News and Insights Archive

Public Voices Fellowship on Advancing the Rights of Women and Girls

There is a global war on women and it is thousands of years old. Into this context, we are projecting a vision and strategy for a new world for women and ...

Family Laws in MENA Fail to Protect Women and Girls

As the world celebrates the International Day of Families on May 15th, millions of women and girls across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) do not have the security and safety a family can bring. Discriminatory family laws across the region are failing ...

Misogynistic online abuse poses major threat to women journalists

Women journalists around the world are experiencing an exponential increase in misogynistic online abuse, which poses a grave risk to women’s media participation in the digital age. This is a grievous form of censorship that seeks to silence women, ...

The Adult Survivors Act would Bring Justice to Thousands of New Yorkers

The Adult Survivors Act is proposed legislation in New York State that would create a one year look back window to allow individuals who were 18 or older when they were sexually assaulted to file a civil lawsuit against the person who harmed them and/or the ...

A Universal Declaration on Digital Rights: Your questions answered

Earlier in April, the panelists for our webinar, ”Protecting people’s rights in the digital age: The case for a Universal Declaration on Digital Rights” had a lively and far-ranging conversation as part of the Ecosystems Day on the Skoll World Forum. ...

Yasmeen Hassan to step down as Global Executive Director of Equality Now

A statement from the Equality Now Board of Directors: It is with a great deal of sadness and pride that we are announcing the departure later this year of Yasmeen Hassan, our Global Executive Director. Yasmeen has been a member of the Equality Now family for ...

A life’s work: All in the name of equality

As Yasmeen Hassan steps down as Global Executive Director of Equality Now after ten years in the role, we take a look back at her remarkable life and career to find out what inspired, motivated, and maintained her enduring dedication to women’s rights. ...

Sexual Violence and Intersectionality: Demanding access to justice for women with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan

Survivors with disabilities face additional barriers when trying to access justice. In Kyrgyzstan and throughout Eurasia this is exacerbated because of insufficient protections in sexual violence laws, the stigmatization of survivors, and specific ...

Building on Three Decades of Equality Now – Our Hopes for the Future of Women’s Rights

Earlier this week, we shared what some members of our global team are most proud of about the work they do every day to help protect and promote the rights of women and girls. As we mark our 30th anniversary today, we reflect on three decades of hard work and ...

Together We Are Making Gender Equality Reality: Celebrating 30 Years of Equality Now

This week marks our 30th Anniversary, an exciting milestone for all of our supporters and for our team of experts across the ...

A Call for an Intersectional Feminist Informed Universal Declaration on Digital Rights

The Internet is in many ways a reflection of “real life” and thus structural inequalities, such as racism and misogyny that are embedded in our laws, politics, and social structures, are also found alive and well online. The Internet was created by and is ...

Liberian government bans FGM for three years: What’s the next big step?

In February 2022, the head of the Traditional Council of Liberia, Chief Zanzan Karwor announced a three-year ban on FGM. This bold step is a positive stride toward the protection of women’s and girls’ rights in the country, and we commend the ...

Good Laws Are The Floor, Not The Ceiling Of What We Can Achieve

Good laws can not only signal and even positively influence society’s values, they also provide a structure from which to promote and defend rights. However, in the thirty years that Equality Now has worked to promote good laws, we have learned that ...

Equality Now High-Level Mission to Eliminate FGM in Sierra Leone Makes Gains with Key State Agencies

As part of our campaign for the enactment of a specific law criminalizing female genital mutilation (FGM) without exception to age, Equality Now visited Sierra Leone at the end of February 2022 for high-level engagements with state and non-state actors ...

Human Rights Court to Hear Groundbreaking Case on Sexual Violence in Bolivia

On March 29th-30th, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) will hear the case Brisa De Angulo Losada v. Bolivia, a groundbreaking case on sexual violence in Bolivia. The case alleges that Bolivia violated the rights of Brisa De Angulo by ...

Commission on the Status of Women 66 – Our Statement

Equality Now, an international human rights organization and a steering committee member of several coalitions, including the Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law, the Global Campaign for Equal Nationality Rights, and the Solidarity for African ...

The best path to gender equality is through family law reform

For the past 20 years, International Women’s Day has been celebrated across Afghanistan’s urban centers. The government hosted official events attended by politicians, dignitaries, international organizations, and civil society leaders. Men gave ...

Sexual Violence Laws are Failing Adolescents

At Equality Now, we have been on a years-long journey to track and analyze sexual violence laws and their implementation around the world. This work was born after working with survivors of sexual violence for over two decades and observing that women and ...

Equality Now and NIHOL are joining forces to promote gender equality in Uzbekistan

Despite recent action to improve gender equality in Uzbekistan, there is still far to go. As in most post-Soviet countries, the country’s legislation on sexual violence in Uzbekistan falls below international human rights standards. Women’s rights and ...

Noura Hussein freed from prison

In 2018 you supported a campaign that helped Noura Hussein, a young Sudanese woman escape a death sentence. Noura was forcibly married off against her will at 17. The man she was married to, raped her with the aid of three male relatives. When he attempted to ...

Welcome statement from Sierra Leone’s Speaker of Parliament on outlawing FGM

Following yet another tragic death in Sierra Leone due to female genital mutilation (FGM), 130 women’s rights organizations from 34 countries around the world came together to co-sign an open letter calling on the Government of Sierra Leone to criminalize ...

Invest in the Multi-Sectoral Approach to end FGM

As Zero Tolerance Day for Female Genital Mutilation approaches, we look at why anti-FGM laws are still needed, and how a multi-sectoral approach can ...

Constitutional Equality is Non-Negotiable

Today, our Legal Advisor Jorie Dugan spoke in front of the White House on the urgent need to incorporate the Equal Rights Amendment into the US Constitution once and for all. Read her remarks in full below: The United States likes to think of itself as a ...

Why We Need International Action to End Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

Ending online sexual exploitation and abuse (OSEA) is one of the most pressing issues of our time, yet key challenges remain in both preventing and prosecuting the practice. The scope and scale of the internet and digital connectivity and increasingly ...

The ERA in 2022: What’s Next

Learn more about Equality Now’s recent amicus brief in defense of the ERA, and what else is coming up for the Equal Rights Amendment in the ...

60-year sentence – Kenyan court sets precedent on trafficking for sexual exploitation

On November 26, 2021, a Resident Magistrate in Kenya’s Shanzu Law Court delivered a landmark ruling, finding a prominent businessman who holds Canadian and UK passports, guilty of trafficking 12 Nepalese women and girls into Kenya and sentenced him to 60 ...

Sierra Leone urged to ban FGM following death of 21-year-old woman

In Sierra Leone on 20 December 2021, 21-year-old Maseray Sei died from complications arising from Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The young woman, who was subjected to the human rights abuse with other young women, is reported to have bled to death. FGM in ...

