Streets to Feminism

Hi! Streets to Feminism aims to educate and advocate for human rights for all. It aims to create a safe and inclusive community for all genders, sexualities, nationalities, religions, and races. For now, we hope to keep you updated about major developments in the human rights space and publish a weekly editorial discussing a topic of importance. On a side note, we're open to collaborations, pitches, and information exchange. Constructive feedback is always welcome! #humanrights #feminism #community

In his annual Christmas message, Pope Francis called for an end to the Russia-Ukraine war and said, “May the sound of arms be silenced in war-torn Ukraine.” The Pope also called for “gestures of dialogue and encounter in order to achieve a just and lasting peace.” The Pope’s message came after Russia attacked Ukraine on Christmas, attacking the latter’s energy grid and injuring several people in Kyiv and Kharkiv. The Pope also renewed calls for a ceasefire in the Israeli-Hamas war and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas. He called the humanitarian in Gaza “extremely grave” and asked for “the doors of dialogue and peace be flung open.” The Pope also called for ending social, military, or political conflicts in Lebanon, Mozambique, Mali, Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. #vatican #popefrancis #christmas #israel #hamas #palestine #russia #ukraine #ceasefirenow #gaza

On Tuesday, Morocco’s justice and Islamic affairs minister, Abdellatif Ouahbi, said the country aims to grant women more rights within the family. The draft code proposes more than 100 amendments and would need the parliament’s approval. The proposed amendments allow women to oppose polygamy in a marriage contract. In the absence of opposition, a husband can take a second wife under certain circumstances, such as the first wife’s infertility. Additionally, the amendment simplifies and shortens divorce proceedings and divides child custody between spouses. The revised code allows divorced women to retain child’s custody upon remarriage and restricts exceptions of underage marriage to 17 years but maintains a legal marriage age of 18. Furthermore, the revised code allows individuals to ‘gift’ any of their assets to their female heirs. Morocco follows an Islamic-based inheritance rule, which grants a man twice the share of a woman. Image Source - Arab News #morocco #rabat #womenrights #humanrights #inheritance #childcustody #polygamous

On Christmas Eve, Pope Francis said that the story of Jesus’ birth as a poor carpenter’s son should instil hope in people that they can leave an impact on the world. Presiding at a Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, the Pope delivered a sermon focused on hope and said, “Hope is a summons not to tarry, to be kept back by our old habits, or to wallow in mediocrity or laziness. Hope calls us … to be upset with things that are wrong and to find the courage to change them.” In addition, the Pope urged developed nations to use the Jubilee to reduce or cancel some of developing countries’ debt. The pontiff said: “The Jubilee calls us to spiritual renewal and commits us to the transformation of our world. A time of jubilee for the poorer countries burdened beneath unfair debts; a time of jubilee for all those who are in bondage to forms of slavery old and new.” 2025 - a Catholic Holy Year, also known as a Jubilee, is considered a time of ‘peace, forgiveness, and pardon.’ They occur every 25 years. #popefrancis #vatican #stpeterbasilica #christmaseve #christmas #hope #forgiveness #pardon #peace

On Monday, thousands of women rallied in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli to demand that the new Islamist rulers of Damascus respect women’s rights. One rights activist said, “We are demanding women’s rights from the new state … and women must not be excluded from rights in this system.” The demand comes amid widespread apprehension among Syrians that the new administration will lean towards hard-line Islamist rule, marginalising women and minorities. The protesting women also demanded that the new rulers condemn Turkish-backed military campaigns in Kurdish-led regions of the north. However, a spokesperson for the Syrian transitional government, Obaida Arnout, said, “Women’s biological and physiological nature rendered them unfit for certain governmental jobs.” Image Source - Arab News #syria #damascus #womensrightsarehumanrights#humanrights #equalrightsforall #basharalassad

