Casting Lines and Breaking Barriers: Women Redefining Fishing

October 18, 2024

Creating global change by empowering women through fishing.

Woman holding a fish she caught offshore fishing in Rhode Island, USA. Courtesy of Take Me Fishing.

Many of us have nostalgic memories of learning to fish with our grandparents. They took us to the pond, put the bait on our hook, and gave us our first casting lesson. However, there is a noticeable disparity between male and female children who continue their fishing experiences. According to a study by The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF), only 19% of female anglers between the ages of 13-17 continue fishing after age 12 opposed to 30% of their male counterparts. Additionally, the RBFF found that only 19% of women “see themselves” represented in the fishing industry. As of 2024, 37% of all anglers in the United States are female-identifying—the highest number on record.

In August 2024, I proudly joined those numbers. I was lucky enough to accompany a crew of fisherwomen on an excursion with Take Me Fishing (TMF) in Rhode Island. TMF is a nonprofit that creates opportunities to introduce women to fishing by providing resources and hosting educational events.

My time on the water was spent learning the ropes of offshore and flyfishing. After cruising ten nautical miles out to sea to try my hand at offshore fishing, I learned some valuable lessons in resilience. Admittedly, I spent a good portion of the day leaning across the vessel, seasick. However, the excitement and upbeat spirit of other eager fisherwomen made it all worth it. By the end of the day, I could confidently set up my own pole, bait a hook, and even handle some of the gnarly-looking sea creatures we caught.

The next day, I swapped my action rod for a fly rod. With instruction from a kind guide, I began getting the hang of flyfishing's active nature. Mimicking the motions of an insect on the water, there was something both peaceful and powerful about handling a rod. I felt I truly could have spent days out on the shore. When it was time to pack up, I realized I could easily see flyfishing becoming a regular part of my life.

After two days on the water, I felt more confident and mentally rested than I had in weeks.

A young girl fishing in Rhode Island. Courtesy of Take Me Fishing.

Studies provided by the RBFF found that female anglers were 25% more likely to feel that they were in good health than non-anglers. Additionally, 1 in 5 women anglers believed that fishing has allowed them to accomplish anything they put their mind to. Women being excluded from traditionally male-dominated sports has a direct effect on their health and confidence. Nonprofit organizations like Take Me Fishing help to bridge this gap by offering inclusive fishing opportunities for those new to the sport.

Women on a fishing boat in Rhode Island. Courtesy of Take Me Fishing.

It would be remiss to ignore the fishing disparity between races. Of the 57.7 million Americans who went fishing in 2023, only 5.2 million identified themselves as Black and 6.3 million as Hispanic.

While these numbers are pulled from data taken within the United States, the lessons are transferable worldwide. Women experience inequality in sports around the world. Having personally experienced the immediate benefits of fishing as a woman, I can attest that getting young girls and women out on the water can have a lasting effect on our world. When organizations work to bring opportunities and awareness to these communities, it will help create change on a global scale.

To Get Involved:

Take Me Fishing provides fishing opportunities and events throughout the United States. Further resources can be found with the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, Outdoor Foundation and Sports Fishing Restoration.

Cait Kontalis

Cait is a Chicago-based Greek-American but spends most of her year floating around the globe. She holds a B.A. in Communications and a M.A. in Nonprofit Management. Her favorite destinations include visiting her homeland in Greece and the Black Hills of South Dakota. Cait is also a powderhound, taking to ski slopes in the Rocky Mountains and around the globe.

Fighting FGM: Meet the Woman Activist Standing Up to Mutilation

August 21, 2024

Meet Ifrah Ahmed, the brave woman taking a stand against a brutal practice that still affects millions of women.

Ifrah Ahmed speaking at a training workshop in Mogadishu, Somalia. AMISOM Public Information, CC0

FGM, or female genital mutilation, is the violent and forcible removal of the external female genitalia. This practice usually takes place at a young age, as the belief systems of those who promote FGM believe it to be the best way to preserve a woman’s “purity.” Although modern medicine has proven that there are no benefits of any kind connected to the practice, women around the world continue to suffer from the procedure.

FGM opens the door to a variety of immediate and long-term health complications, including infections, diseases and potential complications during childbirth. The mental effects are also damaging; according to the limited number of studies investigating the psychological impact of FGM, the vast majority of women who have been mutilated by the procedure exhibit symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD, among other disorders.

Although FGM has been condemned as a violation of human rights and globally banned by the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 2012 a number of countries still engage in the practice. While cases of FGM are concentrated mostly in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa, instances have also been documented in Latin America, Asia and eastern Europe. Since 2012, the WHO has been working with local organizations to devise more effective ways to enforce the global ban. In the meantime, however, over 230 million women have undergone FGM, with more being mutilated every day. The victims of this procedure have started to take action into their own hands.

Enter Ifrah Ahmed. As a young girl in Mogadishu, Somalia, Ahmed was subjected to FGM. In 2006, she escaped from the Ethiopian War and made her way to Ireland, where her doctor struggled to understand what had happened to her. In the following years, Ahmed discovered that FGM, despite its near ubiquity in Somalia, was entirely absent in Ireland. This drove her to begin speaking out against FGM, becoming one of the first women to publicly share her experience with the mutilation.

In 2010, Ahmed established the Ifrah Foundation, an NGO devoted to the total elimination of FGM around the world. There are many misconceptions regarding FGM (groups who practice it make use of parents’ ignorance to sell the procedure), such as the belief that it provides benefits for the woman or that it is required under Islamic law. Ahmed, through the Ifrah Foundation, has worked tirelessly to deconstruct these misunderstandings.

The Ifrah Foundation has collaborated with several international nonprofits such as UNICEF, UNFPA and Amnesty International. The organization has also formed partnerships with various governmental agencies on legislation addressing FGM. Additionally, in 2018, Ahmed collaborated with the Global Media Campaign to end FGM to release a short documentary detailing a 10-year-old girl’s death as a result of complications from FGM.

Today, Ahmed works to promote her cause in her home country of Somalia, where she was appointed the Gender Advisor to the Prime Minister in 2016. She is also the Human Rights advisor to the Somali government. In these positions, and with the help of the Somali prime minister and the Ifrah Foundation, Ahmed managed to implement an FGM abandonment program across the entire country.

How You Can Help

Readers who wish to contribute to the Ifrah Foundation can do so here. The Foundation has recently begun a new campaign titled “Dear Daughter," which focuses on educating and empowering women against genital mutilation. Interested readers can visit the campaign and make donations here.

Ryan Livingston

Ryan is a senior at The College of New Jersey, majoring in English and minoring in marketing. Since a young age, Ryan has been passionate about human rights and environmental action and uses his writing to educate wherever he can. He hopes to pursue a career in professional writing and spread his message even further.

Italian Women Take Action Against Femicide

July 15, 2024

A family tragedy turns into a political movement in Italy, a country that saw over 100 femicides in 2023.

Statement for the femicide of Giulia Cecchetin and for all women victims of femicide. "Instead of protecting your daughter, educate your son." Anna Massini. CC BY-SA 4.0

Giulia Cecchettin was 22 years old and only days away from attaining her college degree when her life was brutally ended by her ex-boyfriend, Filippo Turetta. Turetta was enraged that Cecchettin had decided to end their romantic relationship. He had been controlling while the two were together, to the extent that he had installed a spy app on Cecchettin’s phone to monitor her movements. On November 11th, 2023, Cecchettin disappeared after going to buy her graduation outfit with Turetta. After a search that lasted a week, her body was found wrapped in black plastic bags and covered in more than twenty stab wounds. A week later, Turetta was arrested near Leipzig, Germany. He was extradited to Italy to face trial for the murder and is now serving time in prison.

The murder gained international coverage thanks in part to the efforts of Giulia’s sister, Elena Cecchettin, who turned her family tragedy into a political movement. The day that Turetta was extradited from Germany, Elena posted a letter on social media. In the letter, Elena condemned the culture of violence against women that pervades Italy. “Turetta is often referred to as a monster, but he is not a monster,” she says in the letter. "A monster is an exception, a person outside society. The ‘monsters’ are not sick, they are healthy children of patriarchy, of rape culture. Don't take a minute's silence for Giulia, burn everything for Giulia.”

Poster for Giulia Cecchettin in Naples, "For you we will burn everything." Rebecca Pitcairn.

A video of Elena reading her statement received millions of views. Elisa Ercoli, director of Differenza Donna, a women’s rights organization, told BBC that the killing was "the last straw, after a string of high-profile cases of femicides,” and that “Italy is a deeply patriarchal country.” Until 1981 honor killings were punished less stringentlythan other murders, and only in 1996 did rape start to be considered a crime against the person assaulted rather than a crime against “public morality.” As of 2024, only 58 percent of Italian women own a bank account, and in 2022, 44,669 women left their jobs due to the challenge of reconciling working and family life. According to statistics, a woman is murdered in a femicide every 72 hours. Giulia Cecchettin’s murder was the 105th of 120 femicides that occurred in Italy in 2023.

After Giulia’s murder, women took to the streets and the piazzas of Italy in massive numbers to defend their right to live and to create awareness about Italy’s epidemic of violence against women. More than 500,000 people attended a protest in Rome by the Non Una Di Meno, (Not One Less) women’s rights movement, which hosted marches all across Italy in 2023. Students at the University of Padua (where Giulia studied), when asked to hold a minute of silence in Giulia’s honor, instead spent the minute making noise, clapping, reading poetry and singing.

Protest Organized by Non Una di Meno, Firenze, "Neither God, nor husband, nor master." Valentina Ceccatelli. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Feminists and student collectives in other cities organized torchlight walks and “angry walks” in response to the moments of silence requested by schools in a culture where insidious silence already envelops the topic of violence against women. Non Una di Meno led students from multiple universities and hundreds of thousands of protestors across Italy in a “moment of noise” for Giulia on November 25, 2023, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

Many women, inspired by Elena Cecchettin, adopted the poem “Si manana me toca, quiero ser la ultima” (“If it's my turn tomorrow, I want to be the last”) by Peruvian poet and activist Cristina Torres Cáceres. The poem was written in 2011 to honor women and the victims of violence in Latin America after the murder of Mara Castilla. “If tomorrow it’s me, if I don’t come back tomorrow, mother, destroy everything./If it’s my turn tomorrow, I want to be the last,” Castilla wrote.

