BY Masooma Ranalvi — In a world that is cut off and locked down, where barely any non Covid-19 stories filter in, the news of Sudan announcing a new law to outlaw female genital mutilation is like a breath of fresh air. The new law, passed on May 1, makes FGM a criminal offense with a jail …
BY Lolo Cynthia Ihesie As cities observe a total lockdown in Nigeria to curb the spread of coronavirus, cases of rape and sexual assault are spiking, with about 80 million women and girls trapped with abusers. For too many, the home has become a battlefield for girls and women subjected to gender-based violence. As part …
Shadia Elshiwy leads the charge for reproductive rights and access to reproductive services; she says, "If you want a woman to exercise her right to decide the size of the family she wants, provide her with peace, security, access to health, and keep the children she decides to have alive." Shadia joins Leana Wen (former President …
I met Cecil during a workshop and sharing session on women’s health that I led in rural India; at the end of the workshop, armed with new knowledge, she decided to try to stop the blaming and shaming of the women in her communities for giving birth to girls. For most of Cecil’s life, she …
On August 4, 2013, Mary Omollo (not her real name), a young house help, was frog-marched from her home in Nairobi’s Mathare slums to Muthaiga Police Station. She was accused of procuring an unsafe abortion. Mary was humiliated in the full glare of the media. More importantly, she was kept in custody without any medical …