Starting on 13 September 2019, Women’s March Global and Stand with Kashmir are launching a Mini-Course Webinar Series on the current crisis in Kashmir. We welcome anyone who wants to learn about the ongoing situation in Kashmir, as well as the history leading up to present-day Kashmir.

Thousands of people took to the streets on Thursday to protest the government’s failure to address the rising violence against women in South Africa. South Africa’s femicide rates are “five times” the global average; In the last month, more than 30 women were killed by their spouses. Protesters are planning a national shutdown on Friday and are calling for a state of emergency to be declared.

Over the past 8 months we have been working collectively to refine and redefine our purpose as a movement, so that we can honestly and powerfully claim who we are. It is vitally important to us as a grassroots movement that our work always reflects the challenges and needs of our current reality. Our 2020 strategy is frank and bold in its approach to the work, both highly visible and everyday, that we all must do in order to see the unraveling of the systems that bind us all.

The Amazon rainforest is burning at a record rate. This year so far there have been nearly double the number of forest fires than in 2018, with over 9,500 new forest fires started in the last week alone. Environmental organisations and researchers say the wildfires blazing in the Brazilian rainforest were set by cattle ranchers and loggers who want to clear and utilise the land, encouraged by President Jair Bolsonaro policies. The surge in deforestation of the Amazon has confirmed fears that President Jair Bolsonaro’s policy encourages illegal land invasion, logging, and burning. To understand what is happening in the Amazon it is crucial to understand that protecting Indigenous rights is at the core of this issue.

The following article was written by Dama, our Chapter Ambassador for Women’s March Bamenda, and gives detailed insight into the current situation in Cameroon, the history of the region and the necessity for immediate action and intervention on humanitarian grounds to address the volatility of the current crisis.

Since 2011, the clampdown on freedom of expression in Bahrain has intensified. The letter asks Clooney to use her position of leadership to urge the UK government to abide by its stated commitment to protect journalists and promote free media and to press its ally, Bahrain, to respect freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

Last week Saudi Arabia announced sweeping reforms to the oppressive Male Guardianship system. Through the reforms, women will finally be able to obtain passports and travel abroad without permission from a male guardian. The reforms also indicate that there will be increased protection against discrimination for Saudi women.

More than 1,000 demonstrators were arrested in Moscow during a protest on Saturday in which Russia’s national guard used clubs and tear gas against protestors. Demonstrations were triggered by the exclusion of some opposition candidates from the ballot for Moscow city council. Several of these opposition candidates were detained prior to the protest.

In November of 2018 an Indonesian teacher Baiq Nuril Maknun was jailed after recording an exchange with the headteacher who sexually harassed her.

Over the past three months, Women’s March Global has worked closely with our Global Community to highlight experiences of gender-based violence. We are excited to share with you our second-quarter report! This includes our Global Community survey results and future initiatives we are working on.