Thousands attended Giulia’s funeral, which was broadcast live on television. In a eulogy delivered by Giulia’s father, Gino Cecchettin, he called for men to stand against patriarchy. “We should be the first to show ourselves as agents of change against sexual violence,” he said as he addressed the crowd, “Let us speak to other men we know, let us challenge the culture that tends to play down violence by men who appear to be normal.” As Giulia’s coffin was taken out of the church, members of the crowd shook their keys in a symbolic call for violence against women to not be tolerated in silence.

TO GET INVOLVED

Non Una di Meno: This organization’s website has information about demonstrations and campaigns against violence against women that are currently active in Italy.

Differenza Donna: This organization provides legal assistance, a hotline and shelter for victims of gendered violence. Their website includes a link to donate to their fight to protect women.

Centro Antiviolenza Artemesia: A shelter for victims of domestic abuse that accepts donations and volunteers.

Rebecca Pitcairn

Rebecca studies Italian Language and Literature, Classical Civilizations, and English Writing at the University of Pittsburgh. She hopes to one day attain a PhD in Classical Archeology. She is passionate about feminism and climate justice. She enjoys reading, playing the lyre, and longboarding in her free time.

Gambia's Controversial Bid to Reverse FGM Ban

July 9, 2024

In 2015, female genital mutilation was made a criminal offense in Gambia, but in March of 2024, a bill was introduced to overturn the ban.

Jaha Dukureh, Gambian Anti-FGM Activist, Speaks at UNHQ. Ryan Brown. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Female genital mutilation, or FGM, refers to the practice of partially or completely removing the external female genitalia for non-medical and often religious reasons. In addition to psychological trauma, the procedure can cause a variety of medical issues for the victim, including bleeding, problems with urination, cysts, infections, complications in childbirth, and shock or death. According to the World Health Organization, as of 2024 more than 230 million women have undergone FGM. It is most often practiced on girls between infancy and age 15. Data collected by UNICEF in 2024 reveals a 15% increase in the number of survivors compared to data released eight years ago.

Gambia has one of the highest rates of FGM worldwide. Around 46% of girls age 14 and younger and 73% of girls and women between ages 15 and 49 have undergone FGM in the country, according to UNICEF. In 2015, Gambia passed the Women’s (Amendment) Act, which criminalized FGM. The law did little to end the practice, however. Only two case of FGM have been prosecuted since the law was passed, and the first conviction for performing FGM was not made until August of 2023.

Calls to overturn the ban on FGM began in earnest after the 2023 conviction, in which three women were indited. Many supporters of the practice were outraged by the womens’ fate. One of Gambia’s most vocal religious leaders, Islamic cleric Imam Abdoulie Fatty, who believes that FGM is prescribed by Islam, raised funds to pay the womens’ fines. From that point on the movement began to gain traction.

A bill proposing to overturn the ban was officially introduced to Gambia’s parliament in March of 2024. Of the 58 members of Gambia’s parliament, 4 legislators voted to preserve the ban, 42 legislators voted to legalize FGM and one abstained. Although it passed by a majority, the bill still needs to be approved by a final committee before it becomes law. Notably, only five of Gambia's parliamentary seats are currently held by women.

Activists fear that the bill represents a threat to more than just the ban on FGM; it is representative of a broader struggle for gender equality in Gambia. The widespread support that the bill has received suggests that many Gambians still hold deeply patriarchal values, a revelation that could embolden religious conservatives to take advantage of the moment to set back other steps that have been taken towards gender equality. It could also inspire other countries in Africa, especially Muslim-majority West African countries like Kenya or Guinea, to repeal their bans on FGM, says Satang Nabaneh, a human rights law professor at the University of Dayton. “There has been an uptick in [attempts to reverse] anti-FGM laws within the continent,” she told TIME, “and what happens in the Gambia will be a signal to other West African countries or conservative actors to roll back women’s sexual and reproductive rights, as well as to allow for gender-based violence.”

Gambian President Adama Barrow said in June that his government would abide by the ban, though he faces increasing pressure from traditionalists as a parliamentary commission considers the new bill. "While awaiting its outcome, government remains committed to enforcing the prohibition of FGM in The Gambia," Barrow said in a statement, although he has yet to suggest a plan for preventing the ban from being overturned if the bill is passed.

GET INVOLVED

The Five Foundation: The Five Foundation was established to combat FGM. They have launched multiple projects aimed at supporting women all across Africa who have been affected by FGM.

Safe Hands for Girls: This organization is dedicated to ending FGM and child marriage in Africa. Their website offers a link for donations and information on their various initiatives.

Abstinence-Only Feminism: Exploring South Korea's 4B Movement

June 18, 2024

The 4B Movement in South Korea aims to fight discrimination and decenter men by leaving them behind entirely.

Women’s protest in Seoul for sex worker’s rights, South Korea. Rita Willaert. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The 4B movement comprises four strategies that de-center men in an attempt to advance gender equality and women’s rights in South Korea. They include abstaining from bihon (marriage), bichulsan (childbirth), biyeonae (dating), and bisekseu (sex) with men.

Since the 4B movement was sparked by a Twitter user in 2018, the fertility rate in South Korea has dropped significantly, and the country now has the lowest fertility rate in the world. There are predictions that by 2065 over half of South Korea’s population will be over the age of 65.

Feminists in South Korea have been fighting against traditional gender roles, gender-based violence, and discrimination for years. South Korea’s gender income disparity ranking is one of the highest among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) members, with a 31% gap between the average pay of men and women. This is particularly striking in contrast to the OECD average wage gap of 11.9%.

Discrimination and violence against South Korean women are not limited to the workplace. A 2021 survey found that a third of South Korean women have experienced gender-based violence in their lifetimes, while 80% of South Korean men admitted to abusing romantic partners in another survey. Most of the perpetrators do not face consequences.

In South Korea, feminist movements have recently been faced with significant resistance and anti-feminist rhetoric. President Yoon Suk Yeol’s political platform focused on men’s grievances regarding feminism and called for the abolition of South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality.

This rhetoric includes the notion that feminism and misandry are synonymous and that, because of feminism, men are now the victims of gender discrimination. These tensions have further stigmatized the discussion of women’s rights and gender equality, with the government going so far as to remove the term “gender equality” from textbooks.

While President Yook Suk Yeol has yet to be successful in getting rid of the Ministry of Gender Equality, his appointment of Kim Hyunsook as Gender Equality Minister has been condemned by feminists and activists who claim Hyunsook has failed to fulfill the mission of the ministry by ignoring cases of discrimination and gender-based violence.

To address the demands of the 4B movement, international affairs experts have several policy recommendations. These initiatives include increased support and advocacy for advancing South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality, enforcing laws against gender-based discrimination, and requiring gender equality training for the Gender Equality Minister.

Feminist organizations such as Haeil and the Korean Women’s Associations United continue to organize protests and advocate for women’s rights. This persistence combined with the tangible impact the 4B Movement has had on the South Korean fertility rate has inspired feminists around the world.

GET INVOLVED

Those who wish to support the 4B Movement can use social media to raise awareness. To financially support feminism in South Korea, donations or sponsorships can be made with South Korean feminist organizations such as the Seoul International Women’s Association or the Korean Women’s Association.

Madison Paulus

Madison is a student at George Washington University studying international affairs, journalism, mass communication, and Arabic. Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Madison grew up in a creative, open-minded environment. With passions for human rights and social justice, Madison uses her writing skills to educate and advocate. In the future, Madison hopes to pursue a career in science communication or travel journalism.

Fighting Femicide in Turkey

June 10, 2024

Turkey has long struggled to prevent violence against women, and Erdoğan’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention only worsened matters.

Protests after the murder of Turkish student Özgecan Aslan. 2015. Hilmi Hacaloglu. CC0

Femicide is a massive problem for women in Turkey. According to data from the women’s rights group We Will Stop Femicide, 338 women were murdered by a man between March 2023 and March 2024. The same data reports that the large majority of these women were killed by a close male relation, with the most common motive being their refusal to marry or have a relationship with their murderers.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the 2017 G-20 Hamburg summit. Пресс-служба Президента Российской Федерации. CC-BY-4.0

In March 2021, Turkish President Erdoğan announced his decision to withdraw Turkey from the Istanbul Convention, itself named after Turkey's largest city. The convention obligates political parties to “develop laws, policies and support services to end violence against women and domestic violence.” It also included clauses aimed at protecting members of the LGBTQ+ community from violence.

The decision was met with outrage and criticism from activist groups, lawyers and politicians. Following the decision, thousands took to the streets to protest. Amnesty International Secretary-General, Agnès Callamard, spoke against the decision, expressing her concern that “the withdrawal sends a reckless and dangerous message to perpetrators who abuse, maim and kill: that they can carry on doing so with impunity.”

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, 2019. Neslihan Turan. CC0 1.0

We Will Stop Femicide was founded in 2012 in response to the murder of an 18-year-old high school student, Münevver Karabulut, and has been one of the leading advocates of women’s rights in Turkey ever since. The group began an initiative to collect, analyze and publicize data on femicide in Turkey in response to claims from the government that no such data existed. They gather their data from cases reported to the public and cases reported directly to the group by associates of the victims. “Patriarchy is the reason behind the loss of so many lives,” the group states on its website. “The lack of efficient policies that secure equal existence and rights of women is also encouraging men who are prone to violence.”

A lawyer working with the women’s rights group We Will Stop Femicide, Esin İzel Uysal, stated that there has been a significant increase in femicides as a result of Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention, with authorities refusing to take action in the face of violations of women’s rights. As of 2024, almost 2,000 women have either been murdered by men or died under suspicious circumstances since Turkey’s withdrawal in 2021.

Women’s rights groups in Turkey such as We Will Stop Femicide continuously face opposition and oppression from the government. On December 2nd, 2021 the Intellectual and Property Rights Investigation Bureau of the Istanbul Public Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit against We Will Stop Femicide aimed at shutting the group down, citing “illegal and immoral actions.” On September 13th, 2023, the court rejected the lawsuit.

