Violence Against Women

Thousands of U.S. Women Are Killed Each Year. Where’s the Outrage?

A spate of 11 femicides in Italy so far this year is making global headlines and prompting calls for “cultural rebellion.”  Yet femicide is far worse in the U.S., claiming thousands of lives a year, and comparatively normalized. It’s where the cultural pushback is needed most.

Last month, the U.N.’s annual two-week Conference on the Status of Women wrapped up in New York, having barely addressed growing threats of gender-based violence and without acknowledging the elephant in the room: how Trump administration policy swerves threaten to undo decades of progress for women, including women in the U.S.

Rearming Domestic Abusers: Trump’s New Gun Policy Threatens Women Across the Country

President Donald Trump restored gun rights to his friend Mel Gibson, who admitted to abusing his girlfriend. In a reality where domestic abusers are armed, women will suffer most.

—A gun in a domestic violence situation makes a woman five times more likely to be killed.
—Homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant and postpartum women, with 68 percent of those homicides involving firearms.
—Black women face higher rates of intimate partner violence and are more likely than white women to be fatally shot.
—Forty-one percent of perpetrators in mass shootings between 2016 and 2020 had a history of domestic violence.

So why would any administration push policies that arm abusers? As always, follow the money. 

DOJ Attempts to Silence Fired Attorney Liz Oyer for Refusing to Reinstate Gun Rights of Convicted Abuser Mel Gibson

Fired for refusing to restore gun rights to a convicted abuser, Liz Oyer is now speaking out against what she calls a dangerous pattern of political favoritism and intimidation inside the Department of Justice.

If the Justice Department can use armed forces to intimidate former employees fighting against corruption and domestic violence, is there truly still free speech in the U.S.?

A New Phase of U.S.-Taliban Relations Leaves Afghan Women in the Shadows

A new phase in U.S.–Taliban relations appears to be quietly unfolding under the Trump administration—marked by lifted bounties on senior Taliban officials, a symbolic embassy cleanup in Kabul, and the release of an American hostage. While these developments are being framed as constructive steps toward diplomacy, they also reveal a stark reality: The future of U.S.–Taliban engagement may be transactional, and Afghan women and girls are likely to be left out of the equation.

Cuts to ‘Woke’ Programs Threaten Lifelines for Domestic Violence Survivors

Without stable residence, childcare, income and economic resources, many domestic violence survivors eventually return to their abuser, trapped in a permanent cycle of violence.

Now, the Office of Management and Budget’s review of 2,600 programs for potential cuts—including key domestic violence grants labeled as “woke” “gender ideology”—has sparked alarm among advocacy organizations scrambling to support survivors without federal aid.

When the U.S. Turns Its Back on Aid, Women Pay the Price

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The justification is always the same: fiscal responsibility, foreign policy recalibrations, shifting political winds. But on the ground, the reality is much more cutting. When aid disappears, people die. Not theoretically. Not eventually. Immediately.

Aid is not a line item to be slashed when convenient. It is a commitment: to humanity, to protecting women, to the belief that no life is worth less simply because it exists beyond our borders. It is the difference between Judith finding safety and Nyamal being forced to return to her abuser. It is, quite literally, life or death.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Women’s Rights Face Global Backlash 30 Years After Beijing Declaration; Washington Post Loses Ruth Marcus, a Leading Voice for Women

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: Ruth Marcus details her decades-long history with The Washington Post and the deteriorating environment on the editorial page as its owner Jeff Bezos curried favor with Donald Trump; City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams launches campaign for New York City mayor; with Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) not seeking reelection, the U.S. will lose two women U.S. senators after the 2026 elections; women serve as heads of state in only 25 countries, make up only 27.2 percent of Parliament, and hold 22.9 percent of Cabinet positions internationally; and more.

‘Uvalde Mom’ Shows the Courage of Angeli Rose Gomez—and the Failure of Texas Leaders

Premiering at SXSW, Uvalde Mom follows Angeli Rose Gomez, the mother who defied police inaction to save her children during the 2022 Uvalde school shooting. The documentary not only captures her heroic actions but also reveals the relentless harassment she faced from local authorities in the aftermath. Through Gomez’s story, the film exposes systemic failures, community trauma and the power of mothers who refuse to stay silent.