Girls' Globe

04/09/2025

In Afghanistan today, millions of girls are banned from school. But while doors to classrooms have been shut, windows of opportunity are opening online.

At Aid Afghanistan For Education (AAFE), we provide online English and computer classes for Afghan girls who are forbidden from attending school. With nothing more than a phone, a laptop, or borrowed internet, these girls are finding their way back into education.

Every login is an act of courage.

Read the whole post by Aid Afghanistan For Education

In Afghanistan today, millions of girls are banned from school. But while doors to classrooms have been shut, windows of opportunity are opening online. At Aid Afghanistan For Education (AAFE), we provide online English and computer classes for Afghan girls who are forbidden from attending school. W...

03/09/2025

"Girls are r***d all the time."

"Girls as young as 10 are r***d in the community."

"Girls get pregnant as early as 13 – mostly due to r**e."

These were the matter-of-fact statements I heard, over and over, during focus group discussions with girls between 10 and 17 years old in Mathare, an informal settlement in Nairobi, as part of my doctoral research on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights.

It puzzled me how routine and normalized sexual violence appeared to be spoken of, not with outrage, but with resignation.

These statements reflect the complex and often unsafe environments that girls navigate, demonstrating that one-size-fits-all solutions are not only inadequate, but they must be highlighted and actively challenged.

Read the whole post by Sexual Violence Research Initiative SVRI

"Girls are r***d all the time." "Girls as young as 10 are r***d in the community." "Girls get pregnant as early as 13 – mostly due to r**e." These were the matter-of-fact statements I heard, over and over, during focus group discussions with girls between 10 and 17 years old in Mathare, an informa...

26/08/2025

Recently, the UK woke up to distressing headlines: women suspected of using abortion pills were being investigated and prosecuted. Women, some grieving a pregnancy loss, were subjected to police scrutiny—their homes searched, their phones examined. Their private pain was treated as a criminal offence.

This moment in the UK is part of a broader global pattern. It is a stark reminder that even in countries where abortion seems easily accessible, abortion rights remain vulnerable when they are regulated as exceptions rather than protected as fundamental rights.

In countries where we thought abortion was secure, we’re now seeing how fragile those protections really are.

Read the whole post by International Confederation of Midwives

Recently, the UK woke up to distressing headlines: women suspected of using abortion pills were being investigated and prosecuted. Women, some grieving a pregnancy loss, were subjected to police scrutiny—their homes searched, their phones examined. Their private pain was treated as a criminal offe...

11/06/2025

Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg made headlines upon her return to Sweden yesterday after being forcibly detained on international waters by Israel. She was a part of the crew of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla's boat Madleen, which attempted to break Israel's illegal blockade on the occupied Gaza Strip to supply humanitarian aid.

Since the ceasefire collapsed in Gaza, Israeli forces have escalated their attack, killing and injuring tens of thousands of civilians. The UN estimates that over 640,000 have been forcibly displaced, with people confined to an ever-shrinking space.

Israel has previously attacked boats part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla and intercepted the Madleen on international waters and detained its crew earlier this week.

Greta explained that she's most worried about the continued development of the crisis in Gaza, the crimes against humanity that we're witnessing and the war crimes that Israel is guilty of.

Read the whole post by Julia Wiklander

Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg made headlines upon her return to Sweden yesterday after being forcibly detained on international waters by Israel. She was a part of the crew of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla's boat Madleen, which attempted to break Israel's illegal blockade on the occupied Gaza Strip t...

26/05/2025

After the initial shock of a crisis — whether caused by conflict, climate change or natural disasters — daily life continues to unfold. Yet even as communities face devastation, life goes on. Pregnancies continue, and women and gender diverse people go into labour and give birth. A moment that should be joyful and safe turns frightening and uncertain, as giving birth becomes far more dangerous and unpredictable. More than half of maternal deaths worldwide occur in fragile and crisis-affected settings, making clear just how deadly these situations can be.

At the same time, needs rise sharply. The demand for contraception, comprehensive abortion care and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) increases, while access to these services often becomes limited or disappears entirely. Menstrual hygiene becomes harder to manage as products and safe facilities, including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, become scarce. Unintended pregnancies and STIs increase due to the lack of barrier methods and heightened risk of sexual violence.

After the initial shock of a crisis — whether caused by conflict, climate change or natural disasters — daily life continues to unfold. Yet even as communities face devastation, life goes on. Pregnancies continue, and women and gender diverse people go into labour and give birth. A moment that s...

23/12/2024

At Womanity we take pride in investing in innovative and sustainable global solutions that prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG) and accelerate gender equality.

With 1 in 3 women experiencing physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime and just 0.2% of global aid and development funding directed to gender-based violence prevention, the urgency to implement programmes that break new ground and drive progress, has never been greater.

Our approach is to work closely with local partners to overcome barriers and unlock women’s potential in underserved parts of the world so that women and girls can live free of violence, allowing entire communities to thrive.

➡️ Read the full post Shifting the Global North/South Power Imbalance in the Fight Against GBV by Womanity here: https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/12/23/shifting-the-global-north-south-power-imbalance-in-the-fight-against-gbv/

17/12/2024

"In my community, women do all the farm work while the men are hardly seen.

