TAG: criminalization

Telling women to avoid pregnancy is not a solution for HIV and the Zika virus

To the development community on International Day of Action for Women’s Health: don’t curtail our rights by legitimising conservative religious ideologies.

ACTIVISTS BRIEF: Coalition of African Lesbians says NO to a Special Rapporteur on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity

In June 2011, the South African government, with support from Brazil and Norway, led in the adoption of a historic resolution on sexual orientation and gender identity and expression at the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). This was followed by a second resolution on the same issue in September 2014, led by four Latin […]

Amnesty International publishes policy and research on protection of sex workers’ rights

Amnesty International has published its policy on protecting sex workers from human rights violations and abuses, along with four research reports on these issues in Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Norway and Argentina.

Seychelles parliament passes bill to decriminalize sodomy

Seychelles’ National Assembly has passed an amendment to the penal code that decriminalizes the act of sodomy. Out of 28 members present for the vote, 14 voted in favour while the other half abstained. Four members were not present for the vote.

ISIS and Women: A STATUS/Conversation with Rafia Zakaria

In this interview with STATUS/الوضع host Katty Alhayek, journalist and author Rafia Zakaria discusses her articles on ISIS and women, and the challenges that she faces when sharing her perspective on these issues with a wider audience.

Malta’s abortion ban: ‘I’m not a criminal. I’m a loving mother’

Malta is for now the EU’s last country where abortion is banned in all cases. While some are beginning to call for a public debate on women’s reproductive rights, the topic of abortion remains a highly sensitive issue in the archipelago.

A miscarriage of justice in Argentina: #FreeBelen

Fernanda Doz Costa, researcher on the Americas, reports from a protest outside a court in Argentina where “Belen” returns after being sentenced to eight years following a miscarriage.

Sexual Politics in April 2016

A new wave of deadly attacks against human rights and secular activists is at play in Bangladesh. In final April, two LGBT activists were hacked to death, fueling outrage and protest around the world. Weeks before, some protesters were detained during the celebration the Bengali New Year. In the context of this crisis we bring […]

As the Brazilian crisis unfolds, the abortion frontlines keep burning

Since our reports of early 2015, SPW has always linked developments in the abortion debate to the on-going Brazilian political and economic crisis. On April 17th, 2016, this crisis reached an initial point of culmination when the House of Representatives voted for and approved the admissibility of the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff.

An unamed letter from Bangladesh regarding the murders of LGBT activists

SPW shares an unnamed letter written by Bangladesh activist after the murders of LGBT activists in the Asian country in the past weeks. The letter draws attention for the danger of protesting around the global against the murders, while it may actually fuel Western hegemonic discourses that claim to defend and promote tolerance, usually through […]

Threats of retrocession in sexual and reproductive health policies in Brazil during the Zika epidemic

Brazil has one of the most restrictive legislations in the world on abortion. Since 1940, abortion is only allowed in Brazil in cases involving either risk to the woman’s life or rape, and in cases of fetal anencephaly. Yet abortion is common despite these legal restrictions.

New resource synthesizing abortion stigma qualitative research: “Abortion Stigma Around the World”

We are excited to share “Abortion Stigma Around the Globe”: A Qualitative Synthesis. After a review of literature and available resources, we discovered a lack of analysis of qualitative research. Through the production of this resource, we hoped to paint a picture of how stigma appears in different geographic regions, and across the different levels […]