The U.S. ranks as the 19th most dangerous country for women, 11th in maternal mortality, 30th in closing the gender pay gap, 75th in women’s political representation, and painfully lacks paid family leave and equal access to health care. But Ms. has always understood: Feminist movements around the world hold answers to some of the U.S.’s most intractable problems. Ms. Global is taking note of feminists worldwide.
Greenland
+ Decades of forced birth control exposed
An independent report released on Sept. 9 revealed a decades-long involuntary birth control program affecting Indigenous women and girls in Greenland. More than 350 survivors came forward to authorities, reporting that Danish health officials forcibly supplied them with contraceptives between 1966 and 1991. Many of the victims were teenagers, with some as young as 12.
The women described having intrauterine contraceptive devices inserted (IUDs), or hormonal injections given without their consent, often with no explanation of the procedures. Many continue to suffer physical side effects such as pain, bleeding and serious infections, along with long-lasting mental trauma.
Greenland did not control its own health care programs until Jan 1., 1992. Danish authorities estimate that over 4,000 women and girls–more than half of Greenlandic women of childbearing age at the time–received IUDs during the 1960s and 70s. Last year, nearly 150 Inuit Greenlandic women filed a human rights lawsuit against Denmark, which is still ongoing.
In anticipation of the report, both governments issued official apologies in August. On September 24, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen personally apologized to Greenlandic victims. Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen was also at the event. “Receiving an apology does not mean that we accept what has happened. We are here today because we do not accept what has happened,” Greenland’s Prime Minister said. “But it is up to all of us to take the next steps.” Naja Lyberth, who received an IUD at age 14 because of the program and now leads the group of women suing Denmark, said at the event that “The state has now emphasised that we are equal souls within the Danish realm.”
Mexico
+ First woman president leads Independence Day ritual
On Sept. 15, President Claudia Shienbaum made history as the first woman to lead Mexico’s Grito de Dolores, the Independence Day ritual traditionally delivered by men for more than a century. The Grito, recalling Father Miguel Hidalgo’s 1810 call to rebellion, is proclaimed each year from the presidential balcony overlooking Mexico City’s main square, where the nation’s leader rings the historic bell and waves the national flag.
Sheinbaum, elected in 2024 by a landslide as Mexico’s first woman, and first Jewish, president has already reshaped the symbolism of the office. She has embraced feminine titles such as presidenta and commandanta of the armed forces, reclaiming language long reserved for men. She has also withstood pressure from the Trump administration over immigration and drug cartels, and her approval rating now hovers above 70 percent.
Her role delivering the Grito was both historic and symbolic, stepping into a space occupied only by men since 1880. For the event, she wore a presidential sash crafted by female military officers and raised a flag presented by an all-female honor guard. Sheinbaum also presided over the Independence Day military parade in Mexico City’s historic center.
Sheinbaum used the moment to highlight women often excluded from the independence narrative, such as rebel fighters Gertrudic Bocanegra and María Manuela Molina. She called out: “Long live the unsung heroines! Long live the heroines and heroes who gave us our homeland! Long live Indigenous women! Long live our migrant sisters and brothers!”
Gaza
+ Pregnant women and children face highest risk in first confirmed famine
For the first time, famine has been confirmed in Gaza, with over half a million people at risk of starvation. The recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization which is part of the UN agency for children (UNICEF), along with WHO and the World Food Programme, highlights the disproportionate impact on women and girls, as is often the case in conflict zones.
The famine conditions are expected to spread to neighboring provinces, marked by extreme food deprivation, acute malnutrition and starvation-related deaths. “For mothers in Gaza, it means being forced to give birth while malnourished, exhausted and at heightened risk of death,” UNFPA said in their statement. “It means their babies are born too small, too weak or too early to survive. It means mothers unable to breastfeed because they, too, are starving.”
Over 50 percent of Gaza’s population is expected to face emergency food conditions due to restrictions on food aid imposed by Israel. In situations of severe food insecurity, mothers often eat last. Inas, a mother of three living in a displacement camp in Gaza City, told UNFPA: “Sometimes I give my share of the food to my children so they won’t feel hungry, which affects both my health and that of my baby.” Her youngest is just months old.
Afghanistan
+ Women bear the brunt of deadly earthquake
Afghanistan experienced one of the deadliest series of earthquakes in years. On Aug. 31, a 6.0 magnitude quake struck Eastern Afghanistan, flattening entire villages, and leaving over 2,200 people dead, 3,600 injured and tens of thousands homeless. Just four days later, a third 6.2 magnitude quake triggered devastating aftershocks.
According to Susan Ferguson, the UN Women’s Special Representative in Afghanistan, it is Afghan women who are suffering most. They account for the majority of deaths, injuries and more than 60 percent of those still missing. Ferguson warned of rising hunger, homelessness and gender-based violence–conditions that worsen after disasters, in a country where women already struggle daily to survive and support their families.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women remain among the most vulnerable. The International Rescue Committee has deployed both male and female medical staff, supporting women doctors, midwives and nurses to provide critical care and reproductive services. Yet a nationwide shortage of women health care workers persists, driven by bans on women working for NGOs and studying at universities, as well as mobility restrictions and systemic discrimination. These barriers, combined with dwindling foreign aid–exacerbated by U.S. funding cuts under former President Donald Trump and the Taliban’s restrictive policies–have further limited humanitarian capacity.
