Stigmatization and the Role of Associations in the Fight against HIV in Middle East and North Africa

FRIDAY FILE: At a recent international conference in Tunis[1] on Sexual and Reproductive Health in Arab Countries, AWID met Jocelyn DeJong, professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at American University in Beirut and coordinator of the Reproductive Health Working Group[2], to learn more about their research on the role of associations in fighting HIV stigmatization.

By Mégane Ghorbani

Activists Reflect on the Rights Implications of India’s New Government

FRIDAY FILE: The result of India’s recent elections was a resounding victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a right-wing Hindu nationalist party. As Narendra Modi takes over leadership of India’s first majority government in three decades, AWID spoke with rights activists from diverse fields and locations about their reflections and concerns.

By Saira Zuberi[i]

Indigenous people demand substantive participation in UN spaces

FRIDAY FILE: AWID spoke with Mirna Cunningham, President of the Center for the Autonomy and Development of Indigenous Peoples, about the recent UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the importance of participating substantively in this and other preparatory processes towards the World Conference of Indigenous People (WCIP) in September 2014.

Informal Work in Tunisia: A Factor to be Included in Strategies Addressing Gender Based Violence

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

Socorristas en Red - Socorro Rosa: A feminist practice for the right to choose in Argentina

FRIDAY FILE : Abortion is illegal in Argentina, with three exceptions: when the pregnancy was the result of a rape or abuse against a woman with a mental disability and when the pregnant woman’s life or health are at risk. However, even these cases often end up before the Courts and women continue to undergo surgical clandestine abortions that put their lives at risk.

Reclaiming the Commons for Gender and Economic Justice: Struggles and Movements in India

FRIDAY FILE – Women’s unequal access to resources in any given economy is widely recognized as a major source of gender inequality. Privatization and State appropriation of what was otherwise common land, affects those who depend most on this resource to sustain their livelihoods.

By Ana Abelenda

What Would a Feminist Internet Look Like?

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) held a global meeting on gender, sexuality and the internet, in Malaysia between 12 and 17 April, to explore and develop the collective understanding of what a feminist internet looks like. AWID interviewed Nadine Moawad[i] about the meeting, and APC's EROTICS project.

Mexican Code of Military Justice Amended: A victory for WHRDs

FRIDAY FILE - On April 30, the Mexican Chamber of Deputies unanimously passed amendments to the Code of Military Justice, which restricts military jurisdiction in cases where the victims are civilians.

Feminist Roma Women Defending their Rights in Spain

FRIDAY FILE - “When we speak of Roma women, discrimination becomes three-fold: for being women, for being Roma and for belonging to an ethnic minority”, say Maria José Jiménez Cortiñas and Aurora Fernández, President and Secretary of Asociación Gitanas Feministas por la Diversidad (AGFD)[i] , who AWID interviewed to learn how Roma feminist women work to tackle the discrimination they face on a daily basis.

By Gabby De Cicco

In North-eastern Nigeria Attacks and Abductions Have Become a Way of Life

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.