panflets handed out by the subway exit Chile protested today against the the city of Temuco’s court, which only ruled house arrest for Martín Pradenas, who is indicted for sexual abuse and the rape of five women. “It’s been years… »
Why women’s rights and digital rights go hand-in-hand on Namibian Twitter
Activists wage a fight for abortion rights on Twitter In Namibia, amid the fourth wave of feminist uprisings in the technology age, activists flocked to social media platforms like Twitter to organize an online campaign to legalize abortion. As part of the campaign, feminist activists launched and disseminated an … »
Put Gender Equality at the Heart of the Post-COVID-19 Economic Recovery
By Valeria Esquivel Valeria Esquivel is Senior Employment Policies and Gender Officer, Employment, Labour Markets and Youth Branch, International Labour Organization (ILO) The pandemic is disproportionately affecting women workers. Governments should prioritize policies that offset the effects the COVID-19 crisis is having on their jobs. »
Egypt: Survivors of sexual violence and online abuse among prosecuted women TikTok influencers
The Egyptian authorities must immediately put an end to their crackdown on women TikTok influencers prosecuted on absurd charges of “indecency” and “violating family principles and values”, Amnesty International said today. Women who reported sexual assault, violations of their right to privacy and online abuse are among social media influencers… »
Belarus protests: Women line the streets of Minsk to protest Lukashenko’s crackdown
Brutal police crackdowns in Belarus prompted hundreds of women to protest in Minsk. France’s Emmanuel Macron raised the issue of “violence” with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. The UN has joined the chorus of disapproval. Hundreds of women took to the streets of Minsk on Wednesday to vent their anger at a crackdown enforced by… »
Poland Punishes LGBT Rights Activist with Pretrial Detention
Authorities Should Release Margot Szutowicz in Line with Calls by European Parliament and Council of Europe Warsaw police have arrested a nonbinary activist, Margot Szutowicz, who has been placed in pretrial detention, in the latest example of Polish authorities’ anti-LGBT actions. Forty-eight other people, from a crowd of LGBT rights… »
A Queer Cry for Freedom: Meet the LGBTQ Palestinians Demanding Liberation
It happened all at once, without any coordination. Suddenly, all 150 protesters were on the street — lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, queers, and their allies. All proudly Palestinian, marching from Haifa’s German Colony to the Baha’i Gardens. “A queer cry for freedom,” they chanted. Courageous and beautiful, the demonstration, which… »
‘Heart-Breaking’ Accounts of Women Detained in DPRK
By Jaya Ramachandran A new UN report says that women forcibly returned to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) are subjected to torture, ill treatment, sexual abuse, and other violations. The report published by the UN Human Rights office (OHCHR) on July 28… »
UN Gathering To Call for Robust and Urgent Actions to Advance Gender Equality
By Caroline Mwanga Twenty-five years after its adoption the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, member states and observers, civil society organizations, gender equality leaders, CEOs, and heads of academia will gather virtually on July 21 in a multi-stakeholder hearing. The purpose is to bolster priority actions at the global… »
The state of LGBTQ+ rights in India: An interview with Supreme Court Advocate Saurabh Kirpal
“There is, however, a very long way to go” On September 6, 2018, India’s Supreme Court ruled that consensual homosexual acts would no longer constitute a crime. The historic move reversed Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which was a legacy from British colonial rule. The change… »