World News

Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on unsplash.com The Russian government continues pursuing a restrictive approach of limiting accessibility of safe abortions and reproductive healthcare amid a steep demographic crisis. In light of a demographic crisis caused, among other reasons, by the grave human cost of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities are seeking to promote birth rates by limiting women’s access not only to healthcare services like abortions and proper consultat

Photo by Faruk Tokluoğlu on Pexels.com   Women in Afghanistan are once again at the centre of institutionalised repression, as a new criminal regulation introduced by the Taliban intensifies restrictions over their lives while simultaneously targeting minority groups and dissenting voices. The Criminal Procedure Regulation of the Courts , recently endorsed by Taliban leadership, has indeed been criticised as a deeply regressive framework . Rather than functioning as a neutral

Photo by Liz Martin  on unsplash.com S exual violence has become one of the most severe human rights violations linked to armed conflicts in Ethiopia. Over the past several years, wars and internal fighting in regions such as Oromia, Tigray, and Amhara  have exposed women and girls to rape, sexual slavery, and other forms of gender-based violence. Human rights organizations, journalists, and medical researchers have documented widespread abuses carried out by various armed ac

Photo by Jahra Tasfia Reza on pexels.com   Evidence shows that the mangrove forest managed by women from Enggros village in Indonesia is under threat . As pollution and third-party development expand across the country, mangrove forests in Indonesia's Papua region that sustain indigenous traditions, are shrinking. Mangrove forests are an important part of indigenous traditions in the region. In recent years, the local population has reported a range of changes that are progre

Photo by Timon Cornelissen on pexels.com   The battle over accountability for grave human rights abuses is not confined to conflict zones or authoritarian crackdowns. In The Gambia, the Supreme Court is poised to rule on a constitutional challenge to the 2015 Women’s (Amendment) Act , which criminalises female genital mutilation (FGM).  Female genital mutilation (FGM) involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia, typically performed on young girls withou

Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash.com   On the 17th of December, the European Parliament passed a vote on guaranteeing EU-wide access to abortion. The resolution passed with 358 votes in favour, 202 against and 79 abstentions . The resolution was adopted in response to the European Citizens’ Initiative “My Voice, My Choice”, which was presented to the Commission in October . While the Parliament’s vote is a step forward, it is not decisive, as it has a mere advisory role ; t