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Dear JOhn, Our team of human rights lawyers and advocates have been hard at work across the world, speaking with hundreds of officials, journalists and survivors. Here’s a round up of what we’ve been doing to make equality a reality with your support. The Beijing Platform for Action: When we work together, we do better 2020 will mark the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a progressive blueprint for advancing women’s and girls’ rights. As part of the anniversary activities, Equality Now have been invited to be part of the Generation Equality Forum, made up of intergenerational and intersectional representatives from civil society, champion governments and the private sector. The group is tasked with creating plans that reinforce existing commitments and move the agenda forward towards greater equality. We know that with an inclusive and collaborative approach, with a wide range of people all actively listening to each other and working together, we will realize the goals of the Beijing Platform. Read our latest blog on how we’re preparing for the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration. Tanzania upholds landmark ruling against child marriage Last month, the Tanzania Court of Appeal upheld the landmark 2016 ruling by the High Court against child marriage. In 2016, in a case brought by Equality Now’s partner, Msichana Initiative, in Tanzania, the High Court ruled that marriage under the age of 18 was unconstitutional and directed the government to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 for both boys and girls within one year. The Tanzanian Government has yet to amend the law in line with the ruling. Equality Now and our partners continue to call on the Government of Tanzania to amend sections 13 and 17 of the Marriage Act to set the minimum age of marriage at 18 with NO exceptions. USA: Will US women finally be protected in the American Constitution? After elections this week, the path is clear for lawmakers in Virginia to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. It would make Virginia the 38th and final state necessary to clear the three-fourths threshold in order to add the amendment, (which protects the rights of women) to the U.S. Constitution. Read the latest from Huffington Post on the #ERANow campaign. Forced pregnancy in Argentina: urging the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to protect girls In September, representatives of Equality Now and our partners, ANDHES, CASACIDN, CLADEM and REDLAMYC, testified in front of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) that Argentina is failing to live up to its obligations under international and regional human rights law when it comes to accessing legal abortion for victims of sexual violence, particularly young girls. Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay said, “This is not a complicated matter at all. Children are children, and must be allowed to be children, not forced to do adult things like bear children. And no one has the right to decide otherwise.” Act Now to #MakeEqualityReality >>>A child is not a wife - tell the Government of Tanzania to end child marriage today<<< Out Now Partnering with Laura and Vanessa Marano to end online sexual exploitation The internet can be a place for community, self expression, discovery and creativity, but it might also be dangerous. In partnership with the cast of the movie, Saving Zoe, we’ve put together a video with some tips on how to use the internet safely, responsibly and positively. Everyone has a right to be safe on and offline - no matter what information has been shared by you or by others about you. Coming up next: We Should All Be Feminists On November 19, in New York City, we will host our annual Make Equality Reality gala. This year we are thrilled to honor Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author of We Should All Be Feminists, as well as the second annual Changemaker award for young activists presented by Gucci and Chime for Change to Scarlett Curtis. Equality Now in the News MSNBC: Virginia State Legislature elections could determine the fate of Equal Rights Amendment CNN: Tanzanian court upholds a law banning child marriage Thomson Reuters: Despite #MeToo, one in four UK women hesitate to report work harassment Equal Times: Will Sierra Leone overturn its school ban on teenage mothers? 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 PS: Do you wear your feminism on your sleeve? Why not treat your friends and family for the holiday season. Get your Equality Now tees and totes from our sparkly, ethical store today and support a just world for women and girls. |
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