Gender & Sexuality

Rape as a Weapon of Genocide: Systematic Sexual Abuse Within China’s Internment Camps

March 2, 2021March 2, 20217 min read Jemima Maycock

If there is no meaningful action taken, China risks becoming another country on a list that remains too long to begin with. The costs of this failure will, most likely, be borne by first and foremost by Uighur women.

A Look at the Impact of Period Poverty on Girls in Kenya

February 26, 2021February 28, 20216 min read Claudia Velimirovic

Girls in Kenya will miss about four days of school each month, or an average of 20% of the school year, because they are on their period. Across the globe, period shame and period poverty contributes to health complications, humiliation, poor access to employment, and other challenges for women.

A “Developing Nation” Forever? Why India’s Flawed Judiciary System Is Impairing Its Development Trajectory

February 17, 2021March 2, 20217 min read Aakanksha Mathur

While India boasts economic growth figures that exceed 6%, holistic development cannot be achieved until policies and legislation consider grassroots inequalities. India, the largest democracy in the world, is globally regarded as an economic force to be reckoned with. However, many rulings and loopholes in the judiciary system imply an uneven, and arguably stagnant, development in terms of women’s rights and safety in India. This should hamper broader understandings of development in India.

This Is the Turning Point

February 15, 2021February 22, 20215 min read Riyana Karim

Harris’ victory points to a larger social issue. Women continue to be dramatically underrepresented in high-ranking positions within politics (especially women of colour). Minority women’s political representation is dramatically lower than white women. This is because women of colour face the barriers associated with both sexism and racism working together and that remain persistent in the American polity.

A Look at the Gender Gap in Agricultural Productivity

February 10, 2021February 10, 20215 min read Jasmine Acharya

Approximately 60-80% of the world’s food is grown by women, but women farmers are consistently seen to be less productive than male farmers. On top of continuing to tackle institutional barriers, it is important to encourage the implementation of policy solutions that could help close this gap. The empowerment of women farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa has the power to greatly improve productivity in the agricultural industry, helping engender positive spillover effects such as improving GDP, increasing food security and lowering overall poverty.

Canada’s Lost Indigenous Girls, a Nationwide Epidemic

January 13, 2021February 24, 20216 min read Riyana Karim

On June 3 of 2019, the report exposed that between 2014 and 2018, 23% of all missing and murdered women across Canada were Indigenous. This fact is especially concerning given that Indigenous women only account for about 4% of Canada’s female population. As the country continues to struggle with deep-seated racism and sexism against Indigenous women, it is imperative that the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women be taken more seriously.

En Route to Equality: Transgender Rights In Turkey

December 14, 2020December 29, 20204 min read Kibel Aker

Turkey has been slow to catch up with already established laws against discrimination towards transgender individuals. Over time, there has been a small but ultimately insufficient improvement. Nevertheless, to this day, Turkey is still not a country where all rights of transgender individuals are protected and all prejudices are eliminated.

Buying a Blind Eye: The Abuse of Liberty in Saudi Arabia

December 11, 2020December 29, 20206 min read Santhindu Wijesooriya

The Saudi agenda is based purely on the goals and aspirations of the royal family. It violates and marginalizes many groups such as Shia Muslims and women through the use of strong central authority and strict enforcement of arbitrary laws and regulations. The government condones and conducts the unfair treatment of activists and those who aim to change the discriminatory status quo in the powerful, oil-rich state.

Grappling With the Surge of Gender Violence During COVID-19

December 10, 2020December 29, 20206 min read Misbah Lalani

Activism in the realm of women’s rights and more specifically in prevention and treatment of violence towards women is an arena that must be tackled from multiple angles. Gendered violence is an age-old problem that cannot be solved in one fell swoop. Rather, one must recognize the severity and depth of the issue in order to properly act.

Mapping, Filming, and Eliminating FGM

December 3, 2020December 29, 20206 min read Maeve Williams

Although the practice is against the law in Tanzania, FGM continues to be widespread, particularly in rural areas like the Mara Region. In addition, it is widely culturally accepted to the degree that “during the cutting season, you can’t get protection in the community”. as human rights activist Rhobi Samwelly explains.