More Than A Magazine, A Movement
The hardworking, brave Afghans who continue to strive for peace are in constant danger due to the Taliban’s war of attrition and the Afghan government’s inability to protect its citizens. This is the reality on the ground and the flame will only become larger if there is a premature withdrawal.
Afghans understand that our young democracy is worth fighting for and we need the support of our friends and allies to stand with us—not to abandon us in this critical time of our history.
The abortion rights movement in Argentina is responsible for shifting on-the-ground perception and showing politicians that times have changed, that new generations have different priorities and that it is possible to win elections advocating for legal abortion.
The Inter-Parliamentary Union reports increasing attacks on lawmakers globally, with women suffering more disproportionately than men.
Sometimes all it takes is a woman’s eagerness to become a political activist to put her in mortal danger—especially if she fights for women’s rights.
Artist and activist Parastou Forouhar was born and raised in Iran, but in 1991, under threat of persecution due to her family’s dissident views and her status as an artist and woman, she left Iran. But she continues to speak out for what she calls the “democratic cohort” in Iran—”so that the regime in Iran knows that these people are not alone. They are heard, they are supported.”
The Biden-Harris administration offers some hope for international reproductive health, rights and justice—but unless the Helms Amendment is repealed, people in low-to-middle income countries will continue to be denied access to abortion services.
Join Ms. and PEN America for a special online conversation Monday, December 21 at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT. with Margaret Atwood; Nicholas Kristof; Nasrin’s husband, Reza Khandan; PEN America’s Karin Deutsch Karlekar; human rights advocate Kerry Kennedy; Iranian artist and activist Parastou Forouhar; and Nasrin filmmakers Jeff Kaufman and Marcia Ross.
Protesters in India are opposing new farm laws, passed during the din of the pandemic, that seem to hand over to the billionaires the keys of its agrarian sector. Women’s participation at the protest challenges the convenient narrative that the protest is only about angry men, dangerous and entirely unwilling to listen to reason
“Women’s rights are human rights” still reverberates around the world as it did in Beijing 25 years ago. Yet gender equality has not been reached in any country, though it is both a moral imperative and smart policy.
For too long, women have been invisible in world affairs, and this invisibility of approximately 50 percent of the world’s population has real consequences. It leads to incomplete and inaccurate pictures of reality, which in turn leads to poorly planned policies, or perhaps a lack of policies in issue areas that need them.
Ultimately, the invisibility of women in world affairs leads to unnecessary pain and suffering, for women and men alike.
The global women’s rights prong of Biden’s agenda for women includes: restoring U.S. support for women’s global health, supporting women’s economic security, boosting their political empowerment, combatting violence against women globally, and pursuing ratification of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
