Ms. Global: Police Target Georgian Women Protesters, Dominican Republic Deports Pregnant Haitian Women, and More

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.

Georgia

+ Police escalate gender-based violence against women protesters

In Georgia, women taking part in anti-government and pro-European protests are being subjected to escalating gender-based violence by law enforcement. According to Amnesty International, authorities have used sexist slurs, threats of sexual violence and illegal, degrading strip searches in an effort to intimidate and punish demonstrators–largely targeting women. 

These abuses come amid a broader crackdown on dissent following last year’s wave of protests. As women continue to defy government repression, they have become both symbols of resistance and targets of harassment and violence at the hands of police and unidentified collaborators. 

Such acts violate Georgia’s own constitution and national laws, and also breach the country’s international human rights obligations.

Rather than silencing Georgian women, the violence has only strengthened their resolve. “Women in Georgia have risen more boldly,” said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, “denouncing the abuse, demanding justice and turning repressions into resistance and defiance.”

South Korea

+ South Korean women say their priorities and voices are being ignored in upcoming presidential contest

When South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law last December, thousands took to the streets in protest—led largely by young women. They weren’t just rejecting authoritarianism; they were pushing back against a president who claimed South Korea had overcome sexism, despite clear evidence of ongoing discrimination and violence. 

According to the BBC, women in their 20s made up the largest group at one December rally, part of a protest that drew over 200,000 people. For many, it was an inspiring moment in a country with deep-rooted gender-based discrimination, along with one of the highest gender pay gaps among developed nations at 31 percent.

Women remained a vocal presence throughout months of demonstrations and celebrated when Yoon was impeached four months later. But now, as the June 3 presidential election approaches, they’re once again feeling sidelined. The two leading candidates have been largely silent on gender equality, while a third, Lee Jun-seok, has gained attention for anti-feminist rhetoric popular among young men. 

For the first time in 18 years, all six presidential candidates are men–and women say their priorities are again being ignored. “Our voices don’t seem to be reflected in the [campaign] pledges at all. I feel a bit abandoned,” said 23-year-old Kim Saeyeon.

Poland

+ New president-elect deals setback to abortion rights

Hopes for easing Poland’s restrictive abortion laws have dimmed following the narrow victory of conservative canidate Karol Nawrocki. His win marks a major setback for reproductive rights, signaling trouble for women in Poland, along with the European Union and Ukraine. Nawrocki, supported by Poland’s right-wing Law and Justice party and President Trump’s administration, is widely seen as a hardline conservative on social issues. 

Poland already has some of the harshest abortion laws in Europe, with a near-total ban implemented in 2020, and Nawrocki has made clear he would veto any efforts to expand abortion access. Manon Aubry, a member of the European Parliament from the Left group, warned that the country’s political trajectory poses a serious threat to core EU values and called on member states to show solidarity with Polish women. 

As has been the case in other recent elections around the world, voter divides were stark: women and those with higher education leaned toward the progressive candidate, while Nawrocki found stronger support among men and voters with less formal education. 

“Nawrocki is expected not only to uphold but potentially tighten Poland’s already draconian abortion laws,” said Nika Kovač, coordinator for the My voice, My Choice campaign, in a written statement. “His win slams the door on hope for political reform in the near future—and locks in a future where women’s lives remain expendable.”

The Dominican Republic 

+ Over 130 Haitian women and children seeking healthcare deported

In a move condemned as cruel and misogynistic, the Dominican Republic deported over 130 Haitian women and children in a single day under a new policy targeting undocumented migrants at public hospitals. Among them were 48 pregnant women, with one reportedly in labor, seeking care unavailable in Haiti due to the country’s near-total healthcare collapse. 

In recent years, more pregnant women have been crossing borders as Haiti’s worsening gang violence continues. Since the President’s assination in 2021, the country’s health services have been severely damaged, with gender-based and sexual violence increasing dramatically. 

The crackdown focuses on facilities where Haitian women seek medical treatment, particularly for childbirth. Rights advocates warn the policy forces women to risk being deported by going to a hospital, or avoid care and face serious health risks.

“It is a macabre and misogynist trap,” said rights campaigner for the Americas at Amnesty International Guillermo Rodríguez. 

Jamaica 

+ Healthcare workers protest gender-based violence

In response to the brutal assault of a nurse practitioner in St. Andrew on May 13, healthcare workers across Jamaica staged protests demanding justice and protection. The attack occurred as the nurse was on her way to work and was captured in a video that went viral across the island. 

Staff at St. James Health Services, joined by their manager, led a peaceful demonstration in Montego Bay condemning both the individual attack and the broader issue of gender-based violence. 

Simultaneous protests were organized in Kingston and at health facilities island-wide by the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ), the Enrolled Nurses Association and the Jamaica Midwives Associations. 

The coordinated actions spotlight a growing call for systemic change to protect healthcare workers, especially women, who face rising threats and violence on the job. 

Mexico 

+ Mexican singer sings for women incarcerated for self defense

Mexican singer Vivir Quintana is turning a traditionally male-dominated music genre into a tool for justice. For the past decade, Quintana and her band have visited women incarcerated for killing their abusers in acts of self-defense. Just two days before her latest album’s release, Quintana was back in prison gathering the stories that shaped the project.

Her new album, composed of “corridos”–a genre often associated with cartel glorification and misogyny–tells the stories of ten such women. 

Rather than ban these songs, Mexico’s first woman president, Claudia Sheinbuam, has suggested the government promote transforming the genre, a vision Quintana has embraced. 

Quintana calls the album a protest, a tribute and a call to action in response to rising gender-based violence across Latin America. In a country where women are still charged with “excessive legitimate self-defense” for protecting themselves, Quintana uses her music to amplify their voices and reclaim a genre to fight back. 

Australia 

+ Youngest woman senator elected to parliament 

Charlotte Walker, 21, has made history after securing the third Senate seat in South Australia for the center-left Labor party. At 21 years old, she is the youngest senator in the country’s history–she celebrated her 21st birthday on the night of the federal election in May. 

Her victory was officially announced by the Australian Electoral Commission last Tuesday. President of SA Young Labor, the youth wing of South Australian Labor Party, Walker was preselected for what was considered an unwinnable spot on the ticket. She now heads to Canberra, the country’s capital, to begin her six-year term on July 1, where she will attend “Senate School” and focus on issues facing young Australians, including affordable housing and balancing education with caregiving.

“I want to do a good job for South Australians, but I also want to show young people, particularly young women, that this is achievable and this is something that they can do also,” Walker said. 

Her win comes amid a milestone moment for women in Australian politics: for the first time, the federal cabinet will hold a female majority.

United Kingdom

+ Fallout from Britain’s transgender ban hits women’s soccer leagues 

Last month, Ms. Global reported on the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that under existing equality laws, the term “woman” excludes trans women—meaning that they can be legally excluded from certain women-only spaces, such as domestic violence shelters, hospital wards and sports teams. Now, the impact is rippling across British football.

London-based Goal Diggers FC, a soccer club created to make football more inclusive for women and non-binary people, has already withdrawn from one league affiliated with the English Football Association, which plans to prohibit trans women from competing in women’s leagues. The team says it will continue leaving any competitions that adopt similar exclusionary practices. 

Following the ruling, the country’s Equality and Human Rights Commission released interim guidance suggesting trans women could be barred from using public facilities—like restrooms and locker rooms—aligned with their gender identity. 

“They can stand by the FA,” said club founder Fleur Cousens in an interview with Reuters. “But we will stand by our trans members. We’ll work towards creating more (inclusive) spaces as a result.”