Gender

The current Iranian government is again trying to pass a law that would finally criminalize domestic violence, reviving an unsuccessful draft from five years ago. However, the efforts to finally provide victims, and potential victims, with the protections they deserve are at risk of being undermined due to resistance...

A group of politicians from the bancada evangelica (the evangelical lobby) have declared war on female reproductive rights in Brazil. Among them is Jorge Tadeu Mudalen of the House of Representatives, who recently modified a proposed constitutional amendment (PEC 181) to include a clause that would make abortion illegal...

On Monday April 23rd 2018, the driver of a white van ran over a pedestrian in the streets of Toronto, Canada. Then, the van climbed onto the sidewalk and proceeded to plough over people indiscriminately. The incident ended with 10 victim fatalities and 14 people injured, according to the Toronto Police....

Before taking up their materials, the audience was asked to really look at the models' bodies - to draw what they saw and not to create an idealised version for fear of offending them. This was a space to celebrate the diversity of human bodies....

On 31 March 2018, the world will observe the annual International Transgender Day of Visibility, dedicated to celebrating trans people and raising awareness about discrimination they face worldwide. In binary (male-female) gender systems, trans people include those who have a different gender identity from what they were assigned at birth,...

Despite the conflict present in Libya since 2011, a rapid spread of entrepreneurship and startups among Libyan women has contributed to the effort to rebuild the state in the regions where peace has been established. Among these strong women is a young Libyan lawyer named Hala Bugaighis. Bugaighis co-founded the first...

People fight for social justice in many different ways. Some get involved in communities that are victims of injustice, others go into the street to join a demonstration. What may seem more unusual is fighting for social justice through performing arts, like Justice in Motion Company does. We interviewed...

On a late and cold Sunday evening in Tunis, it was too late to find a café that stays open long enough for two women to settle in for a long talk. When we met Tunisian street artist Sangoura, we went from one café to the next the streets...

Since 28 December 2017, there have been several protests and demonstrations in Iran. They began as opposition protests to the government’s economic policies which favor the richest parts of the population, while the low-middle class, although educated, struggles to make ends meet. Soon thereafter, the protests developed into politically...

Boy, my body is not your home. You are a guest.   These powerful words fill the room of Bowery Poetry Slam on a cold New York Monday evening in February, words of toxic masculinity, female empowerment and the pain of abortion fill the air. How dare you tell...

The field of international development is rife with buzzwords—consider terms like good governance or rights-based—these are terms that are invoked often but offer only a shallow description of the issue at hand. When the United Nations Development Program, for example, states that it promotes good governance, it is not...

It is one of the most enduring taboos of British society. From sex to swearing, decades of progressive liberalisations have given successive generations the social freedom to speak candidly and act expressively. But, curiously, money – and particularly the size of your pay packet – remains a closely guarded...

“There’s an app for that” is an expression you’ve probably heard. Owning a cellphone is almost ubiquitous in this day and age. Unfortunately, it’s also ubiquitous to know someone who has experienced sexual assault or harassment, wherever you are in the world and especially since the #metoo campaign went...

Brazil proudly declares itself the “country of football”, where this sport represents a national passion which moves both minds and hearts. However, this passion is not completely felt by Brazilian women yet. In the country with the highest number of men’s world championships (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002),...

Many migrant women reach Europe with the hope of a better life, only to be subjected to domestic servitude across the continent. While it is not as publicly recognised as sexual exploitation, domestic servitude can trap its victims for years and it is often harder to uncover. What is...