Women in Turkey continue to fight for their rights and their lives despite government opposition and police violence. In March 2024, thousands of women defied a ban against protests on International Women’s Day, seeking to draw attention to the rise of femicide in Turkey and voice their discontent with Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention.

TO GET INVOLVED

We Will Stop Femicide: We Will Stop Femicide’s website lists several ways to support their cause, including producing visual materials for their social media and participating in the collection of data on violence against women.

Women for Women’s Human Rights: Another Turkish feminist group, WWHR initiated a Human Rights Education Program for women in 1995 that seeks to educate women about their rights and help them exercise those rights. Information about participation in the HREP program can be found here.

Family Planning or Ethnic Cleansing in Peru?

April 2, 2024

In the 90s, hundreds of thousands of impoverished and often Indigenous Peruvian women were forcibly sterilized. Now, they seek justice.

Quechua Women and Children. Josh Walczak. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

In December of 2023, a fight that has spanned decades was dealt two major blows when former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori was released from prison on the same day that Peru’s Supreme Court annulled an investigation into state-sponsored sterilizations. Fujimori, who oversaw the sterilization program during his presidency, had been serving time in prison after being found guilty of crimes against humanity by Interpol. Peru’s Constitutional Court authorized his release on humanitarian and health grounds less than two years after the Inter-American Court of Human Rights had overruled his pardon in 2022. Elected in 1990 during a period of great economic and political unrest in the country, Fujimori presided over an administration fraught with corruption, controversy, and human rights abuses. Most notoriously, he oversaw the Barrios Altos Massacre, for which he was charged and sentenced.

Although their cases are the most widely publicized, political dissidents were not Fujimori’s only victims. After his re-election in 1995, the President introduced the National Reproductive Health and Family Planning Program (also known as the National Population Program) to address issues of poverty, economic instability and overpopulation. Fujimori presented the program as a feminist undertaking that would assure the reproductive rights of Peruvian women. Prior to the implementation of the program in 1996, women could only be approved for sterilization if they met a number of prerequisites, such as age or health risk factors. The National Population Program did away with the majority of those prerequisites. As a result, 272,028 women were sterilized by the government. Many of those women, however, have since come forward to say that they were subjected to the procedure against their will.

In what has been called a genocide or ethnic cleansing, Fujimori’s administration mainly targeted women from impoverished backgrounds for sterilization, many of whom were members of Peru’s Indigenous communities. The sterilization program utilized policies developed by the Peruvian military in their Plan Verde, a military operation initially conceived as part of a coup against Fujimori’s predecessor. In one volume titled "Driving Peru into the 21st Century," the plan emphasized the convenience of sterilizing “culturally backward and economically impoverished groups.” Fujimori’s government employed unethical practices to manipulate and downright coerce women into undergoing the sterilization procedure, including by luring women to clinics under false pretenses, locking women inside the clinics, refusing essential healthcare unless they consented to the procedure, and holding the women down and injecting them with anesthesia. Doctors employed abusive language, accusing women with large families of acting like animals and of being useless. Even women who were already using other birth control methods, such as a Copper IUD, were subjected to sterilization. Many Indigenous women spoke Quechua rather than Spanish as a first language and did not understand what they were agreeing to, raising issues of informed consent.

“The Quipu Project,” developed in collaboration with MIT, is an online, interactive documentary that seeks to record and share the stories of women who were forcibly sterilized. Testimonies from Peruvian women document the suffering inflicted by the National Population Program. Many women were promised support and treatment during the recovery stage, only to be sent home immediately after the procedure, swollen, covered in rashes, with a variety of lasting medical issues. Some women, such as Celia Edith Ramos Durand, passed away from medical complications following the procedure. One woman from San Juan described the impact the operation has had on her life, saying “I don’t know if I will ever get better. I don’t believe I will ever heal … My whole body hurts. We are all in pain. Even my vagina hurts.”

Rather than serving as a remedy to economic woes, the program National Population Program has devastated vulnerable impoverished and Indigenous communities. “Ever since I was sterilized, I haven’t been able to work as before,” one woman confessed to the Quipu hotline. “We want justice,” another says, “We have been suffering for so many years. There’s not even a doctor to check our health.”

Peru’s Supreme Court decided to annul the investigation into government-sponsored forced sterilization in December following a lawsuit filed by Fujimori’s Minister of Health, Alejandro Aguinaga, citing the statute of limitations as well as lack of evidence. This is not the first time the investigation has been impeded. For decades, the fight has been an uphill battle, as the investigation has been opened, closed and reopened many times. In 1999, various human rights groups collaborated to bring the case of Mamerita Mestanza Chavez, another woman who died following the sterilization procedure, before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. In 2001, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established to investigate human rights abuses that occurred under Fujimori’s administration. Maria Isabel Cedano, a lawyer with the nonprofit organization DEMUS, is representing over one thousand plaintiffs before the IACHR. Unfortunately, none of these efforts have yet to yield results for the victims as the Peruvian government continues to dismiss cases and throw up legal roadblocks in an incredibly complex case that encompasses issues surrounding the definitions of consent, sexual violence and genocide. It is now up to the Attorney General’s office to demonstrate that the crimes committed represent an extreme violation of human rights in order to negate the statute of limitations.

TO GET INVOLVED

Quechua Benefit: Quechua Benefit is a nonprofit organization that aims to empower Quechua people in Peru’s highlands. It provides education, economic support and medical services.

DEMUS: DEMUS is a Peruvian Feminist Organization that focuses on protecting women’s sexual and reproductive rights. One of their campaigns, “Somos 2074 Y Muchas Mas,” seeks reparations for the victims of Peru’s forced sterilization program.

Clean Cookware Used to Improve Women’s Health and Combat Climate Change

December 19, 2023

Millions of women in developing countries lack access to clean cookware. International organizations are working to change that.

Women in India testing a solar cooker. United Nations Development Program. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Although the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995 made groundbreaking strides toward gender equality, one key issue was never addressed: providing households with clean cookstoves. At least 3 billion people across the developing world rely on open fires to cook their food, a task mainly entrusted to women. Cooking on open fires can hold severe environmental and health implications for women and their families.

Modern cookstoves have reduced black carbon emissions by 30-60%

According to the Clean Cooking Alliance, cooking over open fires is the second-largest contributor to global warming aside from carbon dioxide emissions. The burning process releases black carbon, or soot, which lowers the reflective quality of glaciers and sea ice, causing them to melt. Additionally, the demand for wood as fuel results in unsustainable harvesting and deforestation. Studies indicate that at least 30% of the wood used in the developing world is unsustainably harvested, negatively affecting the ecosystem’s health, biodiversity and erosion. The absence of trees prevents carbon dioxide from being absorbed from the atmosphere through photosynthesis, further compounding the effects of global warming.

Cooking on an open fire also exposes women and children to toxic levels of household air pollution, sometimes over 35 times the amount deemed safe by the World Health Organization. Exposure to air pollution can have detrimental effects on one’s health, causing increased risks of childhood pneumonia, lung cancer, strokes and atherosclerosis. In some cases, exposure to high levels of air pollution has led to complications during birth. Health conditions related to smoke inhalation kill over 4 million people each year.

Access to safe cookware in the developing world remains limited, especially in areas torn apart by humanitarian crises. Women often put themselves in dangerous and even life-threatening situations while searching for cooking fuel. Women collecting firewood near refugee camps and conflict zones face increased risks of gender-based violence. Additionally, children accompanying their mothers to find firewood cannot attend school and miss out on available educational opportunities. The time spent gathering firewood further prevents women from seeking valuable opportunities to generate income for their families and children.

Empowering Women Through the Clean Cooking Alliance

Women collecting firewood in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Oxfam International. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Founded in 2010, the Clean Cooking Alliance is an U.N.-backed organization focused on gender equality through cooking. The alliance works with a global team to ensure that 3 billion people gain access to clean cookstoves. Its focus is on increasing consumer demand and supporting local businesses while developing a clean cooking industry in seven countries: Bangladesh, China, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda. Modern cookstoves have reduced black carbon emissions by 30-60% and help to combat climate change. Additionally, having access to cooking equipment can save women up to 300 hours and $200 per year, giving them more free time to spend with their families or economic pursuits. As the Clean Cooking Alliance expands its reach, hopes are high that women and their families will be empowered across the developing world.

To Get Involved:

Check out the Global Cooking Alliance’s initiatives on its website or head to its fundraising page.

Megan is a Turkish-American student at Wellesley College in Massachusetts studying Biological Sciences. Passionate about environmental issues and learning about other cultures, she dreams of exploring the globe. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, singing, and composing music.

Meet the Women in Pink Saris Fighting Gender Discrimination in India

December 12, 2023

Pink sari-wearing and bamboo stick-wielding feminists are fighting against a culture of rape and gender inequality in India.

Sampat Pal Devi, founder of the Gulabi Gang. Iecercle. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

India’s rape crisis was brought to light back in December 2012 when a 23-year-old female student was raped and beaten to death by five men and a teenage boy. Protesters flooded India’s capital of New Delhi and forced authorities to seek the death penalty for the perpetrators. But the crisis lingers as cases of rape and neglect by corrupt government officials still plague India, especially in rural areas.

Approximately 70% of India’s population lives outside of major cities in the rural areas where it is even harder to seek out justice in the name of the law. Uttar Pradesh state is notorious for its high rate of sexual violence against women, even being named the “rape capital of India.” According to the National Crime Records Bureau, crimes against women in Uttar Pradesh increased by 20% from 2016 to 2019.

But there is hope for Uttar Pradesh, and it comes in the form of women wearing hot pink saris and wielding large bamboo staffs called lathis. Sampat Pal Devi is the founder and was the first leader of the Gulabi Gang, which translates to the “Pink Gang.” Their pink saris represent sisterhood and unity as they come together in droves to fight corruption and to ensure the basic rights of women and poor people in rural areas.

Devi’s story began when she was a single woman living in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district and witnessed a man savagely beating his wife. She attempted to help, but he beat her as well. She returned a few days later with five other women and beat him with lathis. The story quickly spread throughout the town and more women came to Devi for help. In 2006, after the selection of the pink sari as their uniform, they officially established the Gulabi Gang. Their initial intention was to punish abusive men and combat domestic violence, but it has expanded into a much larger movement of feminism. The Gulabi Gang now fights for socioeconomic, cultural and political equality in order to enhance the basic skills of women to develop confidence and protect themselves from abuse through sustainable livelihoods.

