STORIES
From urgent investigations and breaking news to bold op-eds by global leaders, we bring you the stories shaping the lives of women and girls worldwide.
Spain Pardons Women Imprisoned Under Franco for ‘Moral Crimes’
Spain has formally pardoned dozens of women imprisoned under Franco for so-called moral offenses, acknowledging a long-hidden system of repression that persisted even into democracy. Photo: Luca Gaetano Pira / The Guardian
No Safe Choice: What Happened to Iran’s Women’s Team in Australia
Two Iranian footballers made opposite choices during a moment of crisis, revealing the cost of both freedom and return. Photo: Albert Perez / Getty Images
Five Years After the Istanbul Convention, Women in Turkey Are Still Waiting for Justice
Five years after Turkey withdrew from the Istanbul Convention, many women say lighter sentencing and weak enforcement have left them unprotected.
U.S. Tariffs Squeeze Women in India’s Shrimp Industry
U.S. tariffs ripple through India’s shrimp industry, pushing women like Radha and Durga deeper into poverty, precarity, and violence at the very bottom of a global supply chain.
Young Women Feel Left Behind Under Trump’s Economy
Women across the U.S. political spectrum shared their pessimism about the job market and rising prices with two focus groups. Photo: Andres Kudacki / Getty Images
“I Didn’t Come Here to Die”: Migrant Women Trapped in Iraq’s Crossfire
Caught between war and exploitation, migrant women in Iraqi Kurdistan remain trapped in homes they cannot leave—working to survive, even as the bombs fall overhead. Photo: Shvan Harki / AFP via Getty Images
Across 29 Countries, Nearly a Third of Gen Z Men Say Wives Should Obey Their Husbands
A new international survey finds nearly one in three Gen Z men say a wife should obey her husband, along with other traditional ideas about gender roles.
“We Were Their Last Hope”: Georgia’s NGO Crackdown Leaves Women Without Protection
As Georgia tightens its grip on civil society, the organizations protecting survivors of violence are being forced to shut their doors — leaving the country’s most vulnerable women with nowhere to turn. Photo: Tamuna Chkareuli / RFE
As Pressure Mounts for Syrian Refugees to Return Home, Women Face an Impossible Choice
Caught between a homeland that still feels unsafe and a host country that is closing its doors, Syrian women and girls in Lebanon face an impossible choice: return to uncertainty, or remain in limbo. Photo: Joel Carillet
“They Took My Freedom, My Home, My Child”: Christian Women Jailed Under India’s Anti-Conversion Laws
India’s anti-conversion laws have led to the arrest and incarceration of Christian women, often without trial or accountability. Photo: Suhail Bhat / More to Her Story
The Taliban’s New Criminal Code Makes Second-Class Status the Law for Women and Girls
The Taliban’s new criminal code legalizes the exclusion, punishment, and control of women and girls across Afghanistan. Photo: Mohd Rasfan / AFP
On the Question of Peace, Two Nobel Laureates Issue a Warning
Two Nobel laureates from opposite sides of a war share a stark warning about what peace truly requires. Photo: Getty Images
Sara Sharif’s Life Could Have Been Saved. The System Looked Away.
The 2023 murder of 10-year-old Sara Sharif in Surrey, UK, has raised new questions in a review published by the Surrey Safeguarding Children Partnership.
In Yemen, Marriage Rules Are Tightening Control Over Women
Since 2019, more than 70 restrictive marriage contracts have been imposed across Houthi-controlled territories, banning women from singing, carrying smartphones, and traveling without male guardians.
‘I’ll Dress How I Want’: Iranian Women Defy Hijab Crackdown Despite Rising Repression
Surveillance grows, businesses close, and arrests rise — yet Iranian women still step into the streets uncovered. Photo: Getty Images
How Firearm Access Fuels Domestic Violence Tragedies
States with strong gun control laws had three times fewer incidents of domestic violence homicide-suicide, according to a new report shared with The 19th.
Most Men Want a Return to Traditional Gender Roles. Women Aren’t So Sure.
A new poll shows how men and women of every generation are divided over questions about who takes on which roles in the family. Photo: Emily Scherer for The 19th
Afghan Girls Face Uncertain Futures as Pakistan Deports Refugees
Legal advocates and international organizations warn deportations will trap girls in extreme restrictions under the Taliban unless urgent protections are adopted. Photo: Jamaima Afridi
Want Signs of Bipartisanship? In the House, Look to Women.
In the U.S. House of Representatives, women from opposite ends of the political spectrum have united on women’s health initiatives, banning congressional stock trading and releasing the Epstein files. Photo: Office of Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove
“If the Internet Is Cut Off, All Girls Will Remain Illiterate”: Taliban Ban Threatens Afghan Girls’ Last Lifeline
The Taliban are cutting off access to the outside world, severing Afghan girls’ last link to education and freedom. Photo: Petros Giannakouris / AP