World Archives

After Escaping Abuse in the Middle East, Domestic Workers’ Woes Are Far From Over in this Pandemic

The pandemic and resulting economic crises have led tens of thousands of migrant workers around the world to return to their home countries

by Moraa Obiria, Louise Donovan

This article was published in partnership with The Telegraph and Kenya’s Daily Nation.

Transgender and Trapped in Sex-Based Social Distancing

Panama came up with a novel—and uniquely discriminatory—public health measure to combat the coronavirus.

by Marta Martinez

This article was published in partnership with Foreign Policy.

In Wake of Beirut’s Devastating Blast, Stranded Kenyan Domestic Workers Demand Repatriation

An estimated 30 women - at least three with children - took to the streets to protest. They are sleeping outside the Kenyan consular on mattresses with little food or water.

by Louise Donovan

This article was published in partnership with Kenya’s Daily Nation.

“It’s Like a War Zone”: Anti-Trafficking Organizations Struggle Under COVID-19

It’s the early, pinkish hours of the morning, and Ruchira Gupta is already on the phone to a local farmer in Uttar Pradesh, India, working to persuade him to give her whatever potatoes and onions…

by Corinne Redfern

Why Women Are The Vanguard Of The Racial Equality Movement in the U.K.

Before protests demanding equality for Black people swept across the country, Aba Amoah was finishing her criminology degree, practicing Mandarin and planning her next trip abroad. Now, the 22-year-old is at the vanguard of the Black Lives…

by Amie Ferris-Rotman

This article was originally published in ELLE.

The Brutality of Brazil’s Pandemic Call Centers

Call centers are a mainstay of the Brazilian economy—and a growing menace to its workers.

by Jill Langlois

This story was originally published in Foreign Policy.

COVID-19 Lockdowns Left Nigerian Trafficking Survivors Stranded. Now They’re Looking for a Way Home

Trafficking survivors are being hit hard by COVID 19: They may have escaped their captors, but nobody knows when they will be able to return home.

by Corinne Redfern, Shola Lawal

This story was originally published in TIME.

Seeking a decent life for domestic workers

As the head of the National Domestic Workers Council of Kudheiha, a trade union that advocates for Kenyan workers’ rights, she is the first point of contact for women’s pleas across the country and beyond.

by Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in The Daily Nation.

Public Comment Ends for Proposed Changes that Eliminate Gender-Based Asylum

Trump Administration’s proposed asylum changes could end protection for women and girls fleeing domestic violence. The public comment period ends today. As the United States was busy battling the invisible enemy of the coronavirus, the Trump…

by Erica Hellerstein

Filipino children abandoned to internet sex abusers during coronavirus

Online sexual exploitation of children in the Philippines has soared since COVID-19 began, while lockdown has robbed them of safe havens.

by Corinne Redfern

This article was originally published in the South China Morning Post.

Laid Off and Locked Up: Virus Traps Domestic Workers in Arab States

When the nine African women lost their jobs as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia because of the coronavirus lockdown, the agency that had recruited them stuffed them in a bare room with a few thin…

by Ben Hubbard, Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in The New York Times.

The Sexual-Health Supply Chain Is Broken

It took Dimos Sakellaridis about six years to build Kiss condoms into one of Nigeria’s top brands, with approximately 91 million sold in 2019. The prophylactics are available in shops, markets, and kiosks across the country, and…

by Anna Louie Sussman

This article was originally published in The Atlantic.

America’s Guns Fuel Mexico’s Domestic Violence Epidemic

Lockdowns and an easy supply of weapons have been a fatal combination for Mexican women.

by Meaghan Beatley

This article was originally published in Foreign Policy.

‘They Came to Kill the Mothers.’ After a Devastating Attack on a Kabul Maternity Ward, Afghan Women Face Increased Dangers

An attack on a Kabul maternity ward comes at a time when the future of women’s health efforts in Afghanistan is already complicated.

by Sophia Jones

This article was originally published in TIME.

Surrogacy Is Complicated—Then Add a Global Pandemic

At 37 weeks pregnant, Arina* doesn’t leave her Kiev apartment often. The pandemic ricocheting around the globe means the 28-year-old surrogate can’t ride the now-closed subway or tram to the city center. To pass the…

by Oksana Parafeniuk, Daniela Prugger

This article was originally published in Marie Claire.

A Transport Ban in Uganda Means Women are Trapped at Home with Their Abusers

Seconds after Veronica opened her eyes in the hospital, she knew who had put her there. Her body ached; her head throbbed. The night before, the 25-year-old mother-of-five was busy buying medication for her children…

by Louise Donovan

This article was originally published in CNN International.