Gulabi Gang resting during a protest. Iecercle. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Fast forward 14 years since its establishment and the Gulabi Gang has grown exponentially. Almost 100,000 women and men have banded together to join what is now a mass movement in northern India. In an interview with Vice News, Devi stated that, “The purpose of the Gulabi Gang was to unite women, because until women unite, we will never get what we believe are our rights.” She spent a great deal of her time intimidating and shaming government officials into making the correct choices and abiding by the law.

Although she made many achievements, Devi was removed from her position as leader of the Gulabi Gang for alleged self-promotion at the cost of the organization’s mission. Her removal caused quite a stir until the group’s assistant commander, Suman Singh Chauhan, was elected as its next leader. Even with the change in leadership, the Gulabi Gang stands strong as the organization continues to emphasize its mission.

The Gulabi Gang not only leads and protects but also teaches women a variety of skills necessary to be independent. Through its website, the group has raised enough money to build a school in an impoverished area. In the school, girls learn how to sew in order to earn money and delay the chance of their parents marrying them off. The group’s leaders teach new members how to defend themselves with lathis in free self-defense courses. Finally, they teach the world that through common sense and compassion one can start a revolution, even when the soldiers are wearing pink.

Yuliana is currently a Literature/Writing major at the University of California San Diego. Yuliana likes to think of herself as a lover of words and a student of the world. She loves to read, swim, and paint in her free time. She spent her youth as part of a travel-loving family and has grown up seeking adventure. She hopes to develop her writing skills, creating work that reflects her voice and her fierce passion for activism.

The Sexism Woven into Language

December 7, 2023

Subtle sexism in language emerges when the male gender is prescribed as default, contributing to gender inequalities and linguistic biases.

Language Across the World. Emma Howard. CC BY 2.0

Language shapes and reflects the cultural norms and values of its speakers. Unfortunately, many languages around the world include subtle forms of sexism which have historically prescribed the male gender as their default. From grammatical structures to the usage of words that perpetuate unequal dynamics, language can unintentionally serve as a vehicle for sexism.

Most languages around the world fall into three categories: gendered languages—nouns and pronouns have a gender (Spanish—el es pequeno/ella es pequena—he/she is little, French—il est petit/elle est petite—he/she is little), genderless languages—nouns and pronouns do not have a gender (Mandarin—他很小 / 她很小—he/she is little) and natural gender languages—gendered pronouns and genderless nouns (English, he is little/she is little). Of the gendered languages listed, the two share patterns of a masculine grammatical default, mixed-gender groups taking masculine endings and feminine nouns derived from masculine ones. In Spanish and French there is a male default that applies when the gender of a subject is unclear or if a group is mixed-gender. A male friend in French is ami while a female friend is amie. In French, there is no gender neutral pronoun for ‘they’ and the masculine is considered the dominant plural form. Therefore, if there is a group of French girls who are amies; add one male and they become amis. Aside from grammar, some words in French did not have a feminine form until official guardians of the French language approved the feminisation of certain titles to eliminate male linguistic dominance. Insistence on calling female presidents Madame le president was subsequently dropped in an attempt to end the bias putting women at a disadvantage.

Mandarin, unlike some European languages, does not assign gender to its nouns, but some of its written characters ascribe negative stereotypes to women. Chinese characters are made up of phonetic and semantic radicals that are listed together in dictionaries. The Chinese radical for “woman” (女) can be found in characters such as “mother,” (妈) “sister” (姐) and “safety” (安) but is also found in more negative characters including “jealousy,” (妒) “slave” (奴隶) and “rape” (强奸). The contrast between these positive and negative connotations are stark but even those that are positive are representative of gender stereotypes themselves; “safety” (安) is thought to represent a woman under a roof. Conversely, the word for “man” (男) is made by the radicals for “field” (田) and “power” (力). Aside from the makeup of the characters themselves, grammatical word order has been said to favor men, for example, in instances where the word “parents” means literally “father and mother.” Ironically, even the phrase for “gender equality” places the male character before the female one (男女平等).

Globally, some languages are representative of a time where the patriarchy was more powerful. They serve as a reminder that words and grammar can sustain sexism covertly and can also impose particular worldviews on their speakers. Some words have different meanings depending on whether they are used in a masculine or feminine form. Others have no male equivalent for a derogatory female word. For instance in Italian, un passeggiatore is a man who loves to walk. Make this word feminine and the definition drastically changes to have a sexual connotation. Alternatively, in English, there is no male equivalent of a “spinster,” the closest being “bachelor” which tends not to carry the same negative, undesirable connotations.

Negative connotations have made their way into technology as well, with one study finding that Google Translate often assumes that, when translating from other languages into English, the subject is male. Male default has also shown up in translator applications where gender bias shows up most in “fill in gender” translations. One tweet focused on Turkish and its gender-biases when translating to English. Sentences like o bir ascı translated to “she is a cook” while others like o bir muhendis translated to “he is an engineer.” Because Turkish is a gender neutral language it becomes clear that Google Translate filled in genders based on stereotypes and bias. Modern neural network-powered machines derive meaning from the statistical patterns of large texts during training, meaning that if our data is biased, machines will be as well.

Women already face barriers to their participation in society, but now with gendered languages playing a role. One research project examined the grammatical structure of over 4,000 languages spoken by 99% spoken by the world’s population, finding that nearly 40% of people speak a gendered language. From this it was found that grammatical gendered language is associated with roughly a 15% gap in female labor force participation. Consequently, gendered languages have become associated with worse labor market participation for women and regressive gender norms. Recognizing how linguistic sexism is causing quantifiable effects is a crucial step in creating more inclusivity in language and society. Efforts to challenge sexist vernacular have gained momentum in the form of gender-neutral language or inventing female-gendered nouns, as opposed to the old practice of adding suffixes onto male ones. In Spanish, the masculine “o” and feminine “a” endings are being replaced by a gender-neutral “e” to create more inclusion for women and those who identify as non-binary. Similarly, in Russia women are advocating for female-gendered nouns which are not mere add-ons to male nouns. In Russian, “doctor” is vrach but becomes vrachinia in its feminine forms, roughly translated as “doctoress,” housing some sexist undertones.

As to be expected, there has been some backlash over leaving behind current gender structures and deviating from the original languages, but speech is not a stagnant entity. Language, to be inclusive, must evolve and change over time in order to progress and mitigate pervasive forms of gender inequality. Recognizing and challenging these linguistic biases is crucial for dismantling the systematic disadvantages and stereotypes that women face.

Mira is a student at Brown University studying international and public affairs. Passionate about travel and language learning, she is eager to visit each continent to better understand the world and the people across it. In her free time she perfects her French, hoping to someday live in France working as a freelance journalist or in international affairs.

Free The Nipple: Unpacking Inequality in the Feminist Movement

October 26, 2023

Evaluating the absence of inclusive representation in a movement that claims to empower all women.

Activists march for #FreeTheNipple. Maria Eklind. CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED

#FreeTheNipple is a movement that aims to spread awareness about the sexualization of women’s bodies. Its very mission is to point out the hypocrisy in the sexist laws that police women’s bodies. Common tactics at protests involve topless rallies and marches at well-known government monuments and social spaces, including social media.

The movement has gained traction, with celebrity personalities like Cara Delevingne, Kendall Jenner and Amber Rose voicing and — bare-chested — showing their support. It got more attention as some French female protestors would come shirtless to non-feminism related protests. The most notable incidents of this occurred during solidarity protests for Ukraine in response to Russia’s invasion.

Though a noble initiative, many scholars question who the movement represents, and whether it is inclusive of all women. While some agree with its efforts to desexualise women’s bodies through legislation, others call into question the strategy’s efficacy in actually changing the day-to-day lives of women in the United States and around the world. Some challenge its relative homogeneity, while others still commend its innovative radicalism.

One recurring criticism from afro-feminist advocates in this movement is that, for centuries, black women have been disproportionately exploited and sexualised. In Southern African cultures, the exposure of women's breasts was normalised long before liberal white feminists began advocating toplessness. Despite this history, many black women feel that there is a decolonial aspect to this movement that is not being spoken about enough.

Some also claim that the movement has excluded the bodies of trans women. The Guardian and Reuters have released articles stating that many thinkers have critiqued it for that same reason.

According to writers like bell hooks, this marginalisation is not a new phenomenon. Black women intellectuals have been excluded from feminist discussions since the formation of the suffragette movement. While Black women fought alongside white women for suffrage, they were ultimately disposed of once their utility to the movement was no longer needed.

Numerous articles share the sentiment that, if western feminism wants to evolve and effect systemic and societal change, it must move beyond the exclusion perpetuated by its forebears. Additionally, in advocating for the freeing of nipples, we must question how and why white supremacist patriarchies have shackled all types of nipples, including those of black, white, brown people.

The #FreeTheNipple movement is similar to the suffragette movement, in that many people laud its contribution to the bolstering of women’s rights. However, others feel it is important to recognize its limitations and the ways it perpetuates exclusion.

The #FreeTheNipple Movement has made many ripples in the most recent waves of feminism. Through drawing parallels to the suffragette movement, its biggest fans and most ardent critics demonstrate how the feminist forms of protest have evolved.

To Get Involved:

Here Are Some Resources

PSA Tackles Breast Cancer Awareness and Freeing the Nipple in One Brilliant Video. Breast cancer awareness group MACMA tackled social media's "no female nipples" policy creatively. In a video, a topless woman with obscured nipples demonstrates breast self-exams on a topless man, addressing breast health for all genders. The campaign, named #ManBoobs4Boobs, cleverly conveys an important message while navigating platform restrictions.

Free the Nipple: The History of A Hidden Movement

The "Free the nipple" movement, about a decade old, aims for gender equality and body acceptance. Originating from the 2012 film "Free The Nipple," it protests censorship and double standards regarding male and female nudity. The movement sparked global protests, legal battles, and discussions about artistic expression, especially on social media platforms like Instagram. Despite some victories, challenges persist, emphasising the ongoing need for body equality.

