The AJWS community has a lot to say about what's happening in the world. Read our insights about the struggle for justice and human rights around the globe.
This week marks what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade – the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 landmark ruling that established the legal right to abortion. A right that was mournfully struck down last June, marking the first time the Court has taken away a constitutionally protected liberty. Yet, in the months …Read More
Carmen Vásquez was nine months pregnant when she felt an extreme pain in her lower back, causing her to pass out after calling for an ambulance several times. She woke up in police custody rather than a hospital and was sentenced to 30 years in prison for suffering a stillbirth. Manuela* was also sentenced to …Read More
Just after sunset on a Friday night in Pikine, Senegal — one of the poorest neighborhoods in the capital, Dakar — the energy at a local community center is electric. Spotlights make the courtyard glow as a headphone-clad DJ plays music from two massive speakers. Kids and teenagers — hundreds of them — sprint through …Read More
Haiti is in crisis. After more than ten years of rule by a corrupt, violent, U.S.-backed regime, the country’s government has essentially collapsed. Gangs—operating with the support of politicians and elites—control many regions of the country, terrorizing civilians with kidnappings and massacres of entire communities. This gang rule has led to shortages of food, water …Read More
Ly Pisey grew up in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where LGBTQI+ people are alienated and pushed to the fringes of society. But Pisey — along with the activist organization she co-founded, Rainbow Community Kampuchea (RoCK) — is working to change what’s possible for her community nationwide. Today, with cultural acceptance of LGBTQI+ on the rise, Pisey …Read More