It’s an unfortunate truth that most men have either migrated to cities in search of alternative livelihoods, have decreasing interest in farming, or have succumbed to alcoholism. Despite their hard work, only 1 in 6 rural Indian women own the land they work on.

When I meet women in the field, they often lack agency and have no place to call their own, with no rights to their parental or husband's homes. In cases of domestic violence, they have nothing of their own to fall back on. Most feel trapped and hopeless. They lack a voice. Without a voice, they have no income or means to make life decisions or achieve long-term financial security.

As I came across more and more women suffering this fate, I knew I had to do something."

written by Rachna Bagwan who works for Jan Sahas, an NGO partner of Womanity’s ‘Land for Women’ programme

➡️ Read the full post I Want to Help Rural Women in India Own the Land They Work On by Womanity here: https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/12/17/i-want-to-help-rural-women-in-india-own-the-land-they-work-on/

30/10/2024

This is a different episode of the podcast with host Julia Wiklander speaking about the global feminist solidarity movement, building resilience in the midst of deep pain, and why she started the podcast.

This is an episode to remind us of why we’re doing this work.

Julia talks about what feminist solidarity really means - and what inspired her to start Girls’ Globe to amplify the voices of so many people who go unrecognized or unheard.

She encourages us that our voices matter and how important it is to reflect on our values and to let them lead in all aspects of our work - including our communications. Her new course Strategic Storytelling for Changemakers is an opportunity to create a powerful communications strategy that is aligned with our values and purpose, defined by our powerful stories and the people we want to reach.

Learn more about Strategic Storytelling for Changemakers here: https://juliawiklander.com/storytelling/
Enroll by the end of October for 20% off using code LAUNCH. If you're one of the first 10 people to enroll you get a free 1:1 Strategic Storytelling Call with Julia.

🎙 Listen to this episode of the Hey Changemaker! podcast on your favorite podcast app or here: https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/30/building-true-global-feminist-solidarity/

➡️ Learn more about the Hey Changemaker! podcast and nominate a changemaker that you want to hear from at girlsglobe.org/changemaker

Changemaker!, Listen

28/10/2024

The abortion situation in Türkiye is unique. We have a fairly liberal law on paper, but in reality, access to abortion is severely restricted.

Abortion is legal on request up to 10 weeks. When you compare this to other countries in the region, Türkiye can look more egalitarian. But in practice, because of the government’s pro-natalist policies, access to abortion is not possible in state hospitals. We have a huge gap between law and practice.

This post is written by Ezel Buse Sönmezocak and İrem Gerkuş at Women for Women’s Human Rights (WWHR), a Safe Abortion Action Fund grantee partner in Türkiye.

➡️ Read the full post Abortion in Türkiye: Legal but not available by Safe Abortion Action Fund here: https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/28/abortion-in-turkiye-legal-but-not-available/

23/10/2024

Beth Woroniuk is currently a Senior Fellow with the Feminist Foreign Policy Collaborative.

Until earlier this year, she was the Vice-President, Policy at the Equality Fund. Beth has worked to advance gender justice and feminist approaches to policymaking for over 35 years. She has advised and worked with bilateral aid agencies, women’s funds, UN entities, international NGOs and feminist organizations, strengthening their work on gender equality and women’s rights in numerous contexts and countries.

In this episode Beth shares her own stories, perspectives and reasons for hope in a turbulent world.

Julia and Beth talk about resilience as feminist changemakers and the multiple crises that we’re facing in the world. Beth gives us insights into the challenges, and the wins, that we’re seeing as a global feminist movement. She shares amazing advice for young women who are moving into the feminist advocacy space today.

🎙 Listen to this episode of the Hey Changemaker! podcast on your favorite podcast app or here: https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/23/beth-woroniuk-feminist-led-change-in-a-turbulent-world/

➡️ Learn more about the Hey Changemaker! podcast and nominate a changemaker that you want to hear from at girlsglobe.org/changemaker

Changemaker!, Listen

21/10/2024

About 40 kilometres from warm Durban, lies a place called oThongati. Deep inside oThongati, is a neglected township called Magwaveni. Vibrant with township culture and an intergenerational population, Magwaveni resembles many South African townships. On 3 June 2024, Magwaveni was struck by a tornado that left more than 2,000 households destroyed. The right to shelter and food were not the only rights trampled on by this disaster.

The rights to proper sanitation and menstrual health were also violated.

➡️ Read the full post Society needs to stand together to tackle period poverty by Action Aid International here: https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/21/society-needs-to-stand-together-to-tackle-period-poverty/

18/10/2024

Hassina Sherjan shares her own story of coming back to Afghanistan 19 years after leaving the country at the age of 19.

She tells us about how she build Aid Afghanistan for Education and the impact the organization has had. Hassina speaks about the shock and aftermath of the Taliban takeover in 2021 and how her work for education in Afghanistan continues in a different form.

Hassina Sherjan is the Founder and CEO of Aid Afghanistan For Education.

🎙 Listen to this episode of the Hey Changemaker! podcast on your favorite podcast app or here: https://www.girlsglobe.org/2024/10/18/hassina-sherjan-a-legacy-for-education-in-afghanistan/

➡️ Learn more about the Hey Changemaker! podcast and nominate a changemaker that you want to hear from at girlsglobe.org/changemaker

Changemaker!, Listen