Will Instagram Ever Free The Nipple?

The article discusses the #Freethenipple movement on Instagram, where artists creatively challenge the platform's ban on female nipples in photography. Despite discussions with Instagram, the ban remains due to cultural and consent concerns. The article explores artists' strategies to navigate these limitations.

Khahliso is studying Cognitive Sciences and African Studies at Wellesley College and MIT. At Wellesley, she is the Political Chair of Ethos, and the Lecture Head for the Wellesley African Students Association. She is the standing CEO of the Conscious Campaign - a youth-led organization that aims to spread awareness about social justice issues in South Africa. On social justice projects she has worked with the United Nations and the African Union.

Suffering in Silence: The Women of South Sudan

September 28, 2023

An increasing amount of discrimination and violence is targeting Sudanese women.

Barbie Across Borders

September 20, 2023

Around the world, countries censure or celebrate Barbie, a film that violates localized beliefs about feminist expression and the satirization of patriarchy.

Barbie Movie Billboard. Brecht Bug. CC BY 2.0

“Barbie” premiered around the world late last month, quickly becoming a global sensation in the weeks that led up to its release. The film follows protagonist Barbie as she ventures on a journey of self-discovery that causes her to question the values of a patriarchal society. The United States, China, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries had mixed reactions to the film, ranging from dissatisfaction with its promotion of women's empowerment to the celebration of female independence and capability.

The film has caused discourse in China, where movies still include considerably outdated gender roles. Media like Mr. Six and Gentlemen From Eastern 8th are reminders of the sexist normalcies that still exist in Chinese entertainment and society, including the objectification and oppression of women in the roles that they play. Barbie has been praised and disparaged for calling attention to these instances of gender inequality with many women appreciating the film’s recognition of such an “objective reality” and depiction of strong rather than objectified women. In recent years, China’s involvement in the political landscape of feminism has been backsliding, with rejections of sexual harassment lawsuits and arrests of those protesting for greater feminist representation. Because of this, China is not entirely dissimilar to the conservative politics in the United States, both of which believe that the film succeeds at emasculating men. Regardless, across the U.S., the debut of the film was largely met by fans with outfits of pink and reviews acknowledging the film as a “cinematic and emotional masterpiece.” Not long after, fans of the film in China also began to express support for the film by wearing pink and complimented the film as the best expression of feminism.

Latin and South American countries have also embraced pink, specifically through food. Vendors in Mexico and Guatemala have sold pink tacos while Venezuela, Chile and El Salvador have created arepas with beet dough for pink coloring. Support for the film has been widespread across the region, as it has reinvigorated radical public protest and prompted movements like “Barbie Buscadora.”

Across countries in the Middle East, “Barbie” has been banned as it was found to promote subversive elements that distort the values of society, namely the protection of public ethics and social traditions. Because of loyalty to these values, the most severe restrictions were issued in Kuwait and Lebanon, where the film was completely banned from theaters as opposed to the more targeted censorship of scenes that challenged social norms around male guardianship and homosexuality. As cultures with heavy importance placed on gender roles within a family, those with a vested interest in the current system find their values contradicted by the film’s feminism. In Lebanon, Mohammed Mortada asked that the film be banned saying that it, “challenges the guidance of the father … ridiculed the role of mothers.”

Despite aversion to the film’s release in Kuwait and Lebanon, “Barbie” premiered in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. With men and women alike flooding theaters to view the film, many felt that the movie had important lessons for everyone regarding their roles in the world. Saudi Arabia’s perception of the film has reflected the broader changes occurring in the country’s cultural and entertainment landscape. As a country that is steeped in patriarchal gender traditions, specifically repressive guardianship and the imposition of domestic responsibilities on women, the immersion of Western-influenced media into the nation is expected to be regulated. However, the current reception of the film suggests a society capable of combining tradition and progress.

“Barbie” has brought forward an interplay between cultural normalities and evolving societal attitudes across a variety of countries. In some ways, the film could be perceived as a step towards female empowerment, while conversely approached with caution to avoid disrupting traditional values. As a testament to how global media can challenge and align perspectives, the film is one that illustrates the ability to challenge universal themes despite differences in local interpretations. The global tendency in the 21st century has been to encourage the feminist movement across progressive and conservative countries alike, and with such a broad range of perspectives, it’s a film that has caused considerable ripple effects.

Afghanistan’s Only Female Tour Guide Hosts Virtual Tours

September 8, 2023

This is the story of 24-year-old Fatima Haidari’s love and dedication to her country — from 3,000 miles away.

Bamyan Province, Afghanistan. Untamed Borders.

Meet Fatima Haidari: a 24-year-old guide who offers virtual tours of her country, Afghanistan. Forced to flee by the Taliban, Fatima now resides in Milan, Italy and provides a detailed tourist experience through Zoom of the Afghan city of Herat — taking visitors through sites such as the Citadel and the Central Blue Mosque.

Before the Taliban seized power in August 2021, Fatima worked as a local tour guide in Herat, using the job as a means to pay for her education, where she studied journalism and mass communication at university. Fatima is also the first ever female tour guide in Afghanistan, recognized in headlines in 2020. While she is no longer able to offer those in-person tours of her homeland, she continues to do what she can to show Herat off to the world — not just because the city is a beautiful and interesting place to explore, but because she doesn’t want outsiders to associate Afghanistan only with war and terror. Rather, its culture and history are what matter to her, and should take center stage.
But her passion and love for her country isn’t the only place Fatima’s heart lies. Growing up in the mountains in the central region of Ghor, Fatima was the youngest of seven children and was denied a rightful education, because she was a woman and because her family lacked the money. She worked for three years, making items such as traditional clothes to earn her way into an education, and was finally able to convince her parents to allow her to go to university in Herat in 2019, where she studied journalism.

Through years of hard work, Fatima was able to get an education. But many girls back home in Afghanistan do not have the same privilege. Considered one of the lucky ones to have fled, Fatima will use a portion of the money she earns from the Afghan virtual tours to donate to a women's education charity, which currently operates in Afghanistan.

Fatima partners with Untamed Borders — a travel operator dedicated to taking groups to some of the most interesting and inaccessible places — to make these virtual tours possible. The approximately 1.5 hour tour will take guests to see the 1,400-year-old Great Mosque, the Herat Citadel and through the city’s bazaars and traditional teahouses, while Fatima narrates stories about Afghanistan that focus on its people, culture and extensive history.

But this event is a milestone itself. There has never been a virtual tour of Herat, and as Afghanistan’s first-ever female tour guide, this is a groundbreaking step to inspire other women in the nation. As Fatima says, she wants to be a changer, not a victim.

Fatima leading a virtual group tour. Untamed Borders.

And, of course, there can be no frank and open discussion about the people of Afghanistan without mentioning its women. Not only are they denied an education, Fatima has said the reascendant Taliban forces women to marry and perpetrates sexual or physical abuse against them. Things are more expensive for women, even though they are losing their jobs and forced to become housewives. By shining a light on the current situation in Afghanistan, Fatima is able to talk about her homeland while also spreading awareness to those able to make a difference.

Fatima’s next virtual tour will take place on September 12. Guests are able to book through Untamed Borders, and tickets will cost $60.

Through her own personal experiences and ties to a country seized by tyranny, Fatima hopes to share what makes Afghanistan so distinct and worthy of exploration while also fighting for justice, so that the women there will grow up knowing what it’s like to go to school.

Michelle is a senior at Boston University, majoring in journalism and minoring in philosophy. Her parents are first-generation immigrants from China, so her love for different cultures and traveling came naturally at a young age. After graduation, she hopes to continue sharing important messages through her work.

Women at the Western Wall

August 17, 2023

This organization is working to break down traditional gender barriers to create a communal space for women and men to pray together at Jerusalem’s Western Wall.

The Western Wall Chris Yunker. CC BY 2.0

Located in Jerusalem’s ancient Old City, the Western Wall marks a central point of religious and spiritual life for millions of Jews, Christians, and Muslims across the world. The wall is believed to mark the only remaining structure of the Temple Mount, the place of the original Temples for the Jewish people, the first of which was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE and the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE.

The Western Wall is also referred to as the Kotel, which is just the Hebrew word for “wall,” and as the Wailing Wall in reference to the manner in which the Jewish people wept at the site during the Roman domination of the Levant. The Wall remains a pivotal place of Jewish history and religious life, with thousands visiting the site daily and leaving prayer notes in the stone crevices.

However, in recent years, the Western Wall has also been at the center of religious debates concerning traditional gender separation. For generations, men and women have visited and prayed at the Western Wall in separate sections, the measures of which are not equal. Stretching just 12 meters in width, the women’s section 36 meters short of-the male side.

Women of the Wall

Woman praying at the Wall. it is elisa. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

An organization called Women of the Wall (WOW) is working to increase women’s rights and equality at the Western Wall. The organization’s first meeting occurred in 1988, with 70 Jewish women gathering at the Western Wall to join together in prayer and the Torah reading, where they were met with stark disapproval and verbal assaults from Orthodox Jewish men and women. The event led to WOW’s founding and beginning of its legal fight to empower women to pray at the Western Wall, going against Orthodox norms.

By drawing on systems of social advocacy, education and empowerment WOW is seeking social and legal acceptance of women’s right to wear prayer shawls and to pray and read aloud from the Torah. The group’s mission advocates for women’s right with regards to the four t’s: the right to say a prayer, or Tefillah, the right to wear traditional leather wraps, or Tefillin, that are inscribed with verses from the Torah, the right to wear prayer shawls known as Tallit, and finally the right to read aloud from the Torah.

Along with its advocacy work, WOW regularly gathers together in community at the Western Wall. The group commemorates Rosh Chodesh, a Jewish holiday that marks the new moon at the beginning of each month in the Hebrew calendar, with a collective morning prayer at the Kotel. The holiday is traditionally connected to a celebration of women, with origins dating back to the time of Moses when wives refused to give up their jewelry to build the golden calf, a symbol of sin and idolatry in the Torah.

