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Abortion Has Always Existed and Always Will By GABRIELLA WATSON Commentary December 19, 2025 “They can cut all the flowers, but they cannot stop the spring.” The Hidden Cost of Vascular Disease By WEI ZHANG Health & Science November 25, 2025 Cold weather amplifies these risks, underscoring the urgent need for earlier recognition, smarter screening, and scalable innovations. What If We Took Endometriosis as Seriously as We Take Diabetes? By NINA STACHENFELD Health & Science October 20, 2025 The disparity is most acute for diseases that primarily affect women. Why We Need ‘Cliteracy’ Today More Than Ever By A RENEE BERGTROM Health & Science July 15, 2025 Women possess the only bodily organ whose sole purpose is to bring pleasure. Improve Postpartum Care to Detect Preeclampsia By AMRAPALI MAITRA Health & Science February 21, 2025 While most cases of preeclampsia arise in pregnancy, it turns out my experience of having a healthy pregnancy with normal blood pressures and being diagnosed after delivery is not uncommon. It’s Time We Close the Treatment Gap for Women By BROOKE STORY Commentary October 1, 2024 Women’s health has been underfunded, under-researched, and underserved. Why Are Military Women Affected by Toxic Exposure More than Men? By JONATHAN SHARP Health & Science April 14, 2022 The fact that medical professionals seldom ask women whether they served in the military upon assigning them a diagnosis is just one of the reasons why many female veterans fail to receive the healthcare they need. From Scientific Bombshells to Scientific Breakthroughs: Women are in the Lead By ROSALIND C. BARNETT, PH.D. & CARYL RIVERS Health & Science July 14, 2021 “The vaccine you are going to be taking was developed by an African American woman and that is just a fact.” – Dr. Anthony Fauci What is Women’s Health? It’s More Than You Think By CHRISTINA CHANG Health & Science June 28, 2021 When we hear “women’s health,” we should picture everything from the food labels that warn us about the hidden, unhealthy ingredients in packaged food to the policies that ban smoking in public spaces to the birth certificates that grant girls access to education. News Arts & Culture Crime & Law Health & Science Politics Employment Arts & Culture Crime & Law Health & Science Politics Employment Commentary Menu Close Donate Now Events Health & Science Reproductive Health, Mental Health, Abortion, Black Maternal Health, Contraception First PREV 1 Page 1 NEXT Last Military Women Face Distinct Health Needs — Maintaining Gender-Informed Care and Safeguards are Critical By CRISTINA JOHNSON Commentary February 1, 2026 Shortfalls point to ongoing barriers—including stigma, limited clinic accessibility, and hurdles concerning women. Latest in Health & Science Subscribe to our newsletter Email* Sign Up You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Have a question? Contact us or review our privacy policy for more information. Series Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program Support Independent and Factual Journalism Help us build a world that honors, respects and supports the lives of women and girls Donate Now

Sliding In Sideways: New York’s First Female Governor By LORI SOKOL, PH.D., EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WOMEN’S ENEWS Politics August 23, 2021 Governorships have remained particularly elusive for females, regardless of their successful track records, regrettably for them…and for us. Let’s Send One More Woman to Washington Next Year By LORI SOKOL, PH.D., EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WOMEN’S ENEWS Politics December 16, 2018 In honor of the fellowship named after our founder, Rita Henley Jensen, we are planning to hire a seasoned DC-based reporter to provide immediate, insightful, and compelling coverage of the momentum building on Capitol Hill. Fate of Study Abroad Program Unclear to Young Women By SHARON IGBOKWE & MORGANE DE LACEY EVANS Politics November 21, 2016 Samantha fears her 14-year-old sister won’t be able to take advantage of a popular study abroad program now that the U.K. voted to leave the EU. Some Conservative Girls Feel ‘Shut Down’ on Liberal College Campuses By NAOMI GRANT Politics September 26, 2016 Heather Reed’s dream job is to be a mother. That view puts her at odds with some peers on her liberal college campus. So does her opposition to abortion. Girls Rights Take Stage At #GirlsGovern Town Hall By NAOMI GRANT Politics September 22, 2016 GlobalGirl Media’s #OwnTheMic Town Hall put a spotlight on issues facing girls and the solutions they proposed. In German Sanctuary, Yezidi Women Begin to Face the Aftermath By EETTA PRINCE-GIBSON Politics September 14, 2016 “They are experiencing multiple levels of trauma,” says the medical chief of this special quota project. “There is the individual trauma, of course. And the collective trauma; because the genocide was directed at their entire community.” In Liberia, Girls and Women Face a Future Without U.N. Peacekeepers By MONIQUE JOHN Politics September 7, 2016 The reputation of the U.N.’s peacekeeping troops in the country has been blemished by allegations of sexual misconduct and the mission is incomplete. But many Liberians still trust foreign security forces more than their own, raising questions about the fate of girls and women. Women Running for