Stories about Women & Gender from February, 2016
Body-Policing and Identity Politics Bog Down Trinidad Gymnasts’ Olympic Dreams
"So many countries celebrate an athlete's body. In my country, a female athlete could be shamed and disciplined for showing hers."
Is Japan Having Sex?
How much sex are Japanese people having, anyway, and could having more sex help Japan improve its declining birth rate?
Sexual Violence a Crime Against Humanity, Guatemalan Court Rules in Historic Verdict
In a historic ruling, a Guatemala court sentences former military men for murder, rape and enslavement of indigenous women, categorizing the offenses as crimes against humanity.
‘Little Teresa’ Helps São Paulo Women Fight Drought and Male Domination—With Rain Barrels
Brazil's largest city is coming out of a drought, but its impact wasn't all bad. One woman saw it as an opportunity to empower women and bring her community together.
Young Women in Kosovo Are Writing Code to Fight Harassment
Developers of a new app, Walk Freely, hope it will help solve Kosovo’s sexual harassment problem.
Efforts Continue to Free Indigenous Activist and Ex-Director of Community Police in Mexico
Thirty months after Nestora Salgado's arrest, efforts to free her continue. The charges against her haven't been dropped even though international bodies have recognized her detention is illegal and arbitrary.
UN Human Rights Official Pulls No Punches in Assessment of Hungary
After a nine-day visit, UN Special Rapporteur Michel Forst highlighted the disheartening conditions human rights activists face in Hungary.
Homophobia Mars a Chechen Model’s Dream
Many models dream of scoring a photoshoot for Dolce & Gabbana. 17-year-old Ilona Bisultanova's dream came true last month, but what followed online wasn't entirely beautiful.
Aqeela Asifi: A Teacher in Exile Continues the Struggle
Imagine teaching for 23 years in a small Afghan refugee camp, and then, one day, learning that Stephen Hawking himself has lauded you and your work
Swasthani Vrata Katha in Photos: Nepal’s Month-Long Festival of Fasting and Praying for Spouses’ Well-Being
The ritual is said to have started after King Himalaya’s daughter Parvati, the Hindu goddess of love, fertility and devotion, spent a month fasting and praying to the goddess Swasthani.
Love in the Time of Zika
An interview with Salvadoran reproductive rights activist Sara García. In El Salvador, abortion is defined by law as a criminal act, without exception.
Online Documentary Preserves Oral History Surrounding 1950s Yugoslav Anti-Veil Law
The law was adopted "... to achieve the goal of removing the century-old sign of subjugation and backwardness of of Muslim women..."
Colombia Introduces Harsher Prison Sentences for Acid Attacks
Every year, an average of 100 people suffer an acid attack in Colombia, where recently a law was passed to tough sentences and take judicial benefits away from the perpetrators.
It's Finally Official: Port of Spain's Mayor Resigns Over His Victim-Blaming Remarks
"Some of these old dogmatic doctrines of […] rural Trinidad and, and the Trinidadian society of the 50s and the 60s are no longer relevant in a modern world."
Three Important Hashtags Muslim Women Used to Battle Islamophobia and Sexism
Increasingly, Muslim women are turning to Twitter to take on people who use them as pawns to justify misogyny, racism, imperialism, and militarism.
Remember When the Mayor of Port of Spain Promised to Resign for Victim-Shaming a Murdered Woman? He Doesn’t.
Port of Spain's mayor promised to step down after blaming a woman's murder on her choice to wear a bikini. Then he un-promised, refusing to leave office.
In Trinidad and Tobago, Violence Has Been ‘Normal Normal’ For Way Too Long
In Trinidad and Tobago people have come—at their peril—to accept that violence is a part of life. But maybe it's time to push back against this idea?
Citizens Protest Against Trinidad Mayor's ‘Vulgar’ Victim-Blaming Statements
"Clothing does not cause violence. Dark streets do not cause violence. Walking alone at night does not cause violence."
This Valentine's Day, a Crash Course in Thinking Critically About Love
Could Valentine's Day be a good date to think critically about love and its relationship with politics, social conventions, or even violence against women?
The Daughters of Violence Fight Back Against Street Harassment in Mexico with Art
Three Mexican girls are fighting back against street sexual harassment that victimises women, with wit and punk rock.
Salvadoran Women Respond to Violence with Community Service, Music, and Individual Efforts
Communal work initiatives created by women for women, musical education in female juvenile prisons, and individual actions have been some of the ways in which Salvadoran women have combated violence.
