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.
We Know Who the Real Enemy Is—Why Doesn’t the World?
As war escalates between Israel and the Islamic Republic, Gazelle Sharmahd—whose father was executed by the regime—wants the world to stand with the Iranian people, not their oppressors. Photo: AFP
How a Sibling-Led Sharia Court Offers Hope to Kashmiri Women Trapped in Abusive Marriages
In Kashmir, where formal justice systems often fail women, community-led courts are reshaping how survivors of abusive marriages seek justice. Photo: Reuters
The ICC is Pursuing Charges of Gender Persecution Against the Taliban. Will it Succeed?
The ICC’s case against the Taliban isn’t just a legal milestone — it’s a long-overdue moral reckoning for the world’s silence on gender apartheid. Karim Sahib / AFP
Entrepreneurship Was Meant to Be a Lifeline. For Afghan Women, It’s a Dead End.
Once seen as a path to survival, women-led businesses in northern Afghanistan are collapsing under Taliban restrictions, broken promises, and a lack of real support. Photo: Wakil Kohsar / AFP
Tunisia Opens First Domestic Violence Shelters for Women with Disabilities
For years, shelters in Tunisia overlooked women with disabilities. Now, survivors are leading the charge for change. Photo: Human Rights Watch
The Women Leading Bosnia’s Fight Against Gender-Based Violence
A grassroots network of women is transforming how survivors in Bosnia and Herzegovina access justice, support, and hope. Photo: Patrick Baz / AFP / Getty Images
Pakistani Teen Influencer Shot Dead After Rejecting Man’s Advances in Suspected ‘Honor’ Killing
17-year-old Pakistani influencer Sana Yousaf was murdered after rejecting a man’s advances, spotlighting the ongoing issue of 'honor' killings in the country
The Woman Who Took Up Arms and Saved Lives in Bashar’s Killing Field
Umm Mohammed, once dubbed the “mother of the war,” stands amid the ruins of her home in Syria, determined to rebuild the life and country she refused to abandon.
‘He Says I’d Be of No Use Without a Uterus’: When Men Control Women’s Access to Lifesaving Care in Egypt
The hidden crisis of women denied agency over their bodies in Egypt—by husbands, doctors, and the law. Photo: Middle East Eye
In Blockaded Gaza, Women Face a Growing Crisis of Period Poverty
With aid still blocked and resources scarce, women and girls in Gaza are resorting to makeshift solutions for their periods. Photo: CARE / Yousef Ruzzi
As the World Marks Menstrual Health Day, Afghan Girls Are Left in the Dark
In a country where girls' education is illegal, even basic knowledge about menstrual hygiene remains out of reach. Photo: Rukhshana Media
Obstetric Abuse Is Widespread in Yemen, Women Say
In Yemen, childbirth is not just a medical risk but often a source of trauma, as women face abuse, neglect, and violence in the very rooms meant to bring life. Photo: Karin Ekholm / MSF
Despite Promises of Aid, Gaza’s Women Are Still Cut Off From Basic Hygiene
“We had to choose between showering and running out of water.” In Gaza, women are cutting their daughters’ hair, rationing water, and reusing menstrual materials to survive. Photo: Belal Khaled/Anadolu via Getty Images
‘Our Child Was Born in an Open Field’: U.S. Aid Cuts Deepen Afghanistan’s Maternal Health Crisis
As foreign aid is slashed and clinics close across Afghanistan, maternal deaths are rising sharply—leaving women and children without access to life-saving care. Photo: Elise Blanchard / AFP via Getty Images
In Nigeria, Girls Are Still Being Subjected to Breast Ironing. Survivors Are Breaking the Silence.
Despite years of public awareness campaigns, the traumatic act of ‘breast ironing’ persists in an effort to “protect girls.”
In Kashmir’s Border Villages, Women Bear the Brunt of a Ceasefire in Tatters
As cross-border violence escalates, women in Kashmir’s frontline villages lead their families through displacement, devastation, and a fight for survival. Photo: Dar Yasin / AP
Climate Change Is Driving a Surge in Child Marriages in Pakistan’s Balochistan Province
In Balochistan, climate-driven poverty is accelerating child marriage, as families trade daughters for survival in the wake of devastating floods. Photo: Irfan Azad
The Sudanese Women’s Football Team Defying War and Exile
In exile but undeterred, Sudan’s all-women’s football team Samidat—meaning “resilient women”—trains in Cairo, reclaiming the game they lost to war.
Religious Schools Replace Education for Afghan Girls Under Taliban Rule
In Taliban-run Afghanistan, religious schools have become the only option for girls, where education is replaced by surveillance, sermons, and strict control over their appearance and autonomy. Photo: Ebrahim Noroozi
Olena Yahupova Survived Russian Torture and Rape. Now She’s Taking Her Case to the World.
After surviving months of torture and sexual violence in Russian custody, a Ukrainian woman builds a legal case to hold her captors accountable. Photo: Evgeniy Maloletka / AP