Dear JOhn,

I don’t need to tell you that 2020 was CHALLENGING. Sometimes the enormity of the work ahead can feel overwhelming, and it can be hard to know where to start. In an attempt to cut through the noise, I’m sharing three updates from my colleagues in the movement to make gender equality a reality.

News from our teams around the world

Dalit Women in Haryana, India speak out against caste-based sexual violence 

Dalit people are at the bottom of caste and class hierarchies in India. Dalit women and girls face intersecting discrimination and high levels of sexual violence and many are unable to access justice. Last November, together with the Swabhiman Society, we released a report analyzing the barriers to justice in 40 cases of sexual violence against Dalit women and girls supported by Swabhiman Society in Haryana. The report demonstrated the widespread difficulties that Dalit women faced in obtaining convictions and accessing support services, as well as the continued practice of the traumatizing and unscientific ‘two-finger test’.

TAKE ACTION: Call on the Haryana and Indian governments to take action on sexual violence.

Survivors of child marriage in Georgia share their stories to shine a spotlight on the practice in the country 

Child marriage is a human rights violation and is against the law in Georgia. Families circumvent this by not officially registering a marriage involving a minor, but still holding engagement parties and wedding celebrations after which the couple are referred to as husband and wife. 

Equality Now recently partnered on a project with Georgian human rights lawyer Goga Khatiashvi to shine a light on the experiences of survivors of child marriage in Georgia, through sharing the stories of seven women who were forced to marry as children. We hope that the publication, the first of its kind in Georgia, will galvanize efforts to end child marriage in the Eurasian country.   

LEARN MORE: Courage: Survivors of child marriage in Georgia share their stories

The new U.S. administration is already addressing discrimination 

We hope that the new administration will make up for lost time and help to make gender equality a reality in the U.S. and around the world. Ahead of the inauguration, we engaged with the new administration calling on them to center gender justice in the first 100 days.  President Biden has been in office for less than ten days and he has already struck down the discriminatory ban on transgender people serving in the US military, a discriminatory law we highlighted in our 2020 Words and Deeds report; created a Gender Policy Council; and is expected to repeal the Global Gag Rule, which will have a far reaching positive impact on the reproductive rights and sexual health of women and girls around the world. All this bodes well, and we hope the new administration will continue to “build back equal” in 2021.

SHARE: Building back equal in 2021

Watch and Share

In 2020, we lost one of the most fervent defenders of legal equality, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A woman who recognized the power of the law in shaping every aspect of American society, and who dedicated her life to ensuring this power was used to defend and uplift the voices of the historically marginalized.

Watch Meryl Streep read Gloria Steinem's moving tribute to the Notorious RBG, with “Legacy” Performed by Daphne Willis

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

P.S. International Women’s Day is just around the corner. Find out more about how you can support Equality Now to build back equal on March 8th this year.