A War on Pakistan’s Schoolgirls
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In a remarkably beautiful area of Pakistan, the Taliban is making a nightmare of girls’ lives. The author, a Pakistani lawyer and staff member of Equality Now, tells us how the Obama Administration can avoid the mistakes of its predecessor. More »
Girls Need to See Women Rise to Political Power
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In about a week, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States—entering the history books as the first African American to serve. Young girls know from Hillary Clinton’s near success at becoming the Democratic candidate that women can aspire to the highest office too, but studies show that their assurance could quickly fade. More »
The 2008 Women's Conference: Californians Turn Out For an Idea Fix
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Celebrities, coping advice, products and services are lavishly available to thousands of women at this annual event hosted by Maria Shriver. Backing up the show is a well-organized network of state organizations offering women and girls support and connection throughout the year. More »
Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones
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Words matter. From caregivers to teenagers to journalists, use of biased language, often unconsciously, can cause measurable harm, new studies show. The Ad Council, with PSAs featuring Hilary Duff among others, addresses one part of the problem in a campaign launched today. More »
Uganda’s Warrior Girls
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Yes, this slight, shy girl talking with me in the schoolyard killed four people. The rebel soldiers had given her the dictum so many warrior Ugandan children live under: “Kill, or we will kill you.” She tells her story in a rapid-fire, hushed monotone—as if rushing to deliver a memorized passage from a tale too awful to really think about. And that it is. She is only now 16 years old: as an 11-year-old soldier she killed grown men. I don’t give her name because life is still too dangerous for her. Abducted from her school by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) as a small child, she is now rebuilding her life in northern Uganda—a student at a boarding school for girls in Kitgum, near the Sudanese border. In the run of her life, she managed to escape from the brutality of the rebel army only to return to her village to find her parents dead. More »