Bolivia must guarantee the absolute prohibition of torture and mistreatment: United Nations Committee Against Torture

On October 11, 2021, the Coalition against Sexual Violence against girls and adolescents in Bolivia, comprised of Equality Now, The Latin American and Caribbean Committee for the Defense of Women’s Rights, Bolivia (CLADEM-Bolivia), The Legal Office of ...

Kenya Shadow Report on Maputo Protocol Points to Opportunities and Challenges in Enforcing Women’s Rights Treaties

In early 2021, Kenya became only the 17th country out of the 42 state parties to the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, also known as the Maputo Protocol, to submit a report on its implementation ...

Accessible Justice: Sexual violence against women and girls with disabilities

Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Created in 1992, the United Nations established IDPD as both an annual celebration of people with disabilities as well as a call to mobilize support and action for critical issues relating to ...

Weaponizing defamation lawsuits against survivors violates international human rights

Over the past decade, there has been an increase in the use of defamation lawsuits to retaliate against and silence women who have publicly denounced gender-based violence – including survivors who have spoken out against their own abuse. This form of ...

6 Reasons to Give to Gender Equality this Giving Tuesday

At Equality Now, we know that discriminatory laws don’t reverse themselves and that change is not possible unless we all work together. Giving Tuesday is this week, and we want to do our part to ensure that more resources are devoted to helping make ...

Breaking the silence: Ending sexual violence in the Maldives

Sexual violence thrives in silence. It thrives in the silence of communities who excuse it as a ‘private issue’. It thrives in the silence of law enforcement who dismiss victim testimonies as not credible. And it thrives in the silence of the law ...

A Culture of Shame: Equality Now and Nemolchi.uz publish a new report highlighting the gaps in sexual violence laws in Uzbekistan

Around the world, laws are failing to protect women and girls from sexual and gender-based violence. We partnered with the Uzbek organization, Nemolchi.uz to publish A Culture of Shame: Sexual Violence and Access to Justice in Uzbekistan to highlight how ...

Yasmeen Hassan speaks at High-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the appraisal of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons

The following remarks were delivered at the United Nations by Yasmeen Hassan on November 22nd, 2021. H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the General Assembly, H.E. Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Ms. Ghada Waly, ...

U.S. Teen Miatta Shares Her Story On International Day For Zero Tolerance of FGM

Today is The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Typically taking place during rite of passage ceremonies into womanhood, FGM is ultimately a way to control girls’ and women’s sexuality. There are no health ...

Mexico: In the midst of a femicide crisis, the 2022 budget must prioritize public policies to deal with gender-based violence

In the midst of a femicide crisis, national and international organizations urge the Mexican State as a whole, especially Legislators, to reinstate and increase funding for gender-focused programs which suffered severe budget cuts in 2020. Legislators are ...

Five Things To Know This International Day of the Girl

Today, October 11, is International Day of the Girl Child, an opportunity for all of us to celebrate the potential of girls to change our collective futures. But today is also an opportunity to acknowledge and reflect on the obstacles facing girls around the ...

Statement from 5 Afghan Women’s NGOs: Our rights are human rights

Equality Now is sharing a proclamation to the international community by five Afghan Women’s NGOs, who have shared this anonymously to protect their members. Do not recognize a regime that does not respect all human rights and fundamental freedoms. All ...

Improving the Investigation and Prosecution of Sexual Violence Cases in Georgia together with the Council of Europe and UN Women

In collaboration with the Council of Europe and UN Women, as well as the Ministry of Internal Affairs and General Prosecutor’s Office of Georgia and international and local experts we’re launching Effectively Investigating, Prosecuting and ...

5 Eurasian Women’s Rights Activists You Should Know

Equality Now has the privilege to partner with women’s rights activists from around the world. Through a series of blogs, we will share with you their unique perspectives and challenges advocating for change in their communities. This month we spoke ...

The Hathras Case One Year On: Exploring the impact of landmark cases of caste-based sexual violence in India

On the first anniversary of the Hathras gang-rape case, which led to the death of a young Dalit woman in September 2020, we’ve joined with the National Council of Women Leaders, Dalit Human Rights Defenders Network, and Equality ...

Writing for Her Rights: The role of the media in ending FGM in West Africa

An estimated 55 million girls under the age of 15 in 28 African countries have experienced or are at risk of experiencing female genital mutilation (FGM). Despite laws against FGM in parts of West, East, Central, and Northern Africa these laws are often ...

Afghanistan: Religion, tradition and women’s rights

A statement from our Global Executive Director, Yasmeen Hassan, on the ongoing situation in Afghanistan and what it means for women’s and girl’s rights. Watching the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Afghanistan, I am reminded of two important lessons I ...

This Women’s Equality Day We Demand Constitutional Equality

I’m writing to you today from the steps of the US Supreme Court, where Equality Now is standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our sister organizations in support of the Equal Rights Amendment. We both celebrate the anniversary of the ...

Four Years On From #MeToo: The Global Rape Epidemic Continues

In October 2017, the hashtag #MeToo went viral, with women and girls across the world sharing their stories of sexual assault and harassment. For those of us working in women’s rights, these stories were sadly not shocking, but for many it was a wake-up ...

Afghanistan: Never Underestimate Women

Never underestimate the fragility of women’s rights, nor the power of women’s rights defenders to transform society if supported. A statement from Equality Now on the recent events in Afghanistan. In the last twenty years, women’s rights should ...

Victims’ Voices Leading the Way: Holding Perpetrators Accountable For Sex Trafficking In Malawi

Despite strong legislation, victims of sex trafficking in Malawi continue to face barriers to accessing justice, with the few cases that do make it to court plagued by long delays, due to unjustified adjournments and canceled hearings. And cases ...

Five West African Women’s Rights Activists You Should Know

Equality Now has the privilege to partner with women’s rights activists from around the world. Through a series of blogs we will share with you their unique perspectives and challenges advocating for change in their communities. First up: West Africa, ...

Kenya just committed to ending gender based violence in five years. Here’s how they plan to do it

In June 2021, the Government of Kenya made a valiant decision to end Gender-Based Violence (GBV) including sexual violence by 2026. When making the announcement, Kenya promised to intensify its campaign to end these violations by undertaking a series of 12 ...

Joint Statement: Governor Cuomo Must Resign

The New York State Attorney General’s investigation of Governor Andrew Cuomo has revealed multiple and repeated allegations of sexual harassment and assault against eleven women, as well as a toxic work environment that has persisted throughout his three ...

Kenya Must Prioritize Ending Sex Trafficking

July 30th, 2021 marks the ninth annual World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, a day designated by the United Nations in 2013 to raise awareness about the impact and scale of human trafficking around the globe. In Kenya, there have been positive ...

Dalit Women Speak Out: The movement to end caste based sexual violence across India

Activists working at the intersections of gender and caste have long called for action to address the endemic sex and caste discrimination and violence faced by Dalit women. Monday 19th July marked the start of an online national campaign highlighting the ...

The Maputo Protocol turns 18 today. But what does this mean for women and girls in Africa?

