Gender

For the first time, this year’s World Oceans Day gave an opportunity to explore the gender dimension of humankind’s relationship with the ocean. A concerted action towards gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is still needed in all ocean-related sectors to achieve gender...

The 2017 resurgence of the #MeToo movement has once again sparked a global dialogue about how rape culture affects victims all over the world. It’s not hard to see why, statistics about sexual violence on college campuses, in the workplace, in the home, and even in...

Previously confined to some African countries, a harmful practice that aims to delays girls’ breast formation is now spreading to the UK.  Breast ironing, or breast flattening, involves the use of heated objects such as stones and hammers to pound and massage pubescent girls’ breasts so...

Warning: this article contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse and torture. Relevant sections are marked and can be skipped by sensitive readers. “I was 24 years old, it was a long time ago. But I can tell you I continue suffering from the result of my...

I am joining this conversation not just as an African woman but also as a professional in the women’s rights space. I join those that argue that in the last years we have witnessed an unprecedented political debate on issues concerning women. Numerous articles on the...

“Endo what?”, she said. This is a common response of those who have never encountered this disease.  Pronounced en-do-me-tri-osis, it is one of the most complex and least understood diseases within the medical field, often resulting in numerous misdiagnoses. This disease only affects women. More than...

Fashion has always played a significant role in human life as an instrument of society, a manifestation of social and economic structures. It is a language that has the most recognizable sound; crafted on the bone and decorated on the skin – mostly on women.  ...

When Florence Njiraini’s husband gifted her 1,500 coffee plants on the slopes of Mt. Kenya years ago, she knew almost nothing about farming. In some countries, traditionally, cash crops are considered men’s crops, whereas the food crops are for the women. Determined to make her plot...

I will not submit to exhaustion. I will not become accustomed to sadness. My heart seeks a window for hope, Two wings to fly, and a lifetime of freedom. I want my hours spent awake to be as sweet as my dreams. A woman shouldn’t have...

The Brazilian president-elect Jair Bolsonaro is well known for his controversial phrases regarding women and other minorities. In an interview to RedeTV in 2016, Bolsonaro said that he believed women should be paid less because they get pregnant. News portal G1 has reported on how he...

“I won’t fight it or discriminate against it, but if I see two men kissing on the street, I’ll hit them”, this was the response that Bolsonaro had during an interview with Folha de São Paulo in 2002. The newly elected President has held anti-LGBTQ+ stances...

My child was born 20 weeks ago. Rafael Marley Rounseville Molano came to this world with his right fist up, on an early morning after 26 hours of contractions and a natural birth. 80% of the men in the world will become fathers in their lifetime,...

*names have been changed for security reasons.  Sarah Adam, a Sudanese LGBT+ activist and filmmaker, was sitting in a public café in Khartoum, Sudan, when she got a call from Tunis. “We won third prize!”, her colleague shouted through the phone. “I went crazy”, she remembers...

11 October 2018 marked the annual International Day of the Girl Child, a UN day carrying a reminder to renew our commitment to support every girl and non-binary child to develop their skills, enter the workforce on equal terms and reach their full potential. As well...

In its 14th edition, Rwanda Film Festival has over the years toured the beautiful countryside of the country while showing local and international stories to people who do not necessarily have access to cinema. In a country with more than 12 million people with only one...