Ending the Global Child Sex Abuse Crisis

For the first time in history, the United Nations General Assembly has designated a new annual World Day for the prevention of child sexual exploitation—and it couldn’t come soon enough.

One in five women and one in 13 men worldwide have been sexually abused as children, and 120 million girls and young women under 20 years old have been victims of forced sexual contact. Countless victims around the globe are silenced by bad laws and some countries’ legal agreements with the Roman Catholic Church that weaken, and at times completely dismantle, their opportunity for justice.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: A Record-Breaking Number of Women Are Running for Governor

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, on boards, in sports and entertainment, in judicial offices and in the private sector in the U.S. and around the world—with a little gardening and goodwill mixed in for refreshment!

This week: the Democratic party has nominated more women of color than the Republican party; 25 women are running for governor in the upcoming midterms; women leaders in Malaysia—which ranks 142nd for women’s representation—have called for the introduction of gender quotas for political parties; and more.

A Year After the Decriminalization of Abortion in Mexico: What Latin America Can Teach the Rest of the World

This month, we mark the one-year anniversary of two significant moments in reproductive rights history: the landmark decision in Mexico to decriminalize abortion, and the near-total abortion ban in Texas. With reproductive rights moving in such different directions, what can the U.S. learn from the progress feminists are seeing in Latin America?

What We Must Learn From Latin America in a Post-Roe World

While we are only just beginning to scratch the surface of the kinds of horrors that banning abortion will create in the U.S., our neighbors in Latin America have understood this reality for years. We cannot afford to ignore the wins and the lessons learned from our neighbors and friends around the globe as we embark on the long road ahead to rebuild power and restore our right to abortion in the U.S.

As Climate Change Deadline Approaches, Every Minute Counts to Urge Action

Civilians gathered in a global moment of silence to commemorate the first official Climate Emergency Day on July 22. From California to Nigeria, New Orleans to London, Ghana to Pennsylvania, Rome to Jerusalem—the world watched the Climate Clock tick over from seven years to six. I led the moment of silence under the Union Square Climate Clock in New York City. It was hot, reaching 99 degrees Fahrenheit. As we faced the clock, we felt the crisis in our bodies.

When we imagine the climate crisis together, and all that’s at stake, we are feeding the momentum of a movement with revolutionary potential. Adrienne Maree Brown wrote, “We are in an imagination battle.” The Climate Clock is the drummer of this battle.

Let’s Talk About Misoprostol—the Original Abortion Pill

As we look to the future of abortion in the U.S., we can learn from the experiences of people in countries with restrictive abortion laws who have managed to find safe, effective ways to have abortions by using the original abortion pill: misoprostol.

While mifepristone is expensive and unnecessarily restricted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, misoprostol is inexpensive and widely available by prescription for different indications in pharmacies across the country.

The U.S. Is Breaking International Human Rights Law With Roe Decision

With the Supreme Court’s abortion decision, the U.S. finds itself in numerous human rights violations: the right to equality and nondiscrimination, the right to privacy, the right to life, the right to health and the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

It is crucial to take inspiration from feminists across the globe in using international human rights laws to stop states from eroding abortion access.

Passing the Green Torch To Our Sisters: How the Green Wave Took Over the U.S.

As countless signs across the marches and rallies call for bans off our bodies and to keep abortion legal, a symbol that is new to many in this country, but beloved to the three of us, has unmistakably emerged all over the streets: a sea of green bandanas. The Green Wave, which had begun in Argentina — and then spread across all of Latin America — is now here, as a rallying cry to protect abortion.