Today marks 18 years since Member States of the African Union adopted the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa popularly known as the Maputo Protocol to safeguard and uphold the rights of women ...

Equality Now at the Generation Equality Forum

The Generation Equality Forum is a key opportunity to engage with governments, the UN, civil society and the private sector, on issues of women’s rights and gender equality. Learn about how Equality Now has contributed throughout the process, and what ...

Equality Now Issues an Amicus Brief Against Using Defamation to Silence Survivors of Gender-based Violence and Discrimination in Georgia

A culture of silence too often surrounds gender-based violence and discrimination. As the global reckoning on sexual harassment and abuse that began with the #MeToo movement continues, in certain parts of the world, particularly in the countries of the former ...

Ending Child Marriage in Jordan: A Bride With A Doll

Our partners Arab Women Organization have launched an awareness campaign against child marriage in Jordan. Equality Now and our partners, such as Arab Women Organization in Jordan (AWO), focus on using the law to create change and build a more equal world. ...

We will not be silenced: Solidarity with women’s rights activists across Eurasia

Too often those who defend the rights of women and girls face violence, harassment, and even imprisonment, simply for taking a stand for equality and human rights. In the last month, women’s rights activists across Eurasia have faced increasing harassment ...

Day of the African Child 2021: Kenya’s progress towards gender equality 26 years on from the Beijing Conference

On May 28, 2021, the government of Kenya made a welcome announcement that it had increased the budgetary allocation of addressing gender-based violence (GBV) to KSh2.3 billion (23 million US Dollars) by the year 2022 and to KSh5 billion (50 million US ...

5 Global LGBTQ+ Leaders you Should Know About this Pride Month

All people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, should have equal rights and be able to live free from harm, coercion, or discrimination. To celebrate Pride Month, we’re highlighting some incredible activists and leaders past and ...

Make gender equality a reality, Kenya!

It has been more than 26 years now since governments, including Kenya, came together and committed to promoting gender equality through the adoption of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on Gender Equality. *Patricia was a small scale ...

Update: Words & Deeds: Holding Governments Accountable in the Beijing +25 Review Process

An overview of all the campaign updates and progress since the March 2020 publication of our report Words & Deeds: Holding Governments Accountable in the Beijing +25 Review Process. Global: The UN Secretary-General has included the repeal of ...

International Day of Families 2021

The Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law Urges States to Accelerate Reforms to Laws that Discriminate Against Women On International Day of Families 2021, the Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law calls on UN member States to work with Generation ...

10 Years of the Istanbul Convention: Combatting Violence Against Women across Europe and Beyond

In 2011, the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, more commonly known as the Istanbul Convention, opened for signature. A decade later and it remains the most far-reaching ...

President Biden’s First 100 Days: Is the Biden-Harris Administration Delivering on Gender Equality?

April 29th 2021 marks 100 Days from the start of Biden’s presidency, a symbolic marker used to assess American presidents’ early tenure in office. Candidate Biden promised to center the needs of women and girls in his domestic and foreign policy, has ...

President Suluhu: Please remember the girls

By 2017 the World Bank documented that upwards of 5000 girls a year were forced to permanently drop out of school in Tanzania on account of pregnancy. On the backdrop of this, Tanzania’s Law of Marriage Act permits girls as young as 15 years old to get ...

Russian Sexual Violence Awareness Week: Russia is failing to meet international standards on combatting sexual violence

April 12-18 marks Sexual Violence Awareness Week in Russia. The annual #StopSN week has been held by “Sisters” Center, a Moscow-based organization that helps and supports survivors of sexual violence and their families, every April since 2018. ...

Roundup: Equality Now at CSW65

Despite being fully virtual, CSW65 was a very active two weeks, full of interesting events, and good opportunities for high-level advocacy. Equality Now staff spent March 15-26 learning, networking, and holding governments to account on women’s and girls’ ...

Dear journalists, broadcasters, editors, influencers, educators, your words matter.

The words you write have the power to change the hearts and minds of millions. It’s a serious responsibility, especially when it comes to serious issues such as female genital mutilation. In the decade since FGM was made illegal in Kenya, much progress ...

#30DaystoAct: Joint statement on detention changes in the UK

Joint statement regarding changes to the detention of vulnerable people, made without Parliamentary scrutiny, which specialist organizations predict will result in more trafficking victims being held behind bars. Signed by 20 organizations ...

9 ways the Maputo Protocol has protected and promoted the rights of women and girls across Africa

18 years ago, the Member States of the African Union adopted the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol) to advance and safeguard the rights of women and girls across the continent. To ...

Ending Male Violence: Joint letter to the Prime Minister of the UK

Today 97 specialist organizations supporting survivors of violence against women and girls across the United Kingdom have written to the UK Prime Minister with serious concerns about the UK government’s current response to male violence. The tragic death of ...

Remembering Nawal El Saadawi

On Sunday, Egyptian writer Nawal El Saadawi died at the age of 89. Author of over 55 books, El Saadawi was a prominent feminist campaigner. Her 1980 book The Hidden Face of Eve shone a spotlight on the issue of female genital mutilation (FGM). Dima ...

Feminist Leadership at the United Nations – Gender Equality Within and Without

When the United Nations was founded in 1945, the principle of equality for all – regardless of sex, race, language, or religion – was enshrined in the organization’s Charter. More than seventy-five years have passed, and during the intervening ...

Where to find Equality Now at CSW65

All activities will be virtual for CSW65, but Equality Now will be just as present as ever. The 65th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65) at the United Nations will take place between 15 – 26 March, 2021. Usually, CSW sees Equality Now staff and ...

Legal Equality is a Prerequisite for Economic Recovery

From record rates of unemployment to interruptions in the supply chain and lower demand for goods and services, COVID19 has battered the global economy. While these shocks have been felt by nearly every industry and community, women have borne a ...

For International Women’s Day Let’s Pledge to Eradicate Inequality in the Law

By any standard, 2020 was a devastating year– not least of all for women and girls who disproportionately bore the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. From increased rates of child marriage and female genital mutilation in India and Kenya to the rise in ...

JOINT STATEMENT: Equality Now and partners welcome the release of two Saudi WHRDs and call on releasing others

Equality Now and partners including Free Saudi Activists Coalition welcome the release of two women human rights defenders (WHRDs) from Saudi prisons. Yesterday, 10 February 2021 Loujain Al-Hathloul, and Nouf Abdulaziz reported being ...

The European Union must show leadership in tackling spiralling problem of online child sexual exploitation

The 2021 theme for Safer Internet Day is “Together for a better internet,” and it calls for “all stakeholders to join together to make the internet a safer and better place for all.” This is a crucial message for both the European Union (EU) ...

No Time for Inaction: female genital mutilation is global, but so is the movement to end it

According to official UNICEF figures, female genital mutilation (FGM) affects at least 200 million women and girls in 31 countries worldwide. We know these numbers are a woeful underrepresentation, as there are at least 60 other countries where the practice ...

