Stories about Women & Gender
Pakistan to introduce tougher punishment for rape—including chemical castration
The laws address several aspects of the criminal process and include an expansion of the definition of rape, which was welcomed by activists. Other points, however, received mixed reactions.
The greatness of Caribbean writer Jean Rhys
Best known for “Wide Sargasso Sea,” her daring riposte to “Jane Eyre”, Rhys is an integral part of the literary canon. A panel of writers dissects what makes her great.
Moldovans elect their first female president
Maia Sandu has beaten incumbent Igor Dodon to become Moldova's first female president. She promises reform of the judicial system, rapprochement with the EU, and a crackdown on corruption.
Thai LGBTQ+ activists and pro-democracy protesters march together for equality
In Bangkok, LGBTQ activists join ranks with democracy protestors join to demand gender and marriage equality as well as political reforms of the monarchy.
Spain’s official linguistic institution steps back from gender-neutral pronoun
"The RAE is a bit like the Pope: we don't care what they say, but that they say it is half the battle."
The victims of forced sterilizations in Peru continue to demand justice
The violation of the bodies and lives of women sterilized against their will and the delays in delivering justice mark Peru as a perpetrator of human rights violations.
Indian ad featuring Hindu-Muslim family pulled after rightwing backlash
The advert by jewellery brand Tanishq shows a Hindu woman being led by her Muslim mother-in-law to a traditional Hindu baby shower.
For journalists in Kenya, ‘2020 is the worst year on record’
Since the novel coronavirus outbreak in Kenya in March, more than 47 cases of arbitrary arrest, assault and harassment have been perpetrated against bloggers, online activists and human rights defenders.
Australian sexual assault victims blast Tinder dating app's safety practices
"Yet again, women are not believed, and are diminished and devalued. Horrific stories of sexual assault and harassment."
‘A Fearless Song': Guatemalan women protest violence against women through music
"We sing without fear, we ask for justice; we shout for every disappeared woman"
New book tells stories of suffering and resistance from Iran’s female prisons
In "White Torture," Narges Mohammadi interviews 12 female political prisoners—and shares her own experiences in an Iranian jail, where she spent eight and a half years.
A new book honors female resistance during Brazil's 21-year dictatorship
A new book brings together 15 profiles of women who had leading roles in the resistance against the 1964 military dictatorship in Brazil.
In rural Malawi, inadequate health care facilities is a matter of life or death
Malawi's new government under the Tonse Alliance was elected on a range of promises, including the delivery of essential health care in the country.
In Sudan, women and minorities targeted by online harassment lack legal protections
Sudan currently does very little to protect women and other minority groups and communities from harassment, putting their ability to exercise their fundamental rights online at risk.
WhatsApp is the new tool for Venezuelan feminists during the pandemic
Global Voices interviewed the leads of four projects that aim to help women facing violence during the pandemic.
Toward a cyberfeminist future: A new study centers African women as protagonists online
Over 3,000 women from Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Senegal, and South Africa, were interviewed about their "perceptions of digital safety" and online gender-based violence in a new, large-scale study by Pollicy.
Masculinity in my genes/jeans
Manoeuvring the complexities of being a boy or man in Caribbean societies assumes "there was a DNA of maleness already living in us, sometimes waiting to be activated."
Artists from Gabon to Mozambique interrogate the meaning of ‘Global South’ in new online exhibition
The "Global South" is a loaded, highly political term. "Where is South?" a new, online exhibition featuring work from 90 artists who challenge notions of "south" through artist books, launches...
In Turkey, women rise up to stop withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention
The public outcry seems to have made an impression on the AKP—a decision on the Convention that was meant to be announced in August has now been postponed.
In Pakistan, women stage nationwide protest in response to shocking rape incident
The protests' organizers also expressed opposition to public hangings, a call that often resurfaces in Pakistan whenever a rape incident gains media attention.
