World Archives

The hidden toll of heat waves on women in South Asia

South Asia has endured an unprecedented heat wave, with March seeing the hottest temperatures on record in India. Evidence suggests the heat is landing a cruel double blow on women’s income and health.

Related: Reporter’s Notebook: Women’s invisibility in climate stories erase their narratives. The result is bad policy

by Disha ShettyJun 27, 2022

Co-published with Scroll

Baby formula marketing practices are still too aggressive, WHO report finds

The baby milk formula shortage in the United States has overshadowed fresh scrutiny over the industry’s dubious marketing. Globally, experts warn that these companies have long employed predatory marketing in order to maximize the purchase of formula at the expense of breastfeeding.

Related: The loneliest lactation consultant in the world

by Melissa ChanJun 23, 2022

Co-published with Foreign Policy

From the Archives: Group that helps FGM survivors wins prestigious UK award. Meet the founder.

Stigma can stop survivors of female genital mutilation from seeking help, but Hawa Bah, who was cut at eight, reaches those suffering in silence to get them the care they need.

by Louise DonovanJun 3, 2022

Co-published with The Guardian

‘The smoke enters your body’: A toxic trash site in Kenya is making women sick

As rubbish piles up on a vast dumpsite, the women who sift through it for their livelihood are suffering reproductive health problems that scientists say have been overlooked.

Related: Air pollution’s impact on women’s health is not getting the attention it needs, scientists warn

by Moraa Obiria, Louise DonovanJun 2, 2022

Published in partnership with VICE World News and the Nation

Financial Pandemic: 'Everything is harder now'

Asencia Tuamana, 55, started “Bello Horizonte,” a communal kitchen, in September 2020 to share resources during a nationwide lockdown that left millions of Peruvians with no income. She serves as many as 140 people during the week — even as rising costs make her daily work increasingly more difficult.

by Jimena LedgardMay 20, 2022

Co-published with Nation

Financial Pandemic: ‘Sri Lanka is not a country for poor people now’

Cooking has become an act of danger for a Sri Lankan woman who can no longer afford to safely heat her stove. As gas prices more than double, kerosene and firewood, more affordable but hazardous, are the next viable option. Read Feroza Hussein’s story on how the country’s economic crisis has permeated all aspects of her life.

by Rathindra KuruwitaMay 20, 2022

Co-published with the Nation

Financial Pandemic: As living costs spiral in Kenya, a mother sacrifices to spare family from ‘dire times’

With food prices soaring to over 12% over the past year, the economic repercussions of the pandemic are being heavily felt across Kenya. Women are particularly vulnerable.

by Agatha GichanaMay 20, 2022

Co-published with the Nation

‘We have to fight back.’ Afghan women are losing their hard-won right to work under the Taliban

Afghan women's participation in the workforce rose steadily in the 20 years after the Taliban were ousted from government. Since they returned to power, those gains have been rapidly eroding. Now activists fear a new edict mandating the burqa in public could destroy them altogether.

by Zahra NaderMay 17, 2022

Co-published with TIME

‘I can’t keep this baby’: Pregnant Ukrainian refugees struggle to get abortion care

Poland has become a place of refuge for millions of women fleeing war in Ukraine. It also has some of Europe’s most restrictive abortion laws, posing a major challenge to refugees with unwanted pregnancies. Some have survived rape, others simply cannot imagine taking on the responsibility of a child while their futures are so uncertain.

by Hanna KozlowskaMay 3, 2022

Co-published with The Cut

What the Taliban means for queer Afghans

During the US occupation, little was done to build a support network for the LGBTQ+ community in Afghanistan. Now their lives are in danger as they struggle to flee.

by Zahra Nader, Zahra MousawiApr 20, 2022

Co-published with Foreign Policy

Early puberty cases have surged during covid, doctors say

A mother in Mumbai noticed that her eight-year-old daughter seemed to be developing breasts. Then came bloodstains on her clothes. The little girl had gotten her first period. Did the pandemic push the child into puberty? Doctors around the world blame the pandemic for a surge in early puberty?

by Puja ChangoiwalaMar 28, 2022

Co-published with The Washington Post

Analysis: Where democracy falters, so do reproductive rights

Reproductive rights don’t exist in a vacuum: They are inextricably linked to democratic institutions, with threats to one reinforcing threats to the other. As countries like Poland, Brazil, Hungary, and the United States face threats to their democracies, so do the women of those countries face threats to their reproductive rights.

by Hanna KozlowskaMar 16, 2022

Co-published with Foreign Policy

Dating in the time of the Taliban

For most Young Afghans coming of age under US occupation, the Taliban was a history lesson. For them, mingling in restaurants and dating was normal. Now, everything has changed.

by Zahra Nader, Kreshma FakhriMar 4, 2022

This story was co-published with The Cut.

Afghanistan’s new government imposes discriminatory restrictions on healthcare

A new requirement from the Taliban— that women be accompanied by a male chaperone when seeking healthcare—is preventing many Afghan women from getting the treatment they need at a time when the country is facing a severe economic crisis, food insecurity and a massive spike in COVID-19 cases.

by Zahra Nader, Nargis AminiMar 2, 2022

This story was co-published with Rukhshana Media and Foreign Policy.

Money in the forecast: Women reap unexpected gains from India's investment in early weather warning systems

India’s investment early weather warning systems was expected to help a predominantly male field of fishermen. But data suggests it may have unexpectedly led to major financial gains for women since the systems were launched a decade ago. Experts say the unintended win shows that gender is still a blind spot for climate policymakers.

by Disha ShettyFeb 25, 2022

This story was co-published with The Wire.

Women victimized by Boko Haram forced to choose peace over justice

Boko Haram militants are surrendering to the Nigerian government as part of a rehabilitation program. But the women they once tortured are demanding justice too.

by Shola LawalFeb 10, 2022

This story was co-published with VICE World News.

Analysis: India is building a women-only social safety net

Political parties across India have promised a host of new social programs exclusively for women. Is it politics or progress?

by Mahima JainJan 26, 2022

This story was co-published with Foreign Policy.

She made jeans for Americans. When they stopped shopping, she turned to sex work

As the garment sector—one of the Lesotho’s largest employers—crumbles during the coronavirus pandemic, a 30-year-old factory worker turns to sex work to make do.

by Louise Donovan, Refiloe Makhaba NkuneDec 14, 2021

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