While these monthly prayer gatherings are a means of celebrating Jewish women’s spiritual life and collective community, they are often met with violence and aggression. The women of WOW are often double searched at the entrance to ensure that they are not smuggling in a Torah, and the group regularly face physical and verbal aggression from the Ultra Orthodox community, an experience that often leaves them with scars and bruises after their day of prayer.

Members of WOW are accustomed to receiving verbal and physical pushback against their cause, and even being spit on by those who view their message as sacrilegious.

A Legal Battle

In 1988 the Ministry of Religion established The Western Wall Foundation, a government body responsible for the care and administration of the Western Wall. Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch has served as chairman of the foundation since 1995 and has been known for his efforts to maintain traditional Orthodox customs at the Wall. Rabbi Rabinowitz has criticized WOW’s work in the past, including in 2014 when he spoke out against activists efforts to smuggle a Torah into the women’s section of the Wall.

In spite of women’s legal right to read the Torah, Rabbi Rabinovitch has created regulations that prevent women from bringing in Torahs into the Plaza. Furthermore, Rabbi Rabinovitch’s regulations prevent women from borrowing one of the 200 Torah scrolls kept within the Plaza, which are freely offered to men.

In April 2013, a decision written by Judge Moshe Sobell in the case of Israel Police v. Lesley Sachs, Bonnie Riva Ras, Sylvie Rozenbaum, R. Valerie Stessin, & Sharona Kramer, found that the Israeli Supreme Court’s 2003 case which prohibited women from wearing prayer shawls or reading from the Torah had been misinterpreted, and could not be applied to WOW. Judge Sobell also found that WOW had not endangered the public peace, nor had it violated the Law of Holy Places governing the Western Wall that demands visitors adhere to the local customs. Instead, the ruling dictated that local customs should be determined by the public through nationalistic and pluralistic lenses in addition to the Orthodox one.

The 2013 court decision helped spur ongoing discussions regarding communal prayer spaces at the Wall. In 2013, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed a committee chaired by Natan Sharansky to resolve the issue of communal prayer at the Wall. Sharansky proposed to extend the Western Wall plaza to an area known as Robinson’s Arch in order to provide a pluralistic prayer space for both men and women. The area can accommodate some 450 people, and was seen in many ways as a temporary solution to the question of mixed-gendered prayer.

In January 2016, the Israeli government approved a plan to set up a communal space in which both men and women could pray together. The plan will also give women who want to pray alone but not in accordance with Orthodox rules the option to set up a temporary barrier.

The new area is expected to double the size of the temporary communal prayer area set up in 2013 under Netanyahu, in order to accommodate 1,200 worshippers.

The fight for communal prayer spaces remains a contentious issue between Orthodox and Reformed communities. Although the plan for a pluralistic prayer space was passed by the Knesset, Israel’s legislature, in 2016, as of 2023 the construction and implementation have not yet begun. The issue remains a top priority for members of WOW, who will continue to pray at the Wall’s women’s section until a pluralistic prayer space is constructed.

Get Involved

Other organizations in Israel have come out in support of WOW and embraced a pluralistic perspective towards religious traditions.

Rabbi Danny Rich, a chief executive of Liberal Judaism, celebrated the decision for a communal prayer space as one that represented Judaism’s inclusivity. Through education opportunities, social action campaigns, collaborative interfaith work, and its provision of programming and library of historical archives, Liberal Judaism engages with social justice issues such as climate change, inequality, and poverty.

The Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism has also praised the women’s representation at the Western Wall, as an exemplification of pluralism and diversity within Jewish community. The Movement seeks to increase the accessibility of progressive and pluralistic Judaism through education programming as well as legislation changes as part of their Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC). Along with their advocacy work, the IRAC offers resources and publications that engage with modern social issues through a progressive and religious lens.

Jessica Blatt graduated from Barnard College with a degree in English. Along with journalism, she is passionate about creative writing and storytelling that inspires readers to engage with the world around them. She hopes to share her love for travel and learning about new cultures through her work.

The Game of Activism: The Impact of 6 FIFA Women’s World Cup Players

August 2, 2023

From record-breaking seasons and legendary careers to equal pay activism and supporting girls in sport, these six women are proof that you really can do it all.

Players from the Norwegian and Dutch women’s football teams battle it out on the pitch. Ailura. CC BY-SA 2.0

By far the world’s most popular sport, soccer is enjoyed by over a billion players and spectators. International events such as the Europa League Championship and of course the quadrennial FIFA World Cup draw incredible crowds both in person and digitally, uniting the world in patriotic pride and love for a beautiful game. This year, soccer fans have once again been drawn together by the 9th edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, considered to be the biggest women’s sporting event in the world, with more than 30 nations competing during July and August in stadiums across Australia and New Zealand. The importance of this event for advancing and promoting professional female athletes and tournaments, both in soccer and otherwise, can not be understated, especially with equal pay and female representation being such hot button issues in today’s social discourse. As such, in addition to achieving the celebrity of household name status, many of the athletes playing in this year’s tournament are also avid activists when not on the pitch. Here are six Renaissance women to keep an eye out for during the game.

1. Marta, Brazil

Soccer legend Marta taking a penalty against South Korea at the World Cup in 2015. Phillippe Bouchard. CC BY-NC 2.0

This mononymous veteran of the game is playing in her sixth Women’s World Cup this year at 37 years of age. Marta is widely considered to be among the greatest female footballers of all time, as a two-time Olympic medallist, six-time recipient of the FIFA World Player of the Year award and record holder for the most goals in any men’s or women’s World Cup with 17 to her name. In addition to her role as a star player in Brazilian national women’s team, Marta plies her trade for the Orlando Pirates in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). When not scoring goals, she is a strong proponent for increasing female participation in sport and champions equal opportunities for girls to get active from a young age. In July 2018, she was appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador for women and girls in sport and has continued to further gender equality and female empowerment, encouraging girls to pursue their dreams and overcome barriers in sport. She was also appointed Sustainable Development Goals Advocate to the UN in May of 2019 and has since worked to raise awareness and call for greater global commitment to achieving the project’s targets by 2030. All of this goes to show that Marta’s footballer status as the GOAT applies to her activism as well.

2. Sam Kerr, Australia

Sam Kerr is considered Australia’s greatest hope at a World Cup title this year. Adam Davy. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

You might know her for her iconic backflip goal celebration, but Australia’s Sam Kerr has accrued an impressive number of accolades since debuting internationally at the age of 15. She was named Australian Sports Personality of the Year in 2017, and won the NWSL’s Golden Boot award both that year and the following one. Kerr was also nominated for FIFA’s Best Player Award in 2018, and has been nominated for the Ballon d’Or Féminin four times. In short, fans have big expectations for the Australian captain, especially since the World Cup is on her home turf. As determined as she is to cinch the gold, she has also been equally dogged with her support of LGBTQ+ rights, and has been a role model to countless young women and girls as an openly gay athlete, spearheading The Matildas’ partnership with Sydney WorldPride just earlier this year. She spoke publicly for the first time about her new relationship with fellow Sky Blue FC player Nikki Stanton in a pre-World Cup sponsorship video for Nike, and pushed back against the incredible number of hateful comments she received in the aftermath. Kerr continues to speak publicly about her sexuality and the importance of being proud and passionate about who she is in an effort to inspire a sense of community among LGBTQ+ athletes.

3. Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria

Asisat Oshoala playing at the Champions League tournament in 2019 for FC Barcelona. Steffen Prößdorf. CC BY-SA 2.0

Asisat Oshoala is definitively the most successful African female footballer in history, and she is only 28 years old. Aside from being the first African woman to both score in and win the UEFA Women’s Champions League, she is also a two-time nominee for the Ballon d’Or and five-time winner of the African Women’s Footballer of the Year award. After playing at a club level in England, China and Spain, Oshoala joined FC Barcelona in 2019 and has quickly risen the ranks to become a key player on the team. As such, the star forward is acutely aware of how her story has inspired many girls that share her ethnic and religious background. In 2015, Oshoala created her namesake foundation in partnership with Women Win of Germany and Nike that runs a number of sport, humanitarian and educational initiatives for girls across Africa. The most prominent is the Asisat Oshoala Academy, which provides tri-weekly football training sessions for young girls in marginalized communities across Africa. As an ambassador for Nike, Oshoala also founded the Football4girls tournament in Lagos, Nigeria, an annual occurrence which brings together teams from schools across the country to compete for a significant cash prize. Oshoala’s talent and passion for her sport is undeniable, rivaled only by her dedication to social work.

4. Ada Hegerberg, Norway

Ada Hegerberg celebrates on the pitch with her Lyon club team. Steffen Prößdorf. CC BY-SA 2.0

When on the pitch, Norwegian soccer legend Ada Hegerberg plays for both Olympique Lyon in France’s Division 1 Féminine league and Norway’s national team. At just 28 years old, Hegerberg is the all-time highest scorer in the UEFA Women’s Champions League with 59 goals to her name and is also the current record holder for the most goals scored in a UEFA Women’s Champions League season. In 2018, she was the inaugural recipient of the Ballon d’Or Féminin and has been named as BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year twice. Off the pitch, however, Hegerberg is most well known for taking a five year hiatus from the Norwegian national team in protest of the lack of equal pay between the men’s and women’s teams, and the Norwegian Football Federation’s (NFF) poor treatment of female players. Her absence was a huge blow to Norway’s chances of victory, and is recognized as being a significant factor in the NFF’s 2022 decision to give the women’s team equal pay. Hegerberg has also been a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and raised a rainbow band during a match against New Zealand in June 2022 in solidarity with victims of a shooting at a gay nightclub in the Norwegian capital of Oslo earlier that year. With the rest of the Grasshoppers by her side, Hegerberg will be spearheading Norway’s attack at the World Cup this year.

