FRIDAY FILE: To commemorate International Domestic Workers' Day on June 16 and in parallel to a seminar considering a unified strategy against violence against women in Tunisia, hosted by the Association of Tunisian Women for Research and Development’s in Tunis on June 13, 2014, AWID takes a look at the instruments available and the gaps that still exist in addressing violence against informal women workers in Tunisia.

By Mégane Ghorbani

FRIDAY FILE: The recent abduction of hundreds of school girls from their school hostel in Chibok, Borno in north-eastern Nigeria is not an isolated incident, but rather has become a way of life for communities in three north-eastern states in Nigeria.

FRIDAY FILE: A lawsuit filed against Scott Lively on behalf of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) over Lively’s role in inciting persecution against Ugandan citizens’ sexual orientation and gender identity will soon go to trial in the U.S.

By Rochelle Jones

AWID interviewed Frank Mugisha from SMUG, about what this means for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights in Uganda and worldwide.

FRIDAY FILE – Zimbabwe’s 31st July general election was largely peaceful but the credibility of the poll and the resulting landslide victory for the ruling Zanu PF has been questioned. AWID spoke to Netsai Mushonga–Mazvidza, National Coordinator of the Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) about their strategies to promote democracy in the country.

By Susan Tolmay

FRIDAY FILE – Last July, a high court sentenced the Namibian state for the forced sterilization of three HIV-positive women. In Uzbekistan, authorities continue to deny reported cases. AWID looks into forced sterilizations in both countries and what it means for women’s reproductive rights.

By Ani Colekessian*

FRIDAY FILE - Sudanese people inspired by the Arab spring, and led by women and youth, took the streets of Sudan demanding regime change in 2011. Authorities violently cracked down on these demonstrations, detaining more than 150 women, who were sexually abused or tortured, injured and beaten in the protests.

Since June 2012, new protests against the Sudanese regime have intensified violence against women human rights defenders (WHRD).[1]

By Katherine Ronderos

FRIDAY FILE - As the World Social Forum in Tunis wrapped up, many agreed that the vitality of the older days of the Forum was back. Taking place at the Al Manar University in Tunis, amidst the still unmet calls for dignity and justice of the Arab uprisings, it gathered about 54,000 people who were united in their hopes for a better world.

By Shareen Gokal

FRIDAY FILE - After a five-year-long case, a Dutch Court has held the Nigerian Subsidiary of Shell responsible for the pollution of farmlands in Nigeria, marking a victory in the struggle against the oil company that has been at the centre of environmental concerns in Nigeria for over 40 years.

AWID interviewed Caroline Usikpedo, the National President of the Niger Delta Women’s movement for Peace and Development (NDWPD), for a women’s rights perspective on the ongoing struggle against the oil giant

By Rochelle Jones

FRIDAY FILE: As we celebrate International Food Day and International Rural Women´s Day this month AWID interviewed Elizabeth Mpofu, peasant women leader of La Via Campesina in Zimbabwe to reflect on the intersections between hunger, agriculture, gender, social and environmental justice and highlight the importance of food sovereignty.

By Alejandra Scampini

FRIDAY FILE: A coup d’état and the occupation of northern Mali have left many searching for answers to a deepening crisis.

AWID spoke with Head of Cooperation at the Netherlands Embassy in Mali, To Tjoelker, and socio-anthropologist Lalla Mariam Haidara, native of Timbuktu and specialist on women’s rights in Mali, to shed light on the situation.

By Ani Colekessian