Building Back Equal In 2021

We wish that today was not a historically monumental one. We wish the fact that a woman will be sworn in as the Vice-President of the United States was not something we had to celebrate. We wish that writing “Madam Vice President” felt banal. And ...

Activism is not terrorism: Free Saudi Activists Coalition condemns the sentencing of Saudi women’s rights defender Loujain AlHathloul

Today, Saudi Arabia’s Specialised Criminal Court sentenced Saudi women’s human rights defender Loujain AlHathloul to 5 years and 8 months in prison. The sentence includes a suspension of 2 years and 10 months in addition to the time already served ...

Moments of light in the darkness: Progress towards gender equality in 2020

To mark the end of an unprecedented year we’ve rounded up some moments of light amongst the darkness in the fight for gender equality. 1. Survivors around the world continued to make their voices heard It takes great courage for survivors of ...

One Year On: How the lives of girls in Sierra Leone have changed since their historic victory at the ECOWAS Court

In December 2019, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice found Sierra Leone’s ban that prohibited pregnant schoolgirls from attending school to be in violation of the right of pregnant girls to education. ...

International Women Human Rights Defenders Day 2020: The women working to make equality reality

29 November is International Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) Day. A day to celebrate and thank women who defend human rights, and all people who defend the rights of women, girls, and LGBTQI people. It is also a day to hold States accountable for ...

The Rape of India’s Dalit Women and Girls

Shabnam*, a young woman from Northern India’s Haryana state, is two years away from becoming a law graduate. She sees parallels between her own rape and that of the 19-year-old Maha Dalit woman whose brutal rape and torture by a group of men from a ...

We’re determined to end violence against women and girls: Are you in?

November 25 marks the start of the 16 Days of Activism to End Gender-Based Violence, which is a time for global action to increase awareness and galvanize advocacy on behalf of women, girls, and marginalized genders. To build a world free of gender-based ...

Not Just One Bad Man

Athlete A is more than just the story of one bad man, it is an exploration into the systems of power that perpetuate the abuse and objectification of girls and young women. Equality Now is incredibly proud to partner with the Netflix ...

Addressing the Intersection of Caste and Sexual Violence in Haryana, India

Manisha Mashaal, founder of Swabhiman Society, is an inspiring and resilient voice fighting in the forefronts of the movement addressing caste based violence against Dalit women and girls in Haryana, India. Swabhiman Society has provided paralegal ...

A significant step forward: CEDAW Committee adopts new General Recommendation on Trafficking in Women and Girls

Equality Now welcomes the new General Recommendation on Trafficking of Women and Girls in the Context of Global Migration which was adopted by the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee on 6 ...

Justice not honor: It’s time for sexual violence laws that protect and promote human rights

In societies where sexual violence remains taboo, laws that see girls and women as vessels of their family’s honor rather than human beings with rights often go unchallenged. An analysis of Kuwait’s Penal Code released today in collaboration with our ...

2020 has been a year like no other, 2021 must be the year we change the game

2020 has been a year like no other, exposing damaging inequalities in every facet of society. For those experiencing systemic discrimination and abuse, the revelation that the world is a terribly unequal place was not a revelation at all. With the world in ...

United States Voter Information for 2020

Helpful resources for people voting in the United States elections on November 3, 2020. Informed and engaged people in the United States understand the importance of exercising their right to vote. Many have created a voting plan for November 3rd. Some have ...

How COVID-19 is impacting efforts to end child marriage across Africa

Every October 11th, the world comes together to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child. Whilst it is a day to celebrate global progress in protecting and promoting girls’ rights, this year, against the backdrop of the impact of the COVID-19 ...

Day of the Girl Child 2020: Governments must act to protect adolescent girls from sexual violence

Every October 11th, the world comes together to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child. This year, there is much to celebrate, including a legal victory against the government of Sierra Leone that led to the country lifting its ...

Gender equality at the United Nations 75th General Assembly

At the heart of Equality Now’s work is improving the lives of women and girls through equality in the law. It’s our belief that equality in the law provides a foundation for women and girls to be treated fairly and provide opportunities for women and ...

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life Devoted to the Fight for Legal Equality

Yesterday we lost one of the most fervent defenders of legal equality. A woman who recognized the power of the law in shaping every aspect of American society, and who dedicated her life to ensuring this power was used to defend and uplift the voices of the ...

When it Comes to Constitutional Equality, the United States Lags Behind the Rest of the World

The US Constitution does not in fact guarantee equality of the sexes. While women’s suffrage is constitutionally protected, nowhere does the Constitution prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. This, however, is not for lack of trying. In ...

COVID-19 Conversations: The Need for Safe Shelters in Kenya

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

Celebrating women in the workplace this Women’s Equality Day

This week celebrates 100 years of the 19th Amendment and Women’s Equality Day, marking the anniversary of the actual adoption of the amendment into the U.S. Constitution. As the world adjusts to a new normal in the working world, take time to remember ...

COVID-19 Conversations: Women migrant workers in Lebanon abused and abandoned by the Kafala system

The COVID-19 pandemic is exposing and exacerbating gender inequalities around the world. We are sharing insights from an Equality Now expert about how women’s and girls’ lives are being affected by the pandemic and what can be done to address the ...

UN Human Rights Council passes a strong resolution against FGM

In its 44th session, the UN Human Rights Council has passed a strong resolution on the ‘Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation’ (FGM). Submitted by Burkina Faso on behalf of the group of African States, the resolution calls upon all governments to ...

An Important Step Toward Accountability for Sexual Violence in Bolivia and Beyond

Brisa didn’t get justice when she was raped as a teen. Now, almost 20 years later, her case could set a legal precedent in Bolivia and for the Americas. UPDATE – March, 2022: On March 29th-30th, the Inter-American Human Rights Court (IACtHR) ...

COVID-19 Conversations: Mexico’s government is failing women

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

Women’s rights in Africa: Celebrating the 17th Anniversary of the Maputo Protocol during COVID-19

In 2003, African Union (AU) Member States adopted the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (“Maputo Protocol”) in order to safeguard and advance women’s and girls’ rights across ...

What does Uzbekistan’s National Human Rights Strategy mean for women’s rights?

In June 2020, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev approved a National Human Rights Strategy, aimed at improving the country’s efforts to protect and promote the human rights of its citizens. What will this mean for women’s rights in the ...

The United States must guarantee equality on the basis of sex in the Constitution

On January 10th, 2022, Equality Now and organizations that fight for equality around the world filed a brief as amici curiae in Commonwealth of Virginia et al v. Ferriero in support of the Plaintiff-Appellants’ appeal to the United States Court of Appeals ...

6 LGBTQ+ activists you should know about this Pride month

COVID-19 Conversations: Discriminatory Nationality Law Harms Families

The COVID-19 pandemic is exposing and exacerbating gender inequalities around the world. To help make sense of things, we are sharing insights from Equality Now experts about how women’s and girls’ lives are being affected by the pandemic and what can be ...

