I grew up in Chile during a military dictatorship, and it was women who organized the neighborhood spaces of resistance through “common pots” where people would cook together to fight hunger while also forming political spaces. That said, we have to be optimistic about the power of people’s voices. In 2024, when people in US states got measuresto protect women’s abortion rights on election ballots, most were successful. In Mexico, states have been progressively decriminalizing abortion both through the courts and legislature, and last year its largest state, the State of Mexico, followed suit. Mexico also passed a constitutional amendment to guarantee equal payment and gender parity in federal and state government positions. Call on all parties to meet their obligations to prevent violence against women and girls during emergencies, and protect access to essential services that meet the needs of survivors.
Interview: Women’s Rights Under Trump
The Taliban continued to arbitrarily arrest media workers in 2024, usually detaining them for several days. On May 4, they arrested a journalist in Parwan province on allegations of sharing information with the Afghan diaspora media. On February 17, Mansoor Nekmal, the editor in chief of Khaama Press, was detained in relation to a report on the enforcement of the hijab decree in Kabul. On February 10, Saifullah Karimi, a Pajhwok News Agency journalist, was detained after requesting an interview with a Taliban official about the protests by restaurant and hotel owners over tax increases. On January 18, Jawad Rasouli and Abdul Haq Hamidi from Gardesh-e Etilat News Center were arrested and then released; on January 17, Ehsan Akbari was arrested in Kabul and released on January 25.
End sexual violence in conflict
Bans on secondary and university education for girls and women have also meant a shortage of women healthcare workers. Yes, things look bad higher up the political ladder from the perspective of women’s participation. In the United States, less than 30 percent of the members of congress are women. Women’s participation in local communities is the basis for making changes at national and international levels, too. After Roe vs. Wade fell in the United States, women began organizing on a state-by-state basis to protect their rights. In many parts of the world, including the United States, grassroots movements and city-specific organizations are likely to have more female participation.
And I hope that human rights activists and other opponents of authoritarianism understand that the fight for women’s rights is the fight for democracy. The Trump administration could greatly impact the rights of women in the workplace. Under President Barack Obama, companies were ordered to provide salary data on gender and race pay gaps, but Trump tried to roll back this policy. Worksite immigration enforcement actions that took place under the previous Trump administration had tremendous impacts on the rights of undocumented women and their families and caused many to fear speaking out against workplace abuses. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could create more obstacles or bureaucracy to access abortion pills, like mifepristone, or even contraception. Anti-abortion groups have been trying to restrict access to mifepristone, a safe and effective drug used for medication abortion, through the courts.
- Which means they will also miss solutions to problems suffered primarily by those left out.
- Taliban authorities carried out corporal punishments, including public floggings of at least 147 men, 28 women, and four boys.
- The slew of arrests mark yet another continuation of the Taliban’s relentless attack on women’s autonomy, causing fear and intimidation for women and girls across Afghanistan.
- Detainees also lacked access to lawyers; in most cases even their family members were not allowed to visit them.
- It gives me hope that we have a connected community of women in solidarity with each other.
Plastics Reform, Regulation Urged by Los Angeles Reproductive Justice Group
- Trump has indicated that he would like to eliminate the Department of Education, which issues guidance on how anti-discrimination laws apply to groups of students, including girls, LGBT students, and racial minorities.
- To achieve this, health systems must prioritize women’s and girls’ health needs and their full participation in the workforce.
- But Trump could appoint a new head of the FDA, even though the current commissioner should stay in place until 2026.
- Under the law, women and girls are required to cover their faces in public and are prohibited from singing in public or letting their voices be heard outside the house.
There are countries that lifted restrictions on women’s rights and have moved—albeit slowly—towards gender equality. You have Poland, where the new government that came to power in December 2023 stopped the previous administration’s trend of creating obstacles to abortion access. The country also expanded its rape law to recognize that sex without consent is rape. Previously, women and girls had to prove they resisted or fought their rapist.
We will keep our antennas up and will be ready to surface things that may not be obvious to the general public. As the saying goes, “the devil is in the details,” and we will focus on those. We will hold the US government accountable just as we do with all governments everywhere. Without diverse perspectives on how a country is rebuilt, you miss some of the most complex problems because the people making decisions don’t experience them. So, if only men are in the room, the experience of half of the population may be ignored. Which means they will also miss solutions to problems suffered primarily by those left out.
The Taliban curtailed freedom of expression and the media and arbitrarily detained and tortured journalists and other critics. In September, they banned live broadcasts of political programs, criticism of the group, and limited interviews to individuals from a pre-approved list. UNAMA also received reports that individuals who were forced to return to Afghanistan from Pakistan were also subjected to torture, mistreatment, and other forms of harm. Taliban authorities carried out corporal punishments, including public floggings of at least 147 men, 28 women, and four boys.
But it also highlights the subtle ways women and girls resist in day-to-day life, bargaining with patriarchy, and claiming some agency and ownership. As the world marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on Women – a landmark blueprint for gender equality – progress remains frustratingly slow. If we are to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we must place women at the centre of global health transformation.
For example, Black women are much more likely to die from preventable causes like cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine is essential to preventing cervical cancer, but racism, poverty, and inequality create barriers to information and access to this vaccine, as well as treatments for this condition. Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services has a record of spreading misinformation about vaccines.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban has doubled down on their attack against women and girls. They’ve gone so far as to even order windows be blocked if women could be seen from the outside. The Taliban has segregated women and girls at a level without precedent in modern history.
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Syrian women have been very active in opposing the Assad regime’s repression and politically organized. Syria’s new authorities and the world leaders engaging with them should ensure women fully participate in all discussions on justice, accountability, and the rebuilding of Syria. The same obligation applies in Bangladesh, where an interim government charts a path forward following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s repressive government last August. Women in Bangladesh must also be full participants in decision making. One continues to be women’s participation in decision making, including in peace and security processes. Every country that cares about women, girls, and their rights should do more to stand with Afghan women, including supporting their call for the creation of an international crime of gender apartheid.
Gender equality has long been framed as a threat to traditional families. Trump has indicated that he would like to eliminate the Department of Education, which issues guidance on how anti-discrimination laws apply to groups of students, including girls, LGBT students, and racial minorities. While it would take an act of Congress to eliminate the Education Department, Trump could take action that would increase the likelihood that children receive biased or no education about gender equality.
Attacks on Civilians
Women and girls are also in charge of domestic work, both poorly paid and unpaid. It’s unpaid or low-paid work that someone has to do so that someone else can provide for the country’s economy. This has a particular impact on women and girls from already marginalized communities, including women with disabilities. They not only sometimes require support to carry out daily activities but are also providers of support and care for others. Violence against women happens in every country and culture, causing harm to millions of women and girls. Risks and challenges to access care increase even more for women and girls living in humanitarian emergencies.
Around the world, women’s rights activists are more organized and coordinated than ever. We’re women and wine drinking limits using every space possible not only to change legislation but also to make communities understand the dangers that come with restricting women’s access to health care. In this US election, 10 states had ballot measures related to abortion.
Afghanistan
On January 6, ISKP claimed responsibility for an attack on a passenger bus in the in Dasht-e Barchi area, a predominantly Hazara neighborhood in Kabul, that killed at least 5 and wounded 20 people.
