Last week on October 11th, the United Nations commemorated the very first International Day of the Girl. My colleagues and I were still reeling from the tragic shooting of Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani activist who was unjustly targeted for going to school and speaking up for her right to get an education. But we …
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Today is Global Day of Action for Access to Safe and Legal Abortion, so we’re taking stock of sexual and reproductive rights around the globe. For many Americans, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the struggle to safeguard women’s health in the United States. We often forget about what’s happening in the developing world. So, …
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With the International AIDS Conference right around the corner, there has been a flurry of articles about stemming the spread of HIV in the developing world. We have certainly made great strides, but many countries’ efforts to maximize access to HIV treatment do not always succeed. Botswana is one example. In the early 2000s, the country …
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Around the world, selling sex is as inflammatory an issue as abortion. It’s just as divisive, too—particularly among feminists and in the global human rights community. At the 2012 AWID Forum—the largest women’s rights gathering in the world—sex workers’ rights took center stage. Panel discussions and plenary sessions featured sex workers from Burma, Thailand and …
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Today’s New York Times article about India’s “paradox of plenty” is a painful reminder that hunger is acutely political. The article boils the problem down to this: “Spurred by agricultural innovation and generous farm subsidies, India now grows so much food that it has a bigger grain stockpile than any country except China, and it …
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The decision to feed the world is the real decision. No revolution has chosen it. For that choice requires that women shall be free. —Adrienne Rich, “Hunger” When I learned last week that Adrienne Rich had passed away, I immediately pulled two of her books off my shelf and re-read my favorite poems: Integrity, Ballad of …
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In addition to being the first full week of Women’s History Month and with Purim coinciding with International Women’s Day on March 8th, this week is also National Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS. AJWS President Ruth Messinger issued a statement as a National Interfaith Supporter of the week’s events: “The National Week …
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We love when members of the AJWS family are called upon to share their wisdom in unexpected places. Earlier today, Rabbi Rachel Isaacs, 2009-2010 Kol Tzedek Fellow and rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel in Waterville, Maine, delivered the benediction for Maine’s State Legislature. She was kind enough to post about her experience on AJWS’s Facebook …
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Even after a long weekend, the memes are alive and kickin.’ So, I couldn’t resist sharing a few favorites:
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On the heels of the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we wanted to take stock of the status of reproductive rights in the developing world. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in the United States’ struggle to safeguard women’s health that we often forget about what’s happening in the Global South. So, a …
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