Women's human rights

Women are discriminated against and subjected to violence the world over, just because of their gender. Our Women's Action Network is our hub for activists focussing on defending human rights for women and girls, wherever they're denied.

We're calling for Northern Irish law to follow international human rights standards, including full decriminalisation of abortion, and access to safe and legal abortions - at a minimum - on grounds of severe or fatal foetal abnormality, or in circumstances where pregnancy is a result of sexual violence. Contact your MLA now.

Women and girl refugees face violence, assault, exploitation and sexual harassment at every stage of their journey, including on European soil.

A woman who is raped in Tunisia will be held responsible for her assault. A gay man who is attacked is much more likely to be prosecuted than his attacker.

Tunisia’s discriminatory laws are normalising prejudice and victim-blaming. They urgently need to be changed.

19-year-old Ferdous Al Toum was found guilty of ‘indecent or immoral dress’ and sentenced to 20 lashes and a fine of 500 Sudanese pounds. Her conviction has finally been quashed by the Court of Appeal.

They were due to be raped, paraded naked and their faces blackened to 'pay' for their brother's relationship with a married women of a different caste.

After a global campaign for justice, the sisters have been given police protection and the original village council ruling has been overridden.

Rights activists and civil society representatives gather at the Houses of Parliament to show support for women in Iran.

Five activists - Wei Tingting, Wang Man, Wu Rongrong, Li Tingting and Zheng Churan - were arrested in China for planning to mark International Women’s Day by launching a campaign against sexual harassment.

The Chinese government must drop all charges against each of the five women activists immediately.

Pregnant women and girls in Mkhondo, South Africa, are dying needlessly because they aren’t getting vital healthcare. A lethal mix of overstretched nurses, ambulance shortages and a lack of support make this one of the worst places in the country to be a new mother.

Thousands of Ireland's emigrants are coming home to fight for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight for safe abortion.

We have exposed the plight of Yezidi women and girls who have had their lives shattered by the horrors of sexual violence and slavery in Islamic State (IS) captivity in Iraq.

Hundreds, and possibly thousands, have been forcibly married, ‘sold’ or given as ‘gifts’ to Islamic State fighters or their supporters.

Ten women activists and a Buddhist monk from the Boeung Kak community in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh have been sentenced to a year in jail after protesting against the destruction of their community and forced evictions from their homes.

In El Salvador, abortion is a crime. If you’re poor and have a miscarriage, you may be accused of having an abortion and jailed.

Guadalupe was 18 years old when she was sentenced to 30 years in prison for having a miscarriage. Seven years later, she was finally granted a pardon.

Hundreds of pregnant women and girls are dying needlessly in South Africa, partly because they fear their HIV status may be revealed if they access antenatal care services, according to a major report published by Amnesty International today.

Ten members of the Pakistani Taliban, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, suspected of involvement in the 2012 attack on education activist Malala Yousafzai have been arrested.

With the world watching, it is critical that Pakistan seizes this opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to human rights, justice and rule of law.

The largest ever gathering of world leaders in the UK is taking place in Wales. Afghanistan is on the agenda at NATO - but half of its population has no voice there.

This is a perfect opportunity for decision-makers to hear from women in Afghanistan, involve them in shaping their country's future. So why are Afghan women being left out in the cold?

Six weeks after she was sentenced to be hanged for apostasy, Meriam Ibrahim, a 27-year-old mother in Sudan, has been freed from death row.
Over a million people around the world joined our call to Sudan to free Meriam - including a quarter of a million people in the UK. Thank you. You have been heard, and Meriam's death sentence has been overturned.

In recent years, communities in Sierra Leone have been taking an innovative approach towards ending the brutal practice of female genital mutilation (FGM).

Meanwhile, activists and global leaders met to tackle FGM at the Girl Summit 2014 in London this July.