Stories about Women & Gender from December, 2020
Argentina closes 2020 with historic Senate vote legalizing abortion
"I’ve woken up to see Argentina more free and feminist. No one will ever be forced to give birth again. Argentina is safer for all women."
2020 round-up: COVID-19 in South Asia
The COVID-19 pandemic swamped our coverage in the past 12 months as we highlighted the challenges people faced and the fight against the coronavirus across the region.
Saudi court slams internationally criticized jail term for iconic female activist
Hathloul, a symbol of Saudi political prisoners, was sentenced after a three-year pre-trial detention and a rushed trial that overlooked her claim of being tortured, drawing global outcry against Riyadh.
From COVID-19 to Caribbean literature, this is what the region looked like in 2020
COVID-19 was at the top of the news cycle this year. In the Caribbean, the pandemic exacerbated already existing issues, but also allowed regional netizens to reimagine their collective future.
Trinidadian comedian uses humour to say gender-based violence isn't funny
By turning men's harassment of women on its head, comedian Simmy De Trini illustrates just how incongruous gender-based violence is with a progressive society.
‘It’s not just a joke!’ Nigerian comedians unite against rape culture
"We have to stop turning survivors of sexual and gender-based violence into collateral damage, just for laughs. Because rape is not a joke…This has to stop. Now!"
Calls to legislate ‘private hire’ vehicles and stop victim-blaming as another woman is murdered in Trinidad & Tobago
Ashanti Riley was last seen getting into a Private Hire (PH) car, but she never arrived at her destination.
‘Godmother’ of Caribbean literature, Marina Salandy-Brown, made honorary fellow of Royal Society of Literature
“We've always been writing in the Caribbean, but no one had really created a space (at home) with the power to [connect] regional writers to the international publishing industry."
Nepal's Sapana Roka Magar, who provides Hindu funeral rites for unclaimed bodies, listed in BBC's 100 Women of 2020
With COVID-19 disproportionally affecting homeless people in Nepalese cities, Sapana's work became vital to this vulnerable population, who are so often deprived of dignified funerals.
Tanzania launches mobile app to help victims report gender-based violence
The Taarifa (Information) mobile app will allow GBV victims to report their cases and access critical information. During the pandemic, reports of GBV decreased by 30% in Tanzania.
‘Don't come back, or you will disappear': Uyghur mother pleads with her daughter abroad
Global Voices interviewed Mehbube Abla, a 38-year-old Uyghur activist living in Austria since 2004. All the members of her family who stayed in Xinjiang are in prison.
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.
Court ruling gives Trinidad & Tobago green light to deport a Venezuelan minor
After a group of Venezuelans was deported, and then returned to Trinidad under court order, another High Court judge has ruled the state has the right to apply domestic law.