Senate Pour Millions into Their Campaigns By SHARON JOHNSON Politics August 29, 2016 John McCain, a formidable fundraiser, faces Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick in Arizona, in one of the country’s most expensive Senate races. Meanwhile, the two women bidding for Barbara Boxer’s seat in California are also each raising millions. Is the U.S. Ready to Start Caring About the Crisis in Caretaking? By HOA NGUYEN Politics August 24, 2016 Care economists are trying to change how people in the U.S. think about caring services for everyone; children, elderly, people with disabilities, people with medical problems. But is the country ready for such a holistic approach to national budgeting? News Arts & Culture Crime & Law Health & Science Politics Employment Arts & Culture Crime & Law Health & Science Politics Employment Commentary Menu Close Donate Now Events Politics Women in Government/Parliament, United Nations, War and Peace, Human Rights First PREV 1 Page 1 NEXT Last Benefitting from Female Governors: Could Your State Be Next? By GREGORY SHUFELDT & LAURA MERRIFIELD WILSON & ASHLEY HUTSON Commentary December 21, 2022 Understanding how and when women run for office could be a useful exercise as voters consider future prospects for their political leaders. Latest in Politics Subscribe to our newsletter Email* Sign Up You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Have a question? Contact us or review our privacy policy for more information. Series Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program Support Independent and Factual Journalism Help us build a world that honors, respects and supports the lives of women and girls Donate Now

How Doulas Benefit Marginalized Communities Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program How Doulas Benefit Marginalized Communities By JACKIE PILGRIM Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program January 14, 2026 Enhancing Self-Determination and Resilience in Autistic Youth and Adults By JACKIE PILGRIM Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program September 17, 2025 How Mask Banning Harms High Risk Populations By NICOLE LEBLANC Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program August 4, 2025 Trust Your Gut: The Gut-Brain Link in Autism and Intellectual Disability By JACKIE PILGRIM Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program July 28, 2025 Healing Mental Health Through the Arts By JACQUESE ARMSTRONG Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program July 10, 2025 Barriers in the Workplace: Why People with Disabilities Struggle to Thrive at Work By TAYLOR HAMILTON Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program June 3, 2025 Load More Series

POR ALISON BOWEN alison-bowen@womensenews.com HAYA Haya, 18, is a medical student in southern Afghanistan and she would like to write a novel. From Eating Last to Staying Quiet, No Rights for Afghan Girls Being female in Afghanistan is hard, even if you have a supportive family like teen writer Haya does. By HAYA & POR ALISON BOWEN Crime & Law February 17, 2016 (WOMENSENEWS)–In my society in Afghanistan, women are considered inferior to men. Women struggle for their rights, and in most areas they are still considered slaves. A woman has no right to an education or even to put her foot outside the door of her house. In my society, families are upset when a girl is born. Women are held responsible for every wrong. If a family finds out about a forbidden relationship between a girl and a boy, they kill the girl and the boy is left to live without any concerns. If love is a sin, it has to be a sin for both people. If it doesn’t matter for the boy, then why should the girl pay for it? In some homes and regions, women are not permitted to eat before their husbands; if the husband doesn’t want to eat they can’t eat either. Usually when a woman shares her ideas about something, men don’t listen. They say, “Now we will have to listen to a woman!” Some men consider listening to a woman’s advice, or asking a woman for her opinion, to be an insult to themselves. If they obey a woman, it will cause them to lose respect. Sometimes I think these customs will go on forever. Will a time come when we will get our rights and we will be treated as equals? My family has always been supportive of my education, but I know many girls who aren’t as lucky. I consider myself fortunate, but there are still things my family won’t allow: I will never be permitted to study abroad or even to live in another city without my family. And if every woman was happy and free to follow her wishes, we would have a more developed and peaceful society. Author Related Articles Subscribe to our newsletter Email* Sign Up You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Have a question? Contact us or review our privacy policy for more information. Series Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program Support Independent and Factual Journalism Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles. Donate Now

