In The News

Asian Age: #MeToo in India?

October 12, 2018
No country is immune from boorish behavior by some powerful elites. The #MeToo movement began in the United States, with accusations and investigations against film directors, journalists, corporate and political leaders, a Supreme Court nominee and more – and may be spreading to India with an accusation of a Bollywood actress. An Asian Age opinion essay poses questions that apply to the movement...

Korea Herald: #MeToo Movement Rejects South Korea’s Defamation Law

Claire Lee March 1, 2018
Uncivil behavior flourishes when governments impose defamation laws that protect reputations over public declarations of truth. The global “MeToo movement underscores the problems with South Korea’s defamation law, reports Claire Lee for the Korea Herald. “Women’s activists and some lawmakers criticized the defamation law as one of the biggest challenges that sexual violence victims here face,”...

The Economist: Saudi Arabia Will Finally Allow Women to Drive

September 29, 2017
On September 26 Saudi Arabia announced an end to its longstanding ban on female drivers. As the lone country in the world “to have such a stricture … [the law has become] a symbol of the ultraconservative kingdom’s repression of women.” As the Economist observes, “For many Saudi women, the change is long overdue.” Saudi Arabia adheres to strict interpretations of sharia law and tribal customs....

Los Angeles Times: Movie Banned in India Because It Was “Lady-Oriented” Plays in US

Shashank Bengali April 3, 2017
Censorship of art in one country can put a global spotlight on the banned material. “’Lipstick Under My Burkha,’ which follows two Hindus and two Muslims searching for personal and sexual freedom, was blocked from Indian theaters this year by the national censor board even as it collected awards at international film festivals,” reports Shashank Bengali for the Los Angeles Times. The women have...

Quartz: Critiquing Child Marriage Policies

Neha Thirani Bagri February 10, 2017
Regulating longstanding cultural traditions to protect individuals can ignite political backlash. Sheikh Hasina, prime minister of Bangladesh, strives to be a champion of women’s empowerment, but proposed legislation that would allow marriage for underage girls who become pregnant is under fire. “Critics say the bill would weaken the existing law and send the message to parents that child...

Worldwide, People Rally in Support of Women’s March on Washington

Karla Adam January 23, 2017
More than 1 million people marched in the United States on January 21 and more than another million joined with at least 650 sister marches around the globe. The goal was to promote human rights, gender equality and a new wave of political activism. “Organizers said that demonstrators wanted to send a bold message to President Trump on his first full day in office that women’s rights are worth...

Crackdown in Turkey Threatens a Haven of Gender Equality Built by the Kurds

Rod Nordland December 26, 2016
Gender equality, an elusive goal for most nations, is commonly enjoyed in Kurdish towns in Turkey. Women serve alongside men in Kurdish guerrilla units, and governmental decisions concerning women are made by a panel composed solely of women. The gender equality espoused by the Kurds and the pro-Kurdish HDP party have had an impact across the country, even in religious Muslim areas of western...