Afghan women, undeterred by Taliban, secretly network for change
Al Jazeera, 28 Nov 2022
The Taliban promised women’s rights and free speech when they stormed to power. But Afghanistan’s new rulers have gone back on their promises, imposing curbs on women’s movement, introducing dress codes for women, and shutting down high schools for girls – bringing back memories of their repressive rule in the 1990s.
US Environmental Agency Needs a Reproductive Justice Hero
Human Rights Watch , 28 Nov 2022
A letter signed by 28 organizations this week is asking the United States Environmental Protection Agency to establish a reproductive justice expert position within its environmental justice division. The science is piling up on how environmental crises negatively affect reproductive health. The US government needs to include reproductive justice in its response to marginalized communities hit hardest by the climate crisis, air pollution, and other hazards.
Female lawyers want FGM criminalized
The New Dawn Liberia, 28 Nov 2022
Atty. Philomena T. Williams, president of the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia (AFLL), has launched a passionate appeal for lawmakers here to criminalize the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Speaking recently at the third annual convention of the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA), Atty. Williams described FGM as demonic, evil, and wicked. She stressed that AFELL will continue to stand against the practice and fight for the protection of all women, children, and girls.
Thousands march in Spain to demand end of violence against women
Al Jazeera, 25 Nov 2022
Thousands of people took to the streets in Madrid and Barcelona in marches to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Protesters, many wearing purple, marched down the Gran Via in Madrid’s city centre on Friday evening carrying banners and chanting “no is no, anything else is rape”, and “we women are not goods”.
French Lawmakers Back Bill to Enshrine Abortion Rights in Constitution
The New York Times, 24 Nov 2022
French lawmakers on Thursday backed a proposal to enshrine abortion rights in the country’s Constitution, in a move devised as a direct response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer.
Ethiopia: Survivors of sexual violence deserve justice and accountability
Amnesty International , 24 Nov 2022
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the beginning of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, Amnesty International is reiterating its call to mediators in the ongoing peace process on Ethiopia to prioritise justice for survivors, including survivors of sexual violence in the two-year conflict.
Iran: Landmark UN fact-finding mission marks long-awaited turning point in tackling systematic impunity
Amnesty International , 24 Nov 2022
Responding to today’s announcement that the UN Human Rights Council has passed a landmark resolution to establish a fact-finding mission to investigate human rights violations in Iran related to the protests that began on 16 September 2022, especially with respect to women and children, Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General, said: “This important and long overdue step shows that the cries of people in Iran for justice have finally been heard.”