MARIYA TAHER SHIVANGI MISRA No Safe Place for Women: Violence on Hospital Beds The ‘husband stitch’ is too often proposed by the male doctor as a ‘favor’ to the husband or the couple. By SHIVANGI MISRA & MARIYA TAHER Commentary June 15, 2025 Colombian singer Greeciy and her partner had the joyous occasion of having a son together two years ago. But in early April, the singer took to TikTok to share that after that birth in 2022, she was given “extra stitches” without her (or her partner’s) knowledge to repair a vaginal tear, something that has caused her considerable pain ever since. Greeicy is yet another survivor of a longstanding, deeply harmful practice known as “the husband stitch.” Greeicy’s story isn’t the only one to make the news in recent years. In Los Angeles last year, OB/GYN Dr. Barry Brock was sued by more than 100 women for a host of violations, including performing the husband-stitch. As women come forward with their stories, a question emerges: How much is this harmful practice carried out in the US, and how can we protect women from being subjected to it? In many reported cases, the husband stitch is proposed by the male doctor as a ‘favour’ to the husband or the couple. However, as Greeicy details, the husband- stitch can cause severe physical and emotional harm, including pain during urination and penetrative sex. Further, there’s no evidence that the procedure has any medical benefits. Yet, despite advocacy from anti-FGM advocates, who are often survivors, civil society organizations, and service providers, to recognise the ‘husband-stitch’ as a form of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C), it is not uniformly addressed under anti-FGM/C laws. The World Health Organization recognises FGM/C as “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons;” the injury to the genitalia caused by the extra-stitch when husband stich occurs could fall within the WHO’s definition and classification of four types of FGM/C, especially type 4 (which includes all other types of harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes not specificed in types 1, 2, 3). Yet, there has often been an avoidance and no recognition of including the husband stitch as a form of FGM/C. One reason for this oversight is that there is a huge gap in collecting data on its prevalence in the US and elsewhere. What is known is largely anecdotal. Further, even as women do share their experiences, out of the 41 states that do have laws against FGM/C in the U.S., only in 7 of those states do the laws apply to adult women. There are concerns raised by advocates that if FGM/C laws were applied to adults, it might blur clear lines drawn in the context of consent and who is able to give consent. Especially since FGM/C is commonly practiced among minors and consent, ideally, is not legally allowed as a defence for the act, as minors are too young to be able to give consent. Adult women are indeed able to consent; however, as is in cases of sexual and other forms of gender violence, most women are undergoing these harmful procedures without giving consent or with coerced consent. Often, they do not know that they were subjected to the harmful procedure until after it is done. The distinction involving consent could easily be addressed in the creation of comprehensive laws, where provisions could be made to distinguish between different circumstances and the type of FGM/C occurring. However, legal reform will only occur when accompanied by change at the level of our communities. Similar to other forms of FGM/C in the U.S., we have to first publicly acknowledge that the husband-stitch is occurring and is not an urban myth. Secondly, we need information collection to develop solutions that are rooted in the real experiences of women and can address the root causes of the issue, such as misinformation, prioritising male pleasure, and patriarchal medical violence. One concrete step that governments—at all levels—can take is to prioritize education and public awareness about the husband stitch. This effort must be embedded in laws and policies and introduced early through schools through the curriculum, healthcare systems, training programs for medical professionals and judges, and community programs. Mass communication campaigns should focus on the harmful impacts as well as the myths, misinformation, and cultural misconceptions that surround it. Equally important is holding medical practitioners accountable—whether under existing FGM/C laws or through broader legal protections that uphold women’s rights to bodily autonomy, freedom from discrimination, and protection from exploitation for male sexual gratification. While right now, husband-stitch may be considered medical malpractice, the gendered dimension of the crime is missed. Framing it solely as a medical error overlooks the societal attitudes and power dynamics that enable such violations to occur. This is not just a case of negligence or poor medical judgment—it is a form of gender-based violence that targets women precisely because of their perceived reproductive role and subordination within patriarchal systems. A gendered dimension would ensure that this crime is treated as one that impacts a woman’s lifelong health, and as such, comprehensive laws and policies should be developed that target prevention and impose penalties that reflect the severity of its impact. Women who’ve survived this “stitch” are showing the way to a more just future for those giving birth. Their stories deserve more than a nod and a pat on the head. Doctors who carry out this procedure have to be stopped in their tracks, and the culture that allows them to behave with impunity has to undergo a crucial, necessary