Women in Power: Meet Auxilia Bupe Ponga

Our work protecting and promoting the human rights of women and girls means we get to work side by side with some incredible women in positions of power every day. This week, we spoke to Auxilia Bupe Ponga, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry ...

Women in Power: Meet Auxilia Bupe Ponga

Defining a new inclusive future

2020 was set to be a historic year for women’s rights, with the Generation Equality forums planned for Paris and Mexico, the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, and the G7 summit in the United States with gender equality ...

The global movement to end FGM: Promising developments in Sudan & the United Arab Emirates

Female genital mutilation is a global problem and one which requires global action to end it. Research on the existence and prevalence of the practice is critical to the efforts to eradicate the practice. Laws criminalizing FGM provide a cornerstone for ...

Dismantling racism must be part of our fight

A letter from our Executive Director, Yasmeen Hassan. Right now, I am mourning for the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and the hundreds of others who have lost their lives to an unequal and racist system. I am mourning for their families, ...

Addressing rape as a human rights violation

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 ...

COVID-19 Conversations: Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking in Malawi

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

Women in Power: Meet Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay

Our work protecting and promoting the human rights of women and girls means we get to work side by side with some incredible women in positions of power every day. At a time when many female-led governments are being praised for their assertive leadership in ...

Women in Power: Meet Rainatou Sow

COVID-19 Conversations: Saudi Arabia’s imprisoned women’s rights defenders

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

Women in Power: Meet Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney

6 ways to help make equality reality in the family

Gender equality in the family is the key to achieving gender equality across society. We must all redouble our efforts to make equality reality in our families, and around the world. 1. END LAWS THAT MEAN MOTHERS LOSE CUSTODY OF THEIR CHILDREN WHEN THEY ...

COVID-19 Conversations: The Crisis of Online Child Sexual Exploitation

Addressing discrimination & inequality in the global response to COVID-19

COVID has exposed the structural inequalities that affect women and other marginalized people. It has also had a disproportionate effect on those already disadvantaged. Governments now need to ensure all COVID and post-COVID policies are assessed on the ...

Why press freedom matters for gender equality

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 ...

COVID-19 Conversations: Russia is Failing to Protect Victims of Domestic Violence

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

28 Years of Equality Now

Equality Now is turning 28! It’s made us reflect on the progress we’ve made collectively towards gender equality over the last few decades. Here are some of our favorite moments of moving the dial towards a more equal world for women and girls. 1992 The ...

Why gender equality in leadership matters

Equality Now is turning 28! It’s made us reflect on the progress we’ve made collectively towards gender equality over the last few decades. Our work protecting and promoting the human rights of women and girls means we get to work side by side with some ...

New UN report on religious belief & the rights of women and the LGBTQ+ community

In preparation for his newly released report, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, convened a series of regional workshops to discuss strategies to advance the human rights of women and Sexual Orientation and Gender ...

Gloria Steinem: 10 quotes from the front-lines of the fight for equality

1. “Any woman who chooses to behave like a full human being should be warned that the armies of the status quo will treat her as something of a dirty joke. That’s their natural and first weapon. She will need her sisterhood.” 2. “We ...

The official global picture of FGM/C is incomplete

According to official UNICEF figures (2020), FGM/C affects at least 200 million women and girls in 31 countries worldwide. This figure only includes countries where there is available data from large-scale representative surveys, which consist of 27 countries ...

Equality Now Recommends 🎬📚🎧

March 8 was International Women’s Day, but we think every day should be international women’s day. And a great way to celebrate is to get involved with and share #feminist art! Here’s your round up of recommendations from our staff and supporters of ...

Why International Women’s Day still matters in 2020

We live in a world where gender equality is still an aspiration. Until we make equality a reality, March 8 is a day to call for action to end the discrimination that women and girls face around the world. On March 8, the world marks International Women’s ...

Brands to support for International Women’s Day

As we all come together to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, we want to highlight some brands you can confidently support, knowing they are doing their part to create a just world for women and girls. International Women’s Day is just ...

Words and Deeds: Holding governments accountable in the Beijing+25 review process

In 1995, at the UN’s 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing, governments from around the world agreed on a comprehensive plan to achieve global legal equality, known as the Beijing Platform for Action. Our founders were in Beijing 25 years ago, and every ...

Survivors of FGM/C unite to call for an end to the practice

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A Call for a Global Response, a new report released by Equality Now, End FGM European Network, and the US End FGM/C Network, features the voices of survivors of FGM/C from across the world. The report shines a spotlight on ...

To the women who made this possible – ‘thank you’

Six brave women did the hard work of holding Harvey Weinstein accountable. Today, a man who had long been sheltered by his wealth, power, and a culture of blaming and shaming the victim, was found guilty of rape by a jury of his peers. This monumental victory ...

#SaferInternetDay 2020

February 11 is #SaferInternetDay which aims to create both a safer and a better internet, where everyone is empowered to use technology responsibly, respectfully, critically, and creatively. This is particularly important as the instances of online sexual ...

How can youth end FGM?

Ahead of International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on February 6th, we spoke to young activists from across the global movement to end FGM. Aarefa Johari is the co-founder of Sahiyo, a transnational organization working to end ...

Marital rape is not a crime in India. It needs to be.

Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code explicitly allows a man to rape his adult wife. In 2015 RIT Foundation filed a petition seeking to close this loophole and criminalize marital rape in India. In January 2020, the petition was scheduled to be heard before ...

Building Bridges: Uniting a diversity of actors to end the sexual exploitation of vulnerable people

The right to be free from exploitation is a basic human right. Despite this, millions of women, girls, and other vulnerable people around the world are being sexually exploited. It is our collective responsibility to ensure everybody is able to live safe, ...

Women’s human rights defender faces defamation charges in Kazakhstan

Dina Smailova, head of NeMolchi (“Do Not be Silent” in Russian) Foundation, faces criminal charges for defamation, with the first hearing taking place on Monday 27 January. She has been litigating the “Talgo” rape case in Kazakhstan, which has ...

Equality Now Recommends 🎬📚🎧

Was one of your new year’s resolutions to consume more #feminist content? Well we have you covered! Here’s your first 2020 round up of recommendations from our staff and supporters for books, movies, TV shows, podcasts and more that act as a megaphone to ...

Add your name in support of survivors

It takes great courage for any survivors of sexual assault to come forward, especially publicly. We admire the bravery of all of the Russell Simmons survivors and #SilenceBreakers. As organizations and individuals who are dedicated to ending sexual violence, ...

Virginia votes the ratify the Equal Rights Amendment

In a watershed moment, both chambers of the Virginia State Legislature have voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). This leaves Virginia poised to become the 38th state to ratify the amendment, a pivotal number because 38 states are needed to pass ...

