The Cataclysmic Ripples of War in the Lives of Women and Children

By Alexis Bullin Trigger Warning: This contains discussion including sexual violence, abuse, warfare, and death. “I was thirteen when the war spread to my city. I was kidnapped by four sol diers who locked me in a house where I was raped every day by different men for eight months. I had a miscarriage while … Read more

The struggles of a “Ko-reer” Woman: Understanding Sexual Harassment Cross-Culturally

By Tiger Hobday   The sun scorches on a hot Saturday in downtown Seoul, South Korea. The streets of the Western town located in the city are filled with the hustle-and-bustle of Korean citizens, international tourists, expats and the usual young American soldiers. On the second floor of one of the buildings on the main … Read more

Stolen, Forced and Broken: Why Should We Care About Sex Trafficking in Thailand?

By Tamia Smith Imagine this: being taken away from what you knew as your life and being thrown into a world of sex, violence and danger. That is a summation what sex trafficking is. The journalist Ashton Kobler documented the story of Umida, a Russian woman, who was accepted work promised in Thailand by a … Read more

The Chhaupadi Practice in Nepal: a Difficult Time for Women and Girls

  By: Michaela Batson Imagine being locked away and isolated during one of the most difficult times of the month for many, menstruation. This happens every month to women and girls in Nepal, particularly in rural areas, where they observe chhaupadi, which is a cultural practice of isolating and restricting a girl or woman during … Read more

A Walk to Beautiful: Addressing Obstetric Fistula

The Nova documentary, A Walk to Beautiful, follows three Ethiopian women on their journey to find a cure for injuries they sustained during childbirth that have left them incontinent and shunned by their husbands and the communities in which they live. Why is obstetric fistula known as the silent epidemic and why does it disproportionately … Read more

Difret: Changing Child Marriage and Bride Abduction Customs

The feature film, Difret, produced by Angelina Jolie, portrays the real-world court case defending the Ethiopian girl Hirut  from a murder charge when she killed the rapist who abducted her. The film brings to light the ongoing issue of child marriage in many parts of the world. This custom of abduction of young girls disrupts … Read more

Increasing Femicides in Mexico and Elsewhere: What Can Be Done?

Femicide is defined as a sex-based hate crime, “the intentional killing of females because they are females” Every year, about 66,000 women are killed violently across the globe. Mexico has been experiencing a crisis of femicides. The rate has more than doubled with 3580 women being killed in 2018. Fresh outrage has been sparked in … Read more

Empowering Super Bowl Show or not?

Last night’s half-time show for the Super Bowl featured two Latina stars:  Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. It was high energy with incredible dance routines and complex choreography. Both artists said they wanted the show to be empowering to women. But was it? While these two are undoubtedly talented artists with a lot of star power, … Read more