Women’s rights and gender equality

AfghanistanCapital punishmentGlobal developmentHuman rightsIslamLawReligionSharia lawSouth and Central AsiaTalibanWomen's rights and gender equalityWorld news

Taliban edict to resume stoning women to death met with horror

Afghan regime’s return to public stoning and flogging is because there is ‘no one to hold them accountable’ for abuses, say activistsThe Taliban’s announcement that it is resuming publicly stoning women to death has been enabled by the international co…

Read More
BollywoodBusinessCultureFilmGlobal developmentIndiaRaceSouth and Central AsiaUnileverWomen's rights and gender equalityWorld news

Unfair & Lovely: the Bollywood film shining a light on dark-skin discrimination

As an Indian judge says change must start at home, a new movie uses humour to examine family prejudice against children with darker complexionsThree months ago, a high court judge in Chhattisgarh, India, hearing a divorce petition by a husband whose wi…

Read More
Global developmentHinduismIndiaIslamophobiaReligionSouth and Central AsiaThe far rightWomenWomen's rights and gender equalityWorld news

Indian women are being told nationalism will empower them. It’s a trick | Pragya Agarwal

Far-right Hindu nationalists are giving women prominence to mobilise others, but regressive patriarchal systems are embedded in their ideologyIt all started in the family WhatsApp group. A member of my extended family posted photos and videos of firewo…

Read More
Global developmentHuman rightsIndiaLawPrisonsRape and sexual assaultSexual violenceSocietySouth and Central AsiaWomenWomen's rights and gender equalityWorld news

‘The staff get hush money’: the hidden scandal of rape in Indian prisons

Female prisoners are ‘supplied’ to male inmates of West Bengal jails, sexual abuse is commonplace and hundreds of children are born in prison. But the women are too scared to speak outWhen Tapas Kumar Bhanja was appointed to investigate conditions in W…

Read More
AfricaAmericasBangladeshBrazilEcuadorGlobal developmentGlobal healthIndiaKenyaLife and styleMenopauseMenstruationSocietySouth and Central AsiaSouth SudanWomenWomen's healthWomen's rights and gender equalityWorld news

‘Me and my menopause’: a view from women around the world

Millions of women are being let down by lack of support during and after menopause. We asked six, from Brazil to Bangladesh, to share their stories of fighting stigma, dealing with symptoms and supporting othersRead more: A menopause revolution is stir…

Read More
DelhiGlobal developmentIndiaRape and sexual assaultSexual violenceSouth and Central AsiaWomen's rights and gender equalityWorld news

Women’s champion Swati Maliwal takes Delhi anti-rape fight nationwide

The campaigner has faced death threats and gone on hunger strike to change laws and bring rapists to justice. She has no plans to stop thereOnce upon a time, Delhi’s Commission for Women was regarded as a toothless, comatose body that few took seriousl…

Read More
BangladeshFashionFashion industryGarment workersGlobal developmentLife and stylePovertySex workSocial exclusionSocietySouth and Central AsiaWomenWomen's rights and gender equalityWorld news

Woman making Christmas jumpers for UK turns to sex work to pay bills

Story of garment worker’s ordeal in Bangladesh, where she works in a factory producing clothes for brands including Tesco, Matalan and Next, shines light on low factory wagesEvery night, Ruby Rafiq* lies awake on the cold, hard floor of her small room,…

Read More
Forced marriageGlobal developmentPakistanSocietySouth and Central AsiaWomenWomen's rights and gender equalityWorld news

‘I’m not a toy’: how an antiquated tradition of forced marriage wrecked one girl’s life

Despite a ban on ‘ghag’ forced marriages, a man laid claim to Inteha when she was 12 years old. Now she lives in fear as her family fights for her right to marry the man of her choiceInteha Bibi’s happiest moment was her engagement last year. Everyone …

Read More
GenderGlobal developmentLGBTQ+ rightsNepalSouth and Central AsiaWomen's rights and gender equalityWorld news

‘We can have a beautiful future now’: Nepal’s first legally married same-sex couple celebrates

After months of legal challenges Maya Gurung and Surendra Pandey registered their marriage, giving hope to other same-sex couples in the south Asian countryThe dancing continued until the early hours. Family and friends – and Suru the dog – gathered in…

Read More
FemicideGlobal developmentKyrgyzstanRape and sexual assaultSexual harassmentSexual violenceSouth and Central AsiaWomen's rights and gender equality

‘Why must we be silent?’: horrific attack in Kyrgyzstan puts focus on violence against women

Case in which man cut off his ex-wife’s nose and ears – while on probation for raping her – causes huge debate in country where femicide and domestic abuse rifeAsel Nogoibaeva sits up in her hospital bed, with her mutilated face hidden behind bandages …

Read More
Access to waterBangladeshCitiesCities and developmentClimate crisisEnvironmentExtreme heatExtreme weatherGlobal developmentSouth and Central AsiaWomen's rights and gender equalityWorld news

‘Only the rich can bear this heat’: how Dhaka is battling extreme weather

As high temperatures hit the poor hardest, climate change may undo years of development gains, says Asia’s first heat officer Set in post-apocalyptic Dhaka, Nuhash Humayun’s Moshari became the first Bangladeshi film to qualify for the Oscars last year….

Read More
AfghanistanGlobal developmentGlobal educationHuman rightsInequalityInequality and developmentLife and styleSocietySouth and Central AsiaTalibanWomenWomen's rights and gender equalityWorld news

Women in Afghanistan are fighting an unequal war. We need your support | Zahra Joya

The Taliban have barred us from the workplace, cut our access to healthcare and closed schools to us. Must we struggle alone?We suddenly all woke in the middle of the night. A piercing cry came from the corner of our room. It was my teenage sister, sob…

Read More
PAGE TOP