Issue 5: October 2016
Features
Healthcare: A Privilege Refugees in Lebanon Cannot Afford
Female refugees carry the additional load of responsibility for reproductive healthcare. Pregnant women and mothers feel responsible for their health and that of their fetus and children, and often feel helpless in the face of this double and triple burden.
Global Lessons for Sex Education in America
While the United States is caught in a partisan divide over sex education, other countries are taking the lead.
The Importance of Physical Activity for Women in the Arab World
Physical inactivity, a major risk factor for poor health and chronic disease, is becoming increasingly prevalent in high-income Arab countries – and its consequences fall particularly heavily on women.
Websites and Apps Are Changing the Way Women Obtain Birth Control
Through various apps and websites, women are now able to fill their prescriptions through a few simple clicks of the mouse or taps on their smart phones.
The Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Latinas in the U.S.
Despite the marked gains in coverage and access since the passage of the ACA, Latinas in the U.S. continue to be much more likely to be uninsured than other U.S. women.
The Stigma of Breastfeeding in France
French women just aren’t that into breastfeeding. Studies make French women rank among the least likely to breastfeed in Europe.
Yazidi Women Surviving Daesh: Between Psychological Traumas and the Struggle to Reintegrate to Society
Despite the liberation of many Yazidi women kidnapped by Daesh, most of them return with deep psychological problems.
Reviews
“Let’s go, Supergirl!”
When Jessie Auritt, a documentary filmmaker, heard about Naomi Kutin, an Orthodox Jewish girl from New Jersey who broke a world record in powerlifting at age nine, she was immediately interested.
Book Review: Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman
Lindy West’s recently published memoir, Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, makes readers laugh, think, and question existing ideas about women and body image.
Sonita: A Girl’s Fight Against a Forced Marriage
The story of an Afghan girl in Iran who fights against her own forced marriage
Commentary
My Country After Trump’s Election
The fear and despair that my closest friends felt after the 2016 presidential election didn’t hit me right away. I hugged my colleagues and friends tight throughout the day on November 9.
How a Trump presidency could harm women’s health worldwide
Major international women’s health networks are readying for a battle against the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, which they fear will seek to block support for women’s reproductive rights worldwide.
A Call for Action: Legalizing Abortion in Cases of Rape and Incest
According to official statistics, 600,000 new pregnancies occur every year in Peru; 57% of which are unplanned and unwanted, often the result of sexual violence. As a result, more than 370,000 clandestine abortions are carried out every year.
Domestic Violence Reconceptualized
A change has emerged in the interpretation of government obligations on Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Spotlight
Five questions to Carmen Perez, Co-Chair of the Women’s March on Washington.
“This is a movement. And my work does not end here. It’s just beginning,” affirms Carmen Perez, one of the four national co-chairs of the Women’s March on Washington.
La Vacuna: The Program of Vaccination Against HPV in Colombia
La Vacuna highlights a new vaccine to protect women and young girls before they become infected with human papillomavirus (HPV), that causes most cervical cancer.
The American Dream: Stories of Maternal Health Care
The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate of any industrialized country in the world. The AMERICAN Dream shows women telling their stories related to maternal health care in the US.
The Ark Foundation: A Society in Which the Vulnerable Are Not Forsaken
In Ghana, only two out of every one hundred people suffering from a mental illness have access to the support and care that they need.
India’s Mental Health Crisis
India is currently suffering a mental health crisis. With only 43 government-run mental hospitals serving a population of 1.2 billion, resources are spread thin.
Blog
Defending Reproductive Rights: What Uruguay Can Teach Us
As we in the United States prepare ourselves for the forthcoming assault on reproductive rights by the Trump administration, we can learn a lot from the recent gain in Uruguay.
“Welcome to Baby Jail” Follow up: Dispatches from the Field
Claire Thomas, WAF author and volunteer attorney at CARA Pro Bono Project, sends daily dispatches from “Baby Jail”. Follow along in her journey.
The Dilemma of Abortion in Latin America in the times of Zika
As the Zika virus has received growing international attention, proponents of abortion throughout Latin America have defended the practice of abortion, while opposing forces have successfully battled for banning abortion’s legality.
Coping with Breast Cancer in Japan
Breast cancer is an urgent public health challenge in Japan, and both the younger and older generations of women are faced directly with this disease.
A Conversation with Two African Women Community Leaders
Meet Mariam Savadogo from Burkina Faso and Matida Komma from Gambia as they introduce their inspiring women’s initiatives.
1000+ Songs of a Former Caged Bird
The story of how Amani Rohayyem became a photographer in Saudi Arabia.
Shilan’s Story: A Yezidi Woman, Displaced from Sinjar
Shilan Khemo, a mother of three sons and four daughters, all under the age of thirteen, miraculously escaped death with her family when dozens of ISIS gunmen suddenly invaded their hometown, Sinjar, on August 3, 2014.