STORIES
From urgent investigations to bold op-eds by global leaders, we bring you the stories shaping the lives of women and girls worldwide.
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
“I Don’t Want to Die in India”: The Hidden Corridor of East African Sex Trafficking
Promised jobs and scholarships, African women are trafficked to India and left trapped in sexual exploitation, violence and legal limbo.
I Survived the Modeling Industry. The Epstein Files Should Expose It.
What happened to me as a teenage model was part of a system that funneled young women toward men like Jeffrey Epstein, writes Sara Ziff.
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
At the U.N.’s Annual Meeting on Women, the World Should Focus on Justice for Girls
As governments gather at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, they should prioritize ensuring that girls can access justice, writes Katherine la Puente of Human Rights Watch.
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.
Egyptian Women Are Still Being Asked to Prove Their Virginity
In the wake of a former Egyptian MP’s call for mandatory “virginity tests” for female university students, the controversy has exposed a deeper reality: the enduring need to assert control over women’s bodies.
The End of Khameini Is a Turning Point for Girls Like Me
For Iranian women, this moment is neither simple nor secure — but it is ours, writes Marzieh Hamidi.
Girls and Young Women Are Key to Ukraine’s Recovery
As Ukraine enters its fifth year of war, the country’s recovery will depend on whether today’s girls and young women are given the support, skills and power to lead its rebuilding. Photo: Plan International
“We Were Their Last Hope”: Georgia’s NGO Crackdown Leaves Women Without Protection
As Georgia tightens its grip on civil society, the organizations protecting women are being forced to shut their doors — leaving many with nowhere to turn. Photo: Tamuna Chkareuli / RFE
When a Regime Erases Women, the World Must Call It a Crime
Marzieh Hamidi, recipient of the 2026 International Women’s Rights Award at the Geneva Summit, argues the world must recognize gender apartheid as a crime under international law. Photo: CNN
No Hijab Day Rallies Held in Cities Worldwide in Support of Women Without the Freedom to Choose
Activists and women gathered in New York and cities worldwide to mark No Hijab Day, standing in solidarity with women living under compulsory veiling laws.
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
The Karate Class Where Kenya’s Grandmothers Learn to Fight Back
In Korogocho, one of Nairobi’s oldest informal settlements, elderly women train in karate to protect themselves from violence. Photo: Keit Silale / More to Her Story
FGM Laws Protect Girls. Who Heals the Women?
Ending female genital mutilation is about more than criminalization—it requires care, choice, and long-term support for the millions of women already living with its consequences. Photo: UNDP
“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