- The Arkansas state legislature voted to override a veto by Governor Asa Hutchinson, who sought to reverse a bill that bans medical and surgical interventions for trans-identified minors. CBS News reports:
“House Bill 1570, known as the Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act, outlaws treatments such as surgery and hormone therapy for transgender minors. The ban extends to people who are already receiving these treatments.”
- Fifty-eight women abducted in South Sudan last year have been released and reunited with their families. Women and girls are frequently abducted in Jonglei State due to their “economic importance in demanding a bride price paid in the form of cattle,” according to the UN.
- Women’s rights activists in Pakistan are facing allegations of blasphemy, which can be life-threatening. Blasphemy allegations in Pakistan have resulted in targeted murders in the past.
- Women and girls in India who have survived acid attacks, sexual assault and trafficking are entitled to government compensation that most are not receiving. There were more than 400,000 crimes against women and girls in 2019. More than 12,000 women and girl survivors were waiting to have their applications processed in 2020.
- Allegations of rape in Australia’s Parliament building made by Brittany Higgins have prompted an outpouring of women coming forward with stories of sexual abuse, including women involved in politics across political parties.