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Welcome to the archives of News Deeply’s Women & Girls Hub. While we paused regular publication of the site on January 22, 2018, and transitioned our coverage to Women’s Advancement Deeply, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on the Arctic. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors contributors.
We continue to produce events and special projects while we explore where the on-site journalism goes next. If you’d like to reach us with feedback or ideas for collaboration you can do so at [email protected].
Since the El Wafa center opened to help survivors of sexual violence 15 years ago, women in Mauritania are more willing to come forward, but weak legislation and cultural taboos mean many are still suffering in silence.
Through his holistic approach to treating women who have been subject to sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dr. Denis Mukwege not only heals their wounds, but also helps survivors find the strength they need to fight for justice.
Women & Girls speaks with Lina Abirafeh of the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World and Jordan-based reporter Elspeth Dehnert on recent battles won by campaigners against gender-based violence in the Middle East and North Africa.
Nicaragua’s total ban on abortion puts women and girls’ lives in danger, and forces raped children to have babies of their own. Yet the Central American country recently ranked 10th in the world for gender equality.
Lina Abirafeh Director of Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World, Lebanese American University
Lebanon is the latest country to close a legal loophole allowing rapists to escape punishment by marrying the women they raped. But more work needs to be done on legislating for women’s rights, writes Lina Abirafeh of the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World.
Madhumita Pandey Doctoral Researcher - Criminology, Anglia Ruskin University
Interviews with 100 convicted sex offenders in India, where almost 90 percent of rape cases go unreported, demonstrate that gender norms are deeply internalized.
A collection of testimonials by Cambodian women who survived the brutal Khmer Rouge regime reveals the long-term effects of enslavement, terror and sexual abuse, and gives the women a chance to break their silence about a tragic period of the country’s history.
The “Not Your Body” forum is a space where Ugandan women can recount their experiences of sexual harassment and discrimination. Women & Girls caught up with its founder, Lindsey Kukunda.
Bolivia has the highest rates of sexual violence in Latin America with one in every three women experiencing some kind of sexual abuse before the age of 18. One activist is trying to change that by challenging stereotypes and overturning laws.
Until recently, South Africans faced a limit of 20 years to report sexual offenses committed against them, with the exception of rape. But on June 19, South Africa’s High Court declared the distinction between rape and other sexual offenses invalid and unconstitutional.
The United Nations has documented shocking accounts of sexual violence, including gang rape, against Rohingya women and girls at the hands of Myanmar’s military. News Deeply spoke with a U.N. investigator about what she found when she talked to survivors.
In Uganda’s massive Bidibidi camp, which is home to more than 272,000 South Sudanese refugees, aid workers are trying to identify and help sexual violence survivors – despite a dearth of resources.
With international donors diverting their attention to health services in Sierra Leone, organizations devoted to helping women and children recover from and find justice for abuse face having to close their doors.
Just under 600 asylum seekers are being held at Australia’s detention center on the Pacific island of Nauru. After repeated reports of sexual violence and abuse at the center, two activists spent months compiling evidence through text messages, phone calls and meetings.
During the war that tore apart the Balkan state, many people were victims of sexual assault. Siobhan Hobbs of U.N. Women discusses working with the government to help the survivors find redress for their ordeal.
According to women’s rights groups, the conflict in east Ukraine has triggered a rise in gender-based violence. In a country where sexual abuse is rarely reported, the Facebook campaign #Iamnotscaredtospeak gives silent victims a voice.
Sexual violence against girls and young women is a common and widely accepted part of life in Malawi. With its self-defense classes for schoolchildren, the charity Ujamaa gives girls the confidence to say no – and the skills to back it up.
With his popular TV talk show, Jaafar Abdul Karim brings controversial topics into the homes of millions of young Arabs every week. The younger generation can change attitudes towards women, he says, but only if the media leads the way.
Menstruation has serious physical and psychological consequences, particularly for girls and women in low-resource settings. But squeamishness around the issue means potential solutions are being overlooked.
The trafficking of young women is on the rise in India, but poor documentation, corruption and discrimination mean the crime is largely ignored.
Tracy Ndovi Member of Survivors Speak OUT
Ahead of the U.N.’s International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on June 26, Tracy Ndovi from Survivors Speak OUT says more should be done to support the survivors forced to make desperate journeys to safety.
Gayatri Parameswaran is part of a group of young Indian journalists and experts bringing sex advice to the country’s 520 million Hindi-speakers with Love Matters, the first website of its kind.
Brazil has one of the world’s highest rates of sexual violence – but little national acceptance of its machismo culture. The use of social media is giving women and girls the courage to demand change.
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