Women’s March 2020: March for our human rights

We march once again. When our rights are under attack, what do we do? STAND UP, FIGHT BACK. We are proud to be partnering with Women’s March Global on 18th Jan 2020 for the March For Our Human Rights – the first women’s rights march of the new ...

A failure of Cyprus’ legal system

Today, a British teenager was given a four-month suspended sentence after being found guilty of lying about gang-rape in Cyprus. In July last year, she reported to police that she was gang raped in a hotel room. She later recanted the claim and was charged ...

19 times women led the way in 2019

Here are 19 times women led the way in 2019. We hope they will lift you up and motivate you to continue to fight for gender equality in 2020, they sure have for us! 1. Thousands of women in India walked 10,000km across 24 states to raise awareness about rape ...

CEDAW at 40

International law is the foundation of Equality Now’s work to ensure all women and girls are able to live safe, fearless, and free. December 18th, 2019 marked the 40th anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women ...

Victory at ECOWAS Court for girls in Sierra Leone

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice has found that the government of Sierra Leone breached the right of pregnant girls to education by prohibiting pregnant school girls from accessing school. In a succinct and powerful ...

Proposed Russian Domestic Violence bill prioritizes “preserving family” over the life and health of women

The draft Law on Domestic Violence was released on Friday November 30 by the Federation Council and is open for comments until December 15. It gives domestic violence a legal definition and outlines various prevention measures. Many women’s rights ...

Equality Now awarded Finland’s International Gender Equality Prize for changing discriminatory laws

The Government of Finland awarded Equality Now the International Gender Equality Prize on Monday 2 December 2019. The prize, which was awarded for the second time, was presented for our work in changing discriminatory laws and practices around the world. In ...

Equality Now joins forces with UN Women and Council of Europe to improve responses to sexual violence in Georgia

The law can be a powerful tool in combating sexual violence and exploitation. It can be used to hold perpetrators to account, as well as defining the obligation that governments have to protect women and girls from violence and discrimination. The ...

7 reasons you should give to Equality Now this #GivingTuesday

At Equality Now, we know that discriminatory laws don’t reverse themselves and change is not possible unless we all work together. We are tenacious in our mission to ensure that every woman and girl is equal. It is a long journey but our hope comes ...

What a night celebrating the arts, activism, literature, and women’s rights!

Changing laws and mindsets is only possible through persistent activism and on Tuesday night we honored Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Scarlett Curtis, who use the written word to do just that. The positive energy in the room was inspiring as over 300 guests ...

10 times Margaret Atwood spoke up about women’s rights, equality & climate change

Equality Now is honored to count Margaret Atwood as part of our family and grateful for her support and tenacity. Her commitment to justice for women and girls inspires us everyday. She is a lifelong activist and her persistence is unwavering. 1. “A word ...

Using the Convention on the Rights of the Child to promote gender equality

International law is the foundation of Equality Now’s work to ensure all women and girls are able to live safe, fearless, and free. November 20th 2019 is the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which solidified ...

Beijing Platform for Action: 25 Years On

Since 1999, Equality Now has updated Words & Deeds every five years. The report highlights explicitly sex discriminatory laws affecting women and girls and other vulnerable people over the course of their lives that need to be reformed. These ...

Tanzania: Landmark ruling against child marriage upheld

In October 2019 the Tanzania Court of Appeal upheld the landmark 2016 ruling by the High Court against child marriage. “We’re very happy with the judgment from the Court of Appeal which has retained the High Court’s 2016 decision that increased the ...

Russia is failing in its obligations to protect women from domestic and sexual violence

Recent rulings by both the UN Committee tasked with monitoring the implementation the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) find that Russia is failing in its ...

Equality Now Recommends 🎬📚🎧

What are you reading or listening to these days? Do you find yourself at the end of a good book or an interesting podcast and wonder what should come next. Well good news, it’s time for your latest round up of recommendations from our staff and supporters ...

Poverty is sexist

Across almost every economy in the world, women earn less than men. According to a 2017 Oxfam report, globally women earn 24 percent less than men. Women are also less likely to be in paid work in the first place. This gendered poverty is not limited to ...

Georgia: Calling on Mtavari Arkhi to improve reporting on sexual violence

Equality Now calls upon Georgian TV channel Mtavari Arkhi to adhere to human rights standards when reporting on sexual violence. Equality Now would like to express its concern about the insensitive portrayal of a survivor of sexual violence by the TV channel ...

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month!

September 15-October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. For generations, our sisters from Latin America and The Caribbean have helped to push women’s voices to the forefront of the conversation in politics, the arts, and the ...

Addressing the Problem of Forced Child Pregnancy in Argentina

Equality Now joined five Argentine women’s and children’s rights organizations in Washington, DC to urge the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to take action to protect girls from sexual violence and forced pregnancy in Argentina. On Friday, ...

Equality Now & Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments: Partnership Highlights

At the beginning of September we were honored to launched a partnership with Margaret Atwood, Fane Productions, and VINTAGE around the highly anticipated sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood’s newest novel, The Testaments. In the past few weeks we have ...

UN Human Rights Council: Free Saudi Activists

States call on Saudi Arabia to improve its Human Rights record. Australia has delivered a joint statement at the UN in Geneva today about Saudi Arabia on behalf of a cross-regional group of Member States expressing serious concerns over the persecution ...

Equality Now Recommends – Special Literary Edition! 📚📚📚

It’s time for your latest round up of recommendations from our staff and supporters that act as a megaphone to women’s rights. This month we are doing something a bit different in honor of International Literacy Day and our partnership with Margaret ...

Uniting Forces to Ensure Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is a Practice of the Past

At Women Deliver 2019, we came together as civil society organizations, champions, survivors & grassroots representatives at Women Deliver 2019 around a global effort to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) by 2030. This is our Call to ...

#MeTooTalgo: Kazakh Activists Call For Improved Access To Justice

In Kazhakstan, survivors of sexual violence are denied justice. Under the law, rape and other forms of sexual violence are not considered as serious crimes and there’s no mandatory prosecution for these crimes by the State. Victims bear the burden of ...

Gilead is a Global Reality

On September 10 2019, Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments, the long-awaited sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale was released. Although Gilead and The Testaments are fictional, they hold a mirror up to the state of women’s rights today. In the dystopian future of ...

Equality Now & The Testaments

“Events of the past few years have shown us how we can never take progress for granted. The Testaments could not be more timely for us working on gender equality – we need to remain vigilant, persistent and make ourselves heard.” -Yasmeen Hassan, ...

It’s time to bring equality home in the United States

Business and political leaders in the United States say women’s equality and empowerment are keys to success – and make them a priority for aid to other countries. Why aren’t they doing more at home? Author: Shelby Quast, Americas Director at ...

Young Survivors Lead Walk to End Sexual Violence against Boys, Girls and Adolescents in Bolivia

This past 8-9 August, 2019, thousands came together to walk in solidarity with child and adolescent victims of sexual violence. They called for an end to the sexual violence in Bolivia. Equality Now was there with them. Last week, on 8-9 August, 2019, we were ...