As winter approaches, deteriorating conditions will place women and girls at greater risk. It is critical to have women in aid roles to ensure their safety. During the last major quake in western Afghanistan, women made up two-thirds of the injured and nearly 60 percent of the dead. UN Women is now appealing for $2.5 million to expand emergency response and recovery efforts. Women and girls will again bear the brunt of this disaster,” Ferguson said in her statement. “So we must ensure their needs are at the heart of the response and recovery.”
Kyrgyzstan
+ New bill would impose harsh penalties for crimes against women and children
Following the murder of a 17-year-old girl, known only as Aisuluu, President Sadyr Japarov has directed lawmakers to draft legislation reinstating the death penalty for the gravest offenses against women and children. For the past two years, Kyrgyzstan was ranked as the most dangerous country for women in Central Asia, according to the Women, Peace and Security Index.
Aisuluu’s body was discovered on Sept. 27; investigators determined she had been sexually assaulted and strangled, and a suspect has since been taken into custody. Her murder sparked national outrage, prompting the president’s swift response. The proposed bill would reintroduce capital punishment, abolished in 2007, for the rape of children and for the murder of a woman following sexual assault.
President Japarov was elected during mass protests in 2020, and has quietly intensified control of the traditionally democratic country. Independent media outlet Kloop, based in Kyrgyzstan, reports 20-30 gender-targeted femicides annually in the country.
President Japarov’s press secretary posted about the incident and the administration’s response on Facebook, writing that the president instructed the head of his legal support department to draft the most severe legislative amendments, believing that “crimes against women and children must not go unpunished.” An initiative to further amend the country’s criminal code has also been published.
Indonesia
+ School collapse leaves at least five dead
During afternoon prayers on Sept. 29, a two-story Islamic boarding school collapsed in East Java Indonesia after unstable foundations buckled under the weight of newly added floors. Rescuers rushed to the scene, trying to save dozens believed to be trapped under the rubble. At least five people have died, more than 100 are injured and 59 remain missing, though the numbers are still shifting. Survivors trapped inside were given food and water as crews worked to reach them, but rescuers have since made the difficult decision to shift from rescue to recovery.
Just a day later, a 6.5 magnitude offshore earthquake briefly halted the search, making it more difficult for rescuers to try and reach those trapped. Most of the students trapped were boys between the ages of 12 and 18, mainly from low-income families. Educational disparities persist in the region: girls are still less likely to attend schools as long as boys due to the persistence of patriarchal norms, and the proliferation of things like early marriage amongst other barriers.
Outside the wreckage terrified families waited, clinging to hope. Some offered to join the 300 rescuers in the search, desperate to reunite with their children. “I kept saying, ‘Bismillah (in God’s name), my child is strong, my child is strong, my child is strong,” said the mother of 13-year-old Syailendra Haikal, who was carefully pulled from the wreckage on the third day and is now recovering in the hospital.
The school is one of thousands of Islamic schools known as Pesantrens across the Muslim-majority country. Many families are still waiting for news. Umi Kulsum, whose 15 year-old-son Sulaiman Hadi remains missing, told CNN, “I still believe my son can be found alive. I just ask the rescuers to keep searching until they find him. He’s my only child.”
United Nations General Assembly, New York
+ Council of Europe Secretary General says enormous progress remains to be made for women’s rights
Secretary General Alain Berset addressed the United Nations General Assembly during the thirtieth anniversary of the fourth World Conference on Women, originally held in Beijing in 1995. Berset emphasized principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law as essential to advancing the rights of women and girls. His remarks stood in stark contrast to the Trump administration, which has withdrawn the United States from several global peace and human rights focused organizations, including the United Nations Human Rights Council and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
Berset highlighted that even 30 years after the Beijing conference, a girl born today may never experience full gender equality. Nearly one in three women still face partner violence, and nearly one in six experience sexual violence, with safety remaining a daily concern that drives generational inequality. He pointed to the Council of Europe’s progress, including the Istanbul Convention, which commits member states to combating violence against women.
The UN has held four world conferences on women since the first in Mexico city in 1975. Berset underscored the close relationship between the UN and the Council of Europe, an intergovernmental organization of 46 member states promoting democracy, human rights and the rule of law while setting global norms to safeguard security. During the week, he also participated in peacebuilding discussions with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Presidents of Brazil and Chile.
Berset also addressed the special risks technology poses to women, and announced new standards on tech-facilitated violence and AI on gender equality. “The Council of Europe was never just about lines on a map. It is about the values we share: human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. For men and women alike. Not as a promise for the next century. But as a call to action–here and now. In Europe and beyond”