shift. About the Authors: Shivangi Misra is an international human rights lawyer, serves as a Global Legal Advisor at Equality Now, and is a Public Voices Fellow on Advancing the Rights of Women and Girls with the OpEd Project and Equality Now. Mariya Taher, an award-winning social activist, has worked in the gender-based violence field for fifteen years in teaching, research, policy, program development, and direct service. In 2015, she cofounded Sahiyo , an organization with the mission to empower Asian and other communities to end female genital cutting/mutilation (FGM/C). She was named one of ten 2023 L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth nonprofit leaders and is a Public Voices fellow on Advancing the Rights of Women and Girls with The OpEd Project and Equality Now Author Related Articles Subscribe to our newsletter Email* Sign Up You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Have a question? Contact us or review our privacy policy for more information. Series Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program Support Independent and Factual Journalism Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles. Donate Now

SANDHYA KALAVACHERLA Sandhya Kalavacherla is a senior at Amador Valley High School who enjoys science and writing. Girls Gravitate to Some STEM Classes, Avoid Others The focus on getting girls in STEM is working in life sciences, less so in math and engineering. “I really don’t enjoy math,” says one 17-year-old. “So I plan on pursuing a career in biology.” By SANDHYA KALAVACHERLA Health & Science November 4, 2016 PLEASANTON, Calif. (WOMENSENEWS)—Sammy Vasquez has an irrational fear of math and physics. But she loves biology. As a rising senior in high school here, Vasquez has taken six biology class, ranging from botany to zoology but has only taken the minimum physics and math required to fulfill her graduation credits. “I really don’t enjoy math, so I plan on pursuing a career in biology,” says the 17-year-old, who spoke recently by phone. “I think my style of thinking and analytical abilities are more fit for biology than math and physics.” Women are expanding their ranks in all the so-called STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. But the sharpest gains are in the life sciences (i.e. biology, psychology, social sciences). While women are approaching 50 percent of the workforce fields, they are vastly underrepresented in engineering, physics, astronomy and computer science. In these “physical sciences,” they represent less than 30 percent. The same trends were observed among female students at MIT , according to a study by the school a few years ago. Researchers have studied the reasons for women’s minority status in the physical sciences. One factor is “structural discrimination,” a tendency for males to occupy the top positions and hire other men, reports Elaine Howard Ecklund, a sociology professor at Rice University, in a 2012 study . Ecklund also reports that the perceived emotional content of biological research can make it more appealing to women to pursue as a career. However, emerging fields that integrate math, computer science, physics and biology—such as bioengineering and bioinformatics—may begin to involve more girls into areas involving physical sciences. Ecklund writes that promoting the social benefits of physics science research at an earlier age will help recruit more girls into the engineering, computer science, physics, and mathematics fields. Positive role models can also play a major role in pushing girls toward the physical sciences. Sometimes, as in the case of Aoife O’Farrell, that role model can be a big sister. O’Farrell, a rising senior at Amador Valley High School plans to apply to college as a biomedical engineering major this fall. “My sister is also studying bioengineering at UC Santa Cruz, so her positive experience also convinced me to pursue the same field,” said in an email interview. Erin Mordecai, an assistant professor in Biology at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, conducts research that involves math, computer science and ecology; a blend of the physical and biological sciences. In an email interview, Mordecai said she thinks that one reason women tend to gravitate to certain fields is that they feel more comfortable, included, and encouraged when there are already a lot of women in those fields. “I also think that a lot of people, not just women, tend to give up on math if they find it difficult or intimidating, or if they get behind,” Mordecai added. “And then they have an aversion to fields they perceive as math-heavy. This kind of attitude seems to be more socially accepted in women.” Mordecai says that men who are established in the physical sciences can do a lot to recruit more women. She recalls being the only female student in her freshman calculus course at college. However, the class was far from intimidating. It was enriching and collaborative experience and fueled her interest in pursuing higher level math in college. Megan Vakil, a third-year software engineering student at the Osmania University’s College of Engineering in Andhra Pradesh, India, recently got a job offer at CallidusCloud, a software company whose HQ is in Dublin, California. “Since most of the physical sciences are still male-dominated, we women need the men to be more supportive and