It’s Time to Remove the Deadline on the ERA!

Equality Now joined a long list of organizations and advocates in urging the United States House Committee on the Judiciary to move forward with a deadline elimination bill. If you’ve been following our efforts to get protection for women included in ...

Technology and Trafficking: The Need for a Stronger, Gendered and Cooperative Response

The Need for a Stronger, Gendered and Cooperative Response Technology, in particular the internet, has enabled sex trafficking and sexual exploitation to become the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world. Like any other “successful” business, ...

Urgent action is needed to address Malawi’s mounting sex trafficking problem

Facing huge obstacles to accessing justice and support, Malawi’s sex trafficking victims are being failed by the system. Meanwhile perpetrators go unpunished. Malawi’s government and state authorities need to do more to address the mounting ...

Walking to end sexual violence against young people in Bolivia

Young people in Bolivia are coming together like never before to call for an end to the country’s epidemic of sexual violence. >>[Leer en español.] The figures in this graphic above were designed by young survivors of sexual violence in Bolivia, ...

Inspiring and defining everyday activism with Equality Now, Gucci & Chime for Change

Equality Now and Gucci co-host event featuring five youth activists to discuss Inspiring and Defining Everyday Activism. On Tuesday, July 23, Equality Now and Gucci co-hosted a panel of youth activists to discuss key issues facing our society today from race ...

Equality Now Recommends 🎬📚🎧

Whoop! It’s time for your latest round up of recommendations from our staff and supporters for books, movies, TV shows, podcasts and more that act as a megaphone to women’s rights. Enjoy – and if you have any top tips then send them our way. ...

Consent, power, vulnerability and impunity

On 25 July, 2019, the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission released its report The Limits of Consent: Prostitution in the UK. The Commission provided a balanced look at the evidence regarding the impact of prostitution and related policies, and posed ...

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2019

Tuesday, July 30th is World Day against Trafficking in Persons. It’s a chance to reinforce the urgent need to create and implement laws that seek to end sex trafficking – the illegal trafficking of humans for sexual exploitation – around the world. ...

The World I Want To Live In

We want to live in a world where every woman and girl can make her voice heard. Tell us about the world you want to live in with #TheWorldIWantToLiveIn on social media. “Stay on him! Stay on him!” Moira admonishes her fellow protestors during a recent ...

Sudan: Organisations across Africa condemn gross human rights violations

As women’s rights organizations from 16 African countries, we wish to strongly condemn the gross human rights violations that have been visited upon peaceful protesters in Sudan over the past six months. The people of Sudan have suffered untold atrocities ...

Campaigning for equal nationality rights in Lebanon

On July 4th, Equality Now MENA, in partnership with the Committee for the Follow Up on Women Issues (CFUWI), launched the campaign for equal citizenship rights in Lebanon, in the presence of twelve major Lebanese NGOs working in the field of women’s rights ...

HLPF 2019: Women’s and Girls’ Rights must be Central to Sustainable Development

Equality Now participates in the UN’s annual High Level Political Forum to push UN member states to protect and advance the human rights of all women and girls. Each year for two weeks in July, United Nations member states and civil society ...

The World I Want To Live In

We want to live in a world where women and girls are not at risk of sexual violence. Tell us about the world you want to live in with #TheWorldIWantToLiveIn on social media. “I couldn’t believe they were doing it, that it was actually happening,” says ...

To the Sudanese Military Council: Please do not lose sight that this is an opportunity for democracy, stability, fairness, and prosperity for all in Sudan

A statement in response to President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan stepping down in 2019. By Judy Gitau, Africa Co-ordinator at Equality Now The announcement that President Omar al-Bashir had finally stepped down and that a government led by the people would ...

The World I Want To Live In

We want to live in a world where women and girls are not at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) or other harmful practices. Tell us about the world you want to live in with #TheWorldIWantToLiveIn on social media. “…Things will be so much easier for ...

On International Women’s Day, Support Laws That Respect and Protect Women and Girls

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a time to celebrate and reflect on the social, political, and cultural achievements of women around the world, and to call for increased action to achieve gender equality in all areas of society. From their homes to the ...

Over 50 human rights groups call for immediate release of Saudi women’s rights defenders

The following letter was sent to over 30 Ministers of Foreign Affairs of States calling on UN Member States to adopt a resolution at the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council calling explicitly for the immediate and unconditional release of the detained ...

Black History Month: Shirley Chisholm on the ERA

For Black History Month, we honor Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress. During her first year in Congress, Congresswoman Chisholm took to the floor of the House to voice her support for the ERA in her landmark speech “For ...

She Helped Me Find My Voice

For our 25th anniversary and in recognition of countries celebrating Mother’s Day in May, here at Equality Now we are recognizing the women in our lives who have inspired us. Whether they are our mothers, sisters, teacher or friends – we ...

How Many Girls Must Die Before Liberia Stops FGM?

On 31 March 2017, Zaye Doe, a sixteen-year-old girl died during forced Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Liberia’s Tappita area. The mutilation was carried out on Zaye and her friend by members of the influential women’s secret society known as the ...

Celebrating Everyday Activism In NYC

Equality Now has been supporting the activism of women and girls around the world for the past 25 years. We have seen firsthand how each person can be an agent of change. Through activism in our spheres of influence and through supporting other’s ...

Sierra Leone Must Let Girls Learn

Equality Now Is Working With Partners To End Sexual Violence Against Girls In Sierra Leone. UPDATE: In March 2020, the government of Sierra Leone finally lifted the discriminatory ban that prohibits pregnant schoolgirls from attending school, effectively ...

Equality Now Africa Celebrates Its Sweet 16!

In 2000, Equality Now opened its Africa Office in Nairobi, Kenya. In May 2016, staff looked back on 16 years of impact across the ...

64-12! France Votes To Criminalize Buying Sex & Decriminalize People In Prostitution

The Nordic Model Of Laws To Ending Sex Trafficking And Commercial Sexual Exploitation Continues To Gain Ground In Europe! On 6 April 2016, the French National Assembly historically and overwhelmingly passed the ‘Nordic Model’ ( or Equality ...

Watch: I’m Just A Law

Watch The Video, Raise Your Voice! No More #unsexylaws In 1995, 189 countries pledged to “revoke any remaining laws that discriminate on the basis of sex” at the historic United Nations 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing. More than ...

U.S. Military Is Still A Hostile Environment For Women

Since 2013, together with our partner the Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN), we have been working to combat sexual assault in the U.S. Military and see that survivors are supported when they seek justice. Editor’s note: This is an ...

April 2016 Member News

A round-up of our work in April 2016 News COMING SOON – EQUALITY NOW’S NEW LOOK AND FEEL We may not be turning 25 until next year, but that’s not stopping us from celebrating early. Stay tuned as we get ready to launch our next chapter. Thank you to ...

