Advocacy & Lobbying
In India, authorities often discuss gender inequality as a multifaceted problem, requiring a multifaceted solution. The existence of multiple social differences, such as caste and class, makes it more complex. Governmental programs such as the Tamil Nadu Textile Industry Coalition (TiC) aim to address this difference.
Over the years, the Indian government has become sensitive to the multidimensional aspects. It has worked to introduce solutions which address not just the issue but also encompass all its nuances. The Tamil Nadu government’s multistakeholder TiC is one such initiative launched in association with the U.N. Women.
The government announced the Council in February 2024. Through this initiative, the state aims to create a safe, secure workspace for women in the textile industry.
The youngest victim of gender-based violence in Monaco last year was just six years old. The oldest 80.
These shocking figures emerged on Tuesday as the Committee for the Promotion and Protection of Women’s Rights held its seventh annual meeting, revealing that reported cases of violence against women increased from 35 in 2024 to 40 in 2025.
Speaking to the press at the Yacht Club de Monaco following the morning’s plenary session on January 20th, Céline Cottalorda, interministerial delegate for women’s rights, was straightforward about the gravity of the challenge. “We always say that one victim is one too many,” she said. “And indeed, as long as there are victims of violence, we must continue working on this subject.”
The committee’s newly published study, produced by IMSEE, shows that more than 90% of victims of sexual violence and intimate partner violence are women. In 85% of police cases, victims reported physical violence. Moreover, and quite disturbingly, in 66% of cases recorded by the victim support association AVIP, violence occurred in the presence of children.
Never before had litigants, coming from the remote communal sections of Quartier Morin, Limbé, and Fort-Bourgeois, had access to justice so close and free of charge. Often, the distance means that people spend hours traveling to a Justice of the Peace court; the high cost of justice; the fear of reprisals; and the extreme slowness of the decisions –all these factors summarize the reality that prevails in these areas, thus limiting access to justice and the exercise of rights.
An entire judicial apparatus – comprisinf of thejustices of the peace and clerks of the courts of the southern and northern districts of Cap-Haitien, Court of first instance and court of appeals representatives, lawyers from the Legal Assistance Bureau (BAL) and the Citizen Protection Office (OPC), Gender-Based Violence (GBV) unit of the Ministry for the Status of Women and Women's Rights (MCFDF), GBV unit of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), GBV unit of the Bureau for the Protection of Minors (BPM), women's rights organizations including AFASDA and AFM, psychologists, social workers, local elected officials, community leaders, –mobilizes with a competent team , to operate as a real court at each mobile court session and travel to the most remote neighborhoods of litigants, thereby making justice accessible to all.
Nearly 224 participants, including 113 women, were reached by the three mobile courts and attended awareness sessions. More than ten (10) cases of violence were recorded and addressed during individual hearings held behind closed doors, outside of the mobile courts. These cases, currently being handled by the BAL lawyers, will soon be referred to a higher level for appropriate legal follow-up and action. The most frequently reported cases of violence include assault, parental irresponsibility, and physical and verbal abuse.
A two-day expert meeting on regional consultation on the political participation and leadership of women and youth in West Africa has been opened in Accra.
The meeting, scheduled for February 17 and 18, forms part of the 50th Anniversary Legacy Project of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on gender parity in elected bodies in ECOWAS Member States (2025–2035), which seeks to strengthen women’s and youth representation in political leadership across the sub-region.
Organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in collaboration with the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre (EGDC), the consultation aims to assess the current state of political participation of women and young people in West Africa, advance dialogue on gender parity in elected bodies, and contribute to the development of a regional model law or guide to promote inclusive governance and leadership by 2035.
In a speech, read on her behalf by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Dr Hafisa Zakaria, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, reiterated the commitment of the government of Ghana to advancing the political participation and leadership of women and young people as a foundation for inclusive governance and sustainable development in West Africa.
Beyond the campaign trails, podiums, and other public-facing aspects of running for political office, If She Runs depicts the lived experiences of two women who grapple with the desire, and barriers, to enter the world of electoral politics in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Playwright Ruth Lawrence wanted to “pull back the veil” on what it really means to run in an election here, the celebrated actor and director recently told The Independent during one of the play’s dress rehearsals.
She said PerSIStence Theatre asked her to write a play inspired by the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote, and that she knew of folks who were either running for public office, or considering it, often unaware of everything the election process entails.
“I love an election. I always have,” Lawrence said. “Some of my earliest memories are watching leadership conventions on TV.” So she jumped at the opportunity to write the play.
Is there a boys' club in politics? I ask a smart, tough, very experienced woman who has worked at the highest level of government.
"Yes," comes the answer - without a second's hesitation. "The end."
