Woman, Girl, Wife? Investigating Global Discourses on Childhood, Consent, and Maturity

Earlier this year a young, a South Sudanese bride captured the attention of social media, being dubbed ‘the most expensive bride in South Sudan. Pursued by men in their 40’s, her father affirmed the bride to be 19 years old, while her mother brought evidence that states the bride was 14.

“No One Was Killed” - Confronting Conceptual Ladders of Violence

The feminist struggle, originally a campaign seeking to advance the rights of women, has intensified into an imagined conflict between men and women.

OpEd: Casual Racism, Migrant Women and Small Towns

“This town has gone to shit because of them” exclaims the MP of a historical tourist town which is severely underfunded and overlooked constantly with multiple deprivation indices.

The New Dawn Of Mexico’s First Female President

Every single day in Mexico, ten women or girls are murdered, simply because they are female. Will Mexico’s new female president be able to curb the tide on this lethal trend – or are the difficulties too entrenched for a single individual to make a significant impact?

Progress and Setbacks: The Olympic Inclusion-Exclusion Game

In its attempt at inclusivity during the 2024 Paris Olympics, which included parades where queerness was a central element, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) was met with accusations of immorality and the embracement of blasphemy from self-appointed conservative moral police.

Hear Their Voices - OpEd: Afghan Women vs Taliban

Thirty-five articles have been enforced under the Law on the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. Under these laws, women must completely veil their faces and bodies... and must not be heard reading out loud, or singing, as their voices are considered intimate. Afghan women’s voices are being silenced under the militant thumb of Taliban, as their exclusion from society deepens.

Whose Pain Matters? Part II: Hierarchies of Caste Systems and Religion in India

The sequel to The Selective Outrage in India's Fight Against Sexual Violence addresses within the context of caste hierarchies and communal fault lines in India.

Women in Protest in South Africa – A Feminist Struggle Continually Dominated by Women

Existence as a woman in a country with one of the highest rates of GBV in the world, means black women in South Africa have little choice but to be feminists.

The South African Constitution Requires Men to be Feminist?

The promises of activists, constitutions, and legislature have continued to fall short of guaranteeing true gender equality in South Africa. Thus, whilst the Constitution expects male citizens to be feminists, South Africa has come to serve as a painful reminder of the limits of Constitutional reform.

The Silent Erosion of Afghan Women's Rights

The severe restrictions imposed by the Taliban on Afghan women and the international community's inadequate response to this ongoing crisis is explored, while the measures introduced by the Taliban, the global reaction and the resistance of Afghan women despite these challenges are brought to light.

Under the Surface: The Hidden Reality of Rape in Japan, Part 2

The previous article analyzed the situation inherent in rape in Japan through legislative shortcomings, and offered an in-depth reading of national statistics, and the example offered by Itō Shiori's Black Box. This sequel investigates the role of Japan's porn industry in more detail.

Misogyny and Femicide in Britain – Men’s Problem to Solve

Since the murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021 by a serving police officer, The Independent revealed that over the next three years over 350 women had been killed by men in the United Kingdom.

Under the Surface: The Hidden Reality of Rape in Japan, Part I

This socio-cultural context in which the rape and quasi-rape laws in Japan were created are analysed to show that the law, and its subsequent amendments, make it difficult to report assaults and bring rapists to trial. This analysis demonstrates the fallacy of data which promote Japan as a forerunner state in the guarantee of safety against sexual violence.

Whose Pain Matters? Part I: The Selective Outrage in India's Fight Against Sexual Violence

Selective outrage is more than just a societal oversight, it is a manifestation of deeply rooted biases and prejudices. It's not unusual that the cases that elicit the most empathy and agitation include victims who correspond to a specific profile-young, urban, educated, and frequently from upper-caste families.

Iraq’s Draft Child Marriage Law: A Step Backward for Women’s Rights

In a disturbing move that has shocked human rights advocates worldwide, Iraq’s parliament has proposed a law that would legalize child marriage, allowing girls as young as 9 to be wed.

Too Posh to Push?

Striking where it hurts most, at the class anxieties omnipresent British culture, ‘too posh to push’ insinuates that richer mothers seek to minimise their birthing experience to a relaxing day out by seeking a caesarean. The pejorative assumption that a 'natural' and non-medicalised birth is inherently 'better' than one requiring a large amount of medical intervention, but 'natural birth' above all else is one that has been widely disproved in the medical community.

Something is Rotten in the State of Europe: Femicide in the EU

The Italian government contextualised femicide as a violent expression of misogyny. This echoes the common acknowledgement amongst international organisations, including UN Women, that femicide is a fatal consequence of gendered discrimination. Despite this understanding actions to enact systematic change, beyond superficial promises of educational reform, have not been taken.

Generation Z and the Great Gender Divide

Young women are more liberal than ever, but the same cannot be said for young men. Why has this gap emerged, and is it too late to close it?

Street harassment in the UK: How far does new legislation go to protect women from harassment?

When public spaces, particularly late at night, are so deeply associated with fear for women, how far can legislation actually change our perception of public safety as women?

Motherhood and Feminism in Giorgia Meloni's Italy

In Meloni’s Italy, to be a woman is to be a mother, and the duty of motherhood is ensuring the continuation of a Christian, Italian nationhood through future generations. Immigrant or LGBTQ+ families are not part of this political imagination. They are instead treated as ideological threats to this unified identity.

Menstruation in Humanitarian Crises

Menstruation is certain. Therefore, support for women, girls and people who menstruate must be guaranteed in humanitarian response. Its continued omission is symptomatic of the continued stigmatisation around menstruation and the male stronghold over the humanitarian sector.

In Conversation with Hannah Smith: Erdoğan the ‘Original Modern-Populist’

Elections are just the tip of the iceberg, underneath all that there’s so much that you need, you need a healthy civil society, you need people who are educated enough to make the right decisions, you need a political culture which isn’t just about worshiping the strongest guy.

Female Genital Cutting in Kenya: How do you end a cultural practice?

Around the world, Female Genital Cutting remains a deeply entrenched tradition marking the transition to womanhood for young girls. Yet this practice inflicts severe physical and psychological harm and has rightfully been recognised as a violation of human rights.

OpEd: Perceptions of Period

"If I was on my period, I couldn’t outwardly say. I had to dance around the fact... Why? Because it was SHAMEFUL. It was a woman’s problem, not a man’s..."

Stop Sextortion for Water in Kenya!

Water is a precious and rare resource in Kenya, but women and girls are disproportionately affected by the lack of it. It’s time to speak up about sex-for-water exploitation and push for a law to make this abuse illegal.

Gambian Parliament Advances Bill to Reverse Ban on FGM

Politicians voted 42 to 4 in favour of the bill. This vote has sparked protests from both sides of the argument and brought strong criticism from activists, expressing deep concern about the future of women’s rights.

Part III - A Spectre is Haunting Europe: Consequences and Calamity

The third of a three-part series into the rise of right-wing youth in Europe.

Part II - A Spectre is Haunting Europe: Please Turn Right at the Junction

The second of a three-part series into the rise of right-wing youth in Europe.

Part I - A Spectre is Haunting Europe: The Rise of Right-Wing Youth

The first of a three-part series into the rise of right-wing youth in Europe.

Understanding Women's Poverty: Deprivation and Depletion

Women's poverty is a multifaceted issue that goes beyond mere lack of financial resources. It can be understood as a process of deprivation and depletion, where women are systematically denied access to essential resources and opportunities, thus preventing them from achieving a decent standard of living.