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 — and meet the activists on the frontlines of the fight to build a better world.
In Kenya, just talking openly about abortion can be dangerous. But for the activists with AJWS grantee partner Trust for Indigenous Culture and Health (TICAH), the risk is necessary. TICAH ensures that women and girls have the knowledge and resources they need to make informed choices about their reproductive health, which also involves advocating for …
In the Dominican Republic, “las pájaras” is a pejorative slang for women attracted to other women. However, in the heart of Santo Domingo, the queer young women of Junte Pajaril are reclaiming it. “When someone asks me, ‘what are you?’ I don’t say ‘lesbian’ or ‘bisexual.’ I say ‘I’m a pájara,’” says Ferdelis Fabián, one …
The first time someone from Comunidad de Liderazgos y Espacios Inclusivos Dominicana (COLESDOM) knocked on her door, Grabiela was suspicious. The representative explained that COLESDOM was a nonprofit organization that supports LGBTQI+ people and that they were there to help. But she’d heard those promises before — promises that no one had kept. Grabiela lives …
While 2025 has already dealt some surprising and significant blows to the global fight for human rights, we’re not only hopeful — we’re inspired. Why? Because no matter how troubling the headlines, we know the truth. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards …
The Embobut forest in Kenya is misty during the rainy season, filled with fresh, sweet air and chirping birds, rich biodiversity and flowing rivers — a gorgeous, lush landscape. It’s also the ancestral home of the Indigenous Sengwer people, who have lived throughout the forest for generations, stewarding and safeguarding its natural resources — until …