5. Khadija “Bunny” Shaw, Jamaica

Khadija Shaw is captaining the Reggae Girlz at this year’s World Cup. Jorge Martinez, Mexsport. CC BY-NC 2.0

Khadija Shaw went to her first World Cup at only 21 years of age as part of the first Caribbean team to qualify for a Women’s World Cup, and has returned this year as captain of Jamaica’s national team at the same competition. Khadija, or Bunny as she is affectionately known by her fans, made a smashing debut in Bordeaux back in 2019 tallying a whopping 32 goals in 35 games. She has since continued to build her lead as Jamaica’s all-time leading goal scorer among both the men’s and women’s teams after moving to Manchester City in 2021 where she has also broken the record for most goals scored in a single season. Soon after that fateful World Cup qualification in 2019, however, Shaw took to social media to express her discontentment with the Jamaican Football Federation over not being paid to compete, joining the movement for equal pay rights. She is also a big proponent of encouraging girls to participate in sports, and has been very vocal about the lack of opportunities and role models for young girls in Jamaica and the Caribbean, having faced plenty of challenges in trying to pursue her passion while at home. Shaw and Jamaica’s Reggae Girlz, as the team is fondly known, will be appearing for their second World Cup this year in the hopes of inspiring even more funding and investment in grassroots soccer initiatives in Jamaica.

6. Megan Rapinoe, USA

Megan Rapinoe on the victory tour with the US Women’s National Team in 2019. Lorie Shaull. CC BY-SA 2.0

No list of women soccer players is complete without the iconic colorful-haired Megan Rapinoe. At 38 years of age, Rapinoe is a two-time World Cup champion, an Olympic gold medallist and has also won both the Best FIFA Women’s Player award and the coveted Ballon d’Or Féminin in 2019. She first made headlines in activism when she joined fellow athlete Colin Kaepernick in kneeling during the American National Anthem, which she followed up soon after in her role as an extremely outspoken proponent of the successful fight for equal pay in American soccer led by the US Women’s National Team. Rapinoe has also been a notable critic of the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year, and has publicly called on the Supreme Court to support abortion rights. As one of, if not the most, popular American women’s soccer players of our time, many will be showing their support for Rapinoe after her announcing that this World Cup will be her last, as she plans to retire at the end of the NWSL season. Given her extensive involvement in a variety of activist movements, however, there is no doubt that she will continue to remain involved in the sport even after she leaves the pitch.

Tanaya Vohra

Tanaya is an undergraduate student pursuing a major in Public Health at the University of Chicago. She's lived in Asia, Europe and North America and wants to share her love of travel and exploring new cultures through her writing.

Filming "Beyond the Surface" in India

July 19, 2023

“Unite those with positive minds and compassionate hearts and good things happen…” I thought to myself, after meeting Emi Koch in San Diego and chatting with Crystal Thornburg-Homcy about her idea to make a unique surf film in India.

She’s beautiful, confident, unphased by the blazing asphalt on her bare feet…striding gracefully across the busy road. I followed closely, sensing this veteran knew what she was doing…

Despite what seems like complete chaos amongst the mix of often overloaded trucks, cars, buses, motorcycles, push carts, scooters, bicycles, farm animals, pedestrians, and whatever else you can imagine…somehow it all flows…It took a while to get used to the cacophony of blaring horns, as the rule is to honk before AND after overtaking, and whenever else the driver feels like it, really. One hand on the wheel the other on the horn!

Young boy watches over early morning harbor scene…

Spirituality knows no boundaries in India… Hindu deities displayed amongst tools in the hardware store.

Elephants are sacred, as they symbolize the Hindu god, Ganesh, Remover of Obstacles… now if he could only remove those chains!!

Angel in Manapad.

Morning duties: chai and paratha, respectively.

There comes a moment when we are called to connect to something Greater than ourselves…

Swell needs a cutie pie boat face like this!!

I AM COCONUT MAN.

Wild, strong, beautiful, bold Swami woman.

The Beyond the Surface film crew, blessed to be together…Lauren, Erik, Dave, me, Kate, Emi, Ishita, Tushar, and Crystal!

For the last 50 years, the women of Manapad have been making livelihoods, building community, and empowering themselves economically by weaving coconut leaves into sustainable arts and crafts. Go girls! Davey capturing them in action…

Emi, Lauren, Kate…catching sunrise over the lake.

A fisherman teaching me some Indian resourcefulness. We’re adding coconut leaves at short intervals along the rope to make it float!

Making films is hard work! Just ask Dave and Crystal! Ishita, Lauren, & Emi, tree pose queens.

What have we here? Morning surf check…

All smiles after a morning in the sea…

Ishita means ‘Godess of Godesses’ in Hindu. Her grandmother chose her name. Was she ever spot on! Ishita is not only India’s first female surfer, she is an inherently bold, beautiful, and fearless leader for gender equality in India today.

Tushar Pathiyan–Ishita’s partner–supports Ishita to be the greatest she can be, and epitomizes Aloha and positivity at every turn. We were so lucky to have him with us, and India is equally as lucky to have him as a leader of India’s young surf culture.

Crystal Thornburg-Homcy, the visionary and backbone behind this special project…with Emi Koch, the founder of the non-profit organization Beyond the Surface International,which was the original inspiration behind the film.

Master Yogini, Kate Baldwin, constantly inspired us with the vast breadth of her yogic wisdom, both physically and spiritually.

Lauren Lindsay Hill is surfing’s favorite eco-feminist. Smart as a whip, stoked as a grom, and lovely as butterfly. Author and founder of The Sea Kin.

Dave Homcy. He makes magic with film while always leading with his big, open heart. Chivalry is alive with Dave around!

Miraculously, a swell appeared when we least expected and we weren’t going to miss a second of it! Sunrise at the point.

My Mizu stainless steel waterbottle made thousands of miles with me and reduced lots of plastic waste!

India’s trash problem was often overwhelming…

The local catches in Varkala were frighteningly insignificant. Most fishermen I spoke with said catches had been even lower than the last few years. With fish stocks plummeting worldwide, small fishing villages like this one will be the first and hardest impacted. A contributing factor into my recent turn to eating vegan.

Yours truly, toting all my right point utensils!

It’s good to be revered…Sacred cow gazing over morning harbor scene.

There was plenty of roadside inspiration for the long bus trips…

Ganesh in the flesh.

Street art in Kochi.

Deepak was one of the people I knew I was ‘supposed to’ meet in India…

After my short time in this amazing country, I am hopeful that the spirits, opportunities, and freedoms of the next generation of Indian women will continue to soar higher and higher…

A magical trip, thanks to the beautiful people of India and my extraordinary travel companions! Thank you all!

She and her husband, renowned filmmaker, Dave Homcy, planned to document Emi’s work in India under her NGO, Beyond the Surface International, and other inspiring cases of youth and women’s empowerment through surfing, yoga, and ecological creativity.

On a scouting mission, they serendipitously met Ishita Malaviya, India’s first female surfer and a powerful voice for Indian women, who happily agreed to accompany us on the adventure. Shortly after, Damian Handisides of Free Theo Productions joined the team and the project’s momentum became unstoppable. I was honored to be a participant, along with Lauren Hill who is the founder of The Sea Kin, and Kate Baldwin, yogini extraordinaire.

We all met in India from our various points on the globe this past April with the hope of exchanging light and love with the people we met along the way, especially those facing poverty, gender inequality, and social disparity. At the same time, the adventure would be a platform of growth for our own individual paths of self-realization. Our three unforgettable weeks were abound with surprises, beauty, surf, and new friendships while touring and filming in southern India. We explored together in search of a deeper connection to our fellow humans and Mother Nature.

Learn more about Beyond the Surface here.

Liz is a professional free surfer, writer, environmental activist and adventurer who has captained her 40ft sailboat, Swell, over 18,000 miles on a surfing expedition in the Pacific since 2005. Through her website/blog, she shares her journey with the world in an effort of inspire people to live out their passions, spend more time in nature, engage in self-awareness and personal growth, and develop a consciousness of their everyday planetary impact.

Where Are All the Women Pastors?

June 20, 2023

The Southern Baptist Convention’s recent rule to prohibit women ministers is part of a long history of gender exclusion in Christian churches.

Men being ordained at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. CC BY-ND 2.0

On June 14, 2023 the Southern Baptist Convention met in New Orleans for its annual conference and voted in favor of the church’s long-standing prohibition of women serving as pastors. The vote ruled overwhelmingly in favor of upholding the rule, a decision that led two congregations with women pastors to be expelled from the denomination: Saddleback Church in Southern California and Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

The vote reaffirms the Southern Baptists’ conservative focus and comes at the heels of a 2022 report detailing the church’s attempt to cover up sexual abuse by staff and pastors.

With 47,000 churches and 13.7 million members, the Southern Baptist Convention is the largest Protestant denomination in the United States. However, SBC’s decision to continue its exclusion of women from pastoral roles within the church is not unique within the Christian world. The Roman Catholic Church, along with the Church of Latter Day Saints (commonly called Mormons), and the Orthodox Church, all prohibit women’s ordination.

The question centered at the debate around female ordination is a complicated one. While many women make up a majority of congregants and are often heavily involved in Church life and activities, taking on secondary leadership roles, there remains a stark cut-off in women’s degree of power in these religious spaces, a phenomenon that has been dubbed the “stained-glass ceiling.”

In 2021, Duke University published research examining the reality of these “stained-glass ceilings.” Their findings highlighted a disproportionate lack of female leaders across a survey of Catholic, Evangelical, Black Protestant, Mainline Protestant, and Non-Orthodox Jewish communities. The study found that women lead only 14% of American congregations. The numbers varied across communities, with women leading 30% of white evangelical congregations and 16% of Black Protestant congregations. Contrastingly, within predominantly white Evangelical congregations only 3% were led by women, and only 2% of Roman Catholic Churches had female leadership.

However, even when women are able to serve as church clergy, they lag behind men when it comes to equal pay. Female clergy earn 76 cents to each dollar made by their male counterparts. The Church Law and Tax Compensation Handbook reported that male senior pastors earned a salary that was 40% higher– or $25,000 more– than female senior pastors between 2014 and 2015. While the pay gap appears to be shrinking, it is still present. From 2016 to 2017 men who worked as full-time senior pastors received 27% more earnings and benefits, or approximately $15,000 more, than their female counterparts.

Along with a measurable pay gap, women clergy members also face the same insidious sexism that harasses all women in leadership roles, leaving female clergy in a position of intense scrutiny through which through their authority, intelligence, and ability are routinely questioned and mocked.

Despite being barred from top roles, women play a crucial role in supporting the structures and community of the church. Out of all secondary ministerial staff, 35% of full-time and 46% of part-time staffers were female.

