After the custom of consigning menstruating women to outdoor sheds claimed three more lives, a new system of penalties offers hope of change. Written by Rojita Adhikari The Guardian Chhaupadi, the practice of banishing girls and women to a hut or shed when they have their periods, is common in Dilu Bhandari’s village in Nepal.…
While women’s rights have advanced over the decades, gender inequalities and other fundamental human rights violations within families persist, according to a report released by the UN’s gender empowerment agency. Written by UN Women UN Women’s new report, Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020: Families in a Changing World, shows that families, in all their…
A High Court in Kenya has ruled that women are entitled to inherit land from their father – overruling customary law which dictated that it must be inherited by male relatives. Written by Dominic Kirui Reuters Kapcheboi, Kenya (Thomson Reuters Foundation) — A few months ago, the idea of coming home with a hoe in one hand…
Sisters For Change (SFC) and The Manchester Maya Project warn of institutional racism and sexism in new report that analyses local authority responses and approaches to domestic abuse within the Greater Manchester area. Written by Maya Wolfe-Robinson The Guardian Public authorities in Manchester are failing to uphold the basic human rights of ethnic minority women…
In this report, Unequal Regard, Unequal Protection 2: Spotlight on Manchester, Sisters For Change (SFC), in partnership with The Manchester Maya Project, turns a spotlight on Greater Manchester, examining local authority responses to domestic abuse and documenting the experiences of Black, Asian, minority ethnic and migrant (BME) women victims and the barriers they face in accessing statutory…
Spain’s Supreme Court has ruled that an attack on a teenage woman that shocked Spain was gang rape, rather than an earlier verdict of sexual abuse. Written by BBC News The five men, known as the “wolf pack”, were originally given nine years in jail when they were cleared of rape. But prosecutors appealed to…
International Labour Organization adopts treaty designed to establish global standards on workplace violence and harassment which is being hailed as a “milestone for women’s rights”. Written by Kate Hodal The Guardian Millions of women around the world, from domestic workers to CEOs, could soon be legally protected against sexual harassment and violence in their places…
Deputy grand imam of al-Azhar calls for marriage based on mutual consent with minimum age set at 18. Written by Ruth Maclean The Guardian One of the world’s most prestigious centres of Islamic learning has issued a fatwa against child marriage, saying marriage should be based on the consent of both parties and “particularly the…
Botswana’s high court has voted to decriminalise homosexuality in a landmark ruling. Written by Reuters Johannesburg (Reuters) – Botswana decriminalised homosexuality on Tuesday 11 June, with the high court overturning a colonial-era law that punished gay sex by up to seven years in prison. Same-sex relationships are illegal in more than 70 countries worldwide; almost…
In England and Wales, 32% of all violence reported to police in 2016/2017 was related to domestic abuse. In the year ending March 2018, 1.3 million women reported domestic abuse. Sisters For Change (SFC) welcomes the report of the Joint Committee on the Draft Domestic Abuse Bill (Joint Committee) and urges the Government to adopt…