On Thursday, the former husband of Gisèle Pelicot - Dominique Pelicot - was found guilty of aggravated rape and sentenced to 20 years in jail by a judge in Avignon, southern France. Dominique’s conviction concluded France’s largest-ever rape trial, which shocked the country and the entire world. During the trial, Gisèle Pelicot said, “It’s not for us to feel shame - it’s for them. Above all, I’m expressing my will and determination to change the society.” Dominique Pelicot admitted to drugging and raping Gisèle Pelicot repeatedly for almost over a decade and invited fifty other men to rape and sexually assault his wife. The fifty other men were also convicted in the same trial and sentenced to three to fifteen years in prison. After the trial, she said, “I wanted to open the doors of this trial last September so that society could see what was happening. I’ll never regret this decision. I have confidence in our capacity, collectivity, to find a better future, in which men and women alike can live harmlessly together with mutual respect.” The trial began on September 2. The assaults took place between 2011 and 2020. Her ex-husband invited the other men to come and assault his wife via online chat rooms. Thousands of photos and videos retrieved from Dominique Pelicot’s computer led police to other suspects. Image Source - Al Jazeera #giselepelicot #france #avignon #rape #consent #humanrights #consentmatters #dominiquepelicot #shamemustchangesides

Image Source - BBC #afghanistan #malalayousafzai #womensrights

Human rights, particularly women’s rights, were dealt another blow when the Taliban banned Afghan women from attending nursing and midwifery courses. Soon after the ban was announced, medical training institutes turned away students and suspended courses until further notice. A medical student and activist from Kabul said, “A society without female doctors or medical workers is doomed.” The ban would affect women’s right to education and healthcare access. In Afghanistan, people are bound by traditions and cultural practices - meaning women are not allowed to be treated or checked by a male doctor. With this ban, no more midwives, nurses, or female medical practitioners will assist female patients. Now, women are neither allowed to be treated by male healthcare professionals nor allowed to train as healthcare professionals. The results are simple - you’re leaving millions of Afghan women and girls to die by denying them healthcare. Even before the Taliban took over, Afghanistan ranked among the lowest for maternal health, with 620 women dying for every 100,000 live births in 2020. Furthermore, according to the United Nations’ reproductive health agency, Afghanistan needs an additional 18,000 skilled midwives to ensure Afghan women get adequate care. Image Source - BBC #taliban #afghanistan #kabul #womensrightsarehumanrights #humanrights #healthcare #education #accesstoeducation #reproductivehealth

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Israel killed thousands of Palestinians in Gaza by depriving them of clean water, which legally tantamounts to an act of genocide and extermination. HRW, in its report, said, “This policy, inflicted as part of a mass killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, means Israeli authorities have committed the crime against humanity of extermination, which is ongoing. This policy also amounts to an ‘act of genocide’ under the Genocide Convention of 1948.” HRW Middle East director Lama Fakih said, “What we have found is that the Israeli government is intentionally killing Palestinians in Gaza by denying them the water that they need to survive.” In its report, the organisation said the Israeli government stopped water being piped into Gaza and cut off electricity and restricted fuel, rendering Gaza’s own water and sanitation facilities useless. Meanwhile, Israel has denied committing acts of genocide, saying it respects international law and reserves the right to defend itself following the Hamas-led attack from Gaza on October 7, 2023, that fuelled the war. Apart from HRW, Amnesty International’s report also concluded that Israel was committing genocide. In addition, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence chief for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Image Source - Financial Times #israel #telaviv #gaza #genocide #humanrights #humanrightswatch #ceasefirenow #amnestyinternational #warcrimes #cleanwater #cleanwaterforall

Following the collapse of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime earlier this month, mass graves are being discovered across Syria amid search and recovery efforts. More than 100,000 people are assumed to have disappeared in Syria since 2011. Twelve mass graves have been discovered in southern Syria. In addition, mass graves have also been found in Adra, Qutayfah town and Husseiniyeh. Reportedly, victims, including those who died from torture or harsh conditions in the country’s notorious prisons, were buried there. Authorities are yet to identify the remains. A local resident who witnessed the burial of bodies said the security forces brought the bodies packed in refrigerated containers. He told BBC that the ground would be filled with bodies and then flattened with a bulldozer. Al-Assad and his father Hafez, who preceded him as president, are accused of killing thousands through extrajudicial killings. Image Source - Al Jazeera #syria #basharalasad #damascus #aleppo #massgraves #humanrights