Women have long played a crucial role in religious life, serving as nuns, teachers, religious teachers, and deacons. But the very top positions are still out of reach.

A study found that only four out of nine major U.S. religious organizations that ordain women had a woman in the top leadership role. Those four churches– The American Baptist Churches, The Episcopal Church, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the United Methodist Church– each had only one woman in a top position.

In many ways women still serve as the backbone of the church, leading the charge behind community organizing, childcare, and volunteer services. When Pope Francis formally allowed women to serve in lay ministerial roles such as lectors and acolytes, he failed to acknowledge that women have been informally taking on the work and responsibilities of these positions for some time. Instead, he emphasized the difference between these positions and the ordained roles open only to men.

While women are the vital essence powering many churches, when it comes to access to the podium or microphone, they face categorical silencing.

Protest outside Westminster Cathedral. Catholic-womens-ordination.org.uk. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Why does female religious leadership matter?

Female leadership in the church not only allows religious spaces to better serve the specific spiritual needs of their congregation, but the opportunity to see examples of women in positions of power and respect also has a significant impact on young girls.

A 2018 study found that the presence of female congregational leaders can lead to better self esteem in the young girls who grow up in their church, an impact that reverberates into adulthood. Compared to women who had grown up with some female clergy members, women who had never had female congregational leaders were 10% less likely to agree and 30% less likely to strongly agree to having high self esteem.

Additionally, the study found a link between young girls' access to female congregational leaders and their future employment opportunities. Women who grew up with a female role model as their most influential leader were just as likely to be employed full time as men, in contrast to those who did not.

Female leadership in church marks an important benchmark of gender equality that extends beyond religious divisions into social and political life as well. Church leaders oftentimes serve as influential figures in their communities, with the opportunity to serve as a powerful voice in discussions on timely social issues, including abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. Elevating women’s pastorship would also elevate women’s roles as community leaders, local activists, and engaged political informers.

Stained glass from from the Basilique de Sacré Couer in Paray-le-Monial. Lawrence OP. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Get Involved

Harnessing the power and advocacy of their women congregants, there are many organizations working tirelessly to advocate for women’s ordination and religious empowerment.

Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) is a grass-roots movement that has been working to increase female leadership opportunities within the Catholic Church since 1975. The activist group advocates for women’s ordination and increased power within the Catholic Church. In 2018, WOC members protested outside the Vatican in order to advocate for women’s right to vote in synods, a body that makes up the advisory board to the Pope. Along with advocacy work, the organization provides a network aimed at building a community of empowerment for young women in the Catholic Church. Working alongside their goals for gender equality, WOC also seeks to dismantle systems of oppression through anti-colonialism and anti-racist work that champions inclusivity.

For over 100 years, the International Association of Women Ministers has been supporting women’s ministry and advocating for women’s ordination, with members across 22 countries. IAWM offers annual assemblies that have been hosted both within the United States and abroad in Canada, England, Cuba, New Zealand, Germany, Scotland, and Hungary, with the mission of cultivating an international forum for female ministers from all backgrounds, countries, and cultures to develop relationships and provide a community of support for women’s professional growth within ministry.

The Dark Side of Czechia's Thriving Sex Industry

May 12, 2023

Legal but unregulated, the Czech sex industry leaves workers vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and trafficking.

A poster promoting sex in Prague. A. Curell. CC BY-NC 2.0

The grim specter of sexual slavery still lingers in the underbelly of many Eastern European capitals. Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is no exception. Despite the world's fascination with Czechia's natural landscapes and medieval castles, the city remains home to thousands of women trapped in the grips of human trafficking, specifically forced sexwork, while their basic human rights are stripped away and their voices silenced. While a thriving sex industry has bolstered the country's economy since the Velvet Revolution of 1989, it's a complex issue that requires attention. In 2019, estimates suggested that between 12,000 to 13,000 women worked in the country’s sex industry, with many being victims of trafficking or coercion. It's important to differentiate between sex work which involves consensual engagement in commercial sex, and sex work which involves force, coercion, or deceit. In the Czech Republic, all sex work is permissible under the law, meaning the issue of consent often operates in a gray area leaving sex workers are vulnerable to discrimination, abuse and sex trafficking.

In fact, a thriving sex industry has been a mainstay of the country’s economy since the Velvet Revolution of 1989, when the Czech and Slovak peoples overthrew their communist dictatorship before peacefully splitting up into the contemporary Czech and Slovak states. In 2008 The New York Times revealed the sex industry in the Czech Republic was raking in more than $500 million in annual revenues, with 60 percent of that coming from foreign visitors. It is a booming business that continues to thrive. According to some estimates, 12,000 to 13,000 women worked as sex workers in the Czech Republic in 2019, making the industry a significant source of employment. But who does this employment truly benefit?

The history of sex work in Czechia is a complicated story that stretches back decades. The early of the 20th century brought a period of tremendous upheaval, as the world underwent rapid changes in population, urbanization, and political power. World War I led to the creation of an independent Czecho-Slovak state for the first time in centuries, and the age of machines brought with it unparalleled economic growth. Unfortunately, these shifts also paved the way for a spike in the trafficking of women and girls, with many of the victims being brought in from other European countries.

In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, state regulation was the dominant way authorities dealt with the sex industry in Europe, with governments implementing mandatory health checks, police surveillance, and registering sex workers. While sex work remains legal in most European Union countries, a select few—France, Sweden, and Ireland—have implemented the Nordic model of neo-abolitionism, which decriminalizes sex workers but prohibits buying sex.

The Czech Republic’s attitude towards the dangers of an unregulated sex industry has long been ambiguous. While the industry was recognized in 2010, no legal framework was put in place. As a result, sex work is legal but remains largely unregulated. On the policy level, the legal status of sex work has been a highly contentious issue in Czechia, with no clear consensus among politicians or the public.

The reality is that paying for sex is a prevalent practice throughout the country, with Prague and the western and northern Bohemia regions on the German and Austria borders serving as hotspots for brothels. Prague's “Red Light Districts” can be found through online guides, offering access to a trade in sexual services. While seemingly legal, the unregulated sex market in Czechia is a breeding ground for exploitation and abuse. Although the sale and purchase of sexual services by adult sex workers over 18 are not illegal, crimes such as pimping, trafficking, and brothel operations are punishable offenses. Moreover, institutions like ShowParks, the largest de facto brothel in Prague, operate under a cloak of legal ambiguity. By renting apartments to young women with no questions asked, the owners of ShowParks skirt the law, leaving the activities that take place between the walls of rented rooms entirely up to the discretion of women and their clients, or in a worst-case scenario, pimps who sexually and financially exploit sex workers with no questions asked.

Prague by night. Schaffhauser Balázs. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

According to a Czech journalist who investigated Charles Square sex workers, women charge as little as $45 (CZK1000) for vaginal sex and $25 (CZK500) for oral sex. But many of these women are not in control of their earnings, as they rely on business operators or managers who take a hefty cut of their income. For many sex workers facing dire living conditions and scant economic prospects, the sex industry is a last resort to cope with the harsh realities of poverty and instability. Around 60% of them shoulder the responsibilities of single motherhood, often caring for two or more children without state or paternal support. The situation speaks to the wider issue of poverty, gender inequality, and social exclusion faced by this underrepresented community. Though the Czech Republic has made progress in reducing poverty and social exclusion, persistent ethnic discrimination and socioeconomic inequality continue to impede improvement. For example, members of the Roma minority are at a much higher risk of poverty, which will likely require concrete government action to address. The lack of women represented in leadership roles is a persistent issue, with women holding only a quarter of national parliamentary seats in both the public and economic domains in the Czech Republic. According to Safarik, Czech women earn $329 (CZK 7,000) less per month on average than men.

The legal gray area surrounding the sex work in the Czech Republic also opens the door to one of its most sinister aspects: human trafficking. With the fall of communism in 1989, the sex trade gained access to fresh resources, both geographical and human, that enabled the exploitation of women from Eastern Europe. According to the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report from Romania and Czech Republic, the Czech government has only limited data collection and uses narrow criteria for identifying trafficking victims, which has led to a significant undercounting of the true number of victims. Women from countries such as Ukraine, Romania, and Vietnam are often forced into sex work in the Czech Republic and then transported to other parts of Europe for further exploitation.

Meanwhile, men and women from countries such as Russia and Thailand are at risk of being forced into labor in industries such as construction and agriculture in Czechia and are frequently trafficked through the country to other parts of the European Union. Most recently, as the conflict in Ukraine rages on, an alarming trend has emerged in the Czech Republic: human traffickers taking advantage of vulnerable individuals. With the displacement of over 8 million Ukrainians, 80% of whom are women, UN Secretary General António Guterres recently warned that women and children are being targeted by these traffickers. A report by Czech outlet Lidovky revealed that some pimps in the Czech Republic are luring Ukrainian refugee women into forced sex work. The pimps are said to be targeting young mothers, whom they consider to be a “safer” option.

Destigmatizing and decriminalizing sex work, while respecting individual choice is a policy recommended by many human rights organizations. The Czech Parliament has considered reform bills which propose extensive regulation of the sex industry, although the issue remains unresolved. Reform efforts have prioritized clients and public order over the safety of sex workers. Ongoing impartial and qualified research on sex work and migration is crucial for determining the next steps forward in providing social welfare to all professions, including the sex industry.

To Get Involved:

Click here to discover Urban Justice Center Sex Workers Project, a US national organization that provides free legal services, education, research, and policy advocacy to destigmatize and decriminalize sex workers and to defend their human rights.

Click here to discover European Sex Workers Rights Alliance (ESWA), a network led by sex workers representing over 100 organizations across 30 countries in Europe and Central Asia. Their goal is to create a sustainable network for national, regional, and international advocacy activities that drive long-term, systemic change.

Hope is a Chinese international student at Wake Forest University in North Carolina studying sociology, statistics, and journalism. She dreams of traveling around the globe as a freelance reporter while touching on a wide range of social issues from education inequality to cultural diversity. Passionate about environmental issues and learning about other cultures, she is eager to explore the globe. In her free time, she enjoys cooking Asian cuisine, reading, and theater.