welcoming in order to begin to bridge the gap,” says Vakil, in a recent email. “At this point, it depends equally on the men as it does on the women.” It can also depend heavily on the messages that girls get at home. As an incoming college freshman at Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology in Hyderabad, India, Shreya Reddy says that in her case the source of the bias against physical sciences is easy to pinpoint: her family. She says that her relatives have always encouraged her to pursue medicine and her older brother to pursue engineering. “It has always been like this, even with my cousins and extended family,” she said in an email interview. “Everyone in my family has always pushed the girls to become doctors and the boys to become engineers.” Author Related Articles Subscribe to our newsletter Email* Sign Up You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Have a question? Contact us or review our privacy policy for more information. Series Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program Support Independent and Factual Journalism Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles. Donate Now

CRYSTAL E. MONDS Fake Pregnancy Clinics Are a Threat to Real Care They employ shame, use delay tactics, and provide medically inaccurate information. By CRYSTAL E. MONDS Commentary May 22, 2025 Mexico has sued Google after the tech giant updated its maps to reflect a U.S. House resolution attempting to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”. In response, President Claudia Sheinbaum has taken legal action over this violation of Mexico’s sovereign rights. What might seem like a frivolous renaming stunt is actually part of a broader pattern: a refusal to face reality, and a habit of using language to distort power. Since we’re renaming things, let’s start with so-called “Crisis Pregnancy Centers.” Let’s call them what they are: Fake Clinics. I work in Communications with Amplify Georgia Collaborative , where I’ve helped gather stories from Georgians harmed by these fake clinics. I’ve listened as people described being misled, delayed, or shamed when they were most fearful and in need of real support. Through organizing, polling, and narrative work across the state, I’ve seen firsthand how disinformation and disinvestment in real care deepen health inequities and undermine reproductive freedom. Fake clinics are not about care. They are disinformation hubs that receive funding while manipulating people—especially marginalized communities—out of making informed decisions about their pregnancies. They typically lack medically trained staff, do not provide abortion services, and rarely offer real prenatal or postpartum care, or accurate medical advice. Instead, they employ shame, use delay tactics, and provide medically inaccurate information. The Women’s Law Project highlights how fake clinics specifically target low-income pregnant people, Black women, and teenagers to block access to abortion and contraception, intentional targeting that exacerbates existing health disparities in these communities. This isn’t just a problem for Georgia or even the South. There isn’t a single state in the country that is free from fake clinics. Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, California, and Ohio all have extensive networks of fake clinics that far outnumber legitimate abortion providers and often receive government funding. In Georgia alone, over $2 million annually in public money has been funneled into fake clinics—money that could have supported real health care, child care, home visits for new parents, or housing assistance. Instead, it’s funding lies and coercion. In fact, Georgia has at least five fake clinics for every one real abortion provider. That imbalance is intentional and dangerous. We know this not just from policy reports, but from real people. One community member shared how a fake clinic told her she was too far along to get an ultrasound, sent her on her way, and left her feeling hopeless. Another was told that abortion would cause infertility. These aren’t one-off stories. They are happening every day, all across the country. Meanwhile, Georgians are dying because of delayed or denied pregnancy care. Just ask the families of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller , two women who died from preventable pregnancy complications. Their deaths, detailed by ProPublica , underscore the lethal consequences of a system more focused on control than care. What could have changed the outcome? Real, accessible medical care, not manipulation dressed in a white coat. These state-sponsored cravings for control harm more than just pregnant people. Fake clinics don’t just spread lies, they divert public resources, promote a narrow religious ideology, and normalize government intrusion into the most personal decisions we make. The same politicians who funnel millions into these fraud centers also push for surveillance, over-policing, and the criminalization of poverty. It’s all part of the same playbook: control bodies, limit choices, and concentrate power. To be clear, yes, fake clinics can give you a pregnancy test. So can the dollar store. So can a real clinic. So can your local RJ organizer, campus clinic, or community health center. But only some of those will treat you like someone who deserves full, dignified, life-affirming