Gender Democracy

Domestic violence puzzles people. Why does one person in a relationship abuse another; why does the one being abused stay in this relationship; and what should those who know about this do about it? The solution to these dilemmas, proposed by the Department of Justice in its amendments to the 1998 Domestic Violence Act, is this: that everybody must report any knowledge of domestic violence to the police or a social worker – or face criminal charges. This article, based on a submission to Parliament by the author in collaboration with a range of other organisations, including HBF, interrogates this new proposed provision.

On the relationship between anti-feminism and coronavirus conspiracies and how the coronavirus pandemic aids and abets anti-feminist trends

A survey by Flone Initiative conducted in June 2020, dubbed: Implications of COVID-19 on Women Professionals in the Kenya Public Transport Sector, has revealed that 52% of women in the matatu sector have lost their jobs as a result of matatu owners closing down their business due to restrictions imposed to contain COVID-19.

Our partner NSM has recently penned an open letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa calling for an intervention to urgently address the murderous funding issues with women's shelters.

The diverse involvement of women at local, regional and federal level has long been central to the political development of the US. Nevertheless, women are still significantly underrepresented in political office. Can this change now?

The coronavirus pandemic – just like society – runs along fault lines of gender, race, class and other inequalities. With women over-represented in vulnerable frontline jobs, there are fears that technologies proposed to tackle the pandemic could inflict harms that differ based on gender. 

Not much has happened since the adoption of Resolution 1325 Women, Peace and Safety 20 years ago at UN-security council. A new Policy Paper now calls for implementation of the demands made back then.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed and further exacerbated many inequalities - especially the ones concerning woman. 

Oksana Potapova spoke with activists working for women's and human rights organizations about key changes in their work and life over the recent months.

The crisis associated with the Covid19 pandemic has a gender, and clearly shows social inequalities of all kinds. It particularly affects women, as well as disadvantaged and variously marginalised groups. There are also attempts to exploit the pandemic for short-term political goals directly targeting women's rights.