6 h. ago Preventing violence against women and girls must remain a priority

Editorial: Our second refuge – built thanks to the generosity of our readers – is complete. But far more work is needed to tackle the scourge of domestic abuse

Events

56 h. ago I used to be scared of being a ‘difficult woman’. Now it’s a badge of honour | Jacinta Parsons

If there’s one thing that I’ve learned by talking to older women, it’s that being a ‘bad girl’ shouldn’t faze you – it should embolden youI remember the thrill I felt when someone would tell me that I was a “good girl”. I understood from a young age that, as a girl, goodness would be my supreme achievement – my calling in life. But what that looked like or how I might embody its essence took time to decode.I remember being in the back seat of our brown HJ Holden when I was young, leaving a family party and being reprimanded by my parents for my “behaviour”. I was mystified. I had no idea what I had done that had caused them such embarrassment. Had I run when I was told not to? Or had I misunderstood an instruction? Was I a “bad girl”, I remember wondering. Continue reading...

Politics

58 h. ago Netanyahu speaks to Pope after three killed in Israeli strike on Gaza church – Middle East crisis live

Leo urges Israeli PM to reach a ceasefire deal and expresses concern over ‘heartbreaking toll’ in regionTwo of Jerusalem’s most senior Christian clerics travelled to Gaza on Friday after a deadly Israeli strike on the Palestinian territory’s only Catholic church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.The Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, headed an “ecclesiastical delegation” to meet local Christians after Thursday’s strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, a statement read.Those responsible must be held to account.It is crucial that immediate steps are taken to prevent recurrence of such violence. Continue reading...

Events

62 h. ago Fourteen reported dead after Israeli strikes on Gaza – Middle East crisis live

Two separate Israeli strikes reported in southern Gaza, with another attack in the northTwo of Jerusalem’s most senior Christian clerics travelled to Gaza on Friday after a deadly Israeli strike on the Palestinian territory’s only Catholic church, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.The Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and his Greek Orthodox counterpart, Theophilos III, headed an “ecclesiastical delegation” to meet local Christians after Thursday’s strike on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City, a statement read.Those responsible must be held to account.It is crucial that immediate steps are taken to prevent recurrence of such violence. Continue reading...

Events

64 h. ago How hard will UK aid cuts hit projects helping women and girls?

Programmes around education and health are expected to be especially hard hit by the cutting of international aid from 0.5 to 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income

Events

4 d. ago Acid attacks skyrocket by 10% as campaigners warn of rise in violence against women and girls

Almost a quarter of all attacks took place in Northumbria in 2024

Events

5 d. ago Crimes of necrophiliac killer who abused at least 100 dead women and girls could be repeated, inquiry finds

The maintenance worker sexually abused the bodies of women and girls at two hospital mortuaries

Events

6 d. ago Voices: My niece, Zara Aleena, was murdered – now Starmer’s told me how he’ll halve violence against women and girls

Three years after the devastation of her niece’s murder, Farah Naz had a face-to-face with the prime minister to urge him to take concrete action. What he told her gave her hope of real change – for the first time

Events

1 week ago Nadia Whittome: ‘I’m appalled by my party’s stance on trans rights’

The Labour MP for Nottingham East tells Emma Henderson she’s proud of her party’s pledge to tackle violence against women and girls but wants to push from within for change on trans rights

Events

1 week ago Rape shame of Putin's troops: Horrific details of 'extreme' sex attacks on Ukrainian women and girls are revealed in court ruling on Russia's 'abhorrent' abuses during invasion

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) yesterday found Russia guilty of committing various atrocities in Ukraine following the outbreak of war in the Donbas region in 2014

Events

1 week ago New data show record high of almost three in 10 conceptions ending in abortion

There were 247,703 conceptions leading to a legal abortion in 2022, a 13.1% rise on the 218,923 recorded in 2021, the ONS said.

Politics

1 week ago Arrest warrant issued for Taliban’s supreme leader over persecution of women and girls in Afghanistan

Taliban have imposed harsh measures that range from banning women from public places to girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade

Events

1 week ago ICC issues warrant for Taliban’s supreme leader for persecution of women

Rights activists hail move to arrest Haibatullah Akhundzada and Afghan chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani for crimes against humanityThe international criminal court has issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity for the persecution of women and girls.In a statement, the ICC said on Tuesday there were “reasonable grounds to believe” the Taliban’s supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, and Afghanistan’s chief justice, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, had ordered policies that deprived women and girls of “education, privacy and family life and the freedoms of movement, expression, thought, conscience and religion”. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago ICC issues arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over persecution of women and girls

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for two top Taliban leaders

Events

1 week ago England Lioness Nikita Parris impressed by growth of women's football as Women's Euros gathers pace

Parris attend one of the first Big Football Day Powered by the National Lottery that saw over 100 women and girls take part in football activations in Newham.

Politics

2 w. ago Voices: A ‘lower body spray’ for boys? What in the fresh hell is this?

Women and girls have been targeted for years by so-called ‘feminine hygiene’ products, so perhaps a new version for teenage boys is simply levelling the playing field, writes Georgina Fuller. But as a mother, I find it more than a little disturbing

Politics

2 w. ago Diogo Jota's 'touching' reply to young girl told 'football isn't for women'

The heartbreaking passing of Diogo Jota has left the football community grieving – and plenty have taken the time to share positive interactions they had with the Liverpool footballer

Politics

2 w. ago Diogo Jota's 'sweet words' to girl told 'football is not for women'

Liverpool star Diogo Jota died at the age of 28 after being involved in a car crash in Spain yesterday.

Politics

2 w. ago Diogo Jota's 'touching words' to little girl told 'football isn't for women'

Diogo Jota has died at the age of 28 after being involved in a car crash in Spain, and people have been left inspired by the "touching" words he said to a little girl who was told football "isn't for women"

Politics

2 w. ago UPenn to ban transgender athletes, ending civil rights case focused on swimmer Lia Thomas

Penn settles Title IX case over Lia Thomas’ winsSchool will ban trans women from female sportsFeds call it a victory for women and girls’ rightsThe University of Pennsylvania has agreed to ban transgender women from its women’s sports teams to resolve a federal civil rights case that found the school violated the rights of female athletes.The US Education Department announced the voluntary agreement Tuesday. The case focused on Lia Thomas, the transgender swimmer who last competed for the Ivy League school in Philadelphia in 2022, when she became the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title. Continue reading...

Politics