care. This isn’t just about renaming things. It’s about reclaiming power. Fake clinics are designed to confuse, delay, and dominate. When politicians rename oceans or position disinformation campaigns as health infrastructure, they’re laying the groundwork for authoritarianism. We deserve better. We deserve truth, care, and investment in our futures, not fraudulent care and lies. Let’s call fake clinics what they are and shut them down. About the Author: Crystal E. Monds is a Public Voices fellow of the OpEd Project in partnership with the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, and the Every Page Foundation, as well as the Communications and Digital Media Coordinator at Amplify Georgia Collaborativ e. Author Related Articles Subscribe to our newsletter Email* Sign Up You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Have a question? Contact us or review our privacy policy for more information. Series Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program Support Independent and Factual Journalism Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles. Donate Now

AMY LIEBERMAN Amy Lieberman is a journalist based in New York City, where she reports on human rights, social issues and the environment for a range of news outlets. International Courts Face a Female Power Push Over the next few years campaigners will be trying to boost the number of women running and serving in the tribunals and offices that make some of the most consequential decisions in international justice. By AMY LIEBERMAN Crime & Law November 4, 2015 NEW YORK (WOMENSENEWS)– Viviana Kristicevic had heard complaints from other lawyers about the scarcity of women in international tribunals and monitoring bodies. So, she had an idea that the data on women serving as judges and key representatives would not be great. But she was "absolutely shocked" by what she and her team have found about the male domination of these posts. The tribunal where Kristicevic herself has litigated cases is the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. This autonomous court in Costa Rica, where human rights violations in the Americas and Caribbean are considered, has had four female judges out of its total 35 since its establishment in 1979. The International Court of Justice, the official court of the United Nations, has only had four female judges out of 106 since it launched in 1945. The Geneva-based International Criminal Court, formally established in 2002, looks best for female authority figures, with women holding 14 of its 40 posts across the institution. This court consists of several different branches, including a group of high-level judges who preside over the court, a separate batch of judges who serve as a jury and also issue sentences, as well as an office of prosecutors, now led by a woman, Fatou Bensouda. "If you run the numbers and look at them historically it is appalling," said Kristicevic, executive director for the Center for Justice and International Law, a human rights organization with offices in Latin America and the U.S., in a phone interview. "They do not show an incremental move towards parity or improvement, so there is no linear progress. Some bodies you can see go back and forth." ICC Applies Gender Lens to Cases In 2014 the International Criminal Court announced it would apply a gender analysis to all crimes within its jurisdiction and treat acts of sexual and gender-based crimes as different categories of crimes within the court’s jurisdiction. The prosecutor’s office has also brought on a special gender advisor. Kristicevic says these tribunals and bodies are at the center of some of the most consequential decisions taken in international relations: "They are deciding issues of war and peace, genocide, on the scope of human rights protections and it is troubling that women would not be a part of those decisions." The word "advocate" itself comes from the Roman word for lawyer. While the campaign is not spotlighting any particular female jurist’s advocacy achievements on behalf of women, the importance of female judges to issues affecting women is famously personified by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the U.S. Supreme Court justice who has been a vigorous and often dissident defender of women’s reproductive rights. In September, Kristicevic’ s Center for Justice and International Law launched the "Campaign for Gender Parity in International Representation" or Gqual, as it is known. Its purpose is to encourage governments to select more women to run special tribunals, regional and international courts. Pledges to Nominate More Women The campaign’s first stop was the United Nations Headquarters on Sept. 17 during the General Assembly plenary session. Ambassadors to the U.N. from Argentina, Costa Rica, Norway, Panama and Sweden signed a pledge at the event to nominate an equal number of men and women whenever the opportunity arises. The Gqual campaign, which will research and advocate for parity, plans to continue working for several years with international organizations and bodies to make their election processes more transparent. It will be looking for pledges from between 35 and 40 countries to consider gender parity when they nominate and vote for candidates for international positions. On Nov. 6 the campaign will be giving a briefing in Geneva at the next session of the