Globally one in three women are subjected to violence in her lifetime, and one in 10 girls have experienced “forced sexual acts”. On 27 May 2020, Equality Now joined with the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women to co-host an Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Rape as a grave and systematic human rights violation and gender-based violence against women.

The submission deals with our concerns about sexual violence laws and procedures in Russia that deny justice to survivors and constitute violations of Russia's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

The submission deals with our concerns about sexual violence laws and procedures in Armenia that deny justice to survivors, as well as attacks against women human rights defenders, which constitute violations of Armenia’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

A free press is essential to the functioning of a fair, equal, and accountable society. The free speech of women and their consequent access to justice is, however, impeded when reporting is inaccurate, intrusive, and misrepresents the context of violence against women and girls. On World Press Freedom Day, we asked journalists we work with why gender equality matters to them.

COVID-19 is exposing and exacerbating gender inequalities around the world. Each week, Equality Now will be sharing insights from experts about how women’s and girls’ lives are being affected by the pandemic and what can be done to address these challenges. 

Equality Now has joined with Kenyan organizations including the Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), FIDA – Kenya, Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW), GROOTS Kenya, SDGs Forum Kenya and Kenya Female Advisory Organisation (KEFEADO) to call for action to protect women and girls in Kenya from gender-based violence during this crisis.

COVID-19 is exposing and exacerbating gender inequalities around the world. Each week, Equality Now will be sharing insights from experts about how women’s and girls’ lives are being affected by the pandemic and what can be done to address these challenges. 

In January 2019, Equality Now released our groundbreaking report Roadblocks to Justice: How The Law Is Failing Survivors Of Sexual Violence In Eurasia. The report showed how rape and sexual assault-related laws and practices of the 15 countries of the former Soviet Union effectively deny access to justice for survivors of sexual violence. We’ve rounded up some of the developments in women’s rights across the region, and some of our work since the release of the report.