Yes, many more women than ever have taken up perches on the green benches - but that's not the same as having access to the inner sanctum where decisions are made.
Yes, there are many more women working at senior levels in Whitehall - and all the main parties have made big efforts to get more women into parliament. But that's not the same as being listened to.
And yes, as part of Sir Keir Starmer's efforts to prop up his administration, three senior men have used the exit – the boss of the civil service, his chief of staff, and his head of communications, to be replaced, at least in part, by women.
But this week, a serving member of the cabinet, Lisa Nandy, suggested Labour had been operating as a "boys' club" and went on to complain "some of the briefings have absolutely been dripping with misogyny".
Read More here.
A core component of the three-year regional OECD-MENA Transition Fund project on “Promoting women’s participation in parliaments and policy-making,” is conducting a country-based, peer-reviewed assessment of the existing opportunities and current challenges faced by women candidates. The purpose of this report is to present the findings of this assessment, with a view to identifying targeted policy recommendations that can be implemented to accelerate progress towards gender equality and women’s political empowerment in Jordan. Recommendations are based on findings of the assessment and international good practices.
This report presents both the enabling factors and obstacles in the election of more women to parliament and municipal councils. A second assessment analysed the parliament’s workplace operations, processes, internal procedures and policy-frameworks through a gender lens. The report reviews Jordan’s current legal framework, including adherence to international standards, and assesses the existence and effectiveness of the country’s institutions in promoting women’s political participation. Legal, institutional and social norms that serve as barriers to women’s political participation are highlighted in chapters 1, 2 and 4.
Click here to access the report.
Violence against women politicians is increasingly recognized as an issue that undermines women’s presence in politics. Latin America has been at the vanguard of this global discussion. In 2012, Bolivia became the only country in the world to criminalize “political violence and harassment against women.” Several other countries have similar legislation in the works. What explains the emergence of these bill proposals? This article argues that the creation of these bills is the result of three processes: activism at the local level used international norms to propose an innovative solution to a problem; women politicians and “femocrats” worked within the state apparatus to overcome resistance; and international actors worked to foster connections among activists and politicians across the region. In this process, international norms have been transformed, with important implications for women’s political representation.
Click here to access the article.
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) in digital contexts is not a new phenomenon, however it has rapidly escalated in the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic as women’s lives shifted online for work, education, access to services, and social activities. While there continue to be significant gaps in data, one global report suggests that prevalence ranges from 16 per cent to 58 per cent.
Online VAWG occurs as part of a continuum that is often connected to offline violence and can encompass many forms including sexual harassment, stalking, zoom bombing, and these continue to multiply in a context of rapidly expanding digitalization. The impact of online VAWG can be as harmful as offline violence with negative effects on the health and wellbeing of women and girls as well as serious economic, social and political impacts.
This paper provides a brief overview of the existing data and evidence on online and technology facilitated VAWG, outlines some of the key developments, gaps, challenges, and emerging promising practices, and makes recommendations to be considered by governments, international organizations, civil society organizations, and the technology sector.
Click here to access the report.
- Gender equality has suffered since the pandemic began.
- It will now take an estimated 135.6 years to close the worldwide gender gap between men and women.
- However, progress is being made in areas including science and politics.
- Improving paternity policies and representation of women will help.
There is still a huge amount of work to do to achieve gender equality around the world.
The time it will take to close the gender gap grew by 36 years in just 12 months, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021. This means it will now take an estimated 135.6 years for men and women to reach parity, according to the report, which assesses areas including economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and political empowerment.
Click here to read the full article published by The World Economic Forum on 3 March 2022.
This report and accompanying policy brief is intended to trigger a UN ‘rethink’ about women’s participation in transitional justice at both the policy and programme levels.
Fundamentally, ‘meaningful’ women’s participation in transitional justice does not only involve women being present—instead, it involves the convergence of several elements and manifests when women from diverse backgrounds: have the ability to enter; are present; possess self-efficacy; deploy their agency; and exert influence over transitional justice processes.
It recommends several adjustments for UN policy and programming—both in general and in relation to the updating of the UN Secretary-General’s 2010 Guidance Note on transitional justice—to better promote women’s meaningful participation in transitional justice.
Click here to access the report.
This report assesses women’s access to justice and women’s political participation in parliament, local councils and civil society organisations in Colombia. It examines existing legal, political and institutional frameworks in order to better understand successes, challenges and implementation gaps in the government’s pursuit of access to justice and gender equality. The report also offers examples of different approaches in OECD member and partner countries to support Colombia in closing gender gaps. Based on this analysis, the report proposes actionable solutions to help Colombia design and deliver policies that effectively promote women’s political participation and access to justice, including for survivors of gender based violence.
Click here to download the full report published by the OECD on 11 July 2020.