Committee to End All Forms of Violence Against Women or CEDAW, a major women’s rights treaty and body of independent experts that monitors implementation of the agreement. Many countries have ratified the treaty. So far the United States has signed but not ratified it. Catalina Botero Marino, who recently served as special rapporteur for freedom of expression for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, says that in her experience the disparity and lack of leadership opportunities for women are "visible to almost no one." "They [men] don’t understand the difference because they are not women," she said in a phone interview. "They are not feeling the impacts of the discrimination. It costs a lot more for women than it does for men. This is a challenge, to show the discrimination and to also show that the female perspective matters." Cecilia Bailliet, an advisor to Gqual, directs the public international law master’s program at the University of Oslo. She says weak political will helps explain the paucity of women in international judicial systems. So does a process where selection–either by voting or nominations–is controlled by a limited number of government officials or heads of state, among whom women are under-represented. Female Judges Bring Special Perspective Yasmine Ergas, the director of gender and public policy at Columbia University’s School of International Public Affairs, says that when women consider criminal law and human rights they draw from their experiences and that offers a unique perspective. She says it would be difficult to imagine the gradual acceptance of gender-specific crimes like sexual violence as a weapon of war, as worthy of being tried in these courts, without the mobilization of female jurists. "It’s just the simple fact that women and men should both be represented and seems to me a question of justice," she said. "Everyone should have an equal shot and the fact that women are not; there is a problem." Some women, such as Louise Arbour, the former U.N. high commissioner for human rights, have held powerful, high-profile positions in the United Nations. Margot Wallstrom, the former U.N. special representative on sexual violence in conflict, also joins these ranks. But these women don’t represent the larger picture. Overall, as of September 2015, women occupy only 17 percent of the key authority positions within major international tribunals. That percentage rose slightly to 25 percent when considering regional human rights courts, according to the campaign. Would you like to Send Along a Link of This Story? https://womensenews.org/2015/11/international-…ale-power-push/ ? Author Related Articles Subscribe to our newsletter Email* Sign Up You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Have a question? Contact us or review our privacy policy for more information. Series Loreen Arbus Accessibility is Fundamental Program Support Independent and Factual Journalism Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles. Donate Now

Subscribe to our newsletter Email* Sign Up You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Have a question? Contact us or review our privacy policy for more information. Series ARTS & CULTURE ARTS & CULTURE Support Independent and Factual Journalism Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles. Donate Now Author MEGAN THIELE STRONG

Subscribe to our newsletter Email* Sign Up You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Have a question? Contact us or review our privacy policy for more information. Series ARTS & CULTURE ARTS & CULTURE Support Independent and Factual Journalism Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles. Donate Now Author ALEXANDRA MUCK Alexandra Muck is a junior at Ursuline Academy of Dallas where she enjoys serving as the managing editor for the newspaper, The Bear Facts.

Subscribe to our newsletter Email* Sign Up You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Have a question? Contact us or review our privacy policy for more information. Series ARTS & CULTURE ARTS & CULTURE Support Independent and Factual Journalism Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles. Donate Now Author SIMONE SOUBLET Simone Soublet, a communications and journalism studies student at Loyola Marymount University, is a 2020 fellow in the Sy Syms Journalistic Excellence Program* at Women’s eNews, funded by the Sy Syms Foundation . The Sy Syms Journalistic Excellence Program at Women’s eNews fellowship supports editorial and development opportunities for editorial interns in the pursuit of journalistic excellence.

Subscribe to our newsletter Email* Sign Up You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time. Have a question? Contact us or review our privacy policy for more information. Series ARTS & CULTURE ARTS & CULTURE Support Independent and Factual Journalism Add paragraph text. Click “Edit Text” to update the font, size and more. To change and reuse text themes, go to Site Styles. Donate Now Author SAGE HOWARD A recent graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, Sage Howard is a 2018 fellow in the Sy Syms Journalistic Excellence Program, funded by the Sy Syms Foundation . The Sy Syms Journalistic Excellence Program at Women’s eNews fellowship supports editorial and development opportunities for editorial interns in the pursuit of journalistic excellence.