Tag: women

Who owns women’s and girls’ bodies?

The hands of a Cambodian girl who was trafficked to Thailand and forced to sell flowers on the streets of Bangkok. If she didn’t work, she was electrocuted. She was eventually rescued by a Cambodian NGO and was living in a halfway house when we met her. This week, the United Nations Population Fund released a first-ever report on bodily autonomy. Nearly half of all women are denied the right to make decisions about their own bodies, the report shows. ©Jerry Redfern

I keep a small rock on my desktop. It’s shaped like a turtle, but its edges are sharp and jagged, and it could easily break the skin. It reminds me of the day I met a young woman in a bright pink shirt who told me about her escape from slavery. This was several years…Continue readingWho owns women’s and girls’ bodies?

An International Women’s Day Tribute to Farmers

This is Peace. She lives in a packed-earth home in Kashunika Village, Nyagatare District, in the far northeastern corner of Rwanda*…. … and these are some of Peace’s bananas. They’re important. These bananas have given her new hope. A while back, Peace was ill with a condition that cost her both time and money. She…Continue readingAn International Women’s Day Tribute to Farmers