Gender Violence

Women and Girls’ Death Toll in Armed Conflict Doubles since 2021

By UN Women
More than 37,000 civilians were killed in conflict last year. Women and girls accounted for one in four of these deaths – double their proportion in 2021 – according to the 2026 UN Secretary-General’s report on Women, Peace, and Security, released today.

Why Dowry Still Dictating Women’s Fate?

By Shahiduzzaman
Dowry is still persisting in society in one form or another. This deeply entrenched social practice continues deepen household poverty and cause violence against women. The question is no longer whether Bangladesh has a law against dowry. It does. The more uncomfortable question is why the law has failed to make dowry socially unacceptable and practically difficult to demand. The Dowry Prohibition Act 2018 makes the demand for dowry a criminal offence. Direct or indirect demands can result in one to five years' imprisonment, a fine of up to Tk 50,000, or both. Giving, taking or assisting in the giving or taking of dowry is also punishable. The law even makes dowry-related agreements void. Yet, the existence of legislation has not eliminated the practice. Instead, dowry has increasingly adapted itself to modern economic and social realities.

From 44 Countries, One Shared Commitment: A Child Marriage-Free World

By Kizito Makoye
The message from Just Rights for Children (JRC) was clear: protecting children must take precedence over customs used to justify their marriage.

Afghan Women Defy Taliban Restrictions Through Online Protests

Afghan women have resorted to online protests as their only available recourse, even though the risks of being caught are high and carry enormous consequences.

Afghanistan’s Stolen Peace: The Women Who Refuse to Be Silenced

By Sania Farooqui
When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, Zahra Nader was pursuing a doctorate in Women and Gender studies at York University in Canada. Nader had planned to return to Afghanistan to continue her research, possibly teach at Kabul University, and continue exploring Afghan women's role in political history.

Navi Pillay’s Nobel Peace Prize Is a Vote of Confidence in a Global Legal Order under Fire

By Frans Viljoen
The awarding of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to distinguished South African jurist and international judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay is about more than just the recognition of an exceptional individual in the global fight for justice.

Tanzania’s Biggest City Bets on Elevated Bridge to Dodge Chronic Flooding

By Kizito Makoye
Each morning on her way to Kariakoo, Clementina Nyangwine looks out of her commuter bus as it crawls through Jangwani and watches giant foundation piles rising above the muddy Msimbazi valley.

Nearly 50,000 Women and Girls Killed or Severely Injured in Gaza in Three Years of War – One in 21 Gazan Women and Girls

By UN Women
Since October 2023, 50,000 women and girls in Gaza have been killed or seriously injured.
    • UN Women estimates that nearly 50,000 women and girls in Gaza have been killed or severely injured since the onset of war in October 2023 [1], amounting to one in 21 Gazan women and girls losing their life or living with lifelong disabilities [2].

Strategic Blindness at UNGA 81: “Super Intelligence” and “Killer Robots” Take Center Stage as Women’s Rights Take a Back Seat

By Shihana Mohamed
“Artificial intelligence (AI) must be shaped by humanity, with humanity, and for all humanity... Life-and-death decisions must never be surrendered to machines. Killer robots must have no place in our future.”

Nepal’s Devastating Floods Have Put Women and Girls at Greater Risk

By Oritro Karim
On August 26, 2026, deadly flash floods and landslides ripped through Himalayan towns and villages along Nepal and Tibet’s border, devastating communities. The United Nations estimates that in Nepal’s worst-affected districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot, 157,050 women and girls are directly or indirectly impacted.

IRAQ: ‘Art Is the Only Weapon That Doesn’t Hurt or Kill’

By CIVICUS

 
CIVICUS discusses public art, gender-based violence and censorship in Iraqi Kurdistan with Tara Abdullah, a multidisciplinary visual artist from Sulaymaniyah who is currently based in Oslo, Norway as part of the Safemuse – Safe Havens for Artists residency.

Life-Changing Humanitarians Empower Women Against Violence in Papua New Guinea’s Highlands

By Catherine Wilson
In the remote Highlands region of Papua New Guinea (PNG), humanitarians are life-saving beacons to women and girls facing myriad forms of violence. Despite years of awareness programmes and advocacy, the incidence of domestic and sexual violence is not declining. But Janet Kilea is one survivor who has rejected the fear and stigma of her experience and now dedicates her energy to transforming other women’s lives.

Family Law Reforms Are Needed to Advance Gender Equality

By Oritro Karim
On September 16, at the lead-up to the 81st UN General Assembly, Equality in Family Law (GCEFL), Equality Now, TrustLaw, and the World Bank Group convened in New York City for the event titled The Gender Equality Dividend: Investing in Women’s Economic Prosperity Through Family Law Reform. Hosted by APCO, the event introduced new data on barriers to family law reform and highlighted strategies to help the international community maximize women’s economic participation.

Sudan: Blood on Foreign Powers’ Hands

By Andrew Firmin
Sudan’s civil war grinds on. It’s close to three and a half years since the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia began their battle for supremacy, and the two forces and their allies continue to slaughter civilians with impunity. As a recent UN report makes clear, the killing is enabled by numerous foreign powers that continue to supply weapons, personnel and logistical support. They have made a civil conflict their proxy war, and their self-interest is sustaining the killing.

One Man’s Quest to End Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Mali

By UNFPA
In Mali, an estimated nine out of ten women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM). And for years, Sidi Haidara, a father and recognized leader in his community, believed the practice was simply part of life.

UNICEF Report Underscores Rising Rates of Tech-Facilitated Sexual Abuse Targeting Children

By Oritro Karim
A new report from UNICEF finds that approximately 1 in 5 of all children surveyed reported facing tech-facilitated sexual abuse or exploitation in a single year.

Lailuma Built Opportunities for Afghan Women – Then She Was Killed

Afghanistan has seen a number of unexplained murders in recent months. One of the latest victims is Lailuma, the wife of well-known local singer Salam Maftoon and a community activist.

How the Taliban Hunt Women in Afghanistan

By Ariel F. Dumont
FIVE years after the Taliban returned to power, Fawzia Koofi, the former Deputy Speaker of the Afghan Parliament, denounces what she describes as “gender apartheid.”

How Global Aid Cuts are Undermining Women-Led Humanitarian Response in Sudan

By Shuli Wong
Women-led and women’s rights organizations (WLOs) in humanitarian settings are collapsing amidst a complicated predicament in which needs are surging and international support is dwindling.

UN Special Rapporteur Urges the Protection of Children’s Rights Amid Deepening Conflict and Digital Threats

By Oritro Karim
On July 7, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres presented a report from the Special Rapporteur on the sale, sexual exploitation, and sexual abuse of children, Ai Kihara-Hunt, to the General Assembly, underscoring her goals and priorities for the implementation of protection measures for children worldwide.

Obstetric Violence: Syrian Women Speak Out

By Sonia Al Ali
The abuse 30-year-old Nour Al-Badawi experienced in an Aleppo public hospital while giving birth resulted in her having two major follow-up operations and left her with depression and anxiety.
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