Women Creating Change

Women’s History Month interview with Equality Now’s Global Executive Director, Yasmeen Hassan. Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a Q&A with U.S. digital strategy agency Blue State Digital. What do you hope to see in the ...

Interview With Yasmeen Hassan

Co-founder and Chairwoman Janvi Patel of Legal Advisory Group, Halebury, sat down with Equality Now’s Yasmeen Hassan in celebration of International Women’s Day. Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a longer ...

Victory For Makeda!

Justice for Girls – a legal victory 15 years in the making! We are thrilled to announce a victory in one of our first and longest-running Adolescent Girls’ Legal Defense Fund (AGLDF) cases! In a precedent-setting decision, the African ...

End “Honor” Killings

At age 19, Saba eloped to marry a young man she loved. When her father called her home, supposedly to reconcile, he and her uncle shot her in the head, put her in a bag and threw her in a river in Pakistan. The reason? She had brought dishonor onto her ...

Report: Ending Sexism In Nationality Laws

Imagine then what it is like to be born without a nationality or to be denied the citizenship of your mother, or at times your father, because of discrimination in the law. Today, Equality Now released The State We’re In: Ending Sexism in ...

Celebrating The Africa-led Movement To End FGM In One Generation

Across the African continent, people are coming together to abandon this violence against women and girls. Equality Now is a founding partner of a new campaign to support work to end Female Genital Mutilation. In ten focal countries, The Girl Generation: ...

Equality Now’s Yasmeen Hassan Awarded the National Public Interest Award from Stanford Law School

“Equality under the law is the first essential step to gender equality…” Last week brought something very special for everyone at Equality Now to celebrate. Our Global Director, Yasmeen Hassan, was honored with the National Public Service Award from ...

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Public Voices Fellowship on Advancing the Rights of Women and Girls

Family Laws in MENA Fail to Protect Women and Girls

Misogynistic online abuse poses major threat to women journalists

The Adult Survivors Act would Bring Justice to Thousands of New Yorkers

A Universal Declaration on Digital Rights: Your questions answered

Yasmeen Hassan to step down as Global Executive Director of Equality Now

A life’s work: All in the name of equality

Sexual Violence and Intersectionality: Demanding access to justice for women with disabilities in Kyrgyzstan

Building on Three Decades of Equality Now – Our Hopes for the Future of Women’s Rights

Together We Are Making Gender Equality Reality: Celebrating 30 Years of Equality Now

A Call for an Intersectional Feminist Informed Universal Declaration on Digital Rights

Liberian government bans FGM for three years: What’s the next big step?

Good Laws Are The Floor, Not The Ceiling Of What We Can Achieve

Equality Now High-Level Mission to Eliminate FGM in Sierra Leone Makes Gains with Key State Agencies

Human Rights Court to Hear Groundbreaking Case on Sexual Violence in Bolivia

Commission on the Status of Women 66 – Our Statement

The best path to gender equality is through family law reform

Sexual Violence Laws are Failing Adolescents

Equality Now and NIHOL are joining forces to promote gender equality in Uzbekistan

Noura Hussein freed from prison

Welcome statement from Sierra Leone’s Speaker of Parliament on outlawing FGM

Invest in the Multi-Sectoral Approach to end FGM

Constitutional Equality is Non-Negotiable

Why We Need International Action to End Online Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

The ERA in 2022: What’s Next

60-year sentence – Kenyan court sets precedent on trafficking for sexual exploitation

Sierra Leone urged to ban FGM following death of 21-year-old woman

Bolivia must guarantee the absolute prohibition of torture and mistreatment: United Nations Committee Against Torture

Kenya Shadow Report on Maputo Protocol Points to Opportunities and Challenges in Enforcing Women’s Rights Treaties

Accessible Justice: Sexual violence against women and girls with disabilities

Weaponizing defamation lawsuits against survivors violates international human rights

6 Reasons to Give to Gender Equality this Giving Tuesday

Breaking the silence: Ending sexual violence in the Maldives

A Culture of Shame: Equality Now and Nemolchi.uz publish a new report highlighting the gaps in sexual violence laws in Uzbekistan

Yasmeen Hassan speaks at High-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the appraisal of the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons

U.S. Teen Miatta Shares Her Story On International Day For Zero Tolerance of FGM

Mexico: In the midst of a femicide crisis, the 2022 budget must prioritize public policies to deal with gender-based violence

Five Things To Know This International Day of the Girl

Statement from 5 Afghan Women’s NGOs: Our rights are human rights

Improving the Investigation and Prosecution of Sexual Violence Cases in Georgia together with the Council of Europe and UN Women

5 Eurasian Women’s Rights Activists You Should Know

The Hathras Case One Year On: Exploring the impact of landmark cases of caste-based sexual violence in India

Writing for Her Rights: The role of the media in ending FGM in West Africa

Afghanistan: Religion, tradition and women’s rights

This Women’s Equality Day We Demand Constitutional Equality

Four Years On From #MeToo: The Global Rape Epidemic Continues

Afghanistan: Never Underestimate Women

Victims’ Voices Leading the Way: Holding Perpetrators Accountable For Sex Trafficking In Malawi

Five West African Women’s Rights Activists You Should Know

Kenya just committed to ending gender based violence in five years. Here’s how they plan to do it

Joint Statement: Governor Cuomo Must Resign

Kenya Must Prioritize Ending Sex Trafficking

Dalit Women Speak Out: The movement to end caste based sexual violence across India

The Maputo Protocol turns 18 today. But what does this mean for women and girls in Africa?

Equality Now at the Generation Equality Forum

Equality Now Issues an Amicus Brief Against Using Defamation to Silence Survivors of Gender-based Violence and Discrimination in Georgia

Ending Child Marriage in Jordan: A Bride With A Doll

We will not be silenced: Solidarity with women’s rights activists across Eurasia

Day of the African Child 2021: Kenya’s progress towards gender equality 26 years on from the Beijing Conference

5 Global LGBTQ+ Leaders you Should Know About this Pride Month

Make gender equality a reality, Kenya!

Update: Words & Deeds: Holding Governments Accountable in the Beijing +25 Review Process

International Day of Families 2021

10 Years of the Istanbul Convention: Combatting Violence Against Women across Europe and Beyond

President Biden’s First 100 Days: Is the Biden-Harris Administration Delivering on Gender Equality?

President Suluhu: Please remember the girls

Russian Sexual Violence Awareness Week: Russia is failing to meet international standards on combatting sexual violence

Roundup: Equality Now at CSW65

Dear journalists, broadcasters, editors, influencers, educators, your words matter.

#30DaystoAct: Joint statement on detention changes in the UK

9 ways the Maputo Protocol has protected and promoted the rights of women and girls across Africa

Ending Male Violence: Joint letter to the Prime Minister of the UK

Remembering Nawal El Saadawi

Feminist Leadership at the United Nations – Gender Equality Within and Without

Where to find Equality Now at CSW65

Legal Equality is a Prerequisite for Economic Recovery