Dear JOhn,

Life is changing but our collective commitment to protecting and promoting the rights of women and girls through the law remains. Here's how our team of human rights lawyers and advocates have been working to make equality reality for women and girls.

Thank you for making this work possible.

U.N. Joint High Level Segment statement by Global Campaign regarding Equality in Family Law

Ahead of the United Nations’ High Level Political Forum in early July, Equality Now, Musawah, Women’s Learning Partnership, FEMNET, Muslims for Progressive Values, and ACT Alliance submitted a statement to the 2020 Economic and Social Council High Level Segment focused on the action and transformation necessary for equality in family law. The Global Campaign for Equality in Family Law calls on all member states to ensure equality for women and men under the law in all matters relating to the family, regardless of religion, culture, and tradition.

A conversation on safe spaces in Kenya in the midst of COVID-19

The COVID-19 crisis has magnified structural inequalities and systematic violations across the world. In Kenya, the situation is no different. There has been an escalation in cases of gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, with women and children bearing the brunt. On June 24, 2020, Equality Now was joined by the County Government of Makueni, Nairobi County SGBV Program, and KMET for a webinar to discuss the role of County governments in addressing gender-based violence, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 emergency.

Drew Dixon and Sheri Sher, two of the Russell Simmons #SilenceBreakers talk about their new documentary, On the Record, the Black Lives Matter Movement & More

How does sexual violence committed against Black women link to the racial injustice faced by Black men? How can we get justice systems to work for women of color? What does feminist hip-hop look like? What did it take to speak out against one of the most powerful men in hip hop? In last month’s episode of At Home With, Drew Dixon and Sheri Sher, two of the Russell Simmons’ #SilenceBreakers cover the making of their new documentary, On The Record, the Black Lives Matter movement, and so much more. We have also released a podcast version of this conversation. Watch the trailer for On the Record. The film is now streaming on HBO Max in the US.

Equality Now and A Breeze of Hope talks with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts about gender-based violence

In June, Equality Now’s Global Lead for Legal Equality and Access to Justice and our partner Brisa de Angulo, the founder of A Breeze of Hope, had a conversation with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to discuss gender-based violence as a human rights violation and the legal mechanisms to address it.

Watch the conversation to learn more about how to support and empower girls and young women to assert their rights.

#MakeEqualityReality Today

✅ Call on the Zimbabwean government to free women's human rights defenders!

Coming up next

8 July, 2020: Equality Now High Level Political Forum Side Event on Ending FGM

Equality Now, in collaboration with Kenya’s Anti FGM Board, and partners in Liberia and India, will host a side event during this year’s High Level Political Forum to examine the obstacles that make it difficult for states to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 5.3 at the national level and how countries can use legal and advocacy pathways to eliminate FGM.

>>Sign up to join the conversation.

9 July, 2020: At Home With the Mala Mala Documentary 

For the next event in our At Home With series, in honor of Pride Month in June, we will be talking with filmmakers, Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini, and protagonist, Sophia Voines, about their documentary film, Mala Mala. This LGBTQI+ documentary follows the stories of nine transgender individuals in Puerto Rico through their everyday lives, highlighting their intimate moments, performances, struggles, friendships, activism, and overall fight for acceptance. It also includes the approval and signature of Puerto Rico’s Law 238-2014, which prevents discrimination in employment based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity and shows the critical impact this legislation has on the protagonists.

>>Sign up to join the conversation.

Equality Now in the News

📰In Nigeria, resources for survivors of sexual assault have become increasingly more critical as restrictions around COVID-19 have a negative impact on women, especially women living in domestic abuse situations. Equality Now’s Regional Coordinator in Africa, Judy Gitau, spoke with CNN about how the negative effect on women and girls is not a new phenomenon and we can learn from similar restrictions put in place during the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

📰Equality Now’s Tsitsi Matekaire, Global Lead for Ending Sex Trafficking, writes about Mary* in Malawi who was sexually exploited and trafficked and is now seeking justice but continuing to run up against multiple barriers and challenges to her case being heard.

📰Kenya is seeing an increase in FGM due to schools being closed and parents worrying about future income. This will make it almost impossible for Kenya to meet its goal of ending FGM by 2022. Equality Now's Felister Gitonga, Program Officer for Ending Harmful Practices, spoke to Thomson Reuters about the interruption to progress caused by the pandemic and the protection of girls who cannot or will not return to school.

📰The United Kingdom is seeing an increase in women applying for manual jobs due to a change in the language of the applications. Equality Now's Jacqui Hunt, Director of Europe, weighed in on the importance of gender-inclusive language in this article for The Guardian.

Thank you for being a huge part of our work, which would not be possible without your constant support and activism.

In solidarity,

Bryna Subherwal
Advocacy Campaign Manager