PassBlue

PassBlue is an independent, women-led journalism website that covers the relationship between the United States and the United Nations, as well as women’s issues, human rights, peacekeeping and other urgent global matters playing out at the U.N.

Survivors of Torture Rewrite the Rules Banning It

PUBLISHED 5/27/2026 by

There is no shortage of cases of torture in the headlines. Across today’s crises—from Ukraine to Sudan, Myanmar to Gaza—the allegations are graphic and devastating. But once a legal case closes or the news cycle moves on, another story begins: What happens to those who survive torture?

As U.N. special rapporteur on torture, I have met survivors around the world who carry its effects long after the physical wounds have healed. Survivors spoke to me about stigma, economic struggles, permanent disabilities, fractured relationships and the exhausting fight to be believed, gain access to care and secure justice. Too often, torture is treated as an event that ends when the abuse stops. That is far from survivors’ realities.

That is why survivors themselves helped create the first global Charter of Rights for Victims and Survivors of Torture and other cruelty—a framework demanding access to specialized healthcare, long-term psychological support, legal recognition, financial stability and meaningful involvement in shaping the laws and systems that affect their lives.

How U.S. Tried but Failed to Wipe Out 70 Years of Global Consent on Women’s Rights

PUBLISHED 3/19/2026 by

The United States set a new precedent at the United Nations annual women’s rights meeting by requesting a recorded vote on the draft conclusions. The U.S. action culminated after weekslong negotiations on this year’s theme, “Ensuring and Strengthening Access to Justice for All Women and Girls.”

The move—which failed drastically—reflects the continuing assault of the Trump administration on gender equality worldwide, yet resistance from across the world couldn’t be more profound.

Serious Work Begins to Create a Treaty on Crimes Against Humanity

PUBLISHED 2/3/2026 by and

Afghanistan. Myanmar. Syria. The Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Over the last 80 years, there has rarely been a situation of atrocity that has not been marked by the commission of crimes against humanity. These crimes, defined by their widespread or systematic nature, target civilians and devastate societies.

Yet, while the international community has created legal regimes to address war crimes and genocide, we lack a global legal architecture for the prevention, suppression and punishment of crimes against humanity, leaving millions across the globe at risk and justice elusive for survivors.

The start of negotiations for such a treaty is not just overdue; it is of historic importance. Late last month, the United Nations General Assembly launched a four-year process to prepare for and negotiate a new global treaty to prevent and punish crimes against humanity by 2028. If it is crafted with ambition and resolve, it can be a game-changer for international accountability, strengthen the rules-based order and offer hope and justice to victims and survivors.

Why International Law Still Fails Afghan Women

PUBLISHED 1/27/2026 by

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Afghan women and girls have been progressively removed from almost every sphere of public life. Girls are banned from secondary and higher education. Women are excluded from most employment, face severe restrictions on movement and have been rendered legally invisible. Institutions responsible for protecting women’s rights have been dismantled.

In early December, the international Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal in The Hague presented its verdict on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan. Two days later, on Dec. 13, the French Senate convened a high-level colloquium titled “No Peace Without Women: Their Representation in Diplomatic, Military and Political Bodies.”

Together, these two forums—one judicial-moral, the other parliamentary-political—converged on a stark conclusion: The exclusion of Afghan women is systematic, intentional and state-imposed. At the same time, they exposed a critical gap in international law, one with far-reaching implications for the United Nations system, international accountability mechanisms and the global women, peace and security agenda.

I Know the U.N. Inside and Out, and the World Still Needs It

PUBLISHED 9/22/2025 by

I had the privilege of living inside the Secretariat as a staff member, then participating in decision-making at the intergovernmental level as a representative of a member state. As we approach the 80th General Assembly, I am thoroughly alarmed at the consequences that the shifting international order can have on the U.N.

The U.N., with all its faults, is still the unique path for humanity to address common problems and conflicts in a cooperative manner rather than to face an increasingly dangerous and chaotic world.

‘I Am Alive, but I Am Not Living’: Four Years After the Taliban’s Return, Afghan Women Judges Go Deeper Underground

PUBLISHED 8/22/2025 by

When the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, one of their earliest, most devastating acts was to remove all women judges from their positions. These courageous women, educated in their own country and possessing many years of experience adjudicating complex and sensitive cases, were abruptly stripped of their roles and authority.

Although the global spotlight has dimmed, the danger remains real and immediate. These judges, still known and targeted by the Taliban, face grave risks. The international community must not let them fall through the cracks.

France Must Not Be Complicit in U.S. Effort to Destroy Contraceptives

PUBLISHED 8/7/2025 by

As the grandson of Lucien Neuwirth, the French parliamentarian who championed the 1967 law legalizing contraception in France, I feel a deep, personal and civic responsibility to speak out against an unfolding international scandal—one that threatens not only women’s health but also the legacy of reproductive rights and justice we hold dear.

The Trump administration is attempting to incinerate $9.7 million worth of United States-funded contraceptives, primarily long-acting reversible methods such as implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs), which were purchased under the Biden administration through USAID. These devices are not expired—many are viable for up to five more years—and were meant for women in some of the world’s poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

In response, I issued an open letter to President Emmanuel Macron, urging him to intervene. “Mr. President, do not let France become complicit in this scandal,” I wrote, reminding him of our nation’s responsibility to uphold sexual and reproductive rights—a legacy rooted in the very law my grandfather fought to pass, the Loi Neuwirth.

We cannot allow France to become an accessory to injustice. The world is watching.

U.S. Plays Spoiler at Annual Gathering on Women’s Rights

PUBLISHED 3/19/2025 by

Activists and civil society groups considered the political declaration recently adopted at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) gathering as a victory against strong opposition from the United States. However, women’s rights groups remain deeply concerned that despite 30 years of advocacy, the declaration reflects minimal progress in advancing gender equality as politics disrupt gains and funding continues to lag.

The document, focusing on women’s global rights, was significantly watered down to accommodate opposition from some member states, particularly the U.S., during the months-long negotiations preceding the approval.

U.N. Landmark Ruling Condemns Ecuador and Nicaragua for Forcing Girls Into Motherhood

PUBLISHED 1/31/2025 by

For the first time in its history, the United Nations Human Rights Committee recognized in a Jan. 20 ruling that denying an abortion to a child is not just a denial of choice but an imposition of pregnancy and forced motherhood that irreversibly disrupts their health, well-being and life trajectory.

This landmark decision represents a crucial shift in how the international community addresses the intersection of children’s rights, reproductive rights and gender justice.