The political playbook that unraveled US transgender rights
By Maggie Mertens November 8, 2026 From the military to healthcare, Trump systematically dismantled Obama-era protections for transgender rights Credit: Getty Images Shelby Chestnut remembers turning on the news in 2016 and hearing something he didn’t expect. Then- attorney general, Loretta Lynch, had just announced a federal lawsuit to block HB2 in North Carolina, otherwise known as the “bathroom bill”. Lynch said the law, which made it illegal for transgender people to use
The Guardian
4 hours ago
Pakistan under fire over abduction of 14-year-old Hindu girl
IANS November 3, 2026 Credit: VividhBarathi Islamabad, Nov 3 (IANS) A leading minority rights organisation on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the abduction, forced conversion and marriage of a minor Hindu girl in Pakistan, highlighting the vulnerability of minority children amid escalating atrocities across the country. According to the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), 14-year-old Bindiya Kumari, a ninth-grade student, should be attending school rather than being cau
IANS
4 days ago
AI is automating gendered violence and misogyny
By: Janine Deselaers and Janet Heard November 1, 2026 The current alarm about the future dangers of agentic AI might distract us from the very real AI harms already happening. As we speculate about whether machines might one day become dangerous to humankind, AI is deepening misogyny, eroding safety and automating gendered abuse. Credit: iStock/Jocelyn Adamson Debate about “agentic AI”, systems that act independently and might go “rogue”, has prompted fresh calls for a pause
Tech Policy Press
Nov 3
Cameroon President Paul Biya is 93. Can he still rule?
By Al Jazeera Staff October 23, 2026 Cameroonians are wondering who Biya will appoint as vice president and possible successor. Cameroonian President Paul Biya casts his ballot for his eighth term while his wife, Chantal, watches in Yaounde on October 12, 2025 [Zohra Bensemra/Reuters] Cameroonian President Paul Biya, 93, is once again the subject of death rumours. Africa’s longest-serving president, known for his long stays away from the Central African nation he governs, onl
Kazakhstan Women Need Action on Domestic Violence
By Viktoriya Kim October 14, 2026 Reform Necessary to Close Legal Gaps, Ensure Accountability Participants at the international Women's Day rally in Almaty, Kazakhstan, March 8, 2022. © 2022 Stanislav Beketov During its October 6 review by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Kazakhstan pledged new legislation to make domestic violence a standalone crime – a timely commitment. Now the government should turn words into action
Special Report: Cyber Scam Operations in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asian cyber scam operations have evolved into a transnational criminal ecosystem fusing human trafficking with industrial-scale fraud: at least Thousands of victims from dozens of countries have been trafficked, mostly through fake online job offers, into guarded compounds where they endure 16-19-hour workdays, torture, sexual exploitation, debt bondage and passport confiscation under conditions the UN describes as modern slavery of "industrial proportions".
Genocide Watch
Oct 27
West Africa Monthly Report: September 2026
September marked another turbulant period for West African countries.
Genocide Watch
Oct 27
Recognition of survivors of sexual violence remains uneven
By Rebecca Hawkins and Velma Saric October 2, 2026 Petrified Survivors, a sculpture by artist Rebecca Hawkins. Photo credit: Robert Schlesinger. A permanent monument would give them all the recognition they deserve. In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), 12 days of activism for peace are celebrated every year, starting with the International Day of Peace on September 21, and ending with the International Day of Nonviolence on October 2. This time of year, we especially look back a
BalkanDiskurs
Oct 19
Cameroon: increase in killings of women spurs protests
By Nalova Akua October 15, 2026 YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Geraldine Achiah, an elementary school teacher in her 30s, died barely two months into her marriage in September. Her relatives allege her husband beat her over a marital dispute and demand justice in what they say is a gender-based crime. Her only child, Courage Abombi, 18, fondly remembers her support for his dreams of becoming a mechanical engineer. “My mom died an unexpected and painful death,” said Abombi, who had
AP News
Oct 17
Sexual Violence Online are Harming Women and Young Men
By Morgan E. PettyJohn, Jacob Nason, Kyla Cary October 16, 2026 The online forums and sites that make up the manosphere host a common thread: They mobilize sexual violence against women. Denis Novikov/iStock via Getty Images Andrew Tate, a self-described misogynist and an online influencer with millions of followers, faces charges in several countries of allegedly causing physical harm, including rape and sex-trafficking women and girls. Tate is a prominent figure in the mano
The Conversation
Oct 15
Brazilian women are being killed at record rates
Brazilian Women are being killed at record rates. Now it is a key election issue. October 02, 2026 Jo Griffin As the country heads to the polls, candidates are looking to sway female voters with pledges to tackle femicide. For the mother who has spent 20 years recording the names of 30,000 victims, it couldn’t come soon enough. Ever since her daughter, Priscila, was shot dead by her ex-partner as she left a nightclub in 2007, Regina Jardim has been on a mission to ensure no o
The Observer
Oct 13
Afghanistan Country Report
Country Report: Afghanistan October 2026 By Holly Swiglo Afghan women wearing burqas, as mandated by Taliban law. (Photo: Faruk Tokluoglu) August 15, 2026, marked five years since the Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist group, took power in Afghanistan after the United States withdrew its troops from the country. The Taliban has since eliminated all political and civic rights, dissolved representative bodies, and imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Independent jou
Genocide Watch
Oct 11
